with Leslie Matthews Stanfield
We are delighted to welcome mystery author Leslie Matthews Stanfield to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Cozy Mystery Books Tours, which is coordinating her current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find her schedule here.
Leslie's first mystery in the "Madeline's Teahouse" series is Mr. Tea and the Traveling Teacup (Cozy Cat Press, September 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats).
We recently caught up with Leslie to talk about her series.
— ♦ —
Omnimystery News: Tell us why you opted to write a cozy mystery series.
Leslie Matthews Stanfield: I chose to have recurring characters because I love books that have characters I want to follow. I want my readers to wish the characters could be their neighbors. I am discovering that people can read a book as much for the characters as they do for the mystery. I am a huge Agatha Raisin fan and I cannot get enough of those characters.
I decided to write a cozy mystery series, as it gives readers some idea of what to expect. I think it is important for an author to develop characters over time. One of the biggest complaints I see among cozy mystery fans is the characters get stale.
OMN: Rewrite the book's synopsis as if you were tweeting it.
LMS: Two sisters turn their childhood home into a teahouse. It seems to be haunted. Their family, friends, and a psychic macaw help them dig into the past to discover who is reaching out to them and why.
OMN: Did you include any of your own background or experience into the storyline?
LMS: Well, I don't have a haunted teahouse, or a psychic macaw. I did spend time in Maine as a child. People who know me and have read the book say that they can hear me telling them the story. As a child, I loved to invent stories. My friends and I could do that for hours. So, I guess what I know is how to tell a good story. There is quite a bit of humor in my book and it reflects my sense of humor.
OMN: Tell us about your writing process.
LMS: I start with an idea. I spend time thinking about the who and why of the ending. I think of twists and turns to keep the readers guessing. Then I let the story develop.
OMN: What kind of research did you do for the book?
LMS: For this particular book, I was able to use the internet. I am one of those odd people that love research. I was probably the only person who wanted to cheer when college professors assigned a research paper. I am looking forward to doing more research in the future. Poisons might be a good topic for a mystery writer to research.
OMN: Where is the setting for the book?
LMS: My books are set in Maine, but the town is not named. I have a general area in mind and I try to stay to its geography and the local environment.
OMN: What books do you read for pleasure? Have any specific authors influenced how and what you write today?
LMS: My first introduction to cozy mysteries was a book called The Cat Who Came to Breakfast by Lilian Jackson Braun. I fell in love with the characters in that series. When Lilian Jackson Braun died, I felt a real sense of grief because the characters were gone as well.
My favorite author is M. C. Beaton and the Agatha Raisin series. I love the characters. If M. C. Beaton could write a book a day, I would find a way to read a book a day. I aspire to create characters that make people laugh out loud and touch their hearts at the same time. I know any time I pick up an Agatha Raisin book I will laugh out loud and have my heart touched by something Agatha does, thinks or says.
I also enjoy reading her Hamish Macbeth series. There are many other authors I enjoy such as: Katherine Hall Page, Caroline Hart, Dick Francis, Patricia Cornwell and Stuart Woods.
OMN: What is the best advice, or harshest criticism, you've received as an author?
LMS: Kathie Giorgio is an author of three amazing books. She is also my writing coach. She has given me more great advice than I can say. Perhaps the best advice is that an author is responsible for marketing her books. Even bigger publishers have shrinking budgets for publicizing books. Authors need to have a marketing plan. Kathie is always the first to read my books because she is also a terrific editor. She gives me excellent feedback. I can't really think of harsh criticism from a fellow author. I am sure that some will come from readers. Even the best authors have people that hate their books. It comes with the territory. My advice to aspiring authors is that they need to be ready to market their own books, and they cannot be discouraged when the inevitable criticism comes.
OMN: Suppose a film or television series were to be based on the "Madeline's Teahouse" characters. Would have have any suggestions for the producers?
LMS: This is a great question. Many people have told me they would love to see my characters on television or in a movie. My biggest concern is how to handle Mr. Tea. If not done right, he could come across looking cheesy. Remember the series Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Think how fake her cat was. I don't want that for Mr. Tea. I would want an active say in how things are handled. So often, good books are turned into lousy movies. I don't want that to happen. I feel an obligation to my readers to make sure they are entertained.
OMN: What kind of movies do you enjoy watching?
LMS: Oddly, I enjoy old Disney movies and classic movies such as My Fair Lady and Gigi. I also love Harry Potter. At the moment, I can't say that any of them inspired my books, but who knows what the future could hold.
OMN: When you're not writing, what could we find you doing? And might that appear in any of your books?
LMS: My favorite thing to do is listen to an audio books and knit. I haven't put knitting in my writing, yet. I don't know if I will. I may include crafters as characters, but I don't plan to develop a series around it.
OMN: What kinds of questions do you get from your readers?
LMS: My favorite question is when they ask when my next book is coming out! I have received many Facebook messages telling me that the reader loves my characters and wants to know when the next book will be out. How can an author not love a question like that?
OMN: Create a Top 5 list of a topic of your choosing.
LMS: Top 5 things not to take for granted:
1. Health;
2. Laughter;
3. Family;
4. Friends;
5. A job you love.
OMN: What's next for your?
LMS: I am aiming to have my second book out in the fall. I also have a few ideas for other cozy series.
— ♦ —
Leslie Matthews Stanfield grew up in Delmar, New York, and credits her friends with developing her imagination. Leslie is a graduate of University of Hartford and recently received her Masters' degree from the University of Phoenix in Educational Leadership. She is a math tutor in a public school as well as the Christian Education Director of her church. She has four children and eight grandchildren and lives in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
For more information about the author and her books, you can find her on Facebook.
— ♦ —
Mr. Tea and the Traveling Teacup
Leslie Matthews Stanfield
A Madeline's Teahouse Mystery (1st in series)
After the death of their mother, sisters Terry and Karen Sutter, turn their childhood home into a teahouse. It's a dream come true, but the dream begins to resemble a nightmare when teacups start crashing to the floor in the middle of the night. Could the teahouse be haunted?
There's a list of possible ghostly candidates: the prior owner who is rumored to have left behind a buried treasure, two spinster neighbors who disappeared without a trace over forty years ago, or perhaps it's Terry and Karen's own mother trying to communicate with them. Karen, the older sister, thinks running a haunted teahouse might be fun, until the sisters come home one night to find the attic stairs covered in a trail of what appears to be blood. Is it a ghost or a warning?
The teahouse's new mascot, a psychic macaw, may provide some unexpected clues, but the sisters will encounter many more surprises before they solve this mystery.
0 comments:
Post a Comment