L.C. Turner - Fashionista Meets Shopaholic Meets Amateur Sleuth

As a child, L.C. thought she would either be a truck driver (thanks to Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit) or work at Taco Bell (her favorite restaurant as a child). As she grew older, she realized her talents lay in other areas, and for the last several years has been a college professor teaching business and English. Through all her career choices, she has continued to have a passion for writing stemming from childhood, where, as an only child, she developed a vivid imagination. She is proud of her vast experiences in life from barrel racing, to being on the dance team for a semi-pro basketball team, to being a mom of 2 amazing kids. She decided to follow her dream as an author in 2009 and has worked her way up to having 5 fans (maybe 6 now). She often tells her family and friends that no one is safe from his or her ventures slipping into her books. She lives in Indiana with her husband, kids, and two very spoiled dogs. L.C. previously published her cozy mysteries under Laina Turner.  As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Stilettos & Scoundrels.

Please give us a short introduction to what Stilettos & Scoundrels is about.

The newly jobless Presley Thurman heads back to her hometown, Hunter’s Hollow, to run her mother’s flower shop, but when she delivers flowers to a well-known senator, her life takes a turn for the worse.

After Presley finds Senator Daniels dead in his hotel room, Presley's embroiled in a mystery where she's the number one suspect.  Determined to get herself off the suspect list, Presley sets out to uncover the truth. Will Presley find the scoundrel's killer and keep herself out of jail?

Presley, and her loyal canine sidekick Bella, are on the case!

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

After years of thinking about writing a book, I finally started to do it about 10 years ago. I’d wanted to be an author since 2nd grade and finally took the plunge. It originally started as a romance but then a dead body popped up and the rest is cozy mystery history.

Tell us more about Presley Thurman, what makes her special?

Presley is the character most dear to my heart. Even her name is special to me. My mom loved Elvis Presley and her maiden name was Thurman. I combined those to form Presley Thurman. Many of her likes and dislikes come from my mom as well. She’s feisty but kind and loves animals. And Presley also can’t let a good mystery go, even when everyone around her is telling her to let the police handle it. She’s tenacious and I love that about her.

Why cozy mystery? What drew you to the genre?

I enjoy the fanciful but somewhat realistic nature of a cozy mystery. I love the small towns they typically take place in and while we as authors ignore that the murder per capita is impossibly high and it might not be the safest place to live, we can suspend that reality and focus on how the town comes together and everyone is close-knit and justice always prevails. The good guys almost always win in a cozy mystery.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I am a college professor. I also spend most of my free time taking my daughter (she’s 16) to various events. She plays rugby and is in competitive cheer and we travel constantly. It’s tiring but I wouldn’t trade these memories with her for anything.

Why did you title this Stilettos & Scoundrels?

I like alliterations and drew the words from the weapon of choice and some of the nasty villains she encounters along the way.

What did you have the most fun with when writing this story?

The thing I love most about writing is making things up. I am an only child and I blame it on growing up alone and having to amuse myself without Netflix and You Tube. The possibilities with writing a cozy are endless and oh so fun.

Interesting cover. Please tell us more about how it came to be.

This is probably the 5th cover this book has had. With this last iteration, I really wanted Presley and her dog Bella on the front to connect with readers. I wanted to show readers they were in for a mystery where a spunky redhead and her loyal dog battle the forces of evil. Okay, it’s probably not quite that dire, but you get the idea.

This is book 1 of a series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

All 17 books in this series can be read as standalones. There is only one book that ends in a cliffhanger (book 13) but it wrapped up one mystery and then a second one started. I planned for them all to work as standalones but that book had a mind of its own.

Why did you pick a flower shop in Hunter's Hollow as the backdrop for your story?

Considering I know little about flowers and do not have a green thumb it may not have been one of my better ideas. However, I love the beauty in flowers and thought it would be fun for Presley to work in a place that was beautiful and smelled great. Needless to say, I’m learning a lot about flowers in my research.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

I used to just sit down and write but I have learned that the quote, “failing to plan is planning to fail,” is so true. At least for me. Now I start out with a basic idea of what is going to happen and force myself to outline. It’s painful but when I start writing life is a lot easier.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I edit on paper and must use colored pens. Editing on the computer is just not as easy. I feel my creativity is stifled. I try and write first thing in the morning before distractions creep in. I enjoy dictating and will often walk the dogs and dictate when I wake up.

What are you working on right now?

The next Presley book, Quacks and Quarrels. I never thought I’d think of a title with Q so one day I had an epiphany and thought I had to jump on it. The duck in the story may be one of my favorite secondary characters I’ve ever written and he doesn’t even have any dialogue beyond the occasional quack.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

I absolutely love to connect with readers. You can find me at the following places:

Website: https://www.lainaturner.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LainaTurner
Exclusive Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cozybookbabes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lainaturnerauthor/