Lucy Burdette Gets Lost in a Story

Lucy Burdette (AKA Roberta Isleib) is a clinical psychologist and the author of ten mysteries. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards. She is a past-president of Sisters in Crime.

The book...
 

Death in Four Courses -- The annual Key West Loves Literature seminar is drawing the biggest names in food writing from all over the country, and Haley Snow is here to catch a few fresh morsels of insider gossip. Superstar restaurant critic Jonah Barrows has already ruffled a few foodie feathers with his recent tell-all memoir, and as keynote speaker, he promises more of the same jaw-dropping honesty.

But when Hayley discovers Jonah’s body in a nearby dipping pool, the cocktail hour buzz takes a sour turn, and Hayley finds herself at the center of attention—especially with the police. Now it’s up to her to catch the killer before she comes to her own bitter finish.

 

What they're saying...

“All the elements of a winning recipe: Key West, food and fun! The not-so-secret ingredients? Lucy Burdette’s exquisite plotting and sly prose set her apart. Death in Four Courses is a full course feast!”
~~Julia Spencer-Fleming, NYTBS author of ONE WAS A SOLDIER 

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Near the start of Burdette's yummy sequel to An Appetite for Murder, Key West food critic Hayley Snow brings her mother down from New Jersey for a visit... Outspoken Mom provides tart commentary as Hayley once again turns sleuth. Anyone who's ever overpaid for a pretentious restaurant meal will relish this witty cozy."

 "What fun! ....Key West and food -- a winning combination. I can't wait for the next entry in this charming series."
~~ New York Times bestselling author Diane Mott Davidson 

"An excellent sense of place and the occasional humorous outburst aren't the only things An Appetite for Murder has going for it, though: There is a solid mystery within its pages....Not only does Burdette capture the physical and pastoral essence of Key West, she celebrates the food."
~~Ed Irvin, The Florida Book Review

Get Your Copy...

Amazon           Barnes and Noble       Indiebound

             Kindle               Books a Million 

 

Let's chat with Lucy...

Susan: So, Lucy you write about a food critic in Key West. Being that character in that setting sounds like my favorite daydream. What inspired the Key West Food Critic Mysteries?
Lucy: My publisher was looking for a cozy mystery proposal with a food critic as the protagonist. And I was looking for something new to write! And at the time, my husband and I were lucky enough to be spending the winter in Key West, which is a foodie paradise and chock full of interesting characters. And thus the series was born! I love food, so it’s been a huge amount of fun to write these books—and a great excuse for “research.”

Susan: How much is Haley Snow like you?
Lucy: She’s young—I can’t even bear to tell you how much younger than I—so she’s insecure and anxious about finding herself and succeeding, as I was in my 20’s. However, she’s much braver than I am—more foolhardy too. It’s a little odd to be writing about an amateur sleuth, as I certainly would never try to solve a mystery myself! Dial 911—and run as far from the body as possible—that would be how I would handle a murder… 
We are alike in a few ways—she’s devoted to her family and friends and loves a good mealJ. My husband feels that he’s been eating better than ever since I started to write about a food critic. He’s a little disappointed now if I don’t take a picture of his dinner before he tackles it… 

Susan: So, your alter-ego—that’s different from an imaginary friend, right?—is a clinical psychologist. Wow, what a fodder feast! I mean, of course, your imaginary friend—err—whatever—can’t use actual people in her books. But surely situations have sparked your imagination over the years. How much are y’all inspired by actual cases?
Lucy: Yes, Roberta Isleib, the other me, is a real clinical psychologist. And that background helps me puzzle out motivations—both for my protagonist and for the bad guys. I had a psychotherapy practice for about 15 years and I loved the process of helping people understand themselves so they could make positive changes in their relationships and their lives. I closed my practice some years ago when the writing career took off, so I don’t have a conflict with wishing I could put real people in the books.

And when you think about it, doing psychotherapy is quite like the work of a detective—starting with presenting problems (in mysteries, generally a murder), and then following clues to find the answer. And finally, all my books have psychologists in them because I love to showcase my profession and help people realize we’re not all crazy or sleeping with our patients, as the shrinks in the movies might have you believe! 
In fact, Hayley’s good friend who is a clinical psychologist takes a central role in DEATH IN FOUR COURSES. 

Susan: And your alter-ego, Roberta Isleib, she writes two whole other series, right?
Lucy: Luckily for our collective sanity, the series have been sequential. I started out writing five books about a neurotic golf professional, Cassie Burdette, then moved on to psychologist Rebecca Butterman with the advice column mysteries. (You can read more about those at www.robertaisleib.com.) And then the first food critic mystery, AN APPETITE FOR MURDER, was published this past January.


Susan: You run with a pretty racy crowd—what are y’all called? Jungle Reds? Looks like a fun group to me. How did y’all connect and decide to start a blog?
Lucy: Oh the Jungle Red Writers—they are the best friends a writer could want! Eight of us who write crime fiction among other things blog daily about writing, life, food…you name it, we chat about it. The blog began with a core of four New England writers. Over the past couple of years, we’ve expanded which makes the work load more manageable and increases the fun!

Susan: Was it this gang that started the SeaScape Writers Retreat, or is that something you and Roberta put together?
Lucy: Hallie Ephron and I started Seascape, Escape to Write retreat with another mystery writer, SW Hubbard. Once a year we spend a weekend in Connecticut with up to 18 aspiring writers who want their works in progress intensively critiqued. We work in small groups and I think most of the students leave having found new directions for their books as well as new friends. Enrollment is closed this year, but we always welcome queries. www.robertaisleib.com/seascape.html


Susan: What are the next five books on your ‘to be read’ pile?
Lucy: THE OTHER WOMAN, Hank Phillippi Ryan (she’s my blog mate on Jungle Red Writers—can’t wait to read her new thriller!)

ALLERGIC TO DEATH, Peg Cochran (Peg is a blog mate on Mystery Lovers Kitchen and this is her debut cozy—yay Peg!)

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, Anthony Bourdain (I get all kinds of plot and character details from books by food people)

STARTING FROM SCRATCH, Susan Gilbert-Collins (I’m hooked on all kinds of fiction involving cooking and food)

DEARIE: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF JULIA CHILD by Bob Spitz (can’t wait to get my hands on this one!)

Susan: What was the first story you remember writing?
Lucy: (Groans) I can’t find a copy of this, which is probably a blessing…it was a short story about a girl who’d been dumped by her first love. She’s naturally devastated and reacts by running to the top of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. She’s pounding up the 268 steps so doesn’t hear the boy chasing after her—a nice boy who really likes her. I’m pretty sure he was named Micky, after Micky Dolenz of the Monkees…I was probably in seventh grade and thus embarrassing teenage yearning and angst was the one and only focus! 

Susan: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
Lucy: The funny thing is I never dreamed of becoming an author. I wrote a lot in the process of getting a PH.D—and had several professors mention that I was a good writer. But writing fiction was something else entirely—I call it my mid-life crisis. And I’ve had more fun than I could have imagined—meeting other writers and readers and see my books in bookstores and playing with professional golfers (research!). I feel utterly fortunate!

Susan: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?
Lucy: This is not really about me, but it’s about you, the readers—what I wish you knew about how much power you have to ensure you keep getting the books you love from the authors you enjoy. Here are a few suggestions about how to make a difference: 

--Click the "like" button generously, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook, you name it. Believe it or not, publishers look at these numbers!

--Share your opinions about the good books you read--on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Twitter, Shelfari, Facebook--this can make a big difference when folks are looking for something to read

--Buy books! This may sound obvious, but it isn't. Sales mean that writers can continue to keep writing. Low sales mean contracts aren't renewed. Of course I don't buy every book I read--some are from the library or borrowed from a friend, but I buy a lot of them. And when I'm thinking about gifts, I think books!

Susan: What will always make you smile, even on a bad day?
Lucy: My animals, Yoda the cat and Tonka the Australian shepherd—both are endlessly entertaining! And good food—that always cheers me up no matter the circumstances. And my husband, who is very funny and supportive. And my writer buddies. You see, with all that in my life, it’s really hard to have a bad day! 

Susan’s GOTTA ASK: What is your favorite scene in Death in Four Courses?
Lucy’s GOTTA ANSWER: wow, that’s a tough one. I should by rights say it’s the opening scene, because why else would I open with it? Right? But there are quite a few that I really, really like…for instance, there’s a culinary poet whose focus is doggerel about protein. (I cracked myself up writing those sectionsJ.) But I really love a scene that takes place at a restaurant called La Creperie. Hayley Snow has taken two important food writers out to lunch, both to grill them about the dead man and to make a connection for the article she’ll be writing. Unfortunately, the two women are at each other’s throats…and Hayley’s mom is there too, full of advice…and meanwhile they are eating this incredible French food: so much fun to write! 

Catch up with Lucy online...

                                                    Website  

Goodreads   Mystery Lovers Kitchen


What's up next for Lucy?

Look for TOPPED CHEF, May 2013

Lucy is giving away a copy of DEATH IN FOUR COURSES to one person who leaves a comment today—please be sure to leave your email address in the body of the comment to enter the drawing.

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.

Get Lost With Debut Historical Romance Author Erin Knightley!

GET LOST IN THIS STORY…

AN UNCOVERED BETRAYAL

When his family abandoned him at Eton, Benedict Hastings found an unexpected ally in his best friend’s sister. Her letters kept him going—until the day he had to leave everything behind.  Years later, Benedict has seen his share of betrayal, but when treachery hits close to home, he turns to his old friend for safe haven….

AN UNWANTED ATTRACTION

After five torturous years on the marriage circuit, Lady Evelyn Moore is finally free to live her life as she wishes. So when her brother shows up with a dashing stranger, she finds herself torn between her dreams...and newfound desires.

AN UNSTOPPABLE INTRIGUE

Despite his determination to keep Evie at a distance, Benedict cannot deny the attraction that began with a secret correspondence. Yet as they begin to discover one another, the dangers of Benedict’s world find them, threatening their lives, their love, and everything they thought they could never have…

I am beyond THRILLED to welcome debut historical romance author, Erin Knightley, to the blog today! This is a book I have been looking forward to for quite some time, now. Lucky me, I was privileged enough to read the first few chapters of this in 2010 and I tell you, I was blown away then and I’m still blown away now! I think you are going to LOVE Erin’s writing. Not only is she a phenomenal writer, but Erin is smart, funny, another science-geek-girl (like me), AND she bakes a mean cupcake! So, let’s get to know Erin a little better…

Despite being an avid reader and closet writer her whole life, Erin Knightley decided to pursue a sensible career in science.  It was only after earning her B.S. and working in the field for years that she realized doing the sensible thing wasn't any fun at all.  Following her dreams, Erin left her practical side behind and now spends her days writing. Together with her tall, dark, and handsome husband and their three spoiled mutts, she is living her own Happily Ever After in North Carolina.

And now, the GET LOST interview…

HEATHER: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

ERIN: Love Actually – far and away my favorite. The multiple love stories, the adorable British accents, Colin Firth – what’s not to love?  Oh, and the music is brilliant – one of the only albums I can have running any time of the year.

HEATHER: What’s the first book you remember reading?

ERIN: My mother used to buy me the Serendipity books that were sent to my house once a month. We would snuggle under the covers of my parents big bed and read them together, complete with voices and sound effects.  It was absolutely magical, and to this day I can not part with a single one of my collection.  Now, the first book I ever read on my own was Charlotte’s Web. I remember staring at the pages, wanting *so bad* to be able to read it. I kept at it for a year or so while I was learning to read in school, and finally got through it. It opened my world to the undeniable joy of getting lost in a story.

HEATHER: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

ERIN: Definitely The Little Mermaid. Ever since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated with water and the ocean. My whole room was decorated in under-the-sea type things, and I lived for the days I visited my grandparents and could watch the Discovery channel where they would have some sort of ocean program on. I eventually went to school and earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science, and am a certified diver.  The Little Mermaid had everything I could want: ocean setting, a mermaid tail, an evil sea witch, and a gorgeous hero with my favorite name: Eric *sigh*

HEATHER: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

ERIN: Oh, Snoopy – no question. Despite the fact I have been an adult for ages, I adore the little guy. I have t-shirts and water bottles and lunchbags and figurines. He just makes me so happy!

HEATHER: What question are you never asked in interviews, but wish you were?

ERIN: What’s my favorite memory? The first time I told my husband I loved him. We were only seventeen, and I remember sitting in the driveway in his car waiting for a summer rainstorm to pass. It was warm, and humid, and the water poured down the windows in wavy sheets, making it seem as though we were alone in the world. Sweet Home Alabama was playing on his cheap car stereo, providing a soundtrack that I would forever associate with true love. Young romantic that I was, I was completely lost in the velvety brown depths of his gaze, memorizing the tiny flecks of green that no one else seemed to know existed.  He started to say those three magic words, and before he could even get them out I was reciprocating. And you know what? We may have just been kids, but I knew with absolute clarity in that moment that he would be mine for the rest of my life.  Fifteen years later, and he still gives me butterflies J

HEATHER: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

ERIN: Can you believe that I actually DESPISE coffee? I’d as soon drink mud than a cup of joe. Of course, since I can’t do caffeine (well, I can if I want a migraine), I don’t get any benefit from coffee.  Now tea I am generally okay with, but only if it is caffeine-free herbal, usually peppermint. The flavor is so mild, I don’t need any sugar or milk, so I can just enjoy the flavor nature intended.

HEATHER: What’s your favorite kid joke?

ERIN: Knock, Knock / Who’s There? / Impatient Cow / Impatient Co— / MOO! (see, I’m laughing just writing it, lol)

HEATHER: What’s in your refrigerator right now?

ERIN: Not a lot! When I’m on deadline, I tend to let little things like grocery shopping and brushing my hair go by the wayside.  That being said, I am never without milk, pickles, oranges, apples, bananas, and some sort of cheese.  Greek yogurt is also good, particularly since it has a long expiration date, lol!

HEATHER’S GOTTA ASK – ERIN’S GOTTA ANSWER  J

HEATHER: Okay, so I was perusing your bucket list on your website and smiling over the people you wanted to meet, when I saw Colin Firth, Gerard Butler and Hugh Jackman. Then I noticed two of them were crossed through…now, I know you met Colin Firth (because I remember the SQUEEING e-mail, along with requisite photographic proof!).

However, WHEN DID YOU MEET GERARD BUTLER?!?!?!? And why didn’t you tell ME? Come now, woman…SPILL!

ERIN: Ahh, yes – good ol’ Gerry ;)  A couple of years ago I was visiting my sister in LA, and she was sick as a dog. One of her friends had pity on us, and called to invite me to a post Grammy party in the Hollywood Hills.  Now, I knew she was an actor, but it didn’t occur to me just what kind of a party we were going to until be arrived and were promptly blinded by the relentless strobe of paparazzi flashbulbs.

The mansion was straight out of a movie (probably literally, lol), and the first person I saw when I walked through the door was Ryan Philippi. Twenty minutes later, I had met James Marsden, one of the vampires from Twilight, a few of the guys from Entourage, and several soap stars, and I had learned that Britney Spears, Taylor Lautner, and more were in residence.  None of that mattered, however, when I heard that blessed Scottish accent behind me.

As if in slow motion, I turned around and my, oh my, there he was. THE Gerard Butler. And I ain’t gonna lie—he is one fine looking man.  As I stared, slack jawed, my friend realizes who I’m fixated on. “Would you like to meet him?”

Apparently, she had actually dated him (be still my heart!), and dragged me over to introduce us.  I’ve met a lot of stars in my day, but I had NEVER been so star struck in my life.  I just stood there, grinning like an idiot as she made the introduction.  The bad news was, I was too dumbfounded to do much more than nod – but of course the good news was that I didn’t make a fool of myself!

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

ERIN: What celebrity (Read: hot guy) would you like to meet?

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?

ERIN: TWO chances to win!

1.     1) Everyone who comments will be entered in my Sealed with a Kiss blog tour giveaway! Prizes include signed books, lots of fun swag, stationery, a custom iPhone case, and gift cards from Starbucks and Amazon! For details, click HERE. Drawings will be made June 15^th!

2.     2) You’re already a winner! If you’d like a signed bookmark (or more – let me know how many!), simply say so in the comments section, and I’ll send post haste! Offer good for the first 40 requests per blog.

*Be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact winners, or email me at erin@erinknightley.com if you don’t wish to list publically* I’ll ship anywhere in the US, Canada, or Mexico

WHERE CAN READERS FIND YOU ON THE NET?

www.ErinKnightley.com
Twitter: @ErinKnightley
www.Facebook.com/ErinKnightley

THE HAUNTING TRUTH

THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE

NAL

ISBN: 978-0451235688

Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis – rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts – has been summoned to investigate the spirit of nineteen-year-old Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide. Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarah’s task to confront her in death.

Soon Sarah is caught up in a desperate struggle. For Maddy’s ghost is real, she’s angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. Can Sarah and Alistair’s assistant, the rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance – before she destroys them all?

READ AN EXCERPT  

A SHORT BIO

Simone St. James wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school. Unaware that real people actually became writers, she pursued a career behind the scenes in the television business. She lives just outside Toronto, Canada, where she writes in her spare time and lives with her husband and three spoiled cats.

THE HAUNTING TRUTH

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

SIMONE: All the time! I get antsy if I have no reading time. I have a long train commute to my day job, and I’m usually already reading before the train leaves the station. 

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?

SIMONE: Nope. I write in absolute silence. I find it hard to write any other way. The voices in my head hate competition. 

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

SIMONE: The sound of rain is, I think, my absolute favorite sound in the world. Thunderstorms, too, followed closely by the sound of waves on a beach. The sound of water is so primal. I even have a recording of rain sounds that I play on my iPod when I feel the need. 

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?

SIMONE: It was about a girl who goes on a quest with her pet dragon, and I was nine. It was very, shall we say, influenced by The Hobbit, but I wanted a story about a girl instead of a boy, so I wrote one! 

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

SIMONE: Probably the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have lost count of how many times I’ve read the books, and the films really brought those stories to life. Parts of the film were exactly the way I had pictured the stories and sets in my head. 

ANGI: Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role?

SIMONE: Always. Always, always, always. It’s one of the best things about reading – getting to live another woman’s life. I’m a very heroine-centric reader, and my books are centered on the heroine too. 

ANGI: Is writing or story-telling easier for you?

SIMONE: Interesting question! Probably story-telling, because I see so much of it in my head. But writing provides the endless fun of fiddling with the words over and over again until they say exactly what you want them to. 

ANGI: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?

SIMONE: That this book is a little different. It’s definitely a scary ghost story… but it isn’t too scary, and it definitely isn’t horror. There’s a romance, and I promise it all ends well! 

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Please tell us your favorite thing about Alistair Gellis, your hero from THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE.

SIMONE’S GOTTA ANSWER: Ha, I think my favorite thing about Alistair is that he’s only one of the heroes of this book! (And no, it’s not what you think, the book isn’t quite that spicy! But things get rather complicated, which made it fun to write.) Seriously, the thing I love most about Alistair is that he’s pretty much fearless. He goes into these situations, and it just never occurs to him to be afraid. He’s definitely the guy you want with you when you go into a haunted house in the dark… 

DON’T BE HAUNTED! Bookmark where you can find Simone

Website   Facebook    Twitter 

UP NEXT

Another ghost story, coming out in March 2013! 

A DRAWING !  AND A DRAWING !

Giving away two copies of The Haunting of Maddy Clare over the course of my release week! Any commenter is automatically entered to win. Check back on Sunday for the winners!

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.

DON’T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter (#GetLostStories) or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join me next week when I host Elle James, Liz Selvig & Robin Perini. And come back Thursday & Friday when Donnell & Jill feature more of Simone’s THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE. ~Angi

?? QUESTION FOR TODAY ??

What’s the number one thing that scares you? Spiders? Snakes? Share!

Get Lost in The Haunting of Maddy Clare...

The Haunting of Maddy Clare debuts!

It’s debut week here at Get Lost In A Story, and today we are celebrating our own Simone St. James’ “The Haunting of Maddy Clare.”  I have been dying to read this book since I first heard of it over a year ago…that’s a LONG time to wait when you’re as impatient as I.  In fact, while you are reading this blog, I am likely reading this book…

Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis – rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts – has been summoned to investigate the spirit of nineteen-year-old Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide. Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarah’s task to confront her in death.

Soon Sarah is caught up in a desperate struggle. For Maddy’s ghost is real, she’s angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. Can Sarah and Alistair’s assistant, the rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance – before she destroys them all?

Before I toddle off to read, let’s learn a little about the author, Simone St. James, and why she chose to write ghost stories…

Heather:  I noticed on your website that the very first book your wrote (in high school) was a ghost story about a haunted library?  What draws you to stories about haunted places and people?

Simone:  I've always loved ghost stories - they're fun, entertaining, spine-chilling without being horror. Even better, as a writer, a ghost story can be anything you want it to be. It can be a deep metaphor for the things your characters can't let go of, and it can also be a ripping yarn at the same time. Ghost stories don't really have many conventions for how they are supposed to go, so you have a lot of room to do anything you want with the concept. And I suppose I'm quite fascinated with the idea of characters being haunted by their pasts in some way - which lends itself perfectly to the concept.

Heather:  How long have you been writing?  How many books did you write before selling  “The Haunting of Maddy Clare?”

Simone:  I've been writing all my life, but I began to seriously write for publication sometime in 2004-2005. I had just discovered historical romance (Mary Balogh! Laura Kinsale!) and I wanted to be a historical romance writer. I took nearly two years to finish that first book, which was rejected everywhere. I wrote a second historical romance and half of a third which also got rejected - and then I took a bit of a break to regroup and focus on my craft. I entered contests (all of which I flunked), got a critique partner, and began to rework my ideas. Finally I wrote The Haunting of Maddy Clare as a total risk - it was just a story that spoke to me, and I didn't think anyone would publish it. Within a few months of finishing I had an agent, and a few months after that, the book was sold.

I love historical romance, but I'm just not very good at writing it. The reading public should be thankful I got all those rejections!

Heather:  Are there any authors or books that inspired you while you were writing this particular story?

Simone:  Nothing inspired me for this particular story - it was born more out of what I'd like to see as a reader. I really wanted a spooky ghost story, that wasn't horror, that featured a female main character, and had a good, satisfying romance in it. I couldn't really find one, so I wrote one myself. However, I love classic ghost stories (M. R. James, E. F. Benson, and all those extremely strange writers), and I think (maybe? It's possible I missed one or two) that I've read everything Stephen King has ever written. So even though I'm a would-be romance writer, I definitely have a dark side as a reader!

Anyone who wants to read a cracking ghost story that will turn your hair white must read The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill. I just saw the movie the other week and it was fantastic. (Daniel Radcliffe! Awesome.)

Heather:  Tell us a little about your process?

Simone:  My process is pretty much to stare into space for about six months, while images and ideas tumble around in my head, and my family and friends wonder if I'm on some kind of crazy medications or something. Then I write some stuff in a spiral notebook (this is fooling my writer-brain into thinking it's "not really writing.") Then I sit down at an official computer and get going. In the times when I'm stuck, I go back to the spiral notebook until I'm un-stuck. (Again, "not really writing", lol.) Then I do what all writers have to do at some point or another - I keep typing until THE END.

Heather:  What will you be doing today to celebrate the release of your debut novel?

Simone:  Well, today is a work day like any other, actually! I do have some chocolate I plan to indulge in. I'll be celebrating more on the weekend, when my family is taking me out to dinner. And I think I'll find time to sneak to a bookstore and stare at my book on the shelf!

Heather:  Thank you, Simone, and huge congratulations!!!  I’d like to leave you with one of the most famous ghost sighting photos, The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. 

Do you believe in ghosts?  If so, why?  One random commenter will win a $10 gift card to your bookseller of choice!

Get Lost Again with Emma Wildes!

Get Lost in This Story…

Twice Fallen is the second book in the Ladies in Waiting series, finally featuring Lord Damien Northfield (yes, Emma listens when readers ask!) from Lessons From a Scarlet Lady. Damien meets his match in Lady Lily Bourne, a disgraced beauty with a scandalous past. Just the perfect woman for a wily spy who specializes in secrets, isn’t she? When Lily proves to be the key to catching a ruthless killer, he decides fate might just have brought them together…

Welcome to Get Lost in a Story today, where I am excited to welcome back my friend and fabulous historical romance author, Emma Wildes!

Emma Wildes is an author of numerous Regency and other historicals novels. Twice nominated for an RT bookLover’s Reviewer’s Award (An Indecent Proposition, 2009, Our Wicked Mistake, 2010), An Eppie winner for best erotic historical, Winner of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, she writes for NAL’s Signet Eclipse line. Emma lives in the Midwest with her husband, three children, and a temperamental cat named Poot. You can visit her at www.emmawildes.com

So, let’s get to the Get Lost Interview!!!

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

Emma:  I like captivated. It implies intelligence and sexual pull.

Heather:  What turns you off like nothing else?

Emma:  A person without a sense of humor.

Heather:  Where do you read and how often?

Emma:  I read EVERYWHERE. In my office while I’m working, on vacation, on the place, in bed…

Heather:  Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

Emma:  Classical, preferably Baroque. Very soothing.

Heather:  Is writing or story-telling easier for you?

Emma:  I think writing. I like to play with how the words sound together. But, of course, a good story is important!

Heather:  If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

Emma:  If I couldn’t be a writer I would be bereft.

Heather:  What do you do to unwind and relax?

Emma:  Actually, I take a glass of wine and go sit by the lake. I tell my children I am going out to contemplate life, but I doubt it is really that cerebral <laugh>. I just go out and enjoy that there is really a lot of beauty in this world. Water, blue sky, birds, a warm breeze…

Heather:  What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

Emma:  Swedish Christmas dishes. Just a few days away!

Heather:  What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Emma:  We have a second country home now and really love it. No lake like our other house, but two small ponds and fifteen acres of woods with deer and wild turkeys wandering through. It is pitch dark at night, and so quiet you can hear every creak and rustle. I keep telling my husband a rabid badger <very unlikely, that is my vivid imagination> is living under our front porch because I do hear whatever it is come home each morning at dawn. Lots of thumping. A growl or two. This creature and I have an understanding that no sighting is mutually good for both of us. I don’t want to see him, and he doesn’t want to see me. Perfect.

Heather:  What would you say is your most interesting quirk?

Emma:  I don’t know if it is a quirk, but I hate loud noises. Music? Please keep it very soft. I went to about two concerts as a teen and then gave it up. I don’t even like the fan on in the bathroom. No wonder I live in the country.

Heather:  Have you ever written a character who wasn’t meant to be a hero/heroine but he/she wouldn’t go away?

Emma:  Well, now that you mention it, Damien Northfield from Twice Fallen (January 3^rd, 2012, Signet Eclipse). He is a middle brother and he didn’t really have that big a role in Lessons, but readers loved him. I have seven current mass market paperbacks with NAL, plus two eSpecials out there with NAL (Spanish Lullaby just came out on the 5^th of December), 29 books with Siren Publishing, four with Samhain, and he is hands down the character that has gotten the most fan mail! I found it all so astonishing. So I wrote his story, and honestly, he and Lily were just perfect for each other.

Heather:  Dog person or cat person?

Emma:  Love dogs, and love cats. I adore Poot. So handsome. But he is an exceptional cat <laugh> At our country house the neighbors have the most fabulous dog who comes to visit…Blue is an English Spaniel and he is so sweet. He’s gentle as can be but just barges in if you open the door. One night he watched a movie with us on the couch <invited himself> and his “parents” came looking for him. I felt a little guilty when he was sacked out on my lap. They were worried.

Heather:  What is your favorite thing about you?

Emma:  I think I’m extremely calm in a crisis, emotional, physical, etc. I immediately go to the “it-happened-it-needs to-be fixed” mode. It probably says something weird about me…please don’t tell me what it is, but at least I don’t go to pieces.

Heather’s GOTTA ASK – Emma’s GOTTA ANSWER  J

Heather:  What has been the most unexpected thing about being a published author?

Emma:  I don’t think I expected ever to be this busy. It is such a lovely gift. I write books and people actually want to read them <seriously?>. Heaven on earth.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Emma:  I am so curious to know if readers like it when authors switch paths and cross into other genres. For instance, I have a new series coming with Tor/Forge to be released next year that is thriller/suspense as Kate Watterson. The books are contemporary and the first one involves a serial killer…quite a switch for me. Thoughts? I will still write historicals, of course, since I love them, but I am quite a mystery buff also, so this was just a delightful challenge. I’d really like to hear what you all think!

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?**

Emma:  A signed copy of Twice Fallen since I JUST got my copies yesterday.

Thanks so much for being with us today, Emma!

Emma:  Thank you for having me here at Get Lost in the Story. I have really enjoyed it!

Best to all, Emma

If you missed Emma’s previous visit to GLIAS, learn more about her here!

** Please follow us on Facebook & Twitter (#GetLostStories) for a daily update on who’s visiting GLIAS and what they might be giving away! Join us tomorrow as Maureen hosts Marley Gibson.

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.