27 January 2012

Friday Five with Stacy Verdick Case


Fridays may be murder for many of us, but for today's guest on Friday Frive...Three...One... it's just another day in front of the computer. Stacy Verdick Case is here to talk about herself, her underwear and her new book, A Grand Murder
Five Fun Facts:
  1. Favorite word: Integrity--it applies to so many aspects of life
  2. First thing you do in the morning: Make coffee--without it, I'm not human
  3. Favorite song to dance to: Telephone by Lady Gaga and Beyonce--can't resist it
  4. What constitutes a crime against nature: Skinny jeans
  5. Favorite destination: Home--cheesy but true. No matter where I go, I can't wait to get home.
THREE QUESTIONS
  1. What book is on your nightstand? Web Thinking by Dr. Linda Seger. I've read it before but it's worth reading more than once.
  2. What would your mother say about today's underwear choice? She wouldn't say a thing.
  3. What scares you most? Spiders and zombies are equal in my scary world.
ONE SENTENCE

Using these four words, write a sentence: Mummy. Lights. Cold. Rain. 

"The lights sparked out from the cold rain, obscuring my view of the mummy."

YOUR TURN:
Feel free to give us a teaser about your new book and information where to find you online.
You can find me at:
  • www.StacyVerdickCase.com, 
  • sostacythought.wordpress.com
  • twitter @SVerdickCase.
A Grand Murder is the first book in Catherine O’Brien mystery series. Catherine is a St. Paul, MN homicide detective, who has a monster coffee habit, frequent bad hair days, and an irreverent outlook on life. She is partnered with Louise Montgomery who is her exact opposite in every way.

Here’s a little something to tease you with: 

Once again, we were in attendance at Stanley and Forster. After all the time we’d spent here in the last couple days, I was as comfortable in this office as I was in my own. 
Even the ghost—pallid receptionist began to warm up a little. She greeted us with a smile.
"Who do you need this time?”
“Philip Carter,” I said.
“You got it.” 
She punched some keys, and then said into her headset. “Mr. Carter, the cops are here for you.”
By how fast the call ended, Philip Carter didn’t seem particularly surprised to hear that there were police waiting to see him. I think I might have asked what they wanted.
“Have a seat,” she said. “He’ll be down to see you in just a minute.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” 
She retrieved a tube of lipstick from her purse and made fish faces in a compact mirror as she applied the diva—pink lipstick. Part of me wanted to know how much she got paid.
The waiting room was full of people who were now watching Louise and me like we’d just dropped our pants and peed on the floor.  Cops are nobody’s friends until you need one.


Friday Five...Three...One... is an opportunity for guest bloggers to share a bit about themselves in a fun format of Five Facts, Three Questions and One Sentence. If you'd like to be a guest on Friday Five, Three, One drop me an email.

20 January 2012

Friday Five hiatus....

Sorry, folks, but there's no Friday Five this week. Blame the weather that delayed flights, followed by mechanical problems that delayed them even further. But Friday Five...Three...One will return Jan. 27. My guest will be Stacy Verdick Case, who'll be talking about her book, A Grand Murder.


Friday Five...Three...One... is a chance for guest bloggers to share a bit about themselves in a fun format of Five Facts, Three Questions and One Sentence. If you'd like to be a guest on Friday Five, Three, One drop me an email. In February, there will be all new questions, facts and guests.

16 January 2012

How many writers does it take to create a villain





My story Something Special hits the shelves in a few weeks,  figuratively speaking. (It's an ebook). It wraps up The Wild Rose Press series "The Class of '85," which tells how classmates of Summerville High find love and new beginnings 25 years after graduation day.

Throughout  the series, the high school bully looms in the background--only now he's got a badge and a drug addiction--Dickhead, a.k.a. Chief of Police Richard Heade.

The chief plays a prominent role in Something Special. My hero, Andrew Morgan, a detective with the Summerville Police, is running a side investigation into his boss's illegal activities. And when Richard learns of it, bullets fly.

But Richard's character arc--from drug-addled bully to potential murderer--happens over the 24-book series, with clues sprinkled in several books.

His first big appearance is in Bonded for Life by Sharon Buchbinder. We see how self-serving and self-centered the police chief is. He makes work miserable for Webster Bond, our hero. Web challenges the sheriff over proper use of SPD employees and realizes the extent of the chief's drug use. When he tries to talk to his wife about it, Richard overhears and assigns Web the "nightshift for life." 

A cameo in the next book, Transatlantic Loving by Rachel Brimble, shows us his priorities. When the town's soccer coach, Aaron Taylor, rallies for support at the public beach for a Summerville sports center, Heade tries to stop him. Aaron publicly reveals Heade's lack of belief in the talent of the Summerville kids and his disinterest in providing the town with more jobs.

Richard and his wife, Beth (formerly known as Ready Betty) play bigger roles in An Indecent Proposal also by Buchbinder. In this story, Richard has partnered with a New Jersey mobster to buy the inn and turn it into a casino. The deal is thwarted when the heroine and hero reluctantly band together to purchase the old Summerville Inn. The seriousness of Richard's drug addiction becomes clear, as is his willingness to sidestep the law for his own gain.

We get a peek of Dickhead and his wife, past and present in Embraceable You by Kat Henry Doran, and in The List by Veronica Lynch, Ready Betty rewrites the definition of the word bitch.

Beth is a mess in her own right and definitely deserves her own story arc blog here at Typos, but let's just say she hides her unhappiness behind bad dye jobs, too much plastic surgery and make-up better suited for a "working" girl. 

In Mad Dog and the Archangel by Doran, they play a big role in the beginning and briefly at the end, and the chief is pivotal to the plot and character arcs in Something Special. (We also see Web briefly when Andy comes in early and Web is finishing up paperwork from the nightshift.)

Writing the denouement of a character developing over the series was both a challenge and an honor. I had to make Richard's actions realistic in comparison to how others had portrayed him and to find a way to make Andy's investigation very personal.

By the time we reach their final confrontation, both have everything to lose.

Now it's your turn. If you've read the series--or written for it--stop in and share what you liked or disliked about Dickhead, the bully with a badge. 


13 January 2012

Howl at the moon





Happy Friday! 

When I was a kid there was a TV show called Friday the 13th--about cursed antiques and our heroes efforts to track them down. It creeped me out. Big time. But it also made Friday the 13th kinda fun. 

Today's guest on Friday Five...Three...is an author who always has fun with the creepy creatures that go bump in the night. Stephanie Burkhart writes about werewolves, witches and vampires, and she's here to talk about her latest book, "Twilight Over Moldavia," a paranormal romance, book two in the Moldavian Moon Series.


She was born and raised in Manchester, NH. Went on an adventure in 1986 when she joined the Army and spent seven years stationed overseas in Europe. Now she lives in California.

OK, Stephanie...




FIVE FUN FACTS:
  1. Favorite WordThingie
  2. First thing you do in the morningPut the alarm on snooze.
  3. Favorite song to dance to: "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams.
  4. What constitutes a crime against nature: Spilling funk into the waterways.
  5. Favorite destinationBerlin.




THREE QUESTIONS



  1. What book is on your nightstand? "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." My 9-year-old son, Andrew, wanted me to read it.
  2. What would your mother say about today's underwear choice? I honestly don't know.
  3. What scares you the most? That my son's sensory issues may hold him back from having a full and complete life.

ONE SENTENCE
Using these four words, writing a sentence: Scream. Hangover. Sweat. Blog

I peered at my blog, sweat dribbling down my temples, nursing a Jack and Coke hangover and screamed.

YOUR TURN:

Would you marry a man cursed to become a werewolf?
She nipped at her lower lip, and the energy between them surged. He tilted his head and drew her close, their mouths awkwardly skirting each other. Her breath, warm and hinting of apricots from the wine she had sipped earlier, ghosted over his cheek. Their lips brushed, and his pulse spiked. Gently, he continued to kiss her with hesitant exploration. She was the first woman he had ever kissed, and her lips were everything he had expected -- and more.
He placed his hands on her waist and tugged her close, pressing her against the length of his body. She put her hands on his shoulders and trailed her fingers along the nape of his neck.
Stefan groaned and increased the intensity of the kiss. Fueled by their mutual desire, his manhood grew hard. He hadn't known that feeling before. He could lose his head to it.

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSAhxv0lTIM



Find Stephanie at:




BUY:


Friday Five...Three...One... is a chance for guest bloggers to share a bit about themselves in a fun format of Five Facts, Three Questions and One Sentence. If you'd like to be a guest on Friday Five, Three, One drop me an email.

05 January 2012

Friday Five...Three...One


Happy Friday! How did the first week of 2012 go for you? I can honestly say I was busier than I wanted to be...but that's better than being bored.

Today's guest on Friday Five...Three...One is Cathie Linz, a chapter mate of mine at Windy City RWA in Naperville, IL. Cathie writes fun, witty and utterly charming contemporary romances, and her new book, Tempted Again, is fast becoming my favorite.

OK, Cathie...


 FIVE FUN FACTS:
  1. Favorite word: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins, not that I get to use it that often
  2. First thing you do in the morning: Feed the cats
  3. Favorite song to dance to: "Dog Days Are Over" Florence and the Machine
  4. What constitutes a crime against nature: Being mean to animals
  5. Favorite destination: Moraine Lake, Canadian Rockies altho the Austrian Alps are close behind

THREE QUESTIONS
  1. What book is on your nightstand? I have several including LUNCH IN PARIS (think that is right) and THE BAKE OFF
  2. What would your mother say about today’s underwear choice? My mom is pretty liberal but she thinks thongs are just silly
  3. What scares you most? Tornadoes

ONE SENTENCE

Using these four words, write a sentence: Tree. Naked. Funny. Run.

I just saw a funny naked tree.  Run!"  (I write a lot of fast-paced dialogue in my bks)


YOUR TURN:

TEMPTED AGAIN by Cathie Linz - 4 stars RT Book Reviews! 


"This delightful contemporary romance will warm up a cold winter's day.  The characters that fill these pages are all memorable, the romance is touching and realistic and the love scenes are hot enough to melt snow."

Marissa Bennett needs to start over, but the last thing she needs is a new man in her life. Enter sexy lawman Connor Doyle-the high school bad boy who took her innocence. She knows she should turn the page on her past, but Connor is irresistible. Has she come all the way home just to get her heart broken again?

For more info or to enter my contest please visit:




Friday Five...Three...One... is a chance for guest bloggers to share a bit about themselves in a fun format of Five Facts, Three Questions and One Sentence. If you'd like to be a guest on Friday Five, Three, One drop me an email.

02 January 2012

Can you hot-wire a car?



Happy 2012!


It’s a bright shiny new year. 365 days stretch ahead of us like driven snow—sparkly clean and unmarred by our passing.

It’s a time for optimism and hope—unless you happened to catch Armageddon Week on the History Channel. If you did, you know 2012 could be the year of a catastrophic economic meltdown, communication blackouts, The Four Horsemen, and the zombie apocalypse.

Even if none of this happens, it’ll be an election year—which is always rough.

With impending doom and election gloom in mind, it seems to be a good time to go for resolutions that are a bit more practical than get in shape or drop five pounds. So in the spirit of Thomas Cromwell’s “Trust God but keep your powder dry,” here are my resolutions for the year:
  1. Learn to hotwire a car. Hey, you never know when you’ll have to forage through an onramp of abandoned cars to get out of town.
  2. Read more. I have to whittle down my “to be read” pile. Otherwise my personal Armageddon could happen when it collapses on me.
  3. Plant a garden. I like fresh veggies too much to go without when the inherent flaw of “just-in-time” inventory becomes painfully obvious. (And if the year passes without apocalyptic incidents, then I’ll have saved money, been a bit greener and found a way to avoid a few hours of the 24/7 election news).
  4. Go someplace I’ve not been before. Prague sounds good, but I’m open to suggestions.
  5. Practice kindness. As a verb, not an abstract idea. Even if the year doesn’t turn out to be a wild ride, we still need all the kindness we can get.
What about you? What are your goals and resolutions for 2012?