By Julianne, on November 17th, 2010
Julianne here!
Hi everyone! The sisters are together in Chicago, tearing up the town and promoting our debut mystery, Liar Liar. We’re meeting the most amazing people here and we’d like to thank everyone who came out for a signing. It was great fun meeting you. You should be well into your first Pants On Fire Detective Agency mystery by now. We hope you’ve come to count Cat among your friends.
A special thanks to Peggy and Jill and all our new BFsF from the Shorewood/Troy Library event. After the signing, the women (and a few hunky guys) put on a big Liar Liar splash. We drank a luscious Pinot Noir from elegant Liar Liar wine glasses. It’s truly a day the sisters will never forget. Hey girls, we’ll be back in August with the release of Sticks and Stones, our second book in the Cat Deluca Mystery Series. We’ll bring the chocolate.
Two weeks ago, the Sunday Chicago Sun Times ran a huge article entitled “THREE CHEERS” in which journalist Mary Houlihan wrote a raving review.
Liar Liar, co-written by sisters Julianne, Kristen and Kari Larsen, resides in the best tradition of mystery writing. They’ve created a smart, sexy and very funny private detective…..”
Oh yeah, Mary. You’re getting a big ol’ box of Mama’s cannoli. And you can keep the Tupperware.
Almost everywhere we go, people ask some of the same questions. I’d like to take one on in every blog.
First question: When three sisters write together, is there bloodshed?
Answer: Yes. And there are band-aids.
Actually, I love writing with my sisters. If you have a few, I suggest you try it. For one thing, you only have to be 1/3 as smart as a regular writer. And trust me. We can all pull that off.
A writer’s life can be solitary. The only guys that hang out at the water cooler are your dogs. And there’s no office Christmas party where you can get drunk, make out with Freddie from Accounting and die of humiliation until June.
When you write as a sister-team, you can still wear your pajamas. And you bring more to the water cooler than your dogs. But the conversation isn’t necessarily better.
In my Dad’s last blog post, he mentioned how many of our reviews have stated that people who like Janet Evanovich will love Liar, Liar (an amazing compliment by the way!). He went on to discuss the interview with Janet Evanovich. I read the interview as well and found it interesting how she started much the same way we are starting now. We primarily hit local independent mystery book stores and the crowds aren’t too large. Evanovich seemed a little distraught about the size of crowds in her interview. I have to say though, for us three sisters the small crowds are nice. We get to really meet and know all of you. We get to make new friends and that’s much better than just signing a book. Although it is an amazing mystery book now, isn’t it : ))
Until next time!
- Julianne
PS -
Check out our newest rave reviews at http://kjlarsenauthor.com/books/liarliar/reviews/
Become a fan on facebook at KJ Larsen
Follow us on Twitter @KJLarsenauthor
By admin, on November 11th, 2010
Dad here again.
Well, I didn’t do very well at getting back “soon” did I? It must be close to a month since I last wrote and I probably wouldn’t have gotten to it tonight if I hadn’t met the family at Wally’s Chowder House in Des Moines, WA for some good food!
As a family, we all play key rolls in the KJ Larsen support team and the enthusiasm really helps kick me back into gear.
By coincidence I read an interesting Janet Evanovich interview today. Turns out the whole Evanovich family supports Janet’s efforts, too. One more thing the KJ Larsen sisters have in common as they are compared to writing books like Janet Evanovich. We like the good company of our families!!
We all know that Liar, Liar’s rave reviews have stated that fans of Janet Evanovich will love the Cat DeLuca series. In addition, the rave reviews for Liar, Liar also state that fans of Lisa Lutz or Lisa Scottoline will love KJ Larsen. This leads me to wonder, are Lisa Lutz and Lisa Scottoline’s families also heavily involved in their mystery novel success? I’d imagine so!
Last time I promised to explain what I meant when I said that if Arlene (Mom) and I had had the insight we could have predicted the 3 Sisters would end up doing something artistic like they are now, writing great murder mystery novels.
The Larsen family lived on Delridge Way in Seattle for several years. We had a cement floor basement with the stairway located right in the middle so you could walk all around it. Or roller-skate! If it was raining outside, and it did occasionally in Seattle, we could hear them skating to songs they made up. If the 3 Sisters were quiet they were often making up stories. Arlene and I would sneak a listen occasionally. Of course, at age seven or eight the girls weren’t creating Liar, Liar quality, but their creative minds were really working.
We moved to Chicago when Kari was in the fifth grade. Kristen was four. That’s when mom bought them their first Nancy Drew book. They really focused their creativity on mystery. Kari told Mary Haulihan of the Chicago Sun Times all about it. If you haven’t read the Chicago Sun Times review, do it.
Another fun Kristen memory. We had 33 rpm records with fairy tales she loved to listen to. We marveled that it only took a time or two before she knew every word and began to “act” out the story and saying her words with at least as much dramatic expression as the professional reader, probably more. Kristen was a natural and thanks to their beautiful mom, pretty as a picture like her sisters. For a while acting became Kristen’s life goal. She played lead rolls in high school and college. Then felt called to ministry. She’s the kind of preacher and pastor that makes a dad proud.
Juli’s gifts, while every bit as strong and essential to the team, are different. Also attractive and attention getting as a child, Juli didn’t write or dramatize her thoughts like Kari and Kristen did. But her wheels were turning every bit as fast. A year in an OPEN Concept Classroom at Timberline in Lacey, Washington kicked her creativity into high gear. In addition to writing and contributing to forming the story line, Juli is the ultimate editor and nothing but the very best meets her stamp of approval.
So now you know why “KJ Larsen” is producing the absolutely best books today in their genre. Period. Now, I couldn’t be even a bit prejudiced on the topic, could I? Doesn’t matter. Still true.
Dad
By admin, on October 21st, 2010
Hi! Dad Here…
If you are a parent of several kids or are one of several siblings you know that a large family is never dull. And when teen years come, parental anxieties come with them. Kids get hurt and your instinct is to protect them. Though we have six, Arlene and I never lost any sleep over football or boxing injuries. All six are girls. (Before you guy readers start feeling sorry for me remember how daughters love spoiling their dads.) But with dating, girls become vulnerable. At least I thought so. They would go out for the evening agreeing to an 11:00 or whatever deadline and most of the time almost make it. We would go to bed, read for a while and at 10:30 or so kiss good night and Arlene would turn over and soon be sound asleep. I would continue reading with my eye on the clock more than on my book. At five after 11:00 I’d start praying. Sounds a bit naive doesn’t it.
Kari, Kristen and Juli, the three murder mystery writers you are getting to know through their writing (the other three are Lynn, Roxie and Diane), are doing delightfully well as authors. Being compared with some of the most popular in their genre, like Janet Evanovich, Lisa Lutz and Lisa Scottoline is really an affirmation of the quality of the results when three gifted women combine their gifts into one. Interestingly, they had never read Janet Evanovich before their editor mentioned it. Of course I immediately got one of Janet Evanovich’s mystery books and I personally don’t see that much similarity to the Cat DeLuca series. Liar, Liar’s heroine, Cat DeLuca, is a lot more believable and interesting to me. Of course, it is just barely possible that as their dad I’m a bit prejudice. But even though I am prejudiced, if I took a poll I think you would agree with me. Let’s do it. Give me a shout through the sister’s website or facebook or twitter.
Thinking back, remembering when they were little kids barely in school, if we had had the insight to interpret what we were seeing, we could have predicted the three would end up doing something much like they are now as they write together. I’ll tell you about that but it’s getting late and I’m getting sleepy so that will have to wait till another time. I’ll get back to it soon, I promise.
A very proud dad…
- Harold Larsen
By Kristen, on July 9th, 2010
I’ve just come off a week’s vacay in Chicago. I’m convinced that Chicago in the summer is the best vacation destination there is. And since I live around here, that’s really saying something.
The occasion was that one of the sisters came to visit for a week. (This is a sister you haven’t met yet. There are six of us all told in our family. She’s not one of the authors. She’s the good one.) So when she told me she was coming, I decided to take the week off to introduce her to the sights, sounds and tastes of Chi-town. And in the process, I fell in love again with this glorious city.
Right now in particular, Chicago is a steaming hot place to be. Our mystery book, Liar Liar, takes place in the Chicago southside neighborhood of Bridgeport. Just an inch outside Bridgeport’s boundaries is U.S. Cellular Field: home of the White Sox. And if you are a baseball fan, you know how hot the Sox are. And since Chicago is a baseball town, the energy in this city is rockin’, particularly the southside.
Now, here’s the thing about Bridgeport. Since the neighborhood is almost entirely residentially zoned, it’s not going to be your vacation destination. It is, however, a go-to place to eat a wide variety of excellently prepared cultural foods on a budget. In the mystery novel, much of Cat’s time revolves around fueling up on Italian delights and this is one of Bridgeport’s specialties. Gio’s Café and Deli should not be missed. I tell you this as a friend.
But while Bridgeport may not be your destination, all around it is. You’ve got the loop. You’ve got the shoreline. (What other city has the entire length of its shoreline open as public parks?) You’ve got world-class museums. Millenium Park. And for those who love the night life, well, you might first think of blues and jazz, but the truth is, whatever your flavor, Chicago will excel in offering it to you.
I’d love to hear your favorite Chicago haunts. Especially those that fly under the radar. There is just so much this city offers that even after a non-stop week, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. But like any great mystery novel, it keeps drawing you in.
- Kristen
By Julianne, on July 7th, 2010
Hi everybody, it’s Julianne.
I wish someone had told me…
When my sisters and I wrote our debut mystery novel, LIAR, LIAR, we didn’t have a clue that the easiest part of the whole experience was writing it. And trust me, that was no picnic in the sun. Working with three sisters, all with different ideas of where the book is going was challenging. But nothing compared to getting it published and setting up the publicity.
We all have our gifts. One on one, face to face, I am fine. But the thought of calling people on the phone and asking if we can do a signing at their book store, makes my palms sweat, even as I type. Now, I am sure to most people, this doesn’t sound like that big of a deal. To me, it’s gut-wrenching agony.
Book signings are important. They’re an easy way to get your books into stores, posters in their windows and your new novel’s book cover on their website. All in all, it’s a great way to get your name out there. And even if you do not sell many copies at the book signing, if you make a favorable impression with the staff, they will be much more likely to push your book for you.
So, every morning I get my palms sweaty and my calls made. My sister Kari is glued to her computer working to meet the deadline to get our next Cat Deluca mystery out by the summer of 2011. Kristen is busy in Chicago, doing mystery writing of her own. Our wonderful father who just celebrated his 80th birthday, is passing out bookmarks to everybody he meets. Our nephews, Marcus and Bill Higbee have made this amazing website for us. Bill is the glue that keeps us all together and organized somehow. (a complete miracle in itself.)
We, like Cat, have an amazing family. The support they give is incredible. There’s no way we could do it without them. The excellent adventures of Cat DeLuca and her Pants On Fire Detective Agency are written on their backs. (Just the best parts, of course.)
By Kari, on June 25th, 2010
Hi, Kari here!
Earlier this week I posted my first 4 tips to getting your murder mystery published from my recently distributed article. As promised, I am now going to share the final four tips.
Remember, if we 3 sisters can do it, so can you! Our debut mystery book, LIAR LIAR, is scheduled for release September 2010. My . . . → Read More: 4 Final Tips to Getting Your Mystery Book Published
By Kari, on June 22nd, 2010
Hi, Kari here!
We three sisters are green in the community of published authors. Our debut mystery book, LIAR LIAR, is scheduled for release September 2010. My sisters and I signed a two book contract with Poisoned Pen Press and are completing the second mystery novel in the Cat DeLuca series now.
People often ask how we beat . . . → Read More: Writing Mystery Murder Fiction – Tips to Getting Your Mystery Book Published
By Kristen, on June 19th, 2010
WOOT WOOT! Three sisters are doing the happy dance!
Here’s what happened. A couple of days ago, 2 email messages popped up with “Liar, Liar” in the subject line. Both were from producers of reputable (oh yeah, baby, we checked them out) companies looking to find out if the film and television rights to the murder mystery . . . → Read More: Rave Reviews and Hollywood Calling for the New Murder Mystery, “Liar, Liar”
By Julianne, on June 15th, 2010
Hi Everybody. It’s Julianne. I just got back from a whirl-wind trip to Chicago for three fabulous weeks. Time flew by working with Kristen on our second murder mystery in the Cat DeLuca Detective Series. Book 2 is scheduled for release Summer 2011. Of course, we also played a good part of the time in our . . . → Read More: Visiting Cat Deluca’s Mystery Crime Residence – Bridgeport in South Chicago
By Kari, on June 8th, 2010
With the release of our debut mystery book, LIAR LIAR, a few short months away, there are two questions people ask most often. First, How do three sisters write a mystery crime fiction book together? Yesterday a woman told us she can barely stand to be in the same room with her sister. Luckily, the Larsen . . . → Read More: Developing Crime Mystery Book Characters
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