Kathy: Maddie Springer is a shoe designer turned amateur sleuth. Do you love shoes? Have you ever wanted to design them?
GH: I do love shoes! I'm more of a collector than a designer, but I love watching shows like Project Runaway and seeing the fashion design process.
Kathy: In Suspect in High Heels Dana and Marco want to plan the most over-the-top Hollywood surprise party ever. Have you ever planned a surprise party? Or been a recipient of one?
GH: Yes, in fact, while I was writing this book, I planned a surprise party for my mom. She was having a milestone birthday, and with the help of my very sneaky brothers and sisters, we managed to pull it off without her having a clue.
Kathy: Maddie's mom becomes a suspect when her hatpin is the murder weapon used on someone she argued with. How far would you go if your mom was a suspect in a murder investigation?
GH: All the way! It's my mom, after all. :) Not that she'd ever murder anyone... we only kill people in fiction in my family.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
GH: I grew up on Nancy Drew and later Agatha Christie, so mystery has always been my first love.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
GH: I do write in some slight off-shoots. I have a thriller/suspense series, which started with the book Play Dead, and also a YA series that I'm revamping and creating new releases for that will be out next year.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
GH: The High Heels Mysteries follows fashion designer turned amateur sleuth Maddie Springer and her wacky cast of friends and family as she stumbles on dead bodies in the always exciting Los Angeles area.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
GH: I'd have a hard time picking just one, but a lot of Maddie's life parallels mine, so I do have a close connection with her.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
GH: Bits and pieces of people and places I've been are sprinkled throughout the High Heels Mysteries. A lot of it is based on my experiences living and working in LA when I was in my early twenties. So many characters to draw from there!
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
GH: Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, Elizabeth Peters, and Andrew E. Svenson (author of my absolute favorite books as a kid that got me learning to read, The Happy Hollisters.)
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
GH: Make Believe Murder by Leslie Langtry
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
GH: I love to cook, which has been the inspiration for my Wine & Dine Mysteries. I have a new book in that series coming out in January, Marriage, Merlot & Murder!
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
GH: Brie, wine, olives, and tofu.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
GH: I have lots of books planned to release next year in several of my series, including two more planned releases in the High Heels Mysteries! Check out the "What I'm working on" section of my website to see them all. And for regular updates, sign up for my newsletter! https://www.gemmahalliday.com
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
GH: Being able to work in my pajamas!
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The author has generously offered an e-copy of Spying in High Heels, the first book in the series, to one reader. In order to qualify, simply comment on this post no later than 11:59 Eastern time Wednesday, November 6, 2019 telling us your thoughts on shoes. Be sure to leave an e-mail address so that I can contact you should your comment be picked. Good luck!
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Suspect in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries) by Gemma Halliday
About Suspect in High Heels
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Gemma Halliday Publishing (October 1, 2019)
Number of Pages: 200
When Maddie Springer—shoe designer turned amateur sleuth—tags along with her mother to the Antiques Extravaganza road show, the last thing she expects to have to do is pull her mom off of a celebrity appraiser after he calls her prized antique hatpin a phony. But things go from harried to homicide when the same appraiser is found dead just moments later—killed by Mom's hatpin!
Now not even Maddie's husband, LAPD Detective Jack Ramirez, can save Mom as the force's two most bumbling detectives are assigned to the case. As if Maddie doesn't have enough on her plate, her best friends, Dana and Marco, enlist her help to plan the most over-the-top Hollywood surprise party ever for Dana's fiancé (who has a little surprise of his own up his sleeve), Maddie's adorable twin toddlers are always up to no good, and the only thing that can calm her fashion-challenged and suddenly-a-suspect mom down are aura cleansing from her favorite Venice Beach psychic, Mrs. Rosenblatt. Whether they help or hurt, Maddie's friends assist her in wading through a slew of murder suspects—none of whom are telling the truth and all of whom have ample motive to want the appraiser dead. Was it the frigid business partner with questionable ethics? The clown-collecting fan-turned-stalker? The auction house owner with a grudge? Or was the appraiser's real business something much more sinister than his TV personality let on…and much more deadly?
Maddie and her eccentric gang of unlikely sleuths are under the gun to find out before the real killer strikes again…and Mom takes the fall!
About Gemma Halliday
Gemma Halliday is the #1 Amazon, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of several cozy mystery and suspense thriller novels. Gemma's books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader's Choice awards, a RONE award for best mystery, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her large, loud, and loving family.
Gemma's path toward becoming a bestselling author was not a straight line—more like a zigzagging path filled with obstacles! Prior to putting pen to paper, she worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, an architect's assistant, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic. Luckily none of these panned out.
Author Links:
Website - https://www.gemmahalliday.com/
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/gemmahallidayauthor
Twitter - https://twitter.com/gemmahallidayca
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Gemma-Halliday/e/B001IGOLXC/
BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gemma-halliday
Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Apple
The Rest of the Series The High Heels Mysteries:
#1 Spying in High Heels
#2 Killer in High Heels
#3 Undercover in High Heels
#3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story)
#4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels
#5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (novella)
#5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (short story)
#6 Fearless in High Heels
#7 Danger in High Heels
#8 Homicide in High Heels
#9 Deadly in High Heels
#10 Suspect in High Heels
#11 Peril in High Heels - coming soon!
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Thank you for being part of the book tour for "Suspect in High Heels" by Gemma Halliday.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading the interview and learning more about author and book. Sounds like a fabulous book and one I would greatly enjoy having the opportunity to read. Great cover!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thanks so much, Kay! I hope you enjoy it!
DeleteThank you for including Gemma Halliday's books on your blog. This service is so beneficial for the reader who is looking into a new author's books. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThis is a fun cover, sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post. You can never have enough shoes. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the kind comments. I hope you enjoy the book! Please stop my my website and let me know if you do. :)
ReplyDeleteI like your protagonist and would like to start your series.
ReplyDeletebrowninggloria(at)hotmail(dot)com
i LOVE THE BOOKS THAT YOU WRITE AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE ON THIS TOUR IT NOT ONLY GETS YOUR NAME OUT THERE BUT PEOPLE WILL SEE THE KIND OF BOOK THAT YOU WRITE AND THAT IS GREAT. MUCH LUCK WITH THIS, PEGGY CLAYTON PTCLAYTON2@AOL.COM NOTHING BETTER THAN WRINTING A REVIEW AFTER READING A GOOD BOOK
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