Today
I am pleased to participate in a Buy the Book Tour for author Deborah Brown and
her recent release, Crazy in Paradise.
First, I'll let Deborah tell us a little about herself:
Crazy in Paradise is my debut novel, a Florida Keys mystery, which makes the reader
laugh, cry and cheer...
My personal ad would read: Since all great journeys start with a single step, I'll have on a
cute pair of shoes.
Crazy. Ice cream loving. Redhead. 5'2", long legs. As an avid
exerciser, I get to the gym every five years or so. I hate being tricked by
that stinking raisin in the oatmeal cookie when my heart was set on chocolate.
And it's totally acceptable for me to be mildly annoying when it makes me
laugh. South Florida is my home, with my ungrateful rescue animals, where
Mother Nature takes out her bad attitude in the form of hurricanes.
For a Michigander like me, South Florida sounds like a great place
to be in January! Now, let's learn a little bit about her book:
Dying in the middle of the summer in the Florida Keys is sweaty
business.
Welcome to Tarpon Cove. Madison Westin has inherited her aunt's
beachfront motel in the Florida Keys. Trouble is she's also inherited a slew of
colorful tenants - drunks, ex-cons, and fugitives.
Only one problem: First, she has to wrestle control from a
conniving lawyer and shady motel manager. With the help of her new best friend,
whose motto is never leave home without your Glock, they dive into a world of
blackmail, murder, and drugs.
Here's
an excerpt from Crazy in Paradise:
I tried to speak to Dickie about the arrangements when I first
arrived in town. He told me firmly that he only took instructions from Tucker
Davis and he wasn’t allowed to discuss any of the final details. I wondered why
the secrecy, but he was so nervous I didn’t ask any more questions. He told me
not to worry; he had worked hard to make everything memorable.
I appealed to him, “Don’t family members usually participate in
the planning?"
But he was very clear; Tucker Davis’ approval was the most
important thing to him.
I took a deep breath. Later, our family would create a lasting
tribute to Elizabeth showing how much we had loved and respected her, and how
we would deeply miss her. But for now, this would have to do, I guess.
I glanced up and saw a man who looked to be in his 60’s walking to
the podium. He was well-worn, beer-gutted with dirty looking grey hair, and
dressed in jean shorts and a tropical shirt that looked as though he’d worn
them for several days.
“Hey, everyone,” he said into the microphone. “My name is…” he
paused, “well, all my friends call me Quattro.” He held up both of his hands in
a two-handed friendly wave.
He was missing his middle finger on his right hand and his thumb
on his left hand. Brad and I glanced at one another and laughed. I mouthed “Quattro”
at him and waved four fingers. He turned away, biting his lip.
“I told Dickie I’d speak first because he worried no one would
come up and say anything and it wouldn’t look right. I told him don’t worry so
much.” Quattro slowly scanned the crowd. “I reassured him there were a few
people here who could think of something nice to say.” He ran his fingers
through his hair and scratched his scalp.
“Elizabeth was a great old broad. Too damn bad, she died so young.
She seemed young to me. Hell, I’m only a few years younger. You know she
checked out in her sleep, and in her own bed. How much better does it get than
that?”
I looked around. A few people were nodding their heads in
agreement.
“Now that she’s kicked the bucket…” He paused. “Well, everyone
knows there’s no bucket involved.” He laughed at his own humor. “Have you ever
wondered what the reward is?” He waited as though he expected an answer. “Hmm,
I’ve no idea either. Damn, it’s hot in here. You’d think a funeral place would
turn on the air conditioning.”
“Yeah, I’ve got sweat in my shorts,” I heard someone say. A few
others voiced their agreement.
“Keeps the smell down and all,” Quattro continued. “I know when it
was a drive-thru the air worked good and sometimes the place was downright
freezing.”
I saw a few people sniffing at the air. Were they sad? Or were
they disappointed they couldn’t smell hotdogs and fries?
Dickie Vanderbilt stood off to the side, staring at his shoes, and
picking at his rather large tie tack in the shape of a flamingo.
“But back to Elizabeth. I called her Betty once and, boy, she got
mad.”
Mother sobbed loudly, which I knew was actually laughter. People
turned to stare.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
“Mother, please. This funeral is bad enough.”
Her body shook with laughter. I gripped her tightly. “Oww,” she
whispered.
“Behave yourself, or I’ll keep squeezing.” I shifted again on the
bench, having a hard time sitting still when my legs kept sticking to the wood.
“Elizabeth was good to a lot of people,” Quattro continued. “Too
bad she won’t be around to do any of us any more favors.” He looked around and
rubbed the end of his nose.
I stared wide-eyed at him wondering if he was about to pick his
nose.
“The truth is, I’ve run out of stuff to say. I know she wouldn’t
have wanted to die so soon, but the problem is we all think we’re going to live
forever, and we don’t. So, ‘God Bless’.” He waved and walked away from the
podium.
****
Crazy in Paradise is available only at Amazon.
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