The
first book I read by Marja McGraw was Old
Murders Never Die. I enjoyed it so much that I went on to read the rest of
the books in her Sandi Webster Mystery series. Then, I proceeded to read her
Bogey Man mysteries. I often refer to those as “feel good mysteries” because, if
you’re having a bad day and you read one of them, you’re sure to feel better. If
you don’t believe me, give it a try. Now, on to the questions I asked Marja.
Patricia:
When
did you know that you wanted to be a
writer?
Marja:
Oddly
enough, when a friend talked me into trying it. My friend had moved out of
state and (this is in the old days, before emails), I wrote letters to her. I
told her stories about what was going on in my life and around me. She said she
used to wait for my letters because they brought out all of her emotions;
laughter, tears, joy and what have you. Eventually I moved to her area and she
nagged me to try to write a book. It didn’t take much nagging, and since I love
mysteries, that’s the direction I took. She receives a complimentary copy of
every book thanks to her powers of persuasion. I’ve always loved writing
stories, but this friend was my catalyst to actually trying a book-length story.
What would we do without good friends?
Interesting story: My friend’s husband never read
anything except the newspaper and hunting magazines. He saw “Old Murders Never
Die” sitting on the coffee table and picked it up. He read it from cover to
cover, and it was the first book he’d
ever read. I’ll take that as a huge compliment.
Patricia:
If,
for some reason, you couldn’t be a
writer, what profession would you choose?
Marja:
Without
a doubt, archaeology. If I’d had the opportunity, I would have attended college
and that’s what I would have studied. In a way, it represents mystery to me;
mysteries that are just waiting to be solved. I love history, too, so this would
have been a “two birds with one stone” career.
I worked in civil and criminal law enforcement for
several years and loved every moment of it, but I’m not sure I’d want to go
back to that any time soon. The world has changed a lot since then, and even
back in the day things could be dicey sometimes, and I was at the clerical end
of things. Okay, sometimes I was called on for non-clerical duties, and
honestly, that’s what made it fun.
Patricia:
Do
you have a bucket list, things you still want to do and/or places you want to
visit?
Marja:
Things
I want to do would certainly include more writing. I’d love to meet some of the
people I’ve met through the Internet in person. I’d really like to take a long
train ride, to almost anywhere. Honestly? I think I’ve done most of the things
that would be on my bucket list. It’s been an interesting life, even without
doing a lot of long-distance traveling, and an interesting life can sometimes
give a writer a different perspective on mysteries and storylines.
As far as places I’d like to visit, I’d like to
return to Australia. The last time I was there I stayed with the relatives of a
friend and, thanks to them, I got to see and do a lot of things tourists
wouldn’t normally do, including when we visited Tasmania. Scotland would
another place on my list.
There are more places I’d like to visit,
particularly here in America, but Australia and Scotland hold the top two
places on my list.
Thank you for letting me visit today, Pat, and I
appreciate the interesting questions you handed me.
About Marja:
Marja McGraw was born and raised in Southern
California. She worked in both civil and criminal law, state transportation,
and most recently for a city building department. She has lived and worked in California,
Nevada, Oregon, Alaska and Arizona.
McGraw wrote a weekly column for a small town
newspaper in Northern Nevada, and conducted a Writers’ Support Group in Northern
Arizona. A past member of Sisters in Crime (SinC), she was also the Editor for
the SinC-Internet Newsletter for a year and a half.
She
has appeared on KOLO-TV in Reno, Nevada, and KLBC in Laughlin, Nevada, and
various radio talk shows.
Marja
says that each of her mysteries contains a
little humor, a little romance and A Little Murder!
She
now lives in Arizona, where life is good.
The Sandi Webster
Series involves a female private investigator who becomes involved in both
client situations and personal mysteries. From solving old crimes, as well as
current cases, Sandi finds herself in some unusual situations, such as discovering
a ghost town with a mysterious past that no one has stepped foot in for over a
hundred years.
Sandi’s partner, Pete, adds a little more mystery and a
touch of romance to the series. Her mother manages to create humor. Her friends
are always on hand to help or hinder resolutions to her cases. This private eye
never knows where life is going to take her next.
Sandi
Webster Mysteries
#1
- A Well-Kept Family Secret
#2
- Bubba's Ghost
#3
- Prudy's Back!
#4
- The Bogey Man
#5
- Old Murders Never Die
#6 - Death Comes in
Threes
#7
- What Are the Odds?
The Bogey Man Series
is based on a Humphrey Bogart look-alike who wishes he could live the life
Bogey did in his P.I. movies. An amateur sleuth and restaurateur, Chris Cross
is married with a young stepson. The stories are told from the point of view of
his wife, Pamela, who’s just as interested in solving crimes as her husband.
Their young son, Mikey (nicknamed Ace), would like nothing
more than to involve himself in their mysterious lives, and on occasion he does
manage to insert himself in their cases, as does Chris’s unusual mother.
Dig a hole to bury a dead bird and dig up a skeleton. Try to
help some little old Church Ladies and dig yourself
into a hole. Buy a vintage building for your forties-themed restaurant and find
a dead body buried in the basement.
The
Bogey Man Mysteries
#1 - Bogey
Nights
#2 -
Bogey's Ace in the Hole
#3
- They Call Me Ace
#4
- Awkward Moments
#5 - How Now Purple Cow
To learn more about Marja and her books, visit her at:
