Good Morning, Booklovers!
It’s felt like fall the last few days. The deck is still nice and warm, but I’m afraid our days may be numbered. We should enjoy it while we can. So, put up your deck chair, grab your favorite drink, and join me in welcoming our guest author, mystery write Joyce Woollcott.
Glad to have you visit, Joyce! How do you take your coffee?
JW: I like strong coffee with a little milk, no sugar.
Ally: You’re very easy to please. While I pour, please introduce yourself to readers.
J. Woollcott is a Canadian writer born in Northern Ireland. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers and BCAD, University of Ulster. Her first mystery, Abducted, was long-listed in the Canadian Arthur Ellis Awards in 2019. Her second book, A Nice Place to Die, won the RWA Unpublished Mystery/Suspense Daphne du Maurier Award in 2019 in New York. A Nice Place to Die was also long-listed in the Arthur Ellis Awards for 2020 and short-listed in the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in 2021. She is working on part two of the Ryan McBride Belfast Murder Series, Blood Relations, due out in August 2023.
She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Suncoast Writers Guild.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “That’s a good question. I studied ballet as a young girl and on my final exams, I guess I was about thirteen or so, I was offered a scholarship to a London ballet school. Back then I wanted to become a designer and I loved art. It was a difficult decision but I said no. I often wonder how my life would have turned out if I had said yes.”
Author Contacts:
Website: https://www.jwoollcott.com
Twitter: @JoyceWoollcott
Ally: What is the easiest—and the hardest—part of writing for you?
JW: I suppose the easiest part of writing for me is when I know the scene I need to write. I’ve gone over it in my head. I see it. The beginning, the middle, and the end. And if it’s an exciting scene to write I believe it will be exciting to read. Sometimes when I’m writing a scene and it seems hard to get down, I usually end up either rewriting it later or taking it out.
Ally: Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
JW: Absolutely I use them. Both if I can find them. We can’t rely on ourselves to see the work clearly. Often a partner can read a manuscript and zero in on the problem right away. And they need to be honest.
Ally: How many books do you read in a month? Which genre(s)? Favorite authors?
JW: I always have a book going. Sometimes more than two. I love actual books but I have my device and read on that from the library too. Depending on the book I can read a novel in a couple of days, or three, four days at the most. And of course I love mystery and suspense. UK, Nordic, and Irish mysteries. Gosh, lots going on up there in Iceland too.
I love Kate Atkinson, just love her. Susan Hill, Lou Berney, Denise Mina, Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves. And many, many more, Nelson DeMille, John Sandford, Michael Connelly. Too many to mention.
Ally: What three books in your genre (other than your own) would you recommend to readers?
JW: Big Sky – Kate Atkinson
November Road – Lou Berney
Garnet Hill – Denise Mina
And sorry, one more … Plum Island – Nelson DeMille
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
JW: Book two in the DS McBride series. BLOOD RELATIONS is due for release August 2023.
Retired Chief Inspector Patrick Mullan is found brutally murdered in his bed. Ryan and Billy are called to his desolate country home to investigate. In their inquiry, they discover a man whose career was overshadowed by violence and corruption. Is the killer someone from Mullan’s past, or his present? And who hated the man enough to kill him twice?
Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you select?
JW:
- A memorable book you’ve read: Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien
- Books you’re currently reading: The Mountains Wild, Sarah Stewart Taylor; The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson; To Darkness And To Death, Julia Spencer Fleming; Flowers Over the Inferno, Ilaria Tuti
- An author (living or dead) you’d love to chat with: Kate Atkinson
- Most watched tv show: Game of Thrones
- Do you re-read books? Any book in particular? Yes. Big Sky by Kate Atkinson
Ally: It was a pleasure to meet you Joyce. Before with finish for today, please show us your new release, A Nice Place to Die.
Genre: mystery/police procedural
Rating: PG-13
The body of a young woman is found by a river outside Belfast and Detective Sergeant Ryan McBride makes a heart-wrenching discovery at the scene, a discovery he chooses to hide even though it could cost him the investigation – and his career.
The victim was a loner but well-liked. Why would someone want to harm her? And is her murder connected to a rapist who’s stalking the local pubs? As Ryan untangles a web of deception and lies, his suspects die one by one, leading him to a dangerous family secret and a murderer who will stop at nothing to keep it.
And still he harbors his secret …
Buy Links:
US: https://amzn.to/3CGIzi0
CAN: https://amzn.to/3TroD8K