Last Diner Standing by Terri L. Austin
Last Diner Standing is the second book in the Rose
Strickland Mystery series and this time out, I wanted Rose to have
complications on more than one front. I like characters who are under pressure,
so I tortured Rose a bit in this story.
Rose is a waitress at Ma’s Diner. In my first book, Diners,
Dives and Dead Ends, Ma was along for the ride. But I really wanted Ma to have
her own agenda this time. When a rival diner horns in on Ma’s territory, she’s
not about to go down without a fight. A scrappy senior, Ma comes out swinging. Ma
is a fun character and I wanted to showcase her a little more. Not just a
sidekick in this book, she gets her own story arc. And I thought the results
were a lot of fun. And a little scary. Ma can get mean when she’s cornered.
Rose is a loyal character, so it made sense to put people
she cares about in danger. Rose being Rose, there’s no way she could sit back
and not jump into the fray. Her friend Janelle is arrested for the attempted
murder of her ex-husband. I really enjoyed this because we heard a little about
Janelle’s strange ex in the first book and I wanted to explore their
relationship. What type of man would behave in such a despicable way? So I got
to delve into that. And I tied the mystery into Rose’s bad boy crush and his
problems. I had to bring Sullivan back and this time, he’s the one in trouble.
He needs Rose, which is a change from the first book.
I’m a character-driven writer. My characters are what make
writing fun, so I knew I had to put them on stage and let them help or hinder
Rose. Mostly hinder, even when they’re trying to help. Rose has formed a
make-shift family for herself and we got to see them all in action: Roxy, Ma,
Sullivan, Axton, Janelle, and even Rose’s boss, Ray. I hope the readers have as
much fun reading about these characters as I did writing them.
About Last Diner Standing:
Rose Strickland is having a blue Christmas. Her friend is
arrested for attempted murder, her sexy bad guy crush is marked by a hit man,
and her boss is locked in an epic smackdown with a rival diner. Determined to
save those she loves, Rose embarks on an investigation more tangled than a box
of last year's tree lights. With her eclectic gang at the ready, Rose stumbles
across dead bodies, ex-cons, jealous girlfriends, jilted lovers, and a gaggle
of strippers in a battle for freedom she might not survive.
Terri L. Austin lives in Missouri with her funny, handsome husband
and a high maintenance peekapoo. She’s
the author of Diners, Dives and Dead Ends—a Rose Strickland Mystery. “Austin’s
debut kicks off her planned series by introducing a quirky, feisty heroine and
a great supporting cast of characters and putting them through quite a number
of interesting twists.” Kirkus Reviews
You can find Terri on Twitter, FB, GoodReads,
at TerriLAustin.com or Henery Press. Every Wednesday, Terri and her
writer friends hold a book chat on Little
Read Hens FB page. Come and join the conversation!
Excerpt from Last Diner Standing:
There
are some absolutes in this life that are irrefutable. If you leave the house
looking like crap, you’ll see someone you know, usually an ex-boyfriend. If
you’re running late for an appointment, you’ll hit every red light on the way.
And a three a.m. phone call is never good news. Either someone’s dead, in the
hospital, or you’re a drunken booty call. But that Saturday morning, I
discovered another reason to avoid the ringing harbinger of bad news.
“’ello,”
I answered, my eyes still closed.
“Rose,
I’m in jail, girl.”
I
sniffed and sat up on my futon. “Janelle?”
“Of
course it’s Janelle. They think I tried to kill Asshat.”
Scrubbing
a hand over my eyes, I glanced at the clock. “Asshat?”
Janelle
lowered her voice. “Rose, wake up and listen. I’m in jail, Asshat’s in a coma,
and they’re saying I tried to kill him. I need help.”
Her
dilemma finally penetrated my sleep-fogged brain. “Oh my God. Where are the
kids?” Janelle had two, Damon, nine, and Sherise, seven. Both so cute you
wanted to pinch their little cheeks. But I wouldn’t recommend it—that Sherise
was a biter.
“They’re
staying with my cousin, Sondra. But I got to get out of here. If they think I’m
spending Christmas in jail then I’m Halle Damn Berry.”
“What
do you want me to do?”
“Call
that fancy lawyer you know. He’ll figure it out.”
Dane
Harker. “I’ll call him and come see you in the morning. Will they let me bring
you anything?”
“Cigarettes
and toiletries. These bitches trade everything for cigarettes. And Rose?
Thanks.”
(Great cover, Terri, and the book sounds delightful! Thanks for stopping by today.)
Comments
And I don't think I'll ever put anything super explicit in the Rose books. But I don't see Sullivan as manipulative with Rose. I think he likes her in spite of himself. She puts a little humanity back in Sullivan.
JL Greger, author of Coming Flu and Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight (due out in March)