AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing author Jackie Layton from Pawleys Island, South Carolina.
Hi, Jackie. Nice to have you on Ruff Drafts. Please tell us how long you’ve been published and what titles and/or series you’ve published and with which publisher. Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.
Bite the Dust was published in February 2020. It’s the first book in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series.
Previously published books:
A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery Series:
Bite the Dust- Bell Bridge Books February 2020
Dog-Gone Dead- Bell Bridge Books June 2020
Bag of Bones- Bell Bridge Books October 2020
Caught and Collared- Beyond the Page February 2022
A Killer Unleashed- Beyond the Page February 2023
A Texas Flower Farmer Mystery Series:
Weeding Out Lies- Level Best Books July 11, 2023
Very nice. 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.
Weeding Out Lies was released in July by Level Best Books.
Flower farmer Emma Justice’s life is firmly rooted in Lutz, Texas where she has recently begun her new business. One morning while delivering flowers, she stumbles upon a prominent citizen. Dead. When a friend is accused of murder, Emma launches her own investigation. She’s used to separating weeds from flowers. Emma will dig for clues, weed out red herrings and cultivate a plan to find the killer.
A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series follows the adventures of Andi Grace Scott the local dog walker in Heyward Beach, South Carolina. She finds her first dead body one morning when going to walk a dog. Andi Grace has always lived in Heyward Beach, and it’s easy for her to get information from friends and family. She discovers she has a knack for solving mysteries, and it’s a good thing because more dead bodies appear in this series.
Both those series sound great. I also write two cozy mystery series; The Cobble Cove Mysteries that include six books and are published by Solstice Publishing and my new Buttercup Bend series published by Next Chapter Publishing of which I just released the third book, The Case of the Llama Raising Librarian, and am working on the fourth.
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’m excited to share that I have a contract for two more books in A Texas Flower Farmer Mystery series. I also have a contract with Level Best Books for a cozy mystery series set on the coast of Georgia. Clutter Free is the first book of An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery Series, and it features a professional organizer as the amateur sleuth.
Also, the sixth book of A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series will come out in February, 2024. It’s the last book in the series, and there’s another dead body as well as a wedding and a family secret is revealed.
I love writing cozy mysteries and connecting with readers and other authors. I enjoy events where I can meet readers, and I have already registered for Malice 2024.
My next few years will focus on writing the books for these series. I’m excited about all of them.
Congratulations! Sounds wonderful.
What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?
I hope all cozy mystery readers will enjoy these series. Dog lovers should especially enjoy A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series. New dogs appear in each book, and the regulars reappear. No dog will ever die in my books. It’s too painful.
I’m not crafty. I don’t sew or knit. I’m a fair cook, but now that we’re empty nesters, I focus more on healthy food. I don’t bake many desserts these days.
The amateur sleuths are different ages, and I hope to appeal to all readers.
It seems your audience would be dog lovers, while mine would be cat lovers. However, in my new series, I focus on a new animal each month. The first focused on cats; the second parrots; and the new release focused on llamas. My next book will feature whales, and there will be a dog book at some point, although there are already two dogs in the series (two cats, too).
What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?
Read, read, and read more. Don’t give up and connect with other authors. Sisters in Crime is an amazing group to join if you’re interested in writing mysteries. There are many chapters to choose from, and the authors are encouraging.
I agree about Sisters in Crime. I’m a member, too. I haven’t been to Malice yet, but it’s on my conference bucket list.
What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?
Rejections. They hurt. Becoming published was my dream, so I kept trying. I took online classes and joined groups like Sisters in Crime. Time management was another challenge. Working as a full-time pharmacist and family commitments made it challenging to find time to write. I got up early in the morning and started writing before work. My husband has always been supportive of my desire to write. We used to joke about how happy I was when a friend asked him to golf on the weekends because I had at least four uninterrupted hours of writing.
Interesting. I’m a morning writers, too.
Do you belong to any writing groups? Which ones?
Sisters in Crime, the Grand Canyon Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the Guppy Chapter of SinC.
I belong to all of those except the Grand Canyon Chapter.
What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?
I enjoy walking, especially walking on the beach. I also enjoy gardening and taking golf cart rides around Pawleys Island.
Nice. I also enjoy walking when the weather’s nice or doing walking videos indoors. I’m not much of a gardener, but I do love visiting them.
What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?
I enjoy creating stories and writing. Marketing is my biggest challenge.
Same for me.
What do you like about writing cozy mysteries?
I love the characters and the small towns of each series. It’s also fun to create mysteries that I hope readers will enjoy solving.
I feel the same way about writing cozies.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your books?
I hope readers enjoy my characters. They’re not perfect people, but they have big hearts for their friends and family.
I believe cozy characters (and other book characters) are one of the most important element of stories.
Please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. and include some book cover graphics and author photos if possible.
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
https://www.facebook.com/JackieLaytonAuthor
https://www.facebook.com/Joyfuljel
https://twitter.com/joyfuljel
https://www.pinterest.com/jackielaytonauthor/
https://www.instagram.com/jackielaytonauthor/
AUTHOR WEBSITE:
https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/
BACK COVER COPY:
Flower farmer Emma Justice’s life is firmly rooted in Lutz, Texas where she has recently begun her new business. One morning while delivering flowers, she stumbles upon a prominent citizen. Dead. When a friend is accused of murder, Emma launches her own investigation. She’s used to separating weeds from flowers. Emma will dig for clues, weed out red herrings and cultivate a plan to find the killer.
Thank you so much for the interview, and best wishes on your new release and future books. I’m sharing your blog tour information below.
Weeding Out Lies: A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery
by Jackie Layton
About Weeding Out Lies
Weeding Out Lies: A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Texas
Level Best Books (July 11, 2023)
Print length : 302 pages
ASIN : B0C7JT33B4
Flower farmer Emma Justice’s life is firmly rooted in Lutz, Texas where she has recently begun her new business. One morning while delivering flowers, she stumbles upon a prominent citizen. Dead. When a friend is accused of murder, Emma launches her own investigation. She’s used to separating weeds from flowers. Emma will dig for clues, weed out red herrings and cultivate a plan to find the killer.
About Jackie Layton
Jackie Layton is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. She always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories. Be careful what you say around her, because it might end up in a book.
Author Links
Author Website https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JackieLaytonAuthor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Joyfuljel
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jackielaytonauthor/
Twitter https://twitter.com/joyfuljel
Goodreads https://bit.ly/37slujv
Bookbub https://bit.ly/37RqGQ8
Purchase Link – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
August 9 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 11 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 11 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 12 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
August 12 – Jane Reads -CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
August 13 – ebook addicts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 14 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 14 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
August 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 16 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 17 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
August 18 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
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