Why do you write the genre that you write?
I fell in love with mysteries as a kid. I read Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Edgar Allen Poe. I enrolled in writing classes around the same time and automatically gravitated to the genre. I enjoy the analytical details required while weaving together all the points of the story. It’s a place to express my inner-nerd while creating worlds where I’d like to live.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
My main character has no interest in remembering someone’s name but is obsessed with knowing the name for the colors of objects.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
It is a family name that reminds me of their love and support. That means everything to me.

Tell us how you got into writing?
The interest manifested early in my life. At my fifth grade teacher’s insistence, my mother enrolled me in a creative writing course at the Fairmount Center for the Arts. After what I thought was a most brutal critique, my instructor told me, “You must not stop writing.” He actually loved my work. I wiped my tears and agreed to work with a mentor from Sarah Lawrence and took his advice to never stop writing. When the pandemic sealed us inside with our thoughts and plans, I had an “If not now, when?” moment and decided it was time to put my work out into the world. The feedback has been wonderful. Writing can make you feel isolated but being part of an online tribe of crime fiction writers gives you wings.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
Prior to my retirement, I was a career IT Program Director and consultant/contractor for clients at the Department of Defense, Pentagon. I served as a Special Assistant to the CIO of the General Services Administration (GSA) in Washington, D.C. and Project Leader for IT/User Services of KPMG, Eastern Region out of their Georgetown office traveling to Manhattan, Boston and Philadelphia. Information technology chose me while I was working and starstruck with the personalities and activities on Capitol Hill. The power behind politics is information. Doing well in that field guaranteed access to some very interesting spaces. Looking back I’m amazed at how much time (and energy) I spent dashing between car service, planes, trains, and automobiles. Those experiences left me with a treasure chest of character profiles to play with as a mystery writer.

Where do you write?
At the edge of my nightstand mostly. I like to capture everything before my day gets too cluttered. I’m not a coffee house writer because I stop to observe the people around me. However, I scribble notes to myself anywhere and on almost anything. I never know when something fun or an “ah ha” moment will pop into my head. When it does, I listen. My characters can be very chatty.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Shortbread cookies and tea (flavors vary, recommendations are appreciated).

What are you reading now?
An annual anthology by some of my favorite crime fiction writers, Festive Mayhem 3. And next, Soul of a Killer by Abby Collette.

What is next for you?
A romance/intrigue story that involves a corporate executive assistant who crosses the line into a romantic relationship with her boss while writing a “whistleblower” book about where all the bodies are buried. Spring 2023 release.

Where can we find you?
Typically I can be found under a tree scribbling in my traveler’s notebook or providing advice on integrative pest management and backyard chickens in the local community gardens! For my books and writing journey, you’ll find my home on the internet at authorbarbarahoward.com. On the socials: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Now to have some fun . . .

Vanilla or chocolate
Both! I like a (plot) twist.

Ice cream or cake
Ice cream sandwiched between two pieces of cake.

Broccoli or squash
Neither. Green beans, please.

Pizza, burgers, or pasta
Pasta, unless spaghetti pizza is a thing. Someone needs to make it a thing, if not.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Brunch.

Mountain or beach
Mountain.

City or country
Country.

Introvert or extrovert
Introvert.

And even more fun . . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
A solar powered satellite phone.
A case of Evian.
Sunscreen.

My bio:
Barbara Howard is a “not-so-cozy” mystery and YA author of a dozen books, including her most recent trilogy, Finding Home Mystery Series; Final Harvest, Charlotte’s Revenge, and Milo’s Journey. Stories of drama without the trauma, crime without the grime. She is a first generation tech geek turned master gardener with a passion for fresh air, vegan cuisine, and tracing her roots. A big city girl with a small town heart, she returned to her family home in the Midwest after an extensive career as a Department of Defense Project Manager at the Pentagon and spends most of her time treasure hunting, spoiling her fur-babies, growing veggies and raising chickens.