Guest Post- Gretchen Archer

I am so thrilled to have Gretchen Archer with us today. Gretchen is the author of A Davis Way Crime Caper series.Thanks for being here Gretchen, Can you believe we are in the Fall Season already?

An Interview with Gretchen Archer

Shelley: Tell us about yourself, Gretchen

Gretchen: I live at the top of a mountain in Tennessee, the very top, I mean you can’t go one inch higher than where I live. (Southern mountains aren’t like the Colorado Mountains. I don’t have to use the high-altitude directions on the cake mix box.) I have a husband, two daughters, a son, and a Yorkie. And as it turns out, just discovered yesterday, the hard way, I have chipmunks too. Living in my basement. Maybe we’ll talk about that later.

Shelley: I crochet, work out, and frequently hit Starbucks. What do you do with your free time?

Gretchen: What is this free time you speak of, Shelley? Right now I’m finishing the draft of the fifth installment of my Davis Way Crime Caper Series. DOUBLE KNOT releases in April, 2016. Davis and company are in a pickle on the high seas and as most writers will tell you, the end of a draft means no free time. I write in the mornings, hitting my desk at 3:30 a.m. (sadly, this is true) and conduct the business of writing in the afternoon—research, correspondence, marketing. I take two breaks in my work day: one to work out (Writer’s Butt is real and writers wage a strong and ongoing war against it) and another break for The Price is Right. Evenings and weekends are family time.

Shelley: The Price is Right?

Gretchen:Everyone wants to play Plinko, but no one ever wins. Last week a guy had four Plinko chips and only won $600. If I ever get to come on down, I think I’d want to play One Away. Or the games with 50/50 odds. Like Side by Side or Coming or Going or Flip Flop. Not that I need a six-man Jacuzzi. I’d have to put it in the basement for the chipmunks.

Shelley: Tell us something we don’t know about publishing.

Gretchen: Well, let’s talk about social media, pizza, and money. In the fine print of publishing contracts, something writers don’t fully understand until after, is the mandatory social media addiction. I don’t lean Twitter, because for me it feels like a room full of people screaming at each other, but I check my Facebook feed at red lights. Which is to say I get honked at often. So there’s that. And the pizza. Writers get very cozy with their pizza delivery people, because after saving the world at your keyboard all day, you don’t feel much like making meatloaf at night. And lastly, all writers are broke. James Patterson isn’t, but the rest of us are putting everything we make back into the books in one way or another—marketing, appearances, swag and contests, conferences. The takeaway? We’re not in it for the money. We’re in it for the challenge, the joy, the camaraderie.

Shelley: One last question. What’s your favorite breakfast item on the Taco Bell breakfast menu?

Gretchen: Why does Taco Bell even have a breakfast menu? Has anyone tried it?

Shelley: Thanks for joining us today, Gretchen. We’re not sure what to think.

Gretchen: Thanks for having me, Shelley and I understand: Life is curious. I’d love to send one of your commenters a paperback copy of my latest release, DOUBLE MINT. It was fun to write and I hope one of your readers will have fun reading it. So be honest: has anyone tried the Cap’n Crunch Delights at Taco Bell? Tell us about it. Win a book.