BOCA UNDERCOVER

BLOG TOUR

and

Giveaway!

I'm so happy to be a stop on 

author Miriam Auerbach's blog tour for

BOCA UNDERCOVER

Book 4 in the Dirty Harriet Mystery series

Patients at a posh Boca Raton rehab center are ending up stiffer than a Boca babe's smile. Tough Pi Harriet Horowitz, once a bedazzled babe herself, signs in at The Oasis at the request of a frightened friend. 

As a pattern emerges in the murders, it's clear the killer is targeting patients with an unusual addiction. How did they end up with the same drug problem at the same time and in the same rehab together? Harriet's sleuthing leads her down a path of secrets and danger, and what she learns could lead her undercover assignment to a dead end. 

Available now!

A word from Miriam Auerbach

HIGHWAY TO HOLLYWOOD . . . IN MY DREAMS

When you hear the book title DIRTY HARRIET, what’s the first thing you do?  If you’re like most people, you chuckle.  (If you’re like a few people, you think something x-rated, but that’s another story).  Most people readily recognize the title as a play on the iconic 1970s movie character Dirty Harry, the rogue cop portrayed by Clint Eastwood and known for one-liners such as “Go ahead, make my day.”

I never really understood Dirty Harry’s appeal.  But one day while I was in a funk, I took to bed to eat chocolates and watch TV.  A Dirty Harry movie marathon was on.  Suddenly, I had a vision of Harry as a woman, and it all made sense.  I envisioned a strong, silent justice seeker – a Dirty Harriet. A couple years later, that momentary mental flash turned into a published book that became the start of my Dirty Harriet Mystery Series. Dirty Harriet is a wisecracking, butt-kicking, Harley-riding private eye.

What could be more natural for a film adaptation than a take-off on an instantly-recognizable character in a story full of action and dialogue, right?  Even before the book was published, I got word from my agent that three movie production companies were interested in the film rights.  Immediately, I had another mental flash – me on the red carpet at the premiere, in a gorgeous gown, next to the film’s star (Sandra Bullock, perhaps?).  I never heard another word about those interested parties. 

Over the next few years, occasionally my agent would send word of another bite . . . and then again – nada.  Then I heard about a Hollywood Pitch Festival – a kind of speed-dating event where authors and screenwriters have the opportunity to pitch their projects to producers in two-minute blasts.  I decided to give it a shot.  After all, I reasoned, I’d gotten a New York literary agent and a large publisher without having any connections in the publishing industry – so why couldn’t I do the same in Hollywood?  Besides, a vacation to Southern California sounded like a plan for me and my husband’s first wedding anniversary.

So off we went to the historic Roosevelt Hotel located right on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  The pitches took place in an ornate Spanish colonial revival style ballroom.  The production company reps, all of whom appeared to be adolescent-age, sat in the center.  Every two minutes, literally a bell would ring, and the “pitchers” would move on to their next “date.”  I pitched to eight reps, all of whom expressed great enthusiasm, gave me their cards, and said they’d take the project to their studio heads. When I got home, I dutifully sent gracious thank you e-mails to every one of them . . . and then never heard another word.  But my husband and I had a great anniversary, so all was not lost.

At some point, this Hollywood thing became my husband’s obsession more than mine.  He found out that Clint Eastwood had appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Ellen had suggested a movie called Dirty Harriet.  Around the same time, Clint had mentioned elsewhere that Angeline Jolie could play a Dirty Harriet. (These were not my Dirty Harriet, you understand, just a Dirty Harriet).  My husband thought I should get in touch with Clint, Ellen, and Angelina.  Yeah, right, I thought.  But I went ahead and found their office addresses on the Internet, and mailed each of them a copy of the book with a nice note.  Well, by now, you can guess where that led.  That’s right – not a peep from the celebs (not even a form-letter thank you with an autographed photo . . . jeez!).

A couple years ago my husband and I were out to dinner when we were approached by two gentlemen who said they had theater tickets for a performance that night that they could not use, and wanted to give them away.  Were we interested?  We’d had no plans to go to the theater that night, but heck, what a gracious offer – why refuse?  So we found ourselves seated in the performance hall awaiting the start of the show, when I spotted a mystery writer friend of mine sitting with his wife a couple rows ahead of us.  I called out to him, he came over, and we started chatting about his books and his latest work.  After he returned to his seat, a gorgeous lady sitting next to me asked, “Your friend is a writer?  What does he write?” I proceeded to tell her all about my friend and how clever his books were.  Well, long story short, this lady informed me that she was married to a major film producer and was looking for a project of her own to produce.

At that point I felt a sharp pain in my side.  What the heck?  It was my husband, who was seated on my other side, elbowing me in the ribs.  “Tell her about your books,” he hissed in my ear.  So I did.  She loved the concept.  She gave me her card and asked me to send her a copy of the book.

Now the first thing I did when I got home was Google this lady and her husband, because at this point, you could say I’d been around the block a time or two. Well, it turned out everything she’d said was true; her husband is indeed a major Hollywood player, and she herself is an author and television celebrity in her own right.  So I sent her the book, and this lady has actually followed up, not once, but several times.  While she hasn’t yet secured a commitment from a production company, every few months I get a call from her assistant saying they’re still pursuing it.  The last time I heard from her, she said a particular producer was extremely interested in considering Dirty Harriet as a TV series.  So hope springs eternal.

In the meantime, the closest I’ve gotten to my dream was at last year’s annual award ceremony of the Florida Writers’ Association, where my third Dirty Harriet book, DEAD IN BOCA, won a Royal Palm Literary Award for humor/satire.  The theme for the party was “Stars of Florida Writers,” complete with Hollywood decor.  So here are my husband and I on the red carpet at last . . . even if it is in Orlando.

Now . . . how about you indulge my fantasy?  What actress would you envision as a wisecracking, butt-kicking, Harley-riding female private eye?

!!!Giveaway!!!

Miriam and her publisher are giving away 2 eBooks copies 

OR 

1 eBook copy and 1 print copy of 

BOCA UNDERCOVER.

There will be 2 lucky winners. 

The first name choosen by random draw gets to first pick.

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.  

www.escapewithdollycas.com

Click on the above link for a full list of tour participants.

About the author

Miriam Auerbach is the author of a satirical mystery series set in Boca Raton, Florida and featuring Harley-riding, wisecracking female private eye Harriet Horowitz. Her debut novel, Dirty Harriet, won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best First Series Romance. Miriam can only assume that this is because the heroine kills her husband on page one. In a parallel universe, Miriam is known as Miriam Potocky, professor of social work at Florida International University in Miami. She lives in South Florida with her husband and their multicultural canines, a Welsh Corgi and a Brussels Griffon. 

Visit Miriam at 

Miriamauerbach.com

BOCA UNDERCOVER is be on sale

 on Kindle for $2.99

Book 2 DIRTY HARRIET RIDES AGAIN 

and 

Book 3 DEAD IN BOCA

 are on sale on Kindle for $1.99 

Now, May 18 - 31

 

GOOD LUCK

a Rafflecopter giveaway