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

What drew you to the genre you write?
When I first started writing fiction, I tried writing several different genres—paranormal, romance, and historical. I even tried writing a medical thriller that was more like a medical drama. But once I began to write contemporary police procedurals, I knew I’d found my niche. I love scattering the pieces of the mystery puzzle before putting them back together as I write. It is both challenging and satisfying to bring together plot and subplots under a theme that incorporates them all. I strive to bring action into each episode in the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries and give Deputy Mattie Wray, her dog Robo, and veterinarian Cole Walker each something to do that helps solve the case.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
I’ll talk about two characters here, one human and one canine. Rainbow Sanderson is the unlikely dispatcher at the Timber Creek County Sheriff’s Department. Born to two hippies that settled in the small mountain town of Timber Creek, Rainbow wears tie-died tunics with her leggings and colorful, gauzy scarfs in her hair. Despite being light and carefree, she’s competent and great at her job. She’s also a perfect friend for Mattie, who is much more serious and even brooding at the beginning of the series. Robo is part clown, part intense patrol dog, and total “good boy.” He can be seen wagging his tail while taking down a killer or sleeping in the staff office on his back with his paws in the air and belly exposed.

Tell us how you got into writing?
It seems like I always wanted to write, but I believed I would write nonfiction. After retiring as a speech and language pathologist, I began a book focused on the topic of intuitive communication, planning to bring my work with people with communication disorders into the project. But after writing chapter one, I took a stab at writing a paranormal romance. I never wrote chapter two. I’ve been studying and practicing the art and craft of fiction writing ever since.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I was a speech and language pathologist in schools, an acute care hospital, and in my own rehabilitation center for twenty-four years. Prior to getting my degree, I was a gate guard at a construction site, a hostess at a sales center for a mountain community, and a student assistant in various university departments. After I sold my rehab company, I worked part time in my husband’s veterinary practice, and I assisted him after-hours countless times during the forty-two years that he was in private practice. Thus, I’ve observed many procedures that I’ve written into my books that have kept Cole Walker, DVM, busy.

How many books do you have published?
There are eight Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries so far and book nine, Gathering Mist, comes out on October 8. In this ninth adventure, Mattie and Robo are called to Washington’s Olympic peninsula a week before her wedding on a search and rescue mission for a celebrity’s missing child. They uncover secrets that have lain buried for years in the dark misty forest, sending them on an even more desperate search to find the child before he disappears forever.

I’ll be traveling to various bookstores and libraries for author talks and signings this year. Please see my Events schedule on my website—margaretmizushima.com—to see if I’m coming to a place near you.

Where do you write?
We moved from Colorado to the state of Washington in 2022, and for the first time ever I have my own office. It’s a pleasant space with a gorgeous view of the Olympic mountain range. It’s been inspirational and has given me a much needed creative lift after the grueling two year period it took for us to sort and pack our belongings after forty years in the same home on a mini-ranch property where we owned and managed a veterinary clinic and an Angus cattle herd.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Do you want to hear something funny? As soon as I read this question, I had to get up and fix a snack. LOL That’s a Pavlov’s dog conditioned response! My deadline snacks range from fruit or baby carrots and hummus to homemade mochi balls filled with chocolate ganache that my husband makes—and anything in between. This time it was gluten-free crackers slathered with light cream cheese.

Who is an author you admire?
There are many, but I’ll focus on one. J.A. Jance. In addition to loving her books, I admire her body of work and her work ethic. She’s still producing bestsellers after all these years.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mystery, suspense, and thriller.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a Sisters in Crime-Colorado book club selection: The End of Promise by Rita A. Popp. It’s a cozy that’s very entertaining. If you like reading crime fiction, please join us for our online book club. Non-members are welcome. My new book, Gathering Mist, is the November selection, and you can find out more about us and request a meeting link at sistersincrimecolorado.org/book-club.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
During the summer, Waterloo flavored sparkling water. In winter, vanilla-chamomile herbal tea.

What is next for you?
I’m working on the tenth Timber Creek K-9 Mystery now. It’s scheduled to come out fall of 2025, and book eleven will launch fall of 2026. I’m sticking with Mattie, Robo, and Cole for now.

Where can we find you?
On Facebook, X, Instagram, and on my website at margaretmizushima.com.

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate, vanilla, or another flavor
Definitely vanilla

Ice cream or cake
I can turn down ice cream but not cake.

Fruits or vegetables
I love both. I prefer fruit for snacks and breakfast, vegetables the rest of the day.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner

Dining in or dining out
My husband is a great cook, so dining in.

City life or country living
Country living is what I’ve known my entire life.

Beach or mountain
Mountain

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Definitely Fall

Extrovert or introvert
Both. On a personality test I scored almost half and half but I recharge when I’m alone, tending more toward introvert.

Early bird or night owl
Night owl

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
The Princess Bride

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
My husband (who is much more skilled in survival than I am), a reclining outdoor lounge chair, and a book.

My bio:
Margaret Mizushima writes the internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She serves as past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She is the recipient of a Colorado Authors League Award, a Benjamin Franklin Book Award, a CIBA CLUE Award, and two Willa Literary Awards by Women Writing the West. Her books have been finalists for a SPUR Award by Western Writers of America, a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award, and the Colorado Book Award. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest.