In May, I did a guest post on the blog of Anastasia Pollack, a character created by Lois Winston. After that post, I dug a little into Anastasia and found myself intrigued. As luck would have it, I had the opportunity to interview Anastasia and learn more about her.
For those of us who don’t know you, tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Anastasia Pollack, and I led a normal middle-class life as a wife, mother, and magazine crafts editor until author Lois Winston came along. The next thing I know, I’m a destitute widow, tripping over dead bodies and dealing with a loan shark demanding I pay off $50,000 in gambling debt my husband had racked up before he dropped dead in a Las Vegas casino. I thought he was at a sales meeting in Harrisburg, PA. Talk about a shock! And to top it off, I’m now permanently stuck with his communist mother.
What is your favorite craft?
Counted cross stitch but since Lois got hold of my life, I haven’t had time to indulge in any crafts or much of anything else other than dealing with murder and mayhem.
Most people wouldn’t think a crafts editor would have an exciting life, but yours is full of excitement. Why do you think that is?
Could it be because I have a sadistic author?
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever encountered as an amateur sleuth?
Finding the dead body of the fashion editor glued to my desk chair. Who knew a glue gun was as deadly as a semi-automatic?
Have you ever thought about sharing your experiences through a podcast?
Funny you should mention that. Check out A Crafty Collage of Crime, the latest book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, to see what Lois came up with this time.
We hear you are descended from royalty. Is there any truth to this rumor?
Only according to my mother. She claims we’re descended from Russian nobility on her mother’s side of the family. She’s never offered any proof, though.
Speaking of rumors, we also hear you are recently married. Any honeymoon plans?
Again, check out my latest adventure. We were planning a second trip to Barcelona. The first time we went, I had accompanied Zack on a photo assignment but wound up getting kidnapped shortly after we arrived. You can read all about it in Mosaic Mayhem, one of the Anastasia Pollack Mini-Mysteries. However, instead of Barcelona, Lois decided to send us to Tennessee.
What was the best vacation you ever took? The worst?
Well, if it weren’t for the kidnapping, I’d say Barcelona. That’s why I wanted to go back.
If your creator, Lois Winston, offered to take you out to dinner at any place you wanted, where would you choose?
How about Estimar in Barcelona? I understand it’s a Michelin restaurant. Given all the murder and mayhem Lois has dumped on me, don’t you think it’s the least she can do?
If you could ask Lois one question, what would it be?
Why me???
How can people learn more about you and keep up with your adventures?
You can find my books (as well as Lois’s books not about me) on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books. Audiobooks of the first four books in the series (more to follow) are available at Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. I also have my own blog, Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, that Lois set up for me and a Twitter account, but I don’t tweet very often. Who has time the way Lois manipulates my life?
Anastasia’s Latest Adventure
A Crafty Collage of Crime
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 12
Wherever crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack goes, murder and mayhem follow. Her honeymoon is no exception. She and new husband, photojournalist (and possible spy) Zachary Barnes, are enjoying a walk in the Tennessee woods when they stumble upon a body on the side of a creek. The dead man is the husband of one of the three sisters who own the winery and guest cottages where Anastasia and Zack are vacationing.
When the local sheriff sets his sights on the widow as the prime suspect, her sisters close ranks around her. The three siblings are true-crime junkies, and thanks to a podcaster who has produced an unauthorized series about her, Anastasia’s reputation for solving murders has preceded her to the bucolic hamlet. The sisters plead for her help in finding the real killer. As Anastasia learns more about the women and their business, a host of suspects emerge, including several relatives, a relentless land developer, and even the sisters themselves.
Meanwhile, Anastasia becomes obsessed with discovering the podcaster’s identity. Along with knowing about Anastasia’s life as a reluctant amateur sleuth, the podcaster has divulged details of Anastasia’s personal life. Someone has betrayed Anastasia’s trust, and she’s out to discover the identity of the culprit.
Craft project included.
Available at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books.
About Lois WInston
USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Lois Winston began her award-winning writing career in 2006 with Talk Gertie to Me, a humorous novel about a small-town girl in Manhattan and the mother bent on bringing her home. That was followed by the romantic suspense Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. Lois wrote her first mystery thanks to a conversation between her agent and an editor looking for a crafting-themed cozy series. Thus, was born the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series now includes twelve novels and three novellas. To date Lois has published twenty-one novels, five novellas, several short stories, one children’s chapter book, and one nonfiction book on writing, inspired by the twelve years she worked as an associate at a literary agency.
To learn more about Lois, check out her website, or find her on Pinterest, Goodreads, and Bookbub. You can also sign up for her newsletter.