Meet Mystery Author Marni Graff

Marni Graff writes two award-winning mystery series: The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. She teaches writing workshops and mentors the Writers Read program, and is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press. 

Graff also writes the crime review blog Auntie M Writes, www.auntiemwrites.com.

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Nurse Trudy Genova is making plans to take her relationship to NYPD detective Ned O'Malley to the next level, when she lands a gig as medical consultant on a film shoot at the famed Dakota apartment building in Manhattan, which John Lennon once called home. Then star Monica Kiley goes missing, a cast member turns up dead, and it appears Trudy might be next. Meanwhile Ned tackles a mysterious murder case in which the victim is burned beyond recognition. When his investigations lead him back to the Dakota, Trudy finds herself wondering: how can she fall in love if she can't even survive?

Readers of Death Unscripted, the first book in the Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery series, will find the same pleasures in this sequel: fast pacing, engaging characters, twists and turns on the way to a satisfying close. From the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries, this second series is a winner. Once again M.K. Graff reveals her talents in crafting this delightful mix of amateur sleuth and police procedural.

Part procedural, part cozy, Death at the Dakota is a well-crafted and highly entertaining mystery.- Bruce Robert Coffin, #1 bestselling author of the Detective Byron mysteries.  

I fell in love -- not only with co-protagonists, Trudy and Ned, the richly detailed and historic setting of The Dakota, and the unique cast of characters, but with the unusual plot of Death at the Dakota. Sherry Harris, Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries

  
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Snippet:

Brrerrdidididididitt. Brrerrdidididididdiitt. The noise of a jackhammer filled the spacious room.

“CUT!” a voice yelled.

Actress Monica Kelly let the curtain drop along with her Jinx persona and crossed her arms in frustration.

I caught my best friend Meg Pitman’s eye and we held our breath, waiting for an outburst from the director.

Phin Hill-Yorke stomped out from behind the camera and over to the window, gangly arms and legs flying, frizzy short hair stuck up around her head as though she’d had a recent encounter with an electrical socket. “Meg!”

Poor Meg, off to the rescue.

My name is Trudy Genova, RN, and I’m fortunate to have one of the best jobs a nurse could have. I’m a medical consultant to one of New York City’s major television studios, the Passion Broadcasting Junction. PBJ had decided to branch out into television films, adding to their roster of talk, news programs, and Internet soap operas.

Meg had her first position as Production Assistant on this movie, and the British director on loan from the BBC had given her a battering at times all through the shoot. Not that the rowdy woman singled out Meg—Phin embodied an equal opportunity harasser in a mostly good-natured sort of way.

“Get your arse down there and sort those wankers out. They were supposed to hold off on that pavement ‘til next week. Bring that form from the chancellor’s office with you.” Phin yelled above the noise that continued, patting her pockets for a cigarette. “Please,” she added as an afterthought.

Meg hurried off with a wave in my direction, silky blonde hair flying.

“It’s the mayor’s office here, Phin.” China Barrett corrected Phin from her perch next to me, out of camera range. Phin’s assistant and I exchanged tiny smiles, co-conspirators for the past six weeks in the filming of this television movie close to wrapping.

“I don’t care if he’s the Prime Minister, that racket must stop.” Phin consulted her watch. “Loo breaks all around while we sort this out, boys and girls.”

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Meet MG/YA Author Steve Altier

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes author Steve Altier. Steve recently switched from writing Middle Grade stories to YA.

First,  a bit about Steve:

I was born in a small town in central Pennsylvania. I currently live in the Tampa Bay Metro area with my wife. I have four daughters and three loving cats. I enjoy writing YA and MG stories.

Why did you pick to write books for Young Adults?

I started out writing MG children’s books. This recent story is a YA. I wanted to step up and try something a little different and expand my horizons.



What types of books do you like to read?

I read paranormal stories, YA thrillers, and Dystopia. I’m a BIG science fiction nut. I just finished the 5th Wave and currently I'm reading the 2nd book, The Infinite Sea.


When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I love reading and bowling, spending time at amusement parks. I love to travel and take trips to the beach, that’s why I live in Florida.  I also enjoy spending quality time with friends and family.

Tell us about Lizardville - The Ghost Story and how the story came to be.

I grew up in a small town in central Pennsylvania; it was out in the middle of nowhere. The road I lived on was called Lizardville Road. The story contains some of my childhood memories along with many things that never happened. This story came to me one day when I was chatting with an old high school friend on Facebook. They mentioned how many people can say "they grew up in Lizardville" and the light bulb went on. I knew I had to write this story.

Here's a peek at Lizardville - The Ghost Story:

The world outside sounds menacing as loud thunderous cracks rained down on the home. In the middle of this fierce raging storm with no electricity, siblings Zack and Daniel turn to their father, John Malone. Feeling the boys are now old enough to learn the truth about his childhood, John decides to share a family secret that he’s kept locked away, a secret that changed John’s life forever.   

In a small Pennsylvania town called Lizardville, a young boy named Johnny and his friends set out on a weekend camping trip along the banks of Big Fishing Creek. On the first night, as the boys gather around the campfire, Parker shares a story that happened nearly eighty years ago, the legend of the Ax Factory murders. 

Soon after, strange, mysterious things begin to happen. Little do the boys realize they have awakened the spirit world! Jimmy, unable to sleep, comes face to face with a ghost named Annabelle. She is searching for something and knows the boys are hiding what she seeks. Could the secret lie in an old puzzle box? As this spine tingling, edge of your seat adventure unfolds, one question remains: Will they survive the weekend?

Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

This is my fourth book; the first three are MG chapter books. In We Can’t Move at Christmas a family struggles with moving at Christmas. Readers meet two young children, Gabby and her younger brother, Maddox, who worry that Santa won’t find them at Christmas. They have no new address. Will Santa have to deliver their presents to a hotel, they wonder? Luckily for them, Santa’s Family Moving Department, an elite group of elves, is on the case.

I used the same characters in the second book Gabby and Maddox: Adventures in Italy. It's a story that takes our siblings back in time to the days of Ancient Rome and the great chariot races and gladiator battles.

My third MG book is called Blast Off with Gaby and Maddox, which is a space adventure where the children join the C.A.P, Children’s Astronaut Program, and travel to space and get to meet some friendly aliens.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I've thought about a sequel to Lizardville, but I’m not sure I want to do that at this time, but I haven’t ruled it out. I’m currently working on another YA paranormal story. I don’t have a title for it yet. The story takes place in a library where a lot of strange things continue to happen. Most of the story is about the library and the group of teens that study there.

What advice do you have for other authors?

The best advice I can give is write daily, even if it’s only a few paragraphs and read every chance you get.

Anything else you want readers to know?

A lot of work goes into writing a story. I always thought it was an easy process. Wow, was I wrong. It’s a fun experience and very gratifying when you see the finished product. The best part I enjoy is reading the reviews from the readers. Good or bad, I enjoy them all, and I learn from them.

Where can readers find you and your books?

My Website: Steve Altier

My books:
Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and other online booksellers
Also in select Barnes & Noble stores in the Florida market

Meet MG/YA Author Kay Lalone

Join me in welcoming MG/YA author Kay Lalone to Carpinello's Writing Pages. Kay's debut book Ghostly Clues was released in November 2012 by MuseItUp Publishing.


Kay, tell us a bit about yourself.

I have been writing for most of my life. Some of my short stories have been published in children’s magazines. Other short stories have grown into MG and YA novels. I have an interest in the unexplained things like ghosts, dreams, witches, demons, and just things that are weird so most of my stories reflect that interest. Ghostly Clues is my first book to be published. I live in Michigan with my husband and youngest son.

What types of books do you like to read?

Mystery mostly. I love the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series. I like books that have believable characters who are put into weird and strange situations that upset their normal life, routine. It is entertaining to see how they survive the situation and see how their lives change. 

Why did you pick to write books for Middle Grade/YA?

Children and teenagers have an open mind and wild imagination so it is fun to write MG and YA. Writing for that group of people is a challenge to dig deep into my own imagination and view the world like my readers would and to be creative and entertaining. I picked writing books for MG and YA because it gives me a chance to be a child again through my characters.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

My favorite thing to do is spend time with my family whether it’s play games or watching movies. I have two adult sons and one teenage son at home so family time is hard to come by with everyone being so busy. My husband and I love to go to auctions and buy antiques. I love camping with my sons and doing things that interest them like playing video games (even though my youngest beats me all the time.) When I want to relax, I love to read.

 Tell us about Ghostly Clues and how the story came to be.

Ghostly Clues started out as a short story. I was around thirteen, same age as the main character, Sarah Kay when my grandma died. That was when I had my first encounter with a ghost. It was a ghost hand that crawled up on my bed and grabbed a doll. The next morning the doll was found way under my bed. I believe it was my grandma telling me I was too old to sleep with dolls. This memory has haunted me all these years. And I started asking myself what if questions and soon Ghostly Clues developed into a novel.

Blurb:

The sweet scent of lilacs permeates the air around Grandma’s gravesite. Only Sarah Kay can smell Grandma’s favorite flower, and they’re not even in bloom.

Sarah Kay and her best friend, Mary Jane, believe the lilacs are a sign from Grandma’s ghost. The girls follow one ghostly clue after another, uncovering a secret that Mom never wanted Sarah Kay to know.

Grandma makes sure Sarah Kay gets the message even from the grave. As the evidence piles up, Mom still refuses to accept the possibility Sarah Kay’s father is alive.

Sarah Kay finds Dad’s parents. A set of grandparents she didn’t realize existed. They make it clear her father is alive but days and miles separate the father and daughter reunion because Dad is a truck driver on a long haul.

Sarah Kay waits. The news reports a fatal car accident involving a semi and Sarah Kay fears the worse. She runs away which leads to Dad and the truth, Mom wanted Dad to remain dead.

Dad had faked his death so why not just stay dead.  The ghostly clues of Grandma wouldn’t allow Dad to remain dead to Sarah Kay.


Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

I have written other books but they aren’t published yet. One manuscript that I am finishing up and will send to MuseItUp is a YA novel entitled Family Secret. It’s about a fifteen year old boy named Tom whose mother died and his father leaves him with a family friend to go away on business and try to figure out who killed his wife. Tom feels abandon by both parents. Strange things start to happen to Tom and he discovers the family secrets his parents have kept from him will put him in danger.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

Yes. I am always working on new stories. I have a lot of stories running through my head. But another story that is almost complete is a YA novel Mysterious Visions. It is about Nicole who has visions, one of her parents' fatal car accident, and how she deals with her friends knowing her secret.  Also, strange things that happen in the caves on the island.

What advice do you have for other authors?

The best advice I was given is read, read, read, and write, write, write. Reading is important not just for entertainment, but to see how other authors write. As an author it is hard to find the time to write. So you need to discipline yourself to sit down and write. If you don’t have that discipline or drive to write, than learning to how to write a story is useless.

Anything else you want readers to know?

I would like to hear from my readers. I think the great thing about technology is that you can facebook or even email your favorite authors. I always wished I could do that when I was a kid, but way back then it was harder to contact an author. So I love hearing from my readers to find out what they are thinking and what they would like see in a story.

Where can readers find you and your books?
My website is Kay Lalone Author  and my blog is www.kaylalone.blogspot.com. 

Ghostly Clues can be found at MuseItUp Publishing.