Get Lost in Cathy Perkins Honor Code

Get Lost in a Story Readers:  I'm thrilled to bring back to our blog the fabulously talented Cathy Perkins

 

 

About Honor Code: 

In a small southern town where everyone knows each other’s
business, veteran detective Larry Robbins must solve the disappearance of eighty-year-old widower George Beason.

 

When evidence arises that Beason may have left town on his own, it would be easy for Robbins to close the case, but his gut instinct tells him more’s at stake. As he uncovers clues about Beason’s deceased wife and his estranged daughter, Robbins must untangle conflicting motives and hidden agendas to bring Beason home alive.

 

With HONOR CODE, award-winning author Cathy Perkins delivers a mystery NOVELLA linked to her mystery novel, THE PROFESSOR.

 

Cathy Perkin’s Honor Code is a tense police procedural whose hero is a taunt mix of weariness and optimism. The book begins with the kidnapping of the old man and as the mystery unravels the layered strands of family disfunction, fading communities and fractured marriages reveal a cop whose seen it all but still strives to make a difference. The crime and its solution are riveting, but not as compelling as the detective at the center of book. – Beachside Reviews

The opening scene is powerful in its imagery and emotion… the secondary characters added layers to the story that made me forget I was reading a novella - Renee Rearden

DONNELL: Welcome to Get Lost in a Story!  Time for Readers to learn all about you…well, sort of.  Honor.  Such an important part of characterization in our stories and in life.  Give us an example of when honor was critical in your life.

 

CATHY:  Whew, heavy question before I finish my first cup of coffee. I rarely think about honor in connection with a specific event. For me, it’s more about core values that impact a hundred small decisions every day. It’s how you chose to live your life. When you’re consistent with those core beliefs, the same values provide the strength to deal with major challenges.

I just realized this is another theme that often shows up in my stories. The novel I’m getting ready to turn in also revolves around a character’s attempt to live by a code of honor (except in that story it leads to disaster). Thanks Donnell, I hadn’t seen that before. J

 

DONNELL:  Ha!  It was intentional.  If you pick up a book, what genre is it generally?  Are Mystery/Thrillers primarily what you write?

 CATHY: I’m a voracious reader. Mysteries and thrillers are my ‘go-to’ stories, but I also enjoy literary, fantasy… I’ve been on a women’s fiction binge lately. So many of those stories delve deeply into relationships.

My stories are predominately mystery/suspense, but I tend to make them more character-driven than strictly action-oriented. I enjoy the way the character’s conflict play into the external plot.

 

DONNELL:  This is your second release.  Did you experience second-book syndrome?

 

CATHY: Hmm… not sure what you’re referring to. I’ve written two novels since I finished The Professor. Both are out on submission, so cross your fingers that the editor loves them.

Honor Code was a gift from the muse – delivered up nearly intact. I’d wake up in the morning with a scene vivid in my imagination. I’d scramble to write it down and was always delighted when it still sounded good when I edited it later. Don’t you love it when that happens?

 

DONNELL:  Describe your office.  Is it organized, cluttered?  Would I want to trade you?

 

CATHY: How about organized chaos? I telecommute to my day job. I converted a bedroom into an office for it. Since I’m always working on multiple projects, there are (ahem) a few piles of paper.  On the floor, the credenza.

Since I want to keep my writing separate from my day job, I generally write at the dining room table. Of course, those windows have an eighty-mile view to the Blue Mountains – inspiring!

 

DONNELL:  Writing a sequel to The Professor, how hard was that?  Or was it like reuniting with an old friend?

 

CATHY:  Honor Code isn’t really a sequel, although Detective Larry Robbins was a secondary character in The Professor. Honor Code is Robbins’ story. In a way it was like visiting an old firend since I “knew” his character. I felt there was more to explore with him. I love that a reviewer said about Robbins: “The crime and its solution are riveting, but not as compelling as the detective at the center of book.”

 

DONNELL:  What is the most unusual thing you have in your closet?

 

CATHY: Oh my. {Peeks into closet and slams door} Err… let’s try another one. The pantry! Here’s something unusual: a tea-set awarded to my husband’s great-great-grandfather for his actions when the mine exploded and collapsed (back in Wales). The engraving on the tea-pot is lovely.

 

DONNELL:  If you could go back in time, to what era would you travel, and who would you meet?

 

CATHY: I love visiting other times and places in stories. May I dabble a bit with this question? I’d like to visit the Renaissance and discuss art and science with Leonardo da Vince; watch the first Guggenheim Bible slide out of the press; carve cylinder seals with Mesopotamian artisans; see the first cave woman figure out how to make thread and the Scotsmen learn to knit. Talk with Clara Barton about the Red Cross; share recipes with the Benedictine monks. Oh, I could go on forever…

 

Cathy, now it’s your turn.  Time to ask the reader a question.  And READERS, THIS JUST IN.  CATHY'S BOOK IS FREE ON AMAZON KINDLE TODAY http://www.amazon.com/Honor-Code-Mystery-Novella-ebook/dp/B009STQQIE

 

CATHY:  Have you ever found yourself thinking about a character – after the story is finished? What makes you think about them? The character themselves or the situation he or she was in?

 

Cathy's links and contact information.

www.cperkinswrites.com

Twitter

Facebook

Amazon - Available in both eBook and paper

 

Happy New Year! Donnell

 

You too, friend.  Thanks. Cathy for being our guest!!