Get Lost with Christine Finlayson & Tip of a Bone

A Pacific Northwest Mystery

When a town is shrouded in secrets

Sometimes those secrets are best left buried

TIP OF A BONE

by Christine Finlayson

Buried bones, a missing eco-activist, and a deadly fire?

It's not what Maya Rivers bargained for when she moved to the coastal city of Newport, Oregon t reunine with her brother, Harley.  Yet when Harley is accused of an unthinkable crime, Maya insists on adding amateur sleuth to her career options.  It isn't long before she discovers an eerie clue . . . but the closer she gets to the truth, the closer a murderer follows.  

What the reviewers are saying . . . 

An intriguing, fast-moving mystery. Tip of a Bone is layered with taut writing and smart dialogue…”

--Robert Dugoni, NY Times Bestselling Author of Murder One.

A lively mystery, set at the beautiful Oregon coast, with environmental themes woven skillfully through a tale of family loyalty… strong characters, an unusual setting, and a plot that will keep you guessing.”

--Ann Littlewood, author of Endangered, Night Kill, and Did Not Survive

“A page turner… Finlayson keeps the reader hanging on for dear life.”

–Coast Weekend book review

Please welcome Christine Finlayson

    

DONNELL:  Christine, welcome!  Wow a review that says keeps the reader hanging on for dear life? Fantastic.   I’m still in the midst of judging two contests, but Tip of a Bone is first on my pleasure reading.  I visited the Pacific Northwest often while my daughter lived there. If I wanted to get rid of a body, I can’t think of any greater hiding place.  Why did you choose the Pacific Northwest?

CHRISTINE: Thank you for having me here today.  The Northwest is home—I grew up in Washington and now live in Oregon. I love our green forests, snowy mountains, rivers, and beaches; the whole “Keep Oregon Weird” vibe; and even the rain.  And you’re right: we have plenty of remote lands for hiding bodies!

Tip of a Bone is set on the Oregon coast, a wild and stormy spot. But it’s also full of good memories—my husband and I honeymooned there.

DONNELL:  Based on the blurb and your opening, this sounds like a cross of a hardcore mystery.  How does an amateur sleuth fit in, and explain to us what expertise your sleuth holds that she should willingly get involved?

CHRISTINE:  It’s not that hardcore! Maya Rivers is the ultimate amateur sleuth—rather than having a career that leaves her stumbling over bodies, she gets involved because of an emotional connection. When her brother gets accused of a horrible crime, Maya is devastated and must decide if he’s worth fighting for. She doesn’t start the book with much expertise—just raw determination and a fearless attitude—but by the end, she’s earned her skills.

DONNELL:  Obviously a lot of research went into writing this book.  What is the most interesting piece of research you discovered while writing this book?

CHRISTINE: Every March, the community in Newport hosts events to kick off the ocean-fishing season. During the Blessing of the Fleet, decorated fishing boats pass through the bay while a chaplain offers a prayer for the vessel and crew’s safety. That same day, fishermen participate in timed competitions to test skills such as knot tying and crab-pot heaving—as well as the Survival Suit Races that appear in Tip of a Bone. These events were fascinating to watch, but it was sobering to learn about the dangers of commercial fishing: since 1900, more than 120 local fishermen have been lost at sea.

DONNELL:  When you’re not writing, where will we find Christine Finlayson?

CHRISTINE:  Reading. I love to read, probably more than I should if I want to be a productive writer. J You may also find me enjoying the outdoors with my family, doing nature photography and crafts, or training for my favorite sport: triathlon. 

DONNELL:  Are you strictly a mystery writer or do you write any other genres?

CHRISTINE: My second book (in progress) is a suspense novel. For both writing and reading, my tastes are changing from classical mysteries to suspense, in part because the “Why’d he do it?” question is even more interesting to me than the “Who-dun-it?” Also, I enjoy writing in multiple points-of-view and using different character voices—a great fit for suspense novels.

DONNELL:  Name the most unusual thing you keep in your closet.

CHRISTINE:  We live in an old bungalow with surprisingly big closets, used to store many things—from baby shoes to fabric pieces I’m absolutely going to use someday. But the most unusual thing would probably be my triathlon wetsuits, hanging in mesh bags next to my clothes.

DONNELL:  If you could meet anyone, past or present, living or dead, who would it be, and why?

CHRISTINE: You mean I have to choose between Daniel Craig and a dozen favorite authors? Tough call! Actually, it would be amazing to meet Stephen King and talk writing with him. His approach is so different than mine (way more freeform), but I’ve gleaned some great lessons from his book On Writing. And then—if I can travel through time, I’d want to meet the early suffragettes, plus Amelia Earhart, Vincent Van Gogh, Alfred Hitchcock, and . . . oh, wait, I’m supposed to pick one!

DONNELL:  Yes, that pick one is problematic.  Now it’s your turn to ask readers a question. 

CHRISTINE: Thank you again for having me here, Donnell.  I’d like to ask readers: What personality traits do you look for in a strong female character?  What makes her interesting? And what keeps you reading?

_____

BOOK GIVEAWAY:  ONE SIGNED PAPERBACK COPY TO A U.S. ADDRESS (OR can do Kindle e-book as gift)

Contact Links:  Web site  Facebook  Nature blog  

Thanks for being our guest, Christine!  Best wishes with Tip of  a Bone!

Get Lost in a Story and Author Vickie L. King

Get Lost in a Story readers, I'm pleased to present Author Vickie L. King author of Carly's Rule!

About Carly's Rule 

Pastry Chef Carly Braddock only ever loved one man, Luke Donovan, who disappeared from her life years ago, breaking her heart and leaving her to wonder what happened to him.  When he walks into Sugar Plums, her bakery/cafe, and back into her life after all this time, she isn’t in a forgiving mood. 

Though he doesn’t know it, her experience with him shaped the other relationships in her life and led her to create a rule to protect her heart. What neither counts on is that the chemistry between them is still as fierce and tangible as it was all those years ago, and Carly doesn’t know until her heart is completely involved once again that Luke has kept an important part of his life from her. 

With so much baggage between them and so many bittersweet memories, can she break the rule she created to protect her heart in order to find a second chance for love?

Now let's learn about Vickie L. King

DONNELL:  Hi, Vickie, welcome to Get Lost in a Story.  I’ve often heard people say your books should be a Hallmark movie. What do you think.  Would Carly’s Rule make a good screenplay?

VICKIE: I’m flattered that people think of Hallmark when they think of Carly’s Rule. I’m big on emotion and character development. That said, Carly’s Rule is a reunion story. I think most readers of romance are open to stories where the couple were previously in love and haven’t seen each other for years. When they come back together in the story they’re usually carrying lots of emotional baggage. I love Hallmark movies, and for me, I like that tug on my emotions. I would like to think that Carly’s Rule would make a good Hallmark movie.

DONNELL:  You’re the producer of this high-budget film and agents are clamoring all over you to use their actor.  Who plays Luke?  And what actress plays Carly?

VICKIE:  Oh wow, now I really have to put my thinking cap on. I love anything Reese Witherspoon plays in. She’s so talented. I think she would make a good Carly. She may not look like the Carly in my head, but the personality is there, and that’s the most important thing. For Luke, maybe Bradley Cooper. I think he’d be a good Luke.

DONNELL:  Who was the most interesting character in this book?

VICKIE: Hmm. I would have to say Luke. He works in wood preservation now, but as a boy, he learned to whittle. He likes to bring wood back to life, whether it’s a rickety banister in a house or an old desk in a schoolroom in Montana. He can fix just about anything, but he can’t fix what is wrong between him and his twelve-year-old daughter.

DONNELL:  Is this book optimistic or pessimistic?

VICKIE:  Optimistic. Not only is it set in a beautiful small town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, every paragraph and page is a rocky step toward healing for Carly and for Luke as well. Even though they had a previous relationship, I believe a reader will want to travel the road with them to see if they find love and happiness and how they work out all their problems.

DONNELL:  Let’s talk about Vickie King.  What’s your favorite room in your house, and is it where you do your writing?

VICKIE:  My favorite room in my house would have to be my bedroom, and yes it’s where I do my writing. It’s spacious enough that I have a corner of my bedroom devoted to writing. I have all that I need in here—desk, laptop, printer, and I even have a Keurig set up at the end of my dresser, so that I can douse myself in caffeine. LOL. I used to have a room that was dedicated to the main computer and all my books. I had five floor to ceiling bookshelves, and that still wasn’t enough. Once the grandkids came along, my desk and writing got moved to the bedroom. The computer room is now a playroom with a small corner designated for our household computer. My books are now packed into Rubbermaid containers and stored in my closet and under my bed. I have one bookshelf left and it’s cram-packed. I mostly buy digital books, but I still love the feel and smell of a paper book.

DONNELL:  What’s in your refrigerator right now?

VICKIE:  Gosh, I actually need to go to the store. Yogurt, juice, condiments, several kinds of cheese, ham and turkey lunchmeat, oranges sliced up and stored in a ziplock bag or they won’t get eaten, tortillas, veggies that need cooked and probably some leftovers. The freezer is full, but that would require one of us cooking. We do a lot of fending for ourselves around here. 

DONNELL:  What book have you read that’s on your keeper shelf and that you’ll read over and over again?

VICKIE: My favorite book ever is Girl of the Limberlost by Jean Stratton Porter. I read it when I was about fourteen, and I have loved it ever since.

VICKIE:  Donnell, thanks so much for having me.  A-n-d I have big news.  Starting Tomorrow at midnight, Feb 28, 2014, Carly's Rule is part of Amazon's Daily Deal.  Deeply discounted, you can get Carly's Rule for $1.99.    http://www.amazon.com/Carlys-Rule-Vickie-L-King/dp/1611943612


VICKIE L. KING'S QUESTION FOR READERS:  I would love to give away two copies of Carly’s Rule. My question is what is their favorite romance book, and what is it about this book that makes it their favorite?  Both parts of the question must be answered. I’ll draw two names from the answers. Please ask them to list an e-mail, so I can get their address if a US residents wants a paper copy. They can choose digital if they want. Those outside the US will get a digital copy.

Contact Links.

I love to hear from readers. They may contact me at VLWKING@AOL.COM or on facebook at bitly.com/1aZdEMG. They may follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/VickieLKing.

Thanks for being our guest, Vickie!

Meet Zac . . .

THE PROSECUTOR

Harlequin Intrigue

Two attorneys with everything to lose fight for justice in THE PROSECUTOR

Chicago assistant state’s attorney Zac Hennings just got handed a political hot potato: keeping the convicted murderer in a high-profile case behind bars. He’s up against his most formidable—and alluring—adversary. First-year law student Emma Sinclair is passionately fighting to free her brother. But she needs the take-no-prisoners prosecutor’s help.

Caught between attraction and letting a killer go free, Zac walks a tightrope. Until evidence surfaces that the real culprit’s still out there. With his career and Emma’s life on the line, Zac races to right a terrible wrong. Refusing to back down, he’ll bring a cunning lawbreaker to justice—or die trying.

READ a little, BUY the book

USA Today bestselling author ADRIENNE GIORDANO writes romantic

suspense and mystery.  She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports obsessed son and Buddy the Wheaten Terrorist (Terrier). She is a co-founder of Romance University blog and Lady Jane's Salon-Naperville, a reading series dedicated to romantic fiction.

TODAY we have a special interview with Zac Hennings. Zac Hennings is bulldog Assistant State’s Attorney in Chicago. He likes to win his cases, but his bigger passion is heading into court and going to war.

ANGI: Welcome Zac. Instead of talking about the case and getting the same old answer of "no comment," I hope we can get to know your personality a little. So…

What’s the first book you remember reading? 

ZAC:  A book about Babe Ruth. I’m a baseball fan and when I was a kid I’d read any baseball book I could get my hands on.

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?

ZAC:  (Grinning.) Uh, I’m not sure it’s appropriate right now.

ANGI: What's your favorite song? Is there a YouTube video?

ZAC:  The Rising. Bruce Springsteen.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

ZAC: I live in Chicago, but my folks have a lake house in Wisconsin. I like to sit on their patio and listen to the water lapping against the beach. That sound reminds me to slow down and enjoy quiet time away from the city.

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

ZAC:  Really? Action and adventure. No doubt.

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

ZAC:  Would you call me a pig if I said Wonder Woman? Hey, I’m a guy. Adrienne is yelling at me so I’ll be serious. I’m going with Underdog because people underestimate him. I don’t like to be underestimated, and I’m not afraid to take on my enemies. And win.

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?

ZAC:  I’m a prosecutor. I don’t like villains.

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

ZAC:  If we’re talking food, it’s Smarties. I buy those in bulk. If we’re talking women, it would most definitely be Emma Sinclair. The second she walked into my office I knew I was in trouble. She’s smart and dedicated and if I ever get into trouble, she’d be my first call. She’s fearless. If she loves you, she fights for you. No matter what.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: And a question for the author of THE PROSECUTOR…

Welcome back, Adrienne. Where in the world do you get your ideas for all these hot guys? Do you go somewhere on-line for information? Can I visit too?

ADRIENNE's GOTTA ANSWER:  Don’t I wish! If there was a place on-line, I’d hang out there all day. J Having a newspaper background, I like to read the newspaper and sometimes it’ll spark an idea. My idea for The Prosecutor came to me after reading an article about a wrongly incarcerated man whose family had steadfastly believed in his innocence. He’d been in prison for years and I wondered how hard it must have been for his family to fight for him all that time. While brainstorming with one of my critique partners, we hit on what would happen if the prisoner had a sister and the prosecutor was in love with her.    

 FIND ADRIENNE: 

Contact     Website       Facebook     Twitter @AdriennGiordano 

RomanceUniversity     Previous GLIAS interviews

Adrienne’s street team, DangerousDarlings

UP NEXT for ADRIENNE: 

The Defender is the sister book (literally) to The Prosecutor. Zac’s smart-mouthed sister Penny is a defense attorney and in The Defender, I teamed her up with a tough-as-nails FBI agent who isn’t afraid to challenge her. Most of the time. J

 

PREVIOUS RELEASES by ADRIENNE: 

Stealing Justice. 

A hot FBI agent, a sexy woman who breaks the law, a killer who's unstoppable: Stealing Justice

ADRIENNE'S giving away  A digital copy of Risking Trust, the first book in the Private Protectors series.  (North America or International Readers)

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. 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.

ANGI'S back next Wednesday with Sally MacKezie.  

UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  Vickie L. King. 

~Angi Morgan   Get Lost on Facebook    or   @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories

ADRIENNE WANTS TO KNOW:  Readers, I love to write books with a city setting. What have been some of your favorite settings in books? 

RAFFLECOPTER DRAWING --multiple chances

Get Lost with NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Joan Johnston

MONTANA BRIDE

Bitter Creek Series #11 & Mail Order Brides #3

The sensational third novel in Joan Johnston’s new Western historical romance series set in the world of Bitter Creek.

A DESPERATE DECEPTION
THE PROMISE OF FOREVER

When Karl Norwood’s mail-order bride meets an untimely demise on the way to the Montana Territory, Hetty Wentworth steps in to take her place. Hetty has no idea how she’s going to pretend to be all the things she isn’t—including the mother of two kids. She only knows her deception is necessary if she’s going to save two orphans from the awful fate she suffered as a child.

Karl smells a rat when a much younger woman than he was expecting arrives with two children who look nothing like her. But his mail-order bride is so beautiful, he doesn’t object—until he realizes that his charming new wife has been lying . . . about everything. Can a woman forced to keep secrets and a man hindered by distrust ever hope to find happily ever after in each other’s arms?

Now to learn more about Joan Johnston!

DONNELL:  I’m having a fan girl moment  having Joan Johnston on Get Lost in a Story.  True story.  Years ago, I’d just finished reading a Joan Johnston novel when I in my capacity of PPRW VP of membership, I received an e-mail from a Joan Johnston saying she’d moved to Colorado and would like to attend our holiday party.  I stared between the book on my right to that e-mail and typed back, saying… We’d love to have you… Er…are you THE Joan Johnston?  And she was!  And very nice as well.  So this is a particular honor.  Anyway, enough about that I’m sure readers couldn’t care less and want to get to know Joan Johnston.   Joan, do you spend all your time in Colorado or do you travel between states?

JOAN:   I’m currently living full-time in Colorado.  Most of my travel these days is to conferences (I’m speaking for Craftfest at Thrillerfest in New York in July, as well as at the RWA National Conference in San Antonio, also in July), or to do research.  Funny story:  I came to Denver two years ago in the fall to do research for MONTANA BRIDE (traveling to the Bitterroot Valley), and it was so beautiful that I just had to move back to Colorado from Florida.  I made the move on January 2 – to a frigid Colorado, followed by a 100-year flood in August! 

DONNELL:  You’ve spent a lot of time with this Bitter Creek Series.  It’s made you wildly successful and a favorite among readers.  Does writing this series get old?  How do you keep inspired week after week?

JOAN:   The best part about writing a series is being able to tell “the rest of the story.”  I write family sagas, so there’s always another child out there somewhere waiting to make an entrance.  Right now I’m writing another Bitter Creek series for Random House which features “King’s Brats.”  They’re King Grayhawk’s three youngest daughters and live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  I had to invent rivals for them, and created “those Flynn boys” who have as many run-ins with the Teton County sheriff as “King’s Brats.”  The first book in this series, Sinful, will be in stores in November.

DONNELL:  I Imagine you hear a lot from your readers.  What is the most unusual fan letter you’ve ever received?

JOAN:  Here’s what the writer wrote:  “I know you have a staff of hundreds and will never see this letter but I wanted to tell you how much I love your books.”   Okay, all you readers out there, I still clean my own toilets!

DONNELL:  You’re a lawyer by trade but clearly you love romance.  How did you make the transition from lawyer to author?

JOAN:  I became an author while I was a lawyer.  In fact, I became a writer because I was a lawyer.  I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree both in Theatre and was a director of theatre and drama critic before I went to law school (so I could make more money as a lawyer).  I ended up practicing “local government” law—municipal and industrial development bonds—which meant preparing arbitrage statements and reading 80-page single-spaced water and sewer indentures. B-O-R-I-N-G.  I also had a 6-month-old and a 6-year-old at home.  I was trying to be Superwoman and failing.  If I was home with my kids, I’d never make partner.  While I was at the office long hours, I missed my kids.  I started reading romance novels to escape from the stress (the woman faces great adversity and always triumphs in the end).  I wrote my first book, A Loving Defiance, on a typewriter while I was still a lawyer and sold it to Simon & Schuster in 1984.  It was published in 1985.

DONNELL:  Mail Order Bride series are enormously popular…So put yourself in your character’s place and, all right, back into the 1800s.  Would you become a mail order bride?

JOAN:  If it meant a chance to have a better life, yes, I would.  Arranged marriages were the norm for centuries and folks managed to raise families together and even to be happy in them. 

DONNELL:  Do you have an all- time favorite character among your series, then turn this, is there a character you couldn’t wait to get away from, e.g. bump off?

JOAN:  I love North Grayhawk in The Next Mrs. Blackthorne, and Bad Billy Coburn, who’s featured in The Cowboy, The Texan, and The Loner (all Bitter Creek novels). 

 For some reason, all my villains are very powerful women.  And I kill most of them off.

DONNELL: When you’re not writing, where will we find you?

JOAN:  On the tennis courts, on a hiking trail, or at a Denver Broncos football game!

DONNELL:  What’s something you have in your closet that not many people have?

JOAN:  A purple wool coat from London.  I saw a woman wearing one in London when I was visiting to attend Wimbledon (the tennis competition), asked her where she got it, and tracked it down in the town of Wimbledon.

DONNELL:  If you could meet anyone, past or present, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Eleanor Roosevelt.  She was a liberated woman way ahead of her time.  Gracious, proud, fair, and a survivor.

Joan, thank you!  I’m so happy I cornered you and you accepted our invitation.  Now it’s your turn, time to ask Readers a question.

JOAN WANTS TO KNOW:  I’d like to ask readers:  How many of you are now reading your books digitally?  I’m working on some books that will be available as e-books only, so I’m wondering if my audience will come along with me on that journey.

Sign up on my Website, www.joanjohnston@mindspring.com to win a free autographed book.  Also, like me at www.Facebook.com/joanjohnstonauthor or find me at www.twitter.com/joanjohnston.

Get Lost in a Story welcomes back Avery Flynn

"When a fashionista and her bodyguard get tangled up together, watch out for sizzling sex and surprising plot twists." - New York Times best selling author Rebecca York

Sylvie Bissette may be one of Harbor City's youngest glitterati, but only her best friends know her most closely guarded secret. She's the woman behind The High-Heeled Wonder, a must-read blog for fashionistas everywhere. Gossip, fashion advice, exposés. Too bad some people can't take a little criticism. When an internet troll discovers her secret identity and escalates from stalking her to threatening her life, Sylvie turns to security expert Tony Falcon for help. The investigator from the other side of the tracks is the olive oil to her Evian water and aggravates her to no end, but it's not just her temper he's inciting.
  
Tony Falcon wouldn't know a kitten heel from a tabby cat, but since most of the bad guys he tracks down aren't wearing stilettos, it's never been a problem...until he meets Sylvie. When a murder investigation leads him to the same place Sylvie works, he realizes the feisty fashionista may be his best chance at catching the criminals who killed his best friend. It all leads back to the cut-throat fashion world. But solving that case means going after the people Sylvie cares about, and soon his attraction for her--and the danger she's in--has him wondering if solving the case is worth hurting the woman he can't stop fantasizing about .  

DONNELL:  High Heeled Wonder, Avery, I love it!  And what an adorable picture of you and er...heels, of course!  So Let’s get right down to it.  Your character Sylvie Bissette is a fashionista and high-heel wearing protag.  How much is Sylvie like Avery Flynn?  And how are you different?  Are you a fashionista?  What I really want to know…Who’s braver?

AVERY: Well, as the Fab Mr. Flynn will tell you, I love shoes—almost as much as I love books. That said, I am also cheap, cheap, cheap and I think Sylvie would freak out at the quality of my Kohl’s on sale shoes. Who is braver? Um … it probably depends on the situation but it’s close to a draw.

DONNELL:  Love your description of Tony Falcon, Olive Oil to her Evian.  Love sexy reads.  So rate this book for our readers, percentage-wise using percentages  80/20, 50/50, 20/80??? comparing the romance and suspense.   

AVERY: My books are definitely on the lighter spectrum of suspense to romance, I’d say about 6o romance to 40 suspense. I love reading the darker romantic suspense, but I just can’t write it so there’s a ton of humor in there. Even in the heavy suspense sections. Really, I want them to be fun, fast-paced smexy reads.

DONNELL:  Where exactly is Harbor City?  Is your setting a real or fictional place?  Talk about why you chose this setting. 

AVERY: Harbor City is basically a fake New York City. I picked it because I wanted to have creative license to change things without readers familiar with that story getting annoyed because this street never runs into that street or that someone could never make it cross town in that amount of time.

DONNELL:  I know for a fact you have “lots” of irons in the fire.  How much time do you spend writing, and where will we find you when you’re not writing?

AVERY:  I write every day—somedays more productively than others. :) When I’m not writing I am hanging with the family, reading or binge watching Supernatural on Netflix. Y’all back off of Dean - he is my boyfriend.

DONNELL:   What is the most surprising thing you learned doing research?

AVERY:  I had a great interview with some amazing fashion bloggers and some of their stories about the e-mails they get from readers is insane. It definitely gave me a lot of insight into that world.

DONNELL:  You also have a strong marketing background.  Do you love/keep up with the rapid pace of changing technology?  What’s your favorite social media platform?  What advice would you give us troglodytes?

AVERY: I don’t know if I’d say I love the rapid pace of change, but I keep running my hardest to stay up. I love Facebook and Twitter, but Twitter has the lead for me. It’s like texting and I love that. Also, I think LinkedIn is the devil. I hate that site. As far as advice, I’d say to start small and not feel like you have to do it all. And if you’re really uncomfortable and can afford it, an author assistant may be the way to go.

DONNELL:  What comes next in the world of Avery Flynn?  Is High-Heeled Wonder part of a series?

AVERY: It is! The next book in the series is This Year’s Black and that will be out in May. However, you don’t have to wait that long for something new. I have a novella (Fix ‘Er Up) coming out in April. Also, I’ll be reading at Lady Jane’s Salon in New York March 3 (come out and chat!), giving a workshop at the Maine Romance Writers retreat at the end of March and my first RT Book Lovers Convention in May. It is NUTS! But I can’t lie, I love it. I don’t vacation  well or sit still for long, can you tell?

 DONNELL:  Avery, now it’s your turn.  Time to ask the readers a question.  

AVERY: Let’s have shoe chat. What are your favorite shoes and what do they say about you? One commenter picked by the fine folks at Get Lost in a Story will win a book of their choice from my backlist! Wheeeeeeee! :)

Links and Contact information!  Thank you!!!

Find out more about Avery on her website, follow her on Twitter and Pinterest, like her on her Facebook page or friend her on her Facebook profile. She’s also on Goodreads and BookLikes.

Join her street team, The Flynnbots, and receive special sneak peeks, prizes and early access to her latest releases!

Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she’ll be your best friend for life.

Contact her at avery@averyflynn.com.

Get Lost in a Story with C Hope Clark

Get Lost in a Story readers, please welcome the talented C. Hope Clark as she talks about book three in the Carolina Slade series


About Palmetto Poison

Are peanuts capable of murder? Carolina Slade will bust this shell game.

Big money, big politics, crime, greed, and big farming—Slade, an agriculture department investigator in the steamy state of South Carolina, once again finds herself planted in a dangerous mystery.

Her assignment? Find out if there’s a sinister connection between the drug-dealing arrest of wealthy peanut farmer Lamar Sheeler and the gruesome death of Lamar’s teenage son in a car wreck. Especially since the dead teen is Governor Dick Wheeler’s nephew.

Of course, the governor’s people practically sky-write STAY AWAY FROM THE FIRST FAMILY over the Palmetto state’s capitol dome in Columbia, which doesn’t make Slade’s job easier. Couldn’t she simply back off from what appears to be a tragic and ugly—but private—family matter?            

Not with hot-tempered DEA agent Pamela Largo on the case. Ex-wife to Senior Special Agent Wayne Largo, Slade's romantic interest, Pamela's hell-bent on using Lamar Wheeler's situation to re-open a cold case involving an Atlanta drug lord and Wayne's long lost sister, Kay.

Soon Slade’s shoveling shooflies uphill against Pamela’s obsessions, the drug lord’s vendettas, the Governor’s secrets, and the bizarre realization that those secrets involve peanuts.

DONNELL:   C. Hope Clark is a fantastic writer, which I will attest.  Her mysteries draw you in to an up-close and personal adventure.  Please welcome C. Hope Clark.

Hope, welcome to Get Lost in a Story.  I loved Lowcountry Bribe.  Are you a native of South Carolina?

HOPE:  Moved here from Mississippi when I was 15 and have loved it ever since. Lived in Illinois, Washington State, Alabama, Georgia and Arizona for short stints thanks to my military and civil service roots but I chose to spend the great majority of my life in SC. Beautiful state. But needless to say, I’m Southern all the way.

DONNELL:  You have the perfect background to write these novels.  Tell us about that, please?

My degree is in agriculture from Clemson University (go Tigers!). My grandfather was a Mississippi cotton farmer, my aunt as well. So in my career with the US Department of Agriculture, I learned that crime can get weird and happen in unique ways in the country. Anytime you involve money, you find the criminal element. It isn’t as Americana as you think! I love using that homespun expectation to mess with a reader, too. But after meeting my husband, a real federal agent, on a bribery investigation when I was offered a bribe by a corrupt farmer, I saw mystery in a new light. My agency let me start doing minor investigations, plus my husband continued doing the real ones, the more dangerous ones.  Between the two of us, we had fun drumming up ideas for stories. So what better way to start writing mystery than writing about what I knew? About how a bribery investigation went sideways and upended many people’s worlds. And oh what a scandal we were, falling for each other in the midst of an investigation. In the real world that’s a no-no, but it makes for great movies.

DONNELL:  You write mysteries.  What’s your favorite genre to read?  And what authors inspired you?

HOPE: Mystery/suspense comprises probably 95 percent of what I read and almost all of what I watch on television. Adore them. I read the occasional Southern fiction or mainstream story, but I love trying to dissect a mystery and analyze the characters and how they mesh with the plot. My favorite authors, in order, are these: Lisa Gardner, Pat Conroy, Lee Child, Sue Grafton, then a zillion others like James Scott Bell, Sandra Brown, CJ Box. But I fall for a good plump, well-plotted mystery by any author.

DONNELL:  When you’re not writing, where will we find you?

HOPE: I live in the country on some small acreage on the banks of a lake, so needless to say I love the outdoors. I grow a respectable garden (40’ x 50’), am forever planting something new in the flower beds, and I raise chickens. If I wasn’t a writer, I’d be self-sustaining, living off my patch of land with as little footprint as possible. I love working with my hands, and I designed and built both my chicken coops.

DONNELL:  What’s in your refrigerator right now?

HOPE: Venison stew – the veggies from my garden and the venison from my husband’s latest trek in the woods. Also, stuffed bell peppers (I freeze them in the summer to last through the winter) and field peas also from the freezer. Always homemade pickles, chow-chow, and jellies. I’m about to thaw out some deer sausage for tomorrow’s dinner.

DONNELL:  Most unusual thing you have in your closet?

HOPE: Two things. First, I have about ten vintage Barbies collected at antique stores to give my granddaughter each Christmas for the next several years. Second, I have swatches of meaningful cloth, left over from sewing or from old clothes that I hope to one day turn into memory quilts. My clothes, however, are dull. My fashion sense is pretty mundane. Comfortable is my style.

DONNELL:  What characters do you see playing your protagonists WHEN your series is adapted to film. J

HOPE:  I totally see Jennifer Lawrence playing Carolina Slade. Gerard Butler, Matthew McConaughey or maybe a rough Christian Bale for Wayne Largo. He has to be able to pull off the Southern thing.

Thanks for being our guest, Hope.  Now it’s your turn to ask the reader a question.

Hope asks our readers:  Several NY agents declined The Carolina Slade Series because it had an agricultural/rural background. However, most of my readers tell me they love that aspect of these books. Which do you prefer in your reading material: the country or the city, and does setting matter to you?




To find out more about C Hope Clark check out her website.  Hope, thanks for joining us today!

http://chopeclark.com/

www.fundsforwriters.com http://www.fundsforwriters.com/