Say what you will about my fandom of Andrew Pyper, but my joy and love of his work is directly responsible for my connecting with today’s 3Q’s guest. A few years back, I was either raving about one of his books or doing a giveaway, and it led to me and Tessa chatting a bit back and forth. We shared a mutual love of his work, an admiration for just how kind he was and through that, we’ve been supportive of each other! The book world and community is a wonderful place and I’m so glad to have connected. As well, I’ve super happy that she agreed to do a 3Q’s!

Please, do welcome Tessa!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
Tessa: I would describe my writing process as frenetic. I work best under pressure, so I tend to overcommit and overschedule myself, which means fitting the writing in wherever and however I can. I try to carve out a few solid hours a day to make sure I hit my word count, which at the moment is 1-2k because I’m currently drafting, but I usually end up writing while waiting outside my daughter’s school, at my son’s hockey practice, after midnight, and every free second in between.

Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What three other authors do you invite to come along?
Tessa: I would bring fellow mystery author Sarah Stewart Taylor because our series – both of which feature female investigators – have lined up book for book, and she’d make an excellent critique partner. I would love to invite Louise Penny in the hope that she’d reveal what’s next for Inspector Gamache. Tana French, whom I would ply with drinks and encourage to tell me dark stories, would definitely make the cut.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Tessa: My next book is called THE KIND TO KILL, and it’s part small-town mystery, part serial killer thriller set (like all of the Shana Merchant novels) in the Thousand Islands. This is a book that I had meticulously mapped out, only to introduce a big twist at the eleventh hour, just two days before my deadline. It surprised the heck out of me, so I think it will surprise readers, too. It’s about a tourist who goes missing during a pirate-themed street festival, and the impact of true crime stories not only on a victim’s relatives but her killer’s own family.

Steve: Bonus Question! You receive an invitation in the mail from one of these two people. The invitation invites you to have dinner and spend the night in their home. Do you accept the invitation from Victor Frankenstein or Dracula and why?
Tessa: I happen to own a first-edition copy of Dracula given to me by my librarian mother, so I’d be eager to chat with the monster himself and find out what’s fact versus fiction.

Wowsa! That is amazing!

Thank you so much for doing this Tessa and best of luck with the book release!

To find more of her work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tessa-Wegert/e/B084KHG6VM

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tessawegert

Website: https://www.tessawegert.com/