A Blog Visit from Mystery Writer Sandra Balzo

Thanks for inviting me to stop by, and I have to say it's wonderful timing.  I write two mystery series--the Maggy Thorsen Coffeehouse Mysteries and Main Street Murders--and I'm currently in that lovely sweet spot between the release of one book (the second Main Street) and writing the eighth Maggy.

All right, to be absolutely honest, I'm shamelessly dragging my feet on the new book and blogging gives me the perfect excuse. I'm the world's worst procrastinator¾probably because I know I can function under deadline thanks to my former life in corporate public relations. When I turned to writing, my first home office was in the laundry room and our clothes were never so clean. Then I moved to the dining room and the dishes were always done and dinner on time.  

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, fast reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin. The Main Street Murders series is set in the mountains of North Carolina and feature journalist AnnaLise Griggs. Reviewers equate them to the regional mysteries of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett.

In the first Main Street book, RUNNING ON EMPTY, AnnaLise is called home to Sutherton because her mom, Daisy, accidentally bled-out a donor at the local blood drive. When the "accidents" continue, though, it's clear that it's up to AnnaLise to discover whether Daisy is indeed the cause, as everyone else seems to believe, or the target.

In DEAD ENDS, which was just released, AnnaLise's past comes home to roost in the persons of her ex-lover and his wife and daughter. As you might guess, somebody has to die.

Okay, time to work on the new Maggy. Or, as my kids say, "Mom's off to kill somebody again."

FICTIONALLY, of course.

All the best,

Sandy

Sandra Balzo is an award-winning author of crime fiction, including nine books in two different mystery series from Severn House--the Wisconsin-based Maggy Thorsen Mysteries and Main Street Murders, set in the High Country of North Carolina and featuring journalist AnnaLise Griggs. 

Find Sandy online at www.SandraBalzo.com, Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/sandrabalzo), Facebook (Sandra Balzo Mysteries) and Twitter (@SandraBalzo).