Blog Tour Stop & Guest Blog: No Place Like Rome by Julie Moffett

So, how did I come up with the idea of the character of Lexi Carmichael. Well, it all started with James Bond. Yep, I’m a Bond geek. As a teen I read most of Ian Fleming’s books and then saw the movies. I adored the danger, the thrill of a complicated plot, the international action, and even the over-the-top chase scenes. Once in college, I even decided to join the CIA, majoring in Political Science and Russian Language for my undergraduate degree and then a M.A. in International Affairs. I went all the way through four years of the interview process with the CIA, including taking a tour of the site, meeting my prospective boss in the Psychological Profiling Unit, and taking a lengthy lie detector test. (By the way, did you know that the CIA cafeteria at Langley has two sides to it: one side for the ordinary agents and one side for the covert agents? I kid you not!!) I studied the Polish language for a year at the University of Warsaw to broaden my language skills. At the very last moment, however, I changed my mind, opting instead for a less restrictive career in international journalism. I worked for eleven glorious years at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Washington D.C. Still, even after I left that job, my love for all things spy and international remained.

So when I began to write a new series several years ago, I decided to do it by turning the James Bond image on its head. I would therefore create an action/adventure character that would be an antithesis to 007. She would be plain, lacking in social skills and grace, and a complete fashion disaster. Also, instead of using her debonair charms and good looks to save the day, she’d use her brain. A super-charged geek brain. To help her out I’d pair her with a set of super genius geek twins to get her through the crisis (think Q times two). Her best friend would be more of a Bond-style girl and would help her navigate the tricky waters of dating, socializing, and finding a decent dress. I’d also give my character an obsession with all things Bond, which have led to many humorous moments in the books. Even the title of the first book in the series is a word play on a Bond movie.

And that’s how Lexi Carmichael was born! 🙂

Title: No Place Like Rome by Julie Moffett
Lexi Carmichael Series Book Four
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Word Count: 61,000

Summary:

A Lexi Carmichael Mystery

Italy might seem like a long way to go to hide after a disastrous date. But when sexy überhacker Slash (no, that’s not his real name) asks me to go with him to Rome on an investigation, the timing is sort of perfect. My messed-up love life becomes the least of my worries, though, after the dead body, the near-kidnapping and the discovery of a top secret encrypted file that even I can’t hack.

With time running out, there’s only one thing to do: call in the legendary Zimmerman twins and my best fluent-in-Italian friend, Basia, to crack the code. Now if only someone could help me solve the mystery of whether Slash is flirting, or if all the kissing is just one of those “when in Rome” things…

But when we finally uncover the secret someone would kill to keep, it’s up to me to solve the case and save the lives of my best friends.

Just another week in the life of geek-girl Lexi Carmichael.

Read about Lexi’s previous adventures in No One Lives Twice, No One to Trust and No Money Down.

61,000 words

Purchase Links: Carina Press * Amazon

Author Bio

Julie Moffett is the award-winning author of thirteen published novels in the genres of historical, paranormal fantasy, and time travel romances, and action/adventure mysteries.

She grew up as a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending Kubasaki High School in Okinawa, Japan, backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months, a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues.

Julie has a B.A. in Political Science and Russian Language from Colorado College, a M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is nearly finished with her M.Ed. Able to speak Russian and Polish, she worked as a journalist for the international radio station, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Washington, D.C. for eleven years, publishing hundreds of articles. She now works as a proposal writer and research advisor for a defense contractor in the Washington, D.C. area.

Julie is a single mom with two sons, who keep her quite busy. She belongs to Romance Writers of America and Washington Romance Writers where she served six years on the organization’s Board of Directors. She was also the Market News Columnist and Feature’s Editor for the organization’s monthly newsletter, Update, for eleven years.

Author Links: Website * Blog * Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter

Follow the rest of the tour HERE.