Please welcome Alison Bruce author of Deadly Season.

Alison Bruce will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Deadly Season

by Alison Bruce

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GENRE: Mystery

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

When I was is grade five I came up with a story about the end of the world. I showed it to my teacher. He was so disturbed by it he called my mother, who talked to me about it. Creating that much conversation with one short story (really only a vignette) hooked me forever.

2. How did you come up with ideas for your books?

Ideas come to me in dreams, in random thoughts and often when I’m in the midst of research or I’m supposed to be doing something else.

For instance, Kate Garrett and Jake Carmedy came to me in a dream, but their first mystery together came out of a conversation with my aunt after my mother died. I had these characters and near-future city they lived but no murder mystery for them to solve. After my conversation with my aunt, I devised the murder my mother might have wanted to commit.

That was Deadly Legacy. The initial murders in Deadly Season were plucked from the news and then seriously reworked. The news stories were about a poisoner in a Toronto dog park. My book opens with a murdered cat. Being an animal lover, I wanted to have my detectives investigate and bring the cat killer to justice. As a mystery author, I wanted a back door for my detectives to investigate a cold case involving Kate Garrett’s father.

3. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I’m not a police or private detective, but I’ve interviewed both (and more than one of each). I’m not an officer of the law, but I’ve researched law enforcement, crime detection, homicide investigation, police operations and… Interviewing and research are two of my areas of expertise that I use in my day job as well as my fiction writing.

Like most authors, everything is grist for the mill. Every opportunity to learn something new is followed up on if humanly possible. This is why, when in a serious car accident, I managed to note my reactions and ask the paramedic if these were typical. I took note of how the world looks strapped to a backboard and later got a police contact from the officer who took my statement.

4. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

The next Carmedy and Garrett mystery is in the works. Deadly Games will take place a few months after Deadly Season, when Kate has to decide if she’s going to be a police detective or private investigator.

I’m also working on a sequel to A Bodyguard to Remember. And, because I really miss writing fantasy, I’m working on one of those too.

This is all while working on two on-going contract jobs and raising two kids. I suppose you’d say my future plans include not keeling over from trying to do too much at once.

5. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?

I’d rather see the Carmedy and Garrett mysteries become a TV series. I wouldn’t mind seeing Jensen Ackles play Jake Garrett and would get a kick out a Texas playing a Canadian, but even more, I’d like Ackles to direct the pilot. I like his creative style. Canadian actor Chris O’Donnell would also make a good Carmedy, if he wasn’t tied up with NCIS:LA.

I could see Georgina Reilly, who played Dr. Emily Grace in Murdoch Mysteries, as Kate Garrett. Renée Felice Smith (Nell in NCIS:LA) is the right type for the role.

The one character I actually had an actor in mind for is one of Kate’s mentors, Constable Zander Mohr. I’d love him to be played by Enrico Colantoni (Flashpoint, Person of Interest).

6. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I belong to Deadly Dames. We started off as a critique group and still do that, but we’ve also taken our show on the road. All of us (Catherine Astolfo, Janet Bolin, Melodie Campbell, Joan O’Callaghan and I) are professional, published and award winning (and/or finalist) mystery authors. We all respect each other’s ability to both write and accept criticism. Before we formed the group, Cathy, Melodie and I would beta read for each other. We also have a non-writing reader (and proofreader) in our group. Every writing group should have one!

We’ve been meeting for about six months. Doing so helped me through a life-induced dry spell and we all have helped each other craft better stories.

Now we also do panels for libraries and bookstores. The Deadly Dames mix humour and serious opinions on crime writing topics. And we have a lot of fun doing it.

7. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

You’re going to think I’m a drama queen but my sister dying led to me sticking my courage to the sticking place. Years before I attempted to get published but I couldn’t take the rejections. It didn’t matter that I knew that all authors faced the same thing, I wasn’t ready.

Then in one month I found out that my mother, sister and father all had cancer. Honestly, if I put this in a book readers would toss it aside as too much. Well it was too much, but it happened. My mother hand lung cancer and died within the year. My sister had a lumpectomy for breast cancer but a year later it metastasized and attacked her bones. I helped care for her, my nieces and my own kids for almost four years before she died. During that time she made me take time to write and impressed on me the need to get published.

You can’t ignore that kind of encouragement.

My father, by the way, had a major stroke in that period and I took care of him at home too, but he beat cancer. He lived to age 85 (minus a month and a half). A year later I had a story of published in the anthology Canadian Voices. Two years later, Under A Texas Star, was published by Imajin Books and dedicated to my sister and father. The following year Deadly Legacy came out, dedicated to my mother. Deadly Season is dedicated to my Uncle Denis George who just celebrated his 95^th birthday, and to the memory of all our family dogs and cats.

8. What is the best and worst advice you ever received?

Best advice: Keep writing. When you finish a novel and you’re waiting to see if someone wants it, start the next book.

Worst advice: Write for the market. Stupidest advice I ever tried to follow. If you don’t write what you’re passionate about, you’ll resent it and it will show. Readers aren’t stupid. I’m not saying you should ignore the market. In fact, you should pay close attention so you’ll know what NOT to write.

9. Do you have an all time favorite book?

I have two: The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer; and Guards Guards by Terry Pratchett. If I have a model for romance writing, it’s Georgette Heyer. As for Sir Terry, he is my literary hero.

10. Can you tell us a little about the black moment in your book?

I could, but it would mean giving a spoiler alert and I don’t want to do that. Let’s just say that when Kate Garrett starts reading her father’s old case files to get insight into her current case, she gets more than she bargained for.
Book list:

Under A Texas Star, Imajin Books, 2011 http://getbook.at/UnderTexasStar

Deadly Legacy, Imajin Books, 2012, http://getbook.at/DeadlyLegacy

Hazardous Unions (with Kat Flannery), Imajin Books, 2013, http://getbook.at/HazardousUnions

A Bodyguard to Remember, Lachesis Publishing, 2015, http://lachesispublishing.com/?product=a-bodyguard-to-remember-by-alison-bruce

Deadly Season, Imajin Books, 2015, http://getbook.at/DeadlySeason

Author Bio

Alison Bruce has had many careers and writing has always been one of them. Copywriter, editor and graphic designer since 1992, Alison has also been a comic store manager, small press publisher, webmaster and arithmetically challenged bookkeeper. She is the author of mystery, romantic suspense and historical western romance novels. Three of her novels have been finalists for genre awards.

http://www.alisonbruce.ca (author and business website)

https://www.facebook.com/alisonbruce.books (author page)

http://alisonebruce.blogspot.ca (author blog)

https://twitter.com/alisonebruce

http://www.pinterest.com/alisonebruce

BLURB:

Kate recently inherited half her father’s private investigation company and a partner who is as irritating as he is attractive. Kate has been avoiding Jake Carmedy for years, but now her life might depend on him.

Kate and Jake are on the hunt for a serial cat killer who has mysterious connections to her father’s last police case. Kate’s father had been forced to retire when he was shot investigating a domestic disturbance. Is the shooter back for revenge? And is Kate or Jake next?

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EXCERPT:

December 16

Violent death was never pleasant. The cold hadn’t diminished the smell of blood, piss and stool—or if it had, I didn’t want to think about it.

A dart, the kind animal control officers use in their rifles, was sticking into the ribs. Instead of delivering a tranquillizer, its payload was poison. The feathery stabilizer at the end was red and green. Very seasonal.

“Do we know what the poison is, Chief?”

“Looks like cyanide. Samples were taken from the last victim. I’ll let you know when the latest batch have been processed and compared.”

Igor Thorsen, Chief of Detectives and my godfather, bent down and offered me his hand. I let him pull me out of the crouch I had been sustaining for several minutes while I examined the body. I didn’t need the help, but it was a warm gesture on a cold night.

“I could use your help on this, Kathleen. People are getting nervous but I can hardly free up a detective for a serial cat-killer. I can authorize support services for a week and the East Hills Neighbourhood Group will pay your fees.”

I stripped off my gloves and ran my fingers through my hair, pushing back the auburn strands that had blown into my face. Time for a cut. Or maybe not. I didn’t have to keep up the uniform code for keeping hair short or worn up.

I looked up at the Chief. Way up. And I’m not short. Or particularly tall.

I nodded.

My name is Kate Garrett. Up until recently, I had been a rookie detective in the violent crimes unit. The chief was my boss. Almost one month ago my father, the Joe Garrett of Garrett Investigations, was killed in a pedestrian-vehicle incident. Now I was the Garrett of Carmedy and Garrett Investigations.

Last month I was a homicide detective. Now I was a pet P.I.?

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Alison Bruce has had many careers and writing has always been one of them. Copywriter, editor and graphic designer since 1992, Alison has also been a comic store manager, small press publisher, webmaster and arithmetically challenged bookkeeper. She is the author of mystery, romantic suspense and historical western romance novels. Three of her novels have been finalists for genre awards.

http://www.alisonbruce.ca (author and business website)

https://www.facebook.com/alisonbruce.books (author page)

https://www.facebook.com/alison.e.bruce (personal)

http://alisonebruce.blogspot.ca (author blog)

https://twitter.com/alisonebruce

http://www.pinterest.com/alisonebruce

www.amazon.com/Deadly-Season-Carmedy-Garrett-Mini-Mystery-book/dp/B017AFRN02

www.store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/deadly-season

www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/deadly-season/9781772231533-item.html

www.play.google.com/store/books/details/Alison_Bruce_Deadly_Season?id=SzvSCgAAQBAJ

www.smashwords.com/books/view/588711

Alison Bruce is also a regular contributor to:

Pop Culture Divas: http://www.thepopculturedivas.com

Cowboy Kisses: http://cowboykisses.blogspot.com

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Alison Bruce will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1666