It is my pleasure to have Brenda Whiteside visiting my blog. I’m a regular reader of Brenda’s blog and a follower of her adventures as a pickle farmer (yes, pickles!)…but today she is here to talk about her book THE ART OF LOVE AND MURDER. And be sure to read to the end, where we have a link to Brenda’s rafflecopter draw.

Lacy Dahl never questioned her past until the deaths of her adoptive parents and her husband. A husband who wasn’t what he seemed. Her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew; secrets that dispute the identity of her father and threaten her life.

Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the murder of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice. When he meets Lacy he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts may make that impossible. As they move closer to the truth, saving Lacy may be his only salvation.

Lacy begins to think the present is more important than her past…until Chance’s connection to her mother and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love. Will the truth destroy Lacy and Chance or will it be the answer that frees them?

Hello Brenda, and welcome. Please start by telling us a little about yourself.

I was born and raised in Arizona. Outside of Arizona, my travels had only gone as far as California, Nevada, and New Mexico until I married a man doing a stint in the Army. And I discovered I liked moving around. Our gypsy lifestyle has finally come full circle and we’ve ended up back in Arizona only on a northern prairie instead of the big city. We share our rambling farmhouse with our son the farmer, his wife, my granddaughter and three dogs. Together, we’ve embraced an age-old lifestyle that has been mostly lost in the United States – multiple generations living under one roof, who share the workload, follow their individual dreams and reap the benefits of combined talents. (Check out Brenda’s web link at the bottom to read more about her family farm. I’m amazed at all the work and love that goes into it)

Art was my first love although I’d always enjoyed writing. It took me well into adulthood to find I derived more satisfaction filling a blank page with words than an empty canvas with color. I left my paints behind.

Although I didn’t start out to write romance, I’ve found all good stories have to involve complicated human relationships. I’ve also learned, no matter a person’s age, a new discovery is right around every corner. Whether humorous or serious, straight contemporary or mystery, all my books revolve around those two facts.

Do you have a process for coming up with character names and book titles?
I can’t call it an actual process because it varies from book to book. In fact, honestly, I don’t know how character names come to me. They seem to appear out of thin air. I’ll try it out in my head, let it roll off my tongue, imagine the character and decide if it fits. Book titles have come to me in all sorts of ways. My latest release, THE ART OF LOVE AND MURDER, didn’t come to me until I was nearly finished with the book. Since I intended on a series, Love and
Murder came to me first. Pretty simple – every book would deal with a murder and a love story. Each book plays off that. (And I’ll give a little plug here to say Brenda’s next book is going to be called SOUTHWEST OF LOVE AND MURDER)

Tell us about your new book, THE ART OF LOVE AND MURDER.
I’m excited about this book because it’s the first book in the series. THE ART OF LOVE AND MURDER is set in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lacy Dahl goes looking for her roots in the small town and finds love and murder. Love comes in the form of the county sheriff with murder of his own in his past. There’s plenty of suspense and love.

How about a little more to entice our readers?…
Momentarily struck dumb by his eye color, she stared back. Why hadn’t she noticed until now? Although not as light as hers or her father’s, the professor’s eyes were a startling green shade.

His hand nudged her arm. “Lacy?”

She jumped. “Oh, yes.” She slipped the tissue from the half-carved wolf. Another glance at his eyes and goose bumps riddled her arms.

He lifted the wood close to his face, using both hands as if handling a delicate hummingbird. His thumb traced the neck of the creature to the juncture of where it emerged from the wood. When he brought the piece to his nose, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, Lacy wanted to turn away from the oddly erotic gesture.

He swallowed, opened his eyes and set the wolf back on the tissue. His attention shifted to the photograph of the chest. He touched the photo, a smile on his lips. “Where is the chest?”

The chest. Like he knew it, had seen it before. “I’m having it sent. You’ve seen it before?”

He didn’t move, stared out the window as if deep in thought. “I’d like to show you something, Lacy.”

“All right.” She waited, watching his profile.

He turned and stared into her face a moment. “You’re so very lovely. A creation full of life and passion, surpassing any art form.”

His hypnotic voice floated on the classical strains drifting from the living room. She couldn’t speak. Didn’t know what to say. She’d been lifted upon a pedestal of admiration. With any other man, she might consider his words a means to a sexual end. The professor’s intentions, however, were crystal. He admired her like a work of art.

If you are interested in reading more, buy links for THE ART OF LOVE AND MURDER are as follows:

WILD ROSE PRESS
AMAZON
ARe
KOBO

As mentioned, Brenda also has a rafflecopter draw for a number of interesting prizes at: Rafflecopter giveaway

For more about Brenda….
Visit Brenda at http://www.brendawhiteside.com
Or on FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2

She blogs on the 9th and 24th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com
She blogs about prairie life and writing at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/