Monday, September 5, 2011

LET'S GET COZY: DEATH IN A DIFFICULT POSITION - A GIVEAWAY

 GIVEAWAY ENDED
DEATH IN A DIFFICULT POSITION
A Mantra for Murder Mystery #4
BY DIANA KILLIAN
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Yoga can lead to a serene life...or a sudden death.

At Sacred Balance yoga studio, owner A.J. Alexander tries to help her clients feel heavenly. But a seriously inflexible preacher claims she's sending them straight to hell...until he ends up dead, and A.J. has to stretch her sleuthing skills to the limit.

The Mantra for Murder Mysteries follows the comic misadventures of freelance publicist, sometime amateur-sleuth and full-time Jersey Girl A.J. Alexander as she tries to deal with her wacko mother and the Yoga studio she's inherited from her late, beloved Aunt Diantha.

DEATH IN A DIFFICULT POSITION includes Yoga Facts and Organic Recipes!

PRAISE FOR DIANA KILLIAN'S MANTRA FOR MURDER MYSTERY SERIES' FIRST BOOK, CORPSE POSE:
"Diana Killian rises above the standard cozy cliches to create a fresh, solid, and most importantly entertaining, kickoff to her new yoga-themed series with Corpse Pose... As seems mandatory in cozies these days, we also have the possible love interest who is the investigating officer and an embarrassing family... And yet Corpse Pose makes it all work beautifully, turning these old standards into something new. Part of it is the characterization: Killian makes all of her characters three dimensional... But the biggest star is Killian's writing. Not only does she mark a distinctive shift between the frenetic life in Manhattan and the slower, calmer pace of Stillbrook, New Jersey, she peppers the book with little bits that just sparkle, in both dialog and narrative...
Corpse Pose is the best a cozy can be. Even if you're not that fond of yoga, there is plenty to keep you entertained."
-- Linnea Dodson, Reviewing the Evidence 


"This is the kind of story that began my interest in mysteries: great setting, engrossing story, plenty of suspects, and characters to care about. I look forward to more from this talented author."
--Deborah Hern, CA Reviews 


"The character of A.J. is funny, frantic, and a hoot to follow around in this particular new series. Definitely worth the time."
-- Affaire de Coeur 


"Killian's light yoga twist enhances a nicely executed cozy."
-- Publisher's Weekly 


"The support cast is one of the major reasons that this series is going to be a hit. Diana Killian provides a delightfully entertaining amateur sleuth tale."
-- Genre Go Round Reviews 


"With more twists and turns than the most difficult yoga position, Diana Killian's Corpse Pose is sure to leave readers breathless."
-- Madelyn Alt, author of Hex Marks the Spot 


"Diana Killian has outdone herself with this first book in her new series. Corpse Pose has it all from well-written plot, sharp prose, wit and humor that had me rolling with laughter and memorable characters who I definitely want to read more about. As aheroine A.J. is delightful, witty and smart. You don'thave to be into yoga to enjoy Ms. Killian's Corpse Pose, but you may find yourself doing thedownward dog before you're finished. Fun, fun, fun!"
-- Michele Scott, author of the Wine Lover's Mysteries
 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
(I included all of Diana's "BIO" from her website as I think it shows what a wonderful writer she is with a great sense of humor. I hope you enjoy it!)

I hate trying to write a "bio."

Most writers, I think, are by nature observers rather than participants, which doesn't make for thrilling A&E Biography specials -- unless you're Hemingway. And... I'm not.

I could start at the beginning.  I was born and bred in a far distant galaxy known as Los Angeles. It's a good town for mystery writers, and many good mystery writers, including two of my all time favorites, Raymond Chandler and Joseph Hansen, lived and wrote here. L.A. is about style -- and so is writing, of course. Certainly for me it is. After all, whether you're talking hard-boiled PI novels or some cozy set in an English village that only exists in a writer's imagination, it's all equally unreal, isn't it?

I guess I could throw in some of that basic character sketch stuff.

"Diana loves autumn, antiques, Midori margaritas, chocolate almond ice cream and rainy days." Blah, blah, blah. I can tell you what she hates: lazy writing -- one obvious example: writers who depend on profanity for laughs instead of taking the time to write dialog that snaps, crackles and pops. This is not to say that I do not, in real life, resort to profanity when occasion warrants. But fiction is not real life, is it?

The other problem with a bio is you have to leave out the more sensational bits (assuming there are any) so that you're just left with the basics. Basically, I graduated from Pepperdine, Malibu about a million years ago, tried and failed at teaching and decided to give writing another shot.

That sounds like I had quit writing at some point. I've been writing and publishing since I was a kid. The first things I ever sold were a couple of poems to Seventeen magazine. This kind of thing: 

Snow
Bits of broken stars
Crunching underfoot
As we walk in the moonlight 

I still love poetry, especially Amy Lowell and Sara Teasdale, but there's even less money in poetry than in mystery writing.They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but these days it's probably easier to earn your living skewering people than writing fiction. (Certainly more relaxing, I should think.) Recognizing at a tender age that it would be difficult to earn my keep as a scribe, I wandered through the world for a few years (making more than my fair share of left turns and several rolling stops) and finally decided to grow up and become A Writer. Not necessarily in that order.

Of course there are other basic biography-type questions that I'm skirting. I'm married. It still feels new enough that I forget to call when I'm going to be late. And who did a nice girl like me find to marry? Yep, the vicious rumors are true, I'm married to my old partner in crime -- the scourge of many a mailing list -- Kevin Burton Smith. Mr.and Mrs. Smith. It has a ring to it, don't you think?

I don't have children. I do have two nieces, two nephews, the original set of parents, two talented and beautiful sisters, a handful of terrific friends. I belong to two writing groups, a Celtic music band. I still have a day job. I use it to support my addiction to eBAY and to pay for "treatment" of a serious book-buying disorder. All of the above provide numerous distractions to writing.

That's one of the dilemmas about writing, isn't it? Writers must remain a little detached, but life demands engagement. And the best writers seem to be those who have lived a little. You can always tell when you're reading someone who has lots of theories and no practical experience of life and people. You see it a lot in Hollywood screenplays. As though ten years in Film School were indicative of anything but ten years in Film School. Whether it's riding a bike (or falling off a bike, in my case) or shooting a gun or kissing a boy, writers need to get their hands dirty. And then be able to translate the experience into words and paper.

Of course there's more to being a human than one's artistic gifts -- unless one is happy being a version of Waldo Lydecker from Laura. 

But we may as well talk about writing, since that's how I define myself to myself (on those occasions that I need a definition). I guess I'm a traditionalist. I definitely prefer the mysteries of the 30s and 40s, partly because the world seemed a simpler, safer place then, and partly because the level of writing in the average "popular" fiction was far superior to what we consider "average" now. These days "average" and "mediocre" seem to be synonymous. That's a generalization, naturally, but then that's something true of me: I tend to generalize.

I read a great deal of romantic-suspense as well as Golden Age mystery when I was growing up: Mary Stewart, Phyllis A. Whitney, Patricia Wentworth, Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, Ngaio Marsh, Elizabeth Peters, Georgette Heyer. But what I really loved were what I call "Chick Fic" writers. The less well-known women writers of the 30s and 40s. Or writers that have fallen out of fashion. Mabel Seeley, Leslie Ford -- women who wrote crackerjack mysteries about ordinary American women who managed to get their smart-assed selves involved in murder. I've devoted a few pages to these authors and what they meant to me in my -- er -- formative years. Just look under Chick Fic.

So I figure this should be enough about me.

GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO KAITLYN AND THE GOOD 
FOLKS AT BERKLEY/NAL, I HAVE ONE
NEW COPY OF THIS SOON TO BE
RELEASED DIANA KILLIAN MYSTERY
DEATH IN A DIFFICULT POSITION,
TO GIVE AWAY
 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
 

COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT DEATH IN A DIFFICULT POSITION  THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT DIANA KILLIAN'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY THAT YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY TO RECEIVE EXTRA ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, SEPTEMBER 24
 GOOD LUCK!

109 comments:

holdenj said...

Interesting that this LA gal has a Jersey gal as her heroine! Looks like a great, new-to-me series! Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I loved the intro of Diana's website with the keyhole and all! I also enjoyed looking over her recommendations for movies, books and music. I have watched almost all of those old Thin Man movies, they were great.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I am an email subscriber.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I am a GFC follower.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I subscribe via RSS feed.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

debbie said...

I love a good cozy mystery, esp. when it includes recipes.
I would love to read this.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a email subscriber.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a gfc follower
debbie
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

lag123 said...

I want to win because I love cozy mysteries and this is a new series. I have recently become interested in yoga because I SUP and yoga helps me with my balance. I would love to read this!

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/lag32583/status/110709400100028417

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I discovered Diana has a contest for the funniest yoga story. I don't have one....

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I am an email subscriber.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I follow via GFC.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I follow via twitter: @lag32583

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I follow via FB: Lisa Holmes Garrett

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

2. +5 September Facebook

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

3. +5 September Facebook

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

5. +5 September Facebook

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Sue Farrell said...

I like murder mysteries with a little humeor---so this sounds like a good book for me. Wacky mothers seem to run in our family so that should make me feel right at home while I'm reading.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am an email subscriber
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

On the author's website the descriptions of the books of the Poetic Death series sounds very interesting.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I follow on GFC
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am an fan on facebook as Suzan Morrow Farrell
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

petite said...

Lovely series which would be enjoyable. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

The organic recipe element caught my attention
teressaoliver at gmail dot com

petite said...

Her website has a great deal of information. Books, movies. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I follow on google reader
teressaoliver at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I get your email
teressaoliver at gmail dot com

traveler said...

thanks for this lovely mystery. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I am an e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

Diana's website has a unique appeal. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I love reading mysteries. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

Carol N Wong said...

I really like the idea of a yoga theme for a cozy series. From what I read it sounds like this book is going to be really funny.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I think I would like her "Poetic Death Series". the covers are great and there should be a lot of play on words.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your blow with Facebook.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your blog with Networked Blogs.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your blog with an RSS feed on my IGoogle page.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your blog with Twitter.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your blog with Google Friends Connect.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I love cozy mysteries. If the author can make me laugh so much the better.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

http://twitter.com/#!/alterlisa/status/110759054531510272
(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Carol N Wong said...

#1 September Facebook bonus


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Carol N Wong said...

#2 September Facebook bonus


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Carol N Wong said...

#3 September Facebook bonus


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Carol N Wong said...

#4 September Facebook bonus


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Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I bookmarked her Chick Fic page that had some sample of her favorite writers of the 30's,40's & 50's.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Carol N Wong said...

#4 September Facebook bonus


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

#5 September Facebook bonus


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

1. +5 September Facebook

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

3. +5 September Facebook

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

5. +5 September Facebook

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

ann said...

Just the title of the book makes me want to read it to find out what position the death was in

amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

I am a GFC follower
amhengst
amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

i am a old email subscriber

amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

i learned she has a contest for the funniest yoga story


amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

1. +5 September Facebook
bonus points

amhengst
amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

2. +5 September Facebook
bonus points

amhengst
amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

3. +5 September Facebook
bonus points

amhengst
amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

4. +5 September Facebook
bonus points

amhengst
amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

5. +5 September Facebook
bonus points

amhengst
amhengst at verizon dot net

mamabunny13 said...

I liked that she picked yoga for the theme,
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

I found there is an organic recipes section on her web site.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

I follow gfc - mamabunny13
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

I likw you on FB-mamabunny shelor
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

I follow by reader
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

I follow on networked blogs-mamabunny shelor
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mamabunny13 said...

#1 +5 September Facebook Bonus
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samantha35 said...

great giveaway
follow via gfc
drakebdog@gmail.com

this is a great series- cant wait to read the new one!

sweetpea said...

its a new twist, a yoga studio and a preacher and a death, sounds intriging and different!

sweetpea0861@yahoo.com

sweetpea said...

diane and i have two authors in common we liked to read years ago, agatha christie and phyliss whitney, i read all their books too!

sweetpea0861@yahoo.com

sweetpea said...

we follow via gfc as mary

sweetpea0861@yahoo.com

sweetpea said...

i follow via email

sweetpea0861@yahoo.com

sweetpea said...

i follow on fb as mary becker

sweetpea0861@yahoo.com

Misusedinnocence said...

I have always been interested in yoga, so having that as a back drop seems like it would make for a really interesting read

misusedinnocence@aol.com

Misusedinnocence said...

I learned that she has an official newsletter through Yahoo. :)

misusedinnocence@aol.com

Misusedinnocence said...

I subscribe via email.
misusedinnocence@aol.com

LAMusing said...

I loved the premise of a Jersey girl who inherited a yoga studio
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

I follow you on GFC
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

I follow you on Twitter
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

I like you on Facebook
(as AdrianeCoros)
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

+5 September Facebook (1)
(as AdrianeCoros)
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

+5 September Facebook (2)
(as AdrianeCoros)
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

+5 September Facebook (3)
(as AdrianeCoros)
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LAMusing said...

+5 September Facebook (4)
(as AdrianeCoros)
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LAMusing said...

+5 September Facebook (5)
(as AdrianeCoros)
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

I follow you on Networked Blogs
(as AdrianeCoros)
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

I liked the interview, so not surprised I liked her website. I think I'd enjoy the other books in the series too - like Dial Om for Murder. (love the noir references)
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

Linda Kish said...

Sounds fun and add in a bit of yoga and a couple recipes and I'm good.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I liked the Chick Fic section. boy, it's hard to believe some of those Nancy Drew books I loved so much were written so long before I was born. I didn't realize that.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I am an email subscriber

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I am a GFC follower

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

+5 September Facebook
1
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Linda Kish said...

+5 September Facebook
2
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Linda Kish said...

+5 September Facebook
3
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Linda Kish said...

+5 September Facebook
4
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Linda Kish said...

+5 September Facebook
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Pamela Keener said...

This book sounds like a gem. This is a new to me author and series and I love discovering them.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I follow your blog via GFC
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I follow your blog via Google Reader
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I am an e-mail subscriber to your blog.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I like you on FB
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Norma said...

All the reviews sound like just the type of mystery I'd enjoy - a good plot and lots of fun!
bingomamanorma(at)gmail(dot)com

Norma said...

I follow you publicly on GFC
bingomamanorma(at)gmail(dot)com

MRWriter said...

I like the combination of yoga and a mystery. Sounds like a fun read. (-:

AlexDean03(at)yahoo.com

MRWriter said...

I like the graphics on her site -- especially the keyhole at the menu.

AlexDean03(at)yahoo.com

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