Did you miss AVELYNN’s Facebook Cover Reveal Party? No problem! I’m going to be posting all the wonderful author interviews here on my blog!
Sitting down with Julie Mulhern …
I’d like to official welcome to the party my first guest author, Julie Mulhern!
Julie Mulhern is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean–and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is–she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. She is a 2014 Golden Heart® Finalist. The Deep End is her first mystery and is the winner of The Sheila Award.
Heather M O’Connor Tell us about your book, Julie.
Julie Mulhern I think I need to shrink my screen! My face looks GINORMOUS.
Marissa Campbell Lol, it’s a beautiful face!
Julie Mulhern Heather, my book is a murder mystery set in 1974 at a country club.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, I can see every wrinkle.
Julie Mulhern Heather, here’s the blurb:
Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.
It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.
As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?
Marissa Campbell Julie’s book!
Julie Mulhern Don’t you love my cover? I can say that because I had nothing to do with its design…. sending Henery Press all sorts of love!
Marissa Campbell We are knee deep in snow here, Julie. That cover looks wonderful!
Heather M O’Connor Sounds fabulous! The Deep End is a great title. Such depth.
Julie Mulhern Inspired by the deep end of a pool…
Marissa Campbell How so?
Heather M O’Connor And getting in out of her depth. I love the double and triple entendre.
Julie Mulhern My heroine dives into a pool and swims into a body.
Julie Mulhern Heather. I love it when people get that!
Heather M O’Connor And not just any body… anybody…
Julie Mulhern Nope – the one body guaranteed to make her a murder suspect!
Margaret Madigan I love that it’s a cozy-ish/amateur sleuth mystery with some edge to it. And Ellison is fabulous.
Marissa Campbell I love her name too! Where does the name come from?
Julie Mulhern She might be the tiniest bit snarky, Margaret – nothing like me at all.
Margaret Madigan *snort* Whatever you say, Julie.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, I’ve known several Ellison’s in my life, all belonged to country clubs.
Marissa Campbell So, your heroine, Ellison … is she like you? What’s different? What do you admire in her?
Alison I love the cover. Sounds like a great read.
Julie Mulhern Ellison and I might share a certain level of SNARK but our lives are different.
Julie Mulhern First off, my husband does NOT frequent sex clubs….
Marissa Campbell A fact, you are probably thankful for.
Margaret Madigan Julie, I totally wanted to toss out some snark of my own there, but I held my tongue. You’re welcome.
Marissa Campbell What inspired you to write the book? Do you like reading mysteries?
Julie Mulhern Second, I’ve never run over a body with my car – hit someone, yes – actually put tire tracks on their shirt, no.
Marissa Campbell There’s a story in that! What happened?
Julie Mulhern I was only sixteen and not the best driver…he was mowing a lawn…
Margaret Madigan You were driving on the lawn?
Marissa Campbell Car on the road … man on his grass … continue!
Julie Mulhern Kid in the gutter starting the lawn mower…the kid walked away. My parents replaced the lawn mower.
Marissa Campbell Oh dear. Glad everyone was okay!
Julie Mulhern I spent the next month sitting in my room.
Monique Nadeau Massabki “The Deep End” sounds intriguing (and I will be getting my very own copy), but even I want to read the story you (should) will write about running over Lawn Mower Kid.
Julie Mulhern Monique just join us for a holiday dinner – it gets dredged up every year.
Marissa Campbell lol
Monique Nadeau Massabki All the good stories do.
Marissa Campbell What draws you to mysteries, Julie?
Julie Mulhern The story gets funnier every year – just ask my husband. He’s heard it 20+ times now.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, haven’t you ever wanted to kill someone?
Margaret Madigan Oh wow. Scary answer, Julie.
Julie Mulhern Bwahahahaha
Margaret Madigan Remind me to stay on your good side.
Monique Nadeau Massabki Note to self…No negative reviews for Julie Mulhern.
Julie Mulhern I love mysteries for the puzzles. I love writing them because I can seriously torture people I never liked.
Rachael Stapleton Killing on paper is the best form. I do all my murdering between this pages as well. This book looks awesome, Julie!
Margaret Madigan She might hunt you down and run over you while you’re mowing your lawn. hehe.
Julie Mulhern Thanks, Rachael!
Monique Nadeau Massabki All joking aside, that was probably the best answer to that question. And I’ll take the plunge and admit ‘Yes. Every day. Yes.’
Julie Mulhern I can drive to N.D., Margeret. Beware!
Rachael Stapleton I was going to say between the sheets but I knew Marissa would take it somewhere else.
Julie Mulhern You gotta watch out for Marissa.
Margaret Madigan She comes across as all sweet and innocent, but she’s not.
Alison Yes, definitely have to watch out for Marissa.
Heather M O’Connor Starting to write my first mystery soon. Any tips you’d like to share?
Monique Nadeau Massabki Do you have another victim lined up for another novel, Julie?
Julie Mulhern Hmmm, Heather. Tips? I work backward. I know who did it and why and then I start writing.
Monique Nadeau Massabki And please don’t pick me.
Marissa Campbell lol
Julie Mulhern Monique, my second book releases in October and poor Ellison finds a body under the stands during a high school football game.
Margaret Madigan Bahahaha! Funny, Monique.
Dale Long Julie, that’s the same reason. I write horror. Plus, there is that thrill of having no boundaries, of writing on the edge. Agatha Christie was one of my favourites and inspirations. You’re a great cheerleader on. #1lineWed.
Heather M O’Connor What was the hardest part of writing the book?
Julie Mulhern Still working on the third book – I’m thinking poison? I’d like to title it, Clouds in My Coffee….anyone up for another ear worm?
Heather M O’Connor Ooh! I like that! Clouds in my Coffee–poison is such a great way to kill someone.
Julie Mulhern Heather, the hardest part for me is the middle, when I hate it and there’s a bright shiny idea waiting to be written. The key is to ignore the idea and finish the damn book.
Heather M O’Connor “What’s your poison?” LOL
Heather M O’Connor Oh, I am right with you on that! Messy, muddy, muddy middles.
Julie Mulhern I haven’t decided. I’d better hope no one poisons my husband because my recent internet searches would land me in jail.
Marissa Campbell I hate middles!
Heather M O’Connor I have a file on my desktop called “How to slit a throat”
A.b. Funkhauser I love middles. They get me into so much trouble. Usually, a side character starts a hijack.
Cryssa Bazos Hi, Julie. Nice to see you on FB instead of just Twitter. Just reading the part where you hit someone at 16. This is one of my fears when I’m backing out with my car.
A.b. Funkhauser I don’t recommend throat slitting. Impossible to remove blood traces.
A.b. Funkhauser Julie. Tell us a secret.
Heather M O’Connor It came from a great Facebook discussion with about a dozen other writers. We were brainstorming and problem-solving for someone. Had to save it. It was invaluable research and less messy than the firsthand kind. But I had to add the title of the book to the file name. I didn’t want any hard feelings or misunderstandings.
Julie Mulhern Cryssa – me too! Aside from the neighborhood kid – yes, he lived down the street – I’ve managed to avoid hitting humans.
Julie Mulhern A secret, A.b. I have no secrets. Not one. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Margaret Madigan Besides, if you told it then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.
A.b. Funkhauser But you write fiction, so nothing you say is nonfiction.
Julie Mulhern A.b. since we’re talking murder, my mind goes immediately to pretty little liars…. DO YOU HAVE A SECRET?
A.b. Funkhauser Dozens!
Julie Mulhern Spill…
A.b. Funkhauser I, too, write fiction and am therefore incapable of telling the truth.
A.b. Funkhauser When I was young, someone tried to recruit me as a professional escort.
A.b. Funkhauser As opposed to an unprofessional escort.
Julie Mulhern Actually – I think writers are better at telling the truth than anyone…big truths, universal truths.
Heather M O’Connor And big lies, universal lies, too.
A.b. Funkhauser Lies are great. They mislead the audience and frame the set up for the BIG SURPRISE.
Marissa Campbell I’d like to thank Julie for coming out to play!
A.b. Funkhauser Thanks, Julie!
Monique Nadeau Massabki We had a great time, too, Julie. Thank you for letting us into your world (and not killing us…yet).
Julie Mulhern Thanks, everyone, for stopping by. This has been great fun!
Marissa Campbell She is giving away an ebook of The Deep End!
Marissa Campbell Drum roll …..
Marissa Campbell Alison YOU’RE A WINNER!
Margaret Madigan Thanks for tolerating us, Julie! Congrats Alison!
Alison Thanks that is so exciting. Yay me and thanks, Julie.
Nicki These bios sound so interesting, now I feel my life is boring, lol. Maybe I should write a book.
Marissa Campbell Nicki Lou your life would make a great book! Happily ever after! xoxo
Laura Beautiful and Smart! How lucky can an author get? I have always wanted to write a book, but lack the talent to make it happen. Congratulations, Julie!
Nicki Lol thanks Marissa. Yeah a bit of everything. Can’t be published until I die.
Nicki Beautiful and smart!
Marissa Campbell Want more Julie? Find more about her here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieKMulhern
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliemulhern/
Website: www.juliemulhern.com