Contemporary
women’s fiction author Paisley Ray is here today to tell us about Deep Fried and Pickled, the second book
in The Rachael O'Brien Chronicles series.
Paisley
will be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to a lucky commentor during her
tour. To be entered for a chance to win, leave a comment below. To increase
your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and comment there, too.
Welcome, Paisley. Please tell us a
little bit about yourself.
I grew up
in the suburbs of Pittsburgh when the Terrible Towel was introduced to cheer on
the Steelers. As a kid, my family spent summers at the Carolina beaches. Hush
puppies, sweet tea, and discovering sand dollars in the low-tide turned into
intoxicating memories. I fell hard for all things southern. School, work, and
family keep luring me back, and I’m still in love. The Rachael O’Brien
Chronicles are my southern-soup of life-lessons inspired by the unforgettable
people and places I hold dear.
Please tell us about your current
release.
Deep Fried and Pickled is 80’s fiction. Attending college
south of the Mason-Dixon line, partying, meeting guys and avoiding stray
shotgun shells can be complicated if you’re Rachael O’Brien. Rachael “Raz”
and her group of new friends from her freshman year at North Carolina College
uncover an art scam. Rachael’s father owns a restoration business in Canton,
Ohio, and she is a walking textbook of anything related to oil and canvas.
Managing to survive a drunken bar room brawl, falling from her bunk,
being run over by a car, and a dorm hallmate trying to destroy her life,
Rachael also has to deal with her parents separation, her feelings about it,
and her dad's new girlfriend. She travels to New Bern, her roommate’s hometown
to blow off some steam and hilarity ensues as she finds out what Southerners
really do to party it up. She meets a crazy group of people in New Bern and
quickly realizes not everyone is who they seem to be. Her love and knowledge of
art puts her in a precarious position when she realizes there are art forgers
among the people she is socializing with. Soon she has to do everything she can
to clear her father's name.
What inspired you to write this book?
Connecting with some of my college girlfriends
in New York. Reminiscing, we all laughed so hard and I said, “I gotta write a
book.” Famous last words, right. Deep
Fried and Pickled took me 5 years to complete. Just goes to show, stay at
something long enough and you may surprise yourself.
Excerpt:
Deep Fried and
Pickled
By: Paisley
Ray, Chapter 36 Excerpt
Dad had
listened to what I told him. When I finished, he said, “Tell me again about the
Baptism painting you saw in New Bern, and then the one in New Orleans.”
“The
monogram signature, bottom right on both, not right center like the one in your
shop. The circumference inside the curve on the C, on both, was tighter. The
oils on the two here weren’t watered down. The colors were more vibrant. The
backs of the canvases were off-white with some staining, thinner than the
canvas board you worked on.”
“What makes
you think the two pieces you saw were painted by the same person?” Dad asked.
“The
scenery was identical, brushstrokes consistent, but the scale of the people
varied, and there was one less person standing outside the church on the one in
New Orleans. Four not five ladies in white.”
Dad blew a
curt huff of air. “I’m going to make a phone call to my colleague at the New
Orleans Museum of Art. I’ll ask if he knows of Lucky Jack Ray. Find out if he has
a reputation. But Rachael, if no one’s complaining about being duped, there’s
no case.”
Before we
hung up, Dad asked me to mail him a copy of the invoice I’d nabbed and the
Rolodex names I’d memorized.
“Masterpieces
with a big price tag make people do crazy things. We don’t know who the players
are and what they’re capable of. Don’t tell anyone what you know. And stay away
from New Bern.”
What exciting story are you working on
next?
The Rachael O’Brien Chronicles is a series and
I’m currently working on book 3, Shelled
and Shucked. Rachael and the girls get into lots more southern mishaps.
I’ve finished the rough draft and am aiming for a July release. After that,
I’ll start book 4, Toad in the Hole.
Rachael and her grandmother go to England for the summer and run into a fair
amount of Euro drama.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
Writing
sounds so stringent. I don’t know that I consider myself a writer. I mean I
write, but it doesn’t feel like a job, in the 9 to 5 sense. I really enjoy
playing with the written word, so much so that I secretly feel like I’m goofing
off more than actually working. I just consider myself a storyteller, providing
readers with some good ole fashion escapism.
Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?
Writing is
my full time gig, besides being a mom, wife, cook, gardener, chief financial
officer, dog walker, housekeeper, carpool driver and homework police officer.
My day starts between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. when my pug makes crazy moaning, scratching
and licking to wake me up. Once I’m up, I make lunches, drink tea, get dressed,
check emails and get everyone moving out of the house. I usually take a
two-mile run, clean up then get three to four hours of writing in before it’s
time to run errands, pick up kids. I can usually squeak in an hour or so of
writing before dinner and if I have power or am on a deadline, a bit more
writing between 8 and 10 at night. By then my pug has settled around my feet
and starts snoring – his signal that it’s time for bed.
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
British
Blend tea. I drink it all day. Hey, The English built an empire with it!
As a child, what did you want to be
when you grew up?
I wanted to
design wallpaper. The closest I came was after college, working for an
underwear company designing the patterns on boxers and briefs.
Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?
Here are
ways to connect with me:
E-mail: heypaisleyray@gmail.com
Website: http://heypaisleyray.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/heypaisleyray
Amazon buy
link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AAVKNV0
Thanks, Paisley. Happy touring!
Readers, don’t forget about the Amazon gift card giveaway! Leave a comment for
a chance to win.
6 comments:
Catching up I can imagine the stories just flying around.
Designs on underwear hey!!
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you for hosting today.
Thanks for giving us a great tour. I will have to add it to my to be read list
fencingromein at hotmail dot com
You have such a busy schedule I'm surprised you find time to write.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com
I love New Bern. I live in Wilmington and have been to New Bern a few times. Lots of Southern charm.
Is "British Blend" a specific brand of tea? I am a tea drinker--no coffee for me. I favor a cup of Lady Grey tea in the afternoons. I like bergamot but in small doses. It's just right in Lady Grey.
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Nice interview
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Post a Comment