This is the last release in a supercool series.

Folley at the Fair (An Annie Oakley Mystery) by Kari Bovee released in June in the Historical Mystery genre.

She never misses a target. But unless she can solve this murder, she’ll become one… Chicago World’s Fair, 1893. “Little Sure Shot” Annie Oakley is exhausted from her work with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. But when a fellow performer scuffles with a man who threatens her harm, she has to keep her eyes peeled. And when the heckler is found dead under the Ferris Wheel, Annie won’t rest until she proves her defender is innocent. Before she can rustle up any clues, an old friend asks Annie to protect her young daughter. And as more bodies turn up around the grounds, she’s going to need all her sharpshooting skills just to stay alive. Can Annie live up to her reputation and put a bullseye on the killer? Folly at the Fair is the third book in the Annie Oakley Mystery historical fiction series. If you like strong heroines, Wild West adventures, and suspenseful twists and turns, then you’ll love Kari Bovee’s fast-paced whodunit.

Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

When she’s not on a horse, or walking along the beautiful cottonwood-laden acequias of Corrales, New Mexico; or basking on white sand beaches under the Big Island Hawaiian sun, Kari Bovee is escaping into the past—scheming murder and mayhem for her characters both real and imagined, and helping them to find order in the chaos of her action-packed novels. Empowered women in history, horses, unconventional characters, and real-life historical events fill the pages of Kari Bovée’s articles and historical mystery musings and manuscripts. An award-winning author, Bovée was honored with the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards Hillerman Award for Southwestern Fiction for her novel Girl with a Gun. The novel also received First Place in the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards in the Mystery/Crime category, and is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards, as well as the Next Generation Indie Awards. Her novel Grace in the Wings is a Finalist for the 2019 International Chanticleer Chatelaine Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards. Her novel Peccadillo at the Palace is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the 2019 International Goethe Awards, as well as a Finalist in the 2019 Best Book Awards Historical Fiction category. Bovée has worked as a technical writer for a Fortune 500 Company, has written non-fiction for magazines and newsletters, and has worked in the education field as a teacher and educational consultant. She and her husband, Kevin, spend their time between their horse property in the beautiful Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, and their condo on the sunny shores of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Hi Kari, and thank you for being with us today.

Give behind the scenes insight into what your typical day is like.

I usually wake up at 6:00 am—I’d like to wake up earlier, but . . . you know! I often do a meditation before I get out of bed. Then I get up at around 6:30 and get the coffee started, then journal in my “morning pages” ala Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way. I have breakfast with the hubby and then get ready for the day, usually by 8:30 am. In the warmer months I usually exercise (ride my horses, walk, or Pilates) first, so I don’t have to do it when it’s so darn hot. I live in New Mexico and June through September can be pretty warm. I flip my day in the winter. If there is time before lunch I’ll get some work done, usually consisting of checking email, social media, talking with my assistant, etc. After lunch I try to buckle down and get some plotting, editing, or writing done, depending what I am working on at the time. Mind you, this is when the demands of life are ideal. Sometimes it all goes to h*!#, but I really try to remain consistent. I find it’s the only way I can achieve my goals. I usually quit working at 4:30 or 5:00 and join my husband out at our koi pond for a glass of wine. Then dinner and a little TV and then off to bed to read. I try to keep weekends open for a little art work, reading, or whatever tickles my artist’s fancy. I’ve grown to realize how important it is to fill the well!

List some of your all-time favorite books and talk about why you like them.

I really enjoy a lot of classic literature, particularly 19^th Century literature. Some of my favorite novels are: 1) Vanity Fair by Makepeace Thackery—Becky Sharp is a most fascinating character. Ruthless yet practical. 2) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, because who doesn’t love a tragic gothic romance? 3) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, because I love the way the characters have to get out of their own way to find happiness. More contemporary books are Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, two vastly different novels but the world building in both is excellent—makes you feel like you are really there. One of the best books I’ve read recently is Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan for his character development. I also like the works of Tana French and Elizabeth George because they are amazing mystery authors!

Many writers and artists are introverts and spend much of their time alone? Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

I think I’m a healthy mixture of both. I love connecting with people and learning from them. I enjoy parties and social events and meeting new people, but having time to myself is essential to my mental, emotional, and creative well-being. I love being alone, or with my horses where the communication is often silent. I feel it gives me room to breathe.

How does your home and its environment influence your writing? To what extent?

I love being at home. We moved to a small-ish, rural village three years ago. We live on four acres in a hacienda/mission style home. My office is huge with a high, beamed ceiling (the beams came from an old railroad trellis), a kiva-style fire place, and antique wooden floors that came from an old ice house in Santa Fe, NM. The windows are huge and I can look out of the French doors and see my horses grazing in the pasture. Did I mention I love being at home? Lol! I find the architecture and the property surrounding our home to be so inspirational, comforting, and quiet, it’s easy for me to get lost in my own imagination, which is a wonderful thing. The challenge (I think for all writers) is to not let everyday responsibilities and stress encroach on such a sacred environment.  

Do you think that self-revelation is part of the writing process?

Yes. I think it is inescapable. I believe that writing, like art, comes from the heart and soul of a person. There is a certain level of emotional intimacy that comes with the creative process. Writers, artists, and singers have to dig deep to create an emotional resonance with their audience. It seems impossible to me to divorce that kind of raw sharing with self-revelation.

Do you believe you write the kind of book you’d want to read?

Absolutely. I believe that if a writer is not completely invested and interested in what they are writing, no one else will be. Writing a novel is hard enough! If there wasn’t enjoyment in the challenge and process, I don’t think it would be worth doing, at least for me.

Explain your writing process.

It’s different with every book, but I always start out with research and an outline. Sometimes the outline is more comprehensive than others—more than just the main plot points. I also do pretty detailed character sketches. Sometimes in developing the characters, new ideas for the plot spring up. I do as much research as I can to get started and then as the story unfolds, sometimes I have to make adjustments to the plot or the characters, and sometimes I have to eliminate characters all together or add new ones. For the book I’m working on now I am doing a more extensive outline and character sketches. I am even blocking scenes in the hopes that when it comes time to write the writing goes faster. After I complete the first draft I walk away from the manuscript for about two weeks, then I come back and start editing. Then another read through, make any tweaks, and get it the best I can get it and then I’ll send it off to a developmental editor. I find that after I’ve been so immersed in the book I can’t see it honestly anymore, so it’s nice to have someone else read through to find holes, inconsistencies, story problems. After that, I have a copy edit done, at least one proofread, and I also send it to some trusted beta readers. It takes a village!

​Connect with the author:  Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
~ Pinterest

Giveaway:​

• Signed copy of FOLLY AT THE FAIR, SWAG (mousepad, pen, tote, bookmark), plus $100 Amazon Gift Card (USA only) (one winner)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/518e728460/?

---

iRead Book Tours