Welcome, Cassidy. Before we talk about your writing perhaps you could tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, Christa. First of all, thanks for inviting me to stop by.
Like most authors, I read a lot. I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, going back to childhood when I would read my Nancy Drew books with a flashlight under the covers after my bedtime. Mysteries (both cozy and traditional) and police procedurals are my favorites but I also enjoy literature, romance, and historical fiction.
When I’m not reading, I enjoy music (I sing and dance) and traveling. Both my husband and I have been bitten by the wanderlust bug – we like to travel whenever and wherever we can and have played tourist in destinations throughout the United States, Europe, Israel, and Scandinavia. In that context, I enjoy taking pictures of scenery and sculpture, and I tweet photos from our travels on a regular basis (#mytravelpics). Of course, with the ongoing health crisis worldwide, we’ve been stuck home.
When did you begin writing?
I always wrote in school and college, but it was in the context of assignments, not writing for the sake of writing. At work, my writing was always semi-academic or technical in nature. Never anything that even resembled creative writing. About five years ago, I decided to try and write fiction. More than anything else, I think I wanted to challenge myself. The result was Think Murder - the first of four books in the Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth Mystery Series.
Tell us a bit about Adina and the series.
Adina is a college graduate in her mid-twenties who moves to Washington, D.C. in hopes of putting her foreign language skills to good use. Instead, she ends up working as an admin assistant at a prestigious think tank. Not what she dreamed of doing when she went to college, but the job market is tough. Although for the most part she enjoys life in the big city, her adventures also expose her to the darker sides of the city – murder, political intrigue and more.
Do you set your stories in places you’ve been?
Absolutely. When I was young, footless and fancy free, I spent a couple of years living in Washington D.C. and fell in love with the city. Our nation’s capital is amazing. No matter how many times I visit the city, I am always awed by the National Mall, the multitude of monuments, the war memorials, and the Smithsonian Castle. And, as Adina could tell you, it’s a great city for young people. The potential for using different settings as backdrops for a story, not to mention the series, is limitless.
What do you hope people get from your work?
For the most part – an engaging, interesting read, with a mystery at its center. At the same time, although it was not a conscious decision on my part, each of the Adina Donati murder mysteries touches on real-life issues and current events, such as animal welfare, environmental protection, medical care, and cybercrime. Adina’s workplace, a think tank in Washington D.C., naturally lends itself to discussions of a wide range of issues from differing points of view. So maybe, just maybe, some readers come away with food for thought.
Thank you, Cassidy, for sharing with us today. I, for one, am looking forward to the next in the Adina Donati Accidental Sleuth Mystery Series.
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You can find all of the Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth Mysteries on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074CFKRW9
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