Interview with Maggie Cummings and giveaway |

I can’t believe how quickly 2017 has flown by, although I say that every year. This is the last interview of the year. Don’t worry, I have many interviews and guest posts lined up for 2018.

On December 26th the Kick-Start 2018 with Fantastic Deals will start. You won’t want to miss it!

Today I’m thrilled to welcome Bold Strokes Books author Maggie Cummings. She recently released the third and final installment in the Bay West Social series. One lucky winner will receive an e-copy of Definite Possibility.

Please welcome the amazing Maggie Cummings.

Before we begin, thanks so much for stopping by today for a chat.

It is so great to be here!

You have degrees in English, theater, and criminal justice. What attracted you to each area of study?

People. I love people. I love to know what they’re thinking, what they’re up to. I like knowing what makes them tick. That’s really what attracted me to English, theatre and law enforcement, in one way or another. When I was a kid, I loved watching cop shows and diving into the plot lines to see how detectives solved cases. It’s really all about understanding people. I went to a small liberal arts college and jumped headfirst into English. I joined the theatre program shortly after and the two areas of study really complemented each other well. When I got out of college, I worked off-broadway for a short time until I realized I still had a passion for law enforcement. Becoming a police officer seemed the most natural thing in the world and it’s been a great fit. Conducting investigations I get to delve into people’s motives, and a lot of that is pretty similar to fiction because you really have to start putting pieces together to figure things out. It’s not entirely unlike crafting a story. And then came writing…

You work in law enforcement in the NYC metropolitan area. First, thank you for your service. Second, how has your job influenced your writing?

When I first started writing, I made a conscious decision to stay away from traditional cop stories. I work in an urban area, post 9/11, and it can be heavy at times. But in this line of work, I do get to see another side of people—the everyday unsung heroes and the quiet little stories of people really helping each other out—and it really is life affirming. I wanted to focus on those moments and create fun, frothy, feel-good books. But more and more I find myself being drawn to some law enforcement plot lines. I’m very careful to not echo any of the details from the organized crime or terrorism cases I’ve worked, but I do find certain characters developing in my head that are directly related to the field. Including a main character who is a K9 cop. More on that later.

In addition to working in law enforcement, you and your wife have two children. How do you find time to write?

I don’t! Seriously though, I’ve learned to write in stolen moments—waiting in the car while my kids are at dance or robotics, getting a few sentences jotted down while I’m cooking dinner—stuff like that. And I do a lot of writing after they go to sleep. You have to be disciplined, which is something I struggle with, and I probably could fit in more writing if I did a better job of time management. But life is important too, and so are the kiddos, so I balance the best I can which is probably not very well!

Tell us about your latest release.

Definite Possibility is the third and final installment in the Bay West Social series. The book wraps up the storyline of Meg McTiernan, the main character throughout all three books. Meg has always been near and dear to my heart and I think she’s the character readers react the most to. But this book also has my favorite romance of the series—Sam and Lucy. I have to say this is the couple I loved writing the most and I can’t wait for people to meet them.

How do you unwind?

Well, I’m a real fan of junk TV, but I just don’t get much time for it these days. Lately my favorite way to unwind is singing along to cheesy pop music play lists with my daughter. I should probably be embarrassed that I know as many songs word for word as my five year old, but I’m not!

As a parent, what worries you the most when it comes to raising children in the 21^st century?

I don’t think there’s a parent out there, or a person out there, who doesn’t worry about mass violence. It’s so scary, I don’t even know what to say about it. Aside from that horror, I wrestle with worries about social media all the time. My kids are five and eight, and they have classmates with cell phones and Instagram accounts, they love YouTube. I feel like it’s so much, so soon and I find myself giving lectures on privacy and the long term impact of technology and social media. But they are so little and their lives are so tech-driven, it hardly registers. Hopefully, we’ll figure out how to navigate it appropriately together as they grow up.

What’s the last great book you’ve read?

Time Will Tell by M. Ullrich. My God, I wish I hadn’t picked up this book! It sucked me in so fast and so deeply. I was supposed to be writing but I could not put it down.

Who has had the greatest impact on you?

Listen, it’s really close to home, but I’ve got to say my dad. He’s a great guy. Warm and caring and supportive. He is everything I hope to be to my kids. My family is really important to me, which is why I chose to settle close to where I grew up. I love that my dad grew up on conservative Staten Island and yet he’s a diehard liberal. He’s seventy-eight and he bought my mother a pussy hat for her birthday last year. He’s a reluctant churchgoer who feels the need to lecture priests on gay rights. This is the guy I’ve always had in my corner and it’s maybe why I’ve always felt that I could try to accomplish anything.

What’s the one type of food you can’t live without?

Kisses. Hershey-freaking-kisses! I eat them by the bag. There’s always a pile next to me when I’m writing (or watching TV or reading, etc.). I crave them all day long, every day. I do try to wait until mid-afternoon before I start binging, but some days I lose the battle. Other cops can have their donuts, bring me all the Hershey’s Kisses!

Thanks so much for chatting today.

Thanks so much for inviting me. I love being part of this community of writers and readers!

DEFINITE POSSIBILITY

E-book $9.99
Paperback $16.95
Release Date: October 17, 2017
Contemporary / Romance

Sam Miller followed her heart to the West Coast. Now she’s back, she’s single, and she’s got one mission: spend as much time as possible in Bay West, her favorite all-lesbian condo development. When she meets the sexy owner of Lucy’s Coffee Bar, Sam reshuffles her priorities right on the spot. But Lucy Weston has zero time for distractions, and she’s not about to make an exception—even if Sam’s easy confidence and subtle charm get her every time.

Meanwhile, Meg McTiernan’s finally in a steady relationship with Reina Ramirez. So why can’t she stop wondering what Sasha Michaels is up to? When a chance run-in with her ex offers a glimpse into what her life could be, Meg wonders if she will be brave enough to risk it all for the girl she’s never stopped loving.

Bay West Social: where friendship, fun, romance, and drama are always brewing.

Bold Strokes Books / Amazon US /Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AUS

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