We are delighted to welcome author Debbie De Louise to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Great Escapes Book Tours, which is coordinating her current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find her schedule here.
Debbie's second mystery in her Cobble Cove series is Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Solstice Publishing; October 2016 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we had the opportunity to spend some time with her talking about the book and series.
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Omnimystery News: Between a Rock and Hard Place is the second book in your mystery series. What changes have the characters experienced since the first book was published?
Photo provided courtesy of
Debbie De Louise
Debbie De Louise: Two of the characters changed quite drastically from the first book from being quite unlikable to having more pleasant personalities. The other characters were also developed a bit more fully, and I introduced new ones. As a character-oriented writer, I like the idea of my characters developing from book to book because I feel that makes them more lifelike and realistic.
OMN: Into which genre would you place this series?
DDL: The Cobble Cove books are cozy mysteries, but I do write other genres. I originally considered the first book romantic suspense, but reviewers reviewed it as a cozy because it didn't feature explicit sex or violence, and most of the action took place in a small town with quirky characters and a library cat. I enjoy writing as well as reading different genres, mostly sub-genres of mystery, and I don't think there's any disadvantages to writing more than one type of genre. Some authors use a pen name to do this such as Nora Roberts writing her JD Robb mysteries. I don't think of a particular genre when I write. I just write what comes and then think about genre later when it's time to market the work. Even then, I don't think I need to limit my audience significantly because there are people, like myself, who like to read a variety of genres.
OMN: How did you come up with the titles for the books?
DDL: I chose the title of my first book, A Stone's Throw, because the small town depicted in it is "a stone's throw" away from everything as one of the characters states. Also, I named one of the streets in the book, Stone Throw Road. I later decided to use sayings or phrases related to rocks and stones for each book in the Cobble Cove mystery series. In keeping with that theme, my current book is Between a Rock and a Hard Place. But, again, the title doesn't just meet the rock/stone saying/phrase criteria but there's an element in the book that also reflects it. In my latest, this is because the main characters are put in a difficult situation when their twin babies are kidnapped and the main suspect is someone close to them.
OMN: Was Between a Rock and a Hard Place your working title while you wrote the book?
DDL: Yes, it was. I considered shortening it to A Rock and a Hard Place, but I thought the complete phrase would work better and also express the nature of the book more accurately.
OMN: Tell us more about the cover design. How involved were you in creating it?
DDL: My publisher uses BigStockphotos.com but gave me the option of choosing the graphic from those on that site. I chose the one I did because of the stone that coordinates well with the first book that was published by another publisher. I also liked the idea of featuring a person on the cover this time, and I wanted it to be my main character even though the woman doesn't have the same hair color. I later went back and added that Alicia wore a red coat so that it would help picture her as the cover model. Since the book takes place in the winter near Christmas, I thought the red coat fit in well. I've since had compliments about my choice.
OMN: When selecting a book for yourself to read for pleasure, what do you look for?
DDL: I look for books with well-developed characters, a mystery or puzzle that needs to be solved but isn't too easy and includes a twist or two. I like an ending that wraps things up but doesn't necessarily have to be happy. I like a book that mixes mystery and romance but doesn't include explicit sex, violence, or bad language. If it includes a pet of some kind, especially a cat, even in a minor role, that's a plus.
OMN: What kinds of films or television series do you enjoy watching?
DDL: I don't watch a lot of movies or TV, but I got hooked recently on the Bones series about a forensic anthropologist and FBI agent. I'm in the midst of watching the entire eleven seasons (and a twelfth is airing this year). I like it because it includes both mystery and romance with actors who play well-defined characters. It is also based on a mystery series by Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist.
OMN: What's next for you?
DDL: I'm just completing a psychological, standalone thriller that I am readying to send to agents. I feel it's one of my best projects so far and am hopeful an agent may be interested in it because I would like to publish with a large publisher so that my writing is distributed in more formats to a wider audience. I also have plans to continue the Cobble Cove mysteries and start another cozy series.
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Debbie De Louise is a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island and has been involved with books and writing for over thirty years. She received the Lawrence C. Lobaugh, jr. Memorial Award in Journalism for her work as Features Editor on the Long Island University/C. W. Post student newspaper, the Pioneer. More recently, Debbie received the Glamour Puss Award from Hartz Corporation for an article about cat grooming that appeared on Catster.com. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and two cats.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at DebbieDeLouise.com and her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Debbie De Louise
A Cobble Cove Mystery
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Librarian Alicia McKinney has put the past behind her…
Two years ago, Alicia discovered both a terrible truth and lasting love with John McKinney in the small town of Cobble Cove, New York. Now a busy mother of twin babies and co-author of a mystery series, Alicia couldn't be happier.
Walking home alone from the library, Alicia senses someone following her, and on more than one occasion, she believes she is being watched. Does she have a stalker? When the local gift shop is burglarized, the troubling event causes unrest among Alicia and the residents of the quiet town. John and Alicia receive an offer they can't refuse …
When John's sister offers to babysit while she and John take a much-needed vacation in New York City, Alicia is reluctant to leave her children because of the disturbances in Cobble Cove. John assures her the town is safe in the hands of Sheriff-elect Ramsay. Although Alicia's experience with and dislike of the former Long Island detective don't alleviate her concern, she and John take their trip.
The McKinneys' vacation is cut short when they learn their babies have been kidnapped and John's sister shot. Alicia and John's situation puts them between a rock and a hard place when the main suspect is found dead before the ransom is paid. In order to save their children, the McKinneys race against the clock to solve a mystery more puzzling than those found in their own books. Can they do it before time runs out?
— Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Debbie De Louise
