Category: Cozies

A Q&A with Carolyn Haines, Author of the Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery Series

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I’m  thrilled to announce this gem of an interview with Carolyn Haines, acclaimed author of the beloved Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series!  From light-hearted mysteries to paranormal-infused crime thrillers,  Haines’ books have wide-reaching appeal to mystery lovers, ghost enthusiasts and fans of southern fiction. This prolific author has published 19 books and several stories in anthologies, including Many Bloody Returns, a collection of vampire stories co-edited by none other than Charlaine Harris!

In between rescuing animals at the Good Fortune Farm Refuge and writing her next whodunnit – this lovely lady was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to chat with Chick Lit Café about her love of ghost stories, the allure of southern fiction, Sarah Booth’s complicated love life, and what’s up next!

Welcome Carolyn! What made you want to write, and how did you get started?  

I was always a storyteller. And a reader. So it was a natural transition from reading and oral storytelling to writing. My parents were both journalists, and the written word was highly regarded in our house.

Unwed, over 30 and flat broke, Sarah Booth Delaney is not your typical southern belle. What inspired you to write about a down-on-her-luck southern woman with a penchant for solving crimes?   

Typical Southern belles were never of much interest to me—I wanted to be a cowgirl or a detective. Nancy Drew and Dale Evans were my role models, and while they were “good” girls, they could also hold their own in a man’s world. They were not “little ladies” who waited at home for their men to return. They got out and did things. Sarah Booth is of that model, but what she learns is that even women who present themselves as “helpless” are not always so.  

Eleven books into your series, I think it’s safe to say that you have a steady following of loyal fans. What is it about southern culture that readers find so fascinating?  

Not all readers are enamored of the South. I’ve had some pretty crummy remarks made—to my face and behind my back. The South is very misunderstood, but those who are willing to give books set in the Deep South a try often find that there is great charm in families who relish their eccentric relatives, who fly in the face of tradition while also having a deep commitment to tradition. Southerners have real humor about our humidity, our penchant for fried things, our crazy relatives, our dogs, and our land. Southerners are contradictory, on many levels. And like every other region, the people who live here can be wonderful, generous, and brilliant or they can be willfully ignorant, cruel, disgusting. 

I always look forward to appearances from Jitty, Sarah Booth’s wise-cracking resident ghost. It’s always entertaining when she pops up in fashionable ensembles – from Scarlet O’Hara gowns to Daisy Buchanan flapper dresses!  How did you come up with this character?  

I wish I could say I had something to do with Jitty, but she was simply there, brow-beating Sarah Booth over viable sperm and the need for a Delaney heir. I learn more about Jitty with each book. She is Sarah Booth’s subconscious, on many levels. While she never helps with solving the mystery (that would be cheating, now wouldn’t it?) she does keep Sarah Booth in line in all other ways. Sarah Booth needs Jitty to remind her about what’s important in life.

With a slew of hot suitors vying for Sarah Booth’s affections, the Mississippi summer heat isn’t all that’s steaming up your books! For the aspiring writers out there, could you share some advice on how to create and maintain romantic tension?

Many people write me and they want Sarah Booth to settle down. Coleman has legions of supporters. Graf is gaining ground, but I haven’t given up on Harold and Hamilton Garrett V. The truth is, once Sarah Booth is settled and happy, a lot of energy goes out of the books. It is that romantic tension that works as a counter-point to the external tension of the murder plot. Sarah Booth is like a dear friend. I don’t always agree with the decisions she makes, but I always love her. And she is so truly her own character by now that I wouldn’t dare try to force MY decision down her throat. Her life is a journey, as is mine. We will come to the answers in due time. But I will assure my readers that she will never move toHollywood, just as I will never move from the South (though hurricanes and humidity can truly test my resolve).

If you could spend an afternoon with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Madame Tomeeka, I think. She does have a link to a different plane, and like Sarah Booth, I would give a lot to have a conversation with my family members who have gone to The Great Beyond. I should probably ask to spend time with Oscar for financial advice so I could one day afford to have a huge preserve for animals so they could never be hunted or chased. Or maybe if Sarah Booth acted “purdy” to Hamilton Garrett V, he would simply buy it for me. Hummm. So many possibilities.

Many of your books, including your standalones, infuse paranormal elements. What sparked your interest in ghost stories? 

My grandmother and my parents were both marvelous storytellers, and often they told ghost stories. Horror movies are a family tradition. Some people barbecue—the Haines clan goes to horror films. And we are always poorly behaved and play tricks on each other and our friends. I have seen ghosts on several occasions (When I told this in my class at the university, one of my students offered free psychiatric help from her father! I was flattered!). Although I have no special abilities myself, I sense there is far more to our world than what is on the surface, and I know that all living creatures are linked, which is why we should treat animals with more compassion that some people do.

Finally, can you tell us a little bit about what readers can expect from you next?

I’m working on the 12th bones—BONEFIRE OF THE VANITIES (I know, I just can’t help myself!) And I am going to see what this e-publishing is all about. I have a story set in South Dakota about a serial killer, and I’m going to give it a try as an e-book (in all formats) and also as a regular print book with print on demand capability. Long ago I started a small publishing company, KaliOka Books. I loved the idea, but distribution was a big, big problem. Now all of that has changed. So I just want to have the experience, and I think it will give my readers a chance to see a darker story from me. Many of them love the darker books. The title is SKIN DANCER and you’ll be hearing more about it in just a few weeks.

And in conclusion, I ask you all to spay and neuter your pets. Please don’t allow them to reproduce, no matter how cute they are. Thousands of unwanted cats, dogs, and now horses, are dying each month because no one wants them. If we can stop the supply, then the demand will grow and each creature can find a loving home.

Interested in learning more about Carolyn Haines’ books? Well then check out her website, which includes book event updates, giveaways, and Jitty’s love advice column!

Special Guest Post: Wishbones by Carolyn Haines

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Anyone who has seen Steel Magnolia’s or Gone with the Wind should know that southern belles are a force to be reckoned with. Any southern lady worth her salt can bring men to their knees with just a bat of an eye. She must always look her best – even when she’s taking out the trash in sweltering heat. Most importantly, she must never accept defeat from the enemy. And Sarah Booth Delaney – the hottest detective in Zinnia, Mississippi – is no exception!

Want to know more about this fabulous Southern Belle Mystery Series? Stop by Lip Gloss and Literature to read the rest of my review!

Wine, Women & Murder! With Sophie Littlefield and Juliet Blackwell

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From left: Juliet Blackwell, me, Sophie LIttlefield

Not too long ago, I bumped into Scott Montgomery – BookPeople’s most notable bookseller – while browsing the store’s expansive mystery section. When he saw me pick up Janet Evonovich’s latest book he told me that if I liked Stephanie Plum, I would LOVE Sophie Littlefield’s new series about a woman vigilante who bludgeoned her wife-beating husband with a monkey wrench. 

I snatched up the book and told him, “You had me at woman vigilante!”  Just as I expected I’m  -yet again – sucked into a new mystery series. How could I not be? Sophie is an amazing writer with a natural gift for creating characters that seem so real, they practically walk off the page! Read my review here.

So you could imagine my excitement when I found out she was stopping by  BookPeople with Juliet Blackwell, another chick lit  author who writes a fabulous witchcraft mystery series!  This time, I wasn’t able to harness the self-control to buy just one book. I may be broke for the rest of the month, but at least I’ll be thoroughly entertained with these two fabulous new novels:

A Bad Day for Scandal, by Sophie Littlefield

From Goodreads: When Prosper homegirl turned big-city businesswoman Priss Porter returns to town with a body in her trunk, she calls Stella Hardesty to dispose of it. Her uppity ways don’t convince Stella to take the job, and Priss attempts to blackmail her with a snapshot of Stella doing what she does best: curing woman-beaters by the use of force.      

Stella refuses to cooperate and goes home, only to hear later that Priss and her brother, Liman, have gone missing after calling in a disturbance. Stella is implicated when Sheriff “Goat” Jones discovers the scarf she left behind at the house. He warns her to stay local but Stella and her partner, Chrissy Shaw, go looking for Priss in Kansas City, where they discover that she runs an unusual business. When Priss herself—along with two other bodies—turns up in a pond belonging to one of Stella’s ex-clients, Stella must investigate a host of suspects, including a crooked but libidinous female judge, a coterie of jealous male escorts, and a Marxist ex-professor.

Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell

From Goodreads: Lily gets called away from her vintage clothing store to give police a witch’s take on how the leader of a rationalist society could be murdered, surrounded by superstitions he discredited.

Evidence points to dark witchcraft. Lily’s determined to use magic of her own to find the murderer, before everyone’s luck runs out.

Dark Days of Supernatural

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 YA supernatural readers – eat your heart out! Last week this lucky book blogger got to meet five fabulous authors at BookPeople’s Dark Days of Supernatural Tour.  Seriously guys, it was like Christmas in June! Each of these dark and lovely ladies gave their fans a sneak peak into their new books, enticing me to break the bank and buy all five of their novels. But alas, I was able to harness enough self-control to buy just one book. Since I’m a sucker for gothic romances, I was torn between Amy Plum’s Die for Me and Tara Hudson’s Hereafter. But After hearing about the love saga between an orphaned teen and a mysterious Parisian bad boy, I had to choose Die for Me! How can you go wrong with a hot paranormal romance in Paris?  

Check out this awesome lineup of authors!

Ellen Schreiber (CRYPTIC CRAVINGS)
 From Goodreads: The morbidly monotonous Dullsville has finally become the most exciting place on earth now that Raven is madly in love with her hot vampire boyfriend Alexander, and a crew of vampires has taken residence in Dullsville’s old mill. Raven discovers Jagger’s plan to open a new club, The Crypt, right here in Dullsville. But is it her dream come true, or her worst nightmare? Raven and Alexander have to figure out what the nefarious vampire has in store for Dullsville’s teen and vampire population. Can Raven convince Jagger to listen to her plans to make the Crypt the morbidly magnificent dance club it could be? Will it be safe for mortals and vampires alike?

Aprilynne Pike (ILLUSIONS)
 From Goodreads: Laurel hasn’t seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.
But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail

 

Veronica Roth (DIVERGENT)
From Goodreads: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

 Tara Hudson (HEREAFTER)
From Goodreads: Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.
 

Amy Plum (DIE FOR ME)
From Goodreads: In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity. When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life–and memories–behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent. Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant–an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others.

If you could only pick one, which would you choose?

A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie LIttlefield

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One of my most favorite songs to “sing” at Karaoke bars (I’ll spare you the YouTube video) is “Earl Had to Die.” I just love the concept of ballsy women delivering home-style justice to wife-beating husbands. That must be why I snatched up A Bad Day for Sorry the second after I read the prologue:

Whuppin’ ass wasn’t so hard, Stella Hardesty thought as she took aim with the little Raven .25 she took off a cheating son-of-a-bitch in Kansas City last month. What was hard was making sure it stayed whupped. Especially on a day when it hit a hundred degrees before noon. And you were having hot flashes.

So begins Sophie Littlefield’s first mystery in a series about a rural Missouri sewing shop owner who moonlights as a balls-to-the-wall bounty hunter of sorts for bullying  husbands. Ever since she snuffed out her abusive husband with a wrench on her 50th birthday, she swore her days of being a victim were over. Without a husband or a relationship with her daughter,  who decided to shack up with losers just like her dad, Stella fills the empty void by preventing other women from suffering the same fate.

The mystery unfolds when Chrissy Shaw begs Stella to help her find her redneck  ex-husband, Roy Dean, who skipped town with her two-year-old son. Hot on the trail, Stella discovers the case of the missing wife beater might not be as simple as it looks. She realizes she may be in over her head when she learns of Roy’s involvement with the mob and a chop shop ring. Unable to shield Chrissy from the ugly truth, Stella teams up with the young mother who – despite her ditzy demeaner – proved to be a fearless sidekick. Sassy, brave and funny as hell, the unlikely duo make a great Thelma and Louise-esque team. On a quest to find the child, the two women are willing to face danger head-on. Not even a sadistic mob boss who dismembers his own men and throws their body parts in a burn barrel will stand in their way!

With an eccentric cast of complex characters and a hard-boiled mystery plot, this book is a departure from your typical chick lit/cozy mystery. Unlike any other leading lady – who are commonly young, leggy, slim and fashionably chic – Stella is no looker. She’s middle-aged, pudgy and unapologetically rough around the edges. After being treated like a second-class citizen  in a long, painful (literally!) marriage, she decided to give up on love altogether. But when the handsome local sherriff shows an interest in more than just her vigilante side gig, she begins to wonder if maybe, just maybe, there’s hope after all. As in most mystery series (*cough* Ranger and Morelli), both are too neurotic and stubborn to act on their desires. But that’s what keeps us reading! This exciting debut is undoubtedly the start of a very compelling series!

 

Waiting on Wednesday Pick: Murder by Mocha

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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights exciting  upcoming releases. This week I’m waiting on Murder by Mocha by Cleo Coyle. It is the 10th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, and it just looks fabulous!

Publication date: Aug. 2, 2011. Just one day before my birthday!

From Goodreads.com:

A divorced, single mom in her forties, Clare Cosi is a coffee shop manager by day, an irrepressible snoop by night. When something is wrong, she considers it her mission in life to right it–and murder is as wrong as it gets.

Can coffee enhance your love life? Coffee and chocolate have long been considered aphrodisiacs. Now Clare’s Village Blend beans are being used in conjunction with a proprietary formula of exotic herbs to create a lucrative new product, Mocha Magic Coffee, billed as “a miracle brew” that will put the “magic moments” back into your relationship. Clare even plans to test this very special chocolate coffee on her boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn–when he’s off duty, of course.

The product was developed by an old friend of the Village Blend’s flamboyant, elderly owner, Madame Dreyfus Allegro Dubois. Madame’s friend is also the food and beverage editor of Aphrodite’s Village, one of the web’s most popular communities for women. This Internet site will be the exclusive place to buy Mocha Magic, which is expected to rake in millions, but not all goes well with the rollout of this product. At the launch party, the Mocha has far too many people acting loco! Then one of the website’s editors is found dead. When more of the website’s Sisters of Aphrodite start to die, Clare is convinced someone wants control of the coffee’s secret formula and is willing to kill to get it. Can Clare stir up some evidence against a bitter killer? Or will she be next on the hit list?

“The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch” by Marsha Moyer

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I’m what you would call a born again Texan.  Yes I was raised in San Diego, but Texas has always felt more like home. I’d so much rather tube down the river in my pink cowboy hat than jump through the waves in the Pacific Ocean. I’ll take a chopped brisket sandwich over a fish taco any day! Shoot I’d even pass up on a trip to Disneyland to go fishing at the Sabine River. Yep, I’m a red dirt country girl through and through.  And that’s why I can’t resist books that take place in the South. When I came across Marsha Moyer’s Lucy Hatch series, set in a town that seems identical to my grandparent’ s stomping grounds in Gladewater, Texas – I  knew I was in for a treat!

 Here is a little taste of “The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch,” the first book of the series.    

After her husband’s horrific death by tractor, Lucy Hatch returns to her sleepy little hometown in the piney woods of East Texas.  For 14 years, she lived the simple life as a farmer’s wife, spending her days gazing out the window at her silent, passionless husband as he plowed the fields. 

 Thrust into widowhood at the tender age of 33, she tries to rebuild a  life of peace and solitude. With some help from her wise old aunt Dove and her brother and sister-in-law Bailey and Geneva , she gets herself a delivery job at the local florist shop and saves enough money to rent a little house.  And just when she starts to get her bearings, a new wrench is thrown into the works. 

When she catches the eye of the local country music star, Ash Farell, she discovers a tingling in her belly she never knew existed.  Bewildered by her attraction to the brooding bad boy and her lack of grief over her husband’s death, she must come to terms with her past and figure out what she wants for her future. Will Ash be a part of it?

Beautifully written, this sweet southern yarn explores the complexities of love, loss and coming home again.  I  fell in love with all the colorful characters, including the town of Mooney – a character all in itself!  I could practically smell the wood smoke from the roadside BBQ stand and see the crowd of boot-scootin’ couples shuffling to Ash’s soulful strummings at the local honky tonk. Marsha is a truly gifted storyteller with a knack for atmosphere and insightful prose. Like a hearty platter of Texas smoked brisket, this book stuck with me long after I devoured it!  So thank you, Marsha,  for transporting me back to a place that always feels like home.

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

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Georgina Kincaid has a supernatural ability that most women would gouge out their left eyeballs for. In the blink of an eye, she can morph into a Victoria’s Secret model.  Heck – she can order a full-fat white chocolate mocha without ever having to worry about fitting into her size-2 micro-mini. Come on ladies, you know that would rock!  But there’s just one little catch: To charge her shape-shifting batteries, she must suck the life force out of unsuspecting men.

For centuries the demonic seductress has captivated men with her preternatural feminine wiles, luring them into bed to slowly drain out chunks of their lives. Sure, she may seem like a diabolical villain in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but really she’s just like any girl who dreams of falling in love and becoming a mother. But given her insatiable need to feed off of men in the throws of passion, she must steer clear of potential Mr. Rights.

A lonely bookstore manager by day, Georgina fills the void with good books and white chocolate mochas. And when she needs a quick soul-sucking fix, her boss – a slimy corporate bookstore tycoon – is always on hand for a romp. It isn’t so bad if she drains the philandering husbands, right? Everything seemed to be going just fine until bestselling author Seth Mortenson becomes the bookstore’s resident writer. When Georgina inadvertently catches the eye of the sexy author, who just so happens to be the mastermind behind her favorite book series, she must do everything in her power to turn him away.  Her self-control is really put to the test when she accidentally ropes herself into a date with Roman, a smooth-talking linguistics professor with a mysterious past.

Life really gets chaotic when Georgina discovers someone –or something – is committing a string of murders in Seattle’s demon underground. And all eyes are on her when her boss- a middle-management demon who bares an uncanny resemblence to John Cusack –  points out that all the victims are on her naughty list.

Who – or what – is attacking Seattle’s most despicable supernatural beings? Is it an amateur Van Helsing? Or is something more sinister at work? With some help from her vampire sidekicks, Georgina probes into the mystery and discovers a whole new breed of evil is coming their way – and it’s up to them to stop it!

To be honest, I expected sex as the main plot-point in a book titled “Succubus Blues,” but this just goes to show you should NEVER judge a book by its cover! This fast-paced, supernatural thriller – chock full of witty dialogue and a bevy of  intriguing paranormal beings –  is mesmerizing reading indeed! Richelle Mead, well-known author of the Vampire Academy, really knows how to create a strong, sexy heroine with a heart of gold.  Fans of Laurell Hamilton’s Anita Blake looking for a less intense version of the supernatural seductress should definitely check out this series!

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, by Kyra Davis

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 Lured by the premise of a mystery writer/amateur sleuth with an addiction to caramel brownie frappaccinos, I couldn’t resist delving into this mystery. How could I bypass a pink book cover depicting a stiletto-heeled woman clutching a double latte in one hand and a smoking gun in the other? 

The thrill ride begins when Sophie Katz – a heavily caffeinated San Francisco hipster –prepares to indulge herself in a long bubble bath after completing her novel. But just before she could pop the champagne, she discovers that Alex Tolsky, a famous movie producer who was interested in transforming one of her mysteries into a blockbuster hit, was found dead in his bathtub. Though the police chalked his mysterious death up to a suicide, Sophie can’t shake the feeling that something doesn’t add up.

Unable to resist her sleuthing instincts, Sophie probes  into the case and discovers the hotshot filmmaker’s murder was eerily similar to a death scene in one of her books. She also finds out that  a famous rap star was snuffed out  in the same manner that was described in one of his hit singles. Although both cases seem unrelated, Sophie can’t help but wonder if a copycat killer is on the loose – turning fiction into cold-hard facts! Is this a sick case of life imitating art? Sophie’s determined to find out.

When she and her friends become the target of a bizarre string of attacks, she realizes that she must catch the killer before she becomes the next victim in one of her own mysteries! Surrounded by a slew of sketchy characters, Sophie isn’t sure who to trust. Could the killer be Anatoly Darinsky, a sexy Russian bad-boy with a mysterious past? Or is it the mentally challenged boy next door who’s always lurking around her apartment?

Part J.B Fletcher, part Miranda from Sex in the City, this sassy gumshoe is a fantastic female lead! Her witty one-liners literally had me laughing out loud, which can be rather awkward when smooshed between two people on an airplane! I especially enjoyed the witty banter between Sophie and her gang of sidekicks, which consists of a ditzey makeup artist, an endearingly sarcastic sex shop owner, a flakey artist who thinks he’s part vampire, and a fabulous gay hairstylist who just can’t let Sophie die until he can give her hair some new sexy highlights!

Chock-full of zany, wisecracking characters, red herrings and (be still, my heart!) coffee stimulation – Sex, Murder and a Double Latte provides the perfect escape. If you’re a fan of the witty dialogue in Sex in the City (the show, not the movies) or the quirky characters in the Stephanie Plum mystery series, you’ll get a kick out of this one!

A Q&A with Lisa McMann, author of Cryer’s Cross

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On the surface, Kendall is your typical all-American teenage girl. She plays soccer with her friends, hangs out with her boyfriend and helps her parents plow their potato farm in rural Montana. More than anything, she just wants to be like everyone else, but she’s constantly plagued by obsessive compulsive thoughts of being stalked by a deranged killer. And when a fellow classmate disappears, her OCD-riddled mind goes into hyper-drive. Her paranoia intensifies when Jacien – a mysterious new boy who always seems to be watching her – moves in next door.

Unable to resist the urge to count, check off and categorize everything in her one-room schoolhouse every morning, Kendall doubts her sanity on a daily basis. And when cryptic messages screaming “Help Me. Save Me!” appear on the missing student’s now-empty desk, she fears she’s losing her grip on reality. Things really get weird when she finds her boyfriend – the only boy she will ever truly love – sitting at the desk in a trancelike state. And when he goes missing, she knows she must decode the desk’s messages and uncover the town’s secrets before she, too, vanishes.

Well known for her New York Times best-selling “Wake” series, this fabulous author (with great hair, I might add!) has mastered the art of creepy, edge-of-your-seat storytelling. One scene in particular raised the little hairs on the back of my neck, a sensation I haven’t felt since reading Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot! She was kind enough to chat with Chick Lit Café about her fieldwork at a potato farm, the fine art of character development and what’s up next!

Welcome Lisa! First and foremost, I have to tell you that Cryer’s Cross is downright creepy! Did you scare yourself at times while writing this book? 

Yes I did, actually! That part near the end totally freaked me out when I was writing it. 

Lisa with her fans at BookPeople. That's me in the back holding a potato!

How did you come up with the idea of a 50-year-old desk that delivers messages from beyond the grave?

 I got the idea for the desk from a dream. The messages were in part inspired by a true story about a reform school that existed 50 years ago.

 What was it like researching potato farms in Montana? Did you get to drive tractors and meet with farmers?  

I know a Montana potato farmer personally so I got a lot of info from him and his wife (who grew up in this small farming community). I didn’t get to drive tractors, but I did get a tour of the potato bins and the processing plant. Pretty cool!

 You have a real knack for creating multi-faceted characters. Kendell, Jacian and Hector seemed so real! What is the best piece of advice you could give aspiring authors about character development?

 It’s really important to know who your characters were before the story starts. Write a short bio of each before you start writing (or early on in the process) so you know how they will react to things. Even if their backstories never come out in the book, YOU need to know what life was like for them leading up to this moment.

 Kendall’s struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder really gave me more insight into what life must me like for people who suffer from this illness. Do you hope Kendall’s story will help your teen readers with OCD feel less isolated? 

That is indeed what I hope. It’s such a private disorder because kids with OCD know that others might look at them as being strange, so they don’t tell anybody about it. I’d like people to know that the disorder exists and that people can still be normal – and maybe even stronger – because of it.

 Could you give me a sneak peek into your upcoming dystopian fantasy series?  

 THE UNWANTEDS (Book 1) is about a society where strength and intelligence is valued (Wanteds) and creativity is feared – creative kids are Unwanted and sent to their deaths. The story follows twins, Aaron and Alex Stowe. One is Wanted, the other Unwanted. I’ll have more info when I do my live video Ustream chat on Wednesday, March 16, 2011, here.