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

What drew you to the genre you write?
I’ve liked mysteries since I was a kid. No, not Nancy Drew or Agatha Christie, I was more an Encyclopedia Brown kid. As a young adult I loved TV shows like Moonlighting, Starsky and Hutch, and Remington Steele, and in later years even Psych. It’s the way my brain works, trying to solve wholesome mysteries.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I probably will never have a pseudonym. It’s like, I don’t want to prove to people I wrote that 4 star reviewed book, it’s really me.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I was the kind who loved the library, asked for extra credit assignments (even though I got pretty much straight As) but I was not dreaming of it as a kid. I was 40 before I even considered writing. The writing bug bit me my first year at Malice Domestic (2004). I met so many authors and fans who wrote the kinds of mysteries I fell in love with. That first year I just enjoyed myself. The next year when I walked away, I thought to myself “I wonder if I could write a cool slick mystery like these authors”.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
As a teenager I did short stints as a waitress and a stocker at Toys R Us. I was a clerk typist in the Army. During college I was a newspaper delivery dispatcher. I’ve been an accountant since 1989.

How many books do you have published?
Just the one book, Call In For Murder. I am working on the sequel as we speak.

Where do you write?
Wherever I can find room, because the hubbs is a packrat. I have a desk at home, but more than likely you would find me at a Starbucks, writing and drinking Frappuccinos.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Tough call. I read everything except horror. But my fav has to be contemporary, wholesome mystery or romcom.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I am 6 pianist generations from Beethoven. I was on the fast track to Carnegie Hall when I was attacked by a dog. I can no longer play well with my right hand.

Who is an author you admire?
Leslie Karst. She’s done so much in her life besides writing that I can’t help but admire her strength and gumption.

Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
Network with authors of all genres and join your genre association if you can afford it. Have faith in yourself as a writer. You will learn most by having others read your work. But most importantly: Finish The Story.

What is next for you?
Like, I said, I’m revising the sequel, tentatively titled Advice for a Killer Image. I also want to finish a different mystery, Framed for Murder, about a museum docent/cat burglar.

Where can we find you?
I’m on Facebook, Instagram as Tammy Barker Writer. My website is tammybarkerwriter.com.

Now to have some fun . . .

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dessert! Okay if I have to choose from the three it’s breakfast

Fruits or vegetables
Vegetables with meals, but not a big salad person

Sweet or salty snacks
Definitely sweets, prefer anything chocolate

Ice cream or cake
Ice cream, there is no substitute

Cooking or baking
Baking because it’s relaxing

Dining in or dining out
Depends on who’s making the decision, I prefer eating in, the hubbs loves fast food

City life or country living
City life because I love the energy

Beach or mountain
Neither, but if I have to choose, the beach

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Winter 100% I love Christmas and snow

Extrovert or introvert
Extrovert (not great with small talk at parties, but I can entertain a crowd)

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
The full Die Hard series. I believe most of life’s problems, quandaries, and puzzles can be answered in one of the movies.

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
No electricity, right? My chef’s knife, a huge bottle of Benadryl for my allergies, and my story prompt cards.

My Bio:
Tammy Barker is a serious, by-the-book Washington DC government accountant by day and a wildly imaginative fiction writer by night. She writes contemporary traditional amateur sleuth mystery novels and historical pulp fiction short stories. Her other loves include reading anything, restoring or refurbishing vintage items, small home repairs, cooking and baking, classical piano, and wishing she lived during the 1940s and 1950s. She is on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, and her website is tammybarkerwriter.com.