Editor Note: Hamish has another in his series of Five Questions With…
Hamish came up with this idea because he was accumulating too much material for his Famous News Sushi column and asked if he could do these mini-interviews. Why would we say no?
Thank you, Hamish, for being such a trooper for us. We really appreciate all of your hard work.
Let us know what you think of these interviews in the comments below.
TGG: If you’ve read this website before, you will have seen us talk about the amazing Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc; she even has a column on this very site you are reading now… go check it out!
But, for those of you who haven’t, here’s a quick summary from Andrea’s bio: Tortured, twisted, talented and troubled, Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc is a saint to some, sinner to others, and a bane on the few who cross her. Living by her own set of warrior ways and Bohemian paths, Andrea is a force of nature and a true power beyond reckoning. Out of a 12-year retirement, a consummate dreamer, she is plagued by nightmares that not many people could endure, proving that the genius mind is ALWAYS the most corrupted. Visit her on social media and maybe, just maybe…catch a glimpse of her walking alone in a moonlit cemetery.
TG Geeks: Can you please tell us about your new book, Detective Limmer’s Mini Whodunits?
Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc: First off, thank you for your support and this interview. It means a lot, as this is my first foray into mystery work.
So far, I can tell you…I am having a blast with Detective Limmer and mini-mysteries. I never knew they could be so fun.
Detective Archibald Limmer is my mystery-solving alter ego…a middle-aged, red-haired, fair-skinned, freckled, and moustachioed widower who has an uncanny knack for solving mysteries that no one else can figure out.
TGG: Sounds like a lot of fun. Can you tell us what inspired you to go in this direction?
ADVS: My thing has always been Horror. I had an awesome Aunt who loved Horror. She and my Uncle lived next door, and they were young and had no children, so guess where I always could be found?
I was watching Horror at age 5.
As I got older and started writing, I naturally gravitated toward horror, and that’s what I wrote for many years.
Then, I retired. Retirement wasn’t for me (in the interim, I became a music mixologist and digital artist), and then decided that as much as I wish I could stay retired, it just wasn’t to be. Once fully out of retirement, it seemed my “horror” shifted.
Oh, I tried to return to my “roots,” writing a Vampire series called The Blackford Manor Vampires, and while I enjoyed it, it just didn’t stick.
So…I found myself veering and exploring, and…there I was… elsewhere…in shadow rather than total darkness.
More macabre and eerie than scary or gory, I suddenly found myself, with the release of my first post-retirement book, The Caretaker’s Cottage Library, and by reviewers, being hailed as “The new Poe.”
Before I knew it, I found myself being tapped on the shoulder by this crime-solving alter ego, and… Detective Archibald Limmer was born.
My very first murder mystery mini-book is now live and ready to be devoured. I really hope that’s how people enjoy it; thoroughly and fully immersed in mystery with my beloved Detective Limmer.
TGG: Sounds a bit Hercule Poirot-esque. Do you have a favourite Agatha Christie novel?
ADVS: I wish I could be original, but…Murder On The Orient Express.
I LOVE old, Victorian trains (actually, I just love trains) but the Orient Express…the opulence, the grace, the propriety, and murder to boot?
I’m in!
TGG: It is famous for a reason! You seem so free to explore whichever way the creative winds blow in your retirement; what have you enjoyed most, and do you have any advice for other indie authors out there?
ADVS: I think what I’ve enjoyed the most is even though I’m out of retirement now and back to writing full time, in real life, I’m retired…as in… retired.
There’s no pressure now…no sales quotas to make, no publishers to impress.
Except for The Caretaker’s Cottage Library (which was snapped up by a publisher the minute I peeked my head up on social media) I’ve returned to what I love best… self-publishing the rest of my work.
However…even with The Caretaker’s Cottage Library, I’m allowing the publisher to keep all the royalties.
I make NO commission, money, royalties, nothing.
That’s right…I take NO money for my work (that’s why my prices are so low… because I no longer have to worry about making money) because I don’t need money.
What I need is an agent or promo/booking agent. Hint, hint if anyone’s listening.
Ha ha…rather tacky, but I do need a booking agent or someone to help me promote my work. As you can tell, I’m a bit rusty.
I was retired for over a decade. You have no idea…I had no idea…how much things could, would, and DID change in a decade.
I am completely out of my element now and have no shame in admitting that, while I don’t need money for my work, I DO need promo help as things DO NOT work the way they used to in the writing world!
As for new authors…I can only say, as more or less a “new” author now myself, just do you.
Don’t follow trends. Everyone else is already doing that.
TGG: That is really solid advice. As Judy Garland once said, be a first-rate version of yourself, not copy anyone else. So, finally, how can we best support you? Where can we buy your book and follow you on social media?
ADVS: The best way to support me is to visit me here:
Cottage Library Press – Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc – Books and Publications Spotlight | Lulu
There, you can find my Vampire series, my fantasy stories, and other ramblings and musings, depending on your tastes.
I’m all over the place, meaning I don’t just write in just one genre.
I can switch from Horror to mystery to fantasy to poetry, so there’s simply no containing me.
So… welcome to my world.
cottagelibrarypress | Instagram | Linktree
A.D. Van Scoyoc (@cottagelibrarypress) • Instagram photos and videos
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