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Interview with Maggie Bishop, author of One Shot Too Many

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Tell us about your latest book.
One Shot too Many is the 3rd novel in the Appalachian Adventure Mystery series by Maggie Bishop. Jemma Chase is a trail-ride leader on the family Dude Ranch set in the North Carolina near Boone. She is also a photographer and carpenter. Impulsive acts during emotional upheavals from the past return to haunt, ending in the death of a photo-journalist near the cozy mountain town of Boone, NC. Detective Tucker must deal with his past while investigating the secrets of suspects determined to keep from facing their own histories. Jemma Chase, CSI wannabe, follows clues, even though her interference may cost Tucker his job. Suspects a-plenty for Detective Tucker when someone kills the newspaper photographer who took one too many photos. Everyone has something to hide. The nurse – too many injections: The judge — too many attempts: The retired army man – too many guns: And then there’s the dental hygienist with too many ejac – lovers, the grandmother who loves too much, the sports medicine professor who drinks too much.

When Tucker’s own past comes back to haunt, Jemma Chase, his CSI wannabe girlfriend, has to make a choice.

What genre is it?
Mystery, cozy, whodunit, suspense, women sleuth.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
One Shot too Many is sure to appeal to fans of Linda Howard, Margaret Maron and Iris Johansen. Those readers who like to follow character development over a series of novels and to be steeped in a mountain setting will enjoy this quick read. Some of the minor characters are real people and I have permission to use their real names and photographs.

How long did it take to write?
A year. Then the editor, Judith Geary, did her magic.

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?
Getting started with the actual writing. The main idea of each of my five novels came to me in a different way. Once an idea takes hold, I don’t talk about it, don’t try to think about it and write down only a few notes. I have to wait for the water to build behind the dam, so to speak. Once I let it go, I write and do little else for three or four months. At the moment, Aunt Alma is bugging me. She’s the cook at the ranch and wants a bigger role. Something about a cookoff.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born in the little town of Union City, Pennsylvania (near Erie), but left before the year was out. My father was in the Air Force and moved the family to San Antonio, Texas, where my brother count jumped to four from two.

The family moved every few years throughout my schooling to England, Germany, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and then back to North Carolina. My parents instilled a love or reading, travel and cultural diversity in all their children. I am game to sample foods from all regions of the world.

I was honored in 2007 as one of “100 Incredible ECU Women” for literature. I put myself through East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, sometimes working for the swimming coach. My electives were in dance, not literature. In those days, I focused on getting a business degree.

Years later while working in the corporate world, I asked a secretary if I could borrow a book to read on vacation. That one contemporary romance paperback changed the course of my life. I devoured four hundred in one year. My husband couldn’t understand the addiction. My nose was in a book all the time, even while in the car at stop lights. At home, Bob would have to call me several times to break my concentration and get my attention.

One evening while driving home from work at Danskin in York, PA, I decided that I could write a romance. I’d been absorbing the rhythms of the stories, the variety in plot lines, the depth of characters. The decision to write was easy – the execution was the hard part. I joined the Romance Writers of America and had a crash course in the craft of writing by attending their national conferences. I started with romance then turned to murder in my novels.

Writing is a solitary endeavor so I started High Country Writers in 1995 and now have an extensive group of writer friends throughout the North Carolina-Tennessee section of the Appalachians. I spend my time when not writing or attending book signings and other book related events hiking, swimming and reading.

Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?
Yes! Five of us writers blog at Dames of Dialogue. We interview authors and other celebrities, host guest bloggers, post reviews, and post our first chapters.

What about social media?
Join me on TwitterFacebook and  Goodreads.

Where can we buy One Shot Too Many?
For an author autographed paperback, visit http://www.amazon.com/shops/maggiebishopauthorstore. All editions and formats are listed at Amazon. It’s also available through Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.

What’s next?
After the new year, I’ll be writing the 4th novel in the Appalachian Adventure Mystery series. Meanwhile, my mother, Pearle Louise Munn Bishop, at age 92 has written a novel in long hand and I’m typing it for her. “Cleo’s Oak” should be out early next year. In it, a 16 year old channels the life of a psychic midwife from the 1800s.

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8 Comments

  1. Pingback: Interview with Maggie Bishop, author of One Shot Too Many « Dames of Dialogue

  2. Enjoyed it very much and have read some of your novels.

  3. Nice interview, Maggie. You must have inherited your talent from your mother. Both books sound exciting.

  4. christytilleryfrench

    Enjoyed the interview, Maggie. You know how much I like your books and this series!

  5. Jacqueline Seewald

    A very interesting interview, and your novels are just the kind I like to read! Wishing you much success.

  6. Thanks ya’ll for taking the time to comment. My mom’s been a reader all her life and taught us kids to love it. I’m more excited about her book coming out that she is. Maybe she’s a little afraid that no one will like it.

  7. We’d love to interview your mom too when her book comes out.

    • Hooray! She’ll love it. Of course, I’ll have to type it. She tried the voice software Dragon but got so tickled that it couldn’t interpret her southern speaking pattern.

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