I’m excited to reveal the cover for the second book in the “Maizie Albright Star Detective” mystery series from Past Perfect Press, coming October 17, 2017.
A word from Larissa. . .
While I was in Japan, Georgia became the number one place to film movies, leaping past California, New York, and Canada. And thanks to Pinewood Studios building their American headquarters a few miles from my home, my hometown has become a mini-Hollywood. I’ve returned to Peachtree City, Georgia, and now have hipsters in my Kroger and movie stars working out in the local gym (not that I would know on the last one, but my BFF saw Thor doing pushups on her way to Zumba). There’s something called Vitality Bowl next to the Kroger. It claims to only make healthy food. And the quaint (old and dirty) BBQ joint I loved has disappeared.
“Georgiawood.” This is what partly inspired my new series, another humorous mystery, but with a heroine who’s about 180 personality degrees different from my other series’ heroine, Cherry Tucker.
In the first book, 15 Minutes, ex-teen TV and reality star, Maizie Albright, returns home to Black Pine, Georgia, determined to start a new career as a private investigator, modeled after her childhood starring role in Julie Pinkerton: Teen Detective. For a license in Georgia, she needs training and there’s only one gumshoe in Black Pine: Wyatt Nash of Nash Security Solutions. He’s got a hard body, Paul Newman eyes, and no interest in having an ex-actress for an apprentice. Unbeknownst to Maizie, the reality show cast of All is Albright and her stage-monster manager also follows her to Georgia.
Maizie’s got a big learning curve to overcome—not only in private investigations but also in life as a non-celebrity—but an optimistic disposition, years of therapy, and donuts will help her become the independent thinker her manager always hoped she wouldn’t become.
Check after my excerpt for a way to win the first book in the Maizie Albright Star Detective series, 15 Minutes! I hope you enjoy it!
Title: 16 Millimeters
Series: Maizie Albright Star Detective #2
Genre: Humorous Mystery
Publisher: Past Perfect Press
Website: larissareinhart.com
In continuing her career-makeover quest as a for-real detective, ex-teen and reality star Maizie Albright has a big learning curve to overcome. A sleuthing background starring in a TV show— Julia Pinkerton, Teen Detective—does not cut the real-life mustard. It doesn’t even buy her lunch, let alone extra condiments. Her chosen mentor, Wyatt Nash of Nash Security Solutions, is not a willing teacher. He’d rather stick Maizie with a safe desk job and handle the security solutioning himself. But Maizie’s got other plans to help Nash. First, win Nash’s trust. Second, his heart.
Wait, not his heart. His respect. His hearty respect.
So when a major movie producer needs a babysitter for his hot mess starlet, Maizie eagerly takes the job. But when her starlet appears dead, and then not dead, Maizie’s got more than an actress to watch and a missing corpse to find. Body doubles, dead bodies, and hot bodies abound when the big screen, small screen, and silent screams collide. Maizie’s on the job, on the skids, and on thin ice, hunting a killer who may be a celebrity stalker. And Maizie just might be the next celebrity who gets snuffed.
About the author
A 2015 Georgia Author of the Year Best Mystery finalist, Larissa writes the Cherry Tucker Mystery and the Maizie Albright Star Detective series. The first in the Cherry Tucker series, Portrait Of A Dead Guy (2012), is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, 2012 The Emily finalist, and 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. The sixth mystery, A Composition In Murder was released November 15, 2016. The debut in the Maizie Albright Star Detective series, 15 Minutes was released January 24, 2017. Her family and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit, lived in Nagoya, Japan, but just moved back to Georgia. See them on HGTV’s House Hunters International “Living for the Weekend in Nagoya” episode.
Find Larissa chatting on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads, or join her Facebook street team, The Mystery Minions.
EXCERPT
Chapter Three
#BlackPineExclusive #Camtastrophy
Music continued to thump through the porch’s floorboards. I rang, then hammered on the door again, tried the knob, and wondered what Cambria was doing with videographer kits. Maybe they were doing pre-release documentary footage for marketing and the final DVD extras. Or she had another job before Leonard’s movie started. I tore off another lemon poppyseed hunk, popped it in my mouth, and thought about leaving. I glanced behind me to the long, long, long path back to the club. Wiggled my pained toes. Considered sitting on the porch to wait. With the basket of muffins. Noted the recent tightness of my jeans. Then traipsed to the right-side window to see what Cambria was doing.
Light gleamed between the curtains and shone on a California King with rumpled sheets and a spread that had half-slid off the bed. Satin-cased pillows had been piled in the middle. Other para-phernalia had been scattered across the sheets. My lemon poppyseed chewing slowed and I felt heat suffuse my cheeks.
I didn’t want to know what kind of filming Cambria had been doing. Or not doing. I backed away from the window, turned toward the stairs, and stopped.
The kind of filming Cam-Cam might have been doing was the exact kind of “shitting up his movie,” Leonard Shackleton had been talking about. Cambria could be blowing her chance for this epic part if she and her boyfriend were getting frisky in front of a camera. A professional camera, by the look of the kit.
Why in the hell would they make a “home movie” with what looked like the kind of camera a documentary director would carry? This wasn’t a GoPro box or a camcorder. My heart thudded and blood heated to shoot up the back of my neck.
Shizzles, Cambria was going to blow her shot and my shot and Nash’s shot all in one idiotic, depraved video.
Unless I stopped her.
I spun around and pounded on the door. After waiting another beat, I tromped off the porch and circled the villa to the bedroom side window. A slope made the window too high for easy peeking, but the blinds were up and no curtains barred the view. I tiptoed around to the back of the villa. At the far end, a screen door swung out to reveal a locked, windowed door leading to the tiny kitchenette. The bathroom window revealed nothing except Cambria had a crap ton of makeup.
I stepped away, and spied a pile of logs. Found a sturdy looking piece cut evenly on both ends, hefted it against my satin blouse, and walked back to the bedroom window. Dropped the heavy log, missing my toes by an inch, positioned it below the window, and attempted to pull the splinters from my off-the-shoulder ruffles. Gave up on the splinters and cursed Cambria for her stupidity and for ruining my Juan Carlos Obando. Climbed on the log, rose to my toes, and peered in the window.
Saw the body on the floor.
And fell off the log.
Giveaway: Have you ever had a TV show or movie film in your town? What was it like for your community? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a signed copy of 15 Minutes. US entries only, please. The giveaway ends July 15, 2017. Good luck everyone!
All comments are welcomed.
I have never had a movie filmed in my hometown.
Fun post! The book sounds great. When I lived in NYC, there was often filming on my block because I lived right across the street from the United Nations. The movie I most clearly remember is The Interpreter starring Nicole Kidman. It was fun to watch the filming! I remember the crew put signs up on each end of the block saying that if you inadvertently ended up in a scene, the production company didn’t have to pay you. 🙂
That sounds like a lot of fun @amreade! Did you see Nicole Kidman? I always imagined it’d be like that living in New York, running into tv and movie productions here and there. There have been movies made in Georgia in the past (we just celebrated the anniversary of Smoky and the Bandit here), but this studio business is very new and exciting. I just saw in the paper today that a neighboring town voted to allow a tv production company to build a set of studios. We locals are a bit incredulous that all this is happening under our noses. Although I’m the only person who hasn’t seen someone famous yet. I need to get out more!
When I lived in New York I saw a number of famous people. Here’s the thing, though–they usually looked so different to me that I never recognized them until someone else pointed them out. I did see Nicole Kidman. George Clooney, too.
Enjoyed your post very much. I have never got to see any filming being done but still hope to.
Thanks for stopping in, Doward!
Since I live in Las Vegas, I’m sure filming has gone on while I was here. But I don’t keep up on all that and I’ve never seen any filming in progress. I’m not even sure if I would recognize most celebrities if I ran into them. Can you tell I’m more of a reader than a moviegoer? mbradeen@yahoo.com
LOL @mbradeen! I probably wouldn’t either. I love hearing my friends’ stories of seeing actors, but I’m so caught in my own world (& I really only get to Kroger & the post office anyway), that I wouldn’t recognize anyone unless they introduced themselves.
Except Thor. I would recognize Thor.
Honestly, I don’t have a clue who Thor is. Don’t tell your neighbors!
I am from a small town in northwest Florida. No movies of note but we could easily handle Redneck Reality. I should write a screenplay! Lol. I love Maisie and Cherry! Please keep writing!
Clever premise
Thanks Elizabeth!
LOL! I have a teen and pre-teen. We watch a lot of Marvel movies and Thor’s easy on the eyes. 😉
Your latest book looks and sounds wonderful, Larissa. It is on my list to read as soon as my vision is better. Can’t wait for both!!!!
Thanks Cynthia! I hope your surgeries go well!
John Travolta was in town filming Lucky Numbers. That was neat. Thanks for the chance. Maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com
Was that recently? Sounds like a fun movie!
Parts of The Informant with Matt Damon were shot in my town and nearby communities. The hype was tremendous. But at the first viewing, probably 98% of what was filmed here had been cut! But it was still exciting for a midwest town. 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity to win Maize’s newest book!
Oh no! What a disappointment for your community! Still it’s exciting
No movie filming here in Hooppole! This Henry County gal can hardly wait for 16 Millimeters! Was disappointed with the delay, but understand with the big move. Are you settled in back in Georgia? We just saw Wonder Woman and the new Spiderman movie. Liked both. My sister was just here from Atlanta and I got her hooked on your first series. She read the first one the week she was here and took two more back with her.
Thanks Martha! I wish they’d do a movie in Henery County. That would be something. A scene from SpiderMan was filmed behind my friend’s house. She watched them from her window! I can’t wait to see it.
Where I grew up is a hub-bub of movie making for location shots. Bird on a Wire, Another Friday, One of the Pirates of the Caribbean, The TV Show My So Called Life, Lost and Found, Lethal Wepon 4 just to name a few. I grew up in San Pedro, California in the Port of Los Angeles. They also filmed part of the Red Dragon at a job I used to work at and Anthony Hopkins was not a nice man.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. What a disappointment!
They have filmed lots of movies in Dallas, where I used to live. A long while back, Tom Cruise was filming a movie there and was staying in a house around the block from my Grandmother. We were talking about it one day, and she told us that he had come to her front door and given her a casserole — “such a nice young man”. We were all going “WHaat? You know who Tom Cruise is? And he came to your house, brought you a casserole, and you didn’t tell us??” Turns out she had gotten a little confused — someone had told her that people were leaving casseroles on the front porch of the house where he was staying.
Can’t wait for 16 Millimeters to come out! Thanks for the giveaway ~
I think I may have to steal that story and changed the names! Lol!!!
I loved the first book. Eagerly looking forward to the second!
Thanks so much!!
Cleveland, OH has also become a popular town to make movies in. We are always hearing about filming on the news. I love your first book in the Maizie Albright’s series and can’t wait to read the next one. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thank you so much! Go Cleveland! 😉
Yes, our little rural town was the sight of a TV episode. Unfortunately it was about a series of murders. Distressing
You never want to live in a true crime location. 🙁
We have several films done here Erie Pa along the lake great spot. One had Viggo Mortensen in it. Didn’t affect city much but filmed in State park so it was closed. Hope to win your book.
Ooh, I love Viggo!
I’ve lived in various towns and cities where movies have been filmed but I’ve always missed out on it. I did meet Efrem Zimbalist Jr. years ago in Austin, TX. He used to narrate training films for a security company there. We happened to be visiting on business and he was there. Lovely man.
So glad to hear that!
A local guy came back and did some filming for a movie he was doing. It excited the town and everyone wanted to be extras. I saw some pics on Facebook of when it was going on.
Now that’s really cool! Everyone loves to see a local do well and to get to participate must be so exciting?
There has never been a movie or TV show filmed in my city while I’ve lived here. Really enjoyed the description of the book and it sounds like a really fun read. Looking forward to reading the book.
Thanks!
I worked on Redstone Arsenal for two years in Huntsville, Ala. The motion picture company I worked for produced the training films for the U. S. Army, I had the opportunity to meet stars such as Michael Landon, Jesse White (the lonely Maytag Repairman) I know, that really dates me, but honestly, I was just a kid. Also, Dan Blocker who played Hoss Cartwright on Bonanza was very kind. A great experience.
That’s really cool. I bet you got the occasional astronaut, too. I love Huntsville!
I have not had the experience of living where a film was being made. When I was in the 5th grade President Kennedy visited my small Ohio hometown.
My Dad was in politics, and the President and his entourage stopped at our home. Many news teams were around our house– it was quite a memorable day.
Looking forward to the October release!📚
Wow, that’s really something. Not many people can say they had a president visit their home, let alone President Kennedy!
We have had several made around Florence SC, but I have never seen the action in progress. I just remember people talking about running into Liv Tyler all over town when she wasn’t filming. It was interesting.
Sounds like here, Charlene. I never see anyone either. Lol
I live in Austin Texas. We have had films made in Austin, around Austin and in areas not too far outside of Austin. We have a lot of entertainment things going on nearly all the time. Austin City Limits is here, as well as their music festival. South by Southwest is a film festival and music festival and tech festival.
I have not been near enough to any of these activities to have it affect my life. But, I do know that Austin traffic is normally bad and some of these things have made it even more of a nightmare.
This does sound like an interesting story.
I swear Atlanta’s traffic is 40% worse since we got back. Our town, too. A big downside! I do love Austin City Limits, or at least I used to. I haven’t seen it in a while. Thanks for commenting!
No, sadly there hasn’t been anything shot in my town. I live in a very small town, so I don’t think there ever will be on the for either. I would love to experience all the hulla belu for a day or so though. Just to say I have lol.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
They filmed the series better Call Saul and many movies here.
I love that series!
In the 1980’s I was living in Lancaster County Pa and they were filming the movie “Witness” right up the street from us in an old Amish farm house….It was very exciting to see the big Paramount trucks parked out front along with all the people coming and going…..later it was said that Harrison Ford road his bike up and down our street for exercise during filming….
How cool. That was a great movie!
Sounds great!! We haven’t had a movie made where I live but Dirty Dancing was filmed about 45 minutes from me and Leather Heads was partially filmed about 40 minutes from me.
Oh my gosh, BJ and the Bear! I recently watched Smoky and the Bandit. I loved those movies!
No filming in San Bruno or South San Francisco, but I also lived in Southern California and there were a lot of shoots there. I would not have the patience to watch a film shoot, not enough action…I also love it when my towns are mentioned in novels. I specifically remember a book in the Nameless series by Bill Pronzini. Very exciting.
Yes, I believe it’s a lot of waiting around for not much action. Lol
We had two movies filmed partially in my hometown. BJ and the Bear with Greg Evigan and The Clansmen that had OJ Simpson and Lee Marvin. Greg Evigan was a great guy and was fun to watch work. He took time to speak to me even though I was just a teenager at the time. The Clansman wasn’t as much fun. People were offended by the superior attitude that some of the actors displayed toward our little town. My brother’s boy scout troop were extras for a scene that was deleted later and those two in particular were extremely rude. There were a few people connected with the Clansmen that weren’t bad but it left a sour taste in my mouth for celebrities.
This makes me want to watch BJ & the Bear again!
(But not the Clansman)
Unfortunately no filming has been done where ever I have lived. I imagine it would be hectic, crowded and possibly annoying for the locals. Seeing one of your favorite stars and being able to point to a scene in a show you watched being filmed would be exciting though.
The traffic. If you don’t like traffic…you’re not going to enjoy it.
No filming in my home town. The closest was a hour away, League of Their Own. My brother inlaw and his father were extras in it
I love that movie!
Where I once lived a commercial was filmed next door. It was chaos.
Marilyn
I bet that traffic was fun!
Yes, all was noisy. It was a television commercial.
Marion
Fortunately, I was working but I heard the filming was a nightmare.
Joan
Yes we have had filming in fact we have a studio here…not really big studio films more like Independent…you may have seen the Movie Muscle Shoals for instance. They fit in fine I worked drama in College and we used to pull in some big names back then like Broderick Crawford or Janis Paige older Movie Stars……love the sound of your book…
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
Mussel Shoals in Birmingham?
No there has never been a movie or tv filmed here. Years ago a woman I worked with took a week off to go to Maine where they were filming Mel Gibson’s The Man Without A Face and she ended up being an extra in the gradeuation scene. She was thrilled. Paula pgenest57 at aol dot com
How fun for your friend!
I live in Central KY. We’ve had a few movies or parts of movies filmed around here. We have a few famous people from this area or with ties to this area (George Clooney, Ashley Judd, Laura Bell Bundy, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Jordan Smith, Rebecca Gayheart, Steve Zahn, Muse Watson, John Michael Montgomery and Billy Ray Cyrus to name a few) so when they are here visiting family or whatever it makes the local papers. I think Steve Zahn, J M Montgomery and Muse Watson actually live in KY.
That’s so cool!
The TV mini-series Centennial was filmed in a neighboring town and the excitement was felt in our area. Several people were chosen to be extras.
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
That must have been so much fun!
Well I’m sure a few movies about the civil war for history channel have been. The closest town nearby to where I grew up was Fredericksburg, VA. I think a history tv show was filmed there once for an episode or they had casting there. NCIS has had a couple of episodes where they mention Fredericksburg or Orange County. But I don’t think they’ve ever filmed near there. At least nothing I’ve seen looks familiar.
So much history there!
haven’t
It was the first town I taught in so I guess it qualifies as a “home town”. It was the beginning of summer and the production company converted “my” gym to one of the movie sets. My boyfriend and I drove around town in my Chevy convertible watching the filming when we could. It was exciting and a great ending to my first year teaching. The whole town was really excited to have Elvis Presley filming in their little Florida home town. That was years ago but still a fond memory.
What a great memory. And Elvis Presley! Wow, that must have been exciting
I live in St Louis so a ton have been filmed here but I can’t think of any names right now.
My husband grew up there. He says Escape From New York was filmed there!
We had some of Sleeping with the Enemy filmed in my home town. My parents wouldn’t let us around any of the filming. I wanted to meet Julia so bad I about broke my neck when we drove by. I was told later by some local businesses that Julia Roberts was one of the worst people to meet. She wasn’t by any means happy with any of South Carolina. She apparently didn’t hide it.
I used to live in Los Angeles & every few months there was something being filmed at an apartment building down the street. Not sure what made that building so popular for filming.
I hope it was the beauty!
I live in NC. There is always something filming in the state, however a National Lampoon movie was filming near me. I was selected to be an extra in the movie. I was overjoyed. Bon Jovi was starring in the movie. Didn’t meet him, but was in the courtroom (being an extra) while he was filming his scene. Great fun.
That sounds like so much fun. And Bon Jovi!!! High school me is thrilled for you!
I forget the name of the movie. It’s been awhile. But it was along the line of the Omen and exorcist. The church was as old one, Catholic I think, Really tall spires and that was mainly what they wanted for the movie. The area was temporarily roped off. The local church they were using was a bit off the main routes through town so it really wasn’t that big a deal. A couple of friends tried out as extras. One got the part. I remember being surprised that they didn’t have a bigger problem with crowds. But then. It wasn’t broadly advertised either. Brenda, the one who got the part, when I asked about it said they mentioned that they were trying to keep it quite because they wanted a fast in and out. Most of the film was going to be filmed elsewhere. She was also an ‘extra’ in twilight when it was done a few mile away in Astoria.
How fun for her! I only know of 2 extras here. My neighbor is a firefighter and he got to be in one of the final scenes for Ant Man because they wanted actual firemen. The other is a pilot and they used him as a co-pilot in one of the Hunger Games movies, and he was so good, he got a couple lines! Those kinds of experiences make great stories. 🙂
I grew up in LA and then lived in New York City. It was unusual if there wasn’t something filming in the neighborhood!
This is old hat for you!
I’ve never heard of any filming in our area—it would be fun though.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Thanks Sue!
Sounds like a great book – I’m excited to read it!!
Thanks Debbie!
My community has not had any movie or TV shows film here, but not far from Chicago, where it seems there is always someone filming something.
I had a friend I met at Girls State who got to appear in the parade scene of Ferris Beuhler’s Day Off (I’m dating myself). Her high school band was in the parade!
**** WINNER ****
15 Minutes is qnofdnilesblog
Congratulations!
I once lived in west palm beach, lots of filming in palm beach, but they just drove through our side of the intercoastal.