It's been a busy start to the year, but I am back and happy to announce the first indie author feature of the year. So without further ado, I would like to introduce Amy Metz, author of Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction.
Genre: Mystery
Publication: August 5, 2012
Purchase your copy on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction to your Goodreads:
Description:
When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.
A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.
What people are saying:
• "This book is pure southern charm and had me longing for a glass of sweet tea and the friendship of these wonderful characters. So excited this is the first in a series...just fantastic!" Melissa Lapierre, Mochas, Mysteries and More
• The author has created a cast of characters that are quirky and lovable, their southern charm, crazy antics and hysterical dialogue will keep you in stitches. Kathleen of Jersey Girls Book Reviews
• This book is probably the cutest book that I have read in quite sometime, and seeing how it is about a murder mystery, I never thought I would describe one that way. The mystery and intrigue are real, and Tess is such a hoot. I absolutely fell in love with her during the first few pages and Amy truly does capture the heart of the south and everything that it entails. It’s been a while since I’ve read a murder/mystery that I’ve enjoyed this much. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a little intrigue without anything too dangerous or gritty. Sara, Chick Lit Plus
• Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction is by Amy Metz. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time! Life in the small town of Goose Pimple Junction, TN is lively as it is mysterious. Actually, the community is fairly sedate. Little to no crime at all, people living it up at the Silly Goose for an evening out or the more customary setting of the local diner for sweet tea and conversation. Life is simple…until writer, Tess Tremaine moves in to the neighborhood. To be fair, trouble found her, but you’ll figure that out, “lickety split”, when you unravel the mystery of the Hobb murder. Recently divorced after 26 years of marriage, Tess picks herself up and launches into Phase II of her life. Although she tries to quietly observe the townspeople, Tess is thrust into the lives of several prominent characters and has to adapt to her environment. Most significantly is fellow writer, Jackson Wright. Unsurprising, he’s handsome, witty and intelligent…all the characteristics Tess is determined to ignore. She swore never to get involved again. But he’s so dang appealing! Perhaps never should be “not so soon”? Let me say that I was immediately put off when I realized the central couple was middle-aged. I’m so used to panting over eternally hot vampires and studly shifters and/or swooning for lords and highlanders from the 16th century, I — WAIT. Those examples are waaay older, but if you perceive yourself to be that heroine, to insert yourself in the story, it’s appropriately hot, right? Everyone does this, right?! Ok…admonishing self…**get back on track!** Let me state clearly that Jack and Tess are such a wonderful couple, age is truly but a number. Amy Metz has written such an engaging couple, my ignorant impression was quickly dashed and I reveled in their every interaction; romantic or furtive in nature. The parallel story of the murder of John Hobb (a real event!) is the foundation for the present-day mystery and Ms. Metz tells it in such a nuanced manner, the vacillation between 1932 and 2010 drifts effortlessly. Adjusting to her newly independent life and wanting to integrate herself into Pimple Junction, Tess gets a P/T job at the local bookstore. Unable to sleep one evening, Tess decides to finalize the move-in by scraping off old wallpaper in her bedroom. Picking up dozens of shredded pieces, Tess has to extract the smaller scraps from under a vent on the floor. Along with the bits comes a peculiar key labeled “trunk”. Tess approaches her boss, Louetta Hobb, who happens to be the youngest child of the original homeowners. If Lou wasn’t impressed by its discovery, and even encouraged Tess to use it as a good luck charm instead, why does Tess’ house suddenly get ransacked? Someone DOES care. Ms. Metz enlightens us with the details of a bank robbery and subsequent unresolved murder of John Hobb (Louetta and her 3 siblings’ father), while Tess and Jack investigate the mystery. These two suffer break-ins, an actual mugging and become the unsuspecting victims of a stalker’s plan to keep the truth buried. It’s sooo good!!! Aside from the budding love story between Jack and Tess, Ms. Metz describes a slice of life so charming; I highlighted many colloquialisms on my Kindle! Please indulge me as they’re laugh out loud funny and spot-on descriptive. A casual greeting is “Hireyew”. When you’re meeting someone formally, there’s the expression, “We’ve howdied, but we ain’t shook yet.” Insults were some of my favorites! When Jack became jealous of a potential suitor of Tess’, he discouraged her interest by saying, “He’s about as handy as a back pocket on a shirt.” There were some great put-downs, too! “The only thing that would make him dumber is if he was bigger”; “Jesus loves him, but he’s the only one”; “That child was so ugly, her mama used to borrow a baby to take to church on Sunday.” Just delightful! I was swept away by Metz’ many metaphors and I am elated to hear there is more to this series. Enticed by a mystery, riveted to the swoon-worthy romance and tickled by the “countrified” life, I was thoroughly entertained on all levels. A quick visit to Ms. Metz’s website promises to continue the hilarity, as the sequel titled Heroes and Hooligans in Pimple Junction, is in the editing process. That must make her “busier than a one-legged man at a butt kickin’ contest”! Seriously…read this book! Carmen, The Reading Cafe
To learn more about Amy, check out her profile on Amazon!
Amy's book is enjoying some amazing reviews and I am excited to have her on today so she can share a little bit about herself with all of us!
What do you like best about writing?
I like
getting lost in creating—in being able to become other people and getting lost
in another world in my head. I guess you could say I like to make stuff up. But
I also like the challenge of putting words on the page.
What’s your least favorite thing?
Well,
since the question is about writing, and not about being an author (in which
case I’d say marketing), I’d have to say coming up with a complete plot line.
I’d rather my characters do that for me.
How did
you come up with the title of your book?
In 1985, I visited a relative who lived in Abingdon,
Virginia. She told me about a nearby place called Goose Pimple Junction. I
thought the name was great and never forgot it. When I decided to write a
humorous mystery, the name just fit with my vision for my fictional town. The
title started out just Goose Pimple
Junction, but a fellow writer suggested I add something to reflect the
mystery, so I added murder and mayhem.
How did you create the plot for this book?
Most of
the 1930s part of the story came from family history. I took true stories that
I’d heard since childhood and wrote the book around them. I thought they were
compelling stories that should be told. The character P.D. (Psalmist David) is
my grandfather, and his mother and his brother-in-law, were actually murdered
just two years apart, just as they happen in the book. I thought it was tragic
that one of the murders was never solved, so I created a character who would
solve it seventy-five years later. All of the characters in my book are
fictional and are not intended to be representative of the real people, but I
wanted to stay true to the facts of the murders as much as possible. To do
that, I used actual newspaper articles and my father’s accounts of the events.
The stories about the town drunks actually happened, as did the scene where
P.D. uses the whistle to foil an ambush. I love that story!
What’s your
favorite line from a book?
Darcy’s
line in Pride & Prejudice: “You
must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
Tell us a book
you’re an evangelist for.
I
love Dennis Hart’s Life Minus 3½.
It’s the true story of the
embezzlement of eleven million dollars. I love his writing style. It’s
suspenseful, sad, funny…I can’t believe a publisher hasn’t picked it up.
Have you ever
bought any books just for the cover? Did you enjoy it?
Yes,
I bought Wild: From Lost to Found on the
Pacific Crest Trail, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.
How do
you name your characters?
Some of my characters name themselves right off the
bat. For some reason, the name pops in my head and it’s perfect for that
character, and it sticks. I also look at the obits a lot and keep a running
list of interesting names I see. If a character won’t name him or herself, I go
to the list and see if something clicks. I never knew how many crazy nicknames
people have until I started trolling the obits. But I have trouble with
surnames. Lately, I’ve started using names of counties in Kentucky. That gives
me a wide pool from which to draw. It should last me for a while.
What
would your main character say about you?
Tess says I’m a very nice person and greatly
underappreciated. (cheesy grin.)
If you
could be one of your characters, which one would you choose?
I’d be Louetta. She’s never at a loss for words,
never met a stranger, and always the life of the party. She also owns a
bookstore. Enough said?
With which of your characters would you most like
to be stuck on a deserted island?
Well,
that’s easy. Jack, of course. Handsome, smart, witty, and he’s a writer. Hello!
We could collaborate…on several things. Ahem.
Do you
have any quirks to your writing?
Hmmm…maybe this is a quirk…I name a character Lou,
or some derivative of it, in every book I write, as sort of a nod to where I
live--Louisville. There’s Louetta, or Lou, in my GPJ books, the mc in my
children’s book is Louie, a WIP contemporary romance has an Elouise, and the
thriller I’ve been working on forever,
has a Louis. They aren’t always the main character, but there’s always one in
the book somewhere.
What do
you like to do when you’re not writing?
I guess it goes without saying that I love to read.
I also love photography, I love to bake, and I’m addicted to Pinterest.
What are you working on now?
I’m
working on GPJ3. Pickle’s mother, Caledonia, is the main character in this one.
She’s a true southern belle and the last person on earth you’d expect someone
would hire a hitman to kill. I think Jack and Tess will be back to play more
prominent roles in this one.
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyMetz
Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vIbieSgVjk
