Stay of Execution by Kellie Larson Murphy - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This interview is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to It's Raining Books, Kellie. Why do you write in your genre?

When I first started writing fiction, I didn’t consciously pick a genre. I just started writing the story that was in my head. In hindsight, that’s probably because I’m influenced by what I love. I read everything from literature to non-fiction but somehow, when I just want sheer entertainment, I pick up murder and mayhem. The truth is, writing mystery and suspense comes far more easily than a love scene or comedy. It’s my love of mysteries and thrillers that sparked my writing.

What draws you to it?

There are two main reasons I’m drawn to mystery. First, I love the pacing of a good mystery or thriller. It’s not necessarily that you can’t set the book aside before you get to the end, it’s that you don’t want to. For me, suspense is the definition of page-turner. Second, a good mystery always has a character with an edge, someone who’d different or “out there” or just plain evil. I love the villains almost as much as the good guys!

What research is required?

Both of the books in the Cancini Mystery series required some research, but in Stay of Execution, it was particularly important to learn a little about the history of DNA as well as some basics. Also, while I’ve been to towns very much like the fictional Little Springs, I still had to research small towns across the western part of Virginia to bring it to life.

Name one thing you learned from your hero.

Cancini believes that everyone is not who they seem, no one is above suspicion, and choices are black and white. He struggles to recognize that life is sometimes gray and that doing the right thing can mean different things to different people. I love when he stumbles upon this truth (and so do we). I also love that while he’s a fallen catholic and avoids religion, one of his closest confidantes is a priest.

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

I don’t really have any quirks but I’m not very good at sharing a work-in-progress. Maybe it’s a habit or a superstition, but I just don’t do it. I know many authors who will post chapters as they go or who let their beta readers see partially finished work. I keep it to myself until I have a completed draft and even then, I don’t show it to anyone until it’s had at least a rough edit first. (See the next question for why!)

Are you a plotter or pantser?

Neither and both! When I first sit down to write a book, I know how the book will start and how it will end. I know who did it! However, I don’t have a working outline to prompt my writing. I just start at the beginning and write sequentially what I feel would happen next. After I’ve completed the book, then I go back and plot everything on a timeline and summarize each chapter. I look for holes or unnecessary chapters. I cut and paste and rewrite. I guess I pants first and plot second!

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

My mug of tea. I don’t drink coffee but I drink A LOT of tea. I love it so much that I will even drink decaf if necessary.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

Yes, I’m currently working on the third in the Detective Cancini series, The Last Sin. This one takes place in DC and opens with the violent murder of a young and handsome priest.

Do you have a question for our readers?

I don’t want to give away a plot point so my question is fairly general. I’m sensing that readers want the lonely Cancini to find a relationship and love. How much do readers want that in this series?

Little Springs was just a small college town, the kind of town where everyone knew everyone and violent crime was nonexistent--until a series of rapes and murders at the college. After an outbreak of fear and hysteria, only the arrest and conviction of Leo Spradlin, the "Co-Ed Killer," could end the terror.

Years later, Spradlin is suddenly cleared based on unshakable DNA evidence, and no one is more surprised than Detective Mike Cancini. As new questions surround the identity of the true "Co-Ed Killer," Cancini struggles to accept his role in the conviction of an innocent man. Suspicions mount when Spradlin's release coincides with a fresh wave of rapes and murders at the college, eerily reminiscent of the original crimes. Cancini is drawn back to Little Springs, caught in a race against time to uncover the identity of the latest "Co-Ed Killer" before the next girl dies...

A tension-filled psychological mystery, STAY OF EXECUTION is also a novel about loyalty, deceit, and the darker side of truth.

Enjoy an excerpt:

The boy looked up at the tall trees, their branches thick and twisted, blocking the warmth from the sun. He pulled the strings of his knapsack tight and walked faster. Feet moving quickly over the slippery ground cover, he tripped, falling forward toward the round trunk of a large oak. “Stupid root. Stupid trees.” Picking himself up, he wiped his hands on his jeans, the brown, wet moss leaving marks on the worn pants. It was only then that he noticed what had caused his fall. Not a root. A leg. He stepped closer to see a bare leg, a woman’s leg, covered in dirt and leaves as though someone had tried to hide her. The boy’s eyes widened, and he screamed. Turning, he ran from the woods toward the first house he could find, still screaming.

Kellie Larsen Murphy is the author of A Guilty Mind and Stay of Execution, the first two books in the Detective Cancini Mystery series. She has written for several mid-Atlantic magazines and resides in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, four children, and two very large, very hairy dogs.

Website: www.kellielarsenmurphy.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aguiltymind

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Execution-Detective-Cancini-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00UCIKU3M/

Amazon / Print: http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Execution-Detective-Cancini-Mystery/dp/1508433054/

Barnes and Noble Nook: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stay-of-execution-kellie-larsen-murphy/1121346604

Barnes and Noble Print: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stay-of-execution-kellie-larsen-murphy/1121346604

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Necessary Retribution by Mike McNeff --Review and Giveaway

(Action/Adventure)

This review is in conjunction with a book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Mike will be awarding an ebook (international) of GOTU by Mike McNeff at each stop to a randomly drawn commenter, along with a grand prize of a paperback (US only) of GOTU to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The other stops on the tour can be found by clicking the tour banner.




“We don’t need you guys for easy missions.”

Those words set the stage for the entry of Robin Marlette and his team of ex-cops into the world of covert operations and counter-terrorism. After two years of intense training by the best special ops teams in the US military, The CIA and the world situation propel the team into dangerous and complex missions that threaten the world’s balance of power and tests the team to the ragged edge of their abilities.

Author Mike McNeff continues the saga of the Guardians, first introduced in his first novel GOTU and takes the reader on another action packed roller coaster of a story. You’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat as Robin leads his men while they capture international criminals, rescue hostages and fight terrorists all over the globe...with the help of unlikely partners. Mike’s research into the historical background is evident and adds frightening realism to the plot.

If you like to be swept away with tense and exciting action, this book is for you.




With a writing style reminiscent of Tom Clancy, author Mike McNeff creates a story that intrigues and a group of characters the reader can care about.

First, let me say that this is the second in a series. Aside from some references by Robin "Rob" Marlette to "the attack" (which upon some research I discovered apparently happened in the first book when his daughter was kidnapped) I never felt in the least bit lost. This book very ably stands alone.

It's complex and full of details. This is both good and bad... it makes it difficult to get into at the beginning (which also made me think of Clancy ... I have the same problem with his books) because so much information is being presented and we haven't gotten to know the characters enough to care about what happens.  I recommend you stick with it, though, because once you do get to know the group of characters involved in The Guardians, you won't want to stop.

I admit, too, that I hadn't realized when I chose to read this book that it's set in the recent past.  When the discussion of Saddam Hussein invading Kuwait came up, it had me scratching my head.  My husband fought in Desert Storm, so this event is something I'm familiar with.  But once I got past that, it was full steam ahead.

I love the group dynamic between the members of this group Robin has organized, as well as the interactions with his family.  And, though the action was exciting and interesting, it's this dynamic that kept me reading. 

All-in-all, Necessary Retribution was a good book.  Despite the difficulty I had engaging with the story at the beginning, I'm glad I read it.  It's full of action, great characters and good, complex writing.  If you like books by Tom Clancy, this might be a good fit for you.

4 Flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.

Mike McNeff is a cop who writes about cops. He was born in San Angelo, Texas to an U.S. Air Force family. His early years saw much travel across the U.S. and the Far East. Mike attended Arizona State University and Arizona State College of Law (now Sandra Day O'Connor Law School).

He began his law enforcement career in 1969 with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. He also served with the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Department in Washington State. He has worked patrol, criminal intelligence, narcotics, and has been a SWAT team leader and commander as well as a hostage negotiator. Mike has instructed at the Arizona Highway Patrol Academy, Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy, the DEA Narcotics Commanders’ School and DEA Marijuana Eradication School, the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy, the Chandler/Gilbert Law Enforcement Academy and has lectured in many other law enforcement training venues around the country. Mike retired from law enforcement in 2009 as a Police Legal Advisor and an officer with the Chandler Police Department in Arizona.

Mike has also been a Deputy County Attorney for Maricopa County, AZ and the Prosecuting Attorney for Okanogan County, WA. He is an experienced trial attorney in both criminal and civil cases. He has successfully defended police officers accused of civil rights violations in federal court. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar and the Washington State Bar.

Mike started writing after he retired. Necessary Retribution is his second novel. He is currently finishing a western and working on the third installment of the adventures of the Guardians. Writing has become Mike’s new career.

Mike is married to his wife Linda, has four grown children and seven grandchildren. He likes to cruise on his boat, fish, crab, bike, play guitar, shoot and of course write.

www.gotuseries.com
http://www.facebook.com/MikeMcNeff.Site
Twitter
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5625753.Mike_McNeff
Buy GOTO at Amazon.
Buy Necessary Retribution at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Tangled Ties to a Manatee by Kalen Cap - Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway

Today we're welcoming author Kalen Cap to the blog on his tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the humorous crime thriller, "Tangled Ties To a Manatee". The premise sounds fascinating, and I hear we even get to be in the POV of the manatee!  I'm intrigued!

Kalen is giving away a $25 Green Gift Card from http://green.icardgiftcard.com -- redeemable for GCs from hundreds of your favorite merchants to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow his tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of his tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

Kalen was nice enough to let me pry into his business.  Sit back and learn about this interesting author.

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

Regarding the humorous crime thriller genre, I backed into it. I landed on the genre after developing story ideas around certain themes.

I find my ideas that I can fully develop into novels stem from themes I'm interested in first, such as themes of environmentalism and nonprofit service. I also have an affinity for college-aged or twenty-something characters. So, after the interplay of themes and characters, storylines develop.

One thing well-known about nonfiction writing in the environmental movement is that it usually focuses on the serious downside. Fiction offers an opportunity for adding some humor about such themes to the mix and people have responded well to my sense of humor in writing, particularly with my earlier plays.

Humor also works well in crime thrillers, in my opinion. The contrast of light and darkness in humorous crime thrillers is something I enjoy. So with the themes, characters involved, and a desire for light humor, a humorous crime thriller simply worked for the emerging storyline threads.

I explored the genre and found I liked it. But, genre wasn't where I first started.

What research is required?

For Tangled Ties to a Manatee, I did some research on manatees and investigations. I've had experiences with environmental groups, nonprofits, and working at colleges, so only a little research was needed in some areas.

Location and historical research were also involved as fictionalized settings were blended into actual locations.

For a new project, more research is needed, particularly historical. Since I enjoy research, I have to temper the amount of it I do. Otherwise, it can become a distraction from the writing.

Name one thing you learned from your protagonist.

One of the things I learned from the character Jerry is you work with whoever will work with you for a situation. I can be an idealist and hesitant in that regard. Being developmentally disabled, Jerry doesn't over-think matters for the situation at hand.

I'll give an example of how that lesson applies in my life. Historically in this country, advances in the protection of parks and wildlife spaces have only happened when "sports hunters" and "treehuggers" collaborate, both pushing for the protection of spaces from commercial development. As an animal protection activist, I haven't always sought out cooperation with hunters for mutual objectives when we'd be at odds over other matters. But, I'd more reasonably consider that now.

Jerry doesn't worry about that. He can't afford to. He'll work with anything or anybody - even to the point of the lowest form of rat around.

 Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I can be walking along quietly with a friend and suddenly gesture while thinking of how a character might respond in a scene. To a friend that obviously looks like I'm gesturing suddenly out of nowhere. So far, my friends haven't called the folks with the straitjackets on me ... yet.

Plotter or pantser?

For novels, I'm a plotter. I was more of a "pantser" for playwriting, especially one-act plays. There's some of that "pantser" dynamic in my novel writing process, but I find plotting and outlining important for full-length novels.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A coffee shop window.

Coffee shops are great for me creatively. There's enough background noise and movement to keep me focused on the writing task at hand. Places that are too loud and chaotic, and places that are too quiet and staid, both of those I find distracting. In coffee shops and the like, my mind stays focused more readily on the writing than on an excess or lack of other things happening.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

My newest work-in-progress, also a crime thriller, has the working title of "The Peace Cipher." Artifacts are stolen from a museum, and the primary college-aged protagonists become embroiled with those responsible for stealing the artifacts. The primary modern day setting is along coastal Lake Erie in Ottawa County, Ohio.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Currently, the publishing industry emphasizes the initial hook, or first five pages, or something like that. The idea is that readers won't continue to read if they aren't enthralled in a work immediately. As a reader, I find I'll go along much longer before forming a strong opinion about a work, and sometimes find artificially loading a story too early to be off-putting.

My question is -
For a genre that you usually like to read, as long as you aren't strongly put off by the writing style, how far will you read before deciding a book's just not for you once you've started? Also, do you find any novels to be front-loaded with too much excitement for the type of novel written?

A pregnant manatee is rare at any zoo, and a first for the Grove City Zoo in Ohio. Ankh is a delight to zoo patrons, a concern to its staff, and the unintentional victim of two con men. She has no idea how many human relationships, problems, and dreams tangle around her.

Jerry is a young developmentally disabled man who happily follows Ankh's pregnancy on the zoo's webcam. He has a shy crush on Janelle, a pretty college student who volunteers for his group home’s outings to the zoo.

Jerry's Aunt Vera also loves nature and runs an environmental retreat center. But all is not well, with Vera or the center. The center needs money and is under investigation as a cult.

Amid their college studies, Janelle and her friend Cecily try to help. Instead, Janelle re-awakens an old obsession in Vera when an innocent tarot reading hints at how the center might be saved.

Two bumbling con men are attempting to sabotage the region’s electrical grid as part of a lucrative scheme. But Jerry accidentally gets in their way and becomes their captive.

When the con men surprisingly succeed in bringing the grid down, it spells danger for Ankh, her unborn pup, and the many people tied to them both. With investigations of their own, Cecily and Janelle try to untangle it all to find Jerry, save a manatee’s life, and rescue Vera from herself. Tangled Ties to a Manatee is a humorous crime thriller with environmental themes that is revealed through multiple points of view. The novel emphasizes college-aged characters, though not all, such as the developmentally disabled ones, are in college.

Kalen Cap is a writer living in Columbus, Ohio. Active in a variety of causes, particularly with regard to the environment, he often brings such concerns into his fiction writing.

Tangled Ties to a Manatee is his debut novel.

He has had poetry published and several plays, both one act and full-length, produced locally. Two short stories have been published as well. "Feral" is a short story published in Off the Rocks, v. 14, ed Allison Fradkin, NewTown Writers Chicago, 2010, pp. 119-126. "Transforming Oracle" is a self-published short story available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/29507

Kalen’s website is http://www.kalencap.com

He can be readily connected with through the following social media profiles –
Twitter: @kalencap
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KalenCap
Google+ : http://gplus.to/Kalencap

Thanks for visiting with us today!