MLC: Do you remember the first mystery you ever read? If so, what was it, and what pulled you into it?
AUTHOR: As a child, I read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys of course, but I don’t remember much about them. As a teenager, I started reading Rex Stout and loved the series. The New York setting was exciting to me, and the characters, Nero and Archie, were eccentric, compelling, and brilliant. That series strongly influenced my mystery reading tastes.
MLC: When did you first decide you wanted to write a mystery, and what led you to that decision?
AUTHOR: I had been writing standalone suspense stories for years, then decided I wanted to try a police procedural, which is my favorite kind of story. Around the same time, I got the idea for THE SEX CLUB, and the story and genre came together. While I was writing it, I also decided to create a character I could use in future stories.
MLC: Do you write in any other genres? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: As I mentioned, I’ve written several suspense stories. One of them, THE BABY THIEF, will be published next year. I’m also currently plotting a futuristic thriller, another genre I love.
MLC: Which comes first for you, the plot or the characters?
AUTHOR: With suspense stories, it’s almost always an idea for a plot that gets the story started. But sometimes, the story idea is intertwined with a character, often from a news event. With my Detective Jackson series, the characters are already in place.
MLC: When you are all wrapped up in the story, do you feel like you could solve the crime, or maybe even solve all the world’s mysteries?
AUTHOR: I think it would be fascinating to be a detective, and yes, I think I’d be good at it. I observe a lot of details about people and situations and automatically craft scenarios. For example, one day while out with my kids, I saw an old woman driving a 75 Ford Charger, a muscle car. It seemed odd because the car is usually the choice of a young male. So I started musing out loud and determined the car belonged to her son and she was driving it while he was in jail because he wanted her to keep the engine in good shape. My oldest son looked at me and said, “You get all that from seeing an old woman? No wonder you write stories.”
MLC: Do you write every day, or what kind of a schedule do you have? Do you write fulltime, or do you have a “day job”?
AUTHOR: I write every morning first thing, usually from about 5:30 to 8 a.m., even on weekends. I also work part-time for a newspaper, writing feature stories, and I have a freelance editing business. So I’m busy every day, all day.
MLC: Other than your writing, what do you enjoy doing? What is the most important thing to you in your day-to-day life?
AUTHOR: I’m a compulsive exerciser, and I work out every day, sometimes twice a day. It’s essential to my mental and physical health. I also get my best stories ideas while I’m in heart-pounding mode. I craft whole scenes sometimes too.
MLC: Who are your favorite mystery authors? Do you try to emulate them in your own writing?
AUTHOR: It’s hard to name just a few, but the writers I enjoy most consistently are John Sanford, Michael Connelly, and John Hart. I’ve never consciously emulated them, but my stories fall into the similar genre and structure as theirs, because I write stories I would love to read.
MLC: In your present book, is this part of a series, or is it a standalone book?
AUTHOR: My most recently published book, SECRETS TO DIE FOR, is the second book in the Detective Wade Jackson series. I also have two more written, THILLED TO DEATH and PASSIONS OF THE DEAD.
MLC: If you are doing a series, do you see an end to it sometime, or do you plan to go on for several years with it?
AUTHOR: I’ll continue to write the series for as long as I enjoy it. If I start to get bored, then it will be time to move on. My plan is to write standalone thrillers in between series books to keep it interesting for as long as possible.
MLC: Do your characters ever drive you a bit crazy by going off in their own direction? If so, how do you rein them in, or do you just let them run off on their own?
AUTHOR: My characters are mostly police detectives, who are controlled, predictable people. I have a newspaper reporter character who sometimes wants to go to far, but ultimately, I control the outcome of the story.
MLC: Do you pattern your sleuths after yourself or someone you know? If so, do you let that person know they were your “pattern”?
AUTHOR: My main character, Detective Wade Jackson, is a mix of the first detective I interviewed for background, my husband, and my imagination. My husband reads my work and it’s obvious to him that Jackson shares similar values and hobbies.
MLC: How long did it take you to get published? How many rejections did you have to suffer through first? Were you ever tempted to give up? What do you think made the difference when it was accepted?
AUTHOR: It took almost twenty years for me to break into traditional publishing. I’ve never counted the rejections. I look at them and say “What do you know?” then toss it in the recycling. Then I go back to writing, querying, and doing what I love. I had a two-year phase where I wrote movie scripts instead of novels because I was frustrated by a near-miss with a major publisher, but I’ve never stopped telling stories.
MLC: Do you ever attend any conferences? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: I love attending mystery conventions! I’ve been at Bouchercon for two years now, and I’ll be at Left Coast Crime and Boucher this year. I’m strongly considering Thrillerfest this year too. I’m just waiting to see if I get a big freelance project lined up to pay for it.
MLC: Do you have to promote your own work, or does your publisher do that for you?
AUTHOR: Like most other authors, I promote my own work. I feel fortunate that I enjoy the marketing aspect, especially social media.
MLC: If you have to do marketing, what methods have worked the best for you?
AUTHOR: Social networking is the best promotion and a lot of fun. I also mail out promotional materials to bookstores and libraries and occasionally run online ads.
MLC: Do you have any idea how your book is selling?
AUTHOR: Not yet.
MLC: What has been the best review you have gotten, and why?
AUTHOR: My best reviews come from readers who e-mail or post on my Facebook page and say “I loved your novel.” I also know that Mystery Scene magazine will print a very favorable review of SECRETS TO DIE FOR in its Winter issue in February. The magazine also gave a great review to THE SEX CLUB, the first book in the series.
MLC: Have you won any awards, either as an author or for your books? Please tell us about them.
AUTHOR: My novels haven’t won awards, yet, but they haven’t been eligible to compete in very many. On the other hand, as a journalist, I won the Grand Neal, the highest honor in trade publishing.
MLC: Is there any one certain thing that a reader has written to you that made you just want to jump up and shout “Yes!!!!”?
AUTHOR: I have received so many e-mails, Facebook posts, and Twitters from readers who loved my novels that I can’t single one out. Except maybe the few times readers have put one of my books on their best-of-the-year lists. That is a very special!
MLC: What is your next project, and when will it be out?
AUTHOR: I just finished the fourth Detective Jackson story, and now I’m outlining the first book in a new series that will feature two characters from the Jackson series—the reporter, Sophie Speranza, and Detective Lara Evans.
MLC: If you could write anything at all, ignoring what editors and publishers say they want, what would it be?
AUTHOR: I’m planning a futuristic thriller because I always write what I want to write, regardless of what agents, editors, or publishers say. I’m not advising that as a good career move, but it’s what I have to do. I can’t write anything I wouldn’t love to read.
MLC: Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring mystery authors?
AUTHOR: Be tenacious and be open-minded to alternative paths to get where you want to be.
MLC: Do you have any teasers for your readers and fans about the next book?
AUTHOR: The next Jackson story, THRILLED TO DEATH, involves two missing women who have nothing in common, including the fact that one turns up dead and the other stays missing.
MLC: If a genie suddenly appeared and said they would grant you just one wish for your books, what would you wish for?
AUTHOR: I would simply wish for a wider audience, more readers to know about my work and give it a chance.
MMLC: Please give us your Web site url and your e-mail address where people can contact you.
AUTHOR: The Web site is http://ljsellers.com, and my e-mail address is ljsellers.novelist@gmail.com.
MLC: Thank you so much for giving us a little glimpse into your books and your life. We look forward to a lot more books from you.