Interview + Giveaway With Stacy Verdick Case Author of A Grand Murder

Author Bio:

Stacy Verdick Case was born in Willmar, Minnesota.  After a brief stint as a military brat, where she lived in Fort Sill Oklahoma and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, her family moved back to Minnesota.

Stacy currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul with her husband and her daughter.  Her Catherine O’Brien mystery, A Grand Murder, is available from Before the Fall Books.  Her second Catherine O’Brien mystery Murder is a Family Affair, will be released shortly.  Stacy is hard at work on her third book in the series.

Visit Stacy on the web at www.StacyVerdickCase.com

Twitter http://www.twitter.com/SVerdickCase

Blog http://sostacythought.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Grand-Murder/265021126858004

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5094848.Stacy_Verdick_Case

Interview:

 

1.       What made you choose to write in the Genre that you write in.

Initially I started out in Romance.  Then I had an unpleasant experience at a company I worked for, and wanted to kill my former employer, so I did – on paper. That was the impetus for A Grand Murder.

2.       What is your favorite thing about the writing experience and why?

I love creating new characters and getting to know who they are. Even though I’m writing a series Catherine and Louise (the lead characters)  still have the ability to surprise me. Little nuances of the personality emerge with each new book, and as the writer, I get to have these ah-ha moments of , “So that’s why you do that.”

3.       What was the first moment you know you wanted to write?

I wrote my first book in second grade called, No Snow on Christmas. My Mom gave it to me a few years ago. I have it in a drawer. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. Most kids had a security blanket, or a favorite doll, I had a red spiral bound notebook and pen that went everywhere with me. 

                            

4.       How do you handle bad reviews?

I know that not everyone will like my writing, so I try not to read the reviews. There are hugely successful books that I don’t care for at all. There are writers I love that others hate with a passion bordering on unhealthy.  If you expect to be loved by everyone as a writer, you will be severely disappointed. When  you decide to pursue a career as a writer you learn fast that rejection is part of the territory. You either get a tough skin or you quit early.

5.       Where is your favorite place to write?

My writing time is limited, so I have to carve out time where I can. I still carry a pen and a notebook with me everywhere, so I can take advantage of long waits at the doctor’s office or lunch breaks. I also have a mini tape recorder, so I can dictate on my commute. Most of A Grand Murder was written on lunch breaks and dictated on my commute.

6.       Who is your favorite author and why?

That’s such a hard question to answer because I love so many writers for different reasons. I love Harper Lee for her ability to evoke a time and place, Stephen King for his descriptive abilities, Anne George for her ability to create characters you want to have dinner with, JL Bourne for the best zombie books, Christopher Moore for his humor, there are many more.

7.       What words of advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Keep learning.  There is always something you can learn about your craft.  Someone once said to me that no one can teach you to write, and I disagree. It’s true that some people have a natural talent for storytelling, but even they can learn to hone their writing skills.

8.       What is your favorite character in A Grand Murder and why?

That’s like asking a mother who her favorite child is, you can’t chose one. Both Catherine and Louise are equally strong female characters, if pressed I would say I favor them equally.

9.       What is your favorite scene from A Grand Murder and why?

I like the scenes where Catherine interacts with her husband, because I think it gives a greater insight into who she is as a person.  Those interactions show her softer side and her vulnerability.

10.   If A Grand Murder was turned into a movie, who would you want to direct it?

Penny Marshall.  I think she is an incredibly talented director.  She works well with humor, and there’s a lot of humor in A Grand Murder, so I think she would be the best choice. Penny if you’re reading this, have your people call my people, and we’ll chat (LOL).

11.   What is your favorite time of year?

Spring when everything is renewing itself.  Spring is such a hopeful season, so full of possibilities.

12.   Where is your favorite place to read?

Curled up on the corner of my sofa.

13.   What is the worse book you have ever read?

There have been a few, but I won’t publicly trash other writers. Like I said, not everyone will like every book.  It’s just poor taste to openly trash other writers and bad karma.

14.   What is the best book you have ever read?

To Kill A Mockingbird.  I know some people don’t like the book, but it’s so evocative of a time and place, and so well written that I read it over and over.

15.   What is the most inspiring quote you have ever heard?

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go - Abraham Lincoln  I remember the first time I read that statement it made me realized things are only bad because that’s what I believed them to be. Sometimes what I see as an ending is a new beginning in disguise.

16.   What projects do you have planned for the future?

A Grand Murder will be released in Audio in January 2012.  The second book in the Catherine O’Brien series, Murder is a Family Affair,  is scheduled for an April 2012 release, and I’m working on the third book in the series right now. I want to have that completed in the next few months

Stacy was lovely enough to giveaway one paperback copy of her book " A Grand Murder." Read about the book below and enter. Contest is US only. Good luck!

A Grand Murder is the first book in the Catherine O'Brien mystery series.

When a prominent local businessman and friend of the chief of police is murdered on the front steps of his posh Grand Avenue Hill home, Saint Paul homicide detective Catherine O'Brien a pithy, vertically challenged, St. Paul, Minnesota, homicide detective with a monstrous coffee habit and her partner Louise are given two days to find his killer.

They soon discover their victim had a list of people with motives to murder him, including his fashion designer ex-wife, his mistress's husband, and the chief of police. The only evidence they have to go on is a missing cell phone, a stolen book, the victim's letter opener, and an ugly pair of Alpaca wool mittens.

 Buy it at Barnes and Nobles.com a Rafflecopter giveaway