MYSTERY HAPPENS WITH BOBBYE TERRY

Bobbye Terry, Author

I'm so pleased to have my friend Bobbye Terry as a guest today. Bobbye is a genuine Southern belle, transplanted to the dry cotton fields of West Texas. I used to live near those fields--talk about culture shock for Bobbye!  But she is doing quite well, thank you very much, and turning out so many good books you'd think she had three arms and two keyboards. Nope, just one very determined author who has the discipline to work hard. Please help me welcome Bobbye.

Caroline: How did you get into writing as a career?

West Texas Cotton Field

Bobbye: A fluke or series of them. Maybe it was fate. They could be the same thing. The first time I was consulting in a feast or famine situation when I thought about writing a novel and realized I didn’t know how to write anything but nonfiction. Then I found VRW, Virginia Romance Writers, an RWA chapter. The rest is history.


Caroline: It must have been fate. No one could write as well or as fast as you unless you were destined to become a writer. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Bobbye: Fun, imagination, lively upbeat characters, good development, realistic dialogue and a sound plot. I want readers to remember me.

Caroline: Your characters are fun and I think all your readers will remember you. In what genres do you write? Why more than one?

Bobbye: I love to read many different kinds of writing and so I write them as well ( not just fiction but nonfiction, many types, and poetry). I started in romantic comedy writing with a cowriter as Terry Campbell. To this day, I find it difficult to write anything without humor. I also write fantasy and sci-fi as Daryn Cross and suspense and women’s fiction under my real name, Bobbye Terry.

 Caroline: You do have a gift for comedy, even in your fantasy and sci-fi. Who are your favorite authors?

Bobbye: Too many to name, I do have a lot of Caroline Clemmons books. I love Dean Koontz and grew up with many of the icons of sci fi. In mystery/thriller, how about James Patterson? Love cozies, so add Nancy Cohen’s Bad Hair Day Mysteries. I adore Cindy Sample’s DYING FOR A DATE. On a different mystery note, before I forget, watch out for Tina Whittle. She has a touch of genius with her first release, THE DANGEROUS EDGE OF THINGS. I haven’t even touched the surface regarding authors.

Caroline: Thanks very much for the promo! I have you to thank for telling me about Cindy Sample's DYING FOR A DATE, which I loved. I was already a fan of Nancy Cohen's books. Now I'll have to check out Tina Whittle's book.  Oops, back to the interview. Describe yourself in three words.

Bobbye: Determined, loyal and genuine. Like me or not, I am what I am, so are my friends—and if you don’t like it, too bad. I’ll prove to you I can do whatever I set out to do and take my buddies with me.


Caroline: Yes, those words describe you perfectly! Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Bobbye: I am a pantzer (panzer, whatever) with moderate plotting interruptions. In other words, I can’t know how I’m going to get there because it ruins it, just like knowing the ending of a book I read; but, I think I know where I’ll end up—though sometimes that changes. How do you like that for a circuitous answer?


Caroline: The truth is always a good answer. You’re a prolific writer. Do you have a writing schedule?



Bobbye Terry's photo of a Texas sunrise

 Bobbye: Absolutely—sun up to sun down.  Okay, I usually start at 7:30-8:00 a.m. and stop at 6 or so in the evening for dinner with frequent interruptions and errands. But I have written until ten or beyond. It just depends on the muse and the deadline, the latter usually self-imposed.


Caroline: Oh, yes, when the muse is with us, we don't dare stop writing, do we? Are you attending any conferences this year or scheduled as a speaker? Blog tours or other promotions?


Bobbye: No conferences right now but I am always blogging, do a regular stint twice a month for Writers Fun Zone and The Mojito Literary Society. I even have folks asking me to blog which is a great honor. I promote in a variety of ways from promos on websites to contests. Just check me out at Mystery Happens, http://bobbyeterry.blogspot.com/

Caroline: Any guilty pleasures or vices you’d care to share?

Bobbye: Red wine, dark chocolate and a great cup of coffee. Can I add handsome men? That used to work great, but frankly, they don’t work half as well as good books do anymore. Now if the right one came along in a few years…maybe.


Caroline: I hope the right one for you comes along. When you’re not writing, what do you do to relax?


Bobbye: Gee, not sure I know how to completely relax. My mind works 24/7 Now here’s a surprising one: I read, EVERYTHING. I even read the tabloids in the grocery line, the backs of boxes, candy wrappers, anything I can get my hands on. Nothing to read? I’ve been known to write out points for a plot on a scrap of paper from my purse.


Caroline: That sounds like my husband and me. We HAVE to read something. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?


Bobbye: BICHOK—Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. It’s the only thing that works when you’re trying to get published. The more you write the better you get at it. Of course, you have to read about the right way to craft a novel, all the fine nuances. Learn from those who walked that way before.


Caroline: BICHOK works! Tell us about your latest release, BURIED IN BRINY BAY. I read it and really enjoyed it. Your surprise near the end caught me off guard.


Available Now!





Bobbye: Here's the blurb:

Roxie Turner finds herself up to her neck in trouble when her lifelong nemesis, Georgia Collins, is discovered buried in the town’s landfill. To make matters worse, with her characteristic Southern sass, Roxie has been saying she’d kill Georgia for more than twenty years. In fact, she listed the ways to do the woman in, constantly reminding prominent citizens of her intent. It was all a joke, or so she thought. But the joke turns on her as, suddenly, other dead bodies begin to pile up, all murdered with a technique from Roxie’s list.

Enlisting the assistance of handsome hunk, PI Greg Norris, Roxie’s sister, Trixie Frye, comes to her aid, bent on uncovering the killer and the truth. Can they find out both before Roxie goes to the big house?

Caroline: The sisters, Roxie and Trixie, are fun characters and I liked Greg a lot, too. Can you give us an excerpt?


Bobbye: Certainly. Here’s an excerpt:

Trixie groaned as she flopped on her living room sofa. “I’d never have guessed our town’s detectives could be so downright unpleasant.”


“Make that shitty.” Roxie sat in a side chair and crossed her arms. “I can’t believe our own brother took us in. And you were just about as bad. Thanks for getting us dragged in for two hours.”


“Look.” Trixie waved her finger in the air. “I was dragged in with you. It’s no fun being related to a cold-blooded killer.”


“I am not a killer.” Roxie voice quivered on the last word.


“Sorry.” Trixie kicked off her shoes. “I told you the detectives surprised me with how good they are—at the end, they even had me convinced.”


Roxie sagged against the chair back. “Sure I’ve thought of ways to kill Georgia for nigh on twenty years, but I could have done a lot better than dumping her in the landfill. Even throwing her in the Pamlico Sound like I suggested once. That would have been better. There’ve been a lot of bodies they’ve never found out there. It’s just a matter of watching the tide and the moon phase. Then there’s that area, you know the one off the point with all the sharp jutting rocks and the deep drop-off…”


“Roxie, too much information. Remember, Georgia’s dead with a capital ‘D.’” Trixie rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Who else would the police think did it? You had cause, that’s for sure, and you’ve even told the mayor how you planned to kill her. Everyone thought you were joshing, but now that someone’s actually murdered her, well, thinking you did it is a natural conclusion.”


“So how do we convince them otherwise, Trix? I don’t look good in yellow or stripes.”

Caroline: Such a fun pair. Where can readers find your books?

Bobbye: Just about everywhere: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Smashwords, Koby, Sony, Apple. Look, you’ll probably find them.

Caroline: And there are a lot of books to find if you include the Terry Campbell books. How can readers learn more about you?

Bobbye: I already told you about one of my blogs. I’m also at http://daryncross-fantasy.blogspotcom/ and on my websites at http://www.bobbyeterry-mysteryhappens.com/ and www.DarynCross.com

Caroline: Thanks for being a guest, Bobbye. Best wishes for lots of sales of your books.

Bobbye: Thanks for having me.