Baby Girl Doe by Lawrence Kelter ~ Interview & Giveaway

Everyone deserves a well-earned vacation, don’t they? Guess again!

Plans have been made and the bags are packed but Detective Stephanie Chalice is having about as much fun as Michael Vick at an ASPCA fundraiser.

The new story finds Chalice and Lido on the East End of Long Island, vacationing with Max, their new arrival. Things go wrong from the very start. Their vacation rental burns to the ground, bodies pile up, and just to make things interesting Lido . . . Well, I’ll just leave it to you to find out.

Chalice may be out of her jurisdiction but she's never out of questions or determination and soon connects two unsolved homicides. As always, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and her initial findings plunge her deeper and deeper into the most extraordinary investigation of her career.

I zigzagged between the two opposing lanes of traffic as I gave pursuit.

He was in a flat-out run, but I was not going to be beaten. Not now, not with Gus’ captor in sight. I reached down deep and found an extra gear, one that I didn’t know existed. I was running so fast, I felt as if I could take off. I was closing in on him: two yards behind . . . one . . .

I lunged and took him down by the ankles. As he attempted to kick free, I pounced upon him, fists flying. I hauled back and was ready to pummel him when I froze. “You? It’s you?” The face I was about to strike was one I had seen before, but looked nothing like the person I had seen on the ladder outside my bedroom window. This man was the one who told me there was absolutely nothing suspicious about the fire the day I first inspected the remains of Bill Alden’s cottage. Two bodies, burnt beyond recognition—now I understood who would use that specific MO. Dummy, you couldn’t make the connection?

“You son of a bitch.” I heard the sound of others running toward me, but my fist was clenched.

“Chalice, we’ve got him,” Ambler said. “Don’t!”

There was no force on heaven or earth strong enough to keep me from striking him, this man who had turned my family’s world upside down and put my husband’s life at risk. I drove my fist into his jaw and heard it crack. I was ready to hit him again when someone grabbed my arm. I looked up and saw Gus. His cheek was swollen, and there was dried blood on his face.

“Thanks, babe,” he said, “I’ll take it from here.”

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Lawrence, thank you for joining me today.  Tell me about Detective Stephanie Chalice.  

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today. I’ve been writing the Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series for about ten years and it has given me a tremendous amount of pleasure. Chalice is not a dull girl. She’s witty and entertaining, savvy and intuitive. She has all the great attributes of an intriguing hero, including copious amounts of psychological baggage and complex relationships.

There are currently seven books, including two back stories in your Stephanie Chalice Thriller Series.  Are the books standalone or do they need to be read in order?  

Each of the five books and the two prequel novellas can stand on their own but I’d be lying if I didn’t disclose that reading them in order brings more to the experience. Chalice evolves through her experiences and the landmark events that take place in her life. Over the course of the five forward books she deals with the death of her father, a romance with her man-candy partner Gus Lido, marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth just to name a few. Chalice is an NYPD homicide detective, one of the department’s rising stars. She’s now somewhere just shy of thirty years old. I don’t really chronicle her birthdays—unlike true mortals she will stay young forever. I’m so envious. 

The Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series: 

Some of your favorite tv shows include, Breaking Bad, True Blood, Homeland and The Following.  Do any of those show inspire you to write? (I don't watch The Following, but I have seen bits of it and it's insanely crazy.)  

I love all the shows I mentioned on my web site but I don’t copy them in any way, shape, or form. Sometimes I’ll watch something that will ignite a spark and send me off in a specific direction with a full head of steam, but copy? Never! My worst nightmare would be for a reader to ask, “Was your story based on episode 8 of such and such?” I’d much rather hear them say, “I couldn’t put your book down. There were so many twists and turns, and I had no idea where you were going until you tied it up all the loose ends.”

What's the WORSE situation you have ever put Stephanie into?  I put Chalice through a world of hurt in book #1, Don’t Close Your Eyes. Chalice is investigating a string of related homicides in New York City. Three very different women have been murdered. Her case begins on the Roosevelt Island tram. The conductor has been shot, but lying next to him is the real mystery: a woman who might appear to have died of natural causes if not for the handwritten note stuffed in her mouth that simply reads "Look back!” When a second woman is found dead with a rag in her mouth and another cryptic note found nearby, Chalice realizes that a psychopath is stalking Manhattan, on the prowl for a very special type of woman. Part of the murderer’s twisted game is leaving intentional clues for the police, clues designed not only to taunt, but also to do something much worse. Now here's the really tough part. Chalice will uncover startling truths about who she really is. It’s a shocking reveal, one she never saw coming. I could tell you more about it but I’d only spoil the surprise those who might read the book.

Tell me about your latest book, Baby Girl Doe.

Here’s a little teaser about Chalice’s latest, Baby Girl Doe:

BABY GIRL DOE

Everyone deserves a well-earned vacation, don’t they?

Guess again!

Plans have been made and the bags are packed but Detective Stephanie Chalice is having about as much fun as Michael Vick at an ASPCA fundraiser.

In her latest adventure, “Baby Girl Doe,” the fifth book in the international best-selling Stephanie Chalice Thriller Series, Chalice tackles murder, arson, abduction, and government secrets held as closely to the vest as those related to the existence of UFOs at Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico.

The new story finds Chalice and her eye candy husband, Lido on the East End of Long Island, vacationing with Max, their new arrival. Things go wrong from the very start. Their vacation rental burns to the ground, bodies pile up, and just to make things interesting, Lido . . . All I’ll say is that you’ll never believe it.

Chalice may be out of her jurisdiction but she's never out of questions or determination and soon connects two unsolved homicides. As always, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and her initial findings plunge her deeper and deeper into the most extraordinary investigation of her career.

Baby Girl Doe will be released on May 1, 2014 in e-book and paperback formats. Pre-release ratings are averaging 4.7 out of a maximum 5 stars.

For those who don't know you and haven't read your books, what's something you think we should know?

OK, here’s a little tidbit: NY Times best-selling novelist Nelson DeMille actually assisted me in the editing of my early work and was a major inspiration in my writing career. He never candy-coated anything. Way before he ever said, “Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum,” he said, “Kid, your work needs editing but that’s a hell of a lot better than not having writing talent. Keep it up.”

Beyond this I promise readers an entertaining experience in each and every Stephanie Chalice novel. Hard as it might be to believe, growing up I had little interest in reading. It wasn’t until I began reading contemporary mysteries and thrillers that the kernel finally popped in my imagination. A book has to pull me in from the first page or I’ll lose interest in it very quickly. I treat my readers as I would want to be treated myself. I combine, suspense, humor, and intrigue on every page.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

Thanks for being such a great host. I hope some of your audience will take the time to download a Stephanie Chalice novel.

A resident New Yorker, Kelter often uses Manhattan and Long Island as backdrops for his stories. He is the author of the Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series and other works of fiction.

Early in his writing career, he received support from best-selling novelist, Nelson DeMille, who reviewed his work and actually put pencil to paper to assist in the editing of the first novel. When completed, DeMille said, “Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum.”

His novels are quickly paced and feature a twist ending.

Places to find Lawrence Kelter:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

As part of his Baby Girl Doe Blog Tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions, Lawrence is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and 5 autographed print copies of Baby Girl Doe. (US and Canada only)

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