Interview with Meghan Scott Molin, author of THE FRAME-UP

With Thanksgiving heralding the arrival of the December holidays, I’ll remind readers that books make excellent holiday gifts. 🙂

Today I’m interviewing Meghan Scott Molin. Her book, a mystery named The Frame-up (Book 1 of the Golden Arrow Mysteries), will be released December 1st by 47 North—just in time for holiday giving. Meghan loves all kinds of storytelling. After Masters in Architecture, and a minor in Opera at college, she worked as a barn manager before becoming a professional wedding photographer because she likes to do all things and never sleep.. The Frame-Up is her first published book. An avid lover of all the nerd things—Star Wars, Star Trek, hobbits, Doctor Who, and more—Meghan also enjoys cooking, dreaming of travel, coveting more corgis, and listening to audiobooks in the barn. She lives in Colorado with her husband (and fellow zookeeper), her two sons, two horses, a cat, and a rambunctious corgi. When she’s not writing she likes to hang with her family, riding her horse, cook,  and dream about traveling.

SS: Please tell us what The Frame-Up is about.

MSM: MG Martin is a comic book writer who solves copy-cat comic book crimes for the LAPD with the help of her drag queen best friend.

SS: Where did you get the idea?

MSM: As cliché as it sounds, I had a dream about my best friend directing a squad of Drag Queen models through San Diego Comic Con to catch a killer. I woke up (literally) laughing out loud, told my husband, and we both agreed I needed to write it down. It evolved into a story in my head, and BOOM. MG Martin et al were born!

SS: What’s the story behind the title? Who came up with it? Did your publisher change it?

MSM: I had a working title I loved, but marketing didn’t agree. After submitting a long list of alternates, my agent came up with this one!

SS: Without giving away the story, can you tell us something we won’t find out just by reading the book jacket.

MSM: Alllllll the nerd jokes, all the time.

SS: Tell us about your favorite character.

MSM: Lawrence is my favorite. I identify with his love of Broadway show tunes, and his love of sequins! He’s such a complex and layered character, he’s been a ton of fun to write.

SS: If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be and what would you do?

MSM: I’d want to hang with the “crew” and go to something nerdy, like a Harry Potter party, or a Star Wars movie marathon! Maybe sit and read comics together?

SS: Are your characters based on real people, or do they come from your imagination?

MSM: Wellllll … MG bears a physical and nerdy resemblance to one of my best friends, but is sort of an amalgamation of all the nerdy women I know. MAYBE one of the bad guys is modeled after someone who did a friend wrong, but I’m not telling, hahaha.

SS: How long did you take to write this book from first draft to publication)

MSM: I started this book in March of 2016. By August I’d finished it and queried a small sample of agents with several R+Rs … I entered #pitchwars in August of 2016 and the rest is history! I re-wrote it for #pitchwars, and then again for my agent before sub. I think after editing for my publisher, this book has gone through at least 5 major revisions!

SS: What kind of research did you do for this book?

MSM: I listened to a lot of interviews from comic book writers, interviewed narcotics detectives, drag queens, fashion designers… so many people!

SS:  What hit the cutting room floor during the editing process?

MSM: My entire mystery changed twice. The bad guy changed characters, even! Several subplots were axed…. so much

SS: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

MSM: Pantser for the first draft of this book, but now I have to basically plot it out a little so my agent and editor know what I’m writing, haha.

SS: What is your favorite part of your writing process, and why?

MSM: I LOVE that downhill cruise to the end. When you’re out of the squishy middle and starting to tie stuff up and write those scenes you’ve been picturing since the beginning? SWOON.

SS: What is the most challenging part of your writing process, and why?

MSM: Middles. Middles. Middles. They eat my soul.

SS: Can you share your writing routine? How do you carve out your writing time?

MSM: I have two small children so it’s basically “scribble frantically during nap time, weekends, and at night.”

SS: Have you ever gotten writer’s block? If yes, how do you overcome it?

MSM: Basically every project has come with some major challenges. I drop my target word count to 250 words for a few days. I can write 250 words in a few minutes, and it gets the words flowing. If I want to keep going, I do. If not, I allow myself to stop after that tiny amount until I get to a part of the book that flows better for me.

SS: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

MSM: Embrace editing. It’s a chance to take your idea and make it better!

SS: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

MSM: Five full length, maybe five more unfinished?

SS: How did you get into writing?

MSM: I’ve always written, and I’m a big reader. It wasn’t until my first son was born with medical complications (and I had to quit my job to care for him) that I decided to get serious about writing.

SS: Share something about you most people probably don’t know.

MSM: I don’t drink coffee, but I’m a tea addict!

SS: Which book influenced you the most?

MSM: The Poisonwood Bible is such an inspiration about narrative voice.

SS: What are you working on right now?

MSM: I am wrapping up edits on Book 2 for my editor and plotting Book 3!

SS: What’s your favorite writing advice?

MSM: Find what works for you. Try new stuff. Toss out what doesn’t work, but keep trying. Every project is different and requires different strategies!

SS: What are you currently reading?

MSM: Here and Then and Now by Mike Chen (it’s EXCELLENT!)

********************

Michael-Grace is sure she landed her job as a comic book writer because she has a man’s name, but her purple hair and take-no- prisoners attitude have helped her keep it. She lives and breathes geek culture, designing costumes and attending drag shows in her spare time. Time that disappears when her beloved comics begin coming to life. Someone in LA is re-creating comic panels using real-life crime scenes. MG recognizes the calling-card of her favorite hero, and it’s not too long before the LAPD is literally knocking at her door for her expertise.

Her agreement to help has everything to with the chance to chase down a real life vigilante hero, and nothing to do with Detective Matteo Kildaire, or his gorgeous hazel eyes. Nothing at all.

When the string of crimes take a sinister jump off-script and clues point to there being a dirty cop in Matteo’s inner circle, MG has to decide who to trust in this cat-and- mouse game. A game that gets dicier when she becomes a suspect. Lies and intrigue build up faster than her color-safe shampoo can handle, and she’s soon trapped by the secrets she’s keeping from her friends, and the detective she’s falling for.

A trail of clues leads her to San Diego Comic Con, a thirty-year- old murder, and the fact that the dirty cop she chases could also be the very drug lord Matteo is searching for—a true comic book villain. MG is left with no choice but to devise a fierce and fashionable plan to catch their villain, with a little help from her friends.

The Frame-Up is available for pre-order from:                                                   Meghan can be found here on social media:

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