An interview with Gail Pallotta

Our guest today is author Gail Pallotta, a former Grace Awards finalist, a 2017 Reader's Favorite Book Awards recipient, and a topShelf 2020 Book Awards Finalist. Gail is also a wife, mother, and an excellent cook!

Gail, what made you start writing?

 I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember, but I got interested in writing as a career in college when I took a professional writing course. I always had wanted to write books, but alas, I needed a job, so I worked as an editor and copywriter. After I married, I helped my husband with his business and wrote freelance articles. When he semi-retired, I started writing books.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

If I experience something or am touched by something I see and it rattles around in my head a while, eventually I write something about it, a book, short story or blog.

How do you incorporate your own life experiences into your books? 

While I do quite a bit of research for each book, I also like to set them in places I’ve lived or visited. Also, I draw from things I’ve learned or seen in my life. For instance, my mother was a hairstylist, so I wrote Hair Calamities and Hot Cash based on what I saw and heard when I spent time in her shop as a youngster. At age ten I learned to cook from my grandmother, aunts and mother who were gourmet Southern cooks, so I drew on that for Cooking up a Mystery. Stopped Cold, my teen book, was based on the pressure I saw put on young people to excel to be the best.

Describe your ideal non-writing day.

Oh my, I’m at the beach.

Which do you prefer and why?

-Ice cream or watermelon? I can’t eat ice cream, but I prefer frozen yogurt over watermelon because it’s creamier and goes better with pecan pie.

-Dogs or cat? That’s a difficult question because I’m an animal lover, but I suppose dogs win.

-Marketing or visiting the dentist? LOL. Ouch. I’m a people person, but more in the vein of enjoying visiting and getting to know others as opposed to selling to them, and the dentist…I have such a kind, wonderful dentist, which helps, but… It’s a draw.

Speaking of dentists, tell us something about your book, "Cooking Up a Mystery".

Laney Eskridge worked to put her husband through dental school. Then he left with another woman. She's on edge from the emotional scars and her parents' deaths. Then she hears unexplained noises in her new tea house, and her anxiety is tripled. Add a budding romance with Eric—a guy with a fear of commitment—and it's all too much to handle. She cuts ties with Eric and plunges into making her business pay off.

When Eric discovers that Laney's in danger, he vows to protect her. But can he make a lasting promise? Will she trust him? . . .and when they overhear a threat that could cause national turmoil, will anyone believe them? There's more brewing than herbal tea in Cooking up a Mystery.

Cooking up a Mystery is an Amazon Monthly Deal, and Gail's publisher has extended it to a couple of other sites. The Kindle copies are currently $1.99 at the following:

Amazon        Apple 

You can connect with Gail at any (or all!) of the following sites:

Facebook      Goodreads     BookBub      Pinterest