Teresa Watson - Cozy Mystery With Spunk

Teresa Watson - Cozy Mystery With Spunk
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The first story Teresa Watson wrote was on the back of old homework papers in the fifth grade. She is a voracious reader, so it makes sense that she grew up to be a writer. Her favorite genre is mysteries. She always knew who did it on “Murder, She Wrote” fifteen minutes into the show.  Watson tries to incorporate humor into her stories because of her wicked sense of humor. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Death of a Cantankerous Old Coot.

Please give us a short introduction to what Death of a Cantankerous Old Coot is about.

Someone has killed Amos Gardner, one of the leading citizens of Brookdale. The sheriff wonders if it has something to do with the lawsuit Amos filed against his own granddaughter, Lizzie Crenshaw. When someone tries to kill Amos' wife, she points the finger at Lizzie, who must work with the new deputy to figure out what is going on before she is either thrown in jail...or becomes a victim herself.

Tell us more about Brookdale.  Why did you pick this setting as the backdrop for your book?

Brookdale was based on where I was living at when I started the series, a small town in Texas called Waxahachie, which is just south of Dallas. We really do have a town square with shops all around it, although in the middle is the historic courthouse, which has been seen in movies like Tender Mercies and Places from the Heart, as well as the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger. The setting was familiar to me, and I thought it was rather old-fashioned and quaint.

Why mysteries? What drew you to this genre?

I love mysteries! I started out reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, moved on to Agatha Christie and so on. I love trying to figure out the clues, and I make it a point to try and figure out whodunnit before the big reveal. My mother and I used to watch Murder, She Wrote, and we’d call each other when the episode was over to see who figured it out first.

Tell us more about the cover and how it came about.

In the story, the dead man drove his turquoise colored old truck to the town square, and his bloodhound, Babe, was with him. My friend, Jamie Lee Scott, is the one who came up with the idea of putting the truck and Babe on the cover. We bounce ideas off each other for each cover, and then she designs them.

Why do you like to inject humor into a book that deals with an otherwise grim subject - murder?

I’m not sure what the answer to this one truly is, except to say that I love to laugh, and I love to make other people laugh. Wherever my son and I go, we’re called the Traveling Comedy Show, because we always have people laughing the things we say. I try to interject that same type of humor into whatever I am doing or writing. In real life, even when things are so deadly serious, there are still light moments of humor. Everyone needs to laugh, in good or bad times.

Are any of the characters in the book based on real people?

Gladys Norwell would be every grumpy, gossipy, nitpicking old lady I ever met growing up. And as a preacher’s kid, I met a LOT of them. Some of them were very sweet, but some of them were just downright cranky. Amelia, Lizzie’s mother, is based on my mother, who has asked that Amelia get to be the hero of her own Lizzie story, so I better get busy on that one.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Secret skills? Hm…that does sound kind of superhero like, doesn’t it? Alas, I’m just a mom and daughter. I do refinish furniture and a little bit of woodworking. Right now, I’m working on a set of Lawn Jenga. It’s one thing to play with those little bitty blocks, but play with blocks that are 10 ½ inches long for each board, and let the insanity begin!

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Have you always wanted to be a writer?

From about fifth grade, when I would write stories on the back of my homework papers. Unfortunately, I don’t have them anymore, because my mom threw them away during one of her purges before we moved to a new church. *sigh*

What's an aspect of being a writer that you didn't know about going in?

All the editing! All the rewrites! Marketing! Social media! And how all of that would drive you totally crazy.

Do you plan out the story before you start writing, or do you just let things unfold while you write?

I am very much a fly by the seat of my pants writer. I let the characters tell their stories. Sometimes they don’t go where I want them to go, but I just follow along and grumble as I go. I will never admit they are right if things work out. *laughs*

What are you working on right now?

I am working on something completely different from the cozy mysteries I usually write. It’s more of an intense mystery called Secrets and Shadows. I’m starting the second rewrite for it, so I’m not sure when it will be released.

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

I can be reached on various social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresaleewatson/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorTeresaW 

Gmail: [email protected] 

website: http://authorteresawatson.com/ 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Teresa-Watson/e/B009OH84HQ?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1559598171&sr=8-1 

and I also write as Ares for a new website, All in the Pantheon.