NBTM Virtual Tour + #Giveaway: Good Cop Bad Cop by Sallie Moppert @GoddessFish

Good Cop Bad Cop

by Sallie Moppert

GENRE: Mystery

BLURB:

When his mother is beaten to death by his alcoholic stepfather, fourteen-year-old Samuel Marlowe is rescued from seeking revenge against him by a chance meeting with Officer Edwin Hill. The veteran policeman takes Sam under his wing and even becomes the boy’s foster father.

Sam becomes a cop and works alongside his beloved mentor until Edwin is killed in a shooting. Hailed as a hero for his actions in the case, Sam feels like anything but. He begins a dark descent away from the stand-up policeman he once was, turning to drugs and alcohol to numb his pain and his PTSD.

The police captain assigns Sam a partner hoping to salvage what is left of him by forcing him to become a good role model for the young recruit. Needless to say, Sam is not pleased with the arrangement, protesting it up until the moment Junior Detective Dahlia Bennett enters his life.

Will he try to shake her loose? Does her by-the-book ideals and strong moral code rub off on him? Will his relaxed attitude and views on true justice start to influence her?  What will ultimately lead to the two becoming a solid team? When Dahlia declares she wants to reopen some cases believing that the wrong person was sent to prison, Sam tells her straight out that in doing so, she would be putting her life at risk. As Dahlia persists, Sam is faced with the ultimate decision: let Dahlia reopen the cases and discover his crimes, or kill her to keep her from learning the truth.

Excerpt:

Brian stepped forward, opening the massive doors with ease, and walked straight into the sea of microphones, camera flashes, and video recorders. Roderick followed a few steps behind his loyal attorney and stood at his side as he waited for the onslaught of the inevitable media coverage that was a result of the trial’s conclusion.

“People, please,” Brian started to speak, holding his hands up to halt the millions of questions that were being voiced to him all at once.

Once the media crowd quieted down, Brian addressed them: 
     

“I am pleased to announce that my client, Mr. Roderick Morgan, was found not guilty for the deaths of his parents, Walter and Cassidy Morgan. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan adopted Roderick and raised him as if he was their own flesh and blood. There was no way that he would repay their love and kindness by brutally murdering them as they lay sleeping in their beds.”

Roderick nudged Brian, who turned to look at him.

“May I?” he asked.

“Of course,” Brian said.

Roderick stepped in front of Brian to better face the endless crowd of media before him.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout this dreadful ordeal,” he said, speaking in the sweet and innocent tone that had helped him to win over the jury a short time ago.

Roderick’s gentle eyes and sincere expression then suddenly transformed to that of smugness accompanied by a sneer. “But that proves that you are all stupid as hell,” he said with a wink. “Because I got away with murder. Adios!”

Roderick pulled his designer sunglasses out of his designer suit coat pocket and put them on as his personal driver pulled up in front of the courthouse with his golden Maserati. The media watched in stunned silence as Roderick descended the concrete steps to his car, not a care in the world. Brian followed solemnly behind him, his head lowered in shame at the admission of guilt by his client.

Interview with Sallie Moppert

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

I would definitely have a spirit animal since I am a huge animal lover. The tough part is then picking which animal I would want. I love animals of all types and my family has quite the zoo at home, ranging from dogs to guinea pigs to lizards. I really like pandas and I also love reptiles and amphibians. I think a chameleon would be pretty cool as a mascot; always changing, adapting to the situation, bright and colorful.

How many hours a day do you put into your writing?

I don’t have a set number of hours that I write in a day. If my day is busy, I might be able to squeeze in a few words here or there. On the other hand, if I have the time, I could spend a whole day off in creative bliss. If it’s a warm summer day with nothing to do, for example, I’ll grab a notebook and a blanket and just spend the day outside writing. I find it best to just always carry a notebook around with me so I can jot down a line, a few words or even a paragraph if inspiration strikes.

Dyou read your book reviews? If yes, do they affect what you write in the future?

That’s a really difficult subject. Yes, I do tend to read the book reviews, which makes me really anxious. I am super critical of myself and my work (I’m a bit of a perfectionist in some aspects), so reading the thoughts of others can be difficult sometimes. Thankfully, I have been extremely fortunate to have received positive reviews so far. Any critiques that I receive in these reviews I certainly take into consideration. The reviewer or reader might have a different perspective that can help to enrich my work, so why not?

Do you leave hidden messages in your books that only a few people will find?

Absolutely! I love putting in little references or inside jokes in my books. I challenged my sister, who is like my best friend, to see if she could find them all in Good Cop Bad Cop (GCBC). I think, at one point, she was up to 20 references (I don’t have an exact number, but I know there’s more than that). Here’s some examples from off the top of my head: in one of the stories that will be in the next collection, the one suspect is a veterinarian. He scoops up a guinea pig and is petting it while speaking to Sam and Dahlia; my sister is a guinea pig lover and has two of them, so this is a reference to our piggies. In GCBC, the story Victims of Circumstance has a restaurant called Quincy’s, which is an homage to my dog named Quincy. Sam played hockey as a kid because I am a huge hockey fan. In Into the Fire, Edwin references a Van Halen song, which is because I love rock n’ roll music (Joan Jett pun intended). There are a ton of little things like this all throughout the book.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Good Cop Bad Cop?

Samuel Marlowe is the main character. I love being able to write his dialogue, especially later on in the book when he really becomes snarky and he and his partner banter like an old married couple. He’s also one that I still find myself rooting for even when he gets himself in trouble; Sam’s not the typical character that if he does something wrong, I want him to get caught or to get his comeuppance. I still want him to be able to come out on top, no matter what it takes, and overcome all of the things that he has gone through. It’s interesting to be kind of cheering on the “bad guy,” if you want to call him that, since he’s definitely not a squeaky-clean run-of-the-mill hero guy (but I love him anyway).

Sam has multiple partners throughout the story. His main partner is Dahlia Bennett. She is an ambitious rookie that is all about doing the right thing. They say opposites attract and, after working some cases together, Sam and Dahlia put aside their rocky start and develop a strong working partnership. Sam and Dahlia even begin to rub off on each other, with Dahlia becoming less uptight and developing confidence in her abilities and Sam teetering on the brink of being a good cop versus a bad cop just might be dragged back from the precipice by his new partner.

Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?

The next book I’m working on is another collection featuring Sam and Dahlia. There were some stories that didn’t quite make the final cut and end up in GCBC, so that collection will feature some of those stories. After that, I have some additional characters that I’m working on for separate collections. There’s a private investigator that I’m fond of, as well as a police officer that winds up in prison that needs to have her story told. Beyond that, who knows? That’s one great thing about writing; I never know what I’m going to come up with.

Do you allow yourself a certain number of hours to write or do you write as long as the words come?

I usually try to write for as long as the words come. That may be a few minutes, an hour or just one of those super creative days where I can write all day. I also like to have multiple projects going because I may not be feeling one story and can instead focus all of my efforts on a different one and let the words flow for that work instead.

Do you have a certain number of words or pages you write per day?

Not really. I prefer the quality of what I write over the quantity. If I push myself when I’m just not feeling a story or a chapter, I know I likely am not going to be happy with the results. Instead, I’d rather write a little bit less and come up with something better, even if it’s a little shorter. That being said, all that goes out the window during National Novel Writing Month (if you haven’t heard of NaNoWriMo, during the month of November, the goal is to write 50,000 words by the end of the month). The 1,667 words a day aren’t going to write themselves!

What inspires you to write?

Not to sound super cliche, but I write for the love of writing. I truly enjoy it. It’s fun and cathartic to be able to just get lost in my own world as I envision characters and stories coming to life. If I’m really tuned in and the words are just flowing, I can even shut out the world and focus on whatever I’m working on. It’s a nice break from reality sometimes.

WOULD YOU RATHER

-Read fiction or non-fiction?

I’m definitely more of a fiction person.

-Read series or stand-alone?

I would prefer a stand-alone, but I’m all for main characters returning in other stories or as a part of a series. I’ll read just about anything as long as it captures my attention.

-Read science fiction or horror?

I would rather read science fiction.

-Read Stephen King or Dean Koontz

That’s a tough one. I’ve read the works of both well renowned authors and there is so much as a writer that I could learn from them, so I don’t think I could pick!

-Read the book or watch the movie?

I would say, 9 times out of 10, I would rather read the book. There are some instances, usually very few, where the movie is a bit better than the book but, for the most part, give me a book over the movie any day.

-Read an ebook or paperback?

Paperback, hands down. There is just something about the feel of an actual book in your hands that is like nothing else.

-Be trapped alone for one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and wi-fi only?

I would definitely rather be trapped in a library for a month. There are so many books that I want to read, so that would be a perfect opportunity to read to my heart’s content. Plus, I could use the time to work on studying Japanese - I’m teaching myself how to read/write in Japanese and could really use a month of undistracted learning, lol.

-Do a cross-country bookstore tour or blog tour online?

I think a cross-country tour would be fun; I would love to be able to travel. That being said, I am not an outgoing person by any means, so an online blog tour is definitely more my speed.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A New York native, Sallie has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, with a Specialization in Forensic Science. A lifelong mystery fan, she has combined her love and passion for writing with her interests in criminal justice, law, and forensic science.

Sallie currently resides in New York with her family and her “zoo,” which includes two dogs, two guinea pigs, a betta fish and a leopard gecko. She works as a freelance writer/editor and a legal assistant.

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ GOODREADS

Buy Links:

AMAZON ~ ZIMBELL HOUSE

Giveaway:

$15 Amazon/BN GC to one commenter + 3 commenters will receive a prize pack consisting of pen, key chain, and magnet (US/Canada only)

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