FEATURED AUTHOR: COLLEEN J. SHOGAN

ABOUT THE BOOK

After her boss narrowly escaped political defeat, Kit Marshall is settling into life as a busy congressional staffer. While attending an evening reception at the United States Botanic Garden, Kit’s best friend stumbles upon the body of a high-ranking government official. The chairwoman of a congressional committee asks Kit to investigate, and she finds herself once again in the thick of a murder investigation. The complications keep coming with the unexpected arrival of Kit’s younger brother Sebastian, a hippie protestor who seems more concerned about corporate greed than the professional problems he causes for his sister. To make matters even worse, the romantic lives of Kit’s closest friends are driving her crazy, diverting her attention from the mystery she’s been tasked to solve. The search for the killer requires her to tussle with an investigative journalist right out of a noir novel, a congresswoman fixated on getting a statue of James Madison installed on the Capitol grounds and a bossy botanist who would do anything to protect the plants he loves. When the murderer sends a threatening message to Kit via a highly unusual delivery mechanism, Kit knows she must find the killer or risk the lives of her friends and loved ones.


Book Details:

Title: Gore in the Garden

Author: Colleen J. Shogan   

Genre: Cozy mystery


Series: Washington Whodunit, book 5


Publisher: Camel Press
 (July 16, 2019
)

Print length: 224 pages


On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours



IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH COLLEEN J. SHOGAN

Ifs

Q: 
If you could talk to someone (living), who would it be and what would you ask them?
A: I’d love to ask Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama about serving as First Lady and their time living in the White House. They’re three remarkable women whose personal strength can inspire the nation at this time in our history.

Q: If you could talk to someone (dead), who would it be and what would you ask them?
A: I’d ask George Washington how he persevered during the darkest hours of the Revolutionary War. Without him, it’s hard to imagine the United States existing today.

Q: If you could live in any time period which would it be?
A: A hundred years in the future! I hope robots are doing housework by then.

Q: If you could be anything besides a writer, what would it be?
A: I write, but I also work full-time at the Library of Congress. It’s a fantastic place.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?

A: I love the beach, so probably the Outer Banks. It’s a dream of mine to live within walking distance to the ocean.



Ands


5 favorite possessions:
    •    my Kindle
    •    my iPad
    •    my signed Brett Michaels (from Poison) t-shirt
    •    our backyard in-ground pool
and
    •    my photos on iCloud

5 things you never want to run out of:    •    coffee
    •    pizza
    •    wifi
    •    free space on my Kindle
and
    •    Chardonnay

5 things about you or 5 words to describe you:
    •    curious
    •    analytical
    •    enthusiastic
    •    sensible
and
    •    hardworking

5 favorite foods:
    •    pizza
    •    pasta
    •    fajitas
    •    Indian
and
    •    hummus

5 things you always put in your books:
    •    dogs
    •    good D.C. restaurants and bars
    •    light romance
    •    insider tips
and
    •    female members of Congress

5 favorite places you’ve been:
    •    Prague
    •    Bruges
    •    Maui
    •    Sonoma
and
    •    Harry Potter studios in London

5 favorite books:
    •    Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
    •    Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
    •    A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
    •    On Writing by Stephen King
and
    •    Grant by Ron Chernow

Whats

Q: What’s your all-time favorite place?

A: Any beach in the summertime.

Q: What’s your all-time favorite city?
A: Difficult choice, but probably London.

Q: What’s your all-time favorite library?
A: The Library of Congress, of course!

Q: What’s one thing that very few people know about you?
A: Most people think I’m an extrovert, but I love spending time by myself.


Q: What’s your most visited Internet site?
A: The Washington Post. I’m on it several times a day.


Q: What’s your favorite time of day?
A: I watch television for one hour a day in the evening before bed, and I really enjoy it. 

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do?
A: Reading a good novel by the pool.

Q: What’s your favorite snack?
A: Hummus and pitas.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do when there’s nothing to do?
A: Read a book, of course.

Q: What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
A: My iPhone.

Q: What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
A: A picture of my beagle mutt, Conan.


Q: What do you collect?
A: Shot glasses from around the world.

Q: 
What author would you most like to review one of your books?
A: Linda Fairstein, since she uses setting so effectively in her books.


Q: What book are you currently working on?
A: The sixth in my series, tentatively titled Larceny at the Library.

Q: What’s your latest recommendation for:
Food: I love the Impossible Burger. I think meat substitutes are really going to come into their own in the next five years.
Music: I want to see KISS one last time before they call it quits.
Movie: I’m waiting for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I will be there on opening night.
Book: Educated by Tara Westover. I interviewed her last year at the National Book Festival. I was so enamored with her story, I read the book twice.
TV:  I love Madame Secretary. I never miss an episode.
Netflix/Amazon Prime: When I want to relax, I watch Death in Paradise, the BBC murder mystery show. They have some really clever plotlines.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colleen J. Shogan has been reading mysteries since the age of six. She conceived of the plot of her first mystery, Stabbing in the Senate, one morning while taking a walk in her suburban Washington, D.C. neighborhood. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American politics at Yale, George Mason University, Georgetown, and Penn. She previously worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer in the United States Senate and as the Deputy Director of the Congressional Research Service. She is currently a senior executive at the Library of Congress who works on great initiatives such as the National Book Festival. Colleen lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Rob and their beagle mutt Conan. Colleen’s first book won the Next Generation Indie Prize for Best Mystery. Her books have been RONE and Killer Nashville finalists in the mystery category.


Connect with Colleen:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:

Amazon
   |  Barnes & Noble 

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FEATURED CHARACTER: COLLEEN SHOGAN'S KIT MARSHALL

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s the height of campaign season, and instead of relishing newlywed bliss with her husband Doug Hollingsworth, Capitol Hill staffer Kit Marshall is busy with a tough reelection fight for her boss, member of Congress Maeve Dixon. Before Maeve and her staff–Kit included–leave Washington, D.C. to campaign full time in North Carolina, they have one last fundraising engagement.

On the iconic rooftop of a restaurant overlooking the Capitol and the Washington monument, Kit and her best pal Meg do their best to woo wealthy lobbyists for sizable campaign donations. Everyone’s enjoying the evening soiree until a powerful K Street tycoon mysteriously tumbles off the rooftop. Even with claims the fall must be suicide, Detective Maggie Glass and Kit aren’t so easily convinced foul play isn’t at work. While balancing Doug’s mid-life career crisis, Kit must spring into action to discover who killed the notorious Van Parker before Dixon’s candidacy sputters, even if it means investigating Meg’s handsome new beau, the victim’s conniving widow, and a bicycle advocate hell-bent on settling a long-standing grudge. When threatening note is left on Kit’s car, warning her to back off the investigation, she knows she’s closing in on the true story of what happened.

Book Details:


Title: K Street Killing



Author: Colleen J. Shogan

Genre: Cozy mystery

Series: Washington Whodunit, book 4

Publisher: Camel Press (July 15, 2018)

Print length: 242 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Kit Marshall is a thirty-something Capitol Hill staffer who juggles politics and crime-solving. She’s newly married to a Georgetown history professor and enjoys spending time with her best gal pal Meg and beagle mutt Clarence.



INTERVIEW WITH COLEEN SHOGAN’S KIT MARSHALL

Q: Kit, how did you first meet Colleen?

A: One day, Colleen was taking a morning stroll in her suburban Washington, D.C. neighborhood. She’d just finished reading another mystery novel, and somehow, I appeared right around the corner! By the time she’d returned home from her walk, she’d already come up with my first mystery-solving adventure.

Q: Want to dish about her? 

A: A lot of people think that I’m based on Colleen, but that’s not true at all. Instead, I’m a clever amalgamation of many women Colleen has met on Capitol Hill over the years.

Q: Did you have a hard time convincing Colleen to write any particular scenes for you?  

A: She definitely doesn’t enjoy writing the romantic scenes with Doug. But I convinced her that the storyline needed some romance to spice it up!



Q: Tell us about your best friend.  

A: My best gal pal is Meg Peters, who helps me solve the murders we confront on Capitol Hill. She’s gorgeous, funny, and the guys love her! She’s more adventurous than I am, which is why I often get into lots of trouble.



Q: What’s Colleen’s worst habit?  

A: Colleen loves the setting of Capitol Hill, so she sometimes tells a lot of details about locations we visit when solving a case. Other times, she likes to write about the legislative process. I hope readers don’t find it too boring!



Q: How do you feel about your life right now? 

A: I just got married and only had time for a quickie honeymoon. If I could, I wish I could spend more time with my professor husband, Doug. I guess I’ll just have to convince him to join in on the sleuthing so we can hang out together!

Q: What aspect of Colleen’s writing style do you like best?  

A: I like her snappy dialogue. She writes some memorable lines for her characters. Some might even say they’re funny!

Q:  If your story were a movie, who would play you? 

A: Gosh, I can’t even imagine being on the big screen! Maybe Aubrey Plaza or America Ferrera. Someone with spunk who isn’t a size 2!

Q: What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?  

A: A lot of other cozy mystery sleuths live in a small town. I live right outside Washington, D.C. in Arlington, Virginia in a high-rise condo building. I’m younger than most of my counterparts, and I live an urban lifestyle. I’m an interesting alternative within the genre. Sometimes, it’s good to break the traditional mold.

Q: If you could be “adopted” by another writer, who would you choose?  

A: Probably Margaret Truman, if she was still alive. It would be nice if Ellen Crosby would take me wine-tasting in Virginia. Or if Joyce Tremel would teach me how to brew craft beers in Pittsburgh!

Q: Will you encourage Collen to write a sequel?  

A: She’s already written another story about me that will come out in 2019. This time, I get caught up in a murder at the Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. Watch out for the killer plants!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colleen J. Shogan has been reading mysteries since the age of six. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American politics at Yale, George Mason University, Georgetown, and Penn. She previously worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer in the United States Senate and as the Deputy Director of the Congressional Research Service. She is currently a senior executive at the Library of Congress who works on great outreach initiatives such as the National Book Festival.


Connect with Colleen:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads


 
Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble





a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: COLLEEN J. SHOGAN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Life is good for Kit Marshall. She’s a staffer in D.C. for a popular senator, and she lives with an adoring beagle and a brainy boyfriend with a trust fund. Then, one morning, Kit arrives at the office early and finds her boss, Senator Langsford, impaled by a stainless steel replica of an Army attack helicopter. Panicked, she pulls the weapon out of his chest and instantly becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Circumstances back Kit’s claim of innocence, but her photograph has gone viral, and the heat won’t be off until the killer is found. Well-loved though the senator was, suspects abound. Langsford had begun to vote with his conscience, which meant he was often at odds with his party. Not only had the senator decided to quash the ambitions of a major military contractor, but his likely successor is a congressman he trounced in the last election. Then there’s the suspiciously dry-eyed Widow Langsford. Kit’s tabloid infamy horrifies her boyfriend’s upper-crust family, and it could destroy her career. However, she and her free-spirited friend Meg have a more pressing reason to play sleuth. The police are clueless in more ways than one, and Kit worries that the next task on the killer’s agenda will be to end her life. Book 1 in the Washington Whodunit series.

INTERVIEW WITH COLLEEN J. SHOGAN

Colleen, how did you get started writing?
I’ve been a mystery reader since I was six years old. One day, I took a walk in my Washington, D.C. suburban neighborhood and came up with the plot for Stabbing in the Senate. When I got home, I wrote it down as an outline. I told my husband about it, and he encouraged me to try to write the book. It took me two years to complete the manuscript, but I did it!

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Creating a world in which I control the fictional characters. Washington, D.C. is an unpredictable place and not much is totally in your control. But when you write fiction, you’re in charge of your characters’ destinies and I like that.

How long is your to-be-read list?
Too long!  The problem is that now I have less time to read because I’m always writing or promoting my book in my so-called “free time” outside my pretty demanding day job at the Library of Congress.

What books do you currently have published?
Stabbing in the Senate is the first in the Washington Whodunit series. Stay tuned for more installments. I also published a book on the presidency with Texas A&M press when I was a professor at George Mason University.

You have a day job . . . how do you find time to write?
It can be challenging. I only have time to write about an hour a day during the week. It takes a lot of discipline to make sure I stick with it. I don’t spend a lot of time just lounging around. I’m always working – from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm. I’ve kept these hours since graduate school so I’m used to it by now.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I admit I really like Facebook. It’s a way for me to keep in contact with friends who don’t live near me. I’m on it every day – first thing in the morning and in the evening before bedtime.

What scares you the most?
Snakes! They truly terrify me.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Yes. Just ask my colleagues at the Library of Congress.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I like time alone but I get my energy from people, so I am likely an extrovert.

What's your relationship with your TV remote?
I’m constantly hiding it so my dog doesn’t steal it and chew it up! He’s destroyed at least ten of them.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, I worked at an amusement park called Kennywood. In the morning before the park opened, I’d often test the “bungee” jump ride at the park. I look back at that ride, which is still at the park today, and I wonder how I mustered the courage to do that.

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
I wish I had studied abroad in college. I loved attending Boston College and spending time with my friends there, so I never pursued a year or semester abroad program. Looking back on it, spending extended time in a foreign country would have been an amazing opportunity.

What would your main character say about you?
She might be a little intimidated at first, but I think she’d grow to like me!

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
One editor said that Stabbing in the Senate seemed like Nancy Drew went to Washington! She said it as a negative comment, but quite frankly, I love Nancy Drew.


Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
Steve Jobs. Unfortunately, he’s dead, so it would be pretty amazing.


What's your relationship with your cell phone?
I’m on it all the time. My iPhones are an extension of me.


How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Six to seven.

What is your favorite movie?
Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Do you sweat the small stuff?
Not as much as I used to. However, quite frankly, if you don’t sweat the small stuff, you’re not going to be very successful. Small stuff matters.

What are you working on now?
Book 3 of the Washington Whodunit series.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Frosting
Laptop or desktop? Laptop
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Chevy Chase
Emailing or texting? Hard choice. But probably texting.
Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Sweet
Plane, train, or automobile? Plane

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colleen J. Shogan is the Deputy Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress. She is a former Senate staffer who started reading mysteries at the age of six. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American government at George Mason University, Georgetown, and Penn. Stabbing in the Senate is her first novel.

Connect with Colleen:
Website  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

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