Author Spotlight & Interview: S. A. Molteni

I am pleased to host S.A. Molteni on my blog today. She is here today to tell us a bit about her writing and her recently released cozy mystery, Double Hearts.

Interview

I love mysteries. What made you decide to write a cozy mystery after writing in other genres?

I have always been a fan of mysteries and have read quite a lot of them in my lifetime. After writing non-fiction for the last two years, I wanted to write something fictional and fun. So, I decided to try my hand at the mystery genre.

Tell me a little bit about your cozy mystery, Double Hearts.

Double Hearts – A Shelly Martin Cozy Mystery (included in the Sleuthing Women – Mystery Collection) is my first foray into writing cozy mysteries and is one I wanted to have a strong female detective as the protagonist. In Double Hearts, the first book in the series, Shelly Martin has just opened her detective agency and her newest case is one she will not soon forget. As she delves deeper into it, she discovers that it just might shatter her dreams of a happily-ever-after life and a second chance with her high-school sweetheart, Jake McCord.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

Absolutely nothing in the book is from a my own personal life experience. The book is entirely a work of fiction, but centers around my interest in detective work as well as my love of solving mysteries.

I know this isn’t your first book, only your first cozy. What else have you written?

I have written mostly non-fiction up until this point. My non-fiction series is entitled, I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak and includes two books at the moment. The third book and final in the series will be out at the end of 2016.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently working on the second book in the Shelly Martin Cozy Mystery series as well as the third book in the I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak series.

How do you conquer writer’s block? (Please let me know your secret.)

The best way I have found to overcome writer’s block is to perform some type of manual labor, like cleaning out the barn or gardening and mowing the lawn. Once I step away from my writing cave for a few hours and get all gross and sweaty from farm chores, I am eager to start writing again. There is no shortage of story material here on my hobby farm and I get many ideas when shoveling manure. 🙂

I am guessing you read a lot of mysteries. Do you enjoy reading other genres as well? What are you currently reading?

I love to read mysteries as well as a few other genres – paranormal fantasy, non-fiction essays, science fiction and clean romance – to name a few. I am currently reading A Chance to Get it Right (Copperhead Creek – Australian Romance Book 2) by SM Spencer.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I have always wanted to go to Australia to see the unique sights and sounds of the Land Down Under. I adore koala bears and kangaroos, so that would be a thrill for me to see them in the wild. I would also love to go to Lake Como, Italy and meet some of the members of my distant family tree.

Double Hearts – A Shelly Martin Cozy Mystery

Shelly Martin recently opened her detective agency after working in the Austin Police Department as a criminologist. In her newest case, she is determined to solve the mystery of who hit Vernon Sykes and left him for dead on a desolate road in the middle of the night.

Jake McCord was Shelly’s high school sweetheart until he left town without a word to her about his whereabouts. When he returns to Austin after fifteen years away, he hopes for a second chance with Shelly. Little does he know that he will be involved in a criminal investigation led by her.

Will their reunion be tarnished by his supposed negligence or will the facts present him as the victim of a cunning crime?

About S.A. Molteni

samolteni S.A. Molteni is a retired systems engineer. She is also currently a hobby farmer, avid traveler and an author of several award-winning short stories. She lives on a small homestead with her husband and a menagerie of very spoiled farm animals.