For Love or Money author interview and giveaway

For Love or Money

by Cathy Perkins

 Entangled Publishing - May 2013

Book Description:
When Holly Price trips over a friend’s dead body while hiking, her life takes a nosedive into a world of intrigue and danger. The verdict is murder—and Holly is the prime suspect.
Of course, the fact that the infinitely sexy—and very pissed off—cop threatening to arrest her is JC Dimitrak, who just happens to be Holly’s jilted ex-fiancé, doesn’t help matters.
To protect her future, her business...and her heart...the intrepid forensic accountant must use all her considerable investigative skills to follow the money through an intricate web of shadow companies, while staying one step ahead of her ex-fiancé. She better solve the case before the real killer decides CPA stands for Certified Pain in the Ass...and the next dead body found beside the river is Holly’s.

Book Information

Title: For Love or Money
Author: Cathy Perkins
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: 367 pages
Release Date: May 2013
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62266-097-1
Imprint: Suspense

Buy Links:

Purchase from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/For-Love-or-Money-ebook/dp/B00CK51J3U/

Purchase from Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-love-or-money-cathy-perkins/1115213927

Puchase from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/for-love-or-money/id642292777?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Tour-wide Giveaway:

Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway

Cathy Perkins is offering a Kindle Paperwhite to one lucky winner as part of the For Love of Money Blog Tour celebration! Simply fill out the rafflecopter form provided below for your chance to be entered.

Author Information

 Cathy Perkins

Author Website: http://cperkinswrites.com/

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/cperkinswrites

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5367341.Cathy_Perkins

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CathyPerkinsAuthor

 Bio: Cathy Perkins is a member of the Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She writes predominantly financial-based mysteries but enjoys exploring the relationship aspect of her characters' lives. Her suspense writing lurks behind a financial day-job, where she learned firsthand the camouflaged, hide in plain sight, skills employed by her villains.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the setting of FOR LOVE OR MONEY, with her work-a-holic husband, a 75-pound Lab who thinks she’s still a lap-puppy and a Wirehair puppy’s who’s intent on digging her way to China. You can learn more about Cathy on her website http://cperkinswrites.com
Hello Cathy and welcome to Booky Ramblings.
Good morning, Shona. Thanks for inviting me to visit your blog.
What inspired you to write your first book?
While I’ve had a life-long love affair with reading, I didn’t start writing until about five years ago. This probably isn’t how most people start, but I had a long-term consulting job in a city about 90 miles away. I’d listen to music and daydream during the commute. Pretty soon the daydream had dialogue and I thought, hmm, this is turning into a good story. That particular book lives in a box under the bed. I made every possible mistake with it, except I discovered I love creating worlds and characters.
My critique partners actually like the premise and want me to dig the story out of the dust bunnies. Nope. Don’t see that happening.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Once I decided to write for publication, I realized I had lots to learn about the craft of writing. I read craft books and take online classes, and for the past few years I've attended a week-long Masterclass. The in-depth sessions and nightly critique groups fit my hands-on learning style. I think the first year I went, my head exploded from everything I learned!
My overall process and style haven’t changed now that I have several books published. I find I'm far more conscious of structure, drawing on a four-act/eight-sequence framework, and on what several instructors call “persistence of view” rather than just point of view. Of course, when I “run the movie in my head,” I’m aware of the visual storytelling and look for thematic elements and ways to incorporate the setting into the story—things I didn’t know existed when I started writing. Elements and layers can be added or deepened during editing passes, but I’ll always be a plotter—I need to understand where my stories are headed.
How did you come up with the title?
When I pitched the manuscript, I called it So About The Money because of the play on words (depending on which one you stressed when you said the title, it took on different meanings). My editor at Entangled, Nina Bruhns, thought the title didn't reflect the relationship chemistry between Holly and JC. We texted ideas back and forth (some of them were pretty amusing as we got desperate for ideas!) and decided on For Love or Money. It hits both the crime and the relationship.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I wanted this story to be lighter than my other books. I wanted a new challenge –writing from a single point of view is a challenge – and to spotlight the female character's strength. I didn't overtly have a message, but my tag line sums up my stories' recurring themes: Mystery with a Financial Twist; Trust Issues; Family Bonds.
How much of the book is based on your life experiences?
I can promise you that while I go hiking, I have never stumbled over a dead body. Of a person, anyway. :)
Authors are sponges, or at least I am. I soak up surroundings, conversations, experiences and let them play in an overactive imagination. While I use my experience working in the financial industry as a backdrop in For Love or Money, the story is completely fiction.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
There’s a long list of literary authors I’d love to invite over for a drink on the porch but I’m going say it’s a toss-up between Ridley Pearson and Toni McGee Causey. Both have built successful careers based on character-driven stories with page-turning plots. I’d love to pick their brains on everything from plotting to suspense layers to confronting all the doubts writers face on a daily basis.
What book are you reading now?
My reading probably reflects my mood—sometimes I want a light, beach read escape and sometimes I want a deeper connection. Since I write mystery and suspense, I read across the spectrum of mystery and thrillers. Right now, I’m reading at the introspective end – Jonathon King, John Hart and pushing even further into women’s fiction, Mary Alice Monroe and Anne Rivers Siddons. And of course, I always have dozens of books on my e-reader.
With summer right around the corner, I'd love to find some new-to-me amateur sleuth authors.
What are your current projects?
I’m working on two very different manuscripts right now. One is dark and introspective, revolving around the theme of betrayal. The second is the sequel to For Love or Money, which Entangled has already contracted. It's imaginative title is “Book 2.” So far it has Rockcrawlers and that llama from For Love or Money may just have to show up.
Do you see your writing as a career?
With three books published over roughly the past year, I love writing and approach it as a professional. I also love my day job and am not ready walk away from it. Moving forward, who knows? My agent currently has my recently completed manuscript out on submission. It's a darker story revolving around the question, how far will you go to protect those you love? I'll let you know what happens.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
To my delight, Patricia Smiley, bestselling author of Cool Cache, had this to say about For Love or Money:
CPA Holly Price juggles dodgy clients, flakey parent, ex-lovers and a murdered friend before she gets to the bottom line in this fast and fun read.
After several dark stories, I moved to the lighter end of the mystery/suspense spectrum with For Love or Money, released this week with Entangled Publishing. Written from Holly Price’s perspective, the mystery romps through eastern Washington State with its rivers, wineries, Native American casinos, and assorted farm animals. The relationship, with some wicked fun chemistry between the CPA amateur sleuth and a Franklin County detective, is a big part of the story.
For Love or Money was huge fun to write and the advance reviews say readers like it!
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
So far, my stories have taken place in areas I'm intimately familiar with – South Carolina and Washington state. People have told me the setting is practically a character in The Professor and Honor Code. I hope they feel the same way about eastern Washington with For Love of Money. I can't imagine these books taking place anywhere else. As I move forward with Holly and JC's stories, I've visited out-of-the-way locations in the eastern part of Washington that may become quasi-authentic settings for them.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Time! My day job is demanding and we're also building a new house in the Cascade Mountains. The land needs a lot of work but we love it. I have a few stories on my website about battles with the beavers and the elk who came for breakfast. Juggling all three “jobs” can be a challenge.
As far as the actual books, again, it's time. I try to write in the morning (at an obscenely early hour) before the day job kicks into high gear.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Never give up! The road to publication can take numerous, unexpected twists and turns. Whether an agent or editor will want your story may involve timing and other projects they’re working on as much as the merits of your story. Add in individual likes and hot-buttons and you just have to keep working and submitting. If the story is rejected, remember it’s business, not personal. A well-written novel has multiple opportunities.
The second piece of advice is, keep learning. I’ve sat next to multi-published, NY Times best-selling authors and watched them take notes in a conference class. Sometimes I learn a new concept and sometimes a speaker hits me between the eyes with exactly the question or idea I needed to pull a scene together.
There are so many new avenues for authors – traditional and small presses, digital first, and self-publishing. Which one to pursue is a very personal decision, based on your story and your personal publication goals.
I’ll leave you with some advice Angela James offered at the Emerald City Conference – just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Her point was, make sure whatever you send out is ready, polished and your best work.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I’d like to share two things.  I appreciate the chance to talk about my writing and For Love or Money today, but the bottom line, as we say in both the financial and writing worlds, is this. It's all about the readers. Not every reader is going to like every book – and that’s okay. I'm so glad my stories entertain you and you've supported me through your purchases and telling your friends about them.
Huge thanks!
The other thing is, it’s never too late to follow a dream. There’s no guarantee you’ll reach your personal goal, but getting out and doing it is what’s fun.
Thanks for having me here today.