‘Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy – Vanessa Kelly, Author

I’m so happy to have the fabulous Leslie Langtry back on my blog. Leslie writes a “brilliantly original, laughter-rich mix of contemporary romance and suspense.” And don’t just take my word for it, because that quote came from the acclaimed Chicago Tribune. Shall we find out what’s going in this talented writer’s world?

Your Bombay Greatest Hits Books have been described as romantic suspense chick lit thriller. How would you describe your writing?

I think of it more like comedy, mystery romance – but I’ve had people tell me it’s none of those things too. My former publisher said I wrote ‘hybrid.’ It’s hard to say. What I can say is that I write the stuff I’d like to read – something funny, with a bit of romance and a good mystery. I really want people to have an escape. That’s what I get out of a book. I hope they laugh along the way and are entertained. That’s good too.

What’s the high concept for the series?

For the first book – it was a soccer mom/assassin comedy that I’d had a dream about. I wanted it to be a series – but I never thought I was smart enough to do multiple books featuring the same hero. So each book features a different member of the Bombay Family of Assassins – The First Name in Assassination since 2000 BCE. Sometimes it’s from a man’s point of view, sometimes it’s from a woman’s. And each family member is unique. That makes it fun. I like fun.

Tell us about ‘Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy

Gin Bombay – the main character – is a widowed soccer mom who divides her time between dealing with the bitchy PTA president at her daughter’s elementary school, housetraining a Pug puppy, and killing the occasional bad guy. It was the first book I sold to New York, but the fourth book I’d written. My critique partners told me that I’d finally found my voice. It’s a special book to me.

What’s up next in your writing world?

I’m almost finished with a collection of short stories featuring Bombay hits through history – SNUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON. I’m a history nerd so I’m having lots of fun with this. I’m also working on a funny sci-fi serialization. I got the rights back to my books a couple of years back and am exclusively indie pubbing at this point. I love bringing out all these past projects my publisher loved but didn’t think marketable. I think my fans will love them too. At least, I hope they will…

Thanks for filling us in on the latest, Leslie! Readers, you’ll be happy to hear that Leslie’s book, Stand By Your Hitman, is currently on sale for only 99 cents. I’ve already downloaded it, and you I think you should too! Here’s the scoop:

Assassin Missi Bombay is forced to be a contestant on SURVIVAL! (A cheap Canadian knock-off of SURVIVOR) in order to identify and take out the bad guy – without getting attention on live TV. Check out why The Chicago Tribune said, “STAND BY YOUR HITMAN is another sure hit winner!” It’s $.99 for a very short time!

Buy now:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.com/B004ELAH6I
Barnes & Noble Nook: http://tinyurl.com/cyg7ram
iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/bqceg4c
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/cntwxzd

Don’t forget to check out Leslie’s website for info on all her books!

I have a really fun, talented author guest blogging with me today. She’s Leslie Langtry, the creator of the Bombay Family of Assassins, and she writes very funny romantic suspense.

Leslie has a brand new book out, and she’s here to tell us all about it. Take it away, Leslie!

I’ve finally written a book my mother can’t read. Well, it’s not that she can’t read it – it’s that I hope she doesn’t. I’m not naïve; I know my sister and I weren’t the result of immaculate conception. But knowing that she’s reading these love scenes makes me itchy. Is it possible to get a rash from embarrassment?

I’m talking about my newest book – up today for the first time ever: THE ADULTERER’S UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO FAMILY VACATIONS, A Novel. I had to add “A Novel,” I was told by many who know. Apparently, there are some people out there who would take the title literally and think I wrote some sort of handbook. And while I like weird, I don’t think I’d want to meet these, um, folks.

How did I get the idea for this book? Not through experience, if that’s what you’re thinking. (And some of you are thinking that I’ll bet.) Actually, this book, the most emotional and spicy of all my books, came from a clinical idea. I read a story in the newspapers. That’s it. There’s no little Danny DeVito-esque fairy muse fluttering about in my head (although that would be cool). I get a lot of ideas from newspapers.

Anyway, this particular story was a year after 9/11. According to the article, this major event caused people to rethink who they dated. Men and women were frightened by what they didn’t know. So there was a move to look up old high school and college sweethearts to see what they were up to – if they were single – and interested. All across the country, singles were hooking up with their past. It made them feel safer – more secure – like dating your past. At the same time, Facebook was starting to make such things possible. It was unprecedented – needing to look into your past and actually having the means to do so.

I’m also very much a “What If” writer. Remember that bit on SNL in the ‘70’s – “What if Spartacus Had a Piper Cub?” I loved that idea. So I took the fact that people were engaging in past relationships and plugged it into my favorite vacation destination on Earth – Disney World. What if a man and a woman, ditched by their spouses for the big family vacation and trapped in crumbling marriages, found themselves next door to their first love? How would they react? Would the attraction they once had still be there?

Turns out, the attraction was there – hence the mom-inducing embarrassment rash I mentioned earlier.

Not all my ideas come from the newspaper (or sometimes, NPR). The idea for my Bombay Assassin Series came from a dream I had, where a widowed soccer mom is involved in the family business – which has been assassination for two millennia. She has to bake cookies for the kindergarten Halloween party, start a Girl Scout troop, dodge the sinister PTA president and kill the naughty terrorist. Gin Bombay and her family came to life in my dream and wouldn’t shut up until I sat down to write their story. The result was the first book I sold to a traditional publisher – ‘SCUSE ME WHILE I KILL THIS GUY. The rest – as they say – is history.

For those who comment today – I’d like to give away a signed copy of one of my Bombay books – I SHOT YOU BABE! Also, THE ADULTERER’S UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO FAMILY VACATIONS, A Novel – is going to be only 99cents for Kindle and Nook for this week only – so download your copy now! For those who want a paperback – I’m hoping to get that up in April at Amazon.com.

Let me know your thoughts and you’ll be in the running for I SHOT YOU BABE!

Vanessa, here. I love Leslie’s covers and I LOVE her high concept for these books? How about you, readers? Don’t you think romantic suspense with an element of comedy is a great idea? Let’s talk about that, and if you have some other favorite romantic suspense authors, tell us about them. One person who comments will win a copy of Leslie’s book.

And don’t forget to check Leslie’s website and blog for all her latest news and info about her books!

Guest Author: Leslie Langtry!!

Guest Author: Leslie Langtry & Giveaway!