Saturday, July 23, 2016

Summer Countdown: THE SUSPECT'S DAUGHTER





Donna Hatch, author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” has won writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she is a sought-after workshop presenter, and juggles multiple volunteer positions and her six children. A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.


Q&A With the Author:


1.  What inspired your book?
The murder plot in The Suspect’s Daughter was inspired by a true event in England known as the Cato Street Conspiracy, which thankfully, was averted largely in part due to an undercover Bow Street Runner. This event happened in 1820, the same year my book takes place. When I read of the Cato Street Conspiracy, I knew it had to be Grant's story. Obviously I took some creative license, but the suspense plot in my book strongly parallels the real one. As far as the romantic plot, Grant is so emotionally closed off, as readers of my other books already know, that I knew it would be fun to pair him with a spunky, vivacious, glass-half-full kind of girl who is emotionally strong enough to not only challenge him and match him wit for wit, but with a big enough heart to see through his defensive barriers into the lonely, vulnerable man hiding underneath. 

2. How do you spend your free time?

Free time? I don't think I have ever had any free time. I'm not even sure what that means. When I'm too mentally or emotionally tired to write, and if my family doesn't need me for anything pressing, I read. Reading recharges me in a way that nothing else can. I enjoy going for long walks, watching old movies--especially adaptations of Jane Austen novels and romantic comedies--and playing games with my family. I've become pretty good at ping pong (table tennis) and my husband is a ruthless opponent.

Connect with the Author here: 


Determined to help her father with his political career, Jocelyn sets aside dreams of love. When she meets the handsome and mysterious Grant Amesbury, her dreams reawaken. But his secrets put her family in peril.                                                            Grant goes undercover to capture conspirators avowed to murder the prime minister, but his only suspect is the father of a courageous lady who is growing increasingly hard to ignore. He can’t allow Jocelyn to distract him from the case, nor will he taint her with his war-darkened soul. She seems to see past the barriers surrounding his heart, which makes her all the more dangerous to his vow of remaining forever alone. Jocelyn will do anything to clear her father’s name, even if that means working with Grant. Time is running out. The future of England hangs in the balance...and so does their love."


~ Amazon ~ Amazon UK


Author Top Ten List:

1. I like cats--kittens are even more fun.
2. I am a harpist and I teach harp lessons.
3. Every morning after I get the children off to school, I go for a walk. (At least, that's always the goal)
4. I hate spiders. HATE. With a passion.
5. Due to moves in my childhood, I attended 9 different schools. Being the new kid isn't all it's cracked up to be.
6. I love cheesecake just as much as I love chocolate--chocolate cheesecake is even better. Caramel is a close second. Caramel-chocolate cheesecake, anyone?
7. Currently I'm juggling: a YA dystopian aka speculative fiction, a YA historical paranormal, book 4 of my Rogue Hearts Regency series, and a new Regency trilogy.
8. I am majorly claustrophobic, which is exactly why, when I had to give my super-warrior weapons master, Kai Darkwood in my fantasy Queen in Exile, some flaw or fear, I chose claustrophobia for his--I understand it.
9. I love to ballroom dance. LOVE.
10. I also love bodies of water of any kind--ocean, river, lake, stream, waterfall, backyard garden pond. It just does something for my soul. This is partly why we recently moved from the desert to Washington State. I even love water when it's falling from the sky. Mermaid, anyone?


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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Featured Book: THE MATCHUP



Having been raised in Arizona, Laura L. Walker and her husband whom she met at Northern Arizona University think it's a great place to raise their six children. Laura and her family enjoy camping on beautiful Mt. Graham, reading, and learning history together. At the end of the day, Laura loves to curl up with a good book or write one of her own. The Matchup is her second novel.

Q&A With the Author:
1.      What inspired your book?


The Matchup is the continuation of the Logan family’s story from Pierced by Love but it can also be read on its own. I wanted to figure out why Gage, Pierce’s younger brother, struggled with his faith. And then I discovered the perfect match for him in Valerie and immediately knew that her struggle with single-handedly raising an autistic son needed to be told as well.

1.      What kind of music do you listen to while you write?


My “music” is either complete silence or my kids’ favorite TV programs in the background.


Connect with the Author here: 


The last thing Valerie wants is to work for Gage Logan. But Valerie's husband walked out on her and her children. Now she needs a job. Gage, on the other hand, has just taken custody of his four-year-old son and is swamped trying to balance his career, be a daddy, and fix past mistakes. Together they discover that when it comes to their faith and each other, it's all about second chances.



~ Amazon ~ B & N



Author Top Ten List:

1.     I am somewhat ambidextrous – I write, use utensils, and lead music with my left hand but use scissors, catch a softball, and bat with my right.
2.     My favorite all-time movie is The Sound of Music. I watched it so many times as a child that my brothers now refuse to allow their wives to watch it.
3.     I met my husband while planning an outing to the Grand Canyon. We talked like old friends for hours while hiking the upper rim. I immediately knew he was the guy for me!
4.     I graduated from Northern Arizona University the day after we got married.
5.     I like to sew quilts for my kids.
6.     I’m a fairly good cook, although I didn’t acquire this particular skill until after I married. I make a mean oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.
7.      Of my six children, only one looks like me and has my blue eyes. She also fits in the same birth order as I do with my siblings.
8.     A year ago, my heart’s left ventricle was only working at 18% capacity. Now, it’s back to normal range (which is 60%). Doctors are calling me a miracle and I know they’re right.
9.     My favorite color is red.
10.  I once found a baby Gila monster in my garage. Good thing it didn’t stay!


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Monday, July 18, 2016

Featured Book: PROPOSALS AND POISON



Rachelle is the award-winning author of ten books, including The Soldier’s Bride (A Kindle Scout Selection), Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things, Veils and Vengeance, and Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology. Her novella, “Silver Cascade Secrets,” was included in the Rone Award–winning Timeless Romance Anthology, Fall Collection.
 

Rachelle loves laughing with her husband while raising five children and dozens of chickens on a little farm in rural Idaho. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in psychology and a minor in music. 

Q&A With the Author:


1.  What inspired your book? My book was inspired by several different real news events that I had heard and a healthy dose of my own over-active imagination. And it’s inspired by the beautiful state of Idaho!


2. How do you spend your free time? I love to read whenever I can find a spare minute. I also enjoy gardening and taking care of our flock of nearly 100 chickens.

Connect with the Author here: 


Love can be a very dangerous thing. 


At least it seems that way to Adri Pyper, the premier wedding planner in Sun Valley, Idaho. When one of her clients dies mysteriously, Adri takes the advice of the local detective and swears she will stay out of the investigation . . . this time. Luke Stetson's involvement in the case, along with the possibility of a kiss between the two, should be enough incentive to keep Adri out of trouble. But when a dog-themed wedding is almost ruined by a suspect, Adri and her assistant, Lorea, are thrust into private eye mode. When poison enters the picture, even a reluctant sleuth can’t steer clear of danger.



Author Top Ten List:

1.    I learned how to incubate chickens last year and it’s one of the coolest things ever to witness those little cheepers being born.
2.    I love extra dark chocolate, like 85% dark.
3.    I learned how to oil paint last year and I’m fascinated by this art form.
4.    My favorite flower is a hyacinth
5.    I enjoy playing the piano, singing, and writing songs.
6.    My favorite children’s book is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
7.    I graduated valedictorian from my high school with a full scholarship to Utah State University. Go Aggies!
8.    I hate doing the dishes.
9.    I like to crochet, sew, and quilt, but I usually spend my time writing nowadays.
10. I grew up on a farm in Idaho where I moved lots of pipe, hoed weeds, rogued grain, chopped giant bull thistles with a machete, and swam in the Snake river. 


To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 



Saturday, July 16, 2016

Featured Book: DEATH UNSCRIPTED



Marni Graff is the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries, with three in print, ebooks and on Audible. She also writes The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries, also in all three formats, which is based on her real work as a medical consultant for a NY movie studio.
She also writes a crime review blog, Auntie M Writes (www.auntiemwrites.com). A member of Sisters in Crime, Graff is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press, and mentors the Writers Read program in Belhaven, NC.

Graff has been published in nonfiction, essays, poetry, and wrote for seven years for "Mystery Review" magazine. She is a frequent contributor to multiple magazines revolving around crime fiction.


Connect with the Author here: 

Trudy Genova has the best job a nurse could have: working as a medical consultant for a movie studio in Manhattan means no more uniforms, bedpans or white shoes. She's working with a womanizing actor, teaching him to fake a heart attack, when he dies right in the middle of taping--but not before pointing his finger accusingly at Trudy.
When detectives view Trudy as a suspect, she swings into action to clear her name, to the chagrin of NYPD detective Ned O'Malley. Soon the bodies mount up and Trudy realizes she's put herself in jeopardy. Based on the author's real work experience as a medical consultant, this is the book her mentor and friend, P D James, insisted she write.


Top Ten Music I Listen To:
  1. Ella Fitzgerald,
  2.  Frank Sinatra,
  3. Diana Krall,
  4. Rosemary Clooney,
  5. Mozart,
  6. Chet Baker,
  7. Harry Connick, Jr.,
  8. Michael Buble,’
  9. Adele,
  10.  Itzhak Perlman.



To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page