I’m so excited my visiting author this month is LynDee Walker with her new book Devil in the Deadline.  She creates a mystery from the perspective of an investigative reporter which really gets her into some great character revelations.   LynDee took some time to answer some questions and even shared a recipe.  My kind of writer!!

Of course there is a Giveaway!  Scroll down to find the Prize Guy for all this loot: A tote bag with a Richmond Telegraph t-shirt, an electronic copy of Front Page Fatality, a signed Hardcover copy of Heartache Motel, a $10 amazon gift card, and assorted Headlines in High Heels swag.

1. You came to writing novels as a journalist. How has that influenced your writing fiction?

Dialogue. That’s the place I see the most impact of my years reporting. I spent so many years

really listening to different people—from different backgrounds and cultures—speak. I hear the

characters talk in my head and it comes across as pretty true-to-life.

2. What inspired the idea behind your book?

This is the first book I’ve written where the central mystery was based loosely on a story I

covered as a working reporter. I’ve always wanted to fictionalize that world (I’ll let you guess

which parts are based on reality and which are totally made up). When my husband came in from

a run along the James last year saying “I know where your next body is going to turn up,” and we

discovered the old power plant, everything came together to put the televangelism story in this

book. It was such fun to send Nichelle to do things I didn’t get to.

3. Who is your favorite character to create scenes for in the book?

That’s a tough one! I love most of the characters in Nichelle’s world, and for different reasons.

They’re all fun people to write about. But I think my favorite is probably Grant Parker, the sports

columnist at the newspaper and a good friend of Nichelle’s. He’s an almost-professional pitcher

whose career ended before it really began because of a torn rotator cuff, and a local hero. Parker

is smart and funny and has an unshakable confidence that’s so much a part of who he is—and

really fun to write about.

Here’s a fun scene where he’s helping Nichelle dig up information in BURIED LEADS:

Feeling suddenly more dated than a pair of battered Doc Martens, I smiled and shook

my head, waiting for them to pass before I charged after Parker. By the time I caught

up to him, he’d been surrounded by a knot of college kids who were hanging on his

every word as he told a story about digging his team out of a ninth-inning, three-run

deficit with three three-and-outs in a row followed by a grand slam.

I laid two fingers on his elbow and he slid his eyes to me. He didn’t miss a beat in his

tale as he nodded subtly to a tall, dark-haired kid across the circle from him.

They erupted into spontaneous applause when he recounted crossing home plate and

he laughed.

“It was fun,” he said. “I played because I loved the game. Stick with that, and you’ll

never be unhappy.”

He kept his eyes on the dark-haired kid as he spoke, and the boy suddenly became very

interested in his shoes.

Bingo.

4. Living in Texas and being a burrito lover myself-what is your favorite kind?

I love just about any incarnation of Tex-Mex, and it’s hard to come by in Richmond. My go-to for a

craving is a burrito bowl I can whip up for lunch any day, thanks to single serve rice cups.

1 Single serving cup of mulitigrain or brown rice

1/2 lime

1/2 tsp dried cilantro

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup black beans, drained

diced tomato

1/4 cup sweet corn kernels, drained

2 tbsp sour cream

2 tbsp grated cheese

salsa

Remove lid and cover from rice cup, and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Microwave according to

package directions. Set aside.

Stir cumin into black beans and microwave until warm, usually about 30-35 seconds.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy. Makes one serving.

*you can easily add leftover taco or fajita meat to this dish with no modifications.

 

 

5. How can readers find your books, and are there more coming in this series?

The books are available wherever books are sold—hardcover, trade paperback, and all ebook

formats.

This series is currently contracted with Henery Press through book six. Number five, COVER SHOT,

is slated for release in October.

My Review: 5 Stars

Holy Manolos!  How can you not love a book with a phrase like that?  Nichelle Clark is a reporter who has an outstanding ability to get people to trust her, whether it’s the suspect, the police or the killer.  In this fourth installment of the Headlines in High Heels Series, Nichelle or “Nicey” uses just that talent to get details on a murder from a group of homeless kids.  From there she is lead to a creepy megachurch pulling down loads of cash and finds her reporting is being scooped by a … blogger. I enjoyed LynDee Walker’s cast of characters including a sexy ATF guy and an uber sexy mob guy.  This book was funny and the pace of the mystery was terrific!