Sinful Science {+ Giveaway}

It’s a pleasure to be participating in author Frankie Bow’s Great Escape Virtual Book Tour for her latest release, SINFUL SCIENCE.

As part of the tour, the author joins us to talk about her writing. In addition, she is offering a tour-wide giveaway for print copies of THE MUSUBI MURDER and THE CASE OF THE DEFUNCT ADJUNCT. Please see the end of the post for additional giveaway details.

Here’s a brief synopsis of SINFUL SCIENCE:

          A graduate student from Hawaii visits the tiny bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana to investigate the effects of the oil spill on the local wildlife. Sinful resident Fortune Redding, who happens to be a CIA operative hiding out from a ruthless arms dealer, worries that the nosy newcomer might blow her cover. But he discovers something that even Fortune couldn’t have predicted, unleashing forces that will go to any lengths to protect Sinful’s darkest secret.

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Frankie. Welcome, Frankie.

When Amazon’s Kindle Worlds opened up the opportunity to write and publish in Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune world, I jumped at the chance. I’ve read and loved all seven (so far) of the Miss Fortune books, which chronicle CIA operative Fortune Redding’s adventures going undercover as a retired beauty queen in the tiny bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana.

But first, I had to do my research. I live and write in Hawaii, and the Miss Fortune series is set in Louisiana. I dug in and researched weather patterns, wildlife, and language.

And I found something entirely unexpected. A characteristic New Orleans inflection known as “Yat.” 

Now, I’ve been to New Orleans a few times. I’ve bundled up to watch the Mardi Gras floats, sweated through sultry summer nights, savored fresh-shucked oysters and sugary pralines and those innocent-tasting frozen cocktails known as Hurricanes. How could it be that I’d never heard Yat spoken? 

The thing is, I probably had. But to me, it just sounded like a New York accent. As National Geographic reporter Caroline Gerdes puts it, “People from New Orleans do not speak with a Southern drawl.”

Yat, which is derived from the phrase “Where ya’at?” evolved in parallel with the New York accent. In the 19^th Century, both New Orleans and New York attracted a similar mix of European immigrants, resulting in similar variations on spoken English. 

If you are interested in a more technical perspective on the Yat dialect, check out this post on dialectblog.com for a discussion of non-rhoticity, monophthongization, and the tense-lax split.

Or if you’re looking for more casual reading on the Pelican State, check out the Miss Fortune adventures on Kindle Worlds by Riley Blake, Shari Hearn, Morgan Draper, Sam Cheever, Leslie Langtry, Mary Hiker, and more.

Frankie, thank you for visiting with us today and sharing this insight into your writing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author Frankie Bow

Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike the characters in her Mahina State Mysteries, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining. In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.

For more information on Frankie and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Pinterest and sign up for her mailing list.

You can also find additional information by visiting the following blogs participating in the tour:

February 16 – Back Porchervations – Review

February 17 – Community Bookstop –  Interview

February 18 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Spotlight

February 19 – Omnimystery News – Guest Post

February 20 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – Spotlight

February 21 – Thoughts in Progress – Guest Post

February 21 – Tea and A Book – Review, Interview

February 22 – A Blue Million Books – Interview

February 23 – Bab’s Book Bistro – Spotlight

February 24 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – Review

February 25 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post

February 26 – StoreyBook Reviews – Spotlight

February 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review

February 28 – deal sharing aunt – Interview

February 29 – I Read What You Write – Review, Interview

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is tour-wide and one lucky winner will get print copies of THE MUSUBI MURDER and THE CASE OF THE DEFUNCT ADJUNCT.

To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thanks for stopping by today during Frankie’s visit. What are your thoughts on research?

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