Author Spotlight-Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Normally I have a spotlight here but today I am combining the two. So you not only get an author Spotlighted you get a blog tour as well. Oh yes and I almost forgot to mention that it is a giveaway as well.

AVOIDABLE CONTACT
by Tammy Kaehler

Avoidable Contact: A Kate Reilly Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Poisoned Pen Press (August 1, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1464202384

Synopsis:

Racecar driver Kate Reilly is suited up and ready for the start of the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona. But what’s ahead will test her will and nerve more than any other endurance race.

Even before the green flag waves over Daytona International Speedway, Kate receives word her boyfriend Stuart is fighting for his life after a hit-and-run earlier in the day. Still reeling from that news, Kate must absorb other shocks in the race’s opening hours, including an on-track accident with tragic consequences and an eyewitness who claims Stuart was run down deliberately by someone from the race paddock.

Alternating stints behind the wheel of her Corvette racecar with stretches of quizzing colleagues and searching for clues, Kate taps every possible source—friend, foe, and family—to find out who’s after Stuart and why. As the race clock counts down to zero hour, Kate must come to terms with her own fears about the past anddecide who she’s willing to trust. Only then can she identify who’s willing to kill to keep a secret buried—and stop them before they lash out again.

my interview with Tammy:

S.G Tell us about yourself?

T.K. I’ve always been a word person. I’ve had a career as a writer of technical, business, and marketing material, along with the occasional executive speech and feature article. I still have a day job managing technical writers. But I’m a latecomer to the fiction-writing game. Believe it or not, I never wrote fiction. I read it every chance I got—I should put that in the present tense, because I still do! But it wasn’t until about eleven years ago that I woke up with a scene in my head that I couldn’t shake.

Otherwise, I’m a native Northern Californian now happily settled in Southern California. And a former non–sports-watcher turned avid auto racing fan.

S.G. How did you come up with this story? What inspired it?

T.K. Ever since I had the idea for the first Kate Reilly Racing Mystery (Dead Man’s Switch), I knew I wanted to set a book during a 24-hour race. And when I say “during,” I mean the book would take place entirely within the span of the race. Originally, I thought I’d start with the green flag and end with the checkers, and though I had to modify that approach just a bit—I gave myself about an hour more—that’s basically what happens in Avoidable Contact. My point in doing so was to try to convey to readers through experience just how long an 24-hour endurance race really is.

Once I knew my parameters of time and location—Kate can’t leave the track while she’s part of a four-person team sharing driving duties in the Corvette racecar—I decided I wanted to focus on a bad guy in the paddock. Now that I’m writing about fictional bad deeds in the racing world, I hear lots of stories about real-life lawbreakers my racing sources have known. I wanted to focus on a character who was obviously bad, but who’d never been convicted, and explore the idea of how he’d be treated and why.

S.G. Can you tell us a little about what you are working on now?

T.K. I’m in the planning stages for the fourth book in the series. It’ll be set at the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend, which is near where I live and which I’ve been to four or five times. I’m going to leave Kate in the Los Angeles area for most of 10 days and let her experience the good, the bad, and the ugly LA has to offer. Kate will be coaching a female movie star for the Grand Prix weekend’s annual celebrity race, and that will lead to Kate getting the full Hollywood experience, from a movie set, to a premiere, to paparazzi dogging her steps. I’ll also make sure Kate gets to the beach, to hipster bars and art openings, and to some historical Los Angeles locations and activities. I love LA, and I see it clearly—the glamour all the way down to the poverty—and I want to share my vision with readers. Of course, there will be a dead body along the way—this is a mystery, after all!

S.G. What inspired you to become a writer?

T.K. Reading. In my life, reading has always been my sanity, my escape, my comfort food, and my drug. I love stories and seeing worlds take shape in my imagination because of a writer’s words. I love playing with language to create carefully nuanced meaning. I’m fascinated by how language influences how we see the world and how we relate to each other—so fascinated that I studied that topic in college. I think it was inevitable, really, that I would have a career of words. The fiction, as I mentioned above, was less certain. But at some point, I think I filled up the well of my own inspiration enough to be able to start drawing from it.

S.G What hobbies do you have that are not writing related?

T.K. My two main hobbies are probably what you’d consider writing-related: reading (research, honestly!) and watching or attending races. Of course, only I would call “being a racing fan” related to writing! But it’s related to mine, and it’s essential. In my spare time from the day job or from writing or promoting my fiction, I read racing news sites, blogs, or magazines, and most weekends I watch at least part of some race on television. I also get to about three races in-person in any given year. Beyond that, I go for walks with my husband, exercise a little, and try to keep food in the house!

S.G. What two things do you want your readers to know?

T.K. I wrote the book I wanted to read. I’m a reader first, and I inhale mysteries all year long. I love learning something new as a side dish to a fun puzzle, interesting characters, and an engaging plot. When I discovered the racing world—which I hadn’t known anything about—I thought it was perfect for a mystery. In fact, I’ve joked that I don’t know why there aren’t more real-life murders, given the high adrenaline, the speed, the lifestyle of living on the edge, the high cost, the glamour, and the celebrity. But the reality is that the racing community is close-knit and very much like a family, which I find a fascinating contrast with the on-track effort! I wanted to share the ups and downs, as well as the glamour and the family side with other readers.

Which leads to my second point: you don’t have to know anything about racing to enjoy Kate Reilly. Think of other mysteries where you’ve learned something about making coffee, being a special agent, or racing horses—in my books, you’ll learn a bit about a different kind of adventure.

my review:

I am a NASCAR fan and really enjoyed this book! I loved Kate Reilly, she is a well developed character and the story line was fantastic. The author Tammy, made you want to keep reading. With just a few hours to go until the green flag , Kate is getting prepared for the race. When she see two detectives making their way to her she knows something is wrong. When she is told that Stuart was in an accident it got her thinking of who would have done this to him and determined to find out who did it and if she was next. This fast paced page-turned will have you reading all night long.

About The Author

Tammy Kaehler’s career in marketing and technical writing landed her in the world of automobile racing, which inspired her with its blend of drama, competition, and friendly people. Mystery fans and racing insiders alike praised the first two Kate Reilly Racing Mysteries, Dead Man’s Switchand Braking Points, and she takes readers back behind the wheel for the third time in Avoidable Contact. Tammy works as a technical writer in the Los Angeles area, where she lives with her husband and many cars. Find out more at www.tammykaehler.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TammyKaehler

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tkaehler

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4513715.Tammy_Kaehler
Purchase Links:
Amazon   B&N

All you have to do for a chance to win this: 

print copy of the 1^st book in this series DEAD MAN’S SWITCH -  http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Mans-Switch-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1590588835/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406733503&sr=8-4 

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