Cindy Reynders: A Killer Slice

Cindy Reynders is here with A Killer Slice, just in time for Thanksgiving. Isn't that great?
Welcome back, Cindy, and congratulations on the new book. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Cindy, even though I have previously interviewed you, please give new blog visitors a brief bio.

I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming with my husband, Rich and my little dog, Ewok.  I work for Laramie County School District 1 as their Marketing Specialist, and I write feature articles for my office’s Public Schools Chronicle. I’ve written articles for True West and Wild West magazines, and my published books in the Saucy Lucy mystery trilogy are The Saucy Lucy Murders and Paws-itively Guilty.  The newest in the trilogy is A Killer Slice.

I've been to Cheyenne and hope to return next year.

What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing? 

I fell in love with Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind when I read it at sixteen. I wrote romance for years, but I switched to murder mystery and there I found my niche.  I’ve got this crazy wicked sense of humor that plagues my writing, even though I also craft many scenes that are sad. Thankfully, my fans seem to love my style.

Yes, I'm with them!  Please give us a short synopsis of your new book, A Killer Slice.

Sisters Lexie and Lucy are the main characters, and they live in the small town of Moose Creek Junction, Wyoming. A Killer Slice starts during a baby shower for Lexie’s daughter.  A young man shows up on the door step of the Saucy Lucy Café, the eatery the sisters own, claiming he’s Lucy’s long-lost son who she gave up for adoption while she was a single college girl. Now Lucy’s a married, God-fearing, churchgoing woman, so to have this happen is a slap in the face, and she vehemently denies having a child out of wedlock. When the young man winds up dead, the local police naturally consider Lucy a suspect.  So the sisters polish their amateur sleuthing skills to save her from going to jail. Everyone who has read the book so far, including my editor, swears they had no inkling about who did it until the great reveal at the end. A little secret:  When I was writing it, I didn’t know either!

Sometimes our characters surprise us, don't they?

How has your writing progressed since your first book?

I feel more confident in my writing abilities.  I’m also more aware that people are actually reading my work.  As a result, I’m more of a perfectionist because I want to live up to reader expectations. I’m taking more risks, and I’m trying new things.

When do you accomplish your best writing?

           
I go to bed early each evening so I can get up in the wee hours of the morning and hide out in my office to write for a couple of hours before work.

Is there another book on the horizon?

Yes, actually there is. In early 2012, Angelic Knight Press will publish one of my new titles, “The Seven-Year Witch,” a humorous, lighthearted story about a witch who must travel through time to find the Philosopher’s Stone. It’s actually classified as an urban fantasy, so this is one of the new things I mentioned I’ve been trying. I’m hoping AKP and I can continue to work        together to publish more in this line about my witch protagonist and her sisters. They may potentially be made into graphic novels as well, but this still only at the discussion stage.

Suer!
After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind? 

I love reading magazines!  They’re quick fun reads that really help me relax.

Are your books available in print, ebook, and Kindle? 

Yes.  

Where can we purchase these books and get more information about you?

My books can be found online, of course.  If you prefer a hard copy and you can’t locate one in a brick and mortar store, it’s easy to order one online and it will be delivered to your doorstep. Or you can order a hard copy from a book store.  Either way, the process is quick and easy. At my website,  www.cindykeenreynders.com, readers can access my Facebook page and also my blog or they can contact me via e-mail with questions. I’m also on Twitter!

Thanks for visiting again, Cindy, and I plan to look you up when I get back to Wyoming.

Please do, Susan.

 

Lila Pinord's In Time

My guest today is Lila Pinord, author of IN TIME. Welcome, Lila. Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I was born and raised in a Native American fishing village along the coast of Washington state. I didn’t leave until I was eighteen.

Interesting!

How many books have you written?

IN TIME is my fourth book. The other three are SKYE DANCER, EVIL LIVES in BLUE ROCK, and MIN'S MONSTER.

What books or authors have influenced you?

Stephen King was my first favorite, but later changed to Dean Koontz. I’ve read all his books and like the tension he generates through words. I try to do the same.

Tell us about your latest release.

 IN TIME is an urban fantasy. A young lad begins to pass through “misty curtains of time” and time-travels here on earth. He meets some historical figures along the way,including Meriwether Lewis and Blackbeard. His mother Ellie also passes through the opening as she seeks her son, who now goes by the name of Cowboy. Along the way she meets other time “travelers”. Will she and her son find each other “in time”?

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes, it is in both formats.

Were any of your booksmore challenging to write than the others?

No, I usually have them pretty much thought out before I even begin writing my stories.

How do you develop characters?

My characters seem to jump out at me as I’m writing.Their names just come to me as if it were meant to be. It’s weird howcharacters come to life for us writers!

How do you choose your setting?

From my growing-up years in and around the village;the surrounding lakes and rivers and mountains play a big part in the settingsof my novels. Also the weather always works its way into my stories. SkyeDancer includes a great storm and flooding rivers and lakes. Evil Lives in BlueRock is enfolded in thick fog. Min’s Monster takes place during a horrific snowstorm. I think my next one may take place during a heat wave!

What are your protagonists' strengths? Flaws?

They always seem to overcome anything, such as theweather conditions mentioned above. Fear would be a weakness, but we all havethat at one time or another in our lives.

We all know how important promoting our work hasbecome. How do you get the word out both off and online?

Social websites, local newspapers, press releases,word-of-mouth. My own website contains all the information. http://lilalpinord.bravehost.com

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

 Believe it or not, I am working on two books at the same time! Or maybe I’m just re-working one I’d written many years ago. There is always room for improvement.

 I'm usually working on two books at the same time as well.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Mainly on my website. However I have yet to add INTIME there, but will get to it soon. The books are on Amazon, Barnes &Noble and wherever books are sold.

Thanks for dropping by, Lila, and continued success!

Readers, click the link to see Lila's book trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0bHz02syHY for Skye Dancer book trailer

http://www.youtube.com/lilapinord  for  Min's Monster book trailer

                                                      

Susan Fleet's Diva

My special guest today is Susan Fleet, author of  Diva Desire.

Welcome to the blog, Susan.

                   It's great to be here, Susan.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

In my former life I worked as a professional trumpeter in the Boston area playing a wild assortment of gigs ranging from the Ringling Brothers Circus to operas, symphonies and solo recitals. While teaching music at Brown University and Berklee College of Music, I took a scriptwriting course that turned me on to writing fiction, and my dark side. In 1990, unbeknownst to my colleagues, I began killing people. Fictionally, of course.

How many books have you written?

Between 1990 and 2000 I wrote five thrillers. I threw three of them away because they weren't ready for prime time, but it wasn't a waste of time. That's how I learned to write a novel. In 2001 I moved to New Orleans. That's the setting for my first published novel, Absolution, which I'm happy to say the Premier Book Awards named Best Mystery-Suspense-Thriller of 2009. My latest novel, Diva, was published in June 2011.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

My favorite experience is getting feedback from readers. I've only done one book club event (for Absolution) but it was fabulous and I'd love to do more. I also do library talks. I did one recently in Brunswick, Maine, and the people had some fantastic comments and questions. Many readers also email me through my website: www.susanfleet.com
Tell us about your latest release.

Diva is a fast-paced thriller set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Many reviewers have commented on the way I meld the elegant world of classical music with the dark world of drug dealers. Beautiful, talented and ambitious, flute soloist Belinda Scully wants to be a star. But fame can be dangerous. A psychotic man is stalking her. Chantelle, a homeless teenager, is desperate to escape a menacing drug lord. NOPD detective Frank Renzi tries to save them both. Diva is available in print, Kindle and Nook formats.
What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

My biggest problem is hinting at events in previous books without revealing the outcome. But I love writing a series. Now that I've done two books with my protagonist, NOPD detective Frank Renzi, he feels very real to me. He's driven by a desire to get criminals off the street, but he has a dark past. After being a detective for the Boston Police Department for many years, he moved to New Orleans, partly because of a devastating work-related incident, partly because of a messy divorce. But he's still close to his daughter, who is now in college, and several other characters also make repeat appearances in the series.

How do you choose your setting?

After I moved to New Orleans, I decided to set my novels there. It's an exotic city with great music, which I use in my novels, but also with some racial tensions, which figure in both my books. I set some of my Diva scenes in London at the Royal Festival Hall, which was fun because I've been there. I also show the devastating impact Katrina had on New Orleans, its residents and the police department.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

The rough draft of my next novel is done and should be out sometime in 2012. It involves two murders twenty years apart that take place in New Orleans. Frank has to solve the earlier murder in order to solve the current one. He also makes a brief visit to Boston because of a murder related to the New Orleans case. And the killer might be a woman!

Sounds intriguing. Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Please visit my website: www.susanfleet.com  Individual pages for my books feature video trailers, and free sample chapters and book club questions to download.

Absolution: http://susanfleet.com/fleet-absolution.html

Diva: http://susanfleet.com/fleet-diva.html

And let me take a moment to offer my thanks to you, Susan, for inviting me to be a guest on your blog!

My pleasure, Susan!