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Tuesday, September 11, 2018

AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR SUSAN SANTANGELO'S BABY BOOMER SLEUTH CAROL ANDREWS

Today we sit down for a chat with Carol Andrews from author Susan Santangelo’s Baby Boomer Mystery series.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?
Peaceful and quiet!

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?
Multi-tasking under the impossible circumstances Susan thinks up for me to deal with.

What do you like least about yourself?
I cry much too easily.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you? They’re all weird. And some of them are very scary. Especially when my life is threatened, like the time in Second Honeymoons Can Be Murder (Book 6) when she had me facing a deranged killer with no warning whatsoever. 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?
Susan always has an idea in her head about which way she wants her plots to go. Her plots! Can you imagine? She’d be nothing without me. When she really won’t listen to my suggestions, I just go on strike. Some authors have writer’s block. She has Carol block. But she has yet to figure that out.

What is your greatest fear?
That she may decide to end the series by killing me off.

What makes you happy?
When she finally writes “The End” and sends off the completed book to her publisher. Then I can finally take a nap.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?
I’d want to be thinner, so I could eat anything I wanted and not gain weight.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?
My husband, Jim, drives me completely bonkers a lot of the time. Since he retired, he’s become obsessed with saving money and has me on a very tight budget. And he always wants to know where I’m going, when I’ll be home, and what I’m making for dinner. Oh, and he re-does a lot of the household tasks, like re-loading the dishwasher before I start it. I mean, really! 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?
I’d like to trade places with Lucy and Ethel, our two English cocker spaniels. They have the best life of all!

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?
Susan’s the author of eight Baby Boomer mysteries, and is currently working (but not too hard) on Book 9, tentatively titled, Politics Can Be Murder. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers and the Cape Cod Writers Center. She hangs out with her long-suffering husband Joe on Cape Cod in the summer, and goes to Clearwater, Florida, for the winter. (Fortunately, I get to travel with her.) She and Joe also have two English cocker spaniels, Boomer and Lilly. You can find more about her and her books at her website. She doesn’t have her own blog, but she likes to do guest appearances on others.   

What's next for you?
I’m lying in wait in Susan’s mind right now while she figures out which way she wants the plot for “Politics” to go. And then I’ll step in, have my way, and we’ll go on from there.

In-Laws Can Be Murder
A Baby Boomer Mystery, Book 8

Carol Andrews doesn't share well. Especially when it comes to her precious, long-awaited first grandchild, CJ. So when her son-in-law's pushy mother, Margo, arrives in town and horns in on Carol's happiness, it's hate at first sight. But when Margo thinks she's committed a murder and reaches out to Carol for help, then vanishes without a trace, it's up to Carol to put aside her petty jealousy and crack the case before the police get involved.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good morning, Carol. My goodness. Your blog post has given me much to think about. And I haven't even had my coffee yet!

Susan

Anonymous said...

Love this interview with Carol and the Baby Boomer Series.
Helen