Sandra Nachlinger's Blog, page 64

Meet Lori Pollard-Johnson

Today we’re talking with Lori Pollard-Johnson, author of Toxic Torte, The Lie, The Truth Test, and Recipe for a Rebel. (*She's giving away copies of two of her books too!)

S&S: The title of your mystery Toxic Torte is perfect. Love the alliteration! What inspired you to write a culinary cozy?Lori: In the case of Toxic Torte, the title came first. I was in San Diego (to swim with dolphins), when I saw an attorney's advertisement on Toxic Torts. I'd been writing for the food industry for quite some time at that point, and an idea of a chef dishing up divine justice to a restaurant critic sparked my imagination. It took me many years and a lot of sidetracks before I finished, but Toxic Torte has been my most profitable book so far.
S&S: Do you have a favorite scene?Lori: I think my favorite scene is near the end when our heroine's eyes are opened to true unconditional love. I can't say too much for fear of ruining the ending, but it was a surprise to me as I wrote it, too. That's the magic of writing—I get to share in the reader's sense of wonder at a surprising, yet satisfying, ending that is also true to the characters.
S&S: Your latest novel, The Lie, is quite different from Toxic Torte. Tell us a little bit about it, please. What prompted you to switch genres from adult mystery to young adult?
Lori : The Lie is a very edgy young adult novel; some might call it a "coming of age" novel. A chance meeting on a plane spurred this story. A young man on his way to report for basic training had to share a headset with a woman sitting next to him because he didn't have enough money to purchase his own headset. Watching the two of them--strangers at first--made me realize how much we value our service men and women, as well as the complexities involved in enlisting, especially as a very young person. It was very moving for me, and I guess writing Jace's story is my way of honoring the bond I saw on that plane. Although it's a departure from Toxic Torte, it's actually halfway back to my roots--my first two "traditionally published" novels, The Truth Test and Recipe for a Rebel, are kids' novels aimed at mid-grade readers (10-14 years old). I don't really confine myself to one genre, though; I write the story that speaks to me.


“She’d be real: imperfect haircut…slightly wrinkled clothing….”

S&S: If one of your novels were made into a movie, who would you cast as your characters?
Lori : If Toxic Torte were made into a movie, I'd cast an unknown, mid-twenties actress who is larger than a size 2. She'd be real: imperfect haircut a bit out of trim, slightly wrinkled clothing, and eyebrows in need of plucking. If I were looking through headshots, I'd look for a young Toni Collette. A few of the other characters I'd be able to cast right away: Rod, Jess's boss, would be played by Jesse Spencer, best known as Dr. Robert Chase on the television show HOUSE; Jody Lish, owner of Bayou Deja Vu, would be played by Holly Hunter; Laurette Roen, owner of Bien, would be played by Angelica Houston; Gwen, the hostess of Green, could be played by Jaime Pressly, famous for her role as Joy Turner on MY NAME IS EARL; and Perry, the victim, while seen only in pictures, would be well-represented by John Hillerman, best known as the butler on MAGNUM PI.

“…a man floating in a homemade aquarium.”
S&S: Are you working on a new book? Want to tell us a little bit about it?
Lori: I have two works in progress. The first, Corpse in the Cottage Cutie, is another cozy mystery, this time featuring best friends and recent divorcees, Jan and Pam, who are attempting to make money by flipping houses (in a terrible market)...because it's the only thing they know how to do, and they're determined to make it on their own without any help from their lyin' cheatin' exes. Unfortunately, on the first day of their first renovation, Jan removes paneling from a cedar closet and discovers a forty-year old secret: a man floating in a homemade aquarium. In order to speed up the policing and get back to flipping houses, the ladies decide to investigate on their own.
The second work in progress is still in outline form. Tentatively entitled Run, it's an edgy young adult novel about a seventeen-year-old girl who accidentally hits a homeless man on the way home from a party late at night. No one sees her, so she races for home and tries to pretend it never happened. But dead bodies don't go unnoticed, and she's torn between coming clean and keeping her dirty little secret.


S&S: If you had a whole day with no plans, no commitments, how would you spend it?Lori: When I have a day with no commitments, I putter—I catch up on all the housework, play video games, and engage in my guilty pleasure—true crime shows.
S&S: Give us three words that describe you.Lori: Three words that describe me, aside from the obvious (wife and mother), are loyal, curious, and kind.
***GIVEAWAY***Leave a comment below and you'll be entered to win Toxic Torte or The Lie in eBook format! Just be sure to leave your email address in your comment so we can find you.
You can purchase Lori's books here: The Lie (Young Adult) Toxic Torte (Mystery) Recipe for a Rebel (Middle Grade) The Truth Test (Middle Grade) (The Truth Test is also on the Accelerated Reader program here: The Truth Test)You can also find all four books on Barnes & Noble and Toxic Torte and The Lie can be found on Smashwords in multiple formats.

Teaser Tuesday - Toxic Torte

Toxic Torte (by Lori Pollard-Johnson) is the subject of today's Teaser Tuesday post. Newspaper reporter Jess Harriet has been assigned to write the obituary for a well-known, widely-hated food critic. Warning: Don't read this book when you're hungry. The food descriptions are scrumptious! It's filled with humor too. I couldn't resist posting two teasers this week.



Before me stood Dream Dude. Mid- to late twenties, thick brown hair, big brown eyes, slightly Latin-looking. He was the kind of man that made me forget I'd sworn off men just last Friday. 
[at 3% on my Kindle]
and
Roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, prime rib off the grill with ginger carrots and baby peas, puttanesca pizza with locally grown capers. How are your salivary glands now? 
[at 15% on my Kindle]
Come back here tomorrow to read our interview with Lori (including giveaways!) and find out about her other books, one of which is The Lie, an edgy YA novel.

Here's the synopsis of Toxic Torte from Amazon:Jess Harriet slings slop at the Seattle Sun, a weekly newsrag best known for its personal ad selection. When her latest assignment turns out to be yet another obituary, this time for caustic restaurant critic Perry Lowell, she seriously considers leaving the memorial and heading back to her hometown of Ephrata, never to return. But before the buffet is replenished, detectives appear. It seems Perry didn’t die of a heart attack after all. He was murdered…with a toxic torte, most likely served to him at the Space Needle's annual Valentine’s Day Chocoholic Ball. 
Jess seizes the opportunity to scoop the Seattle Tribune, and ends up stirring up trouble, not only with Cherrie, fellow Sun reporter by week, Seattle Seahawks cheerleader by weekend, but with a secret society of chefs, all of whom have been panned by Perry. She’ll also have to outwit Tom, a college dating disaster who has access to the elusive guest list, and team up with her editor, Rod, who has secrets of his own… including an appetite for Jess.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Sweet Saturday Sample - June 2

I’m continuing this week with my WIP, Elly and the Geriatrics. Elly is living with her grandmother, helping her recover from an ankle injury; and Derek is the gardener at Sunset Acres, a mobile home community for senior citizens.
Derek has just introduced himself to Elly at the Sunset Acres rummage sale. After a brief conversation, he wandered to other tables in the recreation center. 
Derek wondered what had caused the woman—Elly—to blush. All he’d done was pick up one of those silly lace things stacked on the end of the table. What the heck were they for anyway? Then he remembered seeing the same doodads in his own Aunt Betsy’s parlor. As a kid he could barely move without knocking one of them to the floor. Did anybody still use them these days?         He’d only come to the rummage sale today to support the old folks and to look for vintage fishing lures among the dreck. No luck on the lures. Not today.         A vision of Elly’s soft red hair and brown eyes sprang to his mind.         Well, I did find one treasure. An attractive woman.        The sound of his name brought Derek out of his reverie. He turned to see Mrs. Lipscomb approaching, waving to get his attention. That morning he’d noticed the wisteria outside her trailer needed pruning, and he imagined she wanted gardening advice. He hoped she wouldn't try to do it herself.         He pushed aside thoughts of the redhead, smiled, and walked toward the waiting woman. 

You'll find Sweet Saturday Samples from more authors here: The Sweet List

Ice Cream Security

    Has someone finished off the ice cream you've been saving in your freezer? If so, then you'll enjoy my take on a security device that protects your pint from pilfering. It may make you smile too.
    Here's the link:  There's No "U" in "My Pint"

Teaser Tuesday - The Warden's Lantern

Today's Teaser Tuesday post is from The Warden's Lantern, a 75-page novelette (or novella?) by Joselyn Vaughn. It was a quick, fun read.


She didn't understand the fear. Her co-workers had faced flying cars and falling trees as they chased tornadoes. A floating light was hardly Freddy Kreuger. [at 2% on my Kindle]


Synopsis from Amazon: Dark, creaking trees. Cracking thunder. A ghostly orb.

Barbara Milanowski couldn't have picked a worse night for her amateur paranormal investigation, but she couldn’t let her longtime crush Elmer Derecho’s skeptism go unchallenged. When Elmer runs her off the road with his motorcycle and scolds her for being out in the inclement weather, her happily ever after drops with the barometric pressure and the loss of her keys and glasses. While spending time alone with Elmer was one of her fantasies, the dream date didn’t entail diving into the mud and untangling herself from a raspberry bush. 

While trying to protect Barbara from the storm, his eyes are opened to all the things in his life that are missing. Elmer had gotten comfortable with his maps and pic-tures and chasing tornadoes after the fact. But Barbara reminds him of his forgotten zest for adventures, and ignites his interest in the Warden’s Lantern and for Barbara

While sheltering in a dilapidated guard house, Barbara and Elmer are drawn out of the protection by the Warden's Lantern, the ghostly light Barbara had been trying to document. Elmer dismisses it as a trick of the electrical storm, but together they attempt to find the true source of the light. Will their shared talents solve the mystery and start a lasting relationship?
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Sweet Saturday Sample - May 26

Thanks for stopping by for today’s Sweet Saturday Sample. This week I’m posting another scene from my WIP, Elly and the Geriatrics. Granny and Elly are at the Sunset Acres rummage sale, with Elly manning their table.


       “Don’t buy anything,” Elly warned. She had already cautioned her grandmother against purchasing from the other sellers and reminded her that the purpose of all their work was to clear out unnecessary stuff, not bring home more. Granny just smiled and waved as she headed off in the direction of yet another overloaded table. Elly hoped she didn’t spy any teapots. Her collection had already taken over an entire bookcase, with the porcelain and china containers lined up three deep on the shelves.       “Hi.” A deep voice shook Elly out of her musings. “You must be Mrs. Macauley’s granddaughter.”       Elly looked up—and up some more—to see a tall, brown-haired man approaching the table. His shoulders filled out a faded chambray shirt in a way that promised firm muscles underneath. He had his hand extended, and his even white teeth flashed a friendly smile.        Elly stared, remembering the sweet-as-molasses voice and the buff body.       Derek.       “Uh, hi. Yes, I am.” She extended her hand and shook his. The rough texture of his fingers told of hard work, yet when she looked down, she saw clean fingernails. A Band-Aid encircled his thumb.       “I’m Derek White. I take care of the grounds around here.” He motioned to the landscaped garden outside the center’s front windows. “And your name is …?”       “Oh, sorry. I’m Elly. I’m helping my grandma today.”       The man looked as good as she’d remembered. Tall, dark, and handsome with a delicious Southern drawl—a modern day Rhett Butler.        “Well, I’m pleased to finally meet you. Your grandmother has told me a lot about you.” He paused and resettled a Dallas Cowboys cap on his head.          Uh-oh.          Elly could just imagine what Granny had said to the man.

So our hero and heroine have officially met. Next week we’ll continue with the story. 
  More Sweet Saturday Samples from other authors await you here: The Sweet List

Teaser Tuesday - Each Angel Burns

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In today's Tuesday Teaser, two of the male characters in Each Angel Burns by Kathleen Valentine are discussing virgo intacta (virginity) among nuns and why a woman would choose that life. The speaker is a priest.


"... You know, in the Middle Ages most women's lives were pretty bleak. But in convents women were educated and could write, paint, play and compose music .... There were intelligent women who considered that a better choice than being a literal slave and bearing endless children."
(at 5% on my Kindle)


Blurb from Goodreads:
Each Angel Burns is the story of three people at crossroads in their lives--a tale of enduring friendship, of faith, of great evil and greater love--and of how they culminate in a miracle.
(For a more detailed synopsis, see the description on Amazon.)

For more Teaser Tuesday posts, click here: Teaser Tuesday

Sweet Saturday Sample - May 19

Elly and her grandmother have started decluttering Granny’s mobile home, getting organized for their participation in the Sunset Acres rummage sale.          Of course, there wouldn’t be room for all the things they’d sorted, but Elly had plans for some of her grandmother’s more valuable treasures.       Elly took a sip of tea and cleared her throat. “Uh, Granny. I was looking on eBay and found a Royal Doulton mug just like yours.” She gestured across the room to a bright red container on the kitchen window sill. “The seller was asking five hundred dollars for it. Can you believe that?”        "Five hundred bucks?” Granny laughed. “I guess there’s always some fool willing to throw away his money.” She tilted her head and frowned. “I kinda like having ol’ Confucius standing guard over my kitchen. Besides, it’s a good place to keep my collection of silver swizzle sticks.”          Elly bit back a sigh and tried another tactic.          “You know, I was thinking.” She worked to keep impatience from her voice. “You’ve mentioned that the house could use a new air conditioner and that the roof is in pretty bad shape. Selling some of your things would be one way to raise money for that work.”          In truth, the trailer had been neglected since Elly's grandfather’s death and needed extensive repairs. With the limited income from Granny’s Social Security and her own joblessness, selling some of Granny’s possessions was the only way Elly could think of to fund those projects.         “I'm not sure about letting my things go to complete strangers, but I promise I’ll give the eBay thing some thought. Today’s rummage sale is a good start toward turning my treasures into moolah,” Granny answered.          Elly smiled, happy that her grandmother seemed to at least be considering her suggestions.         Granny pushed up from the table, grabbed the back of a nearby chair, and limped to her walker. “Get your rear in gear, honey. The sooner we get to the sale, the sooner we can start hauling in the cash.”
More Sweet Saturday Samples await you here: The Sweet List

Teaser Tuesday - How to Be Texan

While going through my bookshelves, trying to find books to recycle - to make room for new ones! - I came across How To Be Texan by Michael Hicks. Both of us authors of I.O.U. SEX are native Texans, so I guess I don't need this book, do I? But I've moved to the Pacific Northwest, so maybe it will remind me of my roots. I'm keepin' it.


I hope y'all enjoy this excerpt. It's from about the middle of the book (the pages aren't numbered):

Actually, the Chicken Ranch was a whorehouse of sorts, named in honor of the many thousands of chickens bartered for services. Tragically, the Chicken Ranch was brought to its knees and finally closed by a publicity-hungry newsman from Houston who was eager to get a five-minute news story. The legend lives on, though, in the successful stage musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

This book was written in 1981. In 1982 a movie (based on the Broadway musical, which was based on the book) was released, starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds (he was such a hunk back then). Here's a cute trailer:


For more two-sentence excerpts from readers, visit Miz B here: Teaser Tuesday

Sweet Saturday Samples - May 12

Another Saturday and another sample from my WIP romance, tentatively titled Elly and the Geriatrics. I've skipped a little, but here's what's going on: Elly has just returned from an errand for her grandmother, and the two women have started getting organized for the Sunset Acres rummage sale. But their work is interrupted by the chime of the doorbell. Since Elly is staying in the retirement village illegally, she dashes into the bedroom to hide from the visitor, who turns out to be the man in charge of the landscaping at Sunset Acres. We’re picking up the story where Granny’s visitor has just left.

When Granny opened the bedroom door, she grinned and winked. “My visitor was that good-looking Derek Wright. Such a nice young man, and what a cutie.”             Elly just shook her head and picked up a stack of paperback books. If she let Granny get started, the next thing she knew, they’d be discussing wedding dresses.             Her grandmother leaned closer. “As soon as I can, I’m going to introduce you to him.”             Elly sighed. “Please, Granny. The last thing I want or need right now is a man, good looking or otherwise.” From what she remembered, Granny was right—Derek was a hunk. But the last hunk she’d fallen for had turned out to be a real shithead.             She picked up a couple of paperbacks. “What about selling these?” The battered covers of the romance novels featured heaving hooters and bulging biceps. The yellowed pages crackled with age.             “You’re trying to change the subject, Electra, but I know you’ve got to be bored—“             “Elly. Please. Not Electra.”             “—hanging around with me all the time.” Granny gave her granddaughter a warm smile. “I probably don’t tell you often enough, but I appreciate all you do for me. You always were a good girl.”           “That’s me, all right. The family Girl Scout.” Good old Elly. Level-headed and reliable.   Elly smiled at her grandmother’s serious face. “I’m happy to help you, Granny. You know that. Now about these paperbacks….” Granny sighed. “Oh, I guess we should sell them, honey. The print’s so tiny, I doubt if I could read them anymore. But your grandpa and I did find them inspirational at one time, if you know what I mean.”             Ignoring her grandmother’s embarrassing innuendo, Elly turned the top book over and read the title—Lust at the Laundromat. With a chuckle she put that one aside to read herself, just to see how the plot played out. She wondered if they could get rid of the collection at the rummage sale. They could try, but she felt sure most would end up in the recycling bin or donated somewhere. For once, her grandmother dropped the issue of Elly’s lackluster love life. 

More outstanding Sweet Saturday Samples await you. Click HERE and follow the links.