I got to know Tim Myers, author of over 27 mystery novels, when he contracted with us for Proofreading. He’s been writing and publishing cozy mysteries for more than 20 years and has over 60 titles available on Kindle, Nook, Apple, Sony, and more, including previously published titles now out of print.
Tim is busy working on his upcoming releases, so I am very grateful that he took the time to respond to my interview questions.
Stayed tuned after the interview for a chance to win FREE copies of three different Tim Myers books!
Lynn: How many books have you published through traditional publishing houses?
Tim Myers: At my most recent count, I’ve published 27 novels, all mysteries. Those numbers are growing monthly these days, it seems!
Lynn: Of the books you’ve published directly to Kindle, which are books where the rights reverted back to you and which are new material?
Tim Myers: Rights reversion novels first published by Penguin include the following mysteries: (Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) Innkeeping with Murder, Reservations for Murder, Murder Checks Inn, Room for Murder, Booked for Murder, (Candlemaking Mysteries) At Wick’s End, Snuffed Out, Death Waxed Over, A Flicker of Doubt, (Soap Boutique Mysteries) Dead Men Don’t Lye, A Pour Way to Dye, A Mold for Murder, and writing as Elizabeth Bright, (Cardmaking Mysteries) Invitation to Murder, Deadly Greetings, and Murder and Salutations. Everything else listed on my site, including my continuations of the Lighthouse Inn Series, Key to Murder and Ring for Murder, and new cozy mysteries A Family of Strangers, Volunteer for Murder, and Coventry, are all new!
Lynn: What are some of the differences, both good and bad, you’ve noted between commercially publishing and Indie publishing?
Tim Myers: I’m sure that I could write a book about that topic, believe me. Traditional publishing places my books with a team working to make my novels the best they can be, and backs them with their imprints, both editorially and as an excellent distribution service that I couldn’t get otherwise. My experiences have been positive overall for the last ten plus years working with New York publishing. For that though, I fully realize that I give up a fair amount of control over what the final book will look like, but so far, the balance is one I have embraced. I’m happy to continue working with traditional publishers as a large part of my publishing strategy for the foreseeable future. There is, in my opinion, real value to what they contribute to the process.
Indie publishing, on the other hand, gives me the opportunity to publish whatever I feel like writing at the time. I am, in essence, my own gatekeeper. I can’t describe what a freeing experience that can be! Go to my website (www.timmyers.net) and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I’ve got young adult, middle grade, fantasy, traditional novels, and many more types of books I may have had trouble placing traditionally, but felt a need to write. On the downside, it’s all on my shoulders as well. There’s a great deal involved in putting out a book myself. I’ve even recently put out my own paperbacks via Createspace, including my two lighthouse inn sequels, as well as publishing books electronically! One happy accident is that I’ve found I love designing covers! Whether you love them or hate them, they are as much a part of my vision as the books I write are.
To sum up, what I love best about the publishing world right now is the balance I’m afforded doing books both for traditional publishing and putting my own work out into the world as well!
Lynn: Your novels contain a lot of crafting information. How much research do you put into producing them?
Tim Myers: I’ve done every craft I write about, and taught myself candlemaking, soapmaking, cardmaking, pottery, and more. Every mistake Harrison makes in my Candle books are mistakes I made myself while learning.
Lynn: You hired Red Adept Publishing to proofread your scanned manuscripts (which thrilled the proofreaders). How important do you feel it is to give readers “clean” Kindle books to read?
Believe me, it’s critical! I’m very happy with the work your company did for me. The results were outstanding. The current recognition programs used for conversions made my scanned books real nightmares to deal with electronically, and you and your team helped me make them right again. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the service you provided me!
Tim Myers: Please tell us what you think the future of publishing will look like.
I wish I knew. I feel, unlike some of my contemporaries, that NY publishing will find a way to stay strong through these uncertain times. In the same light, I also see more opportunities for writers to follow their dreams than ever before via Indie publishing. It’s an exciting time to be a writer, and I’m not about to limit myself to one or the other. I hope in the future to blend my schedules into a more balanced approach than I’m managing at the moment, not that I’m complaining!
Me: What books are you currently working on? Are they for publishers or Indie publishing?
Tim Myers: I’m currently working on some pretty hard deadlines at the moment for three different series, all for traditional NY publishers, with a fourth looming on the horizon. I could write for years on my indie projects floating around in my head, but at the moment, my time, nearly all of it, is spoken for.
Lynn:What eReader(s) do you own? Do you plan on getting a Kindle Fire?
Tim Myers: I own a Kindle, and I love it. Since most of my sales are coming from Amazon, I wanted to be in touch with the experience myself. I love electronic books, and I find my buying habits these days are split about 50/50 between traditional print and electronically published books. Got my Fire already, and I love it!
Lynn: Why have you chosen to write cozy mysteries?
Tim Myers: I’ve always believed that there’s a comfort in cozies, a way of making sense of a world that increasingly makes less and less sense as every day passes. I often say that I would love to live in any of the small towns I create, except for the bodies piling up, of course. In my worlds, the bad guy never gets away with it!
Lynn: Which of your series is your favorite?
Tim Myers: That’s like asking which child I love the most. I love all of them equally, of course! For the record, I have only one child, a daughter, who is always my favorite, no matter what!
Lynn: In your books, who is your favorite character?
Tim Myers: Wow, that’s another loaded question. I’ll try to answer it this way. I love Alex (Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) for his love of tradition, his lighthouse, his inn, and Elise. I love Harrison (Candleshop Mysteries) for his willingness to try new things and not to let failure stop him from trying again. I love Ben (Soapmaking Mysteries) for his devotion, above all else, to his family. I love Jennifer (Cardmaking Mysteries) for her strength to strike out on her own, and her belief in herself. And that’s just my traditionally published books. There are themes I can see now looking back on everything I’ve written that keep reappearing, themes of honor, of love, of loyalty, of trust, of strength to do what is right, and of making things right again in a world gone off kilter. They are great qualities to aspire to, and I do my best every day to live up to my characters’ lives.
Lynn: What authors have inspired you?
Tim Myers: The list is almost too long to mention. Agatha Christie, Charlotte MacLeod, Arthur Conan Doyle, Lawrence Block, Donald Westlake, Carolyn Hart, Robert Parker, Greg McDonald, and many many more.
Visit Tim Myers’s Website here: TimMyers.com
Check out Tim Myers’s Complete Selection of Amazon Kindle Books HERE
Tim Myers is allowing us to give away three FREE copies of each of the following books:
Description:
Agatha Award Nominated Author and IMBA National Bestseller!
Carolyn Hart calls it, “Great Fun.”
Jennifer Shane takes a leap of faith and opens her own card shop, Custom Card Creations. She hires her sassy aunt Lillian, but business is off to a slow start until the phone rings. Jennifer hopes it’s an order, but instead, she hears a woman pleading for her life. Jennifer enlists her brother’s aid, who also happens to be the town sheriff, to help her find out who dialed the wrong number!
~~~~~
Description:
Agatha Award Nominated Novel by an IMBA National Bestselling Author!
Innkeeper Alex Winston owns Hatteras West, an exact replica of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. When one of Alex’s guests is found dead at the top of the lighthouse, at first no one is sure what killed him. But a series of ‘accidents’ soon after show that someone is targeting Alex’s Inn for mayhem, trying to do more than just put him out of business.
~~~~~
Description:
Agatha Award Nominated Author and IMBA National Bestseller!
Ben Perkins is the family and business troubleshooter for Where There’s Soap, a family-owned boutique and small scale production shop the creates and sells all things Soap related. When one of the store’s suppliers is doused with Lye and dies, Ben soon finds out that one of his sisters was dating the man, and worse yet, it had just ended badly. Ben must deal with his ex-girlfriend and police officer Molly Wilkes, as well as a new woman in his life as he tries to solve the supplier’s murder.
Kindle Subscribers can e-mail their entry directly to: RedAdeptReviews@yahoo.com. Subject: <book title> Entry – Name and e-mail in body.
Entries can be submitted until the Saturday following this post.
Winners:
Sue in Wyoming
Trudy in Georgia
Carol in Texas
April in Florida
Maria in Texas
Sara in Georgia
Sandy in Ohio
Joyce in Missouri
Jamie in U.S.
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What a great interview. These books sound so intriguing. I hope one day he will do a craft mystery about Egguery.
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Interesting interview. It’s fun to be living in this revolutionary time of publishing. I think the “pros” coming into Indie publishing raises the bar of excellence.
Thanks for having me, Lynn!
That was fun!
All my best,
Tim
Having proofread Tim’s soapmaking and candlemaking cozies, I can tell you that besides the first rate stories, I was fascinated with the details of making soap and candles. I’m definitely going to give soapmaking a try.