FEATURED AUTHOR: JOANNE GUIDOCCIO

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hours before the opening of her career counseling practice, Gilda Greco discovers the body of golden girl, Carrie Ann Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside Gilda’s office. Gilda’s life and budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school crush, conducts the investigation. When three more dead blondes turn up, all brutally strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime suspect for the murders.

Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and fourteen ex-boyfriends.

As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long overlooked.



INTERVIEW WITH JOANNE GUIDOCCIO

Joanne, what’s the story behind the title A Season for Killing Blondes?


While undergoing cancer treatments, I gravitated toward cozy mysteries. After devouring over fifty books in that genre, I imagined the following scenarios: What if a brunette lottery winner moves back to her hometown and finds herself involved in a murder investigation? And what if all the victims are blondes? Since I had plotted the story during the most challenging season of my life, I decided to use A Season for Killing Blondes as the title.



Tell us about your series.


A Season for Killing Blondes is the first book in the Gilda Greco Mystery Series. Based in Northern Ontario, these books feature a fifty-something Italian woman, her relatives, deserving and undeserving men, and food. Several ideas are percolating for Books 2 and 3 – Too Many Women in the Room and A Different Kind of Reunion. 



Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, also known as the Nickel Capital of the World and Slagtown. Growing up, I would sneak in to see the big coin, and while walking in the evenings, I take in a spectacular view of the slag dumping. Not exactly what most children would enjoy, but I was fascinated by the contrast between the darkening sky and the fiery colors.


What’s one of your favorite quotes?


"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -Neale Donald Walsch



Are you like any of your characters?
I identify strongly with Gilda Greco, the protagonist of the novel. So much so, that I used the first-person POV. Our similarities...Italian Canadian, born and raised in Sudbury, relocated to Southern Ontario, mathematics teachers, career development practitioners, yoga enthusiasts, non-foodies.
 One major difference – Gilda won a $19 million lottery. I’m still hoping.



Are any of your characters inspired by real people?


Having lived and taught in different cities throughout the province of Ontario, I felt free to “borrow” characteristics from former colleagues and students to create composite characters. While Gilda is approximately 70% me, the same can’t be said of the other characters. I would be very surprised if anyone recognized himself/herself in the novel.



Who are your favorite authors?


I have eclectic tastes and enjoy reading contemporary women’s fiction, cozy mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, self-help, and memoirs. Some of my favorite authors include Ann Patchett, Ann Lamott, Ken Follett, Jane Green, Maeve Binchy, Gail Bowen, Louise Penny, Adriana Trigiani, Louise Hay, and Dr. Christiane Northrup.



What book are you currently reading and in what format?


I’m reading Lisa Genova’s latest release – Inside the O’Briens. Format – hardcover.



Do you have a routine for writing?


When I retired and started writing full-time, I expected to be inspired each day. Everything was in place—business cards, new computer, dreams of a runaway best-seller — but my underdeveloped writing muscles refused to budge. 
After some experimentation, I came up with a daily regimen. Nothing too dramatic, but it works for me. I like to sleep in each day and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. But after my second cup of coffee, I start writing. My goal – 1000 words a day. After I reach that quota, I’m free to meet with friends for lunch or coffee and plan other outings.



What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?


I am grateful for the wonderful reviews I received for my debut novel, Between Land and Sea.

 My favorite comes from Colleen McConnell: 

“The novel is a classic wisdom tale with a twist and is reminiscent of Jane Austen.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In high school, Joanne dabbled in poetry, but it would be over three decades before she entertained the idea of writing as a career. She listened to her practical Italian side and earned degrees in mathematics and education. She experienced many fulfilling moments as she watched her students develop an appreciation (and sometimes, love) of mathematics. Later, she obtained a post-graduate diploma as a career development practitioner and put that skill set to use in the co-operative education classroom. She welcomed this opportunity to help her students experience personal growth and acquire career direction through their placements.

In 2008, she took advantage of early retirement and decided to launch a second career that would tap into her creative side and utilize her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes paranormal romance, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.

Connect with Joanne:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads   

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Thanks for reading! To return to the FICTION WRITERS BLOG HOP on Julie Valerie’s Book Blog, click here: http://www.julievalerie.com/fiction-writers-blog-hop-june-2015/

Featured Author: Kevin Doyle

ABOUT THE BOOK

They kept to the shadows so no one would know they existed, and preyed on the nameless who no one would miss. Where did they come from, and who was protecting them? In a city that had seen every kind of savagery, they were something new, something more than murderous. And one woman, who had thought she had lost everything there was to lose in life, would soon find that nothing could possibly prepare her for what would come when she entered their world.

INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN DOYLE

Kevin, what’s the story behind the title The Litter?
It kind of seemed obvious. Once I had the main plot premise, along with the age of some of the participants, the word “Litter” just kind of popped into my head.

Where’s home for you?
I’m a lifelong Midwesterner. Born and lived most of my life in Wichita, Kansas. But for over a decade Columbia, Missouri, has been home.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
That nobody owes anyone anything. It all has to be earned.

What do you love about where you live?

Columbia is a city of about 100,000 people, and it has a vibrant, engaged citizenry. There’s a ton of little hole-in-the-wall eateries, theatres and music venues. But at the same time, a short drive in any direction presents all sorts of outdoors opportunities.  It’s equidistant between Kansas City, St. Louis and the Ozarks, so you never lack for stuff to do.


What is the most daring thing you've done?

Considering that I’m terrified of heights, zip lining ranks right up there.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
Not even sure you could call writing a job, seeing as how it brings in very little money, especially when compared to the amount of work. My main career is as a high school teacher, English and public speaking.

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
If I had some way known that I would end up teaching (it was totally unplanned on my part), I probably would have gone into either social studies or foreign language. Fewer papers to grade.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
I’m not sure who originally said it, but I saw it reprinted in Small Town, by Lawrence Block: "Witing is an occupation at which you can earn a fortune, but you can’t earn a living." 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
The Gulf Coast, probably Mississippi or Alabama. Already making plans to head down that way when I retire in about nine years.

My dad lives down there — in Alabama — and loves it. How did you create the plot for this book?
It sounds like a cliche, but I woke up one morning with a scene imprinted on my mind. It’s actually the final scene in part II of the book. Once I had that scene jotted down, I just had to go backward and forward to finish it up. I wrote about the first three or four chapters, then I flashed ahead and wrote the final chapter. Then I wrote the fifth, then the next to last, and went back and forth like that until I had it basically in shape.

Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
To the best of my knowledge, no. Though one of my students claims I owe him royalties because I used his last name for the name of a street in the book.

Who are your favorite authors?
Lawrence Block and Robert B. Parker are among my most recent favorites. Although Parker really began phoning it in around the halfway point. I’ve recently experienced a lot of Robert Crais and have just started reading Michael Connelly. I also have a huge soft spot for Arthur C. Clarke.

What book are you currently reading and in what format?
I do almost all my reading in paperback and hardcover. A few months back, I lucked out. Walking through one of our local used bookstores, I came across several copies of the Doc Savage Omnibus volumes. Doc Savage reprints were my absolute favorite reading as a kid, and right there were six volumes containing around thirty stories that I’d heard of but never read. I snatched them all up and for the last few months have been reliving my youth. Once I’m finished, I plan on re-reading Block’s When the Sacred Ginmill Closes. Then probably get back to Connelly.

Do you have a routine for writing?
No real routine. During the school year, I work it in when and where I can, usually trying to do at least a couple of pages a night.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
A review that showed up on Goodreads for The Litter. Paraphrased a bit, the reviewer said “This book scared the hell out of me.” Also, several people who read The Litter have commented that they had trouble sleeping for a while afterwards. The average seems to be two nights.

Yikes! Now that's scary. If you could be a ghostwriter for any famous author, whom would you pick?
Block, hands down. I would say Parker, but I doubt I could even come close to the job that Ace Atkins has done.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
A short story of mine called “The Old Dogs.” It’s another one that came to me from a snippet of a dream. I woke up in a literal cold sweat (honestly) with my heart racing. I jotted down this one image I managed to retain, and the next afternoon started playing around with it. But the basic plot line was so disturbing that I could only write about half a page a day, and this was during the summer break, because I couldn’t stand any more than that. I managed to sell it right off the bat, but when it came out in magazine form it took me two or three attempts to sit down and read it because I knew where it was going and didn’t want to get there. It’s since been reprinted by another ‘zine, so it must have been halfway decent.

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
An editor of a local lifestyle magazine, back when I was twenty and first trying my hand at all this, looked over an article I’d written and told me he couldn’t use it because “You’re not a very good writer.” In retrospect, it doesn’t sound that harsh, but at the time it sucker punched me. After a couple of days, I shook myself off and decided to learn the craft as well as I could.

How did you find your publisher and how long did your query process take?
This is probably going to tick some people off, but I really don’t get the whole self-publishing thing. I know things are changing, but to me it doesn’t really feel legitimate. Besides the fact of how expensive it could get. So for me, and I’m not one to dictate to others, traditional publishing was the only way to go.

That being said, so far I’ve dealt exclusively with small presses, just as I do with small magazines. As for finding them, I basically use Duotrope, which, for me, is well worth the yearly fee. 

One nice thing about the small presses is that there usually isn’t that long of a wait to hear back. When I sent One Helluva Gig to Vagabondage Press, it took them only a few months to send me an acceptance.

Once Gig came out, I was putting the finishing touches on The Group and felt a lot more confident that maybe something would happen. What I wasn’t prepared for, though, was that three weeks after I began submitting it, I received an offer from Barbarian Books. My first full-length mystery novel, and three weeks after sending it out I had an offer in hand.

My newest work, The Litter, took a bit longer, but not all that much. I finished it at the end of June of last year and began sending it out in July. It racked up several rejections before Night to Dawn made an offer a couple of days after Labor Day.

Bottom line, when it comes to sending books out and having them accepted, I’ve been very, very lucky.

I'll say. But I would respectfully disagree with you on self-publishing. My book is doing much better now, as a self-published author, than when a small press published it. I think there's room in the market for both. What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on a sequel to The Group. It focuses on the cops who were secondary characters in the first book, and doesn’t really include the original protagonist at all.  I had hoped to have a first draft finished before school broke for the year, but that didn’t happen, so right now I’m way behind.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A high school teacher and fiction writer living in central Missouri, Kevin R. Doyle’s  short stories of horror and suspense have appeared in over twenty-five small press magazines. In 2012 his first e-book, a mainstream novelette titled One Helluva Gig, was released by Vagabondage Press. In January of 2014, Barbarian Books released his first full-length mystery novel, The Group, and in February of 2015, Night to Dawn Magazine and Books released his horror novel, The Litter.

Connect with Kevin:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  

FEATURED AUTHOR: DENNIS HART

INTERVIEW WITH DENNIS HART

Welcome back to A Blue Million Books, Dennis. Sand Key is the second book in a series, and while I would recommend reading the series in order, do you consider it a standalone, or do you think readers need to read the series in order?
Sand Key is the sequel to my first published novel, Gulf Boulevard. You can read Sand Key as a stand-alone or start the adventure with Gulf Boulevard.

Who would you pick to write your biography?
Me. Been there, done that. The title is Life Minus 3½.

Well, Life Minus 3½ is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it, as it’s on my top ten favorite books of all time list, but it was only about a portion of your life. There are tons of things readers would still like to know about Dennis Hart. For instance, have you ever been in any natural disasters?
Does my first marriage qualify?

Facepalm. I should have known. Technically, it doesn’t count, but since I’ve read Life Minus 3½, I do take your point. Besides marrying your first wife, what is the most daring thing you've done?
Mountain climb without ropes.


I don’t believe you. You’re too smart for that. What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?  Besides marrying your first wife, of course.
See above.

I walked right into that one. What makes you bored?
Boring things.


Of course. What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
There are too many to list here.


If someone gave you $5,000 and said you must solve a problem, what would you do with the money?
Give it back.

I don’t think you’re quite getting the concept of interviewing an author so others can find out more about him, although I do think you’re giving readers a taste of your humorous side. But let’s try again . . . What makes you nervous?
 
Public speaking and turbulence.

Now we’re getting somewhere. What makes you happy?
Not speaking in public and landing safely.

My mean teacher look is about to be unleashed. What makes you scared?
Crazy people.


Define crazy. I might be one of them.
Crazy people are wide-eyed, disheveled, nose-pickin' turds who have to get in my face to make a point. These folks are often seen in vehicles covered in bumper stickers or walking like zombies down the aisles of WalMart.

Whew. By your definition, I’m not crazy. Sounds like a yankee thing. What makes you excited?
Too personal.

Not that kind of excited. Oh brother. Just who do you think you are? I mean, seriously, who is Dennis Hart?
I'm not sure. Hopefully someone will explain it on my tombstone. 

Ahem . . . I see you weaseled out of another one. If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
My dog, because he advises me on content. 

He is a beaut, and he looks very smart. What brings you sheer delight? Besides your dog. And my work.
Vegetables from my garden that the varmints didn't eat.

Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?
Lonely idiot?

You’re being difficult again. What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"Get busy living, or get busy dying." Morgan Freeman - Shawshank Redemption

Finally! An honest answer. If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
Any English speaking island where the sun shines, the sand is soft, the breeze tropical, and the salt water turquoise and calm. 

What would your main character, Jason, say about you?
That dope can't write!

Psshaw. How did you create the plot for Sand Key?
I spent many hours arguing with the characters.


Who won?
The characters always win. It's like a union; if they don't get their way, they walk.

Are any of them inspired by real people? 

Yes...they know who they are.

Tell the truth: do you rake your sand like your main character Jason does?
Yes, I rake, and I'm proud of it.

Is your book based on real events?
No. Well, kinda...sometimes.

You write about mobsters a lot. Have you ever whacked anybody?
Like I'm gonna answer that.

Who are your favorite authors?
Nelson DeMille, John Grisham, Carl Hiaasen, and for my southern fix, Amy Metz.

Awww . . . aren’t you sweet. You’re not just sucking up, are you? Never mind, I'll take what I can get. What book are you currently reading and in what format?
Gray Mountain - Grisham, hardcovers only. 

It’s no secret. I love your work. There are so many times when I read your books and think ‘I wish I’d written that.’ What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
I was compared to Tim Dorsy, and Carl Hiaasen. But more importantly the reviewer laughed and loved my work.

Well, speaking from experience, I think a person would have to be dead not to laugh at your work. I actually like it much better than Carl Hiaasen’s. I’ve never read Tim Dorsy’s work. I’ll get right on that and get back to you. Why did you decide to self-publish Sand Key?
The owner of The Permanent Press was in a drunken stupor when he reached out to me to publish Gulf Boulevard. He has since regretted that decision.

I enjoy self-publishing. It allows me the freedom of cover design and content. But the stigma is certainly a speed bump when trying to reach the masses.

And distribution is nearly impossible unless you're lucky enough to enjoy a wildfire of word-of-mouth accolades. 

True. What are you working on now?
World peace.
 
Of course you are. Good luck with that. And good luck with Sand Key.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dennis Hart is the owner of an environmental equipment rental company in Massachusetts. He was an active member of a writer’s forum since 2010 called “The Next Big Writer,” and his work has been well received and critiqued by other authors. His self-published memoir, Life Minus 3½, was ranked number one for several weeks out of hundreds of submissions. In a separate writing contest judged by published authors, the memoir was selected third best out of 427 entries. It has also received a recommended review by KIRKUS.

His first published novel titled Gulf Boulevard, (The Permanent Press-March 2014) received numerous accolades from prominent reviewers. Sand Key is the sequel to Gulf Boulevard.

His other novels in progress include Pictures of Children, Flight of the Owl, and his short stories include "Storms," "Bandits," and "Heat Wave."

Connect with Dennis:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads 

FEATURED AUTHOR: DIANA STAR HELMER

ABOUT THE BOOK

The complete story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – from its origins during WWII, through its 12 hard-fought seasons, to its resurrection thanks to the 1992 film A League of Their Own, to its current cult status among fans of baseball and Americana. Interviews, rare photos, behind-the-scenes stories from the movie, and great historical detail make this an entertaining and informative read.

INTERVIEW WITH DIANA STAR HELMER

Diana, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
Belles of the Ballpark was the title for my first published book. I thought it was a beautiful play on words. But the title didn’t work the way I hoped it would. Belles was one of the first books ever published about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. At the time I was writing, about 1990, most of America had never heard of the AAGPBL.

However, about the same time my book was published, the film A League of Their Own was released. I hoped that people would learn about the League through the film, then want to read more about it. But my original publisher was a small school/library publisher that had trouble deciding how to market such a “new” topic. Some folks later suggested that the book’s title should have been more “obvious,” something like “Rosie the Riveter Plays Baseball.”
    When I had the opportunity to reissue, with a publisher whose audience includes baseball fans, I wanted to give both the book and its title another chance.  A good subtitle helps!

What do you love about where you live?

   
I love the assertiveness of the four seasons in central Iowa. Amazing life forms, trees and weeds and squirrels and bugs are attracted to the natural cycles. And baseball is one of those constant, comforting wonders.

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

That “grown-ups” are still very young themselves. They give you the best advice they can, and they mean well. But we are all so young.

Very true. What’s one of your favorite lines from a book?
 “My life is the poem I would have writ
 But I could not both live and utter it.” -Henry David Thoreau

Is your book based on real events?Absolutely. And though the film, A League of Their Own, is popular, not everyone who sees it knows that it is based on a true story. And those that know may not realize how very, very fictionalized the film is.

Are you like any of your characters?
I like to think I have been like the players in some small ways. Being a young woman in America was often a tricky row to hoe in the Twentieth Century. But the job of being female would not be made easier by anger or resentments. The Girls just tried to do their best, given the situation. I’ve valued that attitude in my life.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
I love the exchange in Belles between an umpire and an All-American player, where he yelled, “Youse are no lady!” and she snapped, “Neither are you!”

My husband Thomas S. Owens (my co-author for the new edition) received a letter of encouragement from Dolly Brumfield, who played in the League from 1947-53. She wrote, “Thanks for your interest in our story! It really did happen and is a part of history – women’s history and sports history.”

Why did you decide to publish with Summer Game Books?
Summer Game Books is a young company, but already has acquired titles by respected baseball authors. I feel honored to be in such a lineup. SGB has reissued past classic baseball titles. Belles is in great company.

What are you working on now?
I have several future Kindle e-book projects brewing. Stay tuned . . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Diana Star Helmer began considering the role of women in athletics on an elementary school playground. A female teacher interrupted Diana’s tetherball mastery, chiding: “Can’t you let the other girl win sometimes?” When covering a 1980s game at Dodger Stadium, coach Joey Amalfitano apologized to Diana for belching near one of her on-field interviews. Since the first edition of Belles of the Ballpark was published in 1992, Diana has written more than 40 books. Her first two novels include Elsie’s Afghan and A Dog’s Best Friend, available as Kindle e-books.

Thomas S. Owens is author of more than 40 books. He writes the blog “Baseball By The Letters.” Yes, Tom and Diana are married. They live in Iowa, but are taking offers.

Connect with Diana:
Website  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Powell's Books  |  The Book Depository  |  BooksAMillion

FEATURED AUTHOR: TESS WOODS

ABOUT THE BOOK

What would you risk to be with the love of your life? A family is threatened by an irresistible attraction in this compelling debut that will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Anita Shreve.

Looking back on it now, I can see it was instant. the second we locked eyes. Boom. Just like that. the me I had spent a lifetime perfecting began its disintegration from that moment. And despite the carnage it brought to all our lives, I still don't regret it.
What would you risk to be with the love of your life? And what if your soul mate is the one who will destroy you?

Mel is living the dream. She's a successful GP, married to a charming anaesthetist and raising a beautiful family in their plush home in Perth. But when she boards a flight to Melbourne, she meets Matt and her picture perfect Stepford life unravels as she falls in love for the first time ever.

What begins as a flirty conversation between strangers quickly develops into a hot and obsessive affair with disastrous consequences neither Mel nor Matt could have ever seen coming. Mel's dream life turns into her worst nightmare.

Love at First Flight will take everything you believe about what true love is and spin it on its head.

INTERVIEW WITH TESS WOODS

Tess, do you have another job outside of writing?
I’m a physiotherapist and have been for the past twenty years. Along with my hubby, I own and operate three clinics around Perth. It is crazy busy, so writing is definitely my night job. But I also love my day job working in private practice. Every Tuesday I run exercise classes for the over 75s, and we always finish with a dance number like the Hokey Pokey or the Macarena, best job ever.

What’s your favorite line from a book?
“You’re my own personal brand of heroin.” Edward to Bella in Twilight.

Are any of your characters inspired by real people? 
Hell, yes! I really do believe you write what you know. Of course the novel is a work of fiction, not a biography and not a journal, and I credit my imagination for it, but I have definitely taken inspiration from events and people in my life.

It is no coincidence that Mel has long black hair and is a health professional who falls for a tall, dark, handsome and broody, moody physio. That’s me and my husband! But the great thing about writing is that I get to make Mel as hot as I like and morph her into someone as sexy as Angelina Jolie - hey, it’s my prerogative isn’t it? Matt’s parents are very much inspired by my own mother and father-in-law who lived out in the country on a sprawling property where we used to go to wind down from the city with them. Matt’s sister is a powerful human rights lawyer, just like two of my world-beating cousins. I even used my children’s names for characters - Tom, Lara and Lachlan. (Lara has a blink and you miss it, part because I am saving her. I have big things planned for Lara in book two!)

Is your book based on real events?
Again, the book is fictional and not a diary, but I did incorporate many real life events into this fictional story. My husband and I tragically lost our third child Lachy at birth, my darling friend Jess committed suicide, my darling friend Julie fought a fierce battle with cancer and those stories and a few more events that shaped my life made it into the book.

Wow. Sounds like a very poignant book. What song would you pick to go with your book?
"Here Without You" by Three Doors Down really captures the sense of longing of being far away from your love that is in Love at First Flight.

Who are your favorite authors?
My all time favourite author is Maeve Binchy. But I also love Marian Keyes, Nicholas Evans, Adriana Trigiani, Robert James Waller, Stephenie Meyer, and Rosamund Pilcher.

What book are you currently reading and in what format?
I’m reading Luna Tango by Alli Sinclair, on my Kindle (I love my Kindle!!). It’s a beautiful romance set in Argentina, and it shifts between today and the 1950’s.

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
Snuggled up in bed. I’ve tried to be bohemian and trendy and take my laptop to hipster cafes to write, but I am just too distractable and get nothing done. I need to be tucked up in bed, late at night, hubby snoring peacefully next to me, and that’s where I do my best work.

Where’s home for you?
I live in Perth, right on the coast of the Indian Ocean in Western Australia. I can see the sun set over the horizon every night. It is the most beautiful place in the world and I’m so parochial about it, I set my book here.

Sounds wonderful! Let's say you’re leaving your country for a year. What’s the last meal (or food) you would want to have before leaving?
TimTams - the best chocolate layered biscuit known to man. There are fake TimTam imitations the world over, but every Aussie knows there is only one TimTam worth passing your lips. We have a tradition here of TimTam slammers. We break off the ends of the TimTam and then dunk it into coffee and suck up the coffee through the biscuit.

What’s your favorite candy bar? And don’t tell me you don’t have one!
Of course I have one! It’s not a bar though, it’s an egg. Cadbury Crème Eggs, even just typing these words makes my mouth water.

They are delicious. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
My greatest hobby is reading. I love nothing more than heading to the beach with a good book and lying in the sun soaking up a story. I enjoy art and craft with my kids and spend lots of time weekends making things and painting things with them. I also love to bake, knit, tend to my veggie patch, watch Downton Abbey – anything little old ladies love to do, I do too! And I’m obsessed with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and New York! So watching them on TV is a real favorite.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I love my hometown of Perth and would not choose to leave it permanently, but if I could have a year in Venice, that would be a dream come true! Nowhere in the world has captured my heart like Venice did when I was there last year. Oh, to have a year of listening the church bells ringing from San Marco’s cathedral as gondoliers navigate past my balcony, singing “That’s Amore” and then wandering the tiny cobbled lanes in search of fresh pastries to eat. It doesn’t get much better than that!

What are you working on now?
I’m writing my second book, and I’m very excited! I am writing a contemporary romance called Flat White With One, which is about my main character Mel’s son as an adult (he is a teenager in Love at First Flight). Nick is Australia’s most popular football player, a real playboy who falls for a young, conservative Egyptian girl named Anna with a tragic past who is anything but the typical footballer’s girlfriend. Flat White With One is their love story. Nick and Anna are tested by her family, Nick’s football community, and the Australian public as nobody seems to approve of them being together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tess Woods is a health professional who lives in Perth, Australia with one husband, two children, one dog and one cat who rules over all of them. Love at First Flight is her first novel for HarperCollins. When she isn't working or being a personal assistant to her kids, Tess enjoys reading and all kinds of grannyish pleasures like knitting, baking, drinking tea, watching Downton Abbey and tending to the veggie patch.

Connect with Tess:
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FEATURED WRITER: MELISSA MARNI

And now, for something a little different . . . today I have Melissa Marni, writer of the little word studio blog. Its the tag line is: "Tiny Tales for Big Ideas." The blog was launched as a place to post original stories inspired by the work of artists and photographers from around the world. Keep reading for more on her blog, to read a sample of her short stories, and find out more about Melissa.

ABOUT THE BLOG:

It all started on the back porch of my apartment. An idea for a short story popped into my head as I sat drinking my coffee-with-milk and browsing the Internet. The whole thing took a few hours to write and when it was done I thought, “Would anyone want to read this?” So, posted it in order to find out; the experience felt just like floating a fictional message in a bottle into the vast ocean of digital content . . . hoping for the best . . . and that’s how little word studio was born.

A few weeks later, I was contacted on Instagram by a London-based graphic designer asking if I’d like to collaborate on a project – her art, my words. After hearing more about the collaboration, I realized I’d found the key to making little word studio unique: Find talented artists around the world and write the untold stories of their creations. I’ve since been lucky enough to team up with talented illustrators, photographers and animators from the U.S., England, Russia, France, Sweden, Italy, Germany . . . the list goes on. It's been amazing to see what inspires them and their artwork has helped push the boundaries of my prose.

THE TALE OF ASTRID THE BEAUTIFUL

By Melissa Marni

Somewhere in the untamed French countryside near Versailles, on the border of all that was good and evil, once sat a small patch of wild lavender, and just beyond, a smaller spring. An accidental journey brought Astrid to this spring, its water tumbling like wet poetry across flowering earth.

She was in the shrubbiest part of the woods searching for a particularly large clump of jasmine to be tucked behind her sister Maryse’s “perfect pearl of an ear.” (This ear, according to their mother, Bernadette, was but a single feature among any number of flawless ones that could be found resting on the perfect face of Maryse.)

“As you get older, it’s actually quite the luck you look so much like your father,” said Bernadette on Astrid’s twenty-third birthday last year. “Unlike me or Maryse, you have no discernible beauty now, so you’ve no beauty to lose.”

Yet, even to the casual stranger, Astrid, like her father, was undeniably beautiful in both heart and head. Her beauty was a seedling of fact sowed through compliments like this from Monsieur Claude Duvet: “Well heavens awaken me, Astrid! You’ve become a woman worthy of the gods!”

Indeed she had, growing from pretty little Astrid into a honey-haired, indigo-eyed Aphrodite. Her mother and sister weren’t completely unattractive, each with some agreeable amount of beauty – Maryse an exact, younger reflection of her mother – though when standing by Astrid, the two couldn’t compare.

But here’s the logic of Bernadette the moderately beautiful philosopher: If she was, in her mind, a great beauty then so too was Maryse, sharing her mother’s rubberish complexion and brown, wiry hair. In lingering glances, it might be said Bernadette was more keenly aware of Astrid’s goddess-like looks than she let on.

A fair bet could be made then won that this knowledge motivated Bernadette to give Astrid an endless list of daily chores like picking flowers for her sister’s hair or sewing a dead dragonfly onto the collar of a twill dress.

“I’m only asking you to make me a bug brooch,” her mother had said. “Unless those fat fingers of yours have stopped working, I don’t see why it must be that hard.”

While Astrid was busy figuring out how to thread a dragonfly’s wing, Bernadette was dragging Maryse to every fête west of Paris, teacup-clanking a path through society’s ranks. “There is grave necessity for us to be seen in public,” her mother told Maryse. “We must wow those who matter through our stylish grace and be grateful for the sturdiness of Astrid; with your father gone, we can’t afford a mule.”

Astrid was on such a mulishly mandated chore – “collect a handful of lavender that’s turned a deep purple but hasn’t yet browned” – when she found the spring. She heard the burbles of the spring before she saw it, which explained why Astrid bumped into a woman standing at its edge.

“I’m so sorry, Madam!”

The woman looked up and Astrid stared right into her dark, feral eyes. She was almost a head shorter than Astrid, a bad hunch curling her back, a frizz of gray hair growing around a face crackled as an old pumice stone.

“It’s nothing,” the woman cooed. “Come closer though, these eyes can’t see like they used to and I need your help.”

With an agreeable head shake, Astrid took a step toward the curious woman near the spring.

“Better. But would you mind bringing me some water? I can’t reach down far enough.”

Astrid did as told, emptying her bucket of the lavender inside, sweeping it clean then scooping a handful of spring water.

“For you,” Astrid said. “Please keep the bucket so you can use it if you ever visit this spring again.”

The woman giggled and the sound was young and bright. “I do come most afternoons,” she replied. “Thank you for this gift, Astrid the Beautiful, and here is mine in return …”

How the woman knew her name or how in the next moment, Astrid was back in her kitchen, lavender in hand, should rightly be described as magic.

“Late again, Astrid!” Her mother growled, grabbing at the lavender. “Maryse, come come and let’s see if these flowers can be stuck to your little ear.”

“If the lavender doesn’t work, I can …” Astrid began but never finished. As she spoke, each word produced a tiny diamond from her mouth, which fell to the floor with a ceremonious and sparkly thud.

Bernadette, a matter-of-fact woman who believed intelligence the awful stepsister of charm, never thought to ask why diamonds were suddenly spurting from her youngest daughter’s mouth. She only wanted to know how such a thing might also happen for Maryse, “whose lips are so much prettier and more deserving of jewels.”

“I’m not sure,” Astrid said, three small diamonds springing free from somewhere behind her snow-white teeth. “When I was picking lavender, I met a woman who said she had a gift for me …”

“You met a woman with a gift for you?” Bernadette was practically cackling. “Of course she didn’t know of your sister, better in every way, otherwise … otherwise! Take Maryse to this woman directly so she can give her a diamond mouth and take yours away, if possible. Though the diamonds you’ve spilled, we’ll keep.”

When Astrid returned to the spring with Maryse, the woman was still there, a huddled fairy among lavender brush.

“That’s her,” Astrid whispered, nudging Maryse forward and catching the two diamonds that left her tongue. Astrid was sure none of what her mother wanted would come to pass; Maryse barely spoke to anyone but when she did, whatever came out was terrible.

“Hello, Madame!” Mayrse bellowed. “I would like a diamond mouth like my sister but brighter and with larger diamonds! I would also like! It! Right! Now!”

The woman never nodded or smiled to let Maryse know she’d heard the request. Instead, when Maryse said her last word – “now” – an enormous, slimy toad jumped from her mouth into the spring.

“What?” Maryse burped and another toad parted her lips, splashing as it hit the foamy surface of the spring.

Astrid, in her kind heart, almost felt sorry for Maryse. Still, watching the toads that dove happily from her sister’s screaming mouth into the water below, she had only one thought: escape. As Astrid walked away, she turned one last time toward the woman, a wonderful, gift-giving nymph of the woods, who if she could speak might tell you now and ever after that Astrid lived a happy life.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Melissa Marni is the founder and author of little word studio. A native of New York, Melissa now lives in Newport Beach, California. She wrote her first story at the age of nine, (something about evil witches and shoelaces), and has been writing ever since. Melissa is a lover of red wine, soft cheese, books read by firelight, Pacific Ocean sunsets and her crooked-eared little dog, Austin.

Connect with Melissa:
WEBSITE |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER  |  INSTAGRAM |
 

Featured Author: Clea Simon

ABOUT THE BOOK

The dead don’t keep pets. So when animal behaviorist expert Pru Marlowe gets a call about a kitten, she doesn’t expect to find the cuddly creature playing beside the cooling body of prominent Beauville lawyer David Canaday. Heart attack? His three adult daughters angrily blame drug interactions, feline allergies—and each other. And begin to feud over their father, his considerable estate, and that cute ball of fluff. While the cause of death is pending, each sister has an axe to grind—with arguments that escalate when David’s partner reads out the will.


Pru’s special sensitivity to animals, which caused her to flee the cacophony of Manhattan for the quiet Berkshires, adds further problems. The local vet is overwhelmed as the animal hospital’s money runs out. There’s a needy Sheltie and some invasive squirrels, too. But the dead man’s kitten, his former partner, and his troublesome family keep drawing “wild-girl animal psychic Pru back in. Despite the wry observations of her trusty tabby Wallis, now the wrongfully accused kitten’s guardian, and the grudging compliance of her cop lover, this may be one time when Pru can’t solve the mystery or save the kitten she wants to believe is innocent. A single witness knows the truth about that bright spring morning. How far can Pru investigate without risking her own hidden tale?

INTERVIEW WITH CLEA SIMON

Clea, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
Kittens Can Kill, the fifth Pru Marlowe pet noir, came about when I thought, what if the only witness to murder was someone who couldn’t tell us what had happened? What if that witness was a cute, little kitten?

Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
Each of my mysteries works as a standalone, and I give a little bit of background in each one. However, if you read the series in order (starting with Dogs Don’t Lie), you will also get the larger, overarching story of Pru’s character development, family, and love life.

Where’s home for you?
Somerville, Massachusetts! Right by Boston.

Where did you grow up?
East Meadow, New York - on suburban Long Island.

What’s your favorite memory?

We had woods behind our house and a stream, and I used to love to play out back. I’d pretend I could talk to the animals out there.

If you had an extra $100 a week to spend on yourself, what would you buy?
Books. No doubt.


What do you love about where you live?
I can walk to two independent bookstores (and several coffeehouses) easily. My neighbors are friendly, and even though we’re in the city, we have a tiny little backyard where I see bunnies and a pretty big variety of birds (we had a wild turkey last year!).


What is the most daring thing you've done?
Quit my job at a newspaper to work on my books. But so far, so good!



What makes you nervous?
Not knowing if I have time to do everything I want or need to.


What makes you happy?
Working on a project that I enjoy and knowing that those I love are healthy, happy and engaged in their own interests.

What makes you scared?
Not being able to help those I love.

What makes you excited?
A new idea!

Do you have another job outside of writing?
I do some corporate editing on the side, at home. Unfortunately, it still pays better than the writing!

If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
My cat! But if she saved herself, it would be my laptop.

Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?
On good and bad days, I think I am both.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Bash it out now, tart it up later,” by the rocker Nick Lowe. I live by these words.

What’s your favorite line from a book?
“A line will take us hours maybe/but if it seems more than a moment’s thought/our stitching and unstitching is for naught.” - William Butler Yeats

What would your main character say about you?
Pru Marlowe would probably think I’m a wimp!

How did you create the plot for this book?
I come up with a problem and then I see where it takes me. I try very hard to keep my characters true to their personae, and so what they do will be consistent with who they are when faced with the problems I throw at them.

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
I can’t stand characters who don’t feel real. If characters just do things to move a plot along, I’ll stop reading.


Do you have a routine for writing?
Yes, I write everyday, Monday through Friday. I aim for a certain number of words, and I don’t stop until I hit that word count. When I’m near deadline, we eat dinner pretty late!

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
I wish I were a morning person, but I find I do my best writing between four and nine p.m.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the sixth Pru Marlowe pet noir, to be called When Bunnies Go Bad. Then it’s on to the next Dulcie Schwartz! What a great life, huh?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A recovering journalist, Clea Simon is the author of 17 mysteries and three nonfiction books. Parrots Prove Deadly is the third in her Pru Marlowe pet noir series. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband Jon and their cat Musetta.


Connect with Clea:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter