Good Morning, Booklovers!
I’m visiting with you this morning from sunny Florida. I just had to escape the cold weather for a couple of weeks, and I hope Spring will be right around the corner when I return to the Midwest.
My guest this morning is Darlene Dziomba, featuring her cozy mystery, Clues from the Canines.
Welcome, Darlene. What can I get you to drink?
DD: I’m a tea drinker. My morning cup is Earl Grey.
Ally: No problem. While I prepare our drinks, please introduce yourself to readers.
I’m visiting with you this morning from sunny Florida. I just had to escape the cold weather for a couple of weeks, and I hope Spring will be right around the corner when I return to the Midwest.
My guest this morning is Darlene Dziomba, featuring her cozy mystery, Clues from the Canines.
Welcome, Darlene. What can I get you to drink?
DD: I’m a tea drinker. My morning cup is Earl Grey.
Ally: No problem. While I prepare our drinks, please introduce yourself to readers.
Bio:
I’m Darlene Dziomba. I’ve been working in Fiscal Operations and Financial Planning for the University of Pennsylvania for over thirty years. I’m an animal lover. My parents always joked that from the time I learned to walk, I could not pass a dog without wanting to pet it. Pre COVID, I volunteered at the Animal Welfare Association, a local New Jersey animal shelter. I hope to return to it when the virus dissipates. I miss the staff and the dogs. I had an idea for a book where the amateur sleuth worked at an animal shelter, and the Lily Dreyfus series was born. I have one dog, Billie, an irresistible terrier mix I adopted from AWA.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “I have a chocolate chip cookie addiction. My local grocery, Acme, has tremendously good chocolate chip cookies.”
People can find me on social media at:
www.ReadDarlene.com
@ReadDarlene1
facebook.com/read.darlene.7
ReadDarlene@hotmail.com
I’m Darlene Dziomba. I’ve been working in Fiscal Operations and Financial Planning for the University of Pennsylvania for over thirty years. I’m an animal lover. My parents always joked that from the time I learned to walk, I could not pass a dog without wanting to pet it. Pre COVID, I volunteered at the Animal Welfare Association, a local New Jersey animal shelter. I hope to return to it when the virus dissipates. I miss the staff and the dogs. I had an idea for a book where the amateur sleuth worked at an animal shelter, and the Lily Dreyfus series was born. I have one dog, Billie, an irresistible terrier mix I adopted from AWA.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “I have a chocolate chip cookie addiction. My local grocery, Acme, has tremendously good chocolate chip cookies.”
People can find me on social media at:
www.ReadDarlene.com
@ReadDarlene1
facebook.com/read.darlene.7
ReadDarlene@hotmail.com
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book?
DD: I was volunteering at the Animal Welfare Association, a local animal shelter. I got to know the staff and the operations. I had never read a book where the amateur sleuth worked in an animal shelter. I thought I had found an untapped niche and could raise awareness of shelters and the loving animals just waiting for a family to add them as a member.
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
DD: I am self-published. My decision was for sentimental reasons. I spent two years querying agents. Of the queries, I had a .05% request for additional pages. I listened to lots of famous authors say things like, “It doesn’t matter at what age you publish. Stick with the queries until you get an agent.” While my age may not matter, my parents are in their 80’s. I wanted them to be able to hold a book with my name on the cover in their hands. Clues From The Canines will be out on Amazon in April, 2022.
Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
DD: My “day job” is in Finance. It turns out the analytical reasoning skills that make you successful in Finance also aid in plotting a mystery.
I had not planned to have a writing career. I had an idea and set out to see if I could write a book. I had a tremendous amount to learn about the craft of writing, publishing, marketing, etc. Once I started, I was determined to see my book in print.
Ally: How many books do you read in a month? Which genre(s)? Favorite authors?
DD: I read four to five books a month. Ninety percent of what I read is mystery and suspense. I’m in a book group to ensure I get a little non-fiction and non-mystery reading.
My favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Jacqueline Winspear. They all have relentless protagonists who will get to the heart of the matter irrespective of what feathers they ruffle. Also, their sidekicks are well-defined and likable.
I was lucky enough to meet Jacqueline Winspear in 2010. Within her books, the main sidekick Billy was musing about going to Canada. I asked her, “If you must send Billy to Canada, would you please give him a Detective Agency of his own?” She was quite gracious and assured me that Billy wasn’t leaving England. It was quite a relief.
Ally: What three books in your genre (other than your own) would you recommend to readers?
DD: Three tremendous cozy authors who I’ve met through Sisters in Crime:
A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
In the Dog House by V.M. Burns
Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
DD: I am working on the sequel to Clues From The Canines, Up Close and Pawsonal. It will release in April, 2023.
Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you select to answer?
DD:
Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book?
DD: I was volunteering at the Animal Welfare Association, a local animal shelter. I got to know the staff and the operations. I had never read a book where the amateur sleuth worked in an animal shelter. I thought I had found an untapped niche and could raise awareness of shelters and the loving animals just waiting for a family to add them as a member.
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
DD: I am self-published. My decision was for sentimental reasons. I spent two years querying agents. Of the queries, I had a .05% request for additional pages. I listened to lots of famous authors say things like, “It doesn’t matter at what age you publish. Stick with the queries until you get an agent.” While my age may not matter, my parents are in their 80’s. I wanted them to be able to hold a book with my name on the cover in their hands. Clues From The Canines will be out on Amazon in April, 2022.
Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
DD: My “day job” is in Finance. It turns out the analytical reasoning skills that make you successful in Finance also aid in plotting a mystery.
I had not planned to have a writing career. I had an idea and set out to see if I could write a book. I had a tremendous amount to learn about the craft of writing, publishing, marketing, etc. Once I started, I was determined to see my book in print.
Ally: How many books do you read in a month? Which genre(s)? Favorite authors?
DD: I read four to five books a month. Ninety percent of what I read is mystery and suspense. I’m in a book group to ensure I get a little non-fiction and non-mystery reading.
My favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Jacqueline Winspear. They all have relentless protagonists who will get to the heart of the matter irrespective of what feathers they ruffle. Also, their sidekicks are well-defined and likable.
I was lucky enough to meet Jacqueline Winspear in 2010. Within her books, the main sidekick Billy was musing about going to Canada. I asked her, “If you must send Billy to Canada, would you please give him a Detective Agency of his own?” She was quite gracious and assured me that Billy wasn’t leaving England. It was quite a relief.
Ally: What three books in your genre (other than your own) would you recommend to readers?
DD: Three tremendous cozy authors who I’ve met through Sisters in Crime:
A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
In the Dog House by V.M. Burns
Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
DD: I am working on the sequel to Clues From The Canines, Up Close and Pawsonal. It will release in April, 2023.
Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you select to answer?
DD:
- Memorable book you’ve read – Educated by Tara Westover. It was unsettling for many reasons, but her resilience is inspiring.
- Movie you’ll always remember – “My Cousin Vinnie,” it doesn’t matter how many times I see it, I laugh until my sides hurt.
- Most beloved comic book character – Hobbes
- Best place you’ve ever visited – The Galapagos Islands, the animals have no fear of humans and carry on about their business as if you aren’t there. I let my group get too far ahead on one morning walk, and ended up being cut off by a three hundred pound sea lion. In the moment it was terrifying. For the rest of the trip the guides pointed out which islands had “bachelor” sea lions I might want to meet.
- Beer at the bar or a book on the deck? – I’m an introvert, so a book on a deck. A glass of wine would be a nice accompaniment.
Ally: Thanks for being with us this morning, Darlene. Before we finish, please show us your featured book, Clues from the Canines.
Clues from the Canines
Genre: cozy mystery
Set in a small town in New Jersey, Clues From the Canines combines witty dialogue with tension and intrigue.
Lily, the Adoption Coordinator at the Forever Friends Animal Shelter, is stunned by the news that her physically fit, former Marine boyfriend is dead.
When the police rule the death a homicide, Lily, spurred on by grief, resolves to sniff out the killer. She gathers her pack, both human and canine, to point police to the perpetrator. The canine pack competes for the alpha position, their owner’s attention, and extra treats, while the human pack doggedly seeks out justice.
Coming April 2022!