Author Interview & Giveaway: Hot Shot by S.A. Stolinsky

Author Interview: Cynthia E. Hurst

About the Author:

I grew up in Seattle, then earned a journalism degree from the University of Oregon. I worked at newspapers and magazines in the Northwest and the UK and also spent five years as a housing officer for British military families. I’m married to George and we have two sons and two grandchildren.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I have a brief outline – victim, killer and motive – but most things flow from there. My R&P Labs series is set in a laboratory, so there has to be a current project for my characters that ties in to the murder. With my Zukie Merlino series, it’s usually her snoopiness that sets things in motion.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story? 

Constantly, especially Mitch in the R&P books. Zukie and Lou are based on real relatives of mine, so with them, it’s easy to know what they’ll do and say.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning, definitely.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I dream of being able to stay in one place, since I’ve spent the last few years ‘commuting’ between Seattle and England.

Do distant places feature in your books?

No, both my series are set in Seattle, my home town, although the first half of ‘Pushover’ takes place in San Diego, which I’ve visited several times.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

‘Uprooted’ is the 12th R&P Labs book and as the tag line says, it is a mystery involving ferns, fraud and Floridians. A pushy biologist from Florida attaches himself to the lab and then proceeds to get himself murdered, putting the staff under the police spotlight. I had been neglecting the R&P series for a while and I needed to decide if Virginia, one of my favorite characters, was going to retire.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

Writing fiction is a lot more fun than journalism (I spent more than 20 years as a reporter, copy editor and columnist), but promoting your work is a lot harder.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I set my R&P series in a small laboratory because my parents worked in one and I spent a lot of time there as a child. So although I have no scientific ability, I know how a lab works. The Zukie series grew out of my Italian-American background.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Read everything you can in your chosen genre and learn from other authors. Learn the basics of spelling, grammar and punctuation before you even think of publishing. You can’t build a house without a foundation.

What are three words that describe you?

Always cautiously optimistic.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

I read mysteries constantly when I was growing up, and my favorite author has always been Rex Stout. I also love the off-the-wall humor of Carl Hiaasen.


Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

A simple, lucrative project to grow ferns seems an attractive proposition for R&P Labs, but that’s before Florida botanist Grayson Quayle travels 3,000 miles to attach himself to the lab, bringing with him a pile of unwelcome personal baggage.

The R&P staff would like to see the last of Quayle, but it appears that they’re not the only ones. When arsenic from a scientific project is put to an unscientific use, Rob, Phil, Ellis, Virginia and Mitch find themselves involved in another criminal case, with a list of suspects including a wife with a grievance, an investigator with an agenda and a blackmailer with an unusual demand.


List of previous books if any

The R&P series: ‘Mossfire’, ‘Sweetwater’, ‘Shellshock’, ‘Angelwood’, ‘Boneflower’, “Childproof’, ‘Deamwheel’, ‘Icefox’, ‘Shotglass’, ‘Pushover’, ‘Bedrock’, ‘Four by Five’ (short stories).
Zukie Merlino series: ‘Zukie’s Burglar,’ ‘Zukie’s Witness’, ‘Zukie’s Suspect’, ‘Zukie’s Detective’, ‘Zukie’s Alibi’, ‘Zukie’s Evidence’.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web

https://www.facebook.com/Cynthia-E-Hurst-377020378987807/

www.amazon.com/author/cynthiaehurst

Bargain Book Spotlight: Drowning Rapunzel by Annette Gisby

Drowning Rapunzel
by Annette Gisby
Romantic Suspense/Mystery/Thriller
Cover by Bayou Cover Designs
Only $1 at Allromance Ebooks this week

Blurb:

Murder. Obsession. Insanity.

Recently released from a mental institution, Beth Gregory accepts a job as a live-in secretary/PA to the reclusive painter Josh Warrington. From the first moment he sees her, Beth’s long red hair fascinates him, and Josh wants her to be his Rapunzel for a series of fairy tale paintings on which he’s working.

Beth has two major fears: that she will be sent back to the mental hospital and that the visions which landed her there in the first place will return. They do; this time giving her glimpses of murders before they happen. Beth becomes the main suspect in the murder investigation and then she has the most disturbing vision of all: she will become the next victim…

Excerpt:

He wished he'd thought of the water sooner. It was easier that way, not so much mess. It was peaceful too, watching her hair fan out behind her like a veil of gold. She didn't struggle after his hands were around her neck, and he was grateful. It showed him that she accepted her fate dutifully, like she should. She should never have made him wait so long.

Now he was waiting again, but he didn't mind. He was used to waiting now. Waiting could almost have been his middle name. Actually, it was Alphonse, but anyone who knew that was already dead, and so it didn't matter anymore.

It was a while since he had hunted like this, anticipated the inevitable. Usually he preferred the quick kill, where they didn't know he was coming until they started screaming. He liked to hear them scream. Made it all seem that bit much more worthwhile.

But there was something different about this one; something that made him want to wait, to delay the final moment, to make it last. He wanted to frighten her long before the end, when she would beg him to kill her. He couldn't quite tell what it was; there was just an air of something other about her. She wasn't like the other girls, and he grinned broadly. Of course she wasn't. She was special. But then, they were all special. They were his.

Maybe it was the hair which attracted him. It was long, tumbling in red-gold waves down her back, almost to her waist. It reminded him of golden syrup. He loved golden syrup, loved to eat it straight out of the tin with his fingers. No mother to nag him about that. Not any more. Fingers were fine, but sometimes he preferred bread, white bread, none of that wholemeal nonsense. He could almost taste it on his tongue, could almost taste her and he had to stifle a gasp at the image. No point in attracting undue attention to himself.

He glanced at the folder on the passenger seat, her name stark black against the buff-coloured folder. It had almost been too easy to get hold of her file, but no one knew what he wanted it for and he wasn't about to tell them either. He lifted it up and traced her name with a gloved finger, feeling almost as if he was caressing her already. This one would be so easy to break; she'd already been in a mental hospital once. He had to be careful; if she was sent back he couldn't get to her, not there with their high walls and staff on alert all the time. No, he just wanted to scare her for a while, but not inflict madness on her once more. He gasped as he saw her walking towards his parked car, her head down, her loose hair being buffeted by the spring wind.

Maybe it wasn't the hair; maybe it was the grey-green eyes which seemed to see right down to his soul.  Would she recoil in terror at what she saw there, or would she welcome it like the others before her? They had all welcomed him in the end. Or maybe it was the way she dressed, so unlike her contemporaries in their short skirts and skimpy tops. Any time he'd seen her, she was always covered up in long dresses and baggy sweaters, as if she didn't want to show off any of her womanly curves. She had curves, the clothes could not disguise them, and he had long imagined his hands roving over her delicate skin.

He also knew that underneath all those layers, there was a wanton harlot waiting for him to let her out, just like all the others. How they loved to tease and torment him. This time he would be the tormentor.

But not yet. He would wait. He was getting good at waiting.

Author Interview: The Victim, by Eric Matheny

About the Author:

Eric Matheny was born in Los Angeles, California, where he lived until he went away to college at Arizona State University. At ASU he was president of Theta Chi Fraternity. He graduated with a degree in political science and moved to Miami, Florida, to attend law school at St. Thomas University. During his third year of law school, he interned for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, where he worked as a prosecutor upon graduation. In 2009, he went into private practice as a criminal defense attorney. He is a solo practitioner representing clients in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Broward County, Florida. He has handled everything from DUI to murder.

In his free time, Eric enjoys writing crime fiction, drawing from his experience working in the legal system. He published his debut novel Home in 2004, which centers around a successful drug dealer catering to the rich in Orange County. His second novel Lockdown, published in 2005, follows a law student trying to prove that an inmate serving a life sentence in one of California’s toughest prisons might actually be innocent. Eric’s latest novel The Victim, is a tense, fast-paced, legal thriller/psychological suspense novel that centers around a young defense attorney whose horrifying misdeed from his college days comes back to haunt him. It was published by Zharmae in August 2015 and is available for sale on Amazon.

Eric lives outside of Fort Lauderdale with his wife and two young sons.

Readers can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

To learn more, go to http://www.ericmathenybooks.com/

***

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

When I start a book I have a general idea of what I want to do.  Mostly, I just allow myself to get into the story and let the characters take over.  I believe I have a more plot-driven style so I give my characters leeway and follow their lead.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not.  I think with The Victim it worked.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Yes.  Once you get to know a character, I think it’s best to let them dictate how the story should turn out.  In The Victim, there were many points in the story where I followed what I believed the characters would chose to do.

What is your favourite food?

Sushi and really good barbecue.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a morning person.  I like to write in the morning before work.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Yes, but they must be places I have been. I think this helps bring an authentic feel to the scene.

In The Victim, I feature Payson, Arizona; Tempe, Arizona; Flagstaff, Arizona; Quartzsite, Arizona; as well as Miami, Florida, and suburban Fort Lauderdale.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Not usually. I find it to be a distraction.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

The Victim is a legal thriller about a Miami-based criminal defense attorney whose past comes back to haunt him unexpectedly.  The story is full of suspense and twists and turns, along with some accurate and exciting courtroom scenes.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

John Grisham certainly inspired the genre that I wanted to pursue.   Grisham’s straight to the point storytelling also helped me to rein in the tangents and stick to the plot.

As far as style goes, Colin Harrison, Hunter S. Thompson, Stephen Hunter, Dean Koontz, Jesse Kellerman, and Will Beall influenced the way in which I wanted to tell my story.  Those guys are amazing wordsmiths.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Spend a lot of time reading everything you can get your hands on.  Not only will it let you gauge your talent against the rest of the market, it will teach you new techniques about plotting and style.  Every great book you read should make you a better writer.

Also, make sure you write.  Lots.  Scenes, short stories.  This is how you develop your voice and hone your instincts, which in turn will elevate you from amateur to professional.

Don’t give up.  You will receive lots of rejections.  This is part of the business.  Take it in stride and keep writing.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

L.A. Rex by Will Beall is the best book I have ever read.  Amazing style (gritty as hell), great story.  If you like cop dramas like Training Day and End of Watch you must pick this one up.

Favorite writer is unequivocally John Grisham.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book



The Victim is a tense, fast-paced, legal thriller/psychological suspense novel that centers around a young defense attorney whose horrifying misdeed from his college days comes back to haunt him. It was published by Zharmae in August 2015 and is available for sale on Amazon.

Synopsis:

Anton Mackey is a man with everything. At least, he seems to be on the surface. He has a rising career as a private attorney, a lovely wife, a beautiful daughter; he and his family live in an idyllic neighborhood that most people dream about. Sure, there are troubles that plague this family, the same as any other, but all in all things are looking up. Life is good, and the future is better.

Except Anton has a past, too, and something has been looming, bearing down on him from that history, just waiting for the chance to strike. Soon, everything will change, and the life he’s struggled so hard to build will come crashing down around him.

And the worst part of it all: Anton Mackey has no one to blame but himself.

“The Victim by Eric Matheny has a fast moving pace and a skillfully conceived plot with quite a few twists and turns… A page turner, this legal thriller has all the elements to hold reader interest from the first page to the last.” - Reviewed by ReadersFavorite.com