Having worked in radio and at festivals for so many years, it’s very rare nowadays for me to get starstruck (with the exception of my run-ins with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Our Lady Peace’s Raine Maida a few years ago)-but right now, I’ve got to admit that I am in awe. After all, it’s not every day that I get a mystery juggernaut to agree to an interview on my site! I’ve been a HUGE fan of both Victoria Laurie’s Psychic Eye and Ghost Hunter series for about four years now, and tonight I am so thrilled to host her on this blog!

Victoria has written over twenty novels, her most recent being “Deadly Forecast,” the eleventh installment of her Psychic Eye series about psychic intuitive and FBI civilian profiler, Abigail Cooper. Stick around after the interview for a chance to win an e-copy of “Deadly Forecast” AND an e-copy of my own debut mystery, “Murder At Castle Rock“!

But first-it is an absolute honor to introduce you to my own personal favorite mystery author, the talented Victoria Laurie!

Anne Marie: Hi Victoria! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I know you’re a busy woman, so l’ll go ahead and get started. You’ve been working toward interweaving Abby’s and MJ’s story lines for quite some time, ever since “A Vision of Murder” (Book 3 in the Psychic Eye Series). How does it feel to have your two fictional worlds collide?

Victoria: Great question, Anne Marie! My answer is that it felt surprisingly natural. Once I figured out the rhythm and who to give the dominant voice to, it was such a delightfully easy mingling. I think that giving two separate viewpoints - Abby in first person and M. J. in third person - helped to enrich the story. It made it fuller and more expansive. The reader was given the opportunity to see characters in Abby’s world through a different set of eyes - M. J.’s - and I think that gave it a more three-dimensional view. To discover a new way to tell a story so deep into both series was also an amazing opportunity, and a chance I’m very happy I took!

Anne Marie: Agreed! I’m still in awe of how well you wove the two series together! I could never ask you to choose between a favorite leading lady (parents should never have a “favorite” child, or so I’m told!), but do you have a particular book in either the Psychic Eye or Ghost Hunter series that you favor just a teensy bit more than the rest? If yes, then which book and what makes it your favorite?

Victoria: Hmmm, you know, I will readily admit to loving Abby a little more solely for the ease of writing in her voice. She’s someone that’s just a breeze to dive into. M. J. - whom I also love - is much more challenging because she’s so much more reserved, and the only time I really get to cut loose with her is when I’m writing about Gilley. And I think that, like any mother who secretly knows she prefers one child over the other, it makes me try that much harder with M. J. because I don’t ever want it to be obvious that I prefer to write one protagonist over the other.

Still, to pick a favorite book…I will concede that Deadly Forecast surprised me with the way I absolutely fell in love with my two girls so wholeheartedly. Because of that and for the fact that I got to play with a different construction and structure, it’s by far my favorite. Individually for each series, however, I would say that Death Perception from the Psychic Eye series and Ghoul Interrupted from the Ghost Hunter series are my favs.

Anne Marie: “Deadly Forecast” is definitely my favorite so far too! When promoting your two series, you often write your fan newsletters from the point of view of various supporting characters, from MJ’s fabulous best friend, Gilley, to Abby’s controlling (yet loveable!) sister, Cat. Which supporting character’s shoes are the most fun to step into?

Victoria: Gilley’s and Cat’s - equally. They’re very similar characters, both hopelessly self-involved but hilarious because of it. I love writing in both their voices because they’re SO different from me. It’s the opportunity to become completely self-indulgent for a moment without apology or even an awareness that being that self-involved might be wrong. It’s a bit like stepping into character up on stage. It’s liberating and fun and such a delightful departure.

Anne Marie: I can imagine! They’re both such fun supporting characters to read about! Speaking of great characters, if MJ or Abby and their crews were to ever hit the big screen or get adapted into a television series, who would be your dream cast?

Victoria: You know, I get asked this question a LOT and I honestly, honestly have no idea! It’s not something I would ever be consulted on, anyway, and if it’s not something I will ever have control over, I tend not to worry about it. Besides, studios cast their own actors, and unless you’re J.K. Rowling you’re simply left out of the loop - which is a good thing, I think, because I have such a solid idea of who these characters are that if I had to pick from a group of actors I’d be all, “Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. NEXT!” Most of my characters are based on people I know and love, and anyone else would just pale in comparison, so these decisions are best left to others.

Anne Marie: I can totally understand that! I’ve been asked the same question before about the characters in “Murder At Castle Rock,” and it’s such a tough question to answer. Nobody in real life can live up the vision of your characters in your mind

I know that in real life, you’ve lived in Austin, Texas for a while now but are planning to make the move back to Michigan. Does keeping Abby & Co. settled in the Lone Star State make the move any easier, or do you think writing about Abster’s adventures in Texas will make you miss it more?

Victoria: I suppose I won’t truly know the answer to that question until I start writing the next Abster. I’m sure at times I’ll miss Austin terribly - it’s the only city that’s ever really felt like home - but I think also keeping Abby and the gang firmly rooted in Texas will be a lovely cure for the homesickness I’m sure I’ll feel quite regularly. I know for certain that I’ll be back a few times a year to visit - in fact, there’s a 1/2 marathon in January that I’ve already posted on my calendar, so I think that continuing to write about Austin will always help soothe me in those moments when I stare out the window and there’re a few inches of snow on the ground. (Blurg!)

Anne Marie: Eek! Living down South, I’m not really a fan of snow, either!

Aside from the Abby and MJ books (and your Oracles of Delphi Keep books for the kiddies!), do you have plans to ever create a new series with a brand new hero or heroine?

Victoria: Yes. And for a myriad of reasons all relating to option rights and contracts and such, I cannot elaborate more than that right now. But I will keep the fans posted when it happens!

Anne Marie: Totally understandable. I will definitely stay tuned for updates!

I’m really into music, so I have to ask—what type of music is your favorite? What do you listen to when you’re writing?

Victoria: You know, for years and years I never listened to anything when I wrote. I’m usually so into the world I’m creating that I’m not even aware of my surroundings, but now that I’m back with my sweetheart, he’s gotten me hooked on, of all things, country music! I never, ever, ever thought I’d be a country music fan, but I started listening to it a few months ago and I quickly realized how beautiful it is. It’s full of raw honesty, and the most compelling stories. Now I’ve got Sirius XM tuned to The Highway alllll the time and I’m a huuuuge fan of Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, and Blake Shelton.

Anne Marie: Very cool. I enjoy some ambient chill or indie rock music while I’m writing, myself (and perhaps something a tad faster/angrier when I’m writing action scenes!)

Next question! I love the list on your site of things that give Gilley (from the Ghost Hunger Series) “the weirds”! What tops your list? (Besides “weird” questions like this one, hehe!)

Victoria: Ha! Well, nothing much gives me the weirds anymore. My sweetheart keeps trying to introduce me to foods I’ve never had the courage to try though - he got me to eat a mussel the other day and that was a texture I wasn’t quite expecting! Next on his list for me to try is a snail…I’m thinking about bringing extra napkins and running shoes to the dinner table.

Anne Marie: Hah! That is too funny! My own sweetheart is a chef, and he is constantly encouraging me to try new foods—I hate seafood but I tried sushi and oysters for him—and he’s finally gotten me to like scallops.

As an author, I’m sure you love to read almost as much as you love to write. What books are topping your must-read list these days?

Victoria: Oh, I WISH I had more time to read! The hardest part about writing three to four books a year is that you become this sort of robot that stares at words all day long, day in and day out, and at the end of that long stretch the very last thing I want to do is stare at more words. Also, physically my eyes are in a constant state of being strained, so it can be most uncomfortable to try to read a book on top of all the typing, editing, and proofreading I already do. So, I read much less than I should and much less than people think I do. Someday I hope very much to whittle down to only writing two books a year and then I’ll get to tackle all the other delightful works my friends and peers have crafted.

Anne Marie: Best of luck with that—although I’d be sad if I had fewer of your books to look forward to each year

Thank you so much for stopping by my site, Victoria! It’s truly been an honor to have you! Before you go, is there anything that you never get asked in interviews that you’d like to share with your readers?

Victoria: Oh, I think you’ve covered it beautifully, Anne Marie! Thank you so much, it was delightful getting to chat with you!

Anne Marie: The pleasure was all mine! Thanks again!

WIN AN E-COPY OF “DEADLY FORECAST” & “MURDER AT CASTLE ROCK”!

And now, I’m giving one lucky winner an e-copy of “Deadly Forecast” by Victoria Laurie AND an e-copy of my own novel, “Murder At Castle Rock”! Simply leave a comment below to enter to win! I’ll select the winner using Random.org and will announce him/her on Friday, August 9th on this site and my social media accounts. Good luck!

(No purchase necessary, must be 18 years or older to win. Winner grants permission for his or her name to be used on A.M.Stoddard Books’ social media accounts and website for promotion of this sweepstakes.)