Please help me welcome today’s guest, Dyann Love Barr with her fun, fabulous mystery, Hootiecackle Chaos…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I live in the Ozarks, in Mansfield, Missouri, the last home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, where she wrote the Litte House books. I live with my husband Dennis and our two ginger cats.
Where did you get the idea for Hootiecackle Chaos?
Hootiecackle Chaos came about when I was traveling through Arkansas and saw a road sign that read, Hootiecackle Lane. It was hysterical and a friend and my husband suggested I write a book from the road’s name. I turned it into a small town cozy with romance and a whiff of the paranormal.
Are there any tricks, habits or superstitions you have when creating a story?
I usually write the first three chapters of a book when I get an idea and after that I file it away until needed. It’s a good way to get the feel of the characters and I also write a detailed outline once I start the book.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
That’s easy, I have three. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why?
Jane Eyre. What’s your favorite childhood book? Tarzan of the Apes
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Hootiecackle Chaos?
That’s a good question. I think I’d like them to fall in love with quirky characters who are thrown into difficult situations. The wacky mix of genres was a risk but one I’m glad I took.
What actors would you like in the main roles if your book were made into a movie?
Henry Cavill as Lachlan and Jessica Chastain as Rory. Kathy Bates for the Callahan Twins.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
A bad review can be a learning experience. I published one book that got a lot of 4.5 and 5 star review and one really bad 1 star. First, I don’t get upset about a bad review. My skin is pretty thick. I’ve been blooded by some really fine critique partners.
What is your favorite quote?
All of my plans for the future involve me waking up tomorrow with a sudden sense of discipline and adherence to routine that I have never displayed even once in my life. John William Waterhouse
What do you want your tombstone to say?
She tried. She died.
If you could be a character in any of your books, who would you be?
The Callahan Twins.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
Although most are fictional, I have included family stories in my books. Truth is stranger than fiction. Now it’s up to the reader to figure out which anecdotes are real.
Your favorite…
Movie: The President’s Lady with Charleton Heston and Susan Hayworth
Music: Serenata Immortale by Trailerhead
Place: Liberia: Africa
Place you’d like to visit: Ireland
TV show from childhood: The Man from Uncle (yes I’m that old)
TV show from adulthood: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (K-Drama)
Food: Powdered Sugar Donuts from Parlor Donuts in Springfield, MO.
Sports team: CHIEFS!
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? Video games. I love all of the Assassin’s Creed games and God of War. I’m blood thirsty.
Dark secrets conspire to keep lovers apart in the small Ozarks town of Hootiecackle.
Blurb:
Chaos crashes into Hootiecackle when the town’s outrageous twins, Daisy and Maisy, scheme to marry their great-niece, Rory, off to the handsome police officer who moves in next door. Unfortunately, Rory has no plans to marry, and she really doesn’t like or trust cops—no matter how Sergeant Lachlan Donovan sets her heart to pounding.
Recovering from the loss of his wife, Lachlan just wants some peace and quiet. However, life in Hootiecackle has other plans. Rory’s ex-fiancé causes trouble, her devastating secret threatens to tear the town apart, and Lachlan rushes in to save the day. But Rory needs saving like she needs a pair of porcupine panties.
With the aid of a psychic, a beloved bootlegger and a couple of nosy ghosts, they fight against corruption and their own fears of betrayal. Despite their differences, will the lovers survive Hootiecackle chaos?
Excerpt:
Chapter One
“Oh, my.” Maisie McDermott adjusted the binoculars to get a better look. “That man’s backside is sweet enough to make my teeth ache.”
“That’s impossible. You have a full set of dentures.”
Daisy, her twin sister, snorted and reached for the
binoculars. “Here, let me see.”
Maisie shook her head and continued to stare at the object of her fascination. “Doesn’t matter. I’d still like to take a bite out of him. My Alfred always said he didn’t 16 mind if I lost all my teeth—told me that my gums were magic.”
“You are a pervert.” Daisy wrestled the binoculars away from the protesting Maisie. “I take it back. Alfred was the perv in the family.” She aimed the lenses in the direction of Hootiecackle’s newest police officer, Sergeant Lachlan Briccio Donovan. “Oh, my…”
“Stop bein’ such a hateful toad.” Maisie’s bosom heaved with an affronted huff as she slumped into the delicate bistro chair. It groaned in protest. “He’s the one for Rory, isn’t he?
Daisy continued her perusal of Sergeant Donovan’s rear as he bent under the hood of his Ford Escape. “How 29 could it not? Rory will fall head over heels once she gets a gander at him.”
“Maybe we’re pushin’ too fast? She just got out of one disastrous relationship. He’s been here a month and she’s not even curious about him. What if they don’t hit it off?” Maisie’s chair screeched against the tile floor of the breakfast nook as she scooted around to get a better look. “You know how she feels about the Hootiecackle police department. She’d just as soon spit in his eye.” She reached out for the binoculars.
“Trust me.” Daisy slapped her away without ever losing focus on their new neighbor. “I have the brains, you have the charm, and Rory has the looks. The poor man won’t know what hit him.”
“What if Rory finds out?”
“I wouldn’t have sold him my house if I thought we couldn’t pull this off. God as my witness, he’ll marry Rory, even if I have to sew their lips together.” She looked up from the binoculars with a reassuring smile for Maisie. “The man is a perfect fit for our great-niece— 17 tall, dark, handsome, and very Irish. And he can cook.”
Maisie chewed her lower lip. She had doubts about The Plan.
Buy link(s):
About the Author:
With the maiden name of Love, how could I not write romance? I was a voracious reader in my teens and early twenties thanks to my mother buying load of books at garage sales. The first time I read Tarzan of the Apes I was confused by the flutter in my thirteen-year-old heart. As I got older I understood. It was after I married my greatest supporter and cheerleader that I realized I wanted to write as well. I mean, how hard could it be. Lesson learned on that one.
Now I’ve retired and reside in the Ozarks with my husband and two large marmalade cats–Aka and Jinja. Although there is a bevy of birds and squadrons of squirrels in our yard, I don’t consider them family. Well, maybe a little.
Find me here: https://dyannlovebarr.com/
Author Alicia Dean 