Tell us about your latest published book and your current writing project.
In Dear Mouse, has-been movie idol Matt Logan finds a blackmailing starlet-wannabe in his dressing room closet, strangled with his tie, dressed for the shower scene.

Why do you write about a washed-up movie actor?
Everybody writes about stars. I know the regular, working actor’s world. I also know the the everyday battle of a recovering alcoholic.

What's your favorite personal story of your own acting?
As Tom Thumb in the Christmas Show, we wore Disney-style heads – with blind spots! My Tom Thumb costume was tight. My tap shoes and the stage were slippery. At the end of the show's debut, I leapt to catch a magical thingy. Only half an inch of heel tap landed onstage. I slipped off. I landed upright, but my pants ripped, stem-to-stern, joined by only a scrap! Leading the final procession through the audience, I felt some kid grab my pants. The last shred parted. The rest is left to readers’ imagination.

How did your character, Matt Logan, come to you?
One night, I couldn’t sleep. I imagined a silly fantasy, drifted off and I built on it. I wrote the result, which became the seed of the story.

What's involved in editing the biblical interpretation project?
We edit biblical scholars' articles, and send them to the publishers. I construct indices for A History of Biblical Interpretation. In the second volume, I translated the French chapter on the Catholic Counter-Reformation.

Describe your writing work space and habits.
My grandfather’s library table, with books barricading three sides. Writing fiction, I create a scene in my head, learning what characters want and fear. I write chunks, shift them around until the story happens. For articles, I take notes by hand, type them verbatim, then arrange those until I get the main point. The rest unfolds.

Editing scholarship takes time and caution. Scholars’ writing styles are wildly diverse; publishers’ guidelines, ditto.

How and why did you begin writing book reviews?
An early review of my book was just 300 words lifted from my publicity packet. The magazine carrying it offered me the job of reviewing books.

What's your favorite part about publishing the monthly High Country Writers Journal?
I can't pick one. Writing, editing, artwork, finagling it together – I love it all.

What advice do you have for making the most of attending a writing conference?
Comfortable shoes. Trust me – leave the stilettos at home.
Making friends is as important as the shoes. People you've met on discussion boards, people you never heard of, famous people, etc. The more friends you make, the more fun you’ll have.

What do you do when you aren't writing?
I read a lot. I cook, not always successfully. I exercise while watching T.V. Guilty pleasures include soap operas, British-style crossword puzzles, odd magazines, children’s literature. I visit friends, and sometimes get to ride their horses.


Contact Schuyler at schuylerkaufman@hotmail.com
Purchase  "Dear Mouse" at The Jones House, Mast Store in Boone and Todd General Store in Todd. 
Maggie Bishop’s Appalachian Adventure series of mystery and romance are available at the above locations and through bookstores and www.amazon.com.