Giveaway + Author Interview: Leeann Betts

Happy Monday!

I’m sharing my interview with Leeann Betts! She’ll be talking about her release, A Deadly Dissolution, and she’s offering a giveaway!

Let’s get started!

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About the Book

The Blurb: “The total lunar eclipse of October 2004 leaves more than Bear Cove, Maine, in the dark. The town’s newly-elected mayor, Walter Akerman, hires Carly to audit the town’s books but is then caught in a compromising situation with his secretary Evie Mack. A journalist in town to cover the eclipse turns up dead. Tom and Sarah’s adopted son Bradley comes to stay overnight to see the eclipse, then goes missing on a walk in town. When Mike’s car is in a serious wreck which the police say is an accident, Carly thinks somebody is trying to send her a message to stay away. How can she solve all these mysteries while not completely wearing herself to a frazzle? ”

Links: Amazon, Smashwords

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Interview

Toni: Welcome, Leeann. I’m excited to pick your brain about your release, A Deadly Dissolution. Love the title! What inspired it? Did you have a different name at one time?

Leeann: I really struggled with this title. I usually have the title first, and the story flows from that. This time, I had the story but no title. I tried, “Coming Up Empty”, because I planned to have Carly say at some point in the story that she was “coming up empty” on ideas or suspects or something, but that didn’t drive the story. It just fell flat. And since this is a book that features a forensic accountant, and all the other titles have a reference to either accounting, numbers, banking, or crime, it wasn’t working for me. About two chapters in, I had to stop writing and work on titles. A dissolution, in account terms, is when a business or a partnership or a contract is dissolved. That worked much better, since that’s what happens in this story. Sort of.

Toni: Interesting! Carly Turnquist has a lot on her plate in this book. Would you ever want to walk a mile in her shoes? Why or why not?

Leeann: I can write her, but I couldn’t live her. I’m much too timid. I wish I was witty enough to come up with her comebacks, her tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation, and her sarcasm, not to mention sometimes she jumps in where angels fear to tread.

Toni: Isn’t it amazing how we can write these characters that are completely different from us? This is book 8 featuring Carly. Do you have more books planned? Can you tell us about one?

Leeann: I have at least 6 more books planned. The next one takes place on an Alaskan cruise where jewelry goes missing, someone is found dead on the ice, and somebody Carly knows is suspected. That’s all I know for now.

Toni: 6?! That’s amazing. What are three elements that are always present in your writing and why?

Leeann: I start every writing day with a prayer, that God would give me a humble heart to write His story; nimble fingers to keep up with His dictation; and clean ears to hear the story without adding in my own stuff.
Since I’m living a life of a relationship with a second-chance God, I write stories that tell others about Him.
And, there always has to be a dead body. In this book, I hadn’t planned to kill anybody off, and I found the writing was stifled. Once I put in a body, the words flowed.

Toni: Love that! What is your favorite book?

Leeann: Anything by Agatha Christie.

Toni: Makes sense. 🙂 Song?

Leeann: What Sin? By Morgan Cryar

Toni: Scripture?

Leeann: Jeremiah 29:11 – for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.

Toni: Great verse! Vacation spot?

Leeann: Anywhere warm.

Toni: Amen! Last but not least, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Leeann: Keep writing. Go to conferences. Read books and magazines on the craft. Join a critique group. Take online courses. Do whatever you need to do to write the best book you can. And, as Winston Churchill said, “Never, never quit!”

Toni: Readers, do you have any questions for Leeann?

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About the Author

Leeann Betts writes contemporary suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical suspense. She has released seven titles in her cozy mystery series, By the Numbers, with number 8, A Deadly Dissolution, releasing in June. In addition, Leeann has written a devotional for accountants, bookkeepers, and financial folk, Counting the Days, and with her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, has published two books on writing, Nuggets of Writing Gold and More Nuggets of Writing Gold, a compilation of essays, articles, and exercises on the craft. She publishes a free quarterly newsletter that includes a book review and articles on writing and books of interest to readers and writers. You can subscribe at www.LeeannBetts.com or follow Leeann at www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com All books are available on Amazon.com in digital and print, and at Smashwords.com in digital format.

Follow: Facebook, Twitter

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Giveaway

Leeann is giving away an eBook copy of A Deadly Dissolution (international can enter). Leave a comment by 6/17/18 11:59pm EDT for a chance to win. I will use a random generator to pick a winner on 6/18/18 (be sure to come back and check if you won). To enter leave a blog comment.

​*Giveaway Policy here.