Quick Picks with Friends

WELCOME TO a lightning round with friends.

A Big Thanks to 

HEATHER LONG, KATHLEEN BALDWIN, DIANE KELLY, VICKI BATMAN & JANIE CROUCH for helping with my QUICK PICKS with FRIENDS today.

PAPER or PLASTIC

Heather: paper

Kathleen: paper

Diane: Paper. It's a renewable and potentially sustainable resource.

Vicki: both

Janie: Well, I live in Europe so the question is really… bring your own recyclable bag or stuff all your groceries in your purse? :-) When I go to the commissary on the military base and forget my recyclable bags, then it’s definitely plastic. That’s all they have.

DAISIES or TULIPS

Heather: tulips

Kathleen: tulips

Diane: Daisies. Tulips are special since their growing period is shorter, but I like that daisies hang around longer and grow in happy bunches on a single plant. 

Vicki: tulips

Janie: honestly, I had to google them both to know what they looked like. I definitely don’t have a green thumb. But I like tulips best.

CAKE or ICE CREAM

Heather: ice cream

Kathleen: both...together

Diane: Cake with lots of buttercream frosting!

Vicki: cake

Janie: Can I have butterscotch instead? 

SOUP or SALAD

Heather: salad

Kathleen: soup

Diane: Salad with grape tomatoes!

Vicki: salad

Janie: Hmmmm. I like some soups. French Onion is my absolute favorite. And I love Greek Salads. But otherwise I’m not a big fan of either. 

COUNTRY or ROCK

Heather: rock

Kathleen: country

Diane: Hmm. Southern rock? It's sort of a combo. You just can't beat those old 38 Special songs or Lynyrd Skynyrd. 

Vicki: rock

Janie: Rock, for sure. Although I grew up in Atlanta, so I can sing just about any country song that came out in the 80s.

15 stories for .99

Try Diane's LAUGH OUT LOUD series.

WHEN DANGER BITES  $3.99

WOWZA GIVEAWAY!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join the Tia Trooper group, order Survival Instinct for .99 and you can receive Hit and Run Hallie for free. Just find the post with #AngiMorganTrooper and tell me you ordered Janie's book.  (Pssst...already have Hit and Run Hallie? I have something else just for you.)

WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

PAW ENFORCEMENT

Get Lost in a Story welcomes 

DIANE KELLY 

author of the Death & Taxes romantic mystery series & a brand new 

Paw Enforcement K-9 cop series

Before we get on with the interview, here’s a quick excerpt to give you a taste of the story:

Chapter One

Job Insecurity

Fort Worth Police Officer Megan Luz

My rusty-haired partner lay convulsing on the hot asphalt, his jaw clenching and his body involuntarily curling into a jittery fetal position as two probes delivered 1,500 volts of electricity to his groin. The crotch of his police-issue trousers darkened as he lost control of his bladder.

            I’d never felt close to my partner in the six months we’d worked together, but at that particular moment I sensed a strong bond. The connection likely stemmed from the fact that we were indeed connected then--by the two wires leading from the Taser in my hand to my partner’s twitching testicles.

#

I didn’t set out to become a hero. I decided on a career in law enforcement for three other reasons:

1)  Having been a twirler in my high school’s marching band, I knew how to handle a baton.

2)  Other than barking short orders or rattling off Miranda rights, working as a police officer wouldn’t require me to talk much.

3)  I had an excess of pent-up anger. Might as well put it to good use, right?

Of course I didn’t plan to be a street cop forever. Just long enough to work my way up to detective. A lofty goal, but I knew I could do it--even if nobody else did.

I’d enjoyed my studies in criminal justice at Sam Houston State University in Hunstville, Texas, especially the courses in criminal psychology. No, I’m not some sick, twisted creep who gets off on hearing about criminals who steal, rape, and murder. I just thought that if we could figure out why criminals do bad things, maybe we could stop them, you know?

To supplement my student loans, I’d worked part-time at the gift shop in the nearby state prison museum, selling tourists such quality souvenirs as ceramic ash trays made by the prisoners or decks of cards containing prison trivia. The unit had once been home to Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame and was also the site of an eleven-day siege in 1974 spearheaded by heroin kingpin Fredrick Gomez Carrasco, jailed for killing a police officer. Our top-selling item was a child’s time-out chair fashioned after Old Sparky, the last remaining electric chair used in Texas. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

To the corner, little Billy.

No, Mommy, no! Anything but the chair!

            I’d looked forward to becoming a cop, keeping the streets safe for citizens, maintaining law and order, promoting civility and justice. Such noble ideals, right?

What I hadn’t counted on was that I’d be working with a force full of macho shitheads. With my uncanny luck, I’d been assigned to partner with the most macho, most shit-headed cop of all, Derek the “Big Dick” Mackey. As implied in the aforementioned reference to twitching testicles, our partnership had not ended well.

That’s why I was sitting here outside the chief’s office in a cheap plastic chair, chewing my thumbnail down to a painful nub, waiting to find out whether I still had a job.

Read a Little, Buy the Book

AND NOW FOR THE INTERVIEW!

Angi:   You’re known for quirky characters and humor in your Death & Taxes series. Is your new Paw Enforcement series similar?

DIANE:  Definitely!  My humor is my trademark, and my characters in Paw Enforcement are just as zany. My heroine, rookie Fort Worth police officer Megan Luz, has an Irish temper that she doesn’t always control well. She’s a master with her baton. Her new partner Brigit is a stubborn shepherd-mix with dominance issues. When the two of them are paired up, it’s a fun, funny mix.

Angi:  I see that you write some chapters from the dog’s point of view. What was that like?

Diane & Reggie
She's a deaf Dalmation/American Bull Terrier mix

DIANE:  So much fun!  A challenge, too.  I had to really think like a dog and imagine how I would feel if I were in Brigit’s shoes – er, paws.  I have 3 dogs myself, so I’ve had some experience with canine behavior, but I also worked to make Brigit have a unique personality all her own.

Angi:  So your cop has anger issues and the dog has dominance issues. Who’s the leader of their pack?

DIANE:Good question.  They two continually vie to see who will emerge as the alpha.  These moments allow for lots of humor, and for development in their relationship.

Angi:  Did you perform any special research for this series?

DIANE:  I attended the Citizens Police Academy in my town, where I learned a lot about police work. I also interviewed two of the K-9 officers.  They gave me lots of insider information. It’s an absolutely fascinating line of work.

Angi:  What’s next for you?

DIANE: Death, Taxes, and Silver Spurs, book #7 of my Death & Taxes series, releases at the end of July.  Paw and Order, book #2 in the Paw Enforcement series, releases on December 30^th, just in time for people to spend those gifts cards they got for Christmas. 

FIND DIANE

Contact   Website     Facebook   Twitter @DianeKellyBooks 

Goodreads   Killer Fiction   Previous GLIAS interviews

The TARA HOLLOWAY series by DIANE

DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A NO-WHIP LATTE

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTRA-HOLD HAIRSPRAY

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A SEQUINED CLUTCH

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND HOT PINK LEGWARMERS

READ THE EXCERPT

DIANE’S giving away one book from her backlist to one North American blog commenter leaving their email address.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Feel free to email your contact information to Angi at GetLostInAStory@gmail.com instead. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DIANE WANTS to know: Who have your favorite non-human characters been in books, movies, or TV shows?

The Peachy Tara Holloway

DEATH, TAXES, and PEACH SANGRIA

A Tara Holloway Novel #4

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 1250023068

When it comes to exposing tax fraud, Tara and her partner Eddie are really cleaning up. From their brilliant takedown of the disappearing “Tax Wizard” to their perfectly planned downfall of the “Deduction Diva,” they’ve earned the respect of their peers at Criminal Investigations. Now Tara’s ready to celebrate with an ice-cold pitcher of peach sangria—even if her next case is totally the pits…

Tara’s looking forward to a challenge but, back at the office, everyone’s looking for love. Her boss Lu “The Lobo” Lobozinski and office virgin Josh Schmidt are signing up for an online dating service, and—to Tara’s dismay—so is her crush, Special Agent Nick Pratt. Tara’s trying to act chill. But when she learns that her next case involves cash-funneling to terrorists, it’s not just her love life that’s on the rocks. It’s her life, period.

EXCERPT

THE GAL BEHIND TARA

A CPA and tax attorney, Diane spent several years at an international accounting firm where she had the pleasure of working with a partner later convicted of tax shelter fraud. She also served a stint as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas under an AG who pled guilty to criminal charges related to the tobacco company lawsuits. Given this work history, Diane decided self-employment might be a good idea. She also realized her experiences with white-collar crime were excellent fodder for a novel. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her "Death and Taxes" mystery series.

Diane won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in 2009 and has earned over two dozen RWA chapter awards.

THE SHORT & SWEET

ANGI: What do you like about Tara’s love interest, Nick?

DIANE:  He’s straightforward. No BS. He’s also willing to set aside his pride for love. Not many men can-or will-do that. I also like that he appreciates a woman with some gumption and isn’t emasculated by a strong partner.

ANGI: Is there a picture of Nick (or the guy he’s based on)?

DIANE:  Nick is first introduced in Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte, book #2 of the series. I describe him there as a young Kurt Russell or Val Kilmer type.  He’s good looking, in a rugged, natural way. He’s not the type of guy who spends a lot of time primping. He’s got better things to do.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

DIANE:   I met a whole slew of them when I met the IRS special agents I interviewed for the series!  They were amazing.  Very smart and no nonsense. I found their mix of financial skills and law enforcement skills to be very intriguing.  They weren’t able to give me all the dirty details about their investigations, but it’s clear that they’ve faced down some pretty bad characters.  

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?

DIANE:  Songs by women with strong voices. Pink comes to mind, as do Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain. Tara tends to listen to country-western music, especially the fun, fast songs.

ANGI: What was your most-favorite movie?

DIANE:  I saw Grease 27 times as a kid. I loved the mixture of romance, singing, dancing, and the theme of people discovering who they are and what lengths they will go to for love.

ANGI: Who’s a real-life villain (you might base a character on)?

DIANE:   I’m thinking about having a villain politician in my next case, one who improperly dipped his hand into his campaign funds and may have improperly dipped other body part elsewhere, if you get my drift.  The character might be considered loosely based on Tom DeLay, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and John Edwards.  I’ve heard that Jesse Jackson, Jr. is under investigation for alleged misuse, too.  Clearly this is a widespread problem that crosses party lines!

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

DIANE:  Ugh! I’ve got so many!  Probably messiness.  I tend to be involved in a lot of things, and I constantly bounce from one thing to the next all day, leaving things partially finished.  My house is very cluttered all the time, though I can normally find things. It’s an “organized mess.”  I once heard that an immaculate house is a sign of a life misspent, and I agree!  

ANGI: Is there a “Blooper” in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?

DIANE:   I changed the ending of Death, Taxes, and Peach Sangria after the advanced reading copies were printed. The change only involved a few words, but let’s just say I think readers will be much happier that things turn out the way they do rather than how I’d originally written the scene.

ANGI: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

DIANE:  Totally fun! Especially when I get to put them up against crafty, violent tax evaders and force them to bring their best game.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: In your discussion topics for “a Sequined Clutch” you ask if readers believe in signs. Do you? If so, what signs have you received and what did they tell you?  

DIANE’S GOTTA ANSWER:   I do!  When my husband and I began dating, he mentioned that he had a cat. When I first saw the two of them together, and I saw that she was well taken care of, I knew it was a sign that he was caring, compassionate, responsible, and laid back. That cat told me so much without ever saying a word!  She was a furry sign that he was the guy for me.  

FIND DIANE

Contact   Website     Facebook   Twitter @DianeKellyBooks 

Goodreads   Killer Fiction   Previous GLIAS interviews

UP NEXT for DIANE: 

DEATH, TAXES, AND HOT PINK LEGWARMERS
A Tara Holloway Novel #5

St. Martin’s Press
June 4th 2013
READ ABOUT IT

PREVIOUS RELEASES by DIANE

DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE

A Tara Holloway Novel #1

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 0312551266

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A NO-WHIP LATTE

A Tara Holloway Novel #2

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 0312551282

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTRA-HOLD HAIRSPRAY

A Tara Holloway Novel #3

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 0312551282

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A SEQUINED CLUTCH

A Tara Holloway e-book Novella #3.5

St. Martin’s Press

ASIN: B0091CAT7W

READ THE EXCERPT

PEACHY GIVE AWAY

DIANE’S giving away a copy of DEATH, TAXES, and PEACH SANGRIA to one North American  blog commenter leaving their email address.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Feel free to email your contact information to Angi at GetLostInAStory@gmail.com instead. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DON’T FORGET to follow us on Facebook  & Twitter #GetLostStories for a daily update on who’s visiting GLIAS and what they might be giving away! Join Alexa tomorrow when she hosts ELLE JAMES. Come back on Friday when Maureen kicks February off with Molly O’Keefe. ~Angi

DIANE WANTS TO KNOW: In Death, Taxes, and Peach Sangria, Tara enjoys a pitcher or two of Nick’s mother’s homemade sangria recipe. What’s your favorite drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and what do you think it says about you?

TAX ADVICE from Tara Holloway

ON TAX WEEKEND,there's not a more fitting story to feature or "person" to interview. Friday through Sunday, we'll be talking to TARA HOLLOWAY, tax investigator extradonaire!

You can catch another interview with author Diane Kelly on GLIAS.

ANGI: Who does your taxes? Your nails? Your hair?

TARA: I do my own taxes.  That’s why they don’t get turned in each year until the evening of April 15^th!   

My nails?  I’m a practical girl, so I look for coupons in my mailbox.  Whoever’s offering a special gets to do my nails. 

I’m much more picky when it comes to my hair.  Only my stylist, Nicki Boulder-Boyd, gets to touch my hair.

ANGI: What’s the weirdest thing someone tried to claim on their taxes for a business expense?

TARA: That would have to be cost of the 56FF breast augmentation surgery claimed by an exotic dancer named Chesty Love.  The IRS disallowed the expense, but Mrs. Love took the case to Tax Court and the judges permitted the deduction.  I’d bet the judges were all men.  You can see Mrs. Love and hear about her deductible ta-tas on this JerrySpringer clip.

ANGI: I know you love lattes, but what’s your favorite drink other than coffee?

TARA: In book #1, I was into merlot.  But in book #3 I’ll be introduced to homemade sangria.  I won’t tell you by whom because, well, I’m a tease.  I’ll love the sangria so much that book #4 will be named DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA. 

ANGI: How did you get into investigative work for the IRS?

TARA: I used to work at one of the large regional accounting firms.  It wasn’t a bad job, but it simply wasn’t for me.  I grew up roaming among the woods and lakes of east Texas and couldn’t stomach life in a 5’ x 5’ cubicle.  I felt caged.   

One day an IRS special agent came to the office to look over some files I’d been working on.  I’d noticed some odd discrepancies, and apparently the IRS had caught on to them, too.  The client was involved in all kinds of financial shenanigans.  I noticed a gun holstered at the agent’s hip and had to know more about his job.  I pestered the poor guy until he gave me the nitty gritty. 

Being a special agent sounded like a fun way to make a living!  Special agents get out and about more than the typical CPA, and it’s a fun challenge to search for clues and put the evidence together to nail a tax cheat.  

ANGI: Can you tell us anything about the cases you’re investigating?

TARA: I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.  

Just kidding!   

In DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE, my partner, Eddie, and I are assigned to go after a man named Marcos Mendoza.  His business associates have a history of disappearing . . . and resurfacing in body bags.  Rumor has it that Mendoza bought off an IRS special agent named Nick Pratt, who was assigned to investigate him three years prior.  Pratt is now living beachside in Cancun, Mexico.  Tough life, huh?  But Eddie and I are bound and determined to bring Mendoza down.  He’s a potential loan shark, money launderer, and credit card counterfeiter.  It looks like he might be running an illegal gambling operation too.  This guy’s got cajones.  It’ll be fun ripping them off! 

In DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTRA-HOLD HAIRSPRAY (to be released in late June), I get to team up with a hot male agent to pursue Noah Fischer, the unscrupulous preacher of a mega-church.  Fischer may not worship a golden calf, but he’s treating the church like his own personal cash cow and has no qualms financing his lavish lifestyle via the church collection plates.  Hasn’t the guy ever heard of “thou shalt not steal?”  He may have forgotten a few of the other Commandments, too!   

ANGI: Were you ever scared in an interview with a tax-evader? On the other hand, were you ever tempted to let one go because he was too good-looking?

TARA: I’m always a little scared in interviews, more scared the longer I do this job.  I’ve learned – the hard way –  that people are unpredictable.  When cornered, they’re liable to make desperate moves. 

But letting a scofflaw off the hook because he was good looking?  Nah.  Not my style.  I might drag the case out, though, just to get more time to “inspect his assets.”  Hee-hee.

Thanks for this interview!  It’s been lots of fun talking with you! 

THE GAL BEHIND TARA

A CPA and tax attorney, Diane Kelly spent several years at an international accounting firm where she had the pleasure of working with a partner later convicted of tax shelter fraud. She also served a stint as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas under an AG who pled guilty to criminal charges related to the tobacco company lawsuits. Given this work history, Diane decided self-employment might be a good idea. She also realized her experiences with white-collar crime were excellent fodder for a novel. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her "Death and Taxes" mystery series.

Diane won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in 2009 and has earned over two dozen RWA chapter awards.

DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTRA-HOLD HAIRSPRAY
A Tara Holloway Novel #2

St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0312551266
JULY 2012

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE

A Tara Holloway Novel #1
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0312551266

READ THE EXCERPT

READERS CAN FIND DIANE

Contact    Website      Facebook    Twitter   Killer Fiction

TARA & DIANE will be drawing for 3 commenters to receive DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE.
READERS DON’T FORGET to follow us on Facebook & Twitter (#GetLostStories) for a daily update on who’s visiting GLIAS and what they might be giving away! . ~Angi

~ There's only one question fitting for this weekend ~

Have you filed your taxes yet? Got a story to share?