Each Friday one of the authors will share a bit of insight into their life of writing, reveal how their writing career began, and offer a glimpse at their current projects.
Today's guest is A.J. Llewellyn who lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips
to the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of
Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled. A.J.'s most recent trip to the Islands was in January when she was the guest speaker at the Sisters in Crime/Hawaii monthly meeting. Her talk was captivating, spell-binding,
and hypnotizing. A.J. has written more than 100 books. Her contribution to MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense is entitled POI DOG: A Leilani Squires Honolulu Mystery.Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: Thank you for sharing with readers your short story included within MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense, A.J., and for taking time to visit with us today.
Q1. Can you please offer a brief insight into
something humorous, poignant, or unusual in your life that led you to a career
in writing?
A.J. Llewellyn: Thanks so much for
having me here! I have to be honest and say I wrote my first book when I was
eight. Reading and writing were my refuge in a tough childhood made very
painful after the death of my mother when I was six. I was obsessed with horses
and mysteries. I inhaled the Donna Parker
Mysteries, Nancy Drew...anything
I could get my hands on. And I adored this collection of British horse stories
by the three Pullein-Thompson sisters. They were prolific authors and I gobbled
up their pony stories like toast for breakfast!
My first book featured horses. And death. I was obsessed with
that, too. Everybody died at the end of it - including the horses!
Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: Writers, by default, are independent
contractors who sit alone at their computer/typewriter/journal, composing
prose, poetry, lyrics, haiku, or limericks, for hours on end.
Q2.
Why did you choose to collaborate with 13 authors to participate in a short
story anthology?
A.J. Llewellyn: Hmmm…I am a
professional author with multiple publishers and deadlines. I really don't have
time to write poems or haiku. I am working all day long. I feel so blessed to
be able to say that I write for a living. As to why I participated in an
anthology - that's easy! I have participated in many. I believe the short story
form is alive and kicking (in spite of dire predictions a few years ago) and it
gives readers a "taste" of an author's style. If you like something
an author writes in an anthology, it introduces you to somebody new, somebody
to discover. And of course, mysteries are the best anthologies! I was excited
to be a part of this!
Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: Each short story in the anthology
offers a glimpse into the personality of the writer.
Q3.
In Poi Dog, what is one phrase or
scene that reflects something about you as a writer?
A.J. Llewellyn: What a great
question! Okay, here goes:
I
was excited yet apprehensive about investigating my first solo case. I liked
bouncing ideas off my boss, Mingo McCloud, or his husband, Francois, but they
were on their honeymoon and it would be rude to bother them. Wouldn’t it?
Chewing
my lip, I decided they’d welcome my interruption. When I called Mingo’s cell
phone, however, he’d left an outgoing message just for me. “Leilani, if that’s
you, we’ll be back on Monday. Don’t leave a message. We’re not checking.
Byeee!”
Well!
Of all the nerve. How dare he assume I’d call. I had no one to bounce ideas
around with and I’m a bouncy kinda gal. I gazed at the business card. I had no
choice but to call the tata-lovin’ Detective Chong.
I picked this scene
because Leilani Squires, the protagonist in this story, is Mingo's sidekick in
my very successful Mingo McCloud Honolulu
Mystery Series. As one of my readers pointed out to me, the best female
friend rarely gets her own story. I wanted to make sure Leilani, a very
colorful character in her own right, got that chance. So thank you, Sisters in
Crime!
Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: Every writer has a WIP
(Work-In-Progress).
Q4.
Can you tell us a bit about your current project?
A.J. Llewellyn: I am working on
several books, actually. I always have at least three WiPs on the boil. I am
working on book 7 in the Mingo McCloud
series, entitled Hogtied, in which
Mingo and his partner Francois finally marry, as well as dealing with a brand
new Honolulu mystery.
I am also working on book five of my Honeybone, US Marshal mysteries. It's set in Paris and untitled as
yet.
And finally I am also working on my third book in my new Rough Riders series with my partner in
crime and frequent collaborator, D.J. Manly.
Also mulling over ideas for my second book in my Makaha Beach Detective series. Book 1, Back to Black, comes out next month at Silver
Publishing. Having just returned from Honolulu last week, my head is spinning
with ideas!
EXCERPT FROM POI DOG: A Leilani Squires Honolulu
Mystery:
I
cut through the International Marketplace. It, like my pride, had shrunk and I missed the wonderland of jewelry, music, and tasty food
I remembered as a kid. The few stallholders left sold mostly junk and the pearl
people pounced on everyone to try their luck fishing for oysters.
Sprinting past them, I thundered between crammed takeout booths
and a stage that had seen better centuries, down the alley between two hotels
to Kuhio Avenue. Rain sloshed into my shoes as I turned left and encountered
Chong walking into the tiny Hula Dog shop. The smell of all those hot dogs was
too much. My mouth began to water.
He leered. “Well, hello, kitty.” It took me a moment to realize he
was referring to the umbrella. I closed it, aware of his lingering gaze on my
chest. I joined him at the counter. He took his time ordering, but I’d picked
out my dog before I’d even left my apartment. I wanted a bacon taro bun with a
Polish sausage, coconut relish, and lilikoi mustard.
There wasn’t much room in the store but the lone outdoor table was
empty so we grabbed it. I ignored the rain that hit my legs every now and then.
For the most part, the roof covered me.
“What gives?” Chong did his cop thing letting his gaze swivel
around him looking for trouble.
I bit into the dog, dazzled by the array of sweet and spicy
flavors. I savored the taste and smell of the islands in my mouth.
“You said you got a missing friend, Lani.”
I couldn’t waste the man’s time, so I took a swan dive into
troubled waters.
“Maha Kaleo.”
He frowned. “I can’t talk to you about her but we know she’s
missing. That’s all I will say. We’ve kept it out of the media and I’d like it
to stay that way. The investigation’s at a sensitive point. How d’you know her,
anyway?”
“I teach her at Kapiolani Community College.”
He sighed, looked down at his hot dog and back up at me. “She
filed a police report three days before she vanished.”
Readers can find A.J. Llewellyn at:
www.ajllewellyn.com (for info, books, access to free
stories etc.)
I'm an app! Download my free App for Android here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onseeker.ajllewellyn&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5vbnNlZWtlci5hamxsZXdlbGx5biJd
