I want to be one of the first people to introduce you to an up and coming mystery writer today, and her name is Tia Catalina. Thanks for visiting my blog today.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I appreciate all of the help you have provided in my publishing journey.
It's been a great pleasure. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My most recent job was as a self-employed real estate appraiser. That industry has changed over the last few years, and I have found myself disenchanted with a job I used to love. However, when one door closes, a window opens, so I have taken the opportunity to start writing again.
I live in central Indiana with my husband and a very spoiled dog. My yard is large and has extensive gardens, so I spend a lot of my free time weeding and chopping. I also enjoy biking, and walking. Since the pooch princess arrived at my doorstep, I have been walking year-round, even in snow.
What prompted you to begin writing and how long have you been writing?
I joined the Romance Writers of America about seven years ago. I took a writing class and went to a writing conference in the late 1980’s, but that was not the right time for me. Writing is something I have always wanted to do and when events in my life made it possible, I took the opportunity.
I can totally relate with that. I understand that you have a new book out right now, "The Blue Falcon", which is a mystery. Tell us about it?
Grace Garcia is a former Marine living in a gang-infested area of South Phoenix. She is unable to come to grips with the lingering grief of killing a child in the war. She receives an old postcard that has been lost in the mail for 20 years. It was addressed to Graciano Garcia but the signature line is what touches her heart. It says, Always Faithful, Joy. Always faithful is the translation of the Marine Corp motto Semper Fi. Unable to locate Graciano, she looks for Joy Cooper, who wrote the love note.
Her search leads her to Joy’s son, Jared Cooper. Jared is the new Special Agent in Charge of the ATF. His predecessor was fired for a failed mission involving gun and drug trafficking. Jared’s agents feel the former SAC’s firing was unjust and they are slow to accept him. Jared witnessed his father infidelity and doesn’t believe Semper Fi is possible
Unbeknownst to them Grace’s search for Graciano has attracted the attention of the ringleader of the El Reyes cartel. At the same time, Jared’s efforts to slow the trafficking in and out of Mexico have created problems for the ringleader.
When a Green Light hit is placed on both Jared and Grace, he offers her protection. Green Light hits have a strict code of enforcement, and both the hit man and his family will be executed if he fails his mission. This places Grace in close proximity to Jared’s young daughter. Grace feels children are her own personal Kryptonite, but meeting his daughter brings out her nurturing side.
They can’t figure out why they both are the recipients of such a deadly hit, but when a trusted friend is murdered, his last words are “Blue Falcon.” This is a military term meaning someone who screws over a buddy.
Blue Falcon is Grace Garcia’s journey back from a life torn apart by war, and how the Cooper family’s love helps her to rebuild her strength to survive.
I absolutely loved this book and your writing voice. Will it become part of a series? And if so, when can we expect to see book Two?
This particular book is not part of a series per se; however, my work in progress carries over the theme of a strong woman who must come to grips with her past to protect her future. Naturally, there will be a tall and gorgeous hero.
What is the title of your next book?
I am working on Sweet & Savage. Annie Sweet is a private investigator who grew up in a dysfunctional foster home. A serial arsonist targets her neighborhood and the police believe she is the culprit. When Lieutenant Luke Savage of the local fire department intervenes on her behalf, the situation heats-up.
Would you be willing to share an excerpt so that my friends can read a sample of this amazing story?
Of course! Here you go:
Jared’s efforts to protect me only made me angrier, and I walked to the park in a huff. The cool weather made my leg cramp, so I found an empty park bench close to the jungle gym. Only a handful of kids were on the playground, and I embraced the solitude so I could seethe. My pride was injured and the best cure was a diabolical plot to destroy his manhood. I imagined him stripped naked and tied to a stake while starving rats nibbled on his privates.
A man in Jesus sandals and black socks sat down beside me, interrupting my bloodlust. My chaperone moved closer, as if to intervene, but I waved him off. The man seemed harmless. His shirt and pants matched, but they were wrinkled and out-of-date, as if they had been hanging in the closet for a while. A picture of Les, wearing a rumpled jacket and food-stained pants, flashed in my mind, jolting me out of my deliberations. The guy sported the same fruity scent Les had favored, and I had an image of him working the room in his Santa get-up just before he died. The memory rocked me.
The man turned. “How’d you get the limp?” He smiled, as if trying to engage me, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. His affable attitude seemed contrived.
Before I could answer, he asked, “Does the pain slow you down? Seems like an enormous obstacle for a young lady to overcome. How do you take care of yourself and the ones you love?”
He sat with his arm over the bench, and his legs were crossed. His body language was loose and open, but my instincts kicked up. I was relieved when the adults in the area began to stir and spread out in the playground as they came to collect their offspring for naps.
Feeling threatened, I looked for my escort and found him standing under a tree. He started to move my way the second our eyes met. Trying to buy some time until the officer reached me, I asked, “Which child is yours?”
“I don’t have a kid.” He turned his head toward the approaching officer. “Not yet, anyway.”
An excited child let out a whoop and distracted me, but a gun blast close to my ear sent me diving into the dirt. When I turned back to the stranger, he’d vanished, and the guard was lying on the ground.
Hope’s missing blanket sat in the stranger’s place.
Thank you, Tia for stopping by for this interview. I wish you much success in your writing career!
It was my pleasure. I wish you success in your writing career as well.
Thanks Tia for dropping by and for telling us about your new book for sale right now.
For more information about Tia Catalina, be sure to visit her at:
Facebook:http://facebook.com/[email protected]
Fan Page:http://facebook/[email protected]
Twitter:http://twitter.com/tiacatalina@CatalinaWinter6
Email:mailto:[email protected]
Website:http://www.tiacatalina.com
http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Falcon-Tia-Catalina-ebook/dp/B00MS8QVWS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409001003&sr=8-1&keywords=Blue+Falcon+Tia+Catalina