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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Interview & Contest with Author Casey Daniels

My guest this week is another author who loves Amberkatze's Book Blog enough to return for a second visit! Casey Daniels is here telling us about her new book in the Pepper Martin series and giving away a signed book to one lucky winner!

I have already read 'Dead Man Talking' and have throughly enjoyed all the Pepper Martin books so far. So make sure you read the interview and try out Casey's books if you haven't already.

Also make sure to enter the contest! You could win a signed book!

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Amber - Casey, Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here again! You have a new Pepper Martin book coming out! Can you tell us about it?

Casey -The new book is "Dead Man Talking" and in it, Pepper's "on loan" to a down-and-out, city-owned cemetery for a restoration project. Bad enough (at least to Pepper's way of thinking) but she's also working with a interesting "team" and (just for fun) the whole thing is being filmed for a PBS television show called "Cemetery Survivor." Of course as in all the Pepper books, there has to be a ghost along for the fun, too. This time, it's a dead-but-not-gone prison warden who needs Pepper's help to clear his name. He was convicted of a murder he says he didn't commit.

Amber - Dead Man Talking is the fifth book in the Pepper Martin series. How many more Pepper books can we expect to see?

Casey -Right now, book #6 (tentatively title "Tomb with a View") is scheduled for publication in July of next year and after that, I've got three more books contracted.

Amber - You also write under the name Miranda Bliss. How is that going? Which do you enjoy writing about more? cooking or ghosts?

Casey -The two series are very different. The Pepper Martin series features ghosts and I love Pepper's attitude and how feisty she is. The Cooking Class mysteries are more traditional cozies. The heroine in that series, Annie, works as a business manager in a restaurant, and just to mix things up a little and make her different from all those culimary mystery heroines who are great cooks, Annie is the world's worst cook. Any time she goes near a stove, there's likely to be a fire! There are no paranormal elements in the Cooking Class mysteries so they are more rooted in the real world. Which do I enjoy most? I have to admit, that would be Pepper, because of those ghosts. It's always great fun to play with the woo-woo elements of the books.

Amber - Are you working on anything else? Do you have any ideas for another series?

Casey -Oh yes, plenty of ideas. In fact, lately, they've been coming hard and fast. We'll see what finally turns into a series.

Amber - What kind of research do you have to do for your books? Apart from visit cemetery's and doing lots of cooking? ;)

Casey -Well first of all, I don't do lots of cooking! Which is why Annie and I get along so well. The research for the Pepper Martin mysteries is always fun. For the new one ("Dead Man Talking") I got to explore a cemetery I hadn't paid much attention to before. And I got to learn more about the criminal justice system. There's always something to learn. The book I just finished ("Tomb with a View") is about President James A. Garfield. Admit it, how many people out there know anything at all about President James A. Garfield? So that was interesting, too, and I was able to put a fictional spin on some actual historical events.

Amber - Something I have always wondered is how authors come up with the names for their characters. How do you pick the names and where did the name Pepper Martin come from?

Casey -Good question. Wish I had a good answer! I think the "Pepper" part of the name fits her personality to a T. And I guess the Martin was a natural, at least for me, beause there was once a baseball player named Pepper Martin. We've always been big baseball fans so when I thought of the Pepper, the Martin followed along. As for names of other characters...coming up with names is harder than it looks. You need to find a name that fits a character's personality, and one that doesn't sound too much like the name of any other character in a story. It's always something of a chore to make sure all the names line up correctly and that readers won't mix up characters.

Amber - You have some great covers for your Pepper Martin books. How much influence do you have in the book printing process, like picking covers, after you hand in your story?

Casey -Well, I do get to offer my comments before the artist starts working on the cover. I tell my editor what I envision. Then when the first pass of the artwork is done, I get to see it and offer comments. I am not an artist, so I'm always blown away by what the cover artists come up with. My covers have been fabulous. And I'm glad you asked this question because it reminds me that I need to come up with some ideas for "Tomb."

Amber - There are so many online sites eg, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace etc to get in touch with fans. Which sites are you signed up with? Is it hard to keep up with them all? Do you think they are good?

Casey -I'm on Facebook and My Space and I'll tell you the truth, I don't keep up with them as much as I should. There just aren't enough hours in the day. It's nice to be able to connect to readers and let them know what's happening with me, but am I using these sites to their full advantage? Probably not. But then if I did that, I probably wouldn't have time to write.

Amber - What is the easiest and hardest part about being an author?

Casey -Easiest part . . . letting my imagination run wild. Hardest part . . . everything else!

Amber - If you could be any famous person, alive or dead, who would you be? and why?

Casey -That's a tough one, Amber. I think that's a case of "be careful what you wish for." I wouldn't want to be anyone else. I have enough trouble just dealing with being me!

Amber - Thank you for coming back to visit Amberkatze's Book Blog! I hope everything goes well for the new release! See you next time?

Casey - Absolutely! It's always good to be here.




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Contest Time!

Casey is giving away one signed book to one winner this week! Which book? Well the winner gets to choose! You can pick any of the Pepper Martin books so far. Which means if you haven't started the series yet you can start at the beginning...while anyone waiting to get their hands on one of the others can pick what they need for their collection!

Cool!

Now you are wondering what horrible question I have thought up for you this week? Well I think this one is easy. Tell me which famous dead person you would like to have visit you as a ghost!

No ghost = No entry!

The usual rules apply!

Earn another entry for each place you link this contest on the net. Make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries!

You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

I can offer more prizes if my Amazon Associates account gets more money!! So please make sure you order at Amazon.com through the links around the site and help keep the contest coming!



The contest will stay open until Sunday 25th of October 2009 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.

If you are claiming a prize, have emailed me and have not heard back before the 7 day limit is up then post a comment here on the blog. Your email may get sucked into my spam filter.

63 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi :)
Thanks for having Casey Daniels here today & thank you Casey for sharing. I have heard great things about Casey's series, but have yet to read them, and they are on my ToBeRead list.
I would love to chat with the ghost of Benjamin Franklin & find out where the missing part of his biography is.
:)
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo

Daelith said...

Hi Casey. Thought about you and your series today as I wandered around an old cemetery taking pics for a Halloween contest.

The first person that popped into my head at this question was Mae West. Not sure why. Always liked her films and thought she was a woman who was ahead of her time. Loved her wit.

Alicia0385 said...

Oh thats easy I would want to me Jesus!! I have lots of questions about the world and heaven and hell. I think he would be helpful.

Amy1225 said...

I agree with Alicia0605. I would want to meet Jesus or maybe his mother. I would ask him how my daughter is doing in heaven!

Linda Henderson said...

I enjoyed the interview. I haven't read this series yet but I would love to. The ghost I'd like to meet would be Abraham Lincoln.

Dot S.(ladeetdareads.wordpress.com) said...

My pick for a famous dead person's ghost would have to be Thomas Jefferson, a facinating intellectual.

salvagin@verizon.net

Vickie said...

Thanks for visiting again, Casey. I love both series, but am rather partial to Pepper. She's got spunk.

Famous ghost/s: Jim Croce, I miss and love his music.
Harry S Truman, my favorite President

Dark Obsessions said...

I love your blog! Great interview!
I would want to meet Princess Diana.

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

Thanks for the great interview.

After reading Dean Koontz' Odd Thomas I'll have to go with Elvis.

Thanks for the contest. Count me in!

*Jen*

donnas said...

I would love to win Dead Man Talking. The first 4 in the series were great.

I would like to chat with Will Rogers. His brand of comedy is surprisingly still relevant today.

Linked on sidebar here: http://donnasbloghome.blogspot.com/

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Sweeter the berry said...

Absolutely none- but since I have to pick, I will go with Michael Jackson.

booklover0226 said...

I have not read any books of this series and I look forward in starting them.

A famous dead person I would like to visit me... like many posters, I would say Jesus and Judas Iscariot. I have many questions for both.

I also would like a visit from Alexandre Dumas (pere).

Thanks,
Tracey D

Anonymous said...

I have read none in the series, so if I win, would like the first in the series, look forward to what sounds like a great read!
The famous ghost I wouldmost like to meet woukd be the Black Dahlia, to find out what really happened to her, and by whom.

linett said...

great interview, my choice would be Winston Churchill

Casey said...

Great question, Amber, and you're getting some truly interesting answers! Which ghost would I like to chat with? That's a tough one. All those famous people sound interesting, but I think I'd opt for either my friend, Mary, or my dad. Would like to catch up with them both!

Nancy said...

Amber and Casey, thanks for the terrific interview! I love Pepper's series - it's an auto-buy for me!

I'd want Cary Grant to visit me. Maybe he wouldn't complain about my housekeeping!

Light,
Nancy

tetewa said...

It's hard to pick but I would say Michael Jackson! tWarner419@aol.com

kalynnick said...

I would love for the ghost of John F Kennedy to visit me.

kalynnick AT yahoo DOT com

Kathy said...

Not sure I'd want a ghost to come around at all, but I think it I would pick Henry VIII. I'd love to tell him it was his chromosomes that decided what the sex of his children were and not the fault of his queens.

Anonymous said...

Really good interview! I'd like to have the ghost of Jack The Ripper visit me. I could find out who he was and why he killed the women he did, in the manner he did. Morbid curiosity!

Erica G said...

I would like the ghost of Nostradamus to visit me so I could ask him about all his prophecies. Thanks!

egreca (aT) hotmail {dot} com

Shawna L. said...

Shawna L
weloveourdogs@juno.com

Answer to Question~King Daniel would be cool!!!

I follow/subscribe to your blog

I tweeted http://twitter.com/theblindcupid/status/4997829190

I posted on my sidebar http://booksaremoviesinthemind.blogspot.com/

I posted on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/LeslieBlodgettPerfumeDiaries?v=wall#/posted.php?id=1259591812&share_id=170902996704&comments=1#s170902996704

Thanks for this chance to win!!!

Unknown said...

Some really great and unusual answers so far! I am impressed by how much thought you are all putting into this!

Curling up by the Fire said...

I have not yet read Casey's series but am looking forward to starting them now.

I would love to chat with Marie Antoinette and get her take on how things went during the French Revolution. I always thought she was very misunderstood.

Llehn said...

The late Jim Henson! I thought he was taken away too soon and would love to chat with him and hear his perspective on life!

chromiumman said...

thomas jefferson, i'd like his perspective of the country's last 100 years

Van Pham said...

I havent read this series yet but will def. check them out..it sounds great.

I would love to chat with the ghost of jesus.


van
Littopandaxpress(at)yahoo(dot)com

Blodeuedd said...

Lol awesome question.
Hm, who would haunt me, well I'd like to go with Alexander teh Great, I have always been fascinated with him

All This Silence... said...

Good question... I would defintely like the ghost of Al Capone, famous mobster of the 1920s. That guy was pretty swift. He was only arrested when his tax attourney spilled the beans.

sarah_bear_38@yahoo.com

KayeDean said...

I would like to meet Elvis Presley, just because.

Sunnyvale said...

Jesus, I have a ton of questions.

idahomom said...

Abraham Lincoln because I think that he was a great man.

cait045 said...

Walt Disney...I love all Disney movies and been to Disney World tons of times and still want to go back.

Unknown said...

Hmmm I think I'd like to talk to Marilyn Monroe and hear how her life was according to her.

Love the Pepper Martin series, would make mine better to have an autographed copy :)

buddyt said...

I haven't read any of the series, so if I get lucky I would like to start with the first book.

My ghost visitor would be Leonardi Da Vinci.

Reason, I have always been fascinated with the man inventions and mind and I would love to find out what he thinks of the present day world and what new ideas he has come up with in the intervening centuries since his death !.

Thanks.

Unknown said...

Well, I'm one of those new folks to her series, so I'd have to get the first one :P.

As for my ghost visitor...hmm...Poul Anderson. Not as famous as Franklin or whatever, but I'd love to pick Anderson's brain for writing advice and ideas!

Thanks,
Shaun

Rosie said...

I absolutely love, love, love this series!!! It helps that I'm from Cleveland and can so relate to some of the stuff that Casey wrights. Thanks for the great interview! If I were to be able to talk to a ghost, I would love to talk to Jackie Kennedy. She was one of the most fascinating women I've followed.

If I win, I'd love a copy of Night of the Loving Dead. Thanks again!

Enchanted by Books said...

I just finished reading Dead Man Talking recently and really enjoyed it. I'd love to read more books in the series. I've read one other one but can't think of the name.

If I had to pick a dead celebrity to visit me, I'd pick DJ AM because I want to know what happened with him. I prayed for him when he was hurt in that tragic plane crash. When I heard he died from a drug OD, I was devestated for his family since he was clean for so long. It feels like there's more to his story and I'd like to know what really happened and how it all went wrong.

Mardel said...

I would love to talk to Harriet Tubman, or Celia Cruz.

I read the very first Casey Daniels book. It was pretty good. I didn't realize thought that there were already so many sequels.

SiNn said...

hi casey awesome interview

humm one famous ghost yano thats kind of hard buttt since only one id have to say

Edgar Allen Poe because well his writing rocks and he was atruegenious when it cameto writing horror

Carol EL said...

I would like to have the ghost of Elvis visit me,that is if he isn't still alive and hiding somewhere. I'd ask,"What were you thinking,taking all of those meds". jelly15301@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I'd like to be haunted by Bettie Page ^_^

D Q said...

This series is new to me so if I win, I would like the first in the series.
As for a famous ghost--I would have to say Jesus.

CrystalGB said...

I would choose Elvis. :)

Asylumgirl said...

I would choose actor, Brandon Lee, who was Bruce Lee's son. He died on my birthday, though I had a crush on him from well before and I loved him in The Crow.

Deidre

Unknown said...

Thanks Casey for taking your time and spending it with us. Your books, rock!

I would have to say Marilyn Monroe. I love old hollywood stars. She was the sex pot of her time, her life was tragic, wonderful, and tragic. My daughter was born on the anniversary. And I would want to know if it was murder or not. And if so, who did her in.

Thanks for the contest.
Fallon H.

Martha Lawson said...

I loved the interview!! Miss Daniels is a new to me author and her books sound great..

Jim Morrison is who I'd want to visit me as a ghost.

mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

erma said...

I'd like Michael Jackson to visit me.
erma.hurtt@sbcglobal.net

Anonymous said...

I would love to get a visit from Leonardo da Vinci.

rb109972 said...

I would love to meet Andrew JAckson, He is one of the most interesting people that i have ever read about

Aisling said...

This sounds like a charming series of books and I'd love to start at the beginning. While there are some ancestors I'd love to meet and talk with, for a famous person I'd choose Paul Newman.

saturdaynightfever said...

Jon-Erik Hexum!

edgenemmers@gmail.com

Donna said...

I just found about this series not too long ago, I would love a chance at the first book.

I like to have Elvis Presley's ghost pay me a visit. I think a conversation with him would be very interesting.

Amanda D. said...

Hmmmm...I think my ghost of choice would be Jane Austen. macd82 at gmail dot com

lilyk said...

I would like to have Albert Einstein visit me as a ghost.

Unknown said...

I would like to have the ghost of Abraham Lincoln visit me. garrettsambo@aol.com

Donna said...

I would say George Washington.
donna444444@yahoo.com

angie said...

Wow...I am not sure! I think a visit from Cleopatra's ghost would be really interesting. I'd love to hear some of her stories.

Roseann K. said...

If I had to talk with a ghost, it would be Elvis Presley. He was a wonderful entertainer!

Kelly g said...

John wayne

clynsg said...

Looks as if I am making it in under the wire. Picking a famous ghost to talk with is difficult, since there are so many possibilities, but I think I would like to talk with Thomas Jefferson. He was a man of so many gifts, and he might be interested in learning of some of the things that have occurred since his death as well!

clynsg at yahoo.com

Unknown said...

This contest is now CLOSED!!

You can see the winner announcement on the main blog page.

A new contest is now open. See the sidebar for more details.

cman said...

George Washington!