Please help me welcome today’s guest, Maggie West…
Good morning, Maggie. Thank you for joining me today. Please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m originally from the Midwest but now live in the Southwest in a small mountain town. My cat and I live in a tiny house surrounded by tall pines. He likes to watch the squirrel or bird channels but also loves the rare chipmunk shows as well.
Where did you get the idea for Picked to Death?
I decided to write the Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mystery series because I’m lover of vintage and antique things as well as mysteries! I sell some vintage things to local shops and online, so it’s been fun creating these characters, who seem to always come across a dead body in their hunt for treasures.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
I adore John Irving’s writing and would love to write something even half as good as The Cider House Rules. It’s my favorite book and I’ve read it at least three times. In fact, I’m about due to enjoy it again soon!
Do you have another occupation, other than writer?
I’m also a copyeditor and have worked fixing other writers’ grammar and spelling and such for most of my adult life. I prefer writing though!
What do you dislike that most people wouldn’t understand?
I have a totally irrational fear of lizards.
Do you collect anything?
The better question might be, do you not collect anything? No, seriously, I don’t collect everything but I do collect a lot of stuff. I’ve had collections of pigs; vintage kitchen utensils like aluminum measuring cups and spoons, funnels, cookie cutters; old advertising yardsticks and wooden rulers. I could go on and on.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?
As I mentioned in the first question, my favorite book of all time is The Cider House Rules by John Irving. It is a great story, is well written, and cracks me up and makes me cry. It has everything! My favorite childhood book? Let’s see. I loved Charlie the Tramp by Russell and Lillian Hoban. Charlie is a beaver who runs away from home, every child’s dream. Right!?
What is your favorite quote?
May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door. It’s an Irish blessing or quote that my mom wrote on a scrap of paper and sent to me years ago. I have it taped to my computer monitor still.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
Of course! I’ve written several novels that I tried to get published via traditional publishers. I had a little interest but nothing came of it. I might dust them off one of these days and publish them myself.
Your favorite…
Movie: Love Actually
Music: Leonard Cohen
Food: Yes! I love to eat and would say my favorite meal is anything spicy and delicious (Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, Italian, and on and on) and for dessert is my homemade carrot cake.
Sports team: none, seriously, no thank you
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? I love them all at different times. I love a good game of Scrabble or Wits and Wagers or Blokus. I love to play poker but still need the rules and rank explained to me nearly every hand. And I watch way too much TV! A couple of my favorite shows are The Americans and Detectorists.
Thank you, Maggie…what fun getting to know you! Now, please tell us about your book…
Blurb: Antique pickers Sherri Green and her bff, lovable town gossip Carol O’Brien, search for treasure amid the trash in their small midwestern town of Paradise.
What they find is more than they bargained for.
When they score a box of antique vases at a local auction in nearby Round Bottom, it sets off a chain of events that makes a competing picker see red. But that’s not the worst of it. Someone in the tight-knit picking community ends up dead.
Can Sherri and Carol discover the murderer from a treasure trove of suspects before the crime gets buried along with the the town’s most hated victim?
Picked to Death is a clean, short read. It’s perfect for lovers of cozy mysteries that feature an amateur sleuth.
Be sure to check out book 2, Cotton Picking Murder, and book 3, Picked On, in the Antique Pickers in Paradise cozy mystery series for more small town fun and crime solving in the close-knit community of Paradise.
Excerpt: From the corner of her eye, Sherri watched Kathy Vaughn talking to Al Blandon, both fellow pickers. The sixty-something year old woman was gesturing in their direction, maybe even at the box Carol was rummaging through. Then Kathy began inching forward till her face was inches from Al’s. Sherri shivered at the exchange, glad Al was the one on the receiving end of Kathy’s scheme this time.
Sherri nudged Carol. “Look. I wonder what Crabby Kathy’s up to.”
Kathy Vaughn was a fellow picker, a member of the Pope County Pickers Club, and a pain in the rear end. She was rude, greedy, and most of all unethical. Once at a flea market where the pickers from the club had rented a large space to try to unload some rejects, Crabby Kathy had shown up early. She backed her car in at an angle taking up the entire space behind the booth. Normally three cars or a couple of trucks could have squeezed in to make unloading their wares easier. And since no one ever carpooled with Kathy, seeing that she was downright horrible, she had done as she pleased. As usual. When the other two truckloads of pickers had arrived, they had to park in the lot a good quarter mile away and haul their stuff to the space on foot. All because Crabby Kathy had refused to move her car.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KQZ330C?tag=books2read02-20
iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1163571015
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/picked-to-death
Bio: Maggie West is the author of the Antique Pickers in Paradise cozy mystery series and the Lily Thistle cozy mystery series, the Doorways to the Past time travel series, and several romance books. When she’s not reading or writing, she loves to craft and sew, keep her kitten out of trouble (oh boy, good luck with that!), and take walks where she dreams up new stories.
Check out the cozy bundle 25 Mysteries to Die For available now. Hook, Line and Stinker is available in this box set along with 24 more great full-length cozies. More murder than you can shake a stick at!
Contact links:
FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/MaggieWestAuthor/
Website: http://maggiewestbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaggieWestBooks
Author Alicia Dean 