Free Book Alert! Connor Westphal #1

Local author and PHBC interview subject (http://pleasanthillbookclub.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-with-local-authors-penny.html) Penny Warner is releasing he latest book (Dead Body Language) free for download on Amazon.com. The offer is only good for 6/28 and 6/29, so act fast.

Below is a brief description of the novel from Warner's website:
When deaf reporter Connor Westphal moves to the California Gold Country town of Flat Skunk to publish her own weekly newspaper, she doesn't expect a
murder to be her first headline.

But she's discovered a body lying
on top of a grave instead of it in.

With the help of her hearing-ear signal dog, Casper, her TTY telephone, and her ability to see what others only hear, Connor investigates the mysterious death,
while trying to avoid a cemetery plot of her own.

Support your local authors!

Click the link to amazon.com to download the book:
http://www.amazon.com/LANGUAGE-Connor-Westphal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00865SOFO

For more information on Penny Warner you can visit her website below:
http://www.pennywarner.com/

New Book Release by Local Author

Local author Penny Warner has her latest book, How to Survive a Killer Seance, being released this Tuesday March 1st.

You can read an interview with Warner at http://pleasanthillbookclub.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-with-local-authors-penny.html

Here is a preview of her book and appearance dates:

Mixing fun and fund-raising seems the perfect job for Presley Parker, which is why she started her Killer Parties event-planning business. But her previous parties pale in comparison to a spooky séance and a creepy crime…

Presley’s newest gig is a séance party at San Jose’s famous Winchester Mystery House. Her client, Jonathan Ellington, plans to use the event to unveil his new “4-D” holographic technology, which will bring former owner Sarah Winchester “back from the dead.”

But the stunt backfires when a disembodied voice accuses Ellington of infidelity in front of his wife and business associates, and the techie who’s monitoring the holograph is found murdered. Suspicion falls on Ellington, but as Presley tries to get at the truth, she doesn’t need a Ouija board to tell her someone wants to scare her to death…



Mar 2 – 7:00 pm – M is for Mystery – San Mateo



Mar 3 – 3:00 pm – Orinda Books



Mar 10 – 7:00 pm – Rakestraw Books – Danville



Mar 12 – 1:00 pm – Barnes & Noble – Stonestown



Mar 12 – 4:00 pm – Barnes & Noble - Colma



Mar 16 – 4:00 pm – Towne Center Books – Pleasanton



Mar 17 – Noon - San Ramon Valley Newcomers - Danville



Mar 24-26 – Fri-Sun - Left Coast Crime Conference – Santa Fe, NM



Mar 31 – 7:00 pm – Bay Books – San Ramon



April 6 – 7:00 pm – Clayton Library – Clayton



April 28-30 – Fri-Sun - Malice Domestic Conference – Bethesda, MD



May 13 – Fri - 8:00 am – General Federation of Women’s Clubs – San Jose



Sept 16-17 – Sat-Sun - Central Coast Writers Conference – Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo

Valley Life: Eat, chat, spy -- Who knew research could be so much fun?

By Penny Warner
Valley Times

Although I didn't plan to become a fiction writer, I was already making stuff up during my school days.Any time I had to do a paper that required research — which I hated — I always wrote from my imagination and hoped it sounded realistic enough to fool the teacher. I made up stuff on everything from visiting historic California missions to interviewing experts on the importance of atomic energy. And back then, I didn't even have the Internet for help.

Now that I've morphed into a fiction writer, I've come to love research. In fact, I'd much rather research a person, place or topic than actually write the book.I'm currently writing the second book in my mystery series and it requires a lot of research to make the story sound authentic. For example, last weekend, I spent the day just doing research.

First, I sat inside one of those teeny toy Smart Cars to see if my broad-shouldered love interest could fit. I found the car amazingly roomy inside, great for making U-turns on one-lane mountain roads, and perfect for a car chase on the sidewalk. I almost bought one, but they were out of yellow.

Next, I went to the San Francisco County Jail to see what it would be like to visit a prisoner, just as my protagonist must do in order to save her BFF.

Sure, there's plenty of information on the Internet about visiting the jail, like "No cell phones, weapons or gang colors." And good thing, since I'd planned to wear something colorful.

But I wanted to know more. Such as, what color are the walls? (Somewhere between Shenandoah taupe and caramel apple) and what does it smell like? (A cross between a hospital hallway and high school locker room). Those are details you just can't get from the Internet.

The characters in my books like to eat between action scenes and romantic interludes, so I had to check out San Francisco cafes, diners, and bars that would make interesting backdrops for their clue-filled conversations. I discovered a wonderful French cafe hidden in San Francisco's trendy South Park, filled with pony-tailed hippies and spike-haired hipsters, computer techs in logo T-shirts and bike riders in colorful Spandex, all gobbling blueberry crepes and croque-monsieurs. They'd be perfect for an appearance in my latest mystery.While sipping a café au lait, I eavesdropped on conversations that ran from dramatic breakups to outlandish adventures. And I took notes.

On the way home, I swung by Treasure Island, the primary location for my book, to see how I could make that unique setting become a character in the story.That meant attending a wine tasting (I bought a bottle of Treasure Island Wine because the label featured a pirate flag), talking with the security guard (who filled me in on the new TV show "Trauma" being filmed there), and chatting up the commodore at the Treasure Island Yacht Club (he tipped me to the best garlic fries on the island).

Although I'll probably use only a small percent of the things I'd learned, I hope those "telling details" will make the book come alive.

You just can't make that stuff up.

Interview With Local Authors: Penny Warner

How long have you lived in the Bay Area? Which parts?

I grew up in the Bay Area. I was born in Okinawa, then moved to Palo Alto until third grade. Moved to Lafayette and lived there until I got married. We moved to Danville, where Tom grew up. He graduated from San Ramon High.

When did you get your first book published?

My first book was HEALTHY SNACKS FOR KIDS. I sold it in 1987 and it has sold over 200,000 copies. Still in print today. After the success of that book, I wrote two sequels - SUPER SNACKS FOR KIDS and HEALTHY TREATS FOR KIDS.

What type of books do you write?

After the snack books, I began writing parenting and child development type books, such as SUPER TOYS and HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARTIES, etc. About the time my kids became teenagers, I started thinking about murder........and wrote my first murder mystery.

Why do you write?

I enjoy the creative outlet, entertaining readers, and helping parents enjoy their babies and children. I also like setting my own hours and being somewhat my own boss.

How involved are you with the community?

I've been teaching at Diablo Valley College - child development - for the past 30 years so that keeps me in touch with young people. I do a lot of speaking at groups, such as AAUW, Soroptomists, Women's Clubs, Scouts, etc. Plus I write a column for the Times and Herald that often features people or activities in the community.

What challenges have you faced as an author?

Getting published is always a challenge. No matter how many books I've had published -- over fifty to date -- I still have to "sell" the next one, with a proposal, marketing plan, etc. Ideas, however, are easy to come by, and I don't usually have "writer's block." If I'm stuck, I just sit down and try to write something.

Who were some your influences as a writer?

As a kid, I read a lot of mysteries and adventures -- Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allen Poe, Robinson Crusoe, James Bond. Later I read a lot of fiction by women about women, including mysteries featuring strong female protagonists, such as Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, etc.

What types of books would you recommend for young readers?

All types of books, but especially Nancy Drew, Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, and so many of the contemporary juvenile and YA writers.

What do you think is the best way to get young people excited to read?

Give them a good story with lots of action, believable characters, and push the envelope a little, with contemporary issues. Make the stories fun and exciting to read.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Aside from the ones mentioned above, I have lots of favorites -- David Sedaris, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Dan Brown, Harlan Coben, Nora Ephron, off the top of my head.

What are some of your favorite books?

The French Lieutenant's Woman, The DaVinci Code, Shutter Island, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein (by Mary Shelley) - so many more. I love humor (ie Why Cats Paint), biographies (ie Marie Curie), how tos (iPhone apps), etc.

Do you have a website we can visit?

My website and blog are at www.pennywarner.com.

Where can we find your books?

All of my books are available through Amazon, or you can try your local bookstore or the publishers. My latest book, THE OFFICIAL NANCY DREW HANDBOOK, is from Quirk. ROCK-A-BYE BABY is from Chronicle Books. LADIES' NIGHT is from Adams Media. I have a new mystery series coming out in February called HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, from Penguin, and a picture book for parents and babies called BABY'S FAVORITE RHYMES TO SIGN, from Random House that features nursery rhymes in sign language, due out next summer.

Valley Life: Afternoons in Leadville are anything but leaden

By Penny Warner
VALLEY TIMES Correspondent
Posted: 07/19/2009

I'M A BIG FAN OF summer reading. That's the time I can read anything I want, from cutesy chick-lit to hilarious Sedaris — all guilt-free.

This summer I've already finished "This Will Kill You" by HP Newquist (research for my mystery series), "10-Minute Clutter Control" by Skye Alexander (my son made me read it), "The Cruelest Month" by Louise Penny (Agatha Award winner), and, of course, the entire "How Do Dinosaurs"..." collection by Jane Yolen (at my grandsons' insistence.)

Local libraries enable my reading addiction by providing FREE BOOKS! And they have great summer events for us book-dependents. Last year, I worked with the Pleasanton Library's "Big Read" program to help make "The Maltese Falcon" come to life. This year, the library offers a "Reading Out West" program, with train rides, Civil War lectures and Western music.

This year, the Livermore Library celebrated "Livermore Reads Together," Dublin offers book discussion groups and San Ramon hosts the International Storytelling Festival. In Danville, you can hear such local luminaries as Mark Curtis discuss his new book, "Age of Obama."

But if you're lucky enough to be in Leadville, Colo. in coming weeks, the library there will host a "One Book, One Community" program featuring our local award-winning author, Ann Parker.

I'm especially proud of Ann. She took one of my writing courses years ago, but it wasn't until the last class that she finally read her first attempt at a novel. I knew immediately she'd have a book in the library one day. Three books from her Silver Rush historical mystery series are now on the shelves — "Silver Lies," "Iron Ties" and "Leaden Skies."

"I spent my childhood at the library," Ann said. "I thought it was magical how you could take books home and didn't have to pay for them. Unless they were late. And mine were always late."

Set during the silver boom in Leadville, her books feature the adventures of saloon owner Inez Stannert, a strong female role model.

"As a kid, I read mostly boy books because they had all the fun adventures," she said.

A science/technical writer at Lawrence Livermore Lab, Ann turned her pen to fiction and found her interest lay in historical westerns.

"I used to watch TV westerns with my dad," Ann said. " 'Have Gun, Will Travel,' 'Bonanza,' 'Wild, Wild West.' Again, the guys were having all the fun."

Ann's protagonist, Inez, is very loosely based on her grandmother, who grew up in Leadville during rough-and-tough times.

Being honored by Leadville is a career highlight, but Ann always seeks new horizons: "I'd like to write urban fantasy and explore where no man — or woman — has gone before."

I can't wait to go with her.



Meet Ann at Towne Center Books, 555 Main St., in Pleasanton at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Reach Penny Warner at www.pennywarner.com.