With: Adrienne Giordano
Congratulations to "Emily B.", "Taurus", and "Joan V.", the winners in Adrienne's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!
The
Chicago Keeper Books Tour included authors Dianna Love, Denise
Swanson, Mary Buckham, Tracey Devlyn and Hildie McQueen. I’m not
sure who originally came up with the idea (It was probably Dianna because she’s
brilliant when it comes to things like this.), but what we did was put a new
twist on the standard way to do a book tour. Instead of spending a few hours in
a major city, which is generally inconvenient to the majority of readers, we
decided to visit smaller communities. The thought process behind the Keeper
Books Tour was that many readers don’t have the time to travel to the city to
meet an author. I was a reader before I became an author, and I’m a busy mom
who lives in the Chicago area, so I know from experience that it’s a challenge
for someone to travel fifteen or more miles to spend a few hours at a book
signing.
Congratulations to "Emily B.", "Taurus", and "Joan V.", the winners in Adrienne's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!
One of the
many things I love about being an author is meeting readers. A few weeks ago I
had the pleasure of meeting a whole bunch of them thanks to the Keeper
Books Tour.

We’ve had two
Keeper Books Tours so far and we’ve had wicked fun on both (as evidenced by the
photo of my pal Tracey Devlyn and I goofing off!). Our first tour was in
Atlanta last September. I’ve learned some things during these tours, but the
most important would be that I never get tired of connecting with readers one-on-one.
Social media is terrific for chatting, but there is something special about a
reader standing in front of me chatting about our favorite genres, books and
authors. There’s sort of a mutual “aha” moment when we discover we enjoy the
same stories. I suppose that’s what happens when book lovers come together
though.
When I
asked Dianna what she liked most about the Keeper Books Tour, here’s what she
said:
“I love,
love, love meeting readers anywhere and anytime, but the Keeper Books Tour
philosophy of "going outside the city to our readers" allowed me to
meet many who I would never have had the chance to any other way. That
was wonderful and having a team of authors who think alike and are great
at interacting with readers made every event a real pleasure. I
always enjoy hearing what readers have to share with me. They are the
single reason we write and I value a reader's opinion above all else, so
getting a chance to talk one-on-one was terrific.”
Writing
has brought me many gifts over the years and I can’t imagine a day where I’m
not thinking about a story I’m writing or the one I want to write. There are a
ton of perks to being an author, but being an author means running a small
business and it’s easy to get caught up in the daily tasks of running that
business. When I meet my amazing readers I’m reminded that books offer common
ground and a way for us to come together and chat about what we loved (or
didn’t love) about a story. It’s a way for total strangers to connect on an
emotional level without invading anyone’s privacy. It’s a way to make friends. And
that might be the best perk of all.
Readers,
have you ever met an author at an event?
Giveaway:
Three lucky readers leaving a comment or email entry will win 1 of 3 print books (The Prosecutor, The Defender, or The Marshall (US only).
USA Today
bestselling author Adrienne Giordano
writes romantic suspense and mystery. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but
now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports obsessed son and
Buddy the Wheaten Terrorist (Terrier). She is a co-founder of Romance
University blog and Lady Jane's Salon-Naperville, a reading series dedicated to
romantic fiction. For more information on Adrienne's books, please visit www.AdrienneGiordano.com. Adrienne can also be found on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AdrienneGiordanoAuthor, Twitter at http://twitter.com/AdriennGiordano and Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/AdrienneGiordano.
For information on Adrienne’s street team, Dangerous Darlings, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/dangerousdarlings.
Excerpt
from The Detective:
Chapter
One
Lexi Vanderbilt’s
mother taught her two very important lessons. One, always wear coordinating
lipstick, and two, recognize an opportunity when it presented itself.
Standing in the
ballroom of the newly renovated Gold Coast Country Club, Lexi planned on
employing those lessons.
All around her
workers prepared for the throng of club members who would descend in—she
checked her watch—ninety-three minutes. As the interior designer about to
unveil her latest masterpiece, she would spend those ninety-three minutes
tending to everything from flowers to linens to centerpieces. A waiter toting a
tray of sparkling champagne glasses cruised by. She took in the not-so-perfect
cut of his tux and groaned. The staff’s attire wasn’t her jurisdiction. Still,
small details never escaped her. At times, like now, it was maddening.
Oh, and just wait one second. “Excuse me,” she said to a woman carrying a stack of
tablecloths. “The sailboat ice sculpture belongs on the dessert table by the
window. The Willis Tower goes by the champagne fountain.”
The woman hefted
the pile of linens, a not-so-subtle hint that the sculptures weren’t her
problem. “Does it matter?”
If it didn’t, I wouldn’t ask. Lexi sighed. “It matters. Unless you’d like to tell
your boss, who specifically requested the placement of the sculptures, that it
doesn’t.”
For added effect,
Lexi grinned and the woman rolled her eyes. “I’ll get the busboys to move it.”
“Thank you.”
One minicrisis
averted. And maybe she could have let that one slide given that the club’s
manager had to be 110 years old and most likely wouldn’t remember which
sculpture went where, but why take a chance on something easily fixed?
Besides, tonight
everything had to be perfect.
Functions attended
by the richest of the rich were a breeding ground for opportunities.
Opportunities Lexi craved for her fledgling design company. At twenty-nine,
she’d already been profiled by the Banner-Herald
and all the major broadcast stations in the city. She was quickly gaining
ground on becoming Chicago’s “it” designer, and that meant dethroning Jerome
Laddis, the current “it” designer. He may have had more experience, but Lexi
had youth, energy and fresh ideas on her side. A few more insanely wealthy
clients touting Lexi’s work and look out, Jerome.
Then she’d hire an
assistant, rehab her disaster of a garage into an office and get some sleep.
Lots of it.
Right now, as she
glanced around, took in the exquisite silk drapes, the hundred-thousand-dollar
chandelier and hand-scraped floor she’d had flown in from Brazil, no questions
on the tiny details would haunt her. She’d make sure of it. Even if
stress-induced hospitalization loomed in her near future.
The upshot? She’d
lost five pounds in the past two weeks. Always a silver lining.
“Alexis?”
Lexi turned, her
long gown swishing against the floor and snagging on her shoe. She smiled at
Pamela Hennings while casually adjusting her dress. Darned floor-length gowns. “Mrs.
Hennings, how nice to see you.”
Mrs. Hennings
air-kissed and stepped back. On her petite frame she wore a fitted gown in her
signature sky blue that matched her eyes. The gown draped softly at the
neckline, displaying minimal cleavage. As usual, a perfect choice.
“I love what you’ve
done in here,” Mrs. Hennings said. “Amazing job.”
Being a club board
member, she had no doubt shown up early to make sure the unveiling of the new
room would be nothing short of remarkable. “Thank you. I enjoyed it. Just a few
last-minute details and we’ll be ready.”
“Everything is
lovely. Even the damned ice sculptures Raymond couldn’t live without. Waste of
money if you ask me, but some battles aren’t worth fighting.”
So true.
A loud bang from
the corner of the room assaulted Lexi’s ears. Please
let that be silverware. She shifted her gaze left and
spotted the waiter who’d passed her earlier scooping utensils onto a tray. Thank you.
Mrs. Hennings
touched Lexi’s arm. “By the bye, I think I have Gerald convinced his study
needs an update. All that dark wood is depressing.”
Now, that would be a thrill. If Lexi landed
the job and nailed it, the top 10 percent of Chicago’s executives would know
it. And competition ran hot with this social set. Before long, they’d be lined
up outside her office for a crack at outdoing Pamela and Gerald Hennings.
“I think,” Lexi
said, “for him we could leave touches of the dark woods. Macassar ebony would
be fabulous on the floor.”
“Ooh, yes. Do you
have time this week? Maybe you could come by and work up some sketches?”
“Of course.” Lexi
whipped her phone from her purse and scrolled to her calendar. “How about early
next week? Tomorrow I’m starting a new project that might eat up the rest of my
week.”
“I’ll make sure I’m
available. What’s this new project? Can you share?”
Rich folks. Always
wanting the inside scoop. “Actually, it’s quite fascinating. Remember the
murdered broker?”
“The one from
Cartright? How could I not? The entire neighborhood went into a panic.”
The residents of
Cartright, the North Side’s closest thing to a gated community without the
gates, employed private security to help patrol the six city blocks that made
up their self-titled haven. That extra money spent on security kept the crime
rate nearly nonexistent in those six city blocks.
Except for the
offing of one crooked stockbroker.
“That’s the one,”
Lexi said. “I’ve been hired to stage the house. The real estate agent suggested
it to the broker’s widow and she hired me.”
“I heard they
couldn’t sell. The market is destroying her. That poor woman. He left her with
a mountain of trouble. He paid top dollar and if she lowers the price again,
she won’t make enough to clear his debts. Add to that any retribution owed to
the clients he borrowed funds from
without their knowledge.”
As expected, Pamela
Hennings was up to speed on the latest gossip. Gossip that Lexi would not
share. Being told this information about a client was one thing. Sharing it?
Not happening. “I’m looking forward to the project. It’s an incredible house.”
Being an interior
designer didn’t always give Lexi the chance to change someone’s life. Her work
allowed people to see the beauty in color and texture and shape and made their
homes more than just a place to live, but she didn’t often get the opportunity
to alter an emotionally devastating situation. Now she had the chance. Getting
this house sold would free the broker’s widow from debt and give her children a
comfortable life.
And Lexi wanted to
see that happen.
Plus, if she got
the thing sold in forty-five days, she’d make a whopping 20 percent bonus. The
bonus alone would pay for an assistant and give her a life back.
Nap, here I come.
Mrs. Hennings made
a tsk-tsk noise. “They never did find the murderer, did they?”
“No. Which I think
is part of the problem. I may do a little of my feng shui magic in there.
Clear
all the negativity out. When I’m finished, that house will be beautiful and
bright and homey.”
“The debt, the
children and now the police can’t find the murderer. And it’s been what, two
years? No woman deserves to be left with that.”
Again, Lexi
remained quiet. Don’t get sucked in.
But, yes, it had been two years, and from what Lexi knew, the police were no
closer to finding the man’s killer. Such a tragedy. “The case has gone cold.”
Sucked in. She smacked her lips together.
“You know,” Mrs.
Hennings said, “my husband’s firm recently did some work with a pro bono cold
case. I wonder if the investigator who worked on that wouldn’t mind taking a
look at this. I’d love to see the man’s family given some relief. And, let’s
face it, it would certainly be good PR for the firm.”
It certainly would.
Investigative help
wouldn’t hurt the real estate agent’s chances—or Lexi’s—of getting the house
sold in forty-five days. “Do you think they’d be interested?”
“Oh, I’m sure it
can be arranged.”
Gerald Hennings,
a.k.a. the Dapper Defense Lawyer, pushed through the oversize ballroom doors,
spotted the two women and unleashed a smile. Even in his sixties, he had charm
to spare. Salt-and-pepper hair and the carved cheekbones of a man who’d once
been devastatingly handsome—all combined with his intelligence—added up to
someone who ruled a courtroom.
“Gerald,” Mrs.
Hennings said, “perfect timing. The board meeting will be upstairs. Believe it
or not, we’re the first ones here.”
The Dapper DL eyed
his wife with a hint of mischief, smiling in a rueful way that probably slayed
jurors. “Shocking.” Then he turned his charm loose on Lexi. “Alexis Vanderbilt,
how are you?”
“I’m fine, Mr.
Hennings. Thank you. And yourself?”
“I was quite well
until fifteen seconds ago when my wife announced my timing was perfect. That
means I’ll either be writing you a healthy check or she’s volunteered me for
something. Either way, I’m sure it will be painful.”
Buy Links:
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST July 2nd. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@justromanticsuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. Please note, the winners will not be announced until July 10th on this giveaway.
No, I haven't had the chance to meet you yet but I hope to some day. I do follow you on FB and follow the Justice series on FB, too. Thank you for the giveaway. jmvarner50@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to be invited to an author event a couple of years ago by an author... first time ever going to something like that and it was an amazing experience... was able to meet a few authors and speak to them within small groups... had dinner, etc... I am a bit shy so I was nervous, but everyone was so friendly!
ReplyDeletehaven't been to any events
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
I went to the Authors After Dark event last year, Met Carly Phillips, Julie Kenner and Lynne Marshall such a thrill to meet 3 of my favorite authors. yenastone at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteOur local indie bookstore held an event with eight local mystery authors - it was lovely to be able to speak to each author about their books.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
I was able to meet Nicholas Sparks once, but I had to drive a hour to meet him. Not many authors come around where I live and all the good events are to far away to go to but I would love to meet more authors one day.
ReplyDeleteemilybaucom at yahoo.com
My neck of the woods doesn't see a lot of events but if I could find one, I'd totally go ;) thanks for sharing and congrats to Adrienne on her series! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteefender1(at)gmail