Monday, May 7, 2012

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Tim Smith

This week on our Tiki Hut Blog, we welcome author Tim Smith as he celebrates the release of LIDO KEY, his second Vic Fallon Mystery published with eXtasy Books.

Tim Smith is an award-winning author of numerous books, ranging from thrillers to contemporary erotic romance. He is also a freelance photographer and when he isn’t pursuing these two passions, he works in the human services field as a case manager for adults with disabilities.

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I’m pleased to announce the release of my new romantic mystery, Lido Key, from eXtasy Books. This is the second in the Vic Fallon series I started a year ago with The Bundle, but it isn’t a sequel or follow-up. This is a stand alone entry in the series, and it evokes the pulp fiction style of Chandler, Spillane and Westlake. All of the elements are here – tough romantic hero, sexy heroine who’s hard as brass on the outside but soft in the middle, vivid atmosphere, a supporting cast of shady characters and liberal doses of hot sex.

Vic Fallon had worked on some strange cases since he left the police force to become a Private Investigator, but when a former lover asks him to look into a bizarre blackmail demand, it’s one for his memoirs. Vic hadn’t spoken to Ariel Weston since his last trip to Siesta Key, Florida three years earlier. The end of their affair wasn’t amicable, and Vic swore that the next time he saw Ariel he’d drown her with the nearest Pina Colada. When Ariel gets caught up in a potentially embarrassing sex scandal, she appeals to him for help. Vic reluctantly agrees but finds himself in a real quandary when he realizes they still have feelings for each other.

The case pulls Vic out of his northern Ohio comfort zone to the Sunshine State, where he crosses paths with a corrupt local cop, a famous writer with a taste for booze and women, and a sleazy strip club owner who knows more than he’s letting on. Throw in one very cute Latina who develops a crush on him, and the puzzle gets more complex. Can Vic solve Ariel’s problem before the blackmailer ruins her life? Will Ariel succeed in convincing Vic to give their failed relationship another chance?

To prepare for this I watched a lot of film noir crime capers from the forties and fifties. Quirky characters, moody atmosphere and witty dialogue laden with double entendres are part of the charm and I wanted to recreate that in a modern setting. Be warned, though that this book contains explicit sex.

If you’re in the mood for a blast from the past with a contemporary twist, pour yourself a glass of Scotch, prop your feet on the desk, tip back your fedora and enjoy Lido Key. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

“Lido Key” is available at www.extasybooks.com. More information about Tim Smith’s other books can be found at his website, www.timsmithauthor.com.

LIDO KEY by Tim Smith

A Vic Fallon Mystery

She’s a young trophy widow involved in a bizarre sex scandal. He’s her former lover, a busted cop turned Private Investigator. Consider the possibilities.

Vic Fallon has worked on some strange cases since he left the Police force to become a Private Investigator, but when a former lover asks him to look into a bizarre blackmail demand, it’s one for his memoirs. Vic hasn’t seen Ariel Weston since his last trip to Siesta Key, Florida, three years earlier. The end of their affair wasn’t amicable, and Vic swore that the next time he saw Ariel he’d drown her with the nearest Piña Colada. When Ariel gets caught up in a potentially embarrassing sex scandal, she appeals to him for help. Vic reluctantly agrees but finds himself in a real quandary when he realizes they still have feelings for each other.

The case pulls Vic out of his northern Ohio comfort zone to the Sunshine State, where he crosses paths with a corrupt local cop, a famous writer with a taste for booze and women, and a sleazy strip club owner who knows more than he’s letting on. Throw in one very cute Latina who develops a crush on him and the puzzle becomes more complex.

Can Vic solve Ariel’s problem before the blackmailer ruins her life? Will Ariel convince Vic to give their failed relationship another chance?

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WIN - Leave Tim a question or comment this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a copy of his erotic romance ANYWHERE THE HEART GOES.  Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner.

6 comments:

  1. Super congrats on the new book Tim and I love how you took the feel of the old crime movies and put that in a modern setting.

    If they were to make a movie out of LIDO KEY - who would you like to see play your hero and heroine?

    Enjoy your week here at the Tiki Hut (you look quite a home on this page!).

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  2. My first choice for the hero would be Alan Ladd or Robert Mitchum but since they're both gone, they probably aren't available. I could see George Clooney or Michael Weatherly (NCIS) in the lead, and when I described Ariel, I kept picturing Maria Bello.

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  3. Loved your comment, Tim. That's too funny.

    Would you say you have a lot of humor in your books? And will each of your Vic Fallon books contain a Happy for Now kind of ending or a more of a ending like they have in those old movies, where the hero goes on alone looking for his next adventure?

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  4. Thanks, Katie. Very good questions.

    There is a lot of humor in my books, but none of it is mean-spirited or at the expense of a character. In this one I had a couple of Hispanic players and even though I wrote in their dialect, it wasn't to poke fun, but to evoke realism. Most of the chuckles come from dialogue and I've found it's great to have a 'foil' for Vic to bounce wisecracks off of. Villains come in handy for that.

    The Fallon books end with 'happy for now' endings with Vic and his current squeeze together...but for how long?

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  5. Congratulations on this new release. Do you have another novel in mind, or are you taking a break?

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  6. There's no rest for the weary or wicked, Bob. My next Nick Seven romance thriller will be out later this year, I have an anthology I just finished and Vic Fallon #3 is in progress.

    I've found sleep to be vastly overrated.

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