What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? I began writing this series in 2016.
It’s been a busy few years as you can see since it generally takes me about three to four months to write a book then of course there is the editing process, which includes my chief editor at Kensington, and then their copy-editor and then two passes by their proof-editor. It truly is amazing at how many sets of eyes are on a book before it actually reaches final publication. Currently I have a ten-book contract for this series, which will complete in 2024, plus I will be starting a brand-new series in the fall of 2022.
Can you describe the publishing process of this series? My hope of course was that I would first find an agent and then a publisher, which all happened rather quickly. Eight days after my agent (Sandy Harding) began shopping book one, Murder by the Book around, we were embroiled in some very (for me) nerve wracking back and forth contract negations with three interested publishing houses.
When the dust settled I had decided and signed a three-book contract with Kensington Publishing. Book two—Prologue to Murder was released April 2019, book three, Murder in the First Edition November 2019, book four Proof of Murder was released in April 2020, and in October 2021 book seven, To the Tome of Murder will be released.
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? I am lucky enough to have a home office with a door I can close, which is where all my writing is done. The shelves are not only filled with my best-loved books but also with small mementoes that I have collected in my travels that help keep me inspired and bring me great comfort.
What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I have stacks of penned notebooks, whiteboards and sticky notes to help keep track of character and other information from book to book, but all my actual writing is done on my PC. As for my drink of choice while writing, it’s coffee, lots and lots of coffee. I find my writing times tend to vary though. Lately I have been the most productive in the mornings and early afternoons. Other times I can be found pounding away on my keyboard at three or four a.m. It’s whenever my writing muse strikes and the words begin to flow, but I do make sure I write every day. Even when not feeling particularly inspired I will force at least 500 words, the next day I might delete all of them, but it does help in keeping the creative energy flowing on a regular basis.
Proof of Murder – Book Four
Excerpt page 47-48
Brian shoved the flat end of the crowbar into the crevice flanked by the door and frame and pried at it to the tune of cracking wood. “Got it!” He handed the bar back to Addie, who dropped it back in his tool bag as he swung the door open.
The crowd of staff that had gathered in the hallway breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“Back to work everyone.” Blake clapped his hands together. “We’re live in less than an hour.” The group scurried off, leaving the three of them alone. “Thank you, Brian. You can add this little mishap to my bill.”
Addie stepped past him, stuck her head inside and took a hasty glance around. “There’s no one in here.”
“There has to be.” Blake came to her side. “The door was bolted from the inside.”
“Take a look.” She waved her hand. “Do you see anyone? Oh, wait. What’s that?” She pointed to the desk chair turned away from them. “Is that Charlotte’s hand on the arm?”
“See? I told you she was probably in here sleeping.”
“Charlotte?” Addie called hesitantly as she moved toward the desk. With no reaction from the woman, Addie’s gut tightened. She reached for the chair and swiveled it toward her. The ghastly look on Charlotte’s face shook her to the core, and she clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream . . .
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a writer to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? I worked in healthcare a number of years ago and discovering a dead body, whether you’re a layman or a professional, is always an emotionally charged experience. My MC, Addie Greyborne is no different and struggles to keep her emotions in check at what she discovers behind the doors of a locked room.
Anything you would like to add? Each book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series centers on a classic work of fiction and of course a cozy type murder, meaning the crime happens off the page with no graphic description or gore. To date, there will be ten books in the series with the seventh, To the Tome of Murder due for release in October 2021.
Lauren Elliott grew up devouring the entire Nancy Drew series and then graduated to Victoria Holt, Agatha Christie, Barbara Erskine, Lynn Kurland, and Michael Crichton to name a few of her favorite authors. When it came time for post-secondary education, journalism seemed like the logical choice as she had written for as long as she could remember. Soon after graduation, while working for a small publication, she discovered that reporting wasn’t what fueled her writing passions. As someone with an additionally strong background in professional theater who had the love of storytelling and captivating and holding an audience, her fiction-writing career began to take center stage.
https://www.facebook.com/laurenelliottauthor/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7783109.Lauren_Elliott
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