By Rob Lawson

Nearly four years ago Andrea Sisco Pike and Connie Anderson created a book review and author interview site called Armchair Interviews. It was a side project for both women, a Web site devoted to great books with little emphasis on turning a profit. But its reputation and reach has expanded, and Sisco Pike recently sold her first mystery manuscript to a publisher. She agreed to answer a few questions about the business of books with Southwest Newspapers’ intern Rob Lawson.

Q: How has Armchair Interviews been going?
A. We had no idea 3½ years ago how big this would become. … We've been named by Writer's Digest as one of the best 101 websites for writers in 2006, 2007 and 2008. I'm beginning to receive requests to guest blog on some pretty big sites and am speaking at writing conferences. I'm speaking in October at the James Rivers Writers Conference in Virgina with authors David Baldacci, Diane Mott Davidson and Adriana Trigiani. Some pretty big and impressive company. Oh, and my agent will be there and I will meet her for the first time, so I'm pretty excited.

Q: Is Armchair Interviews making a profit?
A. As I said earlier, we are now making money. And that's a difficult thing to do with a review site. Our passion is promoting new and emerging authors and publishers. And we include Minnesota and Arizona authors among our priority.

Q: What is new with the site?
A. We just keep tweaking things to make it better. Connie Anderson (my best friend and business partner) and I are teaming up with Steve Miller (trade show guru) and Bob Pike (my husband) on an exciting project that is just getting off the ground and will be really helpful for authors in selling their books.

Q: What is the title of your new mystery novel?
A: “A Deadly Habit: A Penelope Santucci Mystery.” [See the synopsis.]

Q: What is the planned release date for the novel?
A: July 2009

Q: Will your book(s) be on the site, or mentioned at all?
A. Oh yes! Why have this big, popular site and not shamelessly use it to promote my books? My son, Guy Wegener is a professional actor and screenwriter and he's written the script for a video trailer for “A Deadly Habit.” He has professional actors signed on to film it in New York and I hope to be there for the two-day shoot. I will also have my own website www.andreasisco.com that is currently under construction. My son-in-law, Alan Pranke is a talented graphic artist and he is designing the site. It's important that it is user-friendly as is www.armchairinterviews.com

Synopsis for “A Deadly Habit: A Penelope Santucci Mystery”
A forthcoming novel by Andrea Sisco

As a child, Hennepin County probation officer Penelope (Pen) Santucci, regularly roller-skated into Father Kopecky's confessional, fabricating sins only a precocious eight-year-old could invent. At twenty-seven, Pen huddles in the old North Minneapolis confessional once more. Only now, she isn’t inventing stories.

Embroiled in an ugly divorce, Pen wants her personal property (which includes her first edition of Sue Grafton's “A is for Alibi” and it seems Pen will need one) back. She burglarizes her estranged husband's home, local hot-shot lawyer, Paul Preston, and that's when she nearly trips over his dead body.

The police have pegged Pen as their prime suspect. But she doesn't trust lawyers, so she isn't leaving her freedom in the hands of her high-priced attorney, Marco Silva. She conducts her own investigation and discovers several others who wanted Paul dead. His business partner, his jealous cousin, his recently dumped, psycho-society-babe, and Judge Kassner tops her list of suspects.

To clear her name, Pen guilt's her grumbling sister, Germaine, a nun, and Father Kopecky into various illegal undercover adventures. But two thugs are after some money Pen found and they're prepared to do whatever is necessary to get it back.

Disguised as a nun, Pen discovers the real murderer who is determined to save a career by liquidating Pen.
………