BLOOD ORCHIDS
BY TOBY NEAL
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Author Toby Neal has written a debut mystery thriller, Blood Orchids that is described as a "gripping read", an "action-packed whodunnit", an "enthralling thriller" with "not a single dull page". Blood Orchids is a story of murder and secrets--showing nothing is what it seems in paradise.
Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water— but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise.
Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers—one of whom she’d recently busted. The girl’s harsh life and tragic death touches a chord with Lei, and she becomes obsessed with the case. The killer is drawn to her intensity and stalks her, feeding on her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity.
Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei’s quest for answers. She finds herself falling in love for the first time—but the stalker is closer than she can imagine, and threads of the past are tangled in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer—but he already knows where she lives.
PRAISE FOR BLOOD ORCHIDS:
“Blood Orchids is that rarity among debut crime novels, in that it satisfies on every level. A powerful new talent is on the scene.”- Drew Cross, former police officer and author BiteMarks
“Action-packed whodunnit! This book reaches out and grabs you from page 1.”- Bonny Ponting, Publisher at OnMaui Magazine
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Toby Neal was raised on Kauai in Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated her first story at age 5 and has been published in magazines and won several writing contests. After initially majoring in Journalism, she eventually settled on mental health as a career and loves her work, saying, “I’m endlessly fascinated with people’s stories.”
She enjoys many outdoor sports including bodyboarding, scuba diving, beach walking, gardening and hiking. She lives in Hawaii with her family and dogs.
Toby credits her counseling background in adding depth to her characters–from the villains to Lei Texeira, the courageous and vulnerable heroine in the Lei Crime Series.
For information about Toby Neal and Blood Orchids, visit Neal's website.
AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR TOBY NEAL:
1. Welcome, and thank you for agreeing to an interview for BOOKIN‘ WITH BINGO. Is there any personal information you would like to start out with today?
Only that, every experience a writer has can become grist for the mill! My work as a mental health therapist has informed a lot of what I write about in the Lei Crime Series.
2. Where did you get the inspiration or idea for this book?
Blood Orchids was sparked as an idea by a tragedy that happened in my community—two teen girls were drowned. I was a grief counselor in the crisis team that went to the high school to work with the students in the aftermath. At first we were told they were victims of foul play, though later it turned out to have been accidental. For months after, perhaps because it was so traumatic to hear they’d been murdered, I thought about it, and wondered what it would be like to try and solve such a crime in a small Hawaii community.
3. How did the title of your book come about?
Lei raises orchids in her spare time, and I wanted something that conveyed a “creepy but elegant” feel, and I wanted tropical flowers in all the titles of the series. Blood Orchids fits the bill!
4. Do you see yourself in your characters? Which characters are easiest or more difficult to write?
The villain, who is evil and justifies his behavior, is definitely the hardest. While it comes fairly easily as I’ve worked with clients who justify their behavior, it’s emotionally difficult to be in his head for long.
I’ve thought long and hard about why I write this kind of book, and come to the conclusion that I might have been in law enforcement if my life had taken a different path—so Lei actualizes that active crime-fighting, rooting for justice, ass-kicking side I have that doesn’t get out much!
5. What books would you say have made the biggest impression on you, especially starting out? What are you currently reading?
I don’t have just a few favorites. I’m a voracious reader and read literally everything in the kids’ side of the Kapa`a Library on Kaua`i when I was growing up! I will even read a cereal box if that’s all there is to read, so it’s hard to name just a few. Writers whose influence have colored my writing include Kurt Vonnegut (deep thinking irony), Diana Gabaldon (her lush, epic Voyager series that follows one great love story influenced my development of Lei and her love) Michael Connelly (his spare style of crime novel has influenced me in this genre) Patricia Cornwell, Greg Iles and Lisa Gardner for dark, fearless ventures into the underbelly of human behavior and awesome twisty plots. Anne Rivers Siddons for rich regional writing (which I hope mine can be called someday) and Pat Conroy for great family and friends stories. Oh dang, there are just so many!
Currently I’m reading a mystery by another Maui writer, Small Island by Anthony Pignataro. Good read too!
6. What is the next or current book/project you are working on?
My fourth book in the Lei Crime Series, Broken Ferns, and polishing the sequel, Torch Ginger, for publication this spring. I’ve always got a fresh work in progress and at least one MS I’m editing.
7. What is something about you that you would want people to know about you that we probably don’t know?
I’ve overcome some challenges in my life nearly as difficult as Lei faces. Therapy works, and so does faith.
8. Do you own an eReader of any kind and how do you feel about their impact on books, as well as you as an author?
I own a Kindle, and I think the ebook thing is here to grow. I don’t think print is going away as fast as people are saying though. I blogged about this recently myself on TobyNeal.net. There’s just something so powerful about a print book, especially your own!
9. What is your advice to anyone, including young people, who want to be writers?
Write, write, write. Every day, all the time. Get your 10,000 hours in to mastery. Be humble, know it’s hard to make a living at, and do it because you can’t stop writing… and then persist. If there are seasons where the family or job or life crowds out your writing, do it just a little and keep the flame alive for when you can do it more.
True writers write because they have to let the stories that are in them, come alive through them. It’s that strong of a calling.
Much thanks to Toby Neal for taking time from her busy schedule to share with my readers. Be sure and race out and get your own copy of BLOOD ORCHIDS now (if you can't wait to win).
GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO LISA AND THE GOOD FOLKS
AT BOOKSPARKS PR, I HAVE ONE COPY
OF THIS EXCITING BOOK TO GIVE
AWAY TO ONE LUCKY READER!
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 ENTRY: READ ABOUT BLOOD ORCHIDS ABOVE AND COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THE BOOK THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN A COPY
+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT TOBY NEAL'S WEBSITE HERE
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE CURRENT GIVEAWAY OF MINE YOU HAVE ENTERED. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH AND YOU WILL GET AN ENTRY FOR EACH ONE
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, MARCH 21
GOOD LUCK! 
Posts
WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S
