Friday, May 4, 2012

Peg Herring, Guest Blogger!


Peg is here today with a very different kind of interview. What is below is just part of the whole. The interviewee is kinda different, too. Read on for details and for a chance at several prizes!

Thanks for letting me travel along, Kaye!

Introduction: Peg Herring’s Blog Tour for May (and one post in June) consists of a mix of interviews with Seamus, the Dead Detective, with posts on writing. Yesterday’s post was at The Stiletto Gang,  The next post will be at Melissa’s Imaginarium on May 7th.  A complete schedule is posted at Peg’s blog, It’s A Mystery to Me. 

When the tour is over (June 11th), the complete Seamus interview will be posted on Peg’s blog.

Prizes: People who comment on any blog post on the tour will be entered in drawings for several prizes: Dead Detective T-shirts, copies of THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY and DEAD FOR THE MONEY (paperback or e-books available), and the chance to be a character in the third of the series DEAD FOR THE SHOW. Multiple winners will be drawn.

Bio: Peg Herring lives in Michigan and writes two series, the critically acclaimed Simon & Elizabeth (Tudor) Mysteries (Five Star Publishing) and the award-winning Dead Detective Mysteries (LL-Publications). When not writing, Peg enjoys directing musical groups, gardening, and talking about writing.


A Dead Guy Talks about You
Interviewer: We’re here again with Cross-back Detective Seamus, who investigates suspicious deaths for the dead by coming back to earth and inhabiting the bodies of living humans. Thanks for joining us again, Seamus.

Seamus: Part of the job, they tell me.

Interviewer: We were talking about what it’s like to be inside someone’s head. Can you elaborate a little on that?

Seamus: Well, I don’t think many people know that their general outlook on life has an effect on how they see things.

Interviewer: What do you mean?

Seamus: If a person is depressed or if he tends to be a negative type, what I see through his eyes is gray and kinda faded-looking. If I jump to someone more positive, everything brightens up, like the lights came on or the sun came out.

Interviewer: So mood affects everything?

Seamus: Yeah. It’s just that a person can’t see his own mood. A guy might know one day that things seem better than they did the day before, but he doesn’t notice it most of the time. We talk about brighter days and a lighter step, but most people don’t realize they’re not just figures of speech.

Interviewer: Does that apply to everything a person experiences?

Seamus: It does. Speech, for example. Now, it’s awful to listen to any of you, but—

Interviewer: What do you mean, awful?

Seamus: To us, you people sound like records played too slow on a phonograph, like a 78 played at 33 1/3, you know?

Interviewer: (with a nervous laugh) I’m afraid I don’t. What do those numbers mean? And what’s a phonograph?


Seamus: Never mind. I just meant the sound drags out.

Interviewer: So our speech seems slow to you.

Seamus: And there’s interference, too. Things you guys ignore, like the refrigerator running or the traffic passing outside, we hear. Your brain learned a long time ago to filter all that out.

Interviewer: But once you’re left earth, you have to relearn it.

Seamus: (Chuckles) I once hosted with a guy who’d just got hearing aids, and his experience came close to what we get, all those noises at the same volume as whatever you’re trying to listen to. It takes a while each time to kinda fine tune things.

Interviewer: It sounds unpleasant.

Seamus: You get used to it, or you don’t cross back again.

Interviewer: You’re saying a cross-back must do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Seamus: The good ones do. We don’t have to do the job at all. It’s always up to us.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

That was a fun trip!


The Malice Domestic convention was fun and exhausting! I didn't win the Agatha, but am so gratified, hearing from all the people who said they voted for me. My signing was really, really fun! One of the nine Guppies nominated brought home the teapot--Leslie Budewitz for her non-fiction legal writers' companion. There's a nice picture of her on facebook.

So many lovely things happened to me, I don't know where to begin. Krista Davis gave me a tiny teapot, just in case I didn't get another one. Good thinking, Krista!

At my signing, I met brand new readers and fans. One gal had already ready CHOKE and told me what her favorite part was. That warmed those heart cockles!

I tried to get some pictures of fellow Guppies on Friday, but they're all pretty fuzzy. Our own Hank Phillippi Ryan interviewing Dana Cameron. 

I had a great time hanging out with Dru Ann Love and her coterie in the bar in between panels and things.



The panel of nominees for Best Short Story, including Krista and Daryl Wood Gerber (2nd and 3rd from left), and Roberta Isleib on the right, moderated by Barb Goffman. 









Two shots of the Saturday Guppy lunch:









I had the very best people at my table for the Saturday banquet. Bonnie Steven's husband, Dennis, got a bottle of wine for the table to toast me right before the announcements.

Sue Evans is across the table, then Lynn Farris's husband and Lynn. Lynn Farris wrote the five-star review that appeared in the Malice nominee program. She and her family live in Costa Rica!

This is my daughter, Jessica, Kathleen Owens, and Anna Castle.









The Farrises and author Janice Hamrick.


Here's the complete list of nominees and Award winners.

Best Novel:
The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews (Minotaur)
The Diva Haunts the House by Krista Davis (Berkley)
Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet (Minotaur)
* Three-Day Town by Margaret Maron (Grand Central Publishing)
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (Minotaur)

Best First Novel:
Dire Threads by Janet Bolin (Berkley)
Choke by Kaye George (Mainly Murder Press)
* Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (Crown)
Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab (Berkley)
Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend (Berkley)

Best Non-fiction:
* Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure by Leslie Budewitz (Linden)
Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks by John Curran (Harper)
On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda (Princeton University Press)
Wilkie Collins, Vera Caspary and the Evolution of the Casebook Novel by A. B. Emrys (McFarland)
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris (Ace)

Best Short Story:
* "Disarming" (PDF) by Dana Cameron, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - June 2011
"Dead Eye Gravy" by Krista Davis, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press)
"Palace by the Lake" by Daryl Wood Gerber, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press)
"Truth and Consequences" by Barb Goffman, Mystery Times Ten (Buddhapuss Ink)
"The Itinerary" by Roberta Isleib, MWA Presents the Rich and the Dead (Grand Central Publishing)

Best Children's/Young Adult:
Shelter by Harlan Coben (Putnam)
* The Black Heart Crypt by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press)
The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey (EgmontUSA)
The Code Busters Club, Case #1: The Secret of the Skeleton Key by Penny Warner (EgmontUSA)

Best Historical Novel:
* Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen (Berkley)
Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy (Signet)
Mercury's Rise by Ann Parker (Poisoned Pen Press)
Troubled Bones by Jeri Westerson (Minotaur)
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (Harper)

Friday, April 20, 2012

Guest Evelyn David AND a free book!

I welcome Evelyn David to my Travels today. Evelyn is, as you'll see below, a two-person team, writing the Brianna Sullivan cross-genre mysteries--8 of them now! They have just launched a new series, too. The new Maggie Brooks stuff keeps their humor, but without the paranormal of the Brianna books. Please leave a comment for a chance to get a free copy of Zoned for Murder!



Taking Risks
by Evelyn David

President Jimmy Carter once advised, "Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is."

It's all about taking risks. The danger of failure is real; but the rewards of success are so sweet. And it's all a learning process in any case.

Neither half of Evelyn David was a mystery writer when we decided to pen, Murder Off the Books. We both were avid fans of the genre, but to actually write one; find an agent, a publisher; risk the heartache of rejection (or laughter) for our efforts? It was scarier than the memories of seventh grade dances and not being asked to cha-cha even once.

But the joy of selling the book; hearing from readers who liked (nay, even loved it) – and then writing the sequel, Murder Takes the Cake, emboldened us. We learned that we survived rejection – just like we had survived seventh grade. In fact, while we loved the characters of Mac Sullivan, Rachel Brenner, and Whiskey, the adorable wolfhound, we decided to create a whole new world – or maybe even two. So we invented the town of Lottawatah, Oklahoma, unexpected home to psychic/reluctant sleuth Brianna Sullivan, and cranky, digestively-challenged bulldog, Leon. And we developed an alternate universe, one in which Brianna can chat with ghosts who need her help to solve what is tethering them to this mortal world. The Brianna Sullivan mysteries were born, and we've just completed the eighth one!

Again, we were so thrilled that readers embraced this new series…that we were once more emboldened to try something new. Zoned for Murder is our newest whodunnit, the first in the Sound Shore Times series. It has the Evelyn David trademark humor, the right blend of romance and mystery, but the story is a little more serious than our earlier works. We're going out on that proverbial limb, but we're hoping that the fruits of success will be worth the risk. Early reviewers have loved the book, and once again, we're grinning from ear-to-ear (or ears) because we adore the feeling of creating a killer story that can capture a reader's imagination (and make them laugh too).

Here's the synopsis: Former Newsweek reporter Maggie Brooks has two kids, a dead husband, a mortgage to pay, and a lot of competition when she tries to get back into the shrinking newspaper business. Landing a job with a local paper, she's bored to tears covering bake sales and Little League games. But when a developer tries to build an outlet mall in a neighboring town, what starts out as potentially a great clip for her resume, suddenly turns dangerous and ugly. Someone will do anything to block the mall's construction. Dirty money, nasty politics, and shady land deals abound as Maggie pursues the scoop that might jumpstart her career. When murder is added to the mix, she realizes that meeting her deadline might be the last thing she ever does. Read Maggie's byline as she rebuilds her career, dips her toes into a shark-filled dating pool, and investigates a small New York town Zoned for Murder.

Climb out on that limb with us. Enjoy!

_________________

Win a Free Copy - Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win a free download of Zoned for Murder from Smashwords (all e-book formats are available there). One winner will be picked at random. Be sure to leave a contact email in your comment or drop us an email at evelyn@evelyndavid.com so we know how to send you the 100% off coupon code for the download.
_________________

The author of Murder Off the Books, Murder Takes the Cake, Riley Come Home, Moonlighting at the Mall and The Brianna Sullivan Mysteries e-book series, Evelyn David is the pseudonym for Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett.


I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries  

Murder Off the Books

Zoned for Murder

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Malice Domestic, Here I Come!

On Friday I'm going to visit some family in the DC area, THEN I'm going to the Malice Domestic mystery convention! I'm not sure how many years I've been attending this one, but it's the one I've been to the most--at least 6 times. 

I worked on packing my clothes today and almost have that finished. But that's the easy part! Would you like to know what all is involved for my trip this year? I'm doing it up because of my nomination for an Agatha Award. (Like how I slipped that in--again?)

When the call came out to donate a basket for the charity auction, I contributed to one from the FISH TALES anthology group. Two of my fellow Guppies, Krista Davie and Daryl Gerber, are nominated for Agathas for their stories in that book. I'm also donating a basket with a CHOKE theme. Luckily, I mailed those things and don't have to pack them.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sisters in Crime, our chapter, the Guppies, wrote 25-word mystery stories. Yes, this can be done! Flash fiction at its best. A lot of Gups jumped into this project and the result is a whole bunch of these little gems. One Guppy, Theresa deValence, formatted the stories into a booklet which I volunteered to hand out for Guppy promotion at the conference. Those are being mailed, too, so I don't have to pack them.

However, I also volunteered (there are LOTS of things you can volunteer for at this conference) to host a table during the banquet. It's not necessary, but it's nice to give little table favors to the people who sign up to sit at your table. So I've been haunting the dollar store and other places and will have to pack those.

I'll also have to remember to pack my bookmarks--new ones made up with the five covers of my books: my novel, my short story collection, and three anthologies I have stories in. I had a very good year in 2011, getting my novel published AND those short story anthologies. I squeezed in a QRC (quick read code, I think). I wonder if anyone really uses those.

Can't forget my camera, my laptop, a flash stick with my latest projects on it, my e-reader loaded with some airplane reading. I won't need to bring other books, since I'll be given a bag full at Malice and won't be able to resist buying even more. A swimsuit? Maybe--oh sure, might as well. I'll also bring some copies of my collection, A PATCHWORK OF STORIES, to sell on consignment in the book dealer room where my novel will be on sale. The book dealer, Mystery Loves Company, has ordered those, so I won't have to deal with them either, unless there are problems with ordering. Fingers crossed!

I'll be back with a report (and pictures if I remember to take them) in May. Meanwhile, look for Evelyn David's guest blog on Friday, the 20th, and the chance to win a FREE BOOK! I'll check in here when my flight lands.


Friday, April 13, 2012

Book Review: The Vault by Boyd Morrison

I enjoyed “Rogue Wave,” an earlier thriller by Morrison, but haven’t read the first in this series featuring Tyler Locke, “The Ark.” In this book, we find a group of thieves robbing an auction house’s storage vault. There's no honor among these thieves, whatsoever! Jordan Orr, the ringleader, is after a woman’s hand made of pure gold, but he also pockets an ancient Greek document, unseen by his partners. Jordan doesn’t hesitate to kill off all three of his accomplices as soon as they’re not needed.
Jordan has fashioned an elaborate scheme that involves kidnapping Tyler Locke’s father to insure Tyler’s cooperation, and also nabbing the sister of a beautiful Greek scholar to force her to help him interpret arcane puzzle pieces. The chase leads from a bomb on a Seattle ferry to England to Italy and to Greece, and involves old radioactive power systems from abandoned Russian lighthouses. Along the way Locke and the Greek scholar must decipher puzzles originally set up by Archimedes to save the lives of the hostages. All this, Jordan hopes, will lead him to the secret of the fabled Midas touch and untold wealth.
Morrison writes with short chapters that make for a fast read, even though this thriller weighs in at over four hundred pages.

Reviewed for Suspense Magazine, fall of 2011 

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Voting Time

No, the elections aren't for awhile yet. And the next primary is a couple of weeks away. But there's voting going on right now anyway!

You may (or may not) know that I do a group blog at All Things Writing (http://allthingswriting.blogspot.com/). We've entered our blog in a contest, through Goodreads, to win a trip to BookExpo America in June! All we ask is that you take a look at the blog. If you like what you see, consider clicking the link at the left on All Things Writing and give us a vote.

We don't promise to lower taxes (but remember to pay yours next week) or rebuild roads or fix the weather, but we do vow to keep bringing you topics we hope you get some good out of.

The blog has recently expanded to include guest bloggers and we have a bunch of them lined up, writers in varied genres, but all with something interesting to say.

Voting goes from April 10th to 23rd--vote now!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

CHOKE has a lower price!

I've lowered the price of the ebook in anticipation of the Malice Domestic convention, where my mystery is in the running for an Agatha Award. If you don't have a copy yet, are attending Malice, and would like to read it before then, this is a good chance!

It has a 4 star rating on Amazon and some very nice reviews. Readers have said things like:

Choke is a dust devil of a ride through the Texas landscape of Immy's life. -Kate George

Overall, a funny, energetic, good natured read, particularly for young women who will relate to Immy's outlook on life. -Diana M. Hockley

 With an adorable cast including Imogene, her mother and her precious daughter and amusing dialogue, this pleasantly read story will have you yearning for more adventures with Imogene Duckworthy. -D. Love

The book was colorful, humorous, and a good tale.
Thank You, Ms. George, for a good time! -L. Rigod

With CHOKE, first-timer Kaye George has accomplished something special: an original mystery, an original Immy, and a novel that leaves readers laughing and wanting more. -Mary K. Waller

My only complaint is that the book is too short. I wanted more of all these characters. I hope there are many more Detective Duckworhty books in the future. -KB

Here's where you can get a copy in a matter of seconds.


If you get a copy and like it, I'd sure love to hear from you!