Today I am so pleased to welcome Daisy Harris to Joyfully Jay. Daisy has come to talk to us about her latest release, Investigating Julius Drake. She has also brought along a great giveaway! Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Welcome to the Investigating Julius Drake blog tour! I’m Daisy, the author, and I’ll be sharing excerpts from the book, as well as extra information about the characters, location and story. Up until recently, Seattle was my home town, and I’ve stolen plenty of locations and institutions as settings for Investigating Julius Drake. Together, we’ll take a tour through the twisty-turny, damp and caffeine-addled world that my protagonist, Henry Walker, finds himself in. Grab yourself a double, almond, split-shot, extra-foam latte, pull up a chair, and join us! And don’t forget to comment for a chance to win a $30 Starbucks gift card. Drink like a Seattleite and enjoy.
Double Tall Mystery: Julius Drake and Seattle Coffee Culture
I can always tell whether a Seattle-Based story is written by someone who actually lives in Seattle by one simple thing: how often the characters drink coffee. For the true Seattleite, coffee is more than a daily ritual. It’s an institution. We make coffee in the morning, then “go for coffee” later in the day. Sometimes we grab a coffee again, with friends. When setting up an impromptu meeting, we’re more likely to arrange it at Starbucks than anywhere else. That’s why in my new Young Adult book, Investigating Julius Drake, my characters drink coffee practically every chapter.
At least one early reader reacted with surprise that my fourteen year olds were all downing lattes, and I had to remind myself that in other parts of the country, teenagers might not be as used to caffeine as their counterparts in the Pacific Northwest. But for Seattle kids, Starbucks is their soda shop. The neighborhood coffee shop is like the Peach Pit from Beverly Hills 90210 or The Bronze in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s where kids go to feel grown up. They may drink decaf or chai or even some sort of fruity iced concoction; their beverage of choice doesn’t have to be coffee, per se. But they do have to go to the coffee shop, because that’s where everyone goes. It’s the community meeting place, and you don’t find a Seattle neighborhood without one.
What do my characters drink, though? Peoples coffee preferences are windows to their souls. Henry, being from Texas, is not used to the Starbucks life. He typically drinks Sanka with his mom at home. However, buoyed by peer pressure, he’s developed a liking for tall, decaf drips. After all, lattes and cappuccinos cost extra. Cream and sugar are free.
Julius, on the other hand, has been drinking coffee since grade school, and is a quadruple-shot-americano type. The last thing Julius needs with his borderline mania is more stimulation, but when he’s on a case, he enjoys the added energy. Not that he’d never admit it to anyone, but he quite enjoys the caffeine buzz.
Bethany is a fan of the split-shot mocha. She wants a little caffeine, but not too much. And she has a sweet tooth.
The funny thing about Julius Drake is that the Starbucks they frequent actually exists. In fact, the Madison Park Starbucks featured in the book was the first Starbucks ever. And Howard’s Shultz, the company’s founder, has been known to stop in from time to time for his own cup of Joe. I don’t know what Howard’s drink of choice is. But if I ever find out, I’ll be sure to include it in the next Julius Drake installment.
What’s my favorite buzz, you may ask? Investigating Julius Drake was written with the help of numerous soy lattes. Buy how you read it is up to you! What’s your favorite coffee? Let me know below and be entered for a chance to win a $30 gift certificate to—you guessed it—Starbucks!
Blurb
After arriving at Seattle’s prestigious Clinton Academy, fourteen-year-old Henry Walker realizes he won’t fit in. If he’s going to run with the rich and powerful, he’ll have to hide his modest background, his lack of interest in girls, and most importantly, his fascination with his handsome but troubled classmate Julius Drake.
When Julius draws Henry into the investigation of a classmate’s suicide attempt, Henry can’t resist the case—or Julius. Soon, Henry’s not only facing the truth about his feelings for Julius, but also risking his life to unmask a social media imposter. “The Other Woman” is manipulating his classmates, searching out their vulnerabilities, and driving them to desperate actions. Julius himself is at risk, what with his callous parents threatening to send him away, and his mental health taking a beating both at school and at home.
If Henry’s going to save the day and get the boy of his dreams, he’ll have to stop worrying what everyone thinks and stop pretending to be someone he’s not. Most of all, Henry will have to be honest about who he loves.
Bio
Born into the psychedelic wonder that was the seventies, Daisy Harris has had an interesting life so far. She’s been to Catholic school and Ramones concerts, danced to MC Hammer and Flo Rida, made the honor roll and Phi Beta Kappa, survived cholera, faced bed bugs, and she’s been a hair’s breadth from shipwreck twice. (Three times, if you count sea kayaks!)
Daisy has been a lifelong reader, devouring romance, young adult, urban fantasy, and nonfiction alike. In her professional life, she’s written medical copy and edited scientific papers. However, since 2012, she’s devoted her energy to writing gay romance full-time. That’s okay, because now on the weekends she reads medical studies for fun.
As far as Daisy’s concerned, the best things in life happen by accident. Though she’s gotten better at planning over the years, she still writes, lives, and plays by the seat of her pants. Her books are a happy mix of mysteries, romantic comedies, and coming-of-age stories, more often than not inspired by the great films of the 1980s.
Daisy lives in Seattle in a house full of dogs and children. When she’s not writing gay fiction, she can be found riding her exercise bike and testing the outer boundaries of her food processor’s potential. Every once in a while, she goes out to pay homage to the party gods of her youth—and maybe to find a little trouble.
Twitter: <a href=”http://www.twitter.com/thedaisyharris”>@thedaisyharris</a>
Tumblr: <a href=”http://thedaisyharris.tumblr.com/”>thedaisyharris</a>
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Investigating Julius Drake, one lucky winner will receive a $30 Starbucks Gift Card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 8, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
- By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
- If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Readers may only enter once for each contest. Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Thanks for an enjoyable post, Daisy; I had noticed a few (just a few) coffee shops in Seattle. My drink of choice is hot chocolate as I’ve never been a fan of hot coffee; I’d be happy to have a scoop of coffee ice cream though. Congratulations on your new release; Investigating Julius Drake sounds like a fun read.
Thats funny. I like coffee, but not coffee flavored ice cream. I’m a mint chocolate chip girl.:)
Thanks for stopping by the tour
I’ve read other books by Daisy and this is definitly one that sounds very good. Congrats on the new release, by the way!
serena91291@gmail.com
It depends on what shop I’m going to, or what I’m eating with the drink. At my favorite roaster in the next town over, I usually get a nonfat latte (theirs are so silky, I don’t know how), because I down a cappuccino in nothing flat and it feels anticlimactic. At my hometown’s place, I get a nonfat mocha because their chocolate is so delicious. At Starbucks, I usually get a flat white (and try to resist picking up one of the Charles Chocolate bars they have at the Northern California locations now)!
vitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks for the post! I started drinking coffee as a teen, too (grew up in Northern Cal). And my nephew, who was born in Vietnam, starting drinking it as a young kid, albeit with tons of cream & sugar. I prefer mine black and we grind beans and use an “over the top” coffee maker at home.
I have Investigating Julius Drake on my TBR list.
jen(dot)f(at)mac(dot)com
I’m looking forward to reading this — I love the pop of color on the cover. It’s great.
As far as coffee, I’m a cheap Texan so I usually just make a cup of decaf at home, but when I go
out to Starbucks I usually get a mocha frappuccino with whipped cream, YUM!!
aelnova @aol.com
I wish to visit Seattle. My daughter used to manage a Starbucks.
debby236 at gmail dot com
The premise sounds interesting. I actually don’t drink coffee but I’ve got quite the sweet tooth.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
interesting bio
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Love this post and I’m a huge coffee LOVER <3 crossing my fingers and toes!
My favorite would be the Starbucks Expresso Mocha. It has the nice blend of chocolate with the coffee that I like. The Peppermint version is a favorite too.
Your post was fun to read and to learn more about the coffee culture in Seattle.
I don’t drink coffee. I prefer Chai Latte instead. Thanks for the post.
legacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com
I am not a big coffee drinker, but if I visit Starbucks here in my hometown, Jakarta, Indonesia, I usually order Americano, or Caramel Latte when I want something rather swet
amie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com