Nun After the Other - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Alice Loweecey back to the blog today. Alice writes the Giulia Driscoll Mystery series. NUN AFTER THE OTHER is the fifth book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: In THE CLOCK STRIKES NUN Giulia Driscoll dealt with a haunted house and now she has to deal with a convent ghost. What made you choose a paranormal bent for your series?

AL: I love paranormals They're so much fun. It's also the closest you can get to real horror and still be a cozy, right? Mashups rule! Also, I wanted to keep the series fresh. There are a lot of women sleuths out there but not a lot who have to deal with ghosts.


Kathy:In addition to a convent ghost who hates the nuns, NUN AFTER THE OTHER gives us drug rings, developers, and a crash course in parenting. Were any of these topics more fun to write than the others?

AL: [Stares at question. Thinks about book. Remembers developers and parenting. Drug rings?] This answer is proof that once a book is off my laptop and in my editor's hands, I'm already on to the next book! Honestly, the nerd in me is showing, because my answer is: Developers. I've done the parenting things twice and (shh) I also touched on drug rings in an earlier book, 'Back in the Habit'. I knew very little about developers and got to dive down the research hole for this plot element.


Kathy:Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

AL: Seriously: The Chihuahua. My friend and fellow writer, Barbara Early pointed out how many cozies feature cats. I tried to work in a cat. I really did. I have three of them; I could've featured one. But instead, the Chihuahua who fakes a limp to get extra attention wouldn't take no for an answer. The ghost got in my face as well. She was supposed to be a crotchety old woman but when I reached the chapter where she finally appears, she was anything but. Characters. So pushy.


Kathy:I really enjoy the covers to your Giulia Driscoll Mystery series. This most recent reminds me of Disney's Haunted Mansion ride! Do you have any input in their design?

AL: You're saying this to someone who does NOT do Disney, you know. <grins> I make suggestions for my covers, giving a list of major book elements the Nunmobile can drive past. My cover artist always comes up with something eye-catching. She's terrific.


Kathy:Are you able to share any future plans for Giulia?

AL: She'll have the troubles of all working mothers: Juggling a career and a newborn. Sleep is a thing of the past. She's handling more ghosts, of course, and they're not all as nice as the ghost in Nun after the Other.


Kathy:Will you share any other upcoming books?

AL: I can't share teasers for the next Giulia book, because I'm still writing it. (Speaking of sleep being a thing of the past...) I can share that I just signed a book contract for my alter-ego, Kate Morgan. She writes horror. The book, 'Demons for Tea', will be out sometime this year from Omnium Gatherum Books. It's 'Supernatural' meets 'The Addams Family'.

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Nun After The Other (A Giulia Driscoll Mystery) by Alice Loweecey

About the Book

 

Nun After The Other (A Giulia Driscoll Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 5th in Series  

Henery Press (April 17, 2018) Paperback: 268 pages 

Nuns and murder and ghosts, oh my! Here comes Giulia Driscoll again, and boy, is she in for it this time. It starts when a frenzied Chihuahua leads Giulia and Frank Driscoll to the body of a nun in the street near a convent. The nuns fear they’re being harassed by the biggest developer in town and quickly embrace Giulia as their savior. Of course the former nun who exposed the drug ring run by a priest and nun will save their home and discover the murderer. And of course not only Giulia takes this job, but also all the other jobs clamoring for her attention. The result: Driscoll Investigations is pushed to its limit. Then Giulia’s brother falls into a coma and she brings his kids to her house. Talk about a crash course in parenting for pregnant Giulia! Did we mention the convent ghost? She loves the house, hates the nuns, and chain-smokes. Why couldn’t Giulia’s first honest-to-goodness ghost be shy and sweet? More important, does the ghost hate the nuns—or the developer—enough to indulge in a bit of murder to liven up the afterlife?

About the Author

Alice Loweecey is a baker of brownies and tormenter of characters, Alice Loweecey recently celebrated her thirtieth year outside the convent. She grew up watching Hammer horror films and Scooby-Doo mysteries, which explains a whole lot. When she’s not creating trouble for her sleuth Giulia Driscoll or inspiring nightmares as her alter-ego Kate Morgan, she can be found growing her own vegetables (in summer) and cooking with them (the rest of the year).  

Website: aliceloweecey.net  
Facebook: facebook.com/GiuliaDriscoll
Twitter: @AliceLoweecey  
Goodreads: Alice Loweecey  

Purchase Links Amazon B&N Kobo iTunes

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The Clock Strikes Nun: An Interview & Giveaway

I'm so happy to welcome Alice Loweecey back to the blog today. Alice writes the Giulia Driscoll Mystery series. THE CLOCK STRIKES NUN is the fourth book in the series and was released this week.

Kathy: In THE CLOCK STRIKES NUN Giulia Driscoll is faced with all things supernatural. First Elaine Patrick claims her house is haunted. Do you believe in ghosts?

AL: Let's say I have an open mind. I've never seen or otherwise encountered a ghost myself but I've talked to many trustworthy people who say they have.


Kathy: There are many television shows about ghost hunting. Are you a fan of any of them?

AL: Only to chuckle at. I've seen how the machines and meters can be set to make every little noise appear to be much more than it is. Also, all those orbs. It would probably take an orb floating in front of me and sprouting eyes and a mouth to tell me my skeptical days are over to convince me "orbs" are more than dust motes.


Kathy: Have you ever tried to contact "the other side"?

AL: Only once. Many years ago I paid a psychic to try and discover the whereabouts of a missing and possibly dead friend. She was wrong on every count, as I learned when the friend called me a couple of years later.


Kathy: Giulia also learns about various forms of divination including tarot cards. I actually collect tarot cards. Have you had readings done for yourself? Have you experimented with divination?

AL: A skilled psychic friend gave me a crash course in Tarot reading for the book. I also had a reading done at a local psychic fair to see how the interpersonal dynamics worked. I told the reader up front why I was there and had a great time making notes. She picked up on my unspoken signals so smoothly I could hardly tell. Alas, nothing in her reading for me has so far come to pass. I may not be the best subject!


Kathy: Certain priests have specialized training and actually do perform exorcisms. Have you ever encountered such a priest? Did you get any training in that subject when you were a nun?

AL: Good Heavens, no. Nuns weren't allowed to enter into those esoteric mysteries. I haven't personally met a priest who is also an exorcist. There are very few. I wish I could meet one. His stories would be fascinating!


Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

AL: I'm a die-hard fangirl of the Supernatural TV show. The way Sam and Dean use EMF meters and everyday household objects to handle ghosts was probably my biggest inspiration. Also haunted houses. When I was a Novice some of the nuns claimed the cellars in the Motherhouse were haunted, but again, I never encountered anything unusual.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Giulia?

AL: Giulia's going to encounter a very unusual ghost with attitude in her next book. Also a devious Chihuahua.

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A Mystery/Thriller Week Visit with Alice Loweecey

I'm pleased to have Alice Loweecey join me in honor of Mystery/Thriller Week. Alice writes the  Giulia Driscoll Mystery series.

Kathy: Setting plays such an important role, especially in mysteries. Why choose an area near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for your Giulia Driscoll Mystery series?

AL: So I wouldn’t totally screw up? No, seriously! I wanted to set the series outside of NYS, just because. But I also wanted to work with similar weather patterns. Google Earth to the rescue! It showed me a large section of farmland just west of Pittsburgh, PA and Cottonwood, PA was born. This way Giulia gets to visit Pittsburgh, but I have the freedom to create anything I want in Cottonwood. (Who said “God complex?” I heard that!)


Kathy: NUN BUT THE BRAVE is the most recent Giulia Driscoll Mystery. Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

AL: There were two. I love post-apocalyptic fiction and thus came across the Doomsday Preppers who live in readiness for whatever will cause the fall of civilization. Prepper research is a gift poured into the lap of a writer—they practically write themselves. While outlining the book, a good friend posted herself in her spectacular handmade Halloween costume, a Horned God, and the centerpiece of my Prepper cult was born.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Giulia?

AL: Giulia’s going ghost hunting! Also Tarot reading and EVP catching and all kinds of supernatural fun.


Kathy: When it comes to writing I understand there are 2 general camps-plotters, who diligently plot their stories, and pansters, who fly by the seat of their pants. Are you a plotter, a panster, or do you fall somewhere in between?

AL: I am probably one of the most anal plotters in the business. My outlines run upwards of 5000 words. The writer can’t forget where she planted her clues. Deadlines must be met.


Kathy: In addition to your mystery series, you also write horror under the name Kate Morgan. Do you approach writing these genres differently? Does one come more easily than the other?

AL: I outline everything. I started out as a pantser and it wasn’t fun. My outlines are fluid—when the characters decide to change something, I revise the outline to suit. Structure works well with my writing style: it gives me the freedom to be more creative. Sort of like I write better when I don’t have to worry about the electric being paid.


Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing?

AL: I love connecting with fans. Many years back, I worked in direct marketing, so having to participate in marketing my books wasn’t a complete shock to the system. The one element I dislike is the time it takes from writing. But I’m always ready to make new fans.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

AL: Giulia’s next book, THE CLOCK STRIKES NUN, comes out May 30. This is her sink or swim ghost hunting case. She encounters backstabbing co-workers, sees how the super-rich live, and gets a crash course in Tarot reading and exorcism. All the while bemoaning the two-cup-per-day limit on coffee now that she’s pregnant. The things we do for our kids.

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For more information about Alice Loweecey check out the following links: 

Facebook: facebook.com/GiuliaDriscoll/
Twitter: @AliceLoweecey
Website: aliceloweecey.net
Goodreads: Alice_Loweecey

Prepping for the Preppers - Guest Post & Giveaway

Prepping for the Preppers

By Alice Loweecey 

I’m not making this up.

Well, not all of it. This is a story about how research slithers its tendrils into real life. That sounds like the plot of a horror novel, and these ideas did start with horror novel research.

In Nun but the Brave, Giulia infiltrates a cult of Doomsday Preppers. Oh, the Prepper research! Tactical bacon (it’s a real thing on Amazon; promise). Water purifier systems demonstrated by perky models. Reams of advice on protecting your apocalypse hoard from desperadoes.

Its purpose: the individual’s survival post-nuke. Or post-Electromagnetic Pulse. Or post-Zombie Apocalypse. Note the Tactical Bacon above. Who would want to live in a world without bacon? Or coffee? Or chocolate?

I leave out booze, because it’s become easier than ever to create beer and mead and moonshine in one’s own basement. But even if your neighborhood Prepper group raises bacon the hoof (aka pigs), coffee and chocolate are tropical plants. It’s unlikely my corner Starbucks will be operating post-ZA.

Thanks to my horror novel research, I learned I can grow tea on my desk, coffee in my backyard, and cacao in a greenhouse—and I live in one of the snow capitals of the US.

I’m not saying it’ll be great coffee or tea or cacao, but when one’s stores of ground coffee (no electricity post-nuke, so forget about that fancy whole bean grinder) are used up, a backup plan will be flowering.

When Giulia visits the Preppers, she’s surprised to see coffee growing in their gardens. Surely a coffee hound like Giulia would’ve considered growing her very own in her huge vegetable garden? But Giulia isn’t merely a coffee addict; she’s a coffee gourmand. Because when she tries this home-grown brew, well, let’s just say Starbucks doesn’t have to worry about losing a customer.

Tea, on the other hand, is not Giulia’s favorite. It is a favorite of her creator, and if my cats would leave the plant alone, I’d sure try growing my own tea on my windowsill.

A cacao tree is not in my future, because there are only so many hours in the day. If my choice is to grow my own beans, grind them up, and perform all the other steps required to create the food of the gods—chocolate—I’ll head to the grocery store and buy some Guylian seashells. (If you’ve never had these luscious creations, hie thee to the store post-haste! They’re also great for people watching their weight, since they’re so rich you can’t eat more than two, max, per sitting.

Now that I’ve made all y’all crave coffee and chocolate, my work here is done. And if anyone decides to take advantage of my research and grow any of these plants, please send pictures! I’m on Facebook and Twitter and you can always contact me through my website. I’m off to brew some very strong coffee.

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Currently Moderating...

I'm sorry I'm tardy with today's feature, but I was out late last night moderating an author panel. Instead of sharing what I'm currently reading, I thought I'd share a little about the authors and books in the panel I was moderating.

Yesterday was the book birthday of one of the books-Floral Depravity by Beverly Allen. This book is the third in the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery series and deals with a medieval handfasting ceremony. Well, a modern day version of one. Be sure to stop by the blog this Friday as Beverly is stopping by for an interview.

Alice Loweecey was another author on the panel. Second to Nun is the kind of second book in her Giulia Driscoll Mystery series (really first book had a different publisher, so the series was kind of restarted). In this installment, released September 22, we get haunted lighthouses and seances and such. Alice also writes horror stories under the name Kate Morgan. Did you visit the blog two Sundays ago? If you didn't you missed Alice's guest post. You can check it out by clicking here.

Sandra Block was the final author of the group. Sandra writes psychological suspense. Her series deals with a psychiatry resident who has some issues of her own. The second book in her series, The Girl Without a Name, was released September 8th.

I hope you check out these books and perhaps you'll be currently reading them soon.

Saving my Writing Bacon - Guest Post & Giveaway

Saving my Writing Bacon

By Alice Loweecey

I’m a writer. I create. My readers want more mysteries from me, so I brew some Seattle’s Best No. 5 and grab my laptop. Allons-y!

That is, until I’m staring at that blank white Word doc and nothing’s coming.

A creature called “Deadline” likes to appear on my desk right about then. It usually looks like the outcome of several illegal horror movie experiments mixed with wolf spider DNA. Google “wolf spider” if you don’t need to sleep tonight – I’m not going to insert a picture here. (You’re welcome.)

When I’m being menaced by that creature and my creative mojo is binge-watching Firefly on Netflix instead of, you know, creating, I reach for my “Save My Writing Bacon” list.

 (source 20th century fox television)

1. Set a goal with a reward. For example, when I reach 500 words, I will then allow myself to watch one episode of Firefly. The words don’t have to be creative, but they do need to be productive. Which ties into bacon-saver number two:

2. Research. I love research and can get lost in it for hours. I like to front-load my research so all of it is at my fingertips as I'm writing. I’m a visual writer, so I screencap maps, house floor plans, real estate listings, poisonous plants, anything that I’ll need for when I’m deep in the murderer’s head. 

(source:learntarot.com)

 

3. Turn your usual process upside down.  Write a 2-page synopsis if that's something you usually do after the first draft is complete. Outline if you’re a pantser. Front-load the research if you usually research on the fly. Sometimes turning things back-to-front gives my brain the kick in the butt it needs. 

(source: The New York Post)

4. Rethink the inciting incident. If you discover you’ve started the book with the wrong inciting incident—this happened to me—I trolled news stories past and present. After a few hours I ended up using the news like a buffet: One element from here, part of a subplot from there, a quirky character from a third article. I now have a file of articles labeled Plot Bunnies.

5. This final bacon-saver is a version of reversing the process. Write in longhand if you usually write on the laptop, or write on the the laptop if you prefer longhand This  works for any draft I’m in, regardless of deadline. Because if the words aren’t flowing onto. keyboard, it doesn’t matter if I write faster on my laptop. I need to write, period. Sometimes my brain needs the visuals of lots of ink on paper. 

There. 500 words. Firefly, here I come!

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