It's Christmmmaaaasssss!

Well, that got your attention, didn't it? Here's Jay Mims to explain why it's Christmmmaaasssss!



Hello Gentle Readers,

I'm doing a special Christmas in July tour, and Annalisa was kind enough to let me stop in for a chat. So, brew up a cuppa tea, and let’s sit down to talk about characters.

See, I write books. Specifically, I write light-hearted murder mysteries, which are traditionally called cozies. I have two books out The Five Santas and Cult of Koo Kway, and it’s because of the Santa book, a Christmas murder mystery, that I’m doing this Christmas in July extravaganza. That book is ostensibly about a sarcastic, lovable and cynical private investigator Dan Landis, and his quest to save Christmas.

Actually it’s more to keep someone from killing Santa Claus, but somehow I like that saving Christmas angle better. But, here’s the thing: He’s not an island. See, what I feel works about Dan as a character is that he has other people to play off of.

If you've ever read old school noir, classic detective mysteries like The Maltese Falcon or The Thin Man then you’ll know the stoic detective, with his monologuing and inability to commit. Dames are nothing but trouble, and the next person you meet is trying to kill you.

Well, Dan takes that concept, and sets it on its ear. He has a girl Friday, sure, her name is Abbey. She’s also

an Art History Doctoral student, who wears her heart on her sleeve, is kind to animals, and whose pop culture acumen begins and ends with Disney movies.

If you ever want to see a slow burn romance, meaning that the “Will They/Won’t They” relationship is built more along the lines of Moonlighting  or Cheers rather than 50 Shades of Gray, then you should check out my books. Dan and Abbey are a fun pair, and I can promise their relationship is going to have ups, downs, and spin-arounds.

And the really fun part, the part that I enjoy, is that Dan and Abbey are only two characters out of a dozen or so in The Five Santas. You've got smarmy cops, a French floozy, an anal-retentive bureaucratic nightmare, and a six foot tall cowboy named Mortimer. Except everyone calls him Tex. Because when you’re a gun-toting six foot tall cowboy, you can get people to call you whatever you want.

Basically this is a great big fun sandbox that I'm having the time of my life playing in. And you, gentle reader, have an open and standing invitation to come on in. There’s murder, romance, intrigue and your daily recommended dose of heart.

Jay Mims recently got to pet a llama, and it was truly a magical experience. He lives with a passive-aggressive Dalek named Steve, and when not writing is learning the mandolin. He writes books and is far funnier on Facebook then in real life. He is terrible at Twitter. His next book "The Gray Ghost Inn" is due out October 15, 2013. Feel free to email him here

LINKS:

Goodreads / Smashwords / Facebook / Blog / Twitter

The Five Santas on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
The Cult of Koo Kway on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

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