INTERVIEW WITH MARJI LAINE

Marji Laine writes about hope and redemption. Her characters, tangled in desperate situations, rely on authentic faith in God to carry them through treachery, betrayal, and impossible circumstances. Raised in suburban Dallas, she was educated by Perry Mason, Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, and Jessica Fletcher. Through the weavings of their stories, Marji found a determination to share the satisfaction of solving scintillating whodunits with a side of Texas sassy. She invites readers to investigate their own mysteries, to unravel their inspiration, and to find a deeper knowledge in the Lord's love, the Great Mystery that invites everyone. 

You can learn more about Marji by visiting her WEBSITE.

You can order GRIME BEAT from AMAZON.  

INTERVIEW

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

I live with my hubby, big dog, and 3 girls in North Texas. My son just got married to a precious lady. My oldest daughter will be leaving for college sometime in the future (4 weeks) though I’m trying to avoid thinking about missing her. 

We home school. Yes, even in the summer, when we don’t finish our world history! I have twin girls who are about to be juniors, and I spend quite a lot of time running them around, especially during volleyball season. I just finished building a website for our large home schooling coop, and in that same coop, I coordinate all of the high school academics. I direct the children’s choir at my church and sing in the adult choir. 

As a former scrapbooking consultant, I learned to love photography. That’s probably one of the reasons why scenes inspire me. My girls are used to a random “What if” question as we drive. And I’ll never forget watching an elevated Christmas tree and nudging my oldest daughter. “What if a body fell out from under that rotating tree?” (She countered with pointing out the perfect place to hold a wedding ceremony. Yeah, she’s all romance and I’m all mystery! LOL!)

How did you get into reviewing books? 

When I started my blog, I wanted to give something away. I didn’t have a book at the time, but I could give away suggestions for reading. And I could give some help to the authors who had all-but shed blood to create their stories. 

So I started reviewing them. I did 20 reviews my first year, then about 30 in the next 2 years put together. Then last year, I cranked it up a bit and did 28 reviews in all. I won’t come close to that number this year, but working together with the other reviewers here at Suspense Sisters, we’ve been able to share almost 50 titles of the best the world of Christian suspense has to offer during the last year.

What do you like about it? 

I enjoy excellence in story-creation and finding authors who satisfy that need is so much fun. Sharing about their stories with other readers is just the cherry on top. Oh, and I love that I can truly pick from the best we have to offer. I’ve been able to find more favorite authors this year! 

What don’t you like about it?

With my busy schedule, I don’t like it when I procrastinate. I love to immerse in a story. Yet, sadly, because I’m on a deadline for a review, I sometimes just can’t afford to do that. And it’s a bummer, but I still find I enjoy the read even though I’m having to speed through the story.

We understand you’re also an author. Tell us about your latest book.  

I’ve had six publications in the past with Write Integrity Press that were all collaborations of between 8 to 12 authors. But this summer I indie-pubbed my first solo book, the first in a novella series.

GRIME BEAT has humor, mystery, suspense, and a touch of romance. My main character is a crime scene cleaner. She’s been warned by her witness protection agent to keep her head down and stay out of trouble. But that’s just not the way she rolls, especially when her best friend goes missing.I’m extra excited because Book #2, GRIME WAVE, comes out later this month! 

Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? In ten?

Wow, good question. My twins graduate in 2 years. I’m already writing full time and hope that I’ll be successful enough in five years to start thinking about hubby’s retirement. Maybe I’ll have a grandbaby by then?

And in ten years, I actually have a secret hope bubbling up to buy an RV. A big one. And travel the NASCAR circuit, seeing races and getting to enjoy the country. Don’t tell sweet hubby though! I don’t want to scare him too much!

Marji's giving away an ebook copy of her book from Amazon.com. Leave a comment, along with your contact information, for your chance to win!