Melinda De Ross - An Author Interview in the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Melinda De Ross. She is an International author who writes Suspense, Romance, Humor and Comedy novels.

Author: Melinda De Ross

Author Genre: Suspense, Romance, Humor and Comedy

Website: Melinda De Ross
Author's Blog: Melinda De Ross
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Twitter: @melinda_de_ross
E-Mail: contact@melindadeross.com
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
Melinda De Ross is an international author of Romanian origin. She writes in two languages, and her books combine the elegance specific to the European style with the modern appeal of the American culture. She has a Law degree and has been a professional target shooter for over a decade. Her favorite genre to read and write in is Romance, and anytime she prefers to watch a classic movie instead of going to a noisy club.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Congratulations on being included in the Love, Christmas Romance Collection. What do you have on the drawing board next? Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Thank you for the warm congratulations! It has been a pleasure for me to join The Authors’ Billboard, the group of authors who created Love, Christmas 2 and many other great box sets. In fact, my current project is another box set, Unforgettable Thrills, which will be released on November 15th and is available on Amazon for pre-order. It’s a suspense romance collection by nine authors: Mimi Barbour, Suzanne Jenkins, Tamara Ferguson, Taylor Lee, Dani Haviland, Jacquie Biggar, Susan Jean Ricci, Stacy Eaton, and of course Melinda De Ross. My novel in this box set is called THE PLOT. (see blurb in book list below)

You have a good following on twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? How did you build your following in your niche? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

Social media is certainly important to authors, but at the end of the day it’s not a marketing tool per se, but a way to interact with readers. However, it gave me the chance to connect with other authors and build valuable friendships, improve my craft and learn countless tips on writing, marketing, and the publishing industry.

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

Since I am a Romanian author who writes in English, I don’t have many readers in my own country because of the language barrier. The best way for readers to keep in touch with me and find my books is through my website, melindadeross.com

You have great covers. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

As you know, I am a professional graphic designer and I always make my own covers. Sometimes it’s a curse, because I want to tell the story in one image and that’s why I’ve changed them countless times. Also, I’m always striving to improve my design skills, and when I learn something new I automatically feel my covers are outdated and want to change them. I have a few author friends whose feedback I value, but my first critic in both writing and graphic design is my husband. In fact, he introduced me to Photoshop and the wonderful world of creating visual art.

What is your primary genre? What has been your best marketing approach to this group?

So far, my primary genre has been romance, but I am working on my first thriller as we speak, and it will be the first of a series. I am an avid reader and enjoy several genres, so naturally I want to expand my writing to encompass some other genres too.

Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?

I have a list of readers, which I’m pleased to say is growing every month. I am active on social media and I have a website, which I mentioned, melindadeross.com, where readers can subscribe to my newsletter. I never spam them, I rarely send more than one or two newsletters per month, and that is when I have exciting news about my books, or book deals and bargains I want to share with them.

You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and helping other writers gain exposure. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?

Don’t forget my graphic design career! ? To be honest, I never feel I have enough time, or that I do enough. I suppose I set too-high goals for myself sometimes, in order to be able to make a compromise. But truth be told, it’s very hard to juggle my writing and design careers and to feel I do enough of each one at the end of the day. It’s a constant struggle. All I can do is try to keep a balance, and when I have an important project in one area, I focus on it and tone down the other side of my professional life.

Being an International author creates a unique selling and marketing situation. Where is your biggest audience? Does marketing online help in this situation?

USA is by far my biggest audience, and at this moment online marketing is my main tool. After more than five years in publishing, it’s still an ongoing learning curve, and I’m sure it will be always. All authors – indie or traditionally published – need to do their own marketing and have to keep up with the trends. Marketing my books is a full time job.

You have published your books in other languages. How is your audience abroad? Does marketing online help in this situation?

I have published in Romanian too, but obviously it’s not to be compared. Statistically speaking, I wouldn’t have had a chance if I limited myself to one country/one language. Besides, paperback books still are readers’ first choice in Romania, and ebooks are making a slow, shy entrance on the market. Online marketing is not as efficient here, but my focus remains my books in English.

I like the idea of Author bundles. You are a part of a romance novel collection called Love, Christmas 2 with twenty-five other authors. What a great group of outstanding people. (Many have been interviewed on this blog). What was your main objective in bundling your works with other authors? What blogging, newsletter and social media promotions have you done to promote the collection?

Our main goal was to reach the USA Today bestsellers list – which we did. https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/best-selling/week/2018/43/page/12/

I’m extremely proud and happy to say I am officially the first Romanian in history to become a USA Today bestselling author. In fact, this goal was the main thing that brought me into the Authors’ Billboard group, and even though most authors there already are USAT and/or NYT bestsellers, they all fought hard to help me achieve my dream. We all promoted the box set intensely, including by blogging and social media. I wrote a blog post during this promotion, and another one after I found out I was officially a USA Today bestselling author: https://melindadeross.com/2018/10/16/please-help-me-make-history-today-%F0%9F%8F%86/

https://melindadeross.com/2018/10/25/10-25-2018-a-small-step-for-humanity-a-huge-milestone-for-me/



Author's Book List
Love, Christmas - Movies You Love - The Holiday Series Book 2
Sprinkle a little Christmas magic into your life with 26 ALL-NEW, never before released romances. Each title - exclusive to this set - is inspired by a favorite holiday movie, spun into a fantastic love story by a NY Times, USA Today, and/or award-winning, bestselling author and delivered to you in this wonderful collection full of cheer for the coming season.

Mimi Barbour – A Wonderful Life - Though Mary works with troubled teens, can she and an angel help a man living a nightmare?

Leanne Banks – A Royal White Christmas - Can a secret prince be a Christmas wish-come-true for a small-town girl?

Joan Reeves – Brianna’s Season For Miracles - Her seductive persona hides what she's ashamed of... What will happen if the man she's fallen for discovers her secret?

Mona Risk – Jingle With My Princess - The doc and the princess... He saves lives, but she may save his heart.

Rebecca York – Can She Get Home for Christmas? - Will a killer stop her from getting home for Christmas?

Jacquie Biggar – Mistletoe Inn - A grieving man finds the greatest gift is love.

Alicia Street – Miracle on Christmas Tree Street - A single mom discovers her business partner is more than he seems.

Nancy Radke – The Holiday (Christmas) - Jodi's house-swap to Maui came with a small dog and a shipwrecked sailor.

Katy Walters –Letters from the Snowman – The snow revealed a precious love.

Stephanie Queen – Holiday Affair - Melissa goes from riches to rags but will she find gold in a holiday affair?

Aileen Fish – Almost Christmas in Connecticut - Can a wounded warrior learn to trust her celebrity chef crush after discovering his secret?

Rachelle Ayala – A Christmas Creek Carol - A reclusive writer is given a one-star review on her life by characters from her past, present, and future.

Dani Haviland – The Polar Xpress - She prefers dogs to men…until she rescues the doctor.

Traci Hall – Love, Actually (By the Sea) - Two strangers. One intimate night. Reunited a year later, can it actually be love?

Taylor Lee – The Ref-er-ee - With a family this discombobulated, it will take a referee to save their Christmas.

Donna Fasano – Her Mr. Miracle - It’s Christmas Eve and Veronica is stuck in a nearly deserted seaside town... She needs a miracle.

Cynthia Cooke – A Christmas to Remember - A Christmas storm. Wedding plans in peril. Has a lost love been found?

Susan Jean Ricci – A Joyous Holiday Inn - Can Twigg restore the joy of Christmas to Chloe’s indifferent heart?

Tamara Ferguson – Two Hearts Home for Christmas - Can a long ago promise of love bring two lonely wounded warriors home for Christmas?

Suzanne Jenkins – Christmas with the Clouds - Tracy isn’t interested in love until an unexpected Christmas visitor changes her heart.

Natalie Ann – How Gavin Stole Christmas - Can Jolene help Gavin find the Christmas spirit when he’s the epitome of Mr. Bah Humbug?

Ev Bishop – A Sharla Brown Christmas - For single parents Sharla and Jake, Christmas is the loneliest time of the year…until it’s not.

Alyssa Bailey – In the Spirit of Christmas - Chase can protect Tara from danger, but can he protect his heart?

Stacy Eaton – Finding Love on Christmas Vacation - Christmas isn't the same for Lucy without her father...until she meets his friend Maverick.

Jen Talty – The Christmas Getaway - A mix-up in reservations leaves a mother and her son to share a cabin with a broken-hearted stranger.

Melinda De Ross - Boyfriend Wanted for Christmas - A thirty-something singleton’s desperate yet humorous quest to find a boyfriend in the seven days before Christmas.


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CELEBRITY - A Bookish & Sexy novel
THE JOURNEY OF A YOUNG WRITER WHO TRADES HER SIMPLE EXISTENCE IN CHICAGO FOR THE GLAMOROUS HOLLYWOOD LIFE, FULL OF LUXURY AND SCANDAL. AND WHERE THE GENERAL MOTTO IS "LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG".

Within twenty-four hours, Kendra Kensington’s life changes drastically. She lands a million dollar contract for her latest novel, now on the road to becoming a movie, catches her boyfriend in bed with another woman, and decides to move across the country from Chicago to California. But the City of Angels harbors more demons than she had imagined.

When she meets Blake Tyler, the famous movie star she’s secretly crushed on for years, she thinks her attempt to rebuild her life may just be on the right track. However, the past and the present seem to be conspiring against her and happiness may be harder to achieve than she thinks.


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THE DIARY
In the legendary Transylvania, a castle belonging to Countess Erzsébet Báthory is discovered. Cameraman Hunter Cole and broadcast journalist Serena Scott arrive to make a documentary about the discovery, and the sinister Hungarian noblewoman, known as the most prolific female serial killer in history.

The two Americans could cope with roughing it in a fifteenth-century castle, with no modern amenities. They can even cope with each other, despite their initial mutual dislike for one another, which gradually turns into a mind-blowing attraction.

But when two girls are tortured and killed in Báthory copycat style, the nearby village is shaken to the core. In terror, they wonder who will be next…


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THE JOB BLOWER - A Bookish & Sexy novel
A ROMANTIC COMEDY THAT WILL BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF!

Camilla Jackson is an ordinary young woman with an extraordinary knack for attracting disaster. When she is fired from her job as a secretary at a law firm, she realizes she has no idea what she wants to do next. Every job she does land ends up tragi-comically.

But when she meets the drop-dead-gorgeous journalist, Carter Evans, her life seems to brighten. Until she discovers that he hides some very deep and painful scars.

It remains to be seen if she will be able to help him heal and, in the process, find her own path in life. That is, if she manages to overcome her accident prone nature, which gets her into serious trouble…

THE JOB BLOWER is a lighthearted, uncomplicated, laugh-out-loud Romantic Comedy, the kind of book that you will keep in your bookshelf and re-read to brighten your days and spice up your nights.


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THE PLOT
AN UNCONVENTIONAL ROMANCE
At eighteen, Yoko Hirano falls prey to a human trafficking organization and is forced into a lifestyle nightmares are made of. When the young Japanese girl escapes, her only focus is exacting revenge and saving other girls from the same fate by bringing down Michael Chen, the powerful mobster who destroyed her innocence.

BETWEEN TWO MISFITS
Four years later she meets antiques dealer Mark Chandler, the only man who ever treated her with respect. Though she is torn by her unfamiliar feelings for him, Yoko’s grand scheme doesn’t involve falling in love, and a man like Mark would never want her if he discovered her past. What she doesn’t know is that he has his own dark secrets...

BROUGHT TOGETHER BY LOVE AND REVENGE
Mark never thought he could lose his head over a woman, but the haunted eyes of his beautiful new employee fill his soul with desire and tenderness. When he learns about what had happened to her, his vengeance knows no limits. Nor does his resolve to help her heal and discover love.


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A Touch Of Poetry
How can I write a blurb for poetry? It’s like trying to describe in words the simple, yet so complex beauty of Giaconda, or relate the impressiveness of Michelangelo’s frescoes from the Sistine Chapel. Poetry can only be read, enjoyed and, if the artist is an accomplished one, understood. Just savor the words!


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Boyfriend Wanted for Christmas
Thirty-three-year-old librarian Andrea Sachse doesn’t have the time or skills to date. No man can ever live up to her dreamy book boyfriends, so why bother? But with her parents looking more desperate each time she shows up solo for their annual Christmas party, this year she’s determined to find herself a boyfriend by any means—fair or foul.



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Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
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Amy Metz - Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction is featured in the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

The Showcase is a special feature of the Author's Spotlight. It is designed to highlight Spotlight author's NEW releases and their soon to be released novels.

The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Amy Metz's New Book: Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction. 

Amy Metz is an Author of Mystery & Thrillers as well as a blogger and book editor. She writes the Goose Pimple Junction series.

Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction

Goose Pimple Junction Mysteries Book 4

Author: Amy Metz


AVAILABLE
Amazon


Like any good Southern belle, Caledonia Culpepper was raised by her mama to be gracious, charming, witty, and above all, a devoted mother and loving wife, so she's baffled when her marriage falls apart.

Wynona Baxter is a master of disguise but is often a ditzy airhead. A hit woman wannabe, when she's hired for her first job in Goose Pimple Junction and things don't go as planned, she's forced to resort to Plan B. She'll also need Plan C and D.

Crooked lawyers, restless husbands, a teenaged hoodlum – it seems there are rogues and rascals everywhere you look in Goose Pimple Junction.

When Caledonia and Wynona's paths cross, they prove there isn't a rogue or a rascal who can keep a good woman down. Mama always said there would be days like this . . .

Excerpt from Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction

Chapter 1

A Unicorn And A Hit Woman

Early June, Atlanta, Georgia
Sipping sweet tea and browsing Facebook on her iPhone, Wynona Baxter sat with her partner, Zeke, at a table outside a coffee shop. With her toned and tanned bare legs crossed, her left foot—clad in Jimmy Choo black four-inch-heeled sandals—bobbed up and down to a silent beat known only to her.

“Here he comes.” Zeke adjusted his sunglasses and inclined his head toward the street.

There he was—their mark—right on time, wearing his JC Penny ugly tan blazer and brown polyester pants set right underneath his paunch. He ran a hand through his thinning red hair, but demonstrating the man’s definite need for a haircut, a long patch in the front dropped right back down over his right eye.

Wynona muttered, “Get a haircut.” Then to her partner, she said, “His confidence has to be ill-gotten.

Zeke harrumphed. “Just like everything he has in life.”

Over the rim of her glass of sweet tea, she casually watched as he crossed the street, speaking to a few people along the way. His gut preceded the rest of him by a good ten inches. Why on earth a man with no outwardly redeeming qualities—and from what she’d heard inwardly too—could strut like a rooster was beyond her.

Wynona put her glass down and ran her finger along the condensation. “I'll tell you one thing. It's obvious from the way he carries himself that there isn't any conceit in his family: he got it all.

Zeke sat back and propped a leg over a knee. “Yeah, but brains are another question.”

“You reckon he has any of those?” Wynona's foot continued to bob up and down.

The duo had been watching him, and after a week, they knew his routine. Wynona looked at her iPhone. “He's right on time and headed for the Dizzy Duck as usual.”

Zeke nodded. “If he hadn’t made someone very angry, this wouldn’t have to be his last visit there.”

“Okay. So he'll spend thirty to forty minutes in the bar and then head for home.” Wynona put the phone in her purse.

Zeke stood. “Where we'll be waiting for him.”

She took one more gulp of tea, shook the ice in the glass, and set it down hard on the table, shooting a look that would put frost on a snowman to the guy a few tables away who’d been leering at her for the better part of an hour. Leisurely standing, she smoothed the front of her short linen skirt. As she left the coffee shop, she was aware of the eyes on her . . . well, she could only guess which body part his eyes were on. Wynona preferred to be unobtrusive, but that was nearly impossible with her looks. But no matter, by tomorrow she’d appear totally different anyway. She thought she might enjoy being a redhead next.

The hot Atlanta sun beat down on them as Wynona and Zeke walked across the street in the opposite direction from the person they’d tailed for almost a week: Mr. Sleazy, as she’d come to think of him. They had been sitting at the outdoor table for over an hour waiting for their mark to leave his office building. Feeling like she was melting, bored half out of her skull, and glad to be on the move again, she got into their rented Lexus ES300 and turned the ignition key. She set the air conditioning to full blast and leaned her head against the headrest. The cool air blew across her face, which glowed with perspiration.

She glanced at the dashboard and groaned. “Is it really 104 degrees out there?”

Zeke adjusted the vents. “Considering the humidity is at least in the eighty percent range, it feels more like 150.”

Taking a lace hankie from her purse on the passenger seat, she blotted her face so as not to ruin her makeup. She fluffed the bangs of her brown wig and slipped on her oversized sunglasses before adjusting the air conditioning vents to point straight at her. After putting the car into drive, she eased out onto the road and secretly offered Mr. Googly Eyes an unladylike hand signal.

Wynona maneuvered the Lexus down the curvy shade-dappled country lane while singing along to Garth Brooks’s “Friends in Low Places” on the radio. She pulled off to the side of the road, stopping just in front of a black mailbox with white lettering that spelled “Reid.” The box stood to the right of a long driveway leading to a large colonial two-story house. This wasn’t Mr. Sleazy’s house but one just down the road from his ticky-tacky run-of-the-mill ranch house. After a few minutes, she was impatient. “Come on, you know this road has hardly any traffic. We've only seen a handful of cars in the six days we've been tailing Polyster Man.

Zeke cracked the car door, waited, and listened. The only sound was the rat-a-tat of a woodpecker. Convinced no cars were near, he hurried to the rear of the car as she popped the trunk. He pulled out a duffle bag and slid back into the car, laying the bag on the floor in front of the passenger seat.

“Now watch, Wynona. You might need to know how to do this some day. Pay attention.” Reaching under the clothing inside the bag, he pulled out the pieces of a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic. Grabbing the slide, he took the barrel and slid it in, put in the guide rod and spring, keeping his thumb over it. With the weapon in his other hand, he said, “Make sure there are no obstructions, match the male/female grooves, slide it on, lock it to the rear, and put down the takedown lever at three o'clock.” He quickly snapped the pieces into place and screwed the silencer on.

Wynona recoiled a little when he opened his bag of tricks, as he liked to call his knife set. Her mind went over the different ways she'd seen him use each one in the past. A slow and torturous death was his specialty and why people asked for him.

Wynona glanced at the time on the dashboard. “I reckon we've spent five minutes cooling off after leaving the coffee shop and fifteen driving here. It should also take Sleazy fifteen minutes to get here—after his usual thirty minutes in the bar.” Wy reached in the bag, pulled out a CD, and popped it into the player. “If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I'd Be Out By Now” came over the speakers, and she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she sang along.

Zeke watched and said, “I love a girl with a sense of humor in this line of work.”

Twenty-five minutes later, she turned off the engine. They got out of the car, and he raised the hood. Zeke crouched in front of the car, while she leaned against the Lexus to wait.

She heard it before she saw it. “Showtime,” Wynona said.

“Do your stuff, Wy.” Zeke shifted slightly in the gravel.

She leaned in under the hood from the side of the Lexus that faced the oncoming car so that her long thoroughbred legs would have a chance to work their full magic. She heard the pop of gravel and an engine slowing as he eased his car to the side of the road.

“What’s the problem?” Mr. Sleazy asked as he approached her.

Holding the gun in his right hand, Zeke rose to his full height, walked past her, and pointed the weapon at Sleazy.

“Honey, you’re the problem.“ Wynona cocked her head. “But we’ve got the solution.” She noticed his Adam’s apple bob up and down; hers did too.

Walking toward him with the gun aimed at his chest, Zeke said, “You’ve made someone awfully mad with your low quantity of moral fiber. You pretended to be someone you’re not. You took advantage of people. You stole money from them. They said to make it a . . .” he stretched out his words, “. . . slow, painful end to your time here on earth.”

Zeke's smile reflected his intentions.

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Humor, Romance

Website: Amy Metz, author
Author's Blog: A Blue Million Books
Amy Metz, author
Twitter: @authoramymetz
E-Mail: authoramymetz@yahoo.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile



Author Description: Amy Metz is the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. She is a former first grade teacher and the mother of two sons. When not writing, enjoying her family, or surfing Pinterest, Amy can usually be found with a mixing spoon, camera, or book in one hand and a glass of sweet tea in the other. Amy lives in Louisville, Kentucky and loves a good Southern phrase.





Author's Book List
Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction - Goose Pimple Junction Mysteries Book 3
This is not your average Southern town. With a hint of mystery and a lot of laughs, you'll catch a glimpse of everyday life in Goose Pimple Junction in this short story compilation. Short & Tall Tales occurs chronologically between Murder & Mayhem, book 1, and Heroes & Hooligans, book 2, in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. Tales is a fun escape that will answer readers' burning questions about the residents of this quirky, small town.

How did Johnny Butterfield become police chief?
How did Tess and Jack get engaged?
How did Ima Jean come to live with Louetta?
How do you celebrate an Apple Day?

These questions and more are answered in Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction. Five short stories, one novella, and three recipes will give you more of the unique charm of Goose Pimple Junction, make you laugh, and have your mouth watering. If you want a feel-good read, you've come to the right place. Grab some sweet tea and escape to Goose Pimple Junction.


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Heroes & Hooligans In Goose Pimple Junction - Goose Pimple Junction Mysteries Book 2
Goose Pimple Junction is just recovering from a kidnapping and a murder, its first major crimes in years, when trouble begins anew. Life is turned upside down in the quirky little southern town with the arrival of several shifty hooligans: A philandering husband intent on getting his wife back, another murderer loose in town, a stalker intent on frightening Martha Maye, and a thief who’s stealing the town blind of their pumpkins, pies, and peace. Together, they’re scaring the living daylights out of the residents and keeping the new police chief busier than a set of jumper cables at a redneck picnic. Suddenly, he has his hands full trying to apprehend a killer, stop a stalker, and fight his feelings for the damsel in distress.


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Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction - Goose Pimple Junction mysteries Book 1
When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.


Book Trailer: Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction



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Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
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Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.

D.E. Ireland - An Author Interview at the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author D.E. Ireland, the pseudonym of award-winning authors and Anglophiles Meg Mims and Sharon Pisacreta. They collaborate on the Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mystery series.

Author Genre: Historical Mysteries, Humor And Comedy, Mystery

Website: Welcome to D.E. Ireland
Author's Blog: D.E. Ireland Blog
Twitter: @DEIrelandAuthor
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
D.E. Ireland is the pseudonym of award-winning authors and Anglophiles Meg Mims and Sharon Pisacreta - collaborating on the Eliza Higgins and Henry Higgins cozy mystery series for St. Martin's Minotaur. Book 1, WOULDN'T IT BE DEADLY, was nominated for an AGATHA AWARD. MOVE YOUR BLOOMING CORPSE is the second book of the series.

Both Meg and Sharon live in Michigan and are big fans of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, Downton Abbey, Mr. Selfridge, Sherlock Holmes, classic and contemporary cozy mysteries. They prefer reading and visiting tea rooms to housework.
Meg Mims

Author Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers, Romance

Website: Meg Mims
Author's Blog: Meg Mims
Blog: D.E. Ireland Facebook
Twitter: @megmims
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile

Author Description:
Award-winning mystery author Meg Mims -- also one-half of the writing team of D.E. Ireland for the Agatha-nominated Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery series from Minotaur Books -- lives in Southeastern Michigan with her husband and a sweet Malti-poo. She loves writing novels, novellas and short stories, both contemporary and historical. Meg also earned a Spur Award for Best First Novel, a Laramie Award and an M.A. from Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program.

She's loved reading mystery, western, historical, romance and other genre fiction since first grade's adventures of Spot, Dick and Jane. She has published hundreds of freelance articles. Meg enjoys gardening, crafts, watercolor painting, with housework last.

Sharon Pisacreta

Author Genre: Mystery

Website: Sharon Pisacreta
Author's Blog: Lake Effect Living
Twitter: @Spisacreta
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
Sharon Pisacreta is an award-winning author who lives along the beautiful shoreline of Lake Michigan. She declared herself a writer at age nine and hasn't looked back since. Published in romance, mystery, fantasy and nonfiction, Sharon is a former archaeologist who loves to read and write about history. Her work appears under the names Sharon Pisacreta, Cynthia Kirk and - most recently - D.E. Ireland. She has teamed up with friend and fellow author Meg Mims to write a mystery series as Ireland for St. Martin's Press starring Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins. WOULDN'T IT BE DEADLY is the first book in the series with a release date of Sept. 2014.



SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Let’s start with what’s next. Rumor has it that you have another book on the horizon called Get Me to the Grave On Time. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

It’s an Edwardian version of Four Weddings and a Funeral…but with several murders thrown in. As for Book Three’s timeline, our agent is in discussion with several publishers at the moment so we may be switching houses.

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances together? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

We will both be appearing at Malice Domestic conference at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland from April 29-May 1, 2016. Readers should also check out D.E. Ireland on Facebook and Twitter, and at deireland.com.

Has the advent of ebooks changed anything in your writing, getting the book to your readers and the relationship with your readers and fans?

It merely gives readers the choice to read print or read digital. We both love that. Our Kindles are like a ‘virtual library’ and it makes our TBR list longer. Plus the digital versions stay “on the shelf” forever, when print copies are not available. A win-win for authors!

Several of your novels have been converted into audio books. What has been the impact on your regular sales? Has the audio books gained a new audience for D.E. Ireland?

Because we’ve had great feedback from readers who loved the audiobook versions, we hope this has resulted in expanding our audience. That’s hard to gauge, though. At this time it seems most readers still prefer a print book or an iPad, Kindle, or Nook in their hands.

I like the idea of Authors working together. You have authored a couple books together. How did the relationship start? What was the impact on your other sales since both of you write separately? What was the main objective of writing together? How does the communication work?

Friends since college, we have always supported each other personally and professionally. Although we’ve each had novels published on our own, we knew we’d eventually collaborate on something. When Meg came up with the idea of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins solving mysteries together, both of us realized it was the perfect team project…especially with Sharon’s knowledge of British history to help pull it off. Because we’ve been friends for decades, a shorthand already exists in how work with each other. And brainstorming is now twice the fun. We share in all the writing, marketing, and promotion, and our success with this series has also enhanced our individual careers. Last year, we each sold a contemporary cozy mystery series to Kensington Books under the new pen names ‘Sharon Farrow’ and ‘Meg Macy’. How’s that for writing serendipity!

Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do you sort of play it by ear?

Given our writing schedules, we need to be organized and disciplined. Even with a detailed outline to work from, there are times we come to the climax of a book during first draft and discover that we missed something important, or a character has developed in such a way that elements of the story must now change. Indeed, characters “take on” their own voices and direct the plot at times. So while everything is planned out advance, we’ve had to handle several unexpected twists on the way to final draft. But it all works out in the end.

What writer support groups do you belong too besides each other? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

Sisters in Crime helps women authors in the mystery/thriller field which is still often dominated by men. D.E. Ireland is also one of eight “historical” authors in Sleuths in Time, which has a presence on Facebook.

How do you start your book launch process for a new book? Give a brief outline of the steps you go through to get your book to market. What methods were the most successful?

Our publisher handles the book launch process by sending out multiple advance review copies. As soon as it’s available, we post the new cover on social media. We always participate in extensive blog tours within the first few weeks after publication to help spread the word. And we maintain a daily presence of Facebook and Twitter by posting and tweeting about our books, writing, and all things British. Both the blog tours and the reviews seem to be the most successful at alerting the readers about our new book.

With both of you writing, how do you manage your plots, characters and timelines to keep your stories going? Do you use any software to keep track of your books?

Our detailed outline is a godsend, and we basically ‘write to spec’ for the first draft. George Bernard Shaw gave us the marvelous characters of Eliza Doolittle, Henry Higgins, Colonel Pickering, the Eynsford Hills, Alfred Doolittle and Mrs. Pearce, along with appendices to explain them. We tweaked these characters, fleshed them out a bit more, then gave them rein to ‘go their own way’ in our books. We’ve added characters, of course, and have had great fun writing the series. As for software, we don’t use any beyond Word for Mac

Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?

We reach readers through our blog, on Facebook and Twitter, and Sleuths in Time. We don’t maintain a reader list or put out a newsletter, since we’re also writing other mystery series. The best marketing is an entertaining follow-up book for the series, and we’re hoping Get Me to the Grave on Time gains us even more fans.



Author's Book List
Move Your Blooming Corpse - Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mystery Book 2
In the second book from talented writing team D.E. Ireland, famous literary characters Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins once again come to life as a hilarious investigative team. Move Your Blooming Corpse explores the Edwardian racing world and the fascinating characters who people it, from jockeys to duchesses, in this delightful traditional mystery that will appeal to fans of British mysteries.

Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins are at the posh Royal Ascot, the biggest horse racing event of the season. Eliza's father is the new co-owner of a champion racehorse, and Eliza and Henry are excited to cheer the Donegal Dancer on to victory. However, their idyllic outing takes a serious turn when a victim is trampled during the Gold Cup race and someone is found murdered in the stables.

With time running out before the upcoming Eclipse Stakes, she and Higgins investigate jealous spouses, suffragettes and the colorful co-owners of the Donegal Dancer. But can they outrace the murderer, or will there be another blooming corpse at the finish line?

Published under the pen name: D.E. Ireland by authors: Meg Mims + Sharon Pisacreta


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Wouldn't It Be Deadly - An Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mystery
Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins make an incomparable pair of sleuths in the start of a delightful new series

Following her successful appearance at an Embassy Ball--where Eliza Doolittle won Professor Henry Higgins' bet that he could pass off a Cockney flower girl as a duchess--Eliza becomes an assistant to his chief rival Emil Nepommuck. After Nepommuck publicly takes credit for transforming Eliza into a lady, an enraged Higgins submits proof to a London newspaper that Nepommuck is a fraud. When Nepommuck is found with a dagger in his back, Henry Higgins becomes Scotland Yard's prime suspect. However, Eliza learns that most of Nepommuck's pupils had a reason to murder their blackmailing teacher. As another suspect turns up dead and evidence goes missing, Eliza and Higgins realize the only way to clear the Professor's name is to discover which of Nepommuck's many enemies is the real killer. When all the suspects attend a performance of Hamlet at Drury Lane, Eliza and Higgins don their theatre best and race to upstage a murderer.

This reimagining of George Bernard Shaw's beloved characters is sheer pleasure. Wouldn't It Be Deadly transports readers to Edwardian London, from the aristocratic environs of Mayfair to the dangerous back alleys of the East End. Eliza and Henry steal the show in this charming traditional mystery.

Published under the pen name: D.E. Ireland by authors: Meg Mims + Sharon Pisacreta


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