Donna Huston Murray – Smart and Witty Mysteries

Cozy Philadelphia? Not after reading Donna Huston Murray’s Thrillers!

Smart/Witty Mystery Author Donna Huston MurraryHello and welcome to our second Author Interview Plunge. Today’s guest is mystery author Donna Huston Murray.

Everyone, please stand up and give Donna a big round of applause for taking part in our Author Interview Plunge series.

I got to page 50 and couldn’t remember what I’d done with the gun.

 

Donna Huston Murray’s Bio
Donna Huston Murray’s first eight mystery novels were Cozies featuring a woman much like herself, a DIY headmaster’s wife with a troubling interest in crime. FINAL ARRANGEMENTS, set at Philadelphia’s world famous flower show, achieved #1 on the Kindle-store list for both Mysteries and Female Sleuths. The first in Murray’s new mystery/crime series, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU, garnered Honorable Mention in the 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. At home, she assumes she can fix anything until proven wrong, calls trash-picking recycling, and, although she should probably know better, adores Irish setters. Not sure if adoring Irish setters has anything to do with it and Donna tells me she’s moving beyond the Cozy genre (and her latest book proves it).

My most treasured fan comment is “I just want to thank you. My daughter started reading because of your books.”

 
Donna’s favorites of her own novels are Final Arrangements (A Ginger Barnes cozy mystery), What Doesn’t Kill You and Guilt Trip (both new Lauren Beck cozies), and For Better or Worse (a Ginger Barnes thriller and her most recent. Donna tells me it contains surprising info about spousal abuse).

Donna and I talked about writing cozies, setting murders in Philadelphia,

When your plot is at a dead end, try to think what the antagonist is doing.

 
writing versus editing, success, gaining confidence and finding your own voice in your work.

Confidence came hard for me.

 
You can find links to Donna’s books on the right or at the bottom of this post (depending on your device). You’ll also find links to Donna’s sites underneath the video. And please comment both pro and pro. Okay, con, too, if something really peeves you.

Good antagonists are worth their weight in gold.

 

The Interview

Donna Huston Murray’s Links
Donna’s website
Donna’s Books on Amazon
Donna on Facebook
Donna on Twitter

Donna and I talked about some sites she uses:

Check them out.

Special bonus to all watchers, listeners and readers of Donna Huston Murray’s interview; Be one of the first to comment or share (and let us know) and receive a free copy of Donna’s latest Ginger Barnes Cozy, FOR BETTER OR WORSE

Have your own voice. That’s what editors notice, that’s what readers want.

 

5 thoughts on “Donna Huston Murray – Smart and Witty Mysteries”

  1. Her favorite part is the rewrites?????
    By the way, she’s correct about critique groups, or any criticism. If you listen to too many people, or the wrong ones, your book will be a major muddle.