Alex Erickson - Murder Mystery at the Bookstore

Alex Erickson - Murder Mystery at the Bookstore
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Alex Erickson is the author of both the Bookstore Café and the Furever Pets mysteries. When he’s not writing, he enjoys spending his time gaming or playing music. He lives in Ohio with his wife, son, and their three crazy cats. As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about his book, Death by Coffee.

Please give us a short introduction to what Death by Coffee is about.

Krissy Hancock, along with her best friend, have opened a bookstore café called, you guessed it, Death by Coffee. Things are going great right up until a grouchy man who works across the street is found dead after drinking a cup of the store’s coffee. Was it something Krissy did that caused it? Or was the man murdered? That’s something she intends to find out.

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

I like murder mysteries! And there’s just something about a normal, somewhat awkward person trying to solve crimes that appealed to me. The whole, “I want to help!” attitude combined with a, “I really don’t know what I’m doing,” personality is just fun to work with.

Tell us more about Krissy Hancock.  What makes her so special?

She’s a lot like me in many ways. Kind of anti-social. Keeps her group of friends small, and sometimes has a hard time finding the time—and forcing herself—to see them. She struggles in relationships. But she’s loyal, determined, and tries to do what’s best for those around her, even at risk to herself. It can rub some people the wrong way, but Krissy’s heart is in the right place.

Why cozy mysteries? What drew you to the genre?

Cozies are a strange genre where you get to murder a whole lot of people, but do so in a nice way. I like that you can be clean and still work with horrible stuff. It fit my personality type far more than even I suspected. Murder with humor? Count me in.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Skills? Not many! I play guitar (poorly) and I’m not too shabby in the video game department (nerd!) Other than that, I’m pretty boring.

Which character was the most challenging to create?

There’s a fine line between an obnoxious to the characters character and an obnoxious to the reader character. At times, I’m sure I step over that line, but all in all, I think she’s right about where I want her to be.

This is book 1 of a series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

All the books in the series can be read as standalones, but are best read in order because of character progressions. I wanted the town to be a living place, so relationships change, characters leave town, new ones arrive. I try to make sure everyone gets reintroduced, and avoid spoiling previous books, but you can get a little cozier with the characters if you follow them from the start.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you plan out the story before you start writing or does a lot of it just "happen" along the way?

I’m a plotter who allows the characters to change their minds along the way. I create an outline of the main plot points that I follow right up until the characters decide to do something different. Then, I’ll go back and readjust the rest of the outline to fit with the new state of things. Smaller, more personal events often get notes like, “Make sure Krissy and Paul spend time together!” and then I’ll let the actual moment happen organically as I write so it doesn’t feel shoehorned into somewhere inappropriate.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

Besides panic? I organize the plot points I’ve developed over the previous month or two so they make sense, create the outline, choose the smaller beats that need to be included, and then just go. I try not to dwell on things too much since I do let the characters guide me more than the actual outline at times.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I’m not sure it’s interesting, but I’m very particular about how I go about writing. I eat breakfast, take my coffee and water to my chair, read emails and check my favorite websites and social media so that’s all out of my system and I’ll have no distractions, and then I go. I drink my coffee, then my water, then get an orange juice, followed by a root beer. Always the same, at around the same time. If it is the first draft, I often write one full chapter in a sitting, which could take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how easy the characters want to be on me. Two to three chapters in the following draft, in the same time frame. If I’m feeling up to it mentally, I’ll push for a second chapter at times, but often like to take a break for a day to let the previous day’s work percolate.

What are you working on right now?

I just turned in bookstore café 10! This is when I tend to look at my other ideas and play around with other stories, before turning my attention back to the mysteries, and that’s exactly what I’m doing now! Though there’s nothing I can talk about as of yet.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

You can find all of the cozies in the usual places! If you want to contact me, or wish to know when the next books will be released—including certain older books I hope to bring back soon—you can follow me at https://twitter.com/author138 or https://www.facebook.com/alexericksonbooks or on my website at https://alexericksonbooks.com/

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