Why? I always liked the C.S.I and police dramas on T.V and in books. I love the clue gathering and why is the guy dead in the first place.
What other genres might you consider?
Romantic suspense and contemporary romance are 2 areas that also interest me. I am working on a story that I want to send in to Tirrgear involving a girl a guy and a bucket list. It is a complicated relationship in that he loves her even though he is decidedly gay but really wants to fulfill one wish for her to get married as she is sick.
There is a lot of humor in your books. Shouldn't murder mysteries be 'serious'?
That is so old school—cops have a bit of gallows humor anyway and I don’t think I can do serious.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I am not sure it was a conscious thought I did it as a way of therapy and to entertain myself never thought of a career.
What inspired your books?A friend of mine had been married to a guy named Lou. I also didn’t know what to do with Lauras ex from OVER HER DEAD BODY. When Joleen and Lou were going through a nasty divorce she asked me to kill him off. Solved 2 problems, a plot that would work for me and therapy for my friend. Dead Comic standing was inspired by my experience as a comic
For Daytona dead I picked your brain for Florida facts and for DEAD COMIC STANDING I researched serial killers and watched a lot of stand-up routines
If you had it to do over, would you pursue your career differently?
Not really I am having a blast but I would have edited DEAD ON ARRIVAL a bit better and gotten a distribution package for it. I don’t find it getting a lot of love.
What is your writing/ work schedule like?
I try to aim for writing 3 days a week and promote 1 or 2 and take care of life in between
DAYTONA DEAD
Prologue --Blood on the Grille
The moon was high and a thousand stars appeared in the Florida sky. The sunset had been glorious, a flaming orange glow with pink undertones.
Lou had taken up photography as a hobby since moving to the Daytona Beach area. Lou, a Canadian, had been lured to the area by a guy on the Dudes seeking Dudes website. Having broken up with his long time love, Richard, he had been itching to leave Toronto behind, along with a broken heart and ten years of bad memories. His marriage to Laura had died on Speaker’s Corner and it was time to leave the crap and the cold behind, in favour of a warmer climate and palm trees. Ironically, Laura, the ex, had written him a glowing letter of reference for his work visa. He had applied via an online job search engine, and told his internet paramour he was heading to Florida to make a go of his career and a new life south of the Mason Dixon Line.
So today after putting in an eight hour shift, he went home and grabbed a shower and changed into beach shorts and a clean T-shirt sporting the slogan Just Grill Me. He had invested in a Digital SLR for taking some great landscape shots to post on Face book. He found that he loved photography and if his life as a chef sputtered, now he had a back-up plan.
Before meeting up with his new guy, Gary, he headed off to the beach to take some shots of the area. While Daytona was not the prettiest beach in Florida, Lou found some of the scenery to be rough, yet photo-worthy. He was leaving the beach when he spotted what looked to be a vintage 1940’s Chevy, black as the abyss. The car looked like something out of a film noir gangster flick. Either way the car was a real beauty. He set up a few shots and started shooting. He didn’t stay long as this was encroaching on a seedier part of town where hookers plied their trade and bums wandered around with liquor bottles and another night of brown bagging their hooch and begging before passing out in an alleyway.
He was on his tenth picture when a gravelly voice yelled out behind him.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, asshole?”
Lou jumped back at the sound and turned around to see the meanest looking S.O.B. he had set eyes on, since his father’s last drinking binge a few years earlier.
This guy looked huge and a tad ornery, even in the moonlight. “Well boy, what’s wrong? Cat got yer tongue? If ya don’t say something soon, I may just beat it out of you."
“Just admiring your car man; it’s a classic.”
The big mean dude seemed to warm some at the compliment but reverted to his menacing stance quickly, “Thanks. She is a beauty isn’t she? How long were you skulking around my car? You didn’t touch her did ya?”
Lou began to sweat. This guy was getting way too intense over a car. He tried backing away but the bigger man was getting in his face about the whole deal. Finally Lou started to run and the guy backed off. Then he heard the engine start and looked behind him. The car was coming right at him!
Holy shit!! What did this asshole want? “It’s just a freaking’ car dude; damn”; Lou was incredulous that this guy was going ape-shit over a set of wheels as nice as they were.
He ducked down an alley, around the corner and thought he was safe. Then he heard it again. He looked to his left and the son of a bitch was still coming for him.
Lou took a deep breath, and promised himself that if he ever got out of this mess he’d start getting in better shape. ‘Dude you’re barely thirty six and you run like an old man.’ The car was catching up to him, it wasn’t stopping either. For whatever reason this shithead wanted him dead! For the life of him, Lou could not figure out what had gone wrong. He felt the bumper hit the back of his legs sending him flying in the air. He came down with a thud on the hood of the car and his head hit the windshield before he rolled off the car, and was dragged under the front wheels of the car. The car backed up and left the body where it lay; somewhere in Lou’s pocket, a cell phone was ringing.
Part of Chapter 7 Laura's run in with the creepy cop
Plans for the next day included getting some of our pictures saved on a CD, so I could clear the card in my camera. So I figured I might as well develop the ones from Lou’s camera. I was at a Kodak kiosk doing just that, when I felt the hair on the back of my neck prick up, so I whipped around to find the creepy cop behind me.
“Ok, this is getting old really fast. Do you have an odd fixation with following tourists around? Or are you just being a jerk?”
“Mrs. Fitz, dear, no need for a meltdown. I just happen to be at the same photo kiosk as you “
“Ya, I bet!”
“Oh my, someone is paranoid.” he laughed, “Maybe you really are guilty of that guy’s murder and used the road kill scenario as a cover up. Maybe, you staged it to divert attention. I may have to take my thoughts on this to the detective on the case.”
People were staring at us and backing away out of the store. The police officer was in his civvies and couldn’t do anything at that point. He was grinning evilly, thinking he was getting the better of me.
I stood straight up, “Too late Fife, we’ve been cleared of all charges so don’t even go there.”
His weasel-like face turned bright red, “Quit calling me Fife, my first name isn’t even Barney! It’s Dave, Dave Meecham. With that he turned and stomped away from the kiosk.
Okay, so now my would-be stalker had a name, should I need to use it? I continued to copy the photos from my card and printed off the ones from Lou’s SIM card. I went to pay for my pictures and the clerk looked at me oddly.
“What do I owe ya?”
“Um, six dollars.” She was clearly rattled by clash with the creepazoid.
It’s okay, dear, I’m not going to rob or kill ya. There’s no need to be nervous. My friend who just left is highly delusional…thinks he’s a cop or something. Most people have a thing for FBI or the CIA. He just wants to be at home in Mayberry with Andy, Aunt Bea and Opie”
The counter clerk laughed, took my money and moved on. I walked out with my photos and CD and Lou’s hard copies.
Find Karen on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Karen-Vaughan/e/B004PRN7ZO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1369017967&sr=8-2
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/karen-h.-vaughan
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/karenvwrites
1 comment:
Studying comics and serial killers, there's something you don't hear everyday. I'm glad you've decided to move forward and write more. I can't wait to read Daytona Dead. I just love that cover, it's very retro!
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