Interview & Giveaway: The Seduction of Miriam Cross by W.A. Tyson

The Seduction of Miriam Cross

The Seduction of Miriam Cross
Delilah Percy Powers Mystery, Book 1
Wendy Tyson

Genre: Traditional Mystery
Publisher: E-Lit Books

Date of Publication: October 27, 2013

Number of pages: 375

Cover Artist: Frank Montagna

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo

Can Delilah figure out who killed Miriam Cross . . . . before she becomes the killer’s next target?

Miriam Cross, author, feminist and philanthropist, disappears from her Philadelphia home. A year later, a lonely recluse named Emily Cray is brutally murdered in her bed in a small Pennsylvania town. Miriam and Emily are one and the same.

As Delilah and her staff of female detectives – a militant homemaker, an ex-headmistress and a former stripper – delve into Miriam’s life, they become submerged in an underworld of unfathomable cruelty and greed with implications that go far beyond the gruesome death of one woman or the boundaries of one country. Eventually Miriam’s fight for justice becomes Delilah’s own …. and Delilah’s obsession with finding the truth may prove just as deadly.

Interview: 
Today, we welcome Wendy Tyson to Musings and Ramblings. Let's all give her a big Geeky welcome!

I have some questions for you that are writer specific as well as some fun stuff so that we can really get to know the real you. *grin* Plus we will finish things off with round of Think Fast. Ready to begin?

Writing Specific
1. Tell us something about yourself that's not in your bio.

As a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I was pretty focused, even when young, and I looked for every opportunity to work with animals. At age thirteen, I got a job at a horse farm. I mucked stalls and took care of the horses and other animals in exchange for riding lessons. Later, I worked as a vet tech for a local animal hospital and also worked at a kennel. The kennel owners ran the business on their home property, and they used to hire me to babysit the dogs on New Year’s Eve. I was the only high school student who was kennel-watching instead of partying that night! But the money was great. And I loved being with the dogs.

2. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Between working and writing, my life is pretty full. As a consequence, when I’m not working (and even sometimes when I am), I enjoy spending time with my family. My husband and I have three boys – an eighteen-year-old and twin ten-year-olds. We all like to travel and have taken some pretty cool family trips in recent years. We also enjoy camping, hiking, canoeing, the beach . . . pretty much anything outdoors. And we garden. We’ve turned our small yard into a micro farm, although I can’t say that the boys love working in the garden together.

3. How did you choose the genres you write in?

That’s a good question! I think I write what I most like to read. The first book I wrote, called Running for the Train, was contemporary women’s fiction. It didn’t find a publisher, though, and is sitting on a shelf, literally collecting dust. After that, I realized that I enjoy reading mysteries, so why not write them? I’m a transactional attorney by day, and I think mysteries offer both creative right brain and logical left brain satisfaction. There is a puzzle element to writing mysteries that I love.

I still enjoy writing women’s fiction and am working on a novel titled Wasque Widows set in Martha’s Vineyard, but mysteries are my passion. The Seduction of Miriam Cross is my second mystery. My first, Killer Image, was published by Henery Press on October 1 of this year. It’s the first in the Allison Campbell mystery series.

4. Is there any particular author or book that has influenced you or your writing?

Many, many books have influenced me and my writing. I love to read and spent much of my youth holed up in my room with a book (when I wasn’t playing with animals). I think, though, that two authors in particular have influenced my writing: Stephen King and Elizabeth George. I love books that are heavy on characterization and have complex storylines. To me, getting to know the characters and getting lost in the story are the best parts of reading. I read King’s The Stand as a teenager, and was awed by the sheer audacity of the plot and his ability to make even the most minor characters come alive. Later, I read George’s Inspector Lynley series. George is a master at weaving seemingly disparate storylines into a seamless whole.

5. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

When I was a beginning novelist, I attended a writers group for the first time. I brought with me the opening chapters of Running for the Train, my first book. The novel opens with the protagonist’s husband leaving her for another woman. I had made the novice’s mistake of sharing too much about the character’s emotions, and had the “telling, not showing” problem. One of the group members called me on it. She was rather forceful about her feelings for my character – she saw my character as a whiny, self-pitying mop. I left that group session devastated. I later realized that the woman was right, of course. It was a lesson in tone and mood, one that I have never forgotten.

Best compliment? Someone I respect called Killer Image, my first mystery, the best mystery she’d read in 2013. She sent her review to my publisher, who put it on their website. As a writer, you learn to maintain that thick skin to make sure neither criticism nor complements get through too much. But after that, I think I smiled for a week.

Fun Stuff
6. If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, fictional or real, who would it be and why?

You know, I could write a list pages long on this one. Wow, so many interesting people, real and fictional, to have dinner with! But if I could only pick one, it would be Jesus Christ. That would be a very interesting meal.

7. You are going to be stranded on a deserted island and bring 3 luxury items. What would they be?

Hmmm . . . do I have electricity? If not, maybe a generator would be the first thing I’d choose. Does that count as a luxury item? I’m terrible at these types of questions. The lawyer in me wants to define the parameters first. Assuming no electricity, I’d bring a really good pillow, lots and lots of chocolate and books!

8. Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who are they and why?

I think it would be very hard to be the child of celebrities, so this is a hard question. Do they have to be a couple already? If so, I think I would go with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. At least from the outside, they seem pretty grounded.

9. What would we find in your refrigerator right now?

Two containers of leftovers: Indian lentil stew and roast chicken. Milk and half and half. Five kinds of cheese (fresh mozzarella, cheddar, Gruyere, parmesan and goat cheese). Lots of half-used condiments. What you wouldn’t find are vegetables. We grow our own and pick them as we use them, so the vegetable drawers are empty -- other than one wilted bunch of cilantro and a sad-looking carrot that was picked but not eaten.

10. If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

Chasing Words. I have lived a very ordinary life, so I don’t think that anyone would be interested in writing or reading my biography. That said, I’ve had three careers as an adult – counselor, lawyer and author. All have one thing in common: a quest for communication. Language. Words. That’s the thread.

Think Fast
Summer or Winter? Summer
Coffee or Tea? Coffee!
Cake or Pie? Pie
Car or Truck? Car
Print or Electronic? Print

Thanks for coming by and spending some time with us. Any final words of wisdom to pass along?

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today! Such fun questions.

Words of wisdom? Read on!

Giveaway: 

$25.00 Barnes & Noble Gift Card & ARC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour Info: 
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Book Tour:

November 1:
rantin' ravin' and reading – Review & Interview

November 2:
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Guest Post

November 4:
A Blue Million Books – Interview

November 5:
THE SELF-TAUGHT COOK – Review

November 6:
readalot – Review

November 7:
Dru's Book Musings – Guest Post

November 8:
Omnimystery – Interview

November 9:
Musings and Ramblings – Interview

November 10:
Brooke Blogs – Interview

November 11:
Shelley's Book Case - Review

November 12:
StoreyBook Reviews - Review

Author Bio:

W. A. Tyson’s background in law and psychology has provided inspiration for her mysteries and thrillers. The Seduction of Miriam Cross, to be published by E-Lit Books in November 2013, is the first in the Delilah Percy Powers mystery series. She has also authored Killer Image (Henery Press, October 2013), the first novel in the Allison Campbell mystery series.

To connect with the author online:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads