Today I'm happy to host guest author Luke Murphy who is talking about his "baby" and introducing us to his newest release.
My “Baby”
This novel took me 15 years to write. Well,
not exactly, but...
Even though Dead Man’s Hand was my first
published novel, it’s not the first book I wrote. Kiss & Tell is my “baby”.
It’s the first book I ever even
attempted to write. I started writing the novel in the winter of 2000, while
playing hockey down in Oklahoma.
A lot of circumstances surround this novel,
and it’s the reason I started writing in the first place. This novel, and all
of my writing, happened by “chance”. I was playing professional hockey in
Oklahoma, and was struck in the eye with a stick in a preseason game. That
injury ended my season before it began.
My wife, who was my girlfriend at the time,
was attending a French college in Montreal, and her English professor assigned
the class the task of writing a short story.
My girlfriend knew that I was an avid
reader, so she asked me if I would help her develop the story, which I did. I
had so much fun with the project, that when we had finished, I took one of the
characters we had created and started writing my own story.
I wrote Kiss & Tell in six months, but
it was nowhere even close to being publishable. Actually, it stunk. It was a
practice story for me, so I left it sitting in my computer, and started writing
a second book.
After I published Dead Man’s Hand in 2012,
I decided to reopen Kiss & Tell and take another look. My first reaction…it
was bad, written by a first-time, newbie, amateur author. But I loved the plot,
cast of characters, and the potential. I didn’t want to give up on this story.
So I took everything I’d learned about the
craft of writing and the industry and put it into editing Kiss & Tell. The
revisions completely changed the entire book.
After I’d completed it in 2001, Kiss &
Tell was written from the point of view of Jessica Philips, the primary murder
suspect in the Ken Anderson investigation, and the story was told from
Jessica’s first person POV.
The Kiss & Tell that came out in 2015
is told from Detective Charlene Taylor’s point of view, written in third person.
Although the plot never changed, some of the characters and scenes did.
A major scene/twist change that occurred?
In the original Kiss & Tell, the
identity of the Celebrity Slayer was never revealed. I was planning on turning
this CS plot into a series, extending the investigation through a number of
books. But, taking into consideration a suggestion from one of my editors, I
decided to change that. But don’t think I don’t have more plans for the
Celebrity Slayer, in upcoming Charlene Taylor books.
But that’s for another time, and another
place.
Buy the book here: http://myBook.to/Kiss
About Kiss & Tell...
With the death of her father…
Officer Charlene Taylor has received her
dream promotion—working Homicide with the LAPD. Her first case is the
high-profile murder of Ken Anderson, a playboy UCLA professor with a haunted
past. A mafia kingpin, billionaire tycoon, cheated wife and jaded lover are
only a few on a long list of suspects, all with motive and opportunity.
…all hope of reconciliation is lost.
Not only does she feel the pressure from
media and her boss to solve her first case, but Charlene must also deal with
her father’s murderer, the “Celebrity Slayer,” a serial killer who enjoys
baiting her with his knowledge of her life and routines.
Can a rookie detective work two
high-profile cases and still keep her sanity?
Luke’s Bio
Luke Murphy is the International
bestselling author of Dead Man’s Hand (Imajin Books, 2012).
Murphy played six years of professional
hockey before retiring in 2006. His sports column, “Overtime” (Pontiac Equity),
was nominated for the 2007 Best Sports Page in Quebec, and won the award in
2009. He has also worked as a radio journalist (CHIPFM 101.7).
Murphy lives in Shawville, QC with his
wife, three daughters and pug. He is a teacher who holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Education (Magna Cum Laude).
Kiss & Tell is Murphy’s second novel.
He is represented by The Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency.
For more information on Luke’ books, visit:
www.authorlukemurphy.com, ‘like’ his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLukeMurphy
and follow on Twitter www.twitter.com/AuthorLMurphy
Buy the book here: http://myBook.to/Kiss
Review Blurbs for Kiss & Tell
“Luke
Murphy scores big with this deep psychological thriller. Just when you think
you've got things pegged, Murphy serves up another twist. Fast paced and fun,
you won't want to put this book down.”
—Tim Green, New York Times bestselling author of Unstoppable
“An
intricately detailed and clever mystery featuring a tough minded but vulnerable
protagonist with more than a few demons of her own. The twists and turns kept
me guessing to the very end.”
—Christy Reece, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing To Lose
“Luke
Murphy’s novel, Kiss & Tell, has lots of twists and turns, and police
procedures where the good guy, in this case, Charlene Taylor, is not always
good. The characters come to life with suspense, drama, explosive action, and
an ending you never see coming.”
—John Foxjohn, USA Today Best-selling author of Killer Nurse
Buy the book here: http://myBook.to/Kiss
1 comment:
Thanks for having me, Amber. I had a great time on your blog.
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