The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper by Sally Carpenter Virtual Book Tour and Guest Post

The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper
by Sally Carpenter

Guest Post;

thank you so much to author Sally Carpenter for being with us today;

 

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW WELL

By Sally Carpenter

Fiction writers often base a character off themselves or use their own life experiences in crafting a story. While the protagonist of my cozy series does not resemble me, many of his adventures were inspired by things that I’ve done and places where I’ve gone.

My protagonist is a former teen idol, Sandy Fairfax, now 38 years old and making a comeback. Obviously I was never a teen idol but I’m a fan. I’ve been to concerts, collected the memorabilia, listened to the records and lurked on fan listservs. From my observations of teen idols in person and much book research, I created my character.

Sandy’s first mystery was “The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper” where he’s a guest speaker at a small Beatles fan convention. A member of the tribute band is shot and killed. I based this book off two Beatles conventions I’ve attended: Beatlefest (now The Fest for Beatles Fans) in Chicago and Liverpool Days in Pasadena. Bloggers have stated that the characters in my book resemble people they’ve met at such conventions.

Sandy then moved on to “The Sinister Sitcom Caper.” He’s the guest star on a TV show and one of the other actors drops dead at his feet. A number of years ago I worked as a page/tour guide at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. I learned about studio history, saw the sets, and watched sitcoms as they were filmed. I used my studio knowledge to create the fictitious Mammoth Picture Studio where Sandy worked.

My newest book is “The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper.” Sandy’s hired to perform concerts aboard the SS Zodiac cruise ship. But there’s troubled waters ahead when he finds a corpse in his backstage dressing room. Once I went on a specialty cruise for Monkees fans. We sailed on a Carnival ship to Nassau and enjoyed a private show with one of the Monkees. So putting Sandy on a cruise ship was the right thing to do.

For my upcoming book, Sandy’s involved in a black tie fundraiser. I haven’t attended one of these events but I’ve read about them. I live near several affluent communities where exclusive charity fundraisers take place almost weekly. I’ve been to a similar type, lower-key dinner fundraiser that I can use as a starting point.

It’s been fun to dig around in my past and pull out the events that make good stories. Here’s hoping that my readers enjoy these adventures as much as I’ve had.

 

 

Fun cozy murder mystery set on the high seas! What else can you ask for!
~MysteriesEtc.

I really liked the Sandy Fairfax/Ernest Farmington character. He was very flawed, sometimes obnoxious but also genuinely nice.
~I Wish I Lived In A Library

Sally Carpenter’s newest installment in this series is a sure hit. This fun whodunit will win you over from the start.
~Shelley’s Book Case
The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper
(Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol mysteries Book 3)
Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 226 pages
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (September 28, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1939816528
E- book File Size: 890 KB
ASIN: B00PCPAQ5C
SYNOPSIS:

It’s been years since Sandy Fairfax was a teen idol and starred in his hit ‘70s television series Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth, but he still has his fans. Now it’s 1993 and many of his grown-up fans see a leisurely cruise as the ideal vacation. So, when Sandy’s agent finds him a pleasant gig aboard the SS Zodiac, he jumps at the chance. And, when the offer includes a spot for his musician sister, Celeste, who is blind, Sandy sees an opportunity to re-engage with his estranged sibling. However, the brother-sister duo are barely aboard the ship, when Sandy finds a singer from another shipboard show murdered in his dressing room. When the ship’s security officer does little to investigate, Sandy feels obligated to jump in, even though he isn’t a detective––he just used to play one on TV. Soon he’s grilling potential suspects, including a burnt-out piano bar player, a Southern-fried magician, a blackmail victim, a ventriloquist with a sassy dummy and even a former flame. Will Sandy unmask the killer before the cruise ends? Will he connect with the girl of his dreams? Will he have time to enjoy the sights of Nassau? Or will he end up sleeping with the fishes in the Atlantic Ocean, another victim in this killer’s CUNNING CRUISE SHIP CAPER?

About This Author

Sally Carpenter is native Hoosier now living in Moorpark, California.

She has a master’s degree in theater from Indiana State University. While in school her plays “Star Collector” and “Common Ground” were finalists in the American College Theater Festival One-Act Playwrighting Competition. “Common Ground” also earned a college creative writing award and “Star Collector” was produced in New York City.

Carpenter also has a master’s degree in theology and a black belt in tae kwon do.

She’s worked as an actress, freelance writer, college writing instructor, theater critic, jail chaplain, and tour guide/page for a major movie studio. She’s now employed at a community newspaper.

Her initial book in the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol series, “The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper,” was a 2012 Eureka! Award finalist for best first mystery novel.

Her short story, “Dark Nights at the Deluxe Drive-in,” appears in the anthology “Last Exit to Murder.”

“Faster Than a Speeding Bullet” was published in the “Plan B: Vol. 2” e-book anthology.

Her short story “The Pie-eyed Spy” appeared in the Nov. 23, 2013, issue of Kings River Life ezine.

Author Links
She blogs at http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com.
She’s a member of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles chapter. Contact her at Facebook or scwriter@earthlink.net.
Links: (blog) http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com
(Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/sally.carpenter.54
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N

Tour Participants
January 19 – deal sharing aunt – Guest Post
January 20 – Hobby Lady – Guest Post
January 21 – MysteriesEtc – Review
January 22 – EditingPen – Interview
January 22 – I Wish I Lived in a Library – Review
January 23 – Community Bookstop – Guest Post
January 23 – Michele Lynn Seigfried’s Blog – Interview
January 24 – Queen of All She Reads – Spotlight
January 25 –
January 26 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review
January 27 – Brooke Blogs – Interview
January 28 – 3 Partners in Shopping,Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Guest Post
January 29 – A Blue Million Books – Interview
January 29 – Tea and A Book – Review, Interview
January 30 –Lilac Reviews – Spotlight
January 31 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review