Friday, May 10, 2013

Double Whammy by Gretchen Archer Book Tour

Thanks for having me, Melissa! I’ll take a tall mocha with double whip and a kitty. Speaking of double, my crime caper DOUBLE WHAMMY’s birthday is just four days away, so I’ll take a party hat with my mocha. And one for the kitty, please. 


In a nutshell, or in a pitching elevator, as it were, Davis Way thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she lands a job at the fabulous Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, where she runs straight into her ex-ex husband, a rigged casino game, her evil twin, and a trail of dead bodies. Davis learns the truth and it does not set her free—in fact, it lands her in the pokey. Buried under mountains of mistaken identity, unable to seek help from her family, her luck seems to have run out when her landlord Bradley Cole steps in. Make that her landlord, lawyer, and love interest. Together they find the answers. 


A mystery about casino gambling? Really? Yes. Let me pull a few numbers out of my party hat. According to the American Gaming Association, in 2011, U.S. commercial casinos: 

  • Employed 339,093 people 
  • Paid wages of 12.9 billion 
  • Contributed 7.93 billion in direct gaming taxes 

That year, U.S. consumers spent 10.2 billion at the movies and 35.65 billion in casinos. It’s crazy fun entertainment. Forty eight states have some form of legalized gambling, every mainland American is within a three-hour drive of a casino, and it’s a big, big deal. I say some casino gambling fiction is in order. 


So, Janet Evanovich, you ask? Yes, and what a blurb. I’m humbled and grateful. Yes, I know her. Many years ago, the year Janet did her SEVEN UP tour, a very good friend of mine and I, huge fans, decided we wanted to go to a book signing. Let’s meet this woman who keeps us in stitches. None of the tour stops were even close to our homes in Tennessee, so we chose one in a state neither of us had set foot in—Vermont. It was at a lovely indie bookstore, a stone bridge and a state line away from the Dartmouth campus, for a small, reservations-only gathering of the first thirty or forty registrants. We made the list. Janet was curious as to how boring our lives were that we would travel that far to meet her, so after the signing we joined her for a lovely dinner at an equally lovely bed and breakfast adjacent to the bookstore. I’ll skip the next fifteen years and just say we’ve stayed in touch. And one more thing—she’s a rock star. 


Some scoop about me? (Big yawn.) I’ll share a few potpourri things I love to know about other writers. I began writing at a crossroad in my life; my youngest started Kindergarten the same week my oldest left for college. I have a tattoo. I collect first-editions, among them, a signed, first John Steinbeck. I adore Carl Hiaasen’s and Richard Castle’s work. To offset all the time at my desk, I work out six days a week. I’ve had two agents. The first after (not kidding) 200 queries, and she represented my first four manuscripts, all narrative fiction. Tomes. Forever on my hard drive. After throwing in that towel, I took a year off to hang out in bookstores, casinos, and on the sofa with a good mystery. I read 183 cozies-whodunits-thrillers that year. I sat back down at the computer, wrote Double Whammy in four months, and signed with the magnificent Stephany Evans of FinePrint Literary Management a few days after sending out my fifth query. Sometimes it just clicks. The next Davis Way crime caper, DOUBLE DIP, will be out this November, 2013, Henery Press. (Smooches to the Hens!) This kitty has destroyed his party hat. Thanks for having me, Melissa. Happy reading and writing!    






Thank you so much, Melissa. Love your site! Love the kitties! 
Gretchen Archer 


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 Giveaway:
Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win a signed copy of Double Whammy with swag!!!

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

TERRIFIC interview, Gretchen!! DOUBLE WHAMMY is an amazing read, I loved every word of it. So entertaining. I'm usually a straight-up coffee kind of girl, but you're making me crave a double mocha. And 200 queries? Inspiring, to say the least. So glad you decided to hang out in casinos, persist, and develop the grit to write DOUBLE WHAMMY. It's a winner, for sure :-)

Anna L. Davis, Editorial Intern, Henery Press

Gretchen Archer said...

Thank you, Anna! It's all very exciting, and I've had three mochas. Kinda bouncing off the walls, here. Melissa is a wonderful hostess!
Gretchen

Alicia Tonne said...

Jealous of your first editions...(I'd like pictures). What a great interview!! Your journey is impressive and I'm so glad you ended up at Henery Press. :) DOUBLE WHAMMY is so unique and entertaining I've been telling everybody to pick it up when it comes out! Happy upcoming release day!!

Gretchen Archer said...

Thanks, Alicia! Davis Way is a study in nice accessories, huh? And I couldn't love the Hen House more than I do.
Gretchen

Toni said...

Congrats on getting signed so quickly. Love to read this baby. tonispywriter@gmail.com

Gretchen Archer said...

Thanks, Toni, although I put in my time before getting signed so quickly. Query Schmery. You want a mocha? They're good!
Gretchen

Larissa Reinhart said...

I was one of the lucky few who got to read DOUBLE WHAMMY before it released. You should all be so, so jealous. This book is incredible. I literally ignored my family on vacation so I could finish it. It was that good. Unfortunately, now I'll have to charge Gretchen Archer for the therapy bills for "mother abandonment on vacation" accusations.

I digress, if you love Carl Hiassan and Janet Evanovich, you will love, love, love Gretchen Archer's Davis Way. You will feel like you have crawled inside her head and are living out her adventures. Which is sometimes uncomfortable. But in a good way, like an "oh my gosh, get us out of this mess" way. And in a very good way when Bradley Cole is hanging around, whom I'm constantly calling Bradley Cooper for some reason.

You will love this book. I guarantee it!
Love you, G!

Unknown said...

Wonderful interview. I also received a cope of Duble Whammy before it was released and agree whole heartedly with Larissa. This is a wonderful bookand I loved it. I have read it twice already and plan on reading it again. Get this book you will love it too!!!

Susan M. Boyer said...

I scored an ARC of Double Whammy, and laughed till I hurt! Davis Way is hilarious!! If you like humorous mysteries, you're going to LOVE Double Whammy! And Bradley...yes, Bradley... :)

Great interview!! Great Mochas! :)

Gretchen Archer said...

Larissa, Pamela, thank you so much. You are both too sweet, too kind, and too much. Since you enjoyed Double Whammy, please get onboard for Double Dip (Henery Press), featuring more of Davis Way's adventures. It's a shame, but rotten, rotten Eddie the Rat comes along for the Double Dip ride, too. (What a jerk.)
Gretchen

Gretchen Archer said...

Thank you, Susan M. Boyer, who's busy polishing her AGATHA for Best First Mystery! Our little Hen House is bursting with pride. BOARD STIFF is tearing up the charts, Susan's fantastic award, Double Whammy's release, then STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW releases on 5.21-- we have all sorts of Hen Stuff on the horizon. We're busy, busy Hens.
Gretchen
Gretchen

Unknown said...

I'm impressed you got the cat to keep the party hat on that long!
libbydodd@comcast.net

Gretchen Archer said...

This cat is a sweetheart, Libby. I've named him Skittles.
Gretchen

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great book to me! Hey thanks Melissa for following Max's blog! We added you to our Favorites and joined you too! My type of blog...love to read and animals - winning combo! :) Gambling, ex's, mystery, dead bodies, I am assuming a hot landlord love interest...I'm in! Plus my daughter's favorite author ever is Janet E. so if she likes ya...gotta be good! :)
Thanks!
Max's Ma
www.bestpupintheworld.blogspot.com

Gretchen Archer said...

Dear Loving Max,
I clicked on Max's picture. He is quite handsome. My Yorkie, Bently, says hi. You can find his picture on my webiste www.gretchenarcher.com Thanks for stopping by Melissa's! She's a great hostess!
Gretchen

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Thanks Gretchen! Isn't Max the cutest???

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Thrilled to have you here cutie!

Katreader said...

What fun! I'll definitely have to check out this series! I am also a bit in awe of your signed first edition Steinbeck!

Gretchen Archer said...

Katreader,
I have a LOT of books, including all my original Nancy Drews!
Hope you love Double Whammy...
Gretchen

Anonymous said...

Third time lucky? I've been trying to comment for ages now but WP keeps telling me I don't own my identity. I feel like Davis! Going to try my Gurgle account instead.

Pass me a cat. I can't wait til DOUBLE DIP.

Sophie.

Gretchen Archer said...

Sophie,
Could it be that you live, uhmm, in a foreign country?
Gretchen

Unknown said...

Wow! I had no idea we spend more money at casinos instead of movies but that totally makes sense.

Gretchen recently did an interview with us over at More Than A Review--I grilled her and got some really interesting answers! Check it out here!