Ashes, Ashes... with Lena Diaz!

Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Dead 

by Lena Diaz

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Story Blurb:

What she doesn’t remember . . .

One by one the letters arrive at the FBI office in Savannah, Georgia. Inside, each bears a name--a victim of a twisted crime--and the sing-song phrase . . . Ashes, ashes, they all fall dead. Special Agent Tessa James becomes obsessed with finding the killer whose victims are crying out to her for justice.

Will kill her . . .

When sexy, brilliant consultant, Matt Buchanan, is paired with Tessa to discover who’s sending the “Ashes” letters, he discovers a serial arsonist is leaving nothing but murder in his wake. Inexplicably, the clues point to Tessa herself, forcing her to realize if she can’t remember the forgotten years of her past, the name on the next letter will be hers.

Want to read an excerpt?

http://lenadiaz.com/AshesAshes.html#excerpt

About Lena:

Daphne du Maurier Award winner, National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award Finalist, and Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist Lena Diaz is the author of the popular Nursery Rhyme series for Avon Impulse as well as romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue.

She lives in Northeast Florida with her husband and two children. Lena is a TV and movie junkie. She loves crime dramas such as NCIS, Bones, and Criminal Minds. Her box office favorites include Die Hard, Disturbia, A Knight’s Tale, Armageddon, and Ever After.

Lena's Interview:

Lara: How often do you get lost in a story?

Lena: Not as often as I’d like to. Before I was a writer, I read at least a book a week. Now I only get to read for pleasure between deadlines. When I go on vacation I tend to gorge on romance novels, in which case I might read one or more a day. [Lara: Sounds like a great vacation to me!]

Lara: Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role?

Lena: Only when she’s getting some nice attention from the hero! [Lara: LOL!]

Lara: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?

Lena: I think it’s so cool that some authors create playlists for their books. But for me, writing is a very quiet, solitary pursuit. If I had some music on while writing I’d end up humming and singing and never get a word written. So, no playlists for me. [Lara: Same here!]

Lara: Is there a “Blooper” in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?

Lena: Thankfully, no!

Lara: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?

Lena: I would invite sexy Matt Buchanan to do anything he wants with me. I’m totally in love with him. Purrrrrr.

Lara: What could we find in your heroine's purse?

Lena:  Tessa is all about her career as an FBI special agent. She would carry extra clips of ammunition, case notes, her phone. [Lara: Sounds very practical!]

Lara: How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Lena: Based on reader mail, I knew the next book in this series had to be Matt and Tessa’s story. And since this is the “nursery rhyme” series, I had to come up with a title from a nursery rhyme. I browsed all kinds of nursery rhymes looking for something that could sound creepy. Surprisingly, a LOT of nursery rhymes sound creepy if you think about it. I came up with the title Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Dead. From there, it was a natural fit to make the villain a serial arsonist, to go along with the “ashes” part of the title. Then I came up with the plot. Basically, I did everything backwards. But it worked out! [Lara: Since that particular nursery rhyme comes from the Black Plague, I'd say it's quite fitting for a romantic suspense!]

Lara's Gotta Ask: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

Lena's Gotta Answer: The answer probably changes according to my mood. Right now I’d say interior decorator. I just visited my sister’s new townhouse and was amazed at the cute ideas she came up with to make her home look like a model home but with a limited budget. Now I’m wanting to do tons of projects around my own house. At least until I become interested in a new obsession. I tend to have tunnel vision and go all out when I get interested in something. [Lara: Sounds like fun!  Hope your decorating project goes well!]

Where can you find Lena?

Contact   Website   Facebook   Twitter  @LenaDiaz

Goodreads    Pintrest     Kiss and Thrill

What's next for you?

My next release is a Harlequin Intrigue called Undercover Twin, which will be out in November. The hero is DEA agent Nick Morgan, who was a secondary character in my previous Harlequin Intrigue, Explosive Attraction. 

What are some of your previous releases?

He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not - First book in the nursery rhyme series

Simon Says Die - Second book in the nursery rhyme series

The Marshal’s Witness - Harlequin Intrigue

Explosive Attraction - Harlequin Intrigue that introduces Nick Morgan as a secondary character

Got a question for your fans?

I’d love to know how readers discover new authors.

Lena will pick the winner from the comments.  Lena says: If the winner is in the US, I’ll mail a signed book. If not, I’ll mail an unsigned book via TheBookDepository.

Note: Please leave an email address for notification. 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.