Pat Duggan will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2022/03/nbtm-murder-at-serengeti-plains-by-pat.html

Author Interview Pat Duggan

1. How did you choose your genre? What made you write this book?

I enjoy reading and watching TV mysteries, but dislike overly descriptive and bloody violence.  In the circumstances, Cozy Mysteries seemed like a logical choice.

I wrote this book as a result of moving into a new subdivision surrounded by partially built homes.  As I repeatedly walked around the building site, a new mystery emerged.

2. Writers write what they know and must observe the world. Are you a first born, middle or last child and how does this shape your view of the world?

My brother was six years older than me, and he left home when I was twelve.  So, I was effectively an only child.  As a girl growing up in the 1960s, with a sick mother, I was expected to carry out most of the household chores.  As a result, I expect people to take responsibility for themselves and look out for the needs of others. I have difficulty watching people in the world today focused only on what they want and need without any consideration for anybody else,

3. Where is your favorite place to write?

As our traveling days are over, I now have an office in our new home.  I like to sit in my recliner with my laptop and look out at the neighborhood.  Here, I can take a few minutes break and watch the kids playing in the street.

4. How do you feel about killing your darlings, and what do you do with the remains?

It saddens me to kill a character I like, but the reward is ultimately sending the ‘bad guy’ to prison.

5. You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them?

I find it difficult to pick out a favorite author.  However, I would like to meet John Grisham.  I enjoy his legal thrillers.  I would like to talk to him about his experiences and how they influenced his writing.

6. Inquiring minds want to know…tell readers something about you that no one knows.

I love American Bald Eagles and consider them to be the most beautiful, graceful creatures.  I have pictures and ornaments of them in my office and even created a stained-glass piece, featuring a bald eagle soaring over a canyon.  I would love to own an eagle’s feather (lost through molting, not death), but have not yet found one and I understand it is illegal to purchase one.

7. You are stranded on a deserted island with only a backpack for company. What three items are in your survival pack?

If I was stranded on a desert island, my survival backpack would contain a pan and a knife for preparing food.  I am hoping the old boy scout trick of rubbing two sticks together to make fire actually works.  For the third item, I would like to have a Bible to maintain my sanity and my spiritual connection with God.

8. If you could have one superpower in your existence, what would it be?

In the midst of all the violence and self-centeredness in the world today, I would like the ability to return the hearts and minds of people to loving and caring for others.

9. Favorite snack?

At the end of the day, I am still English at heart.  Therefore, my snack would be Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate.

10. Indy 500 – Do you know how to get where you’re going, or do you drive the speed limit?

When I lived in England, we navigated by pubs and churches. Since arriving in the U.S. I have learned to follow road maps. Initially, I used the paper versions but nowadays I follow Google Maps on my phone. However, in view of some strange redirections on Google Maps recently, I am considering finding my book of road maps again.

Murder at Serengeti Plains

by Pat Duggan

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GENRE:   Cozy Mystery

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BLURB:

Murder at Serengeti Plains is the third mystery novel in the series, featuring amateur sleuths Hazel Davies and Anna Kohl.  The earlier novels are Murder at Eagles Nest and Could They Be Twins?

The book is set in a new residential subdivision, Serengeti Plains, built by the renowned local builder, Zebra Homes.  It is located in the peaceful, historic town of Centerville, Ohio.  However, peace is shattered when the new residents are awakened one morning by the sound of police sirens.  The procession of police cars, come to rest in their own neighborhood.  A body has been discovered!  Was it an accident or was it murder?

Hazel Davies and Anna Kohl have recently moved into this new subdivision.  They have previously helped the police to solve murders in both Florida and Ohio, but they did not expect to find one on their own doorstep.  When the police begin to look at their friend as the perpetrator, they find themselves drawn into yet another murder investigation.

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Excerpt:

The National News on television led off with a headline about house prices and the shortage of homes for sale throughout the country.  In Centerville, Ohio there was a growing, new sub-division, Serengeti Plains, being built by Zebra Homes.  The builder named the development after a district in Africa where zebras roam wild.  His company was well respected and recognized for building beautiful single-family homes, laid out to form desirable neighborhoods and the Serengeti Community was fast becoming a gem amongst their many projects in the area. 

The construction site was a hive of activity, with multiple homes in various stages of completion as demand for new homes pressured the builder to construct his properties as quickly as possible.  There were contractors of various disciplines swarming all over the building site, working feverishly to complete each unit while maintaining the builder’s required quality and standards.

All of this activity invariably led to disagreements and friction amongst the workers.  One man in particular, Larry Cox, who worked for the excavation company and held an inflated opinion of himself always seemed to be at the center of much of the unrest.  He liked to ‘throw his weight around,’ and talked down to the other workers on the site.  He continually bragged about his thirty years’ experience and seemed to think this cemented his superiority over anyone and everyone on the building site, including buyers who frequently visited the site to watch the progress of their ‘soon to be’ new home.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Originally from Manchester, England, Pat Duggan moved to the U.S. in 1985.  After a career in finance, which included running her own book-keeping and tax business, in the Cincinnati area, Pat and her partner retired and moved to Oregon.  Years later, they embarked on a five-year journey, traveling across the country in a motorhome.

Writing was a whole new direction for Pat, which began with two non-fiction books – The Power Within and Finding God in an RV.  Then she branched into writing fiction as she turned to her love for solving murder mysteries and the challenge to figure out ‘whodunit!’

Sadly, their traveling days are over, but settling down has brought its own reward as it inspired this latest novel.

https://www.facebook.com/writesstoriesrealandimagined/

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Pat-Duggan/e/B0845YGGV3/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3153509.Pat_Duggan

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Serengeti-Plains-Pat-Duggan/dp/B09MYYWS71/

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