Fixin' to Die by Tonya Kappes - #review #interview

Sheriff Kenni Lowry likes to think the zero crime rate in her small town in Kentucky is due to her being sheriff, but quickly discovers her grandfather’s ghost, who happened to be the town’s retired sheriff, has been scaring off any would be crime. Poppa has come back from the great beyond to be Kenni’s deputy after the beloved town doctor is found murdered.

Ghost or no ghost, time is of the essence. After all, re-election isn’t far away and Kenni doesn’t want to look for a new job anytime soon.

City of Gold by Carolyn Arnold - #review #interview

Action-adventure books for the mystery lover. In this series, modern-day archaeologist and adventurer Matthew Connor travels the globe with his two closest friends to unearth treasure and discover legends the world has all but forgotten. Indiana Jones meets the twenty-first century.

Finding the Inca’s lost City of Gold would be the discovery of a lifetime. But failing could mean her death…

Archaeologist Matthew Connor and his friends Cal and Robyn are finally home after a dangerous retrieval expedition in India. While they succeeded in obtaining the priceless Pandu artifact they sought, it almost cost them their lives. Still, Matthew is ready for the next adventure. Yet when new intel surfaces indicating the possible location of the legendary City of Gold, Matthew is hesitant to embark on the quest.

Not only is the evidence questionable but it means looking for the lost city of Paititi far away from where other explorers have concentrated their efforts. As appealing as making the discovery would be, it’s just too risky. But when Cal’s girlfriend, Sophie, is abducted by Matthew’s old nemesis who is dead-set on acquiring the Pandu statue, Matthew may be forced into action. Saving Sophie’s life means either breaking into the Royal Ontario Museum to steal the relic or offering up something no one in his or her right mind can refuse–the City of Gold.

Now Matthew and his two closest friends have to find a city and a treasure that have been lost for centuries. And they only have seven days to do it. As they race against the clock, they quickly discover that the streets they seek aren’t actually paved with gold, but with blood.

Author Interview: David Morrell of Inspector of the Dead

  

Be sure to check out my review here!

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David Morrell’s MURDER AS A FINE ART was a publishing event. Acclaimed by critics, it made readers feel that they were actually on the fogbound streets of Victorian London. Now the harrowing journey continues in INSPECTOR OF THE DEAD.

Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his Confessions of an Opium-Eater,confronts London’s harrowing streets to thwart the assassination of Queen Victoria.

The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters.

Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation.

This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attempted to kill Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimate victim will be Victoria herself. As De Quincey and Emily race to protect the queen, they uncover long-buried secrets and the heartbreaking past of a man whose lust for revenge has destroyed his soul.

Brilliantly merging historical fact with fiction, Inspector of the Dead is based on actual attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria.

Interview: Sybil Johnson of Fatal Brushstrokes

  

I am delighted to welcome Sybil Johnson to the Back Porch today to let us know a little more about her new book, Fatal Brushstroke, the first "Aurora Anderson Mystery", and a little more about herself!  Be sure to check out my review and the giveaway published earlier today!

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1.  So are you crafty in general and/or do you specialize in tole painting?

I’ve always enjoyed crafts and have tried out many different ones over the years. My mother taught me to embroider when I was in grade school.  My first project was a set of flour sack towels embroidered with cartoon mice. When I was a kid, I checked out issues of the Pack-o-Fun magazine 

from the library and did some of the projects. I’ve tried sewing, macramé, crocheting, knitting, scrapbooking, calligraphy, counted cross-stitch, and tole painting. Counted cross-stitch and tole painting are my favorites, though, and the ones I do most often.

2.  What brought you to SoCal from the Pacific Northwest?

I moved to L.A. to go to college. I’d never been to L.A., but I’d always wanted to come here so I applied to the University of Southern California. They awarded me a full scholarship so I headed south. I graduated with a degree in Computer Science which was a fairly new field at the time, got a job here, and ended up staying.

3.  Have you written in other genres as well?

Not yet. Most of my ideas fall into the crime/mystery genre so that’s what I’ve been concentrating on. It’s also the genre I enjoy reading the most.

4.  If you could walk on the beach with any other writer from history, who would you ask, what would you talk about, and how would you stay hydrated?

Agatha Christie. After I got over being in her presence, I’d ask her what her work process was, what it was like to live through WWII in London, what it was like to be on archaeological digs with her husband, and what really happened during the time she was missing. (The answer to the last I would never reveal to a soul, of course, since she’d be telling me in confidence.) I’d be drinking peppermint water for hydration.

5.  Is there a set number of books in the Aurora Anderson mystery series or is it more fluid?

It’s fluid. I’m contracted for 3 books so far in the series. Beyond that, I don’t know. I’d like to keep writing Rory’s adventures as long as I come up with ideas.

6.  What is the hardest part of being an author?

Juggling writing and promotional activities. Posting on Facebook, tweeting, blogging, updating a website, posting reviews on Goodreads... It’s all a lot of fun, but can also eat up all of your writing time if you’re not careful.

7.  What is the raison d'etre of your writing?  What would you like to accomplish?

Reading has brought me a lot of enjoyment over the years and I’d like to return the favor. I’d like to write stories people enjoy reading. It’s as simple as that.

8.  I am impressed that you remember one of the first books you read.  Does your head for detail help you keep characters and stories straight?

I’m fortunate to be blessed with a good memory for details (or cursed depending on how you look at it.) That helps quite a bit in my writing, but things sometimes still get muddled in my brain, so I keep notes on all my projects. At one point, I did some script supervising (continuity) on a few student films. Script supervisors use a slew of forms to keep track of all the details they need to remember when filming. I’ve repurposed one or two of those forms to help me keep track of information in my books.

9.  What is the best book you've ever read?

That’s a tough one. I’ve read so many great books, fiction and non-fiction, over the years I don’t really have a favorite. So here are a few books I’ve read fairly recently that stand out in my mind: LOSING CLEMENTINE by Ashley Ream, AUNT DIMITY’S DEATH by Nancy Atherton, DIAL H FOR HITCHCOCK by Susan Kandel, DISSOLUTION by C.J. Sansom, DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson.

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Interview/Giveaway: C.W. Gortner of The Spymaster Chronicles

Review of The Tudor Vendetta posted on this blog on October 22, 2014.

GoodReads

C. W. Gortner

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1.  What draws you to this period of history?

I’ve always been drawn to the 16th century and the Renaissance; it’s a time of great upheaval and astonishing accomplishment, when we began to question the rigid dictates of the medieval era and expand artistic boundaries. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Holbein – and so many others – can only be products of the Renaissance. That said, it’s also an era of unparalleled corruption, drama, intrigue, and astounding royal personalities. The Tudors’ relatively brief reign seethes with all these qualities; it’s not surprising that hundreds of years later, they continue to fascinate us. But they’ve also been quite well covered in fiction, so for the Spymaster Trilogy, I wanted to explore crevices in Tudor history, building my stories around isolated events that had significant impact on those who lived them. For The Tudor Vendetta, I depict the first troublesome and dangerous weeks of Elizabeth I’s reign, when she came to the throne to claim a realm plagued by religious and social discord, penurious and uncertain as to how she could hold onto the crown she’d fought so hard to achieve. A secret returns to haunt her, and her intimate spy, Brendan Prescott, must contend not only with the young queen’s betrayal, but also his own.

2.  How did you become involved with animal advocacy?

I’ve loved animals since I was a child growing up in southern Spain. At the time, Spain was still under Franco’s dictatorship, and many people were not kind to dogs and cats, as well as other animals. I began rescuing dogs that were abused and neglected; at one point, I had ten dogs living with us and ran around with a pack at my heels. There was no Advantage or other flea and tick preventives; I hand-groomed my dogs and bathed them. Many were in terrible shape; riddled with ticks, malnourished and anemic from flea infestations, but they responded to love; they were so eager to be cared for, to forgive – but they never forgot the injuries inflicted on them. It’s been a lifelong passion of mine to fight for animal rights because we share this planet with millions of species who have as much right as we do to exist, to have safe territories and not be subjected to our destruction. What we do to our fellow creatures appalls me. No animal demonstrates the callous savagery of man; we’re also at a crossroads in history. Either we change the way we live or we will destroy the only home we have. Recognizing that animals are sensitive, emotional beings is key to repairing the immense damage we’ve wrought upon our Mother Earth.

3.  Where have you visited to which you would most like to return?

I’d like to return to Poland. I was there on tour recently for The Queen’s Vow and I found the country incredibly beautiful, with a warm and generous people. I didn’t get the chance to see as much as I would have liked. Also, I always love visiting Rome. Something about the city entrances me; it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I could easily live there (I think ☺.

4.  Which Renaissance Faires have you attended?

The Northern California Renaissance Faire when it was held at Blackpoint Forest was one of my favorites; I went every year as a teenager, dressed in appropriate garb, of course. I’ve also attended the South Lake Tahoe Faire on occasion, and it’s a lot of fun.

5.  If you lived in the time of the Tudors, what would you be doing?

Probably writing! But I’ve never wanted to live in the past except when I write about it. I enjoy visiting it, but I find it a very frightening and bewildering place. No washing machines or antibiotics, no civil rights: it’s not at all what we envision when we see movies and television depictions. The Tudor world was quite brutal; even the affluent suffered from common ailments, like gout, lice, and rancid food—things we rarely consider whenever we imagine it.

6.  If you get nervous speaking in public, how do you deal with that?

I pretend I’m speaking to close friends. I used to get very nervous during public engagements, but after six novels and countless appearances, I’m more comfortable. In Poland, I did several interviews and bookstore events with a translator; that was challenging, because I tend to be an impromptu speaker, and had to remember to talk slow, as he was translating everything I said.

7.  Describe your favorite meal.

Whole-wheat pasta with sautéed spinach and asparagus, and lots of sourdough bread. When I’m in the throes of writing a book, it’s my staple dinner. I live on it.

8.  What's next for you (as an author)?

My next novel is Mademoiselle Chanel, about the dramatic, intimate life of the iconic designer Coco Chanel; it will be released on March 17, 2015. It’s a dream come true for me; I began my professional career in fashion publicity and my thesis project while at college involved reinterpreting her designs, putting my spin on how I would market her in the current industry. She changed not only the way women dressed but also how they saw themselves; she influenced the world around her, one of the first entrepreneurial women to create a global empire that endures to this day. Her personal life was also quite tumultuous and controversial; she was complex, engaging, and demanding as a subject—and I reveled in her story. Also, it was refreshing to write a character who could actually call her friends on the telephone!

9.  What advice would you give young (school-age) writers?

Write what you love. We’re often told to write what we know, but when I first started, I knew very little; I research to acquire knowledge, but I always write about subjects I feel passionate about. Writing is how we interpret the world and answer the questions we all carry inside. To write well, we must be utterly committed to it—and to be committed, we must write about those things that we cannot forget, things that obsess us.

10.  Do you speak any of the 20 other languages in which your books are printed?  If so which?  If not, which would you most like to learn?

I’m fluent in Spanish and can defend myself somewhat in Italian and French. I’d like to learn more Italian; I always say, Spanish is the language of passion; French is the language to seduce; but Italian is the language of love. Everything sounds warmer in Italian.

Thank you for spending this time with me. I hope your readers enjoy The Tudor Vendetta. To learn more about me and my work, please visit me at www.cwgortner.com

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GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Piers Alexander of The Bitter Trade

I am honored to have Piers Alexander, author of The Bitter Trade (reviewed on Monday) on the Back Porch today for a little Q & A!

From GoodReads:

In 1688, torn by rebellions, England lives under the threat of a Dutch invasion. Redheaded Calumny Spinks is the lowliest man in an Essex backwater: half-French and still unapprenticed at seventeen, yet he dreams of wealth and title.

When his father’s violent past resurfaces, Cal’s desperation leads him to become a coffee racketeer. He has just three months to pay off a blackmailer and save his father’s life - but his ambition and talent for mimicry pull him into a conspiracy against the King himself.  Cal’s journey takes him from the tough life of Huguenot silk weavers to the vicious intrigues at Court. As the illicit trader Benjamin de Corvis and his controlling daughter Emilia pull him into their plots, and his lover Violet Fintry is threatened by impending war, Cal is forced to choose between his conscience and his dream of becoming Mister Calumny Spinks.

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About the Author

Piers Alexander is an author and serial entrepreneur. After a successful career as CEO of media and events companies he became a Co-Founder and Chairman of three start-up businesses. In 2013 he was awarded the PEN Factor Prize for The Bitter Trade. He is currently working on the sequel, Scatterwood, set in Jamaica in 1692.

For more information visit Piers Alexander’s website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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The Interview

1.  How did you get the story idea for The Bitter Trade?

My wife had come up with an idea for a futuristic conspiracy involving coffee, which had been swirling round my mind before it reappeared when I was writing my diary one day. I found I was describing a rebellious redheaded character called Calumny Spinks, who was watching the hustle and bustle of Restoration London from a rooftop when he fell through the tiles and into a stash of contraband spices...

I didn't have an exact year to set it in until I happened to take a break outside the wonderful London Library. There's a statue of William of Orange in St James's Square: I saw it and took out my smartphone, and realised that the Glorious Revolution made the perfect backdrop for a tale of conspiracy, racketeering and lusty adventures!


2.  Having lived in more than one country, how many languages do you speak?

English, bullishly
French, fluently
German, stumbling
Italian, delightfully (grammar and vocabulary limited; hand gestures perfect)


3.  What draws you to the book's time period?

The exuberant, breathtaking pace of social, scientific, philosophical and political change. 1688 was the start of the Long Eighteenth Century in England, and to me it's when our modern way of thinking and living emerged, so it's fascinating to me. Most importantly, I think it would have been an amazing time to live: you could walk into a coffeehouse and match wits with great minds; and an ambitious person could make something of themselves, crossing social boundaries. Plus there were pirates.


4.  What are your views on the institutionalized religious intolerance of the time?

The same as my views of today's religious intolerance! I think there have always been people who want to make others belong to their organisations and power structures, and there have always been free thinkers - who are generally persecuted and killed even more than followers of rival religions. In The Bitter Trade, I make it pretty clear that I am with the free thinkers.

One thing that's fascinating about the Restoration and the Glorious Revolution is that acts of toleration (including James II's Declaration of Indulgence) were enacted in order to shore up support on one side or another: political instability had the effect of decreasing religious intolerance and putting toleration on a legal basis. That's something that is fundamental to English civil society, and I hope it never goes away.


5.  If you could be friends with one of your characters, whom would you choose and why?

The leprous coffee-woman, Mistress John Hollow. She's strong and wise, but unafraid to insult and challenge, and would make great company on a cold and muggy London evening.


6.  Do you drink coffee?  If so, how do you take it?

Oh yes. I take too much of it, usually in the form of a flat white, which is an Australian/NZ innovation that has taken London by storm. Bitter as experience, milky as innocence,  with rich chocolatey depths!


7.  What is a 'hunt saboteur mature student'?

He was a fellow student with sincere left-wing views who used to go out into Yorkshire of a weekend and disrupt people's fox-hunting. Quite a dangerous occupation, and he was arrested more than once for it.


8.  Is Lulu your only pet?

She is. I do tend to monopolise other people's animals though...


9.  What do you hope readers take away from The Bitter Trade?

I love it when readers say they lost themselves in seventeenth century London. To me that's the best thing about writing and reading historical fiction: you get into a time machine and lose yourself in history.

I do also have some quite fierce things to say about women and outsiders and how our habit of medicating ourselves (legally or not) tends to leave a destructive wake. So perhaps a little of that might linger in a reader's mind.

Most of all, I hope they enjoy the adventure, and Calumny's sheer cheekiness.


10.  Which writer from history (including the present) would you most like to meet?

From history: The emperor Marcus Aurelius. To be the most powerful man in the world, and take the time to muse on life, death and the temporariness of experience: I'd buy him a flat white for sure.

From the present: I'm lucky enough to have married my favourite contemporary author!

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Thank you for visiting today, Piers, and for your time in answering the questions.  Best of success with this tour and I'm looking forward to "Scatterwood"!

REVIEW/INTERVIEW: Lost Under a Ladder by Linda O. Johnston

SYNOPSIS

Is it Luck? Or is it Destiny?

Rory Chasen never thought superstitions were real—until her beloved fiancé is killed after walking under a ladder. To find closure and the truth about superstitions, Rory takes her dog Pluckie to a town called Destiny, where superstitious beliefs are a way of life.

Rory’s visit to Destiny takes an unexpected turn when Pluckie saves Martha, the owner of the Lucky Dog Boutique. Martha then begs Rory to manage the shop for her. When Martha becomes the prime suspect in the local bookshop owner’s murder, Rory can’t believe that the sweet old woman would do it. Convinced the real killer is still roaming Destiny’s streets, Rory resolves to crack the case before Martha’s luck runs out.

BOOK REVIEW/INTERVIEW: Twinkle by S. J. Parkinson

SYNOPSIS

Publisher: SJ Parkinson (July 14, 2014)
Category: Science Fiction, Thriller
Tour Date: October, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 600 Pages

In the newest book from award winning author, SJ Parkinson, The richest man in the world wants to celebrate the July 4th holiday as never before. In a bid to get into the record books, a global fireworks show is staged from orbit. Satellites drop pyrotechnics into the atmosphere, thrilling everyone from the Arctic to the Antarctic with their rich colors and massive explosions in every time zone.

The next day, people around the globe begin to lose their sight. Governments crumble, society degenerates, and infrastructure falls into chaos. Humanity finds itself stumbling in the dark and losing all hope.

A few fortunate individuals retain their vision. Attempting to deal with the growing despair around them, they come together to discover the true purpose and origin of the affliction. They race to find a cure before the world is subjugated under an invading power.

GoodReads * Amazon

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REVIEW

There were many, many surprises in Twinkle that I did not see coming, which made it very exciting to read.  The display of fireworks from space sounded spectacular and I probably would have been upset to have missed it.  Until the next day, of course, when people all over the world started going blind.

The way the world discovers the blindness epidemic is a little gruesome, really.  Pilots from military and commercial aircraft are the first we hear about, meaning that their planes are going to crash.  Then there are the commuter trains.

People in the US are some of the last ones to lose their sight, but they had the advantage of knowing it was coming.  Unfortunately, it also reduced the manpower available to the military to about 5 pct of its regular strength.  Then, the real intent of the fireworks display rears its ugly head.  The country that produced them wants to basically take over the world, and that was the way for weakening other countries' ability to defend themselves.

Mr. Parkinson's time in the military gave him an excellent background to write a book such as Twinkle.  And a civilian, such as myself, appreciated the footnotes that explained some of the alphabet soup of military and political acronyms.  It saved me from having to go and ask my young sons what the terms meant!

It also showed some of the best and the worst of human nature.  When a fortunate (?) few that still have their sight and have escaped the invaders begin to plan how to take back the country, they helped each other and had each other's backs.  When a doctor and a researcher find a possible cure and they try to distribute it, people want to take it from them to save their relatives and friends.

Twinkle with get you thinking about exactly what you would do when your country, your family, a pet, etc is attacked or in danger.  Every once in a while I had to stop and think.  And it could apply to anyone, anywhere in the world.  The book happened to be set mostly in the US, but the situation could happen anywhere.

This is a rather lengthy book, but worth every minute.  Twinkle is well written, thoroughly researched and will have you on the edge of your seat.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Google+

Mr. Parkinson was an Air Force avionics technician, a decorated veteran of the Persian Gulf War, and several United Nations peacekeeping missions. He has lived overseas in numerous countries and travels extensively. His novels have been praised for their realism and sold in fourteen countries, winning multiple international awards.

Awards: Three “Outstanding in Genre” Gold Seal awards from Red Adept Publishing and Kindle Book of the Month award Oct 2013 by the People’s Choice Book Awards.

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INTERVIEW

1. 18th century or Renaissance man?

Renaissance man definitely. I do feel I was born at the wrong time. I love travel and exploring the world so I would have felt quite at home in the Renaissance. At that time entire continents were undiscovered and mankind was just setting foot on the path to discovery. It would have been an exciting time to be a part of it.

2. Artillery, Air Force, scuba diving, ballroom dancing, now writing. What's next?

One of my goals is to explore every country on the face of Earth, then try to get up into space. It's inevitable that man will travel to the stars and while it's doubtful that I'll never get to another star system, it is quite possible I can walk on the moon at some point in my lifetime.

3. How did you develop your writing philosophy?

As a reader myself, there is nothing I hate more that seeing something in a book and knowing it’s false. I once read a story where the hero carried a revolver. Then several pages later he is described as changing magazines. Revolvers don’t have magazines and from that point on I was unable to believe what I read. More glaring errors followed and I stopped reading at that point. Even though I write fiction, I strive to ensure that what I write is accurate so that my readers don’t end up being similarly disappointed.

A portion of one of my earlier novels, The Legionnaire: Origins takes place in Algeria. A good friend of mine is French-Algerian and after reading Origins he asked me when I’d been there. He refused to believe me when I told him I’d never visited Algeria. His response was, “You must have been there. Your description of the Tuareg nomads is perfect.”

Typically, I do at least a week or two of research for a novel before writing a word. Twinkle was so broad in scope that the research for that novel took me three months. At the end of that time, I know the places, settings, and descriptions of the various places intimately and as a result I can write a lot faster. Often the research will give me information to take a character in a completely different direction than what I had initially envisioned.

4. Where do you stand on the traditional vs. self-publishing issue?

The ability to self-publish on the Internet at the push of a button is a powerful tool. However, the biggest failing of self-publishing is quality. Many authors, some would argue the majority, publish ebooks with no proper formatting, spelling, grammar, etc. and that hurts the industry. I have a promise to my readers on my web page promising to put out the best quality novels I can. I employ editors, proof readers, and graphic artists to ensure my books are the best they can be. It is an expensive process, but with 2.2 million ebooks on Amazon I feel that is necessary to stand out from the pack.

I feel validated in my approach as my novels have sold in fourteen countries, won international awards, and are highly rated. I also have a dedicated group of readers who are incredibly supportive of my work.

5. If "Twinkle" were optioned for film, who would you like to see in key roles?

I played around with generating a "dream cast" for Twinkle while I was writing it. It made envisioning the plot a lot easier for me seeing these people in the roles.

Colonel Alvin Smith - Idris Elba
Captain Erica Tyler - Selita Ebanks
President James Calvin - Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Keith Hurst - Sam Neil
Sir Marcus Brandon - Viggo Mortensen
Garbo - Amber Heard
Technical Sergeant Folsom - Paul Dano
Doctor Linda Krause - Rebecca Hall
Oscar Blake - Tom Hardy
Captain Eric Reid - Blair Underwood
Doctor Edmund Wiater - David Morrissey
Vinson - Riz Ahmed
Noel - Josh Holloway

6. If you could invite any writer from history to supper, whom would you ask and what would you serve?

I had the privilege of corresponding with Arthur C. Clarke when he lived in Sri Lanka, but never met the man. I would love to have dinner with him and discuss anything he cared to talk about. I'd serve multiple courses of Tapas portions to not slow down the conversation.

7. Is there anywhere in the world you would like to see that you haven't yet?

I've explored the northern hemisphere fairly well, but the southern regions still beckon. New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, etc. all call to me. I'll get there eventually. I'd also like to get to Japan, Nepal, Russia, China, and Thailand at some point. I suspect I could generate another dozen writing projects from visiting new areas.

8. Do you have any writing traditions or rituals? (Food, locations, etc.)

When I sit down to write, I first try to eliminate as many distractions as possible. My desk faces a wall and I have no windows within view. I put on a wireless headset and listen to music to eliminate any background noise. My phone is muted and typically out of sight. On my desk, I have a widescreen 24 inch monitor. My word processing software is displayed on the left half of the screen with my research notes on the right. Not only does that put everything I need right in front of me, it also covers up my email and web browser windows which are huge distractions for me at times.

9. What's next for you as an author?

I just checked my pending projects list. I have twenty novels outlined and ready to go. I simply need to find the time to write them. i would love to get my books in shape for a movie, but I am not a screenwriter and am currently looking for someone to handle that conversion from novel to script.

10. What would you like readers to know about "Twinkle"?

Twinkle is not a traditional novel. It's told from the perspectives of many people and ranges literally around the world. Even though I cut sixty pages prior to edit, it is still a 547 page epic novel. A friend asked me to summarize the plot in a sentence and the best I could come up with was 'Day of the Triffids meets Red Storm Rising'. I'm very proud of Twinkle and feel it is my strongest novel yet.

Thank you for the opportunity to connect with your members. Have a great day.

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(Disclosure:  I received a copy of "Twinkle" from the author and publisher via Virtual Author Book Tours in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.)

BOOK REVIEW/INTERVIEW: Embellished to Death by Christina Freeburn

SYNOPSIS

When Faith Hunter agrees to help PI Bob Roget find an identity thief at a local scrapbook retreat, her friendly croppers’ weekend quickly morphs into a dangerous one. As croppers share their own memories, a killer collects them for her new identity, and doesn’t appreciate Faith in the picture. 

Faith struggles to balance her professional, detecting and personal lives as threats and secrets keep her off-balance. Things turn deadly when a woman is killed and Faith is blackmailed. Truth and lies collide when Faith discovers croppers aren’t the only ones embellishing, and the results might end her life.

GoodReads * Amazon

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REVIEW

Everyone has secrets and issues particular to them.  In real life, as well as in the third installment of the "Faith Hunter Scrap This Mysteries", Embellished to Death, by Christina Freeburn.  This is the first of multiple reasons why this series and book resonate with so many readers.

Everyone has secrets, and for some reason we love reading about the secrets of others...just not our own.  Ms. Freeburn does an excellent job of revealing the right mix of secrets at the right time so that we are able to follow and it enhances the reading experience.

Many people (and not just women) enjoy scrapbooking.  A crop is a get-together where scrappers bring supplies to work alongside others doing the same thing.  My own papercrafting leans more towards making artisan paper and making cards, and I have yet to attend a 'crop'...but I would LOVE to!  Maybe I'd finally get my 17-year old firstborn's 'baby book' done and can get to work on the two younger kids'.

And you hear often in the news that identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the US or the world?  I guess stealing someone else's information seems to be easier than earning a living themselves.  But it's a slippery slope.

Luckily for her readers, Ms. Freeburn does not follow my tendency to go off on tangents and weaves together many themes of interest to a coherent and entertaining story.  Many arts, crafts and hobbies have found their way into cozy mysteries and I'm delighted that scrapbooking has been added to that particular list.  

Maybe I could start a scrapbook with pages for each book I read and review?  Hmmmm.....;)

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

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The Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery series brings together Christina Freeburn’s love of mysteries, scrapbooking, and West Virginia. When not writing or reading, she can be found in her scrapbook room or at a crop. Alas, none of the real-life crops have had a sexy male prosecutor or a handsome police officer attending.

Christina served in the JAG Corps of the US Army and also worked as a paralegal, librarian, and church secretary. She lives in West Virginia with her husband, children, a dog, and a rarely seen cat except by those who are afraid or allergic to felines.

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INTERVIEW

1.  Where did the Self-Rescuing Princess come from?

A few years ago, I was talking to some friends, actually woe-is-meing, because my inspirational romance novel was turned down after having rewritten it three times by request of an editor for the large well-known romance publisher. The main problem was that heroine (a skip-tracer) was only in danger because she was trying to save her client not because someone was actually after her. In the midst of my angst, a wise friend said, "You don't write women in jeopardy. You write the self-rescuing princess."

2.  Why do you think cozy mysteries usually take place in small towns?

 One of the elements readers love about cozies are the relationship the characters have with each other, and those are usually easier to establish in small towns. It isn’t too much of a coincidence for everyone to know everyone, and everything about each other. Also, it’s more understandable why the amateur sleuth is able to insert themselves into investigations without getting in serious trouble.

3.  How much of you is in Faith Hunter?

Faith’s anxiousness and over-thinking is a big part of me. Those are two of my personality traits I’m not overly fond of and in a way I’m working it out through Faith. As she’s learning to use those parts of herself, rather than being controlled by them, I am also.

4.  Are you a big city woman or a small-town gal?

I’m kind of in between, as I find big cities very overwhelming and small-towns a little confining at times. I do like the amenities of big cities (great libraries, artist communities, concerts, etc.) but large crowds can do me in after a while.

5.  Describe your perfect day.

I started writing about a perfect day which included tasty coffee drinks, words flowing when I wrote and having the needed amount of time to get in some marketing, and after a productive day of work, a cooking a Food Network worthy dinner and still have time for reading. But then I realized my actual perfect day would be the family and I sailing the seven seas on a Disney Cruise ship. We all went on a cruise a few years ago and everyone had such a great time. We were pampered. Had wonderful food. Spent time together. And had time to explore our own interests with the many activities on the ship. I loved spa, the upscale brunch, and I will admit the character photo ops.

6.  What writer from history would you most like to meet?

Edgar Allan Poe

7.  So, your youngest child is 16.  Do you think you'll get 'empty nest syndrome'?

My youngest turned 17 this summer, and will be graduating high school in May. I haven’t given (or have tried not to anyway) empty nest syndrome much thought, though I do think I’ll feel a little lost for awhile. I had children very soon after I was married, so my husband and I have pretty much been parents through our entire marriage. It’s going to be different when it’s just us.

8.  Many countries have compulsory military service for their young adults.  Any thoughts on this?

I like that the United States doesn’t have compulsory military service. I think enlisting in the military is something that should be voluntary. When a soldier is out on the battle field, it’s better if everyone willingly enlisted rather than were forced (draft) or obligated to do so (compulsory service). The military life is hard and demanding in a lot of different ways so it isn’t for everyone.  

9.  Do you have a favorite book (or top 5, or ...)?

My favorite book of all time is Misty of Chincoteague.

10.  Where in the world would you like to visit that you have not yet seen?

Scotland. I have no idea why, but since I was a child I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland and Disney World. An odd mix. I’ve been to Disney World a few times and hope one day to visit Scotland.

BOOK REVIEW/INTERVIEW: The Unexpected Earl by Philippa Jane Keyworth

SYNOPSIS

Six years after being jilted without a word of explanation, Julia Rotherham finds Lucius Wolversley standing before her once again--unexpected, unannounced, unwelcome. With her heart still hurting and, more importantly, her pride, Julia must chaperone her younger sister, fend off fortune hunters, orchestrate a fake engagement, and halt an elopement--all whilst keeping the man who jilted her at arm's length. But what Julia doesn't know is that this time, the Earl has no intention of disappearing, and this time, he has more than an explanation to offer....

BOOK REVIEW/INTERVIEW: Wedding Soup Murder by Rosie Genova

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SYNOPSIS

Victoria Rienzi came home to the Jersey Shore to write a new book, learn the family restaurant business, and practice the fine art of Italian cooking. But when delicious dishes are paired with murder, Vic has a little too much on her plate…

When Vic asked her nonna for more responsibility in the kitchen, she didn’t mean making a thousand tiny meatballs by hand for the family’s famous wedding soup. The dish is to be served at the reception for a close family friend at the exclusive Belmont Country Club. And once there Vic has to deal with a demanding bridezilla and clashes in the kitchen—between the staff and servers, between two egocentric head chefs, and between the country club president and…well…everyone.

The wedding comes off without a hitch—until the body of the club’s president is found on the beach below a high seawall. Now Vic will need to use her noodle to find out who pushed whom too far…before she’s the one who lands in the soup!

GoodReads * Amazon

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REVIEW

Like a sumptious feast of Italian cuisine, Wedding Soup Murder satiates both body and mind.  After our wedding, my brother took the entire wedding party to the Ristorante della Fontana in Salt Lake City.   They don't put all the food on the table at once; each meal there had seven courses, so there was elbow room, plenty of time to talk with your tablemates, and no rushing to eat everything before it got cold.

Ms. Genova dishes up exposition and action at the right amounts at the right times to bring out the full flavors of this book.  'Nonna' may even be proud.  In the opening chapter, we learn that Vic is making 1,000 (that's one t.h.o.u.s.a.n.d) tiny meatballs for the Wedding Soup her family's restaurant is providing for the wedding reception of a family friend.  If Nonna ever gets tired of cooking (as if!), she could go on to co-ordinate military campaigns that could put the Joint Chiefs of Staff out of business.  Vic's ex-boyfriend is a chef at the restaurant.  Danny (Vic's brother) and his wife Sophia are separated.  Each of these threads continues throughout the book in one form or another.

Once getting to the country club's kitchen, they are 'greeted' (if you can call it that) by two Michelin-star egos  chefs, and the club's imperious president, who disapproves of anyone or anything that doesn't measure up to her standards ... which is pretty much everyone and everything.  At the end of the evening, someone apparently had their fill of disapproval and the club president wound up over done (dead) on the beach.

Here some of the traditional elements of cozy mysteries kick in.  Of course, the heroine, Vic, has to start investigating.  The local authorities (in this case, her brother Danny) tries to warn her off.  Then Vic and her investigation start to rub some people (oh, the killer, you know) the wrong way, and things get a little ... dangerous.  But each of these elements is handled with such wit and just the right amount of seasoning, that Wedding Soup Murder will leave a smile on your face and a wonderful memory in your heart for a long time ... or until the next installment comes out. ;)

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

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A Jersey girl born and bred, national bestselling author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. Her new series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, is informed by her appreciation for good food, her pride in her heritage, and her love of classic mysteries from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. Her debut novel, Murder and Marinara, was named a 2013 Best Cozy by Suspense Magazine and is a finalist for a 2014 Daphne Award.  An English teacher by day and novelist by night, Rosie also writes women’s fiction as Rosemary DiBattista. She still lives in her home state with her husband and the youngest of her three Jersey boys.

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INTERVIEW WITH MS. GENOVA
[Please call me Rosie!]

1.  What did you have published first and how does that differ from what you do now?

Years ago I published a non-fiction book for teens about body image for a small trade house. However, I have several unpublished novels which are romantic comedies--modern updates of my favorite Shakespeare plays. In some ways, they are similar to my mystery series. They take place at the Jersey shore among Italian-American families, and food is featured prominently. And since I am a believer in having some romance in your mystery as well as mystery in your romance, there is certainly overlap in the two genres.

2.  What do your students think about you being a published author/writer?

My older students take it quite in stride, but my freshmen seem more hesitant to ask questions about the writing life. I do know a number of them peek at my Facebook page and my blog.

3.  What are some of your favorite reads?

In the classics, all of Jane Austen; all of the Bronte sisters; also, Middlemarch by George Eliot and To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. In mystery and suspense, I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, PD James, Josephine Tey and Ngaio Marsh. For romantic suspense there's no one better than Mary Stewart and Daphne DuMaurier. Among living mystery writers, I read Louise Penny, Elizabeth George, Charles Todd, Deborah Crombie, and I've recently discovered Robert Galbraith, who is, of course, JK Rowling.

4.  Is it difficult to switch between your writer personas?

Not really, because most of my focus now is on the Italian Kitchen series, so I'm not doing much switching. And I would say that my writer's voice is similar for both genres. 

5.  Is the full recipe for the "Italian Kitchen Mysteries" written or do you grate a little of this, add a little of that ... and see what develops?

Love the cooking metaphor! I generally start with a synopsis--let's call it a recipe--for the novel, but I will get creative as I go, adding flavors and layers. 

6.  Have you ever been to Italy?

I've been fortunate enough to have visited Italy a couple of times, most recently in the summer of 2012. I do get a sense of "coming home" when I go there, particularly when we visit with my husband's family, all of whom are amazing cooks. Let's just say I'm grateful for all those Italian hills! 

7.  How did your fox terrier come into your family?

Ah, our little Baci--how we miss her. We knew we wanted to buy that breed, because our youngest son had asthma and we wanted a non-shedding dog. She was a wire-hair, and if you know anything about them, you know that are a little pozzo (crazy) as we say in Italian. When we went to the store to pick one from the litter, she made a beeline right for us and took one of my son's shoelaces into her mouth and started dancing around him like he was a little Maypole. We all fell in love on the spot. What we didn't realize, however, is that her confidence in greeting us meant that she was the alpha dog--and she spent the next fourteen years trying to prove it.  

8.  What is your favorite food to make?  To eat?

I love to make a good Bolognese sauce; it's a meat sauce that uses a mixture of ground beef, pork, and veal. It has a tomato base, but you add a bit of cream near the end of the cooking that softens that acid and gives it the most beautiful orange color. In terms of what I like to eat, I have many favorites: homemade bread, fresh pasta, most green veggies if they are sauteed in olive oil, and pancetta, which is a spicy Italian bacon. And I have a terrible sweet tooth, particularly for anything chocolate! 

9.  Did you watch that tv show "Bridezillas" for any of the characters in your book?

Um, no. Okay, maybe I did watch one or two episodes. For research, of course. But once you tune in, you can NOT tear your eyes away from that awful behavior, and you find yourself hoping that the poor groom will dump her before the show is over. In The Wedding Soup Murder, my character of Roberta is difficult, but she is nowhere near as crazy as some of those gals.

10.  What advice do you have for young writers?

Write what you love. Love what you write. And don't give up!

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(Disclosure:  I received a print copy of Wedding Soup Murder from the author and publisher via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)

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Also sharing with:

R/AI: Murder is Academic by Lesley A. Diehl

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SYNOPSIS

Laura Murphy, psychology professor, thinks there’s nothing she likes better than coffee and donuts on a summer morning until she says yes to dinner with a Canadian biker and finds herself and her date suspects in the murder of her college’s president. Laura’s friend, the detective assigned the case, asks her to help him find out who on the small upstate New York college campus may be a killer.  The murder appears to be wrapped up in some unsavory happenings on the lake where Laura lives.  A fish kill and raw sewage seeping into the water along with the apparent drowning suicide of a faculty member complicate the hunt for the killer.  And then things become personal.  The killer makes a threatening phone call to Laura. With a tornado bearing down on the area and the killer intent upon silencing her, Laura’s sleuthing work may come too late to save her and her biker from a watery grave.

REVIEW

I have noticed a trend in the books I have been reading.  Many cozy mysteries feature a main character who is a woman 'of a certain age'.  The closer I get to that 'certain age', the more I appreciate this trend.

And that is just the first item of several that makes me appreciate Diehl's "Murder is Academic".  

Like any other business, there is a lot of jockeying for position in the halls of colleges and universities.  Witness Stanford's response to Laura's opinion at Upstate College's Biological Field Stations:  "You can't be equating the fuzzy procedures and approaches of psychology with the precision required in a real science like biology, can you, Dr. Murphy?" (emphasis added)  I am so over that childish "My dog's better than your dog" type of competition.  Here it adds a wonderful suspense to "Murder is Academic".

Concern for the welfare of the local ecosystem and inhabitants is shown in the book by exposition and dialog, rather than by taking the book, thumping us on the head with it and the hope that environmental appreciation will somehow be transferred by osmosis.  Diehl's presentation of the cause in this manner assumes intelligence (native or acquired) and sensitivity on the part of her readers.  I am much more likely to return to an author who does not insult my intelligence simply because my experiences are different from hers (or his).

The third thing I liked about "Murder is Academic" is the handling of the physical intimacy between Laura and Guy, the Canadian motorcycle-riding high-school teacher.  I love how they met...shortly after Laura and Annie's discovery of the body of the college president at a construction site.  I was a little surprised at the near-immediate onset of that level of intimacy, simply because they had suspected each other of being involved in the murder.  The author lets us know what is going on skillfully, without resorting to blatant images and crass colloquialisms.  The couple's intimacy adds to the story, as opposed to taking it over. Very well done.

I could go on, but you have some reading to do.  First, my author interview with Lesley Diehl is below.  After that, the book "Murder is Academic" itself.  If I made up a list of all the things I love about cozy mysteries, "Academic" would include many of those elements and even add a few new things to the list.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What makes "Murder is Academic" different from the other books you have written?
A version of it was the first mystery I tried writing.  I shelved it for over five years, then pulled it out and began revising.  It has been cut from over 100,000 words to just over 75,000.  Murder is Academic displays the same humor as in most of my work, but it is a bit different because my protagonist is more impulsive than my other protagonists.  Laura Murphy is sexually bold, so much so that she takes a chance on a man she’s just met, one who might be the killer of her college’s president.  So this cozy mystery is really best described as a “spicy cozy mystery.”

2. Where do you get names for your characters?

That’s a great question and one hard to answer.  Sometimes the names seem to materialize out of thin air.  For some of the names in this book, I at first created names similar to those of real characters, but as I changed the characters in revision and they became not very much like the real characters I had originally used  to create the fictional ones, the names seemed not to work, and I had to change  them.  Because I had published a number of books since I wrote the original manuscript, I had used names in the published work and had to change the names in this one.  Laura Murphy was always the name of my protagonist, however: Laura, for one of my favorite students and friends and Murphy?  That came to me out of thin air, but seemed to stick.

3.Which of your characters (in any of your work) is most like you?  Least?

Laura is most like me in that she is a professor of psychology, which I was for many years, and she is intrusive, making her enemies on campus.  I have to admit that was true of me also.

The male characters in the story, the ones who are faculty, often function as antagonists to Laura, so there are not many men other than the detective, Laura’s son, and her new lover who share personality characteristics with me.

Most of the protagonists in my books share my nosiness, interest in people, and passion for learning, but most are younger, prettier and more athletic.  While I love cooking and gardening, none of them share these interests with me.

4.  Where do you write?

Until this year I wrote at my desk in the corner of the living room in our house in Florida or, when in upstate New York, at my desk in my office looking out into the branches of a lilac bush but now I find myself taking my computer out to the deck overlooking the trout stream or sometimes I just choose a comfy chair and write there. 

5.  What's next for Laura?

Laura finds she is again gaining weight and finding life a bit boring.  She discovers the body of one of her students in a mall parking lot and sets out to find out who is responsible for this wonderful young woman’s death.  A note on the body seems to be a poke at Laura’s research, but why?

This time Laura takes on a bad boy fraternity to track down the killer.

6.  What's next for Lesley?

I’m taking a breather this summer because my writing schedule has been so intense for the last year.  I will be writing two short stories in the next few months, but my focus will be on promoting this book as well as my recent Eve Appel mystery series published by Camel Press (A Secondhand Murder and Dead in the Water with a release date of July 15).

After refueling my idea tank, I may turn into a noir direction with humor in my mysteries becoming darker.  Never fear, I still have on my schedule to complete books in my existing mystery series as well as the second one for Laura Murphy.

7.  What are your hobbies (or what do you do when you are not writing)?

I cook, garden, exercise, hike, and spend time with my husband working on our 1874 cottage.

8.  Tell us three things that are on your bucket list?

To visit Cornwall, go on a river cruise in Europe and continue writing, writing, writing.

9.  Where do you see yourself in five years?

Still writing.  I hope I’ve gotten the third book in all my series out and have begun other mysteries.

10.  Tell us something about your cats?  Your resident ghost?

My two cats, Squeak and Marley, are both rescue cats from Key Largo, Fl.  We used to spend our winters down there, and we were part of a spay and neuter rescue group for feral cats.  We got Squeak first, then about four years later we got Marley.  Squeak is our girl, a green-eyed, grey striped cat with a lot of attitude for such a little thing.  Marley is the boy of the house, “himself” and considered to be a real pain by his older sister.  As you might guess, they kind of run the place.  Since Squeak is picky about motel rooms when we go back-and-forth between New York and Florida, we always try for a Hilton.  Otherwise she yells at us all night.  Marley doesn’t really care where we stop as long as there’s food for him and he can do what we call “wacko-bananas” all night (runs around the room like a crazy man).

As for Fred, our resident ghost, he seems to have a great sense of humor.  He likes to play tricks on us like turning on the electric fireplace in the summer, making our truck start up in the middle of the night, and having the door knob fall off in my hand.  Quite the prankster.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

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Like me, my protagonists choose to live their lives close to nature.

From the deep, green river valleys and tree-covered mountains of upstate New York to the palm-treed pastures of the Big Lake Country in Florida, these women have found their homes and their hearts in rural America.

These plucky snoops are joined by a transplant from Connecticut, Eve Appel, who moves to rural Florida to set up a consignment shop with her best friend and partner, Madeleine Boudreau.

All these amateur sleuths yearn for the simple, artless existence of hard work coupled with rustic pleasure.
That’s why they live away from big cities, but murder and violence have a way of stalking us, even our plucky heroines, who think they’ve avoided life’s perils.

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(Disclaimer:  I received an e-copy of "Murder is Academic" from the author and publisher through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was offered, requested or received.)