Get Lost in a Story Readers: Larissa Reinhart knows Southern. She knows art and fun and how to write appealing hunky love interests. She writes quirky, loveable characters and a darn fine mystery. Please welcome Larissa Hoffman as she promotes book two of her Cherry Tucker mystery series.
ABOUT STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW :
Cherry Tucker’s in a stew. Art commissions dried up after her nemesis became president of the County Arts Council. Desperate and broke, Cherry and her friend, Eloise, spend a sultry summer weekend hawking their art at the Sidewinder Annual Brunswick Stew Cook-Off. When a bad case of food poisoning breaks out and Eloise dies, the police brush off her death as accidental. However, Cherry suspects someone spiked the stew and killed her friend. As Cherry calls on cook-off competitors, bitter rivals, and crooked judges, her cop boyfriend get steamed while the killer prepares to cook Cherry’s goose.
“The hilariously droll Larissa Reinhart cooks up a quirky and entertaining page-turner! This charming mystery is delightfully Southern, surprisingly edgy, and deliciously unpredictable." --Hank Phillippi Ryan Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha, Anthony and Macavity winning author
"Reinhart's country-fried mystery is as much fun as a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl at a state fair. Her sleuth wields a paintbrush and unravels clues with equal skill and flair. Readers who like a little small-town charm with their mysteries will enjoy Reinhart's series. --Denise Swanson, New York Times Bestselling author of the Scumble River and Devereaux's Dime Store mysteries
"It takes a rare talent to successfully portray a beer-and-hormone-addled artist as a sympathetic and worthy heroine, but Reinhart pulls it off with tongue-in-cheek panache. Cherry is a lovable riot, whether drooling over the town’s hunky males, defending her dysfunctional family’s honor, or snooping around murder scenes." --Mystery Scene Magazine
QUESTIONS FOR LARISSA REINHART:
DONNELL: Welcome to
Get Lost in a Story, Larissa! I’ve read
Still life and Portrait of a Dead Guy and loved them both. Cherry Tucker is Southern through and through
and one great protagonist. How much is
Cherry like Larissa?
LARISSA: Hey Donnell! Thanks so much for having me on GLIAS
and thanks for your kind words about Portrait and Still Life. I love this blog
and am a fan of your books as well! To answer your question, I am taller than
Cherry by two inches, and I am not truly Southern, although I’ve lived in
Georgia most of my adult life. I’m also much more cautious and hopefully not as
mouthy. I am pretty stubborn, though.
DONNELL: What do you
like best about writing a series, and then turn this. What’s the most difficult?
LARISSA: I love
revisiting the characters. A series gives you a chance to deepen them, too,
particularly the secondary characters. I also like having the chance to extend
the mystery of Cherry’s mother’s past over the length of the series. It’s fun
dropping hints that will develop into clues in later books. The most difficult
is keeping track of everything! I just finished writing #3 and had to do the
occasional document search of #1 and #2 for double checking certain “facts”.
DONNELL: When you’re
not writing, where will we find you?
LARISSA: With my daughters who are ten and seven. I’m a room
mom this year, too, so if it’s a school day and I’m not at my computer, I’m at
the school.
DONNELL: What
accomplishment, writing or otherwise, would you say you’re most proud of?
LARISSA: Writing wise, I’m so happy to be where I am right
now. I have two books and a novella coming out this year. I’m constantly
pinching myself. Mainly to stay awake.;) And last year, I was so honored to be
nominated for our (RWA Kiss of Death) beloved Daphne du Maurier award.
Otherwise, I’m very proud of daughters and my husband. They’ve been so
supportive of having the sudden change from 24/7 Mommy to 24/7 Mommy-Writer. I
would find the sudden change terribly annoying. It’s been a difficult
adjustment for me and they’ve taken it all in stride.
DONNELL: What’s in
your refrigerator right now?
LARISSA: Lots of Asian condiments and Duke’s mayo.
DONNELL: Are you
organized?
LARISSA: Not in appearance, but in theory.
DONNELL: If Hollywood
came to you and said we want to produce your Cherry Tucker series, who do you
see playing Cherry Tucker? Luke? Todd? J
LARISSA: Maybe I should ask you this question... I recently
watched Jake Gyllenhaal in “End of Watch” (LAPD movie) and thought he’d make a
pretty cute Luke. And that Ingo guy on Dancing With the Stars would make an
adorable Todd. I can’t think of a Cherry. Someone tiny, blonde, and fierce.
DONNELL: If you could
meet anyone past or present, who would it be and why?
LARISSA: I’d love a minute with my dad again. He’d get such
a kick out of the series.
And now Larissa, it's your turn to ask readers a question….
LARISSA HOFFMAN: How do you feel about unresolved conflicts in a series,
whether they be in the heroine or hero’s love life, family life, or some conflict
from their past? I’d also love to know how many readers have heard of Brunswick
Stew!
I’ll give away two e-books of Portrait of a Dead Guy to two
readers.
Thanks, Larissa for joining us today!
Links:
Buy LInks:
PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY:
STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW:
Amazon Kindle B&N
Nook Kobo
Website: larissareinhart.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/RisWrites
Goodreads author page:
goodreads.com/author/show/5806614.Larissa_Reinhart
Twitter: twitter.com/RisWrites
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Thank you so much for having me on today! So happy to be here on my release day!
ReplyDeleteLarissa! Loved Cherry in Portrait of a Dead Guy, and can't wait to sample Brunswick Stew, which I'm sure is teeming with Cherry's spice and your own sweet southern flavour.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sherry! You are so sweet! I hope you enjoy #2. I had so much fun writing it and fell in love with a few new characters.
DeleteCongratulations, Larissa! As you know, I'm a huge Cherry Tucker fan. I also like Brunswick Stew. :) I can totally see Jake Gyllenhaal as Luke. Happy release day!
ReplyDeleteCan you? I'm so glad. I always get stumped on that question but I had just watched that movie and maybe because he was a cop with a shaved head, I thought of Luke. Jake is so cute!
DeleteGood morning, Larissa, first I must apologize to you and our readers for not using your published name, Reinhart. I do believe I have corrected my error but not my embarrassment. Perhaps I can make up for it by saying how much I loved Portrait of a Dead guy, Larissa's debut and Still Life, where I joined the official Cherry Tucker fan club. Oh dear,what can I say, I'm a mess. To many, many sales, GF.
ReplyDeleteYou are too sweet! I think most people know I have an alias. ;) Actually, one of the reasons I use my maiden name as my writing name was because of my dad passing away before I had written Portrait. I thought it would be kind of a tribute to him if I used our family name.
DeleteCan I also just say how honored I am to have you give me your endorsement on Still Life? Loved your blurb and if I get many sales, I probably owe you a commission;)
Ha! Sold. And don't you dare. It's a wonderful book! Loved every word.
Deletei like this site. good article
ReplyDeleteThanks Februaz!
DeleteThank you, Februaz.
DeleteWe try to host a variety of authors.
~Angi
Welcome to GLIAS, Larissa.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds like a southern fried masterpiece !
Great luck to you.
~Angi
Thanks Angi! It is very Southern Fried, but hopefully with a side of salad;)
DeletePersonally, I don't mind having unresolved conflicts in a series as long as they are not dragged on forever. Tie up some of them in the next book and I'm happy, but leave me hanging on for too long and I'll quit reading the series.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new book! Your heroine sounds feisty, which I love. I'll have to mark it as a to read on Goodreads.
Hey Rachael,
DeleteCherry is very feisty, which is fun and also gets her into some interesting predicaments. I hope you enjoy her adventures.
I'm wondering if you read the Stephanie Plum series and how you feel about the Ranger/Morelli dilemma. I like Nancy Martin's Nora Blackbird series, where she knows who she wants but doesn't always think he's good for her.
Love the interview, Larissa. And Still Life in Brunswick Stew was hilarious. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThanks Terri! So glad you enjoyed Still Life!
DeleteGreat interview!! I'm also organized in theory rather than appearance. It's a fun way to live, if not a bit chaotic!
ReplyDeleteIt's the best you can do as a mother. That's what I keep telling myself!
DeleteDon't like unresolved issues in books. Never heard of the stew before
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Brunswick Stew is very southern, you find it in most BBQ places in Georgia. Sometimes made with BBQ meat, sometimes chicken or beef, it's tomato based, very thick, and has lots of veggies. Kind of a poor man's feast of throwing whatever you've got together.
DeleteIf you ever make it down here bn100, try it out!
Congratulations on your latest book! It sounds like a fun read! As a transplanted Southerner, I'm always on the lookout for a fab story set in the South. (and I know about Brunswick stew)
ReplyDeleteI don't mind unresolved issues linking stories together as long as they don't seem like dropped plot points or drag out over so many books that it feels repetitious.
Thanks Cathy! Hope my story rings true to a Southerner!
DeleteI agree with you on dropped plot points. That drives me crazy. I do love stories like The Fugitive, where there's a long quest connecting the books.
Good afternoon, BN100.
ReplyDeleteGood news. You have won Larissa Reinhart’s Still Life in Brunswick, a Cherry Tucker Mystery. Congratulations!
Rachael Dahl!
ReplyDeleteGood news. You have won Larissa Reinhart’s Still Life in Brunswick, a Cherry Tucker Mystery. Congratulations!