Fiona writes Historical Fantasy and the Mystery Suspense series, Foxy Mysteries. She lives in Australia with her husband, not far from her adult sons. Fiona is a people watcher and loves to read into the body language she sees from those around her. You can follow her on Facebook, Amazon and her website.

A high-class escort turns amateur detective to catch her friend’s killer…
Liz wants in on the investigation, but Detective Jack Cunningham doesn’t need a novice messing up his case. Liz ignores his warnings and digs too deep, uncovering corruption and political turmoil far more powerful and dangerous than her friend’s killer.

Let’s find out more about Fiona Tarr…

Which is more important to your book, the mystery or the love story? That’s a really hard question to answer. I think having a well-crafted, not too predictable mystery/crime to solve is very important or I wouldn’t be writing mystery fiction, but all good stories need a little romance slowly burning under the surface to make them feel relatable.

What type of love story plays out in your book—friends to love, enemy to love, instant love, or something else?
This book, and the entire series is a slow burn from enemies to friends, and eventually friends to lovers. The main character and her love interest are on the same side of the investigation but it takes a little while for them to work together and it isn’t always harmonious.

Does the love element cause problems for your protagonist?
Absolutely. Liz is a high-class escort, who has made her way in the world the hard way. She’s learnt to close her emotions off to love and the fact that Detective Jack Cunningham makes her even consider that she might have a chance at love, is both exciting and frustrating at the same time.

When you’re writing an emotionally draining (or sexy, or sad, etc.) scene, how do you get in the mood?
The mood for a sexy scene comes as I start writing. If I can’t invoke that emotion in myself as I write, I’ll never get my readers to feel it. Scenes usually play in my mind like a movie as I write. I’m a very visual person, so my imagination is ignited as the scene unfolds in my head.

What comes first, the plot or characters?
Characters always drive my stories. I outline a basic plot but always let my characters drive the action and drama. It feels more authentic to me that way.

Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.
When I’m not writing, I’m usually kitesurfing. Kitesurfing is where you fly a large, inflatable kite in the air, to generate power to help you glide along the water on a board. I ride a variety of boards when doing this, but my favorite is a surf board.

Victoria LK Williams