I'm excited today to welcome author Cybele Loening to the blog as part of the promotional tour for her newest mystery, Dead Lies. Cybele was nice enough to answer a few questions about murder mysteries, police investigation, and my personal favorite, villains, so I hope you guys enjoy the interview! Be sure and check the bottom of the post as well for all the details on a fantastic giveaway.
What’s one aspect of working her first homicide case Anna thought she was prepared for but, when she had to face it, found she wasn’t at all ready?
How attached she would grow to the victims. When you see a dead body, it is just a physical form. You don’t see a personality there. But the moment you start delving into someone’s life, the personality starts being revealed. They become real people. Plus, you have to interact with the victim’s family, and it’s hard to ignore their pain. It moves you, and you get involved. On the up side this can make you more determined to get the bad guy. On the downside, your emotion about it can cloud your judgment.
If lead detective Jerry Kreeger was to teach a class to investigative newbies like Anna, what are a few things we might see on the syllabus he handed out?
Do not get romantically involved with anyone involved in an active investigation, especially a member of the victim’s family. Not only could this get you fired, you could be putting yourself in danger. They are still suspects until they can be crossed off the list. Also, don’t make assumptions. A killer is more likely to be male than female, but that doesn’t mean a woman didn’t do it. Consider everyone. And someone who appears guilty (like a guy who beat his wife who turned up dead) may actually be innocent of the crime in question, so don’t jump to conclusions. It’s okay to use your instincts, but always be meticulous about looking at the evidence. This is what will tell the tale.
What’s one infamous case, real or fictional, that Anna would have loved to try her hand at solving?
Jack the Ripper! Anna is fascinated by serial killers, and she wishes she could get into a time machine and solve the case using her knowledge of modern-day investigative techniques. But she has to give credit to crime author Patricia Cornwell, who possibly already solved the case in her book Portrait of a Killer.
One of my favorite parts of any murder mystery is the killer and trying to figure out either the who or why. Who are your top 3 fictional killers/villains?
Is there anyone better than Hanibal Lecter? He is chillingly serene and cunning, a deadly combination. Michael Connelly’s killer in the The Poet is also incredible. I love the cat-and-mouse relationship between “the poet” and investigator. That is one of the best serial killer books ever and incidentally also stars one of the best detective characters around. I also love Harlan Coben’s “suburban thrillers” (check out Gone for Good, Promise Me) because he’s so good at making killers out of unlikely, even ordinary, people. Murder is sometimes just on the other side of “normal.”
What one word would Jerry use to describe Anna before the events of Dead Lies? Would that word change after everything that happened?
Brash and humbled.
Thanks so much Cybele!
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DEAD LIES
Former NYPD cop Anna Valentine just landed her first homicide case: the grisly double murder of a wealthy young couple. But it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Recovering from personal tragedies, the young police office just moved with her traumatized child to the suburbs where she hoped to pursue a quiet life and heal. To complicate matters, although she’s sworn off men until she and her son are happy and whole again, Anna feels the pull of attraction to the handsome twin brother of one of the murder victims, a man who has yet to be crossed off the suspect list. Teaming up with lead detective Jerry Kreeger, a 57-year-old veteran cop who’s lonely, broke and close to burnout, Anna chases a crafty killer and ultimately exposes a family’s shocking secrets that will rock a town.
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CYBELE LOENING
Becoming a novelist was a dream come true for Cybele Loening, and one that was many years in the making. Like many aspiring writers and creative types, when she completed her education, she didn’t think she could make a living doing what she loved. So, she took a job that was related to writing but not actually writing: She became an editor. She loved editing but never gave up her dream of writing a novel someday.
It wasn’t until she was in her late thirties that she finally realized “someday” was right now. After many years of working in Corporate America, she was burned out of her job and exhausted by city living. She realized she was giving her best energy to a career and life that no longer fit. So, she took a huge leap of faith and quit her job to write full-time. The book she began writing eventually became Dead Lies.
Quitting her job was a scary step, but it changed her life. Tapping away at her keyboard, she realized she was happier than she had been in a while. She felt creative and energized again and was thrilled to have discovered her passion, her life’s work.
That one brave step into the unknown led to other wonderful changes in her life. For years she had dreamed of living in the country, so she began renting a cottage in Litchfield County, Connecticut, to see how it felt. She never looked back. And it was in this idyllic place that she met her soul mate and now husband, the life and business coach, Brooke Loening. They married a few years later, and together they renovated a home in which they now both live and work.
Spending her days writing and living in a place she loves, she has found bliss she never thought possible.
A spiritual seeker and lover of all of life’s mysteries, Cybele is hard at work on the next book in the Anna Valentine Detective Series and a memoir. She is also a blogger with a global mission: to help women achieve their dreams and live their very best lives.
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GIVEAWAY
Up for grabs today is 5 audiobook copies of DEAD LIES (through Audible). To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open internationally.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
