Who is Piper Morgan?

Author Stephanie Faris has compiled a series of books starring Piper Morgan. This adorable character has fascinated me ever since I saw the very first cover of the series, Piper Morgan Joins the Circus, and now I have the opportunity to interview Stephanie, and I finally had a chance to ask her, "How did you come up with Piper Morgan and how did you decide on that name?"

Stephanie is my guest today and she answers this question for all of us. Thanks, Stephanie!

What's in a Name?

by Stephanie Faris

A TV series about a woman in prison inspired the name Piper.

Yes, you read that correctly. Piper on Orange Is the New Black was the inspiration for my main character’s name. It wasn’t a direct connection, though. I keep a spreadsheet of first and last names I like and mark them in red when I’ve used them. I added Piper to that list while watching the series and, soon after, when I needed a name, it jumped out at me. It was the perfect name for my spunky chapter book heroine.

I knew Piper would have numerous adventures, but I wanted them to relate to everyday things children’s parents do. Most kids are curious about careers, especially exciting ones. What kid wouldn’t love to hang out with her mom at the circus all day, every day? And a rescue shelter is a natural for a children’s book. All those adorable little dogs and cats, just waiting to be adopted? She also works in the principal’s office and at a pool and spa store, where she (spoiler alert!) gets to be in a commercial through a series of events.

I had tons more ideas for adventures for little Piper, but I’m not sure if the series will keep going after book four. If so, I’d love to have her helping out while her mom works at a department store (window displays anyone?) and maybe working somewhere fun like an ice rink or movie theater. I doubt a temp worker would be sent to those last two, though.

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Bio:

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.

Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.



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Millionaire Row Boat Tour in Miami Beach

There are so many things which inspire me to write. One of them is photography. Whenever I have an opportunity to travel, I'm toting along my Canon Rebel T3i. Setting, ambiance, actions, any number of elements can be captured by the camera and later viewed for inspiration.

When Tim and I visited Miami Beach, FL during our 26th anniversary trip, we took a boat tour on Millionaire's Row. If you're not familiar with Millionaire's Row, it was coined during the golden era of the 1950’s and 1960’s when celebrities visited the area, and several new oceanfront condominiums were considered the place to be in Miami Beach.

I'm sharing with you this video I compiled of all my favorite houses from the tour. There were too many, so I only captured and edited my absolute favorites, one of which the movie makers of Scarface filmed on location. Enjoy!

If you would like to view the individual photos for clarity, I'm providing a link to my Google album for this trip. 

Do you have other hobbies which inspire you to write? I don't know why, but every time I view a beautiful photograph, I want to write about a story going on somewhere deep within. Who knows, maybe my protagonist will have to fly to Miami Beach to interview a witness...who happens to live in one of these beautiful homes!

What do you think of the music I chose? Good, bad, indifferent?  :)

My Protagonist Cooks For You

Today, Kelly Cooper, the protagonist of my future novel, Precinct 9, will share with you one of her favorite recipes.  

Kelly is a police sergeant caught up in the mining of data from various internet sites and producing information that draws similarities between two unrelated cold cases. Just as she begins to place the final pieces of the puzzle together to reveal a serial killer, she becomes engaged in a heated verbal altercation with her ex-boss over a scandal beyond her control. 

When the ex-boss is murdered and Kelly's gun goes missing, she is declared a person of interest and placed on administrative leave. The gloves are off. 

With a serial killer on the loose and her life on the line, Kelly must do everything she can to clear herself of any wrong-doing, and find a way to complete the puzzle, all while operating outside the limits of the law.

Take it away, Kelly!

While Diane figures out how I’ll piece together that puzzle, let us see if I can’t piece together for you,  this recipe of lightly crusted pork medallions. 

You will need the following ingredients:

1 roll of center cut pork tenderloin

½ cup of all-purpose flour

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the pork loin into equal slices about a half-inch thick. Salt and pepper them to your desired taste and soak them in egg batter for 10 minutes, then lightly dust them with flour. Let them set while you fire up the deep fryer.

Fry them at 375 degrees for exactly 5 minutes. Use whatever method you want to drain the excess fat. I put them on paper towels and let them set for a couple of minutes. 

A serving size is 3 medallions. Plate them with country fried potatoes and buttered asparagus. The recipe for the potatoes has to come from mother. She never shared that one. 

I hope you try this dish. It’s fantabulous! 

Now, I have a serial killer to find. Ah, a computer!

Author Interview - Conflict of Interest

I recently had the honor of interviewing published author, Terry Lewis, on his debut novel Conflict of Interest. I read this book two months ago, but just now had the courage to ask for an interview. I'm not sure why I was hesitant to ask; he was happy to answer my questions!

Have a peak and then go buy his book. It's one that will have you talking to the book like you do a movie where you want to yell at the protagonist because he's getting himself in a pickle!

Q: Your protagonist has obvious flaws. Why did you choose the ones you did?

Lewis: What do you mean obvious flaws? I thought he was just about perfect. Okay, seriously, I knew I wanted a narrator who might be the murderer. I wanted the reader to wonder about him, yet hope he or she was wrong. So, he needed to be likeable at the core, but prone to bad decisions so that you want to slap him. Alcohol abuse is both a symptom and a contributing factor for such people. Mix in a willingness to push the envelope a little, a tendency to engage in risky behavior yet avoid its consequences, and voila!

Q: How did your being a judge influence Conflict of Interest and how you wrote it?

Lewis: I don't know that being a judge necessarily influenced it but certainly my legal experience as a lawyer and judge was the key factor in what I chose to write and the sorts of scenes, language, etc in the novel. The law is what I know and I have always liked this genre, so it was a natural route for me.

Q: What was your journey to publication like? Were there any obstacles with your debut novel Conflict of Interest?

Lewis: I was very lucky. When I started thinking seriously about trying to get it published, I read books and articles about it. I sent out query letters to about twenty agents, and to one small publisher in Florida. I ended up getting interest from an agent at the same time the publisher expressed interest. I put the two together and ended up with a contract.

Q: What advice would you give someone who is just starting out, what pitfalls to avoid?

Lewis: The best advice I ever received was, write what you like to read -- a variation on write what you know. The point is if you are writing a novel, it is going to take you a long time. Best to spend that time with something that is interesting to you. Otherwise, you will lack the passion, the discipline, to see it through.

Q: I realize research is essential when writing fiction. If the police checked your browsing history would you be in trouble?

Lewis: I sure hope not, but if so, it probably wouldn't be because of research for my novels. One of the reasons I chose to write legal thrillers/mysteries was because the legal world was one I already knew pretty well. I do some research on things, and the Internet has proved useful in this respect. I also have inquired of medical examiners or other experts about some of the forensics.

Q: What other novels of yours would you recommend to fans of Conflict of Interest?

Lewis: That's easy. I only have one other published novel -- Privileged Information.


Q: Are you currently working on another novel and if so, can you tell a little about it?

Lewis: Yes, I have a third novel that has been finished for some time and in search of a home. It is about a paranoid schizophrenic patient in Florida State Hospital who is accused of killing his psychologist. The story is told primarily by the lawyer, but also by the patient. I am also working on a 4th, in which a lawyer who represents a judge accused of murder learns that her father may in fact be guilty of the crime.

***

And that concludes my first ever author interview. Thanks, Terry! We will be looking forward to the publication of your third and fourth novels.