Monday, May 23, 2011

Coffee with a canine: Elizabeth J. Duncan & Dolly

Today's featured duo at Coffee with a Canine: Elizabeth J. Duncan and Dolly.

The author, on whether Dolly has any influence on her writing:
She sure does. In both my books a dog has played a key role and I really couldn't imagine one of my books without a dog. A couple of readers have asked if my protagonist, Penny Brannigan, could have a cat, but that doesn't feel right to me. Dolly actually does me a great service by inviting me to go for walks with her. I do some of my best thinking when I am walking with her. I resolve plot issues, get inspired, and sometimes, ideas come to me when we're out walking that improve or change the nature or direction of a book. When we get home, I head straight for the computer and...[read on]
Among the acclaim for Duncan's second novel, A Brush with Death:
“Duncan is a born storyteller whose ability to create appealing characters, evoke a strong sense of place, and fashion a clever plot are accompanied by another gift: a faculty for writing flawlessly smooth prose. A Brush with Death is a close encounter with talent.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Duncan’s second is every bit as delightful as her debut…a smoothly written classic English mystery right up there with the best.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Duncan spends time developing the personal lives of her appealing main and secondary characters, and it is their relationships that provide much of the novel’s appeal, along with the well-realized Welsh setting and the many details about running a small business. Readers who enjoy the English village cozy mysteries of Dorothy Cannell and Nancy Atherton will want to take a look at this series.”
Booklist

“Absorbing.”
Publishers Weekly

“Duncan writes so well about the lives of people in a small village in Wales that the reader becomes immersed in their daily trials and tribulations…sure to appeal to fans of M.C. Beaton and Agatha Christie.”
Library Journal
Visit Elizabeth J. Duncan's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Cold Light of Mourning.

The Page 69 Test: A Brush with Death.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Elizabeth J. Duncan and Dolly.

--Marshal Zeringue