Rogue's Angels Present: Murder at Morningside by Sandra Bretting

Please welcome Sandra Bretting author of Murder at Morningside.

Sandra Bretting will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Murder at Morningside

by Sandra Bretting

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GENRE: Cozy Mystery

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

My Dutch mother inspired me in a roundabout way. She collected books by famous American writers when she immigrated to this country, because it helped her learn English. Because of that, I was exposed to Jack London, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway at an early age.

 
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?

A strong protagonist is crucial when you’re writing a cozy mystery. The lead character in Murder at Morningside is Missy DuBois, a sassy Southerner with a strong sense of right and wrong. Also, an interesting locale lets readers learn something about an area they might otherwise not know. I purposefully based my series on the Great River Road in Louisiana, because the antebellum mansions there are some of the oldest historic homes we have in this country. Finally, you need lots of action to keep things moving. The trick is to combine all three.

3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

My husband and I visited the Great River Road several years ago, and I fell in love with the area. The mansions there are the perfect settings for murders…lots of nooks and crannies, and ghosts, too!

4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I spent years as a journalist (writing for both the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle). That taught me how to keep a story moving. I also began taking creative writing classes some twenty years ago and “cut my teeth” writing short stories for literary journals.

 
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I read as much as I write. There’s a famous line about the difference between a professional writer and an amateur writer is one reads and the other one doesn’t. I get inspired by reading great writing.  

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

I’d like to keep writing about Missy DuBois and her friends for as long as my publisher and the characters will let me. I’m also considering a series based in Texas, where I live.

7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

I’d definitely like to be Missy DuBois. She’s spunky and independent, and she has style, to boot.

10. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

The best advice I ever received was from a teacher who told me not to quit too soon. He said I’d always wonder if I could’ve made it. The worst advice someone tried to give me was to study TV shows to learn how to write dialogue. That’s a totally different animal.

11. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I outline my books in three sections: the beginning, middle and end. Right now I’m working on the middle of my third book. No matter what, I always start out knowing who killed the victim and why.

12. How do you maintain your creativity?

That’s a great question. I find that reading outside my genre—say, a thriller instead of a cozy mystery—helps keep my writing fresh. It also exposes me to different sayings and word choices than I’d read otherwise.

13. Anything else you might want to add?

Just that I think readers are my favorite people. Reading broadens your outlook …and it makes you a more interesting dinner companion!

BLURB:

Heads turn when milliner Missy Dubois waltzes into town to set up shop on the Great River Road in Louisiana. Heaven only knows the brides who get married in the grand old mansions there could use a bit of help.

But then Missy discovers a murder among the magnolias, and even the worst “bridezilla” seems suddenly tame. 

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EXCERPT:

Time rewound with each footfall as I began to climb the grand outer staircase at Morningside Plantation. The limestone steps, burdened with the history of five generations, heaved their way toward heaven.

At the top lay a wide-plank verandah supported by columns painted pure white, like the clouds. By the time I took a third step, the digital camera in my right hand began to dissolve into the sterling silver handle of a ladies parasol. The visitors’ guide in my left hand magically transformed into a ballroom dance card bound by a satin cord.

Another step and the Mississippi River came into view as it flowed to the Gulf, languid as a waltz and the color of sweet tea. Could that be a whistle from a steamboat ferrying passengers past the plantation? If so, a turn and a wave wouldn’t be out of the question once I reached the top of the stairs, and good manners would dictate it.

I was about to do that when I realized the whistle was only my friend’s cell and not a Mississippi riverboat. “Ambrose! Turn that thing off. Honestly.”

“Sorry.” He shrugged. “I always forget you were Scarlett O’Hara in a past life.”

The mood was broken, though, and the sterling silver in my hand returned to plastic while the linen dance card hardened to a glossy brochure.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sandra Bretting works as a freelance feature writer under contract to the Houston Chronicle. She received a journalism degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and wrote for other publications (including the Los Angeles Times and Orange Coast Magazine) before moving to Texas.

Her Missy DuBois Mysteries series debuts from Kensington/Lyrical Underground in May 2016. Bretting’s previous mysteries include Unholy Lies (2012) and Bless the Dying (2014). Readers can reach her online at www.sandrabretting.com and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/sandra.bretting.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Sandra Bretting will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1687