It’s my pleasure to speak with Marilyn Levinson from Holbrook, New York, who writes the Haunted Library series as Allison Brook.
Hi, Marilyn. How long have you been published? What titles and/or series have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.
I have been published since 1985 when And Don’t Bring Jeremy, my first children’s book, came out with Holt.
My Haunted Library series (8 books) is published by Crooked Lane Books
Murder a la Christie and Murder the Tey Way, the two books in the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series– were both republished by Rowan Prose Publishing in 2024.
A Murderer Among Us and Murder In the Air in my Twin Lakes series and Giving Up the Ghost, and Dangerous Relations –will be republished by Rowan Prose Publishing in 2025
Sounds like you’ve had a wonderful career.
Tell us a little bit about your books — if you write a series, any upcoming releases or your current work-in-progress. If you have an upcoming release, please specify the release date.
Come Home to Death, a novel of suspense, came out with Rowan Prose Publishing this year. When Erica Parker returns home to Long Island to raise money for her gambling husband, she discovers she’s about to become very wealthy if she manages to live till her twenty-fifth birthday.
Booked on Murder, the eighth and final book in my Haunted Library series, came out August 6, 2024. My sleuth Carrie Singleton is about to marry her fiancé, when she and Dylan discover a body on the lawn of their wedding venue. Two more murders follow, all of which are connected to a bank robbery that took place seven years earlier. Carrie and Dylan dodge crooks and capture killers hours before their nuptials are to take place.
This year, 2024, eight books, five of which are being republished, and a short story are being released.
I am currently writing the first of a new series–Death on Dickens Island and the third in my middle grade Rufus and Magic Run Amok series–Rufus and the Dark Side of Magic.
Wonderful! Congratulations!
Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?
I plan to write more books in the Dickens Island series, the new mystery series I’ve started, and to write the fourth and final book in my middle grade Rufus and Magic Run Amok series.
Great goals.
What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?
For my mysteries: readers who are interested in stories with depth and character development.
Nice.
What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?
My advice is: continue writing as you search for an agent or a publisher; join writing organizations and become active in one or two of them; join a helpful, caring critique group.
Excellent advice.
What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?
Getting published and then continue to be published.
Those are most writers’ challenges.
Do you belong to any writing groups? Which ones?
I belong to Sisters in Crime and the subgroup the Guppies as well as Mystery Writers of America. I also am part of a small group of seven cozy mystery authors.
I’m also a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppies. They’re great groups.
What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?
reading, yoga, traveling, crossword and Sudoku puzzles, knitting.
Interesting pasttimes.
What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?
I like the actual writing process, though my toughest challenge is sitting down to it every day. What I like least are all the guest blogs and essays I need to write to promote my books.
I feel the same.
What do you like about writing cozy mysteries?
I love writing cozy mysteries because my characters live on in several books, giving me the opportunity to show their growth and maturity over time. Writing cozies gives me the freedom to include side issues I consider important. And I love writing about my characters’ relationships with one another. I enjoy delving into their old secrets and how they impact current situations.
That’s the fun part of cozy mystery writing.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your books?
I love to be in touch with readers on Facebook and my newsletter. (links below)
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3uuPRDZ
PRH: https://bit.ly/PRHBookedonMurder
website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com where you can sign up for my newsletter
social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson
X: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilynlevinsonauthor/
I blog with Writers Who Kill the third Thursday of every month: https://writerswhokill.blogspot.com
Thanks for the interview, and best wishes on your blog tour. I’m sharing it below.
Booked on Murder (A Haunted Library Mystery)
by Allison Brook
About Booked on Murder
Booked on Murder (A Haunted Library Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books (August 6, 2024)
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1639108459
ISBN-13 : 978-1639108459
Digital ASIN : B0CLKZ83SX
Librarian Carrie Singleton must catch a killer before she can say “I do” in the 8th delightful installment in Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook’s Haunted Library mystery series.
Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.
The victim turns out to be Billy Carpenter, a young man recently released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The stolen money he’d buried is gone and Carrie and the police suspect Billy’s two alleged co-conspirators, his friends Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez. But then Luke is murdered and Tino is nowhere to be found.
With no leads and only a week to go before her big day, Carrie is on the hunt for clues. She hopes to wrap up this investigation with a neat bow before she and Dylan tie the knot. Carrie has something old, something new, and something borrowed ready for her walk down the aisle. Now she needs to find the killer without becoming the ‘something blue.’
About Allison Brook
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook, she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her romantic suspense, Come Home to Death, was released on April 30, 2024, and her romantic suspense, Dangerous Relations, will be republished in 2025.
Marilyn’s juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice and recently appeared in a new edition. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil’s Pawn, came out in a new edition in January 2024.
Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.
Author Links
Website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson ; https://twitter.com/AllisonBrookML
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson; https://www.bookbub.com/authors/allison-brook
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marilev/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilynlevinsonauthor/
Buy links:
Amazon Penguin Random House B&N BAM Bookshop.org Hudson Booksellers Powell’s Target Walmart
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
August 6 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
August 6 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
August 6 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 7 – Angel’s Book Nook – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 7 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
August 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 8 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 8 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 9 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
August 9 – ebook Addicts – REVIEW
August 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
August 10 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
August 11 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 12 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 12 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
August 12 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 13 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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I write a variety of books. Most of them are mysteries, some are part of a series, and others are mixed genres. Recently, I posted readalike themes on my social media. I’m sharing them here for those who may have missed them. I hope you find a few books to add to your virtual or real bookshelves.
, 
, and 
. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
– set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
– a slightly edgier series that takes place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
– set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
Cooking to Death: Stirring the Pot
Murder at Mistlethwaite Manor
Ruff Drafts 