FEATURED AUTHOR: JAMIE M. BLAIR

ABOUT THE BOOK

New to the historic town of Metamora, Indiana, Cameron Cripps-Hayman is looking to make friends with her neighbors. What she isn’t looking for is one of their bodies floating in the canal.

When she and her estranged husband, the town sheriff, are both named suspects for the murder, Cameron takes solving the crime into her own hands, teaming up with her eccentric co-workers who dub themselves The Metamora Action Agency.

As if hunting for a murderer with two high school geniuses, the town drunk, and an elderly kleptomaniac isn’t hard enough, Cameron adopts the five mangy guard dogs of her deceased neighbor. But maybe a stint at playing gatekeeper is just what she needs to come face-to-face with the killer and save another neighbor from being the next victim.

INTERVIEW WITH JAMIE M. BLAIR

Jamie, what is your writing style?
I write dialogue and action heavy books with a fast pace, and I attempt to write humorous cozies. 


Is writing your dream job?
It was at one time. Now I would rather do it just as something I love to do.


What five things would you never want to live without?
Sneakers, my shower, Advil, chocolate, and coffee.


What’s your favorite thing to do on date night?
Dinner and a movie with my husband and even my two teenagers. We love Marvel movies, Harry Potter, and Starwars.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Laundry because it takes forever!


What would your main character say about you?
“Wow, we have a lot in common!”


Who is your favorite fictional character?
Jamie and Claire Frazier in the Outlander series are tied. You can’t really have one without the other. 



You have a personal chef for the night. What would you ask him to prepare?
My husband cooks a lot, although I wouldn’t say he’s a personal chef . . . I ask him to make his French onion soup a lot.


How do you like your pizza?
Deluxe!

My kind of woman! 
What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
My 14 year old daughter and 13 year old son being silly.



How often do you read?
I try to read a bit every day. I read everything. Historical fiction, fantasy, all kinds of genres. Lately, I’ve been a little obsessed with reading about Sisi, Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

Do you have a favorite book?
Where’d You Go Bernadette? is my favorite book. Author, (and former Arrested Development producer) Maria Semple is a genius. Plus, I think I might be Bernadette (minus her architecture abilities).



What are you working on now?
Book 3 in the Dog Days Mysteries series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamie Blair (Ohio) is the award-winning author of young adult and romance books, including Leap of Faith (Simon & Schuster, 2013) and Lost to Me.

Connect with Jamie:
Website  |  
Facebook 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo 

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GUEST POST BY VICKI VASS

ABOUT THE BOOK

A mysterious woman appears on the doorstep of Great Aunt Sybil’s Attic in the middle of the night. Owner Anne Hillstrom lets her in, only to have the woman die in her arms. With no final words, and only an old lantern clutched to her chest, the dead woman provides Anne and her partner CC precious few clues to discover her murderer or why she spent her last moments in their antique store. The two Antique Hunters search for clues, finding themselves entangled in a centuries-old mystery leading them to a cemetery in Ireland where a ghost from the past has left them a cryptic message, and a killer has left them no choice but to discover his identity before he kills again. On their journey, the two best friends encounter antiques, romance and the key to a murder.

GUEST POST BY VICKI VASS

Only 49 more days left until Christmas. If you’re anything like me, you struggle finding just the right gift for your friends and family. I start my shopping early and often, beginning on December 26 of the previous year. For those I haven’t met already, I am Anne Hillstrom, antique hunter and star of the Antique Hunter Mystery Series by Vicki Vass. This year my shopping list is quite full with all the new friends I’ve met through my adventures with my business partner and dearest friend, CC Muller.

When we opened our antique store, Great-Aunt Sybil’s Attic, I thought life couldn’t get any better. All our blog fans came to the opening and shared their requests for orphaned artifacts. Finding the right home for these antiques is my greatest pleasure in life. But then tragedy struck as it is want to do, when an old woman carrying an antique lantern appeared on our doorstep and collapsed in my arms. Her dying words sent us on a journey that changed our lives forever.

Thankfully Vicki was able to chronicle our adventure as she always does. But it left me woefully behind in my holiday shopping. As I closed the store for the night, I glanced around at all the beautiful antiques we have collected. Above the cash register, Aunt Sybil’s portrait smiled at me, giving me inspiration and the key to my dilemma. This year, I’d give memories for Christmas.

I asked each one of my friends and family to write a ‘Dear Santa’ letter, including a list of their heart’s desires and their favorite memories of their childhood Christmases. I checked the list with no need to check it twice because all my friends are nice. Well, Betsy Buttersworth has a tendency to be naughty. She’s always trying to outbid me at auctions and flirt with my on-again, off-again boyfriend, the very tall and very British detective Nigel Towers. But it’s Christmas and all is forgiven.

For that reason, I began with Betsy’s wish list. Betsy and I were best friends at one time growing up on the northwest side of Chicago. Her favorite memory was Christmas dinner at her grandmother’s house in 1976. Even as a young girl, Betsy appreciated fine things. All her cousins would gather around the long mahogany table, next to the roaring fire. Her grandmother’s finest bone china and silver candlesticks set next to pine cones, poinsettias and gold ornaments. After the feast was finished, the children would sip hot chocolate from her gold adorned, hand-painted Haviland Limoges chocolate service. It was literally Betsy’s first taste of the joy of fine china. It took me some time but I found it.

For my dear cousin, Suzanne, and her sweet little girls, it was a strange request but one I understood quite well. Our beloved Grandpa Booty Hillstrom, so named for his workboots, was known for his dill pickles. When he left Sweden in the early 1900s, he brought with him the Hillstrom family pickling jar. Suzanne and I played with it as young girls, pretending to make pickles for all dolls. It was a memory I held fond also. That jar had long been lost. It took some doing but I found almost the exact jar on eBay. Now she can continue the tradition with her daughters.

And, for my dearest CC, I searched estate sales near and far and found her the perfect gift. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted to be a journalist. She would come over to my house and interview my dolls, writing up stories about the day’s events. And, occasionally we would sneak into her father’s study where she would click away on his old Remington portable typewriter. I found one in perfect condition. I imagined all her stories she would write and all the stories that had been written on this piece of American history.

As I went through my Christmas list, I realized I had not written one for myself. I sat, sipping my tea, with my white Persian, Sassy, curled around my feet by the fire and her naughty kitten, Sybil, laying across the top of my wingback chair. I thought about all the blessings in my life, all the people who have come and gone, and I realized the gift I wanted for Christmas was to share these memories with my friends and family. And maybe just maybe a Sterling Silver soup tureen for my Christmas table. But I’d be happy with just the memories, too. What about you? Perhaps you should ask your friends and family for a Christmas memory list.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With a passion for shopping and antiques, Vicki Vass turned in her reporter’s notebook to chronicle the adventures of Anne and CC, two antique hunters who use their skills to solve a murder case.

Vicki has written more than 1,400 stories for the Chicago Tribune as well as other commercial publications including Home & Away, the Lutheran and Woman’s World. Her science fiction novel, The Lexicon, draws on her experience in Sudan while writing about the ongoing civil war for World Relief.

She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, writer and musician Brian Tedeschi, son Tony, Australian shepherd Bandit, kittens Terra and Pixel, seven koi and Gary the turtle.

Connect with Vicki:

Website  | Blog  |  Facebook 

Buy the book:
Amazon | B&N

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GUEST POST BY KARIN GILLESPIE

ABOUT THE BOOK

They say opposites attract, and what could be more opposite than a stuffy literary writer falling in love with a self-published romance writer?

Meet novelist Aaron Mite. He lives in a flea-infested rented alcove, and his girlfriend Emma, a combative bookstore owner, has just dumped him. He meets Laurie Lee at a writers’ colony and mistakenly believes her to be a renowned writer of important fiction. When he discovers she’s a self-published romance author, he’s already fallen in love with her.

Aaron thinks genre fiction is an affront to the fiction-writing craft. He likes to quotes the essayist, Arthur Krystal who claims literary fiction “melts the frozen sea inside of us.” Ironically Aaron doesn’t seem to realize that, despite his lofty literary aspirations, he’s emotionally frozen, due, in part, to a childhood tragedy. The vivacious Laurie, lover of flamingo-patterned attire and all things hot pink, is the one person who might be capable of melting him. In the tradition of the Rosie Project, Love Literary Style is a sparkling romantic comedy which pokes fun at the divide between so-called low and high brow fiction.

 GUEST POST BY KARIN GILLESPIE

Top-Secret Writing Tips Revealed

Every  once in a while, I get a phone call from someone who will say, “I want to be a writer. Will you tell me how to do it? Could we have lunch or actually, I don’t have time for lunch. How about coffee? Or could you just e-mail me your answers.”
I
 know what they actually seek from me. They want to know the real writing secrets; the ones buried deep in the bowel of a mountain and closely guarded by a moat filled with hammer-head sharks.

They most definitely do NOT want the garden variety secrets that can be readily accessed by any old Joe Schmo with a library card or internet access.

In the past I’ve declined to reveal the secrets because when they were told to me by a cabal of tipsy mega bestselling authors at a writers’ conference, I was warned not to tell anyone, lest my tongue shrivel up, and turn to dust.

But, in the interest of educating my fellow writers, I have finally decided to risk a dusty tongue and lift the veil of silence. So here they are:

The 5 sacred secrets to writing.

If you’re working too hard, you’re doing it wrong.

You’ve probably been told writing is Sisyphean task. That great art only comes with suffering. Not true. The muse is actually a lazy girl who loves to putter. She doesn’t respond to bullhorns or whips or clenched jaws. She isn’t interested in your 4,000 daily word count goal or any of your other grand ambitions. If you poke and prod her enough, she’ll begrudgingly release some prose, but it’s likely going to be cliché, dry, and strained.

You must give your imagination time; don’t panic or over plan. As writer Brenda Ureland says in If You Want To Write “…Your soul gets frightfully sterile and dry because you are so quick, snappy and efficient about doing one thing after another that you have no time for your own ideas to come in and develop and gently shine.”

Give writing your full attention

When a brain surgeon removes a malignant mass from the cerebral cortex his mind is only on tumor and tissue, not Twitter. His attention is so rapt he barely needs a knife.

And so it should be when you’re writing. The muse flourishes best when the writer is living in the present moment with full attention to the task. Such sustained attention is difficult to maintain for long periods of time so you should always take breaks. Believe it or not, frequent breaks actually increase productivity.

Meditation also helps with attention. Fifteen minutes a day of quietly watching your breath and your thoughts will do wonders for your writing. When silly thoughts intrude during your writing time, whether they be moments of grandiosity or self-loathing, you’ll immediately recognize them and cut them off saying, “Please don’t pester me now. Can’t you see I’m writing?”

Write first drafts with wild abandon

Remember when you were eight and something marvelous happened at school, like maybe an alley cat wandered into the lunch room and the teacher chased it and fell on her behind and everyone got a peek at her days-of-the-week underwear?

Remember how that story came out in a great rush? And yes, maybe it was a mess in the telling but it crackled with enthusiasm.

Many, many years ago when I first started writing, several other women and I would get together and one would shout out a topic and we would write for twenty minutes and never quit moving our hands. (We got the idea from Natalie Goldberg’s book Wild Mind.)

Breathless, beautiful stuff would come flowing out of our pens, prose you’d think we would labored over like Egyptian slaves.

Except for one girl. Her writing sounded like an essay on her summer vacation to an earthworm farm. She couldn’t let go; she was too attached to making an impression or playing it safe or being writerly, which brings me to my next point.

Learn to Let Go

You’ve heard of the phrase “kill your darlings?” The truth is, everything you write is a potential darling, don’t get attached to any of it. Sometimes you might have to slash and burn great forests of words, and you will fret over word count because you are under the mistaken belief that the muse is stingy and won’t replace them, when, in truth, there are always more words to be had–newer, better, shinier, truer words. Words that will make readers shiver and quiver with recognition.

And when you finish the writing, you must also let it go, let it find its place in the world. Don’t get too attached to either the pans or praise and always remember the writing is of you but is not you.

But what about publication? Fame? Fortune? My interview with Terry Gross?

The only time you should ever think about publication is late at night when you are far away from your pen or your computer, and then you can dreams your dreams of bestseller lists and author action dolls.

But when you sit down to write, sit down because you are a generous soul who wants to share what you see and feel, and you’re passionate about what you have to say and you can’t bottle it up any more. Or maybe you write to understand something about yourself, and that’s why you must go at it. But never sit down with the idea of wowing anyone—agents, editors or the public. The expectations will weigh your writing down and it will hit the page with a sickening thud.

And now, I will leave you with this final sage advice; the most important of all:

Show, don’t tell. And for Godsakes never, EVER include a prologue.

I’m kidding.

Here is the biggest secret about writing:

The joy of doing it on a regular basis will always surpass the tangible rewards of writing for publication… yes, even the interview with Terry Gross cannot begin to touch it. You might not believe that now—I know it took me forever to come to that point– but one day you will and if the magic is going to happen, that’s when it will happen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karin Gillespie is the national-bestselling novelist and has also written for the New York Times, Washington Post and Writer Magazine. She has an MFA from Converse College and lives in Augusta, Georgia and was recently awarded a Georgia Author of the Year award.  Visit her on her web site, her FB page or on Twitter. She is also on Good Reads. A book excerpt can be found here.

Buy the book:

Amazon |  B&N

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FEATURED AUTHOR: TAMMY L. GRACE

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Coop's case takes an unexpected twist when he discovers the dead body of his latest client.



A newcomer to Nashville with a troublesome problem requests an emergency meeting with private detective Cooper “Coop” Harrington. When she fails to keep her appointment, Coop and Annabelle, his faithful friend and assistant, become worried and go in search of their new client. Their hopes for a quiet Sunday are dashed when they discover her dead body.



Coop and Annabelle find themselves immersed in the investigation, uncovering tenuous links to a handful of suspects. With the help of his loyal golden retriever, Gus, and meddling but well-meaning Aunt Camille, Coop works to untangle the web of connections to expose the motive and identity of the killer before anyone else is murdered.

EXCERPT FROM DEADLY CONNECTION: A COOPER HARRINGTON DETECTIVE NOVEL (BOOK 2)

Friday morning, Coop was ensconced in his favorite booth at Peg’s Pancakes across from his best friend and Chief of Detectives, Ben Mason. They had been meeting for breakfast every Friday for the last twenty years, having met in school at Vanderbilt. Although they couldn’t be more unalike in looks, with Ben short, stocky, and balding, and Coop tall and lanky, with a full head of dark hair, they were closer than brothers. They were discussing the current state of crime in Nashville, with Ben focused on the recent hit and run.
    “So, no leads yet?” asked Coop.

    Ben shook his head and moved his coffee cup to make room for Myrtle’s delivery. She placed two heaping plates in front of each of them. “Y’all eat up now. Anything else for my two favorite men?”

    Coop smiled. “Looks delicious. I just need AB’s order before we leave.”

    Myrtle smiled and turned to retrieve the coffee pot. She refilled their cups and said, “I’d never forget that sweet girl. I’ll be back with her box in a jiffy.”

    “No leads. From the camera feeds it looks like a black SUV, no plates, nothing to identify it, and dark windows. We’re trying to enhance everything, but with the rain and the reflection of the lights, the quality is horrible.”

    Coop shook his head. “Tragic situation all around. Looked like a nice kid.”

    Ben nodded as he stuffed a wedge of pancake in his mouth. “Nobody had anything negative to say about him. I can’t figure out why the car didn’t stop though. Speeding away doesn’t help your case when you’ve hit a man.”

    Myrtle returned with the check and a box she placed in front of Coop. “There y’all be.”

    Ben’s phone rang and he wiped the syrup from his mouth and answered. “Got it. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He disconnected and took a swig of his coffee.

    “Gotta run?”

    Ben nodded. “Homicide in Bells Bend. Guy shot to death while running.”

    “Another reason I don’t like exercise,” said Coop, puffing up his chest so Ben could get a look at his t-shirt of the day. It read, Exercise?  I thought you said extra fries.
    Ben smirked and shook his head. He threw some bills on the table. “My turn this week. Give AB a hug from me.”

    “Catch ya later,” waved Coop, as Ben slid out of the booth.

    Myrtle came by the table and let out a tsk. “That poor man never gets to enjoy a meal anymore.” She filled Coop’s cup. “Too many hooligans in the world today.”

    “There’s been a murder. He had to go.” He shoved the money and the check to Myrtle. “Keep the change.”
    She beamed and tucked the money in her apron pocket. “See you boys next week.”

    Coop gathered the box and took one more gulp from his cup before leaving through the glass doors, festooned with holly and berries for the holidays. He jumped in the Jeep and Gus lifted his head, sniffing the box.

“That’s not for you, big guy.” Coop petted the golden retriever’s head, causing a thumping frenzy of the dog’s tail.

He drove the few blocks to Harrington and Associates and parked behind the renovated three-story home that served as his offices. Gus bounded out of the Jeep and waited by the back door. Coop turned the handle and the dog slid across the wood floor, his paws wet from the rain.

COOPER HARRINGTON BOOK 1: KILLER MUSIC

Winner of 2016 Gold Medal from Global E-Book Awards


When private detective Cooper “Coop” Harrington meets record label mogul Grayson Taylor at a swank gathering of country music artists and politicians he never imagines he’ll be investigating his brutal murder less than twenty-four hours later. 

The suspects are plentiful. More than a handful of people could have wanted him dead. Retained by Taylor’s widow, Coop works alongside his best friend and Chief of Detectives, Ben Mason. The investigation leads Coop and Ben to visit the luxurious mansions of recording industry magnates, navigate the murky undercurrents of the political world, and probe complicated family matters. Scandalous indiscretions, secrets, and hints of corruption swirl in the midst of their pursuit of the killer. 

Coop’s faithful friend and assistant, Annabelle and his loyal golden retriever, Gus, both lend a hand during the investigation. Even his Aunt Camille mines the local gossip mill to unearth potential killers with motive. Yet the case seems hopeless until a crucial piece of evidence emerges that sends Coop and Ben on a race to catch the killer before someone else dies.

ALSO FROM TAMMY L. GRACE:
HOMETOWN HARBOR SERIES

ABOUT THE HOMETOWN HARBOR SERIES:

#1 Finding Home: 
A coming to life journey for a middle-aged woman, who flees to a small island expecting a change of scenery and discovers much more.

Shattered by her husband's infidelities after twenty-five years of marriage, Sam Collins is plagued by constant fear and loneliness, reliving the tragic death of her parents and the betrayal by the man she loved. She leaves Seattle seeking relief from the relentless darkness that has swallowed her. With only her dog for companionship, she sets out to live in her vacation home on San Juan Island. 

In her search for a carpenter, she meets the handsome and very available, Jeff Cooper. Sam's not looking for romance, but can't deny the attraction to the retired firefighter, turned handyman. While working together and eating her pies, Jeff finds himself falling for her. 

The past she wrestles to let go of comes hurtling back when she least expects it. In an effort to help a struggling young man, she is forced to confront the anguish she is desperate to escape. While torn between love and friendship, she must face her fears and choose between the life she's known and a chance for a family and home she's been longing for all her life.

#2 Home Blooms: 
Return to the picturesque island community where you’ll check in with your old friends and meet a few new ones along the way.

Linda is knee deep in bouquets and boutonnieres, designing a beautiful ceremony for Sam and Jeff. The bride’s matchmaking plot takes shape as she volunteers her best friend, Max, to help Linda create the perfect wedding. 

Linda and Max are thrown together when a tragedy threatens to destroy the honeymooners’ newfound happiness before they have the possibility of a life together. Compelled to make some changes in life, Linda uncovers a family secret that causes her to question her existence and leads her on a search for the truth. 

As Max begins to penetrate the protective walls around Linda’s heart, a visit from her youth causes her to risk it all. While struggling between the past and the future, Linda has a chance to let more than her flowers bloom.

#3  A Promise of Home: 
Spend Christmas in Friday Harbor this year surrounded by the friends you know and a couple of special deliveries from the Hometown Harbor Series.

In between holiday activities, friends of Linda and Max are helping plan their Valentine’s Day wedding. Regi is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her fortieth birthday and the fulfillment of the promise she and Cam made over twenty years ago. 

As she anticipates the reunion with Cam, she’s oblivious to the signals the local delivery man, Nate, is giving her. She and Nate work together helping a newcomer open an art and antiques shop. While spending time together, she discovers she has feelings for Nate and bonds with the new shopkeeper over their past losses. 

As Regi’s contemplating her choices, she’s dealt a blow that brings her to her knees and reconnects her with the past. In the pursuit of her youthful fairytale promise, she’ll risk the only chance she’s encountered for true happiness and a home.

#4 Pieces of Home: 
A story of long ago secrets revealed and the strength of one woman’s journey to overcome the pain of her past.

Ellie hasn’t seen or spoken to her parents in twenty years—since she came to live on the island with her aunt and uncle.  Ellie’s all grown up now and runs the popular family bakery, Sweet Treats. 

An unforeseen plea for help forces Ellie to reveal a secret she’s kept hidden from even her closest friends.  Her innate kindness and desire to help propel her on a turbulent journey.  The pieces of her past she’s worked so hard to escape resurface and bring her face to face with heartache.  In the midst of unearthing her long buried pain, she faces challenges that threaten her livelihood and those she holds most dear.

When newcomer Blake Griffin arrives, he frequents the bakery in the early morning hours and over fresh cinnamon rolls they develop a friendship.  He renews a sense of hope and joy in Ellie, but she’s hesitant to trust him with her heart.  Instead of letting her past define her future, Ellie must summon the courage to recognize an unexpected path may be a welcome gift.

Prequel to book 1: Hometown Harbor: The Beginning
Dive into Sam's private journal in this prequel novella to the first book in the Hometown Harbor Series.

Get a glimpse into Sam's life and thoughts through selected excerpts from her journal over the last thirty years. You'll get to know her before she takes center stage as the main character in Finding Home: A Hometown Harbor Novel

FIVE FIVES INTERVIEW WITH TAMMY GRACE

5 favorite foods:     
ice cream, chocolate, cheeseburgers, potatoes, and strawberries

5 things you love about where you live:   
rural, mountains, sunsets, family, and community

5 things you need in order to write:
outline, post-its, cup of tea, my characters, and my computer

5 favorite places you’ve been:
Lake Tahoe, Ireland, Vancouver Island, San Juan Islands, Zion National Park

5 things you always put in your books:   
dogs, friendships, food, surprises, and characters I love

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tammy L. Grace is the award-winning author of The Hometown Harbor Series of women’s fiction set in the picturesque San Jan Islands in Washington and a mystery series set in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring Cooper Harrington, Private Detective.
Born and raised in Nevada, Tammy L. Grace loved reading at a young age. With the help of her middle school teacher, she discovered the joy of writing. When Tammy isn't working on ideas for a novel, she's spending time with family and friends or supporting her addiction to books and chocolate. She and her husband have one grown son and a spoiled golden retriever.


Connect with Tammy:
Website    |   Blog   |   Facebook  |    Twitter  |   Goodreads  |   Amazon 

FEATURED AUTHOR: LENA GREGORY

ABOUT THE BOOK

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that something’s not right on Bay Island  .  .  .
  
Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Bay Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Callahan’s future doesn’t bode well.
 
When Ellie’s mother, Marge, publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. And when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is a suspect in her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill.
 
Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instincts to find the real killer  .  .  .

INTERVIEW WITH LENA GREGORY

Lena, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I love plotting my books.

Do you have a writing routine?
I keep a stack of spiral notebooks on my nightstand, one on my desk, and one in the living room. I even keep a small notebook in my car and one in my purse in case I have an idea while I’m out. Every time I have an idea for a story, I pull out a notebook and start plotting it out. I list the characters, giving a lot of thought to their names, sometimes even researching names that have some meaning that relates to the story. Then I give each of them a back story and work them into each other. Then I research ways to kill people.  And then I plot the story. Once I finish all of that, I just sit down and start writing.

Do you write every day?
I do try to write a minimum of a thousand words a day, but I don’t always make it.

What’s more important–characters or plot?
Hmm . . . This one made me pause. Though it’s a really tough choice, and I could make arguments for both sides, I’d have to say characters are more important to me. If I read a book with a great plot, but I can’t care about the characters, I tend to lose interest. To me, loving a character is kind of like hanging out with a good friend. It doesn’t really matter what you’re doing, even if you’re just hanging around doing nothing, it’s still fun to spend time together.

How often do you read?
I read all the time. I used to read at least three to four books a week, but since my son was born and I started writing—all in the same year—I haven’t had as much time. I still try to read at least a little every day.

What books do you currently have published?
Death at First Sight is my first book, and there are two more books written in the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries series. Occult and Battery is due to release in April of 2017, and the third book, which has not yet been named, is due out in October of 2017.

Is writing your dream job?
I have been fortunate enough to have worked several dream jobs. I was a dance teacher for many years, I choreographed and directed high school musicals for a while, and now I’m writing. Writing is definitely my dream job. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and I’m so thrilled I’m finally doing it. 


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? 
Cleaning houses was the worst job I’ve had, but it taught me the importance of working hard.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
Notepad and pen.

What do you love about where you live?
I live in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island. I’m about a mile from the bay, ten minutes from the ocean beaches, and only an hour or so from New York City, so there’s always plenty to do. I think my favorite thing about living here, though, is the small-town feel. I grew up working in my grandfather’s deli, my kids go to the same schools I went to, and everyone knows everyone else–which is sometimes good, and sometimes not so much.

What’s your favorite beverage?
I’m addicted to Diet Pepsi.

What is your superpower?
Multitasking! I can usually do several things at one time, including typing and talking, which drives my daughter nuts.


What do you wish you could do?
I wish I could sing. I’m absolutely awful.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Read!

Where is your favorite place to visit?
Disney World. I have three kids, ages twenty-five, seventeen and five. It’s not always easy to find something everyone likes to do, but we all love Disney.

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Yes. Cass, from Death at First Sight, has a habit of always running late. That’s all me.

Do you procrastinate?
I am the queen of procrastination.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it, if you can dream it, you can become it."

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
I usually keep interview answers light and fun but, truthfully, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write was my younger brother’s eulogy. He lost his battle with lung cancer at forty-three years old. There was just so much I wanted to say, but it was all so painful, and it was so important to me to get it right.


That must have been so hard. Let's lighten it up. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Scarlett O’Hara. I’ve always been a huge Gone With the Wind fan.


How do you like your pizza?
With everything except anchovies.


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
Rivendell, from Lord of the Rings.


What is your favorite movie?
Lord of the Rings.



If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be?
That is so true. Actions speak louder than words.


What are you working on now?
I just finished the third book in the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries series, and I am currently writing a romantic suspense and plotting ideas for a new cozy series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lena lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children. When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.


Connect with Lena:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  | 
Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Penguin Random House  

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FEATURED AUTHOR: ELLEN BYRON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Maggie Crozat agrees to be frenemy Vanessa Fleer’s Maid of Honor.  When it looks like the investigation is zeroing in on Vanessa as the prime suspect, Maggie reluctantly adds keeping the bride-to-be out of jail to her list of Maid of Honor responsibilities in Body on the Bayou, Ellen Byron's funny and engaging follow up to her critically acclaimed novel Plantation Shudders.

INTERVIEW WITH ELLEN BYRON

Ellen, how did you get started writing?
I got a degree in theater from Tulane University and was determined to be an actress . . . or so I thought. I joined Actors Equity and suddenly stopped getting work because my competition for roles was actresses like Holly Hunter. With time on my hands, I decided to write a play. In doing so, I found my true calling , and I’ve been writing ever since.

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Well, right now I’m struggling with the outline for my fourth book–I’m actually procrastinating by answering these questions! – and so I’d say creating a layered, engaging plot.

What’s more important–characters or plot?
Characters, because they can inspire plot. But it’s harder for plot to inspire characters.

How often do you read?
Every. Single. Night. At least when it comes to books. But I’m always reading on the internet. I barely watch TV anymore.


What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
When to keep my mouth shut.

Is writing your dream job?
Absolutely!!!


What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but when I was a struggling actress in my twenties, I got a gig where I was paid to wear a Styrofoam straw hat and hand out cigarette samples. It taught me to give up smoking AND being a struggling actress!

Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
Don’t spread yourself too thin on social media. Choose one or two platforms you’re comfortable with and focus on those. And find creative ways to keep your work in the public eye. I just did a giveaway on Facebook where the main prize wasn’t even my book. It was a grocery bag with my book logo, plus a bunch of swag. I shared it on a couple of cozy groups and had over a hundred people enter the contest.

How often do you tweet?
I force myself to tweet at least once or twice a day. It hasn’t been my favorite platform (see above!), but I just learned how to break who I follow into lists and that has been a game changer for me. I’m much more apt to tweet and retweet now.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I LOVE it. I’ve been on FB since 2008, years before I became a published author. I’ve found old college roommates, friends from other countries I’d lost touch with, friends from elementary school. For me, it’s always been a truly social tool, but now I combine that with my business of being an author. It’s tricky because sometimes my friends get buried in reader and author posts. So again, I have to separate people into lists.

For what would you like to be remembered?
Being generous, kind, honorable . . . and funny!

What scares you the most?
Death.

Would you make a good character in a book?
I already have, LOL! Kidding. Maggie Crozat is like me, but I’m less vulnerable. At least now I am. I was a lot more like her when I was actually her age.

What five things would you never want to live without?
Wine, chocolate, pizza, theater, and all forms of reading material.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
Lip balm.

What’s your favorite fast food?
Pizza.


What’s your favorite beverage?
Jasmine green tea.

What drives you crazy?
Ridesharing with motorcylists on the freeway. It’s so dangerous!

Name one thing you’re really good at and one thing you’re really bad at.
I’m really good at reading people. I’m terrible at drawing. No artistic talent whatsoever, although I am very craftsy.


What do you wish you could do?
I will always regret not sticking with ballet long enough to go en pointe.

What is one of your happiest moments?
When my husband, daughter, and dogs are all lazing on the bed with me. It rarely happens these days, I’m afraid. She’s a teen and has a very busy life. As do all of us, actually.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
I’m a wife, a mother, a pet mother, I have a full-time job as a television writer, and I write a mystery series. There’s never nothing to do!

Where is your favorite place to visit?
New Orleans and Cajun Country.

What would you name your autobiography?
Never Slam the Door of a Jaguar. That’s what a guy once said to me after I exited his car on our first and last date.

Sounds like an idea for a character! Do you procrastinate?
I am right now!

What’s your favorite Internet site?
Facebook.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.” -Indiana Jones

Pretend you have a personal chef for the night. What would you ask him to prepare?
Homemade pasta and gravy like my Nonna and Zia used to make.


How do you like your pizza?
I am so rigid about my pizza. I like the thin-style straight-up regular pizza I grew up with in New York. (We always called it a “a slice of regular.” Never “a slice of cheese pizza.”)

What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
It’s a wonderful photo of Bayou Teche behind St. Martinville, Louisiana. I took it when we visited the area over the holidays last year.

What’s your favorite song?
“Get Down Tonight,” by KC and the Sunshine Band.

What is your favorite movie?
Fellini’s Amarcord,  and Robert Wise’s The Haunting.

Do you have a favorite book?
Wuthering Heights.

If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be?
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

What are you working on now?
Books three and four in my Cajun Country Mystery series, A Cajun Christmas Killing and Mardi Gras Murder.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellen's debut novel, Plantation Shudders, made the USA Today Bestsellers list, and was nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. The second book in her Cajun Country Mystery Series, Body on the Bayou, offers “everything a cozy reader could want,” according to Publishers Weekly, while the Library Journal says, “Diane Mott Davidson and Lou Jane Temple fans will line up for this series.” A TV veteran, Ellen has written for many hit sitcoms, including Wings and Just Shoot Me.




Connect with Ellen:
Website  |   Facebook  |   Twitter   |   Goodreads    

Buy the book:
Crooked Lane Books

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CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA ADLER'S JOSIE CALLAHAN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan is about to serve up some Lone Star justice in this spicy Taste of Texas Mystery from the author of Here Today, Gone Tamale.

Tourists are pouring into the town of Broken Boot for the annual Homestead Days Music Festival. Opening the celebration at Two Boots dance hall is smooth-talking country singer Jeff Clark, the ex-boyfriend of Josie’s best friend, Patti Perez. When the charming Clark woos Patti onstage in an attempt to rekindle some sparks with his old flame, Josie fears her friend will end up as just one more notch on the singer’s guitar strap.

To impress her editor at the Broken Boot Bugle, Josie and her Chihuahua, Lenny, pursue the singer to Patti’s house, hoping for an interview. Instead, they discover Clark facedown in a bowl of guacamole with a bloodied guitar at his side. With Patti suddenly a murder suspect, Josie must use her reporter skills to find out who had a chip on their shoulder—before the killer double dips . . .

INCLUDES TEX-MEX RECIPES!

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Josie Callahan was living the dream, engaged to a musician while building a career she loved at the Austin Gazette. Then her pitch perfect life hit a sour note. Forced to move home after losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop, she's living above  Milagro, her family's Tex Mex restaurant, and trying to find a new path while delivering plates of delicious Tex Mex to quirky tourists and locals alike.

INTERVIEW WITH JOSIE CALLAHAN

Josie, how did you first meet Rebecca?
She answered an ad in the Broken Boot Bugle. I wanted someone with skills and a sense of humor to tell my story.

Want to dish about her?
All I can say about my author is that woman works harder than any one I've met. How she teaches middle school, directs plays and musicals, and write my books, beats the heck out of me.

Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
That's easy. First, my fiance deserts me at the altar and then the Austin Gazette lays me off. Sounds like a soap opera. But dwelling on the negative is just not not me, I've got more grit than that. I moved home determined to lay low, lick my wounds, and find my happy place again.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
If I do say so myself, the best part of this book is when I solve the crime with the help of my trusty colleague, Lenny—who's also my pet long-haired chihuahua. I can't reveal any secrets, but I can say there's football, Tex Mex, and country music involved.

Did you have a hard time convincing Rebecca to write any particular scenes for you?
Funny. I tried really hard to convince her to write me a love scene, but she's convinced I'm not ready. Something to do with me being left at the altar and needing to heal.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
I think the guys in this book are hot. She may not have allowed me to have a full-on romance yet with Coach Ryan or Detective Lightfoot, but at least she made them easy on the eyes and full of heart.

Tell us about your best friend.
Patti Perez is my great friend. We've known each other since my parents died and I came to live in Broken Boot with my Uncle Eddie and Aunt Linda Martinez. She may have bottle-black hair and a few tattoos and piercings, but she's a marshmallow underneath. Why else would she run her parents Feed & Supply store?

Beats me. What are you most afraid of?
I'm always looking out for Lenny, my tough as nails chihuahua. He's a brave little tyke, but he's an easy target for folks looking to stir up trouble.

What’s the best trait Rebecca has given you? What about the worst?
I've been told I'm generous and kindhearted and that I look on the bright side. That trait, uh, kind of leads to my worst quality—I can be a bit of a ditz.

What do you like best about Senora Mari?
On good days Senora Mari lets me call her abuela, but she's actually my aunt's mother-in-law.

What's her least attractive quality?
She's prickly as a cactus—or at least she wants me to think so. She runs the kitchen at Milagro with a strict hand; but she secretly loves me and Lenny, which is why we could both stand to lose a few pounds.

What aspect of Rebecca’s writing style do you like best?
She's got a sense of humor--I'll give her that. Plus, she gives me challenging mysteries to solve.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
Easy one. America Ferrera, Sandra Bullock, or Mila Kunis are all pretty, intelligent, and funny brunettes. Any of the three would do an excellent job.

Describe the town where you live.
I live in the high desert town of Broken Boot, Texas. It's a quaint place of only 3000 or so, nestled close to the mountains and deserts of Big Bend Country in far West Texas. We have antique stores, novelty shops, art galleries, not to mention the restaurants and Two Boots Dance Hall.

Tell us about an average day in your life.
I wake up and walk Lenny, eat some yogurt, work on a story for the Broken Boot Bugle, walk Lenny, and work the lunch shift at Milagro--my family's Tex Mex restaurant. After a delicious taco salad, I work on Lenny's blog—a killer blog followed by at least three hundred citizens of Broken Boot. Then I walk Lenny, work the dinner shift, and then collapse . . . after taking Lenny on one final walk. It might sound dull, but the town council is always coming up with a bigger and better event, like The Homestead Days Festival, in an attempt to draw more tourists.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
I stand out because I'm down on my luck, but I'm plucky. Not like Supergirl, more like Lois Lane. And even though I've been unlucky in love, I'm not rushing into another relationship on the rebound.

Will you encourage Rebecca to write a sequel?
I didn't have to twist her arm too hard. On my better days, she's my best friend. (But don't tell her I said so.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca Adler grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and hightailed it to the Southwest.

Prior to writing women's fiction, Gina always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to her life: dinner theatre in Mississippi, can-can club in Florida, and playing a giant Furskin in the New York Toy Fair, plus the occasional play and musical.

She's currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing her Taste of Texas culinary mystery series. Set in far West Texas, her humorous stories are filled with delicious suspense and scrumptious Tex-Mex recipes. Her alter ego, Gina Lee Nelson, writes sweet contemporary romances with a sweet, Southern-fried flavor.

Connect with Rebecca:
Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter  |  Goodreads
Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble