1/30/2013

The Peachy Tara Holloway

DEATH, TAXES, and PEACH SANGRIA
A Tara Holloway Novel #4
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 1250023068

When it comes to exposing tax fraud, Tara and her partner Eddie are really cleaning up. From their brilliant takedown of the disappearing “Tax Wizard” to their perfectly planned downfall of the “Deduction Diva,” they’ve earned the respect of their peers at Criminal Investigations. Now Tara’s ready to celebrate with an ice-cold pitcher of peach sangria—even if her next case is totally the pits…

Tara’s looking forward to a challenge but, back at the office, everyone’s looking for love. Her boss Lu “The Lobo” Lobozinski and office virgin Josh Schmidt are signing up for an online dating service, and—to Tara’s dismay—so is her crush, Special Agent Nick Pratt. Tara’s trying to act chill. But when she learns that her next case involves cash-funneling to terrorists, it’s not just her love life that’s on the rocks. It’s her life, period.

THE GAL BEHIND TARA
A CPA and tax attorney, Diane spent several years at an international accounting firm where she had the pleasure of working with a partner later convicted of tax shelter fraud. She also served a stint as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas under an AG who pled guilty to criminal charges related to the tobacco company lawsuits. Given this work history, Diane decided self-employment might be a good idea. She also realized her experiences with white-collar crime were excellent fodder for a novel. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her "Death and Taxes" mystery series.

Diane won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in 2009 and has earned over two dozen RWA chapter awards.

THE SHORT & SWEET
ANGI: What do you like about Tara’s love interest, Nick?
DIANE:  He’s straightforward. No BS. He’s also willing to set aside his pride for love. Not many men can-or will-do that. I also like that he appreciates a woman with some gumption and isn’t emasculated by a strong partner.

ANGI: Is there a picture of Nick (or the guy he’s based on)?
DIANE:  Nick is first introduced in Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte, book #2 of the series. I describe him there as a young Kurt Russell or Val Kilmer type.  He’s good looking, in a rugged, natural way. He’s not the type of guy who spends a lot of time primping. He’s got better things to do.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?
DIANE:   I met a whole slew of them when I met the IRS special agents I interviewed for the series!  They were amazing.  Very smart and no nonsense. I found their mix of financial skills and law enforcement skills to be very intriguing.  They weren’t able to give me all the dirty details about their investigations, but it’s clear that they’ve faced down some pretty bad characters.  

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
DIANE:  Songs by women with strong voices. Pink comes to mind, as do Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain. Tara tends to listen to country-western music, especially the fun, fast songs.

ANGI: What was your most-favorite movie?
DIANE:  I saw Grease 27 times as a kid. I loved the mixture of romance, singing, dancing, and the theme of people discovering who they are and what lengths they will go to for love.

ANGI: Who’s a real-life villain (you might base a character on)?
DIANE:   I’m thinking about having a villain politician in my next case, one who improperly dipped his hand into his campaign funds and may have improperly dipped other body part elsewhere, if you get my drift.  The character might be considered loosely based on Tom DeLay, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and John Edwards.  I’ve heard that Jesse Jackson, Jr. is under investigation for alleged misuse, too.  Clearly this is a widespread problem that crosses party lines!

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?
DIANE:  Ugh! I’ve got so many!  Probably messiness.  I tend to be involved in a lot of things, and I constantly bounce from one thing to the next all day, leaving things partially finished.  My house is very cluttered all the time, though I can normally find things. It’s an “organized mess.”  I once heard that an immaculate house is a sign of a life misspent, and I agree!  

ANGI: Is there a “Blooper” in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?
DIANE:   I changed the ending of Death, Taxes, and Peach Sangria after the advanced reading copies were printed. The change only involved a few words, but let’s just say I think readers will be much happier that things turn out the way they do rather than how I’d originally written the scene.

ANGI: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?
DIANE:  Totally fun! Especially when I get to put them up against crafty, violent tax evaders and force them to bring their best game.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: In your discussion topics for “a Sequined Clutch” you ask if readers believe in signs. Do you? If so, what signs have you received and what did they tell you?  
DIANE’S GOTTA ANSWER:   I do!  When my husband and I began dating, he mentioned that he had a cat. When I first saw the two of them together, and I saw that she was well taken care of, I knew it was a sign that he was caring, compassionate, responsible, and laid back. That cat told me so much without ever saying a word!  She was a furry sign that he was the guy for me.  

FIND DIANE
Contact   Website     Facebook   Twitter @DianeKellyBooks 
Goodreads   Killer Fiction   Previous GLIAS interviews

UP NEXT for DIANE: 
DEATH, TAXES, AND HOT PINK LEGWARMERS
A Tara Holloway Novel #5
St. Martin’s Press
June 4th 2013
READ ABOUT IT

PREVIOUS RELEASES by DIANE
DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE
A Tara Holloway Novel #1
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0312551266
READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A NO-WHIP LATTE
A Tara Holloway Novel #2
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0312551282
READ THE EXCERPT
DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTRA-HOLD HAIRSPRAY
A Tara Holloway Novel #3
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0312551282
READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A SEQUINED CLUTCH
A Tara Holloway e-book Novella #3.5
St. Martin’s Press
ASIN: B0091CAT7W
READ THE EXCERPT

PEACHY GIVE AWAY
DIANE’S giving away a copy of DEATH, TAXES, and PEACH SANGRIA to one North American  blog commenter leaving their email address.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Feel free to email your contact information to Angi at GetLostInAStory@gmail.com instead. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DON’T FORGET to follow us on Facebook  & Twitter #GetLostStories for a daily update on who’s visiting GLIAS and what they might be giving away! Join Alexa tomorrow when she hosts ELLE JAMES. Come back on Friday when Maureen kicks February off with Molly O’Keefe. ~Angi

DIANE WANTS TO KNOW: In Death, Taxes, and Peach Sangria, Tara enjoys a pitcher or two of Nick’s mother’s homemade sangria recipe. What’s your favorite drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and what do you think it says about you?

17 comments:

  1. My favorite beverage is when I have a nice hot cup of tea in the morning. It's peaceful in the house since no one is up but the cats.
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that early morning time, too. It's all ours! Then everyone gets up and starts demanding breakfast. What a bunch of party poopers! : )

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  2. GOOD MORNING DIANE and welcome back to GLIAS !
    So glad you're here. I think it's wonderful that Tara Halloway (and you) are such huge successes.

    My drink is water. So boring, yet healthy. I rarely drink anything else now. I have to live without the sugar... what does it say about me? I'm very afraid of my sweet tooth.
    ~Angi

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    1. I should drink more H2O, but I just find it more interesting when it's got some kick to it. : ) I wish I could be as healthy as you! I'll try . . . starting right after I finish this cherry coke.

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  3. "I once heard that an immaculate house is a sign of a life misspent..."

    I have to totally agree with you on that one. My house is the cleanest when I get stuck on a scene and have to go clean my way through it. Otherwise...well, let's not go there.

    Thanks for visiting with us.

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    Replies
    1. I'm with you, Clover! I tend to clean (and exercise) when I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed. When I'm happy, things are a mess.

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  4. Hi Diane, welcome to Get Lost in a Story. Wow, talk about knowing your topic! Love your description of your protagonist. Combination of Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell and no primping!

    oooh. hands up on the drink biz... Margaritas or Baileys. It says, darn it, I have a sweet tooth. thanks for joining us today. Death Taxes and a Peach Sangria sounds like a load of fun!

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    Replies
    1. I'm a huge fan of Bailey's, too. It's like adult chocolate milk. : )

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  5. Hi Diane,

    Can't wait to dive into this one! You ask what my favorite drink is? Currently it's Miller Lite and what that says about me is I'm on a diet. ;0)

    Best wishes for many sales!

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    Replies
    1. You so do NOT need to be on a diet, but maybe the fact that you drink Miller Lite is why you don't need to be on a diet. : ) I've been really bad lately and my "fat" jeans are now too tight. Ugh!

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  6. Hi Angi (can't wait to host you at www.KissandThrill.com Tuesday!)
    Hi Diane, you spoke to our NW Houston chapter years ago, a riot, and talking about taxes yet making us laugh is quite a feat!

    Aside from 1 cup of coffee in the morning I drink gobs of water all day, like Angi. But I wouldn't consider either of them my fav. That would be: a margarita, rocks, no salt preferably with Don Julio or Silver Patron tequilla. Why yes, I do live in Houston, why do you ask? :)

    What it says about me? High maintenance (top shelf liquor), sensitive to cold (rocks instead of frozen) hyper-weight conscious (no salt or my face is moon-shaped the next day.)

    LOVE your titles, Diane, good luck with sales! (And taxes.)

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    Replies
    1. Okay, gotta pop in and say well done to Sarah and Angi. That's discipline. But... have you done your taxes? Loving the answers to these questions, Diane!

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  7. iced tea; that I like a refreshing drink?

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(Dot)com

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  8. Can't do taxes, Donnell, until all the paperwork gets here. Dang. But that's on the list. College student has us in the habit of getting it done first week of February. ACK !
    ~Angi

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  9. I think it's iced tea in the summer and hot chocolate in the winter... Just the classics...

    maybe31 at yahoo.com

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  10. And the winner is . . . Sarah Andre! Thanks to all who joined in the conversation.

    (Sarah - please email me at diane@dianekelly.com to claim your prize. Thanks!)

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  11. Thanks again for coming back and sharing more of yourself (and Tara) with our readers.
    ~Angi

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