Up Close & Personal with 'Grave Consequences' Lena Gregory @lenagregory03 #upclose&personal

Up Close & Personal is one of The Writer’s Life newest features. Here we feature authors who don't mind spilling the beans and telling what it's really like to write, get published and sell that book. Today's guest is Lena Gregory, author of the cozy mystery, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES. You can visit Lena's website at http://www.lenagregory.com/, visit her at Twitter at https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03 and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts.

On Writing…

I’ve always loved to read, and when my youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night, I decided to try writing. I wrote half of my first book by hand in a loose-leaf notebook. I had never heard of Microsoft Word, had no clue how to work e-mail, and didn’t own a computer. When my husband realized I was serious about writing, he bought me a computer and one of my closest friends taught me how to work Microsoft Word.

The first book I wrote was contracted. and I was thrilled. Of course, that brought a whole new set of learning experiences; editing, using Track Changes, cover art sheets, writing blurbs, and marketing. I was very eager to learn, and I absorbed everything I could over the next few years. I started out writing romance and fantasy under a pen name. When I finally signed with an agent, she suggested I give writing cozy mysteries a try, and I loved it! I’ve since published many novels, including eight cozy mysteries.

On Being Published…

I’ve dreamed of being a published author since I first learned how to read. I’ve always loved to make up stories and often entertained myself that way when I was younger. I’ll never forget the call from my agent saying Berkley was interested in Death at First Sight the first book in my Bay Island Psychic Mystery series. I was standing in the middle of the Magic Kingdom with my husband and kids when the call came in on my cell phone. That was the best vacation ever, even though much of it was spent working on rewrites and working out the details of the contract. I will admit, I cried the first time I walked into Barnes & Noble and found my book on the shelf. I still get emotional when I have a new book release.

Grave Consequences, is my fifth Bay Island Psychic Mystery, and will release on May 21, 2020. My main characters, Cass, Bee, and Stephanie have come a long way since book one. They’ve grown even closer as Cass’s psychic abilities have increased and her control over them has begun to improve.

On Publishing Industry…

My early books, which were written under a pen name, were mostly published with small presses. Since I didn’t know anything about the publishing industry at that time, it was a good decision for me. It allowed me time to learn so much, though I’ll probably never learn everything there is to know about publishing. I did try self-publishing a novella, but it’s not for me. I’d need to learn so much more before I could ever self-publish successfully.

I’m currently publishing my Bay Island Psychic Mysteries with one publisher and my All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries with another, and I am beyond thrilled with both of them. I love my editors, who bring so much to my stories, am always excited with my cover art, and truly appreciate the help they provide with marketing.

Mistakes Along the Way…

I think the biggest mistake I made was trying to write in too many genres. Had I focused on writing cozy mysteries, I’d have published about twenty by now. As it is, I also wrote children’s books, a middle grade fantasy, and young adult fantasy series, and a variety of romance novels and novellas. Since I don’t always have a lot of time to sit down and write, I now plan to stay focused on writing cozy mysteries and romantic suspense.

On Marketing…

I have a terrible time with marketing. I’m pretty shy, and it’s not always easy for me to push my books. I’ve tried social media, advertising, blog tours, even a street team. I have to say, without help from my publishers, I don’t think I’d be tremendously successful at marketing. That said, I do enjoy interacting with readers, and I host Cozy Mystery Crew, a facebook group for cozy mystery readers, twice a month. We chat, play games, and get to know each other, which I love.

On Goals and Dreams…

At the moment, I have two goals. I don’t know if I’ll reach either, but if dreams really do come true, one day, I’ll hit the USA Today and NY Times bestseller lists, and one of my books will be turned into a movie.

As far as more realistic goals, those I actually strive to achieve, I just want to keep writing books that people enjoy. A woman reached out to me not long ago and thanked me for giving her a connection with her daughter, since they both love my books. Nothing could have touched me more.

Thank you so much for having me!

About the Book

Cass Donovan is reminded that you can’t believe everything you hear, especially when it comes from the dead . . .

When stories begin circulating of a centuries-old ghost haunting the Bay Island lighthouse, Cass is caught up in mystical happenings of her own, with countless voices from the beyond all clamoring for her attention with dire warnings. But before she has a chance to learn whether there’s a connection between the rumored ghost and her restless visitors, the lighthouse keeper mysteriously falls to his death, and Cass’s reputation for communing with the dead lands her right in the middle of the police investigation.

Cass knows the victim was no saint, as he made little effort to hide his philandering ways from his wife or anyone else, and often acted out with no thought for the feelings of others. But had he finally gone too far, or were there more menacing motives behind his murder? As Cass begins building a list of suspects, including the man’s supposedly grieving wife and a mysterious new woman in town, she also turns her ear to those otherworldly voices, hoping for a clue. And as she begins to close in on the culprit, she realizes too late that if she’s not careful, she’ll soon be communicating with the dead in person . . .