An Interview with Author T.D. Jones

Visit T.D.'s blog at www.writingonthego.blogspot.com!

Kickin off our third author interview is T.D. Jones, author of "Hot Days" (available at Melange Books), a book of two novelettes that I had the pleasure to read recently. Thanks for visiting us, Ms. Jones. Let the games begin!


Please tell us a little about yourself, T.D. Family, kids, grandkids?



I’m a few months from being forty-nine. I have two grown daughters.  I became “Bumper” 6 months ago to a grandson and I can’t imagine having a greater job than being a grandma.  I work full-time at a hospital.

The first story, "Who Put Grandpa In The Garden!" is hilarious, and the second, "The Cockeyed Sheriff from Crockett County" involves a very strange crime scene. I'm dying to know, do you have personal experiences that inspired the stories in "Hot Days"?



For the Grandpa story, a friend was telling me about how his family member’s ashes were still in the closet after many years, well of course my imagination took off running and came up with the story line.


For the Cockeyed Cowboy story I don’t know of anything that really happened like that story line but I did work in the Medical Examiner’s office for five years when it was located in the hospital and loved it, so I think I’m always looking to put a crime scene and a dead body in a story.



When you're not writing about strange crimes and laugh-out-loud family squabbles, what do you like to do with your time?



Read, needlepoint, gardening.

Are you working on any stories now, and if so, can you tell us a little about it (or them)?



Right now I’m working on a mystery series called Tootles McGee Mysteries. The first one is “Dead is Dead.” Tootles is the neighborhood sweet, little lady who loves bourbon soaked fruit cake and touts a gun. She somehow always manages to help solve local crimes.

Here's the random question of the day--If you were stuck on an island by yourself, what three things would you want with you?


Potatoes, I love potatoes. A pen that never runs dry and endless amounts of paper.  I know I would want to write about being on an island with a gorgeous man I just happen to come across while running from the local tribe trying to kidnap me...LOL...always creating that storyline.


Finally, Ms. Jones, could you share a short excerpt from one of your stories or even a work in progress?



This is from “Who Put Grandpa In The Garden!”


      “I said I took care of him.” She shut her eyes really tight.
      “What?” her sister screeched, “What do you mean you took care of him? Chelsea, what have you done. How could you make a decision on your own? Oh, my god, what have you done?”
      “Grandma called me this morning at work and asked me to come by and get him, so I did.”
      “Oh, thank heavens. You just took him home with you. I thought you did something drastic with him." Margaret paused, “Like the time Mom asked you to clean the fish and you scrubbed the scales right off those poor, little gold fish.”
      “She didn’t say bowl. She should have said fish bowl. Chelsea hollered into the phone.
      “Face it Chelsea, you do have a tendency to screw up the simplest things,” Margaret stated.
      She rolled her eyes. Her sister, ‘little miss perfect’ always had to point that out.
      “So?” Margaret asked.
      “So what, Margaret?”
      “Chelsea, so you brought Grandpa home with you?”
      “Uh, huh.” Chelsea mumbled.
      “Chelsea?” Margaret questioned.
      “What Margaret?” Her voice cracked.
      “You’re not telling me everything. I can tell because your voice always cracks when you are nervous.”
      “I brought him home, and now he’s in the garden,” Chelsea whispered.
      “What? Did you say the garden?” Margaret demanded.



Thank you very much, T.D, for your time today, and I wish you much success in the future!