Drawing Blood by Deirdre Verne blog tour and guest post
Drawing Blood
by Deirdre Verne
Drawing Blood
(A Sketch in Crime Mystery)
2nd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink (February 8, 2016)
Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738742281
E-Book ASIN: B019KKTX0I
Synopsis
CeCe Prentice returns with her band of Dumpster-diving pals in this fast-paced mystery that puts the eco-friendly heroine back on top—of a pile of trash.
When Big Bob, manager of the town dump, goes missing, CeCe is worried about more than where she’ll score her next salvaged car. First at the scene when Bob’s body is recovered from under the weekly recycling haul, CeCe is quick to identify potential witnesses and provide crucial scene sketches. But when CeCe is uncharacteristically startled by an unidentified woman at Bob’s abandoned house, her artistic talents are challenged, and her drawings, much to her frustration, come up short.
With CeCe’s observational talents on the fritz, Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her network of Freegans are forced to recreate Big Bob’s life from the garbage up. The team is soon thrust into the underworld of recycling where what appears to be junk could actually be the clue that saves a life.
Guest Post:
Desk
Let’s talk desks. I don’t have one. Years ago I had visions of setting up a home office, flooded with natural light and packed with all things inspirational. It seems I’ve never found that perfect space and as it turns out, small people who look suspiciously like me have invaded my home. My only choice is to move, like a nomad, from room to room. When someone enters, I pick up and leave. When they follow, I relocate again.
By next year, I’ll have three books on the market and I think this earns me the right to a dedicated workstation. It’s not ego. At this point, it’s ergonomic. To illustrate this point, I’ve included a picture of my current, on-the-go, set-up. As you can see, my computer is balanced on two department store shirt boxes. When the next family birthday rolls around, my towering inferno of technology will be sacrificed in favor of a stack of wrapped presents. I think we can agree that I need a desk.
In the past, I’ve tried to write at an oak pedestal dining table that was too high for my arms to rest comfortably. Then there was the footstool where I sat cross-legged on the floor until I couldn’t unlock my knees. Finally, I sat propped up in my thrift-shop bed until the heat from my laptop burned my thighs. I have done some desk shopping, but I’m painfully cheap. So I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise that my main character, CeCe Prentice, is a dumpster-diving diva who would rather repurpose than purchase. I’ve gone this route myself, but I haven’t been nearly as successful as CeCe, who seems to get by, quite successfully, on society’s abundant leftovers.
On a whim, I recently checked-out Kickstarter, a crowd-funding site that supports creative endeavors. Hey, I’m creative and I think my desk photo, submitted here, is just sad enough to establish need. First, I looked at my competition in the publishing category. One author had already raised $8,000 to support a Troll cookbook and another had accumulated $6,000 for a self-published book on house critters. Suddenly, the economy-priced desk from an office supply store that I’d had my eye on seemed attainable – “Published author with leg and arm cramps needs a new desk to write blockbuster!”
As I continued scrolling through the Kickstarter pleas for charity, I decided to sort them by the amount of money raised. There I found an entrepreneurial pair of inventors who had raised $40,000 to develop a line of high-performance underpants for women. That got me thinking. Maybe I don’t need a new desk, but rather new undergarments. High Performance Undergarments for the Writer on the Go!
Oh no, I’ve done it again. I’ve talked myself out of a purchasing a desk. I really need some help here, but as much as I’d like to discuss my inability to buy a desk, I’m about to be displaced…..again!
About This Author
Deirdre Verne (Lower Westchester, NY) is a mystery writer, college professor, and an active college blogger. Deirdre’s interest in green living inspired her to create an off-the-grid character who Dumpster dives her way through the “Sketch in Crime” mystery series. Verne’s second book, Drawing Blood
A member of Sisters in Crime, Deirdre’s short stories appear in all three New York chapter anthologies – Murder New York Style, Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices and Family Matters. Visit her online at DeirdreVerne.com.
Author Links
Webpage – www.deirdreverne.com
Blog – www.deirdreverne.com/blog/
Twitter – @deirdreverne
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8276614.Deirdre_Verne
Tour Participants
February 8 – Babs Book Bistro – Guest Post
February 9 – Island Confidential – Interview
February 9 – The Book’s the Thing – Spotlight
February 10 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – Review
February 11 – Musings and Ramblings – Guest Post
February 12 – Celticlady’s Reviews – Spotlight
February 13 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – Guest Post
February 14 – Griperang’s Bookmarks – Interview
February 15 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too ! – Spotlight
February 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Guest Post
February 16 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review
February 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – Spotlight
February 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – Review
February 17 – Brooke Blogs – Guest Post
February 18 – Back Porchervations – Review
February 18 – A Blue Million Books – Interview
