Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Call In For Murder: A Neon Desert Novel by Tammy Barker. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Call In For Murder: A Neon Desert Novel
by Tammy Barker
Call In For Murder: A Neon Desert Novel
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Nevada
Independently Published
Publication date : October 19, 2025
Print length : 238 pages
Paperback
Call-in radio host Ashley Compton is Las Vegas’s best friend when it comes to giving relationship tips to strangers. But when a repeat caller is found murdered after exposing her woes on the air and accepting the challenge to put up or shut up, Ashley questions if her homespun advice was the catalyst for the murder.
Afraid of losing her job and destroying her reputation, Ashley heads to the seedy side of Las Vegas to snoop around. There she encounters shady dealings: lies, gambling, adultery, and potential criminal activities. When her two-timing and felonious suspects spout glib excuses to justify their behaviors, she digs deeper and is threatened, injured, and gets what she dishes out: advice she doesn’t always like.
Can Ashley’s sleuthing skills catch the killer, or will she end up just another crime statistic? Can she save her career, or will she be put on the Do-Not-Call list?
Interview with Author Tammy Barker
Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!
Tell us a little about yourself.
How long have you been writing?
I was in my early 40’s when I started writing after attending my second Malice Domestic Conference. I’ve always been a mystery fan, and I began to wonder if I could write a mystery. Tried and failed a couple of times, and then I created Ashley
Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?
The short answer? No. I just wanted to see if I could do it. It took a decade, and then I said “I’m retiring soon. Maybe I should take it seriously for a retirement activity and see what happens.”
I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown, so my mind was already in the genre. I just didn’t know it yet. When I first started writing, I was trying for more of a suspense/thriller genre style, but gave up after two fails, and went with something I was more in tune with.
Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?
I ready every genre of mysteries. I read historical fiction (mostly 20’s-40’s eras), rom-coms, historical fact books (based on the same era), and I’m trying to read some space opera type stories. The two things I stay away from are sci-fi and horror. I can’t wrap my head around those genres.
I’m working my way through Carol Pouliot’s time travel series. And a friend just suggested The Long Way to a Small Planet by Becky Chambers, because I am curious.
Do you have a favorite place to write?
My B&N has a Starbucks for fortification. I can be there for hours. Especially when I’m editing, which I do by hand. At home? Not so much. At least not yet. The hubbs only seems to bother me when I’m reading or writing. But I am trying to create a writing haven in my Paris themed guest room for when I retire.
What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?
The one I’m currently using is a large Elfa desk. It has all manners of research books and maps of the stories I write, books on how to write, and all the supplies that makes me look like an author. Plus, I have a logo built typewriter, logo, and four cigar boxes with my prized possessions. One has over $3,000 in nice pens, one with my writing gives, one houses my Vegas inspiration kit, and one has miscellaneous stuff from when I did NaNoWriMo.
What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?
No joke, it was The Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia, at the age of six.
The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. It’s a book about a girl, my age at the time, during the Depression, who found a secret room in her father’s employer’s house. It was so magical. And yes, years later, I found a copy of the book, just like the one I used to check out at the library.
Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I’m a physical book gal. I love holding analog in my hand. After all, my initial plans and editing are done by hand. But I do have a kindle, because sometimes you must get a whole series at once.
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?
That is a piece of cake to answer. Paris, France. Have you ever seen the movie Midnight in Paris? OMG! It’s amazing. I’m picturing a tea parlor who assists spies during the Great War. Maybe one of her “regulars” disappears, and she has to find him. Dang, I just came up with a new story idea!
What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?
The late 70s through the 80s television and movies were my biggest influences. Not necessarily just detective shows, but mostly the humor back then. It showed different viewpoints for the same topic, like The Cosby Show tried to teach Vanessa a lesson about underage drinking by pretending Rudy was playing the same drinking game with her parents, but Rosanne did the same thing by offering food and making loud noises when Beck was hungover.
I can come up with a quote or scene from just about anything.
Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?
Goodness, there are so many. But my strongest supporters are the Chicks on the Case bloggers. They’ve been encouraging me for years. I call them my friends. I’ve met all of them except Patricia (I think?), Vickie, and Marla (who I will meet this year!)
Oh yes. Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the local NaNoWriMo group, even though the organization is now defunct.
Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?
I am revising the second in the Neon Desert Mystery series, entitled Advice for a Killer Image. This one will focus more on the sidekick Nathan, whose fling is killed right after Nathan finds out the man is married with children. The theme is about keeping up with appearances and social status, and fashion of course. Because what is Nathan if he’s not fashionable? I am working hard and hope to publish it in October 2026.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!
About Tammy Barker
Tammy Barker is a serious, by-the-book Washington DC government accountant by day and a wildly imaginative fiction writer by night. She writes contemporary traditional amateur sleuth mystery novels and historical pulp fiction short stories. Her other loves include reading anything, restoring or refurbishing vintage items, small home repairs, cooking and baking, classical piano, and wishing she lived during the 1940s and 1950s. She is on Facebook, and her website is https://tammybarkerwriter.com.
Author Links
-
- Webpage – https://tammybarkerwriter.com/
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tammybarkerwriter/
- Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/61314173.Tammy_Barker
- Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tammybarkerwriter/
Purchase Links – Amazon Digital – Amazon Print – B&N Print
Enter the Giveaway
Prize: A copy of Call In For Murder: A Neon Desert Novel by Tammy Barker, Swag, a copy of my literary twists booklet the author made during Covid, a pen, a $10 gift card, either Amazon, Starbucks, or Barnes and Noble (Winner’s Choice)
Call In For Murder TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 16 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
March 16 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 17 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 17 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
March 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 18 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
March 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
March 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
March 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
March 21 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
March 21 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 24 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 24 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 25 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here