by Sandra Murphy

This week we have a review of Pulp Friction, and an interesting interview with the author Julie Ann Lindsey. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and links to purchase it.

Pulp Friction: A Cider Shop Mystery by Julie Anne Lindsey
Review by Sandra Murphy

Granny Smythe’s orchard was in the red when Winnie came home to help out. Thanks to Winnie’s creativity and great tasting cider, the orchard is now in the black. One of the ways they improved the bottom line was to rent out the property. This time it’s for an outdoor wedding in the orchard, the reception in the barn, with an old farm truck as the bride and groom’s getaway vehicle.

Things are going smoothly, except for Hank showing up. He’s Winnie’s ex-boyfriend and has been trying to get Winnie to forgive him and resume their relationship for months. He’s also the one who’s getting cozy with one of the bridesmaids. He could have a little class and not flaunt it in front of Winnie, but no, they’re necking right in the middle of the party.

It got worse when Hank argued with the groom up in the hayloft. Pushing and shoving, it’s lucky no one took a dive into the middle of the party. It turned into quite the exodus as the groom stormed out of the barn, followed by the bride, and then her bridesmaids, Hank bringing up the rear. Nothing stops a good party, though, so guests went back to dancing, drinking cider, and eating.

Making sure the party is a success is Winnie’s responsibility, so after a few minutes, she went to check on the wedding party only to see Hank’s truck tearing out of the parking lot. That should have been the end of things, but it was just the beginning. A scream, followed by cries for help, showed the groom, looking like the Wicked Witch under the house, with only his shoes and tuxedo pants showing from under the farm truck. His bride was sitting on the ground beside the body, hysterical.

Hank went missing, then one of the bridesmaids, and there was a dead body in the woods, Winnie got shot at, and she had a coffee date with the best man. You can’t say she doesn’t lead an exciting life.

Winnie and Granny are likable characters, growing with each challenge they meet. Look for more changes in book three.

This is the second book in the series. The first, Apple Cider Slaying, was reviewed here. Included are recipes for down-home snacks like fried bologna on white bread, apple cider slushie, great for a hot summer day, and easy apple dumplin’s.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. A Murder of Crows, edited by Sandra Murphy (a popular title so you need her name to search), has twenty-one cozy stories. Each features the collective name of an animal and a crime. The animals range from tarantulas, koalas, wolves, bears, jellyfish, toads, cats, dogs, alpaca, goats, penguins and more. No animals were harmed. The people weren’t so lucky. Available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Interview with Julie Anne Lindsay:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Julie: I started writing in 2010, after I read Twilight and learned the author was “just a stay-at-home mother of three” like me. Her stories had given me the escape I’d needed during a particularly tough time in my life. When I finished, I knew I wanted to do that for someone else. I’ve been trying every day since!

KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was the title, and will you tell us a little about it?

Julie: My first novel, Written on Her Heart, was published in 2013. It was a sweet romance set in rural, small town, Ohio, about a young woman with scars from an open-heart surgery who felt unlovable. She stumbled across a lost journal and fell in love with the wounded warrior on the page. She searches for him as he searches for his journal, terrified his most private thoughts have fallen into the wrong hands. In reality, they’d fallen into the right ones!

Julie Anne Lindsay

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense if not what else have you written?

Julie: I started my writing career with sweet, contemporary romance while also publishing several young adult novels. I transitioned to cozy mystery within a few years, and I write several cozy series now, along with romantic suspense for Harlequin.

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Julie: The setting and characters of my Cider Shop Mysteries are a bit of a love story to the people, culture and beauty of West Virginia. I have a deep and abiding love for the area, courtesy of my daddy, who has West Virginia in his soul.

KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to take away from your work?

Julie: I definitely write to entertain. I want to give my readers an escape from their daily lives, a chance to refuel and breathe. Hopefully even smile a little.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just write whenever you can?

Julie: I write full time now. I have a home office that I go to as soon as I wake up, and you can often find me there ten, twelve and fourteen hours later. Seven days a week. Holidays included.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Julie: I’m a dedicated outliner. I actually give workshops for writers on how to make an outline work for you. Outlines keep me on schedule, reduce rewrites, save time and allow me to capitalize on every minute I have at my desk. I typically spend a week or less perfecting the outline, packing it with details, settings, dialogue, clues, red herrings, everything I need. Then I write one chapter a day and finish a novel about every six-eight weeks.

KRL: If you had your ideal, what time of day would you prefer to write?

Julie: Morning. I’m a morning person. My thoughts become fuzzy as the day wears on and I’m often tired by eight or nine at night. So, I switch to television or reading.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

Julie: Yes. Getting published is tough work and it’s not for everyone. I imagine it’s a little like deciding to become an actor or musician. The competition is fierce, the market is ever-changing. You have to be adaptable and remember this is a business. You need more than a good story. Lots of good stories are never published. You have to know the industry, know the market, your genre and your readers.

Then polish your craft. Hone your voice, and after all that, you still need a little luck, because your work has to reach the right editor or agent at the right time or none of the other stuff will matter. It’s incredibly hard to break into this industry, BUT this is a wonderful industry, especially in the mystery community. Aspiring authors will find friends, support, encouragement and connections to make it all worthwhile. There’s a spirit of unity among writers like nothing I’ve ever seen elsewhere.

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Julie: I have an acceptance story I love to share. Successful traditionally published authors need a good literary agent to advocate for them, but getting an agent is HARD, and many writers will reach out to 100 or more before giving up or finding representation. I had a dream agent, Jill Marsal or Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. So, I had a big glass of wine to get my bravery up, and I queried her on a Friday night before bed. I woke regretting it, but when I opened my email, she’d responded. It typically takes up to six weeks to hear back and sometimes agents never respond. (No response IS their response). But Jill wrote immediately. She loved the query and asked to read my entire manuscript!

Agents “usually” only ask for a few pages or chapters first. And it can take three months to hear back at that point. If they like the sample, they ask for the full manuscript and it can take up to a year to hear back after that. But Jill wanted it all, and I spent the weekend rereading my book, looking for ways to improve it somehow. On Sunday night, I sent the manuscript to Jill. I hoped that when she inevitably rejected me, she would tell me why. Then I could make a few adjustments before contacting another agent. Instead, I received a phone call on Monday morning.

Nine a.m. my time, it was more like six a.m. her time. She told me she’d been up all night reading my story and had waited impatiently all weekend for me to send it. She loved it. She offered to represent me, and she already knew where she could sell the story. Within seven days of sending my query to that single agent, I had found my dream agent and she had multiple publishing offers for my manuscript. Jill and I have been together four and a half years now, and with her help and guidance, I’ve contracted 25 novels. Most are already published or are written and coming to shelves soon.

KRL: Future writing goals?

Julie: I really love what I do, so I guess my goal is to stick to it. Keep writing full time, finding new readers and changing the world through love and laughter, one reader at a time.

KRL: Writing heroes?

Julie: Janet Evanovich. Stephen King. Stephenie Meyer, Janie Crouch

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Julie: I fact check and read up on things as needed, and I take a lot of classes given by various law enforcement professionals or folks in related fields. I’ve met and learned from the ATF in Denver, the FBI in Orlando, lawyers, doctors, coroners, poison control specialists, K-9 search and rescue teams, Dive teams…etc. I love to learn directly from the men and women who get out there and save lives. I’ve even taken my local police department’s Citizen’s Police Academy.

KRL: What do you read?

Julie: I typically read contemporary romance, romantic comedy, young adult novels and the occasional traditional mystery.

KRL: Favorite TV or movies?

Julie: Veronica Mars, Twilight, Castle, Psyche, Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Walking Dead, Sherlock, Magnum PI, Criminal Minds, and all Hallmark holiday movies

KRL: Any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Julie: Don’t give up. Read. Attend conferences (online or otherwise). Talk to other writers, published and not. Learn all you can and keep going until you reach your goals. You are the only one who can write your story, and it needs to be read.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Julie: Some folks might not know that I write under four names. My real name is Julie Anne Lindsey, and I write the Cider Shop Mysteries using this name. I also write romantic suspense for Harlequin using this name. I write the Seaside Café Mysteries as Bree Baker, the Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries as Jacqueline Frost and the Kitty Couture Mysteries as Julie Chase.

KRL: Website? Twitter? Facebook?

Julie: Website: julieannelindsey.com
Twitter: twitter.com/JulieALindsey
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulieAnneLindseyAuthor

To enter to win a copy of Pulp Friction, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “pulp,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 30, 2020. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode goes up next week!

You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

Pulp Friction (A Cider Shop Mystery #2)

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.