FEATURED AUTHOR: DIERDRE VERNE

ABOUT THE BOOK

CeCe Prentice returns with her band of Dumpster-diving pals in this fast-paced mystery that puts the eco-friendly heroine back on top—of a pile of trash.

When Big Bob, manager of the town dump, goes missing, CeCe is worried about more than where she’ll score her next salvaged car. First at the scene when Bob’s body is recovered from under the weekly recycling haul, CeCe is quick to identify potential witnesses and provide crucial scene sketches. But when CeCe is uncharacteristically startled by an unidentified woman at Bob’s abandoned house, her artistic talents are challenged, and her drawings, much to her frustration, come up short.

With CeCe’s observational talents on the fritz, Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her network of Freegans are forced to recreate Big Bob’s life from the garbage up. The team is soon thrust into the underworld of recycling where what appears to be junk could actually be the clue that saves a life.

INTERVIEW WITH DIERDRE VERNE

Dierdre, how often do you read?
I’m always reading something. I start the day with the New York Times and then I juggle a few magazines a week. I can easily move from news to gossip as in Time magazine to People magazine. I used to work for Time Inc., so I enjoy having lots of magazines at my disposal.

I also stop by my local library once a week where I choose three books. I know this might sound odd, but I can’t seem to break my three-book habit – never more, never less. I started my three-book routine as a teenager, and it continues to this day. I may not finish all three books within the week, but that’s my goal.

What books do you currently have published?
The first book in the A Sketch in Crime mystery series, Drawing Conclusions, was published in Feb 2015. The second book, Drawing Blood, became available on February 8, 2016. The third book, tentatively titled, Drawing Fire, will be available in February 2017.

You may notice the titles all include the word ‘drawing.’ The main character, CeCe Prentice, is a sketch artist and helps the police solve crimes using her artistic talents.

Do you have a writing routine?
I have a writing and a thinking routine. When I’m writing, I’ll write everyday for six months straight. If I’m not writing then the rule is that I have to be thinking. I have a journal where I jot down notes, and I’ll often pull articles from newspapers or magazines and tape them into my journal.

My protagonist, CeCe Prentice, is an eco-friendly, Dumpster-diving artist. Years ago, I stumbled upon a newspaper article about extreme, eco-friendly lifestyles. This type of content is right up my alley. I start thinking, then researching and finally writing. Hopefully, this routine will continue to inspire more books in my series.

Is writing your dream job?
My dream job is storytelling. When I look back at my career, I realize that each job I’ve had involves storytelling.

My original background is in business – specifically marketing where I spun stories about products. I eventually left a corporate job, and for the past sixteen years, I’ve been teaching college where I weave stories about marketing. Of course the best place to tell stories is in books which is what I’m doing now.

If you could watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Oh! This question is so unfair for a devout channel surfer. I will admit, however, to one television vice. I’m addicted to TLC, but in my defense, I include the channel as part of my writing research. TLC does a great job bringing average people with interesting stories to the forefront. Is it scripted? Of course it is, but I write books, and I appreciate a good script. 

What five things would you never want to live without?
My library card
My bathrobe
Elizabeth Arden 8-hour cream
A pad
A pencil

And may I please have a cup of coffee?

Oh, all right! What do you like to do when there is nothing to do?
Now that my two boys are in their teens and basically self-sufficient, I’ve allowed myself a small indulgence. In the summer, I sit on my deck with a book and promptly fall asleep. I like to tell myself that this is actually part of my thinking routine, but it’s not.

Would you rather be a movie star, sport star or rock star?
Move over Pat Benatar and make some room for me on that stage. I would give anything to sing one song, on tune from beginning to end. Unfortunately for my family and those around me, I’m embarrassingly tone deaf. My voice is not even worthy of ‘Wheels on the Bus.”

I’ve considered giving this lack of talent to my protagonist, CeCe Prentice, but I love her too much to curse her with a torturous singing voice.

Do you procrastinate?
I have the opposite personality of a procrastinator. In fact, I tend to prepare so far in advance that I forget what I was doing in the first place. That’s why, somewhere hidden in my house, are a stack of holiday presents I pre-purchased, stored and now can’t find. 

What is the stupidest thing you have ever done?
The stupidest thing I’ve ever done was hitchhike in Fort Lauderdale during Spring Break. Long story short, the car’s interior door handles had been ripped out and I was trapped in the back seat with my college roommate . . . Wait a second; maybe this is the beginning of a story?

No fair! That story was too short. What is your most embarrassing moment?
Let me take you back to the mid-1970’s when the wrap-around skirt was popular. The thing about those skirts is that they wrap and they unwrap which is exactly what happened to me in my school cafeteria. Are you cringing?

I'm right there with you. What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is “You are your actions.” This quote came in handy as I developed the characters in my series. I wanted my characters’ actions to describe their personalities and reveal their motivations. This quote helped me keep character consistency throughout multiple manuscripts.

What’s your favorite song?
This is so easy. My favorite song is Otis Redding’s "Coffee and Cigarettes" and here’s why I love this song: I’m not a ‘bells and whistles’ type of girl. I don’t need sunsets and white horses to create a moment. I like to keep things simple, and that’s what Otis Redding does in this song. In "Coffee and Cigarettes," a man is spilling his heart out to his girl over a cup of coffee – "I don’t want no cream and sugar, ‘cause I’ve got you."

What is your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is Grease. That’s right. Only I could pick a movie that requires me to sing along (horribly) with Olivia Newton John.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a book set in the 1970’s for two reasons. As a child of the late ‘60’s and early 70’s, this era holds great memories for me. But more importantly, I’d like to write a book that occurs before the technology explosion. It’s so easy now to press a button and have an entire mystery solved by a Google search. I’d like the characters in my next book to work a bit harder to find the answer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deirdre Verne (Lower Westchester, New York) is a mystery writer, college professor, and an active college blogger. Deirdre’s interest in green living inspired her to create an off-the-grid character who Dumpster dives her way through the “Sketch in Crime” mystery series. Verne’s second book, Drawing Blood, is available in February 2016. “A dysfunctional functional family to die for . . . [CeCe Prentice’s] second case is every bit as twisty and surprising.” -Kirkus Reviews.

A member of Sisters in Crime, Deirdre’s short stories appear in all three New York chapter anthologies – Murder New York Style, Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices, and Family Matters.

Connect with Dierdre:
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BOOK BLITZ: NO REASON FOR INSANITY

ABOUT THE BOOK

No Reason For Insanity is a tale of intrigue, concentrating on the thoughts and actions of Haszard, the narrator. It is a whodunit with dark, and occasionally light humour, using lateral thinking as Haszard works through the bizarre murders to discover links. There is tension and danger throughout, plus a desperate fight for survival.

Intrigued by the bizarre events surrounding the murder of a friend, Haszard is asked by the family to look in to the matter. Against the advice of his friends, he begins making enquiries, and is disturbed when he realizes that it may well be someone he knows.

As progress is made, further events occur, endangering the life of Haszard and his friends, and he is forced to delve into the deepest recesses of his resourcefulness . . .

Crime Mystery

Date Published: 2/12/16

EXCERPT

Walking away from the house I said nothing but had a feeling something sinister was afoot. Gerry, a non-swimmer who was terrified of water, would never go near a swimming pool, yet he’d been found in one. Wrong. Everything about this was wrong. Gerry used to joke that he only ever showered because the water in the bath was too deep, therefore him being found in a swimming pool bordered on the surreal.

Why, though, would someone want to murder a man like Gerry? He was probably the nicest man I’d ever met, never having a bad word to say about anyone. I’d never heard of him being involved in any kind of conflict—nothing at all. In fact, the same went for the entire family. Sylvia was a church-going lady who involved herself with charity work, raising money for disadvantaged children, seldom going out to restaurants or the like, choosing to remain at home where she organized dinner parties for friends.

Alec’s only confrontation was on the rugby field, the young man spending the majority of his time with fiancée, Loretta, the couple enjoying their weekends in the great outdoors, rock-climbing, canoeing, and pony-trekking.

Donna, who’d not long turned twenty-one, was probably the more outgoing member of the family, although she seldom frequented nightclubs, preferring to see live bands instead. I knew that she’d recently split with a long-standing boyfriend; nevertheless, that was an amicable parting and therefore couldn’t be put forward as a motive for anyone to wish harm on the family, especially her gentle father.

The way that I saw it, there was no reason anyone should want to harm Gerry, and certainly not his loving wife Sylvia or their children, Alec and Donna.

“Haz, are you all right?” Sabrina asked as we entered the car.

I shrugged. “I’m just bothered about what Loretta said. Something’s not right about all this. We’re seeing Vicky tomorrow night, so I’ll ask her what she thinks and if there’s anything she can tell us.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin E. Hatt is a registered medical professional and advanced life support provider at one of his local hospitals. His love of writing began at school, and continued on into his twenties. In nineteen eighty-four he began his medical training, and in nineteen eighty-seven began writing what is now the Haszard Narratives. They were, though, shelved when he pursued another love, that of art, and he left the medical profession in two-thousand to become a freelance art consultant, teacher, demonstrator, framer and retailer. In twenty-ten he returned to the medical profession, and also resurrected the Haszard series. He now lives in the north east of England with his wife of twenty-five years and his daughter of twenty-three.

Connect with Kevin
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FEATURED AUTHOR: LYSSA LAYNE

FEATURED AUTHOR: MICHELE LYNN SEIGFRIED

ABOUT THE BOOK

Buckle up for hours of laughter, romance, and excitement with this Jersey Shore Mystery. When handsome detective, Bryce Kelly, is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he finds himself on the run and in hiding. Can amateur sleuth, Chelsey Alton, and a few quirky friends help him find the real killer and prove his innocence before it’s too late? If you love mysteries, don’t miss this humorous whodunit!

"Major Crimes is a revealing, compelling mystery story that's hard to put down." ~D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review 



"If you are looking for a good mystery with a touch of humor, romance, detective work and more, then Major Crimes is a surefire winner." ~Trudi LoPresto, Readers' Favorite

INTERVIEW WITH MICHELE LYNN SEIGFRIED

What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
I worked in a pizza place for two days when I was a teenager. Italians screaming at me all day (which I should have been accustomed to from my big, crazy, Italian family), customers stiffing me for tips, dishwashing duty. Ugh. 30 years later and I still cringe. I’ve had a deep respect for wait staff everywhere since.

What’s in your refrigerator right now? 
My fridge was the inspiration for the main character’s fridge in Major Crimes! Like Chelsey, there is mainly food fit for a toddler and a few frozen things: Chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, peanut butter & jelly, eggs, milk, cheese, and frozen burgers. What can I say? I’m not much of a cook!

What’s your favorite thing to do on date night? 
I’m a bit of a foodie, so I love to explore new places to eat and drink. I love local wineries, food truck events, or food/dessert tastings! Ironic, considering I don’t have much food in the fridge. Lol. Or maybe not so ironic . . . I guess I’m a going-out-to-eat-kind of a gal instead of a making-food-at-home one.

What do you love about where you live? 
My house makes me feel like Cinderella. I live against the woods that lead to a creek, so there are so many animals in my yard: raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, muskrats, eagles, Great Blue heron, egrets, goldfinch, cardinals, and more! What I don’t like so much . . . deer ticks. My husband and my dog have had Lyme disease. Not fun. I also love that I live within an hour of just about everything you can think of to do! The mountains, skiing/snowboarding, the beach, two major cities:  Philly and New York, casinos, shopping, boating, fine dining, etc., etc.

What five things would you never want to live without?
Lactaid pills, lol. What is life without ice cream?
Facebook. How would I ever keep up with everyone?
GPS. Gone are the days of my getting lost on a traffic circle.
The Internet. Much better than the encyclopedias of my day!
Electricity. After Hurricane Sandy, and being without it for a couple of weeks . . . you really learn how to appreciate the simple things.

Is writing your dream job?
Absolutely!  It still is only a dream for me, because right now, I have a full-time job in government that pays the bills!! While I love writing, it is only a part-time job for me until I retire.

What do you wish you could do?
Travel more. I got bit by the travel bug years ago. If money and days off from work were no objects, then I’d love to see more of the world. I’m hoping Hawaii is in the cards later this year! I’m hoping to see Europe and Australia some day!

Where is your favorite place to visit?
For a day trip, I’ve always loved the Jersey Shore. (I guess that’s why I write about it so much!) It’s only an hours’ drive to any one of the beautiful beaches. Now that I have a toddler, we enjoy the boardwalk games and rides with her and making fun memories there.  For a longer vacation, I love cruising to the Caribbean. Any island will do for me! Flip flops, sand, sun, salt air, swimming. A few of my favorite things.

What books do you currently have published? 
I have the first four books in the Jersey Shore Mystery Series: Red Tape, Tax Cut, Community Affairs, and Major Crimes, and I have six children’s pictures books: B is for Beach, S is for Shore, Nobody Bullies Bub, That Witch Ripped Up My Flowers, Oh No! Snow!, and Bub and Guy Wish Upon a Star.

What are you working on now? 
I’m working on my next children’s picture book, There’s a Monster in My Mouth. I wrote it a while ago, but never got around to illustrating it. I’m also in the midst of brainstorming for a Book #5 in the Jersey Shore Mystery Series. At minimum, Chelsey needs to figure out her love life!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michele Lynn Seigfried is the author of humorous & award-winning cozy mystery novels and a children's picture book author/illustrator.



She lives in New Jersey with a husband who makes the house shake every time he burps, a three-year-old fashionista, and a field dog who's allergic to the field.



She has a BA in Communication with a minor in Art and works full time as a Municipal Clerk. She is a member of SCBWI, Sisters in Crime, and the New Jersey Author's Network.



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FEATURED BOOK: BURNING HEAT

ABOUT THE BOOK

As darkness blankets the holy city of Charleston, South Carolina, Brack Pelton, an Afghanistan War veteran, steps out of a rundown bar after a long night. Before he gets to his truck, he finds himself in the middle of a domestic dispute between a man and a woman on the sidewalk. When a little girl joins the couple and gets hit by the man, Brack intervenes and takes him down. But the abuser isn’t finished. He pulls a gun and shoots the woman. Brack saves the little girl, but his world has just been rocked. Again.

The next day, while sitting on a barstool in the Pirate’s Cove on the Isle of Palms, his own bar, Brack scans the local paper. The news headline reads: Burned Body of Unidentified Hispanic Man Found at Construction Site. Nothing about a dead woman in the poor section of town. Brack feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to see an eight-year-old girl standing behind him. She’s the little girl he rescued the night before, and she wants him to look into her sister’s shooting.

Violence and danger make up Brack’s not-too-distant past. Part of him craves it – needs it. And that part has just been fed. Things are about to heat up again in the lowcountry. May God have mercy on the souls who get in the way.

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Brack Pelton is a widower, an ex-Marine from the Afghanistan War, and an ex-racecar driver. Six-foot, two-hundred-ten pounds, dark hair and dark eyes, he smokes Cuban and Dominican cigars and drives very fast cars while chasing the bad guys or when trying to get away. He also owns a beach bar and does a very poor job of keeping out of trouble and from being shot at.

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH BRACK PELTON,
main character in Burning Heat

Brack, how did you first meet your writer?
Funny story. It was about fifteen years ago. David and some friends were in the Pirate’s Cove, my uncle’s bar on the Isle of Palms.  At the time, I worked summers there during college to help my uncle out and to get beer money. Plus it was the beach so of course I’m going to pick the beach. David, drunk, stumbles between two guys about to fight. Everyone laughed at him. He got there before I could and diffused the situation.  After that, he always got a free beer. He’s a teetotaler now, but back in the day, well . . .  Anyway, a few years ago, I haven’t seen the guy in more than a decade, he comes around and interviews me to be a character in his book.  And here we are.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
When Mutt and I “borrowed” Jon-Jon’s Ferrari and left it in Myrtle Beach. Now that was fun!

Did you have a hard time convincing your author to write any particular scenes for you?
More like I had to have a serious talk or two with him about NOT including a few scenes. Just because something happens doesn’t mean it has to be included in the book. David argued that it wasn’t fair to the “reader” not to include the whole story. I’m not sure what that’s all about, but he seemed adamant so I let it slide.

What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?
Spend time on the beach with my dog, Shelby. Some of the junk that has happened in my life, like my loved ones dying and war, make me appreciate the little things that much more. I’d be a basket case without Shelby.

If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
That’s like saying if I could relive something differently. Yes, there are some things. I tend to lose the really good women in my life. I wish that weren’t the case.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
Brother Thomas can be a real pain in the rear, sometimes. But he’s usually right. His heart is the biggest thing about him, and that’s saying something — he’s like six-three, three-hundred-and-fifty pounds.

Mutt is a desert dog, like me. A real scrapper. He’s saved my bacon more than once. I think he’s forgiven me for knocking him out when we first met. Or he’s just waiting for a chance to get me back, one of the two.

Darcy is Darcy. Anything I say about her could be held against me so I’ll plead the fifth.

My Aunt Patricia is the only family I’ve got left. At least, the only family I still talk to.

Do have any secret aspirations that your author doesn’t know about?
I want to get back into racing. Now that I have some time and a little money, the track is calling.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
That mostly describes my life these days. That is, until Brother Thomas comes calling with some crazy scheme and I get shot at again.




What are you most afraid of?
Losing someone else I love.

What’s your author’s worst habit?
He needs to get out of the house more. Spends too much time behind his laptop. I’ve asked him to hang around the bar again, maybe get shot at once or twice. Could change his whole outlook on life.

What aspect of your author’s writing style do you like best?
I hate to admit it, but he’s got the story down cold. Even the parts I’d rather not talk about.

Describe the town where you live.
I live on the Isle of Palms. It’s paradise, and I’m not joking. We’ve got the ocean, a great beach, million dollar homes. The city of Charleston is only a few miles away. Talk about history! There is no place on earth like the lowcountry of South Carolina. So, stop by my bar, the Pirate’s Cove. It’s beach front!

Will you encourage your author to write a sequel?
Well, Burning Heat is the sequel. I thought I was done with all that nasty business after the first book, Southern Heat. But then the whole thing about Willa Mae happened. And, unfortunately, more has happened since. David is putting the finishing touches on the third book. Don’t want to give anything away, but I’ll just say my life has a whole lot more going on than just suntans and beaches.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


David Burnsworth became fascinated with the Deep South at a young age. After a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and fifteen years in the corporate world, he made the decision to write a novel. Southern Heat is his first mystery. Having lived in Charleston on Sullivan’s Island for five years, the setting was a foregone conclusion. He and his wife along with their dog call South Carolina home.

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FEATURED AUTHOR: JANICE PEACOCK

ABOUT THE BOOK

A bead bazaar turns bizarre when jewelry designer and glass beadmaker Jax O’Connell discovers a dead body beneath her sales table. Suspected of murder, Jax and her friend Tessa scramble to find the killer among the fanatic shoppers and eccentric vendors. They have their hands full dealing with a scumbag show promoter, hipsters in love, and a security guard who wants to do more than protect Jax from harm. Adding to the chaos, Jax’s quirky neighbor Val arrives unexpectedly with trouble in tow. Can Jax untangle the clues before she’s arrested for murder?

INTERVIEW WITH JANICE PEACOCK

Janice, how did you get started writing?
Several years ago, I took a class at the Corning Glass Studio in upstate New York. You may recognize the name Corning — it’s the manufacturer of Pyrex glass baking dishes and measuring cups. While working in the studio, I had an epiphany — the perfect way to kill someone! And while I didn’t have plans to murder anyone in particular, I decided that I wanted to write a murder mystery. As happens in life, it took me a few years before I sat down to write the story, but finally I did in November of 2011, during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). During that month, you make a commitment to write 50,000 words. As I wrote, I realized how much I enjoyed the process and went on to revise the story so that I could self-publish it. I added to the plot and subtracted a great deal of rubbish that I wrote during my month-long sprint to write a book. As I wrote, I imagined other adventures for my main character, Jax, and her friends, so I decided to keep writing. I now have two published novels and a short story.

What have you recently completed and what are you working on now?
I just completed a free (on Amazon and iTunes) short story that has been released in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s called "Be Still My Beading Heart." It was fantastic writing something short and fun without having to worry about all the complexities of a full length novel. I’m working on book three in the Glass Bead Mystery Series now, it’s called Off the Beadin’ Path. It’s in pretty rough shape right now, but I’m sure once my editor gets ahold of it, she’ll whip it into shape. I’m really looking forward to making more progress on that book. It’s been on hold while Booktrope re-released High Strung, and published A Bead in the Hand.

What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?
Once when I was on a trip to Thailand, I found some money on the street. Thai money is a little hard to decipher, and I didn’t look carefully at the bill. I went to a café and tried to use the money to pay for lunch. The cashier told me “No, no, no,” and pushed the cash back to me. And that’s when I realized: I was trying to pay with pretend money — there was a picture of cartoon character on the bill! It was very embarrassing. Fortunately, I had real money in my wallet so that I could pay for my meal.

What’s your favorite Internet Site?
Other than Facebook, I’d say my favorite site is eBay. I’m a collector of vintage glass fruit jewelry. I know this is a very unusual thing to collect, but I love these necklaces because they are made from the same Italian glass that I use to make beads. And, the vintage pieces are from Venice, one my favorite places in the world, other than San Francisco, where I live. The jewelry pieces were made in the 1930s and 1940s and they simply aren’t manufactured anymore. I have a Pinterest board of full of them.

Do you have any tips you could pass on to indie authors?
When I originally self-published High Strung, A Glass Bead Mystery in 2014, I had in mind a strategy in which I would self-publish my book, then when it was popular and well-rated I’d take it to an agent who would help me find a traditional publishing house. What I found out the hard way was that most publishers do not want to re-publish already self-published books, and do not want to publish a series starting with the second book. Fortunately, I was able to find a publisher, Booktrope, that was willing to publish my series even though the first book had been originally self-published. The best advice I can give is that if you choose to self-publish a book, you must make a commitment to that title as self-published for the long term.

What’s your favorite beverage?
That depends on the time of day. If it’s any time before noon then that’s a non-fat latte. I usually have one about ten o’clock every day. If I’m out and about it is pretty much a requirement for me to get one at our local Peet’s Coffee. I’m not much of a fan of Starbucks, but it will do in a pinch if I ask the barista to put an extra shot of espresso in the cup. Any time after noon — okay usually not until after four o’clock — I absolutely love a glass of red wine. We make our own wine, so we always have some on hand. In fact, we have a ridiculous number of bottles stored in our hall closet. We need a wine cellar, but I don’t think that will be happening any time soon. I especially love having a glass of wine on my back deck while my fire pit blazes and my friends and husband sit with me talking, laughing, and listening to music.

What your biggest pet peeve about writing?
My biggest pet peeve is that I can’t see my own typos. I’m a notorious typo-ist. I can see the easy ones, like the ones that spellcheck finds. But the ones that spellcheck can’t find, like missing words or small substitutions such as using in when I mean it, I simply cannot see them. I have an awesome proofreader who finds all of these problems. And in a strange twist of fate, I’m terrific at finding typos in other writers’ work, just not in my own. It’s such a weird form of blindness that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cure.

Do you procrastinate?
Let me get back to you on that. Just kidding . . . yes, I do procrastinate. I like to make elaborate to-do lists, adding even the simplest tasks — sometimes I even add tasks that I’ve almost completed so that I can cross them off my list. It feels good to cross easy things off the list. The most important tasks, which are often the most difficult, are left languishing on my list. I eventually buckle down and get my tasks done, but oftentimes I am sliding in at the eleventh hour.

Do you have any secret talents?
I worked in the broadcasting industry for quite a while as a rock disc jockey. I loved it. It was so much fun playing records on the radio (yes, way back in the day when there were vinyl records). I got to interview bands, and the very first band I ever interviewed was the Ramones. I was absolutely petrified climbing into their tour bus with my tape recorder, but I survived! Because of my radio experience, I’m very tempted to spend some time and record my novels as audio books. But, first I’d have to find the time!

What five things would you never want to live without?
I’ll avoid the obvious ones: laptop, car, chocolate, cell phone. Here goes: dental floss (I have high-maintenance teeth), fleece socks (I can’t sleep if my feet are cold), espresso machine (mine was broken for a period of time and those were dark days), prescription glasses (I refuse to go through life as Monet did: half-blind and painting blurry pictures), light bulbs (because lamps don’t work without them).

Do you have any secret talents?
Some people may know this since I write books about a glass beadmakers. But, just in case — I’m a glass beadmaker. I use a 2,000 degree torch to melt glass that I sculpt into multicolored glass beads. I started making beads in 1992, and I absolutely love it even after all this time. When I’m writing, I use a different part of my brain than when I’m working with glass. I love going to my studio and getting my hands on real objects and making things that require a wordless part of my brain, allowing me to think about — to feel — colors, patterns, movement. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janice Peacock decided to write her first mystery novel after working in a glass studio full of colorful artists who didn’t always get along. They reminded her of the odd, and often humorous, characters in the murder mystery books she loved to read. Inspired by that experience, she combined her two passions and wrote High Strung: A Glass Bead Mystery, the first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring glass beadmaker Jax O’Connell.

When Janice Peacock isn’t writing about glass artists who are amateur detectives, she makes glass beads using a torch, designs one-of-a-kind jewelry, and makes sculptures using hot glass. An award-winning artist, her work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of several museums. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three cats, and seven chickens. She has a studio full of beads . . . lots and lots of beads.


High Strung, the first book in the Glass Bead Mystery Series, will be 99 cents from February 7th through 11th and $1.99 from February 12th through 15th. Be Still My Beading Heart, A Glass Bead Mini-Mystery short story is free on Amazon and iTunes. A Bead in the Hand is available for the discounted price of $2.99 through February 15th.


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FEATURED AUTHOR: LAUREN CARR

ABOUT THE BOOK

Police Chief David O’Callaghan and Chelsea Adams’ wedding day is fast approaching. Unfortunately, at the last minute, David discovers that there is one small problem to be taken care of before he can tie the knot—divorce his first wife!

Lauren Carr takes fans of the Mac Faraday mysteries to the Big Apple in this nail biting adventure. In Cancelled Vows, David, Mac, and Gnarly, too, rush to New York City to dissolve David’s marriage to an old girlfriend—and he’s got five days to get it done. When murder throws up a road block, it is up to David’s best man, Mac Faraday, and Gnarly, K9-in-waiting, to sort through the clues to get David to the church in time!

INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN CARR

Lauren, what do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Timing. I write full time. However, even so, it is difficult because when I really get going at a certain spot in a storyline and the words are flowing freely, reality will come crashing in. My son gets home from school and I need to stop in the middle of a conversation. Or I’m in the middle of a pertinent scene or shootout and suddenly, it’s six o’clock in the evening, I have people bleeding out on the streets, and I’ve taken nothing out of the kitchen to cook for dinner.

Seriously, not only is it frustrating, but it is those types of interruptions that can cause the type of mistakes in continuity that readers may pick up after the book is released. For example, in Kill and Run, in one scene, one reader noticed that Jessica sat down twice during a conversation without standing up before sitting down the second time.

I have no choice but to blame my family for picking up this nasty habit called eating. It wouldn’t be so bad if they knew how to cook.

I hear you. What’s more important – characters or plot?
Characters! Hand down!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I thrive on finding unique and interesting murder cases for my books. So plot is very important. You can have a fabulous group of characters but if the plot doesn’t grab you, then you aren’t going to stick around. I have read books with fabulous, interesting characters—but it was very hard to read the books because as great as the characters were, nothing happened.

However, no matter how great the plot is, if you don’t care what happens to the characters, then you aren’t going to get past chapter three. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve stopped reading because I really didn’t care if the characters lived or died.

I have found that really intriguing, interesting, fun characters, once they come to life — which is if they are fully developed, will make a great plot. That happened in Cancelled Vows. Dallas Walker started out as a minor character, who ultimately stole the book and took it on a roller coaster plot because she is such a great character. That wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t such a fascinating character.

What do you think makes a good story?
Twists and turns in the plot that leave the reader breathless. I have a rule when I write. When my reader expects me to go in one direction, I purposely take them in the opposite direction.

What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
Being an author is a business — treat it like one. When I first started getting published, my husband, who is my business manager and has a law degree in business law, kept telling me that this is a business. He wanted receipts and when I would be offered a personal appearance I would be so excited — until he started asking questions like, “How far away is that? How much gas are you going to use getting there? How many books do you expect to sell? Are we going to make money or lose money?”

I considered him a wet blanket. After all, I was an author — an artist! Once, I accepted a speaking engagement at a library that was over five hours from my home. I drove five hours there in the pouring rain, spoke to a full house. They were so engaged and had so many questions, I was there twenty minutes longer than expected. Then, they all rushed out to borrow my book. I sold one book. I didn’t even make enough money to pay for the gas.

Now, I do treat my writing and book promotion like a business. I rarely make public appearances because I get more promotion for my time spent online via blog tours and guest blogs. I’m still an artist—an author, but I’m also a business person.

I agree wholeheartedly with that. Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
Think of marketing as one of those chores that’s all part of the business — not an option. In every profession there are things that you have to do because it is part of taking care of business. Lawyers have to keep up on new laws — otherwise, they could make mistakes that will land their clients in jail. Doctors have to deal with insurance companies and forms or they won’t get paid for their services.

Authors have to deal with marketing or readers won’t know about their books and if readers don’t know about their books, they won’t buy them. If readers don’t buy your books, then you won’t make money.

A best-selling author told me to spend one hour a day working on marketing — using social media and the Internet. Within a year of taking her advice, my books started making best-sellers’ lists, and I am now in the top-100 police procedural authors on Amazon. I now spent three-four hours a day working on marketing.

How often do you tweet?
Every single day. I have an assistant who does my tweeting using Hootsuite. But I get in every day to promote fellow authors via retweeting their posts.

What do you love about where you live?
The beauty and silence of the mountain—and the view of the valley, too.


What’s your favorite thing to do on date night?
Going to a fabulous new restaurant, getting waited on, and trying something I have never eaten before — followed a sinful dessert. Then, going home to a clean kitchen and not have to wash dishes.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Ice cream encased in chocolate fudge Magic Shell.

What's the biggest lie you ever told?
I don’t know if this would constitute as my biggest lie, but it my most embarrassing lie. Years ago, some friends of ours moved, and they gave us a propane gas tank for their gas grill. It was an older tank and didn’t fit our gas grill. My husband tried exchanging it for a tank that would fit our grill, but no place would take it. He tried taking it to the dump, leaving it with the garbage collector — no one would take it. We had this tank literally for years, and it was rusting, and we couldn’t get rid of it. So, one day, I was taking one of our empty gas tanks in to exchange it for a fresh tank and my husband suggested that I take this old tank and just leave it on the curb at the exchange when no one was looking and let them deal with it.

Well, my then seven-year-old son went with me. When we got there, I carried the one tank in and placed it next to the bins with the gas tanks, and the other, I just took out of the car and placed it over on the other side, in plain sight, but far enough away from ours in order to pretend I had nothing to do with it.

Well, when the clerk came out to unlock the bins to take out a fresh tank, he saw the old tank and of course, asked if it was mine. I said it wasn’t.

Right then, my son says, “Yes it is.”

“No, it not,” replied.

Tristan then looks worried. “Don’t you remember, Mom, you took it out of the back seat of our car and put it right there.”

He looked at me like I had lost my mind. “Don’t you remember, Mom? It was only a few minutes ago when we first got here, before you went inside.”

Meanwhile the clerk is looking at me.

Finally, I said, “Sorry, I don’t recall that at all.”

Then I took Tristan home and told him to talk to his father — after all, it was all his idea!

What drives you crazy?
My son is seventeen years old. That about covers it.

Name one thing you’re really good at and one thing you’re really bad at.
I’m a gourmet cook, and my husband says he married me for my cooking.

I am really bad at cleaning up after I cook. I’m horrible at cleaning, period. Yet, my husband was a navy officer and had done three tours on aircraft carriers. So, he is very particular about cleaning, which makes it worse. For that reason, a cleaning lady is a necessity. No matter how bad things are financially, a cleaning service has to be in our budget.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Cleaning—because I am really bad at it. I simply do not see dirt.

What are you working on now?
For 2016, I am aiming for four books, one for each series. Cancelled Vows is the eleventh installment for the Mac Faraday Mysteries. At the end of April, Lovers in Crime will see the third installment for that series, Killer in the Band. Readers will get to know more about Joshua Thornton Jr (J.J.), Murphy’s identical twin brother. J.J. has graduated at the top of his class from law school and is returning home to spend the summer studying for the bar exam. However, to the Thornton’s shock and dismay, J.J. decides to move in with Suellen Russell, a lovely widow twice his age. The move brings long buried tensions between the father and son to the surface. When a brutal killer strikes, the father and son must set all differences aside to solve the crime before J.J. ends up in the crosshairs of a murderer.

In September, fans of the Thorny Rose Mysteries will see the second installment for that series, A Fine Year for Murder. I’m also planning to close out the year with a November release of Murder for the Holidays. This is a Mac Faraday Mystery that will include some flashback to an earlier case involving Patrick O’Callaghan and Robin Spencer.

Then, in November, Mac Faraday fans will see a Christmas mystery entitled, Murder for the Holidays. This mystery will include a flashback to an older murder case involving Patrick O’Callaghan (Mac and David’s father) and Robin Spencer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday and Lovers in Crime Mysteries and the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real live Gnarly!) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.



Connect with the author: 
Website    |    Blog    |    Twitter     |   Goodreads 

Facebook:
Lauren's page    |   Gnarly’s page   |   Lovers in Crime Page  |    Acorn Book Services page  

​Buy the book: 
Amazon 

a Rafflecopter giveaway