TBR welcomes Sunny Frazier

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Sunny. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Sunny: I have a “checkered” past, not a bad thing for a writer. I joined the Navy during the Vietnam War, used my GI benefits to attend college, picked up a degree in journalism. The market was flooded with journalists trying to emulate Woodward and Bernstein. I worked as the token woman on a regional newspaper, but the wage discrimination didn't sit well with me. So, I got a job with the Sheriff's Dept. and became a secretary for an undercover narcotics team. Good stuff for writing mysteries!

Now, I also wear the hat of acquisitions editor for Oak Tree Press. The astrology?  I've been casting horoscopes for over 40 years.

TBR: Tell us about WHERE ANGELS FEAR and where it's available.
Sunny: My last release is WHERE ANGELS FEAR, the sequel to FOOLS RUSH IN. Both books are based on real cases I worked: one a methamphetamine case, the other a wacky sex club we busted. My books also try to expand the reader's awareness of astrology in new ways.   

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Sunny:

          The sharp click, click, click of her red spiked heels annoyed her, but not enough to slip them off. She paced the ten-foot-square room, careful to step over the loose floor board each time. Think, think, think her mind sang in accompaniment with her shoes. She wandered down a maze of possibilities, each time running into a dead end. There was no other solution. She picked up the cell phone hit speed dial.

"Wass up?" he answered, his usual greeting slurred by sleep.

"I need you."

"Baby, it's 2 a.m. Nobody needs nothing bad enough at this time of night."

"Cut the crap. I have another situation on my hands."

All sleepiness evaporated from his voice. "No, girl, you promised. You said it was an accident before and you'd be more careful."

"Stan, I don't need a lecture. I need a body bag. Get over here." She hit the off button and snapped the phone shut.

This one had actually pleased her. He didn't have a beer gut like most men his age, and she admired his attempts to keep his muscles toned. Not that it mattered in the end.

She walked over to the man and planted a shoe on the floor at either side of his body. His chest was bare and even in the weak light of the flickering candle she could see his skin had a gray-green cast. She'd been rough the last few days, but she wasn't sorry. That was the way the game was played. She leaned over him, straining the leather jumpsuit. Her long, coal-black hair brushed his face as she shook her head slowly from side to side.

"You have to be careful when you love," she crooned to the corpse. With a single, blood-red fingernail, she traced a valentine on the left side of his bare chest. "The heart can only stand so much of a good thing."

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Sunny: It was a very strange case. I was the first to hear about the sex club from a snitch. We thought it was a fruit and vegetable stand. I mean, who puts a sex club in a peppermint-striped historical train station? The book is funny, but it also addresses issues such as the rights of adults (sex clubs aren't illegal), the impact of the Vietnam War and astrology. As a journalist, I wanted to interview the owners; as an employee of the Sheriff's Dept., I wasn't allowed. We ultimately busted the place on building codes and it moved to the next county.    

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Sunny: I'm a pantser, but I know my plots well ahead of time. I like to see where the side trips take me.

TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Sunny: Many are based on people I worked with, so I just tweaked them a bit. For others, I created fake birthdays and did their horoscope. Yes, that's cheating, but why not?

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Sunny: “Life is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.”

Horace Walpole

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Sunny: I'd like to hang out with Lennie Watkins, she's my home girl. She makes no apologies for her redneck behavior or her sexual appetite. I love writing her scenes. My protag, Christy, is such a “good girl” that sometimes she frustrates both Lennie and me.  

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Sunny: I put a lot of trust into the astrology and sometimes it scared me when it not only affected the plot, but things fell into place without any manipulation on my part. The book I'm currently working on had the premise “Can astrology be used to profile a killer?” I wasn't sure, but it really worked out. 

TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Sunny: I give readers a glimpse in the world of law enforcement from the viewpoint of a “pink collar” worker. Secretaries really keep things running but they are underpaid and overlooked. My character solves crimes but has to do it on the sly so she won't lose her job. This is, again, based on my experiences. I wanted to put the spotlight on the unsung heroes in law enforcement. I don't think readers have been exposed to the powerlessness of support staffers.

TBR: What's next for you?
Sunny: I'm finishing up “A Snitch In Time.” It's set in the Sierra Nevada foothills, a place with lots of strange people. Christy is conscripted to work with the homicide team and realizes she needs to hurry the investigation along to return back to her home. Again, the book is based on real characters and an informant who would only talk to me, much to the chagrin of the detectives I worked with.  

TBR: Any other published works?
Sunny: Before I wrote novels, I was very active as a short story writer. I've been in several anthologies and have 12 prize-winning stories in a collection called “Valley Fever: Where Murder Is Contagious.” It's a collector's item now.

TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Sunny: “I know I'm suppose to hate Lloyd Parr (the leader of the drug gang) but there are times I actually feel sorry for him.” When you can create sympathy for your villain, I think a writer has accomplished something.

TBR: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Sunny: I'm a big fan of Daniel Silva, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, J.A. Jance and Sue Grafton. However, I'm suddenly fascinated with historical fiction and have been reading Allison Weir and Colleen McCullough's Rome series. I also admire the work of  Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) and wish I could be as brave a writer. 

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Sunny:  I have about 400 hits on Google, so I'm not hard to find. My website is http://www.sunnyfrazier.com

TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Sunny: Would a book that has astrology as a component in a crime novel put you off or would you be curious about the practice?   

TBR: Readers, Sunny will cast a horoscope for one lucky commenter. She'll pick a winner next week and announce the winner here. Be sure to leave your email address so she can contact you.

Thanks for visiting TBR, Sunny. All the best to you.