Sushi and Snipers - Blogger Interview with J.H. Moncrieff

Today I am excited to share J.H. Moncrieff's Blogger Interview with all of you. I asked her some fun questions, and she kindly told me that they're the best interview questions she's ever gotten, so please read on. But I have to say, these questions are only good because she's just so gosh darn intriguing. :D

Note from Chrys: I live on the East Coast of Florida and am in the thick of hurricane weather as you read this. I don't know when I'll be able to check on my blog. Stay safe, everyone!

Update: I am safe. My family and pets are safe. My house is okay. The only damage for me was to trees. I'm busy cleaning up debris and getting everything back into order. Thank you for your concern and thoughts! <3

1. On your blog, you detail and speculate over unsolved murders. What fascinates you about unsolved murders and when did this fascination begin?

I have to blame my mom! She’s always been a true crime fanatic, and she never censored what I read, so from a very young age I was reading about people who disappeared, serial killers, and police procedure.

Unsolved murders and disappearances both fascinate and horrify me. I can’t imagine the anguish families go through when they have no idea what happened to their loved ones. I want to do anything I can to help.

2. I can't imagine it either. What was your very first blog post?

This was written back when I still called myself “The Kickboxing Writer.” I started a blog to hold myself accountable to my muay thai and writing goals. It took me FIVE years to get my first comment on that post. I’m happy to say I’ve come a long way since then—I did fight in the ring and have since landed two publishing contracts. Perhaps the blog is magic! 

Breaking Out of the Rut

3. You’ve traveled a lot and have seen a lot of haunted places. Which location, if any, was the creepiest to see in person?

Definitely Poveglia. Located just off the coast of Venice, it’s considered the world’s most haunted islands. It takes a lot to scare me, but I was terrified during the two hours I spent there by myself (or at least, I hope I was by myself!)

Exploring Poveglia: The World's Most Haunted Island

4. I remember reading once that you have a sushi roll named after you. How did you accomplish that? (And can I get one named after me? *wink*)

In my other life, I used to manage public relations for a museum. There was a sushi restaurant close by, and I got to know Wai, the owner’s daughter. For some reason, she took a liking to me, and whenever the chefs came up with a new recipe, she’d let me try it for free—it was a great perk. One year, there was this amazing combination of shrimp, dried cranberries and goat cheese. I loved it so much that I kept asking for it, but they never put it on the menu. Finally, Wai featured it on a special menu and named it after me. It is easily one of the sweetest (and most awesome) things anyone’s ever done for me. But Wai’s like that. When she found out my book was published, she immediately bought ten copies for her friends. She’s an extremely generous person.

YUMMY!

5. In your bio, it says that you hunted down snipers when you were a journalist. Now you know you can’t just leave me hanging. Tell us about that!

When I was a rookie reporter, I worked a lot of the shifts no one else wanted, which meant a lot of nights and weekends. This was a great opportunity, because if anything did happen, I was the only reporter around to cover it. One evening, we heard of a doctor who’d been shot through the window of his home. With some detective work, a little help from a very bright editor, and a cooperative cop, I figured out the motive for the shooting—the doctor performed abortions. His shooter was an infamous anti-choice sniper who’d terrorized doctors and clinics all over North America. Thankfully, the doctor here survived. Trying to get people in that neighborhood to talk to us at night was challenging, though—probably didn’t help that my photographer looked like a biker.

6. That's exciting...and scary. What are your top 5 most-viewed posts? 

Writers, We Need to Stop Saying This

The Springfield Three

(This post is currently ranked second after Wikipedia on Google!)

Whatever Happened to Elisa Lam

The Silent Killer

What Happened to Julie Weflen

7. Share your number one tip to bloggers just starting out.

New bloggers tend to make two mistakes. The first is thinking blogging is enough. It’s not. To be successful, you need to read other blogs, comment on them, and build relationships with other bloggers. Otherwise, the only people reading your posts will be your parents, your spouse, and your best friend, and that can be extremely discouraging. Most new blogs don’t last a year.

The second mistake is making it all about you. Unless you’re famous or have an insanely unusual life, no one cares (sorry). It’s fine to add a personal touch, but blogs that discuss subjects lots of people find interesting are the ones that tend to do well (go figure). The best thing I ever did for my blog was start writing about topics of interest to potential readers. That changed everything for me.

J.H. Moncrieff loves scaring the crap out of people with her books—when she’s not busy being a journalist, editor, book doctor, and publicist. In her “spare” time, J.H. loves to travel to exotic locales, advocate for animal rights, and muay thai kickbox.

J.H. Moncrieff: Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Bear Who Wouldn’t Leave: 

Amazon | Samhain | Kobo | B&N | Trailer

Thank you for blowing my mind, J.H.!

Please leave J.H. a comment! :)