Sunday, June 28, 2015

A Season For Killing Blondes by Joanne Guidoccio Interview & Giveaway

A Season For Killing Blondes
by Joanne Guidoccio

Reading about how involved Gilda’s rather pushy Italian family is in her new office was one of my favorite things about A Season for Killing Blondes.
~Jane Reads

The characters are lively, the mystery is intriguing, and the pacing on this is flying.
~I Wish I Lived In a Library

A Season for Killing Blondes
File Size: 397 KB
Print Length: 216 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (June 12, 2015)
ASIN: B00XCZ5EE2

Synopsis

Hours before the opening of her career counseling practice, Gilda Greco discovers the body of golden girl, Carrie Ann Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside Gilda’s office. Gilda’s life and budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school crush, conducts the investigation. When three more dead blondes turn up, all brutally strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime suspect for the murders.

Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and fourteen ex-boyfriends.

As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long overlooked.

About the Author

In high school, Joanne dabbled in poetry, but it would be over three decades before she entertained the idea of writing as a career. She listened to her practical Italian side and earned degrees in mathematics and education. She experienced many fulfilling moments as she watched her students develop an appreciation (and sometimes, love) of mathematics. Later, she obtained a post-graduate diploma as a career development practitioner and put that skill set to use in the co-operative education classroom. She welcomed this opportunity to help her students experience personal growth and acquire career direction through their placements.

In 2008, she took advantage of early retirement and decided to launch a second career that would tap into her creative side and utilize her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes paranormal romance, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.

Interview

Where are you from?

While I’ve lived in southern Ontario for more than half my lifetime, I have fond memories of my childhood and adolescence in Sudbury, also known as the Nickel Capital of the World and Slagtown. Over the years, I’ve visited regularly and enjoyed watching the city evolve. After decades of damage to the local environment, the mining industry finally cleaned up its act during the 1970s. The City Fathers also launched several greening initiatives.

A Season for Killing Blondes is based in Sudbury, Ontario.

Tell us your latest news.

This spring and summer, I will be launching two books: A Season for Killing Blondes and The Coming of Arabella (paranormal romance). For the past ten years, my fiction has revolved around dead blondes and middle-aged ex-mermaids.

When and why did you begin writing?

During my high school years, I dabbled in poetry but didn’t take myself too seriously. In my heart of hearts, I knew that I would write a novel at some point in the future. Three decades later, I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer and was forced to take a leave of absence from my teaching career. With all my energies focused on healing, I searched for light and entertaining novels that would provide a healthy diversion. I gravitated toward cozy mysteries and devoured three to four each week. After reading over fifty of them, I considered the following scenario: What if a woman won a major lottery, returned to her hometown, and then found herself embroiled in a murder investigation?

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

In August 2008, one of my travel articles, “Only in Newfoundland,” was picked up by the Waterloo Record. I was thrilled by the full-page spread and byline. Friends called to congratulate me and wish me well in my second act as a writer.

What inspired you to write your first book? (Answered above)

Do you have a specific writing style?

When writing articles and book reviews, I research carefully and use a concise, clipped tone. With short stories and novels, I relax and enjoy adding dialogue and conflict to the narrative. One of my author friends commented, “Whenever I read your stories, I’m reminded of Maeve Binchy’s novels.” I was honored by the comparison.

How did you come up with the title?

While brainstorming titles, I considered several variations of “brunette vs blonde” but they all sounded clichéd. Mentioning Sudbury was also a possibility but could lead to confusion since there are Sudburys in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the end, I decided to add the word “Season” to the title. I had written the first draft of the novel during the most challenging season of my life.

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