CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH ZANNA MACKENIZE'S AMBER READ

ABOUT THE BOOK

One desperate phone call is all it takes to turn Amber’s previously dull day into one speeding scarily out of control!



Amber Reed’s at work making up the horoscopes for the local newspaper and wishing for some excitement in her life, when she gets a phone call offering her just that.



Plunged into the middle of a celebrity murder investigation she’s desperately trying to convince the scarily handsome special agent assigned to solve the case that she can help him catch the killer.



Amber’s soon battling something far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined – and it has nothing to do with the equally scary chemistry fizzing between her and special agent Charlie.



Is it Amber’s wish for more excitement in her life which has landed her in big trouble – or is her fate written in the stars?

In The Stars is part of the fun, romantic Amber Reed Mystery series:

* In The Stars (book 1)
* On Trial ( book 1.5)
* Precious (book 2)
* Forever Mine (book 3)
* Past Perfect (book 4)
* Stop The Beat (book 5)
* Paradise Lost (book 6)

Go to the Zanna’s website and download a free book.

ABOUT AMBER READ

Amber Reed is a twenty-something from a small town in Derbyshire. She works part-time at the local newspaper as an admin assistant and she makes up the horoscopes for the weekly astrology column under the fake name of Madam Zamber. One day her life changes completely when she finds herself caught up in a celebrity murder investigation...

INTERVIEW WITH CHARACTER AMBER READ

Amber, why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
I was just your average female, trying to hold down two jobs to pay the rent, looking for The One and generally wishing for some more excitement in my life. I think all of that makes me pretty relatable which is maybe why people like to read about how my life turned around and I became involved in helping a gorgeous special agent called Charlie crack the case in a murder investigation.

What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?
Head to my home town of Palstone in gorgeous Derbyshire and catch up with friends and family. These days I travel all over the world working for the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency, so I really miss the folks back home.

If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
Well, if I tell you, then it might spoil things for potential new readers just dipping into the series, but all I will say is that it’s a scene involving myself and Charlie, my rather handsome special agent co-worker.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
Ooh, can I? Really? Right. Here goes . . . I absolutely hate Martha. She’s another agency co-worker and basically a horrible person. I like Charlie. A lot. An awful lot! Dan is another special agent co-worker, and he’s big trouble but very cute with it.

Do have any secret aspirations that your author doesn’t know about?
Absolutely! But they will remain a secret – for now!



What impression do you make on people when they first meet you?
I try my best to make a good impression on people, especially in my line of work. It’s important when I’m sleuthing to get people chatting and feeling like they can trust me and tell me things. That always helps me get to the bottom of a case.





Tell us about your best friend.
Well, I’d love to! Her name is Debs. We’ve know each other since forever. She works in a tearoom in Palstone (our home town) and we love to sit and chat over coffee and cakes whenever we get chance.





What’s the best trait your author has given you?
Hmm . . . now, let me think. Best traits are probably that I’m determined and resourceful.
What’s the worst?
Worst traits are that I’m stubborn and also can be a little on the insecure side at times, especially when it comes to relationships.



What do you like best (and least) about Charlie, your special agent co-worker?
There are so many things about Charlie which is, I guess, part of what makes him so tempting and at the same time such a challenge.  First, the good things – he’s clever, funny, great company, and fun. Next, the least favorite things - he’s stubborn (like me, which causes us all sorts of issues!), and can be work-obsessed when he’s trying to crack an investigation. Also, I doubt there’s a romantic bone in the whole of his body, which unfortunately brings out my relationship insecurities from time to time. I mean, occasionally a girl just wants a bit of relationship reassurance, right?

Absolutely. What’s your author’s worst habit?
Making life difficult for me!



What aspect of your author’s writing style do you like best?
The sleuthing adventures zip along, which I love. Also, there’s lots of chat and dialogue along the way as well as plenty to think about. The books are fun, which I really enjoy.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
Well, Zanna tells me that in terms of appearance, I was inspired by the actress Emily Rose so I’d have to choose Emily to play me!

Describe the town where you live.
It’s called Palstone and it’s a pretty little town nestled in the hills of Derbyshire in the UK. There’s all the usual amenities such as pubs, the tearoom, the local newspaper where I used to be the admin assistant and make up the weekly horoscope column under the fake name of Madam Zamber! Many of the buildings are made from the local stone and the moorland and hills.

Will you encourage Zanna to write a sequel?
There are already six books in the Amber Reed Mystery series (plus a novella you can get free via Zanna’s website). There are more sleuthing adventures planned for me in 2018 too. I’ll be hitting the dance floor with lots of celebrities to solve the crime in my next book which should be quite a sleuthing adventure!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zanna Mackenzie lives in the UK (Derbyshire/ Leicestershire border) with her husband, five dogs, a vegetable patch that's home to far too many weeds, and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.



Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is her 'day job' but, at every opportunity, she can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel she's working on. Zanna loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot. She enjoys walking the dogs, gardening and reading.

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

Buy the book:
Amazon USA  |   Amazon UK

FEATURED AUTHOR: ZANNA MACKENZIE

ABOUT THE BOOK

After Lizzie's new boss, celebrity chef Armand, is stabbed in his own kitchen, Lizzie finds herself at the top of the suspect list. 

Determined to clear her name she’s forced to enlist the services of her new neighbor, Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency (CCIA) special agent Jack Mathis, who’s been suspended from his duties for reasons unknown. 

Can Lizzie save herself from getting arrested and manage to resist her special agent sidekick’s considerable charms and gorgeous smile? Will they solve the culinary murder mystery or will she end up in a prison cell?




INTERVIEW WITH ZANNA MACKENZIE 

Zanna, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I adore the bit where I get to create the fun characters for the book! I get my star signs book out and check the personalities for different zodiac signs and decide which traits will suit the various characters I have in mind for each book. I love to layer up each one – star sign, personality, quirks, likes and dislikes, favorite foods, where they live etc. For the appearance side of things I keep a folder of pictures of famous people who I think could be the visual inspirations for the character creation phase of a book. I’ll select an image I think feels right and use that to build up the looks, style and clothing preferences for the character. I love it!

What do you think is the hardest aspect of writing a book?
Being patient! Creating a novel is a long process, and I confess I’m not the most patient person in the world.

What books do you currently have published?
I have the Amber Reed Mysteries which are fun romantic mysteries involving the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency – there are 5 books in that series so far.

Then there’s the Celebrity Mystery series which has three books so far and follows wannabe baker and amateur sleuth Lizzie and her yummy neighbor Jack.

I also have a paranormal romantic comedy and a contemporary romantic comedy. There will be a new paranormal romantic comedy mystery series out later this year, I am working on it the moment.


What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
Built a platform to connect with readers and other authors. Before I was offered contracts with two publishers in the same month, I had never used social media at all. My publishers both ran closed information groups for their authors on Facebook so I had to create an account and get to grips with how the systems work. They encouraged me to set up a Twitter account and join Goodreads. It’s been a steep learning curve.

What five things would you never want to live without? 
Water. Food. A book/my Kindle. My lip balm. A hat (for warmth if it’s cold or shade from the sun if it is hot!)


What drives you crazy?
People being inconsiderate to others, animals or the environment.


What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Garden, walk the dogs with my husband, or read. I love watching romantic comedy movies too.
How often do you read?
Every day. I’ve always loved to read. I was rather late getting a Kindle, but now I have discovered ebooks as well as paperbacks and read both. I probably get new books far too often as I have a To Be Read backlog, but I simply can’t resist them!

What is your writing style?
I’d describe it as light, fun, fast-paced, layered with intrigue and romance.


What do you think makes a good story?
An intriguing plot that has you hooked from the beginning and great characters you really care about and feel drawn into their world.

What’s one of your favorite quotes? That would be the one from Albert Einstein: “Logic will get you from A to B but imagination will take you anywhere.” So true!

What’s your favorite/most visited Internet site? Probably imdb (Internet Movie Database). I love movies and like to check out reviews and trailers for them before watching them on TV or buying the DVD. It’s probably a close-run thing between IMDB and the BBC Weather website – I’ve always been fascinated by meteorology and like to keep up to date with the weather forecasts.


If you had a talk show who would your dream guest be? Probably the English TV presenter Kate Humble. She seems bubbly and great fun, and I admire all the work she does for the environment. Plus, she has a smallholding in the middle of nowhere with her husband and dogs – something I’d love to achieve one day – with my husband  though of course, not hers! LOL.

Where is your favorite place to visit? 
A deserted beach on the Lincolnshire coast in the UK. There’s nothing there but miles of sand, sea and dunes. Bliss. The wind is usually blowing a gale and it’s inevitably freezing cold, but it’s the most wonderful place to walk the dogs with my husband. Sadly, it’s a long way from where we live so we don’t get to go there very often.


What’s one thing that very few people know about you?
I have a fascination with the weather. As a child my dad made me a wooden Stevenson Screen for in the garden where I kept my weather recording instruments so that they gave a true reading and were not affected by direct sunlight or wind chill. I used to have a big notebook, and every day I noted down temperature and humidity and rainfall amounts. I did it for many years. I guess I’m a bit of a geek!


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?

A photo of mountains in the English Lake District – one of my favorite places in the world.

What are you working on now?
A fun paranormal romantic comedy mystery series set in the highlands of Scotland.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zanna lives in the UK (Derbyshire/ Leicestershire border) with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that's home to far too many weeds, and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.

She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot.

Zanna's hobbies include gardening, walking the dogs, weather watching and reading.


Connect with Zanna:

Website  |  Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon