Kia ora,

Thanks for coming along to meet another fab author! 
Did you get a cuppa and a biscuit? 
Get comfy here we go:

Who are you ? What makes you tick?
The adjectives that come to mind to describe myself are dark, compulsive, funny, smart, ironic, competitive, aggressive, entertaining. Here are the activities that make me tick: playing tournament bridge; writing suspenseful fiction; watching dark, engrossing thrillers; participating in story slams. In a previous life I was a high school math and computer science teacher. (I did that for 40 years.) I switched to fiction writing after retirement from teaching. And I’ve been a writer for 15 years.

Favourite genre/s to read or write? 
I love reading brilliant literary fiction. I write dark mysteries and thrillers.

We’re curious about your latest work: 
After 15 years and 7 novels, I’m happy to say my debut novel, A Reluctant Spy, will be published by The Story Plant in October. I will be a 76-year-old debut author, so score one for the Vintage Ladies of this earth. ☺
In A Reluctant Spy, a brilliant young computer scientist, is approached by an FBI agent on the day of her husband’s funeral. He persuades her to go undercover in the Cornell Computer Science Department, to find out who’s providing encryption software to a ring of illegal pornographers on the dark web.
Madeline, my protagonist, is an introverted nerd and definitely not a spy. When she delves into the computers of her colleagues, she makes some devastating discoveries about her late husband and co-workers. Someone in her orbit is a murderer. In order to survive, Madeline must emerge from the shadow of her late husband and outwit an antagonist who is luring her into a deadly game. 

Do you like chocolate fish? 
I’m a dairy-free, gluten-free girl, so no.

What’s your main character like? 
A smarter, braver, taller version of myself.

• Would you go to the pub with them?
• Probably not.

• Would you have them over for dinner?
• Definitely.

• What music do they listen to?
• Opera and Prime Country.

• What type of car do they drive?
• A red, rugged-terrain jeep.

• Are they a series character?
• Yes.

What piece of advice would you give a new writer?
Play the long game. If the first novel doesn’t work out, put it on the famous shelf and start the second novel. Grow a thick skin. Shrug off those rejections. I personally wrote seven novels before finding a publisher. (Excellent advice.)

What part of writing do you find the hardest? 
Outlining the entire plot of a new novel.

Have you ever had lolly cake?
Never heard of it. But my younger daughter’s name is Lauren, and I call her Lolly. Does that count? (Lolly cake is a Kiwi party favourite, right up there with fairy bread.)

Pantser or outliner? And why?
Total outliner. I taught computer programming, and you never start a program without an outline. I write my novels the way I write my computer programs: with an outline. Being a pantser is totally against my personality. I would go to Mars before I’d be a pantser in my writing.

Do you write in silence?
Total silence. No music, no husband in the room, no nothing. That’s why I couldn’t write while I still had children in the house.

Do you like to listen to audio books?
I LOVE audio books! I listen to one every morning while I walk.

Have you ever visited New Zealand? (If you’re not a Kiwi.) 
Not a Kiwi. But I love the Kiwi accent when I hear it.

Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, or some other type of pet?
I used to have budgies that I taught to talk. But now I live vicariously through my two granddogs, Gordy and Clyde, who are both gorgeous and much loved by their Granny.

Where do you write? 
Globally, in Ithaca, NY, or Pasadena, CA. Locally, in my beautiful study at my desk.

Thank you for playing along!
Thank you for fun questions! I’m not as wicked as I make myself sound. ☺

You can find out more about Roselyn and her exciting book in the following places:
Her website.
Facebook.
TwitX.