Ask the Author: Connie Archer
Answered Questions (11)
Connie Archer
Hi Sherrie ~ I'm so embarrassed to tell you I just saw your message. Please forgive! Unfortunately, my publisher ended this series and my contract doesn't allow me to write any more. I still miss Snowflake too!
I'm now writing the Zodiac Mysteries (as Connie di Marco). You can find these here on Goodreads too and read more at my website (conniedimarco.com). The Zodiac Mysteries feature Julia Bonatti, a San Francisco astrologer who never thought murder would be part of her practice. Thanks so much for writing and happy reading!
I'm now writing the Zodiac Mysteries (as Connie di Marco). You can find these here on Goodreads too and read more at my website (conniedimarco.com). The Zodiac Mysteries feature Julia Bonatti, a San Francisco astrologer who never thought murder would be part of her practice. Thanks so much for writing and happy reading!
Connie Archer
Hi Kathy ~ my apologies for the delay in responding to you. Thanks so much for writing. I'm really glad you've enjoyed the Soup Lovers' Mysteries. My publisher actually ended this series (unfortunately) but I've been writing the Zodiac Mysteries, featuring San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti who never thought murder would be part of her practice (as Connie di Marco). The website is conniedimarco.com. You can find these here on Goodreads too. There are (so far) three books in that series and more to come. I hope you'll check them out.
Connie Archer
Hi Sherrie ~ I'm glad it arrived safely and I really hope you enjoy this visit to Snowflake, VT! To answer your question, the covers are designed by my publisher's art department (Penguin/Berkley Prime Crime) and they do a beautiful job. Ultimately the publisher has the final say, but I have definitely had input. My editors have always asked for suggestions for the cover, based on the happenings in the story. All the covers have featured the By the Spoonful Soup Shop in some fashion, with the exception of Ladle to the Grave, which shows a wedding scene. That's the book in which Sophie is planning her wedding. The cover of A Clue in the Stew shows the B&B in the distance outside the window, and the stack of books on the table is a reference to the famous mystery writer's book signing at the soup shop, plus two of the covers show the yellow gingham curtains in the front window of the restaurant -- a really nice touch.
Hope this answers your question, Sherrie ~ have fun in Snowflake!
~ Connie
Hope this answers your question, Sherrie ~ have fun in Snowflake!
~ Connie
Connie Archer
Hi Sherrie ~ the titles have come both from me and my publisher. It's been a collaborative effort. Berkley Prime Crime chose the first one - A Spoonful of Murder. The next two titles, A Broth of Betrayal and A Roux of Revenge, were mine. I just tried to find a word that hinted at crime with a soup reference. My publisher liked Ladle to the Grave, even though I wanted to call that book, A Corpse in the Cauldron. And for this most recent title, A Clue in the Stew (which I really like), my choice originally was Parsley Sage Rosemary and Crime, which is also a great title, but a bit long, so I can see why they didn't want to use that one.
I hope you get to try some of the recipes in the series, and don't miss The Cozy Cookbook either for some of my recipes and recipes from lots of culinary cozy authors. My GR giveaway just ended a few days ago, but there are more giveaways on my blog tour. You can check out events at my FB page, and I'll announce the stops every day. This tour goes on till April 27th. To answer your other question -- yes, I do have bookmarks. Let me know if you'd like some, I'm happy to send them to you. You can send me your address at conniearchermysteries@gmail.com.
Happy reading!
~ Connie
Thanks so much for your interest in the Soup Lover's Mysteries!
I hope you get to try some of the recipes in the series, and don't miss The Cozy Cookbook either for some of my recipes and recipes from lots of culinary cozy authors. My GR giveaway just ended a few days ago, but there are more giveaways on my blog tour. You can check out events at my FB page, and I'll announce the stops every day. This tour goes on till April 27th. To answer your other question -- yes, I do have bookmarks. Let me know if you'd like some, I'm happy to send them to you. You can send me your address at conniearchermysteries@gmail.com.
Happy reading!
~ Connie
Thanks so much for your interest in the Soup Lover's Mysteries!
Connie Archer
It is there, somewhere . . . with a big widget, but I think it was put on the "book" page. I'll have to check. I can add a new post though (that I know how to do) and that will feed over to GR and to Amazon. And I can post on my FB page.
Thanks so much, Michael, and I hope you win!!!
Thanks so much, Michael, and I hope you win!!!
Connie Archer
No time for writer's block! There are deadlines looming! Seriously! I may sit in front of the monitor and scream and pull my hair, but there's no time for delay. When people talk about writer's block, I'm sure it's just an element of fear, that editor in our head that tells us we can't do this. What I do? I just keep writing, even if I'm sure it's absolute drivel. Sometimes it is, and has to be deleted, but sometimes, I manage to get out of my own way, and something good gets on the page. I'll read it later and I won't cringe.
Connie Archer
The best thing is becoming so immersed in your story that (I believe) you actually leave your body and enter that other imaginary world. When I'm truly in the middle of things and trying to work out the plot and the details and the emotional states of all the characters, that world feels more real to me than my day to day reality. The second best thing is finishing the last of the revisions and feeling like it's done! Of course, there is the editor and/or the copy editor to let you know what needs more polishing or explaining, but at least the story is complete. What is absolutely, amazingly wonderful is when someone sends an email or a FB message to tell you they enjoyed your book. You know you've made someone laugh or cry or intrigued them and entertained them! It's so rewarding!
Connie Archer
Ah! Just write and keep on writing and don't think for a second that YOU shouldn't be published. It's hard work and very easy to procrastinate, but you must finish your story and then (this is the hard part) subject your creation to criticism. And most of all, I think the best way to learn and grow is to read the very best of writers in the genre in which you have the most interest.
Connie Archer
Right now, I'm having a bit of a breather, so I've been writing blogs. I have a guest blog coming up on September 30th with Lisa K's Reviews. It's about how I decide who to kill next. And then another on October 17th at Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers, about Halloween and it's pagan roots. A Roux of Revenge is set at Halloween, so I thought it would be a good subject to talk about.
Connie Archer
Good question! I'm laughing! I read an interview of a romance writer recently. So sorry, I can't remember her name, but she said her rule was ABCD. Apply Butt to Chair Daily. There's a lot of truth in that. I feel terribly anxious knowing there's a deadline looming, even if it's months away, and feel absolutely compelled to keep banging away at the keyboard until the story's complete.
Connie Archer
Well, my most recent book is tentatively entitled Parsley Sage Rosemary and Crime. It was just sent to my publisher a month ago and won't be released until (I believe) the spring of 2016. This one is #5 in the Soup Lover's Mystery series. The idea began to grow when I thought it would be very interesting if a famous mystery writer with a past came to Snowflake, Vermont. Before she arrives, the first body is discovered. But the real question is why is the writer really there? I can't say much more because I wouldn't want it to be a spoiler!
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