A Deadly Combo - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Karen A. Phillips to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Karen writes the Rocky Nelson Boxing Mystery series. A Deadly Combo is the first book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: Rocky and her sister, Bridget, visit a vintage trailerfest in A Deadly Combo. When I think of trailers I always think of the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Before writing this book, were you a vintage trailer fan?

KAP: I mention the movie The Long, Long Trailer toward the end of the book just prior to the exciting climax! I fell in love with vintage trailers after attending my first trailerfest at a winery. In fact, that is where I got the idea for A Deadly Combo. I thought of how much fun it was to go inside each trailer and talk to the owners about their work restoring the trailer to its former glory. And then it struck me, this would be a great place to find a dead body!


Kathy: Rocky loves boxing, and I'm a fan too. In fact, my dad took me out of grammar school one day when Sugar Ray Leonard came to town so we could see him train! Are you a boxing fan?

KAP: What a great experience for you. I became a fan of boxing after I decided to take boxing lessons to get in shape. It is a very difficult sport to learn. I have a renewed appreciation for those who do well at it. Did you know Mohammed Ali’s daughter, Laila, is a former professional boxer? She retired undefeated.


Kathy: The Rocky Nelson Mystery series has been described as cozy noir-two quite different genres. Why did you decide to fuse the two? Could it be described as a traditional mystery?

KAP: I started out writing A Deadly Combo as a cozy, but the story turned a bit dark. “Cozy noir” is a new term gaining popularity and I feel it fits. A Deadly Combo is a traditional mystery with cozy elements, such as an amateur sleuth, a small town setting, and the murder happens off of the page.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

KAP: I like the simplicity of a cozy—if I can describe any mystery as simple? What I mean is, there are a small number of characters and they seem to know each other. The setting is a small town which feels new for the reader, yet familiar. One of my favorite cozy series is the Agatha Raisin mysteries by M.C Beaton.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KAP: I enjoy writing poetry and young adult fiction, however I haven’t published anything in those genres yet.

Kathy: Tell us about your series.

KAP: A Deadly Combo is Book One in the Rocky Nelson Boxing mystery series. This is my first mystery series. I am working on Book Two now and hope to release it in the spring of 2024.
 

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

KAP: I love Rocky’s dad. He adds humor to the story and some say he steals every scene he’s in.

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

KAP: I have lost two brothers much too soon. I wanted readers who have lost a loved one to relate to Rocky and Bridget having lost their mother at a young age. I come from a dysfunctional family and I don’t believe there is such a thing as a normal family. My story is about family and how far one might go to protect the ones you love.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KAP: It took me years to finish A Deadly Combo. I guess you can say I’m a slow learner. But seriously, it took me a long time to learn the craft and feel confident I had written the story to the best of my ability. Since Rocky’s dad is patterned after my own father, who turned 87 this year, I wanted the book to go out in the world so he could hold it in his hands and be proud. I honestly feel it is a fun story and readers will enjoy it.

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

KAP: M.C. Beaton, C.J. Box, Stephen King, and Agatha Christie. Doesn’t that sound like a fun group?!

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KAP: Good question! I am searching for the next good read. I keep starting a book but haven’t found one that really engages me. I hope A Deadly Combo engages the reader. It is fast-paced, with the story taking place over seven days.
 

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

KAP: I take boxing lessons! I enjoy Plein Air painting – that’s a fancy term for painting outdoors. I have a degree in Applied Art & Design and love to create book covers.

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

KAP: You ask the best questions! I have cheese (usually Manchego), Fuji apples, Kale and grapefruit.

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

KAP: Oh, yes. Book Two should be out in the spring of 2024. The working title is “A Deadly Scheme."

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

KAP: Creating fun, interesting, characters and living vicariously through them. 

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A Deadly Combo by Karen A. Phillips

About A Deadly Combo

A Deadly Combo: A Rocky Nelson Boxing Mystery
Traditional/Cozy Blend 1st in Series
Setting - California
River Rock Press (March 1, 2023)
Number of Pages: 270

What do boxing and vintage trailers have in common? Rocky Nelson. 

Meet Raquel Nelson (AKA Rocky), a retired single woman with an attitude. In Rocky’s opinion, independent ruffians, relentless heat, wildfires, and unhealthy AQI are all part of living in the Sierra Foothills of California.

Sisters Rocky and Bridget are enjoying each other’s company at a vintage trailerfest until they stumble over a corpse. The dead guy is none other than the local trailer restorer and Bridget was overheard threatening to kill him. Mounting evidence leads police to focus on Bridget as a person of interest. Desperate to prove her sister innocent of murder, Rocky dons her own deerstalker cap and goes sleuthing. Rocky knows a little about the job requirements, having caught her sister’s last husband in an illicit affair. Detective Thompson is on the case and isn’t happy about Rocky poking around, and lets her know in no uncertain terms. But Rocky is tenacious if not stubborn. Combined with a 78-year-old father who insists on assisting, Rocky uses her courage and skills from boxing lessons to protect her family and keep from becoming the killer’s next victim.

This is the first book in The Rocky Nelson Boxing Mystery Series – a perfect series for lovers of small town mysteries with a cozy-noir feel featuring boxing and an amateur sleuth who will stop at nothing to save the lives of those she loves.

About Karen A. Phillips

Author Karen A. Phillips lives in Northern California and writes humorous, fun, action-packed mysteries. She has several short stories published in various anthologies. Her characters are engaging and fearless. “A Deadly Combo” is her first full-length novel. In real life, Karen takes boxing lessons but would hesitate if she had to punch anyone in the face. Let’s face it. Karen wouldn’t last one round in the ring.

Author Links: 

Website: https://karenaphillips.com/ 

Facebook: KarenAPhillips/Author 

Instagram: kannphillips 

Twittter: @phillips_writes  

Purchase Links -- Amazon - B&N - Kobo 

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Between Good and Evil Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome R. Michael Phillips to the blog today. BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL is the first book in the Auburn Notch Mystery series and was released earlier this year.

Kathy: I admit to a fascination of asylums of the 19th and early 20th century and have visited a few. Have you visited any asylums?

RMP: I never gave them too much thought until I started the book, now I can’t wait to visit one. I’ve located one outside of London I might have to peek inside my next time over. There’s another one close to me in Pennsylvania I’d like to stop by.


Kathy: Is Willis Asylum based on an actual asylum?

RMP: The Willis Asylum is a combination of a few different abandoned buildings I came across while doing the research for the book. I blended the creepier parts together and then worked backwards to strip away the decay to give it a dignified beginning.


Kathy: Setting plays an integral part in mysteries, sometimes becoming a character unto itself. What makes Auburn Notch the perfect setting for BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL.

RMP: Auburn Notch is a fictional town nestled beneath the shadows of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. New England was a center for industry at the turn of the century, and has always been an idyllic spot for vacationing. It’s kind of the last place you would expect to find crimes with a surprising twist, so I felt it was a good place to establish the town. You’re right about the setting becoming a character in the book. The freshness of the mountain air has a cleansing affect on Promise Flynn, and completely different from the gritty streets of Chicago she left behind. Then, in an instant, winter rolls in and it turns icy cold, just like the hand of death. Who could ask for more out of a setting?


Kathy: What first drew you to mysteries?

RMP: I’ve read mysteries all my life. Whodunits. Thrillers. Suspense—everything from Agatha Christie to Robert Parker. I guess I just enjoy a good puzzle, so I decided to create a few of my own.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

RMP: I’ve always heard it is best to write what you know about, so I write mysteries, just mysteries. In that same respect, I also use settings I’m very familiar with—New Hampshire for the Auburn Notch Mysteries, and London for the Ernie Bisquets Mysteries.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

RMP: The Auburn Notch Mysteries is a brand new series for me, set in New England. It combines a tough female protagonist with a past she is trying to put behind her, and crimes that aren’t what they appear to be in a setting where they would never be expected. This series is a little darker with a heightened suspense level than my other series.

My other series is the Ernie Bisquets Mysteries. It’s centered around a retired pickpocket in contemporary London who has decided he is going to help the London police with their more challenging cases—whether they want his help or not. These are English cozies, so the characters are quirky, and the crimes are intricate puzzles.


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

RMP: That’s a tough choice. Right now I have to say Ernie Bisquets is my favorite. I’ve written 3 books in his series, and have just started the 4th. Ernie is a true character, and someone I think anybody would enjoy meeting—just make sure you still have your wallet before he walks away. I’m just getting to know Promise Flynn, so there’s a good chance she’ll be right up there with Ernie soon enough. One of these days it might be fun to introduce them to each other in a story.


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

RMP: I’ve been writing the London-based series for so long I wanted to change things up a bit. I’ve been kicking around new characters and plots for a while now, but some didn’t seem to work well in a London setting. Then I took a trip back up to New England and it hit me—why not start a new series?


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

RMP: As tough as writing a book is, finding a publisher is even tougher. This was the goal I set for myself when I started the first book. Writing a book is an accomplishment in itself, but to be published and distributed adds a great deal of credibility to that accomplishment. I decided no matter how long it took, I was going to find a traditional publisher that believed in my work as much as I do. I was thrilled when I got the offer from Sunbury Press for the new series. They will also be publishing the next book in the Bisquets’ series.


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

RMP: Charles Dickens, for his thoughts on today’s social and political climate; Oscar Wilde, for his wit; Robert Parker, for his exceptional grasp of dialog; and Dorothy Parker, because she could make any gathering of authors an event worth attending.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

RMP: I’m just finishing Peter Ackroyd’s FOUNDATION—the history of England from its earliest beginnings to the Tudors, and CHOICE OF ENEMIES by M.A. Richards.


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

RMP: I’m a classically trained artist, so I always have a painting or two on my easels going at all times. Painting helps me think when I’m stuck on a plot direction.


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

RMP: Cream Of Wheat, Clotted Cream (great on scones,) Wise Potato Chips, and Cinnamon Raisin Bread. I’m a man of simple tastes.


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

RMP: I’m very excited to tell you I’ve turned in the 2nd book in the Auburn Notch Mysteries. If all goes well with editing and book jacket design, it should be released by the end of the year. I’ve also started book 4 in the Ernie Bisquets Mysteries. I have a very complete outline, so I intend to get this one done by the end of summer. Look for an early 2017 release for that. I also have outlines for 1 more book in each series, so I’ll be pretty busy for the next year or two.


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

RMP: I have to say the best part of being an author for me is meeting new people at book signing events. There is a great energy there, and I really enjoy the feedback about the series. I’ve incorporated a number of ideas into storylines we’ve come up with at these events. Mystery readers are very devoted to their genre and like being surprised, so I do everything I can to accomplish that for them in my books.

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Let's Meet Joanne Phillips and Flora Lively & a Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Joanne Phillips to Cozy Up With Kathy. Joanne writes the Flora Lively Mystery series. Flora Lively and a Date with Death is the second book in the series.

Kathy: Aside from taking place is Great Britain, what makes a mystery quintessentially British?

JP: I think Flora herself is very British – there is this innocence about her, along with a nosy almost ‘busybodyness’ that finds her embroiled in all sorts of mysteries and adventures before she knows what’s hit her! My other favourite aspect of these mysteries is Flora’s love/hate relationship with American Marshall. He drives her crazy, not least of all because of the way he teases her about her Britishness! But she kind of loves to be driven crazy by him. Then there are the mysteries themselves, in the tradition of Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton. A Date With Death reflects this British flavour most of all, with the action taking place in an old country house, and a very Christie-esque denouncement at the end.


Kathy: Are you inspired by the great British detective authors such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers? Have they influenced your writing?

JP: Very much so, in terms of plot structure and tone. My characters, however, are more contemporary, and the books blend the charm of a more old-fashioned kind of mystery with the modern day problems a young and feisty amateur sleuth might face.


Kathy: I'd love to live in a glamorous country house, as long as I had staff to look after it! Would you enjoy that lifestyle, or perhaps a weekend party at one?

JP: I’d enjoy a weekend party there, but not if Flora was around - I’d be pretty sure that a dead body would soon follow! Yes, I think I would have done well if I’d been born into that lifestyle, with staff of course. I’m very good at finding things to do with my time, and very very good at delegating!


Kathy: In Flora Lively and a Date with Death the priceless Infanta Tiara is stolen. Is this tiara based on an actual historical piece?

JP: No, it was entirely made up. I do remember an early episode of Blackadder (British Comedy), where there was a character called the Spanish Infanta, and the name stuck with me. When I needed to think of a piece that would fit in with the Spanish film crew theme and be a draw for a thief, the idea of a beautiful tiara arrived in my mind.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

JP: I can blame author Edie Claire for that. I read the first in her Leigh Koslow series, Never Buried, and I was hooked. But there was a sense of already knowing the genre, but not knowing what these books were called. I’ve always loved mysteries, but can’t stand gore or upsetting themes. Finding that these books were being written right now - and that you didn’t have to stick to the traditional mysteries of the last century - was a landmark moment for me.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

JP: Yes - I write romantic comedies and women’s fiction, and I’ve also just completed a Masters degree in creative writing where I wrote a literary novel. I don’t think I could ever confine myself to one genre as a writer, any more than I could as a reader.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

JP: Flora inherited her family removal business when her parents died; she also inherited Marshall, her father’s hand-picked manager. In book one, Flora befriends an old lady she moves into a retirement village, and ends up solving the mystery of the dreaded ‘third floor’. I already have five books planned out for the series, which will see Flora’s character grow and develop, along with her relationship with Marshall. A Date With Death sees Flora reunited with her best friend, Celeste, who has been travelling and arrives home with a Spanish film crew in tow. Marshall and Celeste hate each other on sight, and soon Flora has her loyalties torn, as well as her sleuthing skills stretched. Although the mysteries drive the plot, all the books revolve around relationships and conflict. It’s just how I like to write.


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

JP: I love writing about old people, so I think Joy from book 1 is one of my favs. In A Date With Death I really enjoyed writing Alberto, the Spanish director - he is a larger than life character, and they are always fun. And Marshall, of course. I suppose I’m a little in love with him.


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

JP: Not really, but Flora Lively came to me as a character - a diminutive woman managing a traditionally male removals company. The idea for the mystery series followed.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

JP: I have always loved writing, and aged 38 I’d already completed 3 novels, one of which had gained a lot of interest from an agent. Having my daughter held things up for a while, but when the Kindle boom started to hit I realised I wanted to be part of the new indie movement. I’m a control freak anyway, so self-publishing really appealed to me.


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

JP: I’m lucky to be friends with one of the authors I admire, so I’d invite Linda Gillard first. And then, Anne Tyler, Carol Shields, and my mum, who is also an author. I think we’d have a great time.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

JP: The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice


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

JP: I love crocheting and knitting, and quilting. Obviously I love to read, and I like going for long walks, listening to audiobooks on my phone.


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

JP: Chocolate - 85% cocoa solids, very dark and bitter! Chilled wine - always Pinot Grigio. Lots of salad because I’m on a health kick just now. And cereal bars for when I need a snack.


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

JP: Yes, most definitely. The next book in the Flora Lively series will be called The Sign of Seven and I’m really looking forward to making a start.


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

JP: Being able to work from home! And just doing what I love to do. Even if I couldn’t earn money from writing I’d still write. I can’t help it. It’s just what I am.

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