♡abookandalattee♡: Audiobook Review & Interview: A Good Kind of Trouble by Elle Ashe

Author: Ellie Ashe

Narrator: Denice Stradling

Length: 11h 12m

Publisher: Ellie Ashe⎮2017

Genre: Romantic Mystery

Release date: Jan. 20, 2017

There's always trouble in Twin Rivers... Beacon news reporter Lindsey Fox is on the verge of breaking a huge story of political corruption that will make her career and make her famous journalist parents proud—or she could be thrown in jail and fired. It really could go either way. Her recent streak of bad luck continues when Lindsey finds herself facing a bogus contempt charge—and attorney Ben Gillespie is appointed to get her out of the slammer. They once had a bad date of epic proportions—stilted conversation, food poisoning, burglary, towed car. Then there was the incident with the pepper spray. Lindsey never believed she’d see the sexy lawyer again. Ben can totally believe that Lindsey is behind bars. The woman is trouble. Now he has to get his new client out of jail, keep her out of the grasp of a crazed bike messenger and a shady P.I., help her save her job, and convince her to put down the pepper spray and give him another chance.

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USA Today best-selling author Ellie Ashe has always been drawn to jobs where she can tell stories—journalist, lawyer, and now writer. Writing quirky romantic mysteries is how she gets the "happily ever after" that so often is lacking in her day job.

When not writing, you can find her with her nose in a good book, watching far too much TV, or trying out new recipes on unsuspecting friends and family. She lives in Northern California with her husband and three cats, all of whom worry when she starts browsing the puppy listings on petfinder.com.

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Denice Stradling has a 25-year background in theatre, film, and television. After majoring in Humanities/Theatre in college, she went on to tour with a national theatre company, performing in more than 10 countries in 10 years, as well as directing and leading acting workshops. Audiobooks were a perfect fit to combine her acting skills and her lifelong love of reading. Denice made a foray into audiobook narration 10 years ago, first doing volunteer work for Learning Ally. Since then, she has worked for Penguin/Random-House, Bee Audio, Harper Audio, Blackstone Audio, Audible, and others. She is also a published writer, having written short fiction for WOMAN'S WORLD magazine, more than 200 greeting cards for various greeting card companies, and devotionals for Augsburg Press. She has also written a novel, which requires editing and publishing, … “and then my narration, when I can find the time!” Denice lives in the greater Los Angeles area with her husband, whom she met in her high school drama class—she played the heroine and he played the villain in the school's melodrama. Not your typical love story—but it's working!

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This was my first audiobook and I absolutely loved it! I’ve had a couple friends that have been listening to them for the last couple years trying to get me to listen to one but I wouldn’t have it. Now I wish I would’ve listened to my friends! Denice Stradling did a wonderfully job at narrating the story and using different tones when needed. Unfortunately, she was the only narrator for the book so that was kind of a downfall on that. I was hoping to have a male for Bens part and a female for Lindsay’s part but besides that Denice did a great job distinguishing between each character. Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook and I gave it five stars.

How did you come up with the title?

Funny story. I struggle with titles, but when the idea for this book hit me, the first thing I knew about it was the title. But it wasn’t this title. I originally called this book Trust Me, I’m a Lawyer. That was the name the entire time I was writing it, right up until it was time to make a cover. Then I started to have doubts because this is a series and I wanted the next book’s title to tie in to the first. The second book I had tentatively titled A Good Kind of Trouble. And then I realized that title worked better for the first book, so I went with it. But in the back of my mind, this book is always going to be Trust Me, I’m a Lawyer.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

If there’s one message in Ben and Lindsey’s story, I suppose it’s to trust yourself. Lindsey doubts her ability to do her job, but inside she knows she’s onto something huge. Ben feels trapped in his job, but deep down he knows he can and should be doing something better. We all have those gut instincts and we should probably listen to them more.

What books have most influenced your life?

Like Lindsey, I was a journalist and was very much influenced by All the President’s Men. And like Ben, I’m a lawyer and To Kill a Mockingbird is my all-time favorite book. In fact, writing the scene where they talk about how they came to their jobs was probably the easiest part to write.

What book are you reading now?

I’ve been reading nonfiction lately as research. I just finished The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It…Every Time by Maria Konikova. It’s all about the psychology behind why people fall for cons and it’s so fascinating! And it’s giving me a ton of ideas for my next book!

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

She’s not a new author, but she’s new to me—I just discovered Rachael Herron and I’m reading The Darling Songbirds and loving it. I listen to Rachael’s podcasts and loved them, so I bought her book as a way to say thanks and to learn more about her writing. I’m so glad I did. Just love her writing.

What are your current projects?

I’m working on the fourth Miranda Vaughn book, tentatively titled Running the Numbers. I don’t have a date from my publisher yet, but I think it will be out in the fall. It’s been nice getting back into that world after a break. After that, I’ll be tackling book 2 in the Twin Rivers series!

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I don’t think I would change anything. I try to get that out of my system in the editing process! Of course, listening to the audiobook reminds me of little things that I would probably edit. But you have to let it go at some point.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

This is from Running the Numbers, book 4 in the Miranda Vaughn Mysteries series:

The numbers didn’t lie.

Over time, a growing percentage of my client’s marital assets had been withdrawn without her knowledge, and at her husband’s direction. I kept my gaze on the paperwork in front of me and worked at keeping my expression neutral, preparing myself to deliver the bad news to Mrs. Farrell, who sat across the conference table from me.

“Is it that bad?” Mrs. Farrell asked with a nervous laugh.

Clearly, my poker face wasn’t working. I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it felt fake. “I won’t know until I can get in and really examine these records, but you’re correct that there does seem to be a large increase in transfers in the last year.”

This was my least favorite part of my job, but it was necessary. No one ever came to see a forensic accountant because their books looked good. They came to us because they suspected a trusted bookkeeper was embezzling from the family business, or because they were under investigation and needed to prove that their accounting was merely sloppy, not criminal. Or in cases like Mrs. Farrell’s, they came to confirm what they likely already knew. That a spouse was hiding assets or money in anticipation of a divorce.

I hadn’t been working for Dottie for that long, but already I knew this part probably didn’t get easier.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Finding the time to write is the hardest part. I work full time and while I love my day job, it does take time away from the writing, which I enjoy so much.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

There are so many authors who I love, but right now I’m on a complete Amanda Stevens binge. I just love her Graveyard Queen series! She really captures the sensory details that evoke Charleston, South Carolina, and she is just a master storyteller. I read the first sample pages of The Restorer and it just gave me chills and I was hooked.

Do you travel much concerning your book(s)?

For A Good Kind of Trouble, I didn’t have to do any travel. Twin Rivers is a fictional city, loosely based on the city where I live. That made research easy.

Right now, I’m writing Running the Numbers, which takes place in Mexico so I’m drawing on my travels there. It’s a good excuse to dig through my old photo albums.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

I wrote A Good Kind of Trouble without an outline, so it was trying to figure out who did it while I was writing. I still remember when I wrote one scene toward the end and it surprised even me and I said out loud, “Whoa, I didn’t see that coming.”

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

At the time I wrote A Good Kind of Trouble, I was working fulltime as an attorney, so the biggest challenge was finding the time to write. I kept a notepad with me at all times and would steal time whenever I could to write—including at the courthouse while waiting for my cases to be called, or at the jail while I waited for a client to be brought to the interview room. It all added up, though, and eventually I did get to write the sweetest words—The End.