BooksChatter: ℚ To Catch A Thief: Fitzgerald House [6]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Nan Dixon to talk about To Catch A Thief (1 March 2018, Mills & Boon Superromance, 384 pages), a Contemporary Romance, book six in the Fitzgerald House series.

"To Catch A Thief is a book that will pull on your heart and keep you engaged.

While I would have liked to see the heroine, Carolina, have more personal growth and own up to her faults, Nan Dixon’s writing pulled me in with a cast of interesting characters, a strong conflict, and a happily ever after." ~ Amazon Reviewer

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Nan Dixon; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for To Catch A Thief?

"The series inspiration started from a Sister trip to Savannah.

I have three sisters and for almost thirty years we have taken a long weekend together. (Our mother used to go with us.) The task of planning rotates and the location is secret. One year I was the Social Director and I planned a trip to Savannah.

We stayed in the gorgeous historic district, had a blast on a ghost pub crawl, and shivered over the ghost stories in our Inn. And I fell in love. And thought—what if four sisters (see the connection?) owned a crumbling mansion in the historic district. And they are turning it into a B&B?

When I sold the 1st book, SOUTHERN COMFORTS, my editor wanted me to cut one of the sisters. But I always wanted 4 sisters. So Carolina is the 4th sister. But she is only a half-sister and the other Fitzgerald sisters don’t know she exists."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I think I always write a little bit of myself in each character. In TO CATCH A THIEF, the part of me that is in Carolina is the singer. I trained from high school through college as a singer and it was fun to write her singing scenes. Plus I have gone through the despair of losing my fabulous mother to cancer. Luckily, she didn’t lose her filters like Carolina’s mother does."

Australian Cover

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for To Catch A Thief - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"Harlequin designs my covers. The only input I get is through pictures I provide and questions I answer about the scenes.

I actually think the Australian cover is a little closer to what I wanted in their characters. But readers have said they like both covers."

Why should we read the Fitzgerald House series and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your series unique?

"This series is foremost about families. Not just the families formed by blood, by the ones formed through friendship and common goals.

They are emotional, heart-wrenching reads, but always deliver on a happily-ever after. Add in quirky Savannah, food and prosecco and the reader can escape their own troubles for a few hours and smile when they close the book. And smiling make the world better."

Can you tell us something quirky about To Catch A Thief, its story and characters?

"Since the setting is quirky Savannah, when I envisioned the books, I wanted some of that quirkiness to come through.

The Fitzgerald sisters are all named for US Presidents’ wives, continuing the past generation’s practice. (The mother is names after Mamie Eisenhower) And they are alphabetic. So when it came to having an illegitimate half-sister, I kept her in the right spot of the alphabet “C” but also made it Carolina instead of the original Caroline I had picked. (Not sure how the philandering father got this through his wife. That’s probably another story!)"

Who would you recommend To Catch A Thief to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"If a reader loves a family-central book with emotional twists and turns, I think they will like TO CATCH A THIEF. You are guaranteed a happy ending. 😊

Even though it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. If they like book series, this is a good book, too. The series is complete, although I think I would like to add a few novellas that would be guests to the B&B."

If you could / wished to turn To Catch A Thief and the Fitzgerald House series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Wow, this is a tough question. It would need to be filmed in Savannah, because there is just something special about the historic district with its wonderful squares and impressive live oaks draped with Spanish moss.

For these characters I would love to have Lily Collins (Blindside and Mirror Mirror) play Carolina. Luckily, she sings! And Sage would be played by Chris Hemsworth with green eyes!

You can see some of my story ideas on my Pinterest Board. "

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"It doesn’t matter which genre I write in, my story theme is always about finding a place in a family. My characters either have families where they need to find their place, or build families from their friends. I am published in contemporary and romantic suspense. But I have also drafted a Young Adult."

What is your writing process?

"I usually have a germ of an idea of who the characters are, but I do use archetypes. Then I work on their goal, motivation and conflict. (Classic Deb Dixon—no relationship)

I then work up the story’s Save the Cat steps. This at least gives me turning points to write to. But my story usually doesn’t follow the path I envisioned. I draft the book, then start revisions by documenting everything in a modified storyboard. (Spreadsheets – love them!)

Then comes the hard part. Revisions. And I may change their wounds, so that makes changes in their character arcs. While I’m revising, I am trying to get as much material as I can into my critique partners’ hands to review. But since I have deadlines, they haven’t been able to review an entire book for quite a while.

My approach to my writing life is to log in and out of a spreadsheet each day. (I am logged in right now, documenting how much time it takes to write blogs.) This keeps me honest on how much time I spend on my job. And I have documentation on how long it takes me to finish a book."

What is in store next?

"Right now I am working on a Romantic Suspense series. The working series title is Genetically Modified. Book 1 is titled THE PERFECT CHILDREN. I drafted the concept a few years ago. So it is taking me a while to go through revisions."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"I have Waldo, the wonder cat. He is huge, so I am trying to limit his intake of food, but he cries so much in the morning! He is over 20 lbs.

Right now I am trying to clear the knots in his long fur, so I have a lot of scratches on my hands. I do this when he wants to sit on my lap. He hates being brushed, but his undercoat gets really matted. I would hate to have to him shaved. (My son had to do that to his cat because of all the tangles.)"

Hello gorgeous Mr Waldo! Wow, you definitely are a beauty. Lots of chin-scratches and head-butts to you from all of us at BooksChatter!

Nan, thank you for sharing Waldo with us. A friend of ours also had to shave her beautiful long-furred girl and she wasn't very impressed; she did not find it particularly dignified! 😛

We hope you are having a great tour!

A lonely, illegitimate singer will do anything to comfort her terminally ill mother, even steal. But stealing is the last straw for the honor seeking FBI agent she loves.