IR- What does it mean to you to be called an author? 

JS- When someone calls me an author I still have a hard time believing it. It was a dream for so long. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment.

IR- Can you tell us a bit about the story and its main characters?

JS- I’ve always wanted to put my two amateur sleuths together. They each have different traits and they don’t get along. In Weed Lake, the two women accidentally end up vacationing in the same resort and being in cabins next to each other. Then they find a dead body and the carping begins.

IR- What inspired the idea for your book?

JS- Part of the reason I decided to put Granny and Jezabelle together is they are both funny in their own way and…it was a good way to write two characters who find, despite their differences, they can get along and work together. We need that today in society.

IR- What was the most surprising thing you learned in writing this book?

JS- It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written for Granny and Jezabelle and I still don’t know what antics they are going to surprise me with. They always wrote their own story and they still do.

IR- Tell us about a favorite character from the book.

JS- Granny and Jezabelle along with their two friends Mavis and Lizzy are always favorites, but in this book, I introduce new characters as I may make a series from Weed Lake without Granny and Jezabelle. I think Phil Puxatawny is one of my favorites in this book. He’s kind of clueless but I think he has a good heart and someday maybe we’ll see he’s not as clueless as he appears to be.

IR- Do you have any “side stories” about any the characters? 

JS- My side stories would be my Fuchsia Series which introduces Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestady aka Granny, and the Brilliant Series which introduces Jezabelle Jingle. Though these books are silly and have a good mystery, it is the characters whose lives are explained throughout the series and their side stories explain why they are the way they are. Just like us. We are a product of so many stories in our lives that make us who we are today.

IR- Where did you come up with the names in the story? 

JS- Names just come to me. There is no rhyme or reason. Most of the time the name dictates the character.

IR- If you were friends with a character in this book, what kinds of things would you do together?

JS- Have coffee, dance, drink wine and explore weird places. 

IR- How do you define success as an author?

JS- Although I would love an award for my writing I never enter any contests. Reading takes us away into worlds we might never know in reality. My goal is to make people feel, laugh, care, and step away from their lives to refresh whatever it is that needs to be renewed.

IR- Can you share a day in the life of an author?

JS- The past year my days have not been that of an author as I have a husband with short term memory loss. I just couldn’t write but finally, I realized writing is my happy place. I get up early, usually around 5:30. I have become a morning person. I might blog, I do some social media, and then I edit or spend time working on a chapter. I’ve made the decision to write a chapter a day. I quit around noon to do some housework and then spend time with my husband or reading. I love to read and I am back to doing book reviews on my site.

IR- What difference do you see between a writer and an author?

JS- I’ve always been a journal person where I write my joys, sorrows, and fears. My blog is an extension of that, especially Sprinkled Notes. I wrote a column for 12 years for an area newspaper called Something About Nothing. To me, that is writing. When I weave a story that turns into a book that has a plot, that is when I’m an author.

IR- What was the defining moment that made you say to yourself, “Today, I am going to write a book that I will publish.”?

JS- I never had that defining moment. It came as a whim that I sent a manuscript in and it was what I call a God thing that my books were published. It just happened and I don’t know where that whim came from except from up above. I’d always wanted to be an author but never had the courage to pursue it.

IR- How do you avoid or defeat writer’s block?

JS- I turn to watercolor painting or a craft to get me away from writing and that inspires me to be able to write again. A different time of creativity helps or being around other creative people.

IR- What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

JS- Put those words on the page without worrying about being perfect and then find a good editor to perfect it.

IR- What are you working on in the near future?

JS- I’ve been asked by readers to put together a book of my blog posts and columns. I am going to work on that along with new books in my series. First I want to finish a serious book I’ve been writing for years called The Joy Killer. It’s about a 60 year old woman who leaves her house in the middle of the night to reconnect with who she is.

IR- What comes first for you — the plot or the characters?

JS- Neither, I fly by the seat of my pants. For Weed Lake, the characters were there at least four of them. I had an idea of where but not what and not who. I just start writing and it takes care of itself.

IR- As an author what do you think makes a good story?

JS- I feel a plot that draws readers in on the first few chapters and then characters. A reader has to care about the characters. Who they are, why they do what they do. It doesn’t have to all be revealed at once but a reader needs to wonder what more might be revealed about their personalities.

IR- Who is your audience?

JS- Cozy readers and surprisingly enough kids like my books too although I warn their parents about Granny’s penchant for risque underwear.

IR- What has been your favorite reader feedback?

JS- Lol, one of my worst reviews. The reader gave me a one star and said I had scrambled eggs for brains and I wrote like Dr. Seuss. I love Dr. Seuss so though it was meant to be negative, I loved it.

IR- How do you interact with your readers?

JS- Mostly on social media and through book signings and library events. Many of my readers have become my friends. I learn so much from them.

IR- What is your all time favorite book or author? Do you think this has influenced your writing?

JS- I have so many. Not one book is my favorite. I read different genres. Knowing some of the authors I read have been helpful as authors, even best selling authors, are so helpful when you need advice.

IR- What do you look for in a story as a reader?

JS- I like mysteries, thrillers, and books that resonate with my soul. I also look for books by new authors I haven’t heard of.

IR- What is the first book that you remember reading?

JS- Not a specific book but Trixie Beldon books were my favorites way back when. I still have them.

IR- What is an underrated author that you think everyone should read at least once? 

JS- The Lines We Cross by R. L. McCalla. She formerly wrote for Harlequin under Rachelle McCalla and I loved those books, but The Lines We Cross makes us stop short and think about repercussions when it comes to editing DNA. It’s a mystery and a book I couldn’t put down.

IR- Aside from writing or reading, what are your hobbies or interests?

JS- I love to spend time with my grandchildren, watercolor painting and I love watching crime shows on TV.

IR- What would the title of your autobiography be?

JS- She Is Confused.

IR- Describe yourself in as few words as possible.

JS- Someone who believes you’re never too old to dream.

IR- If you could have lunch with 3 authors (past or present) who would they be and what do you think you would all talk about during lunch?

JS- Allen Eskens, Claire Cook and Diane Weiner, and Brian Freeman. Sorry, that’s four… Writing of course. Plotlines. And I would like to ask Brian Freeman if I could live in his brain for a while so I could see where he gets his ideas.

IR- What would your dream library look like?

JS- Floor to ceiling bookcases, round room with ladders, and hidden staircases behind bookshelves that had secret doors. A window seat is also a must.

IR- If you had your own talk show, what would the topic be and who would be your first guest(s)? 

JS- I would continue on with what my column was and that is Sprinkled Notes. I would have ordinary people on because everyone has a story and by sharing we help each other. 

IR- If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?

JS- I always thought Polly Holliday from Alice would make a great Granny with Betty White as Mavis.

IR- Name three fun facts about you or your work.

1. I never know when I start what’s going to happen or where I’m going to go with a book.
2. I became a computer technician at the age of  55 and after a few years opened my own computer sales and service business, taking over from my former boss.
3. My best career was being a mom. Nothing can top that.

JS-

IR- If you went on a road trip with any author, dead or alive, who would it be, and where would you go? 

JS- I would love to go on a road trip with Author Jessie Chandler. She is quirky and fun and would make me laugh.

IR- What is something you can do better than anyone else you know?

JS- Talk about nothing. I tend to rattle on.

IR- If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?

JS- If I had the money I would build tiny home villages for Senior Citizens that were affordable.

About The Book

Weed Lake: A Fuchsia/Brilliant, MN Crossover

Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt, aka Granny, and Jezabelle Jingle are supersleuths in their own communities, Granny from Fuchsia and Jezabelle from Brilliant. Because they live only twenty miles apart in rural Minnesota, they are careful not to encroach on each other’s territory. Granny and Jezabelle both believe a rivalry exists on who is the better crime solver.

When Delight Delure, Granny’s friend and Jezabelle’s niece, sends them on vacation with the women’s two best friends, Mavis and Lizzy, they don’t know they will be actual cabin neighbors at Weed Lake in Northern Minnesota. During a skirmish with each other and an accidental plop in the lake, they find a dead body. Adding to the mystery are clues and puzzles left on their doorstep that may warn of danger and others that show friendship and caring. Which one should they believe? Are their lives in peril, or are they being pranked, and to what end?

The two cunning amateur sleuths work together to solve a murder that Sheriff Phil Puxatawny doesn’t take seriously. But mayhem breaks out, having all four women wondering if they’ll leave Weed Lake alive.

Purchase Links: Amazon – Apple – Kobo – Angus & Robertson  

About the Author

Julie Seedorf grew up in Southern Minnesota, attending grade school and high school in a small community. She learned the value of small-town life and small-town relationships. Still living in rural Minnesota, she cherishes the beauty of the changing seasons and the various landscapes the state offers.

Through the years, she has worn many hats. Her favorite was activity director in a nursing home and finally computer repair and sales, eventually earning her own business before retiring to write and enjoy life.

She is a wife and proud mother of two boys and one daughter, along with four grandchildren. Being a mom and grandmother is her favorite career. Julie feels no other job can hold a candle to raising up a child in the way they should go. Remember the poem? Watching the world through a child’s eyes and seeing them light up with wonder takes us to the beauty of simple things we sometimes lose as an adult.

Julie has four-book series. Granny’s In Trouble, Fuchsia, MN, Brilliant, MN, and the Whistle Stop Series. She likes to write light mysteries occasionally bordering on silly and fantasy because she believes we need to take ourselves out of the real world for a space of time to laugh and relax.

Author Links

• Website – http://julieseedorf.com
• Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author
• Instagram – http://instagram.com/julie_seedorf
• Twitter – http://twitter.com/julieseedorf
• Blog – http://sprinklednotes.com
• Blog – http://the-pink-per-cola-tor.com
• GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6556799.Julie_Seedorf

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 1 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 1 –Nellie’s Book Nook – REVIEW

March 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 2 – The Editing Pen – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 3 – Ascroft, eh? – GUEST POST

March 4 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST

March 6 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

March 7 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

March 8 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 9 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

March 10 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

March 11 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

March 12 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

March 13 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 14 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT