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Friday, March 11, 2022

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH MYSTERY AUTHOR CAROL PREFLATISH

Today we sit down for an interview with mystery author Carol Preflatish. Learn more about Carol and her books at her website where you can also find links to her social media.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels? 

I started writing in 2000 as a challenge to myself to write a novel for the millennium. I finished it, and enjoyed it enough that I wanted to continue.

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication? 

I was first published in 2010, but it wasn’t the first, or even the second book I wrote that was published.  

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

I’m a hybrid author. The first two publishing houses I was with closed. I obtained the rights to those books, and then self-published them. However, now I’m traditionally published with Seventh Star Press.

 

Where do you write? 

I write at home, usually at my desk, but I do like to take paper and pencil and sit on my couch to write also. Once spring and summer weather get here, I hope to get out to some parks to do some writing.

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I do need sound to write. It’s usually the television on in the background.

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

Nothing is drawn from my own life, but if I see a news story that interests me, I usually tuck it away for reference. 

 

Describe your process for naming your character?

I like to use uncommon names. I actually keep a list of names in a notebook. When I hear one I like, I’ll jot it down to use in a book. If I get really stuck, I’ll use an online name generator.

 

Real settings or fictional towns?

It’s a little of both. For the fictional town of Mystic, Massachusetts, I use the real town of Salem, Mass. as a model. 

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

I’m not sure any of my characters have any quirks. There is one character I have that was a rich kid that went to high school with Nathan and now fancies himself as a private investigator in town. He’s always trying to insert himself into Nathan’s investigations and sometimes shows up at the worst times.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

For my writing, I like to make sure I have a glass of iced tea and M&M’s when I’m at my desk writing. I know, that’s not too quirky. 

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

That would be the nonfiction book, Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It’s my favorite book to read. I love the outdoors and her adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail is amazing, and so motivational. As for fiction, any book by Lisa Gardner. She’s my favorite author, and her books are so good.

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

I wish I had started writing when I was younger. I was in my forties when I started. I wish I had started ten years earlier.

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I hate it when people at the supermarket leave their carts in the middle of aisle. 

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Not including food and water, I’d have to have a notebook, pencils, and a few books.

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

You know, I’ve been very lucky to have really enjoyed every job I’ve had. I started working in social services not long after college, held various jobs in that field, and retired from it several years ago.

 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

As I mentioned earlier, I love Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It’s the one book that I’ve read several times.

 

Ocean or mountains?

I’ve always said mountains because that’s where my late husband and I always went, but now I think I’m ready for a vacation at the ocean.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

I grew up in the country but moved to the city a few years ago. I love the convenience of things in the city but miss the peacefulness of the country.

 

What’s on the horizon for you?

I’m working on my next book in the Nathan Perry Mystery Series. It will sort of be a modern-day retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

 

Witch Hunt

A Nathan Perry Mystery, Book 3

 

Is it 1692 all over again? When a millionaire's daughter is found hanging from a tree in the Mystic, Massachusetts cemetery, witchcraft is suspected. Police detective Nathan Perry is assigned the case and works closely with an attractive female private investigator hired by the father to find who murdered his daughter.

 

Mystic is known for its history of witchcraft in the area. It's what brings tourists to town, and when another murder occurs, there is rising pressure on Nathan to solve the case quickly.

 

Nathan's investigation pulls him into an unfamiliar world rife with covens, magic, and lore to find the killer. A small town gripped in fear is depending on him to prevail.

 

Witch Hunt is a stand-alone novel that is part of the Nathan Perry Mystery Series

 

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