Author’s Choice with Marilyn Levinson (writing as Allison Brook)

Please welcome Marilyn to Author’s Choice.

Dear readers, here’s where you get to play along. The author will tell us two truths and one lie (ed comment –I randomized the order). At the end of the questions, we’ll reveal what really happened. Remember, we write crime fiction, so lying is in our nature . . .

Two Truths, One Lie

Truth or Lie?: My publisher sent me to the ALA conference one year and put me up in a 5-star hotel.

Truth or Lie?: I sold 36 copies of a book at a Barnes & Noble event

Truth or Lie?: One of my mysteries was a nominee for Malice Domestic's Best Contemporary Novel.

Eight Quick Questions

1.         Plotter, pantser, or plantser (that chaotic middle ground)? plantser leaning toward pantser

2.         Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? editing the last two pages I've written then moving on.

3.         Writing snack: sweet, salty, or "I forget to eat"? never eat while writing

4.         Character names: meticulously researched, stolen from real life, or whatever sounds right? What sounds right

5.         Writing space: coffee shop chaos, library quiet, or home sweet home? my office at home

6.         Social media for authors: necessary evil, genuine fun, or absolutely not? occasionally fun

7.         Reading your own work aloud: love it, tolerate it, or would rather eat glass? never do it.

8.         Happy ending, bittersweet, or gut-punch finale? happy ending

About the Book

Enough about you, let’s turn to three questions about your book.

Q: If your main character in this novel showed up at your door right now, what would be the first thing they'd say to you (and would it be a complaint)?

A. Delia Dickens, how nice to see you! I see you've brought Riley, your Bearded Collie with you. I wish you would has asked me if that was okay because I would have told you that my two cats will be frightened by his visit.

Q: What's one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

A. I hope readers will grow to love my new series set on Dickens Island as much as they love my Haunted Library series.

Q: What question did you want me to ask, and what is your answer? 

A. What made you write this book? I wanted to write a first book in a cozy series that takes place on an island close to Long Island. I wanted to create an entirely new cast of characters and introduce my sleuth, Delia Dickens, who lives in a Victorian house her grandmother left her with her teenaged son and a Bearded Collie that adopts them and has occasional visits from her grandmother's ghost.

The Big Reveal

Now let’s see how good a sleuth (or guesser) our readers are. Please reveal all.

The lie is something I'd love to really happen. I've never had much success with bookstore appearances. But some years ago, my publisher did send me to an ALA conference to be on a panel, and arranged for my stay at a 5-star hotel.

Here’s a blurb for and some links where you can find Marilyn's latest:

Book Blurb

Delia Dickens has come home to Dickens Island, a small island in the Long Island Sound, after a twelve-year stint in Manhattan. She’s looking forward to helping her father revitalize the general store that the family owns as well as curating a small book nook. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her fifteen-year-old son. But Dickens Island isn’t the peaceful town Delia remembers–and she might be in more danger here than she ever was in the big city.

Delia’s Aunt Reenie and Uncle Brad, both prominent community leaders, are at odds over the sale of a farm and its future use. This has created friction, not only in their marriage, but amongst the citizens of the town. When a young woman, new to the town council and friendly with Brad, is found murdered, everything escalates and reaches a new boiling point.

With Reenie and Brad both suspects in the case and at each other’s throats, the townspeople start to take sides. When the ghost of her grandmother visits her, Delia learns how past events have impacted the present, and it is up to her to expose the farm’s sordid secrets in order to catch a murderer and restore peace to her beloved island.

[Random House Universal Link]       [Amazon]       [Barnes & Noble]

Want to know more?

For more information about Marilyn https://www.marilynlevinson.com