INTERVIEW & REVIEW: Not Quite Cold by Lyla Payne

NOT QUITE COLD

By: Lyla Payne

Publication Date: August 7, 2014

Graciela Harper thought that getting rid of Anne Bonny’s ghost would be the first step toward putting all of the problems of her past behind her. Maybe things would work out with Beauregard Drayton, Heron Creek’s charming mayor. Maybe she and her cousin Amelia, and their childhood friends Melanie and Will, could find a way back to the comfortable friendship that defined their lives.

But when the ghost of Glinda Davis, the town’s longtime, quirky hairdresser, puts a stop to Gracie and Beau’s relationship consummation, Graciela knows her life has changed for good. The insistent ghost drags Graciela into a world she’s only seen on reality television shows—one filled with moonshiners and backwoods politics that are solved by burying bodies, not friendly conversations.

Graciela needs to figure out exactly what Glinda’s spirit requires so she’ll get the heck out of dodge, but the further she digs into the woman’s past, the more dangers seep into the present. As Graciela gets closer to the answers she seeks, she starts to wonder if she’s going to solve a murder in the process—or die trying.

ABOUT LYLA
I’ve been publishing New Adult romance novels for a little over a year, starting with Broken at Love and continuing with the rest of the Whitman University series. I adore telling stories, discovering the little reasons people fall in love, and uncovering hidden truths in the world around us – past and present.

In my spare time I cuddle my two dogs, pretend to enjoy exercising so that I can eat as much Chipotle as I want, and harbor a deep and abiding hope that Zac Efron likes older women. I loves reading, of course, along with movies, traveling, and Irish whiskey.

I’m hard at work, ALWAYS, and hope to bring you more Whitman University antics and at least one more Lowcountry ghost tale before the end of the year.

Jaime’s Thoughts
Not Quite Cold by Lyla Payne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m a huge fan of Lyla Payne… and for good reason. She writes stories that are captivating, fun, and sexy! This is the second in the Low Country series and just like the first, I absolutely loved it.

Gracie, our heroine, is still seeing ghosts and it seems to be causing more trouble for her than anything else going on in her life. She had hoped that once Anne Bonny’s ghost had moved on, she would be able to start fixing her own problems instead of everyone else’s. Like working on her relationships with her childhood friends, or helping her cousin Amelia come to terms with the things she has had to deal with or maybe… just maybe, take the next step with the handsome and charming mayor Beauregard Drayton.

Unfortunately, ghosts have horrible timing and the appearance of Glinda Davis’ ghost in Gracie’s life creates more issues than simply finding out who killed her.

Once again, Payne gives us a well-written, wonderfully paced story, and I for one couldn’t put it down. Her characters are so well developed… even the not so alive ones. And I absolutely love Gracie. She’s a little bit lost personally, but underneath that you can see that she’s independent and stubborn, loyal and an amazing friend and she’s funny! And Beau… *swoon*. As much as Gracie tries to get him to see that she just isn’t who he should be pursuing a relationship with, he pushes back and shows her why he is.

But at the heart of this story, we have another mystery. Who killed Glinda, and why… and what secrets was she hiding, and while you definitely get hints along the way, the story unravels at a perfect pace. And where she leaves you with this installment will have you begging for the next in the series, that’s for sure.

I can’t wait to see what we get next from Lyla Payne, and this series has so much on the horizon, from our mystery ghost, to Mrs. LaBadie, to Beau and even Gracie’s own issues, I’m excited for more.

I can count on Payne for an amazing story, wonderful characters and yes, some sexy swoon and romance. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, definitely give it a try!

Where did the idea for The Lowcountry Ghost Series come from?

It was actually a book I drafted during National Novel Writing Month like, 3 years ago and then set aside to publish my first book, Whispers in Autumn. South Carolina, ghost stories, history, and pirates are four of my absolute favorite things in the world and the book gave me a chance to combine them all!

I love that Gracie is exactly the kind of girl I would be friends with… how much of your characters do you pull from real life friends and family?

Thank you! I love Gracie, too, and definitely think she’s the character I’ve written that’s most like me – even though I’d like to think I’m not quite so much of a mess! For these books, I pulled the character of Gramps from my own grandfather and mayyyyyyybe I have a boy like Will lurking in my own past (though he doesn’t have quite such a likable wife), as well.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve googled while researching for this series?

Hmm. I think probably the police procedural stuff. I’m horrible at things like that.

What was your favorite scene to write in Not Quite Cold and why?

I loved the scene where Clete came to see Gracie and brought her moonshine to drink to seal their pact. I loved all of the scenes with the moonshiners, actually.

Did any of your characters surprise you by doing something you didn’t expect?

All the time! I assumed in the first book that Melanie would be a harder nut to crack – that she wouldn’t be so ready to bring her friendship with Gracie into the present. And Anne Bonny surprised me often. I didn’t expect her soft side. And Gracie is always surprising me. I couldn’t solve the mysteries without her!

There are a lot of things going on in Gracie’s world, how many more books do we have to look forward to for this series?

As many as people will read! I’ve got arcs in my mind out at least five books and two novellas (the first one of which will take place in the past), but I’ll write as long as people are interested.

What are you currently reading? What books boys (besides your own because Beau is pretty swoony) make you swoon?

I’m reading Practical Magic right now while I wait for A Vault of Sins, the second book in Sarah Harian’s Chaos Theorynovels. The first one, The Wicked We Have Done and the followup novella blew me away and I can’t wait to read more. If you’ve been looking for a sexy, grown up Hunger Games, look no further.

As far as boys? Adam from If I Stay and Where She Went is one of my most recent favorites. I love Mal (and yes, The Darkling) from The Grisha series. Jamie Lannister and the late, great Robb Stark from Game of Thrones.

And Peeta. Oh, Peeta.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

My go tos are simple and there are only 5: don’t quit, write all the time, read all the time, learn everything you can about the industry, and treat it like a job.

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?

I should have an announcement very soon on a new YA project as Trisha Leigh (maybe by the time this posts!). In the meantime I’m drafting the fifth Whitman University book, Living the Dream, which will be out in late November! You can preorder it on iBooks if that’s your thing.

5 Favorites

Favorite Song (right now) Hooked on a Feeling. Because the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack is the best thing.

Favorite Book (right now) Wuthering Heights. Or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Or Where She Went. Or Shadow and Bone. OR OR OR.

Favorite TV Show/Movie : Felicity/It’s A Wonderful Life

Favorite Word : bangarang

Favorite Snack : ice cream – the All Lovin’ No Oven concoction from Coldstone or Neapolitan from the grocery store.