Amanda Flower's MAID OF MURDER

We're happy to have Amanda Flower with us today talking about her book, Maid of Murder. To learn more about Amanda and her book, read on!

Your title: Maid of Murder
1) How did this story come to you?
The main character of Maid of Murder, India Hayes, inspired me to write her story. Several years ago, I was sitting in a Blockbuster parking lot on the Fourth of July, and India’s mildly sarcastic voice popped into my head. Although it’s been revised many times since, the first paragraph of Maid of Murder is what India said to me that day. From her remarks, a novel and series was born.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
My sale wasn’t the typical route, if there is such a thing. After my first literary agent and I parted ways, I decided to submit to Five Star because I knew that they didn’t require a literary agent. They requested a full manuscript and a few months later they rejected me. I was disappointed, but by that point, I had been seeking a publisher for Maid of Murder for many years and had been rejected so many times, I wasn’t heartbroken. Then about a year later, a different acquisitions editor from Five Star emailed me and asked if my novel was still available. I said that it was. She sent me the original editor’s comments about the book which clearly stated why the novel was rejected the first time. She said if I could make those changes Five Star would reconsider my book. I spent the next month tearing the book apart and putting it back together; and in the end, Five Star was pleased and acquired Maid of Murder. I know how blessed I am to have this second chance with a publisher.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
It might surprise my readers to know the following:
1) I’m a birder. I even have a bird list I keep updated on my computer. I drive my family and friends a little crazy because if a bird flies by I am instantly distracted by it. I have been known to wander off in pursuit of a bird I’d never seen before.
2) I hate to cook, but I find the Food Network fascinating. My favorite show is The Barefoot Contessa.
3) I’m a traveler and have been to seventeen countries and forty-eight U.S. states. The last big international trip I took was to Israel and Jordan. I have dear friend, who is a travel agent, and she knew I wanted to go there. She placed me as a tagalong on a trip with a group of retired Southern Baptists from Mississippi. They welcomed this twenty-something Yankee with open arms, and it was amazing to be in the place where Jesus lived and walked. However as far a language acquisition went, I picked up more Southern dialect than Hebrew or Arabic.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Currently, I’m working on the second India Hayes Mystery. In the second book, India, much to her chagrin, is working at a folk art festival as a face painter. She does it as a favor to her older sister, Carmen, and gets tangled up in a murder investigation as a result. I am in the revision stage of this novel and have begun to research the third in the series.

In addition to the India Hayes Mysteries, I have written a middle grade children’s mystery called, The Mystery of the First Andora. I’m currently looking for a publisher for this title. It was important to me to write a mystery for children because I enjoyed them so much as a child.
5) Parting comments?
If you are looking for a fun read this summer and wedding season, Maid of Murder could be the right book for you. Patricia H. Rushford, author of The Jennie McGrady Mysteries, said about the novel, “Maid of Murder is delightful with likable characters and quirky details. Author Amanda Flower did a great job with the plot. It’s a winner!”

In Maid of Murder, India Hayes, a college librarian and reluctant bridesmaid, is thrown into the role of amateur sleuth as she hunts down the person who murdered her childhood friend and framed her brother for the crime.

When bride-to-be Olivia turns up dead in the Martin College fountain and the evidence points to India’s brother Mark, India must unmask the real culprit while juggling a furious Mother of the Bride, an annoying Maid of Honor, a set of hippie-generation parents, a police detective who is showing a marked liking for her, and a provost itching to fire someone, anyone—maybe even a smart-mouthed librarian.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Fans can find me online at my website http://amandaflower.com/ . You can also follow me on Facebook at http://tiny.cc/ejquq or Twitter at http://twitter.com/aflowerwriter .