Talking Dirt-y

 Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of Dead Head!

Talking Dirt-y

No gardener worth her salt (whatever that means) would ever refer to soil as “dirt” but talking soil-y just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

I write the Dirty Business mystery series and my amateur sleuth is named Paula Holliday..

When your main character is a cop, a lawyer, a bounty hunter, or a medical examiner it’s pretty easy to have two or three (or sometimes a great many more) dead bodies in your books and all manner of colorful sleazebags and lowlifes. There are countless professionals who will solve the crime, restore order and maybe even get the girl (guy) well before the next manuscript is due.

But what’s a poor amateur to do? Well, first she finds work that will throw her together with lots of different people (with lots of different stories and secrets.) With hours that are flexible enough so that she can go gallivanting all over town chasing down leads without getting the “boss” angry. It also helps if the profession gives her a certain freedom (to snoop) around other people’s homes or properties. Because no man – or woman - is an island she should have a friend or two who she can bounce ideas and theories off of.

And it’s not a bad idea to give her a profession that incorporates a little upper body workout so that if she ever gets in a jam all those hours spent digging trenches or moving heavy bags of topsoil will have given her enough muscle mass to hold her own against a bad guy. That’s how Paula Holliday came to be a gardener - she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. And yes, it is a dirty business.

The third book in the series, Dead Head, (pb March 29, 2011) asks the question how well do we know our neighbors? Not very, when one of them turns out to be a fugitive from the law and Paula is asked to investigate by the woman's distraught family.

Rosemary Harris

About the Author

Rosemary Harris' debut novel Pushing Up Daisies was nominated for both the Anthony and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel 2008. Others in the series are The Big Dirt Nap, Dead Head and Slugfest (April 2011.) They've been given "4 1/2 Stars!" by RT BookReviews, called "a wild and funny ride"by Crimespree Magazine, "hilarious"by Kirkus Reviews and " the perfect summer read" by NPR (CT.)

Visit Rosemary on facebook and at www.rosemaryharris.com or folow her on Twitter @rosemaryharris1

--------To Enter the Contest--------

Just comment on the post below and leave the first bit of your email address. You do need to be a NOR Newsletter / Fan Club subscriber to enter. USA Postage Only. Ends - 4/8/2011
Reactions: 

87 comments:

  1. Sounds great

    vampireprincess2468@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete

  2. sounds like a good read to me! count me in!
    kt91805@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete

  3. Ohh I am totally interested.

    terilhack@

    ReplyDelete

  4. Hmmm,like I don't have enough books on my list to read. :) I'm adding another..

    m.hoffard@mchsi.com

    ReplyDelete

  5. It sounds interesting.

    ReplyDelete

  6. How well do we know our neighbors? Intriguing question. I would love to try this series.

    monagarg@

    ReplyDelete

  7. I'd love to enter.
    debbie@

    ReplyDelete

  8. I cannot wait to read this book, it looks like such a fun read.

    Val
    lastnerve200@

    ReplyDelete

  9. Love the titles. These books sound like fun.
    vsloboda@

    ReplyDelete

  10. This sounds like my kind of book, I love mystery/suspense with a little romance.

    ReplyDelete

  11. Ohh sounds so interesting!

    menscott01@

    ReplyDelete

  12. sounds like great reading to me!
    vlbelk(at)hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete

  13. Sounds like a great book to read.
    doglady@

    ReplyDelete

  14. These books sounds like ones I need to get into. Do enter me in this contest too and thanks for sharing this article..I find it quite interesting. susan Leech garysue@

    ReplyDelete

  15. I don't think I've ever read a mystery series that I actually liked, but I probably just haven't found the right series. I look forward to finding out more about this series.

    zady31@

    ReplyDelete

  16. I'm a college student who is tired of textbooks and dying for a good fiction! I would love to add this book to my "Done Reading List". :)

    ReplyDelete

  17. This sounds like a great series; I look forward in starting it.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226@

    ReplyDelete

  18. I here to enter, addicted to reading!!!!! Here's the beginning of my email:

    c21joanneb@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete

  19. I love mystery, and especially an author I haven't read before. This sound wonderful!

    I'm already a member & subscribe to the great newsletter too.

    Thank you!
    Darcy

    pommawolf @ hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete

  20. I'm always looking for a good murder mystery. It is one my list now. hilowitz@

    ReplyDelete

  21. I love books and this one sounds like one I would enjoy!! Thanks for the opportunity to win it!! LLM96@

    ReplyDelete

  22. Thanks for the opportunity to win, always looking for good books!! ashersmamaw

    ReplyDelete

  23. Sounds great!! Can't wait to read!
    staniszeski3824@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete

  24. I love stories aboue female amateur sleuths!

    Robin D
    robindpdx@

    ReplyDelete

  25. sounds like my kind of read

    Kathy
    rkmcw@aol.com

    ReplyDelete

  26. I'm inspired to do some gardening!

    sallans d @ yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete

  27. I love mysteries and would love to read this. Along the gardening vein, I can offer you all the snails in my backyard. You would think I had a farm in Paris. Now if you want to make a murder mystery of the that, I would let you have the idea free!

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  28. rachael kennedyMar 31, 2011 03:51 PM

    wow sounds so sexy would love to win this .. hope they have it for nz readers too
    (just incase they do ill leave my email addy)

    rachaelsfun@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete

  29. sounds like a good read!!!

    ReplyDelete

  30. Sounds like my kind of read.
    dlareejackson

    ReplyDelete

  31. Yay! A new book to add to the to-read list. :)
    bluesnowkat

    ReplyDelete

  32. I'ld love to win this. sounds good.


    kasey_k_fan@charter.net

    ReplyDelete

  34. Sounds like a great read!
    Ashley A
    ash_app@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete

  35. This sounds like a book I would really enjoy!
    mittens0831 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete

  36. I'd love to read this - thanks for the chance
    msboatgal at aol.com

    ReplyDelete

  37. I'm always looking for a new cozy...
    ivydtruitt@

    ReplyDelete

  38. Sounds awesome! Id love to read this book

    amandaenoch@

    ReplyDelete

  39. Love the sound of it!

    jm_kelley@

    ReplyDelete

  40. This sounds like a really fun read, would love to win a copy :)

    ReplyDelete

  41. Wow...last time I checked I didn't see any comments...I was feelin' kinda lonely! Thanks for all the positive feedback. Not to toot my own horn but RT did give this one "Four Stars" and NPR called it "a perfect summer read."
    Dead head was actually inspired by the true story of a suburban woman who was discovered to be a fugitive who'd been living a lie for decades - it made me wonder how many people are not who we think they are!

    ReplyDelete

  42. I haven't read this author but book sounds good. lisagk

    ReplyDelete

  43. Sounds like a fun read-something to read on a lunch break from my job to get away from it all! bonniearnold@

    ReplyDelete

  44. Love your post and looking forward to reading Dead Head (and the entire series). Thanks for the opportunity!
    kacbooks@

    ReplyDelete

  45. This sounds like a terrific read. cheri.oggy

    ReplyDelete

  46. I would love to read this!

    catslady5(at)aol.com

    ReplyDelete

  47. sounds awesome possum to me

    pattifritz2000 at yahoo dot com
    thanks

    ReplyDelete

  48. Hmmmm, veerrry interesting. :)

    Seriously, though, these sound like great reads! Best of luck with the series!

    Carol B.
    carolwriter@

    ReplyDelete

  49. I've read the first two books in the series and enjoyed them. Looking forward to reading Dead Head and Slugfest.

    acm05@

    ReplyDelete

  51. books that combine mysteries with gardening -- why not?!

    ReplyDelete

  52. This sounds like a fabulous book. Mysteries are one of my favorite genres.

    Thanks for the chance to win.

    Cheryl

    cg20pm00@

    ReplyDelete

  53. I'm interested,any combination of gardener and amateur sleuth is going to make me want to read more.

    nytshade13@

    ReplyDelete

  54. I love mysteries. Sounds great!!

    littlequeenie29@

    ReplyDelete

  55. I have not read this author yet, I am looking forward to trying the series out. annmarnie1022

    ReplyDelete

  56. I think this would be an interesting read

    ReplyDelete

  57. Thanks all. FYI Dead Head is the third book in my series. My debut novel was Pushing Up Daisies which was nominated for both an Agatha and an Anthony Award for Best First Mystery. For any Kindle, Nook or ereader owners it's available now for just $2.99 http://tinyurl.com/4jnjy5l
    It too was inspired by the true story of a mummified body that was found not far from my home in CT.

    ReplyDelete

  58. Thanks Anne, so glad you liked them!

    ReplyDelete

  60. Gardening and mysteries are two of my favorite things, having them both together is wonderful.
    Theresa N
    weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

  61. I love thAt your hero is a gardener (great tips) and a neighbor in a not-so-unusual neighborhood, where a nasty little murder occcaisionaly occurs....great fun!




    dawnlizabeth

    ReplyDelete

  62. love books
    rlrlaney@ rhonda l.

    ReplyDelete

  63. This sounds like an interesting plot. Please enter me in the giveaway. Thanks.

    o2oole@

    ReplyDelete

  64. Sounds like a good book

    Kit3247

    ReplyDelete

  65. Amateur sleuths are so much more fun than professionals. Love the play on words of each of your titles.

    nanze55

    ReplyDelete

  67. sounds great
    katemue2002@

    ReplyDelete

  68. My publisher loved the title Pushing Up Daisies but I've actually had to dig my heels in for the others. in fact...The Big Dirt Nap was delivered to the publisher as Corpse Flower and I've never really gotten used to the new name!

    ReplyDelete

  69. i like the book cover and it look great
    and then i would like to read it

    ReplyDelete

  70. This looks like a very interesting series.

    ainfinger@

    ReplyDelete

  71. I have read her books before nad they are always great. I am adding this one to my list.
    debby236@

    ReplyDelete

  72. Sounds like a great read
    holly.collins1@

    ReplyDelete

  73. I'd like to be included! tWarner419@aol.com

    ReplyDelete

  74. Sounds like a good book I think I'd enjoy reading.
    linsleo@

    ReplyDelete

  75. Sounds interesting., and I do enjoy a good mystery series.
    morphalogic@

    ReplyDelete

  76. Sounds like a great book!
    OmahaUrbanec@

    ReplyDelete

  78. Sounds like a great book to read.

    Have fun with your contest.

    ReplyDelete

  79. I have to jump in and read this series. It sounds like the type of story I'd like to read.

    lenikaye@

    ReplyDelete

  80. I love that the "bad guy" lived next door to your hero. My Gran used to look out her kitchen window and watch the neighbors. She said you can find out all kinds of things just by paying attention to what the neighbors are doing! And by the way, she was a first grade teacher....& MY first grade teacher. It was at her knee that I learned to read. (Actually, she pretty much taught all her grandchildren to read. She always said if you can read, you can do anything! She also had a yard like a park. As a kid she would arm me with a carton of salt and tell me to "get" as many slugs as I could. Gross huh?
    pbarker4149@

    ReplyDelete

  81. This sounds like a great read. I would really love to win.
    vgasdeb@

    ReplyDelete

  82. I am always looking for new authors to read. I will have to read this book.
    Thanos for the contest too.

    cwall88@

    ReplyDelete

  83. Hi, this series sounds like it would be fun whodidit;-) I've been off mysteries for a while and this series may get me back into them again.

    Please enter me in the contest. Thank you.

    gsryley@

    ReplyDelete

  84. Sounds like a good read.

    shawna.stringer

    ReplyDelete

  85. Can't wait to read it!

    kelli.calvert.ilmm

    ReplyDelete

  86. and the 5 winners are...

    ainfinger
    omahaurbanec
    linsleo
    nytshade13
    cwall88

    The author has been notified and will be shipping the books.

    ReplyDelete

  87. This sounds like a great read. I would really love to win.
    Rbooth43

    ReplyDelete

To enter NOR blog contests you must be signed up for the NOR Newsletter and leave the first bit of your email address used for the newsletter sign-up on your comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
 

Copyright Night Owl Reviews 2009. Powered by Blogger.Premium Wordpress Theme by simplyWP .
Converted To Blogger Template by Anshul .