Guest Blog by Victoria Laurie - Murder and Mayhem Amongst Friends - and Giveaway! - May 30, 2014

Please welcome Victoria Laurie to The Qwillery. Deadly Forecast, the 11th Psychic Eye Mystery, is out in Mass Market Paperback on June 3 from Obsidian.

Murder and Mayhem Amongst Friends

      A few years ago I was at a book conference with some of my writer peeps, namely, Juliet Blackwell, Sophie Littlefield, Nicole Peeler, Mysti Berry, Jaye Wells, and Gigi Pandian, and in between the panels, gossip, great food, (and drink…ahem) we all had a chance to talk shop.

      Our conversations were lively, spirited, and laugh-out-loud funny – these ladies are quick with a punch line! I remember feeling so animated and excited while we chatted about things that might make any of my other friends wince. We ladies of paranormal mystery swapped stories of murder and mayhem like recipes for a Sunday brunch, and it was amazeballs.

      Juliet – Julie – and I are particularly close. Not only is she a lovely, kind, intelligent, and all around great person, but we both write for the same publisher, and our genres are identical, not to mention that we both have two ongoing series. It was so fabulous and fun to share new techniques and ideas with her. Julie likes to push the envelope of her own creative genius as much as I do, and I can’t fully describe how liberating it is to befriend a fellow writer who’s as non-conformist as I am.

      After dinner, Julie and I talked late into the night about the ideas for novels – separate from our series – that we wished we had time to write. Mine was an idea for a YA novel I’d been kicking around for years, and Julie’s was a contemporary novel set in Paris. I remember we both sighed wistfully and bemoaned the fact that our schedules were crazy full, and where were we ever going to find the time to write these books?

      Then we moved on to discussions about our respective series, and how difficult it can be to come up with new and unique mysteries for our heroines to solve. I confessed to Julie that I really wanted to challenge myself by attempting a dual storyline for Abby and M. J., and she lit up like a Christmas tree. Based on her immediate reaction I knew I absolutely had to write that book. We talked at length about how to construct the story, and thinking it through out loud with her helped me solidify that the book would definitely be a Psychic Eye novel with Abby in first person, and alternating chapters featuring M. J. in third person. I wanted to root the story firmly in Abby’s world on the day of her wedding, but also introduce readers who might not be familiar with M. J. to my other plucky protagonist without the reader feeling like they needed to have read that series from the start. Julie could not have been more encouraging.

      Once I was home from the conference, I got right to work, and low and behold a few months later, Deadly Forecast was born. Hands down it was the most challenging and yet rewarding book I’ve written in either series, and I’m oodley thankful to Julie for giving me the encouragement I needed to tap it out.

      Still feeling buoyed by those late night talks with my friend, immediately (and I do mean immediately) after finishing Deadly Forecast I went on to finally crank out that YA novel I’d been dying to write, which then sold to a publisher a few months later and now Death Date is set for release in January of 2015. After accepting the offer, one of the first people I shared the news with was Julie, who was so amazingly kind in her praise and congratulations. I remember being so giggly and excited when I told her the news; I hope she knows how much she inspired me to go for it.

      And now here it is almost two years later and I’m certainly not the only one who’s been busy! My fabulous friend has also recently snagged a deal to write that idea she first told me about of a novel set in Paris, and I believe she’s tapping it out as we speak! Also, she’s gone on to pen a crossover herself, and, A Haunting Is Brewing, is now available for pre-order! Personally, I can’t wait to see what Mel and Lily are up to!

      Meanwhile I’m busy working on the next M. J. Ghost Hunter Mystery, and someday, perhaps Julie and I will have our respective heroines come together for some murderous fun. Me thinks Abby, Mel, Lily, and M. J. would get along famously!

Deadly Forecast
A Psychic Eye Mystery 11
Obsidian, June 3, 2014
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 352 pages

Wedding bells are ringing for psychic Abigail Cooper. But her senses are tingling that her fiancé, Dutch, is in danger. And he’s not the only one.…

ON HER WEDDING DAY, ABBY’S A TICKING TIME BOMB.

It’s said to be good luck if it rains on your wedding day, but Abby sees something darker than storm clouds on the horizon. She’s just had a disturbing premonition of her fiancé’s murder. Her husband-to-be has been assigned to a case involving a series of bombings, and Abby’s spirit guides warn her of imminent danger.

FBI agent Dutch Rivers is keeping his cool, but Abby can’t quell her anxiety. After another bombing at a local beauty salon, Abby vows to do everything in her power to keep Dutch safe and get him to the altar. But on the morning of the ceremony, she finds herself in a dire situation, with time running out….

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Victoria Laurie

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The Giveaway

What:  One entrant will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Deadly Forecast by Victoria Laurie from the publisher. US ONLY

How:  Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59PM US Eastern Time on June 7, 2014. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change without any notice.*

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