1--What is the title of your latest release?
WINTER’S END
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Winter is over in Benedict, Alaska. It’s time to find the bodies.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
WINTER’S END is the fourth book in the Alaska Wild Series. I’d wanted to set a series in Alaska since my husband and I visited it twenty years ago and was lucky to begin this series with Thin Ice.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes, she’s kind of a mess, but she has a good heart.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Introverted, healing, conflicted.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I thought that by now my protagonist would fight being out in the middle of nowhere, but she’s relishing it instead. As I wrote this book, I sensed that I might also be able to adapt to a sort of primitiveness that I hadn’t thought I could before.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Since I’m not good at outlining, I push hard through a first draft and then edit after that; my second draft is the most labor-intensive one.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m all about food adventures. I love trying new things and new places. I love pizza, but my favorite pizza place isn’t easily accessible. I live in Arizona, and Alex’s Pizza is in Rolla, Missouri. I wish I could find a place nearby that I loved as much.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s a spare bedroom in my house. I recently moved my desk so I can better look out the window. I’m not sure it was a great idea – I’m spending way too much time daydreaming.
10--Who is an author you admire?
So many. I’ll go with one of my teenage favorites. Phyllis A. Whitney. I used to hurry to the B. Dalton Booksellers in the mall to get her latest release. She was extraordinary.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Again, so many, but Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice was pivotal. I read it as a teenager, and it made me realize that you can write about anything at all. The trick is turning it into a compelling story. Ms. Rice was one of the best.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My husband, son, and I were leaving Disneyland in California when my agent called to tell me that my first book, Farm Fresh Murder, had sold. It was pretty darn magical.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mystery, though I’ve also been enjoying Science Fiction lately.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Misery. I love the story and I love the performances.
15--What is your favorite season?
Generally, fall, but since we moved to Arizona in 2015, my two favorite months are January and February. I love the winters down here.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Nothing grand, but a restaurant food adventure is always fun.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m currently watching and enjoying The English with Emily Blunt on Netflix.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Depends on the day, but despite loving all the Mexican fare in Arizona, I only really enjoy it if it’s not too spicy.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read, ride my bike. Sometimes I crochet, but crafts only interest me in spurts.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
FATEFUL WORDS, the eighth book in my Scottish Bookshop series, publishes April 4, 2023.
Alaska Wild #4
The fourth installment in the gripping, atmospheric Alaska Wild series, Paige Shelton's Winter's End...
It’s springtime in Benedict, Alaska, and with it the warmer weather comes an unseasonably somber local tradition...the annual Death Walk. At the end of each brutal winter, citizens gather downtown and then break into groups to search the community for those who might have somehow gotten stuck at home. Beth Rivers sets off with her friend Orin and dog Gus, toward the cabin of an elderly resident, intending to check on him.
When they reach the cabin, the old man is alive, but not in the best shape. Beth stays with him while Orin hurries to town for help, but it’s not Orin who returns. Gril comes back with shocking news, and it soon becomes clear that Orin has also vanished. When they discover that their friend has been doing some top-secret research, they start to worry he’s been exposed, or worse.
Meanwhile, Beth continues on her own search, for her father, who allegedly is alive in Mexico, but won't return her calls. Still, she's making progress in healing from her own trauma, though can't quite shake the feeling she's being followed...
Mystery Woman Sleuth [Minotaur Books, On Sale: December 6, 2022, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250846594 / ]
Paige Shelton was born in Nevada, Missouri, but wasn’t there long. After a childhood full of many moves, and high school and college in Des Moines, Iowa, she landed in Salt Lake City, Utah. There she met and married her husband, had a son, and worked at a variety of advertising-like jobs. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be a writer and loves every moment she spends with her characters and their mysterious ways.
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