Get Lost in a Story Readers,
please welcome back Cozy Noir Author, Judy Alter as she introduces her newest novel The Perfect Coed! How's that for a compelling title?
ABOUT THE PERFECT COED:
Susan
Hogan drove around Oak Grove, Texas,
for
two days before she realized there was a dead body in the trunk of
her
car. And it was another three days before she
knew
that someone was trying to kill her.”
Susan Hogan is smart,
pretty—and prickly. There was no other word for it. She is prickly with Jake
Phillips and her Aunt Jenny, the two people who love her most in the world. And
she is prickly and impatient with some of her academic colleagues and the petty
jealousies in the English department at Oak Grove University. When a coed’s
body is found in her car and she is suspected of murder, Susan gets even more
defensive.
But when someone begins to
stalk and threaten her—trying to run her down, killing the plants on her deck,
causing a moped wreck that breaks her ankle—prickly mixes with fear. Susan
decides she has to find the killer to save her reputation—and her life. What
she suspects she’s found on a quiet campus in Texas is so bizarre Jake doesn’t believe
her. Until she’s almost killed.
The death of one coed
unravels a tale of greed, lust, and obsession.
DONNELL: Once again,
this sounds like my kind of read.
Welcome back, Judy. Whatcha been
up to?
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JUDY: The summer seemed to melt away without much writing
but a lot of marketing, both for Deception
in Strange Places, which came out in July and preparing to launch The Perfect Coed, my first indie book.
Also I did some babysitting and more visiting with family than I get in the
winter, so it was a good summer, but I’m ready to get back in a routine.
DONNELL: The Perfect
Coed. You mention that Susan Hogan your
protagonist is prickly. Now, every protagonist needs room to grow. But is she
prickly in a way that readers will want to root for her? What did you have in
mind when you created this character?
JUDY: I certainly hope readers will want to root for her. I
think I was trying to give her an edge, to move her out of the box of the
typical cozy heroine. Though, like most protagonists in cozies, she shoots
herself in the foot a lot. And once it almost costs her life.
DONNELL: I believe
you’re from academia, right? TCU, my son’s alma mater. How much of your world
did you incorporate into this story?
JUDY: I’ve spent my
life on academic campuses, especially TCU, so I did incorporate some of what I
know. But I deliberately created a fictional university. I have many good
friends at TCU and they would not be happy if some of the things in this book
occurred on their campus.
DONNELL: You mention
Jake Phillips. Is he a potential love interest for Susan? Tell us about Jake.
JUDY: He’s more than potential. He’s definitely her love
interest. He’s also chief of campus police and has only a two-year college
degree in law enforcement. Susan’s snobbish department chair thinks she’s
lowering herself by dating him. There’s a lot about academic snobbery and
infighting in the story, so I hasten to say I didn’t see much of that at TCU.
But I know it exists.
DONNELL: What was the
most fun about writing this story? Then
turn this, what was the most difficult?
JUDY: The most fun was rewriting. The story was pretty raw
at first and I rewrote more times than I can say but each time I could see it
taking a better shape. The hardest part was keeping Susan likeable in spite of
some of the things she says and the harebrained risks she takes. I think the
people who love her—Jake and her Aunt Jenny, principally—help to humanize her.
DONNELL: What comes
next for Judy Alter?
JUDY: Several early readers of The
Perfect Coed mentioned wanting to know what happens next to the characters SO
I’ve begun work on a sequel, after procrastinating all summer. I tell myself I
can’t go to bed until I’ve written my thousand words for the day.
DONNELL: Judy, now it’s your turn.
Time to ask readers a question.
And here you can tell if you’d like to do a book/digital give away.
JUDY'S QUESTION FOR READERS: Which Is more important to you as a reader—plot or
character? And why? I’ll give away a digital book mobi or PDF, to the best
answer.
Links: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Coed-Judy-Alter/dp/0996013105/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409674248&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Perfect+Coed
Contact information
Web page: http://www.judyalter.com
Twitter: @judyalter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5446.Judy_Alter
Thanks, Judy, for being our guest. Best wishes on The Perfect Coed!
Donnell
Hey Judy. Best of luck with your books.
ReplyDeleteFor me it has to be both. The characters have to fit a plot and vice verds.
Hi, Judy! I tend to fall in love with characters; however, they have to be doing something! lol
ReplyDeleteHi Judy,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like my kind of book. I definitely prefer character over plot, that's what makes me want to come back and reread or wait for the newest in a series.
Good luck to you!
Both, i think. But i would stick with a bad plot if i like the characters...
ReplyDeleteboth, the characters have to be interesting enough for me to want to read the plot
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com