March’s featured author: Carolyn Haines
Carolyn Haines is one of the six authors that I will be featuring this month. Let’s call it #MarchofTrouble as all of the spotlight authors this month are writers of the Familiar Legacy Series. I will explain more about the series later.
One of my favorite things about having this blog is I get to connect with the authors of the fabulous stories that I read. And Carolyn has been one of the nicest ones that I have worked with, so, let me tell you what I know about her.
- She loves animals, but she doesn’t just leave it at that, Carolyn also runs Good Fortune Farm Refuge. If you want to know more about the animal rescue, you’ll find all the information HERE.
- Carolyn grew up in Mississippi but now lives in Alabama.
- She loves mysteries, and the outdoors.
- Carolyn currently writes Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery Series, Pluto’s Snitch Mystery Series, and the Familiar Legacy Series.
- She is extremely busy, but she takes the time to respond to readers and help other authors.
I know you want me to get on with her interview. So, without further ado…
Describe your research process?
A lot depends on which series. I do more research for Pluto’s Snitch because I want to get the facts right about 1920, as much as possible. For the Trouble, books, I have 9 cats currently, and I’ve had cats all my life. I know cats and how bad they can be. They are unique and wonderful animals. I try to give Trouble his personality based on my observations of cats. And with the Bones books, I have lived with Sarah Booth and the Zinnia gang for over two decades. I know the characters, but there is always plenty I don’t know regarding the plot. GAME OF BONES deals with an archeological dig. I really had to do a lot of research for that. And Jitty (the ghost that haunts Dahlia House) appears as Native warrior women—that was fun research. I learned so much I didn’t know, which makes it fun for me too.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Plot and structure are everything. I love creating characters and dialogue, but a lot of people love this. The hard part is really the stuff that counts, and that’s the very logical plot and a solid structure.
When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
Honestly, I just tell the story. My characters are like family to me. I do my best to tell the story as it’s given to me. I think the story is a gift—and it’s my job to execute it to the best of my ability. If the story bores me, I know it’s the wrong thing to write, so I retrench and wait for another gift.
Are you involved with planning the cover of your books?
The Sarah Booth books are done by the talented staff at St. Martin’s Minotaur. Cissy Hartley at WriterSpace designs the cat books and the Pluto’s Snitch covers. She is an amazing talent.
Do you have a favorite cover or do you love them all?
That’s a hard question. I love the cat books because they are different—a little whimsical. I wanted to brand the series in a distinctive way because there are several writers producing books for the series. That’s a challenge in marketing. It’s not an original concept, but it is a little different because we “share” that sassy cat. But the Bones books covers are such fun and so clever. And the Pluto’s Snitch covers convey that sense of history and also a bit of the paranormal, which is an element I just adore.
What advice would you give to a first-time writer?
Read. Read books and learn your craft. Point of view, narrative summary, immediate scene. Know these terms and understand why they’re important to the structure of the story. If you understand the elements of fiction, you can look at very successful writers and see why they have achieved success. If you don’t know how to break a story down, it’s hard to see how it actually works and why some writers are so popular.
What is your favorite drink?
Jack Daniel’s in the winter. Vodka or red wine in the summer.
Describe your handwriting?
Illegible. I am left handed and my hand tires when I write longhand. I learned to type when I was 12, and my teachers praised me for it.
If you looked in your refrigerator right now, what would you find?
Cream cheese for the dogs’ medications. A pitcher of iced tea and a pitcher of water. Almond-Coconut milk. Olives for my martinis. Catsup for my brother. Salad kits. Bread. Cheese. And more condiments. Oh, Brussel sprouts because I just bought them. I am very dang boring. Oh, and adequen injections for the dogs with arthritis. That’s in the butter place, Boring!
If you could visit the past or future, which one would you choose? Why?
The past. I worry that the future of this planet is in grave jeopardy with pollution and our addiction to fossil fuels. My source of serenity is nature, and I am truly worried about our natural world. I’d love to visit with my grandmother when she was a young woman. Talk about grit. She came to America when she was 6, an immigrant from Sweden. When she was young, Sitting Bull was alive. What an amazing transition she witnessed.
What is your favorite quote (doesn’t matter the source)?
“Kill the messenger.” Those bastards need to die!
I love this!
What are you reading now?
Phyllis Whitney, “Black Amber.”
What is the best part of your day?
The mornings, when anything is possible.
Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or live in an un-haunted cottage?
Haunted mansion, but I like the space of a cottage. I am all about downsizing! I don’t’ want to be a resource hog!
I get that, I like the haunted part, but wouldn’t want to live alone in a mansion.
What is your favorite song and by which artist?
“Pussycat Moan” by Katie Webster. But you know, I love John Prine, Kinky Friedman, Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkle, Jackson Brown, the Eagles. I could go on and on. I love songs that tell a story or make me feel.
Are you a better baker or cook?
Baker. Cooking bores me. Baking is a challenge.
Which do you prefer?
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Hot or cold? Hot
Movie or book? Depends. Mostly books but some movies are just the bomb!
Coke or Pepsi? I wouldn’t drink a Pepsi if I was dying of thirst.
Sing in the rain, dance in the streets, hum in the shower or…?
All of the above, and I have evidence. But dancing in the streets is the goal of my life.
To learn more about Carolyn Haines and her books, check out these links:
Carolyn’s books publishing in 2019
Bone-a-fied Trouble
by Carolyn Haines
Series: Familiar Legacy #9
Published by KaliOka Press on March 4, 2019
Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cat Detective
Pages: 300
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Book Depository
CATS, COTTON, AND…MURDER—
The worlds of Sarah Booth Delaney’s Zinnia, Mississippi and Trouble, the black cat detective, collide in this fast-paced tale of high stakes cotton research, abduction, and murder.
Trouble, the Sherlockian feline, falls in with Pluto, another cat with a yin for detective work, to find the missing Trudy Wells. But the cats aren’t alone. Tabitha Kingsley, posing as a psychic medium, has come to the Mississippi Delta to find her missing sister.
Standing in Tabitha’s way is the cynical—and compelling—Roger Long. Roger manages the vast Long Agricultural Products farm and business. Trudy was his newly hired receptionist—and possible lover—before she disappeared.
In a world of wealth and privilege, Tabitha must discover the truth of what her rebellious, sometimes law-breaking, sister was really up to. And she must trust Roger to help her.
Trouble and Pluto aid the bipeds in finding the answers—to Trudy’s vanishing act and also to the path to trust.
Game of Bones
by Carolyn Haines
Series: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery #20
Published by Minotaur Books on May 14, 2019
Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Paranormal
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Book Depository
The next charming mystery from Carolyn Haines featuring spunky southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.
Dr. Frank Hafner is an archeologist working on excavating a new-found Native American temple site in the Mississippi Delta. He’s also too handsome for his own good, and a bit of a flirt. Oddly enough, it’s the first quality that gets him in trouble when he discovers the ritualistic murder of one of his archeological crew. When Coleman Peters, Sheriff and Sarah Booth’s boyfriend, takes Dr. Hafner in for questioning in the murder, the accused doctor hires Sarah Booth to clear his name.Soon, Sarah Booth has uncovered a number of possible suspects, but she can’t narrow them down fast enough to stem the continuing violence that seems to trace back to Dr. Hafner’s dig. When Peter Deerstalker, a member of the Tunica tribe, mentions a curse, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched–especially when a young graduate student on the site claims someone on the site is searching for something much more precious than ancient pottery…
Something spooky is going on in the Mississippi Delta, and though Sarah Booth isn’t sure who to trust, or what to believe, she knows she won’t rest until she’s dug up the truth.
Carolyn’s series:
Pluto’s Snitch Mystery Series
Look for my review of The Specter of Seduction later this month.
Familiar Legacy Series
To see my review of Familiar Trouble go HERE. Also, look for my review of Bone-a-fied Trouble later this month.
Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery Series
1) Them Bones
2) Buried Bones
7) Ham Bones
8) Wishbones
9) Greedy Bones
10) Bone Appetit
12.5) Shorty Bones
13) Smarty Bones
13.5) Bones on the Bayou
14) Booty Bones
15) Bone to Be Wild
15.5) Guru Bones
15.75) Jingle Bones
16) Rock-A-Bye Bones
16.5) Bones and Arrows
17) Sticks and Bones
18) Charmed Bones
18.5) Clacking Bones
19) A Gift of Bones
20) A Game of Bones (coming in May 2019)
Giveaway
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoy learning more about the wonderful author Carolyn Haines.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win (3) Kindle Editions of A Box of Trouble. And look for my reviews of the Familiar Legacy Series throughout the month.
#MarchOfTrouble
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
An interesting story on the photo–it was taken during a visit by a young German woman who was writing her thesis on the Bones books and the Mississippi Delta. To so many, the Delta is an exotic place–and it really is. I didn’t grow up there, but it has stolen a piece of my heart.