My latest mystery novel, A Few Dead Men, was inspired by my youngest daughter's disastrous dating history. The 'dead men' in the novel are composites of every boyfriend and/or bad date my daughter ever had. Believe me, I had lots of material to choose from. In fact, I didn't have room for all the 'dead men', since I didn't want to go over my word count.
This book raises several questions: Who exactly are dead men, metaphorically speaking? How did they become dead? Are there more dead men than live men? If not, where do you find live men?
But the book is also about a young woman compelled to solve the mysteries around her, like her favorite amateur sleuth, Nancy Drew. She doesn't go about it in exactly the same way.
Previous stops on the Blog Tour:
Character Interview: Darcy MacDonald at http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com
and Character Interview: Giovanna Pescateli at http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/
This book raises several questions: Who exactly are dead men, metaphorically speaking? How did they become dead? Are there more dead men than live men? If not, where do you find live men?
But the book is also about a young woman compelled to solve the mysteries around her, like her favorite amateur sleuth, Nancy Drew. She doesn't go about it in exactly the same way.
Previous stops on the Blog Tour:
Character Interview: Darcy MacDonald at http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com
and Character Interview: Giovanna Pescateli at http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/
A Few Dead Men - a Chick Dick Mystery
Life has dealt part-time mystery novelist Darcy MacDonald a lousy hand. The men she knows are either missing, dead, drunk or demented.
Lying next to the corpse of her boyfriend, the head of Bloodhound Investigations, definitely qualifies as lousy since he’s the man who also issues her paychecks.
The doctor says her boss had a massive heart attack during an orgasm, and it wasn’t Darcy’s fault. But she can’t help feeling guilty, since his orgasms were her responsibility. Or so she believed, until his grieving widow shows up, along with a mysterious, punk rocker chick who weeps inconsolably at the funeral and claims he was murdered.
Life has dealt part-time mystery novelist Darcy MacDonald a lousy hand. The men she knows are either missing, dead, drunk or demented.
Lying next to the corpse of her boyfriend, the head of Bloodhound Investigations, definitely qualifies as lousy since he’s the man who also issues her paychecks.
The doctor says her boss had a massive heart attack during an orgasm, and it wasn’t Darcy’s fault. But she can’t help feeling guilty, since his orgasms were her responsibility. Or so she believed, until his grieving widow shows up, along with a mysterious, punk rocker chick who weeps inconsolably at the funeral and claims he was murdered.
N: Today we're finishing our series of character interviews from A Few Dead Men, so I'd like to welcome the heroine's mother, Eunice MacDonald, to the guest blog. Thanks for being here, Eunice.
E: I almost didn't make it. The traffic was horrible.
N: Sorry to hear that.
E: I know Darcy thinks she got the short end of the stick, but I had a worse time. Worrying about her constantly, wondering what new disaster would befall her, wondering when she'd meet a decent guy.
N: I guess that's a mother's lot in life. You have an unusual name. Where does it come from?
E: I'm named after one of your favourite great aunts, as you well know.
N: You're right, I just wanted to get that in there. Why don't you tell the readers about yourself?
E: I'm married to a university professor, I have two daughters, Isabel and Darcy, and I work as a hospital dietician.
N: What do you like about your character the most, and why?
E: I don't like anything about my character.
N: Nothing?
E: Well, I guess I like the fact that I run marathons even though I'm in my fifties.
N: So I guess there's a lot you'd change about yourself, if you could?
E: I'd want to be younger, thinner and prettier. What a question.
N: Describe your perfect day.
E: Hosting a wedding reception for Darcy.
N: Why is it so important to you that Darcy get married?
E: Because I know she's lonely, and I'm tired of standing by while the losers she dates break her heart. She's a good girl. She just wants somebody to love her. Is that so much to ask? I'd like a couple of grandchildren. Most of my friends have grandchildren, and they're always rubbing my nose in it.
N: And --
E: Wait a minute, I'm not finished. I'll tell you why Darcy's not married. She has horrible taste in men. She picks all the wrong ones. If I could pick them, it would be a different story. But she won't let me set her up with anyone. She says she doesn't need my help. Ha! So the reason she's still single is partly her fault.
N: Okay. Last question. Did you have a favorite part in the book?
E: I liked my conversation with Giovanna's mother, Gina Pescateli, on Darcy's front steps. That woman puts on airs, but I set her straight.
N: Thanks, Eunice!
Next stops on my Blog Tour:
Friday, March 23rd - KB Owen, mystery writer
I'll be visiting KB Owen, who loves mysteries and recently finished her first novel in a planned series, set at a 19th C. women's college in Hartford, Connecticut. I'll be blogging about what it takes to become an amateur sleuth.
Wednesday, March 28th - http://denisehays.com/
I'll be guest blogging on author Denise Hays' site. Denise is the author of Bloodhound, a Niki Edgar Mystery. I'll talk about dark humour.
A Few Dead Men - a Chick Dick Mystery is available at the following online retailers:
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
Chapters/Indigo/Kobo
Amazon
Author Bio
Nancy Lauzon worked nine years on a hospital ward as a cardiac nurse before the night shifts turned her into a zombie. She got a day job in health promotion and began to write health-related articles for magazines and newsletters.
Life threw out a few curve balls, and to relieve the stress, she began to write fiction part-time. Five years later she sold two different manuscripts to two separate small-press publishers, using a pseudonym. She left nursing in 2003 and began to write full-time.
Nancy lives in Ottawa, Canada.
Visit her website http://chickdickmysteries.com
Join the Chick Dick Mystery Group on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter Friend her on Goodreads
E: I almost didn't make it. The traffic was horrible.
N: Sorry to hear that.
E: I know Darcy thinks she got the short end of the stick, but I had a worse time. Worrying about her constantly, wondering what new disaster would befall her, wondering when she'd meet a decent guy.
N: I guess that's a mother's lot in life. You have an unusual name. Where does it come from?
E: I'm named after one of your favourite great aunts, as you well know.
N: You're right, I just wanted to get that in there. Why don't you tell the readers about yourself?
E: I'm married to a university professor, I have two daughters, Isabel and Darcy, and I work as a hospital dietician.
N: What do you like about your character the most, and why?
E: I don't like anything about my character.
N: Nothing?
E: Well, I guess I like the fact that I run marathons even though I'm in my fifties.
N: So I guess there's a lot you'd change about yourself, if you could?
E: I'd want to be younger, thinner and prettier. What a question.
N: Describe your perfect day.
E: Hosting a wedding reception for Darcy.
N: Why is it so important to you that Darcy get married?
E: Because I know she's lonely, and I'm tired of standing by while the losers she dates break her heart. She's a good girl. She just wants somebody to love her. Is that so much to ask? I'd like a couple of grandchildren. Most of my friends have grandchildren, and they're always rubbing my nose in it.
N: And --
E: Wait a minute, I'm not finished. I'll tell you why Darcy's not married. She has horrible taste in men. She picks all the wrong ones. If I could pick them, it would be a different story. But she won't let me set her up with anyone. She says she doesn't need my help. Ha! So the reason she's still single is partly her fault.
N: Okay. Last question. Did you have a favorite part in the book?
E: I liked my conversation with Giovanna's mother, Gina Pescateli, on Darcy's front steps. That woman puts on airs, but I set her straight.
N: Thanks, Eunice!
Next stops on my Blog Tour:
Friday, March 23rd - KB Owen, mystery writer
I'll be visiting KB Owen, who loves mysteries and recently finished her first novel in a planned series, set at a 19th C. women's college in Hartford, Connecticut. I'll be blogging about what it takes to become an amateur sleuth.
Wednesday, March 28th - http://denisehays.com/
I'll be guest blogging on author Denise Hays' site. Denise is the author of Bloodhound, a Niki Edgar Mystery. I'll talk about dark humour.
A Few Dead Men - a Chick Dick Mystery is available at the following online retailers:
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
Chapters/Indigo/Kobo
Amazon
Author Bio
Nancy Lauzon worked nine years on a hospital ward as a cardiac nurse before the night shifts turned her into a zombie. She got a day job in health promotion and began to write health-related articles for magazines and newsletters.
Life threw out a few curve balls, and to relieve the stress, she began to write fiction part-time. Five years later she sold two different manuscripts to two separate small-press publishers, using a pseudonym. She left nursing in 2003 and began to write full-time.
Nancy lives in Ottawa, Canada.
Visit her website http://chickdickmysteries.com
Join the Chick Dick Mystery Group on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter Friend her on Goodreads
