Welcome back, Lisa. God
has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?
I feel that I’m in a good place right now with writing. I
spent a couple of years wondering why I was still creating new books and
whether I was doing the right thing, but lately I’ve had good encouragement and
found a rhythm of work, a niche that meets my quirky commercial cozy mystery
side and my need for meatier, dramatic storytelling.
Tell us a little
about your family.
Only a little? I have a semi-retired husband who loves to
roam our acreage here in western Wisconsin. Our two grown sons and daughters-in-law
have blessed us with six grandchildren in the last five years, so we love to
visit. We are closer to our parents so we can help out a bit when they need it,
and spend more time together.
Has your writing
changed your reading habits? If so, how?
Yes, my reading has changed significantly in the last
fifteen years. When I first began writing professionally, all my brain could do
was read as a writer. I would see the great lines, the awesome words, but also
the mistakes, so it helped me as a writer to be able to parse other works. Then
I became an avid reviewer, so much that a couple of times a year I have to put
on the brakes so I can read books that I want personally to read.
What are you working
on right now?
I have more mysteries in the works and will be working on a
second tale following Understory,
focusing on the human organ black market this summer. But this month, I will be
writing a holiday novella in my Everything series to pitch for the upcoming
holiday season with my publisher.
What outside
interests do you have?
My husband and I enjoy traveling. We just returned from a
trip to Hawaii, so now we have visited all fifty states. I love history
everything and anything, and quilting.
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
I like the Midwest—it’s where I am and it’s what I know,
though I generally create my own communities within a specific region.
Sometimes my books are set in a place I’ve visited, or a conglomeration of
places. Wisconsin’s Great North Woods is an excellent place to hide, and
western Illinois has a lot of charm.
If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
I try to put a little history in my books. A Mark Twain
impersonator is heavily featured in another of the Meow Mysteries. I think he
was probably pretty squirrely in real life, but it would have been fun to sit
in a small literary circle listening to his tales.
What is the one thing
you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
One thing I’d wished I known before I became heavily
invested in a professional writing career is that there is much more work
promoting your novel than actually writing them. I took a good writing course
so I didn’t come into it blind, but it’s still a shock.
What new lessons is
the Lord teaching you right now?
Patience and listening. Learning to hear Him and to simply
rest in His peace. It’s a good thing not always having to have the final word,
or to be right.
What are the three
best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
I am blessed to be able to help authors at an annual writing
immersion program in May each year at a beautiful resort in Wisconsin. The
things I repeat over and over are to Be Patient and Thick-skinned, Learn and
Work at your Craft. Don’t Rush but never Surrender.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Meow Matrimony is the third book in the Fancy Cat series. Ivy
Preston has waited a long time to get married. This time she plans to do more
than make it to the altar. But when Ivy tries to do a good deed and stumbles
over a body, she and her former fiancé, Stanley, are accused of the crime. Ivy
hopes she's not the only one who believes in their innocence.
Worse than being framed for murder, when one of her beloved kittens falls ill, Ivy must face her greatest fears. How will she ever parent a child if she can't even take care of a cat. . .and for that matter, how will she be the type of wife her devoted fiancé needs?
Through the love and support of her mom, fiancé, and friends, Ivy is determined to clear Stanley's good name, and her own. With nuptials looming, Ivy hopes not only to find a killer, but to make it to her own wedding.
Worse than being framed for murder, when one of her beloved kittens falls ill, Ivy must face her greatest fears. How will she ever parent a child if she can't even take care of a cat. . .and for that matter, how will she be the type of wife her devoted fiancé needs?
Through the love and support of her mom, fiancé, and friends, Ivy is determined to clear Stanley's good name, and her own. With nuptials looming, Ivy hopes not only to find a killer, but to make it to her own wedding.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
“This is Ivanna in the morning,” the throaty voice from my
car radio chanted. “Ready to sign off. Remember, North Star Candies…the way to
enjoy the day. Who doesn’t adore North Star mocha fudge? Treats so light
they’ll take you beyond the moon!”
“Hmm, North Star might have been the best around here,” I
told my car radio. “Before Featherlight Confectioneries made caramel cashew
with sea salt.” I pulled into my driveway, the cool sunny breeze whipping my
hair when I opened the car door. Yippee! Not only was March arriving like a
lamb, I had presents. My mail carrier Janie knew I’d stop in at home at
lunchtime to check on the kittens, so she’d left the beautiful box from Emblem
Paper Works on my front stoop next to my still tightly budded tulips. Sigh.
I put my hand over my fluttering heart and drooled once
again over the wonderful, fabulous hunk of man who was going to marry me. The
box of wedding invitations sitting there pushed me one step closer to the
altar, which I vowed I was actually going to make stick this time. When I could
touch the scrumptious, thick, silky paper and read the words, I was sure the
wedding would finally feel real, and everything would be perfect this time.
Adam Truegood Thompson, the man who loved cats and children, fed me gourmet
coffee and chocolate, would take me, Ivy Amanda Preston, as his lawfully wedded
wife. Mmhmm.
OK, quit dawdling, grab the box of invites, which
technically wasn’t a present since I paid for them, and check on the man’s
kittens which were currently in residence at my house so their father wouldn’t
be tempted to harm a hair on their little heads. Sadly, the darling fluffballs
broke the line of pure-bred Egyptian Mau cats when my silver, Memnet, got to,
um, know his cat Isis, a smoke, a little better than we’d anticipated last
fall. Mem and Adam were currently batching it at his place downtown.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X
Thank you, Lisa, for
sharing this mystery with my blog readers and me.
Readers,
here is a link to the book.
Meow Matrimony (Fancy Cat Cozy Mysteries)
- Kindle
Leave
a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these
instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least
the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments
containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void
where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants.
Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of
the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining
local/federal/international laws.
The
only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to
check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from
the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If
you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or
Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be
included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
