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 Facebook; Twitter; 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.

Buy Links:

Amazon Kindle     B&N Nook     Kobo

Amazon Paperback     B&N Paperback

Rionna Morgan with Earl Staggs

Mystery author Earl Staggs recently received his second Derringer Award for Best Short Story of the Year. His novel MEMORY OF A MURDER earned a long list of Five Star reviews. SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS, a collection of 16 Mystery tales, is available in print and ebook. He served as Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Magazine and as President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. He’s a contributing blog member of Murderous Musings and Make Mine Mystery and a frequent speaker at conferences.

 Hi, Rionna.  Thanks for providing this stop on the Mystery We Write Blog Tour. You asked some interesting questions, and I hope my answers are acceptable.

Where are you from?

 I was born in a tiny town in Kentucky and lived a few early years across the river in Ohio before my mother heard there were jobs in Maryland and moved my two brothers and me there.  I grew up in the Baltimore area , married there and with the help of a wife, raised two daughters.  Once that was done, said wife and I decided we had suffered enough cold, snow and ice for two lifetimes and moved south. After three years in Florida, we settled in Fort Worth, Texas, about twelve years ago.

Tell us your latest news?

 I’ve recently finished a new book!  I’m calling this one an Action Mystery.  The background for the story is a secret agency that tracks terrorists groups.  If they determine innocent lives are in danger, the agency puts the terrorists out of business.  Permanently.  While doing that, my protagonist, Tall Chambers, loses someone very dear to him. After that, his quest becomes finding who was responsible and making them pay.  Along the way, he uncovers a conspiracy to put the wrong person in the White House.

The title is TALL CHAMBERS: JUSTIFIED ACTION and it will be available soon in print and ebook form. Watch for announcements on my website. 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

 Yes. The message is that no matter how much human beings progress, some of them will always justify killing others as a way to achieve their own goals.  Someone has to stop them.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it?

 Title: A GOOD STORYTELLER.  Subtitle:  “A Man Who Wrote What He Liked to Read”

What is the ultimate dream vacation?

 That would be an ocean cruise.  The ship would drift aimlessly, time would stand still, and I would be surrounded by nothing but the free glories of nature - air, wind, sky and water – for as long as I wanted. Naturally,  I would need my computer and an Internet connection so I could keep up with my writing and email.

What person in history would you most like to meet?

 I’d love to shake the hand of the man who invented Cut, Copy, and Paste.  He made rewriting so much easier.

Thanks, Rionna, for letting me stop by.  Thanks also to everyone dropped in.  Now that you’ve read all the way to here, you’re invited to visit my website where you can read Chapter One of my Mystery novel, MEMORY OF A MURDER.

Buy Link!

You can also read a short story called “The Day I Almost Became a Great Writer.” Some say it’s the funniest story I’ve ever written.

There’s another story there called “White Hats and Happy Trails,” about the day I spent with my boyhood idol, Roy Rogers.  There’s even a picture of my wife and me with Roy to prove it’s all true.

You can even check out SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS, a collection of 16 of my published tales of mystery, ranging from hardboiled to humorous, available in print and ebook form.

Please leave a comment before you go and you may win a free book.

Buy Link!

At the end of the tour, I’ll draw two names from those who left comments.  The first name drawn will receive a signed print copy of MEMORY OF A MURDER, a mystery novel with a long list of Five Star Reviews.  The second name drawn will receive their choice of a signed print copy or an ebook of SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS, a collection of 16 tales of mystery from hardboiled to humorous.

Thanks again, Rionna, and best regards to all.

Earl Staggs

Email: earlstaggs@sbcglobal.net

Website: http://earlwstaggs.wordpress.com

Rionna Morgan with Anne K. Albert

My guest today is Anne K. Albert. Anne’s award winning mystery and romantic suspense stories chill the spine, warm the heart and soothe the soul…all with a delightful touch of humor. When not at the keyboard she loves to travel, walk on a beach, visit friends and family, and of course, read using ‘Threegio’ her beloved and much cherished Kindle 3G. She can be found online at Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Pinterest, Amazon and her blog. 

Rionna - Where do you live, and what does your work space look like?

Anne – I live in a part of the country that has four very distinct seasons, but for as long as I can remember I’ve always longed to be a bird and fly south each fall! Spending the winter months in a warmer climate has been on my bucket list forever, and this year the dream came true. Today, I’m literally living steps away from a glorious Florida beach. Life is good!

As for my office, well, organized confusion might be the best description. I keep a DayMinder close by to keep me on track, both professionally and privately, but even still there are days when I forget or misplace something.

Rionna - When do you generally write? Do you have a regimen?

Anne – Regimen? I wish! Actual writing time is primarily done in the afternoon. As in SOMETIME in the afternoon! It seems to be my most productive time of day.

Rionna - How do you write? Do you outline? Or fly by the seat of your pants? Do you like silence or rock out to a certain soundtrack?

Anne –I work in complete silence, and I’m very much a pantser, or as I prefer to call it, an ‘organic’ writer.

It took me a very long time to accept this process. I wanted to find an easier way to write. I tried outlining, but I had to learn the hard way I’m my first reader. I write to find out what happens next.

Rionna - Tell us about your book. Do you have any awards to brag about?

Buy Link!

Anne – FRANK, INCENSE AND MURIEL is set the week before Christmas when the stress of the holidays is enough to frazzle anyone’s nerves. Tensions increase when a close friend begs Muriel to team up with a sexy private investigator to find a missing woman. Forced to deal with an embezzler, kidnapper, and femme fatale is bad enough, but add Muriel’s zany yet loveable family to the mix and their desire to win the D-DAY (Death Defying Act of the Year) Award, and the situation can only get worse.

It received a 5-star review and Reviewer Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews. Reviewer Diana Coyle said, “Ms. Albert has a way of telling a story that pulls you in from the very first sentence and holds your attention to the very last line. Her voice is melodic and her writing style is refreshing. This author knows how to entertain readers and keeps them wanting to turn the page to see what happens next. If you’re looking for a story with a little bit of humor, a whole lot of suspense and plenty of insanity, then you’ve found the perfect story.”

Frank, Incense and Muriel is also recipient of the prestigious 2011 Holt Medallion Award of Merit.

Thanks so much for featuring me today during the Mystery We Write Blog Tour Rionna. I'd like to encourage readers to enter my giveaway contest. Up for grabs is an e-copy of FRANK, INCENSE AND MURIEL. Leave a comment and you're automatically entered. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on my blog on December 12, 2012. Good luck!

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Anne

Evelyn Cullet's Masterpiece of Murder

Evelyn Cullet has been an aspiring author since high school when she wrote short stories, but she didn't begin her first novel until college, later in life. Afterward, she continued to take writing classes and work on her novels while employed by a major soft drink company. Now, after early retirement, she finally has the chance to write full-time. Evelyn enjoys playing the piano, being an organic gardener, and an amateur Lapidary. She and her husband live in a suburb of Chicago. She writes mystery romance and romantic suspense. Her latest is MASTERPIECE OF MURDER.

Where are you from? I'm from the Mid-west. I was born and raised in the city of Chicago.

Tell us your latest news? I'm excited to announce that my new romantic suspense novel, Masterpiece of Murder, published by Wings ePress, was released on August 1st.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? The message I'd like to convey is: Never try to profit from someone else's crime. It doesn't pay.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it? A book about my life would be titled, "Mistakes to avoid on the road to becoming a published author or what in the world was she thinking?"

What is the ultimate dream vacation? My ultimate dream vacation would be at a romantic, posh resort on a private island, somewhere in the Caribbean with someone who truly cares about me.

What person in history would you most like to meet? I would like to meet Agatha Christie, to discuss how she arrived at all those marvelous ideas for her mystery novels.

If you could design a refrigerator magnet, what would it say? "If you're looking for anything unhealthy to eat, you won't find it here,."



My new novel, MASTERPIECE OF MURDER is fast-paced romantic suspense that takes you on a madcap adventure to the beautiful resort city of Barioche, Argentina, where a broken-hearted art student, Charlotte Ross, is intent on locating her errant fiancé. But her fiancé has his own reasons for being in Bariloche--he's after a stolen art masterpiece--that complicate Charlotte’s life and threaten her very existence as she stumbles into a downward spiral of deception, art forgery, and murder. When Charlotte accidently finds the murder victim, circumstantial evidence begins to mount up against her and the local police suspect she is the killer. Now she must use the skills she learned from her mystery writer friend, along with the help of two fellow art students, to discover who is really behind the murder. Not an easy task with a military police officer dogging her every step.

MASTERPIECE OF MURDER is available in print and ebook from the publisher at:  http://www.wings-press.com/ and from Amazon. Also available as an ebook for the Nook from Barnes & Noble.

We'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment and you'll automatically be entered in my free book giveaway. You could win a signed print copy of Masterpiece of Murder. One lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced on my blog, http://evelyncullet.com/blog/ on December 11th. Don't forget to leave your email address so I'll know how to contact you. And if you'd like to learn more about Bariloche, the stolen art masterpiece, or to see photos of the locations mentioned in the novel, I invite you to visit the photo page on my website: http://evelyncullet.com/

Rionna Morgan with Madeline (M.M.) Gornell

Madeline (M.M.) Gornell has four published mystery novels—PSWA awarding winning Uncle Si’s Secret (2008); Death of a Perfect Man (2009); Eric Hoffer Fiction finalist and Honorary Mention winner, the da Vinci Eye finalist, and Montaigne Medalist finalist Reticence of Ravens (2011); and PSWA award winner and Hollywood Book Festival Honorary Mention Lies of Convenience (2012). Both Reticence of Ravens and Lies of Convenience are Route 66 mysteries.

Madeline is also a potter with a fondness for stoneware and reduction firing. She lives with her husband and assorted canines in the Mojave Desert in a town on internationally revered Route 66.

Glad to be visiting your blog today, Rionna. I’m finding it so much fun meeting new authors and getting acquainted with their work! You’ve offered me the leeway to write a “post of your own design”—so I’ve taken your gracious invitation to answer for myself what I’ve asked all my fellow tour-members to answer. Only seems fair…What do I like most about the writing-life?

I love the “art and craft” of writing—creating a world readers want to visit. A place they eagerly want to visit. Then, there’s the characters. It’s so much fun trying to bring to life people and places. And then comes the story—how “those places” impact “those people.” Indeed, creating my fictional worlds brings me the most pleasure. And I think the preface from my latest published novel, Lies of Convenience—though about a particular place and set of characters—puts my overarching thought in narrative form—bringing together what I enjoy doing the most…

The world of this author’s mind is populated with a multitude of places and characters—many composites, and many imaginary. Occasionally, some of these people and places escape—intermingle with reality—and become backdrops and inspiration for tales of mystery.

Situated on Route 66 as it crosses California’s Mojave Desert, NewTown is a fictional place, but its inspiration is drawn from the many “small dots” spreading themselves along The Mother Road. This particular NewTown tale—even though populated with imaginary characters involved in fictional events—is nonetheless, triggered by the realities of High Desert terrain, weather, and the fortitude of its very real inhabitants.

CHICAGO, on the other hand, more than halfway across the country from NewTown, and at the start of Route 66, is on a capital-letters-scale, a world-renowned, sophisticated, and larger-than-life city. Indeed, to experience Lake Michigan’s unparalleled waterfront, especially under the magical shroud of night, with city lights a-sparkling—is to be bedazzled, awed, and visually imprinted for life.

Besides their shared Route 66 heritage, how do these places and people—real and imaginary—intersect? Therein lies the story…

Of course, the “writing life” is not all fun, fun, fun! Promotions is still an uphill climb for me—and I have to admit, my least favorite part. But, it seems unless you are already famous or infamous, or readers already know about your work, you won’t get read. And that’s what I like the very most—providing enjoyment to a reader!

Thanks so much, Rionna, for giving me the opportunity to spout-off about what I love about writing. Great meeting you, and I’m certainly enjoying our tour.

Thank you too!  I have so enjoyed spending time with you.

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Contact and Buy Info from Madeline (M.M.) Gornell:

Madeline’s books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Smashwords, in paper and e-book formats. You can visit her online at her website http://www.mmgornell.com , or her BLOG http://www.mmgornell.wordpress.com or email her directly at mmgornell@earthlink.net

Book Giveaway:

Buster, Dobie, and Mugs (the latest) are each drawing a name from comments for free copies of Lies of Convenience (or a M.M. Gornell title of your choosing)

Buy link for Lies of Convenience:

http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Convenience-M-Gornell/dp/0985500808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349831772&sr=8-1&keywords=lies+of+convenience