Why do you write the genre that you write?
Here’s the truth. I didn’t even know I was writing a cozy when I wrote Plantation Shudders. I’d never heard the term, even though I lived for Agatha Christie. I wrote the kind of book I wanted to read – one that possessed a lovely setting, characters you’d want to be friends with in real life, and a non-gory murder mystery where justice prevailed. I added recipes because I was making myself hungry as I described all that wonderful Cajun food and I figured if I was getting hungry, so would my readers. Talk about a happy accident!

Tell us how you got into writing?
It was another happy accident. After college, I tried to turn my theatre degree into an acting career, but aside from doing voiceovers, I struggled. I managed to join Actors Equity, but then hit a dry spell. I couldn’t do non-union theatre and I wasn’t landing union roles because I fell between types. My then-manager said I was “character pretty,” meaning I wasn’t quirky-looking enough to land character roles or pretty enough to be an ingenue. Bored, I wrote a play and sent it to a theatre hoping I’d get an audition for their company. Instead, they did a reading of the play, and that launched me on a writing career. I think it was my destiny, really. My dad was a Mad Man and both my brothers became writers. If there’s a gene for that, we got it, lol.

What’s next for you?
Long Island Iced Tina, the second book in my Catering Hall Mysteries – which I write as Maria DiRico, my late nonna’s maiden name – released 2/23. Cajun Kiss of Death, my 7th Cajun Country Mystery, will come out in August. And exciting news: I’m writing a new series for Berkley Prime Crime, The Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. My protagonist Ricki James relocates from Los Angeles to New Orleans to launch a gift shop selling vintage cookbooks and kitchen gadgets in the historical Garden District mansion once owned by one of the city’s most legendary restauranteurs, Genevieve “Vee” Charbonnet. Ricki, who was adopted as an infant by the nurse who cared for her after she was abandoned by her birth mother, will also search for her birth parents. I’m plotting the first book right now and I’m super excited.

What are you reading now?
Bronte’s Mistress by Finola Austin. I’m a Bronte-phile, if that’s a thing, lol.

Where can we find you?
I am so glad you asked😊. You can sign up for my monthly newsletter at ellenbyron.com.  You can also find me at any of these places:

Ellen Byron Facebook page at facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor
Catering Hall Mysteries Facebook page at facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries
Bookbub at bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico
Instagram at instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico

Now to have some fun . . .

Vanilla or chocolate
Chocolate.

Pizza or burgers
Pizza. Remember, I’m half-Italian. 😉

Broccoli or squash
Broccoli. But cooked.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Oooh, tough one. Um. . . dinner?

Mountain or beach
Another toughie. I can’t decide. Maybe. . . beach?

Introvert or Extrovert
Oh goody, an easy one. EXTROVERT!!!

And even more fun . . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves? 
Water. Wine. And several thousand books – mostly mysteries!

My bio:
Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Her new Catering Hall Mystery series, written as Maria DiRico, launched with Here Comes the Body and was inspired by her real life. She’s an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. But she considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.