Jane Reads: Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman | Blog Tour with Interview and Giveaway

Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman

Series: A Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery, #1

Genre: Mystery / Amateur Sleuth
Publication Date: December 12, 2017
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Hardcover: 288 pages

ISBN-10: 1683313135
ISBN-13: 978-1683313137

E-Book File Size: 755 KB

ASIN: B076B3CCYH

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The Blurb

Katie LeClair has finally settled down as the new doctor in Baxter, MI. After years of moving, schooling, and training, she wants nothing more than to find a place she can call home, and a small town outside of Ann Arbor seemed perfect.

Katie quickly gets to work in building a life for herself in Baxter, and beyond reviving her love life, she also finds a pair of business partners in a team of father and son family practitioners. But that idyllic dream is immediately shattered when one of her patients is found dead. That wouldn't be the worst thing, except the death is ruled a suicide, and as evidence has it, the suicide was a result of the medication Katie had prescribed. But she doesn't remember writing it.

When a closer investigation reveals it was murder, Katie is catapulted into an off-the-books investigation that leads her down a dark path of past secrets. But someone is willing to kill to keep part of the town's history in the shadows, and Katie must race to find out who before it's too late in nationally bestselling author Dawn Eastman's riveting series debut Unnatural Causes.

The Author Interview

Thank you so much for visiting Jane Reads today, Dawn.

Where did you get the idea for Unnatural Causes? While I was a resident, it occurred to me that it would be very easy to call in a prescription and/or forge a prescription. That was the seed that started the story.

How many books do you plan to write in the Dr Katie LeClair Mysteries? It’s an open-ended series, so at least two (because they are already written). As long as Katie keeps uncovering suspicious activities, I’ll keep telling her story.

In your Family Fortune Mysteries, and now in the Dr Katie LeClair Mysteries, how do you keep up with everything that is going on, from book to book, in each series? I keep a series “bible” of names, dates, descriptions, settings, etc. It is hard to keep track of all the details once you get three or four books in a series!

Of all your books you've written, do you have one that is really special to you? Probably Pall in the Family because it was my first. However, every book I work on is my favorite while I’m writing it…

What are you currently working on? I just finished book two of the Katie LeClair series. I plan to get back to the Family Fortune series in the new year.

What book releases do you have planned for 2018 and the rest of 2017? The first Katie LeClair will release this month. I think the second Katie book will be out in 2018.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Mostly a plotter. Once the structure is in place and I have a good road map, I let the characters dictate the details.

Do you have your ending in mind when you are planning, or does it come to you while you are writing? I usually know when I start writing who the murderer is and his/her motive. Occasionally there will be more murders than I had planned. I will often have a vague idea of the setting of the big confrontation scene so I know what I am working toward.

Do you always know the bad guy's motive when you begin writing, or does it evolve as the story goes? I usually know from the beginning.

At what point in writing a novel do you come up with the title? For most of my books, the publisher has provided the title. Sometimes I’ll float one out there if I think of a good one.

What is your writing process? Do you self-edit along the way, or once you've finished the entire book? I try to get about halfway through the book before going back to edit. It’s usually around that point that I need a refresher on the details of what came before, so I will go back and re-read and edit as I go.

Where is your favorite place to write? I have a large comfy chair and ottoman in my office. That’s usually where I sit with my laptop. Everyone knows I’m writing and not to disturb unless it’s an emergency. The dog ignores this rule and sits right next to me and leans on my arm. It’s not at all ergonomically healthy.

What was your favorite book to read as a child? I read Charlotte’s Web about ten times.

Where did you first discover your love of mystery? Nancy Drew and later Agatha Christie

What is the best book you've read so far this year? I “discovered” Deborah Crombie and Elly Griffiths this year. They both have long running series that are wonderful. If I had to pick one single book, I’d say Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory. Each POV was so distinct and all the moving parts come together brilliantly.

What are you reading now? What’s in your TBR pile, that you can’t wait to get to? Right now I’m finishing House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths. I adore her Ruth Galloway series. This is my second time through. Next in line is Glass Houses by Louise Penny.

Can you tell us about a guilty pleasure? Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream.

Tell us about an item on your bucket list. I would love to live in Scotland for a year or so. We visited as a family recently. The country is so beautiful and we loved the people.

Thank you again for visiting with us today, Dawn. I've enjoyed getting to know a little about you and your books. Unnatural Causes is next on my TBR.

The Author

About Dawn Eastman

National bestselling author Dawn Eastman was a family medicine physician in Michigan. Now she lives in Iowa with her husband, son, and daughter. When not writing, she keeps busy catering to the whims of a bossy bichon-shih tzu mix who wants to rule the world.

This is her first Dr. Katie LeClair mystery. She is also the author of THE FAMILY FORTUNE MYSTERIES.

Find Dawn on the web at

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