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

Why do you write the genre that you write?
I’ve always loved mysteries. Every time I try to write in a different genre, dead bodies somehow appear.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Sonya Perlman-Dokter, the sous chef in my Deep Dish Mysteries, dresses up for every occasion. If she were on her deathbed, she’d summon her last ounce of strength to apply a flattering shade of lipstick to her own soon-to-be-corpse.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I’ve always written, so it was mostly a matter of figuring out how to channel that drive into stories that were of publishable quality and then actually getting them published. I had many years of “always the bridesmaid”-type near misses and rejections before my work started to gain traction.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
When people hear that I’m a murder mystery novelist, I think they assume that’s the most interesting career I’ve held. And while I do love it, my day jobs have been extremely cool, too. I was the personal assistant to the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep. I got to travel to Asia with him several times, meet high-level government officials. I also worked as the project manager for a research clinic founded by J.K. Rowling, the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. Once, when my colleagues and I were giving her a tour of the new clinic building, she and I ended up standing in a shower together. The tap was off, and we were both fully clothed, but that was still one of the best and most surreal moments of my life.

How many books do you have published?
Six, and a few short stories. Hard to believe! Sometimes, I’m tempted to compare my output to crazy productive writers like Vicki Delany or Julie Anne Lindsay, but then I remind myself that publishing even one poem or story is something that not many people will ever get to do. Sharing stories is such a privilege, whether it’s one or a hundred.

Where do you write?
Right now, I’ve carved out a little corner of our guest bedroom as my office, and that’s where I do most of my writing. My oldest child is going off to college this fall. I’ll miss her terribly, and I’m already dreading it. The one silver lining is that I can take over her room, which has much better lighting and a view of the back yard.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Popcorn. Always popcorn. I’m eating some right now. I think of it as a vegetable.

Who is an author you admire?
Ah! Too many to count. I could gush about Sujata Massey or Jesse Sutanto’s writing, or Catriona McPherson or Vivien Chien’s senses of humor, or wax poetic about people like Josh Pachter, Julie Hennrikus, Barb Goffman, and you, who have each done so much to build a community of mystery writers. But the first person who came to mind was Korina Moss. The woman knows how to put together a charming book. Check out her Cheese Shop Mysteries if you haven’t. Even more than that, though, I admire how kind she is. She is incredibly supportive of other writers, and she’s a lot of fun to hang out with.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love a traditional mystery, set in the UK. Everything from Dorothy Sayers to Richard Osman. Historical mysteries in unusual settings are another favorite.

What are you reading now?
The Fraud by Zadie Smith. Not exactly a mystery, but it ticks the historical and UK setting boxes!

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
Chamomile tea. I wish I could say that I was out there doing shots of tequila at 3AM, but I’m usually in my comfy robe, sipping herbal tea, in bed by eleven.

What is next for you?
Sleep in Heavenly Pizza, book four in the Deep Dish Mysteries will be out in October. It has a fun Hanukkah/Christmas setting and some thorny family dynamics. I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on it.

Where can we find you?
If you’d like to stay in touch, you can find me at mindyquigley.com or follow me on Facebook, BookBub, Goodreads, and Instagram.

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate, vanilla, or another flavor
Oreo! It’s the best of both worlds.

Ice cream or cake
I’d pick a really good chocolate cake over my own husband.

Fruits or vegetables
Vegetables. I genuinely love them. Even the ones that are not popcorn.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
My favorite dining experiences are usually snacks. I love hors d’oeuvres, charcuterie, etc. Super Bowl Sunday is great for me, because the entire day is built around snacking.

Dining in or dining out
Dining in. We have a six-year-old who can be borderline feral, so it’s nice to be someplace where it doesn’t matter if he randomly takes off his pants or starts singing at the top of his lungs.

City life or country living
I’m such a country mouse. When I go on vacation, I like to go from the small town where I live to stay in an even smaller town.

Beach or mountain
For vacations, probably the beach. I’m not a lay-out-under-an-umbrella person though. I like to explore deserted beaches and I love being on the beach during a storm.

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Anything but Fall. My sister and I always exchange memes in the Fall about how much we hate that season. Yuck to pumpkin spice and back to school and Halloween! My part of the country is absolutely glorious when the leaves change color, so I’m trying to embrace that more. No use in being miserable for a full quarter of the year.

Extrovert or introvert
I used to identify strongly as an extrovert, but as I’ve gotten older, I find I need more downtime to recharge my batteries. Maybe I’m an introvert now. Or maybe it’s perimenopause.

Early bird or night owl
More of a night owl. I usually do my best writing between 8 and 10PM.

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
The Princess Bride. You don’t want to watch it with me because I’ll say every line of dialogue along with the characters. Suuuuuper annoying.

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Water, food, a working satellite phone. What can I say? I’m a practical person.

My bio:
Mindy Quigley is the author of two cozy mystery series. Her latest, the Deep Dish Mysteries (St. Martin’s Press), is set in the charming lakeside resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin–a millionaires’ playground that serves up death by the slice. She lives in Virginia with her Civil War history professor husband and their children.