Interview with debut author Annie Adams
Mary: As soon as you’re comfortable, I mean bundled and warm, tell us a bit about you as a person, not an author.
Annie: Well, I own and operate a flower shop, I work with my husband, I have two large dogs and two cats. I'm a Libra, I'm president of our state florist association and I love to read, but don't get to read as often as I would like. I didn't mention exercise yet—eventually I'll be able to say I'm a fitness nut, but not yet. I do play basketball with a group of women each week. We've been playing for 10 or more years now.
Mary: So, Annie, what made you decide that you wanted to brave the crazy publishing world? And of course the standard question; how long have you been writing.
Annie: I've always had an affinity for writing and done well with it in school, but I didn't begin writing fiction until about 4 years ago when my friend, L.L. Muir showed me how to start putting the story ideas into a book. I always thought I wanted to write a book, but I never knew how to go about doing it. So I have her to thank for that and many other wonderful things. The decision to self-publish was a difficult one in the beginning. I think most authors have had the traditional publishing dream, but with all the changes going on in the publishing world, I'm so glad that I decided to become an indie author. I should have done it a lot sooner.
Mary: Your new book is a cozy mystery, and they usually have women in professions like knitting shops, bakeries, or candy shops, etc. A flower shop is new to me. So how did you come up with the idea?
Annie: They say you write what you know, and working in a flower shop is what I know. There are so many intriguing and almost macabre subjects in the florist's world, which I think most people wouldn't suspect would be the case. We're an interesting lot of characters with many personality extremes and those extremes make for good conflict and drama.
And humor! At the time they're happening, certain things like exploding tires don't seem so funny, but looking back, some of those things were funny enough to merit being put in a book.
By the way, there are some physical comedy scenes in the book and all of them are actually possible in our actual physical realm. Of course, they happen to fictional characters in a fictional story, but the real-life possibility of them happening, while hard to believe, are true.
Mary: Can you tell us a bit about your book? Maybe a blurb for The Final Arrangement?
Annie: The Vulture is dead.
The body of Quincy McKay’s nemesis and biggest competitor in the floral business has just been discovered in a casket at the mortuary, complete with flowers on the lid.
Derrick Gibbons, aka The Vulture, stole all of Quincy’s funeral business, and now she’s on a mission to get it back. But there’s a problem—Quincy is now the main suspect in The Vulture’s murder.
Armed with only her Zombie delivery van, good intentions, and the business card of a handsome cop named Alex, she must find the killer, save the flower shop, and keep from ending up in the next casket. If she can dodge burning bushes, the plague of a polygamist ex, and her mother's Mormon Mafia Spy Network, her life with Alex and her shop could become the perfect arrangement.
Mary: I see from your website that your book is part of The Flower Shop Series, so what’s next? Do you have a teaser or a title yet?
Annie: The title of the next book is DEADLY ARRANGEMENTS, Planning a Wedding Can be Murder. You'll have to stay tuned to find out who's getting married and what kind of trouble they run into.
Mary: Where can all your new fans find you? Website, Facebook, any other social media? Goodreads?
Annie: My website, www.annieadamstheauthor.com is the home for my blog, and some fun flower shop stuff. There's also a magic button, which I hope your readers will take the time to push! If readers join my email newsletter list, they will be the first in line to receive the news of Book Two's publication date. They might even get an exclusive sampling.
I'm also on Facebook/annieadamstheauthor. I'm working on Goodreads now, and will be up there soon.
Thank you, Annie, for visiting my garden today! I know I’ve had a good time getting to know you, I’m sure all of my guests in the garden have too. Now for the rest… A review of The Final Arrangement.
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This cozy mystery has it all, it's quirky, unique, has the small town, the police officer and the quirky florist who is up to her own detective work. Quincy the florist and Alex the police officer have a... yes you guessed it, quirky fun relationship from the beginning. And it's fun to find out why the dead guy is in the coffin. I know most dead people are in a coffin, you'll have to read this fun story to find out what I mean!
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| 5 Poinsettia's |
Comments
Good luck on the next in your series. You have a great niche to fill.
I begin reading your book tonight.
So excited!
And your book reads like it was written by a pro. More proof.