COZY WEDNESDAY - With Author Julie Hyzy (Giveaway)

I love when authors Guest Post and am so excited about Julie's Guest Post.  Not just because I love her books but she never fails to put a smile on my face.  When you read her post below you will understand what I mean.  I really hope I get to meet her in person some day because after I would get over my nervousness of meeting a famous author I think we would have a blast.

I loved her latest Grace Interrupted  and am thrilled to share my review with you after her post and there is a giveaway too.

Now please Welcome Julie Hyzy!!!

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Lori kindly and generously told me I could write about anything I wanted today for my guest post.

But what if what I write about isn’t what you want to read? That may cause a mass exodus from Lori’s wonderful blog. And I don’t want that.

So I tried to decide what would be most interesting, I realized how much I like articles and essays that include lists. You’ve seen the magazine headlines: “Seven no-fail strategies to lose ten pounds!” “Ten questions you must ask your doctor now!” “Twenty easy ways to cut $3,000 from your budget!” Not to mention the R-rated teasers gracing the front of some of the racier magazines.

Hmm… I think I’ve been standing in grocery check out lines too much lately.

I like lists. They’re fun. And I decided to come up with a list of my own. Because I have a new book out (Grace Interrupted, new as of June 7th), and I know I’ll be doing several author talks to help promote it, I thought this list would be especially timely:

Five funny questions authors get asked most often and my personal answers (other authors’ answers may vary):

Where’s the bathroom?/ Where’s the kids’ section?

When I’m signing at a bookstore, I’ve learned to scope out the area ahead of time so that when customers ask (as they always do) I have the correct answer ready.

I have a great idea for a book. You write it and we’ll split the profits. What do you say?

Interestingly enough, this question usually comes from new acquaintances. Maybe it’s because my family and close friends all see how hard I work, and how many hours I put in every single day. They say that writers never take vacations. They’re either writing or thinking about writing every moment. LOL That’s very true.

I know a lot of authors who get very, very angry when someone makes this proposition. I don’t get angry, because I realize that the person asking doesn’t understand that there is no shortage of ideas out there. If a hundred authors were all handed the same idea on a silver platter and told to write, the result would be a hundred very different stories. It’s not the idea that takes all the work, it’s the execution.

Why did (main character) poke her nose into the murder investigation when she was warned not to? She should have left it to the police.

This one does get to me, just a little bit. But the answer is an easy one. If my character would have left the investigation to the police, there would be no story. Or the story would turn out to be something entirely different: a police procedural. Maybe like an EdMcBain novel. Cozy mysteries require that an amateur sleuth become involved in a murder investigation. That’s the fun of the novel. If the protagonist doesn’t get involved, there’s no book. Trust me, in real life, I wouldn’t get involved. Well :::cough, cough::: maybe only just a little bit.

What authors do you like to read?

I have so many friends who are authors, most of whom have been reviewed here on Lori’s blog. When I’m writing my cozies, however, I tend to read in a different genre, or at least a mystery subgenre. My favorite authors are Ray Bradbury, Sue Grafton, and Diana Gabaldon. I avoid cozies because it’s too easy to accidentally borrow another author’s idea. If I’m writing cozy, I’m reading a book with a slightly harder edge, or maybe even non-fiction. When I’m not writing, and it’s time to relax, I’m finally able to get my cozy fix.

And the one we hear most often:

Where do you get your ideas?

The answer is simple: everywhere. People, places, and situations I encounter are all fuel for stories. Sometimes I don’t even remember making a mental note, and so I’m surprised when a memory from twenty years back jumps to the forefront of my brain just as I need it. This is what I love most about writing. The never ending flow of ideas. There are so many stories bouncing around in my brain right now that I’ll probably never get to half of them. Half? Not even a quarter of them! Ideas are like energy, and as long as I have them, I’m rarin’ to write.

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Thanks Julie, I love lists too!!!

Cover Illustration
by Kimberly Schamber
Cover Design
by Rita Frangie

A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

A Division of The Penguin Group

A Manor House Mystery

2nd in the series

We were introduced to Marshfield Manor in Grace Under Pressure.  

In Grace Interrupted a group of Civil War re-enactors takes over the grounds of the Manor.  The group seems very genuine trying to keep the camp as true to the era as possible, except there are some more "farby" than others.

Unfortunately one of the re-enactors, Zachary Kincade, left his bride basically at the altar and two of her friends show up at the Manor to inflict a little of their own pain on him, but Grace handles that skirmish nicely only to become involved in another when she learns that Kincade has a  past connection to two of the Manor's employees. Another fight breaks out where Grace has to intervene.  With those two battles handled she expects smooth sailing for the rest of the event.  

Wrong, she receives a call to return to the grounds as someone has been murdered.  Yes, the dead man is none other than Zachary Kincade and Grace feels the war has just begun.  Police have overtaken the grounds taking the Civil War participants back to current time and decide that one of the Manor's employees is definitely the killer.  Grace cannot help but to get involved as the suspect is a man she just may become romantically involved with if they can ever get around their obligations to actually go on a date. Can Grace camp out and find the real killer without putting herself in the line of fire?  She has to because she has a new friend waiting for her at home.

LOVED IT so much!!! I fell for these characters in the first book  and they continue to evolve in this book.  Frances in the assistant we all love to hate. Jack is the hunk we all just love.  Bennett is the grandfather we would all love to have. Grace is a strong, intelligent woman dedicated to her job, which she loves, but she also has a very soft heart, that in this story even takes in a stray she is seriously allergic to.

Julie Hyzy set the bar high with the first installment to this series, but she has surpassed it in this story.  A story that is perfectly paced, fun, educational, original, humorous, all interlaced together with a sharp mystery.  Who could ask for anything more? I will, I can't read to read the next edition.

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

Julie is also the author of The White House Mystery Series, and the Alex St. James Series now available on Kindle. 

 For More information about Julie 

check out her web page or her blog.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime, a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Thanks to the wonderful people at Berkley Prime Crime we have 2 copies of Grace Interrupted to give away!!!

U.S. and CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY

FOLLOWERS WILL RECEIVE 2 ENTRIES FOR EACH ENTRY

LEAVE A COMMENT FOR JULIE 

AND RECEIVE 5 BONUS ENTRIES

CONTEST WILL END AT 11:59 P.M. ON JUNE 29th