Linda Lovely

GET LOST WITH DEAR KILLER AUTHOR, LINDA LOVELY





Excerpts from a review of

DEAR KILLER
by Lowcountry Weekly Editor Margaret Evans

A Lively, Lovely Lowcountry Mystery

For my money, few things in life are more deliciously satisfying than curling up with a good mystery. … But please note: I did say a “good” mystery – emphasis on “good” – and I’m a fairly demanding critic. I require a distinctive setting, a large, colorful cast of suspects, a memorable hero/heroine I can root for, and a plot that keeps me breathlessly turning pages and guessing ‘til the end. Oh, and the writing must be impeccable.

I’m happy to inform my readers that Linda Lovely’s new mystery novel “Dear Killer” meets all my requirements, and then some! Snappy writing? Check. Dynamic heroine? Check. Vivid array of suspects? Check, check, check! Interesting setting? I’ll say. And not only is it interesting… it’s familiar. “Dear Killer” is set in the SC Lowcountry, featuring names and places you’re guaranteed to recognize. Lovely, a former resident of Fripp Island, doesn’t scrimp on the fun-to-spot details.

And she even gives us a “mature” romance to follow.

Here’s the set-up: Marley Clark, a 52 year old widow (and Sigourney Weaver look-alike) recently retired from a career in military intelligence, now works as a part-time security guard on a private SC island. While patrolling her turf one night, she finds a resident drowned and bobbing naked amid a bunch of veggies in a Jacuzzi. Asked to serve as the lead investigator’s liaison, Marley finds herself drawn to handsome Deputy Braden Mann, a dozen years her junior, and is thrilled to find him… drawn back. Together, they sort through a collection of oddball suspects and hidden motives as the bodies begin to pile up on Dear Island. As their mutual attraction grows, so does the danger.

And it’s all great fun!

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO MEET LINDA LOVELY!!

DONNELL: Big city or small town girl?

LINDA: Small town girl, definitely. Born and raised in Keokuk, Iowa, with plenty of summer fun in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where my aunt and uncle lived. I set my debut mystery, DEAR KILLER, on a fictional island in the South Carolina Lowcountry because I lived on an island outside Beaufort for a dozen years and realized a tight-knit community could function as a character in my book. People REALLY know each other, and no closet is ever completely closed on your skeletons. My sequel in the Marley Clark mystery series, NO WAKE ZONE, is set in Spirit Lake for the same reasons. Release date is second quarter of 2012.

DONNELL: Favorite room in your house and why?
LINDA: Kitchen. Sunny and it smells SO good. The open design lets me see the back of hubbie’s bobbing head as he argues with TV sportscasters. I love to cook and experiment. Since my husband has a thing for homemade cookies, he cleans up and loads the dishwasher. Perfect division of labor. Holiday time, I make chocolate-covered cherries, toffee, fudge, etc., a childhood tradition started with mom and my sister.

DONNELL: Character driven or plot driven author?
LINDA: Character-driven. Sort of. I start with a clear idea of my heroine and hero and of time and place. Yet before I write a single sentence, I have a good idea of my plot “themes.” That doesn’t mean I outline or even know how the book will end. As I write, my characters often lead me down unexpected paths. However, those meanderings tend to be branches off the central themes identified at the outset. For instance, one strong theme for NO WAKE ZONE has to do with the bonds of family and friendship—some loving and wonderfully fulfilling, others toxic and deadly.
DONNELL: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
LINDA: LOL. Wish I had more formal reviews to read! Lots of folks tell an author they love a book and will post a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Goodreads. Most get busy and forget. I’ve been thrilled by kind reviews from strangers. It’s wonderful when someone “gets” you. But a bad review wouldn’t devastate me. I’ve made my living as a writer (newsletters, brochures, feature articles, speeches, etc.) and clients have strong opinions (that sometimes change midstream). Visit any book club, some folks will love a book and others hate it. That has more to do with the reader than the book. It’s not personal. I should add that my tough (I love ’em) critique partners have helped thicken my skin. The critiques BEFORE a book is published are the most valuable.
DONNELL: You’re on a life raft surrounded by sharks. Who do you want with you?
LINDA: Maybe Jacques Cousteau in his heyday or a special ops Seal from one of Cindy Gerard’s romantic suspense thrillers. Preferably my companion would just happen to have a harpoon and a flare gun.
DONNELL: What’s in your refrigerator right now?
LINDA: Leftovers. Split pea soup, meatloaf, lasagna, chicken parmesan. All packaged in meal-size freezer containers. I tend to cook BIG kettles/pans of food and freeze leftovers so I can pull them out when I’m pushed for time. Why cook a small turkey when you can roast a 20-pounder for about the same amount of energy and have lots of yummy leftovers?
DONNELL: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?
LINDA: That I write terrific novels? That my gray hair isn’t a good barometer of how old I feel? Guess I have no good answer. I have no secret talent yearning to break free.

DONNELL: Dog or cat person?
LINDA: Neither. Would love to have a cat, but I’m allergic. Cats are great. Independent, sassy, picky. They decide for themselves when and who to cuddle with.

DONNELL: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
LINDA: I love what I do. Writing is fun, therapeutic. I have no expectations of achieving great wealth as an author though I’d like to break even on my writing conference/membership spending over the years. I’m just thrilled when someone tells me they enjoyed my book. Oh, and making the finals in both RWA’s Golden Heart and the Daphne for two different books in 2010 provided an amazing initiation into the world of the RWA National Conference.

DONNELL: What’s the most surprising thing you learned while writing/researching a book?
LINDA: That Tammy and Brenda, my brainy and charming nieces (both have doctorates), know so many intriguing and sneaky ways to murder people.

DONNELL: What turns you off; what turns you on?
LINDA: Turn offs—bullies and hypocrites. Turn ons—my husband, good friends, chocolate, reading great books that make me laugh and give me goose bumps but by the last page reassure me life is worth living and love triumphs no matter how rocky the ride.
DONNELL: If you could meet anyone in the world, past and present, who would it be and why?
LINDA: My great grandmother, Julia Carr. Family tales about her are so amazing and contradictory. I’d love to hear her version. I know she was schooled in a Convent and married multiple times. First husband (my great grandfather) died young. Second divorced her after her father’s death—John Carr had put the family’s fortune in the husband’s name. Third husband was reputed to be a gangster who died in a knife fight. Julia’s portrait hangs on my office wall. Mom always swore I was a throwback (in looks, anyway) to Julia.

AND NOW IT’S LINDA’S TURN TO ASK QUESTIONS FOR READERS & FANS.

Marley Clark, the heroine in my mystery series, is 52 years old. She’s physically fit, mentally agile and sexually active. Though it never occurred to me that “older” protagonists shouldn’t have romantic escapades, some publishing pundits say heroines should be in their 20s and 30s. What say you? Would you read books featuring over-50 heroines?

Linda will be giving away a copy of Dear Killer to one lucky commenter. To learn even more about the fabulous Linda Lovely check out http://lindalovely.com/index.html

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