Greetings, Noters!
I hope today’s post finds my US readers successfully digesting their Thanksgiving Day meals! It is astounding to realize we are almost at the end of 2023. Eek, I get a bit panicky when I think of everything I want to accomplish before powering down for the Christmas holidays, but I shall prevail.
Just this past week, I finished my Nanowrimo project, which was to revise Book Blogger Mystery Book Two. Winnie’s story is now with my editor, and if all goes well, I’m going to have another rapid-fire release on December 19th. I’m so eager to get this book into the hands of readers that I may forgo doing preorders and launch the book with a special release pricing of $2.99. I’ll definitely keep you all updated.
I’ve also started the process of making Over My Dead Blog available through wide distribution on paperback. Exciting, right? This means you’d be able to buy the book from more than just Amazon. I’ve also been toying with taking the eBooks off Kindle Unlimited and going wide with eBooks, too, but I’m having a harder time making that commitment. So many readers enjoy my books through Kindle Unlimited, so I’d hate to take that away from them. Some things for me to ponder over the next month!
I’m delighted for you all to meet my guest this week. Her debut cozy mystery has to be one of the cleverest titles I’ve seen in a while!
Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: Maggie Bailey, an enthusiastic sewist and maker, is a graduate of Stanford, Oxford, Brown, and Sewanee Universities, Maggie Bailey has previously published two volumes of poetry. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, two young children, her dogs, and a growing fabric stash she can’t help but add to on a regular basis. QUILTY AS CHARGED, the sequel to SEAMS DEADLY, will be available from Crooked Lane Books in August '24. Visit her website at www.measuretwicemysteries.com.
Maggie, it’s wonderful to have you here on Noteworthy. I look forward to learning more about you and your cozy mystery series. I just LOVE the punny title of Seams Deadly. So perfect! To get things started, what book made you fall in love with reading?
This is such a hard question! Like most writers, I am an obsessive reader and hoarder of books. For mysteries, I fell in love with the genre through PD James. And I can count on Ann Cleeves to dazzle me every time I read her work.
How did your love of reading evolve into a love of writing? How did you begin your writing journey?
I began writing as a poet and have two collections of poetry published. But at night, I would read mysteries. A few years ago, I went to a poetry retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia. We were almost trapped in an ice storm, and I started to wonder. What if we had been? That first question led to my mystery series!
We find inspiration in the most surprising of places, don’t we? Seams Deadly is the first in your Measure Twice Sewing Mystery series. Again, what an amazing title! What made you want to write a cozy mystery?
I love reading and I love sewing, so I was excited for a genre where you can really delve into a passion the way you can in a cozy mystery. Also, as I get older, I find more and more satisfaction in the cerebral part of mysteries and less and less in the gory parts. Cozies let the reader solve the mystery as they read, which I really enjoy!
Tell us about your protagonist, Lydia Barnes. How did Lydia introduce herself to you?
What a great question! In a lot of ways, she reminds me of myself. I imagined an alternate life for myself and let it play out from there. Now I see her as a dear friend. And it has always been important to me that she is a bit of a mess: messy hair, disorganized, that sort of thing.
I love the concept of our characters being our dearest friends. I would agree. Sew (wink wink), what are some cozy mystery themes that readers will find in Seams Deadly?
SEAMS DEADLY focuses on Lydia starting a new chapter in her life, meeting new and unexpected friends, and learning she is stronger than she realized. So much of the joy of life is in relationships and building a home and a life you can be yourself in.
Seams Deadly is your first mystery novel—congratulations! What are some lessons you learned along the way that you’d like to pass onto to aspiring authors?
Thank you! My two main pieces of advice would be 1: Don’t be afraid to change things. I have taken out parts and rewritten scenes and explored new directions more times than I can count. Revision is a great experience, not a sign that you have failed or come short. 2: No one can write what you can. We live in a world with so many comparisons. It is easy to get discouraged. But no one can write what you can. Be patient and keep your hope.
Wise words. I think I need to have “keep your hope” hanging over my desk. Let’s explore more of your writing world. What does your workspace look like? Is there anything you need for a successful day of writing?
I tend to write on a couch, whatever couch I can find. My successful days of writing all involve my wonderful family. Either my husband, my in-laws, or my dad and step-mom offer to take my kids on some adventure, and I hunker down on the nearest couch and write and write. I am so grateful for their support.
That’s wonderful to have such a strong support system. I wouldn’t be anywhere as a writer without the support I’ve received from my family. What is your favorite, can’t-live-without writing application?
SCRIVENER! It is a life-saver! I cannot recommend it enough!
Scrivener has been mentioned several times here on Noteworthy. I guess I need to check it out! For our last question, it’s vacation time. What literary hero do you enlist to be your travel companion? Why?
Hercule Poirot. I love his appreciation of food and the finer things in life. We could go to a seaside resort, and he could solve a mystery while I watched and maybe offered my services as a sounding board. Perfection.
In response to this question, Poirot is a favorite among mystery authors! Having a good foodie travel with you is a must, I agree. Maggie, it’s been lovely getting to learn more about you. Noter, check out Seams Deadly below—you’re in for a delightful cozy mystery!
Seams Deadly: Lydia Barnes is excited for a fresh start when she moves to the quaint mountain town of Peridot, Georgia. Her friend, Fran, offers her a job at the Measure Twice fabric store and even sets her up on a date with the handsome Brandon Ivey, who also happens to be Lydia’s new next-door neighbor. Finally, things are looking up. But after a disaster first date that ends with a fist bump instead of a kiss, Lydia doesn’t think her night can get any worse. She’s soon proven wrong when she later stumbles upon Brandon’s dead body.
Considered the prime suspect by the police, Lydia calls on her friends to help her hunt for the truth and prove her innocence. But when another body is soon found inside the Measure Twice store, Lydia knows that the killer must be close by, and that this town has more than its fair share of secrets. Who would want to frame the newest addition to Peridot for these terrible murders—and why?
Lydia may discover that while sewing might have a pattern, killing rarely does. Will she be able to stitch together the clues and clear her own name before the killer strikes again?