We are delighted to welcome author Steve Hockensmith to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Great Escapes Book Tours, which is coordinating his current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find his schedule here.
Steve's second mystery co-written with tarot expert Lisa Falco is Fool Me Once (Midnight Ink; August 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and while we actually didn't have a chance to speak with Steve directly, fortunately he does a lot of talking to himself.
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Photo provided courtesy of
Steve Hockensmith
Steve: Hey, man. How's it going today?
Steve: You tell me, dude.
Steve: It's awesome!
Steve: Damn straight!
[Steve high-fives himself. It's awkward, but not impossible.]
Steve: It's great to have Fool Me Once out, am I right?
Steve: You are right!
Steve: These tarot mysteries — they are such a hoot to write. I'm so glad Lisa brought the idea to us.
Steve: "How about a book about a tarot reader who uses her skill with the cards to help people," she said.
Steve: And I said, "Throw in murders and make 'em mysteries, and bing bang boom — we'll have a series!"
Steve: Making the hero a reformed con artist who doesn't believe in the occult was a nice touch, if I do say so myself.
Steve: Thank you, sir! I'm interested in tarot cards — Lisa does amazing readings — but I'm not big on the woo-woo stuff myself.
Steve: I know. So it's good to keep the series grounded in reality while acknowledging that the cards can be surprisingly insightful.
Steve: It doesn't have to be supernatural.
Steve: But it could be.
Steve: Maybe.
Steve: Who knows?
Steve: Not me!
Steve: Me neither.
Steve: It's a good thing Lisa's around to explain the cards and the spreads and all the different interpretations and whatnot.
Steve: It's the whatnot that gets really confusing.
Steve: Ain't it always?
Steve: No kidding.
Steve: So. Dude. You know what I'm thinking now.
[Steve goes to a mirror and gives himself a meaningful look.]
Steve: That the third book in the series is supposed to be finished already?
Steve: Yes, and …
Steve: And it's not.
Steve: Yes, and …
Steve: And that's probably what I should be working on right now?
Steve: Bingo.
Steve: But I've still got to promote Fool Me Once! Like, I've got a guest post to write for Omnimystery News, and it's late, too!
Steve: So whip something up for 'em quick.
Steve: Easier said than done. What should I write?
Steve: I'm sure you'll think of something.
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Though he considers himself a Midwesterner at heart, Steve Hockensmith currently lives in California's Bay Area. He says he's adjusted to life on the West Coast, but confesses that he still misses thunderstorms, snow and Long John Silver's Seafood Shoppes. He shares his home with the perfect wife, the perfect daughter, the perfect son and two slightly imperfect dogs.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at SteveHockensmith.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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Fool Me Once by Steve Hockensmith
A Tarot Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink
After taking over the White Magic Five & Dime, Alanis McLachlan is trying to make up for her mother's con jobs by tracking down old customers and making amends. When Martha, one of the most loyal clients, comes looking for a way out of her abusive marriage, Alanis does everything she can to help.
But helping Martha leads to unforeseen consequences … including murder. When Martha's husband is found dead, the police show up at Alanis's door. And things only get more complicated as she tries to clear her name from the top of the suspect list. With her growing mastery of the tarot and the Fool card to guide her, can Alanis find her way to the truth before the killer gets to her first?
— Fool Me Once by Steve Hockensmith
