Meet and greet with author R.P. Dahlke with my review of Dead Red Alibi

A Dead Red Alibi by R.P. Dahlke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After Lalla’s fiancé Celeb is delayed on the way to their wedding Lela spooks and convinces her father to come with her to Arizona to check out a property which was an early wedding gift from her Aunt. Little did they know soon after their arrival they would land in the middle of a whole mess of trouble that would take a whole lot of ingenuity, luck and some help from cousin Pearlie to dig their way out of. Along the way, Lalla learns about herself and why she keeps running away.
I found this book to be very enjoyable and even though I have not read the previous novels which featured these characters I fell easily into the rhythm of their lives. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who likes Who Done It Thrillers or crime mysteries with a humanitarian twist.


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Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?

I am Rebecca Dahlke and I write the Dead Red Mystery series and a romantic sailing mystery series under RP Dahlke

3) How long have you been writing?

 

About 30 years, off and on, but it wasn't until Amazon got into publishing that I saw the potential for putting my books in front of thousands, if not millions, of fans. Now I'm a happy Indie author.

4) What inspires you to write?

 

Readers! I love hearing from readers. I put my e-mail in the back of every book for that express purpose. Did you know that only 1% of readers ever leave a review for a book they like? Good reviews are what influence prospective readers.

5) When a story idea pops into your head, how long does it typically take to write it (from start to finish)?

 

 It may pop, but not every idea becomes a book.  An idea usually stews in my brain. I take notes with a lot of what ifs, and then write it as a premise, then give it a push to see if it works.  If it's not complete nonsense, I'll start working. Start to finish? I'm always an optimist, and then a couple of months into a project I become a realist. It takes me 6-8 months to write a good working readable draft.  Then to editors and beta readers. For me, it's one year from start to finish to publish.

6) What did you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process? 

 

Editing for the 7th time. After I write a book, I never want to read it again! 

 

Easiest?  That's the 1st draft. Then I kick myself around the room with the 2nd and the 3rd draft. Then someone else gets it and they kick me around the room some more.

7) Of all your characters whom do you most relate to?

 

There's a little bit of me in both Lalla Bains and her cousin Pearlie. I am, depending on who you ask: annoyingly  tenacious, opinionated, hard-working, honest, tactless,loyal, impatient, and loving.

8) Is there one of your characters that you did not like when you started writing about them, but found yourself liking by the end of the story?

 

I knew from the moment I introduced cousin Pearlie to the mix in A Dead Red Oleander, that she would be viewed as unlovable, but I had every intention of allowing her to redeem herself, and she does--quite admirably too!

11) What genre of books do you like to read?

 

Mystery, humorous mystery, romance with humor, Romantic Suspense, Historical fiction (with or without mystery in it).

12) What author(s) do you enjoy reading? 

 

I used to love reading books by men; James Michener, James Clavell, Ken Follett, Wilbur Smith, Edward Rufferford--wonderful authors, but now I only read books by women. There are so many great women authors; Sara Donati, Dorothy Dunnett, Diana Gabaldon, and Mary Lou Locke.  

13) Tell us about your books where can people find them?

I write humorous mysteries about an annoyingly tenacious tall, blonde and beautiful, ex-model turned crop duster who, to quote Lalla Bains, says: “I’ve been married so many times they oughta revoke my license.” I wanted to give readers a peek at a not so-perfect -life of a woman who is not afraid of chipping her manicure because she doesn’t have time for a manicure what with herding a bunch of recalcitrant pilots and juggling work orders just to keep her father’s flagging business alive.

Beginning with A Dead Red Alibi, Lalla and her family will reside in South East Arizona where she will divide her time between a fledgling P.I. business with cousin, Pearlie Bains, and volunteering as a team member with  Cochise County Search and Rescue.

MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/RP-Dahlke/e/B004S2NJFO/