Death of a Hot Chick by Norma Huss

DEATH OF A HOT CHICK


by Norma Huss

Mystery
CreateSpace
www.NormaHuss.com


5 autographed copies will be given away on Friday, March 1, 2013!




About the Book:

Violent death comes suddenly to Smith Harbor, the Chesapeake Bay village with intertwined and lasting relationships.

Cyd Denlinger wants to forget her late, philandering husband, keep her family from running her life, and regain her commercial boat captain's license. What she doesn't want is to be involved with an old flame OR a ghost.

But the nagging ghost offers a trade that's hard to resist.

"Find my killer!" she demands. In exchange, Cyd will own the boat Snapdragon. Easy for a ghost to offer something she can't use. Not so easy to solve a murder with too much help from family and friends. Not too safe either, especially when Cyd wonders: Was the killer's target his victim, or her boat?

Exclusive Interview with the Author!

1) Which came first, the title or the novel?

Actually, the title came first. Death of a Hot Chick was my working title. Even though I love it, I thought I'd change it. Then I read an excerpt to a group, and the title made all of the oh, so serious group, burst into laughter. That did it. No way I'd change my title, but everybody doesn't like it. One of my daughters said it had to go. Two reviewers loved the book, hated the title. By then it was too late.

2) What kind of research did you have to do to bring this story to life on the page?

I've spent a lot of time sailing with my husband, on the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. Ah, the lovely scenes as we cruised into a sheltered cove, the thrill of mastering a storm, the relaxation as we drifted at anchor. All I had to do was remember the lovely... But no, I didn't want rhat reality, I wanted action, death and discovery. There's murder, and accusations, and a ghost. Sure, my research included my memory and my husband's memory (he's much better at boat housekeeping like how to keep the teak conditioned and the metal handrails shining). But, beside our memories, I looked for more: Maps, tide tables, and an Internet search of legalities. Since I don't specify where my fishing village of Smith Harbor is, I averaged the differences between states bordering the bay. That would explain any legal differences, I'm sure.

3) Be honest, how many drafts did you have to write for this book? Any horrific scenes that were cut from the original that you want to share?

I've never kept count of how many drafts I write, but there were many. I started this manuscript during the 2005 month of NaNoWriMo when authors try to complete a novel of 50,000 words during November. I did that. Or, at least, I completed 50,000 words. Some words were sentences like, "I can't figure out what comes next, but I'm gonna keep right on here this very minute until I get my quota in. Yes, in place right here." Then, since I was writing another novel at the time, I abandoned Hot Chick for a few years. When I came back to it, I had to start all over. I did have a partial plot, but it was ugly.

4) How do you come up with your characters' personalities?

They seem to go with their names. If I change a name, even the tense I'm working with, the whole personality, age, background, etc. changes, which is what happened to Cyd. She was supposed to be older, a lot older. There was no ghost involved. In fact, there was a whole story-line that went down the tubes. When I named her Cyd, I knew she'd be named after the famous dancer Cyd Charisse, have long legs, but definitely would not be an elegant dancer. Then as I added characters, each had to bring variety. It would be utterly boring if sisters agreed on everything. And Granny? Oh, my. Then there's the ex boyfriend. Cyd wants nothing do with him, until he agrees they are history. And I couldn't forget the suspects. Their personalities must conceivably fit the crime or not for any innocent suspect. And that ghost? She definitely knows what she wants, what Cyd should do, but evidently she's still learning what it means to be a ghost.

5) What's up next for you?

While working on two more books, I'm publishing my father's memoir. When he was eighty-eight he gave me six audio tapes with his story of a nineteen-year-old who went to Alaska to work in mines and any menial job he could find to fund college. He and I hammered this two and a half years of memory into shape for the family. Now, newly edited with a great cover, it is ready for great-grandchildren and everyone else to read as: A Knucklehead in 1920s Alaska.

About the Author: 

Norma Huss, age 82, calls herself the Grandma Moses of Mystery (after the original who became a well-known artist in her 80s). Since she and her husband spent many enjoyable years boating from Chesapeake Bay both north and south, she recreates that pleasant setting in a much more murderous way.  Visit the author online at: www.NormaHuss.com 

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