Guaranteed to Interview and Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Julie Mulhern to the blog today. Julie writes the Country Club Murders Mystery series. Guaranteed to Bleed is the second in the series and was released on October 13th! 

Kathy: The Country Club Murders are set in the mid 1970s. Why did you choose to set your series in this era?

JM: The early to mid-seventies were a time when things were changing drastically for women. Their roles, their career opportunities, their sexuality—everything. I love putting Ellison, the heroine, right in the middle of all those changes.


Kathy: In Guaranteed to Bleed there is an "epically bad blind date". Is this date based on a real bad date? Have you ever had a date go horribly wrong?

JM: That date belongs to Ellison. I did have a first date that ended up at jail…A police officer asked me if we planned to rob a bank for our second date. There was no second date.


Kathy: Although your series deals with socialites and a privileged community, the problems encountered are universal. Did you have a specific intention when writing about this more elite group of people?

JM: The Deep End and Guaranteed to Bleed are about the difference between appearance and reality. Keeping up appearances means a great deal to Ellison’s social set. It’s fun to lift the carpet and reveal what hides beneath.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

JM: I adore mysteries. Always have. From Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie to Dorothy L. Sayers. They were my favorite books growing up.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

JM: I also write historical romantic suspense. It seems I’m incapable of writing a book without killing someone.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

JM: The Country Club Murders are about dark things that hide just below the surface of daily life and how people deal with them.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

JM: Gosh…Ellison? No, Anarchy. Maybe, Hunter? Frances? Definitely, Frances. Frances is so much fun to torture!


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

JM: The Deep End started with the idea of a body floating in the pool and grew from there. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with Ellison and her family. I am so happy she’s part of my life.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

JM: I’ve wanted to be an author since I was 12. Seeing the Country Club Murders in print is a dream come true.


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

JM: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Pat Conroy and Marian Keyes


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

JM: A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup. Someone is getting poisoned in my next book!


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

JM: Like most writers, I love to read. Right now I don’t have hobbies, I have deadlines.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

JM: Coffee, cream, Vain coffee drops, and wine. Do you need anything else?


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

JM: I am working on book three of the Country Club Murders, Clouds in My Coffee. I hope readers like it because it looks as if there might be more Country Club Murders in the future.


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

JM: My absolute favorite? Hearing from people who’ve read my books and enjoyed them!





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