BOOK TOUR
I'm thrilled to be a stop on the
blog tour for author
Vicki Vass
and her new book
DRESSED TO KILL
Book 5 in the Antique Hunters Mysteries
In 1865, Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker, conspired to change the course of the Civil War. Crossing lines between North and South, the band of conspirators wove a plan that remained undiscovered for more than 150 years until Antique Hunter Anne Hillstrom finds one of Keckley’s gowns. She and fellow Antique Hunter CC Muller unravel the mystery that has left a trail of dead bodies, leading to the doorstep of their antique store, Great-Aunt Sybil’s Attic. Dressed to Kill is the fifth book in the Antique Hunters Mystery Series. Rooted in history, the series reimagines real-life events blurring the line between fact and fiction.
*****!!!GIVEAWAY!!!*****
Winners will be chosen after November 14
at the end of the tour
One lucky reader will each win a set of the
ANTIQUE HUNTER MYSTERIES!
International - Digital only
Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.
This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.
AN INTERVIEW WITH VICKI VASS
LKBR: Thank you for being here today, Vicki!
VV: Thanks
for inviting me.
LKBR: Please
tell us a bit about your book/series.
VV: My
series is called Antique Hunters Mysteries and is about two best friends who
love history and end up entangled in mystery. Dressed to Kill is the fifth book
in the series.
LKBR: How did
you come up with the concept for this series? How about the idea for this
installment?
VV: As the
daughter of a high school history teacher, I’ve always loved history but this
series is loosely based on the adventures of my two best friends, the real-life
Anne and CC. This book is based on what would happen if Anne discovered a Civil
War ear dress.
LKBR: Do you
have a favorite character in your book/series?
VV: My
favorite character in this series is Anne who is a combination of a shopaholic
and Nancy Drew. I love those qualities in her and I share some of them.
Although I do not admire her hoarding tendencies.
LKBR: Is there a certain type of scene
that’s harder for you to write than others? Love, action, death, etc?
VV: All the scenes are challenging in
some ways but I’d say it’s probably more difficult for me to write love scenes
than action scenes.
LKBR: In your writing, have you ever
used experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
LKBR: When you’re in the process of writing/creating a book, do you use a
computer, typewriter, dictate, or use pen to paper?
VV: I
use a computer. After years as a journalist and writing notes, I
cannot read my handwriting.
LKBR: Do you have any writing quirks or
rituals that you do before, during, and/or after writing a new book?
VV: Not
really. I usually try to take a little break before starting the next one.
LKBR: What does your family think about
your writing? How important is their support?
VV: My
family has been very supportive. I’ve been writing since I was five years old
so they are used to it. My mom carries bookmarks advertising my books with her
and passes them out.
LKBR: Who/What inspired you to write your first book?
VV: I was
at a period in my life where I finally had extra time so I decided to try
writing a cozy mystery. The idea was inspired by my weekly antiquing trips with
my two real-life best friends.
LKBR: What
was one of the most surprising thing(s) you learned when trying to get your
first book published?
VV: After
being in nonfiction publishing for years, I didn’t experience many surprises
when being published myself. I will say I have felt grateful at how
enthusiastic and supportive that my fellow cozy mystery authors are.
LKBR: What
book are you reading?
VV: I
always have two to three books going at any time. Right now, I am reading a
history of the Romanovs, the former ruling family of Russia as well as Camino
Island, the recent John Grisham novel.
LKBR: Do you
have any advice for aspiring cozy writers?
VV: My
advice would be to read as many cozy mysteries as you can and to just write. So
often we get caught up and start going back and fixing this. For me I have to
push through and write the first draft and then go back. Otherwise I’ll never
finish.
LKBR: Where
can readers go to learn more about you and your books?
LKBR: Thank
you so much, Vicki for letting us get to know you better!
VV: Thanks for letting me stop by. It’s always great
to talk to you.
MY REVIEW
Outdoing
herself on this fifth book in her Antique Hunter Mysteries, author Vicki Vass
takes readers on an exciting mystery from history!
I absolutely
loved this book! Author Vass has antiquers, Anne Hillstrom and CC Muller in
possession of an Elizabeth Keckley
gown. She was dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln. This is quite a coup for
the ladies. However, murder and mayhem have different plans for them. With
cover to cover surprises, twists and turns that made me dizzy, and as always,
superb story telling from Ms. Vass, DRESSED TO KILL is one of the most exciting
mysteries I’ve read this year!
And I
just have to throw this into my review . . . I’ve mentioned in a past review
about the Spoon Sisters Blog that starts off each chapter of the past couple of
books in this series. What a fabulous device this is to make readers feel even
more a part of the story. It’s so creative, and helps bring the characters to
life for me. I hope this feature is continued in the future books.
I’ve been a fan of the
Antique Hunters Mysteries since the first book, MURDER BY THE SPOONFUL (released
as MURDER FOR SALE). DRESSED TO KILL just may be the best one yet!
ABOUT VICKI
With a passion for shopping and antiques, Vicki Vass turned in her reporter’s notebook to chronicle the adventures of Anne and CC, two antique hunters who use their skills to solve a murder case.
Vicki has written more than 1,400 stories for the Chicago Tribune as well as other commercial publications including Home & Away, the Lutheran and Woman’s World. Her science fiction novel, The Lexicon, draws on her experience in Sudan while writing about the ongoing civil war for World Relief.
She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, writer and musician Brian Tedeschi, son Tony, Australian shepherd Bandit, kittens Terra and Pixel, seven koi and Gary the turtle.
Author Links –
Website – Blog – Facebook Purchase Link – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 1 - Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
November 2 - Valerie's Musings – INTERVIEW
November 3 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 4 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW, GUEST POST
November 5 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
November 6 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
November 7 – Bibliophile Reviews - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 8 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 9 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 10 – Cassidy's Bookshelves - GUEST POST
November 11 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 12 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
November 13 – Maureen's Musings – REVIEW
November 13 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 14 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, INTERVIEW
As always, please leave a comment and
let me know what you think!
Follow my blog by
clicking on the link in the
upper right hand corner of this page.
Thanks, Lisa. This sounds great! Happy Tuesday, to you.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview and review. Thanks for sharing Lisa.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this series yet. I really like the antique hunter storyline. Looking forward to reading.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this series yet. I really enjoyed the description of the books and I would love to read the series.
ReplyDeleteLove this interview and review. Looking forward to reading this series. Hope I win!. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDelete