Greetings! Today I’m hosting a stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Death, Diamonds, and Freezer Burn, the second book in the Grime Pays Mystery series by Tricia L. Sanders. Today I’m bringing you an interview with the author as well as general information on the book.
About the Book
Death, Diamonds, and Freezer Burn (Grime Pays Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Soul Mate Publishing, Inc.
Release Date – October 24, 2018
Approximately 254 pages
Purchase Links: Amazon
Synopsis
An unwelcome visitor, an unrequited love, and a dead body create chaos in a middle-aged woman’s plan for a productive summer.
Despite a looming divorce, an empty checkbook, and a struggling cleaning business, Cece Cavanaugh is determined to land on her own two feet. Adamant about staying a safe distance from the handsome detective who has her fantasizing about violating the morals clause in her prenuptial agreement, Cece dives headlong into her work.
Even though she has no free time to spare, Cece finds herself guilted into cleaning a hoarder’s home. Her discoveries in the condemned house are too shocking to ignore. Diamond-laden pachyderms, a secret cache of money, and a dead body lure Cece into launching an investigation that places her in direct contact with the one person she’s desperate to avoid–hunky Detective Case Alder.
With clues in hand, Cece runs down leads and eliminates suspects one by one. Her conclusion and brave accusation put a friend’s life in peril forcing Cece to hatch a plan to outsmart the killer. A daring move could either save Cece and her friend or lead to their demise.
Author Interview
Do you have a day job in addition to being a writer? I don’t. If so, what do you do during the day? When I did work, I did curriculum development and training. Do you enjoy your day job? I did. I loved meeting new people and traveling.
Do you set aside time to write every day or do you write more sporadically? I try to write every day. Usually mid-day. When you write, do you aim to complete a set # of pages or words? I usually try for words. I have a spreadsheet (I know, it’s a bit structured.) I try to figure out how many words I need per day to meet a goal, so that is my target. How does music/other noise affect your concentration when you’re writing? I love music in the background, but other noises, especially TV really distract me.
When you’re writing, do your characters seem to “hijack” the story or do you feel like you have the “reins” of the story? I let my characters roam, within reason. Similarly, do you outline your book first or just sit down and write, seeing where it takes you? I do an outline, but I’m not beyond letting my characters loose.
How did you break into the publishing world? I had my first short story published when I was in 4th grade. Then I had a long, dry spell, like decades. How many rejections did you go through before finding a publisher? Too many to count. Dozens and dozens. Did you ever think about quitting? No, I knew eventually I’d wear someone down. If so, what did you do to keep yourself hopeful? Continued writing and submitting and honing my craft. Plus begging helped.
In general, how many revisions do you go through before a book is published? The first one had more than a dozen. I wrote and rewrote. Tore out chapters, changed the antagonist, added characters. Do you have beta readers or is it just your editing team and their suggestions? I do use beta readers. Their input is invaluable. I also have a fantastic critique group who keeps me on track. Do you set your books aside for a period of time and then pick them up and edit them? Yes, the first one I set aside for 6 years. I had to do a lot of updating to make it current. The second one sat even longer.
A good villain is hard to write. How did you get in touch with your inner villain(s) to write this book? Good question I try to find a character flaw and then exaggerate it. Was there a real-life inspiration for him/her/it? Not really (and I wouldn’t admit it if it were so. Ha!)
Do any family members, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, etc. end up showing up in your work or are your characters all truly fictional? My characters are made up, but I use a lot of familiar traits but combine them, so they really aren’t a true reflection of someone.
If you could write about anyone fiction/nonfiction, contemporary/historical who would you write about? I have a historical character in mind who experienced a life-changing situation back in the 20s. Why? The story intrigues me. The situation has been written about numerous times but never from this person’s viewpoint, so I’m intrigued. Sorry I can’t be more specific, but it’s my little secret.
What are some great books you’ve read recently? Anything by Harlan Coben. When We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.
What books have influenced your life the most? My all-time influential books were written by Marcia Martin aka Marcia Levin in a series of 7. The Donna Parker books. I read them in 5th and 6th grade, and I was hooked. I knew then I wanted to write novels.
If you could spend one day with a character from your book who would it be? Definitely Detective Alder. And what would you do during that day? Go for a walk in the woods, followed by a nice dinner on the town, capped with an evening on the patio in front of a fire.
Do you read your reviews? Yes Do you respond to them, good or bad? No. Have you ever learned anything from a bad review and incorporated it into your future work? Yes, that’s why I read reviews.
Thanks for joining me today on this blog tour stop! If you wish to visit other spots along the tour, please click on the banner below. It will take you to the main tour page with a list of tour participants.
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