Ashley Compton, better known as Miss LARE, is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Call In For Murder, the latest novel in the Neon Desert mystery series.

Welcome, Miss LARE. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

Oh man ! I thought this was going to be about me, not the book. Oh well, Let’s Talk!

My name is Ashley Compton, but most of Las Vegas knows me as Miss LARE, the Love And Relationship Expert. I give homespun advice to locals on the air about all kinds of relationships. I don’t give science mumbo-jumbo. I talk to you like I’m a close friend to support you and help you through your problems.

I got this one caller who I gave advice to, and she was murdered within twelve hours. I didn’t like the interviewing detective because he was making fun of my career choice. At least that’s how it came across. And I was scared I might lose my job. After all, the woman was murdered right after I gave her advice.

So I started asking questions. The husband was my first suspect, and his mistress could have been a co-killer. And then there was the casino owner with a “loose morals” wife and a bodyguard that scared me. People were so rude! The biggest motives I found were money and adultery. Boxcars, as I call it.

I ended up getting my BFF Nathan to help me because after a few failed interview attempts, I knew I needed help from someone who can get anyone to talk.

But I learned a lot from Nathan about how to ask the right questions to get people to open up. Flattery will get me everywhere. I did confront the killer, was kind of flustered, and think I’m ready for a second adventure. Even if it incudes a murder. Bring it.

And, don’t get me started on my ex, Frank, who is stalking me.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

Oh, puleeze. Tammy thinks she’s in control. In most of the first story she was, because she was learning. And for some unknown reason she was listening to her editor and other professionals. I guess you could say in the first story she was “in school, doing exactly what the teachers told her to do.”

It didn’t help I was just being created and growing and didn’t know I was allowed to say anything. But in the second book I started speaking my mind. And the story became better, I guarantee it.

How did you evolve as the main character?

If you are asking about this thing called the character arc, I’ve down some growing and evolving. I’ve gained some self-confidence I didn’t know was in me. I’m slowing learning how to deal with other characters. I’m figuring out I need to deal with people in different ways, depending on their personality. One thing that hasn’t changed is the way I talk to the callers. That’s my schtick, I like it, and I’m sticking with it.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

To be honest, I don’t like sharing the spotlight, even though I’m forced to. Nathan is okay, even though he is a bit of a drama queen and likes to steal the show. But that’s okay, given he seriously helped me in the first story. And it doesn’t hurt he’s my best friend, and we’ve been through a lot of personal dramas together.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

Boy is that a loaded question. There are so many facets to Las Vegas that people don’t know. Everyone knows about the glitz, glamour, and excitement of the Strip Some locals love the tourists because it’s a cash cow. The food. The gambling. The shows. The shopping and tours.

But me? I deal with the local areas. Once you walk off the streets with the casinos, it’s like another world. Areas are sectioned off according to money made. There are hustlers everywhere, not just on the Strip. It’s got pretty and not-so-nice areas. And the people match the areas.

Like me. I live in a young, hipster area near the University. It’s a great area full of friendly couples, singles, and families, but like any place, I wouldn’t recommend walking alone after dark. I learned my lesson after being attacked.

The radio station is like a lion’s den. Everyone is out for themselves and are ready to pounce on the weak.

There’s really no way to explain Las Vegas: you need to experience the various areas for yourself. The Strip. Downtown. The rich and poor areas and everything in-between. My best advice? Ask the locals nicely what’s their favorite places. You will see the real Las Vegas that way.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

Two things you should know. Frank is my kryptonite. There’s a hold he has on me I can’t shake. But I will keep trying. Even if I have to kill him. Just kidding. Maybe.

And then there’s Cheryl. Yes, Cheryl is real. I am not exaggerating or acting over the top when I deal with her. She is of the elite class and looks down on me because I’m single (I like being single) and am lower middle class. I have to fight back somehow, and I use the weapon I was gifted with. A mouth that says whatever comes out of it, without thinking first.

Thank you for answering my questions, Miss LARE, and good luck to you and your author, Tammy Barker, with Call In For Murder, the latest book in the Neon Desert mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Miss LARE and her author, Tammy Barker by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon Digital – Amazon Print – B&N Print

About Tammy Barker: Tammy is a serious, by-the-book Washington DC government accountant by day and a wildly imaginative fiction writer by night. She writes contemporary traditional amateur sleuth mystery novels and historical pulp fiction short stories. Her other loves include reading anything, restoring or refurbishing vintage items, small home repairs, cooking and baking, classical piano, and wishing she lived during the 1940s and 1950s.