Wellington Leg:
Terri’s debut novel, WILD GOOSE CHASE, is out from Midnight Ink. The official publication date is February 1,2008. This is only the beginning for Terri; she has two more books coming in 2008, one from Berkley Prime Crime and then again from Midnight Ink.
Since I’m Terri’s older brother the staff at the Druidical & Literary called on Culture Editor Niagara Malloy to develop questions for Terri.
Q: This is your visit to Wellington Leg. How does the Towne compare to say, suburban Long Island? I’m guessing the Towne residents don’t have nightmares about getting lost in their neighborhood, entering the wrong look-a-like bi-level, and finding Jimmy Owens in their bed.
Q: Tell us about your protagonist, Dewey Pellicano: She’s a twenty-nine year-old victim of the Silicon Valley Dot Com bust, who inherits a quilt shop after her mother’s death. She only wants to get rid of it. She’s trapped, with her wicked sister-in-law, when the potential buyer has her femoral artery sliced open with a quilting tool. Dewey has to deal with unexpected truck sex, illegal money lending and, to her ultimate horror, modeling in a fashion show.
Q: How can readers buy WILD GOOSE CHASE? With the usual coin. Look for it at your local book store. It’s readily available online at Powell’s, B&N, Amazon. Put in a request at your library.
Q: When you go to quilt shows do you have an entourage? There is a group of women in orange Crocs and denim jumpers that walk in front of me with rotary cutters at the ready, but I don’t know them.
As for Entourage, that would make me Vince. His hair is better than mine. I’m in desperate need of an Eric type to answer my cell and scream at people. My agent, Jessica Faust, is much prettier and taller than Ari. I don’t think she’s like him at all except for maybe that episode when he was bribing people to get his son into a private school. You would totally rock the Johnny Drama role, bruddha.
I do have a Vice President in Charge of Sharpies, and a custom-made pen holder.
Q: Your series for Berkley Prime Crime is a rubberstamping mystery. What’s the title and release date for that one? Stamped Out will be published September 08. It’s the story of April Buchert, for whom the discovery of a skull brings back all sorts of unpleasant memories.
Q: Tell us about your second Midnight Ink title. Old Maid’s Puzzle is due out in September. Dewey is trying to make a go of the quilt shop. She has to deal with a Stitch ‘n’ Bitch group that turns deadly. As they do.
Q: What authors do you admire?
Laurie R. King, Laura Lippmann, SJ Rozan are favorites. David Thayer, natch.
Q: Why did the Yankees allow the Mets to get Johan Santana? I didn’t know Carlos’ son played ball. I thought he played the flugelhorn.
Q: Other than Eddie’s Book Nook where are you appearing for book signings? The main event is the Fabrics ‘n’ Fun Book Launch on February 23rd. I will be giving an author talk called There Will be Blood, my life in quilts. More info and my full schedule will be on my website, www.territhayer.com and Midnight Ink’s web page, http://www.midnightinkbooks.com/author_events_detail.php?eventid=3373.
Q: What are you working on now? The third in the Quilting Mystery series. It’s called Ocean Waves. You can look forward to rogue waves, mountain lions and raccoon love.
Q: I’ve heard there’s a quilt pattern that resembles Rudy Giuliani viewed from space: is that true?
There is a quilt block called Contrary Wife, but it predates Rudy by a few years. I did hear Judith Regan has contracted to do a tell-all on the quilt world. People will be shocked.
Q: Do you blog? I’m an itinerant blogger. Once a week, on Saturdays, at Killer Hobbies, http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com, and in the rotation at Inkspot, http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com.
Are you in a writers’ group? I am. We don’t have a fancy name like the Tuesday Kill Your Darlings Club or anything, but I give them complete credit for my success. Becky Levine and Beth Proudfoot are brilliant editors and critiquers. Their input is priceless.
Terri, add anything you’d like as a closing. I’m looking forward to the day we can go on tour together. I’ll even let you borrow my Sharpie holder.
Amen sister. Niagara Malloy reporting for Wellington Leg After Dark.
Woo-hoo!
I’m off to the bookstore!
Yeah, baby, sez Niagara Malloy.
All I can say is, I would have loved to have a chair at your dinner table, when the two of you were growing up. Or maybe it would have been safer to just be a fly on the wall!
Great interview.
Becky
Thanks, David I, for being the SoCal connection. I’d love to see any pictures you took.
Becky, there was a lot of flying food at the dinner table. One left-handed brother and one territorial type. If I asked someone to pass the salt, I usually got it one grain at a time. Safer to be on the wall.
Congratulations Terri! You have worked your fingers to the bone in the past year and it’s finally paying off.
–jessica (the non-Ari like agent)
Sorry for the delay in approving your comments. Paris Hilton dropped by and the afternoon cashier was swamped.
Ah, dinner time. William Burroughs would understand.
Terri, two thousand screaming fans stormed Eddie’s Book Nook last night. Stand by for a mystery writer!