On Saturday April 20, 2013 at 2pm in the Reading Room the Port Jefferson Free Library hosted an extra special National Library Week Celebration Event!
When at the Public Library Association Library Conference last year, librarian Monica Williams made the acquaintance of a group of mystery writers Sisters in Crime http://www.sistersincrime.org/. Sisters in Crime an organization composed of publishers, editors, readers, and librarians who are fans of mysteries and are united by their support of women mystery authors and a. Sisters in Crime is an American Library Association “Library Champion” and offers a “We Love Libraries” award which is a $1,000 grant that is to be used towards the purchase of books. In August 2012 Monica Williams entered the Port Jefferson Free Library as a possible candidate for the award. Word came in January that the Port Jefferson Free Library was the winner. Sisters in Crime has a Long Island Chapter and six authors visited the Library on April 20. Each author discussed her own works. Several members of the Long Island Chapter of Sisters in Crime kindly consented to be interviewed via email. Questions were sent and the authors sent back their replies. Sisters in Crime Long Island Chapter member Bernadine Fagan kindly consented to be interviewed.
MW:Where are you from originally? If not a LI native, how did you end up on Long Island?
I’ve lived on Long Island all my life.
MW: How did you get interested in mysteries?
I have always loved reading and almost every book has a mystery in it, something we don’t know, something we need to find out. It’s why we read. Of course, books that are specifically mysteries have increased emphasis on this aspect of story, so I was drawn to them more than the others.
MW: What was the first mystery you ever read?
I do not remember the first mystery I ever read. Too far back!!! I do remember reading The Black Stallion series when I was in the fourth grade. I loved those books.I read mysteries by some heavy hitters, like Harlan Coben, Lee Child, James Patterson. I also read Vince Flynn, David Baldacci and Janet Evanovich (Yes, I know she is quite different from the others, but fun to read.)
MW: What mystery authors have inspired your own work?
See above.
MW: Please tell the reader about your mysteries
My mysteries are set in Maine, specifically the Maine Woods area, and involve a chic fashionista woman sleuth, Nora Lassiter, from New York City, who has a hard time functioning/adapting to an area where moose roam free and people wear L.L. Bean. There is a lot of humor in both my books, and it will continue in the third book.
MW: What are your future writing plans?
I’m working on my third book in the Nora Lassiter in Maine series. The title (as of today) is The Maine Three. I'm pretty sure that will change.
