SUSPENSE SISTERS: Nancy Herriman

Today Suspense Sisters is happy to welcome mystery author Nancy Herriman with her brand new book, No Justice for the Deceived from Berkley, a Mystery of Old San Francisco.

First let's hear a bit about the story:

At an opulent masquerade ball no one is who they’re pretending to be, but when the affair ends in death, Nick and Celia will have to unmask a killer . . .Word of an upcoming engagement that will join two prominent families has tongues wagging among San Francisco society, but Celia worries the bride-to-be may be making a serious mistake. Her intended, a controlling man and a known womanizer, has recently been linked to a violent attack on a former mistress. When a hapless maid is poisoned at the party where the engagement was to be announced, Celia discovers that the fiancé was the intended victim.

Detective Nick Greaves is called to the scene to investigate the grim death and learns once again that Celia has already unearthed valuable clues. Teaming up to uncover the would-be murderer, they soon learn that any number of people had reason to do away with the man. Then another young woman is found dead, and Celia realizes that cornering the killer may expose a cruel truth at the heart of a wealthy family’s deceptions .

Tell us about your inspiration for this story: On October 8, 1867, a man was sitting outside a building in downtown San Francisco, waiting for a friend. A person dressed as a boy walked past, asked him his name, and upon receiving it tossed acid on the fellow, scarring him and leaving him blind in one eye. A woman the man had married but then shortly thereafter discarded had paid the ‘boy’ to commit the assault. A case of revenge. In the following months, several people decided to copy the crime. Reading about these events gave me the idea for the background story in my newest Mystery of Old San Francisco novel, No Justice for the Deceived. What might happen as a result of such a terrible act? How might the person attacked respond? With their own revenge? Questions I thought were worth answering.

Let's hear a bit more about this author:

Nancy Herriman has fronted a cover band, acted on stage, and worked in the tech industry as an engineer. Writing is her current and most long-lasting passion. She is the author of the Mysteries of Old San Francisco, the Bess Ellyott Mysteries, and several stand-alone novels. A winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, when not writing, she enjoys singing, gabbing about writing, and eating dark chocolate. Find more at www.nancyherriman.com.

Leave Nancy a comment for a chance to win a copy of NO JUSTICE FOR THE DECEIVED. Print copies to USA readers only. You must leave an email address. Drawing in one week.

You can buy a copy HERE

Have a great week of reading! Mary Ellis, Suspense Sisters

Today, Suspense Sisters welcomes author, Nancy Herriman, who wrote the Old San Francisco Mystery series, Welcome, Nancy! Stay tuned to win your choice of the first two books in the series.

SS: If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

NH: A slightly zany individual with an active imagination?

SS: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any interesting hobbies?

NH: I sing. A lot. And help plan music for one of the choirs at church. Music is my stress relief.

SS: What was your favorite book as a teen or child?

NH: As a child, I loved ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.’ As a teen, I devoured Dickens and Agatha Christie. I don’t think I could pick which book of theirs was a favorite.

SS: Tell us three things about yourself that might surprise your readers.

NH: This one might not be a surprise, given that I’ve mentioned that I sing, but when I was in college, I fronted a cover band.

- I have an engineering degree (which I mention in my bio) and used to work in the tech industry. That fact regularly surprises and interests readers.

- I’m obsessed with watching American Ninja Warrior. The show has yet to inspire me to go lift weights at the gym, however.

SS: What genre did you start out writing? Have you changed course? Why or why not?

NH: I began writing historical romance. Then dabbled in Young Adult and Romantic Suspense. Now I’m writing my first love—historical mystery.

SS: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

NH: When I was pitching my first manuscript (which has never been published), an agent challenged me to explain what made my story ‘special or unique’. At the time, I couldn’t come up with a good answer. In the years since, I’ve thought about her comment often and hope I’ve succeeded. Readers have frequently told me that they love my descriptions, and feel utterly immersed in the story and the setting. It’s also a great compliment when folks say they didn’t figure out who the killer was!

SS: Any other genres you’d like to try? If yes, what and why?

NH: I’d like to try my hand at a contemporary cozy. Most of my books are fairly serious, and it might be fun to write with a lighter tone for a change.

SS: If you could go back in time and do something differently at the start of your career, what would it be?

NH: I wish I’d written more. But my children were small when I began chasing this dream, and I never felt that I had the time.

SS: What is the most important piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?

NH: A piece of advice I still give myself on a regular basis—the book doesn’t have to be perfect the first pass, or the second. Or the third! Just get the words down on the page.

Here's a little bit about Nancy's latest, No Pity for the Dead. British-born nurse Celia Davies runs a free medical clinic to assist the poor women of San Francisco. Aided in her endeavors by her half-Chinese cousin Barbara and feisty housekeeper Addie, Celia has earned the trust and friendship of many of the city’s downtrodden, including a young orphan named Owen—who’s just confided to her that he’s stumbled upon a corpse. Owen recently started working for the ruthless real estate and development group, Martin and Company, and discovered a dead body in the office’s basement. Celia turns to Detective Nicholas Greaves for help, only to learn that one of the main suspects—the husband of Celia’s dearest friend—is an old enemy of Nick’s. Now, Celia and Nick must put aside their personal feelings about the case—and each other—if they’re going to bring a killer to justice...

Nancy Herriman retired from an engineering career to take up the pen. She hasn’t looked back. Her work has won the RWA Daphne du Maurier award, and Library Journal has said that her ‘A Mystery of Old San Francisco’ series is “…just the ticket for anyone who misses Dianne Day's 'Fremont Jones' series as well as readers of Rhys Bowen's 'Molly Murphy' historicals.” When not writing, she enjoys singing, gabbing about writing, and eating dark chocolate. She currently lives in Central Ohio. Find more at www.nancyherriman.com

To win your choice of Old San Francisco Mysteries, either book 1, No Comfort for the Lost or book 2, No Pity for the Dead, leave Nancy a comment below. Sorry, US only.