Saturday, February 21, 2015

Featured Author: Julie Mulhern


About the book:

Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.

It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.

As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?

Interview with Julie Mulhern

Julie, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
The Deep End is – hopefully – punny. My heroine swims into a body in the deep end of a pool, or it could have something to do with the end of someone’s life.

Tell us about your series.
The Deep End is the first book in The Country Club Murders. The books revolve around the country club set in 1974 Kansas City. The second book, Guaranteed to Bleed, will release in October of this year.

Where’s home for you?
I am a Kansas Citian, born and raised.

If you had $100 a week to spend on yourself, what would you buy?

Books. Or, I might save up for a really nice handbag.


What do you love about where you live?

My roots run deep in Kansas City. Fifth generation. I live within a mile or two of the house my great-great grandfather built in 1858.

I love the art, the food and the friendliness of my city.

What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?

To pick nice boys over naughty ones.

Amen, sister! What makes you happy?
My husband, my children, fresh snow, spring breezes, a good margarita, and a good book.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
I work as a fundraiser for a not-for-profit that helps people who live with serious or chronic illness.

How did you meet your husband? Was it love at first site?
I met my husband at a party, and it was love at first sight. We’ll celebrate our twentieth anniversary this October.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
How about two? Okay!

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." -Albert Camus

If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. - Marilyn Monroe

If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
Right where I am. That said, world travel sounds delightful.

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
Being interrupted.


Do you have a routine for writing?
I get up very early every morning, push the button on the coffee maker, and write before I go to work. Like Jessica Fletcher, I write at my kitchen table.

On weekends, I grab my laptop and go to the library or a coffee shop.

What would your dream office look like?
It would have a view of verdant hills and forests and maybe a lake and a mountain or two – which would be odd given that Kansas City is perched on the edge of the plains.

How did you find Henery Press, and how long did your query process take?
I was incredibly lucky in that The Deep End found a home with Henery Press very quickly. It was out on submission for only a few months.

What are you working on now?
I am working on edits for Guaranteed to Bleed as well as edits for a historical romance set in 1902 New Orleans that will release in August from Entangled Select. I’m also writing the second book in the historical series. When that is finished in May, I’ll roll up my sleeves and start the third Country Club murder.

About the author:

Julie Mulhern is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean — and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is — she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. She is a 2014 Golden Heart® Finalist. The Deep End is her first mystery and is the winner of The Sheila Award.

Connect with Julie:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  

Buy the book:
Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo