BOOK TOUR

I'm so excited to be a stop on the 

blog tour for authors

Lois Winston, Allison Brennan, Laura Griffin, Maggie Toussaint, Jonnie Jacobs, Heather Haven, Vinnie Hansen, Mary Kennedy, Rita Lakin, Judy Alter, and Camille Minichino

on their release of

SLEUTHING WOMEN II

Sleuthing Women II: 10 Mystery Novellas is a collection of ten mysteries featuring murder and assorted mayhem by eleven critically acclaimed, award-winning, and bestselling authors. Each novella is a tie-in to an established multi-book series--a total of over 800 pages of reading pleasure for lovers of amateur sleuth, caper, cozy, and female P.I. mysteries.

Frosted, A Moreno & Hart Novella by Allison Brennan & Laura Griffin--Three years ago LAPD Detective Scarlet Moreno and rookie cop Krista Hart were nearly killed during a botched sting operation. Now, they're best friends and partners in the Orange County private investigation firm of Moreno & Hart. But their routine assignments are anything but safe.

Crewel Intentions, An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Novella by Lois Winston--Craft editor Anastasia Pollack receives a desperate call for help from former fashion editor Erica Milano, now in Witness Protection. Erica is being stalked and is afraid to notify the authorities. She once saved Anastasia's life. Will Anastasia be able to return the favor before the stalker strikes?

No Quarter, A Cleopatra Jones Novella by Maggie Toussaint--Amnesia, the doctor says when accountant Cleopatra Jones wakes in a distant hospital. Hours later most of her memory returns. Detective Jack Martinez visits Cleo's nearby wealthy client, only she's dead and broke. To Cleo's horror, she's a murder suspect. Will she totally recover her memory before the killer returns?

What the Widow Knew, A Kali-O'Brien Novella by Jonnie Jacobs--Attorney Kali O'Brien takes on the case of a young woman accused of murdering her much older, very rich husband. As evidence mounts and other possible suspects are eliminated, Kali's doubts about her client's innocence grow. Meanwhile, Kali is also grappling with her feelings for longtime boyfriend Detective Bryce Keating.

The Magnesium Murder, A Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino--While freelance embalmer Anastasia Brent prepares the body of a young bride-to-be, she learns the girl's mother suspects foul play. Once again Anastasia is pressed into service as a sleuth, following a trail of clues in search of a murderer and justice.

Honeymoons Can Be Murder, A Lee Alvarez Novella by Heather Haven-- When PI Lee Alvarez goes on her honeymoon with bridegroom, Gurn Hanson, they find a dead woman practically on their doorstep. Kauai breezes may be soft, but there are gale force winds of accusation against Gurn. Will Lee find the real killer before her new hubby gets sent to a Hawaiian hoosegow?

Smoked Meat, A Carol Sabala Novella by Vinnie Hansen--Baker and wannabe sleuth Carol Sabala visits her mother for a family Christmas get-together. It's murder, in more ways than one.

A Deadly Fundraiser, A Talk Radio Novella by Mary Kennedy--When radio talk show host Dr. Maggie Walsh and her pals start digging up clues in a scavenger hunt at a glitzy fundraiser, the game suddenly turns deadly. Will Maggie and her team be able to crack the case and solve the crime?

The Color of Fear. A Kelly O'Connell Novella by Judy Alter--Kelly receives a written kidnap threat targeting her infant daughter, Gracie. Kelly's assistant Keisha narrates as Kelly and her family plot their precautions, but as time passes and the threat still looms, fear takes a toll on the family...and on Keisha.

Papa's Ghost, A Gladdy Gold Mystery Novella by Rita Lakin--Gladdy and her girls accept an assignment iat a famous resort in Key West, thinking it will combine business with pleasure. Once they arrive, Gladdy suspects something is strange. Not only is their client an unexpected shock, but so is the case of murder they are expected to solve. Can they succeed when a whole city is against them?

📕📖📘📖📗📖📙

*****!!!GIVEAWAY!!!*****

Winners will be chosen after October 20

at the end of the tour

Five lucky readers will win an E-copy of

SLEUTHING WOMEN II

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

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.

www.escapewithdollycas.com

AN INTERVIEW WITH ALLISON BRENNAN

Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty romantic thrillers and mysteries, plus numerous short stories. She lives in Northern California with her husband, five children, and assorted pets. For more information visit her on the web at allisonbrennan.com.

LKBR:  Thank you, Allison for being here today!

AB: Thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to represent the Sleuthing Women authors today.

LKBR: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

AB: I can’t remember not wanting to be an author. As a young child, I read everything, but gravitated first to Encyclopedia Brown, then to Trixie Belden, quickly followed by Nancy Drew and books by Lois Duncan, Joan Nixon Lowry and Agatha Christie. When I was young, there was no real Young Adult section in the library or bookstores, so at the age of 13 I read The Stand by Stephen King and knew for certain I wanted to write a book just like that (ha!) I wrote him a fan letter and told him I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. He wrote back and said, “If you want to be a writer, write.” It took me years before I took myself seriously and actually finished a book.

LKBR: What was your inspiration for this series? Where did the name come from?

AB: My friend Laura Griffin, an award-winning romantic suspense author, and I had dinner one night at a writer’s conference. We got to talking about our books, our publishers, what we wanted to do, and the growth of the indie book market. We thought it would be fun to write something together, and as we talked, we realized there were very few mystery series that were, essentially, buddy stories with two female protagonists. There, the Moreno & Hart Mysteries were born. I came up with Scarlet Moreno as a character – her name just popped into my head. (I had wanted to name her “Jax”, but that was too close to my traditionally published Maxine Revere cold case mysteries.) Laura named Krista Hart. We set a few story “rules” (like their backstories) but we each write scenes from our own character’s POV – then we edit each other’s scenes to make sure all character is consistent.

LKBR: Do you ever get writer’s block? If you do, how do you work through it?

AB: I want to say no, I never get writer’s block. And in some ways, that would be an honest answer. When I get stuck I push through because I have to. (I have more than 30 traditionally published books – they pay me when I turn in the book. That is a huge motivation!)

But there are times when I struggle. It’s not generally plot or story related. It’s almost always because I doubt that I can pull off the story I want to write. It’s self-defeating behavior, and I’ve written extensively about it on my personal blog, Murder She Writes. Basically, you have to accept that your first draft will never be perfect. That to expect perfection is self-defeating behavior. Anything can (and should!) be edited. So get down the core story and go from there.

Stephen King gave some of the best advice on combating self-doubt:

“Writing fiction, especially a long work of fiction, can be a difficult, lonely job; it’s like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub. There’s plenty of opportunity for self-doubt. If I write rapidly, putting down my story exactly as it comes into my mind, … I find that I can keep up with my original enthusiasm and at the same time outrun the self-doubt that’s always waiting to settle in.”

LKBR: Do you have a favorite place to do your writing?

AB: I wrote most of my first 9 books at Starbucks because we lived in a small house, I had five kids (three toddlers at the time!) and didn’t have my own space. Writing at a desk in the family room was next to impossible. When we moved and I actually had my own office, I learned to love writing at my desk in my own space, with my own music, and the freedom to stare off into space for hours if I wanted! (They think you’re crazy if you do that at Starbucks.) I can write anywhere, and often have to (including softball tournaments and on airplanes), but I will always pick my office. The caveat is if I am really stuck in a story, I like to go to a local pub, put in my earbuds, and write while drinking a pint or two of micro-brew beer. Sometimes, the change of scenery is a great motivator.

LKBR: What is your writing schedule like? Do you write a certain number of hours a day, or go by word count?

AB: By necessity, I go by hours. I have five kids, though two are out of the house. I write when the three at home are in school, and if I’m on a deadline, I’ll write at night after dinner. In the summer, I banish them from my office during the day. If I’ve put in the time and I’m stuck, I’ll take the night off. If I’m on a roll, I’ll write as long as the muse is singing. I write on the weekends if we don’t have plans. I write from 1,000 to 10,000 words a day – but as long as the story itself is flowing, I don’t stress over the daily word count.

LKBR: What is the hardest part of writing? What is the easiest part?

AB: There’s no good answer to this question. It changes all the time. Writing itself is not difficult for me. I love writing. The hard part is constantly trying to make the next book better than the last. That can lead to self-doubt. As I’ve matured as a writer, I can see my own mistakes better (not typos and stuff, more like story mistakes – character, pacing, etc.) As a multi-published author, sometimes the business itself is hard, and putting aside business issues in order to let creativity flow can be difficult.

LKBR: Do you have plans for a new series?

AB:In addition to the Moreno & Hart Mysteries that I co-write with Laura Griffin, I have two other active series – the Lucy Kincaid romantic thrillers (the 13^th book, BREAKING POINT, comes out in February) and the Maxine Revere cold case mysteries (the 4^th book, SHATTERED, was released at the end of August.) I have another Lucy and another Max book due to my publisher by the end of this year. But even so ... yes, I have another series I’m developing. Sort of an edgy, FBI-themed crime thriller. We’ll see what happens!

LKBR: What book are you reading?

AB: I just finished SECRETS IN DEATH by J.D. Robb. I love that series. On the top of my TBR pile is LIE TO ME by J.T. Ellison; an advanced copy of CAGED by Ellison Cooper; and an advanced reading copy of Colleen Coble’s next book. She writes beautiful women’s fiction, usually with a mystery or suspense element. Yes, I get spoiled sometimes because I get to read some great books before they’re released!

LKBR: What are three things you want your readers to know about you?

AB: First and foremost, I love everything about books. I love reading books, I love writing books, I love reading out loud to my children. Second, I love television. In fact, I’m a TV addict. When I got serious about writing, I was still working full-time outside of the house. In order to find the time to write, I gave up television for 3 years. Now, I use TV as a reward for a good day’s work and watch WAY too many programs. And finally? I really, really love research – especially hands on research. Especially when it involves SWAT training and I get to play the bad guy. Makes me wish I was single, twenty years younger, and thirty pounds lighter! 

LKBR: Thank you so much for letting us get to know you better, Allison!

AB: Thank you!

MY REVIEW

It’s just about impossible to go wrong with a series of mysteries written by the authors brought together to bring readers, SLEUTHING WOMEN II.

Many of my favorite authors are part of this exciting mystery set. And each brought with them a mini masterpiece from their individual existing series. And while they are novellas, not one author involved cut back on quality of writing just to form a shorter story. Each book in this set is as wonderful as the main series they each come from.

There may have been one or two stories I liked better than others, but there wasn’t one that I didn’t like. Each one unique, I was drawn into each tale, and thrilled in the mystery, and intrigue of every story.

Give yourself a gift, and pick up SLEUTHING WOMEN II. As for me, I’m hoping for a SLEUTHING WOMEN III!

 TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 16 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 17 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 18 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 19 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

October 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – INTERVIEW

October 21 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

October 22 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – Nadaness In Motion – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 24 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 25 – Readeropolis – INTERVIEW

October 26 – Readsalot – SPOTLIGHT

October 26 – Valerie’s Musings – INTERVIEW

October 27 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

October 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

October 29 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 29 –The Book’s the Thing – GUEST POST

October 30 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 31 – Jane Reads – REVIEW, GUEST POST

GOOD LUCK!

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