Thursday, May 20, 2010

Meet Author Jeffrey Leever!



[Readers, pay attention to the information at the end of this post, for a chance to win an autographed copy of Jeffrey Leever's new book!]

Dark Chocolate & Dark Mystery by Jeffrey Leever

When I see Allie’s heading above with the website’s name and the hearts, for whatever reason the first thing I think of is dark chocolate – and the fact that studies have shown it’s good for the heart. One of the things I like to do at my book signing events is to have some dark chocolate available at my table. Besides the enjoyment I get from occasionally eating the inventory, there is a bit of a tie-in with the title of my first book, Dark Friday. People seem to like it enough that I’ve continued the practice at events for my latest mystery novel, The University.

My palate, of course, has been telling me for many years that dark chocolate is “good.” Researchers at The Journal of the American Medical Association and elsewhere seem to agree. Apparently, small portions of the dark stuff lowers high blood pressure. The antioxidants present in dark chocolate (but not white or milk chocolate, sadly) tend to devour the kinds of destructive molecules that cause high blood pressure like a sumo wrestler at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Only sweeter.

Whenever I give people a square of Ghirardelli’s Dark or a Dark Hershey’s KISS, I always tell them, “A dark mystery novel is good for your heart, too.” I get some surprised looks on occasion. Then I talk about something that I can’t prove with a medical study but nevertheless believe: Dark mysteries that also manage to have a heart are good for the soul. They’re also a great choice (whether authored by yours truly or someone else) to give to a person who thinks they aren’t a reader, or someone who usually struggles to make it through a book.

I believe in fast-moving, heart-pumping, easy-to-get-through stories. I also believe in writing novels that include all the requisite stresses, twists, chills, and thrills of the mystery genre, but that have some real-world meaning beyond just the plots themselves. Books that can move people, occasionally leave them crying (and I don’t mean in fear), or make them want to talk through certain topics with others afterward. My favorite reviews and reader comments are when people notice this aspect and/or are surprised when I “take them there” amid all of the chaos.

My most-recent book, The University, deals with a college student who is trying to figure out why his best friend disappeared. He ends up battling a cult group. And falling in love. Meanwhile, an investigative journalist cracks an unsolved murder case from two years ago and helps a former police officer find redemption in the process.

It’s a story that’s both dark and has a good heart. Give it a try sometime if you have the chance.

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JEFFREY LEEVER (www.jeffreyleever.com) is on virtual tour this week with the Omnimystery family of websites (http://jeffrey-leever.omnimystery.com) and is giving away a free copy of The University. He lives in Blue Springs, Missouri, with his wife and daughter. Like Allie, he loves pets. He owns a turtle (Frodo), a newt (Gingrich), a rabbit (Neo), and a cat who showed up in 2008 and has never left (Sebastian).


About The University

Ah, college life at Tremont University. A place for learning. Partying and dating. And murder.

When investigative journalist Kevin Gibson lets his cousin, a former cop, talk him into looking into a student's disappearance at Tremont University, he gets more than he bargained for. A former student — injured in a brutal attack two years ago and in a coma — may hold a critical piece of information that can solve the mystery. Meanwhile, an attractive coed continues to hide a very dark secret.

Tremont junior Brett Duncan is determined to find out what happened to his best friend, who's gone missing. Along with his girlfriend Ciera Kindle, Brett is drawn into a cunning world few know exist -- a conspiracy involving faculty, students, and some well-connected people in high places.

Beneath the campus’ Hallmark-card exterior lie many secrets, and a pulse-racing mystery with plenty of chills along the way.


*****

Want to win a copy of The University? Just visit Jeffrey Leever's tour page and enter this pin # (unique to Allie's Musings): 4637. Good luck, and thanks for visiting with us here today!

2 comments:

misterreereeder said...

*I really liked the correlation between chocolate and mystery. Interesting idea. I can imagine some of the looks you must get. Enjoyed your "dark" mystery - The University,

Jeffrey said...

Thanks! Glad you liked the book. Now I think I might celebrate with a brownie.