1. How many books have you written?
To date I've published 31 novels, using four pens names, but I've written nearly 40. Some will never make it to shelves because I was still learning the craft as I worked on them. Others are written and waiting their turns for publication in 2020 and 2021. I write as myself as well as under the names Bree Baker, Jacqueline Frost and Julie Chase.
2. Can you tell us a little about your current release?
Sure! I've recently released two cozy mysteries with Christmas themes. APPLE CIDER SLAYING is the first in a new Cider Shop Mystery series, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia, that I'm very excited about. I write that series as myself, and it was been well received by readers so far. Hooray! In Apple Cider Slaying, my heroine Winona Mae Montgomery lives on her family's apple orchard with her Granny Smythe and opens a cider shop to help save the failing farm. When Granny's neighbor and nemesis is found dead in the cider press, Winnie sets out to clear Granny's name and finds herself in the killer's sites in the process.
About a month before that, I released, TIDE & PUNISHMENT, book 3 in the Seaside Cafe Mysteries, written as Bree Baker. This series is set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where my heroine, Everly Swan runs an iced tea shop from the first floor of her historic Victorian home on the beach. When the town mayor is killed at Everly's annual Christmas party, with a lawn gnome made by Everly's great aunt, Everly tries to uncover the truth about what really happened and save Christmas, but the real killer has other plans.
In addition to these cozies, DEADLY COVER-UP, book 1 in a new romantic suspense series with Harlequin Intrigue, released this week!
So, all-in-all, I'm staying plenty busy this holiday season!
3. What's your writing process like?
I write full time now, so I get the kids off to school, then I sit down and write a chapter every day. I work from a fully detailed outline to keep me on track, then send my completed chapters to an author friend who reads for me and gives feedback. While she does that, I work on the next chapter. I don't go to bed until the chapter is written, and typically finish a novel every eight-to-ten weeks, including time to write the outline, synopsis and proposal.
4. What piece of advice would you give to aspiring authors?
My best advice is don't give up. This is your dream and no one is going to chase it for you. Writing is hard, but you can do it!. And the writing community is by far the most accepting and encouraging group I know.
5. What are you currently reading? I am currently reading The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo, Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton and The Black Hour by Lori Rader Day.
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