An Interview with Author Teresa Michael by Martha Reed

Q: Tell us about yourself. When did you know you wanted to write mysteries?

A: I’ve always loved a good story and especially a good mystery. I started reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mysteries when I was a kid. When I had a traveling job, I read a lot of Sue Grafton, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Connelly, Sarah Paretsky, John Sandford, and more. I started writing in college, then went into healthcare and did a lot of technical writing. After I moved to Florida, I returned to writing fiction, mostly mysteries with a touch of romance.

Q: Libby Marshall, your protagonist in the Mariposa Café Mysteries, is in a self-imposed witness protection program. Libby has started her new life and career as a café owner. What inspired you to give her this backstory and to develop Libby as a character?

A: The five main characters in the Mariposa Café Mysteries were created around 2008 when I was finishing up my Creative Writing degree. My thesis assignment was to create three interconnected short stories. I love mysteries, coffee shops, musical theater, and a juicy backstory.  The stories and characters melded together around those themes.  After I graduated, those characters stayed with me, and I wondered what would happen if Libby found a body—sort of a locked room mystery.  Nine years later, Murder in Mariposa Beach was the result.  During the pandemic, my editor at the time recommended that I update the thesis stories and publish them, which I did as the Mariposa Café Mystery Origin Stories. I use it as a giveaway at appearances, and the first story acts as a reader/lead magnet to sign up for my newsletter.

Q: The Mariposa Café Mysteries features four fearless, female sleuths. What inspired this idea?

A:  I enjoy stories of female sleuths and the strength and empowerment of female friendships. Sometimes you just need your girlfriends—especially when there’s a party to crash or a murder to solve.

Q: Why did you set the series in Southwest Florida?

A: Going back to the thesis, I believe one of the criteria was that it had to be set in Florida. I moved to Florida from Ohio, and it was easy to give my main character the same location trajectory.  Plus, I wanted to write a mystery set in a little Florida beach town, and my main character needed a reason to be there.

Q: Your new Harrington House Mysteries offers a charming small-town Ohio setting. Why did you decide to change settings and write a new and different series?

A: I’d finished the 4^th book in the series, Redemption in Mariposa Beach, and Libby’s story arc that began in book 1 concluded in book 4. I needed to decide whether to create a new storyline for Libby and friends or start a new series.  Then, I got an idea for a series set in a bed-and-breakfast and thought the rolling hills of Southern Ohio, where I grew up, would be a beautiful location.

Q: What was it like creating an entirely new and fresh set of characters?

A: That was a challenge for me because I didn’t want this series to be Libby Marshall in Ohio. So, I gave Molly Harrington a different tragic backstory. Molly’s backstory died; Libby’s backstory keeps showing up and giving her a hard time. Plus, the characters are physically different, have different occupations, but share some of the basic values of truth and justice.

Q: The Harrington House Mysteries include a ‘spirited’ character. Tell us a little about her (no spoilers!)

A:  Elnora Harrington is Molly’s great aunt, who, although she ceased living in the 1920s, never moved out of the ancestral home. She enjoys electricity, watching television, reading over one’s shoulder, listening in on conversations, and she comes in handy in a pinch. I got the idea for a new mystery series while visiting my daughter and granddaughter in Cincinnati. I stayed at a local B&B in their historic neighborhood and had a late-night experience that made me think a haunted bed-and-breakfast could be really cool and fun to write.

Q: What’s next on the horizon? Do you have a new book coming out, and when?

A: The Wedding Planner’s Secret, book 2 in the Harrington House Mysteries, is due to come out in the Fall. I don’t have the exact publication date yet.  I’m almost 10,000 words into book 3 of the Harrington House series and about 5,000 words into book 5 of the Mariposa series. It’s going to be a challenge working on both at the same time and figuring out how these two worlds intersect.

Q: Both of your series include yummy recipes. Do you have a personal favorite?

A: That’s a hard choice. The recipes don’t make it into the book unless I’ve tried them and liked them. For breakfast foods, I like the Cranberry orange scones, the French toast (the amaretto makes it special), and the Clifton House breakfast bowl. For lunch/dinner, the meatloaf is good, as is the gumbo. Check out the recipes on my website: https://teresamichaelwrites.pubsitepro.com.

Q: Tell us something surprising about yourself. Is it true you participated in the Olympic Games?

A: I was the Team Manager for US Archery for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. I also traveled with the team to several Senior and Junior World Championship tournaments all over the world. I had boundless adventures and challenges traveling with an elite sports team including being stranded in Cuba for three days and wrangling fourteen teenagers through Italy. The most amazing and yet surreal experience was the honor of marching in the Opening Ceremonies.

Q: I see from your website you’ve attended many crime fiction and mystery conferences like Sleuthfest and Bouchercon. What value do you find in attending conferences?

A: Attending in-person conferences is an invaluable experience for learning, for networking, meeting new authors, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and becoming a part of the writing community. There’s that in-person interaction that you can’t obtain virtually.

Q: In addition to writing award-winning mysteries, you offer a presentation highlighting your expertise on the use of Bookbrush, Canva, and Pubsite – three essential tools and platforms writers need. Please tell us a little about each one and why a writer should know about them.

A: Bookbrush is a graphics design application created specifically for authors. There are lots of genre-based templates that can be modified to fit your needs, or you can create a graphic from scratch. The templates meet the size requirements for all the social media platforms, and you can also create bookmarks, postcards, business cards, book trailers, and the like.

Canva is a general-use graphics design application that, in addition to flyers, promotional graphics, bookmarks, postcards, and business cards, you can also create and run presentations, create whiteboards, storyboards, collages, mind maps, print products, and lots more. It also supports all social platforms and has templates you can modify or create your own. Both Bookbrush and Canva have various levels of subscriptions, from free to premium.

Pubsite is a website builder created especially for authors. Their tutorials walk the user through the steps and there is a consulting service if you need help or want them to build the site for you. The templates are easy to modify, and I can do the updates myself.

Q: Murder with a Terrace View received an Author’s Guild Mark of Literary Authenticity, the “Human Authored” certification for human creativity in our new AI world. What are your thoughts on our brave new AI world?

A: It’s important to me for my readers to know that I wrote my book, and it is not an AI-generated book. I use editing software like Grammarly and ProWriting Aid, and I use Google search for research and reference purposes. When researching, I also read related books, which I reference in the Acknowledgements section of each book. But the characters, plots, and the prose are all created by me. The Author’s Guild Human Authored Certification is a way to differentiate human-generated works from AI-generated works.

Q: You use social media like #patioreading on Instagram and Facebook and send out a newsletter. How important is keeping in touch with your reading fans?

A: I started the #patioreading because people are always asking me what I’m reading. I also hashtag the authors, the book title, and any other pertinent information in the post. This is a good way to keep in touch with readers, give a shout-out to the authors, and receive recommendations.  Newsletters are a great way to communicate with readers about upcoming events, my current works in progress, and any newsworthy items. I include a section called “What I’m Reading And Watching” where I mention books, movies, and television shows/series I like.  I also include photos from events and travel and occasionally photos of a child, grandchild, dog, cat, or flower.

Thanks, Teresa, for sharing your books and your world with us!