Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran Interview, Giveaway & Review

Well Read, Then Dead
by Terrie Farley Moran

… take the title with the cover (which I LOVE by the way) and mash it together with what’s inside….instant work of bookish art.
~Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Well Read, Then Dead
(Read Em and Eat Mystery)
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Read Em and Eat Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (August 5, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-0425270288

Synopsis

First in a new series!

Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ‘Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.

Read ‘Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch treats, along with quite a colorful clientele. If it’s not Rowena Gustavson loudly debating the merits of the current book club selection, it’s Miss Augusta Maddox lecturing tourists on rumors of sunken treasure among the islands. It’s no wonder Sassy’s favorite is Delia Batson, a regular at the Emily Dickinson table. Augusta’s cousin and best friend Delia is painfully shy—which makes the news of her murder all the more shocking.

No one is more distraught than Augusta, and Sassy wants to help any way she can. But Augusta doesn’t have time for sympathy. She wants Delia’s killer found—and she’s not taking no for an answer. Now Sassy is on the case, and she’d better act fast before there’s any more trouble in paradise.

Includes a buttermilk pie recipe!

About This Author

Twice short-listed for Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran’s cozy mystery novel, Well Read, Then Dead is the first book in the Read ’Em and Eat Café and Bookstore series. You can find Terrie blogging amid the grand banter of New York writers known as the Women of Mystery. www.womenofmystery.netTerrie tells anyone willing to listen that hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren provides life’s grand and joyful moments.

Hi. Thanks so much for inviting me to visit with you and your friends. I am very excited to be on my blog tour for Well Read, Then Dead and thrilled to get a chance to hang out here for a bit.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in New York City, where I still live for most of the year. One of my children lives a stone’s throw from Fort Myers Beach, which is home to the characters in Well Read, Then Dead. I spend a lot of time visiting the grandkids while soaking up research material. Naturally, I visit in the winter. Wouldn’t you?

Tell us your latest news?

Well my hugest news of all is that cozy lovers are finally able to read Well Read, Then Dead. Waiting for a release date is excruciating so I am excited that August is finally here. I’m also wildly delighted that I’ve sent the manuscript for the second book in the series, Death Branches Out, to my fabulous editor at Berkley Prime Crime. I love writing short mystery fiction and am mega happy that my short story, “On Target” can be found in an upcoming issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

When and why did you begin writing?

I am first and foremost a reader. I will read the back of cereal boxes or liquid detergent bottles if there are no books available. I had always promised myself that when I retired I would join a gym and write mysteries. I surprised myself to no end when, in late 2002 I retired, joined a gym and began pulling together ideas for a mystery novel. All these years later I still use the gym membership and I still write fiction every day.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I considered myself a writer from the moment I began chapter one of my first, still unpublished, novel, Driven to Death. That was sometime in January 2003. I added writing short stories to my repertoire a few years later. I discovered that I love writing short stories and I write a few each year for any available market.

What inspired you to write your first book?

The year I turned fifty-five, a dear friend from my high school days died after a long illness. I decided to write a buddy book set in an over-55 community in Florida as a tribute to the many life adventures she was never going to have. That book remains unpublished, but still cherished.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Oh, I don’t know if you would call it a style, but I can tell you that first I research the geography and absorb the atmosphere of the setting. Then I think about the personalities of the characters in the story. Eventually the combination of the setting and characters leads to a plot. Once I start writing I go from beginning to the end. If I get stuck, I skip the part I’m stuck on and move forward. Later I’ll go back and fill in. And I don’t outline. Somewhere slightly past the half-way point of the work in progress, I always regret not having an outline and promise myself that I will definitely have an outline for the next project. But I never do. *sigh*

How did you come up with the title?

The murder victim in Well Read, Then Dead is a long time member of several book clubs that meet regularly in the Read ’Em and Eat Café. And from the beginning I always thought of her in the past tense. I knew she was well read, and alas, now she is dead.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I think Well Read, Then Dead reinforces the important of friendship, the essential ingredient that makes all of our lives richer, fuller and gives us strength for the bad times and provides extra joy in good times.

What would you like my readers to know?

As a cozy reader I have always wanted to spend more of my time “living” with the characters in each and every book I read. Writing this series allows me to spend an expanded amount of time hanging out in the Read ’Em and Eat and roaming Fort Myers Beach with Sassy, Bridgy and the gang. Of course it’s all completely in my head, but isn’t that where we cozy lovers have the most fun?

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9

Blog:  www.womenofmystery.net

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran

Purchase Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Well-Read-Then-Dead-Mystery/dp/0425270289/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_mas?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399219718&sr=1-1&keywords=well+read+then+dead

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/well-read-then-dead-terrie-farley-moran/1118329723?ean=9780425270288

Tour Participants

August 1 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – Review, Giveaway
August 2 – deal sharing aunt – Review, Interview, Giveaway
August 3 – Books Are Life – Vita Libri – Review, Giveaway
August 4 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – Review, Interview
August 5 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – Review
August 6 – dru’s book musing – Guest Post, Giveaway
August 7 – Books-n-Kisses – Review, Interview
August 8 – Back Porchervations – Review, Giveaway
August 9 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Giveaway
August 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
August 11 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review
August 12 – Mystery Playground – Interview, Giveaway
August 13 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
August 14 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway

My Review:

I love that this book took place at a Bookstore Cafe. I have been to a bookstore that has a cafe in it, but nothing with great characters like the ones in this book. I also liked that the victim was not the normal "main character" victim, but rather a relative of one of the stores regulars. I did not solve the mystery until I read who the killer was. I enjoyed the book club lingo as well. This was a fun read. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own. 

Giveaway:

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