GUEST POST BY JUNE SHAW

ABOUT THE BOOK

Twin sister divorcees Sunny Taylor and Eve Vaughn have had their fill of heartaches and headaches. They settle down in the small Louisiana town of Sugar Ledge and open a remodeling and repair company, thinking they’ve finally found some peace—even though Eve is still open for romance while Sunny considers her own heart out-of-business. Eve urges her sister to find love again, and Sunny protests, until she secretly finds herself falling for the man Eve has decided is her own soulmate. 
 
But soon their newest customer ends up face-down in a pond near a seating area they created, and his widow is found dead not long afterward. Unfortunately, Sunny was witnessed having an unpleasant exchange with the woman, and suspicion falls on her. Then an attempt is made on Eve’s life, and the sisters find themselves pulled into a murder mystery they need to learn how to navigate.
 
With a town of prying eyes on them, and an unknown culprit out to stop them, Sunny and Eve will have to depend on each other like never before to keep the hammer of death from slamming on one of them.

GUEST POST BY JUNE SHAW

A Fatal Romance is book 1 in the twin sisters mystery series. Book 2, Dead On The Bayou, will be out in the fall, following by book 3, Saving Mom.

Author June Shaw lives near the bayous and swamps of south Louisiana. A native southerner, she loves being surrounded by her large family. They and her faith and friends are most important to her. Multi-published, she has represented her state on the board of Mystery Writers of America for a number of years. She cheers like crazy when the Saints and LSU play and jumps around with gold pompoms and kisses everyone in her den when they score. June has never seen a gator crossing her yard, although that doesn’t mean none have when she wasn’t looking.

She has dated Bob, a jovial Cajun who’s a terrific cook, for decades. Both previously married with a bunch of children and grandchildren, they live a few blocks apart and see each other daily. It works! Although she prepares a few dishes, normally Bob brings over wonderful stews and gumbos and jambalayas. Here is a dish he created that Sunny knows is Eve’s favorite. While Eve picks mostly on diet tidbits and doesn’t cook much, Sunny does enjoy cooking and prepares this for Eve when she needs her to come over.


SHRIMP CREOLE

2 t. cooking oil               
1 lg. onion                     
1 clove garlic                 
¼ green pepper              
1 T. flour
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 cans water
2 T. parsley
2 lbs. peeled shrimp
Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

Heat oil over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until soft.
Stir in green pepper and garlic; sauté 2 minutes.
Blend in flour. Add sauce and cook 5 minutes.
Stir in water, shrimp, parsley, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Serve over cooked rice and enjoy.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From the bayou country of South Louisiana, June Shaw previously sold a series of humorous mysteries to Five Star, Harlequin, and Untreed Reads. Publishers Weekly praised her debut, Relative Danger, which became a finalist for the David Award for Best Mystery of the Year. A hybrid author who has published other works, she has represented her state on the board of Mystery Writers of America’s Southwest Chapter for many years and continued to serve as the Published Author Liaison for Romance Writers of America’s Southern Louisiana chapter. She gains inspiration for her work from her faith, family, and friends, including the many readers who urge her on.



Connect with June:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Kensington Books

Buy the book:
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FEATURED AUTHOR: TERESA TRENT

ABOUT THE BOOK

Artist Gabby Wolfe has the ability to see not only the beauty of the living but the despair of the dead. When she returns to her childhood home in Henry Park Colorado, she is forced to bring along her younger brother Mitch. He is on a “break” from college where he was majoring in wine, women, and song. If that isn’t enough they also have Mitch’s rambunctious beagle Luigi along who prefers to spend his days wallowing in junk food. When Gabby draws the death of a young woman before it happens, she knows she must tell someone and risk a new job and her professional credibility. Will she reveal her secret in time to save the woman in the water or will it be too late?

INTERVIEW WITH TERESA TRENT

Teresa, how did you get started writing?
I started writing little by little. I loved fiction that featured small town life and wanted to show the warmth of every day human existence. I made plenty of mistakes, but struggling with my three kids who had dyslexia, dysgraphia, and Down syndrome, you get into the mindset that if something is difficult you have to think of it as just a road block and there is always a way to get around it.  If my daughter didn’t give up on reading, there was no way I would give up on writing. So, I kept at it until I finally finished a book. Then I figured out all the mistakes I made with that one and wrote a second book and more from there.

What’s your favorite thing about the writing process?
Watching my characters come clearer with each draft.

Do you have a writing routine?
So many! Each novel I write has a three-ring binder. Most of my initial plotting is done by hand with a series of questions I ask for each plot and subplot. From there I create a tentative scene list and then go to work on the writing. Once I start, that’s all I do until the end of the first draft. Once I finish that, I put the binder on my shelf and work through a second or third draft of another novel. This way I have time to step back and think about the book a little before I tackle the second draft.

Do you write every day?
Yes!

What do you wish you had done differently when you had first started the writing process?
I wish I had hired a professional editor before I published my first book.

What do you think is the hardest part of writing a book?
The middle. I know how I want it start and how I want it to end. Getting there is another matter.

What’s more important—character or plot?
First plot then good characters to make it real to the reader.

How often do you read?
Every day.

What is your writing style?
I think I write simply. The Popeye method. I am what I am. I have been told by my critique group I’m all about the dialogue. I can’t help adding humor, and when I tried to write a thriller, it was a dismal failure. You just can’t make jokes about deep terror like a serial killer.

What do you think makes a good story?
I love characters I can identify with who find success on their journeys.  I absolutely hate a story where everyone loses at the end.

What books do you currently have published?
Color Me Dead is the first installment of the Henry Park Series.

I also have six books in The Pecan Bayou Series, a story about a helpful hints writer who solves crimes in the tiny Texas town of Pecan Bayou.

What five things would you never live without?
1.    Warm feet on a cold night
2.    Brownies just coming out of the oven
3.    Lip Balm
4.    My computer
5.    A great story

What do you love about where you live?
I live in Houston, Texas. I love the balmy breezes and the excellent Mexican food!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Teresa Trent writes cozy mysteries that take place in small towns in Texas. She was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee but with her father in the military, didn't stay for long. She's lived all over but has a special place in her heart for Colorado, Illinois and of course, Texas. Being a fan of the Andy Griffith Show and Murder She Wrote, she loves creating quirky small towns and colorful characters. She decided to feature a character with Down syndrome in the Pecan Bayou series because after giving birth to her son with DS, she discovered there were very few people like him in the world of cozy mysteries. She continues that with the character of Gigi, a young woman with cerebral palsy in the Henry Park Series. Teresa lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, two of her adult children and a needy dachshund mix named Martin Luther. 

Connect with Teresa:
Website   |  Blog  |  Facebook  |   Twitter  |   Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

Note: Color Me Dead is FREE on Amazon!

BOOK BLAST: THE BLESSED EVENT

The Blessed Event (The Professor Molly Mysteries)

Publisher: Hawaiian Heritage Press (June 10, 2016)
Paperback: 344 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1943476251
Kindle ASIN: B01GW5WUAE

ABOUT THE BOOK

"You may wonder what my least-favorite student was doing in my living room. In a twist of fate that might seem hilarious if it happened to someone else, he was now my stepson."

Professor Molly Barda is looking forward to a quiet summer in Mahina, Hawaii working on her research and adjusting to married life. But when a visit from her new husband's relatives coincides with a murder, Molly wonders what she's married into--and realizes she might have a killer under her roof.

Other books by Frankie Bow

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Like Molly Barda, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, a loving family, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining.

In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.



Connect with Frankie:

Webpage     Twitter     Facebook     LinkedIn    Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

GUEST POST BY ELENA HARTWELL

ABOUT THE BOOK

Private Investigator Edwina “Eddie Shoes” Schultz’s most recent job has her parked outside a seedy Bellingham hotel, photographing her quarry as he kisses his mistress goodbye. This is the last anyone will see of the woman… alive. Her body is later found dumped in an abandoned building. Eddie’s client, Kendra Hallings, disappears soon after. Eddie hates to be stiffed for her fee, but she has to wonder if Kendra could be in trouble too. Or is she the killer?

Eddie usually balks at matters requiring a gun, but before she knows it, she is knee-deep in dangerous company, spurred on by her card-counting adrenaline-junkie mother who has shown up on her doorstep fresh from the shenanigans that got her kicked out of Vegas. Chava is only sixteen years older than Eddie and sadly lacking in parenting skills. Her unique areas of expertise, however, prove to be helpful in ways Eddie can’t deny, making it hard to stop Chava from tagging along.

Also investigating the homicide is Detective Chance Parker, new to Bellingham’s Major Crimes unit but no stranger to Eddie. Their history as a couple back in Seattle is one more kink in a chain of complications, making Eddie’s case more frustrating and perilous with each tick of the clock.

GUEST POST BY ELENA HARTWELL

Getting The Details Right In Fiction

One of the trickiest things about writing fiction is getting details correct, especially in areas where the writer doesn’t have personal experience. For example, I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve also never found a dead body or investigated a homicide. This makes it tough to accurately portray a killer, a witness, or a detective.

And in my fiction, I do all three.

So what’s a writer to do?

In my experience, it’s a combination of research and common sense.

A writer also has to be prepared to have experts point out mistakes in their published novels and be gracious about it. It will be tempting to correct their grammar while they do so, but bite your tongue, smile, and say thank you.

For research, I love to read nonfiction in the subjects pertaining to a specific manuscript. Whether it’s cheating at cards or narcissistic personality disorder, there are plenty of great resources out there written by experts. I read about areas I know I’ll need help with before I start a manuscript.

Once I start writing the manuscript, I continue to do research, either online or in nonfiction books. I also keep a running list of questions for an expert.

After I’ve written the first solid draft—my writing process includes a lot of rewriting as I go, so “first draft” is a bit misleading—I contact experts in the various disciplines explored in the work.

This is my favorite part about being a writer. Experts love to talk about the things they are passionate about. I have gotten to tour through a working glass factory, gone on rides with the fire department, and have a long-standing relationship with a homicide detective.

I’ve also interviewed veterans about PTSD, spoken with beekeepers about colony collapse disorder, and spent time with people at a mental health facility. These experiences stay with me and dictate not just the words I put on the page, but also how I see the world.

Talking with experts is the best way I know how to sprinkle my fiction with real-world jargon, specific details, and accurate depictions. It’s also a great way to figure out plot points and actions that might not otherwise occur to me. The opening to the second book in my series, Two Heads Are Deader Than One, completely changed after a conversation with my expert in homicide detection. Without talking to him, I might never have figured out a great way to get my protagonist into trouble in the first place.

Then comes the common sense part. This is hard because you don’t know what you don’t know. Sometimes I get information wrong because I never knew to ask a certain question. So the first thing a writer has to develop is a keen sense of “why do I think that?”

If the answer is, because that’s how I’ve seen it portrayed over and over again on TV and in the movies, a red flag should be going up.

From homicide investigation tactics, to weapons, to medical emergencies, the public has been fed a steady stream of inaccurate depictions of crime and the people who deal with it on a daily basis.

One of the things I include with my questions for my experts are all the details I think I have correct. So, in addition to asking “how would you…” I also say, “I believe the following is true…” and make sure I verify what I think I know with someone who actually does.

Truth is stranger than fiction. It’s also important to people. Getting things “right” in your fiction shows readers you care about the characters you write and the world they live in. It also shows you care about the world you live in. With the recent explosion of fake news and a lack of respect for what’s true, fiction writers have an even greater duty to “get things right.”

The bottom line? Do the best you can, your readers will forgive your human errors and appreciate how hard you try. Own your mistakes and move on.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After twenty years in the theater, Elena Hartwell turned her dramatic skills to fiction. Her first novel, One Dead, Two to Go introduces Eddie Shoes, private eye. Called “the most fun detective since Richard Castle stumbled into the 12th precinct,” by author Peter Clines, I’DTale Magazine stated, “this quirky combination of a mother-daughter reunion turned crime-fighting duo will captivate readers.”

In addition to her work as a novelist, Elena teaches playwriting at Bellevue College and tours the country to lead writing workshops.

When she’s not writing or teaching, her favorite place to be is at the farm with her horses, Jasper and Radar, or at her home, on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, Washington, with her husband, their dog, Polar, and their trio of cats, Jackson, Coal Train, and Luna, aka, “the other cat upstairs.” Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Connect with Elena:
Webpage  |   Blog   |   Facebook  |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Pinterest   

Buy the book:
Amazon   |   B&N   |  iTunes  |  kobo 

 

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FEATURED AUTHOR: ELLEN MANSOOR COLLIER

ABOUT THE BOOK

Before Las Vegas, Galveston, Texas was called the “Sin City of the Southwest.” Real-life rival gangs fight over booze and bars during Prohibition in this soft-boiled Jazz Age mystery, inspired by actual events. Jasmine Cross, a 21-year-old society reporter, feels caught between two clashing cultures: the seedy speakeasy underworld and the snooty social circles she covers in the Galveston Gazette. After a big-shot banker with a hidden past collapses at the Oasis—a speakeasy secretly owned by her black-sheep half-brother, Sammy Cook—Jazz suspects foul play. Was it an accident or a mob hit? Soon handsome young Prohibition Agent James Burton raids the Oasis, threatening to shut it down if Sammy doesn’t cooperate. Suspicious, he pursues Jazz, hoping for information and more, but despite her mixed feelings she refuses to rat on Sammy. As turf wars escalate between the Downtown and Beach gangs, Sammy is accused of murder. To find the killer, Jazz must risk her life and career, exposing the dark side of Galveston’s glittering society.

EXCERPT FROM FLAPPERS, FLASKS AND FOUL PLAY

Outside, I felt safe among the throng of people and automobiles passing by in a rush.
“How was lunch?” In broad daylight, Prohibition Agent James Burton didn’t seem quite as menacing or intimidating. A group of nosy reporters peered out the newsroom, ogling us like we were a penny arcade peep show.

“Fine.” I crossed my arms, partly to cover my growling stomach.

“Sorry to barge in.” He tugged on his hat. “But I had to get your attention. You wouldn’t give me the time of day the other night.”

“Can you blame me? A raid isn’t exactly the best way to meet new people.”

“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Burton stuck his hands in his pockets, jingling some change. “Perhaps we can talk over dinner, instead of standing out here on the sidewalk?”

Was he serious? “Dinner? Just like that?” I snapped my fingers. “You waltz in as if you owned the place—like you did at the Oasis—and expect me to dine out with you, a total stranger, because of your badge? You’ve got a lot of nerve, mister.”

“I wouldn’t be a Prohibition agent if I didn’t.” He looked smug. “How about tonight?”

“Tonight? I usually work late.”

“Every night? Don’t they let you off for good behavior?”

“For starters, I hardly know you and what I do know, I don’t like at all.” I squinted in the sun. “And I don’t appreciate the way you bullied us at the Oasis that night. I thought people were innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around.”  I wasn’t usually so bold and blunt with strangers, especially lawmen. Maybe it was his youth, or maybe I’d finally found my moxie.

“You must mean Sammy. Fair enough.” He held up his hands. “If it makes you feel any better, my gun wasn’t loaded that night.”

“Small comfort now, after you scared everyone half to death.”

GUEST POST BY ELLEN MANSOOR COLLIER

JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM

I’ll admit, I was never much of a history buff in high school or college. What did Ancient Egypt or the Civil War have to do with my daily life of classes, jobs,  Student Council, football games, parties or dances? Although my mother was a World History teacher, I wasn’t at all interested until I managed an antiques shop after college between journalism jobs.

My bosses were two antiques dealers and decorators who took me on buying trips and taught me about different styles and period design. Antiques gave me a visual peek into the past: I could see the way people lived, touch their clothing, furniture, understand their habits and trends. Suddenly, for me, history came alive.

That glimpse led to a fascination with the Roaring Twenties. I loved almost everything about the 1920s:  the style, the carefree spirit, interior design, the flowing flapper clothes and jewelry, the lingo, the music. Not only did the right to vote in 1920 allow women’s emancipation, the “Dry Decade” became an era of invention and innovation, the “flaming youth’s” rebellion against the stuffy old Victorian mores, leading to the giddy excitement of the Jazz Age.

I tried to convey that sense of freedom and “anything goes” attitude in my soft-boiled Jazz Age mystery series, through the POV of my main character Jasmine (“Jazz”) Cross, a society reporter who longs to cover hard news in a male-dominated world. Her ambition is thwarted by her old-fashioned editors, yet she’s determined to find ways around the newspaper’s rules and restrictions. I created Jazz as a flapper version of real-life Victorian journalist Nellie Bly, and set the novels during Prohibition in 1920s Galveston, Texas, interweaving actual gangsters, events and local landmarks into the plots. 

While researching Flappers, I became intrigued when I found out that Al Capone tried to muscle in on Galveston’s rival gangs, the Beach and Downtown gangs. I included this fun fact in the preface to show the powerful reach and reputation of Galveston’s gangsters, little known outside of Texas.

As a journalist, I prefer reality-based stories because I feel like I’m learning something new while I’m reading and researching. I enjoyed watching old silent movies, period dramas and documentaries, especially noir films featuring gangsters and mobsters, noting the settings (furniture, lamps, clothing, music, etc.) and jotted down expressions and bits of conversation.  (True, I’m guilty of overusing Jazz Age sayings so I included a glossary of slang in the back of my novels.)

Since I wrote about real people, politicians (and gangsters), I had to be careful not to include anything too offensive or incriminating since much of the information was based on legend and largely undocumented.

What’s interesting is that the gangsters and bootleggers of yesteryear mirror today’s drug dealers, gangs and cartels. Still, I learned a lot about organized crime, politics and Prohibition, and how often their worlds intermingled.

History may repeat itself, but fiction makes it fresh and new. Enjoy!

NOTE FROM ELLEN

Happy New Year! To celebrate, I've just released a newly-revised version of Flappers, Flasks and Foul Play, the first novel in my Jazz Age series, originally published in 2012. It's only $2.99 this week–regularly $4.99. Enjoy!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor whose articles, essays and short stories have been published in a variety of national magazines. She's interviewed Suze Orman and Nancy Brinker and several unsung heroines for Biography and Family Circle magazines. In the 1990s, she reviewed mysteries for The Houston Chronicle, which was like a crash course in writing novels. 



A flapper at heart, she's worked as a magazine editor/writer, and in advertising and public relations (plus endured a hectic semester as a substitute teacher). Between journalism jobs, she managed an antiques shop, leading to a fascination with the 1920s and Art Deco design. During college summers, she worked as a reporter for a Houston community newspaper and once served as a cocktail waitress, both jobs providing background experience for her Jazz Age mysteries. 



She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism and was an editor/writer on UTmost, the college magazine. During her senior year, she served as the president of WICI (Women in Communications). 



Flappers, Flasks and Foul Play is her first novel, published in 2012, followed by the sequel, Bathing Beauties, Booze and Bullets, released in 2013. Gold Diggers, Gamblers and Guns came out in May 2014, followed by Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville In 2015. 



Collier lives in Houston with her engineer husband and hyperactive Chow/Shepherd mutts, and visits Galveston whenever possible. 
"When you grow up in Houston, Galveston becomes like a second home. I had no idea this sleepy beach town had such a wild and colorful past, and became fascinated by the legends and stories of the 1920s."

Connect with Ellen:
Website  |  Etsy  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads 

Buy the books: 
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

FEATURED AUTHOR: CHRISTINE MEUNIER

ABOUT THE BOOK

Savannah Reynier isn’t sure how she should classify her relationship with Craig Pieters.  They’re not dating but she’s keen to spend as much time with him as possible.  As she learns about his beliefs, that desire increases.

November proves to be a busy month at work for Savannah.  The days fly by as she celebrates the Melbourne Cup, deals with a damaging storm and turns a year older.  All the while Savannah is learning more about horses and breeding; more about the South African man who has come into her life.

As Craig helps her to increase her horse knowledge and challenges her to live out her faith, Savannah finds herself wanting more than friendship.  But after Jackson, is she willing to make herself vulnerable again?

INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINE MEUNIER

Christine, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
That some characters and scenes just come to life in my mind so quickly, they seem to write themselves!

Do you write every day?
No, I don’t!  But there generally isn’t a day when I am not plotting something for one of my stories!  I just don’t always have the opportunity to get those ideas down in written form.  (But I do go over the scenes and dialogues in my head many times so I don’t forget them.)

What books do you currently have published?
2016 was a big year for me!  I released 6 books including 2 non-fiction.  I now have:

-    Horse Country – A World of Horses
-    B and B  I love that cover!
-    The Free Rein series books 1 – 6
-    The Thoroughbred Breeders series books 1 – 3
-    Equine Passive Income Streams (non-fiction)
-    52 Steps to Kick-Start Your Equine Career (non-fiction)

Wow! Is writing your dream job?
Actually, it is!  But I still desire to have land and set up a horse business so I can get back to hands on work with horses.


How often do you tweet?
Daily!  But I am able to do that because I schedule tweets a month in advance.

Smart. Would you make a good character in a book?
That depends on your idea of good!  I have traveled, survived a kick to the head by a horse, gotten married, have two children, and dream of doing a lot more with my time on earth!

What five things would you never want to live without?
My bible, a notepad, pen, a cup of tea, and music.

What do you love about where you live?
Many things!  I am in North East Victoria, Australia.  It’s an area that is surrounded by horses, many touristy areas, it is a small regional town (less than 30,000 people), it’s less than 10 minutes to most places, it’s not an expensive place to live!

What’s your favorite fast food?

KFC is something we regularly have as a family to celebrate birthdays.

As a Kentuckian, I have to say that's an excellent choice! What’s your favorite beverage?
Tea!  In particular Irish Breakfast tea.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christine Meunier considers herself introduced to the wonderful world of horses at the late age of 13 when her parents agreed to lease a horse for her. She started experiencing horses via books from a young age and continues to do so, but recognises that horses cannot be learnt solely from books.
She has been studying horses from age 16, starting with the Certificate II in Horse Studies and she completed the Bachelor of Equine Science in 2016.
Christine has worked at numerous thoroughbred studs in Australia as well as overseas in Ireland for a breeding season.
She then gained experience in a couple of Melbourne based horse riding schools, instructing at a basic level before heading off overseas again, this time to South Africa to spend hours in the saddle of endurance and trail horses on the Wild Coast.
She writes a blog about equine education which you can view at http://equus-blog.com/.


Connect with Christine:

Website  |  
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  
Goodreads  


Buy the book:
Amazon



 

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