WE WELCOME TALENTED MYSTERY AUTHOR, DAWN MILER TO MIDNIGHT FROST BOOKS!

What made you want to write?

I think being a writer was always something I have wanted to be ever since I was a little girl. My path got sidetracked a bit in college when a journalism professor suggested that perhaps I was in the wrong field. He thought I had the chops to be a writer, but not the tenacious personality to be a reporter. His words sent me into the English Department and eventually into teaching. However, even during my tenure as an elementary school teacher, writing remained in my heart. About a year ago, I made the decision to give it a fulltime push and have been much happier because of it.

How long have you been writing fiction?

I wrote my first mystery novel about 12 years ago and it really wasn’t fit for another person to read. However, my next two Murderous Descent and Portrait of Vengeance were both released through PublishAmerica and are available on Amazon. They are amateur sleuth mysteries featuring my elementary school teacher/wannabe detective, Jamie Hamilton. I also love writing short stories and have recently developed two new characters I love, newspaper reporter and blogger, Rainer Donovan and her hockey player/travel writer love interest, Jordan Mason. These two have a story to tell and I just need to find the time to get them together on paper. 

Do you write anything else?

In addition to my fiction writing, I am also a freelance writer. I am so excited about my new position at an awesome website which brings two of my favorite things together. I just started penning hockey features for The Hub: Sports + Music. You can find my stuff at http://www.hubsm.com/ along with some other really terrific pieces of sports journalism.

 

I started my own blog Mysterious Happenings about a year ago to help spread the word about my mysteries and really love doing it. Blogging is a testament to the Carrie Bradshaw in all of us. 

What is your preferred genre and why?

Mysteries have always been what I love writing most of all probably because I have always loved reading them. I am also a huge fan of British mysteries. There is just something about creating a puzzle and weaving together the pieces to solve it. Everyone has a touch of Sherlock Holmes somewhere in them.

 Where do you get your ideas from regarding characters and or plots?

I am a Jersey girl born and bred and absolutely love the shore. My favorite settings usually involve a lovely town along the New Jersey coastline. As far as characters go, they are usually a compilation of the people I meet and work with. In general, writers are observers of human nature and being a people watcher comes with the territory. The world is full of interesting people who make great stories.

For plots, I can’t really say that inspiration comes from one place or another. Secrets, Lies and Trash was born out of my oldest’s then fascination with garbage trucks when he was a toddler. We used to spend quite a bit of time watching them and it gave me the idea to create my garbage guy/amateur sleuth, Russell Waverly. So, it is true that inspiration does come from the most unlikely places!

What is your muse?

I am not sure I have a particular muse. As with all writers, I have an extremely active imagination. A piece of paper or in today’s world a blank screen is an open invitation to a story that needs to be told. A writer’s mind is always at work and filled with questions.

What other interests do you have that you would like to share with your audience?

Running is a passion and it is one of my favorite ways to work out plot lines or think of a hockey related feature. Recently, I ran my first half marathon and am seriously considering a marathon! I also enjoy yoga. It is an awesome stress reliever and as well as great exercise. As a writer, I am an avid reader as well. I just wish I had more time to read because there are so many amazing books and not enough time in the day.

What type of music do you like?

I have a pretty eclectic taste in music. U2 and Bruce Springsteen are favorites, but I enjoy stuff from Patsy Cline to ACDC.

Do you like to dance?

In another life I would love to come back as a ballerina, but the reality is I am more like Elaine on Seinfeld. 

What other art forms are you interested in?

I really enjoy art and would love it if I could paint, but will settle for being in awe of other people’s artistic prowess. Photography is great too. I could easily spend an afternoon wandering through museums dedicated to those two disciplines. 

What are some of your favorite movies or books?

If I gave you a list of my favorite books, we could be here a while. I really love Anne Perry’s Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery series and always grab the new one as soon as it comes out. Cricket McRae’s Sophie Mae mysteries are another must read. A non-mystery that I absolutely couldn’t put down is Stay by Allie Larkin. I recommend that to anyone who is looking for a must read. 

As I said, I love British mystery series on PBS and will watch anything along those lines. Ballykissangel which was an Irish comedy/drama that ran on the BBC in the nineties that I absolutely would never miss. 

Favorite all time movies are probably When Harry Met Sally and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

 Is there anything else you would like your audience to know about you?

Probably that I am very sports minded from growing up around sports. Watching the Miracle on Ice as a young girl introduced me to the sport and I continue to enjoy it and really love writing about it. Would love to have learned to play as a kid, but it was tough to find nearby rinks back in the day. Thankfully, hockey in New Jersey is on the rise. You won’t find rinks in every community, but there are definitely more to choose from.

What makes you special?

This is a difficult question for me to answer because I was always taught modesty was the best policy. However, I suppose it is my ability to write and tell stories since that is not something which comes easily to most people. Determination would also be a strong character trait of mine because if I didn’t have perseverance, I probably would have packed in my aspirations to be a professional writer a while ago.

What is your next book with us? Tell us about it.

Secrets, Lies and Trash is an amateur/sleuth mystery. I have always been partial to the Miss Marple like detectives which is one of the reasons why Russell is not a professional crime solver. Basically, Russell stumbles across one of two murders while picking up trash on his morning route with the Spotswood Department of Public Works.

When Russell’s high school sweetheart became pregnant the summer after graduation, he gave up college to get a job. When Caroline dies in childbirth, he is left to raise their young son with the help of family and friends. Putting his son first has always been his mantra.

 

Russell becomes wrapped up in the first murders ever in the quiet working-class town when a high school friend of his dead wife is accused of two of the four murders to shake the close knit community. Trying to prove the woman’s innocence takes Russell down various back alleys he would have rather avoided.

 

We are very excited to add another talented and interesting author to our collection.  I have to say, I love the title of Dawn's up coming book, Secrets, Lies and Trash.  It certainly grabs your attention.  Mysteries are wonderfully entertaining to read and they take great skill to plan and write.  I call a good mystery an exercise for our brain. We look forward to seeing this book published.  

Patricia and Celeste, Publishers.