Live and Let Grind (A Coffee Lover’s Mystery) by Tara Lush | Author Interview

Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Live and Let Grind (A Coffee Lover’s Mystery) by Tara Lush. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

Live and Let Grind (A Coffee Lover’s Mystery)

by Tara Lush

Live and Let Grind (A Coffee Lover’s Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Florida
Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages

Devil’s Beach is percolating with a hot murder case, and reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis could be the next to get beaned in Tara Lush’s third Coffee Lover’s mystery, perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle and Lucy Burdette.

Laid-off journalist Lana Lewis is thriving as the proprietor of Perkatory, a coffee shop on quirky Devil’s Beach island, Florida. She’s juggling a relationship with police chief Noah Garcia, enjoying the company of her best friend, Erica, and relishing the companionship of her golden Shih Tzu, Stanley. Only problem is her neighbor, Gus, who incessantly uses his leaf blower, disturbing everyone in the neighborhood. Lana has learned to tune it out, but Erica’s rage boils over and she confronts Gus.

Then Gus is found dead, killed when his leaf blower explodes. Erica immediately becomes suspect number one. But there are plenty of other candidates as well: Gus’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Honey Bailey, who thinks she’ll be written out of his will; Mickey Dotson and Doug Beck, who were scalded financially after purchasing a pirate-themed tourist cruise business from Gus; and plenty of angry neighbors who’ve had run-ins with him.

As the clock ticks down will Lana get someone to spill the beans on the killer so she can clear her friend’s name, or will Erica go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit?

Interview with author Tara Lush

Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!

Tell us a little about yourself.

For most of my life, I was a journalist, much like the main character in my series! I quit my job to be a full-time fiction author in 2021 — I was burned out on news and wanted to really go all in with my fiction. I’m originally from California, but I’ve lived in Florida for more than twenty years. I live on the Gulf Coast in the Tampa Bay area with my husband and Shih Tzu. We were very lucky that Hurricane Ian didn’t touch our area — we thought it was going to hit us head on but it ended up landing about 100 miles south of us.

How long have you been writing?

I’m a fairly new cozy mystery author, but I’m not new to fiction! I started writing romance in 2015, and three years later was a RWA RITA finalist. I still write romance under my real name (Tamara Lush), but in 2019 decided to branch out into cozy mystery under the pen name of Tara Lush. The Coffee Lover’s Mystery series is my first cozy series, and I’m working on book four right now.

Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?

I always knew I wanted to do something with writing, and in college I gravitated toward journalism. In my twenties when I was working at a newspaper I had the desire to write a book, but I didn’t have the organizational skills to juggle that with my reporting job. It was twenty years later that I finally decided to take the plunge and start creating my own stories. My best friend always thought I would write a true crime or a crime fiction book, because I covered so many crime stories over the years. But I started with romance first! I’m glad I did because it really taught me a lot about how to write with emotion, which is difficult for me. When I decided to try writing a cozy, I wanted to write a funny crime caper — my series has a lot of humor and strong romantic elements. I love the puzzle aspect of writing cozies!

Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?

I mostly read romance and cozies, although I also love domestic thrillers. Right now I’m listening to a wonderful domestic thriller called The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen. It’s deliciously ominous and twisty — exactly what I don’t want to write, but love to read.

Do you have a favorite place to write?

I’m pretty boring. I usually write at my desk. When I’m stuck on a scene or having problems figuring out where I need to go with my story, I go to one of my favorite coffee shops here in my city. Somehow, being around people talking, background music, and the sound of an espresso machine makes my brain work differently, and I get unstuck.

What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?

I have my planner (I’m a planner addict), and that’s always nearby. I also have a notebook, where I jot my to-do list and other things I don’t want to forget. There’s also a little glittery unicorn with a tiny succulent planted on its back, and a small stack of my own books. And let’s not forget the cup of coffee!

What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?

I remember reading a LOT of Nancy Drew books, and I wish I still had them. I don’t recall any one specifically, but I do remember that my best friend and I would create little mysteries and act them out. I also “wrote” little mysteries as a kid, and still have a couple of those! My favorite book as a child was Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh — it inspired me to become curious, I think!

Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?

I’m a fan of e-books on my phone and audiobooks. I like to read in bed late at night, and I don’t want to wake my husband with a bright lamp, so I use my Kindle app with a dark background. I love audiobooks when I walk in the park or on the treadmill at the gym — for some reason, I can remember audiobooks better than eBooks or print books, and I become quite immersed in the story.

If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

I’d love to live in Rome and write a mystery set there. My husband is from Italy and I really loved the cozy mystery called Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano. That’s set in Sicily, and I adore the idea of writing about an outsider in Italy trying to solve a crime. Italy is one of my favorite places. It’s such a beautiful, complex and weird place that I’m not sure I could do it justice, but I’d love to try!

What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?

Being a journalist influenced me heavily in that it taught me to write quickly. It also taught me the basics of grammar, and the importance of writing every day. I don’t get writer’s block, because I’m conditioned to write daily. Journalism gave me the structure and discipline, along with the sanity-saving quality of not being a perfectionist when I write.

Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?

I have tons of author friends in both the cozy and romance worlds! I’m really lucky to know some super talented authors in real life and online. My city has a wonderful literary scene, from writing groups to a community-minded indie bookstore. I belong to Sisters in Crime and Novelists Inc. I also write romance on Wattpad and have many awesome and supportive friends there.

Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?

I am typing this in between plotting chapters for my fourth cozy mystery in the Coffee Lover’s Mystery series! That will be published in 2023. Right now I’m just in the plotting stages but I’m already layering in three separate mysteries in the story.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!

About Tara Lush

Tara Lush is a Rita Award finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and a George C. Polk Award winning journalist. For the past decade, she’s been a reporter with the Associated Press, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations. A fan of vintage pulp-fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, and 1980s fashion, she lives with her husband and two dogs on the Gulf coast.

Author Links

WEBSITE: https://taralush.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTaraLush/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/the.book.lush/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20274256.Tara_Lush

Purchase Links 

Amazon –  BARNES AND NOBLE   APPLE   KOBO   INDIEBOUND   GOOGLE PLAY

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Live and Let Grind TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 12 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

October 12 – Novels Alive – SPOTLIGHT

October 13 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

October 13 – My Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST  

October 14 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 15 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

October 16 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT  

October 16 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

October 17 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

October 17 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 18 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 18 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

October 19 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 21 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW  

October 21 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

October 22 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 22 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

October 24 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 25 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

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