Guest Blogger, Rosemary Harris

Please join me in welcoming mystery author Rosemary Harris as the special guest blogger here today at Thoughts in Progress.

Rosemary’s latest release in the Dirty Business Mystery Series is “Dead Head.” Here’s a brief blurb about the book: “Fugitive mom...that's the tabloid headline that rocks a small New England town when it's discovered that one of their favorite ladies is a fugitive from the law. Amateur sleuth and professional landscaper Paula Holliday is called on by the woman's family to find out who dropped the dime and why this long-kept secret is enough to kill for.”

Rosemary stopped by today to answer a few questions about her writing.

Rosemary, what inspired you to make your protagonist a landscaper instead of say a cop?

There are so many writers better qualified than I to write police procedurals! I love reading amateur sleuths so it was natural for me to create one. She happens to be a gardener because 1) yes, I love gardening and 2) she's independent, it's seasonal and gets to meet a wide range of people, from the day laborers she hires to the wealthy homeowners whose properties she looks after. That gives me a lot of story ideas.

What's next for Paula Holliday?

I'm so excited about Dead Head. It's a slight departure in that there's a little less gardening in the book and I've played around with POVs because I wanted to tell parts of the story from the fugitive's point of view. From the early feedback I've gotten I think it worked. I am just finishing book four in the series. It's called Slugfest and it takes place at a fictional flower show.

With your many adventures have you ever considered writing a book or series about an explorer?

Well Nevada Barr has the national parks covered and Alexander McCall Smith has Botswana..maybe something in Tanzania?

I understand you and your husband built a library in central Tanzania. Please tell us about that.

Thank you for asking! In 2006, we were in Tanzania for a Habitat for Humanity trip and fell in love with a village and the people we met there. Mvumi has a primary school with over 1100 students, only 18 teachers and we were shocked to learn, no library. We decided to do something about it. We had a fundraiser in 2007 and received donations from all of the major publishers - some individually and some on a corporate level. We broke ground in June of 2007 and dedicated the building in November 2007, so we've just celebrated our second anniversary. We do always need books, supplies, and of course checks.

We also like the children to receive pen pal letters from American kids. If anyone is interested they should check out the Chalula Library page on my website www.rosemaryharris.com or email me at rosemary@rosemaryharris.com
 
Anything about your series you'd like to share with the readers?

First off, I'd like to thank everyone in the mystery community who's been so supportive..booksellers, librarians and readers! I do read every email and love to hear from people. Paula's at a crossroads now and may be thinking about a career change - she's also got a few new friends who may change things for her. But that's all I'm saying!

Rosemary, thank you so much for stopping by today and answering these questions for me. The book sounds interesting and intriguing. I also applaud you and your husband for what you’re doing in Tanzania.

Now for something really neat and fun, check out the book trailer for Rosemary’s new book. In addition, Rosemary will be dropping back by later to answer any questions and respond to your comments.