Interview with Lauren
Do you have a favorite spot where you like to write?
I have quite a few spots. My husband built a studio for me, but I like to write in a chair in the corner of the living room or in the sitting room in our master bedroom or even in bed in the evening.
What is your writer food?
Hershey Kisses. Not any of the new fancy flavors. I like the reliable milk chocolate. If I’m wrapped up in a scene and on a good roll with a book, I can eat the whole bag of Hershey kisses and not even realize it until they are gone and those little foil wrappers are all around my laptop and on the floor at my feet.
What inspires you to write?
Anything. People—even complete strangers. Circumstances. News headlines. Real murder cases. Anything, anywhere, anyone, anytime can inspire me.
What inspired you to write Killer in the Band?
For each mystery, both the Lovers in Crime and Mac Faraday Mysteries, I chose the setting after coming up with the murder plot. I tailored the characters to fit with the mystery. Lovers in Crime is a small town setting. I grew up in Chester, West Virginia, and there are quite a few farms in and around the Ohio Valley.
I introduced readers to Joshua Thornton in my first book, A Small Case of Murder. Readers of that book may remember that Joshua’s mother grew up on a dairy farm and that on his mother’s side, Joshua comes from a long line of farmers. Therefore, it was destined that eventually, a Lovers in Crime Mystery had to be set on a farm.
What are some of your favorite books?
Oh, there are so many. I have to say that I feel a certain attachment to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. When I first read that book, as a young teenager, I really did not see the twist at the end coming. I think that was when I aspired to become a skilled enough writer to leave readers breathless with clever twists and turns in my mysteries.
What authors do you like to read?
I like Tess Gerritsen right now. She knows how to keep me on the edge of my seat.
This or that.
Sweet or Salty? Sweet, of course!
Naughty or nice? Both
Cats or dogs? Dogs. My son is allergic to cats. I love anything that is furry and huggable.
Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate. I LOVE chocolate!
If you were deserted on an island, which author would you want to be stranded with?
Mark Twain. I loved the way his mind worked in his books, plus he has a good sense of humor. I would want to laugh if I was on a desert island. Being a down-home country girl myself, I would like to think he would understand me and I wouldn’t get on his nerves too badly.
