Author Spotlight: Rebecca Phillips Dahlke

I just came back from the Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival in Suffolk, Virginia, and it was wonderful, as always. I’ll tell you all about it next Tuesday.

But today I welcome author Rebecca Phillips Dahlke to the blog to discuss her newest book, A Dead Red Gamble, the latest in her Dead Red Series. Welcome, Rebecca!

I’m eager to know more about your books.

You know how they say to write what you know? Well, I ran my dad’s crop-dusting business for two years and thought readers might find this an interesting job for a woman sleuth.

The first three books in the Dead Red Mystery series are set in the central valley of California where Lalla Bains comes home to help her dad as he recovers from a heart attack.

In Book #1 her vintage red Cadillac, a trophy from a recent divorce, is found tail-fins up in a local lake with an elderly widow strapped in the driver’s seat, leaving Lalla dangling on the hook as suspect number one and her father in the cross-hairs of a killer.

Murder solved, romance blooming, Lalla promises to stay out of trouble, but much to her father’s dismay, Lalla Bains will continue to get more involved with murder and crime in Books 2 and 3.

In Books 4, 5 and 6, the entire family decamps from California to Arizona where, as it happens, I now live and write. For those who are familiar with Bisbee, Arizona, it’s a charming little town set on a hillside, and it’s also the county seat for Cochise County.  I changed the name to Wishbone as I didn’t fancy the idea of getting tarred and feathered whenever I killed off another city official in my books.

In my latest novel, A Dead Red Gamble, Lalla Bains and cousin Pearlie are struggling to gain a foothold as licensed private investigators. I started with an interesting, and I hope original, premise when a friend who was municipal county judge at the time, ruled that city residents could not keep chickens.

So how on earth would this become a mystery you ask?  It becomes a mystery when protestors gather outside the courthouse, someone pays two local kids to release a cage full of chickens into the courthouse lobby, and a killer uses the diversion to murder the judge. The why is what makes for a good mystery.  I enjoyed writing this book and I’m happy to say my readers seem to agree.

Courthouse interior

Lalla and cousin Pearlie aren’t the jaded, world-weary gum-shoe types of Dashiell Hammett fame. Don’t get me wrong, I loved his books, but my protagonists aren’t loners, they have family they love and trust and they hold onto hope for the best in people—even when those people try to kill them.

All of my books are available on Amazon Kindle and I have a monthly newsletter with deals and steals on books by authors I love to read, as well as raffles for goodies. I even give my readers a chance to be a character in my next book with a raffle. A fun way to be a bad guy/gal in fiction!

Here’re my links:

Website: http://rpdahlke.com

Contact me: rp@rpdahlke.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/RP-Dahlke/e/B004S2NJFO/

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4714290.R_P_Dahlke

Faceboook: https://Facebook.com/rpdahlke

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/r-p-dahlke

Thanks for visiting, Rebecca! Best wishes on your new book!

Until next time,

Amy

Author Spotlight: CeeCee James

Today I welcome CeeCee James, USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series. She’s here today to talk about her Flamingo Realty Mysteries and, in particular, Duplex Double Trouble. Glad you’re here, CeeCee!

Tell me about your new book.

This whole series has been incredible to write. It’s called The Flamingo Realty Mysteries, and the running story is about Stella O’Neil, who returns to her home state to try and reunite her family of stubborn men. She never expected the personal growth she would go through herself. Each story builds on the next, woven in super fun murder mysteries that she always seems caught in. The newest is called Duplex Double Trouble and I honestly love it. Stella is my hero!

Who is the audience for the book?

Anyone who loves a good clean mystery with some humor, crazy clues, and a dead guy!

Tell me about the setting of your book—how did you choose it, what kind of research did you have to do, why did you choose it?

I chose Pennsylvania because one of the characters is in another series, The Baker Street cozy mysteries. That’s Stella’s home town that she returns to!

Interesting! I saw the covers and I assumed Florida. But Pennsylvania is near me, so that’s cool!

What was the hardest thing about writing the book?

The hardest thing is to make sure there are enough clues without giving too much away. ❤

If your book were made into a movie, who would you like to see playing the main characters?

If it were made into a movie I’d freak out so much I probably wouldn’t care!

Have you written any other books?

Yes! This is number 25!

Are you in one or more critique groups or partnerships?

I have a few critique partners I really adore. They help me keep the story in line.

Do you write every day?

Yes!

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite genres?

I have so many favorite authors! Terry Pratchett, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lucy Maud Montgomery, C.S. Lewis, Daphne du Maurier, Stephen King, James Herriot and Neil Gaiman just to name a few. I read all sorts of genres.

Where would you like to go more than anywhere else on earth?

Right now, Hawaii!

I’m with you there.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Do it for yourself. Get that first draft done and save the editing for the second time through. Advice is good, but trust your own gut as well.

What is your favorite movie and why?

My favorite movie is the Lord of the Rings series. Why? Because Tolkien is one of my favorite authors and I love the series. But the books weren’t something my husband could get into. So when the movies came out, we could finally discuss it. Loved that!

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Ohhh such a good question. I’d tell myself that you’re going to be okay. Keep looking up.

Describe yourself in three words.

Loyal, Hobbity (in the ‘I really really like my home’ way, not the ‘hairy feet’ way), and Creative

Where can readers connect with you?

Find me on Facebook! Or my Amazon Author page!

Where can readers find your books?

https://www.amazon.com/CeeCee-James/e/B00IJNN6LA

Thank you so much! This was so fun!!

Thanks for visiting, CeeCee! I enjoyed having you here.

Until next time,

Amy