I’m so happy to have Lorie Lewis Ham as my guest today on Writer Wednesday. Lorie and I go way back to 2014 when I wrote an article about the 80th anniversary of The Baker Street Irregulars, the first established Sherlock Holmes society. It was published in Lorie’s magazine, King’s River Life Magazine. Since then, Lorie has recorded the first chapters of some of my Sydney Lockhart mysteries on her Mysteryrats Maze podcast. Not only are we Sherlock Holmes fans, but we also write about animal rights and rescue.

Today, Lorie and I are talking about her Tower District mystery series set in Fresno, California.

1. If your protagonist, Roxi Carlucci, could change anything in her life, what would it be and why?

That her parents hadn’t died when she was a teenager. She misses them very much, especially her father.

2. What do you and your protagonist have in common?

We have a lot of the same interests—Star Trek, King Arthur, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sherlock Holmes, manga, and anime.

3. How long have you been writing? What was the motivating factor that got you started?

I started writing as soon as I could put sentences together. I have just always loved stories—reading them and writing them.

4. What do you want most for your readers to come away with after they read your books?

I think mostly that they enjoyed themselves. That the book was a nice escape for them and they enjoyed spending time with the characters and in the Tower District. If the book moves them in some way or makes them think that’s great too—whether it be about animal rescue, mental health, found family, or whatever other real life topic might be in each book.

5. 5. What is the last book you’ve read purely for pleasure?

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

6. Tell us about your latest book. My latest book is called One of You and it is the second book in my Tower District Mystery Series. Here is a synopsis:

With her life on the California Coast behind her, Roxi Carlucci is beginning to feel at home in the Tower District—the cultural oasis of Fresno, CA—where she now lives with her cousin P.I. Stephen Carlucci, her pet rat Merlin, a Pit Bull named Watson, and a black cat named Dan. She has a new entertainment podcast, works as a part-time P.I., and is helping local bookstore owner Clark Halliwell put on the first-ever Tower Halloween Mysteryfest! The brutal summer heat is gone and has been replaced by the dense tule fog—perfect for Halloween!

She just wishes everyone would stop calling her the “Jessica Fletcher” of the Tower District simply because she found a dead body when she first arrived. But when one of the Mysteryfest authors is found dead, she fears she jinxed herself! The Carlucci’s are hired to find the killer before they strike again. Will Mysteryfest turn into a murder fest? How is the local gossip website back, and what does it know about the death of Roxi’s parents?

7. Name three authors you would recommend and tell us what you like about their writing.

Anthony Horowitz is an amazing storyteller. He is never content with a formula—he always has to change things up somehow. He is also just a great storyteller.

TJ Klune—if you like urban fantasy I highly recommend his books. They are creative, and they are beautiful. They make you feel if that makes sense.

Cleo Coyle—her coffeehouse mysteries are my favorite cozies. I love the setting of a coffeehouse in New York. She brings the city to life for me, and the coffee—you can practically smell it. I also love the characters.

8. What themes do you regularly employ in your writing? In my new series, animal rescue, mental health, and theatre. All of my books also incorporate found family.
9. What is the most challenging area for you as a writer? Editing and promotion—but I think that’s typical for most writers. I am a punster so I do a LOT of editing lol.
10. What motivates you to write? Writing fiction fuels my soul. I can’t not write.
11. How did you develop the idea for your most recent work? When I started planning a new series I decided that the Tower District would be a great place to set mysteries. It is the arts district of Fresno, CA near where I live. I had created my main character, Roxi Carlucci, at the end of my last series but had never done anything with her—so this seemed like the right time and place for her story to continue. The latest book is set at Halloween, which is my favorite time of year, during a mystery festival, which just sounded like it would be fun—and it was.

12. What was the best writing advice you ever received, and why was it valuable?

I tried for years to write my first book and it just wasn’t clicking. Then one day at a local Sisters in Crime meeting several people suggested that I write about a gospel singing amateur sleuth (that was the other part of my life at the time) and things finally clicked. So writing what you know has really worked well for me.

Bio:

Lorie Lewis Ham lives in Reedley, California and has been writing most of her life. She has published numerous articles, short stories, and poems, has written for a local newspaper, and published 7 mystery novels. For the past 14 years, Lorie has been editor-in-chief and publisher of Kings River Life Magazine, and she produces Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, where you can hear an excerpt of her new book One of You, book 2 in The Tower District Mystery series. You can learn more about Lorie on her website mysteryrat.com and find her on Facebook, BookBub, Goodreads, and Instagram @krlmagazine & @lorielewishamauthor.

One of You

Secrets, gossip, theatre, mystery writers, and murder! A Halloween Mysteryfest. Or is it a murderfest? One author murdered, others attacked. Is the killer writing their own murder mystery in blood? It’s a mystery set in the historic Tower District—Fresno’s dining, arts, and entertainment hub.

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-of-you-3

Universal Buy Link (does not include Kobo) https://books2read.com/u/m0eWAy