CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Skye Southerland from Buckhead Dead

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

Hmmm, where to start? My name is Skye Southerland and I’m an interior decorator. I’m in my 50’s, about 5’5” and weigh around… well you know I can’t tell you that. My hair is super short and spiked (you’ll need to read about what happened to my shoulder length hair in my book Buckhead Dead) and I’m married to Mitch Southerland who is a high end antique dealer. We live in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA. I drive a Highlander, Toyota that I use to carry all of my equipment for my decorating business. I tend to be judgmental, but I’ve learned with the help of my friend, Honey Truelove and her cousin who is an exotic dancer (turning her life around) teaches me that you cannot always judge someone from appearances or even their uniqueness. 

2.      

      What do you like to do in your spare time?

I used to like to read, go for long walks with Mitch and just chill. But lately there has been no time for resting. My friend Honey and I were suspects in a murder case and since it looked like the law enforcement wasn’t in a hurry to find anyone else we began detecting ourselves. Now, it seems that, Ginger has gone and got herself mixed up in a nasty murder in Decatur, Georgia.

Get the Book at Amazon

3.   What is your favorite color and why?

I love green. If you will notice in spring time there are many, many shades of green. I love working with the different shades.

4.       

      What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

Oh, my! That’s a hard one since I love food. I guess I’d have to say fried chicken. What true Southerner doesn’t like chicken?

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

Well, let me tell you about one of Honey’s instead. LOL Honey has to have her Merle Norman Romance Red lipstick with her at all times. This is her signature lipstick and she wouldn’t be caught dead without it. Uh oh, that probably isn’t a good thing to say if you are a character in a murder mystery.

5.  What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? Share a line in the book where this irk is manifested. 

      Well, I have just got to get this off my chest. My mother-in-law, Charlotte Southerland (Miss Charlotte she insists I call her) has come to stay with us for a couple of weeks while her home is being rewired. She just flat out doesn’t like me. No one is ever going to be good enough for her Mitch. She likes living in the past wearing dresses, hose, high heels daily and if going out she wears gloves and a hat. She is so stiff I’m afraid a good wind would blow her over. Anyway, I’m determined one way or the other to form a good relationship with her. I’ve been praying about it. So far she hasn’t gotten the message, but I’m not giving up!

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life? 

This is a no brainer. My husband, Mitch, is the most important person in my life. He loves me just like I am. He forgives me constantly and builds me up when I am down. He is my staunch supporter and I hope I am the same for him. I would hope that I treat him in such a manner that he knows he is loved!

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit? 

I’m not the hard-hearted person that I might appear to be. Or at least I’m working on it. I don’t like snooty and I don’t want to come across as snooty so I’m working on that. Also, the fact that I was unable to have children has caused me more sadness than anyone will ever know. 

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be? 

Please Deborah, don’t make me go through any more learning experiences. However, you could send me and Honey back to the CaribbeanJ

***

A Question for Me:

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Okay, just for fun. My creator sits around and writes in her pajama’s drinking coffee. This doesn’t seem like a very hard job to me. Anyway, do you ever sit around in your pajama’s writing? Just wondered if Deborah was the only one.

Actually I don't write in my pajamas. I have found that I work harder and better if I get dressed for the day (like a regular job). But all writers are different, so if your creator does well in her pajamas, then perhaps she needs to continue to write in them. Being a writer is a tough job, even though it may seem cushy. Trust me.

***

Thank you so much!  Kathryn, thank you for having me. It’s not very often that we are considered for interviews even though without us there would be no book. And thank you, Deborah, without your creative mind and hard work Honey, Ginger and I would have to be stuck in the same place all the time. We love the adventures you send us on!

Learn more about Skye and her author at: 

www.deborah-malone.com

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Deborah Malone

Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I love in North Georgia (this my Georgia titles). I have two grown girls Leah and Niki. I live with my husband, Travis, and our dachshund mix, Pepe. 

Now, what got me started writing? This is a good question. I always say I came out of the womb reading! I’ve loved to read since I can remember. I also remember being so happy when it was time to go to our elementary school library. I can still smell the library and associate that smell with books. (It could have been mold or dust, but I loved it!). When I was 45 I went back to college to get my degree (in Human Services) and took a class in creative writing. This class sparked a fire in me for the love of writing. I began to write short stories and poems. I didn’t do anything serious, but in 2001 my boyfriend (now husband) and I went to a historic restaurant. The building was beautiful. I suggested someone should write this for “Georgia Backroads,” magazine. He said “Why don’t you?” So I did. And to my pleasant surprise it was accepted. I’ve been writing for them since then. I started on my first novel in 2002, but life got in the way and it wasn’t published until 2011. Since then I’ve had four more books published with a goal to write one a year. 

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I think/write best in the afternoon. I don’t write every day, but the more often you write the easier it is. You are in the flow and know what your characters are doing. If you wait too long between writing times, then you have to refresh your memory by reading over what you’ve written. You really have to make yourself sit down in that chair and write. It takes a lot of discipline.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I used to write on the couch with my laptop. Lately I’ve been going into the study so it will be a quiet atmosphere with nothing to distract me. I’ve found this works better for me. I love my laptop!

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Oh my – I guess my favorite thing about writing is “the end.” Just kidding! The best part for me is to see it coming together. Usually about halfway through everything seems to fall into place and I see where I want the plot to go.  The least favorite part by far is making myself sit down to write. It is so hard to get started on that new book (when you are staring at a blank page and know you have to fill up a book with 50,000 or more words) or begin a new chapter.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

I’ve always loved mysteries and especially cozy mysteries. So I think I just naturally began writing cozies. My main character in the Trixie Montgomery series is a magazine journalist for a Georgia magazine like me. That’s kind of how I got started. It took several years for my first book because many things were happening in my life and I was still learning. Now I can write on in about six months.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

Wow, *I could write a book on this. LOL I love marketing and teach marketing classes at writer conferences. I will sell books where I can. I speak at libraries, conferences, book clubs, women’s conferences and sell my books at art festivals, literary festivals, in gift/book shops, independent books stores, any store that is interested in carrying them. These are just a few marketing areas.

(From Kathryn: I actually wrote a book on marketing! Every year I update it to include the best links and information on marketing for that year)

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

Get the Book at Amazon

My latest book came out in November 2015, “Buckhead Dead.” This is my second cozy mystery series. It is the Skye Southerland Cozy Mystery series. All my books have real settings so if you know the area you’d recognize the roads, buildings, restaurants, etc. I’m working on the second book of the series, “Decatur Dead.”

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I have all kinds of ideas running through my head. I’ve started on a few that I’ve had to put by the wayside for one reason or another. I’d love to write a book on marketing, but there are already a lot of those out there. I’d also like to write a romantic suspense. But, so far they are just ideas.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I think all writer’s go through this some time or another. Especially before we become published/established. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve become discouraged and said I wasn’t going to ever write again. My husband just laughs when he hears that now. LOL Don’t give up!!! The writer that perseveres is the writer that gets published.

Thank you for having me!

***

Thank you, Deborah!

Learn more about Deborah:

www.deborah-malone.com

deborahsbutterflyjourney.blogspot.com

cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com