Today’s guest blogger is Canadian author Nancy Lauzon, whose exciting new novel debuts this fall.  Hannah is a character whose voice you will enjoy, and who gets herself into and out of trouble the way most of us change our clothes. The dialogue is snappy and you’ll gobble this one up!  Get a jump on the rest with this special contest Nancy is offering:

The Chick Dick Blog Contest!

Just visit Nancy’s blog at http://nancylauzon.blogspot.com and click “Follow” in the right hand column.

All new blog followers will be eligible to win a FREE copy of The Good, The Bad and The Hair-a Chick Dick Mystery. Deadline September 1st, 2011

   “Chicks make lousy detectives,” he said.  “Trust me, I’ve worked with a few. They can’t keep their mouths shut and they’re too emotional. You need a dick to be a good P.I., not to mention balls.”

   She smiled. “I guess that explains why you’re not a very good P.I. then, doesn’t it?”

Excerpt from:     A Few Dead Men – a Chick Dick Mystery by Nancy Lauzon            Release date: Fall 2011

Imagine an alternate universe, where a frizzy-haired Nancy Drew drives a beat up Delta, ekes out a living at a health food store, and worries about her father, on probation for tax evasion.

Or a disillusioned Nancy Drew with a bigamist father, who must save the family home from foreclosure.

Or a depressed Nancy Drew who runs away to escape her past traumas, and ends up in a haunted house.

Welcome to the world of Chick Dick Mysteries, a collection of novels inspired by my lifelong love of the Nancy Drew Mystery series, about women who share many of the qualities that Nancy Drew was noted for: brains, bravery, deduction, or a well placed karate kick.

“Nancy Drew, an attractive girl of eighteen, was driving home along a country road in her new, dark-blue convertible. She had just delivered some legal papers for her father … Carson Drew, a well known lawyer in their home of River Heights, (who) frequently discussed puzzling aspects of cases with his blond, blue-eyed daughter.”

(Excerpt from “The Secret of the Old Clock” by Carolyn Keene)

Problem is, how many eighteen-year-olds do you know who are allowed to drive around in a snappy roadster and solve mysteries for fun? Nancy’s father never nagged her about getting a job or studying harder at school. He was an unending source of emotional and financial support. His sternest warning? “Be careful.” Carson is the father every girl wants.

But not the one most of us have. Dad, I love you, but you never bought me a car for my birthday.

Growing up, I never had a Ned Nickerson in my life, either. Wouldn’t it be great to have a guy who was handsome, reliable and gallant, ready to fight off arsonists and kidnappers at a moment’s notice, but also willing to stay in the background if you needed your independence?

Nancy also enjoyed loyal and steadfast friends like Bess and George, who didn’t mind getting knocked down, poisoned, or nearly suffocated in an ice-cream freezer. Being friends with Nancy couldn’t have been easy, but it must have been irresistible.

On the flip side, a Chick Dick heroine’s personal life is usually a mess. They are noted for their disastrous love lives, dead beat–or dead–parents, mind-numbing jobs, and second-hand cars. A far cry from Nancy’s idyllic existence in River Heights, but perhaps a more relatable one for readers.

Nancy’s passion was solving mysteries and helping others. Chick Dicks are amateur sleuths too, but usually out of necessity rather than choice. A Chick Dick heroine gets thrown into the mystery by chance. While she might enjoy the challenge of following clues, the stakes are higher, and much more personal.

Nancy has been a wonderful role model for generations of fans, and has captured our hearts for more than eighty years. We love her, even though we might be just a tad jealous of her perfect life.

Following in Nancy’s slender, size 5 footsteps, Chick Dicks will beat their bad luck, bad hair and bad relationships. They’ll rise to their challenges and earn their happy ending.

But their path may be a little rockier.