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What can you tell us about your new release, Drip Drop Dead?

It’s the creepiest book I have written so far. At least according to my husband lol. A woman is found dead in her bed and at first they think she must have died in her sleep, until they realize the cause of death is drowning. Emma Frost digs into the case and soon realizes she’s up against a killer who is quite out of the ordinary and who knows how to gain access to any house on the island. This is a book that might ruin your daily shower as you will never look at a water drain the same again.

What fictional literary world would you most like to visit?

I desperately want to go to Fantastica and ride on Falkor, the luck-dragon from the Neverending Story. It has been a dream of mine since I was just a kid. I even have a dog that looks like him now and sometimes I call him Falkor in the hope he’ll start flying but it hasn’t happened yet.

What’s on your writing desk?

Lots of small knickknacks. Many of them are turtle figures since I love turtles. I also have snow globes. I collect snow globes and then I shake them when I need a break to think while writing.

BAM. You're a superhero. What’s your superpower?

Teleportation powers. I want to be able to go see my family across the pond whenever I want.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

Stop telling people you want to be a vet, when you know deep down that you don’t want to be one. You’re just saying it to please people. Because you know it makes your parents proud. Fact is you want to be a writer. They’ll find out eventually so you might as well tell them.

If you had to pick one place to vacation for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Cocoa Beach, Florida. Wait…I already live there. Guess I am vacationing there for the rest of my life.

What scene in Drip Drop Dead was your favorite to write?

There were a lot of fun scenes to write. The first one was probably my favorite, where this woman keeps hearing strange sounds from her drains and from her bathroom at night. She thinks she is going crazy and being paranoid until she realizes she’s not. By then it is too late.

Willow Rose is the author of the new book Drip Drop Dead. 

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What can you tell us about your new release, The Betrayed?

The book is set in the posh oceanside city of Newport, RI where forbidden desires, money, power, betrayals and murders tangle.

We have an anxiety-plagued protagonist struggling to trust herself again, an unscrupulous wannabe mobster from Federal Hill in Providence, love interests with both Gilded Age old wealth and new money, and a secret affair between two men.

I think of myself as an armchair sleuth and this book is intended for someone like me, trying to figure out ‘whodunit’ through motive, means and opportunity but with plot twists to keep one guessing until the very end.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

My undergraduate degree is in English, so I’ve always enjoyed writing.  However, the inspiration to write a book came when, by chance, I picked up a murder mystery book by a well-known author whose work I had not read yet.  The book was set in Newport, RI where I’ve lived.  Upon finishing the book I was frustrated as the ending was predictable and the setting could have been ‘Anytown’, USA with only a couple of Newport reference points thrown in.  That’s when I decided to write a book that would give the reader a strong sense of place, a bit of history, some romantic tension and a lot of mystery.

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

Night Shift by Stephen King.  It was the first Stephen King book (technically a collection of short stories) I had ever read.  I was in the sixth grade and I was indelibly impressed by the master of macabre, suspense and thriller.  I could name many other Stephen King books as favorites but I’ll move on.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  The only book I have ever read where I felt so invested in a relationship that it actually made me cry.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.  I really enjoy his style of fast-paced story, historical context and description of place.

Harry Potter, the entire series, by J.K. Rowling

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

It will have to be a supernatural talk show.  Perhaps employing the Ouija Board (which, fun fact, is made by Hasbro in Rhode Island) so I can interview Charlotte Bronte.  Often time writers base their characters on real people.  I would ask her if there was a real person inspiration for the character of Jane Eyre.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

The freedom to explore ideas, identities and actions that might take you deeper into self-reflection or be completely incongruous to your own life.

What is a typical day like for you?

The day starts with a ritual of making coffee in a French press, I sit at my desk and check news headlines, emails, social media.  At some point daily projects like grocery shopping, gardening, laundry and cooking get done.  I am a bit of an obsessive cleaner, so that takes place daily.  I try, emphasis on try, to exercise.  To be honest, most days I consider cleaning to be a workout, which then justifies my having a glass of wine. Oh, and I write.

What scene in The Betrayed was your favorite to write?

Without giving too much away, the final confrontation where all is revealed.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Yes.  It’s an oldie but a goodie.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.  It’s the life in your years.”—Abraham Lincoln

Maria Milot is the author of the new book The Betrayed. 

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