Interview Kari Lee Townsend + Giveaway

Today I welcome Kari Lee Townsend back on the blog. Her second book in the Fortune Teller Mystery series - Corpse in the Crystal Ball came out this month and I am currently reading it and I can tell it is as much fun to read as the first in the series Tempest in the Tea Leaves.
Don't forget to check out the giveaway at the end of the post.
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Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Well, what can I say? I am a mom of four (3 boys and 1 diva) and I’ve been married for 23 years. I love to do adventurous activities, go wine tasting, travel and any related to photography. When I’m not running the roads to some sports activity J My background is in English education, but I have to say I’m most happy working from home writing books.

Could you tell us in short what this series is about?
This series is about a psychic who moves from the big apple to the small town of Divinity in upstate New York to make a fresh start. She opens her own fortune-telling business in an ancient Victorian house she bought that the entire town thinks is haunted. But Sunny suspects the mysterious happenings are coming from the big white cat named Morty that came with the house. Each book will focus on a different fortune-telling tool as Sunny helps the police in Divinity solve crimes as a consultant; much to the dismay of the cynical Detective she nicknames Grumpy Pants. So if you like a good mystery, a bit of romance and a lot of humor, then this series is for you.



Which character was the easiest to write and which one was the hardest to write?
I think Sunshine Meadows is the easiest for me to write. Even though I don’t look like her, I act a lot like her J Yes, I have to research the psychic aspects because I’m not one in real life, but her actions in general come naturally to me. Detective Mitch Stone on the other hand is a bit more difficult. I love hunky alpha males who are wounded, but let’s face it…I’m not a man. Trying to figure out what men are “really” like is not easy. And I always try to get the “detective” part right. Also, not easy, and you can be sure my fans will call me on it when I get something wrong, but that’s okay. It keeps me on my toes J

With which character do you identify the most?
Again, that would be Sunny for me. I differ from her in that I have great supportive parents. They have always believed in me and encouraged me to follow my dreams. Sunny’s parents don’t believe she is psychic and definitely don’t think being a fortune teller is a real job. But I can identify with her in that she has such a strong desire to follow her dreams. She truly believes she was meant to use her gift to help people. While I’m not psychic, I do believe I was meant to be an author. To use my gift to entertain people. It took me 14 years to get published, but I never gave up.

Are your characters based on people you know?
I always watch people and study the way they speak and move and act. In the end, I probably have bits and pieces of many people I’ve met or know or even just saw. But in book two, Granny Gert is based after my real life grandmother Gertrude who passed away. She looks exactly like her from the white hair to the apron and cookie jar and wooden spoon. But I do have to say my grandmother was a bit naïve, yes, but definitely a bit more reserved. Granny Gert takes after my mother, Marion, in the personality department. If there is a trend or fad or something new and crazy out there, my mom is sure to try it. And I am exactly like my mom J

Where did the inspiration for this series come from? Where do you generally draw your inspiration from?
I get my ideas from a lot of places. In this case, my agent told me an editor loved my voice and wanted a cozy mystery series from me. I wanted to do a paranormal mystery, but I wanted it to be different. So I researched their site and looked at everything they already had. Then I came up with three things they didn’t have. My agent presented my list to the editor who then chose the fortune-teller theme. I wanted the series to center around a psychic, but I took it one step further and thought it would be really cool if the main character used fortune-telling tools to help her tap into her gift. And even further, to have each book center around a different fortune-telling tool. I once had my tea leaves read and was hooked from that day on, so I am just as excited to be learning about all these new techniques as the reader is to read about them. So I wrote a synopsis, and my editor bought the first three books. I only hope there are many more to come.

What research did you do for this series?
For every book I have to research the technique involved in that particular fortune-telling tool. And then I have to research my suspects jobs and any red herrings I plan to use to make sure they are plausible. And last, I always have to research the investigation techniques Sunny plans to use, as well as how a real Detective like Mitch Stone would go about solving a crime.

Are there any other projects you are working on at the moment?
LOL there isn’t much I’m not working on ever! I have finished book 3, Trouble in the Tarot, and am waiting for my edits. I am plotting book 4, Peril in the Palm. And I also write a teen superhero series called Digital Diva. Books 1 and 2 (Talk to the Hand & Rise of the Phenoteens) are out, and I am almost finished with book 3 (Let Freedom Ring). I also write romances under the name Kari Lee Harmon. Destiny Wears Spurs & Project Produce are out now, with Sleeping in the Middle coming out soon. And of course my brain never stops, so I have a paranormal romance brewing around in there just waiting to come to life J

Do you have any writing quirks?
When I started writing, I had little kids at home so I always wrote during naptime. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to break that. Even though they are all in school, I still write during naptime! I can blog and do other things in the morning or later, but I can only write during that time of the day. I have to have complete silence and a diet Coke or Pepsi, then the creativity flows.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Pretty much cleaning, laundry, chef, accountant, homework, taxi driver, maid…the list goes on and on. In my fantasy world, I am traveling and going on crazy adventurous excursions and taking picture along the way, with a little wine tasting in the evening J

Are you a reader? What are you reading at the moment? 
I love to read mysteries, romantic comedies, and Scottish medieval books. I never seem to have enough time, but when I do, that’s what I tend to read.

Is there anything you would like to add?
Just that anything really is possible if you never give up. Don’t be afraid to try something new and put yourself out there, but never ever quit. You just don’t know what’s around the corner. Change is scary, but change can be good. If something’s not working for you, then you make the change. Forget waiting around for things you can’t control and take charge of the little bit that you can. Lastly, enjoy every single day as if it’s your last.

National Bestselling Author, RT Reader’s Choice Award & Agatha Nominee Kari Lee Townsend lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, her three busy boys, and her oh-so-dramatic daughter, who keep her grounded and make everything she does worthwhile…not to mention provide her with loads of material for her books. Kari is a longtime lover of reading and writing, with a masters in English education, who spends her days trying to figure out whodunit. Funny how no one at home will confess any more than the characters in her mysteries!                Kari writes fun and exciting stories for any age, set in small towns, with mystical elements and quirky characters as Kari Lee Townsend. Kari also writes romantic comedies and women’s fiction with the same sense of humor and quirky characters as Kari Lee Harmon.
                To find out more about Kari and all her books go to www.karileetownsend.com  or click on the links below: Kari Lee Townsend (Website & Newsletter & Facebook & Twitter)National Bestselling Author of The Fortune Teller MysteriesTEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES 4 1/2 Starred RT Review
Best Amateur Sleuth of 2011 RT Reviewers' Choice NomineeBest First Novel Agatha Award NomineeCORPSE IN THE CRYSTAL BALL - June 2012 (preorder now)
DIGITAL DIVA: TALK TO THE HAND (Kindle & Nook)DIGITAL DIVA: RISE OF THE PHENOTEENS (Kindle & Nook)DESTINY WEARS SPURS (by Kari Lee Harmon) (Kindle & Nook)
PROJECT PRODUCE (by Kari Lee Harmon) (Kindle & Nook)

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Giveaway!

Thanks to Berkley Prime Crime I have one (1) copy of Corpse in the Crytal Ball to giveaway - US only (request from the publisher)

Leave a comment with emailadress for Kari Lee for your chance to win, please don't forget to check out my giveaway policy.
This giveaway will close June 23th