What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
Today Julie Mulhern will be talking about what sparked the idea for Guaranteed to Bleed and her other stories in the Country Club Murders series.
* Guaranteed to Bleed was written with a different title. I wrote the story with the idea that I’d call it The End Zone.
* I had a vision of a murder at a high school football game. Who would kill a teenage boy? And why? Once I knew that, having my reluctant sleuth, Ellison Russell, find a body under the football stands was easy.
* I had lunch with a friend who suggested Guaranteed to Bleed as a title. In the 70s, when my series is set, madras plaid was “guaranteed to bleed.” I liked the name better than The End Zone so I gave one of the characters madras pants and moved on.
* One of my favorite scenes in Guaranteed to Bleed is set at The Jewel Box. Ellison goes there on an epically bad double date. The Jewel Box was a real bar and I decided to include it when I stumbled across this site: http://queermusicheritage.com/fem-jbl.html
* Writing Guaranteed was a bit of a nail-biter. It doesn’t follow a typical formula and Ellison must make a choice that not all will agree with…I wasn’t sure if anyone would like her decision. Beyond being a mystery, Guaranteed to Bleed is a book about mothers and daughters. I have two teenage daughters so that part wasn’t too much of a stretch.
* In my third book, I was determined to stage a gala at the Kansas City Museum. The museum was built as a home and converted to a museum when it proved to be too much house. I hadn’t been there in far too long. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered the 70-room mansion didn’t have a ballroom. R.A. Long, the gentleman who built it, didn’t approve of dancing. I put the benefactors’ party at the museum and moved the gala to a hotel. Clouds in My Coffee in will release May 10, 2016.
* Ideas come from so many different places. I just started the fourth book in the Country Club Murders—no title yet—but I am taking the classic film Foul Play as my inspiration.
* Unable to refuse, Ellison struggles to find the girl the murdered boy loved. Too bad an epically bad blind date, a vindictive graffiti artist, and multiple trips to the emergency room keep getting in the way.
* Worse, a killer has Ellison in his sights, her newly-rebellious daughter is missing, and there’s yet another body in her hostas. Mother won’t be pleased.
* Now Ellison must track down not one but two runaway teenagers, keep her promise to Bobby and elude the killer—all before her next charity gala committee meeting.
* Hunter smiled at me and my heart fluttered—just a little bit. Such is the power of his thousand watt smile.
* He leaned forward and gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek. “You look lovely.”
* “Thank you.” My damned heart needed to settle back down to a steady beat.
* “Shall we?” He held out his arm.
* My fingers closed on the fine wool of his sports coat. He led me down the steps to his Mercedes. He opened the door and made sure I was safely tucked inside before he closed it. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car.
ANNOUNCEMENT! Julie Mulhern will be awarding $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!
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6 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
What books do you like to read?
Enjoyed the interview and excerpt, sounds like a great read, thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for hosting me today! As for the books I like to read, I love mysteries. I am currently reading a biography of Emma Hamilton, a departure from my usual fare.
Great post - I loved the excerpt! Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed the interview and the excerpt. Thank you so much!
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