A Book(ish) Life: Interview with Darlene Dziomba
Celebrating the fourth book in the Lily Dreyfus Mystery series!
Welcome back to A Book(ish) Life! Today I’m excited to introduce you to Darlene Dziomba, a fellow member of Sisters in Crime, who’s newest entry in her cozy mystery series, Assault and Gobblery, came out this past week.
When did you realize you’d like to be an author and why?
I am an avid reader and attended a dozen Bouchercons as a fan. I found Bouchercon a great way to discover authors, as well as cities. My friend and I would go early and explore whatever city Bouchercon was being held in. It was a fun time for both of us.
I was sitting in a panel at Bouchercon, Toronto when an idea hit me. I had never read a book where the protagonist worked in an animal shelter.
At the time, I was volunteering at the Animal Welfare Association, a no-kill animal shelter in Voorhees, NJ. I had a wealth of knowledge about the operation. I thought, what better way to put that knowledge to use than a cozy mystery series?
I am very passionate about animal welfare. I hope that my series will inform people about what it takes to run a shelter
What inspired you to write Assault & Gobblery?
The protagonist of my series is the adoption coordinator at a no-kill animal shelter. All of my books have revolved around animal(s) the shelter was trying to get adopted. I read a small article in a local paper about a wild turkey that took up residence on one block of a nearby town. The neighbors fell into two different camps: one to have the turkey relocated to a farm; the other to have the turkey euthanized. The turkey was picked up by animal control before a rescue organization could be arranged to trap it. My second thought after reading the article was, “I could build an entire mystery plot around this.”. My first thought was, “Darn it, they killed the poor turkey.”
Spoiler alert, the turkey in my book survives.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I have a working draft of book 5 in the series, Tail of Deception. When a young man collapses and dies at a Forever Friends Animal Shelter fundraiser, Lily Dreyfus stays at arm’s length, not wanting to get involved. However, the police rule the death a homicide and her boyfriend’s employees begin getting questioned as suspects. Lily gathers her pack to seek the killer and make them heel.
I have a draft for a suspense novel with the working title Hell Hath No Fury. The book is inspired by a trip I took with two former high school classmates. No one died on the trip. The same can’t be said for the book.
About Assault and Gobblery
Vet tech Mitchell Morales seeks Lily’s help for a fowl problem. A wild turkey has taken up residence near a community garden. Tensions flare between the folks who see the turkey as a cool mascot, and those who find him a nuisance.
When Mitchell doesn’t show up for work the staff at Forever Friends Animal Shelter fear he had an accident while riding his bicycle. No one expects him to be unearthed from a pile of compost at the Robinberg Community Garden with a hori hori knife in his chest.
The knife belongs to Lily’s friend Kelly Collins. In an effort to clear her friend’s name, Lily digs into the lives of the gardeners, and their friends, unearthing secrets that make everyone a suspect.
From the renowned university professor to the ruggedly handsome Wyatt everyone has something to hide.
As Lily digs deeper, she discovers a tangled web of jealousy, betrayal, and greed. Can she catch a killer and relocate the troublesome turkey before the community garden’s reputation is ruined for good? One thing’s for sure—this small-town garden has secrets buried in every bed.
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About Darlene
Darlene combined her passion for the written word and animals into the Lily Dreyfus series. The books are written based on her experience as a volunteer at the Animal Welfare Association, a no-kill animal shelter in Voorhees, New Jersey. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Membership Chair for SinC Grand Canyon Writers, and served as a mentor in the Sisters in Crime Mentorship program. Darlene lives in New Jersey with her four-legged best friend, Billie.
Find Darlene:
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