25 January, 2017

#Interview with Tonya Kappes, #Author A Ghostly Reunion

A Ghostly Reunion

by Tonya Kappes

on Tour January 16 - February 17, 2017

Synopsis:

A Ghostly Reunion by Tonya Kappes

A Ghostly Reunion

Proprietor of the Eternal Slumber Funeral Home, Emma Lee can see, hear, and talk to ghosts of murdered folks. And when her high school nemesis is found dead, Jade Lee Peel is the same old mean girl—trying to come between Emma Lee and her hot boyfriend, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, all over again.
There’s only one way for Emma Lee to be free of the trash-talking ghost—solve the murder so the former prom queen can cross over.
But the last thing Jade Lee wants is to leave the town where she had her glory days. And the more Emma Lee investigates on her own, the more complicated Miss Popularity turns out to be. Now Emma Lee will have to work extra closely with her hunky lawman to get to the twisty truth.


Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal
Published by: HarperCollins / Witness
Publication Date: December 27th 2016
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 006246695X (ISBN13: 9780062466952)
Series: Ghostly Southern Mysteries #5
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

An Interview with the Author:

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?

It wasn't until I'd had two college degrees, one master's degree, four small boys, two dogs and my husband did I even think about it. I was in my mid-thirties and hosting my book club. Like most readers, I'd gone to the bookstore and picked up ten books because I couldn't decide what book to suggest for book club. My husband noticed my spending on books had surpassed my spending on shoes. He picked up one of those ten books before my friends arrived and actually read a few pages. Now...he's not a reader. He sat the book down and said that I could tell a better story than the written words in that book. I laughed him off. Hours later I was telling one of my many stories to my book club friends and one of them said that I should write a book. 

Ahem. 

That got my attention. Two people told me that in a few hours. That's when the idea of actually sitting down to write a book started to fester within me. The very next day I started handwriting my very first novel under an Oak tree at my son's pee-wee football practice. 

What inspires you to write?

My readers. They really do. I set out to write ONE book. After I started getting mail telling me that I helped them escape from the reality of life, it touched me in ways I never knew. I'm very connected to my readers. I even host my own reader mystery weekend on a real train every October. They keep me going.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story? 

A Ghostly Reunion is the fifth book in my Ghostly Southern Mystery Series. When I started thinking about a new series, I wanted to pick an amateur sleuth that wasn't the typical cozy mystery crafty sleuth. Growing up, a friend's family owned the local funeral home and we'd play in there. I got to thinking about how funny a mystery based around an undertaker would be and it was, as we say in the south, all she wrote!

Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?

Of course! They would probably blow up if I took them out of that box, but I just can't do away with them. I look at them as stepping stones to the success I've had so far. They are sorta like stretch marks....

Tell us about your writing process.

I let an idea fester in my head for a few days and start writing down ideas in a notebook. Once I feel like I've got a good idea, I will sit down and write a synopsis. From that synopsis, I start to write the book from beginning to end.

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?

My favorite scene is when Emma Lee's sister comes to visit her in the end. They've had a very rocky relationship and it's sorta shocking to my readers. 

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?

Every character I write about has some part of me. 

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?

Write the next one. Move on from the one you just finished and start the next one.


Read an Excerpt:

Sexy isn’t a firm fanny in a thong, ladies.”
Hettie Bell didn’t seem so sexy in her hot pink leggings and matching top as she gasped for breath in her downward dog position in the middle of Sleepy Hollow, Kentucky. Her butt stuck straight up in the air, right there on display for everyone to see. Her black, chin-length bob was falling out of the small ponytail on both sides and her bangs hung down in her eyes.
“Sexy is confidence and self-acceptance. It’s exactly what yoga provides.”
Hettie Bell curled up on her tiptoes with her palms planted on one of the mats she provided for us. The rickety old floor of the gazebo, in the middle of the town square, groaned as we all tried to mimic her pose. “Yes!” Beulah Paige Bellefry hollered out like we were in the first pew of the Sleepy Hollow Baptist Church getting a good Bible beating from Pastor Brown himself.
“Amen to a good pose!”
Beulah continued to adjust her feet and hands each time she started to slip. If she wasn’t a bit overweight, I’d say it was her eighties silk sweat suit that was slicker than cat’s guts giving her problems. Or it could’ve been those pearls around her wrist, neck and ears weighing her down. Beulah never took off those pearls. She said pearls were a staple for a Southern gal.
“You said it, sister,” Mary Anna Hardy gasped. She teetered side to side, nearly knocking into Granny. Her sweat left streaks down her makeup. Who on earth got up this early and put makeup on to do yoga? Mary Anna Hardy, that’s who.
“God help us!”
“That’s it.”
I pushed back off my heels and crossed my legs, staring at all the Auxiliary women’s derrieres at my eye level.
“I’m here to do some relaxing, not Sunday school.”
Sleepy Hollow was smack-dab in the middle of the Bible Belt and if God wasn’t thrown in our conversations, then we weren’t breathing. But the last thing I wanted to think about was my butt stuck up to the high heavens and everyone up in the Great Beyond looking down upon me.

Author Bio:

Tonya KappesTonya Kappes has written more than fifteen novels and four novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, two very spoiled schnauzers, and one ex-stray cat in northern Kentucky. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full-time but can be found at all of her guys’ high school games with a pencil and paper in hand.

Catch Up with Tonya Kappes on her Website, Twitter, & Facebook

 

Tour Participants:

 

Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Tonya Kappes and Witness Impulse. There will be 1 US winner of one PRINTED set of The Ghostly Southern Mysteries #1-5 by Tonya Kappes. The giveaway begins on January 15th and runs through February 18th, 2017.
a Rafflecopter giveaway  

For a Chance to win a Kindle ENTER HERE!



Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

15 comments:

  1. Loved the interview!! Emma Lee is one of my favorite characters!!

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  2. That was an awesome interview. I loved this book.

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  3. I loved this interview! Tonya Kappes is a wonderful writer and her books take me away from my problems, even if just for a little while. Too bad there can't be a Neverending supply of her books!

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  4. Wonderful interview, love how you were seen as an writer by others first

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  5. Great interview. I enjoy finding out where the concept for the book comes from?

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  6. I really enjoyed visiting your post! I learned several new things about one of my favorite writers & series.

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  7. Great interview. I love this series one of my favorite series.

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  8. Love the interview. I really enjoy this series.

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  9. Great interview and I love this Series!!!

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  10. Great interview! Love Tonya Kappes and this series.

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  11. Loved the interview. Love Tonya's books. Thanks for having her on your blog.

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  12. Great interview, love this series the characters are so fun.

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  13. Great interview! Love Tonya Kappes!

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  14. Great interview! I enjoyed reading this book.

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