Greetings, Noters!
In the blink of an eye, April is upon us, and it’s sure to be a busy one. You may notice I took some time away from Noteworthy in March to fully focus on writing Book 3 in the Trending Topic Mysteries. While I wrote about 15,000 words in the manuscript, by the time I got to the last week of March, I just wasn’t ~ feeling ~ the mystery. It seemed too dark for a cozy or too serious for Coco to tackle—at least at this stage in her amateur sleuthing career. So, last week, I did something pretty wild and scrapped the manuscript.
Yup, I started from scratch with a mystery idea I planned to use later in the series. And let me tell you, I’m so glad I did. In less than two weeks, I’ve written 18,000 words. That’s a lot, and it tells me this is the story I was meant to share with readers right now.
Writing also keeps the pre-lease jitters at bay as I prepare for the release of #TagMe for Murder, which launches in 18 days! I’ve been thrilled by the early reviews for this book on NetGalley and Goodreads. I’m so happy that Coco’s love for her friends shines in this book. Yes, it may be about murder, but at the end of the day, the Trending Topic Mysteries are about righting wrongs with your besties by your side.
I’ll be going on a fantastic blog tour to celebrate #TagMe for Murder’s release, as well. I can’t wait to share more insider deets about Coco, Hudson, Jasper, and Charlotte! And last but certainly not least, I’ll be attending Malice Domestic at the end of the month. It will be the perfect way to cap off week release. I have the absolute honor of moderating a panel all about Nancy Drew, too. Can you say dream come true??
My guest this week is also celebrating a new release. Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: Lori Duffy Foster is a former crime reporter and the Agatha and Shamus award-nominated author of the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series. NEVER LET GO, her debut thriller, released in December from Level Best Books and NO TIME TO BREATHE, book 3 in her series, launches April 11. Lori is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Historical Novel Society, International Thriller Writers, Private Eye Writers of America and Pennwriters. Visit her website at www.loriduffyfoster.com or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram or Goodreads.
As a fellow Level Best Books author, it is a delight to have you here on Noteworthy, Lori. Congratulations on your latest release! It’s such a wonderful feeling to hold your own book in your hands. Tell us, what book made you first fall in love with reading?
That’s impossible to answer because I was an avid reader from the moment I could sound out words. The local library gave me an adult card in elementary school, probably because I lived in the place and they wanted me out of there. The adult card allowed me to check out 15 or 20 books at a time. I still get excited when I touch the books in the children’s section of a library or bookstore. They bring back a strong sense of comfort and safety.
How did your love of reading evolve into a love of writing? How did you begin your writing journey?
For me, they evolved together. Writing was my therapy as a kid. I got sent to my room often, but I didn’t mind. I spent the time writing poems or sketching (badly). I read in the library after school or at bedtime with a flashlight under the covers (I never slept much.). My psychological dependence on writing continued all through high school when I discovered the short story genre and kept a journal. I tried to suppress the writing urge in college, enrolling as a geo-chemistry major (I loved rocks, too.). That lasted one semester. I graduated with a dual major in English/Creative Writing and Interpersonal Communications and landed a reporting job at the Syracuse, NY, newspapers. Years later, I earned my master’s degree in creative writing.
You’re a former crime reporter. How has your experience impacted your writing? Was your protagonist, Lisa Jamison, always a journalist in your mind?
The crime beat is a front-row seat to the study of human nature, to observing the forces that converge to push us beyond our own moral and social boundaries, or to keep us firmly within them. I wanted to explore those forces in this series, so it seemed natural that Lisa would be a reporter. My experience made the writing process so much easier. I already know how good reporters operate and I am familiar with police procedure from a reporter’s perspective. The novels are enhanced by my experience, but Lisa is not me. She is entirely her own person.
Tell us more about your character, Lisa. How did she first introduce herself to you?
Lisa first came to me in the guise of a pregnant teenager I met while covering a fire in Syracuse. The girl was in foster care, but she was determined to keep the baby and make something of herself. She struck me as extraordinary—smart and capable—and her name seemed familiar. I looked her up in my old notes when I returned to the newsroom. She shared a name and age with a girl who had witnessed a fatal game of Russian roulette. I forgot her name over time, but I never forgot her. She is the main inspiration for Lisa along with a couple of colleagues who were single moms and successful, one with a toddler-in-tow and no father in the picture. That is not easy in journalism.
What’s one thing about Lisa you admire? What’s one of her biggest flaws?
Lisa became a reporter because she wanted to affect change. She cares about her stories. She cares about the people she comes to know through them. She is highly ethical and highly motivated. She is also a great mom, despite her own doubts. Those same attributes can be her undoing. She often takes dangerous risks while investigating stories that others might consider unwise. The stories become too personal. She works too many hours and reserves any spare time for her daughter, leaving her no time for herself. In the beginning of the series, she has not had a serious relationship since she got pregnant with her daughter 16 years earlier. She also has issues with trust.
What’s your favorite way to unwind after a tough writing session?
Wine! If I finish in the evening. If I wrap up during the day, I like to unwind with a hike or long walk.
Sometimes, commiserating with one another can be cathartic for writers. Could you describe a recent writing session that was particularly frustrating or challenging?
Finding time to write is especially challenging and frustrating these days. I work part time and we still have teenage twins at home. We live in the middle of nowhere, so we have to drive everywhere. With four novels releasing over two years, I have spent a ton of time on revisions and book promotion. I expect things to slow down after the release of NO TIME TO BREATHE. I actually look forward to getting frustrated with the writing process again.
Hehe, I know that feeling all too well! Tell us three things that are always on your writing desk/writing space.
Coffee, coffee, and more coffee.
What is your favorite, can’t-live-without writing tool/application/software/aid?
Paper and a pencil. I write on my laptop, using Microsoft Word but sometimes I really need to work things out on paper with words, diagrams or sketches. I need immediate access to paper when I hit that point. If it’s not there, I’ll tear up the house looking for something to write on.
I enjoy scribbling down notes, as well. My only issue is that when I revisit it, my handwriting is so horrible, I don’t know what I’ve written LOL
Lori, thank you for sharing a bit about your books and your writing. For your final question… You stumble across a crime scene. What book character are you alerting first? Why?
If I have to choose from my series, it would be Lisa without a doubt. She is smart, bold, loyal and, unlike the cops, she can get information by whatever means she dreams up. She is not bound by police procedure. From my thriller, NEVER LET GO, I would probably call Sawyer, the Maplewood Falls police chief, even if the crime occurred outside his jurisdiction. He is the kind of cop I would want at my side. He is both compassionate and tough. He understands people and the forces that motivate them.
Sounds like you’ve made a great choice. Lori, thank you for being here today on Noteworthy. Congratulations, once again, on your release!
Noters, No Time to Breathe launches on April 11th — you can learn more about Lisa Jamison’s next case below!
No Time to Breathe: Journalist Lisa Jamison wants to blow off some steam after an argument with her boyfriend, so she heads to her friend Ricky’s kickboxing studio for an early morning workout. She expects to find Ricky alone, setting up for his first class of the day, but someone was there before Lisa, uninvited. Ricky is dead, shot only moments before she arrived, and now Lisa is a suspect in his murder. Lisa wants two things: to clear her name and seek justice for Ricky. But the deeper she digs, the more the danger mounts. Can she find Ricky’s killer before the killer eliminates the last obstacle, silencing Lisa for good?