Getting to know Sandi Webster

Welcome to the first post in my "Getting to know your character" series. We have with us today Sandi Webster, the main character in Marja McGraw's Sandi Webster Mystery series and one of my favorite "people." Let's get to know her.

Patricia: Sandi, where did you grow up and where do you live now?
Sandi: I grew up in southern California, and currently live and work in Los Angeles. There are a lot of people and lots of stories in a city this large. I’ve seen more than my share of crimes and heartbreak, but there’s always an up-side, too. A guy we called The Bogey Man comes to mind (a dead ringer for Humphrey Bogart who wanted to learn the biz from me).
Patricia: What’s your occupation and how did you come to choose it?
Sandi: I’m a private investigator, and I’m almost embarrassed to tell you how that came about. I grew up watching old mystery movies with my mother on TV. I loved the private eyes that always got their man. I’d been working in a government job, in the court system, and I knew I needed a change. I wanted more excitement in my life, and I sure got it. I apprenticed with an agency and eventually quit my job and started my own investigative firm.
Patricia: Tell us about one of your most memorable “adventures.” What drew you into the mystery?
Sandi: There’ve been so many, and they’re all memorable, but I had the most fun when my partner, Pete, and I became stranded in an old ghost town where we discovered records of murders that took place around 1880. Being on vacation and stranded in a ghost town with the old sheriff’s records, what else would a P.I. do but try and figure out what happened? Oh, and there was a mysterious cowboy there who really caused problems for us. I realized then that Old Murders Never Die – not really.
Patricia: What are your favorite things to do when you’re not working?
Sandi: It seems like I’m usually working, but in my free time I enjoy reading and old movies. Pete and I take trips from time to time, too, as evidenced by Wolf Creek, the ghost town. We’ve developed more than just a working relationship. Can you tell? We also have friends, Felicity and Stanley, whom we enjoy spending time with when we can. Stanley also works for me.
Patricia: What are your favorite TV shows and/or movies? What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
Sandi: I enjoy anything mysterious, and I particularly like mystery movies that include humor. Music? I enjoy oldies, big band, and easy listening. My menopausal mother tells me she sometimes thinks I was born into the wrong generation. But then, she says a lot of things, and they don’t always make sense.
Patricia: Are you married or involved in a serious relationship? Tell us about that.
Sandi: I mentioned my relationship with my partner, Pete, in an earlier question. We’ll be getting married one of these days. After the debacle in the ghost town, and circumstances we discovered there, he asked me to set a date. We realized that putting things off for too long can change your whole life. I’m thinking about it. I keep telling him I have some wild oats to sow. He just laughs. I’ve had to spend a long time making him realize I can take care of myself if I need to.
Patricia: How would you describe yourself, physically and personality wise? How do you think others see you?
Sandi: I asked my friend, Felicity, how she would describe me. I’m about five foot three with dark brown hair, and she says I’m as cute as a button. (Ha! Cute as a button doesn’t help my image.) I’m tenacious, according to her, and I have a strong sense of right and wrong. I love things that make me laugh, because I realize if you take life too seriously, it can drag you down. I frustrate easily, and I sigh a lot. I’m kind of a contradiction, if you really think about it.
Patricia: What’s your favorite color and why? 
Sandi: Yellow, definitely yellow. It’s so cheerful. I see crime and death more often than I’d like, and I need things around me to keep me upbeat. That includes my dog, Bubba, who’s kind of a yellow color, if you squint and don’t look too closely at him. He’s huge and hard to miss though. 
Patricia: Do you like to travel? If so, what are some of your favorite places to go and/or what was your favorite vacation? Have any of your travels involved solving a mystery?
Sandi: Most of my travels have included a mystery. Pete’s friend, homicide detective Rick Mason, calls me a dead body magnet. I can’t really deny his description. I love to travel, but work doesn’t allow me to do it very often. I’d love to see Australia one day, and of course, Hawaii and maybe Scotland. We’ll see how it goes. Pete and I haven’t made honeymoon plans yet.
Patricia: What are your plans for the future?
Sandi: My plans are to just keep on keepin’ on. I don’t have the kind of job which leaves room to make too many definite plans. I never know what’s going to happen next. Barring any problems, Pete and I will marry one day. Other than that, I’m keeping my options open.

Thank you so much for talking to me and letting me explain a little about myself. (My author thanks you, too. Now where did that come from? What author? Huh?)

Marja McGraw 

I almost forgot to include the buy link. It's http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=marja%20mcgraw&sprefix=marja+mc%2Cstripbooks%2C299&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Amarja%20mcgraw

Coming soon: "Death Comes in Threes."

Planning for the New Year

Well, the new year is almost here. Lots of people make resolutions but I’m not one of them. I’ve done that in the past but I’ve found that it doesn’t work for me. I do like to plan for the year ahead though, which includes scheduling posts for my blog. For the past two years, I’ve done a “Getting to know you” post once a month where I’ve interviewed many wonderful authors. I’ve decided to continue my GTKY posts in 2014 but with a change.

Beginning in January, the post will not be an author interview. Instead, I plan to interview the main characters in some of my favorite mystery/suspense novels. My first guest will be private investigator Sandi Webster, the main character in Marja McGraw’s Sandi Webster Mystery series. I’m curious (and eager) to read her answers to my questions.

Another change to my blog is that, although I love hosting other mystery/suspense authors and will continue to do so from time to time, I will no longer post a "Mystery Author of the Month." But, I will continue to post a "Mystery of the Month," featuring some of the books I've read and want to recommend to my blog readers. 

In addition to scheduling posts for my blog, I’m looking forward to the release of my most recent Malone mystery, Desperate Deeds. A new book coming out is always an exciting time. I especially love hosting a book launch event at Higher Ground, my favorite local coffee shop in Cincinnati. I’ll post the date and time when I have that information. And, last but not least, I’ll be busy in 2014 writing the fourth book for my series.

What are your writing-related plans for 2014? Happy New Year!

The Serpent's Disciple by Deborah Stevens

In The Serpent’s Disciple, an ancient evil threatens to take over the Catholic Church and use it to create a New World Order. Thirty years after Pope John Paul’s death, Peter Romanus, the Grand Master of Propaganda Due, sets in motion the plot to kill the pope and supersede him—and take control of major world governments through the Church.

While visiting their father’s birthplace of Pesaro, Italy, the lives of Anthony and Nelli Andruccioli become entwined with the Grand Master’s plot. A 600-year-old family secret and an ancient artifact could save humankind from this diabolical leader many fear is the Antichrist. Anthony and Nelli learn of their family’s deep and ancient connection to Saint Anthony, and they are called to protect the Church: Nelli as the Chosen One and Anthony as one of the Guardians sworn to protect her from the false prophet. Together they must navigate the labyrinth of ancient prophecy and Vatican politics to expose the truth before it is too late.

Deborah Stevens

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a book in my hand.  Over time my preference for a certain genre of literature we know as  “thriller fiction” was taking over my bookshelves.  Fortunately, my love for this kind of writing is shared by many and the publishing market has responded with the work of many fine writers offering a nearly endless array of quality choices.

I might have remained a reader rather than an author of thrillers, except that my mind began to dream up plots for novels as I listened to the news of events from around the world. At such times, I’d jot down ideas for stories and books, doing so hundreds of times before the fateful day when the idea for Serpent’s Disciple took up residency in my head and then took on a life of its own. 

Given my ancestry- Italian Catholic- the setting for Serpent’s Disciple was probably pre-determined. But as luck would have it, real life events handed me the outlines of a plot that begged to be written and turned into a page turning thriller.  While researching the facts and events that form the background of the book, the characters became living, breathing people taking on a life of their own. The more I researched, the further I found myself led on a journey revealing the next plot twist or the fate of the characters being revealed to me paragraph by paragraph.

The Serpent’s Disciple represents the culmination of yet another kind of journey. Born in Michigan, and a graduate of Michigan State University, I moved with my family to Minnesota.  It was during this period of my life I began to write, but found that as a single mother, I never had enough time to devote to it.  Both my daughters are adults pursuing their own dreams now. I am remarried and continue to live in the Twin Cities circumstances that, thankfully, afford me not only the time to write but also an environment alive with great writers whose work and success proved the incentive I needed to get back to my writing on a more intensive basis.

Link to buy:
http://www.amazon.com/Serpents-Disciple-Deborah-Stevens/dp/0989470210/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379517934&sr=1-1&keywords=the+serpent%27s+disciple

I hope you will enjoy the novel I’ve woven for your reading pleasure.  Meanwhile, I am already at work on my newest thriller, whose plot - as with The Serpent’s Disciple - is inspired by real life events. 
Deborah is giving away a paper copy of "The Serpent's Disciple" to one lucky person who leaves a comment. 
Congratulations to Leslie Diehl! Deborah will be contacting you for your mailing address. Happy Reading!