Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for 18 1/2 Disguises (Maizie Albright Star Detective) by Larissa Reinhart. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
MAIZIE’S AFTER A COSTUMER’S KILLER WHO’S SEW EVIL, IT’S SHEAR MADNESS…
18 1/2 Disguises (Maizie Albright Star Detective)
by Larissa Reinhart
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18 1/2 Disguises: A Romantic Comedy Mystery
(Maizie Albright Star Detective)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Publisher: Past Perfect Press (February 2, 2021)
#DisguisedDetectiving Maizie Albright might have once played a (teenage) private investigator on TV, but she’s now living the part. Her (mother’s) name is on her business cards. Her (boss’s) appointment book is brimming with new clients. And her bank account has grown large enough to finally trade in her dirt bike for an actual new (pre-owned) vehicle.
And then there’s Wyatt Nash. Love of her life. Future father of her…
Wait.
And then there’s Wyatt Nash. Future partner in her business. Because Nash is now working for her father. Not the private investigation business that’s waiting for Nash to get out of the red so they can get on with…
Just what, Maizie isn’t so sure.
But she is sure about one thing. She’s ready to take on her own cases. To prove to (herself) her friends and family, she’s more than just a (washed-up actress) assistant private eye. And when Maizie finds her costume designer friend killed during a masquerade gala, it’s the opportunity Maizie hoped she’d never get. An investigation into an old friend’s murder. One that’s put her new friend, Rhonda, in jeopardy.
While the police begin their inquiries, Maizie starts her own case. She’s needling Black Pine’s wealthy do-gooders, threading through lies, stitching together clues, and ripping out false leads. Her investigation may cost Maizie her job, her relationships, and her life. But by unspooling the truth, Maizie’s darned if they stop her from catching a killer who’s sew evil, it’s shear madness.
Guest Post from the author
Writing a series that revolves around the entertainment industry — movies and TV — has been interesting research for me. Ironically, I’ve never been keen on the life of stars, but I find the behind-the-scenes world fascinating. Particularly since the movie and TV industry moved to my town. Although I haven’t met any stars (or have even seen them, although my friends and my kids have), I have friends who work on sets, in the lots, and in production.
Y’all, there are a lot of creative and talented people in the industry who don’t get top billing or even get paid well for their specialized skills. They’re fine with that, happy to have careers where they’re able to use their creative talents.
I find that admirable, although, for a billion-dollar industry, you’d think they’d pay these skilled workers more. Just saying.
In my latest Maizie Albright Star Detective, a celebrated costume designer is the victim of murder. I wanted the victim to be related to the entertainment industry in keeping with the series theme, but I also wanted the victim to be related to fashion or clothing because of Maizie’s father’s career — he’s the CEO and founder of DeerNose, a brand of apparel for hunters (apparel scented with deer pee).
Naturally, a costume designer came to mind.
About a month into writing 18 1/2 Disguises, I went to a surprise birthday dinner for my good friend. After speaking to one the couples at the dinner, I learned their oldest daughter was a costume designer who worked on sets in Wardrobe locally. Currently, she worked on the CW show, Legacies, but she’d also worked for The Walking Dead and other movies and TV shows filmed in our area. Prior to that, she’d worked in New York, mostly for the stage.
Her parents told me they’d been shocked when, at the University of Georgia, Caitlin switched to a theater major. As a girl, she’d not been interested in drama, but she’d been a dancer. Dancers sew a lot of costumes. They were also pleased and proud of her success.
Of course, I spoke up. “I’m writing a book and in it I have a costume designer. Do you think I could talk to her about murder weapons?”
Luckily, I was surrounded by people who could confirm I was neither morbid nor crazy. And Caitlin, their daughter, loved to read. I texted her soon after, and she had tons of great ideas on how to murder a costume designer.
Which, naturally, made me want to have lunch with her.
We met in Newnan, Georgia, at the Redneck Gourmet (a great place to eat if you’re ever in Newnan). Caitlin filled me in on her history and what it’s like to work in Wardrobe — easily summed up as crazy long hours. Sometimes she works 13 to 15 hours a day, since they have to be there before and after the actors arrive and leave the set. They are among the lowest-paid of the industry’s union workers despite their highly specialized skill set.
At the time, she worked in a wardrobe trailer where racks and racks of clothes hung, grouped by character and scenes. She dressed actors, took care of the costumes (for a contemporary show many are bought at secondhand stores, go figure), updated the continuity books used to ensure the actors look exactly the same in retakes and later scenes, organized the clothes, did alterations, and so on.
Her real love are hats — in New York, she trained with a Broadway milliner — and historic dress. She wants to take a hiatus from Wardrobe to study the making of period costumes in England. She loves construction and is good at geometry. She moved from New York back to Georgia, not only because her family and the industry was here, but so she could buy her own house and have a dog.
I could go on and on about all the things I learned eating a four-hour lunch with Caitlin (we also talked books and shows and life in general), but I wanted to impart the ingenuity, creativity, and passion you’ll find among the crew workers in the entertainment industry. They might not get paid well, but they love what they do and enjoy doing it.
Thanks so much for joining me today!
Thanks, Larissa! This is very cool, and I agree that she (and the other behind the scenes people) should get paid more!
About Larissa Reinhart
Visit Larissa’s website to join her VIP Readers email group and get the free prequel to The Cupid Caper plus other exclusive bonus content! www.larissareinhart.com
A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Larissa writes the award-winning Cherry Tucker Mystery, Maizie Albright Star Detective, and Finley Goodhart Crime Caper series. She loves to tell funny stories about women, looking for love (and dead bodies) in all the wrong places.
Larissa, her family, and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit, lived in Nagoya, Japan, but have returned to Peachtree City, Georgia. You can see them on HGTV’s House Hunters International “Living for the Weekend in Nagoya” episode. Larissa loves books, food, and traveling with her family. You can often see her adventures on Instagram (and her little dog, too).
The Cherry Tucker Mystery Series in reading order:
A CHRISTMAS QUICK SKETCH (prequel novella)
PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY
STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW
HIJACK IN ABSTRACT
THE VIGILANTE VIGNETTE (Halloween novella)
DEATH IN PERSPECTIVE
THE BODY IN THE LANDSCAPE
A VIEW TO A CHILL
A COMPOSITION IN MURDER
A MOTHERLODE OF TROUBLE (in YEAR-LONG TROUBLE anthology)
The Maizie Albright Star Detective series in reading order:
15 MINUTES –First in series (15 MINUTES) is free during COVID.
16 MILLIMETERS
NC-17
A VIEW TO A CHILL
17.5 CARTRIDGES IN A PEAR TREE
18 CALIBER (2020)
19 CRIMINALS (2021)
Finley Goodhart Crime Caper series:
Pig’N a Poke (for newsletter subscribers only)
THE CUPID CAPER
THE PONY PREDICAMENT (2020)
THE HEIR AFFAIR (2021)
Social Media Links:
Website: http://larissareinhart.com/
VIP Readers: https://www.larissareinhart.com/larissasreaders
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLarissaReinhart/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larissareinhartwriter
Fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysteryminions/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/larissa-reinhart
Goodreads: http://smarturl.it/LarissaGoodreads
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/LarissaReinhart/
Purchase links:
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo
Enter the giveaway Ended
18 1/2 Disguises TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 2
BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog– SPOTLIGHT
February 3
I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 4
Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 5
Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 6
FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
February 7
Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
February 8
Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 9
Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book -SPOTLIGHT
February 10
Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 11
Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
February 12
My Reading Journeys– REVIEW
Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 13
I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT
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Hey Christy,
Thanks so much for having me on today! I’m glad to share my research with your readers. Caitlin is such an interesting, creative person, super sweet and fun to talk to as well. I’m so glad I met her and have become friends!
Thanks!
Larissa
You’re welcome! This was a lot of fun!