Meet the Author-- Debbie De Louise

Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters-in-Crime, the Long Island Authors Group, and the Cat Writer’s Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University.

Her novels include the three books of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series published by Solstice Publishing: A Stone's Throw, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and Written in Stone. Debbie has also published a romantic comedy novella featuring a jewel heist caper, When Jack Trumps Ace, and has written articles and short stories for several anthologies of various genres. She lives on Long Island with her husband Anthony, daughter Holly, and Cat Stripey.

I had a chance to ask Debbie some questions ahead of the release of Solstice Publishing's mystery anthology: Plots & Schemes Vol. 2 in which she has contributed two stories.

1. When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?

Becoming a writer was a dream I had since I was young. I always loved reading and admired authors of my favorite books.

2. How many hours in a day do you dedicate to your writing?

I put aside an hour in the morning before work, but I put in a lot of other time editing, blogging, and promoting my writing. When I’m working on a project, I try to write 1,000 words a day.

3. Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it?

I can’t say that I’ve suffered from writer’s block. I usually have more ideas than I have time to write, but when I get stuck, I take a break and then come back to it. Ruminating over a scene at bedtime or in the early morning before I get out of bed usually helps, too.

4. How many books have you written so far?

I’ve had 5 published novels so far but have other old completed manuscripts and two current ones that I’m hoping to publish at a later date. I also have a published novella. My Cobble Cove mystery series consists of three books, and I just finished the first draft of the fourth. I’ll also be reprinting my first, self-published paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow, with my publisher, Solstice Publishing.

5. What has been the biggest accomplishment, you feel, has been in your writing career so far?

Although not related to my books, I received a monetary award and an engraved plaque from Hartz Corporation for my article, Brush Your Cat for Bonding, Beauty, and Better Health, that I wrote about grooming cats for Catster.com and entered in the Cat Writers Association contest in their special awards category. The article featured my now deceased Siamese, Oliver, and my cat Stripey. More recently, I received a Certificate of Excellence for my short story, “The Path to Rainbow Bridge” myBook.to/RainbowBridge that is also up for the Cat Writer Association’s Muse Medallion that will be awarded in June.

6. What is your latest book about?

Here is the blurb to Reason to Die:

Someone is strangling disabled people in the small town of Baxter, Connecticut. Detective Courtney Lang and her ex-partner and ex-lover, wheelchair-bound Bill Thompson, are paired up again and put in charge of the investigation. During the course of their search, Courtney uncovers information that points toward a connection between the murders and an unsolved series of muggings by a masked man, the same man who shot and disabled Bill a year ago on the night he proposed marriage to her.

Complicating matters for Courtney is her guilt about Thompson’s shooting, her affair with her new partner, Mark Farrell, and her unresolved feelings over the deaths of her mother and sister who perished in a fire while she was away from home.

As the deaths accrue and the “Handicapped Strangler” as the killer is coined by the press continues to rampage the town adding victims of different ages, sex, and disabilities to the murder count, Courtney discovers a clue that could crack open the case but may put her and Bill’s life in jeopardy.

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7. What inspired you to write it and what are the challenges you faced while working on it?

I had a dream that featured the main theme of the plot that I later developed and expanded. The biggest challenge was portraying handicapped people because, although my husband is disabled, I’m not.

8. Do you read different genre books from the one you write in? And do you prefer reading paperbacks or ebooks?

I’m a librarian, so I enjoy reading (and also writing) various genres, although most of what I read and write are mysteries. I prefer paperbacks, but I also occasionally read eBooks on my Kindle Fire.

9. If you could turn one of your books into a movie or a play, which one would it be?

I think my new release, Reason to Die, would make a great movie. My Cobble Cove books would make a nice Hallmark cozy TV series.

10. Are you working on anything new?

I just finished the first draft of the fourth Cobble Cove mystery and two of my short stories, “Murder at the Lavender Lake Library” and “Bullet in the Back” are included in Solstice Publishing’s Plots & Schemes, Vol. 2 mystery anthology releasing May 4. I also hope to get back to another standalone mystery I started and haven’t had a chance to finish

Check out some of Debbie's other books: