Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf: Author Interview With Billie Thomas

About The Author:

Billie Thomas is the pseudonym of a Birmingham-based author. After the real Billie passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2011, getting Murder on the First Day of Christmas, the first of a series, revised and published was her daughter’s top priority as a way to honor the mom who had given her a lifelong love of books.

In her real life, Ms. Thomas writes within the advertising industry and is a founding member of the writing collective, IndieVisible. Other publications include Bar Code: Your Personal Pocket Decoder to the Modern Dating Scene.

The author enjoys combining her interests in decorating and gourmet cooking with her writing. She is still trying to solve the mystery of her own love life.

Find Billie Thomas on the Web:
Twitter | Official Page | Goodreads | Facebook

Interview:

How has your upbringing influenced your writing?

My mom and I have always been big mystery fans and we traded books back and forth endlessly. No matter how our relationship was going at the time (can you say ‘rollercoaster’?), our love of mysteries was always neutral ground. I began to toy with the idea of writing a fun, funny mystery with a mother-daughter relationship much like our own. From the first chapter, I could tell I was on to something special.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I’ve been a writer since before I could hold a pencil. In school, I would actually write the books I did book reports on. (I can’t believe my teachers let me do that.) It always came so naturally to me that it was – and still is – a joy.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?

Writing is easy and fun for me. Storytelling – that’s another matter. The structure of a well-paced story didn’t come naturally to me the way it seems to for other writers. It’s something I’ve taken classes for and continue to work at.

Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot?

Several of my characters are inspired by real people in my life. The mother-daughter relationship is like a greatest-hits version of the one I had with my own mother. I’m so thankful I have this series When my mom died unexpectedly of an aneurism at the end of 2011, I was so glad I had this book and that it was the first in a series. Working on it makes me feel close to her.

Can we expect any more books from you in the future?

Absolutely! I’m working on Murder in a Two-Seater now. It’s set at a classic car show and someone close to Chloe and Amanda is accused of murder, forcing them to investigate again.

What are your current writing projects now?

I’m very excited about my main character Chloe’s blog, chloegetsaclue.com. The character interviews she does are so much fun and we meet the best authors that way. She also stars in her mini mysteries “From the Case Files of Chloe Carstairs.” Those are getting to be so popular that I may have to release a book of short stories here soon, to tide readers over while I finish Murder in a Two-Seater.

What are your current writing projects now?

I’m very excited about my main character Chloe’s blog, chloegetsaclue.com. The character interviews she does are so much fun and we meet the best authors that way. She also stars in her mini mysteries “From the Case Files of Chloe Carstairs.” Those are getting to be so popular that I may have to release a book of short stories here soon, to tide readers over while I finish Murder in a Two-Seater.

What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out?

I’m part of a writers’ collective called Indie-Visible.com, which helps connect indie writers with the resources they need to be successful at self-publishing. It’s a lot hard work to go indie, but very fulfilling to take your destiny into your own hands.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Connect with other writers. I love writing but it’s not the solitary experience everyone thinks it is. You need to workshop your early drafts and network at conferences. You need have people to commiserate with when rejections start rolling in. And you’ll need connections to help you market your book – which you’ll have to do yourself whether you go the indie or the traditional publishing route. I’ve met some of the best, most creative and generous people through writing .

What do you do to unwind and relax?

I love cooking, hiking with my Rhodesian Ridgback, Kamali, and traveling. Every chance I get, I take off for somewhere exotic: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peru and Costa Rico just to name a few.

When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have?

I’ll never stop writing, even if it’s just for myself. But I hope I’ve made people laugh and given them an escape for a few hours. And I hope that my Mom knows about these book and is proud of me.

See more at - http://blog.orangeberrypromo.com/2013/02/author-interview-billie-thomas/

What’s your favorite place in the entire world? My house. Not just this specific house I live in now, but wherever I call home. I used to call my house my fortress of solitude but I’ve learned to share it with my boyfriend and my dog. And even that is tricky at times. I love having a calm, cozy place to close out the world and enjoy my own company for a while. - See more at: http://blog.orangeberrypromo.com/2013/02/author-interview-billie-thomas/#sthash.xymAc7B2.dpuf

Shadow Of Time:

Title: Murder on the First Day of Christmas
Author: Billie Thomas
Publication Date: December 17th 2012
Publisher:Annie Acorn

Finding a severed hand at a client’s house might throw lesser decorators off their games. But Chloe Carstairs and her mother, Amanda, won’t let a little thing like murder keep them from decking the halls. With a body under the partridge’s pear tree and a dead Santa in a sleigh, they have to crack the case before the killer strikes again - this time much too close to home.

Filled with laugh-out-loud humor, romance and a delightfully difficult mother-daughter relationship, this new series from Billie Thomas offers a fast-paced caper as these two southern ladies try to keep their very merry Christmas from turning into the Noel from hell.

Find Murder on the First Day of Christmas Online:

Goodreads