Paperback: 268 pages
Publisher: Henery Press; Second edition (September 6, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1635110890
E-Book ASIN: B01GQPYU8U
It's my pleasure to have Kathi Daley as my guest today, along with TJ to tell us about the Paradise Lake Mysteries - the first six being released on 9/6/2016!
Interview
with a Cozy Mystery Character
Kathi: Hello everyone. My name is Kathi Daley. I am a
mystery writer who enjoys writing mystery with a touch of romance as well as
romance with a touch to mystery. I currently write five series: Zoe Donovan
Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian
Mysteries, Seacliff High Teen Mysteries, and Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries.
With me today is the star of the Paradise Lake Mysteries, Tj Jensen. Welcome
Tj.
Tj: Thank you for having me.
Kathi: Why don’t you start off by telling us a little about
yourself?
Tj: I live in the small alpine town
of Serenity Nevada, which is located on the west shore of Paradise Lake. I am a
high school coach and physical education teacher at the same high school I
attended as a student. I recently moved back to Maggie’s Hideaway, the lakeside
resort where I grew up, after my mother died and I was granted custody of two
half-sisters I barely knew. Learning to be both a mom and a sister to Ashley
(8) and Gracie (5) has been challenging, but I have the help and support of my
grandfather and father, both who live at the resort, as well as best friends
Kyle and Jenna.
Kathi: You recently have developed a reputation as being a
bit of an amateur sleuth. Can you tell us how that came about?
Tj: It all started just three months
after my sisters came to Paradise Lake and I moved home with my father and
grandfather. A good friend of mine died in his home under what I believed to be
suspicious circumstances even though the sheriff ruled the death to have been
caused by natural causes. I’m not sure why I was so certain that my friend
Zachary had died at the hands of another. He was an old man in ill health who
appeared to have simply drifted off while he sat in his favorite chair, but my
instinct told me otherwise, so I set out to prove the sheriff and everyone else
wrong. In the end I was able to prove that Zachary had been murdered and that,
as it turned out, was the beginning of my sleuthing
hobby.
Kathi: Have you had a hard time juggling your work as a
coach and teacher, with your responsibilities at the resort, while trying to be
a mother to your sisters, and an amateur sleuth?
Tj: I really, really, have. I feel
like I am in crisis mode most of the time, but I have people in my life, my
family, Jenna, and Kyle, who are always there for me and who help me to do
everything that I need to do. I really couldn’t do it without them.
Kathi: So tell us about your friends Jenna and Kyle.
Tj: Jenna has been my best friend
since we were in kindergarten. She is married to her high school sweetheart and
has two daughters Kristi and Kari. She owns a café/antique store along with her
mother Helen named The Antiquery. She is the best mother and the best cook in
the whole world. I know that she is busy in her own right, yet somehow she is always
there to help and support me when I need it most.
I only recently met Kyle but we hit
it off right away. Kyle is a genius when it comes to anything computer which
helps a lot in the investigations we always seem to get pulled into.
Kathi: You’ve mentioned family and friends but not a
relationship of the romantic kind. What would you stay about the current state
of you romantic life?
Tj: Complicated. Very, very,
complicated.
Kathi: I have spoken to several of your students and they
label you as the go to teacher to run to if they have a problem or need someone
to talk to. What do you attribute the fact that your students seem to love you
to?
Tj: I care about my students as
individuals. I don’t see my job as simply to coach them in the various sports I
coach, but to help them through the difficult teenage years. There are those
including my boss who think that I am too close to my students and shouldn’t be
quite so involved in their personal lives, but I am the sort of person who
seems to have a knack for being involved in everyone’s life, and honestly, I
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Kathi: I noticed you brought your dog to this interview.
Would you like to introduce him as well?
Tj: Echo is my Bernese Mountain Dog.
He has been trained in search and rescue and has saved many lives during his
years of service, including mine.
Kathi: He really is a beautiful dog. I wish we could
continue our discussion but I’m afraid our time is up. I want to thank you for
coming and sharing a bit about your life. I’m sure our readers are looking
forward to learning more about you as they join you on the pages of the
Paradise Lake Books.
PUMPKINS IN PARADISE
(A TJ JENSEN PARADISE LAKE MYSTERY BOOK 1)
Synopsis
Between volunteering for the annual pumpkin festival and coaching her girls to the state soccer finals, high school teacher Tj Jensen finds her good friend Zachary Collins dead in his favorite chair. When the handsome new deputy closes the case without so much as a “why” or “how,” Tj turns her attention from chili cook-offs and pumpkin carving to complex puzzles, prophetic riddles, and a decades-old secret she seems destined to unravel.
About the Author
Author of the Zoe Donovan cozy Mystery Series, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery series, Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery Series, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, and Seacliff High Teen Cozy Mystery Series.
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Kathi lives in the beautiful alpine community of Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken and dog Echo. When she’s not writing she enjoys hanging out on the beach with her children and grandchildren. During the summer she enjoys hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, wakeboarding, and sunset cruises on the lake. During the winter she enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and curling up by a fire with a good book.
Kathi uses her mountain home as inspiration for her books, all which include appearances by the wildlife she shares her life with.
Visit Kathi Daley:
Blog – http://kathidaleyblog.com
Facebook at Kathi Daley Books, www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks
Kathi Daley Teen – www.facebook.com/kathidaleyteen
While on vacation in South Carolina, Tj Jensen receives a call that her father has been left in a coma after a devastating car crash. Back home in Paradise Lake, Tj learns the accident that killed family friend Judge Harper and left her father clinging to life wasn’t an accident at all—someone cut their brake lines. To make matters worse, her friend and police contact, Deputy Roy Fisher, is working with a new partner who has no intention of letting Tj anywhere near the case. Facing an investigation more explosive than the annual fireworks show, Tj enlists the help of her best friends to unravel the mystery, all the while navigating a new romance and the thought her father may never wake up.
USA Today bestselling author, Kathi Daley, lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spend time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than seventy five books in eight series including: Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Series, Writer’s Retreat Southern Seashore Mysteries, Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mysteries, and Seacliff High Teen Mysteries. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com
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