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

What drew you to the genre you write?
I’ve been reading mysteries since I first discovered Encyclopedia Brown on the library shelves, so whenever I thought about writing, crime fiction was always at the forefront of my mind. Having been a reviewer of the genre for 10+ years also gave me a unique insight into what makes it tick.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
There’s a minor character in my newest story, “Losing My Mind.” His name is Hal and he loves to use slang, so much so that he will pull slang words from all different generations and mix them together in the same sentence. He was so much fun to write, that I’m working on other things featuring him.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
No pseudonym at the moment, but never say never.

Tell us how you got into writing?
After getting an BA in English, the plan was to write. But I love reading so much that I couldn’t stop doing it and I found that any piece of writing I produced became a mixture of voices depending on what I had been reading at the same time, so I gravitated over to reviewing—where I could write about what I was reading. That was the training ground that helped me learn to distance my narrative voice from the multiple voices from what I was reading.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
Too many to list, but before “retiring,” my main career working in academic journal publishing first at Elsevier (a for-profit company) and then later at Johns Hopkins University Press (the oldest non-profit University Press in the United States). There I oversaw a suite of academic journals in humanities, which exposed me to such diverse topics as women’s history, diacritical marks, Henry James, and about 50 other journal themes.

How many books do you have published?
If we include the new short story coming out this month, I have published three short stories in three wildly different anthologies. (One story—a multiple award-winning story—written in collaboration with someone named Dru Ann Love. <—that would be me

Where do you write?
My husband and I converted a former craft room into a very nice office/library where I find I can allow my mind to wander.

What is your ideal time to write?
I’m a night owl, so I find that I’m most creative later in the day and use the mornings to look over and edit what I did the night before.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
I love Reece’s Pieces, Twizzlers (NOT Vines), and lemonade (probably not all at the same time).

What’s your favorite genre to read?
I try to read diversely in almost all genres, but crime fiction is the bulk of my reading and will always have my heart.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I have shared this before so it might not be as much of a surprise these days, but I once qualified to compete internationally in the world’s largest Country Line Dancing competition (back when I was younger, and the line dancing boom was at its peak). Because it always gets a laugh, my specialty was a dance called the Tush Push.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
I will never turn down an Amaretto Sour before or after dinner.

Who is an author you admire?
So as not to pick favorites from folks who might read this, I’ll go with someone outside the crime fiction genre who is no longer with us. E. Lynn Harris was a revolutionary gay author of Color who never shied away from putting hard truths on the page about the LGBTQIA+ community, while also still managing to writing wildly entertaining novels that reached a wide and diverse readership.

Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
It’s never too late. So many writers, including myself, started later in life after having full and rewarding careers in other fields. And always remember every word you write is only a draft until you say it’s ready, so allow yourself to make mistakes while trying different approaches. Only you know about all the detours.

What are you reading now?
I recently finished Libba Bray’s Under the Same Stars, a YA mystery that connects two missing girls from WWII Germany with two teens living in NYC during the Covid lockdown. Powerful and timely for ALL ages.

What is next for you?
In “Losing My Mind,” I crafted a unique and bizarre version of Hell, where my main character works as a barista in a coffee shop. Early readers enjoyed witnessing as he solved a mystery to right past wrongs, so I’m working on a few other short stories featuring the same character and same location.

Where can we find you?
You can definitely find me on my blog, BOLO Books. Honestly, everything else is in flux at the moment, but for now people can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Now to have some fun . . .

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Brunch because I love Breakfast food, but at a reasonable hour.

Fruits or vegetables
Fruits, for sure.

Chocolate, vanilla, or another flavor
Vanilla, preferably with hot fudge or caramel and maybe some banana.

Sweet or salty snacks
Both have their place and time. Sometimes even together.

Ice cream or cake
I enjoy both but if forced to choose, ice cream is the clear winner.

Cooking or baking
I bake and my husband cooks, so we get the best of both worlds.

Dining in or dining out
We eat in more often which makes those restaurant nights even more special.

City life or country living
I love a good suburb where I can reap the benefits of both locales.

Beach or mountain
Mountain.

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Spring and Fall are about neck and neck for me. I love the transition periods where it’s neither too hot nor too cold.

Extrovert or introvert
I’d say I’m an introvert, but I suspect many of those around me would disagree. I guess I really manage to navigate between the two to meet the needs of the moment.

Early bird or night owl
Night owl. See above.

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
Oddly, I don’t really think about movies in that way. They entertain me at the moment and I can watch many over and over, but I’m not sure I really think of having a favorite. Just to not be contrary, I will say that I love the competitive ice-skating epic that is The Cutting Edge—“toe pick” (iykyk).

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
An e-reader loaded with books, a comfortable bed, and a phone to call for rescue when the isolation gets to be too much (or when I need more books).

My bio:
Kristopher Zgorski is the founder and sole reviewer at the crime fiction book blog, BOLO Books. In 2018, he was awarded the MWA Raven Award. Kristopher writes a column on digital crime fiction resources for every issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Appearing in 2023, Kristopher’s first published short story—“Ticket to Ride”—(a collaborative work with follow blogger Dru Ann Love) won the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. His second short story—“Reynisfjara”—is currently nominated in the Agatha Award Best Short Story category and his latest story—“Losing My Mind”—coming out in March and appears in Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the songs of Stephen Sondheim.