Things You Don’t Know About Donna Andrews

SinC: What are your favorite shoes?
DA: Crocs and Reeboks.

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?
DA: Once I'd have said: a book. Now: my iPhone. (It's okay. There are books in my iPhone. Also games, and email, and a web browser, a GPS, and a flashlight app in case I forgot to turn the porch light on before leaving home.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?
DA: Reading. The writing really eats into my reading time.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15
minutes?
DA: Richard III. As a long-time Ricardian--someone who thinks Richard III was framed for the murder of his nephews--I'd like to find out the truth.

SinC: What word do you absolutely hate?
DA: Utilize. Use is such a neat, strong simple word.

SinC: Do you dream in color or black and white?
DA: Color. I was about to say that I didn't know, but then I remembered a dream that featured azure blue tile on stucco walls. I don't usually remember the color, though.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?
DA: I'm not telling. But I will tell you the name Lee Child suggested I use if I ever write a dark, gory serial killer book. Andrew Donner. Like the Party.

SinC: Favorite food?
DA: I have too many favorite foods. Steak and fries. Pepperoni sausage pizza. Green beans. A good juicy burger. Dill pickles. Utz potato chips. Watermelon. Tangerines, kumquats, and especially clementines. Cheese--all kinds of cheese, like cheddar and gruyere and brie and Huntsmans and feta and blue. Frozen juice cones, especially the orange ones. Limeade. Milk and chocolate chip cookies. THE pumpkin pie. Turkey with Mom's gravy, or in a pinch, my gravy. Cobb salad. Diet Coke. Are we running out of room?

SinC: Favorite drink?
DA: Diet Coke, Orangina, limeade, red wine, white wine, frozen daiquiris, margaritas, milk if there is chocolate around, rose hips tea when I can find it.

SinC: Favorite dessert?
DA: See favorite foods above. As a child, I often finished the remains of the tossed salad for dessert. Would that I had retained that healthy habit today.

SinC: Most embarrassing moment?
DA: I have to prune it down to one?

SinC: First job?
DA: First paying job: writing a column about my school activities for the local paper. First adult job: secretary.

SinC: Worst job?
DA: My second adult job was at the company where I worked, in various positions, for more than two decades, until I quit to write full time. One stretch of time when I had a very workaholic boss probably counts as my worst job, but it was during that period that I made the decision to put my writing first, even if I had to quit the day job. So, in retrospect, even the bad times were useful.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?
DA: Still working somewhere as a corporate writer, or possibly a manager of corporate websites.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?
DA: I wouldn't mind being Meg Langslow. Or being more like her. When obstacles come my way, I often ask myself what Meg would do.


Donna Andrews is the award-winning author of the 12-volume Meg Langslow mystery series and the four-volume Turing Hopper mystery series. Her most recent book is the newest Meg Langslow entry, Stork Raving Mad. You can learn more things you don't know about Donna at www.donnaandrews.com.

Things You Don't Know About Margaret Maron -- and Her Closest Indie

Margaret Maron

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?
MM: My Visa card.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?
MM: Piano lessons.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15 minutes?
MM: My mother. There are two things I forgot to ask her that no one else knows.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?
MM: Her Royal Highness, the Queen of Sweden.

SinC: Favorite food?
MM: BLT made the way my mother made them.

SinC: Favorite drink?
MM: Bourbon and Pepsi.

SinC: Favorite dessert?
MM: Warm pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?
MM: District Court Judge.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?
MM: Deborah Knott (see above).

SinC: What independent bookstore is closest to the place you spend a good portion of your time?
MM: Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh, NC.

SinC: What can you tell us about the store?
MM: Owned by Nancy Olson, who was PW's Bookseller of the Year 3 or 4 years ago. First opened in the 80s. It's a general book store with strong holding in childrens' books, mysteries and classical music.

SinC: Where can we find Quail Ridge Books and Music online?
MM: www.quailridgebooks.com

SinC: What's your most recent indie purchase?
MM: Susan Boyle's Christmas CD, Complete Works of Mahler and a New York City guide book.

SinC: Are there any holiday customs particularly unique to your area or your family?
MM: Probably nothing too different from other families. We usually host a big dinner party the week before C'mas for some close friends where we sing carols, perform "party pieces" (solos, skits, recitations, etc.). Usually burn a huge bonfire sometime between C'mas and New Year's.

Margaret Maron is the award-winning author of 26 novels and two collections of short stories. Christmas Mourning, her latest release, is the 16th book in the mystery series featuring district court judge Deborah Knott of "Colleton County," NC.

Things You Don't Know About Carolyn Hart -- and Her Closest Indies

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?
CH: If I am traveling, I never leave home without a good mystery to read. For insurance, I always take along a Christie because reading from an old favorite is as comforting as a well worn afghan in wintertime. I especially enjoy Cat Among the Pigeons and The Man in the Brown Suit.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?
CH: Lunching with friends. That is a pleasure I enjoy only on days when I'm not writing and I write most days.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15 minutes?
CH: Mary Roberts Rinehart. She was not only at one time the most successful author in America, she was an unusual and adventurous woman.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?
CH: Henrietta Collins.

SinC: Favorite food?
CH: Anything Mexican.

SinC: Favorite drink?
CH: Milk.

SinC: Favorite dessert?
CH: Dark chocolate.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?
CH: Unhappy.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?
CH: Henrietta O'Dwyer (Henrie O) Collins. The protagonist in seven of my books, she is a retired newspaperwoman with a talent for trouble and passion for life. As a foreign correspondent, she had the career I thought I would have until I ended up marrying, having a family, and writing fiction. That's one of the lovely aspects of writing fiction. You can lead any life you wish through your characters.

SinC: What independent bookstore is closest to the place you spend a good portion of your time?
CH: Murder by the Book in Houston. It is the inspiration for Death on Demand. My hometown (Oklahoma City) independent is Full Circle.

SinC: What can you tell us about the stores?
CH: Martha Farrington began MBTB. The late David Thompson and his wife, McKenna Jordan, took over the store when Martha retired. McKenna is now running the store. MBTB is one of the finest mystery bookstores in the country.

Full Circle in Oklahoma City is a general bookstore with an amazing variety of titles. It is owned by James Tolbert, one of Oklahoma City's most active civic leaders.

SinC: Where can we find the stores online?
CH: The website for Murder by the Book is www.murderbooks.com . The Full Circle website is www.fullcirclebooks.com .

SinC: What's your most recent indie purchase?
CH: A Romantic Way To Die by Bill Crider from MBTB (by mail). A Comfort of Cats by Doreen Tovey from Full Circle.

SinC: Are there any holiday customs particularly unique to your area or your family?
CH: We always attend the Christmas Eve service at our daughter's church in Tulsa, then spend Christmas Day at our son-in-law's family's ranch in Collinsville, OK.


Carolyn Hart is the award-winning author of the 20-book Death on Demand series (most recent title - Laughed 'Til He Died), the three-volume Bailey Ruth Raeburn series (most recent title - Ghost in Trouble) and the seven-book Henrie O series (most recent title - Set Sail for Murder). In addition, she has written 10 non-series novels and five novels for children and young adults. You can learn more about Carolyn -- and take the Classic Mystery Quiz -- at www.carolynhart.com.

Things You Don't Know About Sara Paretsky -- And Her Closest Indie

Sara Paretsky

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?
SP: My house keys.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?
SP: I keep trying to learn French but I don't have time to take classes very often, and I lack the discipline to pursue it on my own.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15 minutes?
SP: I'd be tongue-tied around my heroes, whether living or dead, but I'd love to ask Susan B. Anthony how she feels about having the Republican right use her name for one of their women's groups.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?
SP: Boadicea Jones.

SinC: Favorite food?
SP: I love all foods, but I have a special fondness for good bread.

SinC: Favorite drink?
SP: Champagne -- Krug Brut, if I get to choose.

SinC: Favorite dessert?
SP: Profiteroles.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?
SP: Renee Fleming. Or Audrey Hepburn.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?
SP: Oh, I'd be V I. I'd love to be as strong and brave and risk-taking as she is.

SinC: What independent bookstore is closest to the place you spend a good portion of your time?
SP: 57th Street Books.

SinC: What can you tell us about the store?
SP: 57th street is part of the Seminary Co-op, which is a cooperatively-owned store in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. It's about 60 years old. I love 57th Street Books -- I always think I'm going into Christopher Morley's "Haunted Bookshop" when I walk down the four stairs to the half-basement entrance. It is a general bookstore with a real strength in fiction; the Sem Co-op is the heavy-hitting non-fiction partner.

SinC: Where can we find 57th Street Books online?
SP: http://www.semcoop.com/

SinC: What's your most recent indie purchase?
SP: Great House by Nicole Krauss (although I got that at Women & Children First).

SinC: Are there any holiday customs particularly unique to your area or your family?
SP: I'm Jewish and my mother came upon Mouse, who always brought Paretsky children our special present at Chanukah. With time, Mouse expanded his/her (Mouse was always ungendered) repertoire to bring us unexpected gifts during the year. I love having Mouse be part of my nieces' and nephews' lives. My newest grandnephew, Henry, 11 months old, is getting a lovely soft stuffed mouse as his special gift from Mouse. My mother, who was more creative than I, always hand-made a gingerbread Mouse House at Chanukah.


Sara Paretsky is the award-winning author of the 14-book mystery series featuring female detective V.I. Warshawski. The newest title in the series is Body Work. Sara was recently named the recipient of the 2011 Grand Master award by the Mystery Writers of America. She is the founding mother of Sisters in Crime.

Things You Don't Know About Ellen Hart -- And Her Closest Indie

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?
EH: I try to always remember my brain, but sometimes I can't remember where I put it.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?
EH: Reading. Playing with my grandkids and my dogs.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15 minutes?
EH: Oh, my. So many. Not even sure where to start. Lincoln, for one. Oscar Wilde. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. FDR. Darwin. Hitler. Bobby Kennedy. Socrates. The Buddha. Aaron Burr. Shakespeare. Barbara Stanwyck. Tallulah Bankhead. Albert Einstein and Max Planck. Orson Welles.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?
EH: Mary Higgins Clark.

SinC: Favorite food?
EH: Popcorn with real butter. Or cream. On anything.

SinC: Favorite drink?
EH: Alcohol--a good bourbon. Non-alcoholic--sparkling water with a twist. Or tea. Or coffee. Hate soft drinks.

SinC: Favorite dessert?
EH: Oh, please. I have to pick? Pie. Any and all pies.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?
EH: A chef. That's what I did before I became a working writer. If I could pick a career not based on my talents, I'd like to be the director of a prestigious (and therefore wonderful) symphony orchestra.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?
EH: They're all too tortured. Then again, my main characters are richer and better looking than I am. Guess I'll go with Jane Lawless—on one of her good days.

SinC: What independent bookstore is closest to the place you spend a good portion of your time?
EH: Once Upon A Crime mystery bookstore.


SinC: Who owns the store and when did it open?
EH: Pat Frovarp and Gary Schultze. The bookstore was started many years ago by Mary Trone. At one time, she was an editor at Doubleday. She also reviewed for years for Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Mary owned the store for many years, and then sold it to Steve Stilwell. I think there may have been another owner before Pat and Gary bought it. It's a landmark in Minneapolis, one of the best mystery bookstores in the country. In fact, Once Upon a Crime was recently named a recipient of the 2011 Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

SinC: Where can we find it online?
EH: www.onceuponacrimebooks.com

SinC: What's your most recent indie purchase?
EH: Still Life by Louise Penny.

SinC: How much snow is on the ground in Minneapolis?
EH: Officially, 17 inches (at the airport). We received a little more here in south Minneapolis. And the drifts (on the side streets) are four and five feet high.

SinC: How has the already legendary blizzard affected your daily routine?
EH: Spent the day yesterday (Dec. 12) digging out. My partner was at it after dark--and it's still not done! The main streets are in good shape by now--if you can get to them. That's the tricky part. They're calling this the fifth largest snowfall in Minnesota history. This is the kind of snow I remember from my childhood.



Ellen Hart is the author of the award-winning 18-book mystery series featuring Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless and the eight-book mystery series featuring food critic Sophie Greenway. The newest book in the Jane Lawless series, The Cruel Ever After, is available this month. You can learn more about Ellen at www.ellenhart.com.

Things You Don't Know About Dana Stabenow -- and Her Closest Indie

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?
DS: The thumb drive my books are backed up on.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?
DS: Travel.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15 minutes?
DS: Shakespeare.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?
DS: Wilhelmina Eleutheria Prendergrass. Or something equally unmemorable.

SinC: Favorite food?
DS: Popcorn.

SinC: Favorite drink?
DS: Water.

SinC: Favorite dessert?
DS: Chocolate anything.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?
DS: An unpublished bag lady.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?
DS: Star Svensdotter, because she gets to go to Ellfive, the Asteroid Belt and Mars.

SinC: What independent bookstore is closest to the place you spend a good portion of your time?
DS: The Homer Bookstore.

SinC: Who owns the store and when did it open?
DS: It's owned by Jenny Stroyeck, Sue Post and her brother, Lee Post. If I have the story right, Jenny and Sue moved from Anchorage (pop. 320,000) down to Homer (pop. 10,000) about 15 years ago when they were invited to become partners with Lee in the bookstore. The store was in the large strip mall that also contained the main grocery store. When the grocery store wanted to expand, the bookstore bought an old house on Pioneer Avenue and remodeled it, with apartments to rent out upstairs. It's great to the eye both inside and out; bright, cheerful, inviting. It's sort of like Cheers, you walk in and everybody knows your name.

SinC: What's the specialty of the shop?
DS: They're a full service bookstore, stocked with everything from general fiction to cookbooks. They have a large Alaska section for tourists, of course, a good selection of maps, and if they don't have it they can order it for you.

SinC: Where can we find The Homer Bookstore online?
DS: http://homerbookstore.com/

SinC: What's the most recent purchase you made there?
DS: Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.

SinC: How much snow is on the ground in Homer today (Friday, 12/3)?
DS: The forecast is for four inches of snow today, turning to rain this afternoon. Bleah.

SinC: How much daylight are you seeing each day?
DS: Five and a half hours.


Dana Stabenow is the award-winning author of the 18-book Kate Shugak mystery series, the four-book Liam Campbell mystery series and the three-book Star Svensdotter science fiction series. The most recent title in the Kate Shugak series, Though Not Dead, will be available in Feb. 2011.

Things You Don't Know About Marcia Talley

SinC: Are you superstitious? If so—what would you absolutely not do?

MT: Yes. I wear my mother's St Christopher medal when I travel, and neither she, nor I, were/are Catholic. Wouldn't step on a plane without it!

SinC: Who’s your favorite Beatle?

MT: Sir Paul, ever since I first laid eyes on him, playing that guitar left-handed on the Ed Sullivan Show. I fell out of love with John when he hooked up with Yoko. What on earth did he see in her, anyway?

SinC: Do you have a guilty pleasure TV show?

MT: Project Runway. The ingenuity and creativity of the designers simply blows me away. I used to think that fashion design was such a glam occupation -- but it's really cut-throat, isn't it? I love Tim Gunn, too. Half college professor, half sauve New Yorker -- except that he was born and raised in Washington, DC!

SinC: If you could have anyone, I mean anyone, over for dinner, who would that be? Why? (You don’t have to cook.)

MT: Since we're fantasizing here, I'd send out to the late, lamented Thai Room on Connecticut Avenue for hot squid salad, larb and bean thread jelly mushroom – and I'd invite Agatha Christie. I'd ply her with wine and get the REAL story of her 11-day disappearance in December 1926.

SinC: What’s your biggest fault?

MT: I procrastinate. So many things need to be done each morning before I can start writing. Coffee, email, Facebook ... I wish I were more disciplined – get up at 6, write until 9 and then spend the rest of the day having a life. But do I ever learn? Nooooh!



Marcia Talley is the Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of the Hannah Ives mystery series including Without a Grave and her latest, All Things Undying. She is immediate past president of Sisters in Crime. You can learn more about her at www.marciatalley.com.

Photo by Ron Belanger.

Things You Don't Know About Elaine Viets

SinC: Are you superstitious? If so, what would you absolutely not do? (Put a hat on the bed? Put your shoes on the table? Have a bird in your house? Walk under a ladder?) If you’re not superstitious, why not?

EV: I will never talk about something while it's in the works. That's partly caution, but I am sure talking about it will kill it. I worry about jinxes. I also believe deaths come in threes, but maybe that's because I count three and then stop.

SinC: Who’s your favorite Beatle?

EV: Paul. I like that he keeps on going. No, George -- he knew how to live. Wait -- Ringo, the Beatle who keeps on trying. John, well, he was a dope about Yoko, but I liked his music. What the heck, I like them all, living and dead.

SinC: Do you have a guilty pleasure TV show? (Did you watch “Dallas” or “Dynasty”? The soaps? “Real Housewives”? “Jerry Springer”?)

EV: "Cheaters" -- I watch this show with horror while the smug host slyly leads broken-hearted people into attacking their former lovers.

SinC: If you could have anyone over for dinner, who would that be? Why? (You don’t have to cook.)

EV: Good, I hate cooking. I'd invite Barack Obama. How does he survive the pressure and the hatred?

SinC: What’s your biggest fault?

EV: I work too hard.


Award-winning author Elaine Viets writes two best-selling mystery series – the Dead-End Job series (“wry social commentary,” according to Publishers Weekly) and the Josie Marcus mystery shopper series set in St. Louis, Elaine’s hometown. Her most recent offerings include Half-Price Homicide, the ninth title in the Dead-End Job series, and An Uplifting Murder, the sixth title in the Josie Marcus series. You can find more things you don’t know about Elaine at www.elaineviets.com.


Photo courtesy of Elaine Viets.

Things You Don't Know About Denise Swanson

SinC: What are your favorite shoes?

DS: Skechers.

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?

DS: My wallet. As long as I have that I can buy whatever I need.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?

DS: Traveling for pleasure.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15 minutes?

DS: I'm pretty good about staying in touch with people, but I guess my Grandma Votta who died when I was three.

SinC: What word do you absolutely hate?

DS: Whatever.

SinC: Do you dream in color or black and white?

DS: Color.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?

DS: Paige Turner.

SinC: Favorite food?

DS: Birthday cake.

SinC: Favorite drink?

DS: Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

SinC: Most embarrassing moment?

DS: Bursting in to save my college roommate (who had been screaming) -- only to find they weren't screams of terror.

SinC: First job?

DS: Pharmacy assistant.

SinC: Worst job?

DS: Paper feeder at a factory.

SinC: Favorite dessert?

DS: Creme brule.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?

DS: A school psychologist.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?

DS: Trixie. She's happy-go-lucky and everyone likes her.


Denise Swanson is the award-winning author of the Scumble River mystery series featuring school psychologist Skye Denison. The 12th and most recent title in the series is "Murder of a Wedding Belle." You can find more things you don't know about Denise at www.deniseswanson.com.


Photo courtesy of Denise Swanson.

Things You Don't Know About S.J. Rozan

SinC: What are your favorite shoes?

SJR: A semi-hightop semi-sneaker called the Soho Walker by Propet. They don't make them anymore but I buy them up on cheap shoe sites whenever they pop up.

SinC: Is there anything you'd never leave home without?

SJR: My keys. Because I've done it, and it involves climbing out the window of the nice people upstairs and down the fire escape... It ain't pretty.

SinC: What do you wish you had more time for?

SJR: Reading.

SinC: Is there anyone from the past you would like to talk to for just 15 minutes?

SJR: My past? Or our communal past? From my past, that guy I dated freshman year. I'd like to give him a 15-minute piece of my mind. From our communal past, Genghis Khan.

SinC: What word do you absolutely hate?

SJR: Not a word, a phrase: "No problem." As in, "Thanks for doing that for me." "No problem." The implication is, if it HAD been a problem, the doer might not have been so generous about it.

SinC: Do you dream in color or black and white?

SJR: Color. And Surround-Sound, too.

SinC: If the F.B.I. had to give you a new identity, what name would you choose?

SJR: Jane O'Brian. Every non-Irish New Yorker secretly wants to try it.

SinC: Favorite food?

SJR: Bread and cheese.

SinC: Favorite drink?

SJR: Bourbon. Or dark beer, if it needs to go with the bread and cheese.

SinC: Most embarrassing moment?

SJR: Are you kidding? This is the internet. No way.

SinC: First job?

SJR: Babysitting. I was damn good, too.

SinC: Worst job?

SJR: Babysitting. No, I just had to say it. I guess really, it would be when I was a janitor in grad school. But we sure had fun. Me and Kolawole Ajibola, from Nigeria, on the night shift.

SinC: Favorite dessert?

SJR: Gelato.

SinC: If you weren't a published author, what would you be?

SJR: Well, the truth is I'd still be an architect. But that's not what you're getting at. What I'd like to be is someone's gardener. I'd worry about the plants all day and live in the gatehouse.

SinC: If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?

SJR: Lydia Chin. Because she's young, and she's tough (no matter what she says) and because her family's there for her (no matter what they say).

S.J. Rozan is the award-winning author of 12 novels, including the mystery series featuring private investigators Lydia Chin and Bill Smith. Her most recent work, “On the Line,” finds Bill in a high-stakes chase to locate the kidnapped Lydia. You can find more things you don’t know about S.J. at www.sjrozan.com.

Photo courtesy of S.J. Rozan.