Cate: Please welcome J.M. Griffin. J.M., will you please share a short bio with us?J.M.: I began writing about 10 years ago. My first attempts sadly ended up under the bed, but as with all authors, I kept trying. In 2007 my first book, For Love of Livvy, a mystery laced with humor was published by Lachesis Publishing. I’d finally found my voice. Thank goodness for that! The majority of my life has been spent as an artist and designer, but I’ve always been an avid reader. My artwork has been published in magazines and throughout the greeting card industry. I love the creative process of writing and painting. There’s nothing better to save your sanity than to escape to one (or both) of those places.
Cate: So true. Tell us about Dead Wrong and where it's available.
J.M.: The book is the third in the Vinnie Esposito series. Lavinia “Vinnie” Esposito is an Italian woman with a curious bent for adventure. She finds herself in hot water with the cops, her state trooper boyfriend, the FBI and her father more often than not. In this story, Vinnie faces medical fraud, murder and the problems of her twin brother and art theft. Her overwhelming curiousity and tenacity save the day, but comes at a cost. The book is available through Amazon.com and Lachesispublishing.com
Cate: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
J.M.: Vinnie Esposito has problems, again!
Her cat burglar uncle has passed on, leaving his widow to deal with the FBI while Vinnie’s brother deals with stolen art his wife has hidden for the infamous old coot. After visiting her widowed aunt, Vinnie realizes the woman’s son has his eye on the fortune his father left behind. Can Vinnie save her aunt from a future in a nursing home?
While working to rescue her aunt from this fate, Vinnie is injured in a bicycle race and is sent to a medical facility for rehabilitation of her knee injury. While there, she becomes suspicious over her care. Is her medical insurance being bilked of thousands of dollars? Before Vinnie can figure it out, she finds her physical therapist dead in the room Vinnie refers to as the torture chamber.
Vinnie’s father demands she mind her own business, but her curiosity is way out of control, while Vinnie’s brother insists on making her life more complicated than ever. Join Trooper Marcus Richmond, Vinnie and FBI Agent Aaron Grant for more fun and laughs.
Cate: Sounds great. Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
J.M.: She’s tenacious, independent, determined and has a good heart. Vinnie is unwilling to bossed around and takes chances while rationalizing her behavior. She lies by omission and crosses her fingers and toes thinking it won’t count. Her inner voice (or conscience) nags the daylights out of her until she wishes she had a shut off switch. Witty, tough and lovable, Vinnie’s “Perils of Pauline” type of lifestyle is an easy read that makes people laugh.
Cate: Sounds like a fun read. What's next for you?
J.M.: A fourth book in the series and a second book in the Faerie Cake Dead series.
Cate: What inspired you to draft your first story?
J.M.: While I’m not Italian by birth, I am married into an Italian family that has inspired me to write about a character who is 100% Italian. When I first wrote about Vinnie and her penchant for trouble, I had lost my sense of humor and was desperately working to get it back. Vinnie has done that for me. While at a family function, I listened to my grown up daughter and nieces talk about their lives. Their laughter and offbeat sense of humor was an inspiration in itself. I considered the many trials and tribulations the family and their friends had had throughout the years and found fodder for my stories. That’s not to say the events in my books are based on real characters or happenings, but one single event can trigger a whole story line filled with author’s license.
Cate: Do you have a writing routine?
J.M.: I try to write everyday for as long as I can. I’m a morning person, so it works out for me to write for a few hours in the morning.
Cate: Where can readers find you on the web?
J.M.: www.JMGriffin.net; www.amazon.com; www.lachesispublishing.com
Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
J.M.: What do you think makes a good mystery?
Cate: Readers, J.M. is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner on the evening of Tuesday, November 30, 2010 and post the winner's name.
Thanks so much for being my guest, J.M. Best of luck to you.
