Welcome to my blog, donalee. I’m so excited about your new book. But let’s first talk about you.
When did you realize writing was your destiny?
Growing up I wanted to be a lawyer. I started university prepared to be a lawyer. Then I was introduced to academia and research. I wanted to teach at a university and publish papers in esteemed journals. Then I was offered a scholarship to get a PhD. I was thrilled. I turned it down. I had a chance to go to Harvard to research perceptions of time. I was thrilled. I turned it down. Clearly something else was at play. I finally realized what I wanted to do with my life was write,
Author donalee Moulton
Describe the genres you have pursued. What is your preference?
I have published poetry and literary short stories. I have published thousands of articles in magazines and newspapers, online and in print. I have published personal essays, usually humorous. More recently, I have published non-fiction books and mystery novels as well as mystery short stories. Whatever I am working on at the time is my favorite.
Who and what are your influences and why?
My mother taught me to love language – and to respect it. She cared about words and getting the words right. She was my greatest influence.
When I was about eight or nine, a next-door neighbor tossed me a Nancy Drew book. She thought I might like it. I sat on the curb between our two houses and read the entire book cover to cover. I loved the puzzle, figuring out who dunnit, and being propelled into a world outside my own.
That same year someone gifted me Charlotte’s Web, and my life was forever changed. Not only could words transport you to new worlds, they could become a part of your heart, change you in ways you could not have imagined. I wanted to do that.
As a book reader, what genre appeals to your personal taste?
I really like mysteries. When you’re busy, career focused, juggling meetings and deadlines and interviews and research and editing and teaching and scurrying to find something for dinner, there isn’t a lot of time for reading. As wrong as that is, it is also a reality. So, I embraced the mystery genre and read as much as I could as often as I could. That was sheer enjoyment.
I also wanted my ideas to be challenged, my senses to be assaulted (gently but definitively), and my heart to be broken. So, I read as many novels as my mind, heart, and spirit could bear.
Do you have an ideal reading experience?
There is no special place for me when it comes to reading. Whenever I have a chance to engage with a book, that is the most special of all places. Like a curb. My mother told the story of one Christmas when I was about five. Turkey is in the oven, tree is lit, gifts are being opened, bows and paper everywhere. It was all a little too much for me. She turned to find me curled on the couch reading. I loved that couch.
What books have you read recently?
I’m trying to reduce my screen time and I like to read before I go to sleep, so e-books are not currently my go-to. I love the idea of audio books but have yet to delve into that format. (I fall asleep to audio meditations, and audio books would compete with that joy.)
I was a judge in a recent Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence and read 43 wonderful, diverse, absorbing, and amazing novels. It reminded me to immerse myself more and more often in Canadian writing.
Tell us about your newest book, Bind.
At its heart, Bind is about friendship. The main characters are three women who take the same yoga class at a studio located in the gym. The theft brings them together in unexpected and ultimately profound ways. We root just as much for these women as we do for the thief to be unveiled. There is a cast of regulars, including the police detective and the yoga instructor. Each a three-dimensional, likeable, and flawed human being. (Madoff, a Westie, makes periodic appearances.)
At its heart, Bind is about family. As the search for a thief unfolds, so do a number of subplots. Why does Lexie have such an intense interest in a much-younger trainer at the gym? Who is the unnamed, unknown man who keeps leaving Charlene messages? Why does no one know Woo Woo lives in a mansion?
At its heart, Bind is funny and fun to read. It’s like coming home to a steaming bowl of tomato soup on a cold winter day. Comfortable and delicious. Like a perfect downward dog.
I’ve purchased Bind and it has moved up to the top of my TBR list. You’ve hit two of my favorite things: mysteries and yoga. Wishing you great success with this new series.
About donalee
donalee Moulton’s first mystery book Hung out to Die was published in 2023. A historical mystery, Conflagration!, was published in 2024. It won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Historical Fiction). donalee has two new books coming out in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency.
A short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee’s short story “Troubled Water” was shortlisted for a 2024 Derringer Award and a 2024 Award of Excellence from the Crime Writers of Canada.
donalee is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business. As well, donalee is the author of The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say and co-authored the book, Celebrity Court Cases: Trials of the Rich and Famous.
Social media | Online info
Website: donaleemoulton.com
Amazon Author URL: amazon.com/author/donaleemoulton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donaleemoultonauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/donaleemoulton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaleemoulton/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/donaleemoulton.bsky.social
Instagram: donaleemoulton
Buy Marks
EBooks and Print: donaleemoulton.com
How nice to “meet” you, donalee! It takes a special kind of reasoning to write a good mystery! I’ve been reading a lot of cozy mysteries in the past few years, and I’ve always wanted to write one, but I’m afraid it’s not going to be finished.
It’s great to meet you — and to hear about the book you want to write. I’ve learned not to be daunted by the prospect of a book. One page at a time.