Interview: Jackie Fullerton

Today I'm thrilled to welcome author and attorney, Jackie Fullerton! Jackie is the author of the Anne Marshall mystery series and her latest book is entitled Revenge Served Cold!

Kathy Spence awakens in the middle of the night and finds herself in a living nightmare. Her husband has been run down and she is the primary suspect. With an eyewitness to the crime and proof that her car was the murder weapon, it appears to be an open and shut case. Terrified for her future, Kathy turns to amateur sleuth Anne Marshall for help. Believing in Kathy's innocence, Anne launches her own investigation, uncovering proof of a conspiracy that reaches from Kathy s past and threatens her own life. In a race against time, Anne must count on her close friends and even the ghost of her father to help her bring a killer to justice before it's too late

Welcome Jackie ; ).


Tell us a little about yourself.

My husband, Tom and I have five children and eight grandchildren, most of whom are scattered across the United States. At this point in our lives, we are able to split our time between Westerville, Ohio and Ft. Myers, Florida. Professionally, I am an attorney and a businesswoman, but my first love is writing. Even as a child, I was writing stories involving a gang of mischievous woodland creatures.

What appeals to you about writing mysteries?

I love challenges. Mysteries appeal to me because they are like puzzles. The challenge is identifying all the important pieces and putting them together to reveal the picture. Being able to create that picture and then hide the pieces is great fun.

Describe your sleuth, Anne Marshall, and how you came to create her.

Anne Marshall is a confident woman in her thirties who thinks she finally knows what she wants in life. It's not so much that I created her as she just sprang into being. I literally woke up one morning and there she was. I immediately went to the computer and started to write.

How much research is involved in writing your series?

More than I realized. Since I went to law school at night and am now a practicing attorney, those parts were easy. I called upon my own experiences. Everything else requires research. When I was setting up the offshore accounts in my first book Piercing the Veil, I had to investigate the banking laws in several countries. To this day my husband is still suspicious.

Do you write in any other genre besides mystery?

Not at this point. I love mysteries and have not exhausted the murders I have in store for Anne. When I finish that series, I would like to write in the occult.

What is your writing schedule like?

I follow the discipline that you write at least one hour every day. I usually read the paper, work the crossword puzzle, check my emails and then start writing. Some days I write only one hour and some days I write several hours. It depends. If I am in a part of the story that requires a lot of dialogue, it's harder for me.

Can you tell us what you're working on now?

The book I am working on now takes place in Florida. Anne and Jason are visiting his parents over Thanksgiving and, of course, there is a murder. It turns out this latest murder is only one of several. The first murderer happened back in Brecksville, so Maria and her other study group friends become involved before more bodies start to appear.

Do you have a website or blog?

I have a website in process, jackiefullerton.com. I am just starting to blog and love it. I am doing some blogs for other sites, but will eventually incorporate them into my website. Folks can contact me at Fuller1200@aol.com until the website is completely operational.

What good books have you read recently that you'd like to recommend?

Of course I love Janet Evanovich, but some folks have recommended other authors to me that I have really enjoyed. The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross is delightful. I know they're not mysteries, but sometimes you have to take a break. For mysteries I have recently read and enjoyed mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson, Charlaine Harris, and Rosemary Harris.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Just start writing. I can't stress that enough. Sit down and write one hour a day. Don't worry about the opening sentence. You can come back to it.

For a mystery, think of a murder and then who would do it and why. Use your imagination. Once you have that, who would solve it? Are you going to write what publishers call "Cozies?" (A book you can cozy up with in a chair in front of a fire - an Agatha Christie type.) If you are, that involves an amateur sleuth with lots of friends to help. What amateur sleuth can you create? Someone at the office? Someone in your neighborhood? You can't accomplish anything unless you start. "Just do it."

Thanks for stopping by Jackie! And for those of you wanting a copy of Revenge Served Cold, click here.