Born to Bead Wild: A Humorous Cozy Mystery (Glass Bead Mystery Series) by Janice Peacock | Author Interview

Thanks so much for having me here on your blog today. I’m so happy to be here!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I live in the San Francisco Bay area with my husband. We have a grown daughter who lives nearby, which is terrific. We have a couple of cats (usually, we have more, but I have resisted adding to our clan), and our newest addition to our house is an enormous white dog named Pearl. She is a Great Pyrenees and is absolutely a delight. My husband and I have a home in Southern Oregon that we visit often. Located next to a river, it’s our little piece of heaven. It is wonderful to spend time at our place in Jacksonville, Oregon, to unwind and enjoy nature, and Pearl loves it too. The cats are happy to stay home and be pampered by our cat sitter.

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since 2011. I still feel like a newbie, so it’s funny to look at that year and think that I have been writing fiction for 12 years! I should mention, though, that I was writing long before 2011. I spent much of my adult professional career as a freelance technical writer. It was far drier content to write than my cozy mysteries, but it was certainly a good career for me since I am a bit of a word nerd.

Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?

I didn’t aspire to being an author. I’ve always enjoyed writing and was a technical writer for many years. In the high-tech industry, writing manuals and training materials are more about churning out words with clarity and precision. It’s a lot different than being an author, but I love words, so I suppose that’s how I ended up as an author. As my technical writing career wound down, I turned to more pleasurable pursuits like writing fiction, and I can say I love it much more than the technical material I produced in the past.

I chose the cozy mystery genre because that is what I enjoy reading. I read these light and fluffy craft-oriented mysteries for years and never knew they were even called “cozies”! You must love the genre you are writing in because you will spend a lot of time with your characters, plots, and settings. Writing genre fiction means there are certain tropes to follow, and if you don’t embrace them, you’ll be miserable.

Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?

I do enjoy reading cozy mysteries. However, when I am actively writing the first draft of a new novel, I avoid reading cozies so that the story I’m reading doesn’t get mixed up with the plot of my writing. I tend to read non-fiction and memoir during those first draft writing times. One of the topics I like to read about is art-oriented crimes—like thefts from museums of paintings, the tracking down of lost antiquities, art forgeries and scams, and art restoration and conservation. Sounds kind of strange, yes? Well, I find it fascinating! (C: It sounds cool to me!)

Do you have a favorite place to write?

I write best at my desk, though sometimes my desk seems a little chaotic, and then I’ll move to the couch in my living room. Invariably, the battery on my laptop runs low, and I am forced to return to my office and clean up my desk. My desk is the place I get the most done. I have a large monitor that hooks into my laptop, an external keyboard and trackpad, and a fancy ergonomic chair with red upholstery.

What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?

My desk is relatively clean right now, having moved everything to a table across the office to get it out of the way while I was in the final throes of completing Born to Bead Wild. A clean desk is a distraction-free desk. Here’s what is on my desk: A houseplant with all its leaf tips chewed off by my daughter’s cat, a grapefruit-scented candle, The Emotion Thesaurus reference book, a box of unopened (for now) Swedish Fish, a miniature replica of Jax’s red VW bug convertible, and my laptop.

What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?

The first book I remember reading was Go Dog Go by P.D. Eastman. Man! I loved that book. Those dogs were hilarious. It was always so fun to get to the exciting conclusion where all the dogs had a party on top of a giant tree. Wow, I surprised myself by recalling it so clearly right now.

One of my favorite books was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. It was exciting to read about a girl like me who survived alone on an island. It was so vivid for me. I realized that books could transport you! I recall feeling like I was living the story side by side with the protagonist, that together we swam to the sandspit, together we made fire.

Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or ebooks better? Why?

I enjoy audiobooks. I like doing many crafts, like making jewelry, working with beads, and, most recently, crocheting. Audiobooks allow me to keep my hands busy with crafting while listening to a story. I especially love autobiographies that the author reads. To hear a person’s life story in their voice is very powerful.

I do love physical books. So if it is something I want to enjoy and savor, I love to have an actual book. One reason I love physical books is so I can lend them or give them away. If there is a book I love, and I find a copy at a used book store, I will buy it and keep it until I find a friend I can give it to and say, “You’re gonna love this.”

I do read most of the cozies I like as ebooks. It is easier that way since I have such a long to-be-read list. I can keep them all on my Kindle and get to them more quickly than a stack on my bedside table. Plus, there is also the never-ending problem of not having any bookshelf space, which is made worse by the library bookstore’s fantastic book sales, when I can’t help but scoop up a sack full of books for ten dollars.

If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

I would choose Venice, Italy.Venice is a city I have visited several times, and I always want to return. Whowouldn’t want to live in the most romantic city?One reason I would love to live there is that it is the preeminent city of glass art.It is lovely getting lost in all the little back alleys, walking on bridges over canals, eating fantastic food, and the beautiful glasswork at every turn.And it would be an excellent location to set a new book for the Glass Bead Mystery Series! 

What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?

My husband,Jeff,has influencedme a great deal.He has been an excellent supporter, for sure.He helped me realize the glass bead stories I wanted to tell would be enjoyed by more than just my glass beadmaking friends.You see, my initial thought was that I would write these fun mysteries for my fellow glass bead makers.And my husband said, “You know, I think you should think about a broader audience.”I’d never really thought about the broader appeal of my books. Ifigured I had this tiny audience who would be interested.And, wow, I was wrong, and my husband was correct—many people have enjoyed my books in the Glass Bead Mystery Series and have learned a lot about glass bead making from reading my books.

Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing?Do you belong to any writing groups?

I have author friends, and it is lovely to catch up with them now and then about what they’re working on.I have a small “brain trust” that can give me some instant polling on crazy ideas I have now and then.I am a member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.And while during the pandemic, I wasn’t able to participate much, I am now starting to reinvolve myself in those organizations.I also belong to several writing groups on Facebook, which have provided me with invaluable advice, resources, and camaraderie.

Finally, what are you working on now?Can you tell us a bit about it?

Besides the Glass Bead Mystery Series, I write the Ruby Shaw Mysteries.I released the first book in that series, Aloe and Goodbye, in 2020.I am working on book two in that series, titled Prickly Peril.In case it is not evident from the titles, these books have a succulent plant theme and are set in a funky little cliff-side town in Arizona called Paradise.You can read more about this series here:
https://www.amazon.com/Aloe-Goodbye-Southwestern-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B08MTP6WYY

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!

It’s been my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me to be here today!