Cozy Mystery Author Heather Weidner is Back with a New Release!

HW:  Yes and no. I have loved mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew/ I primarily write cozy mysteries, I do have a private investigator series. That is a light, funny series, but it’s more of a traditional mystery since there’s no amateur sleuth. My short stories are a little darker. I get to experiment more with those.
For my day gig, I’m an IT manager, who used to be a technical writer, so I do have some nonfiction credits. And I was part of a cozy mystery cookbook last year that was a fun project.

Ally:  What is the most challenging part of your writing process?

HW:  I love researching, plotting, and writing. I can (and often did) spent hours on these tasks. My least favorite is the revision process. It’s critical, so I have to get motivated when I have a revision deadline. I tend to play faster music in the background, and I make sure I have little rewards (like chocolate) for big progress.
 
Ally:  What are you currently working on?
 
HW:  I write three series, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. Right now, I’m working on the next few books in the glamping series.
Ally:  Has an association membership helped you or your writing?

HW:  Yes. Writing is a lonely sport. I spend hours writing, researching, and revising. I think authors need to find their crew. You need support, advice, and someone to celebrate with. Your family and friends are a great support network, but they don’t understand the roller coaster ride of the writing life like your writer friends do. I am so grateful for Sisters in Crime (Central Virginia, Chessie, and Guppy chapters), James River Writers, and International Thriller Writers. I have met so many fabulous authors who are generous with their time and encouragement.

Ally:  Who’s your favorite author?

HW:  This is a tough one. I have so many. I acquired my first library card at four, so I’ve been reading for a long time. I love Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Austen, Christie, Dickens, Dickinson, Frost, and Lee. My favorite thriller/suspense authors are Child, Grisham, Coben, and K. L. Murphy. My favorite cozy authors are Diane Kelly, Sherry Harris, Libby Klein, Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico, and Bree Baker.

Ally:  How long did it take you to write your first book?

HW:  It took me five years to finish my first book. I dabbled and shelved it for a while. It took another two years until it was finally published. (I’m much faster now.) I did an experiment one year where I set writing goals, and I found I was more prolific if I wrote or revised daily.
I had had articles and other things published, but I didn’t get a novel published until after I joined Sisters in Crime. I am so grateful for all the authors who shared their experiences and advice.

Ally:  Do you outline, or are you a pantser?

HW:  I’m a hybrid. I outline and plot at the beginning. That helps me stay on track as I’m writing the first draft. It helps me not to write myself into a corner or to get stuck and bogged down in a plothole. This outline also helps me later with the dreaded synopsis.
Then as I’m writing, the story and the characters often have a mind of their own. There have been several times when I’ve had to update my outline.

In the second book of the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, Hollywood has taken over Fern Valley.

​The town is abuzz with star-sightings and movie magic, but when a key crew member winds up dead under one of Jules’s tiny houses, everything suddenly changes.