Vanity Fair, which I love, has a “Proust Questionnaire” at the end of each issue. I thought we would pose some of those questions to one of my favorite authors, Rosalie Spielman.

Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. Her cozy mystery novels are set in locales that have chickens—such as sunny Kauai and rural Idaho—writing for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series.

She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. For more information on her books or to subscribe to her newsletter, go to www.rosalie-spielman-author.com, follow her Facebook page (Rosalie Spielman author), or join her Facebook group (You Know The Spiel). Rosalie strives to provide you an escape…one page at a time.


Rosalie, thanks for playing. Here goes:

Hi Lane! Thanks so much for hosting me here on Miss Demeanors! I’m excited to be here.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
Ooo, fun. I’m going to go with a GPS app. My kids will actually listen to me! Or, better yet, didn’t say please, or cut off the next car instead of zippering? Go left, sucker. Used your little impatient horn? Better do a U-turn! Bwahahahaaa!

What talent would you most like to have?
I’d like to be able to paint. It looks great in my mind’s eye, but when I try to paint, it comes out looking like a three-year-old created it. Maybe that’s why I like painting with words instead.

Who are your heroes/heroines in real life?
I don’t have any particular name in mind, but rather all those people who struggle with personal demons and manage to keep them at bay. The struggle is real, and it takes a lot of courage and strength to persevere. I address this in my Hometown books—the veterans who suffer the invisible wounds of war.

With the first book of the series, my publisher, Gemma Halliday Publishing, offered to donate a portion of their presale earnings to the Veterans’ charity of my choice. For book one, Welcome Home to Murder, I chose the  DAV, Disabled American Veterans. They offered to do it again for this newest book, and I chose the Quilts of Valor Foundation, whose volunteers create and gift handmade quilts to veterans to provide them comfort and honor their service.

What is it that you most dislike?
Rudeness. It causes so much unnecessary drama and strife in our lives! A little kindness and patience goes a long way.

What is your motto?
My family bought me promotional pens for my birthday, and put the tagline from my website on them, so I guess that’s my motto! I myself like reading to escape reality, so I strive to be: Providing an escape…one page at a time.

Now for your fun new book. Here’s a little about MURDER COMES HOME to whet your appetite. It doesn’t launch until November, but you can pre-order your copy now and be a part of a Veterans’ charity donation!

A quiet hometown is suddenly invaded by TV celebrities… and a killer!

Army retiree Tessa Treslow is as excited as the other residents of New Oslo, Idaho, when the cast and crew of the TV show Picks with Ricks comes to town!
The show’s lead makes an insistent offer on one of Aunt Edna’s renovation projects and won’t take no for an answer. And when Tessa finds the show’s cameraman dead in the restored 1965 Mustang, Tessa knows murder has come home yet again. And the mystery takes a very personal turn when the dead man is found with an antique inscribed pocket watch connected to the former owners of Aunt Edna’s farmhouse. As Tessa digs into the history surrounding the pocket watch and the relationships of the TV crew, shocking details—both old and new—arise. Will Tessa be able to catch a killer…before they return for a repeat performance?

Thanks for stopping by Miss Demeanors!

Lane