Lorena McCourtney and Free Books!

Cate Kinkaid expected her temporary job as an assistant private investigator to be routine and unexciting, but instead she's up to her elbows in a hostile reading group, a paint-blobbed hunk, a dead body - and way too many killers after her.

Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of The Deliverer, by Kathi Macias, is:

mnjesusfreak@ . . .

Congratulations! We'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways!

Now let's meet novelist Lorena McCourtney, author of Dying to Read (Revell, August 2012.).

Lorena McCourtney has been writing since fifth grade (with varying degrees of success). She started with short stories for children, worked her way through women's short stories and book-length romances, and now feels she's found her real home in lighthearted, faith-based mysteries.

She's twice finaled for a Romance Writers of America Rita award, won the ACFW "Book of the Year" Mystery award (now the Carol Award), and twice won a Daphne du Maurier award for her mysteries.

She has a son, a granddaughter, two stepdaughters and several step-grandchildren (and one eccentric cat). She and her husband of 38 years live in southern Oregon.

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

-- I majored in Animal Husbandry in college and have a degree in Agriculture.

-- I am a member of the Spokane Indian Tribe, and was born on the reservation.

-- I collect old spurs, bits, and pocket knives.

-- I was baptized twice, first by sprinkling and then, some 50 years later, by immersion.

-- My first two Christian books were set in the Great Depression era, a time period I find fascinating because it seemed to bring out both the best and worst in people.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Dying to Read.

Cate Kinkaid's life is floundering. She's been out of a job for a year, except for fill-in jobs as a Santa's elf at the mall and stuffing flyers under windshields, and she was not exactly a spectacular success at those. Out of desperation she accepts a temporary job as an assistant private investigator with her Uncle Joe's Belmont Investigations. He assures her his one-man investigative business does only routine matters such as background checks and routine surveillance, no serious crime or danger involved.

Cate's first assignment is to determine if a woman named Willow Bishop lives at a particular address. Willow's great-uncle is looking for her to see that she gets a family inheritance. This should be an easy, routine matter.

Instead, Cate finds a horde of hostile and hungry Whodunit Club ladies milling around the house – and a dead body. A tragic accident, or a vicious murder?

In her efforts to determine which, Cate finds herself involved with a paint-blobbed hunk, a deaf white cat with an attitude, a woman who looks a lot like red-haired Cate herself – and killers.

What is it about Cate that will make your readers care about her?

Cate is in a position all too many people find themselves in these days – out of a job. She's willing to take anything that comes along – although she didn't expect that dead body.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I seldom read historical romances, but I recently read The Measure of Katie Calloway by Serena Miller, which I really enjoyed. I found the setting, which wasn't familiar to me, interesting. The characters were likeable and well motivated. And, it had the one thing that will keep me reading: what is going to happen next and how will this end?

What are you working on now?

I just finished the second Cate Kinkaid Files book, Dressed to Die, so I'll soon be starting on Book #3. I also have a lot of people asking for Book #5 in my Ivy Malone Mysteries series, so I need to try to squeeze that in too.

Where else can readers find you online?

Website: http://www.lorenamccourtney.com

Facebook: My "friends" page is at www/facebook.com/lorenamccourtney Or go to my Lorena McCourtney Author page

The book is available at fine book stores and for online purchase via the following buttons:




CBD.com


Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

In what format do you prefer to buy and read books? That is, do you want to stay with print books only, or do you also like, or even prefer, using an e-reader? Do you buy mostly in bookstores or online?

Thank you, Lorena, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Lorena has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, August 20. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Lorena's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Sherri Johnson, below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a copy of the book.

And leave a comment below my post about cell phones to be entered into a drawing for any one of my books--your choice.

Finally, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.