High Tea Time! Mmmm, Mmmm, Good

I love the idea of high tea. Even low tea. LOL Any tea is fine with me. Here's a fancy tea pot -- decaff for me or I'll never get to sleep) with an assortment of goodies. The idea of high tea is not to eat *everything* but to nibble. Have a finger sandwich. Have a piece of See's candy (the best chocolate, this side of the Atlantic, in my opinion.) Enjoy a cookie--but that's my downfall. I would keep reaching for that plate until they were all gone! I can't resist cookies. Mmmm.

In the mood to BUY Double Crossing? Click here to go to Astraea Press! But we're not done with high tea.

Okay, let's get down to business while we much. Mystery vs. Suspense - what's the difference? Well, it does matter. A mystery usually involves an amateur detective who either discovers a dead body (well, that would include Lily Granville, right?) who teams up with an official sleuth (okay, Double Crossing doesn't fit.) Either a policeman (in DC, the police believe her father committed suicide) or a detective or some other official. And the reader usually follows along gathering clues or following red herrings at the same time as the amateur sleuth, which gives them the chance to discover the murderer's identity.

Mysteries are also rarely written in "first person Point of View" -- in DC, Lily is the readers' "eyes" since the events are happening to her. The reader gets "hooked" into her character, her emotions, her perceptions or misconceptions and experiences events right along with her, and sometimes can see things coming before Lily. And while I included a murder in the beginning to start Lily's "adventure west," there's more of a sense of potential danger than a lurking serial killer, ready to pounce. And in a "first person POV" style of story, no one else's point of view is revealed. The reader is as unsure of Charles, Ace and Emil Todaro as Lily is.

Now let's talk about westerns. While Double Crossing isn't a "traditional" western, I made certain the "flavor" of the west is included. The train details, the dusty streets of Cheyenne, the "cowboy" Lily enlists to help, all add to that flavor. I loved watching western TV shows as a kid, like Bonanza (thanks, Dad, for sharing your love of them too!) and Gunsmoke, High Chaparral, Wild Wild West and Maverick. I loved John Wayne movies (thanks again, Dad!) and was especially inspired by True Grit, released in 1969. I read the Charles Portis' book in college, and let the premise of a young girl's father being murdered simmer for years.

I started/stopped/resumed and finished writing Double Crossing in 2007. Revised it again completely in 2010, and here it is, for sale. I hope you enjoy my version of "True Grit" on a train!

My good friend Jacquie Rogers, who lives in Idaho and writes western romances, will be stopping by... she's a fount of information about mules, horses, cowboys, costume, etc. and her writing is SO FUNNY! I crack up while reading. Join me for Supper at 8 p.m. and we'll discuss characters and emotions. See you then!

And don't forget to comment! Post your email address to reserve a spot on my newsletter mailing list for a prize giveaway! Send me the order confirmation number if you buy Double Crossing today, and you'll get that cute Kindle or Nook zipper pull! Or put it on your cat or dog's collar instead! Thanks for stopping by!