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Gambling with Murder: A Southern California Mystery
by Lida Sideris
About Gambling for Murder
Gambling with Murder: A Southern California Mystery
Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – California
Level Best Books (March 29, 2022)
Paperback, 260 pages
Digital ASIN : B09QYW2VYG
A late-night call is all it takes for rookie lawyer Corrie Locke to kiss her day job at the movie studio goodbye, and do what she does best: flex her sweet P.I. skills and go undercover to find a senior who’s missing from a posh retirement community. One small stumbling block: skirting past security to gain inside access to the exclusive Villa Sunset. Time to call in the heavy artillery. Besides former security guard turned legal assistant—now wannabe P.I.—Veera, Corrie relies on a secret weapon: her mother, a surprisingly eager addition to Corrie’s team. Armed with enough pepper spray to take down a band of Navy Seals, Mom impersonates a senior to infiltrate the Villa, Corrie and Veera in tow. Turns out the job’s not as easy as they’d thought. These seniors have tricks tucked up their sleeves and aren’t afraid of using them.
The action gets dicey when the missing senior case turns into attempted murder by a criminal mind who’s always one step ahead. Corrie’s hot on the trail, but finds more than she bargained for…when her mother becomes a target.
The Imposter
By Lida Sideris
My bout with Imposter Syndrome didn’t start with becoming a published author. It started long before and pesters me to this day, thankfully to a much lesser extent. But I sometimes still wonder if I am who I am, professionally speaking.
When I took the California Bar Exam – the final step needed to practice law – doubt nipped me the whole way. At my heels, my elbows, the ears and all other exposed body parts. In fact, on the second day of the three-day exam, I nearly left, certain I’d never pass in this lifetime. It didn’t help matters that during the breaks, I overheard other exam takers mention subjects I’d entirely missed on the test. With one foot dangling out the door, I forced myself to return and completed the exam. And passed.
Caltech describes “imposter syndrome” this way: “Impostor syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that the opposite is true. It is experienced internally as chronic self-doubt, and feelings of intellectual fraudulence.”
This syndrome still hits me sometimes, at the starting gate. It rears its wobbly head when I write that pesky first draft. Which brings me to the story of Secretariat, the champion race-horse. Although he lost his maiden race after another horse collided with him, he won his second race by six lengths. Slow to start, it took time for Secretariat to reach his stride. This marked his signature for the rest of his career. Starting behind, he’d eventually lead the pack. Did he have to fight off Imposter Syndrome every time he started a race? Is that what slowed him down? Did it matter? Nope. He seemed to always reach his goal.
It’s been said that our thoughts will inevitably bring either failure or success — according to which thought is the strongest. To keep strong thoughts about my current status as a happily published author, I carry a book around. One of my books, written by me. I can smell and touch and see it. I remind myself that I untangled 80,000 words and multiple rewrites to create something tangible. I’m loving every moment of authorship. If that doesn’t fend off Imposter Syndrome, nothing else will.
About Lisa Sideris
Lida Sideris’ first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer’s dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio…kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida was one of two national winners of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship Award and a Silver Falchion Award Finalist. She lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens. To learn more, please visit: www.LidaSideris.com
Author Links
Website www.lidasideris.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lidasideris
Twitter: @lidasideris
Instagram: @lida_sideris
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lida-sideris
Purchase Links – Amazon
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2,680 total views, 2 views today
Lida Sideris
Thank you very much, Brooke, for hosting me today. I appreciate it!
Jodi Hunter
Sounds like a super awesome read.
Antoinette M
I’m new to the series. Sounds like a great cozy!