FEATURED AUTHOR: CARL BROOKINS

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Inside Passage is an adventure thriller set primarily on the waters between Campbell River, British Columbia, and Seattle, Washington. It is the story of one man’s successful effort to find justice and peace after the murder of his wife and her friend by ruthless gun runners. It offers moving descriptions of magnificent mountain scenery and the sea, storms, explosive action, murder, loss, love, and redemption.

INTERVIEW WITH CARL BROOKINS

Carl, how did you get started writing?
I cannot remember a time when I didn't write. My parents encouraged me to read and apparently treated my early scribbles as sensible. My mother disagreed with librarians who wanted to keep me out of the adult sections and restrict my book choices to those in the children sections. I have always appreciated good, thoughtful, well-constructed writing. Shakespeare is my favorite writer in the English language. He has great plots, marvelous creative use of the language, and an innate sense of pace that is unequaled. Did you know there are almost a thousand phrases in current use in English that can be traced to his invention?

I achieved second place in a writing contest from a Western  pulp magazine when I was in the seventh grade! Nearly every job I've ever held, including several temporary summer jobs, included a writing component. Writing is part of my DNA, but then, so is talking.

Do you have a writing routine?
When I decided I wanted to try writing serious fiction, I was still employed full time in a position which usually required my presence in the office. I was an adult student college counselor. I had appointments. Hence I developed a routine of getting up quite early, usually between five and five-thirty and writing at typewriter and computer. After an hour or so I would get dressed and go off to my office. Sometimes I worked on  manuscripts in the evening, but usually not. I did spend many weekends writing all day. Now I don 't do that so much. Weekends are reserved for other activities although many times they are writing related, such as appearing at or attending book events or conventions or traveling between events and home. I don't do much writing on tour, but I do communicate and often edit a current project.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
My answer—it depends! An author singularly focused on thrillers or multiple murders, terrorism, has to develop and maintain a strong active plot. Most good detective stories, whether run by amateurs or professional detectives, need a crime as motivation, but the interaction of interesting characters usually enriches and enlarges the scope of the story. Sometimes that gets away from you and you discover meandering tales in which the characters become so enamored of themselves and their talent or intellect that the story gets lost.  Authors of crime fiction who do not narrowly focus their concentration may lose important threads and thereby damage their tales. So the question has no obvious or easy answer. I try to maintain a clear focus whether I'm writing a thriller or a detective story. I want authors I read to do the same thing and that means making specific choices. Of course, if you are enormously talented and highly popular, you can probably ignore this advice at your pleasure.

What books do you currently have published?
About a dozen crime novels, in three separate categories. I began with an adventure series in which my main characters, a husband and wife are recreational sailors, and I can place them  in interesting and exotic places like the Caribbean where Red Sky is set. I get lots of ideas for stories that are simply inappropriate for Mary Whitney, although the series does allow me to explore the mind and activities of a strong intelligent woman. My private detective came about because I wanted to write something a little humorous as well as crime-focused. He's a short fellow with a tall wealthy girlfriend. There's a satirical  element to them and a nod to a writer I really liked as a kid, Richard Prather. He wrote the highly successful Shell Scott detective series in the 1950s. I also write about my life as a student counselor for a new and highly experimental (at the time) college for working adults. More cozy fiction from an amateur detective.

What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
For a time I sold hardware and photographic equipment for a national retail chain. They had a dress code, and a number  of arbitrary rules that often made no sense. Worse, some of the rules inhibited sales which seemed odd to me. Sales people on the retail floor were required to wear a shirt and tie. Shirts were quickly dirtied because tools and nails and nuts and bolts were not packaged in plastic boxes, they were in bins and had to be handled. The photo department on the main floor, developed a reputation for ignoring the rules of decorum. We were loud and laughed and seemed to be having a good time. That attracted customers and we had really good sales records. That didn't matter as much as that we were sometimes noisy in the process of celebrating success with customers. I learned that rigid rules in most circumstances were frequently a hindrance to getting the job done and that managers needed to work with staff instead of maintaining hard-line ruling. When the manager in the tower made a ruling, it usually meant that he (the most inflexible managers were always men) either didn't understand the situation or he was unwilling to try to fix a bad situation.

Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
Listen and learn. Know there are a thousand scam artists out there eager to take your money. Take in all the advice you can possibly acquire from many different sources and then follow your heart. Be cautious, be wise, work hard and be patient.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Our local PBS station. We support the station. I worked as a producer, director, program manager, and general station manager for public television stations for many years. But I'd miss the local news.

How often do you tweet?
A couple times a week. I'm more active on other platforms.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I feel fine about it. I use FB to comment on political and social events and views, I promote causes, ideas, and my books and reviews. I also promote my family. I believe too many authors—who are nearly all creative thinkers—are too reticent about speaking and  writing about current affairs.

What’s one THING you never leave the house without (besides your phone).
I don't carry a phone. My wife has a cell, but I do not. I never leave home without my camera.

What’s your favorite beverage?
Good single malt scotch. I'm partial to Glenmorangie.

What do you wish you could do?
Go back in time and finish my Master of Communication Arts degree at Michigan State University.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Changing the bed sheets because it hurts my back.

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Absolutely! I wish I could make it permanent, as does my wife.

What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Racial, gender, and religious intolerance.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?
White wine, orange juice, milk, lettuce, eggs, snacking cheeses, jams and jellies, sandwich meats, bacon, and butter.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
The new Ramsey County library; great staff, excellent accommodations, convenient parking and an affiliated coffee shop.

If you had a talk show who would your dream guests be?
Actually, with two dear fellow authors, Ellen Hart and Kent Krueger, I had a cable talk show which ran weekly for nearly three years. We interviewed agents, authors, publishers, bookstore owners and anybody else in the book business we could entice. They were all dream guests (even the difficult ones).

Describe yourself in 5 words.
Progressive, tolerant, smart, stubborn, aging.

What’s your favorite color?
Blue, all variations of blue, but intense ocean blue is best.

What are you working on now?
A crime novel featuring an older Travis McGee-type and his honey, a former stripper and show girl.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Before he became a mystery writer and reviewer, Carl Brookins was a counselor and faculty member at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Brookins and his wife are avid recreational sailors. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Private Eye Writers of America. He can frequently be found touring bookstores and libraries with his companions-in-crime, The Minnesota Crime Wave.
 
He writes the sailing adventure series featuring Michael Tanner and Mary Whitney. The third novel is Old Silver. His new private investigator series features Sean NMI Sean, a short P.I. The first is titled The Case of the Greedy Lawyers. Brookins received a liberal arts degree from the University of Minnesota and studied for a MA in Communications at Michigan State University.

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

Buy the book:
Amazon  

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

I almost have as much trouble naming the characters in my novels as I did naming my children. But writing Southern novels makes it a little easier since there are so many colorful names from which to choose. And colorful equals memorable, in my opinion. It’s a pretty safe bet that if someone has a unique name, they’re going to be . . . well, a character.

Double names are big in the South. They came about as a way to both honor and appease family members. If a child was named for the mother’s sister, she had to be given the name of the father’s sister too. They didn’t want anybody to feel left out. The Closer had two great examples in Brenda Lee and Willie Mae. I love Eula Lee, Dora Sue, and Edna Maye from my family. Women aren’t the only ones with double names. If you live in the South, you know at least one man named Joe Bob, Jimmy Lee, or Billy Ray. It should be an unwritten rule that Southern novels have to have at least one character with a double name.

And nicknames? Child, nobody loves a nickname like a Southerner does. Whether they’re shortening a perfectly good name, like Araminta to Mint, or giving someone a whole new moniker altogether, nicknames abound, and the more unusual the better. When it comes to a name, which would a reader remember more—Tom, Dick, or Harry, or Brick, Skeeter, or Booger? Those kinds of names add richness to a character and a story, in my opinion. (No offense to Tom, Dick, or Harry.) My family had Uncle Toad. Nobody seems to know how he got that nickname, but one thing was for sure: he had a great sense of humor.

Sometimes the nickname fits the character, like Beedy Eyes Hickman or Slewfoot Taylor. It’s a pretty safe bet what those dudes look like. Some names are ironic, like Tiny Walker, who is six foot four and weighs three hundred pounds. Other times, there’s no rhyme or reason why someone came to be known as Spoodle, or Little Bun, Murble, or Boojay. But they certainly are memorable.

And then there are the names like the basketball coach, Tubby Smith, who got his nickname not from his size but because he liked to take baths when he was a kid. But my favorite one is Blister. Everyone knows if your nickname is Blister it tells the world you’re a lazy, good for nothing so-and-so who never shows up until the work is done.

Men’s nicknames seem to be more colorful than women’s, for some reason. Who knows how someone came to be called Stumpy, Moo, Big Curly, Cotton, Cactus, Howdy, or Tuffy, but you can bet they’re not boring. Women tend to get the tamer, but still memorable, names such as Teenie, Liddy, Precious, Princess, Bitsie, or Bunny.

Maybe I’m biased, but Southern characters are my favorite. History, culture, dialect, and expressions vibrantly come alive in books about the South and its charismatic characters with distinctive names. I mean, only in the south would you find a person, not a restaurant, named Taco Belle. And only in the Goose Pimple Junction mysteries will you find Pickle, Peanut, Butterbean, Skeeter, Brick, Tank, Slick, and Junebug.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Metz is the owner of this blog, the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series, and a mom. The fourth book in her series, Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction was released in May. The audiobook of the first in the series, Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction, became available for sale in June.


Find/follow/like me at:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon   




*This post has been slightly altered since it first appeared on the blog Suite T.

GUEST POST WITH FREDRIK NATH

ABOUT THE BOOK

"The story is brilliantly executed . . . Nath’s biggest success is the sustained atmospheric tension that he creates somewhat effortlessly." 
 - Little Interpretations

"A haunting and bittersweet novel that stays with you long after the final chapter – always the sign of a really well-written and praiseworthy story. It would also make an excellent screenplay."
- Historical Novels Review - Editor's Choice, Feb 2011

Nazi occupied Aquitaine, 1943: A young woman is found murdered in the shadow of the Bergerac Prefecture. Auguste Ran, Assistant Chief of Police, suspects Brunner, a German Security Police Major, of the crime. The more Auguste investigates, the more obsessed he becomes with bringing down the seemingly untouchable Brunner.

Auguste begins to realise he has been conveniently ignoring the Nazi atrocities going on around him, and understands too late the human cost of his own participation in the internment of the local Jewish population.

Driven by conscience and struggling with his Catholic religious beliefs, his actions start to put his own family at risk. Harbouring the daughter of his lifelong Jewish friend Pierre, they are forced into a desperate trek towards neighbouring Switzerland, pursued all the way by the German Sicherheitspolizei.

The Cyclist is the first in Fredrik Nath's series of World War 2 novels. The adventures continue in Farewell Bergerac, Francesca Pascal. Find out more about The Cyclist and Fredrik Nath's other holocaust novels in his 3D author room.

GUEST POST:

The Cyclist and an Inspiration

The early morning sunlight flickered from behind the high clouds and reflected golden and crisp from the monument in Bergerac’s market square. Around me, shoppers bustled and in the roadway a car beeped its horn. The grey stone pillar rose fifteen feet above me, its shadow pointing away towards the elm trees that line the roadway. A smell of garlic wafted as I read those brave words that showed the strength of the French and France’s indomitable leaders. The monument was a reminder of the valour and sacrifice of those brave local partisans who gave up their lives in the struggle against the occupying Nazi forces all those years ago. 

Yes, it is moving. Surely there’s a story here.

In my head a story began to form. What would it have been like to have to make the choices needed to protect oneself and one’s family yet still remain French? The main character would need to do something admirable. He would need to depart from the norm. If you became a partisan you would endanger the people nearest you. What if you were caught?

I began to think of how it would be to be the one who is rounding up the local Jewish people. Would you hate it? Of course you would, even if you were forced to it for fear of endangering your family. For a religious man it would be even harder. Surely one would do anything to avoid such ‘duties’ if you had a conscience?

The story began to form. A Vichy French policeman, a man of conscience, a family man working with evil Nazis whom he secretly hated. I created Auguste Ran, a good policeman, but in essence weak, until a certain event tips him over the edge and slowly he begins to fight back.

That’s where The Cyclist came from and it was my springboard for the other books in my French resistance series. Each takes a character and makes life hard for them, allowing them to become. In the end, THE CYCLIST sold 30,000 copies. It was Editor’s choice in the Historical Novel Review in 2011.

You can catch all six books on Amazon: a policeman, a teacher, an artist, a chef, a philosopher and in THE PROMISE a medical student.

The Promise is the last and most recent of the series. Jean Valois, a medical student before the war, swears to his sister he will protect her. But in war, who can keep such promises? Trained to kill by SOE, in a desperate bid to save his sister Rebecca, he undertakes a mission deep into enemy-occupied Poland, risking all for the sake of a promise made long ago. A story of love, war, hatred and revenge, The Promise tells a tale of courage and staunchness.

If you like drama and character-based plots check them out!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fred Nath is a full time Neurosurgeon. Fred was born in Sweden and brought up in London and has worked in Liverpool, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow in his training (a long, long time ago). He lives in the northeast of England with his teenage daughter, his three sons having grown up and flown the coop.

In his time, he has run twenty-four Great North Run half-marathons (22 consecutive), trekked Island Peak, to 6000m in Nepal, crossed the highest mountain pass in the world (also in Nepal) [which you can see on You-tube],done a 12,000ft tandem parachute jump and began writing, like John Buchan, "because he ran out of penny-novels to read and felt he should write his own." Fred loves a good story, which is why he writes.

To date, his published works include: five French resistance thrillers, three books in the Galdir series and the first instalment of a four book series 'Amulet' has recently appeared in print - all published by Fingerpress publishers.
Galdir 4 is on the way and this year Amulet 2 will come out.

How does he find time to write? Get up a bit earlier and go to bed a bit later - sleep makes you unproductive!

He also loves the Dordogne, French wine and a good family getogether!

Questions? He's happy to hear from any of his readers.

Reach Fred at: fred@neurosurg.co.uk or  at his Website. 

Buy the book:
Amazon

FEATURED AUTHOR: TIFFANY MCDANIEL

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.

Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town.

When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperature as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestle with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.

INTERVIEW WITH TIFFANY MCDANIEL

Tiffany, how did you get started writing? 
Writing is what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s the first thing I remember doing as a child outside of any external influence or someone telling me to write something. I was instantly drawn to story. Reading it and creating it. Back in cavemen day I would have been the one scribbling all over the cave walls. 

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process? 
I wish I wouldn’t have been so hopeful. I wrote my first novel when I was eighteen and didn’t get a publishing contract until I was twenty-nine. Starting out as a young author trying to get published at eighteen, I was so ignorant of the journey to publication that I thought my entire future would be decided in a week. That’s the time standard of youth. I was so very optimistic and hopeful, I wish I would have been a little more realistic about how hard it truly is to get published. But even though you prepare yourself for rejection, it always hurts.   

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book? 
Getting it published. 

What books do you currently have published? 
The Summer that Melted Everything is my first published novel. It wasn’t the first novel I wrote, but more like my fifth or sixth novel. I have nine novels to date. Just waiting for publishing to catch up to me.   

What’s the oldest thing you own and still use? 
My imagination. It feels older than myself. Like maybe its childhood had with the dinosaurs and now in its old age it’s a million years old. 

Do you have any secret talents? 
I so wish I could say I know how to get a good boil going in a cauldron. I still want to be a witch, Hocus Pocus style. That’s not weird. Right?

Hmmm . . . I'll get back to you on that. If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be? 
PBS. When I was a kid my dad always watched PBS, and I thought it was full of boring shows. But then when I actually watched it I saw how amazing it was. NOVA science documentaries, NATURE documentaries, Masterpiece Classic. What more could you want? We never grew up on cable. I actually just recently even got cable, but I still return to PBS because you get entertainment and education. So this was a completely boring answer, huh?  

Not at all. How often do you tweet? 
I don’t tweet or Facebook. Shocker—I have no social media. My only online presence being my website www.tiffanymcdaniel.com. 

What scares you the most? 
My biggest fear is starting to write a novel and dying before getting to finish it. I get the feeling an asteroid is just going to barrel down on top of me before I get that last sentence down. Unfinished work is a very scary thing.   

What’s your favorite beverage? 
Milkshake. Easy on the milk. Heavy on the ice cream.

Have you had a Chick-fil-A peach milkshake? Oh. My. Gosh. 
What do you wish you could do? 
Actually visit the Witches’ Supermarket from Susan Meddaugh’s book, The Witches’ Supermarket. 

Where is your favorite place to visit? 
When I dream I have recurring places I try to dream myself back to. They’re hard to explain while awake, but I never want to leave them when I’m there in sleep. 

What’s in your refrigerator right now? 
I don’t know what’s in the fridge, but I will say what’s in my freezer is frozen blueberries raised in my own garden. I love to just eat them straight out of the bag. Nothing beats a frozen blueberry. Except for maybe blueberry muffins and blueberry pie . . .

And peach milkshakes. Who is your favorite fictional character?
I’d love to hang out with Willy Wonka. But also solve a murder mystery with Hercule Poirot. 


If you had a talk show who would your dream guest be?
Beetlejuice. We can eat ZagNuts together. All you Beetlejuice fans know what I’m talking about.  


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop? 
Currently it’s a desert scene. For some reason I’ve always wanted to live out in the middle of a desert with plenty of cactuses. I blame the house full of cactuses in the Gene Tierney movie, Leave her to Heaven.


What’s your favorite smell? 
The smell of chocolate cooking. But I also love Shalimar. And the smell of an approaching thunder storm. And the crushed smell of autumn leaves. My nose can’t decide.
    

And peach milkshakes. Oh. Sorry. What’s your favorite color? 
It’s a toss up between the gray color of storm clouds, chocolate brown, that orange of Halloween pumpkins, and the dark purple of eggplant. You’ll notice I have trouble naming my absolute favorite of something.  



What is your favorite movie? 
There are so many. I love Beetlejuice and Little Shop of Horrors, Misery, and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Don’t ask me to choose between them. We’ll be here for eternity.


Understandable. I'm afraid to ask this one, but I will . . . do you have a favorite book? 
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. I want to be buried with it.



What are you working on now? 
I hope to follow The Summer that Melted Everything up with my newest novel, When Lions Stood as Men. It’s a unique story of a Jewish brother and sister who struggle so much with their guilt over surviving the Holocaust that they create their own camp of judgment in which their souls are tested and where they try to understand how they exist in relation to one another. It is a story about love above all else, and the oftentimes undeniable torment of that very emotion. Lions have stood before, the novel tells us, are we brave enough to stand with them?  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An Ohio native, Tiffany McDaniel's writing is inspired by the rolling hills and buckeye woods of the land she knows. She is also a poet, playwright, screenwriter, and artist. The Summer that Melted Everything is her debut novel.


Giveaway!
Tiffany is holding a pre-order contest. Readers have a chance to win the audio book, free books, or original prints of her painting. For details, go here.



Buy the book:
Website   | Goodreads  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Powell's  |  IndieBound 

Help Wanted!

I don't understand it, I can't explain it. The first book in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series, Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction currently has 574 reviews on Amazon.com. Great, right? Yes! Thank you and hallelujah! I am so grateful for that response. What am I whining about, right? Well, the problem is: reviews for the other three books have been slow to come in. The second and third books currently each have a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars, and the fourth book has a 4.9 rating. Meaning, for the most part, reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. But the number of reviews is . . . well, kind of sad:
Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction: 203 reviews. Not bad, but more are needed!

Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction: 23 reviews. Considering the book has been out for nine months, that number seriously needs improvement.
Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction: 16 reviews. Sixteen reviews in six weeks—yikes! That number makes me want to take up scorpion petting.

Please, Please, Please

So this is my unabashed plea for more reviews. 

What's that you say? You don't know how to write a review? Pshaw! What did you like or dislike about the book? Write it down. Write it like you are telling a friend about it. Reviews don't have to be long; in fact shorter reviews are usually preferable because longer ones tend to give away plot lines or attempt to be a synopsis of the book. Once you've read the review detailing the book, you pretty much don't need to read the book! 

You want to remain anonymous? Perfectly fine! Just register for an Amazon account under the name of your choice.

 

Here are some examples of perfectly good (and short) reviews for the three books desperately in need of reviews:

Book 2: Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction
"To say I enjoyed Ms. Metz work would be an understatement, I relished it, adored it, want to marry it. "
". . . be careful drinking while you read. You could be snorting soda out your nose."
" . . . a side-splitting, pee-in-your-knickers hilariously funny cozy mystery, thanks to its cast of colorful characters.

Book 3: Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction
"Reading these short tales was like hanging out with friends."
"She still writes each character in a realistic, distinctive, and three-dimensional manner . . . "
"I can truthfully say this book was laugh-out-loud funny and impossible to put down."

Book 4: Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction
". . . full of oddball eccentric characters that you just have to love."
"Southern charm meets murder."
"This was such a fun read I really hated for it to end and just FYI it has one heck of an ending."
"Absolutely love this series!"

These reviews are short and sweet yet convey the feelings of the readers/reviewers. Yes, I shortened them, because really, any of these would be fine reviews by themselves. Of course, reviews are really just a person's opinion, and you can be the juiciest, ripest peach in the world, but there will still be people who don't like peaches. But bad reviews are welcome too. They tend to get people talking about the book, or even better, curious about it. And curiosity leads to book sales. 

Stars matter

I would ask one favor: if you loved the book, give it five stars. It doesn't mean it's your most favorite book of all time. It just means that you loved the book. If you liked the book, give it at least a four-star rating. Because ratings contribute to ranking, and reaching the top 100 best seller list in a particular genre gives more exposure to the book, which means . . . MORE SALES! Plus, there are some sites that won't promote a book if its rating is below 4.0. So the difference between the number of stars you give a book really does matter.

What's the point?

My point is . . . you don't have to love the book to leave a review. The thing is, Amazon.com pays attention to the number of reviews. After you reach a certain number, they start promoting your book for you. And the more reviews a book gets, the more promo time it's going to get, which translates to what? Yes! Sales! And critical reviews are sometimes very helpful feedback that help an author make necessary changes in future books.


So . . . if you've read any of the four books in the Goose Pimple Junction series but haven't written a review and posted it on Amazon.com, I need your help. I would so appreciate it if you could take just five minutes to leave a short review and rate the book(s) from 1-5 stars. If you haven't read the book(s), why not? They are each currently priced at just 99 cents for a Kindle copy. If that is still too much for your budget, leave a comment, and you may just win a copy.

Go On, Get Goose Pimples!

One more thing: word of mouth really is the best promotion for a book. So if you like a book, tell your friends. Post it on Facebook, Tweet about it on Twitter, Pin it on Pinterest, Google+ it on Google+, add it to a shelf on Goodreads, ask your local library to order it, like and follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Amazon, etc. Show an author some love and spread the word! We will be eternally grateful.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

In case you're not familiar with the Goose Pimple Junction series, here are the book blurbs for each book:

#1 Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction

When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.

#2 Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction

Goose Pimple Junction is just recovering from a kidnapping and a murder, its first major crimes in years, when trouble begins anew. Life is turned upside down in the quirky little Southern town with the arrival of several shifty hooligans: A philandering husband intent on getting his wife back, another murderer loose in town, a stalker intent on frightening Martha Maye, and a thief who’s stealing the town blind of their pumpkins, pies, and peace. Together, they’re scaring the living daylights out of the residents and keeping the new police chief busier than a set of jumper cables at a redneck picnic. Suddenly, he has his hands full trying to apprehend a killer, stop a stalker, and fight his feelings for the damsel in distress.

#3 Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction

This is not your average Southern town. With a hint of mystery, a lot of laughs, and its unique charm, you'll catch a glimpse of everyday life in Goose Pimple Junction in this short story compilation. Short & Tall Tales occurs chronologically between Murder & Mayhem, book 1, and Heroes & Hooligans, book 2, in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. Book 1.5 is a fun escape that will answer questions readers may have about the residents of this quirky small town.

How did Johnny Butterfield become police chief?
How did Tess and Jack get engaged?
How did Ima Jean come to live with Louetta?
How do you celebrate an Apple Day?

These questions and more are answered in Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction. Five short stories, one novella, and three recipes will give you more of life in Goose Pimple Junction, make you laugh, and have your mouth watering. If you want a feel-good read, you've come to the right place. Grab some sweet tea and escape to Goose Pimple Junction.

#4 Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction

Like any good Southern belle, Caledonia Culpepper was raised by her mama to be gracious, charming, witty, and above all, a devoted mother and loving wife, so she's baffled when her marriage falls apart.

Wynona Baxter is a master of disguise but is often a ditzy airhead. A hit woman wannabe, when she's hired for her first job in Goose Pimple Junction and things don't go as planned, she's forced to resort to Plan B. She'll also need Plan C and D.

Crooked lawyers, restless husbands, a teenaged hoodlum – it seems there are rogues and rascals everywhere you look in Goose Pimple Junction.

When Caledonia and Wynona's paths cross, they prove there isn't a rogue or a rascal who can keep a good woman down. Mama always said there would be days like this . . .

GUEST POST WITH LISA THOMAS

ABOUT THE BOOK

Burned-out high school teacher Deena Sharpe is ready for a change. She has no idea a fifty-year-old murder case is about to turn her life upside down.

The Perry County Sheriff’s office has found a skeleton in the closet . . . literally. When they identify the man’s body fifty years after his disappearance, his family turns to Deena to uncover the truth about his murder. The clock begins ticking when she discovers a mysterious writer is about to implicate the victim in his latest conspiracy theory book. She must channel her inner super-sleuth to solve the puzzle and protect her family name. With the help of her off-beat brother and others from the cozy town of Maycroft, Texas, Deena takes on a quest that leads to more questions than answers.

Sharpe Shooter is the first book in the Cozy Suburbs Mystery Series. With antique shopping, car chases, and ghosts in the night, the story will keep you guessing as you follow Deena on her quest for the truth.

GUEST POST BY LISA THOMAS

My first novel, Sharpe Shooter, is based on a real-life drama from my own life. When I wrote it, I never imagined I would turn it into a cozy mystery series. At the time, it was more of a catharsis—something I had to do to get peace of mind about a family tragedy.

Consequently, the main character, Deena Sharpe, is loosely based on me. In the story, Deena sets out to uncover the mystery behind her great uncle’s death. He had gone missing fifty years earlier. Then, his body was discovered in an old police department evidence room. It had been there the whole time. He had been murdered.

That’s actually what happened to my mother’s cousin. But instead of searching for answers to his murder in real life like Deena, I did it through my imagination. I wanted to bring closure to the mysterious death so I would no longer feel the need to obsess over it. That’s how I came to write Sharpe Shooter.

Like many first-time authors, I never dreamed the book would be published, much less be the start of a series. If I had, I might have made Deena less like me. Instead, we are similar in a number of ways (gray roots and all)! My friends and family see the connections. I thought it would be fun to show some of the similarities and differences between Deena and me. Here are a few:

Same: Both burned-out former journalism teachers.
Different: I taught English the last 12 years of my career.

Same: Both have supportive, caring husbands.
Different: I have two children; Deena is childless.

Same: Both live in Texas suburbs.
Different: I live in a larger, more urban area than Deena.

Same: Both love Mexican food and margaritas.
Different: Deena drinks wine; I can’t stand it.

Same: Both too insecure to become professional journalists.
Different: Deena gives it a shot after retirement; I write mysteries.

Same: Both obsessed with the Kennedys and the JFK assassination.
Different: I didn’t visit Dealey Plaza until I was in my fifties; Deena first went there as a child.

Same: Both have older brothers.
Different: I also have a sister. Some people ask if the character of Russell is based on a real person. The answer is no. But if I were casting the book as a movie, I’d cast Michael Keaton as Russell.

Same: Both have small black dogs.
Different: Mine is a female peekapoo; Deena’s is a male terrier mix.

Same: Both have antique booths and love collecting pottery.
Different: I also collect figural creamers, salt & pepper shakers, pie birds, and teapots.

Same: Both intensely curious people.
Different: Deena is brave and thinks of herself as a ninja; I’m a big chicken.

Same: Both have a sarcastic sense of humor.
Different: Deena holds her tongue better than I do.

I am sure there are more similarities, but I’ve got to keep some things secret!

To learn more about Deena Sharpe (and me), you can get Sharpe Shooter from Amazon in paperback and ebook. To read the true account of the mystery, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.lisabthomas.com and receive a free copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Born and raised in Texas, Lisa always knew she wanted to be a writer. Finally, after thirty-three years as a high school Journalism and English teacher, she dusted off the laptop and released her first novel. Having grown up reading Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and Agatha Christie, she was drawn to the mystery genre.

With two grown children out of the nest, Lisa lives a quiet life with her husband and Peekapoo puppy. Besides writing, she enjoys her grandchildren, photography, traveling, and antiquing (aka. buying and selling used junk). Like her main character, Deena, she has an antique booth and enjoys treasure hunting and reselling vintage finds.


Connect with Lisa:
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Buy the book:
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FEATURED AUTHOR: SUSAN BREEN

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Sunday School teacher Maggie Dove finds her hateful next-door neighbor Marcus Bender lying dead under her beloved oak tree—the one he demanded she cut down—she figures the man dropped dead of a mean heart. But Marcus was murdered, and the prime suspect is a young man Maggie loves like a son. Peter Nelson was the worst of Maggie’s Sunday School students; he was also her late daughter’s fiancé, and he’s been a devoted friend to Maggie in the years since her daughter’s death.

Maggie can’t lose Peter, too. So she sets out to find the real murderer. To do that, she must move past the grief that has immobilized her all these years. She must probe the hidden corners of her little village on the Hudson River. And, when another death strikes even closer to home, Maggie must find the courage to defend the people and the town she loves—even if it kills her.

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN BREEN

Susan, how did you get started writing?
I’ve always loved to read. Most of my memories of childhood involve me and a book. Or a dictionary. I used to lug one around with me wherever I went, which must have looked silly because I was a very skinny little kid. I always assumed I would do something with words when I grew up, and after college, I became a reporter for Fortune Magazine. I loved my job, but dreamed of writing fiction. Yet I revered writers so much that I worried I wouldn’t measure up. Finally, when I was about 35, and my children were all napping, I had an epiphany. I thought, if you are going to write fiction, you better start now. So I got a pad of paper, wrote a story, sent it out that afternoon to Redbook, and it was rejected. But once I got taste for it, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
   
What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I love writing dialogue. I love it when I close my eyes and I can hear my characters talking. Sometimes they surprise me. Sometimes they appall me. But mainly I find them interesting.

Do you write every day?
Yes, I write every day. On some level, I think I’m superstitious and I worry that if I stop, it will never come back. But mainly I feel like there’s this stream of words and ideas and I want to jump into it every day. If a day goes by and I don’t write, I get very irritable.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
I always start with character. Who is this person and what does she want and why? I’m especially intrigued by the moral decisions characters make. If she finds a wallet in the street, will she return it? Keep the money? (In the case of Maggie Dove, she would return it. But not all my characters have been so virtuous.)

How often do you read?
I read all the time, often 6 or 7 books at a time. I like to read biographies because it teaches me a lot about character. Right now I’m reading something about the Romanovs. Of course I’m always reading a mystery. Right now I’m reading Christine Trent’s book about a Victorian undertaker. Then there just so many good books!

Do you have any secret talents?
In the second book of the series, Maggie Dove opens a detective agency. I know nothing about being a detective, and so I’ve been working to get my detective’s license and to that end, I’ve learned how to follow people. So my secret talent is that I’m good at surveillance.

Is writing your dream job?
Absolutely. I still can’t believe that this is my job. I love to go to the Penguin Random House site and scroll down the list of authors and see my name. 


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
When I was 16, I worked—for one night—at a donut store. My job was to flip the donuts out of the boiling oil. With my finger. (I suspect this violated all sorts of laws, even then, but I was too young to know better.) Every job I’ve held since then has been much better.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
I love HGTV. I’m addicted to Flip or Flop and Fixer Upper. I love my husband and we’ve been married for 32 years, but if I had to choose a temporary replacement, I would pick Chip Gaines. I also love International House Hunters and Love It Or List It.

How often do you tweet?
I tweet a lot. Probably 12 times a day. I like tweeting about writing topics, but I also like chat-tweeting: that my lilacs are in bloom or crazy things I overhear in NYC. I teach at Gotham Writers, which is on 8th Avenue, right near the Port Authority, and I could probably spend my life tweeting about things I overhear there.

Would you make a good character in a book?
I hope so! I think I’m funny, so I’d always have something to say. I might be boring though because I don’t get into a lot of trouble. I tend to sit at a desk a lot and write.

What do you love about where you live?
I live in a small village on the Hudson River. There are only about 6,000 people in it, and so when I go down to Main Street, I almost always see someone I know. I drew on my feelings about my home town in writing Maggie Dove. A bit part of the stress for Maggie is realizing that if someone in her village commit a murder, it means that someone she loves is a murderer. 


What’s your favorite fast food?
I love Big Macs, especially when they’re hot. 


What is your superpower?
I can go a very long time without sleep.


What do you wish you could do?
I wish I could sing. I so admire people who can carry a tune. But I can’t. I can’t even hum.

What is one of your happiest moments?
Two years ago I went to the Redwood forest with my family. We were walking among the trees and I thought, this is as good as it gets. Being with my family in this beautiful location.

Where is your favorite place to visit?
Last year my husband and I went to Hever Castle in England, which is where Anne Boleyn grew up. I’m working on a book about Anne Boleyn (who is as different from Maggie Dove as it is possible to be). So I’m intrigued to go anywhere where she lived.

What’s your least favorite chore?
I hate loading the dishwasher. I feel like I do it ten times a day, and then you run the dishwasher and it’s done and you have to do it all over again. I prefer chores that give you a sense of completion. 


Do you procrastinate?
No. I’m too anxious to procrastinate. If I start putting things off, then I begin worrying that I won’t get it done, and then I can’t think of anything else.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
Riding on a zip line in Costa Rica. I went there on a trip with my daughter, who is fearless (and fabulous). Not until I was in the harness and about to leap, did I realize I had a phobia about dangling over a bottomless canyon. When I reached the absolute center of the line, and was so far away that I couldn’t even see the end, I stopped. The zip line wouldn’t move. The guide kept shouting at me to relax. Nothing was less likely. My poor daughter kept shouting, “Come on, Mom. You can do it!” Eventually the guide came out and rescued me.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
The zip line in Costa Rica.

Those two questions are usually linked! What is your most embarrassing moment?
I once set off a fire alarm during the middle of church. I was teaching my Sunday School class how to make pretzels and something went wrong. The minister had been in the middle of a sermon. The whole church had to file out while the fire department came. I used that scene in Maggie Dove.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Just about anything by Anne Lamott. One that I like is: “Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.” 


Who is your favorite fictional character?
I do love Jane Eyre, and the older I get, the more I like her. She’s so impassioned. She’s never ironic. She wants to do the right thing. Of course, I like Mr. Rochester too.

Do you have a favorite book?
That’s like asking me if I have a favorite child. I love Jane Eyre, of course. The Brothers Karamazov and anything by Agatha Christie. There are actually very few books that I hate. Usually I find something to like about anything I read.

What are you working on now?
I just finished up a sequel to Maggie Dove, titled Maggie Dove’s Detective Agency. I’m also working on a mystery about Anne Boleyn.



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