FEATURED AUTHOR: LAUREN CARR

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s election time in Spencer, Maryland, and the race for mayor is not a pretty one. In recent years, the small resort town has become divided between the local year-round residents who have enjoyed their rural way of life and the city dwellers moving into their mansions, taking over the town council, and proceeding to turn Deep Creek Lake into a closed gate community—complete with a host of regulations for everything from speed limits to clothes lines.

When the political parties force-feed two unsavory mayoral nominees on the town residents, Police Chief David O’Callaghan decides to make a statement—by nominating Gnarly, Mac Faraday’s German shepherd, to run as mayor of Spencer!



What starts out as a joke turns into a disaster when overnight Gnarly becomes the front runner—at which point his political enemies take a page straight out of Politics 101. What do you do when you’re behind in a race? Dig up dirt on the front runner, of course.



Seemingly, someone is not content to rest with simply embarrassing the front runner by publicizing his dishonorable discharge from the United States Army, but to throw in a murder for good measure. With murder on the ballot, Mac Faraday and the gang—including old friends from past cases—dive in to clear Gnarly’s name, catch a killer, and save Spencer!

INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN CARR

Who are you? That sounds a bit gruff. Let me rephrase it. Who in the world are you, honey? 
I am the best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Candidate for Murder is the twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.

In addition to my series set on Deep Creek Lake, I also write the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder. Look for the third installment in that mystery series, Killer in the Band, later on this year.

Three Days to Forever introduced my latest series detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for the second installment in this series, A Fine Year for Murder, in Winter 2016.

On the personal side, I live with my husband, son, and four dogs, including the real Gnarly, on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

How long have you been writing?
My mother said I was always making up stories. When I learned how to read, I was rewriting the Bobbsey Twins to turn the mystery of the missing sea shell into a kidnapping story.

What's your favorite thing about writing?
Leaving my world to join my characters in our imaginary world.


What do you find is the most challenging thing about writing?

As an author, I consider myself an artist. So, with every book, I try to raise the bar by trying something different. For example, in Candidate for Murder, I kicked it up a notch by writing what has to be my most intricate mystery. One mystery and suspect leads to another mystery which takes another character in yet another direction—but, as always, in the end, everything ties together.

Luckily, most of my readers love that I’m always trying new things with every books, and I enjoy the challenge of writing them.

What is your writing style? Are you an outliner or a pantser?
I’m a plantser. That is a combination of the two. I will think about a plotline for weeks or months—usually while I am writing another book. Sometimes, I will write out an outline, but not necessarily refer to it. Writing it down only makes the twists and turns in my plots clear in my head. Then, once I have everything down, I will sit down to begin writing it.

Funny thing is, one hundred percent of the time, my characters will take me in different directions between the beginning and the end of the book. But that’s okay.

Where do you get your ideas? Anything. People—even complete strangers. Circumstances. News headlines. Real murder cases. Anything, anywhere, anyone, anytime can inspire me.

How many books have you written?
Candidate for Murder is my seventeenth book. It is my twelfth Mac Faraday Mystery and also lbrings in my detectives from The Thorny Rose Mysteries.

Do you have a favorite?

Well, my books are like my children. I don’t have a favorite, but I do love some differently for different reasons. I really am proud of how Candidate for Murder came together. That will be my “favorite” until I finish writing Killer in the Band, my next Lovers in Crime Mystery, which will then be my new favorite.

What are you reading these days?
I like Tess Gerritsen right now. She knows how to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Are any of your characters like you?
Archie Monday. She’s me. Only my hair is longer. She goes barefoot, except when she has to put shoes on. She’s a gourmet cook. Me, too. She loves the finer things in life and knows how to enjoy them without guilt. Plus, she is truly spunky—and looks good while doing it. (I wish!)

If you were deserted on an island, which author would you want to be stranded with?
Mark Twain. I loved the way his mind worked in his books, plus he has a good sense of humor. I would want to laugh if I was on a desert island. Being a down-home country girl myself, I would like to think he would understand me and I wouldn’t get on his nerves too badly.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries. The twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series, Candidate for Murder will be released June 2016.



Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.



Connect with Lauren:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

Buy the book
:
Amazon