Author Interview: Lois Winston releases 11th Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery

Hello friends! We are in for a treat today. I’ve invited fellow crime fighting author Lois Winston on the occasion of her newest book release, Guilty as Framed, the 11th Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery! The first in the series was one of my monthly book club recommendations, and I think you’ll enjoy learning more about her now.

KB: Welcome Lois, and thanks for joining us! I’ve been a fan of your Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series for years, and I’m excited for my reader friends to get to know you better! You write in many genres: mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. Are your series written one at a time, or simultaneously?

LW: The Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries made their debut in 2011. I’ve been writing a book a year since then. In-between I’ve also written the two books in my Empty Nest Mystery Series and five mystery novellas, three of which are connected to the Anastasia books. However, I can’t juggle writing more than one book at a time. My brain has a hard time keeping the protagonists’ voices straight if I try to shift back and forth.

Anastasia takes top priority. She’s a very demanding protagonist, but sometimes I need a break from her. (Don’t tell her I said that!)

KB: Your secret is safe with me! How do you decide which ideas fit best with which series/genre?

LW: Right now, I’m primarily focusing on mystery. I’m not sure I want to go back to writing romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, or women’s fiction, but I’ve learned never to say never. So I’m generally thinking about the next way I want to create murder and mayhem in Anastasia’s life.

KB: Yes! Anastasia has almost as much mayhem as that guy in the tv commercials. One thing we have in common is writing adult mysteries and children’s books. I’m curious about how you approach those very different genres as a writer. Can you describe why you write for children, too?

LW: Truthfully, I wrote The Magic Paintbrush for my grandchildren. I have no plans to write another children’s book anytime soon. However, as I said above, I’ve learned never to say never. If a story that needs to be told pops into my head, I’ll start writing.

KB: Anastasia’s sassy sense of humor and assertive attitude remind me of another favorite mystery character, Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich. As a “Nebraska Nice” resident, I must ask: is it just a coincidence that both series are set in New Jersey? It seems like your area of the country has a unique type of humor and way of looking at the world.

LW: Janet and I are both Jersey girls. I think those of us who hail from the Garden State, do have a unique sense of humor. It’s a necessary skill we develop to contend with being the butt of jokes, such as armpit of the nation, from the rest of the country. Interestingly, neither Janet nor I live in New Jersey anymore. I believe she’s somewhere up in New England, and I moved to Tennessee last year to be nearer to one of my sons and his family.

KB: What special features of New Jersey or the East Coast do you like to share with your readers?

LW: New Jersey is a unique state in that no matter where you are, within a short drive, you can be in the mountains, at the beach (we call it going down the shore), in the suburbs, in farm country, in ultra-exclusive mega-rich gated communities, in several high-crime inner cities, or in Manhattan or Philadelphia. Having Anastasia live in NJ allows me to set my stories in extremely diverse locations, yet get her home dinner every night—unless, of course, she winds up kidnapped!

KB: Well, Anastasia has gotten out of some pretty tough situations before. I feel like the kidnappers would end up regretting their decision. Your latest mystery, Guilty as Framed, is the 11th book in the series. How do you keep the series fresh?

LW: One thing I’ve done is introduce new secondary characters from time to time as the series has progressed. This gives me a way to develop additional subplots and character arcs that continue throughout the series. I’m also a news junkie, and I rely on news and human-interest stories to provide me with the initial spark for each plot. Guilty as Framed is a bit of a departure from that, though, because for the first time I’ve woven an actual unsolved crime that occurred in 1990 into the storyline.

KB: I love that intersection of true crime and fiction. Do you foresee any spinoff series or stories from Anastasia’s world?

LW: I’ve already written three connecting novellas. These involve crimes other than murder. Crewel Intentions is a stalking story, Mosaic Mayhem is a kidnapping story, and Patchwork Peril is about identity theft. I may eventually write more. The Empty Nest Mysteries take place in the same town as the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, and in them I’ve made an occasional reference to Anastasia. In Definitely Dead, as Gracie finds herself trying to figure out who killed one of her clients, her husband tells her to leave the investigating to the professionals because she’s no Anastasia Pollack.

KB: Can you tell us more about your experience in the crafts and needlework industry? Has much of the content that used to be available in magazines moved online?

LW: Sadly, the rise of the Internet and social media heralded the slow demise of much of the crafts industry. At one time, I freelanced for nearly four dozen magazines and more than a dozen kit manufacturers and craft book publishers. Most have gone the way of the dodo bird. I also worked for seven years as the head designer, design coordinator, and editor at a company that produced both craft kits and books. If you search my name on Amazon or Google, you’ll find some of my designs still available, mostly from third-party vendors who bought out the stock of companies that went out of business. Due to industry changes, I retired from designing several years ago.

KB: Do you have any favorite websites or social media accounts where you find new patterns and projects?

LW: As for finding new patterns and projects, I never worked projects that I didn’t design. Even when I was in college and did needlework to relax, I would design my own pieces. For anyone interested in crafting, there are still a few craft chain stores in existence, and they all have an online presence.

KB: What does your typical writing week look like?

LW: Much has to do with whether I’m actively writing the next book or busy promoting one that has just come out (like now, when most of my writing consists of penning guest blog posts and answering interview questions.) However, when I’m working on a book, I spend a few hours in the morning answering emails, doing other business-related necessities, and running errands. After lunch, I buckle down and start writing until my stomach tells me it’s time to make dinner. My stomach is second only to my sleuth when it comes to its demands.

KB: What’s your favorite things about being a writer?

LW: I can listen to the voices in my head without people thinking I’m crazy, and I can escape into a world of my own creation, which helps me from going crazy over how the world is going crazy.

KB: What advice do you give to new writers just starting out?

LW: Don’t quit your day job! Most people only hear about the multi-million-dollar advances authors like James Patterson and JK Rowling command, but the truth is, the average author would make more money asking, “Do you want fries with that?” I have friends who consistently make the NY Time bestseller list and can’t afford to leave their jobs. Writing isn’t a quick way to get rich. It’s hard work with lots of blood, sweat, and tears along the way. Write because you can’t not write, not for any other reason.

KB: I second that great advice! I read that cruises are your favorite type of vacations. I love traveling too! What’s your favorite cruise destination?

LW: Well, that was before Covid hit. For obvious reasons, I’m a bit gun-shy about taking another cruise anytime soon. My two favorites, though, were a cruise to Alaska and one along the Mediterranean, stopping in Spain, France, and Italy.

KB: Both of those sound wonderful. Where is your next travel adventure planned?

LW: Right now, the only trip I have planned is going back to NY and NJ to visit friends. After that? At some point I’d love to tour Scandinavia and the British Isles.

KB: Please share your best cruise travel tip!

LW: Take advantage of all the land excursions the cruise line offers. I’ve never understood why some people would pay for a cruise, then never get off the ship.

KB: Agreed! I’ve only been on one cruise, but the excursions were some of my favorite memories. What else would you like to share with readers that I haven’t asked?

LW: First, I want to thank you for introducing me to your fans, Kelly. I’d love for your readers to check out my website, sign up for my newsletter (I do awesome giveaways!), follow me on Bookbub, and check out Anastasia’s Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog. I also blog once a month at The Stiletto Gang and every seven weeks at Booklover’s Bench. Also, for those who prefer audiobooks, Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun the first Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, will soon be out in audio with the other books in the series to follow.

KB: Thanks again Lois! It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. Best of luck with your new book and future travel plans. Readers, check out these links to read Guilty as Framed or any of Lois’ other books.

Guilty as Framed
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 11

When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she’s drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history.

Boston mob boss Cormac Murphy has recently been released from prison. He doesn’t believe Anastasia’s assertion that the man he’s looking for doesn’t live at her address and attempts to muscle his way into her home. His efforts are thwarted by Anastasia’s fiancé Zack Barnes.

A week later, a stolen SUV containing a dead body appears in Anastasia’s driveway. Anastasia believes Murphy is sending her a message. It’s only the first in a series of alarming incidents, including a mugging, a break-in, another murder, and the discovery of a cache of jewelry and an etching from the largest museum burglary in history.

But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want?

Buy Links
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3QLEYU5
Hardcover: https://amzn.to/3Ans5s6
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3tLnT3d
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/guilty-as-framed
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/guilty-as-framed/id6442846272
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guilty-as-framed-lois-winston/1141500980?ean=2940185728703

Children’s Book

The Magic Paintbrush
A Chapter Book for Young Readers

When nine-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister Zoe are snowed in for days with nothing to do, their complaints land them in every guy’s worst nightmare—the kingdom of Vermilion, a land where everything is totally pink! At first Jack is mistaken for a spy from the neighboring kingdom of Cobalt, but Zoe convinces Queen Fuchsia that they’re from New Jersey and arrived by magic.
Queen Fuchsia needs a king, but all the available princes in Vermilion are either too short, too fat, too old, or too stupid. Jack and Zoe suggest she looks for a king in Cobalt, but Vermilion and Cobalt have been at war since long before anyone can remember. Jack and Zoe decide Vermilion and Cobalt need a Kitchen Table Mediation to settle their differences. So they set out on an adventure to bring peace to the warring kingdoms—and maybe along the way they just might find a king for the queen.

Without being preachy, The Magic Paintbrush addresses the issue of differences, in this case, a kingdom that is all pink at war with a kingdom that is all blue for longer than anyone can remember—so long that no one even knows what started the feud. It takes two children from another land to point out to the rulers of both kingdoms the benefits to getting along and how we’re really all the same inside.

Buy Links
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3dTAFYh
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3QPZq69
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-magic-paintbrush
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-magic-paintbrush/id901193992
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-magic-paintbrush-lois-winston/1119977068?ean=2940149770427

More about Lois:
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and follow her on various social media sites.

Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.

Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.

A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.