BOOK TOUR

I'm so happy to get to be a stop on the book tour for

KNOT OF THIS WORLD

Book 8 in the Quilting Mysteries

by Mary Marks

Quilter Martha Rose must patch together the clues to solve the murder of a cult leader in the California mountains . . .
 
Has Martha’s fellow quilter and dear friend Birdie Watson become unraveled? Birdie and her new husband have decided to join the Mystical Feather Society, a spiritist group living on a commune in the mountains of Ojai, California. Before her free-spirited friend makes a huge mistake, Martha organizes a surprise visit to check out the commune. While white-robed members conduct a seancé in a glass yurt, their leader—Royal St. Germain—is nowhere to be found . . . until, that is, Martha and her friends discover him shot in their Winnebago. Now Martha must track down the killer and debunk the cult—before it's bye bye Birdie . . .

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

5 lucky readers will each win a print copy of

KNOT OF THIS WORLD

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

Winner will be chosen after August 23 at the end of the tour.

USA only

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.

LKBR: Thank you for joining us today, Mary.

LKBR: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

MM: When I was in my 60s I had the vague ambition of writing a memoir. That changed when I took a mystery writing workshop. I discovered the joy and the fun of writing cozy mysteries. That was around ten years ago. My first book was published when I was 70 years old.

LKBR: Are you working on any new projects?

MM: Yes, but not literary projects. I Just finished writing the ninth book in the series, due to be published in 2021. My new endeavor requires a bit of sewing skill and a good imagination. I am sewing a lot of new quilt tops while we shelter in place.

LKBR: Was getting your first book published everything you thought it would be? The feelings? The process?

MM: First of all, I was skeptical about getting published. So the fact that I found an agent was to me miraculous. We then spent six months editing and rewriting the first draft.

When she finally sent out my manuscript, I honestly didn’t expect much. But she sold the book in 3 days to a (wonderful) New York publisher who offered me a three book contract.

LKBR: How did you handle it when changes were made to your first manuscript? I don’t have a thick skin, so I know how I would have felt.

MM: I don’t know whether it’s the maturity that age brings or the fact that writing was only something I did, but not who I was, but I never had a problem when people (fellow writers, editors) suggested changes. From the beginning, I sought the help of a writing coach and critique group for all nine of the books in this series. I’m grateful for their feedback, because they all made me a better writer.

LKBR: What is your favorite part of being a writer?

MM: Sitting at the computer and letting my characters tell me where they want to go in the story. Sometimes they surprise me with wonderful twists and turns.

The second-best thing is hearing from my readers that they loved reading the story as much as I did writing it.

LKBR: Have you ever read a book that has stayed with you long after reading it?

MM: Parts of books have touched something very fragile or important inside me, and these I tend to remember.

LKBR: Why are reviews, good or bad, so important to authors?

MM: The first thing an author must understand before reading reviews is that not everyone will like their book. It’s not only okay to get some negative feedback, its inevitable.

I love knowing how my readers feel about my stories, especially the ones who love them. As for the ones (not many) who don’t like my stories, I find some of their comments very instructive.

Authors who don’t read reviews won’t have to subject themselves to the negative comments of dissatisfied readers. But they’ll also miss the reassuring strokes they get from fans.

LKBR: On what sites do you recommend readers leave their reviews?

MM: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads.

LKBR: Thank you so much, Mary for letting us get to know you better!

MM: Once again, Lisa, it has been my pleasure.

There’s nothing I can say about author Mary Marks that her legions of fan don’t already know. She’s a suburb writer, and each new book she writes serves as proof.

In, KNOT OF THIS WORLD, Ms. Marks touches on a subject I don’t recall ever seeing in a cozy mystery. Cults. Having just watched a couple documentaries on that very subject, I was curious to see how the author handled it. I was pleased to see the story didn’t dig too deep into the subject, making it interesting, but still within the confines of the cozy format.   

This was a mystery up to the standards of which I have come to expect from this author. Extremely well executed, there were twists and turns that led down wrong ways and dead ends, all of which served to make KNOT OF THIS WORLD a hard one for me to solve.

With delightful characters, mystery, mayhem, and plain old great storytelling, KNOT OF THIS WORLD is an out of this world read!

About Mary Marks

 

 Born and raised in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, Mary Marks earned a B.A. in Anthropology from UCLA and an M.A. in Public Administration from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. In 2004 she enrolled in the UCLA Extension Writers Program. Her first novel, Forget Me Knot, was a finalist in a national writing competition in 2011. She is currently a reviewer of cozy mysteries for The New York Journal of Books at www.nyjournalofbooks.com 

Author Links Kensington https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496720511/knot-of-this-world/ 

Website: https://marymarksmysteries.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmarks2013 

Purchase Links

 Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Google Play - IndieBound 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

August 17 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
August 18 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
August 19 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
August 19 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
August 19 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
August 20 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 21 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting – REVIEW
August 21 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 22 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 22 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 22 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
August 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 23 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST
August 23 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

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