Get Lost in a Story welcomes Liz Sinclair

Get Lost in a Story readers, Liz Sinclair may seem like a new name to some, but I did my research and found out she’s simply changing genre hats for her new mystery series.  I am thrilled to present Liz Sinclair.  Some may recognize her as the indomitable Elizabeth Sinclair.  In the meantime, s-h-h-h, we’ll keep her secret.  Please welcome Liz Sinclair. 

ABOUT THE LAST MOVE by Liz Sinclair

BLURB:

Called the Chessman for the game pieces left behind in the wake of deadly fires, the arsonist is intent on making The Last Move. 

Arson Investigator Katie Sullivan is determined to find the serial arsonist who murdered her father, but the arsonist is playing a deadly game with her, and only the winner will live. 

Sheriff Drew Winters is just as determined to keep Katie, the woman he loves, alive and, if need be, save her from herself and her blind, reckless quest to succeed. They were a couple before and could be one again. 

Flames and death await them at every turn. Can they survive? Who will die and who will ultimately declare checkmate depends on Katie's skill as an arson investigator and Drew's abilities as a detective to outsmart the Chessman. 


Please welcome Liz Sinclair!  

DONNELL:  Okay, as soon as I read the blurb, I bought the book.  If you love mysteries as much as I do, this is right up my alley.  Liz, is that what you want us to call you? Way back in the day you wrote Romantic Suspense for Intimate Moments.  So… why the new name? And what drew you to write about an arson investigator?

LIZ: First of all, thank you so much for having me. Second, since my new personae is “Liz,” for today you can call me Liz. J  I grew up in a family of firefighters, but never had much interest in fires beyond the annual firemen’s parade and the big, red, noisy trucks. Then my writer’s mind came up with the plot for BAPTISM IN FIRE, the intimate Moments you referred to. When I began researching for the book, I got hooked on the arson investigation aspects of firefighting. As for the new name, my esteemed editors do not want “Elizabeth’s” readers to confuse this book with the sweet Hawks Mountain books written as Elizabeth Sinclair. There’s nothing sweet about this one beyond the sugar my characters use in their coffee.

DONNELL:  Where I’m from we’ve had two deadly fires, and arson is suspected.  How do you get into the head of someone so evil and twisted as an arsonist?

LIZ: Profiling. There’s a widely accepted view that most arsonists start as children—torturing small animals and cats, setting small fires, a fascination with fire, etc. This doesn’t always hold true. Sometimes they just want revenge. Sometimes they just love to watch things burn. They’re supposed to be one of the hardest criminals to catch because most of the evidence burns in the fire.

DONNELL:  Where does your story take place, and what kind of research did you have to do to write this book?

LIZ: The story takes place in a fictional Florida city. In the acknowledgments at the front of the book, you’ll see a few names connected with firefighting and arson investigation. These people were indispensable to me for brain-picking. I also got books, books, and more books and read Point of Origin, by Joseph Wambaugh from cover to cover (twice). It was a very lengthy process for someone whose prior knowledge of fire was to strike a match and hold it to something that burned and the men in the red trucks showed up to put it out. Oh, and I also had to learn how to assemble an incendiary device. Thank heavens for Amazon!

DONNELL:  What is the most interesting piece of research you’ve ever taken away from writing a book?

LIZ: I believe it would be finding out that an arson investigator can sometimes tell if the fire was set by a man or a woman simply by looking at the point of origin. Men tend to sprinkle accelerants around then light it. Women tend to build piles of inflammables, such as clothing or newspapers, pour on the accelerant, and then light the pile.

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

LIZ: Usually reading or playing with my beautiful two-year-old grandson. Both of which bring me the utmost pleasure.

DONNELL:  Finish this sentence.  I’m most comfortable when . . .

LIZ: In my recliner, holding a hot cup of fresh coffee, and watching NCIS. Yes, I’m a Mark Harmon junkie. J

DONNELL:  Are you organized?

LIZ: I like to think I am, and I guess I am to a certain degree, but not as organized as I’d like to be. The area around my computer is very organized and neat, but don’t open a filing cabinet. I have this awful habit of cramming things in there and telling myself “I’ll take care of that later,” but later never seems to materialize.

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

LIZ: My brother’s bowling shirt. He passed away a few years ago, and I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it.

DONNELL:  Who inspired you to write, and if you could sit down with anyone, past or present, who would it be – this doesn’t necessarily have to be an author.

LIZ: I’ve always been a voracious reader, but one day I picked up a book called THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER. When I finished it, I had this incredible feeling of having just read something that would stay with me forever. I wanted to inspire that feeling in someone else, so I dove in and wrote the worst historical ever to see a typewritten page (yes, I wrote it on a typewriter). I quickly decided that I should write contemporary books because…they took less research. LOL Little did I know….

As to who I would like to sit down with….that would be Barbara Bush. I read one of her books not long ago and found her fascinating as a wife and mother.

Liz, thank you for being our guest today.  I've been reading the The Last Move, and you're right on two counts -- it's different than Hawks Mountain and I think we can safely say research isn't necessarily easier when writing contemporary.  Now it’s your turn to ask the readers a question.  

LIZ'S QUESTION FOR READERS: Do you like not knowing who the villain is in a mystery or would you rather know up front and why?

Liz Sinclair will be doing a book book giveaway, winner's preference, digital or trade paperback (US/Canadian only for trade paperback) of THE LAST MOVE.

Contact and buy links. www.elizabethsinclair.com esinclair1@aol.com 

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/n9uk8v3