Guest blog: Claire O'Sullivan and Shanghai Road *Free Print Copy to Winner **WINNER: Linda Herold

Dear Readers,

So sorry this is late! I'm out of town visiting my mother and time just slipped by! I hope and pray that all of you are well. Now, let's meet a new author!

Introduce yourself—name, where you’re from, and something people notice when they meet you.

Hi! I’m Claire O’Sullivan and I hail from Grants Pass, Oregon- southern Oregon, about two hours from the ocean and two hours from Crater Lake. We live not far from Rogue River, the Applegate River, and the Illinois River. On a teeny chicken farm which we hope to grow.

The first thing people note about me? In my brain, I figure my wonky eye and the deformed back from a fracture. Doesn’t stop me from hugging though. Despite being a horrible introvert, I make friends easily, but I cannot, for the life of me remember names! (If we ever meet & I forget your name, don’t take it personally—I introduced myself to a new church member by my pen name—awkward—as I had to correct myself!)

Tell us about your book—title and back cover blurb?

This was a lot of fun to write, basically because the entire crew of Whiskey River is included and there’s lots of cool forensics which I love love love. I love romantic comedies- but dead bodies always turn up and it’s so confusing … !

Shanghai Road, a Whiskey River Mystery book 3 is the third in the series, released in Nov, 2024

Shanghaiing is history. Now, transportation is the key.

Allie Espinoza, a private investigator with questionable methods, is eager to make a solid reputation in Whiskey River. On her first job, on a less-than-legal search for evidence for fraud, she uncovers more than she bargained for.

Now she’s on the run—until she’s apprehended by Deputy Ben Johnson, one of Whiskey River Police Department’s finest. At the police station, Allie’s true identity is uncovered.

Desperate for extra staff, the PD hires her to help investigate a now complicated case, and it’s not all champagne. As she and the PD unravel the secrets of spidery intrigue, time runs short while lives hang in the balance. Allie Espinoza must dodge those finer points of the law, a cranky homicide detective, and uncover the evil.

While Allie and Ben confront their own demons, one of them may become the next victim.

And Whiskey River is where love, danger, and redemption collide. Crime fiction, sex trafficking issues, and abuse issues (absolutely nothing graphic)

Share one thing that you found difficult or challenging about writing this book?

Since I’ve never been a PI or a cat burglar – that research was difficult, and more so the foster care research and trafficking. Since I write about serious flaws (like murder isn’t one of them, right?), I write humor and redemption into my books to break up the drama.

Share an excerpt?

Chapter One

Allie Espinoza

Monday

When the idiots over at Granley Insurance offered to pay me a whopper of a sum to investigate Max Munson—a man who’d been on their fraud radar for some time—I hesitated only long enough to catch my breath. In the past, I’d scoped out Max Munson’s home often enough to know when he turned every light off and on in his three-story Victorian home.

I’d spent the last ten years eking out a less-than-legit living—mmm, no, more like microscopically marginally legit. So, my working a proper investigative job for an insurance company? Pfft. For the moolah Granley Insurance was offering me, I’d do the job naked with a porcupine under each arm if they wanted me to.

Ask the blog reader a quirky question or two?

a.       What is your favorite snack to eat before or during your read? And why? I’m a foodie, so that’s why you get that question – and mine is 2 cookies (my limit).

b.       What encouraged you to read (paperback/kindle etc) rather than watching a TV show? I think I have a wee bit of ADD and I can’t concentrate on TV shows or movies unless it’s the genre I write, and reading was contagious in school.

Social media:

 You can find me on several social media sites here:

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/claire.osullivan.332 

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Twitter/X: https://x.com/authorclaire1 

Website: https://www.claireosullivan1.com  Where you can find my blog, books, and merchandise. Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter (I promise, I do not spam!)

Email: c.mahoney.fnp@gmail.com

Thank you, Claire, for being a guest! Hope everyone has a fabulous week!