Why do you write the genre that you write?
I’ve always gravitated toward mysteries. From the time I first started to read, I’d reach for the darker, more mysterious stories on the library shelf. When I’d exhausted those, my mother introduced me to the works of Christie and Sayers, and then from there, Mary Higgins Clark. I was a young teen when I started reading Clark – my mother never placed limits on what I was allowed to read.

I’d also always enjoyed writing and storytelling, so when I decided to write my first novel, naturally it was going to be a mystery.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Julian Davis, one of the protagonist’s best friends in my Tish Tarragon novels has an uncanny knack for getting into difficult situations. He’s a weatherman/ human interest reporter for the local news station and, so far, he’s been swept away by a snow plow and had the pompom of his elf hat catch on fire while presenting a segment about a Christmas Fair.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
It’s my maiden name. My married name is Knaack, pronounced Ka-nack, which although apt for a percussionist, lends to lots of pronunciation difficulties when doing readings, panels, etc.

Tell us how you got into writing?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been writing. When I was quite young I’d borrow my grandfather’s Instamatic camera and snap photos around the yard and neighbourhood, post them into a notebook and then write about what I saw.

That eventually translated into a career in technical writing and copywriting before I finally took the plunge and wrote a novel.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I have worked as a manger for a retail company, a manager for a document imaging company, a copywriter, and a technical writer. I currently work as a virtual assistant to a pair of screenwriters as well as an admin/manager for my musician husband.

Where do you write?
I have a desk in our bedroom where I tend to set up shop each morning, but I invariably wind up flopped on the bed with my laptop and my cats, Scout and Boo, curled beside me… or on me.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
I’m not a huge snacker, but I cannot resist chocolate and peanut butter. I know that’s the contents of a peanut butter cup, but I find peanut butter cups too sweet, so I take a square of very dark chocolate and smear peanut butter on it.

Who is an author you admire?
My love for Agatha Christie runs deep. And although I love keeping up on new books, I always return to her when I feel I need to up my puzzle game. As far as recent reads, Mariah Frederick’s The Lindburgh Nanny blew me away.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Although I write cozy mysteries, I tend to lean more toward procedural and historical mysteries.

What are you reading now?
I’m actually on deadline for the next Vermont Country Living Mystery, so I’ve been writing and rereading my own work – repeatedly!

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
I love a well-chilled glass of oaky, buttery chardonnay.

What is next for you?
The next in the Tish Tarragon series, Cold Turkey, is set for US/UK release on October 3. The third in my Vermont Country Living series, Game Over In Guild Hall is in the works and will be available before the end of the year. And, I have a new series in the works with Severn House Books, the details of which I should be able to announce this summer.

Where can we find you?
My website is amypatriciameade.com which contains links to all my novels and my books are available for sale and on order from all major booksellers.

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate or vanilla
Chocolate. Definitely chocolate.

Cake or ice cream
Ice cream

Fruits or vegetables
Vegetables

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner

Dining in or dining out
I love to cook so dining in, but going out now and then is great.

City life or country living
The suburbs – I like being close to both!

Beach or mountain
Mountains.

Summer or winter
Summer.

Short story or full-length novel
Full-length novel.

Extrovert or introvert
A friendly introvert who likes to be with people in small doses.

Early bird or night owl
Early bird.

And even more fun . . .

What is your favorite movie?
I am a classic movie nut, so I it’s extremely difficult to name just one, but anything by Hitchcock, White Christmas and The Bishop’s Wife in December, and it’s not summer without Marilyn Monroe in Niagara.

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
My husband, my cats, and some means by which to produce/order food.

My bio:
Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, Vermont Country Living Mysteries, and Tish Tarragon Mysteries, Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, NY, where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

After serving as a technical writer for a management coaching firm and composing catalog copy for the Vermont Country Store, Amy relocated to southwest England, where she was a featured author at Agatha Christie’s Annual Greenway Literary Festival, held at the author’s holiday home in Devon.

Amy now resides in Upstate New York with her musician husband and her two cats and serves as Vice President of the Upper Hudson Chapter of Sisters in Crime.