What a "lovely" day we have here at Get Lost. One of our Golden Heart sisters has a new cozy Mystery. Linda and I got to see each other in August at the Writer's Police Academy (a blast every year). Here we are at our live shoot. (I can barely keep a straight face.)
BONES TO PICK, the first novel in the Brie Hooker series debuted October 24. The series features Brie, a vegan chef, who lives with her Aunt Eva, a dedicated carnivore, on Eva's Udderly Kidding Dairy farm. Squabbles about dinner menus are the least of the odd couple's problems after a pot-bellied pig accidentally unearths a skeleton that belongs to Eva's unlamented husband, who disappeared years back.
BONES TO PICKBrie Hooker, book #1
Living on a farm with four hundred goats and a cantankerous carnivore isn’t among vegan chef Brie Hooker’s list of lifetime ambitions. But she can’t walk away from her Aunt Eva, who needs help operating her dairy.
Once she calls her aunt’s goat farm home, grisly discoveries offer ample inducements for Brie to employ her entire vocabulary of cheese-and-meat curses. The troubles begin when the farm’s pot-bellied pig unearths the skull of Eva’s husband, who disappeared years back. The sheriff, kin to the deceased, sets out to pin the murder on Eva. He doesn’t reckon on Brie’s resolve to prove her aunt’s innocence. Death threats, ruinous pedicures, psychic shenanigans, and biker bar fisticuffs won’t stop Brie from unmasking the killer, even when romantic befuddlement throws her a curve.
Once she calls her aunt’s goat farm home, grisly discoveries offer ample inducements for Brie to employ her entire vocabulary of cheese-and-meat curses. The troubles begin when the farm’s pot-bellied pig unearths the skull of Eva’s husband, who disappeared years back. The sheriff, kin to the deceased, sets out to pin the murder on Eva. He doesn’t reckon on Brie’s resolve to prove her aunt’s innocence. Death threats, ruinous pedicures, psychic shenanigans, and biker bar fisticuffs won’t stop Brie from unmasking the killer, even when romantic befuddlement throws her a curve.
A native of Iowa, Linda has called the South home for more than thirty years. She and her husband live beside a lake in the South Carolina Upstate. Her hobbies include reading, swimming, kayaking, tennis, and gardening.
SOCIAL MEDIA
THE Q&A
ANGI: How often do you get lost in a story?
LINDA: Often. My husband and I are both avid readers and cap off almost every day reading in bed. The clock is behind us on the bed’s book headboard where we can’t see the time without turning around to look. That means we often get wrapped up in our books and read well beyond our planned time for lights out.’
ANGI: What’s your favorite thing about your book’s hero?
LINDA: I guess that there are TWO of them—Andy Green and David “Paint” Paynter. Andy and Paint are best friends, but they both want to be more than friends with our heroine, Brie. Andy’s a veterinarian; Paint’s a legal moonshiner. While the two men are very different, they both have a sense of humor and honor.
ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
LINDA: That’s a tough one. I guess The Sting. Who couldn’t love a movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. It had humor, twists and turns, and the good guys win.
ANGI: What’s your perfect day? LINDA: A few hours outside in the sun playing tennis, hiking, or swimming; writing a great scene and laughing with my critique partners; chatting with my husband while we eat leftovers from a favorite meal; watching a great movie snuggled up in front of the fireplace; reading a terrific book as a night cap. The kissing the husband part is understood.
ANGI: Salad or soup?
LINDA: Soup. I love to make big pots of our favorite soups and freeze them in meal size packages so I can pull them out when I don’t have the time or inclination to cook. My favorites—chili, split pea, and chicken vegetable soup.
ANGI: Would you put yourself in a Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
LINDA: Action adventure as long as I’m the heroine who survives!
ANGI: Favorite TV rerun you watch every time you channel surf?
LINDA: Ha, this would assume I ever have the clicker in our household. However, when we’re looking for a half-hour filler, I typically suggest either Cheers or Frasier, which are both on Netflix.
ANGI: Favorite date night…fancy or at home?
LINDA: At home. No need to dress up. No traffic. But the same great company!
ANGI: Champagne or Soda?
LINDA: Since I hail from Iowa, I’d say “pop” instead of “soda.” Definitely not champagne as I’m allergic to wines. Can cook with them but can’t drink them.
ANGI: Geek or Jock?
LINDA: Jock. But I do take pride in figuring out how to use new software programs without calling my younger, tech-savvy nieces and nephews.
ANGI: The most daring thing you’ve ever done… Care to share?
LINDA: I don’t like heights. In a previous life, I wrote and illustrated feature articles for business and trade magazines. My assignment was covering the Miss Universe contest in Acapulco for the manufacturer of computerized lighting equipment. To take photos of the equipment, I had to crawl out on scaffolding above the stage—scaffolding that seemed to sway and creak with every move.
ANGI’s GOTTA ASK: What’s your favorite pair of shoes & why?
LINDA’S GOTTA ANSWER: It’s a tie. Let’s just say I have issues with my feet. Haven’t been able (or wanted) to wear heels for literally decades. So 90 percent of the time, you’ll find me in tennis shoes or Crocs, which serve as bedroom slippers and around the house footwear.
UP NEXT for LINDA:
PICKED OFF
Brie Hooker Mystery, #2
June 5, 2018
PREVIOUS RELEASES by LINDA: 
DEAR KILLERMarley Clark Mysteries, #1
DEAD LINE
Smart Women, Dumb Luck
romantic thrillers #1
LIES: SECRETS CAN KILL
a standalone romantic suspense set in 1938
LINDA is giving away an ebook of Bones To Pick
UP NEXT ON GLIAS: PJ’S GUEST
LINDA WANTS TO KNOW: Brie, my heroine, is attracted to both Andy and Paint, the two good friends pursuing her. Do you think a woman can fall in love with two men at the same time? How should she weigh chemistry, personality and compatibility in her decision to commit to one of them?
Welcome back to Get Lost in a Story, Linda !!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angi. So great to see you again digitally anyway. We had such fun at the Writers' Police Academy this summer. Can't wait to hear answers to my question for readers.
ReplyDeletedepends on the woman
ReplyDeleteAnd the men....
DeleteThank you so much Linda for visiting us at GLIAS it was so funny some of the answers and love the shoes. I don;t think a woman can truly love 2 men except maybe if like my husband died and I loved him and then I love my husband now but the two are diff my first husband had so many girlfriends on the side and for 19 years I raised our kids while he partied and did other things and lied to me but he was a friend for 6 years before but I still and did love him even though he was an ass to me. Now my husband now i love him in a diff way I love him as he is most of the times nice but he has trouble with a temper. I still love love him. I know weird but I am happy that i finally found love after a bad foster home and didn;t know what love was and went thru several people thought i loved but i didn;t it was i just thought i needed a man around. Woman don;t need men though they can survive by themselves. Now that was confusing i bet but thank you for the time you gave us.
ReplyDeleteYou're a very strong woman to have lived through your experiences and still find the capacity to love. That's wonderful
DeleteShe can certainly have more than one man for very good friends. I could see that that could lead to falling in love with more than one of them. I would think she would love them each in a different way. She should decide which one is most compatible with her personality, lifestyle, and plans for the future. She should decide on the one that makes her feel special, treats her with respect, and actually listens to what she says. If all else fails, see how he does with kids and puppies.
ReplyDeleteGreat response, librarypat! I agree completely.
ReplyDelete