Author Interview
- Describe your latest book, Southern Double Cross, in five words or less.
Good clean cozy fun!
- You have written two complete series, the Lizzie Hart Mysteries and the Java Jive Mystery series. Both series are complete with five books each. Does that mean we can expect two more books in the Southern B&B Mystery series?
No, unfortunately. My publisher’s imprint, Alibi, is closing down, and Southern Double Cross will be one of its last published works.
- According to your blog (yes, I have been doing a bit of detective work on my own), you are a partner in a coffee shop like your Java Jive series and you write music like the songstress in your Lizzie Hart series. However, you said you had the most fun working at a funeral home. Do you foresee a new series set there in the future?
That does sound like an awfully good setting for a series full of murder mysteries! Lizzie Hart does in fact work a side job at a funeral home, where of course she manages to get herself into plenty of trouble.
- Do you have a special area set aside for writing? If so, where is it and what does it look like?
Yes! I have a lovely office in my home, which I painted and decorated myself. My blood, sweat, and tears literally went into the creation of the room. (I fell from the second to the top step of the ladder while painting. My husband has since banned me from ladders. And painting.) Here are some photos!
- You have stated in your bio that your cat is “malevolent” and your dogs are “energetic”. Can you give an example of their antics that brought those adjectives to mind?
I get the evil eye from the cat on a daily basis. The two of us have never gotten along. My 75-pound boxer will run full-speed around the house, barking and losing her mind every time the doorbell rings. But then not long after, I might be sitting on the couch and suddenly have that same boxer on my lap ready to cuddle up for a nap. It evidently takes a lot of energy to keep the homestead safe!
- You have quite a complex method of outlining your books. How long does it take you to write each book? Does it take longer for the first book in a new series?
Ah! You must have seen the online worksheets for my workshop on outlining a novel. I find that taking the time to create a thorough outline saves a ton of work when it comes to the actual writing of the book. If you know which characters are in each scene and what they need to accomplish in that scene, you don’t get as sidetracked or go off on tangents. It keeps the story tight, which does you a favor once you get down to editing. It takes me around three months to write a book if there’s not an extreme amount of research to do. It definitely takes longer for the first book, because you have to build a world and a cast of characters. I also like to plan out what kinds of roadblocks and hardships the main characters are going to have to endure over the course of the series in order for them to be able to grow and change over time.
- Most of your books are self-published but Southern Double Cross was published by Alibi, a division of Random House. How did you move from self-publishing to a traditional publisher?
Both my Java Jive series and my Southern B&B series were published by Alibi, with my Lizzie Hart series and my Ellie Matthews novels being self-published. I have a great agent who was able to sell the two series to Alibi, and I’ve been lucky to work with some fabulous editors there. It was a wonderful leap to make, and I hope to continue to work with Random House in the future.
- What books do you have in your To-Be-Read pile that you can’t wait to start?
I have a terribly large TBR pile and very little reading time. Opening a coffeehouse (a dream of mine for a decade) has been a fun and fulfilling but time-consuming endeavor, and I’ve had to put the reading and writing on the back burner for a while. However, I’m trying to free up some time so I can get started on The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag, plus I have a bunch of great new reads to catch up on by my author friends Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, Zanna Mackenzie, Nichole Christoff, and Laura Chapman!
- What’s new for you and your characters in 2020?
On my days off, I’m working on the third novel in my Ellie Matthews series, Dead Sprint. After that, I have a Christmas romance (no murders!) I’m working on. And after that, who knows?
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Diane!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below to win a copy of the book!
About the Book
Southern Double Cross: A Southern B&B Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Alibi (February 11, 2020)
Print Length: ~260 pages
Digital ASIN: B07W3J7QFC
The USA Today bestselling author of Southern Discomfort and Southern Harm returns to the delightful B&B in Savannah, Georgia, where trouble always seems to be checking in.
About Caroline Fardig
CAROLINE FARDIG is the USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR of the Java Jive Mysteries series and the Lizzie Hart Mysteries series. Fardig’s BAD MEDICINE was named one of the “Best Books of 2015” by Suspense Magazine. She worked as a schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom before she realized that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, Fardig still lives in that same town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.
Social Media
Website: www.carolinefardig.com
Blog: http://www.carolinefardig.com/blog/
Twitter: @carolinefardig
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolinefardigbooks
Purchase Links
Don’t miss Caroline Fardig’s thrilling Java Jive mysteries, which can be read together or separately:
DEATH BEFORE DECAF| MUG SHOT
| A WHOLE LATTE MURDER
| BREW OR DIE
| MURDER OVER MOCHAS
Giveaway
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