Good Morning, Booklovers!
Our guest author this morning is Lois Winston, a multi-published author in several genres, bringing us her latest cozy mystery, GUILTY AS FRAMED (Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery #11).
Welcome, Lois! How do you take your coffee?
LW: With milk, half & half, or cream.
Ally: You’re making it simple for me. While I pour, please introduce yourself to readers who might not be familiar with your books.
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “I wanted to be an astronaut, but NASA isn’t interested in astronauts who are prone to motion sickness. When I had to nix that career path, I decided I wanted to star in musicals, but Broadway isn’t interested in singers who can’t sing, dancers who can’t dance, and actors who can’t act. So I went to art school instead.”
Website: www.loiswinston.com
Newsletter sign-up: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r2e9v1
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/anasleuth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/722763.Lois_Winston
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lois-winston
Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
LW: I didn’t choose writing so much as it chose me. I wasn’t one of those writers who knows from early on that she wants to write novels. I didn’t begin writing until 1995 when a story popped into my head and demanded I commit it to paper. That first attempt will never see the light of day. However, the writing bug had sunk its teeth into me. I set out learning how to write a publishable novel and eventually got an agent. After many rewrites, that first attempt became the second book I sold. Since retiring, I now write full-time.
Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book?
LW: For years, I’ve followed the investigation of the break-in and theft that occurred at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston in 1990. To this day, none of the 13 stolen works of art have been recovered, nor has anyone ever been charged with the crime, which is considered the greatest art heist in history. For Guilty as Framed, the eleventh book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, I incorporated this cold case into the plot.
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
LW: I began my career traditionally published with two different publishers. Nine years ago, when my publisher insisted on revising a specific clause in two new contracts I was offered, it raised too many red flags. Since they weren’t willing to budge, I walked away. I had interest from several small publishers, but after doing some research, speaking with several of the publishers’ authors, and consulting with my agent, I decided to indie publish. I’ve been quite happy with that decision.
Ally: Do people you know sneak into your books as characters?
LW: They don’t sneak in so much as I thrust them into my books. Many of the characters in my books are based on composites of people I’ve known. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent. However, Anastasia’s communist mother-in-law is more than loosely based on my own communist mother-in-law. The situations I place Lucille Pollack in are completely fictitious, but her personality strongly mirrors my late mother-in-law’s personality.
Ally: Do you read reviews of your own books? Do you respond to them? Are you affected by them?
LW: I only read reviews from professional reviewers, never those on Amazon or Goodreads if I can help it. Although I know that no author is going to please all readers all the time, coming across a nasty review can really ruin my day. I don’t have as thick a skin as I would like. As for responding? Absolutely, positively never ever! That’s a surefire way to unleash the trolls.
Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you select?
LW:
- Most watched tv show: Jeopardy!
- What type of music do you prefer? Broadway musicals
- Last time you rode a train (not subway): On March 4, 2020, a week before the world shut down for Covid, my husband and I took NJ Transit into Manhattan to see Come From Away.
- Pie or cake? Chocolate cake, especially if it’s got cherry or raspberry filling.
- Best place you’ve ever visited: Florence, Italy
Ally: It has been a pleasure, Lois. Before we finish today, please show us your featured book.
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 11
Genre: Cozy Mystery
When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she’s drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history.
Boston mob boss Cormac Murphy has recently been released from prison. He doesn’t believe Anastasia’s assertion that the man he’s looking for doesn’t live at her address and attempts to muscle his way into her home. His efforts are thwarted by Anastasia’s fiancé Zack Barnes.
A week later, a stolen SUV containing a dead body appears in Anastasia’s driveway. Anastasia believes Murphy is sending her a message. It’s only the first in a series of alarming incidents, including a mugging, a break-in, another murder, and the discovery of a cache of jewelry and an etching from the largest museum burglary in history.
But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want?
Buy Links:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3QLEYU5
Hardcover: https://amzn.to/3Ans5s6
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3tLnT3d
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/guilty-as-framed
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/guilty-as-framed/id6442846272
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guilty-as-framed-lois-winston/1141500980?ean=2940185728703