Landslide by Robin Mahle - Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Robin will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to It's Raining Books and thanks for stopping by. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I absolutely love to solve problems. It’s kind of my thing. Well, except math problems—not so much. So, I’ve always been drawn to reading mysteries and suspense novels. I love the tension those types of stories create. That tension keeps me hanging on to every word the author writes. It was a natural progression for me to continue in that genre, writing to give the reader the thrill of the chase.

What research is required?

Most of my stories exist in the world of crime. Corporate crime, murders, kidnappings, you name it. These require quite a bit of research. I spend a lot of time learning about true crime investigations, both online and through various former professionals in the industry. In fact, a very good friend of mine is married to a retired police captain. I’ve bounced more than a few ideas off of him just to ensure they were at least in the realm of reality. For this latest book, Landslide, I had to study existing court cases involving white collar crimes, embezzlement and such. It’s really very fascinating.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

To be honest, I’ve learned a great deal from all of my heroines. All of my novels include very strong female characters. In this latest book, I can tell you that Claire McKenna ends up being a very courageous woman, perhaps putting herself in more danger than I would ever consider. Most women would do just about anything to protect their families. She takes that to a whole new level and if I could absorb a fraction of her audacity, then I’m going to be just fine.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

You know, I wish I did. It would make me a much more interesting person, but no, I really don’t. My kids and husband go off every morning, doing their thing and then I write, all day, until they come home from school or work. I suppose the closest thing I’ve got to a quirk is that I need to have my curtains open so I can see my back yard. I must admit, I love the beauty of my back garden. It’s soothing to watch as I think of my next paragraph, chapter or whatever.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I believe I’m what you would call a hybrid. I loosely outline my story. I create backgrounds for my characters and then I start writing from Chapter 1, rarely deviating from chronological order. Most of the time, my final story ends up looking nothing like my outline. However, it does give me a starting point and then my characters tend to take me where they want to go.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

For the moment, my husband is sitting next to me. It’s a lovely Saturday morning and he works weekends, but hasn’t left yet. Later today, I’ll take my son to his soccer game and do some grocery shopping. Fairly routine, some might say boring, but it’s my life and I’m very happy. In fact, my husband and I just celebrated our 15th anniversary last week. Hey, I’m a writer. If I want excitement, I just make up stories!

Anything new coming up from you? What?

As a matter of fact, yes! I’m very excited to tell you that book three in my Redwood Violet series, Law of Five, is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Its release date is 12/1 and I can’t wait to see what fans of the series think of it!

Do you have a question for our readers?

I think this is the first time I’ve ever been asked that and so, yes. I would like to ask your readers a question. As a reader, what is the most important thing you look for when choosing a book? The cover? Reviews? Does it matter to you if the writer is an indie? Ok, so maybe I had more than one question :-)

Author Robin Mahle is pleased to bring you her latest novel, Landslide. A corporate suspense/thriller that will pull you in fast and keep you holding on tight until the very end!

In the sprawling suburbs of Seattle, Claire McKenna finds solace in her perfectly ordinary life. With the daily struggles of raising a family and climbing out of debt, she and her husband Colin, work hard to hang on to what they’ve got.

So when Claire is offered an incredible opportunity to rise in the ranks of her firm, she jumps at the chance. Her joy, however, is short lived at the discovery that her close friend and colleague, Beth Graves has just been accused of embezzlement.

Compelled to see Beth’s name cleared, Claire soon stumbles on a larger, more dangerous conspiracy at the firm. One that involves people she once trusted. One that threatens to destroy her ordinary life.

Enjoy an excerpt:

An odor of car exhaust remained suspended in the parking garage and, when it mixed with the damp air, the smell was obnoxious. Claire reluctantly passed through the invisible cloud towards the elevators leading up to the lobby. Standing in the breezeway of the office entrance, she found that the doors were still locked. But when she looked through the tinted glass, she spotted Jim, the security guard on the night shift. No need for him to open it up for her. She held her magnetic keycard against the white box fixed to the wall. The green light at the top flashed and the doors clicked open.

“Good morning, Mrs. McKenna. You’re in awful early,” Jim said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Her high-heeled steps echoed on the marble floor, the lofty ceilings further amplifying the sound. “Well, good morning, Jim. It’s not often I get to see you. How’s the family? Denise doing all right?”

“She is and thank you for asking. What have I done to deserve such a fine sight on this dreary Tuesday morning?” Jim was a charmer to all the women in the building, but he’d known Claire the longest and seemed to hold a special place in his heart just for her.

She leaned over the high granite counter where Jim sat below the sign that hung on the wall. “Information Desk.” A knowing grin lit up her entire face. “I just found a major problem with one of our reporting systems.”

“And this is a good thing?” A perplexed look began to mask Jim’s previous warm-hearted smile.

“It’s a good thing that I was the one who found it.” Claire slapped the cold black stone. “A girl’s gotta find a way to get ahead in this world, Jim, and I think I just found my golden ticket. It’s going to be a good day.”

About the Author:

Robin Mahle lives with her husband and two children in Arizona. She found her passion for writing, which later became her second career, after spending 20 years in the construction industry.

Having always been a lover of books, Robin attributes her creativity to the wonderful overseas adventures she has shared with her husband of 15 years. Traveling throughout Europe and having lived in England, opened her mind and with that came a steady stream of story ideas inspired by her author-idols in the suspense/thriller genre.

Robin published her debut mystery/suspense novel, Redwood Violet in March of 2013. And in September 2013, the much-anticipated sequel, All the Shiny Things(Redwood Violet II), was released. Both have become Amazon Bestsellers! Now, Beyond the Clearing has also joined the list! Her latest novel, Landslide, was released in July, 2014. This exciting corporate thriller reveals Robin’s unique voice yet again.

www.robinmahle.com
rmbooks@robinmahle.com
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobinMahle
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22813119-landslide?from_search=true

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