Friday, March 14, 2014

The Brim Reaper Blog Tour with Diane Vallere: Guest Author/Giveaway

The Brim Reaper


Samantha Kidd: The Character Behind the Trench Coat
by Diane Vallere
THE BRIM REAPER Blog tour

If you don’t count the teen romance I wrote in high school or the 20 pages of a Batman/Catwoman fan fiction I penned in the 90s, then you could say Samantha Kidd is the first character I wrote. And why shouldn’t she be? In many ways she’s me, and in many ways she’s not. And in a few ways, she’s who I’d like to be.

She’s me in that she never got over the house where she grew up. A part of her is rooted in that town. She had a successful career as a buyer—an enviable job for a person interested in fashion—but it didn’t make her happy. We both like hoagies. We both like pretzels. We both wear sample size shoes. Samantha is insanely loyal to the people she considers friends. As long as she has her cat and her clothes, she’ll be fine.

She’s not me in that she finds dead bodies and gets involved in homicide investigation. If that were me, I’d probably call my old boss and see if I could get my job back! Samantha is a size 8 and I’m…not. (Why an 8? I didn’t want her to be a sample size when it came to clothes. Just about everything looks good in a size 2-4, and I can’t really relate to that. I might not be an 8, but I can relate to one!).

And she’s the person I’d like to be in that she’s tenacious. When things go wrong, she doesn’t pack her bags and run away. When people disagree with her or her theories, she doesn’t let it stop her from proving she’s right. When she gets knocked down (sometimes literally) she gets back up again. And again. And again.

The thing that keeps me coming back to Samantha Kidd, and will keep me coming back for several more books in the series, is that at her core, she’s still looking for something.  Love? Value? Self-worth? Credibility? All of the above? Sure.  And, like Samantha, I think a lot of us are looking for those very same things. It’s fun to ride shotgun with her as she explores life—with style & error!

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Blurb: When an over-the-top collection of vintage Hollywood costumes comes to Samantha Kidd’s hometown, it brings a hat box full of hype. Close friend Eddie is in charge of the exhibit but when hype turns to homicide, he turns to Samantha for help. Brimming with good intentions, she loops in the cops, but after one too many cloche calls, she’s soon in over her head. If she can tear the lid off the investigation, it might mean a feather in her fedora. And if she can’t? She might get capped.

Biography: Diane Vallere is living proof that you can redesign your life with a little know how and a lot of determination! After close to two decades working for a top luxury retailer, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder, now juggling three different mystery series: Style & Error, featuring former fashion buyer Samantha Kidd; Mad for Mod, featuring Doris Day-loving interior decorator Madison Night; and the upcoming Material Witness series, featuring Polyester Monroe and the fabric shop she inherited. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Find her athttp://www.dianevallere.com/.

Buy the Book!

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H03A1MW

Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00H03A1MW

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H03A1MW

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-brim-reaper-diane-vallere/1117531202?ean=2940149089451

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-brim-reaper

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780984965342

Connect with Diane!

Website: http://dianevallere.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DianeVallereAuthor

Twitter: @DianeVallere

Newsletter: http://www.dianevallere.com/contact.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

15 comments:

Kaye Killgore said...

This book sounds like fun

kaye.killgore@comcast.net

Unknown said...

thanks for being in the tour!

Anita Yancey said...

I had not heard of this author before now, but this book sounds like a fun and interesting read. I love the cover. Thanks for having the giveaway.

ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I am actually just reading another book by this author, Pillow Stalk! Thanks for introducing us to another one of her books! Looks really good!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

NoraA said...

I my not be a fashionista but I love reading about people who think they are... I also love dead body magnets. They make the best stories... I'd love to win and add this new series to my home library collection.

Unknown said...

Isn't it amazing that the "average" American woman is a size 12-14 but that is considered "fat"?
libbydodd@comcast.net

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting me, Melissa, and thanks for the comments! Libby-I agree that we live in a judgmental world when it comes to weight. Still, I believe being fashionable doesn't have a size requirement!

Good luck everyone!

Katreader said...

I'm by no means a fashionista-but I love hats!

cozyupwithkathy at gmail dot com

Gram said...

This sounds like a fun read. I care about clothes only to the extent that they fit and are clean and neat.

Unknown said...

This sounds like great fun. I love mysteries and I love fashion. What could be more fun than a mystery-solving fashion queen? Just about nothing. michelle_willms at yahoo dot com.

Kaylee said...

Sounds intriguing! My email is info@chairintheshade.com

Sue said...

This is a new author to me. I love mysteries and would love to try her books.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

cyn209 said...

this is a new-to-me series/author.....happy to add to my WishList!!
thank you for the giveaway!!

cyn209 at juno dot com

traveler said...

This is a captivating and great mystery. thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.