Thank you for being here today, JM.
JM: Thank you for inviting me into the Spellroom, Liberty.
Liberty: When did you start writing?
JM: I began writing
about 10 years ago. I wrote romantic suspense but was rotten where the romance
thing came in. I then started writing cozy mysteries and realized that’s where
I belonged. It’s been onward and upward ever since. I adore cozy mystery novels
(and most mysteries in general except the gory ones). Agatha Christie is a fave
of mine and as a kid, I read every Nancy Drew mystery I could get my hands on.
Liberty: Great choices. I love Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. You are very prolific. How long does it take you to write a book?
JM: How long does it
take ME to write a book? Well,
that depends, really. If I stay at it, I can knock out a story in about two
months, if I pay attention, that is. If I get sidetracked (which usually
happens), then it can be anywhere from 6 months to a year. Life often gets in
the way of creativity, and that’s all there is to it.
Liberty: Who are some of your favorite authors to read, and why?
JM: Favorite authors?
Let’s see, I enjoy Karen Marie Moning, Karen Frisch, Maeve Christopher, Liberty
Blake (oh, that would be you, huh?), and Janet Evanovich. When I want a belly
laugh, I read Janet E., Karen Marie Moning has a great set of Mackayla Lane
novels that I’ve read about 3 times (and find I’ve missed something each
time);Karen Frisch has the most interesting way of presenting life in early
Boston and historic England, that I find she’s a pleasure to read.
Liberty…well, when I want hot, I go directly there and then to Maeve. Maeve’s
family saga is a tremendous set of stories that are tough, warm, funny, and
dangerous.
Liberty: Wow! I am honored to be included in that list. Thank you.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
JM: When I’m not
writing, I try to get some gardening done. The flower beds are frightful at the
moment. Then there’s my art studio which is in need of a visit, too. Painting
and illustrating are two of my favorites, so it’s safe to say I’m creatively
insane.
Liberty: I've seen some of your art work. You have a wonderful sense of whimsy. You are enormously talented.
JM: Thank you.
Liberty: Who is your favorite athlete, and why?
JM: I don’t have a
favorite athlete in the game sense of
the word, such as football, hockey or such. I do have a favorite race car
driver, though. As an avid Nascar fan, driver Tony Stewart tops my list
followed by Denny Hamlin. Why? You ask? Because I love fast cars and daring
drivers. Nascar has both of those.
Liberty: Tell us a little bit about your main
characters and what makes them so special?
JM: My main character in the newest
novel of the Sarah McDougall series, is Sarah. She’s an illustrator with
unwanted psychic ability and a new found ability that she calls ghost-walking.
She realizes she’s not just visualizing what happens, but is there as a vision.
She has inherited ghost-walking from her Scottish grandmother, which comes as a
total surprise. What makes Sarah so special is her ability to read a situation,
makes sense of it before others do and take from it what she must in order to
solve the mystery.
Raven DeVille, her handsome swashbuckling look-like a pirate
neighbor, is an insurance fraud detective. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy who
is mystified by Sarah and in love with her at the same time. When his aunt goes
missing, he is at his wits end and requests Sarah’s help to find her. They get
up to no good, discover who is a real pirate and who the kidnappers are. The
Cadence Caper is an easy, fun read that takes place in Sarasota, on Florida’s
west coast.
Liberty: If
you could cast the movie of your book, who would you want to play the hero and
heroine?
JM: Casting the book
for a movie is every author’s dream. Raven would be played by Clive Owen or Jon
Hamm (from Mad Men). Sandra Bullock would be my choice for the actress who’d
play Sarah’s character. Sandra can pull off the most hilarious scenes and make
them look easy.
Liberty: I hope you have a blurb for us from your latest release.
JM: Yes, I did. This is for The Cadence Caper.
Blurb:
Life had been quiet for Sarah McDougall. That is, until she
envisions an elderly woman’s abduction. Confused over the unwelcome and
distressing images of a woman she’s never met, Sarah soon gets a plea for help
from her friend and lover, Raven DeVille. His aunt has been kidnapped by
treasure hunters. When there’s no ransom demand for the return of Raven’s aunt,
Sarah experiences more psychic episodes where she sees and is seen while she
ghost-walks into danger. Things take a sudden and unexpected turn for the worse
as Sarah struggles to get the hang of ghost-walking and all it entails. She
could end up trapped by her own abilities if she’s not careful, and Raven can’t
help her should that happen. In her own way and with her strength of character
and will, Sarah takes on the deadliest group she’s yet to meet while trying
desperately to save Raven’s aunt.
Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/bmx3fby
JM's website: www.JMGriffin.co
Liberty: The Cadence Caper sounds wonderful. I can't wait to read it. I adored Sarah McDougall in Murder on Spyglass Lane. Now for the recipe . . .
Empanada Dough Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Total
Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
·
3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
·
1 teaspoon salt
·
1/2 cup cold water
·
1 egg
·
1 egg white
·
1 teaspoon vinegar
·
3 tablespoons shortening
Preparation:
1. In
a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.
2.
In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.
3.
Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter
knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid
ingredients from the first bowl into the center.
4.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.
5.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the
flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.
6.
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to rest.
7.
Roll dough flat and cut pie shaped circles. Fill ½ of circle with cooked meats
or cold cuts, fold empty half over filling, pinch edges together and bake.
Large
Pies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Also spray each pie. Bake for about 25 minutes, until center is hot. Pies will turn a light golden brown.
Mini Pies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare and bake as above, for 20-25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Also spray each pie. Bake for about 25 minutes, until center is hot. Pies will turn a light golden brown.
Mini Pies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare and bake as above, for 20-25 minutes.
Tip: If you want to keep
the dough longer than 24 hours, you can freeze it.
Servings: Makes approximately
10 six-inch empanadas.
MMM, Yummy!
Liberty: Thank you for visiting with us, JM. I hope you will come back again soon.
\
