Fascinating #Interview with HS Burney, author of The Lake Templeton Murders #BookPromo #Giveaway
Please welcome HS Burney today And read what she had to say When she answered questions in my interview And allowed me to share her answers with you! Read on to find out more about her book And about herself, then take a look And you'll find there's a chance for you to win, too, As I share the rafflecopter giveaway with you!
Where did you get the inspiration for the book/series?
From a very early age, I was a voracious reader of mystery and suspense novels. In more recent years, with the advent of streaming services, this has extended to TV shows in similar themes. With The Lake Templeton Murders, I wanted to write the type of story I’ve always loved to read – fast-paced and multi-layered with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.
I wanted to write a book based in my beautiful adoptive home of British Columbia in the West Coast of Canada. The small town of Lake Templeton is an amalgam of many such sleepy towns I’ve visited in BC over the years.
My characters are diverse and reflect the beautiful diversity of our communities here in BC, with people from backgrounds that reflect the globe.
What is your writing process?
Because I have a very busy, full-time day job, I usually write in the mornings from 5:30 to 7 a.m. I also write on weekends. While I was finishing The Lake Templeton Murders, I took vacation days off work so I could power through marathon writing sessions.
It is absolutely essential for me to outline. I feel lost without a roadmap particularly given that murder mysteries have a technical aspect to them (besides the creative). Having said that, I’ve become a lot more comfortable with letting the story go in the direction in which it wants to go. I get a lot less stressed when the story takes on a life of its own – because I’ve realized that where it ends up will be a lot more interesting than if I tried to steer it back to my pre-determined path.
Do you write using pen and paper or on a computer?
The last time I wrote extensive longhand was when I took a 4 hour exam while finishing my MBA and it involved a lot of hand cramps! I have a lot of respect for people who can write in longhand – although I don’t think it’s very efficient. Wouldn’t you have to type everything out when you send the book to your editor anyway?
Who is your favourite character out of your stories and why?
My favourite character is Zed – my protagonist, Fati Rizvi, Private Investigator’s sidekick. I like Zed because he provides much necessary comic relief at pivotal moments in the story. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. And he’s the perfect foil for Fati, who tends to be a little intense and high-strung at times.
If you were a character in your story, which would you like to be?
My protagonist, Fati Rizvi! I identify with her the most – it would be weird if I didn’t, given I had to get inside her head for endless hours while I was writing the book. I love Fati because she is highly independent. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks. She’s a woman of her own mind. She decided to chart her own career path, despite intense family pressure to go another way from her conservative immigrant Pakistani-Muslim family.
Fati knows exactly what she wants and is incredibly content to live life on her own terms. She is also relentless when it comes to the pursuit of a case. She doesn’t give up easily. She is resourceful and always finds a way. We could all use some of these attributes in our daily lives, myself included!
How and why did you choose the names for your main characters?
My starting point was making sure my characters reflected the diversity of British Columbia. Knowing their cultural backgrounds was a great starting point for naming them. I, then, thought about personalities. For example, Fati was given a traditional Muslim name, i.e. Fatima, by her family. However, given her personality, of course she would shorten it to something more palatable, less ‘foreign’, and easier to pronounce like ‘Fati’. None of my characters have super unique ‘celebrity’ names because I wanted them to reflect real people that you might meet in your day-to-day life.
Thank you for answering my questions – I really enjoyed reading your answers and getting an insight into both you and your book!
The Lake Templeton Murders
A body washes up on the shores of Lake Templeton, a small town on the coast of Vancouver Island. Sharon Reese, the victim, was a dedicated government employee. Everyone liked her, but no one knew much about her. Was she hiding something? Maybe a questionable past riddled with scandal. And did it lead to her plunge to death, in a drunken stupor, off the dock outside her secluded lakefront lodge?
Was it an accident? A suicide? Or cold-blooded murder? Private Investigator, Fati Rizvi, is determined to find out.
Fati arrives in Lake Templeton to find secrets that run as deep as the City’s sewers. Everyone is hiding something and nothing is as it seems. A cult escapee. A corrupt politician. A struggling airline. A multi-million dollar public-private project to revitalize the Lake Templeton waterfront. How are they all connected?
As Fati valiantly unravels the knots, another body is found on the shore. Is it the same killer? And can Fati stop them before they strike again?
Purchase Link
US – https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Templeton-Murders-Private-Investigator-ebook/dp/B09KMDQBQ1
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lake-Templeton-Murders-Private-Investigator-ebook/dp/B09KMDQBQ1
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-lake-templeton-murders
Author Bio –
HS Burney writes fast-moving, action-packed mysteries set against the backdrop of majestic mountains and crystalline ocean in West Coast Canada. She loves creating characters that keep you on your toes. A corporate executive by day and a novelist by night, HS Burney received her Bachelors’ in Creative Writing from Lafayette College. A proud Canadian immigrant, she takes her readers into worlds populated by diverse characters with unique cultural backgrounds. When not writing, she is out hiking, waiting for the next story idea to strike, and pull her into a new world.
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/HS-Burney-Author-113028981189771
https://www.instagram.com/hsburneyauthor/
https://twitter.com/hsburneyauthor
https://mailchi.mp/d6b48197e368/hsburneyemaillist
Giveaway to Win $10 Amazon Gift Card. (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the link to the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494486/?
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