Q & A with Tracie Banister, aurthor of Twin Piques

On this picturesque Tuesday morning, I have the honor of interviewing Tracie Banister!  She is the author of one of my favorite books, Twin Piques!  

Other amazing books written by Tracie include:

Tracie thank you for taking time out of your busy book writing schedule to sit down with me!  I have wanted to interview you for quite some time and with my new blog, One Book At A Time, this was the perfect occasion!  Welcome!

Tracie I would love to begin our chat today by inquiring about your love for writing!  What sparked your interest in writing? Was there a certain event?
            I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. I always revered the written word. When I was a kid, I had a word-a-day calendar, enjoyed flipping through the big dictionary my grandmother had sitting on a stand in her living room, and couldn’t wait to enter every spelling bee at school! And I was always obsessed with books and reading, which led to me scribbling down my own stories, starting at the age of nine. 

Have you had any unique inspirations for any of your books? Actors? Actresses? Specific events?
            I had a few different inspirations for Twin Piques. I went to school with two sets of female twins (one fraternal/one identical). So, I was able to observe that type of sisterly dynamic up-close for several years and was always really intrigued by it. I knew I wanted to write a story about twins one day! ***Fun Fact*** Although I never met them as they were several grades ahead of me, the twins who played Tabatha on Bewitched, Diane and Erin Murphy, went to my high school.

The working title for Twin Piques was Rhyme and Reason, which was a shout-out to the twin princesses in one of my favorite reads from childhood, The Phantom Tollbooth. In my book, kindhearted, fanciful Willa is the “rhyme” part of the twin equation while logical, pragmatic Sloane is the “reason.”

While working on Twin Piques, I saw a piece on the news about the trial involving author Patricia Cornwell and the company she believed had mishandled the money she’d earned from her writing. I decided to do my own twist on that story with Sloane’s client, romance author Blythe Summers, who’s embroiled in a legal battle with her business manager in the book.

I know that there is a fourth book in the works (I can’t wait to read it!). Can you give us any hints as to what it’s about?
            I don’t like to reveal too much about my books while I’m working on them, because things are subject to change along the way. However, I can say this about Book 4 – the story is set in New York City and involves a pair of antagonistic chefs who are forced to work together in a very public venue. There’s a love triangle (actually, a quadrangle), a very colorful and unique group of supporting characters (some friend, some foe to the heroine), and lots of scrumptious food (If I could cook any of these amazing dishes myself, I would have already gained twenty pounds writing this book!). I’m about halfway through my first draft of the story and am hoping <crossing fingers> to release it in January, 2016.

When you aren’t writing, what do you do with your time? Full-time job?
            Right now, writing is my main job. I also blog, do promotion and marketing for my books, and help run the very popular Chick Lit Chat group (800+ members) on Facebook. When I’m not doing book-related work, I like to spend quality time with my three Cocker Spaniels (Hallie and Victor, my two special needs seniors, and Reggie, my six-month-old puppy who is a handful!), get caught up on all the shows on my DVR (I’m a television addict!), read (of course), and do crossword puzzles.

Lastly, I would love to end with asking, What types of genres interest you? When you’re not writing, what you are reading? Current read?
            Although Chick Lit is my favorite genre to read as well as write, I do like to genre-hop with my reading. I love Cozy Mysteries, Women’s Fiction, Classic Lit, Historical Romance, even Young Adult; it really just depends on my mood.

My current read is Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr. It’s a lot of fun so far. I love the heroine’s snarky sense of humor and am already crushing on the male lead, Nicholas. <swoon>


Thanks so much for featuring my book on your blog today, Bethany. It’s been a blast!  
 
Tracie, THANK YOU for stopping by One Book At A Time today!  I had an amazing time speaking with you and helping your readers learn more about the woman behind such amazing books!  I look forward to hearing more details about book 4 as you get further into the process!  

You can find Tracie at the following links:

http://traciebanister.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tracie.banister
http://www.amazon.com/Tracie-Banister/e/B006ZONWX2
https://twitter.com/traciebanister
http://www.amazon.com/Twin-Piques-Tracie-Banister-ebook/dp/B00RSEP056/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK FRIENDS!!!

Bethany Lynne