• Blog

    Guest Post and character interview from Caroline Fardig – author of Bad Medicine the latest Lizzie Hart Mystery

    7/30/2015

    The Lizzie Hart Mysteries Banner
    Character interview—Blake Morgan

    CF: Thanks for sitting down with me for an interview today, Blake.

    Blake: It’s my pleasure to be here. *Grins* Maybe we could have a drink later. You know, after the interview. See where the evening takes us.

    CF: Thanks for the offer, but I’m married. Then again, I’ve heard that doesn’t stop you.

    Blake: Ouch. Have you been talking to Lizzie Hart?

    CF: She and I are tight. I interviewed her a while back. She’s a bit of a firecracker.

    Blake: She’s certainly infuriating at times.

    CF: Wow. Maybe we’d better stay on topic. What do you do at the Liberty Chronicle?

    Blake: *Puffs out chest* I’m the lead investigative reporter. I write hard-hitting stories and exposés, giving our readers the information they need to know.

    CF: Is there really that much to report about in Liberty? Aren’t there better news stories elsewhere?

    Blake: You’d think that, but there is definitely an undercurrent of danger here. With all of the craziness that’s happened lately, the stories are just as juicy as those I reported in Chicago.

    CF: So you’re not a local? Why move to Liberty of all places from Chicago?

    Blake: No, I’m not a local, but my father grew up here. I moved to Liberty to handle my ailing grandfather’s estate. I could probably move back now that I have everything in order, but there’s something about this town that makes me want to stick around for a while.

    CF: Does that something rhyme with Lizzie?

    Blake: Maybe we should stay on topic here.

    CF: Right. Sorry. So how do you go about investigating a story?

    Blake: I employ several different tactics to gather my information. Of course, there’s always simply interviewing people close to the situation. I have an in with the Liberty Police Department, so sometimes I can get access to semi-classified information. If all else fails, I have some rather sophisticated surveillance equipment at my disposal.

    CF: That last part sounds marginally legal at best.

    Blake: You say potato, I say you can’t sit around and wait for the story to come to you.

    CF: Okay, then. Maybe we’ll quit talking about your work for a while. What do you like to do for fun?

    Blake: Well, I was going to show you later after we get that drink…

    CF: I think we’re done here.

    Bad Medicine - Cover
    BAD MEDICINE is the third book in THE LIZZIE HART MYSTERIES series.

    What do a smokin’ hot detective, an evil chiropractor, and a couple of blind dates from hell have in common?

    Lizzie has to wrangle them all in the third book of THE LIZZIE HART MYSTERIES series!

    Book Description:

    Lizzie Hart is overjoyed that six whole months have passed without a single murder in the sleepy town of Liberty. It’s also been six months since Blake Morgan heartlessly dumped her, but she’s determined to get over him. She’s slimmed down, ready to party, and injury-free, except for a little nagging pain in her ankle. She’s also very single, but her friends are doing everything in their power to fix that—including setting her up on one disastrous blind date after another.

    Lizzie’s reprieve is short-lived when an old friend of hers is found dead from an apparent drug overdose. She wants to write it off as bad behavior after having seen the guy cheating on his wife with the new chiropractor in town. However, when she sees that same chiropractor playing doctor with another man who ends up dead, she worries there could be murder afoot.

    Doing her best to stay on the right side of the law this time, Lizzie decides to go straight to the police with her suspicions. Unfortunately, the only cop available to speak with her is the stern yet hot new detective who has already given her a traffic ticket and a reprimand for public intoxication. Not surprisingly, he brushes her off, leaving her no choice but to begin snooping on her own. Lizzie soon learns she’s going to need help to get to the bottom of this mystery, but her best partner in crime solving, Blake, has turned into her worst enemy.

    Can Lizzie and Blake find a way to work together to catch the killer…or will they kill each other first?
    Buy link:
    http://www.amazon.com/Medicine-Lizzie-Hart-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B010RUKXTU/ref=pd_sim_351_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=14RBSD8BEH1AKHTFTD96

    Caroline FardigAbout the Author:

    CAROLINE FARDIG is the author of the LIZZIE HART MYSTERIES series and the forthcoming DEATH BEFORE DECAF, available November 2015 through Random House. Her eclectic working career included occupations of schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom before she realized that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, Fardig still lives in that same town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Social Media:

    Website:

    www.carolinefardig.com

    Blog:

    http://www.carolinefardig.com/blog/

    Mailing List:

    http://www.carolinefardig.com/mailing-list/

    Twitter: @carolinefardig

    Facebook:

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caroline-Fardig/496944767049778

     

  • Blog

    Q&A with Caroline Fardig author of It’s Just a Little Crush (Lizzie Hart Mysteries)

    10/24/2013

    Caroline Fardig1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
    Since I was a kid, when I was bored, I would let my mind wander.
    I would often come up with fun and crazy stories, and this time, I
    decided to write one down.

    2. When did you take up writing?
    It was about three years ago. I wrote my first draft of IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH and didn’t tell anyone about it for a really long time. I finally got the courage to show it to a friend, and she encouraged me to do some tweaking and ultimately to publish it.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    The setting, to me, is just like a character in a story. The plot unfolds the way it does because of the area where the story takes place. Take Sex
    and the City, for example. If the four girls had lived in a small, hick town, would any of the crazy things that occurred have happened at all?
    No. On the other hand, in a story like Where the Heart Is, if Novalee had been dropped off in the middle of New York City, do you think she
    and her baby would have been able to survive solely on the kindness of
    others? Not a chance.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    Of course, my two leads, Lizzie and Blake are my favorites. I love to make them banter back and forth.

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    The best advice is not to take it personally every time your book is criticized, especially on the Internet. When
    you’re a new author struggling to get noticed, it’s very exciting to get reviews, because then you know that people are actually reading your book. However, being human, it’s difficult to not be hurt a bit by a bad review. If you’re getting poor reviews and are worried about the quality of your work, let someone read it who you know will give you a straight answer—good or bad.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    I don’t have a set-in-stone schedule that I follow, but I do have consistent times when I work. You’ll find me at my
    computer when my kids are at school and also for an hour or so after they go to bed. It’s infinitely easier to write when you don’t have kids yelling or the SpongeBob theme song playing in the background.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    As with my life, I do about 25% plotting and 75% winging it. I think winging it makes for much more interesting reading (and a more spontaneous and fun lifestyle).

    8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
    I’m reading THE FAMILY YOU CHOOSE by Deborah Nam-Krane right now, and it’s so captivating, I get angry when I have to put it down. I just finished Jami Deise’s KEEPING SCORE, and I think it is going to be a serious hit. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I love Scott Kenemore’s ZOMBIE, OHIO. It’s a great pre-Halloween read—not really scary, but still all about zombies.

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    I am editing my third novel, BAD MEDICINE. I would rather be creating something new, but painstaking editing is
    always a must.

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    Don’t try to do it alone. Find a network of writers in your genre (there are tons of groups on Facebook) and lean on them
    for advice. Better yet, find an awesome publicist like mine (Sarka-Jonae of SJ Publicity) and let her take you
    there on the fast track.

    Biography
    CAROLINE FARDIG was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. Her working career has been rather eclectic thus far, with occupations including schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom. Finally realizing that she wants to be a writer when she grows up, Caroline has released her debut novel, IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH, now a #1 Bestseller. She is currently hard at work churning out a second novel in the LIZZIE HART MYSTERIES series. She still lives in that same small town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.

    It's Just a Little Crush - Cover
    EXCERPT: It’s Just a Little Crush

    “Girl! You are a hot mess!” That’s the way my
    cousin Becca greets me at the funeral home. She, like always, looks like a model ready for the runway. Why didn’t I get some of her “look perfect all the time” genes?
    “I’m well aware of that,” I acknowledge sullenly.
    “What happened? You’re all sweaty and stuff. Did you walk over here?”
    “No, I didn’t walk over here. I had a bad day.” I start ticking things off on my fingers. “I had no sleep, I got grilled by a cop, I was late to work, people were gossiping about me, my boss reprimanded me (twice), I didn’t get to go to lunch, it was hot in the office, and I was stressing about the mountain of copy I have to go through. Now I have to attend a funeral for a friend, who I found dead. Does that answer your question?”
    “Yep. Come on into my office, and I’ll try to do something with the mess on top of your shoulders,” Becca says as she steers me down the hall.
    Becca’s private bathroom is stocked with all kinds of makeup, hair products, and hair appliances. No wonder she’s always fabulously perfect—she keeps a mini beauty salon at work. She opens a door inside
    the bathroom to reveal a small closet full of beautiful clothing.
    “Here, put this on,” Becca orders, throwing a red blouse my
    way. “Your outfit could use some help.”
    “What’s wrong with my outfit? It’s cute.”
    “It’s so last season.”
    “Ha! That’s where you’re wrong,” I retort. “I’ve had this for three years.”
    Becca rolls her eyes and goes to work on my sweaty, tangled hair. She quickly dry shampoos, combs, curls, and sprays it. She has made it clear that she won’t let me even peek in the mirror until she is totally done with me. After she is
    satisfied with my hair she gets to work on my makeup.
    “Now, you’re not going to put too much on, are you? I like a natural look,” I warn.
    “I put makeup on people for a living.”
    “Yeah, dead people.”

    ***
    You can find Caroline on Social Media
    Website: www.carolinefardig.com
    My blog: http://www.carolinefardig.com/blog/
    Twitter: @carolinefardig
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caroline-Fardig/496944767049778
    Media inquires: http://www.sjpublicity.com/contact.html