Monday, December 10, 2012

LARISSA REINHART & PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY


Larissa considers herself lucky to have taught English in Japan, escaped a ferocious monkey in Thailand, studied archaeology in Egypt, and survived teaching high school history in the US.  After moving around the midwest, the south and Japan, she now lives in Georgia with her husband, daughters, and Biscuit, a Cairn Terrier. 

She loves small town characters with big attitudes, particularly sassy women with a penchant for trouble. PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY (Henery Press, August 28, 2012) is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, a 2012 The Emily finalist, and a 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. Cherry Tucker’s second mystery, STILL LIFE N BRUNSWICK STEW, will release in May 2013. When she’s not writing about southern fried chicken, she writes about Asian fried chicken at her blog about life as an ex-expat at theexpatreturneth.blogspot.com. You can find Larissa chatting on FacebookTwitter; and Goodreads. You can also find more information on her website at larissareinhart.com.

Where are you from?
First, thanks so much for having me on your blog!

I’m from a farming village, population 600, called Andover. My roots are small town and slightly redneck, although my mother would argue that fact because she was raised in a town with sidewalks and went to college. I also went to college and like to live in cities, but can’t seem to shake the redneck factor. It comes across more strongly with beer.

Tell us your latest news?
My first novel in the Cherry Tucker Mystery series, PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, launched in August and it’s been a whirlwind publication that began last March. My second in the series, STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW, will release next May. I’m working on a Christmas novella anthology with two other Henery Press authors for 2013. Beyond that, I’ve got several projects started and hoping someone will invent a time machine or cloning to help me get them done.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Don’t mess with an artist and her shotgun when she’s on a deadline? Just kidding. Hopefully, my love of small towns and small town characters shines through. And that small town people lead richer, more diverse lives than you’d suspect.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it?
NOTHING’S EVER SIMPLE

What is the ultimate dream vacation?
Anywhere foreign, but where I don’t fear for safety.

What person in history would you most like to meet?
The easy answer is Jesus Christ. Agatha Christie would be pretty cool, too.

If you could design a refrigerator magnet, what would it say?
I like that quote by Benjamin Franklin: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
Actually, that’s probably dangerous for a refrigerator magnet.

I’d like to encourage readers to enter my giveaway contest. Up for grabs is an e-copy of PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, book one of the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series. Leave a comment and you're automatically entered. Include your email addy so I can get in touch with you should your name be selected at random. The winner will be announced on my blog (http://theexpatreturneth.blogspot.com/) on December 12, 2012. Good luck!



In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival.

As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Her rival wants to ruin her reputation, her ex-flame wants to rekindle the fire, and someone’s setting her up to take the fall. Mix in her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

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24 comments:

  1. Great interview, Larissa. Portrait of a Dead Guy was a fun read full of quirky characters and a sassy Cherry Tucker. I loved it. Can you write faster please? :) I need the next one, stat! And if you take requests, can you send Max to my house? I think I'm in lurve.

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    1. LOL Terri! Thanks so much! Next one is hopefully coming out this spring! I have no control over Max. But you're welcome to give him a call. He likes tiny giraffes.

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  2. Great interview ---Larissa. Love learning about you. Thanks for having this contest.

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  3. That was a fun interview, Larissa! Loved "Don’t mess with an artist and her shotgun when she’s on a deadline?"

    Madeline

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  4. Great answers, Larissa. I've so enjoyed learning more about you while on this tour.

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  5. You have a great background to write from, Larissa, and I loved the interview!

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    1. Thanks Jean! It took me 20 years to realize what they meant by writing about things you know. Not that I know a lot of murderers....

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  6. Larissa,

    Thank you for visiting with Chanting of Muses today. Very nice to get to know you!

    Rionna

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  7. Fun seems to be theme of your interviews. Have enjoyed getting some understanding of you and your writing. Looking forward to more stories & hopefully a win.

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    1. Thanks so much, Jake! Got my fingers crossed for you! We'll see what the robot decides!

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  8. I have to agree with you, Larissa, Nothing is ever simple. It's been great getting to know you on this blog. I'm almost sorry to see it end, but I'm looking forward to reading your novels.

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    1. Thanks Evelyn! Same here. It's been fun to get to know everybody and I added a lot of books to my TBR pile!

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  9. Excellent interview, Larissa. I don't know about your redneck roots showing through,
    but your sense of humor sure does. That, along with my own small town redneck roots, makes you my kind of people. Best wishes.

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  10. What a fun, inspiring and informative interview. I'm so glad you opted in to the 4th Mystery We Write Blog Tour!

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    1. Thanks Anne! And thanks so much for including me. It's been fun!

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  11. Larissa: Loved your sense of humor and a little beer makes us all a bit more redneck. It has been wonderful being on tour with you.
    Wendy
    W.S. Gager on Writing

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Thank you for chanting with us today!