A warm Love Bytes welcome to author Maggie Kavanagh. She stops by our blog to answer some questions about her new release Double Indemnity , shares an excerpt And there is a giveaway !

 

Welcome Maggie !

 

How did you come up with the plot for Double Indemnity?

The idea first occurred to me a couple years ago on a run when I came across a beautiful, abandoned farmhouse. That house would eventually become Nathan Walker’s home in the novel.  Also, I’d always wanted to write a M/M book where one of the heroes was a potential suspect in a murder investigation, because I love the tension that sort of conflict brings to a romance. The rest of the plot gradually developed as I started writing.

What was your cover design process?

I had an idea of the imagery I wanted to use, and I submitted my cover specs to the Dreamspinner team with a few possible variations. Cover artist Maria Fanning got back to me with this beautiful cover, which was exactly what I wanted. The bridge behind Sam is very important to the novel, as readers will discover. The colors Maria used emphasize darkness/light, which is a major theme overall. While I wanted the cover to be gritty and serious, the moon also provides contrast and suggests there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Tell us about yourself, is writing new for you?

I’ve been writing for around eight years now. Like many other authors in the M/M genre, I started writing fan fiction first and eventually decided to move on and try my hand at original work. I’m so grateful for those early years, because I learned so much about writing and discovered my love for it, so now it’s an integral part of my life. It’s amazing how much progress I’ve made since I first began, and I hope to continue to improve.

What authors inspire you?

I deeply believe you need to read widely in many genres if you’re going to write. In M/M romance, Harper Fox, Josh Lanyon, K.J. Charles, and Jordan Hawk are all authors I really respect for their creativity and well-crafted prose. In literature more generally, my favorite writer is Kazuo Ishiguro—Remains of the Day is one of the most powerful books ever written, as far as I’m concerned. I also love Nadine Gordimer (The Pickup), Zadie Smith (White Teeth), and Iris Murdoch (The Sea, The Sea; The Black Prince).

If you could spend a day doing anything you wanted, what would you do?

My ideal day is simple: a morning writing with a hot cup of coffee, followed by a boozy brunch with friends, and then a nap or a walk, depending on how many mimosas I had with my meal. J

What is your next writing project?

I have several projects coming up. One, I can’t say anything about yet, but I will hopefully have news soon (which I’ll announce on my blog). I’ve also got several ideas for mystery/romances that will take place in Los Angeles, my new city. I’ll share the premise of one: a man returns home from a long business trip and picks his car up from the long-term lot. The next day, he discovers a body in the trunk of his car—dun, dun, DUN. When a hot police officer turns up to investigate, sparks fly.

Title: Double Indemnity

Author: Maggie Kavanagh

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Pub date: January 26, 2015

Pages: 214

Blurb:

Sam Flynn dreamed of being a journalist until a car accident killed his parents and put his brother into a long-term coma. Now Sam spends his days as a landscaper toiling in the New England sun and his nights drunk in bed with the closest warm body. In his limited spare time, he writes about Stonebridge’s local crime and politics on his blog “Under the Bridge.”

Then Sam’s favorite client is found dead in her home—shortly after telling him someone has betrayed her trust. Sam can’t believe her grief-stricken husband Nathan would be a suspect, but the investigation hones in on him. Sam has always admired handsome Nathan from afar, but now he puts his libidinous feelings aside to help clear his name. However, the closer he gets to Nathan, the more he’s told to keep away from him and the investigation—by the fatherly police chief, by an officer on the case who’s hated him since school, and by Nathan himself.

Sam’s determined to expose the real reason his friend died and clear Nathan’s name—even if it’s the last thing he does. Which, considering how fast the death toll is increasing in Stonebridge… it might be.

 

(A/N: In this excerpt, we meet Sam’s brother Tim.)

NOT MANY people outside of Sam’s inner circle knew about Tim. It wasn’t a secret, exactly, but in Sam’s experience, people only treated him differently after they found out. And not for the better.

Sometimes he felt guilty for not visiting more often, but the doctors weren’t sure Timmy could hear anything, anyway. Still, Sam knew better than to investigate his excuses too thoroughly. The long- term care facility greeted him with its familiar whoosh of automatic doors. Inside, the cool air-conditioning instantly dried his sweat.

A front desk nurse named Lisa, who’d worked with his brother for years, greeted him. She’d been the one who had first encouraged him to read to Tim, back when he couldn’t breathe on his own. Sam had done it for hours a day, reading everything he could get his hands on. He’d read himself hoarse. Lisa had called him a wonderful brother, but Sam knew the main reason he did it, and he kept it his guilty secret. Anything was better than letting the words out.

“How’s he doing today?” Sam asked, as he always did, even though he already knew the answer. Sometimes he felt like he was in a play, repeating the same lines over and over for an audience of one.

“Oh, sweetie, he’s fine,” she said. She gave him a warm smile. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”

Sam nodded and headed down the hall, averting his eyes from open doorways where death and illness hung thickly in the air, covered by the smell of antiseptic. Everything was the same pristine white. The floor shone under his dirty boots.

Tim’s room was bright and sunny, white and clean. The insurance plan didn’t allow for a single room, so Tim shared with another comatose patient. Her name, Sam had learned from her son a couple of months before, was Helen. She’d fallen down the stairs, and now she might never wake up to meet her grandkids.

“Hey Timmy.” Sam stood next to the bed. Covered in a white sheet, his brother’s thin, wasted limbs looked fragile. Only his open eyes and the slight rise and fall of his chest gave any indication he was still alive, kept that way by a feeding tube Sam’d fought tooth and nail for, though the doctors had advised against it. Bastards.

“How you doing, bud?” The words hung in the air, static. “Blink if you can hear me.”

Tim didn’t blink.

Double Indemnity Buy Links:

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

All Romance eBooks

 

Maggie Kavanagh writes gay romances that explore flawed, human characters finding love.  A recent Yankee transplant to Los Angeles, her heart still resides in New England. She went to graduate school for English literature and reads and writes voraciously, whenever she can get a moment alone. You can find her in the wee morning hours typing away with coffee at hand and cat in lap, happily embodying the romance writer cliché.

While she focuses mainly on contemporary romance, don’t be surprised if a historical or supernatural tale slips into the mix, as she’s always eager to discover different genres. More fiction is forthcoming soon, so stay tuned!

Author Social Media Links:

Twitter Facebook Goodreads 

 

*Thanks to Dani for hosting me today on Love Bytes.

I’m offering an eBook giveaway of Double Indemnity to one lucky commenter. The giveaway will end on Thursday, Feb 5^th at 12:00 noon, EST.