#114: Tempest in the Tea Leaves - Kari Lee Townsend (With Interview)

Synopsis & Book Info:
In the fortune telling business there are a lot of pretenders, but Sunshine Meadows is the real deal—and her predictions can be lethally accurate…
Sunny is a big city psychic who moves to the quaint town of Divinity, NY to open her fortune-telling business in an ancient Victorian house, inheriting the strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the frazzled librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in terror, Sunny calls the police, only she’s too late. The ruggedly handsome, hard-nosed detective is a ”non-believer.” He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence before the real killer can put an end to the psychic’s future.


Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Prime Crime (MM)
ISBN: 9780425242759
Purchase at Amazon


Author Bio:

Kari Lee Townsend lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, her three busy boys, and her oh-so-dramatic daughter, who keep her grounded and make everything she does worthwhile…not to mention provide her with loads of material for her books. Kari is a longtime lover of reading and writing, with a masters in English education, who spends her days trying to figure out whodunit. Funny how no one at home will confess any more than the characters in her mysteries!
Kari writes fun and exciting stories for any age, set in small towns, with mystical elements and quirky characters. You can find out more about her on her website and also on the group mystery blog she cohosts, called Mysteries and Margaritas.



©2011


Author Interview:

1. Please tell readers about your current book.

Tempest in the Tea Leaves is the first book in my Fortune Teller Mystery series. It’s about a big city psychic named Sunshine Meadows who moves to the small town of Divinity NY to start her fortune-telling business. In the first reading Sunny gives to the frazzled town librarian, she predicts murder will happen. When she tells hard-nosed, cynical Detective Mitch Stone and the murder actually comes true, Sunny becomes his number one suspect. She must work to clear her name before the real killer puts an end to her future for good.

2. Who or what inspires your writing?

My mother, Marion Harmon, encouraged me right from the beginning to follow my dreams, and my father, Chet Harmon, made me actually believe I could do it. I try to follow their example as great parents and make my kids believe they can truly be anything they want to in life if they work hard and never give up.

3. When did you know you would be a writer?

I have always written in some form. Poetry, short stories, then books. When I was twenty, I started my first novel on an old Brother typewriter. I never finished it, or the second one I started. Then I got married and finished college, with a degree in English Education. When I had my first son, I decided to be an at home mom and started writing again when he turned one. I met my critique partner that year, Barbie Jo Mahoney, and never looked back.

4. How long did it take you to write your first novel?

I made the classic mistake of trying to make my first novel be several novels and not giving up on it until it sold. I wasted five years doing that, finally giving up on it. After I signed with my agent, ironically on that first book which was also a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakout Novel Contest, I finally started another book. Then I wrote three full books and several partials in just three years. It took me 14 years to sell, 3 of which were with my agent Christine Witthohn, but then she landed me two 3-book deals just 5 months apart. Big lesson there. If you keep giving your agent new work to submit, your chances of actually selling something increase dramatically.

5. What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Writing isn’t hard for me. I love it! It’s juggling my writing time with promotion. Once you sell, you have a deadline for turning in a manuscript. Then you have edits. Then copy edits. Then page proofs. Then promotion for that book. All the while starting a new deadline for the next book. And in my case, juggling two series at two different publishers. Careful what you wish for, people. Still, after taking so long to sell, I wouldn’t have it any other way J

6. Do you have any writing rituals?

I prefer to do promotion in the morning with my coffee, since I’m not awake enough to do much else. Then in the afternoon, I grab a Diet Pepsi and work on new pages. I have 4 kids, so writing during naptime has always stuck. At night I’m pretty much useless.

7. Have you written anything else?

I just turned in book two Corpse in the Crystal Ball which will come out June 2012. And I’m starting book three Trouble in the Tarot which will come out in March 2013. I am also the author of an action adventure middle grade sci fi series called The Samantha Granger Experiment.

8. Any advice to aspiring writers?

Never give up! If you do, then you’ll never know what could have been. And don’t sit around waiting for your book to sell. Get started on the next book. Don’t write to the market, but be aware of it. Is there a genre selling well that you think you might like to try? Don’t be afraid to try something new. You just might love it.

9. Who is your favorite author?

I love anything funny. Donna Andrews and Tamar Myers and Annette Blair are great.

10. What is your favorite book?

I don’t really have a favorite book. I love humorous cozy mysteries with some romance. I also still love romantic comedies and funny women’s fiction.

11. What are you currently reading?

A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett and loving it!

12. How do readers find out more about you?

You can find out more about me at my website and also at my group blog. Follow me on Twitter, and like my Facebook Author Page

Thank you so much for having me here. It’s been a blast. I really hope you all enjoy the first installment of my Fortune Teller Mystery series, Tempest in the Tea Leaves. I’ve had so much fun writing Sunny’s wild and crazy adventures. Drop me a line and let me know what you think at karileetownsend@gmail.com Inquiring minds want to know ;-) Stay tuned…there’s lots more to come!



My Opinion:
This is a really fun read. I especially enjoyed not knowing who did it. This story had all the elements you could ever want in a cozy; mystery, suspense, drama, a hint of romance, and even some comedic moments.
The romance was the only predictable part of the book, for me, and that worked since it wasn't the focus.
Definitely a page turner for a cozy lover!

4/5

Recommend? Yes!


~ I received a copy from Penguin. I was not compensated for my opinion.~