Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .

What drew you to the genre you write?
I’ve loved mysteries since I read the Nancy Drew books when I was a kid. Then I fell in love with Agatha Christie’s books, especially Poirot and Miss Marple. I like the order and method in mysteries and the fact that world is set to rights at the end.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Oh, you mean beside the fact that my two main protagonists can time travel? Haha. No, seriously…my Depression-era cop, Steven, and his 21st-century partner-in-crime, Olivia, can travel into each other’s time. In Murder at the Moulin Rouge, Steven learns he inherited the ability from his mother.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I’d been retired from teaching for 5 years and I wanted something to actively challenge my mind. I wrote a memoir for Victoria magazine. When I sat down at the computer and began writing, I felt an unbelievably satisfying and comforting sensation flow over me. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life writing. Since the magazine article was only 700 words, I decided to dive in and write a novel.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I taught undergraduate French for a year at Stony Brook University then moved to France where I taught English in a public high school. When I moved back to the States, I taught French and Spanish for 34 years in a public high school. I also ran my own business for 20 years while I was teaching—Pouliot International Communications, an agency that did translations in over two dozen languages.

How many books do you have published?
Murder at the Moulin Rouge is book 5 in my Blackwell & Watson Time-Travel Mysteries.

Where do you write?
I have an office at home and I love it! I decorated it like a library in an old English country house. It’s dark—the walls are navy—and cozy with floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall book shelves.

What is your ideal time to write?
I have an hour-long exercise program that I have to do 3 times per week. I also walk and swim laps several days each week. I try to get all my exercising done in the morning and be at the computer by eleven.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Pepperidge Farm cheddar goldfish

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mystery

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I have a first draft of a romance novel that I’m trying to find time to work on.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
Usually plain sparkling water, but sometimes I indulge in a glass or 2 of 19 Crimes or Josh Cabernet Sauvignon.

Who is an author you admire?
Liane Moriarty for the suspense. Peter Robinson for the overall atmosphere of his books. Martha Grimes for her characters. Agatha Christie for the plot devices.

Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
Join a professional organization of writers in your genre. I wouldn’t be anywhere without Sisters in Crime. Joining was a game changer for me.

What are you reading now?
I’m enjoying an earlier series by Ann Cleeves—the Inspector Ramsey mysteries. Right now, I’m reading A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy, book 3 in the series.

What is next for you?
I’m starting to imagine what book 6 in my series will be. The working title is Death Moved In.

Where can we find you?
My website at www.carolpouliot.com | Facebook | Instagram | BookBub | Goodreads | Sleuths and Sidekicks

Now to have some fun

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Breakfast

Fruits or vegetables
Vegetables (How could I live without fresh tomatoes and spinach?)

Chocolate, vanilla, or another flavor
Chocolate

Sweet or salty snacks
Salty

Ice cream or cake
Ice cream

Cooking or baking
Cooking.

Dining in or dining out
I usually eat at home but I love dining out

City life or country living
Country living (but city visiting)

Beach or mountain
Mountain

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Winter

Extrovert or introvert
Extrovert

Early bird or night owl
Early bird

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
Midnight in Paris.

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Cold sparkling water (for drinking), all of Martha Grimes’s Richard Jury mysteries, and a stack of notebooks, pens, and pencils.

My bio:
A former teacher and business owner, Carol Pouliot holds a BA in French and Spanish and an MA in French. Carol writes the acclaimed Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mysteries, traditional police procedurals with a seemingly impossible relationship between Depression-era cop Steven Blackwell and 21st-century journalist Olivia Watson. Carol is a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks, Co-chair of the Murderous March Mystery Conference, and former President of her Sisters in Crime chapter.