Meet the Authors of the 2014 Agatha Best First Novel Nominees!

Each year at Malice Domestic, writing excellence is recognized by the Agatha awards. This year’s nominees for Best First Novel are:

Circle of Influence by Annette Dashofy (Henery Press)
Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris (Kensington Publishing)
Finding Sky by Susan O'Brien (Henery Press)
Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran (Berkley Prime Crime)
Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber (Midnight Ink)

Today, the Stiletto Gang welcomes Annette Dashofy, Sherry Harris, Susan O’Brien, Terrie Farley Moran, and Tracy Weber. All are not only skilled and talented writers, but also charming and caring people. Thanks, Annette, Sherry, Susan, Terrie, and Tracy, for stopping by to share your work and thoughts with us!

What was the idea or inspiration that led you to write your nominated novel?

ANNETTE:

Years ago I happened to overhear a snippet of conversation regarding a local political brouhaha. The person said, “Someone should just kill him and put him out of my misery.” No one actually did, but you can’t say something like that around a crime fiction writer and not have it end up in a story! In my case, it spun out a bunch of “what if” questions that ultimately became Circle of Influence.

SHERRY:

My story is a little different. An editor in New York was looking for someone to write a garage sale series. Through a series of fortunate events the chance to write a proposal for him landed in my lap. I’ve always loved garage sales and the proposal—synopsis of the first three books, first three chapters, cast of characters, and marketing plan—poured out of me in four days.

SUSAN:

I’ve wanted to be an author since childhood, and I’m not sure why. I don’t remember ever not wanting to be an author! My love of mysteries grew over the years, and by the time I was ready to write one, I was a parent. My protagonist Nicki is a mom, and I wanted her to be honest about the funny, overwhelming nature of parenting—while solving mysteries that I hope parents and non-parents will enjoy. Also, I planned to donate part of my royalties to organizations that serve missing kids and their families. It’s almost surreal to have these dreams come true!

TERRIE:

I wrote the book I wanted to read. If I could create my own world, (Oh, wait—I can) I would have my home away from home be a book store/restaurant just like the Read ’Em and Eat—all books all the time, with book-themed food served on author-themed tables. Book clubs meet there regularly, and I wondered what would happen if a beloved book club member was tragically murdered. In Well Read, Then Dead that is exactly what happens.

TRACY:

A homeless lady—I’ll call her Susan—used to hang out near the entrance to my neighborhood grocery store, and she always had a large Rottweiler mix in a crate next to her. Over time, I got to know them both, and I asked her about the crate. She told me that the Rottweiler would sometimes lunge at other dogs that walked by on the sidewalk. The crate—which she stored behind the building at night—allowed her to keep the dog with her, in spite of its reactivity.

Susan adored that dog and went to great lengths to take care of it, in spite of her own financial issues and living conditions. She was as dedicated to her pet as most people are to their children.

I started to wonder: What if her dog had an expensive health condition as well as its behavior issues? What would she do? What could she do? That’s when Bella and George formed in my head. Unfortunately, Susan disappeared from the neighborhood long before I wrote the first draft of Murder Strikes a Pose. I haven’t seen her almost two years, so I’ll probably never know what she would have thought about being my muse. I hope she would have felt complimented.

What advice would you give to writers?

ANNETTE:

Don’t ever give up. Keep studying the craft of writing. And finish the book.

SHERRY:

Don’t give up and study the craft. I have stacks of rejection letters—from back in the day when everything was still done by snail mail. I have two and a half books written that never sold. I kept writing, went to lots of conferences, met people, and learned. When the opportunity finally came, I was ready. Also, I wish someone would have told me that maybe it was time to move on from the series that didn’t sell and to try something new.

SUSAN:

If you believe your work is meant to be published, stay positive and don’t give up! The journey to publication can be long and difficult—yet incredibly rewarding. Keep your options open, too. I ended up working with a small publisher and an attorney (not an agent).

TERRIE:

My best advice for every writer is: Trust your own judgment. Keep on writing. Submit. Don’t wait to hear back. Write something else. Submit that. The more you write, the more comfortable writing becomes until you can’t imagine your life without pounding the keyboard or picking up the pen.

TRACY:

Don’t give up, and don’t procrastinate. Write every day. Write what you love. If you spend every day working on what you love most, even if you never get published, you’ll have had a good time. That’s what matters most.

For the Agatha banquet, what kind of shoes would you (or if you prefer, your protagonist or a character from your story) wear? [This is, after all, The Stiletto Gang!]

ANNETTE:

This is such an appropriate question since it’s one I’m currently pondering. I bought a great dress, but it’s white and all my dressy shoes are black or dark brown. I was thinking of getting taupe pumps, but lately I’m considering getting crazy and going with ruby red or animal print pumps!

SHERRY:

Ah, lovely stiletto wearing folks of the world, I envy you but I gave up heels a long time ago. I will look for a pair of snazzy flats! However my protagonist Sarah would wear something with a peep toe and a three inch heel.

SUSAN:

My protagonist Nicki and I are both uncomfortable walking in high heels. (Her next adventure actually relates to this topic!) Honestly, I wear orthotics, so I’ll probably wear my only pair of dress shoes—with a moderate heel—that accommodates them. If you see me, please understand! Thanks!

TERRIE:

Shoes!! Having grown up in the era where a lady’s shoes and purse must match, and heels were worn every day, I once owned stilettos in half a dozen colors. (We also wore white gloves on the subway, but that’s a story for another time.) Due to an ancient softball injury, compounded decades later by a broken ankle, I will be wearing a pair of very low-heeled pumps to the Agatha Banquet. But, never fear Stiletto Gang, I still have a pair of gray suede three-inch heels in my closet that I cannot bear to give away. Sometimes I put them on and hobble around the house, with my cane in hand for safety. They still look fabulous and I feel fabulous when I have them on my feet. Alas, my left ankle wobbles if I try to walk in them.

TRACY:

Given that Kate and I are both yoga teachers, we would really prefer to go barefoot. But if that won’t work, a pair of comfy Birkenstocks will work quite nicely!