Book Club Fiction | Author Alicia Dean

Please help me welcome today’s guest, Mary Ann Jacobs with The Berkshire Mystery series: Don’t Mess With Me and Peril in Pitman

Welcome, Mary Ann…please tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in Ohio and lived in Detroit, Chicago, and California. I now live in Kentucky where I raised my two children.

My father was Lebanese, and this background influenced the character of Sadie, who is a refugee from Lebanon and works in her Aunt Florence’s restaurant in Pittman.

I spend my time writing, running a Writers’ Workshop, keeping tabs on my five grandchildren, playing bridge, and participating in many clubs in our area.

Where did you get the idea for the title for Don’t Mess with Me in the Berkshire Mystery Series?

The title for Don’t Mess with Me was based on the character of Sadie who is feisty and stands for all women who are not meek and mild. The title for Peril in Pittman was dictated by the action of the ISIS character who was tracking down former members of the Resistance movement in Lebanon who had settled in this small Berkshire Mountain town.

I picked this cozy mystery genre because I was going crazy during the isolation of covid. I walked, wrote poetry and sent out a poem a day to my friends. I read cozy mysteries because they made me feel good and watched Hallmark mysteries because of the happy endings. I finally decided to try my own hand at the cozy mystery genre.

The most difficult thing about writing a book is finding the time to write for long periods of time. I was used to writing in short periods of time.

Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and do you like it?

I have taught all grades from kindergarten to college. I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the uniqueness of the students at each grade level. Just to keep my skills sharp, I will occasionally assess students who though I don’t have much time for that.are struggling to learn and sometimes tutor,

What do you love that most people don’t like and wouldn’t understand why you do?

Now that I’m retired, people don’t understand why I keep so busy. My calendar is fuller than ever, and I love every minute of it, except for doctor appointments.

Do you collect anything?

Just rejections for my writings over the years

What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?

Interruptions. I’ve always said I need to go to a quiet secluded cabin in the woods for a month each year.

What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?

Charlotte’s Web is my favorite book of all time. Any book by Dr. Seuss is a favorite childhood book. The fact that Dr. Seuss had 37 rejections for And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street gives me hope to keep on writing.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read Don’t Mess with Me and Peril in Pittman?

I want my readers to have a sense of accomplishment that they have unraveled a complicated plot with characters who have come to life and grown before their eyes. I want readers to feel that they have been an active part of the Super Sleuths and enjoyed themselves along the way by learning all about the Berkshire Mountains’ many festivals and entertainment and even enjoyed the characters’ hints of romance.

Have you written any other books that are not published?

I have written many children’s books, including a collection of modern fables but haven’t had any luck with publishing them. I also wrote a book teaching people of all ages how to write poetry called So You Want to Write Poetry.

How did you come up with the title?

I came up with the title for Don’t Mess with Me because of the main character of Sadie, who is a feisty and accomplished young woman. I came up with the title for book 2 Peril in Pittman because an assassin is stalking people who were in the Resistance in Lebanon and have come to live in the small town of Pittman in the Berkshire Mountains.

Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc. you’d like to share?

I have always believed that my characters dictate the story. Unfortunately, they tend to wait until I am asleep to wake me and make themselves known. When I was writing Don’t Mess with me, my muse woke me, so I got out my notebook in the dark so as to not wake my husband. When I woke the next day and went to transfer the story to the computer, I found that I had written on top of another writing and couldn’t decipher the night’s inspiration.

When I was writing Peril in Pittman, I was awakened by my character telling me in no uncertain words that I couldn’t make him my assassin because he was too nice. It seemed so real that I went back the next morning, reread that chapter, and realized he was right. I had to find another assassin because the first one was too likeable.

What is the most difficult thing about writing a book? What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular?

When I wrote the first book, I made a timeline and followed it diligently. When I wrote the second, I cut corners by deciding I didn’t need the timeline, so when my first editors were reading the first draft, they would say things like, “This hasn’t happened yet. The character hasn’t heard about this, etc.” Needless to say, it took me more time to correct the timeline that it would have to create a timeline before writing.

Book 2 in the Berkshire Mystery Series, Peril in Pittman

Fear has engulfed the tight-knit community of Pittman. Join the Super Sleuths as they unmask a thief and not 1 but 3 hitmen. Meet the members of the Geezer Book Club and discover the future plans of the characters you first met and loved in Don’t Mess with Me, Book 1 in the Berkshire Mystery Series.

Excerpt:

Chapter 11

Another Secret

After the fest planning meeting, Lola left the bookstore and went to the town square. She sat on her thinking bench as the cool breezes invaded her lightweight jacket and leaves blew around like a flock of colorful butterflies. She couldn’t enjoy the scene because her mind was reeling, and she was afraid that someone would discover the one secret that she had never shared with anyone.

After Mr. Brump announced that he was an ex-cop from Chicago, Lola flinched. Mr. Brump was staring at her. Lola had first met him in Grant Park in Chicago. She recognized him when he first came into the Bookworm Shop. She didn’t think he recognized her then. Did Mr. Brump recognize her now?

Lola remembered it well. Mr. Brump was one of the officers present when I went to Grant Park to identify my mom’s body. Now I’m in trouble. Does he have any idea about my secret?

Buy links:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-mess-with-me-mary-ann-jacobs/1142600182?ean=2940186700777

Peril in Pittman:

Find Mary Ann Here: