THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE GUACAMOLE - Rebecca Adler - One Free Book

Welcome back, Rebecca. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

My first person voice is a good fit for cozy mysteries. And I enjoy writing stories set in small towns with everyday people with human foibles. Big Bend Country in far West Texas is my favorite part of Texas, and I love sharing it with my readers.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

The happiest days of my life had to be the days that my boys were born, all three of them.

How has being published changed your life?

Now that I write the Taste of Texas Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime, I write on a very tight schedule—especially when I combine my writing with teaching theatre to middle school students every day. And it's a blessing to hear from people who enjoy my books.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished A Traitor to Memory in the Inspector Lyndley series by Elizabeth George. Definitely not cozy, but complex and superbly plotted.

What is your current work in progress?

I'm working on the third book in this series, currently entitled Cinco de Murder.

What would be your dream vacation?

My dream vacation would be to visit Italy and Greece—so much history, architecture, and delicious cuisine.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I like to choose settings that mean something to me. My first novel was set in New York City where I lived for eight years after college. This series is set in my favorite region of Texas. I try to do my best to bring my love for these settings to my readers.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I'd like to spend an evening with Emma Thompson. She's such a brilliant writer and actress and so witty.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Hmm. I enjoy teaching; but it's not exactly a hobby. In the past, I have sung on different worship teams at church. I look forward to doing so again.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Time is my most difficult writing obstacle. It can be overwhelming balancing all the many responsibilities that are on my plate. I depend on writing sprints with friends, a planner I check and update daily, and setting daily writing goals.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Write every day. Write when you don't know what you're writing. Don't wait until you have time. There's never enough time.

Tell us about the featured book.

Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan is about to serve up some Lone Star justice in this spicy Taste of Texas Mystery from the author of Here Today, Gone Tamale.

Tourists are pouring into the town of Broken Boot for the annual Homestead Days Music Festival. Opening the celebration at Two Boots dance hall is smooth-talking country singer Jeff Clark, the ex-boyfriend of Josie’s best friend, Patti Perez. When the charming Clark woos Patti onstage in an attempt to rekindle some sparks with his old flame, Josie fears her friend will end up as just one more notch on the singer’s guitar strap.

To impress her editor at the Broken Boot Bugle, Josie and her Chihuahua, Lenny, pursue the singer to Patti’s house, hoping for an interview. Instead, they discover Clark face down in a bowl of guacamole with a bloodied guitar at his side. With Patti suddenly a murder suspect, Josie must use her reporter skills to find out who had a chip on their shoulder—before the killer double dips....

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Ride ’em cowgirl!”

Diablo lurched, twirled a half turn, bucked his rider, and reeled the opposite way.

“Shut your mouth before I jump off this contraption and belt you one across the kisser,” hollered Patti Perez, her jet-black hair flying in all directions.

We might not be real cowgirls, but living in far West Texas meant we could play the part when the occasion warranted. And there was no better time to talk like characters from an old Western than when riding the mechanical bull at Two Boots on the first night of Broken Boot’s Homestead Days Music Festival.

Patti is the sole proprietor of the Feed and Supply, the only Goth princess in our town of plus, and my best friend. With eyes wide, she rode that bull as if she planned to ride it all the way to the weekly livestock show in San Angelo.

Without warning, Diablo shuddered to a halt, causing Patti to slide from the saddle to her feet in the blink of an eye. The crowd near the padded arena burst into applause with a few appreciative whoops from the menfolk. I joined in though I couldn’t miss the fact she’d barely escaped hitting the mat face first.

“Come along, Grace,” I said, raising my voice above the wail of an electric guitar. “You don’t want to show up the band.” The festival’s first act was in full swing.

“Just you wait,” she muttered. “You’re up next.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Facebook: @AuthorRebeccaAdler

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3162024.Rebecca_Adler

Twitter: @CozyTxMysteries

www.berkleysignetmysteries.com

www.AuthorRebeccaAdler.com

Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing this new book with us. I love the setting, since I'm also a Texan.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Good, the Bad and the Guacamole (A Taste of Texas Mystery) - oaoerback
The Good, the Bad and the Guacamole (A Taste of Texas Mystery) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

HERE TODAY, GONE TAMALE - Rebecca Adler - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I contacted this author when I saw the titles of two of her books. They intrigued me.

Welcome, Rebecca. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Interesting question. I would guess I write about fifty percent of myself in my characters. I like to think that my heroine, Josie Callahan, is younger, smarter, and much braver than me. We both like to indulge in Tex-Mex even though we know better.

James and I had Tex-Mex yesterday, and we brought half of it home to eat today. What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

As an out-of-work actor living in New York City, I worked the New York Toy Fair as a giant Furskin.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

My mother remembers discovering my love of writing in second grade. She thanked the teacher for casting me in our class play, and Ms. Valentine responded, “She wrote the play. The least I could do was let her star in it.”

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

As I continue to hone my mystery writing skills, I’m afraid that’s all the fiction I’m reading these days. Non-fiction reading includes my daily Bible passages and online newspapers.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

That’s easy. Pray. I also try to be grateful no matter the situation: good, bad, and ugly. Oh, and I must admit, I’m trying to use calendars and planners more consistently.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Names are funny. They have to sound right, and they definitely have to fit the locale and the character’s personality.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I moved to NYC right out of college to study acting in a Broadway theatre, light years from my home in a small coastal town in the South. I didn’t crumble or lose my faith. That was pretty cool.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Hard one. I would be a long-haired Chihuahua like the one in my book. Lenny’s feisty, but nobody minds because he’s so stinking cute.

What is your favorite food?

Easy one. Queso with spicy ground beef, guacamole, and fresh tomatoes.

I love a good queso, but I’m not fond of adding other things to it. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Staying focused has always been my greatest roadblock. I’m under a lot of deadlines with this series, and that’s helped a great deal. I often chat with other writers during my writing time, reporting my progress on regular intervals. That accountability really makes the difference for me.

Tell us about the featured book.

Reporter turned Tex-Mex waitress Josie Callahan is about to go from serving queso to solving cases…

After losing her newspaper job in Austin and having her former fiancé unfriend her on Facebook, Josie Callahan scoops up her Chihuahua, Lenny, and slinks back to Broken Boot, Texas. Maybe working as head waitress at Milagro—her aunt and uncle’s Tex-Mex restaurant—isn’t exactly living the dream, but it is a fresh start.

And business is booming as tourists pour into Broken Boot for its famous Wild West Festival. But when a local jewelry designer is found strangled outside Milagro after a tamale-making party, Josie’s reporter instincts kick in. As suspects pile up and alibis crack faster than taco shells, Josie needs to wrap up this case tighter than her tía’s tortillas—before another victim calls for the check…

INCLUDES TEX-MEX RECIPES!

Yea. I love recipes. Please give us the first page of the book.

“Josie!” Aunt Linda’s high-pitched drawl soared like a heat-seeking missile up the wooden stairs from our restaurant below, through my quaint living room, and into my sweet but tiny bedroom.

There are three things Aunt Linda and Uncle Eddie have in common with tamales: they’re unpretentious, comforting, and fattening when consumed in excess.

“Be right there,” I bellowed.

“I’ll believe it when I see it, monkey.”

I groaned, but it was all for show. Long gone were the days of hiding beneath the warm cocoon of my quilts. I was no longer that grieving twelve-year-old orphan, yanked from the concrete glamor of Dallas and plopped into the dust bowl of the West Texas desert. Back then, Aunt Linda forced me to partake in what she knew best, the banality of folding napkins and the comfort of tamales. Now I craved the nostalgic aromas and chaotic chatter that would soothe my eviscerated heart and humiliated pride.

And it was time to boogie downstairs to set up for tonight’s festivities before the stink of self-pity started oozing from my pores. I scrunched up my nose at my reflection. “You may not be a waitress, but you can toss plates with the best of them.”

My dog, Lenny, barked from the doorway in disbelief, his bright button eyes and long, silky coat trembling with excitement.

“Little man, watch and see.” With a sigh, I smoothed the red bandana at my neck and yanked up the neckline of my peasant blouse so as not to inspire a lecture on modesty from the matriarch of our clan, Aunt Linda’s mother-in-law, Senora Mari. I tightened my ponytail and turned to my four-legged confidante. “Where is your bandana?”

“Yip.” Wagging his shaggy, miniscule tail a million times a minute, Lenny trotted to his doggie bed. The bed’s designer had gone to a lot of trouble to create a sophisticated bed for beloved canine companions, and I’m sure in her mind it was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately, it reminded me of a crunchy taco with a golden outside and a brown lumpy cushion.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website: www.AuthorRebeccaAdler.com

Facebook: Author Gina Lee Nelson/Rebecca Adler

Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing this new book with us. I love cozy mysteries, and I'm eager for my book to arrive so I can read it.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Here Today, Gone Tamale: A Taste of Texas Mystery - Paperback
Here Today, Gone Tamale: A Taste of Texas Mystery - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com