Book Title: TELL-TALE BONES Character Name: Sarah Booth Delaney   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, I had the best childhood ever. My parents loved me to distraction, and I was encouraged to have adventures and to explore. During early childhood I was coddled and carefree. After my parents died in a car accident, I had Aunt Loulane. There was great sadness in my childhood, but also much love and joy.   What was your greatest talent? It is also my greatest weakness – total hardheadedness coupled with the idea that I can tackle anything and win. It can get me into a lot of trouble, but it also makes me a good private detective.   Significant other? I’m in a relationship with a childhood friend, Sheriff Coleman Peters. It took us a while to realize we were destined to be more than friends, but I believe I’ve found the man I was meant to love. Integrity and honesty are important to me, and Coleman has plenty of both.   Biggest challenge in relationships? Trusting another has been hard. My parents abrupt and tragic deaths left me unwilling to trust others,…

I am incredibly honored to introduce you to Carolyn Haines – writer extraordinaire, animal lover, and a pretty good gal all around! Carolyn writes the Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series, and her latest book, BONE APPETIT, continues the adventures of a Southern gal who is tough as nails and smart to boot, and her haint, Jitty, the ghost from Sarah’s family past. Before she began her mystery writing career, Carolyn spent nearly a decade as a journalist, qualities that she brings to her lively who-dun-its now. Now residing in Alabama, where she lives on a farm with three horses, four dogs and five cats. Did I mention that she was an animal lover? Taking a break from a summer tour promoting her new book, Carolyn was kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions. Sharon: At what age did you know that you wanted to be a writer? Carolyn: My parents were both journalists AND story tellers. I grew up in the perfect home for a would-be writer. Although the central focus was on facts and digging out the truth, writing of all types was valued in my home. Writing and reading. I published my first newspaper…

Hello and thanks for having me on your site to celebrate Getting Lucky hitting the market this month. It’s the final installment in the Lucky Series and tells Julie and Griffin’s story about their journey to true love and happiness. Writing a series has ups and downs, pros and cons, as opposed to writing a single book. One pro to writing a series is research. Basically, the whole series is going to be about the same area and time frame so when the research is done for the first book, it’s pretty well set for the next two. I wrote about the two areas I was most familiar with and even though each book was set in a different town in southern Oklahoma or north central Texas, they were all within spittin’ distance of each other. Close enough that the Luckadeau cousins could visit back and forth for barn dances, cattle sales and family gatherings. To read more of WHY WRITING A SERIES HAS BOTH UPS AND DOWNS and to comment for a chance to win a complete set of the Lucky books please finish the article. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

This summer, the 9th Bones book, GREEDY BONES, will be released by St. Martin’s Minotaur. I’m hard at work on the 10th book. People often ask me if I grow weary of the characters in Zinnia. After all, I’ve been in relationship with them for ten years or better, which is longer than many marriages. I never get tired of the Zinnia gang. They’re old friends to me. Trusted friends who share wisdom, laughter, shenanigans, and a zest for life that I often find in my real life friends and in the letters of many readers who’ve written to me. Sarah Booth, Jitty, Tinkie, Cece and Millie bring out the best in me, I think. One of the most interesting things is how much these characters have grown and changed over the books, exactly as real people do. Click to read the rest of Carolyn’s blog and to leave a comment. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.