Monday, March 11, 2019

FEATURED AUTHOR: LINDA HOPE LEE




ABOUT THE BOOK


It's a sad day for librarian Nina Foster when she discovers her good friend, bookstore owner Wildeen Bergman, dead on her office floor. Worse yet, another friend, romance writer Zelma Duke, becomes the police's prime suspect. Nina knows Wildeen had something on Zelma. Was it enough to warrant murder? Handsome Stephen Kraslow, owner of the local newspaper, joins forces with Nina to find out the truth. The quest takes them on a dangerous journey of twists and turns before they reach the final outcome.



Book Details:


Title: Murder Between the Pages  


Author’s name: Linda Hope Lee


Genre: Cozy Mystery    


Series: The Nina Foster Mystery Series, book 1


Publisher: The Wild Rose Press (December 19, 2018)


Page count: 253 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours







   


LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH LINDA HOPE LEE


A few of your favorite things: My children’s book collection; my wire-haired fox terrier collection (figurines, pictures, etc.).
Things you need to throw out: Clothing I no longer wear
.

Things you need in order to write: My computer, of course, or paper and pencil. Every once in a while, I like to write a scene or section of a novel in longhand. 
Things that hamper your writing: The pull to engage in other activities I enjoy, such as drawing and watercolor painting.  I’ve often joked about wishing to clone myself so that I could do several things at the same time.  


Things you love about writing: Getting to know the characters that have popped into my head and want their stories to be told. They always surprise me with things I never would guess about them. I like to use places I have visited—especially small towns—and populate them with fictional characters, creating something that is part real and part made-up.
Things you hate about writing: Facing the blank page and writing the first draft. Once that is done, I can have fun with the story.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing may be done without much preparation; all I need is the computer or notebook.
Hardest thing about being a writer: Facing the blank page (see above). 


Things you love about where you live: With the mountains and the water all within short driving distance, the Pacific Northwest has a lot to offer. I love the small town setting, and the big city (Seattle) is close by.
Things that make you want to move: When it rains for days on end and the sun doesn’t shine.


Things you never want to run out of: Art supplies: paints, colored pencils and pens, pastels, anything needed to make art.
Things you wish you’d never bought: Art supplies I don’t need. Spotting a new, pristine set of pencils, for example, is a temptation, even though I might already have other sets at home. 


Favorite foods: Salmon (always available in Pacific North West, and so many ways to prepare it); fruit (especially pears and blueberries); coleslaw (especially with fish).  
Things that make you want to throw up: Not throw up, exactly, but I am allergic to soy beans.

Favorite music: Rhythm and Blues; some Country-Western.
Music that make your ears bleed: I’d have to say Heavy Metal.

Favorite beverage: Mint herbal tea.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Not crazy about pesto.

Something you’re really good at: Organizing (comes from being a librarian). The main character librarian in Murder Between the Pages is the same. If she happens to see a shelf of haphazardly arranged books, for example, she will want to organize them. Order is all important. 

Something you’re really bad at: Math. Anything beyond the basics and my eyes glaze over.


Things you always put in your books: If the story is a romance, I always include a scene in which the hero and heroine dance together.

Things you never put in your books: Onstage violence. That’s one of the rules of a cozy—any violence happens offstage. I followed that rule for my other books, too.

Favorite places you’ve been: Places within driving distance include Leavenworth (picturesque Bavarian-style town in Washington State); Semiahmoo (favorite resort, near Canadian border); Lynden (Dutch-style town, also near border); oceanside towns in Washington, such as Long Beach and Ocean Park. These all are great settings for stories, some of which I have already used. 

Places you never want to go to again: Places that are not pet-friendly. My trips are by car, and the dog goes, too.

Things that make you happy: Writing  (most of the time); doing art; taking care of the current dog. I’ve owned only wire-haired fox terriers. Pearl, is number 8. Several of them have been rescues and two were show dogs (not shown by me). I’ve bred only one, the first I owned, and kept one of the puppies. 

Things that drive you crazy: Drivers who speed through my otherwise quiet residential neighborhood, especially when dog and I are taking our afternoon walk.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Linda Hope Lee lives in the Pacific Northwest. She had written contemporary, romantic suspense, and mystery. Murder Between the Pages is her first cozy. In addition to writing, she enjoys watercolor painting, photography, collecting children’s books and anything to do with wire-haired fox terriers.

Connect with Linda:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble