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

What drew you to the genre you write?
I was drawn to crime fiction because I enjoy solving puzzles. The genre also covers so many facets of human motivation and behavior, which I find fascinating.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
In my second novel one character is training for a marathon, but eats nothing but junk food when no one is looking.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I wrote short stories in high school, then took a long hiatus during college, med school and residency. When my schedule normalized and my children were older, I resumed. I took on-line classes through several companies and became more interested in writing a novel. Currently, I have two short stories and one novel that I’m working on.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I worked full time as a Radiologist and am recently retired.

How many books do you have published?
I have one book traditionally published in June of 2024 and am querying my second book, working on my third.

Where do you write?
I have a beautiful desk set up in my upstairs loft, but in truth I work at the dining room table.

What is your ideal time to write?
Early morning is the most productive time.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Popcorn.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mysteries and thrillers.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
When I go hiking, I subconsciously look for places that would be good body-dumping sites.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
Some nights a glass of Chardonnay, some nights a cup of herbal tea.

Who is an author you admire?
Where to begin? I’d have to say Sara Paretsky, who turned crime-writing in a different direction with her character V . I. Warshawski, and also is a co-founder of Sisters in Crime.

Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
I’d advise them to find their community, writers of the same genre, or at the same point in their career. Get involved with your genre’s professional writers group. I belong to Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers, and I’ve learned so much through these memberships and the people I’ve met.

What are you reading now?
I’m listening to an audiobook by Laura Sims, How Can I Help You?. After that, Alafair Burke’s The Note.

What is next for you?
I have a short story coming out tomorrow in Sisters in Crime Guppy Anthology, Gone Fishin’: Crime Takes a Holiday. I am querying a suspense novel, The Day She Vanished, which takes place in Door County, WI, and am in my first draft of a novel with the working title “The Five Second Rule.”

Where can we find you?
I’m staying home for the next two months, then have trips planned, including attending Left Coast Crime Conference in Denver, Malice Domestic in April, and Thrillerfest in June. I spend many weekends in Door County from mid-April through October.

Now to have some fun . . .

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner

Fruits or vegetables
Fruit

Chocolate, vanilla, or another flavor
Chocolate

Sweet or salty snacks
Salty

Ice cream or cake
Cake

Cooking or baking
Cooking

Dining in or dining out
Dining out

City life or country living
Country living

Beach or mountain
Mountain

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Spring

Extrovert or introvert
Introvert

Early bird or night owl
Night owl

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
(Besides food and water) Books, Either of my cats, Sunscreen

My bio:
Mystery author Cynthia Rice is a physician living in the Milwaukee area. Her debut novel, The Last Broken Girl, a psychological suspense was published in June 2024, and it won the 2023 Claymore Award. She has a short story in a Sisters in Crime Guppy anthology coming out on February 1, 2025. When she is not working on her next novel or short story (or planning a murder) she keeps busy traveling, as well as playing golf and tennis.