INTERVIEW WITH MYSTERY AUTHOR MARY FELIZ

Today we sit down for a chat with mystery author Mary Feliz. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

I’m not a natural writer. My first college essay came back with the notation, “Did you sprinkle the commas in with a pepper grinder?”

For me, writing a novel seemed like the ultimate challenge. Some people want to win the lottery. Others want to climb Mount Everest or become president. I wanted to try to write a novel that was good enough to be traditionally published. I’m not sure when that goal first seized hold of me, but it was when my children were small, my days were long, and my imagination kept me sane. I’ve often thought that knowing what you want is one of the hardest things in life, but when you know, getting what you want is relatively easy. It still requires a lot of very hard work, but the path becomes clear. Everyone’s path is different, and many may be windy and uphill, but those who stay on the path tend to get published.

How long did it take you to get published?

How long depends upon when you start counting. In 1999, I began a YA historical trilogy centered round California statehood and the early Spanish settlers. I found an agent for them, but they were never published. In 2014, I tried again with mysteries, and my first mystery was published in 2016. So, did it take me two years or seventeen? I’ll let you decide.

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author. I’m published by Kensington’s Lyrical Press, which focuses on e-books but also offers print-on-demand and mass market paperbacks.

Where do you write?

Anywhere. I’m writing this in the dentist’s office while waiting for my 91-year-old mother. I’ve written in coffee shops, in cars, on airplanes, and in hospitals. My favorite spot is the guest room/office in our tiny condo at the beach on Monterey Bay in California.

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

I prefer silence. I can tune out the noise of a crowded coffee shop if I have to, but I always travel with earplugs, just in case. I love music, but I’m unable to let it float in the background. I find it distracting.

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

“None of it” and “all of it” are both true. Everything gets filtered through the lens of my real life and real events. But first it goes into a blender where it is mixed, sifted, and changed so that all the pieces fit together in an order that serves the story. Story always wins, regardless of which pieces are fictional and which are factual. None of my characters are based on real people, but all of my locations are plucked from real locales.

Describe your character-naming process.

Many of my characters come to me with names already attached. I don’t know how that happens. Frequently, they’ll all come to me with names too similar for a reader to keep straight, so I need to try different names on them until we get a proper fit. It becomes a negotiation between me and my character, but when it’s right, we know it. Some poor characters may spend most of the book being known as “dead guy”, “strange woman”, or “motorcycle dude,” before I finally discover their given name.

Real settings or fictional towns?

Orchard View, in which the first four books are set, is a fictional town that’s a mash-up of Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and other Silicon Valley towns. It contains many real locations and landmarks, including the house the McDonald family lives in, which is based on the historic Griffin House at Foothill College. I try not to have anything bad happen at a real location. Although I blew up a building at Stanford University in Scheduled to Death, the building doesn’t exist and real campus security would have easily thwarted the plan if fictional students and staff had followed real university safety protocols.

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

That’s a difficult one. Tess, Maggie’s best friend, has two sides to her life and personality, with completely separate wardrobes for each one. She and her husband have a happy successful marriage with a unique living situation. So, Tess might win, but some of the other characters give her a run for her money, including Paolo, who always arrives at crime scenes with a new and different piece of athletic gear strapped to the roof of his car.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

Everything I do is completely normal and expected, of course. J

If you could have written any book, which one would it be? Why?

Time Magic, because it’s a great pun and a great book that entertained me endlessly as a child.

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

I’m not a big one for do-overs, because I see even the most dismal of experiences as a learning process. There is usually something positive to be gained. To get a do-over would mean giving up the good things along with the bad. It’s tempting, but once the bad situation is behind me, I’d hate to go through it again, in case it turned out worse than it did the first time!

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

People who don’t take the time to be polite. It takes so little effort and makes life so much more enjoyable for everyone.

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

Assuming it can’t be a desserted island, which would be much more fun, and that it has clean water and shelter, I’d love to have writing materials, reading materials, and a dog.

What was the worst job you’ve ever had?

We called it “The Prayer Factory.” And that’s all I’m going to say about that!

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

Today, I’m going to say A Wrinkle in Time, because I loved Meg, her mother’s lab, and the kitchen. But tomorrow, my answer might be different. There are so many varied and wonderful books, with plenty to satisfy every mood and personality.

Ocean or mountains?

I like the mountains, but I love the ocean so much that I moved to the beach.

What’s on the horizon for you?

After the sixth book in the Maggie McDonald series, in which she heads to the mountains, I’ll be working on a new series set near Monterey Bay. The McDonalds and their animals may return, but I think the poor people of Orchard View need a break from the spate of murders that have beset them since Maggie and her family came to town.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

I have the best job in the world and I love it. I’m also infinitely grateful to all of my readers, especially the ones who love the books and say so to other readers! You’re the best!! Thank you!

Disorderly Conduct

Book 4 of the Maggie McDonald Mysteries

Professional organizer Maggie McDonald balances a fastidious career with friends, family, and a spunky Golden Retriever. But add a fiery murder mystery to the mix, and Maggie wonders if she’s found a mess even she can’t tidy up . . .

With a devastating wildfire spreading to Silicon Valley, Maggie preps her family for evacuation. The heat rises when firefighters discover a dead body—the husband of Maggie’s best friend Tess Olmos. Tess becomes the prime suspect in what's shaping up to become a double murder case. Determined to set the record straight, Maggie launches an investigation more dangerous than the flames approaching her home. When her own loved ones are threatened, can she catch the meticulous killer before everything falls apart?

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GUEST AUTHOR MARY FELIZ ON CORPSE COOKIES AND EVENT ORGANIZING

Corpse Cookie

Mary Feliz writes about an amateur sleuth with a penchant for organizing. Today she tells us about how she organized her very first event to promote her forthcoming book. Whether you're planning to participate in a crafts fair, a flea market, or a neighborhood tag sale, Mary's experiences might come in handy. 

A big fan of irony, serendipity, diversity, and quirky intelligence tempered with gentle humor, Mary strives to bring these elements into her writing, although her characters tend to take these elements to a whole new level. Learn more about Mary and her writing at her website. 

Corpse Cookies Make Pre-Promotion Easy

Pushing my books promises to be one of the toughest parts of being an author for me. Despite a career in Corporate Communications, marketing is just not my thing. 

So, when a friend told me she was holding a holiday craft fair in her home featuring many of our mutual friends as vendors, I jumped at the chance to "practice my pitch" although my debut novel Address to Die For won't be released until July, 2016.

I asked my friend if it would be helpful to have a "greeter" for her event—someone to direct people to all the different venues within her house where vendors were set up. The house isn't large, but I thought it might be easy for people to overlook the vendors who were set up in the backyard and the garage.

She loved the idea. Since I had nothing to sell, I wouldn't be backing up traffic. I loved the idea, since I knew I'd have a truly useful purpose other than promoting my books. 

I'd hoped to have cover copy for the book, but as the date approached, I had to give up on that plan. 

Instead, I created a "series" graphic using the artwork from my website, I created pens and bookmarks for my swag. Both were relatively inexpensive things that I knew I'd want to bring to conferences after my book comes out. Ordering test versions gave me a good sense of the lead-time required and which parts of my design worked and which didn't.

 

Swag

I loved how both turned out, but next time I'd use fewer words and a larger font for the pens. Few people turned the bookmark over to read the back. Several people though my character's name was my name. 

Initially, I'd planned to order sugar cookies embossed with the book cover art. Instead, I made my corpse cookies on my own and ordered crime scene ribbon from an internet ribbon maker. 

With some crime scene fabric (also ordered from the internet) and a black banquet table cover, I was good to go. 

Based on the suggestions of friends, I planned to put bookmarks and pens in wine glasses. A gruesome "R.I.P" bottle of red wine picked up on the spur of the moment from Cost Plus was fun to pair with the glasses. 

 

Mary's "Welcome" Table

Driving to the event, I regretted not buying flowers or making a stand-up sign about the books. Next time, I promised myself, remembering that today's event was about practice, not perfection. 

With a cooler full of water and snacks, I was set. After greeting my first 10 customers, I realized I needed to talk more about my book and tell people it was a local murder mystery. The local angle was something all the visitors responded to.

By noon, I was out of cookies. People loved them and it was easier for me to talk about the cookies than it was to hype the book. Once people had the cookies, they asked about the book, and it was easy for me to answer their questions. 

The oddity of having a "welcome" booth that sported tape blaring "CRIME SCENE-DO NOT CROSS" also sparked comments. 

The demographic of people who attend holiday boutiques is nearly identical to the demographic of people who buy cozy mysteries—suburban moms and grandmoms. And, although I thought that via social media everyone I knew had heard of my book, I ran into several acquaintances who were astonished to learn I'd signed a publishing contract. 

By the end of the day, I'd distributed 100 bookmarks and pens to probable readers who will likely tell friends about my books.  And as the day wore on, my tagline tripped off my tongue easily. I'd asked friends and the vendors to inspect my booth, eavesdrop on my pitch and offer suggestions for both. Their glowing reports and constructive critiques gave my confidence a huge boost. What I'd imagined as a shakedown tour turned out to be a perfect promotional opportunity I might easily have overlooked.

Many of the volunteers planning holiday boutiques will begin firming up plans in the next few months, so now is a perfect time to start asking questions about how you can help. The Gala Gallery is already on my calendar for next year (when I'll actually have books to sell.) I'll approach my next event more confidently...and with more cookies, fresh flowers, a backdrop...and eventually, a plush golden retriever to represent my character's chief side-kick. And with the knowledge that I can market my books like a pro.

Address to Die For

For professional organizer Maggie McDonald, moving her family into a new home should be the perfect organizational challenge. But murder was definitely not on the to-do list . . .

Maggie McDonald has a penchant for order that isn’t confined to her clients’ closets, kitchens, and sock drawers. As she lays out her plan to transfer her family to the hundred-year-old house she’s inherited in the hills above Silicon Valley, she has every expectation for their new life to fall neatly into place. But as the family bounces up the driveway of their new home, she’s shocked to discover the house’s dilapidated condition. When her husband Max finds the caretaker facedown in their new basement, it’s the detectives who end up moving in. What a mess! While the investigation unravels and the family camps out in a barn, a killer remains at large—exactly the sort of loose end Maggie can’t help but clean up . . .

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