Another Mind for Murder Mystery is out. Yay! These books have it all–humor, sexy-smart romance and mystery.
Rochelle: Thank you for inviting me to GLIAS again today, Jillian—being here seems like old home week. My third Mind for Murder Mystery, HEX ON THE EX, came out in May and I’m excited to talk about what Liz and Nick are up to this time.
Jillian: You are so welcome, Rochelle! I always enjoy hosting you here at Get Lost in a Story–and I do love this series!
HEX ON THE EX BLURB: The past comes back to haunt psychologist Liz Cooper in a bitter clash with a former rival, and a cryptic homicide clue only occult professor Nick Garfield can decipher…
Liz’s evening at a Dodger game with Nick and her family is a welcome break from renovating her new home, despite a few people in the stadium she’d like to forget: her two-timing ex-friend in the stands, and star-relief pitcher ex-husband Jarret in the dugout. All hell breaks loose when Jarret violates an old baseball superstition on his way to the mound, a game changer triggering behavior both on and off the field that ends in disaster—and Liz on deck as a murder suspect.
HEX ON THE EX MINI EXCERPT:
A giddy laugh I knew too well pierced through the gym music and crowd noise. Laycee Huber stood near the desk and called to me as I turned to escape through the back.
“Liz, Liz, oh Liz! Kyle told me you were here.” Laycee ran over, fluttering her hands like a baby bird. She wore her dark brown hair parted into matching pigtails, a trick to cover her pointed, Spock-like ears. Stunning in a turquoise tank top, black tights, and pristine white cross-trainers, Laycee greeted me like the Atlanta bra-under-the-bed incident was forgotten or had never happened, then stopped short, showing as much concern as her Botoxed forehead allowed. I think one eyebrow actually twitched with pity as she studied my face. “Oh, Liz. Has it really been that long?”
Good ol’ Laycee—the Southern belle who loved a good dig to make herself feel better. Note: never again assume I don’t need makeup.
She threw her arms around me in a histrionic hug as I stiffened, backpack dangling from my hand. Air-kissing my cheek with pink-glossed lips, she batted her lashes and said, “I missed you.”
I missed her like I missed a case of food poisoning.
MIND FOR MURDER MYSTERY PURCHASE LINKS: http://rochellestaab.com/novels.php
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| Win autographed copies of HEX ON THE EX and Daphne nominated BRUJA BROUHAHA (see below). |
I always dreamed of becoming an author—move over Jessica Fletcher—but it wasn’t until I made a serious commitment that I discovered how much real life fun and adventure writing a fictional series could be. Mystery? Romance? I combined my love for both, added a supernatural element, and created the Mind For Murder Mystery series featuring Los Angeles psychologist Liz Cooper and religious philosophy professor Nick Garfield. The series made my wildest dreams come true: my first novel WHO DO, VOODOO? was a Golden Heart®, Agatha, Anthony, and Eureka award nominee. The second, BRUJA BROUHAHA, won the 2012 Watson award for Best Sidekick (yay, Nick!) and is nominated for the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Published Mainstream Award. But the biggest payoff comes from sharing Liz and Nick with their fans. That’s the real joy. Read more about Rochelle at: www.rochellestaab.com
Jillian: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?
Rochelle: I’m partial to a good mystery with twists and turns. I’m a sucker for a romantic love story. Combine mystery and romance with humor, and I’m a goner. You won’t see me until I finish reading the book.
Jillian: Describe your favorite kind of hero to read/write.
Rochelle: Is it wrong to have a crush on my own character? In creating Nick Garfield I attempted to weave in characteristics of some of my favorite fictional heroes like Nick Charles, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes, Radcliffe Emerson, Max Darling, and maybe even a tiny bit of James Bond sans chauvinism. I like my heroes to be daring, intelligent, clever, well read, resourceful, sexy, faithful, romantic, and independent. And sweet when needed. A man who views his woman as an equal. Expressive eyes, strong arms, athletic yet cerebral. I favor curly hair. Easy-going. Nick’s patience with strong-minded Liz amuses me. I love heroes with patience.
Jillian: What is something you’d like to tell your fans?
Rochelle: How grateful I am, and how much I adore them! It’s incredibly reaffirming when fans talk about Liz and Nick like they know them. My characters feel so real to me and I love, love, love when a reader connects to Liz, Nick, and the gang on the same level—even with my secondary characters. I enjoy sharing insights and little jokes with readers. My fans are the best.
Jillian: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Rochelle: I want to dine with Liz Cooper because that girl needs to explain to me and everyone else why she stayed married to roguish Jarret for so long (15 years!) Nick would be at the table to entertain us with his adventures of studying the occult in remote locales. And of course I’d invite Robin because she’s good fun, and would bring her famous brownies for dessert.
Jillian: What would you say is your most interesting quirk?
Rochelle: I won’t put my purse on the floor. Ever. The habit developed after I studied superstitions for my first novel, WHO DO, VOODOO? The Chinese proverb “Purse on the floor, money out the door” stuck with me. The purse/floor superstition crosses cultures from China to Chile, Brazil, Africa, and throughout European folklore with varied interpretations including “the devil will eat your money” and “a purse on the floor disrespects money.” Think about it—would you set your wallet at your feet in a restaurant, at a desk, or on a train to get it out of the way?
Jillian: What sound or noise do you love?
Rochelle: Rain, from a gentle patter on the skylight to a pounding rainstorm on the roof. I’ll go out on the patio to hear the rain rustle through the trees and let the cleansing warmth of raindrops cover my face. I love writing on rainy days, or falling asleep at night to the sound of rain. If I crave atmosphere I’ll play a Rainstorm DVD—there are times when I need Mother Nature to wash away my cares.
Jillian: What’s your favorite kid joke?
Rochelle: My BFF Patricia told me this joke years ago: A chicken enters a library, flaps up to the front desk, and clucks, “Booook.” The stunned but helpful librarian directs the chicken to the stacks. Chicken comes back with book in beak, shows a library card, and exits. Twenty minutes later the chicken returns with the first tome, and clucks, “Booook, book, book…booook.” The librarian watches, astounded, as the chicken goes back to the stacks, picks out another book, checks out and leaves. Soon the chicken comes in again, and drops off book two clucking, “Boook, book, book,” with irritation. Back to the stacks. Chicken checks out third book. This time the curious librarian cannot resist—she follows the chicken out of the library and down the street to a park. The chicken struts to the edge of the park pond where a toad is sunning on a large rock. As the librarian spies from behind a bush, the chicken sets the book on the rock in front of the toad. “Booook.” The toad looks at the cover then croaks, “Reddit.”
GIVEAWAY! For a chance to win a set of autographed copies of HEX ON THE EX and Daphne nominated BRUJA BROUHAHA, name your all-time favorite fictional TV couple, past or present, in the comment section below. My favorite couple, though sadly star-crossed, will always be Ally McBeal and Larry Paul. Sigh. Tell me yours!
Note: 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.
