1--What is the title of your latest release?
A DOGGONE DEATH
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Samantha Davies and her dachshund, Porkchop can't seem to help to stumble upon dead bodies. This time it's a fellow hooker, rug hooker that is. What should be a friendly event, a hook-in, turns deadly. Sam, her cousin Candie, with Porkchop in tow, has to wade through suspects to make sure their good friend Lucy doesn't wind up behind bars.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I wanted a small-town atmosphere and I'm lucky to live in upstate New York surrounded by some very beautiful small towns. They were the inspiration for my setting.
4--Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life?
Absolutely. I love her fun personality and loyalty to her friends and family.
5--What are three words that describe your sleuth?
Caring, loyalty, and independence
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
To relax and enjoy the process. The writing community is a very giving and encouraging group of people.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try to wait until the end, but sometimes the writing devil temps me to do a little editing as I go along. I really try to squash that fellow.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chocolate and the darker the better. After all, doesn't science say it is healthy for you?
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It is a small spare bedroom equipped with 2 overflowing bookcases. I write at a small desk on my laptop with my dachshund at my feet. Note the operative word here is "small".
10--Who is an author you admire?
Catherine Bruns - I love her cozy mysteries and am amazed at the number of series she writes. Can you tell I'm just a little envious?
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
There's not anyone in particular. I've gained wisdom throughout my life from many books.
12—Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
It was an email. My mouth dropped open and my heart began to race. I was pretty speechless.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love cozies.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Dirty Dancing. What's not to like about Patrick Swayze and his sexy moves?
15--What is your favorite season?
Summer. The hotter the better. So that's why I moved north when I retired, lol. No, really, I moved north to be near my kids and grandchildren. Great trade-off.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Quietly at home, with hubby and a glass of wine.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Hmm, that's a tough one as I watch very little TV other than HGTV, haven't gone to the movies in years - I always fall asleep in them and I read a wide variety of cozies so I can't point to any in particular.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian. I love the sauces, pasta, and of course, a glass of wine to go with it.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Like my protagonist, Sam, I love to rug hook. And of course, read.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I'm finishing up the third book in the series. Sam must make sure her cousin, Candie, makes it to the altar on time and doesn't spend her honeymoon as a guest of Wings Falls Police.
Samantha Davies Mysteries #2
Samantha Davies and her Southern Belle cousin, Candie, can't wait to join their fellow hookers (rug hookers, that is) for the first annual Wings Falls hook-in, sponsored by her good friend Lucy, who owns The Ewe and Me Woolery. Sam is looking forward to an afternoon with her fellow hookers, the Loopy Ladies, filled with gossip, food, and buying lots of wool for her rug making projects.
But what should be friendly fun turns into a deadly disaster, when Samantha stumbles upon a fellow hooker in distress—who dies in Sam's arms before help can reach her. The dead woman, Hilda Pratt, wasn't exactly beloved by all—least of all Lucy. Hilda had been copying Lucy's designs and selling them on the internet as her own. And when Sam's new boyfriend, a Detective Hank Johnson of the Wings Falls police force, determines that Hilda did not die of natural causes, Lucy and the Loopy Ladies become suspects in the woman's murder.
It's suddenly up to Sam and Candie to ferret out a killer among the tight knit world of rug hooking. With her faithful dachshund, Porkchop, in tow, Sam wades through the suspects and finds Hilda had more than one enemy among those closest to her. But can Sam figure out which one is a murderer... before it's too late?
Mystery Cozy | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [Gemma Halliday Publishing, On Sale: November 8, 2022, e-Book, ISBN: 2940165912689 / ]
Syrl Ann Kazlo, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband and two very lively dachshunds. Kibbles and Death is the first book in her Samantha Davies Mystery series, featuring Samantha Davies and her lovable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing Syrl is busy hooking—rug hooking that is—reading, and enjoying her family. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Mavens of Mayhem.
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