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Included in the anthology are:
Cara Mia Delgatto and the Stupid Cupid– (Joanna Campbell Slan) Cara hopes to find the man of her dreams. Instead she gets caught up in a lover’s nightmare.
Bones and Arrows by Carolyn Haines—Sarah Delaney Booth and her partner Tinkie Armstrong tackle a thieving Cupid.
Missing Jacket by Randy Rawls—A two-timing husband hires a retired cop to retrieve a stolen gift. But nothing is as it seems!
Murder at Catmmando Mountain by Anna Celeste Burke—A murder at a theme park puts Georgina “Georgie” Shaw at risk, when the killer sets Georgie up to take the fall. Will the hunky detective assigned to the case believe her plea of innocence?
And today’s interview guest, Nancy Jill Thames, author of Teddy Saves Christmas. When Jillian Bradley finds herself alone for the holidays, her dog Teddy latches onto a homeless woman with a dangerous secret. Jillian is forced to get involved. Can she find a way to save her new friend in time for a Merry Christmas?
Q: Nancy, thanks for stopping by. Can you tell us something about Jillian Bradley, the heroine of Teddy Saves Christmas?
A: Jillian Bradley is a feisty garden columnist for the San Francisco Enterprise living in Clover Hills, a small Bay Area bedroom community. Since she’s widowed and childless she takes her Yorkie, Teddy, with her wherever she goes which makes some consider her eccentric. Jillian does not mind at all. She knows who she is and what she stands for. Truth, justice, and the American way fits her to a T. Jillian has a great tendency to root for the underdog, particularly when she believes the wrong person has been accused of murder. Serving afternoon tea to her garden club friends is her all-time favorite thing to do besides gardening and collecting fine art. Although she’s considered well-to-do, it does not prevent her from being generous when the need arises.
Q: How much of you is in Jillian? How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A: : I once left a stroller with three children at the mall and chased down a young man who had violated me. Some would call that not being afraid of anything which is exactly the way Jillian Bradley is. I created a protagonist that would live my dream life, which is pretty close at the moment except I am married with four grown children and seven grandchildren, so far.
I do serve afternoon tea, but instead of collecting fine art I do my own paintings or have works my mother painted. Unlike me, Jillian does not play the piano. I think if I were to meet Jillian Bradley in real life I would find her gracious, but strong-willed, which some personalities find difficult to be around for a long period of time.
Q: That stroller episode sounds like it could be a story in itself! I see that you’ve just released Book Ten of the Jillian Bradley Series, Murder at the Empress Hotel. Have your characters changed throughout consecutive books ?
A: My characters do change and evolve throughout the series. Jillian only grows more like herself while her closest companions, Walter and Cecilia Montoya have gone from him being a hotel valet and she a housekeeper at the same hotel to him being a homicide detective and she working as a journalist for the Half Moon Bay Review.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
A: Others have suggested possible victims but I only create victims from my imagination, they are never based on anyone I know.
Q: How realistic are your settings? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: : The settings are hallmarks of my books since many of them take place in actual resorts and hotels where I have been privileged to stay. Perhaps one day I can take liberties if my imagination allows. For now I write true to life, with the exception of changing the names of the actual place where Jillian lives and some nearby communities.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: Kim Cattrall for Jillian, Christian Bale for Walter, and Emily Blunt for Cecilia.
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: The worst advice I’ve heard is from the first book I read on how to write a mystery. It said if one desires to be an author they should immediately turn and run the other way.
On the other hand, the best advice I’ve read is to never give up – just keep going, and growing, and getting better at being a writer/author/publisher/marketer.
About The Author
Nancy Jill Thames was born to write mysteries. From her early days as the neighborhood storyteller to the Amazon Author Watch Bestseller List, she’s always had a vivid imagination and loves to solve problems – perfect for plotting whodunits. In 2010, she published her first mystery “Murder in Half Moon Bay,” introducing the well-loved protagonist Jillian Bradley and clue-sniffing Yorkie “Teddy.” When not plotting Jillian’s next perilous adventure, Nancy Jill travels between Texas, California, and Georgia finding new ways to spoil her grandchildren, playing classical favorites on her baby grand, or having afternoon tea with friends. She lives with her husband in Texas and is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) CenTex Chapter.
Visit: nancyjillthames.com
Or contact: [email protected]
Find out about all of the Happy Homicides 2 authors
Joanna Campbell Slan | Teresa Trent | Neil Plakcy | Elaine Viets | Annie Adams | Camille Minichino | Kathi Daley | Nancy Jill Thames | Linda Gordon Hengerer | Carolyn Haines | Randy Rawls | Anna Celeste Burke | Maggie Toussaint
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