Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Today I'm so excited to have author 
Larissa Reinhart
 spending the day with us.


Larissa is so excited over the release of her new book, 
17.5 CARTRIDGES IN A PEAR TREE
that she wanted to celebrate with us!

Larissa will spend the day answering questions from you! Just leave your question in the comments section, and Larissa will respond.

(Please keep in mind,  1)Your comment needs to be a question to Larissa, and 2) I moderate all comments (Not because of my readers, but because of Spammers who weigh the blog down with ads, scams, and junk) so, your questions won't appear right away, nor will Larissa's answers. I'll check back often in the day and try to get them posted as fast as possible.)


RING IN ANOTHER YEAR WITH THE “FRESH, FUNNY, AND FIESTY STAR DETECTIVE”
Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Maltese Falcon in this Maizie Albright Star Detective New Year’s Eve action & adventure-styled, humorous, romantic crime caper from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Larissa Reinhart.

“The mystery and detective cases drive the story, but Larissa Reinhart’s characters steal the show every time.” — The Girl with Book Lungs

This New Year’s Eve, Maizie Albright’s happy to leave aside her Hollywood alde lang syne for the sake of a new life with family and friends in Black Pine, Georgia. There are so many reasons to celebrate.
A new home with her father’s family
Her new career as an assistant private investigator to hunky Wyatt Nash.
A new love life with hunky Wyatt Nash…

However, a new career and home mean responsibilities. Like getting called in on a case on New Year’s Eve day. And babysitting Remi, her half-sister (and possibly half-Tasmanian devil) while her dad's out of town. What’s a private investigator in training to do?
Make New Year’s Eve day “take your sister to work day.”

But when a woman arrives at Nash Security Solutions, asking about an old movie prop Maizie had given to her father, her New Year’s Eve gets crazier than Times Square at midnight. Before champagne toasts and the Big Peach drops, Maizie has twelve hours to reprise her most detested role to protect her family from old acquaintances best forgot and never brought to mind. Will these ruthless villains pop Maizie’s cork before the clock strikes twelve? Or worse yet, drop the ball on her sister?


📚📖📚📖📚


!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

One lucky commenter will win a
$10.00 Amazon Gift Card
and
Maizie Albright swag!

(You can ask as many questions as you'd like, but please ask them in the same comment. Please one comment only)


Questions must be received by 
 11:59 pm (EST) Thursday the 19.

Winner will be announced here. 
So check back Friday 20!

17.5 CARTRIDGES IN A PEAR TREE 
release day
Larissa Reinhart

Thanks so much for celebrating my release with me today and thanks to Lisa K for hosting! I’m thrilled to bring you this “between cases” novella from the Maizie Albright Star Detective series.

In actuality, I wasn’t supposed to write this book. I was supposed to be writing her next book, 18 CALIBER. Which was what I had been doing when I got this idea…

Let me back up.

How many of y’all are RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK fans? When I was in high school ( and college) (and now, possibly), I was in love with Indiana Jones. He and my Grandpa inspired me to study ancient art history and archaeology in college.

Anybody else Indiana Jones’s secret love? ;)

I wanted to be Marion Ravenwood. I loved her spunk. I loved her grit. I loved her ability to outdrink men.    She could flirt and she could fight. She was the coolest heroine I’d ever seen. Plus Indy Jones was her guy. Who wouldn’t want to be Marion Ravenwood?

So while writing 18 CALIBER, I got this idea about letting Maizie play Marion Ravenwood. Sort of. Maizie is no Marion. Maizie doesn’t drink and the only fighting she knows is stage kung fu from her days playing the preteen heroine, Kung Fu Kate. In fact, most of Maizie’s pluck and determination comes from characters she’s played as a child and teen actress. However, she is slowly realizing (with Nash’s help) that her characters’ courage and cleverness comes from inside her and not the other way around.

When I got the idea for 17.5 CARTRIDGES, I couldn’t resist using Raiders of the Lost Ark themes in the plot. I’d love to know if you can spot the scenes because 17.5 CARTRIDGES doesn’t take place in Egypt, it’s New Year’s Eve day in the North Georgia mountain resort town of Black Pine.

Giveaway question:
Who’s Your Favorite Spunky Heroine?

Giveaway:3 winners will win a Dixie Kreme Donut coaster (Lamar’s donut shop which is below Nash & Maizie’s private investigations office) and a $5 Starbucks card (so you can get a coffee with your donut), plus some other goodies.



About 17.5 Cartridges in a Pear Tree:

RING IN ANOTHER YEAR WITH THE “FRESH, FUNNY, AND FIESTY STAR DETECTIVE”

Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Maltese Falcon in this Maizie Albright Star Detective New Year’s Eve action & adventure-styled, humorous, romantic crime caper from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Larissa Reinhart.
The mystery and detective cases drive the story, but Larissa Reinhart’s characters steal the show every time.” — The Girl with Book Lungs
This New Year’s Eve, Maizie Albright’s happy to leave aside her Hollywood alde lang syne for the sake of a new life with family and friends in Black Pine, Georgia. There are so many reasons to celebrate.
A new home with her father’s family.
Her new career as an assistant private investigator to hunky Wyatt Nash.
A new love life with hunky Wyatt Nash…
However, a new career and home mean responsibilities. Like getting called in on a case on New Year’s Eve day. And babysitting Remi, her half-sister (and possibly half-Tasmanian devil) while her dad's out of town. What’s a private investigator in training to do?
Make New Year’s Eve “take your sister to work day.”
But when a woman arrives at Nash Security Solutions, asking about an old movie prop Maizie had given to her father, her New Year’s Eve gets crazier than Times Square at midnight. Before champagne toasts and the Big Peach drops, Maizie has twelve hours to reprise her most detested role to protect her family from old acquaintances best forgot and never brought to mind. Will these ruthless villains pop Maizie’s cork before the clock strikes twelve? Or worse yet, drop the ball on her baby sister?
For a fun and wacky holiday adventure, catch up with Maizie and Nash and download 17.5 Cartridges today! 
Links:
Maizie Albright Star Detective Series
    •       15 MINUTES
    •       16 MILLIMETERS
    •       NC-17
    •       A VIEW TO A CHILL
    •       17.5 CARTRIDGES IN A PEAR TREE
    •       18 CALIBER (2020)
Other series by Larissa Reinhart:
A Cherry Tucker Mystery series
Finley Goodhart Crime Capers
About Larissa

A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Larissa writes the Cherry Tucker Mystery, Maizie Albright Star Detective, and Finley Goodhart Crime Caper series as well as romantic comedies and women’s fiction. She loves to tell funny stories about Southern women looking for love (and sometimes dead bodies) in all the wrong places. 
Her books have been chosen as book club picks by Woman's World Magazine and Hot Mystery Reviews. They've also been finalists for Georgia Author of the Year, the Silver Falchion, the Daphne du Maurier Award, The Emily Award, and Dixie Kane Memorial. Her work also appeared in the 2017 Silver Falchion Reader’s Choice winner, Eight Mystery Writers You Should Be Reading Now
You might have seen Larissa and family with their little dog, Biscuit, on HGTV's House Hunters International "Living for the Weekend in Nagoya" episode, but they’re back in Georgia now. Visit LarissaReinhart.com to learn more.

Larissa’s reader group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysteryminions/
Join my VIP Reader’s group and get the prequel to The Cupid Caper plus other exclusive free bonus content! https://www.larissareinhart.com/larissasreaders
Larissa’s website: www.LarissaReinhart.com


The ebook version of the first Maizie Albright Star Detective, 15 MINUTES, is free right now!

Available for most devices and countries: books2read.com/15

An excerpt from 17.5 Cartridges in a Pear Tree:
Remi slid through the French doors, then tiptoed toward the tree, shimmied under my arm, and leaned against me. "What are you looking at?" She cocked her head, studying the tree.
"I love Christmas trees," I said. "Some people might think it's weird to have a tree full of hunting ornaments, but it reminds me of Daddy, so I like it."
"That's why we each get a tree," said Remi. "But mine's not weird."
I held back my thoughts on her ornament hanging methods. "Your mom's kitchen tree is super cute with all the metal cookie cutters hanging on it."
"Usually she hangs cookies on it, but they got eaten this year." Remi patted me. "It's okay. Next year, you'll know better."
A piece of wood popped in the fire, and above us the doorbell chimed a heavy gong. I shrieked and Remi jumped, landing on my foot. Wincing, I freed my foot from beneath her boot heel.
"Is it Mr. Nash?" she said.
"Maybe." But I had a feeling he was in a hurry to return to the office to learn more about the client who wanted my bullet necklace. I checked the monitor by the door. A group of three men stood on the porch.
"That's not Nash. How'd they get to the front door? The gates should be closed." I immediately regretted my words.
"The alarms." Remi's voice pitched to a high whine. "You didn't turn them on and now the Grinch is here. He must've heard about my trap."
"It's not the Grinch." But I had turned the alarm on. I peered at the dark system panel.
"Oh, good,” said Remi.
I spun around, too late. Remi had already opened the door. It creaked, swinging wide, and an eddy of snow blew in on an icy gust. A middle-aged man in a wool trilby and trench coat crossed the threshold. Two men had flanked him, and as he moved forward, they filled the doorway behind him. Involuntarily, I slid backward and pushed Remi behind me, holding her with my left arm. I hesitated, glancing at where the open door rested against the wall. It felt impolite to walk over to grasp the handle, particularly with Remi now clinging to my waist.
"Good day, Miss Albright." The man had an odd accent I couldn't place. "I'm a big fan."
"Thank you, but I don't—"
Moving forward, he held out a gloved hand for me to shake. "I'm Rudolph Gentz. I am sorry to show up on New Year's Eve, but I need your help."
"He's not Rudolph. It's the Grinch," whispered Remi, peeking around my back. "His skin is green.”
Beneath the gray herringbone trilby, his chalky complexion almost looked green. His pallor made a startling contrast to his dark eyes. Despite his pastiness, he was tall and solidly built. But it wasn't his size that dominated. The air seemed to vibrate around him. His presence seemed to fill the room.
I gripped Remi's arm. "What do you want, Mr. Gentz?"
"May I?" Not waiting for my reply, Gentz strode into the foyer to warm himself by the fire. His cohorts followed, shutting the door behind them. Facing the fireplace, he said, "It's so chilly outside. But the sun should be out soon."
Shocked by his presumptuousness, I floundered for words.  
"Is your father home, Miss Albright?" said Gentz, slowly pulling off his gloves. He shoved them in his pocket and turned from the fireplace.
"No, come back later," said Remi.
"She means he'll be back later." I pressed Remi closer. "Did you need to talk to my dad? Are you a business associate?"
"I hope to do business with him. I want to purchase something from him, at a very good price."
"Today? It's New Year's Eve. Kind of a holiday?"
"It can't wait. My employer wants it very badly. Before the clock strikes twelve, so to speak. So he sent me all they way to Georgia to see if I could retrieve this special gift. He just learned you might have it. As it’s still morning, I think it shouldn’t be a problem getting it to him in time."
Remi popped her head from behind my back. "Why didn't he get it for Christmas? Is it because his heart is two sizes too small?"
Gentz forced a raspy heh-heh-heh chuckle. "Very cute, this one."
"What is this thing your employer wants?" I dreaded the answer. Was he also working for Ms. Wonderly's ogre of a boss?
"The same thing Mr. Wyatt Nash's client wants. Surely, you suspected there'd be other interested parties." Gentz smiled, showing his teeth. He could do the fake smile, unlike Nash, although Gentz's was creepier. "I understand you gave it to your father a long time ago. Perhaps you know where he keeps it?"
What was going on with that necklace? It was just eighteen long, brass bullets, each tied to the woven leather cord. Heavy as Hades when you wore it paired with a bandolier of bullets and a rocket launcher on a frigid soundstage that was mostly green screen.
To be honest, although I'd told Nash all that stuff about not wanting the necklace to become a symbol of vigilante violence, I'd mostly wanted to keep it as that special father-daughter gift it was meant to be.
This was what happened when I tried to sound intelligent instead of honest.
"Why now?"
"The fifth anniversary of Warhead Girl is New Year's Day. It also marks the year the story was set. The writer thought a cataclysmic event would happen tomorrow."
"You know your movie facts," I said. "But you have some trivia confused. The comic it was based on was written about fifty years ago. The screenwriter kept the original date, even though it didn't make much sense that within five years, a country called Nuke would begin a global war."
Gentz chortled his disturbing heh-heh-heh giggle. "Yes, the Supreme Commander. My favorite character."
Weirdo. The Supreme Commander was a fanatical evil dictator. "I meant why are you looking for the necklace today? Why not a year, or a month ago, or even yesterday?"
"Perhaps you aren't aware that in recent entertainment news, another studio has announced they are making the sequel. Someone told reporters this sweet story about you giving your father the necklace."
"I no longer pay attention to that sort of gossip. Usually it’s not true.” I lifted my chin.
"That's unfortunate. Your father still has the bullet necklace, though?"
"I knew it. He's here for the decorations. I've got to save the roast beast," screamed Remi, ripping away from my hold. She charged down the hallway.
"Remi," I called, then stopped. Hopefully, she'd lock herself in her room and I'd calm her down later.
Gentz nodded at the two men. They'd remained so quiet I'd almost forgotten them. Henchmen. They were too skulky and lurky in their winter trench coats to be business associates.
The shorter of the two men — Igor, if there ever was one — jerked his head. The taller — Must be Oddjob — followed him down the hall to the back of the house. The same direction in which Remi had just proceeded.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"We're retrieving your sister for you. For her safety." Before I could make sense of his words, Gentz grabbed my arm and plucked my phone from my back pocket. "Now go get the necklace."


Start asking Larissa your quesitions! 
Please just remember . . . 

1. I moderate all comments (Not because of my readers, but because of Spammers who weigh the blog down with ads, scams, and junk) so, your questions won't appear right away, nor will Larissa's answers. I'll check back often in the day and try to get them posted as fast as possible.

2. Your comment needs to be a question.
Questions must be received by 
 11:59 pm (EST) Thursday the 19.

3. Winner will be announced here. 
So check back Friday 20!

Have fun!


 As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.

41 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for hosting today, Lisa! I hope everyone enjoys the excerpt from Maizie Albright's 5th case! Good luck with the giveaway!

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    1. So happy to have you with us, Larissa! Congratulations on the new book!

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  2. I read 15 Minutes earlier this year and loved it. I want to read the entire series to see how things go with Maizie. Her mother is a piece of work and I would have as little to do with her as possible but that's just me. Thank you so much for this chance!! pgenest57(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed 15 Minutes! Her mother is a piece of work. She's in this one, too, but when the next book comes out in March, you're really going to get a load of Vicki when she's involved in a missing persons case! Good luck!

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    2. qnofdnile, do you have a question for Larissa?

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  3. First off, I must say "17.5 CARTRIDGES IN A PEAR TREE" sounds AMAZING on so many levels. Love the title! Love the reference to the two books it could be crossed with! Love the time frame the story is placed in! Just the description had me reading faster and the excerpt say "ya gotta read this book"! Can't wait for the opportunity to read the whole book!

    Ok, questions #1, how did you come up with that amazing title?

    Question #2, how long did it take you to write? Did it fly our or develop over time. Which ever it seems to flow seamlessly and drive the reader with excitement from the first paragraph to turn those pages.

    Question #3 - The third paragraph sounds like us. Before we moved and downsized, we had 7 Christmas trees just because we thought of so many ways to decorate a tree and couldn't pick just one. Do you go all out for holiday decorations or have more than one tree?

    Question #4 - Do you find it easier or harder to write so many aspects into a story? Like this book, it has romance, danger, mystery, Christmas, the whole in-law aspect to holidays and yet it seems to all work together so well.

    Question #5 (and last so others can ask away) - Will "18 CALIBER" be the last book in this series or only the one for sure? Do you feel as sad to see a series end as the reader does?
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Hey, Kay! Fabulos questions! I can't wait to read Larissa's answers!

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    2. Yay! Ok, Q1: The title was a little tricky because I needed 17 1/2 in the it because it was a "between cases." I actually went on Google and typed in 17.5 to see what would come up (lots of measurement thingies) and then the 12 Days of Christmas jumped out at me. Technically this is on New Year's Eve day, not Christmas, but because the 12 days are from 12/25-1/6 I thought it worked! :)
      Q2: I had an idea for an adventure type story with a movie object in Maizie's life a while ago, but mostly just sketched it out in my head. While I was writing 18 CALIBER (the next book coming out in March), I kept thinking I'd really like a between cases for the holidays. I think I started writing it in August & finished in October. For some writers this is pretty slow, but my brain is slow & I have active teens, so there you go! lol
      #3: I have 2 trees. :) One is fake. We have a landing on our stairs that faces a big window over the foyer and that's my tree with all my glass balls that I've collected. The kids call it the "fancy tree." We have another "real" tree in our family/living room that has all the girls' ornaments, the "kid" tree. Then I take the cut branches from that tree and put them in vases all over the house and decorate those with tiny balls and lights. <3! I love Christmas and Christmas trees.
      #4: Wow, good question! Some parts are harder than others. The romance and continuing character arc for Maizie (dealing with family, sister, relationships, growing as a person) is the easiest for me because that's the part I really love. For this long series, I really wanted to see her grow from this insecure, naive, young woman to someone that still remains optimistic and hopeful, but more wise about herself and the world. The mystery is fun and that's more work with research and figuring out how to layer all the parts. The danger and actin is really fun for me to write. I had a good time with a scene that involves a flying port-a-potty. ;)
      #5: Nope! After 18 CALIBER, I've got 19 Crimes titled. (Another Google research of numbers). I found out the wine is named after the 18th century British law that if someone was convicted of 19 crimes they were sent to live in Australia rather than death. How I'm going to work that in with Georgia and the film industry remains to be seen! lol But 18 CALIBER has a kung fu movie in it, so anything is possible! LOL
      Thanks so much for all the great questions!

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  4. Sounds like a fun read. Maizie is a great character.

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    1. Hi, Sharon. Do you have a question for Larissa?

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    2. Thank you so much Sharon! Sharon's a neighbor and fellow mystery writer!

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  5. I love Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones, too. What a great idea for a story. My question is: Does Biscuit help you write? And my favorite spunky heroine is Princess Leia from the first movie because of the way she acted when they tried to rescue her.

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  6. Hey Riley!
    Thanks for asking about Biscuit! I love Princess Leia, too. She and Marion are similar in a lot of ways!
    Does Biscuit help me write? Hmmm. He's good for morale. While I'm writing, if he's not out in the yard hunting chipmunks and barking at squirrels and deer (notice he has no chance hunting either. He's actually scared of deer b/c they have attacked him in the past.), he lays near me and sleeps. But he's an active sleeper, always barking and running in his sleep. It's adorable. So he makes me happy and I write better when I'm happy, so I think the answer is YES! lol
    Good luck in the drawing!

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  7. Y'all I should have told Lisa to put this in the blog, but the first book in the Maizie Albright Star Detective series, 15 MINUTES, is free right now as an ebook! It's a Christmas gift & a book birthday gift all in one! Enjoy!
    It's available free most everywhere & most countries: books2read.com/15

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  8. I enjoyed reading this excerpt and learning about the book and characters. Very entertaining and unique. The combination of The Maltese falcon and Raiders is creative. Are you an old school fan? I am since the old movies and books were memorable.

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    1. Thanks so much! I love old movies and old books. One of the things I like about writing the Maizie books is I get to reference a lot of old movies. She's young, but as an actress, I figure she loves all movies. As an ex-star of a teen detective show, I thought she'd especially love the old noir movies, so there's a lot of Sam Spade and other references in the books. She often uses them to solve the mysteries. I list all the movies and TV shows used in the book on a separate page so readers can have that list, too.
      Thanks so much for the question and good luck!

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  9. I have 2 questions. 1. have you ever had a pack of Jack Russels? 2. Did you have to do a lot of research on different types of weapons?

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    1. Hey Sandy!
      I haven't had Jacks. We've had a Scottie & now a Cairn. But my neighbor had a Jack who used to jump their privacy fence to visit my Scottie. He was a hoot! My husband's cousins and uncle have Jack Russels on their ranches. There's always a bunch of them and they roam and hunt like Maizie's dad's Jacks. They're so rambunctious and fun, I just had to put them in a book! My sister has a new terrier mix, a rescue, but he acts a lot like a Jack. Has the same hops. They think he might be mostly Manchester terrier and can jump about 6 feet high.
      Q2: YES! The weapons research is a little hard for me. I don't have enough gun knowledge, although I grew up shooting air rifles on my Grandma's farm and am a pretty good shot. I've done the Citizens Police Academy and gone to gun ranges, but the technical stuff doesn't stick in my brain, so I use Youtube and hunting blogs for research.
      Great questions! Good luck!

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  10. How do you get into the imagination of a character? Where is your favorite vacation destination?
    Thanks for this fascinating glimpse into your new story.

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    1. As for getting into the imagination of the character, after I've created their backstory and can "hear" their "voice," as I'm writing I try (as much as possible) to think as they would. I guess it'd be kind of similar to method acting.
      Your second question is much harder! Locally, my family loves to go to the North Georgia Mountains to (eat) hang out and hike, or for a longer weekend, we head to Gulf Shores, AL, for the beach. We love to travel internationally, too. Living in Japan gave us a chance to do weekend trips, which I really loved. We like to rent a house or an apartment and get to know one area really well instead of trying to see a lot at once.
      Thanks for the questions!

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  11. My favorite spunky heroine is of course Maizie. This book is absolutely hilarious—I loved it so much! My question is how you ended up in Japan teaching English? We’re you there for your husband’s job? Or was it because you wanted to do that job and he made it work for his employment?

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  12. Thanks Kara!
    I've always been interested in other cultures and travel. When my husband and I went to grad school for art history, he decided to study Japanese art history which led us to Japan the first time. I applied to the JET program, which is a government program to bring native English speakers into public schools there. I taught at 3 different junior high schools while my husband had a grant to study at a university there. It was wonderful. So wonderful we've been back to live 4 times! Each time it was for his job, but I was always excited to have the chance to live there. I love Japan. :)

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    1. Oh, how cool. I had no idea you’d lived there 4 times.

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  13. Congratulations Larissa. I hope to read 17-1!2 while on our trip. My question is “Is there a live/real Maizie that you fashioned your character after!” If you’ve already talked about this I’m sorry I didn’t catch it. With my vision I have to limit reading.

    Wishing you everything great that is possible! Thinking of Biscuit and his leg weakness and saying prayers.

    Hugs
    Cynthia B

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    1. Thanks Cynthia!
      I don't have a specific person in mind for writing Maizie, but when I was developing her character and backstory, I read a lot about teen stars -- the good and ugly. I didn't want to necessarily model her after any one in particular, but I did want to base her experiences on what "could" happen as a teen star, if that makes sense.
      Remi, on the other hand, is part Cherry Tucker, part Frankie from Member of the Wedding, and part my youngest daughter.

      Thanks so much for your prayers and thoughts for Biscuit. We think it's his foot not his hind leg now. The vet said to wait a few days to see how he does because it might be a sprain, which makes sense in our house because that's what we do (me 3x, my youngest 3x, now Biscuit). ;)

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  14. My favorite "spunky" heroine is Goody Two Shoes (Leslie Caron) in the movie Father Goose. She stands up to The Filthy Beast (Cary Grant) while trapped together. My question is do you have a planned overall story arc/series length for Maizie's books?

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    1. I love that movie! I watched it over and over in high school I was such a Cary Grant fan!
      Maizie has an overall character arc I'm working toward in the series. It's not definitive for the end of the series, but she has 2 years of training until she can apply for a PI license in Georgia. She's about 6 months in at 5 books since each book's timeline is pretty tight (this story takes place in 1 day). However, I throw a lot of obstacles in her path toward getting that license and those obstacles will increase as we go along, particularly toward that goal. This was her major goal after leaving Hollywood, so I want to see what she will or won't sacrifice for it because at the same time, she's working out a lot of other issues in terms of relationships with family and her love life. :)
      Great question! Thanks!

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  15. Wonderful to see you. One of my favorite spunky heroines is Katherine Hepburn. She is spunky and funny and serious and pretty. I enjoyed Indiana Jones. What was the spark that got you writing? And then what was it that made you realize that not only is this fun but I want to keep doing it? quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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    1. I love Katherine Hepburn, too. She's so much fun to watch and is so smart and witty!
      I've always written as far back as I can remember. I think it just boils down to just loving stories and characters. That's what keeps me writing, anyway. Sometimes it's not as fun and I think, well, I can quit anytime and go back to teaching or whatever, but after I write this story...And this one...And there was that other one...
      And so on, so I can't quit yet! lol If I could just figure out a quicker way to transfer the stories in head out so I can see them, that would be great!
      Thanks so much for stopping in, Lori!

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  16. Hi Larissa, I would love to read this book and the whole series. My questions to you are: What made you write this series? What made you write this book? What made you choose the current book cover?
    I started writing for fun when I was in college and this year I wrote my first 3 books(unpublished) for fun and on my fourth. So another question is what do you do when you get all these ideas swirling around in your head but yet their unorganized when they get to paper what do you do?
    Crystal

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    1. Hey Crystal! Good for you and your writing! That's exciting!
      I'll answer your questions in order:
      I wrote this series out of the blue. I had an agent who wanted something like my other series -- Cherry Tucker-- but different. Where I live in Georgia, the movie industry recently exploded, so that definitely influenced this series. The idea just jumped out at me when I was talking to him and he said, "like Veronica Mars" and I said, "meets Sweet Home Alabama." And there it was.
      I wrote this book in particular while I was in the midst of writing the next book in the series. The story bridges between books, building on Maizie's character arc, but I also wanted to do a holiday book.
      The current cover just has story elements: the play on Partridge in a Pear Tree, gun cartridges in the background, and the same font from the rest of the series.
      Last question which I hope helps you & your writing! I constantly jot down ideas, even if they're not organized. I keep separate notebooks per series and then have word documents just for notes. Even if they seem unorganized, just keep writing down the ideas. Many times I won't use all the ideas for a story, but that's ok. Organize them later. Sometimes stories have to simmer a long time for me. Other times they jump out and I can just start writing. Each book I write is a different writing experience, which can be frustrating, but I'm willing to try new ways of approaching a story because I always want to improve.
      I hope that helps!

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  17. One of my favorite spunky heroines is Katness Everdeen from the Hunger Games series.

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  18. I love Raiders of the lost ark! I always wanted to be an archeologist. My favorite spunky heroine is Rose from Vampire Academy.
    My question is... Since I live on the border of North Georgia, is Black Pine based on a real town?

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    1. Hey Katrina!
      It's a little tiny bit based on Hiawassee. At least Black Pine is supposed to be in that area. But its' mostly made up. Maybe a little bit based on Lake Lure in NC. :) I love the NG Mountains. We go up there as much as possible (I'm south of ATL in Peachtree City).
      Thanks for stopping in!
      Larissa

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    2. I live close to hiawassee. It's always neat to read stories based on places I know.

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  19. Just checking to see if you got my entry(comment) I made earlier today. I know comments are moderated so didn't check to now. Comment made under Crystal And Daisy Mae but comment had my name which is Crystal.
    Thanks,
    Crystal

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    1. Hey Crystal! Your comment appeared this morning! Hope you spent that time writing! ;)

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  20. Larissa, have you ever had a mentor that greatly influenced your writing of mysteries?
    jcozart(at)paintrocksupplies(dot)com

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    1. Hi Judith!
      Great question. I haven't had a particular mentor for mysteries, but I have a critique partner and editors, of course. I have a good friend, Debby Guisti, who writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired line. She writes romantic suspense, which is different, but she's been a great mentor to me for writing in general. She holds a writing workshop at our church every other month and I love to attend it because she always has some kind of interesting insight on the craft of writing.
      Thanks so much for stopping by!
      Larissa

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