Those looking for a good mystery with some added depth will enjoy Death Runs Adrift. It’s the perfect combination of fun characters and an intriguing story to keep you turning the pages. ~Carstairs Considers …
Ms. MacInerney has the amazing ability to create a unique mystery that will make you lose all track of time while you investigate the clues right along with Natalie. ~Books-n-Kisses
Series: The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries (Book 6)
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK (May 8, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0738734608
ISBN-13: 978-0738734606
Synopsis
With her own wedding fast approaching and her mother-in-law dating an unexpected beau, the last thing Natalie Barnes needs is to find a young man shot dead in a dinghy. A note she finds with the body suggests the dearly departed had a secret rendezvous planned with somebody on the island. But when suspicion is cast on a fisherman Natalie believes to be innocent, she begins to wonder if the murder was the result of a lover’s quarrel . . . or a lobsterman’s disagreement gone horribly wrong.
About This Author
Critically acclaimed author Karen MacInerney also teaches writers’ workshops and drives a mean carpool. Her book Murder on the Rocks was selected as an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. When she’s not writing or chauffeuring children, she loves to read, drink coffee, attempt unusual recipes, and hit the local hike-and-bike trail. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children, and escapes to Maine as often as possible.’
Interview
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
In high school, when
asked by the yearbook editor what I would be doing in ten years, I answered,
“Writing the 835th first chapter of a book.” I always wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t
have the necessary discipline and/or understanding of how a book goes together
until my early 30s. (I also didn’t know
what I wanted to write!)
At what age did you discover your love of
writing?
First came my love of
reading. Like most writers I know, I was
an early and avid reader, and have been a compulsive book consumer my entire
life. I knew early on that I wanted to
be able to write stories that moved others the way the stories I read moved me,
but had no idea how to even begin. I wrote
story beginnings by the dozen, kept journals starting in middle school, and
wrote poetry. I think I’m a compulsive
writer; I’m happier at the end of the day if I’ve written, and I still keep a
loose journal that I write in almost daily, but almost never read.
What was the first story that you wrote?
I think it was a horror
story in third grade that somehow involved a ghost and a bloody footprint. Evidently I did a fair job of it, as I recall
the class being oddly quiet and somewhat saucer-eyed when I looked up from the
page at the end. I remember that being
my first experience of having connected with readers (or listeners, as the case
may be) and moved them with my words.
When were you first published? How were you
discovered?
I was first published
in the mid-2000s. I met my agent at the
Writers’ League Conference in Austin.
Murder on the Rocks, the first Gray Whale Inn mystery, was a finalist in
the conference manuscript competition, and Jessica Faust of BookEnds was the
agent I knew I had to meet. I was first
in line at her pitch table, and after I breathlessly reeled off my spiel, she
looked at me and said, “Well, there are a lot of bed-and-breakfast mysteries
already, but I guess you can send me the proposal.” As you can imagine, that took the wind out of
my sails, but she e-mailed me a week after receiving the proposal telling me
she wanted to read the rest of the manuscript.
I accepted her offer of representation in the master bathroom, as I had
two small children and that was the only room in the house where I could talk
without someone begging for cookies and/or hanging off of me.
What is the most difficult part of the whole
writing process?
I think it’s deciding
what story to write next. I have tons of
ideas in my head, but only so much time.
I love writing in the series I know and reconnecting with favorite
characters, but I also like exploring new territory. It’s hard for me to balance those needs.
What do you like to read?
I’ve been reading a lot
of nonfiction lately, particularly books on creativity and the writing
process. Although there are a lot of
stellar mysteries out there, I’ve not read as many these past few years;
instead, I’ve been sampling the historical fiction and fantasy genres. I have a longstanding addiction to armchair
travel, but have read almost everything out there. I need more people to sell their houses and
move to exotic countries. Or maybe I
could sell my house and move to an exotic country. Hmm….
Where can people learn more about you?
I spend an inordinate
amount of time on Facebook – feel free to friend me there at www.facebook.com/karenmacinerney. I also have an updated web site,
which is very exciting (for me, at least), at www.karenmacinerney.com.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us
about yourself?
I am so thankful to be
able to write for a living, and would encourage anybody who shares that dream
to read a lot, write a lot, and stay the course. The writing game is, to a large extent, a
numbers game; the more times you have at bat, the higher chance you have of
hitting it out of the park, so to speak.
(I think you also learn more with each book you finish.) Write a book, clean it up, send it out, start
your next one while you’re shopping your first one, and repeat. And for goodness’ sake, don’t keep massaging
the same manuscript for twenty years.
Send that sucker out and write something new!
Please tell us in 20 words or less, why we should
read your book.
If you enjoy mysteries
(or lobster, or islands, or muffins) and want to experience a cozy inn set in
an island community in Maine, book a literary stay at the Gray Whale Inn. Okay, so that’s thirty-three. But who’s counting?
What inspired you to write this book?
I read a book on life
in the Maine islands a few years back which made me aware of some of the
unusual challenges these small communities face. Those real-life stories were the jumping-off
point for Death Runs Adrift, which explores how some of those issues affect the
close-knit community of Cranberry Island.
Thanks for having me…
and I hope you enjoy the latest installment of the Gray Whale Inn mysteries!
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