I'm so happy to have author
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
on the blog today!
Carolyn was kind enough to ask if she could give my readers a chance to win her book
GET UP THE GHOST . . .
Divorced mother Chantilly Adair didn’t take the job as the head of the Castleberry Georgia Historical Society because she thought it would be easy, in fact, she felt the exact opposite, and that suited her just fine. Desperate to get away from Birmingham and her ex-husband, she took her pre-teen son and high-tailed it straight to her childhood home in Castleberry, Georgia, and the echoes of her recently deceased parents.
A tumble down a flight of stairs and causing a bump on the head hasn’t hindered Chantilly from rehabbing the historical presence in town, but finding the dead body of the town’s BBQ king just days before the annual BBQ competition puts her right in the local detective’s hot seat.
When the spirit rumored to be haunting the dead man’s restaurant appears, Chantilly’s not sure which is worse, being accused of murder, or claiming a spirit might have had something to do with it. Now Chantilly must save herself from a life behind bars or a stay in the psychiatric ward, and still get the competition going on time.
A tumble down a flight of stairs and causing a bump on the head hasn’t hindered Chantilly from rehabbing the historical presence in town, but finding the dead body of the town’s BBQ king just days before the annual BBQ competition puts her right in the local detective’s hot seat.
When the spirit rumored to be haunting the dead man’s restaurant appears, Chantilly’s not sure which is worse, being accused of murder, or claiming a spirit might have had something to do with it. Now Chantilly must save herself from a life behind bars or a stay in the psychiatric ward, and still get the competition going on time.
. . . and of course I said, YES!
📚📖📚📖📚
!!!GIVEAWAY!!!
5 lucky readers will win their choice of a Mobi or ePub copy of
GET UP AND GHOST!
USA only
Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.
📚📖📚📖📚
A Chat with Carolyn
LKBR: Thank you for being here today, Carolyn!
CRA: Thanks
for having me!
LKBR: Please
tell us a bit about you, and your different mystery series.
CRA: Gosh,
where to start. I used to have a great job where I wore suits and dealt with
business executives and traveled the country. I married a really great guy with
two young girls that he had full custody of, and we got pregnant, so I decided
to sack the job and the suits and the quiet of hotel rooms (which is the only
part I miss!) to stay home and be a full time mom. Fast forward and after the
deaths of my parents, I finally decided to take my writing habit seriously. I
did some freelance journalism, marketing writing, and then finally, I wrote my
first series. That series, The Angela Panther Mystery series, was the start of
it all. I still write in it, and in fact, have a novella releasing in June.
It’s a women sleuth’s series, not a cozy, and is about a psychic medium whose
mother dies and comes back as a ghost. I was originally published through an
Amazon imprint as well as a now defunct publisher, but I’ve taken everything
self-published because I’m a bit of a control freak.
I have
two cozy series, the Lily Sprayberry Realtor Cozy Mystery Series and the
Chantilly Adair Psychic Medium Cozy Mystery series. Chantilly’s first book just
released and her second will be out in the next month. Lily’s got 7 books out
with one more coming in about a month. Both live in small town Georgia, and
have been so fun to write!
LKBR: Any hints
or spoilers you can give us about the next book in Chantilly’s series?
CRA: I’m
really excited about Chantilly. In the first book, she’s introduced as a
divorced mom of a tween boy. They move back home to her parent’s house after
her husband left her. Her parents are deceased, so they’re staying in the
house. She works for the towns historical society, and the offices are in an
old house that also serves as the museum. She takes a tumble down the stairs at
work, hits her head, and can suddenly see ghosts. Once she realizes what’s
happening, she uses it to help her figure out a murder that she happens to be a
suspect of. In book two, she’s still getting a handle on her new gift, and with
the help of some friends, works to prove her best friend innocent in another
situation. I love these characters. There are two older women, and they have a
Golden Girls feel to them. So much fun!
LKBR: Any new
projects in the works or any ideas you’re working on?
CRA: I’ve
got plans for several more Chantilly and Lily books, but I’m also toying with a
reporter cozy series because my journalism background is looking for something
to do.
LKBR: When you first started writing, what were the most surprising
things you learned about the writing, researching, and/or publishing of a
book?
CRA: I
learned that you’re not going to please everyone, and not everyone will like
what you write, or how you tell a story. I also learned that it’s very easy to
mix past and present tense, but when you read it, it glares at you like it’s
judging you. With the first, I’ve come to realize I write the Angela series to
honor my heritage and my family, (mostly my parents) and the cozy mysteries I
write because they’re fun and follow a pattern expected from readers. A writer
has to write for their own reasons, and it’s not always because they want to
make money. Sometimes, like with my Angela series, it’s an emotional reason.
Writing the character Fran in that series is like visiting with my mom, and
that’s therapeutic for me.
LKBR: Do you
ever had to pull a character, or change a scene that you really wanted to keep
because the powers that be recommended it? If yes, how do you cope with that?
CRA: I’ve
got a great editor, and any time she tells me to switch something up, I usually
do it. I found when I was traditionally published there were more requests to
make my books fit a mold, but the Angela’s series aren’t cozies, and they tried
to fit them into that mold.
They
couldn’t.
LKBR: Have you ever
gotten reader’s block? Just find it hard to get into reading
because you are so into your writing?
CRA: Sadly, yes. I’ve
been struggling with that for a few years now. I always say writing has ruined
reading for me. It’s also ruined my eyes! I went from 20/20 vision to
tri-focals. Getting old and writing are a brutal combination!
LKBR: Are there any magazines/publications
that as a writer you subscribe to? Are these or others something readers could
also benefit from?
CRA: My favorite is a
mystery magazine. https://www.elleryqueenmysterymagazine.com
I just love Writer’s
Digest too. Hard to be a writer and not read that. It’s filled with great
information.
LKBR: Is there anything
you would give up if you thought it would make you an even better writer?
CRA: I don’t think
giving up something would benefit me. I’m working on trying to find balance,
which isn’t easy. I tend to focus on one thing instead of dividing my time, but
I’m forcing myself to not be that way. Too much of a good thing isn’t usually a
good thing for me.
LKBR: If you
could ask your readers 3 questions, what would they be?
CRA: Gosh,
that’s a tough question. I think in general, I’d want to know what makes them
read. Do they read because they like to explore other places, or because they
like the escape, or is it something else? I’d also want to know what they like
most in the books they read. The relationships, the mysteries, the puzzle? And
of course, I’d want to know what they’d like to read from me.
LKBR: Anything
else you’d like to share with us?
CRA: I’d
like to say thanks to the readers that give the indie authors a chance. It’s
hard to market our books, so the support is truly appreciated! And that
includes bloggers like you, Lisa. Thank you so much for having me!
LKBR: Thank you
so much, Carolyn for letting us get to know you better!
CRA: Thanks for having me!
Social Media:
Instagram: Carolynridderaspenson
Website (is being redone, but my newsletter is here)
carolynridderaspenson.com
I’m also on Goodreads and Bookbub!
More about the Carolyn
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson writes mysteries featuring imperfect women with a flair for telling it like it is. Her stories focus on relationships whether they're between friends, family members, couples, townspeople or strangers because ultimately, it's relationships that make a story. She writes the Angela Panther Mystery Series, The Inn at Laurel Creek contemporary romance novella series, and the Lily Sprayberry Realtor Cozy Mystery Series.
Carolyn is also the founder of the Facebook author and reader collective, Sleuthing Women--Read...Sleuth...Solve...Repeat. A place for readers to connect with an exclusive group of women authors of female sleuth mysteries.
Now an empty-nester, she lives in the Atlanta suburbs with her husband, two Pit Bull-Boxer mix dogs and two cantankerous cats, but you'll often find her at a local coffee shop people watching (and listening), or as she likes to call it, plotting her next novel.
Follow Carolyn here, or on Facebook at Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, author.
Carolyn is also the founder of the Facebook author and reader collective, Sleuthing Women--Read...Sleuth...Solve...Repeat. A place for readers to connect with an exclusive group of women authors of female sleuth mysteries.
Now an empty-nester, she lives in the Atlanta suburbs with her husband, two Pit Bull-Boxer mix dogs and two cantankerous cats, but you'll often find her at a local coffee shop people watching (and listening), or as she likes to call it, plotting her next novel.
Follow Carolyn here, or on Facebook at Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, author.
GOOD LUCK!
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