Author Interview: Deborah Brown

 

 
 
 
Title: Crazy in Paradise
Author: Deborah Brown
Publisher: Paradise Books, LLC
Paperback: 341 pages
ISBN: 13: 978-1463550622
ISBN: 10: 1463550626
 
JAPT: Congratulations on the publication of your novel. Tell me about your book.

DB: When Madison Westin, the main character, inherits her aunt’s beachfront motel in the Florida Key, or so she thinks. Tarpon Cove is not your typical sleepy beach town: Seduction, drunks, ex-cons and fugitives are not the usual fare for someone looking to start a new chapter in their life. Wrestling control of the property from both the lawyer and the conniving motel manager will be no easy feat. But Madison likes living on the edge so she felt right at home. Bullets fly, a dead body turns up, a kidnapping and blackmail. Madison really has to learn not to leave home without her Glock or it could get her killed.

JAPT: Where did the idea of the book come from?

DB: The idea came from real life. I have met so many interesting characters and have been in situations I thought deserved their own novel. The fun is having the characters surprise you, turning them loose in one direction to see where they take you. I love to let the character go and be interesting while doing it. Creating characters where there was no end to bad behavior and they weren’t all good or bad. An added plus is I get to unleash my sense of humor.

JAPT: What is your favorite quote from the book?

DB: “Call me if anything creepy happens. I’ll bring my big guns, and we’ll play shootout.”

JAPT: Can we expect a sequel?

DB: Yes. I have written my “fat outline” for the next book in the series, Murder in Paradise. Some of the fun characters will be back with another murder to solve. A person from Madison’s past makes their debut and brings chaos to town.

JAPT: Who is your favorite author?

DB: It’s hard to choose one favorite with so many great ones out there. I love mainstream fiction. Tilly Bagshawe, Sandra Brown, Jackie Collins, Janet Evanovich, Carl Hiaasen, James Patterson, Sidney Sheldon, to name a few. I love books that are an “E” ticket amusement ride. Books that are laugh out loud.

JAPT: Tell us about your writing day.

DB: I do most of my writing in an overstuffed chair, laptop on my lap, looking out at the water. I get up in the morning and turn my laptop on while drinking my coffee. I sit and write until life interrupts. I can get more done in my pjs than anyone I know. I schedule in exercise of some sort during the day. Much like my character I loathe the gym. In cooler weather I bike around the water and in hot weather I swim. I read one author’s goal was to write 10k words a day and realized I needed a goal. I settled on 2-3K words.

JAPT: What inspired you to become a writer?

DB: I was always writing. When I was a kid I had fantasy land going on in my head. In high school, I wrote short stories, poetry, long tortuous love letters that my best friend at the time convinced me they were better kept in a shoe box than sent out. Actually, her suggestion was to burn the love letters. I wrote two novels and after many rejections they found a place under the bed. Three years ago I decided to sit down and write and not give up. I’d met so many characters, I felt compelled to bring them to life. I found out I missed writing.

JAPT: What made you decide to self-publish?

DB: I tried to be traditionally published. It’s hard to gage with form rejection letters. The percentages of landing that coveted agent are dismal. Everything I’d heard about self-publishing was that it was vanity books. One would never be taken seriously, that it is the kiss of death with an agent. Last year, a friend sent me an article about e-publishing and then I started reading news articles. After researching, I realized eBooks have come a long way and that they are the future. I read about the experiences of writers Joe Konrath and John Locke. I had nothing to lose. I didn’t see a downside.

JAPT: If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?

DB: Condiments, bottled water, yogurt and chocolate.

JAPT: Dog or Cat?

DB: Cat! I’ve had lots of cats over the years and all of them I’ve rescued from the streets. I’d definitely have a dog if it could walk itself. Keeping fish alive didn’t work out for me.

JAPT: Thank you for the interview.

DB: Thank you.

Available at Amazon.com in paperback and on Kindle

 

 

 

10 Things About Me:

 

1. Youngest of four - A Daddy's girl!!

2. Girly Girl

3. Love cats - all of my cats have been rescued

4. I love bad boys in fast cars

5. Born and raised in Los Angeles - Left in 2002 and never looked back

6. I don't look or act my age

7. I've published my first book and the sequel to be out in January 2012

8. I love to make people laugh

9. There's nothing better than sand between my toes, picking up seashells

10. Voracious reader

                                                   Good Things About Autumn:

 

Piles and piles of leaves

Flannel sheets

Big, steamy kettles of soup

Thick socks in the morning

Afternoon nap under your favorite throw

Big pumpkins

Smell of the first rain of the season

Reading a good book bundled in a blanket

Trick or treaters

Fire in the fireplace

Going for a walk, listening to the leaves go crunch under your feet

Crisp, cool air

One extra hour of sleep ~ daylight savings time ends

 

“Uncle Daddy”

“Liam!” I called when I saw him sitting in the barbecue area. I walked over and sat down next to him. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”

“My mom has a new boyfriend. He’s in the I want to impress you stage.”

“Do you like him?”

“I liked him better when he was married to my aunt,” he said, looking down.

“Are you okay?” I brushed his blond hair out of his face. Married to his aunt?

“Just downloaded a new game on my phone.”

“Who’s that?” I nodded toward the sharp-featured wiry man with a pencil-thin mustache, shuffling across the driveway. I’d have been afraid if I ran into him at night.

“Uncle Daddy.”

I laughed. “Who?”

“My mom’s new boyfriend. That’s what he wants me to call him.”

“What’d you say?”

“I asked him if he was drunk.”

“Bet he didn’t like that.”

“My mom doesn’t make good choices when it comes to men. She’s too nice. Her sister kicked him to the curb. I thought when he was coming around, we should be nice to him because he was getting a divorce. I knew it was serious when he and my mom showed up together at my grandmother’s house. He’s got to go and soon. I’m working on a plan.”

“If you need help with that plan, I know someone who can drop-kick his butt into the next state.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Do you have my number in that fancy phone of yours? Nice, by the way.” I fumbled in my purse and pulled out my cell phone. “Here, use my phone to call yourself, and then we’ll have each other’s numbers.”

“You have a cool phone, too.” He checked out my programs before handing it back.

“What about Kevin?” Kevin Cory was his uncle and a local sheriff. He could be overprotective, but it was because he loved his sister and nephew.

“I can’t do that to my mom. Kev would come over and blow everything out of proportion, and I’d have to go stay with him until my mom got rid of Uncle Daddy. I hate going there for more than a day. Kevin treats me like a baby. The first he thing he’d do is take away my phone.”

“Why?”

“He thinks twelve is too young for a phone. I think it’s because I have a better phone than he does. Besides, my mom needs me; I watch her back. Kev is by the book. All he thinks about is his job and catching criminals.”

“If you ever need anything, you can call me anytime, twenty-four hours. This guy I know is big and scary, and no one messes with him.”

“Thanks. You’re cool.”

“You’re not bad yourself. Just remember, you’ve got my number.”

“Thanks.”

I couldn’t resist asking, “So, have you called him Uncle Daddy?”

He rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding?”

“How do you get around it?”

“He’s a dumbass. I don’t talk to him, but if I have to say something, I look his way and start talking.”

I laughed again. I loved that kid.

 

 

Honk if you go crazy in paradise

Liz McKeown

Nashville Books Examiner

Take a beloved aunt who dies suddenly, add a sleazy lawyer and an injured hottie who appears out of nowhere and you've got Crazy in Paradise. Deborah Brown, the author of this romantic mystery, lives in paradise. On the physical plane, they call it Key Largo, Florida.

Question: Did any of the action in this book ever happen to you?

Answer: The book chronicles a six-year period in my life, of people that I met and events that happened. For anyone who has traveled to South Florida, my characters are very typical of the people you’d meet there. It’s definitely a hot bed of unsophisticated criminals waiting to take advantage. The whole Will storyline had truthful elements but once arrested, fiction took over.

Question: Would you call Crazy in Paradise a mystery romance or maybe a romantic mystery?

Answer: My pick would be mystery romance. I intentionally focused on fast-paced action from chapter to chapter. In future books, I want Madison to grow as a character and become smarter. Not being the same one-dimensional character, making the same mistakes from book to book.

Question: I don't think romantic mysteries are a genre, but it's time you start one, don't you think?

Answer: I like your idea of romantic mystery as a genre. Life isn’t one dimensional, so books shouldn't be either. There have been books I've read that stated they were mystery/romance. Having read the book, I realized the whole book contained romance, and the mystery was to imply whom the heroine was going to choose as a mate. Choosing the right genre is important for your readers so they don’t feel cheated.

Question: Who is your favorite mystery writer?

Answer: Hands down, James Patterson is my favorite writer. I love Nora Roberts. I like the Tilly Bagshawe books where she’s writing in the Sidney Sheldon style.

Question: Who is your favorite romance writer?

Answer: Sandra Brown ~ I met her at a conference and she was very gracious to new writers. Meg Cabot, Gemma Halliday.

Question: Since your book is so funny, I may as well ask who your favorite comedy shows and comedians are.

Answer: I watched Two and a Half Men on occasion – I loved the Charlie Sheen character. I caught an episode of The Simpsons recently and thought what a great show for character descriptions. A man was introduced and my first thought was, “What’s bigger ~ his ears or his mouth?” The truth is, my preference is drama shows over comedy. I like Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, and Comedy Central. I love dry humor and for myself, I have to soften it with a laugh or people just think I’m mean. My favorite is when I say something I think is funny and laugh my head off and the other person just stares at me. The usual comment is “You think you’re funny don’t you?” My answer a resounding “Yes!”

Question: Are you or have you been a property manager, like your main character?

Answer: Yes, I was a manager for a property not unlike The Tarpon Cove Cottages. And like Madison, I had no experience. I rented to felons, drunks and those with shined up, sad stories. My advice to Madison – do background checks. Someone once told me, “nice gets you walked on in this town,” and there were no truer words. Miss January and Joseph were based on tenants that I had, both have since died, but the crazy people that they were live on.

Question: What do you like best about living in Key Largo?

Answer: I love the white sandy beaches, the beautiful blue-green water where you can see your feet when you kick and splash through the waves. When I have time, I take my beach chair, put it in the water, sit and read. I love the casual life style, bra optional, flip flops a must. I like to be able to sit outside on a beautiful day, walk, pickup shells, ride my bike, and make a stop for that Caramel Frappe that I love.

Question: Does a cat own you? Describe it.

Answer: Cats rule in my house ~ three in total!! I’m here to do their bidding ~ feed them, clean up after them, and scratch behind their necks on meow command with simultaneous head butting of my hand. They totally ignore me during the summer but I’m their best friend in winter when they want to lie on my face and all over me. Thank goodness for king-size beds, one shares my pillow and the other two sleep at the foot.

To check out Crazy in Paradise, click on the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-in-Paradise-ebook/dp/B0059AJ8V8