Lots to share today!
Looking for a thrilling romantic suspense? Check out The Devil’s Hook.
Enjoy my interview with the author.
Catch a glimpse inside the book.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Synopsis
Jairus Twombly’s familial intuition is faltering and his new personal assistant seems to be trying to replace his wife, Amy.
On the Twombly College campus, someone is breaking into the dorm rooms of female students leaving things instead of taking things: red colored objects including a red golf ball, a red ribbon and a tiny red stuffed dog.
When a recipient of some of the red objects goes missing and is returned after being told, “You’re not her”, and the personal assistant turns up dead with Amy Twombly’s elegant Bloodwood crochet hook in her eye, things heat up for Emory Crawford and her chemist and forensic scientist husband, Dr. Jebbin Crawford.
Emory, along with the Twombly’s Nancy Drew-like daughter, Madison, once more turns to her amateur detective skills and intuition to solve the mysteries.
Enjoy this fun excerpt
βGet it out! Get it out! Get it out!β
Amy was screaming the words over and over, hands held to either side of her face like Edvard Munchβs painting βThe Scream.β
There was a body on the floor at the far end of the table on my side. I heard doors sliding. I swung my head to look at the doors into the main hall.
βWhat on earth is . . .β
βIga,β I yelled to be heard above Amyβs hysterics. βGet Amy and Madison out of here, now!β
I heard her rounding up the two Twomblys and taking them somewhere else. My attention was on the body on the floor.
A couple of steps closer and I could see what Amy was screaming about. There lay the display pedestal surrounded by mangled flowers and a porcelain vase in shards, some of which were resting in the blood on the floor as it bled into the water the flowers had been in. Despite knowing there had been an argument in here a short while before, despite the overturned furniture and broken vase that could have been knocked over for a very different reason than the one Amy gave us, even though Amyβs bloodwood crochet hook was protruding from Resieβs left eye, I knew with every shiver running through my soul that Amy hadnβt done this. And, since Resie wasnβt writhing in agony, I also knew she was dead.
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My interview with Author Pearl R. Meaker
- What genre would you describe The Devilβs Hook as and who is your target audience?
The Devilβs Hook is a cozy mystery, like Agatha Christieβs mysteries. So if you like Christie, Carolyn Hart, Miranda James and other authors like them, you will like The Devilβs Hook.
Everyone who likes cozy mysteries. Hahaha! More specifically, women, usually 30 yrs. old to 60 or so β although Iβve been reading cozies since I was nine years old and still do and Iβm 61. People who do some crafts would like The Devilβs Hook as well.
- Will this be a series or is it a stand alone?
Actually, The Devilβs Hook is the second book in the Emory Crawford Mysteries Series. The first book, The Devilβs Music, was released spring of 2015 and the third book is slated for release fall of 2016.
- Who would be your choice of actors if your book were made into a movie?
Emory Crawford = Tiffany Thiessen
Dr. Jebbin Crawford = A mix between Jake Johnson & David Krumholtz (Jakeβs height and Davidβs face π )
AnnaMay Langstock = Emma Thompson
Dr. Nibodh Chatterjee (Chatty) = Kunal Nayyar
Aine McAllister = Siobhan Fallon Hogan
- Did you always want to be a writer?
No. I initially wanted to be an artist/art teacher. When that didnβt work I took a year-long dental assisting course and became a dental assistant. When that didnβt work out I became a βwhatever job I could get.β When that didn’t work out I got married and became a wife/mom/homemaker.
That worked out.
I didnβt start writing until I was 49 years old in 2003.
That worked out too.
- Are you working on anything new?
Yes!Β Thank you for asking.
Due for release in the fall of 2016, the third Emory Crawford Mystery has the working title The Devilβs Flood.
The past and present of the town of Twombly and surrounding Golden County meet in two flood years bound together by mystery and murder. Add to that β moonshine. The old illegal liquor business is alive and well in the area, and itβs getting into the hands of underage citizens. Will Emory and Madison, with help from Jebbin, AnnaMay and others, be able to deal with the dirt and mire and solve the cases?
Five fun shorts:
- Your favorite holiday?
Christmas
- As a youngster, were you a Barbie girl or a tomboy?
I was a both. I happily played with my Barbies in the winter and on rainy days. When I was outside I wanted to climb trees with my pastorβs son (they had a great climbing tree in their back yard) or catch grasshoppers in empty lots with a girl friend of mine, and then we would trade them to little boys who were on their way to trade in pop/soda bottles at the candy store. Then weβd go to the candy store.
- Ever been on a blind date?
Honestly, I donβt remember if I ever did or not. If I did, it must not have been all that bad or all that great, or youβd think Iβd remember it.
- Going on vacation: campfire or hotel?
Both. Iβd like a nice comfy cozy travel trailer with a campfire a few yards away from it.
- Name a phobia.
Hmm . . .
You mean one I have? Mild arachnophobia.
Just name any old phobia? How about Mythophobia- Fear of myths or stories. – Good thing I donβt have that one!
Or name, as in give a name to, a phobia?
Footinmouthaphobia β I have this one since I have a tendency to do this.
LOL! Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Pearl!
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About Pearl R. Meaker
Pearl R. Meaker is an upper-middle-aged, short, pudgy homemaker, mother, and grandmother who in 2002 became a writer. Initially writing fanfiction she soon tried original fiction at the encouragement of her regular readers. She has been a life-long lover of mystery stories and
automatically went to that genre for her first book, The Devilβs Music. She and her husband of nearly 40 years live in central Illinois. They both love bluegrass music, playing fiddle and banjo and singing. Pearl also does many crafts β when sheβs not reading or writing – knitting, crochet, origami, needlepoint, and cross-stitch among them. She also enjoys birding and photography and is a former fencer.
Visit Pearl here:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest
Buy The Devilβs Hook:
Amazon / B&N / Chapters-Indigo
Buy The Devilβs Music:
Amazon / B&N / Chapters-Indigo / Books-a-Million
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Click on the banner below to follow the tour and comment.
The more you comment, the more chances to win!
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Thank you for introducing me to a new author and cozy. I have added the book to my TBR list.
Hi Jen π Thank you for adding The Devil’s Hook to your TBR list! Let me know if you enjoy it. π
Very interesting casting.
Thank you, Mary. π I tried to pick people who are somewhat close to how I see my characters.
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you, Goddess Fish, for my wonderful blog tour! π <3
Great interview!!
Thank you so much, Melissa! π
If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?
All people in all public places will be treated with courtesy and respect.
Hard to enforce, I know, but I get awfully tired of how rude American society has become.
Speaking of rude behavior – I didn’t even say “hello” to you, Mai. I’m sorry.
Hi Mai! Good to see you. π
I’m extremely busy today and unintentionally made my reply too short. Thank you for the interesting question. π
Do you ever suffer from writerβs block and, if so, how do you overcome it?
Hi Peggy,
Yes, I do get writer’s block – more often than I’d like to admit. I either don’t write – which usually doesn’t help – or I just make myself work on the story in progress even if I only manage a paragraph or two. Usually it starts to loosen things up for me.
Thanks for asking a good question. π
Sounds like an interesting one. π I went and put the first book on my wishlist.
Thank you, Stormie! I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. π
Thank you, Laura, for hosting The Devil’s Hook and me today. π
I liked the interview.
Hi again, Rita π Thanks for coming today. π
I enjoyed the excerpt and the interview, sounds like a book I can sink my teeth into, thanks for sharing!
Hello Eva! Thanks for being here today. π Glad to share.
What an interesting and talented author. Thanks for this fascinating feature and giveaway.
Hi Anne! Wow π Thank you for your kind words. I hope you’ll enjoy The Devil’s Hook, and The Devil’s Music too if you haven’t already read it. π
Okay, I’m totally intrigued. I want to know what’s up with the read items and mistaken identity. Very mysterious!
Me too Christy!
Fantastic interview..that cover is absolutely stunning.
It is a wicked cover!
Great post – I love the dream cast. I am a fan of Tiffany’s so I love that you chose her π Thanks for sharing!
I enjoy sharing the dream casts. It’s fun to see who the author would choose:)
Love the casting …you can never go wrong with Emma Thompson!
I second that!
Great interview, thank you!
It sure was fun to read her answers!
Good luck to everyone!
Thanks Ron!
Liking the cover. π
sherry @ fundinmental
I too have a mild “fear” of spiders. π
sherry @ fundinmental
Mine is a bit more than a mild fear! LOL