FEATURED AUTHOR: EARL JAVORSKY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Private investigator Charlie Miner, freshly revived from his own murder, gets a call from Homicide Detective Dave Putnam. Self-styled “psychic to the stars” Tamara Gale has given crucial information about three murders, and the brass thinks it makes the Department look bad. Dave wants Charlie to help figure out the angle, since he has first-hand experience with the inexplicable. Trouble is, Charlie, just weeks after his full-death experience, once again has severe cognitive problems and may get them both killed.

Earl Javorsky’s Down To No Good is wildly original, wildly energetic, wildly funny – it’s just straight up wild, and I mean that in the best possible way.
 – Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone.

It's a shame you missed Down Solo:
“Earl Javorsky’s bold and unusual Down Solo blends the mysterious and the supernatural boldly and successfully. The novel is strong and haunting, a wonderful debut.”
 – T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of Full Measure and The Famous and the Dead

“Awesome”
– James Frey, New York Times bestselling author

“Don’t miss Earl Javorsky’s Down Solo. It’s kick-ass, man. Excellent writing. This guy is the real deal.” 
– Dan Fante, author of the memoir Fante and the novel Point Doom

“Javorksy’s writing reminded me of the Carl Hiaasen novels I’d read sprawled out on the deck on one sunny Florida vacation. Perfect entertainment, with the right amount of action to keep me alert (and to keep me from snoozing myself into a sunburned state). But there’s also a deeper layer in Down Solo, which left me thinking past the final page.”
 – Bibliosmiles

“Javorsky’s dark and gritty prose is leavened with just enough humor to make Down Solo a compelling story that will take readers to the outer limits of noir.”
  – San Diego City Beat

Book Details:
Genre: Mystery

Published by: The Story Plant

Publication Date: October 31, 2017

Number of Pages: 224

ISBN: 1611882532
(ISBN13: 9781611882537)

Series: This is the sequel to Down Solo

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH EARL JAVORSKY

Things you need in order to write:
Not much.
Things that hamper your writing:
Most everything
.

Things you love about writing:
When it crystallizes into something I’d like to read if someone else had written it.
Things you hate about writing:
When I create—I do this—a Rubik’s Cube of a structural puzzle for myself and am unable to proceed because nothing makes sense.

Things you love about where you live:
Everything—San Diego is terrific.
Things that make you want to move:
My kids—when they’re getting high, we want to move to Uruguay.


Things you never want to run out of:
Minutes.
Things you wish you’d never bought:
My first gram of coke
.

Words that describe you:
Easy going, funny, thoughtful.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t:
Old.

Favorite foods:
Salads, coffee ice cream, red peppers, grilled cheese sandwiches.
Things that make you want to throw up:
Milk.

Favorite song:
Van Morrison’s "Astral Weeks."
Music that make your ears bleed:
Most Pop.

Favorite smell:
Bergamot .

Something that makes you hold your nose:
Kombucha.

Something you wish you could do:
Dunk a damn basketball.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do:
Play bridge.

Something you like to do:
Play basketball, surf.

Something you wish you’d never done:
Everything I’ve done has led me to here, right now. I like here, now. That said, I wish I’d spent less time in the sun.

People you consider as heroes:
Leonard Cohen, Charlie Miner, Arnie Lefkovich
.
People with a big L on their foreheads:
Orange-faced politicians with weird hair

.

Last best thing you ate:
Yesterday’s salad lunch
.
Last thing you regret eating:
Something in Mazatlan—wish I knew.

Things you always put in your books:
Someone’s getting loaded
.
Things you never put in your books:
What color the curtains are.

Things to say to an author:
I hope the authors you love most love your work.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:
I have an idea for a novel. Really! But I need someone else to write it.

Favorite places you’ve been:
Rome, Hanalei, Vancouver Island
.
Places you never want to go to again:
Disney World.

Favorite authors:
Kem Nunn, Michael Gruber, Elmore Leonard, James Lee Burke, Iain Pears, Graham Greene, John Le Carre, JG Ballard.

Books you would ban:
The Fountainhead.

People you’d like to invite to dinner:
Ray McKinnon, creator of Rectify
.
People you’d cancel dinner on:
Anyone who wants to talk about The Fountainhead, plus orange-faced politicians with weird hair
.

Favorite things to do:
Play basketball, hang out with my wife, surf, read.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing:
Gardening, weddings, dinner with more than three people.

Things that make you happy:
My kids
.
Things that drive you crazy:
My kids.

Best thing you’ve ever done:
Married Linda Iredale.

Biggest mistake:
Every mistake has led me here. I like here, now, this.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel Earl Javorsky was born in Berlin and immigrated to the US. He has been, among other things, a delivery boy, musician, product rep in the chemical entertainment industry, university music teacher, software salesman, copy editor, proofreader, and author of two previous novels, Down Solo, Trust Me, and Down to No Good.

He is the black sheep of a family of high artistic achievers.

Connect with Earl:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

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FEATURED AUTHOR: AMY KORMAN

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s December 15th, time to mix up the holiday cocktails in tranquil Bryn Mawr, PA. Then a Samsonite full of gold goes missing, Bootsie’s not-so-bright brother Chip is kidnapped, and shady lawyer Scooter Simmons is offering investors shares in a fake golf resort. For antiques dealer Kristin Clark and her friends, this Christmas is murder….

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH AMY KORMAN

Things you need in order to write:
A floppy-eared basset hound, coffee, and preferably some chirpy birds flying by my open window.
Things that hamper your writing:
The dishwasher, the dryer, gotta ignore these while you’re writing, which is surprisingly hard to do!

Hardest thing about being a writer:
Actually planting yourself at a desk at 6 a.m.
Easiest thing about being a writer:
It’s pure escapism if it’s going well, and that’s so fun!

Favorite song:
Summertime by Kenny Chesney. Instantly conjures the sunshine!
Music that make your ears bleed:
I can’t think of any except the tunes they play at the dentist?

Favorite beverage:
Has anyone else tried the California red Zinfandel wine by Rancho Zabaco? Even the name is cool.
Something that gives you a pickle face:
All the Agatha Christie characters love to drink tea—I wish I liked it too.

Last best thing you ate:
Shout-out to a tiny restaurant near us in the Philly suburbs called Po Le which makes the best pastas and is run by a wonderful family. I order the shrimp and cappellini.
Last thing you regret eating:
This year’s Halloween Oreos were amazing! Maybe I DON’T regret eating them . . . 

Things you’d walk a mile for:
My dog. Then again, he’s a basset hound, and a mile is kind of far for him. He likes a leisurely stroll in the sunshine, then some Milkbones and a nap.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:
Clowns!

Things you always put in your books:
I love a salty older lady and a brusque elderly man who like to say what they think, and Honey Potts and Jimmy Best in Killer Wasps fit that description. I’m also fond of a bossy character who somehow always wins, like Eula Morris in Killer Holiday. Eula’s bossy and controlling, and the main characters all loathe her, but she ends up hitting the Powerball jackpot and going on a round-the-world cruise!
Things you never put in your books:
So far, no one’s been murdered in a Killer Wasps mystery. They’ve been shot, kidnapped, and had paintings, jewelry and a suitcase full of gold bars stolen, but no deaths as of 2017.

Favorite genre:
Mysteries, preferably British and on the lighter side, but I also love Sue Grafton’s grittier Kinsey Milhone books. And anything by Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse.
Books you would ban:
My chemistry textbook from high school is not one I’d like to dive into again.

Things that make you happy:
Dogs, country music, my family, summer, a bike ride, palm trees, friends, and unexpected road trips.
Things that drive you crazy:
The Real Housewives and Don’t Be Tardy on Bravo. I can’t stop watching!

The last thing you did for the first time:
I learned how to assemble a bike. With a lot of assistance.
Something you’ll never do again:
Unlike some of Kristin’s friends, who like to do detective work under the cover of darkness and with a few drinks inside them, I can’t remember the last time I was out past 1 am. But never say never!

EXCERPT FROM KILLER HOLIDAY

Chapter One

Bootsie McElvoy burst through the front door of The Striped Awning, a bag of ice in her right hand and the biggest bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon I’ve ever seen in her left. She dug into her L.L. Bean tote for a bottle of red wine, a shaker of nutmeg, and a bag of fun-size candy canes, all of which she deposited next to a display of 1940s barware near the front of my antiques store.

“Kristin, it’s December fifteenth, which means it’s time for you to start offering shoppers a specialty cocktail the minute they set foot inside your store,” Bootsie told me. “I’m going to mix up a batch of the Delaney family Christmas drink, the Bourbon Blitzen, which never fails to produce a White Christmas vibe. One sip and you’ll feel like you’re singing and dancing with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye at a snowy Vermont inn. This should double your sales totals for the month.”

“Thanks!” I said gratefully, since Bootsie’s family’s boozy drinks are known throughout our village of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, for their potency and tendency to produce unwise purchases.

“The drinks sound good, but you’re also going to need about four thousand more of these pinecones, triple the greenery, and eight hundred additional strands of lights,” Joe Delafield informed me; he’d arrived twenty minutes earlier to help me decorate my store for the Christmas rush.

To lure in passing foot traffic, I’d brought in armloads of holly and spruce branches from my backyard (cost: free, thankfully), spray-painted pinecones silver (the paint was only $5.28 at the hardware store), and added some cheerful-looking blinking white lights. This would probably bring tons of holiday shoppers through my front door!

Joe paused, eyeing the room with his signature critical stare. “The effect I’m going for is that a bunch of HGTV-crazed elves with subscriptions to Veranda magazine snuck in and decorated for four straight days. Gerda, we’re going to need the blinking lights to stop blinking, pronto. Pull the plug, please.”

Joe’s assistant for the day was the eponymous owner of Gerda’s Bust Your Ass Gym, which is housed inside the beauty salon across the street. Since Gerda stands a lofty six feet tall in flats (or sneakers, which is her usual footwear, since fancy shoes aren’t her style), she’d agreed to hang ornaments, bringing her signature grim attitude to the proceedings.

“Cute idea,” Bootsie observed, casting a dubious stare at my front window, which was filled with antique silver-plated candlesticks, flatware, and wineglasses. “Is that your holiday inventory?”

“Nobody going to want that stuff,” said Gerda, who moved here from her native Austria a few years back. Gerda, who’s incredibly muscular and brings in sell-out crowds at her Pilates classes, isn’t the most tactful person in the world. “People want, like, scarves and Fitbits and iPhones.”

I sighed, knowing Gerda was right. Those were the gifts on most holiday wish lists.

“Luckily, I’ve solved all your problems,” Bootsie told me. “I ran into Eddie from the Pub this morning, and he needs a place to hold some late-night poker tournaments this month, so I brokered a deal for The Striped Awning. You’ll be hosting twice-weekly games from 10 p.m. till 1 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays till Valentine’s Day.”

“What!” I erupted, alarmed by this idea. “First of all, that doesn’t sound legal.”

“It’s fine,” she told me, waving away my concerns. “I mean, it’s not like it will be a professional betting operation. Eddie’s limiting each night to ten players and three hours. Some cards, a few drinks, a few small wagers. What could go wrong?”

“A lot!” I said. “They’ll blow cigar smoke and drop Dorito crumbs everywhere. Not to mention get arrested for operating a casino without a license. A lot could go wrong!”

“You worry too much,” Bootsie informed me dismissively. “Plus, he’ll pay you two hundred dollars a night.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Bootsie knew she had me—there’s no way I can refuse an extra four hundred dollars a week, even if it puts me on the wrong side of the state gaming commission.

Just then, though, the front door was thrown open by one Sophie Shields, a tiny blonde who at the moment was looking slightly wild-eyed.

“Ya won’t believe what just happened!” shrieked Sophie. “The Colketts were helping me put up curtains in my new dining room, since Joe here never finished decorating my place—and the curtains are orange silk, by the way, they’re totally Elle Decor meets a J. Lo red-carpet gown. So Tim and Tom Colkett were talking paint colors when I heard a horn honking, so I opened the front door, thinking it was the delivery boy from the Hoagie House. I figured I’d go out and pay the driver, when boom!

“A guy dressed as Santa leaned out of the driver’s seat of a black SUV that had pulled right up in my driveway and aimed a gun at me and the Colketts!” The Colketts are the town’s leading landscape designers, who’ve lately turned their talents to party planning and interior design.

“Then the guy yelled, ‘Hey, Sophie, this one’s from your ex, Barclay!’ and shot my favorite handbag!” Sophie finished. “I was reaching into it to pay for the hoagies, thank goodness, so it acted as a protective shield. Also, I think maybe this Santa guy doesn’t have great aim.”

We all stared at her for a moment.

“Are you sure, Sophie?” said Bootsie finally. “Because this sounds like BS.”

“Yeah, Sophie, maybe you been hitting the wine bottle today,” seconded Gerda. “I know the Colketts are day drinkers. Maybe you been guzzling alcohol, too.”

“It’s true!” Sophie bleated. “Just look at this Ferragamo satchel! If it hadn’t had gold hardware to block the trajectory of the bullet, me and the Colketts would have been toast!”


***

Excerpt from Killer Holiday by Amy Korman. Copyright © 2017 by Amy Korman. Reproduced with permission from Witness Impulse. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Korman is a former senior editor and staff writer for Philadelphia Magazine, and has written for Town & Country, House Beautiful, and Men’s Health. She is the author of Killer Wasps, Killer Getaway, and Killer Punch.

Connect with Amy:
Website  |   Facebook  |  Twitter

Buy the book:
Harper Collins  |  Amazon

FEATURED AUTHOR: JUNE MCCRARY JACOBS

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tragedy brings heartache to the community of Apple Blossom when a car takes the life of Mary Noel Simmons's best friend—her dog. The loss nearly destroys Mary Noel's spirit. As the injured six year old lies in the hospital, traumatized and silent, the medical bills are piling up quickly with no way for her parents to pay them.
 
Filled with kindness and romance, this story of hope and faith will warm your heart.

INTERVIEW WITH JUNE MCCRARY JACOBS

June, is your book based on real events?
Without spoiling the plot of A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom, the Christmas Eve church scenes come directly from my special memories of the candlelight service at my childhood church. Also, the trauma sustained by little Mary Noel really happened on my street to a younger sister of my playmate when she was around four years old (I was around eight). The main character of the book, Amber Kellen, is a brand new first grade teacher, and some of her classroom experiences are the same as mine when I was starting out as a first grade teacher.

What’s your favorite memory?
My wedding day.



What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
Not to have regrets in life. Do the best you can, and then let it go. You can't fix everything that's wrong with world, but you can make a positive contribution in your small corner of the world whenever possible.

What makes you nervous?
Being in congested traffic where other people are cutting me off, making dangerous lane mergers, and/or following my car too closely, etc. All of that stress is compounded if I see someone talking or texting on their cell phone when they are supposed to be driving. Yikes!


What makes you happy?
Spending time visiting historic homes, museums, gardens, and parks. Viewing other creative people's quilts, sewing projects, and art at galleries, quilt shows, and the California State Fair. Working with my quilting group to make 'comfort quilts' for individuals who are ill, traumatized, or grieving. A good writing session where the words and dialog really flow. Reading a really touching book where I can relate to the characters and/or their situation.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
I was blessed to have a twenty-year career as a primary teacher. I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was about four years old. Contributing to the lives of children in a positive way was a very satisfying and worthwhile career for me. I still enjoy reading children's books from picture books to middle grade fiction.

What brings you sheer delight?
Walking in a botanical garden, park, forest or near the ocean with my best friend.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."  -Helen Keller
 
With what five real people would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?
Author Debbie Macomber, Author Lisa Scottoline, Author Lauren Wolk, Author Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Quilt Designer and Author Blair Stocker. They all represent different genres, and I feel they would open new doors of great literature and non-fiction books to me.

Who are your favorite authors?
How much space do you have? I have so many genres I love to read. I have been a voracious reader since I was a young child, so I have a lot of favorite authors. Here's a short list:  Lisa Scottoline, Debbie Macomber, Lauren Wolk, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, Amy Tan, John Grisham, Beatrix Potter, Sue Grafton, Shelley Sheppard Gray, Jan Brett, Ree Drummond (cookbooks), Emma Hardy, Blair Stocker, Jennifer Beckstrand, Dr. Suess (for the rhyme and artwork), and oh, so many more.


Do you have any reading quirks?
I'm not sure it's a pet peeve, but I like to end my reading sessions at the end of a chapter. Oh, and I always read the Acknowledgments page and author bio at the end of the book before I start reading the text.

Do you have a routine for writing?
I find I am at my most creative in the mornings. I get out my story map, research notes, and character descriptions (all written on paper) and lay them on the table next to me. Nearby I have my dictionary, thesaurus, and Bible for quick reference. I open my Word doc and scroll down to where I stopped the previous writing session, pause to gather my thoughts, and begin typing new material. Sometimes my goal for the day is to edit what I wrote in my previous session.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
I think a reader enjoying the story is the best compliment I could receive about my work.

Several of my friends and many reviewers told me they loved how the Apple Blossom community came together to help a family in need. They said the story (and the book's cover art) reminded them of a Hallmark movie.  Having watched some of those movies myself, I was honored to have my novella compared to Hallmark's high standards for their screenplays.

Another author posted that she loved the story because it made her think of others at a time of year when most people are focused on their own Christmas 'to do' lists, buying gifts and creating the perfect holiday experience for their families. Anytime someone contacts me on by email or on my Author's Facebook page to tell me how much they enjoyed the book or how it touched them deeply, I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to share the story with readers.

How did you find your publisher and how long did your query process take?
A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom was published by Cedar Fort Inc. as the result of my winning their 2013 Holiday Tale Contest. I found the Call for Submissions for the contest online in November, 2012. The submission was due in the third week of January, 2013. When I read about the contest, I immediately thought, 'I can do this!'  I had already thought of the main characters and the basic premise of the plot because I have an overly active imagination and I am fortunate to be a creative thinker. I was ecstatic when I found out in February, 2013, that I was the winner. One of the prizes was the publication of this hardcover gift book.

What are you working on now?
I am working on finishing and polishing Book Two in my Bonita Creek Trilogy. It is the continuation of Robin's Reward, and is the story of Robin's cousin, Penny Ralston, and her search for love and happiness amidst many challenges in her life—past and present. This contemporary inspirational romance series is set in the majestic coastal mountains of the Northern Coast of California in a small, tight-knit community I named Bonita Creek.

Read an excerpt from A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author, June McCrary Jacobs, was the winner of Cedar Fort Publishing’s 2013 Holiday Tale Contest for her debut novella, A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom.

Robin’s Reward, released in April, 2015, was her first full-length novel. This inspirational contemporary romance is the first installment of the ‘Bonita Creek Trilogy’. The series is set in June's favorite location in California—the Mendocino coastal region.

June’s original sewing, quilting, and stitchery designs have been published in over one hundred books, magazines, and sewing industry blogs in the past few years. She wrote a recurring column for a sewing magazine published in Great Britain and contributed several other articles to sewing and craft magazines published in the United States.

When she’s not writing, reading, or sewing, June enjoys cooking, walking, photography, and visiting art and history museums, parks, and botanical gardens. She also enjoys touring historic homes (especially when they're decorated for Christmas!) and strolling around the many historic Gold Rush towns in the Sierra Nevada foothills. In the summertime you can find June at a variety of county fairs and the California State Fair admiring the sewing projects, quilts, and handiwork other inspired seamstresses, quilters, craftspeople, and artists have created.

Connect with June:
Facebook  |  Goodreads 
           
Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Books & Things 
**Note: The ebook for A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom is on sale for half-price at $2.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books & Things through December 20th, 2017.

Goodreads Giveaway!

Cedar Fort Inc. will be giving away ten hardcover gift book copies of A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom on Goodreads. The contest runs through December 1st, 2017, and is open to US residents only.

GUEST POST WITH CHERYL HOLLON

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Etched in Tears releases on November 28, 2017. When a famous glass artist is murdered at his own exhibit, deadly secrets are put on display, and it’s up to glass shop owner Savannah Webb to see through a killer’s cover.



Celebrated glass artist Dennis Lansing is returning to St. Petersburg, Florida, for an exhibit at the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum. His unique style of embedding document images in his art is at the vanguard of contemporary glasswork. But as Savannah’s first boyfriend and a former apprentice to her father, Dennis’s return home has her reflecting on the past—a trip down memory lane that takes a dark turn when Dennis is found murdered at the museum with an old reference letter from her father in his pocket. A search through her father’s records sheds new light on Dennis’s history, but it seems his present life wasn’t so transparent either. Now, with a gallery of suspects to consider, it’s up to Savannah to figure out who fits the mold of a murderer.

GUEST POST WITH CHERYL HOLLON

Art Inspires Art – Filling the Well

Writing for me is exhilarating and at the same time exhausting. I tend to push very hard for several weeks near the deadline for turning a book over to my publisher. That means up to sixteen-hours a day living and breathing in my book world. I call this phase – book jail. As a result, I’m an exhausted mass of nervous energy and completely empty of words. At this point, I have trouble writing the simplest e-mail.

I’ve found a solution. I walk into a museum. I wander with no set plan or no set time limit. I just let the art wash over me and it begins to recharge my creative energy. For the artist, this is cross training at its most enjoyable.

I’m lucky enough to live near downtown in St. Petersburg, Florida. There are four museums within the space of a dozen blocks. In the 700 block of Central Avenue is the Chihuly Collection with a stunning, permanent collection of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s unique artwork in a magnificent 10,000 square foot setting designed by award-winning architect Albert Alfonso.

When I’m in the mood for the Chihuly, I want to stay longest the gallery with the stunning installation titled “Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier,” whose red-hot swirls dangle from the ceiling. I also adore the multicolored chandelier known as “Milli Fiore.” After I’ve walked through the museum, I spend some time in the gift shop where items for sale are not the typical selection of cups and postcards.

On the north end of Beach Drive is the Museum of Fine Arts with a large permanent collection of French Impressionist paintings. They also host the Hot Gatherings/Cool Conversations/Wine lecture series that feature a touring glass artist. As part of a 50th Anniversary celebration, the Museum of Fine Arts is organizing Monet to Matisse—On the French Coast. Drawn from public and private collections in North America and Europe this project explores and compares for the first time ever Impressionist and Modernist visions of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Coasts of France. I disappeared into those paintings with joy.

Around the corner is the St. Petersburg Museum of History with a permanent interactive exhibition of the chronology of St. Petersburg's history filled with priceless artifacts, documents and photographs. The Benoist Pavilion houses a replica of the world's first commercial airliner which made the first scheduled commercial flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa on January 1, 1914.

Finally, at the south-end of the downtown area is the world-famous Dali Museum with touring exhibits as well as the largest collection of Dali art outside of Spain. Salvador Dalí's art is often as shocking as it is brilliant. The Dali museum in downtown St. Pete offers the largest, most comprehensive collection of the famous Spanish artist's work in America. There are changing and special exhibits throughout the year, including children's activities, film, music series, lectures and more. I enjoy the Spanish themed Cafe and wander the waterside Avant Garden.

This technique for ‘filling the well’ refreshes my creativity and in little more than an afternoon, I’m ready for the next writing challenge. I highly recommend creative cross-training.

See more at http://www.visitstpeteclearwater.com/museums

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheryl Hollon writes full time after she left an engineering career designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art. In the small glass studio behind the house, Cheryl and her husband George design, create, and produce fused glass, stained glass and painted glass artworks.




Connect with Cheryl:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter   

Buy the book:
Amazon  |   Barnes & Noble 

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FEATURED AUTHOR: JANE MCCULLOCH

ABOUT THE BOOK

This is a true story of how one boy fought to save his friend from the electric chair.

Set in Massachusetts, it deals with events leading up to the trial in 1920 of two Italian immigrants accused of a hold-up and murder. By a quirk of fate the 13-year-old Trando Brini was with one of the accused -  Bart Vanzetti -  at the time of the crime. This starts a seven year struggle for him to prove Vanzetti’s innocence during which time Trando grows from a boy to being an exceptional young man. It is an inspiring story of courage and bravery where Trando takes on the American Justice System and the Bostonian Establishment in a fight which he never gives up, in spite of putting his music career in jeopardy and losing the girl he loves.


 

INTERVIEW WITH JANE MCCULLOCH

Jane, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
It is a true story based on the Sacco and Vanzetti trials which took place in Massachusetts USA in 1920 – 1927.  I chose one particular aspect of the story in which a 13-year-old boy became involved in the original trial .

Where’s home for you?
I live in Putney, South London -  but, until recently I always had a house in Cornwall as well, as a bolt-hole.  Then I had a houseboat on the River Thames.  Alas, I am no longer able to run two places, but am very happy with Putney!

What’s your favorite memory?

When I was six years old, my mother took me to see The King and I at Drury Lane Theatre London, and afterwards I was taken backstage. It was an experience that inspired in me a love of theatre  - and resulted in being my career for most of my life.

Who would you pick to write your biography?
A man who is both witty and erudite and we seem to be on the same wave-length – Gyles Brandreth.

What do you love about where you live?
It is very peaceful, in spite of being only 20 minutes away from the centre of London – and it has windows opening out onto a beautiful garden.



Have you been in any natural disasters?
Yes – when I worked in Bermuda I was caught up in a hurricane – scary but no real damage done.

What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
That things like failing an exam which seemed a disaster then, really don’t matter in the great scheme of things.


What makes you bored?
Chatter about complete trivia – washing machines and technology etc.



What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
Probably relationships – but looking back with hindsight, the advantages probably outweigh the disadvantages!

What makes you nervous?
Flying!


What makes you happy?
Family and friend reunions. I have 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
Not anymore.

Who are you?
I am a 76-year-old English woman, living on my own now – but with many happy memories and living a good life. I hope for a few years yet.

What brings you sheer delight?
An evening of laughter and sparkling conversation.

Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?
Definitely a lonely genius. I like my own company – but genius is a very over-used word!

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“The wounded deer leaps highest.”  (Chinese Proverb)

What would you like people to say about you after you die?
She was never boring.

How did you create the plot for this book?
I became interested in the true story of Sacco and Vanzetti and started to research it.

Who are your favorite authors?
Anthony Powell, Margaret Atwood, Nancy Mitford, Evelyn Waugh, Jane Austen.



What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
They couldn’t put the book down.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
Boston City Library, Massachusetts.  It has a wonderful archive section, and they are so helpful.

Why did you decide to self-publish?
I am 76, and I only started writing fiction 4 years ago, and thought I was too old to be searching for publishers and agents.

Are you happy with your decision to self-publish ?
Yes I am, the process was quick and smooth – but I  have found the marketing very difficult!

What steps to publication did you personally do, and what did you hire someone to do? Is there anyone you’d recommend for a particular service?
I employed a great professional editor, Dr. Stephen Carver who I cannot recommend highly enough. I also took great care with the look of the book and for the cover design used the brilliant Green Door company.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book about a foreign correspondent who returns home after a long time in the war zones – and the affect this has had on him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Most of Jane's working life has been spent working in theatre and opera for which she wrote plays and librettos and was also a director of both.  This work took her all over the world, and she worked with many famous people including Dame Judi Dench, Sir Derek Jacobi, Jessye Norman, and Sir Thomas Allen. Over a period of 40 years she ran two companies, The English Chamber Theatre and Opera UK. 

Four years ago Jane retired from both and began writing fiction. She has published a trilogy of novels which were a family saga – and this year published The Brini Boy, based on a true story.  She's also published two slim anthologies of verses. 


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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Amazon UK 

FEATURED AUTHOR: J.D. THOMPSON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Is love enough to repair the pieces of a shattered life?

This is the question plaguing Courtney Cook’s mind as she packs what feels like her whole existence into a 20ft moving van. When she encountered Matt for the first time in a coffee shop ten years prior, she was immediately transfixed. Dark, adventurous and wildly untamed, Matt was everything Courtney didn’t know she wanted. One night of uninhibited abandon is all it took for her to be completely enthralled by the boy without limits. Now with two children, a sky-high mortgage and a marriage crippled by addiction, Courtney finds her world is riddled with cracks that no amount of love can repair.

Powerful and provoking with humor woven throughout the raw sting of heartbreak, Like Broken China offers an honest take on the decisions two people make and the aftermath that can destroy an entire decade because of them.

INTERVIEW WITH J.D. THOMPSON

Where’s home for you?
At the risk of sounding cheesy, home for me is wherever my children are. Geographically speaking though, home is in Campbellton, New-Brunswick. For all of those unfamiliar with this town (and I imagine there are many), Campbellton is on the Atlantic coast of Canada. And yes, our winters are long and cold, but contrary to popular belief we do not live in igloos.


What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?
The dumbest purchase I ever made was probably my Palm Pilot circa 2003. At the time, I thought it would miraculously make me more organized. Of course it didn’t, and I was out a hundred bucks.


What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
Not to take life too seriously and chill the f*#k out. I spent the better part of my twenties worrying about everything, from my career to money to how to raise my children to be semi-well-adjusted human beings, that I didn’t enjoy them. I’m determined to make my thirties a tad more zen if that’s possible. haha.

What dumb things did you do during your college years?
I use to steal toilet paper rolls from the Art’s faculty. Literally all. The. Time. I don’t think I bought any bathroom tissue for the whole duration of my stay. I also use to spend all of my weekly food allowance on clothes and would subsequently be stuck eating Zoodles every day.

What do you love about where you live?
I live in a small town and I love that I can be anywhere within a five minute drive. Being as forgetful as I am (can I still blame this on baby brain if my son is 5?), it’s convenient to be able to run back home from work at any given time without worrying about a commute or traffic. 


What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
That being a brat won’t get you anywhere in life and that kindness can go a long way. I shake my head when I think back to how big of a jerk I was.


What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
All of my late-night visits to McDonald’s. If I could go back and not eat a Big Mac combo at 2am every other night over the span of my student career and save myself an unnecessary 1200 calorie intake that would be great.

What’s your favorite line from a book?
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the lights.” (For the record, I love Harry Potter.)

How did you create the plot for this book?
I knew I wanted to touch the subject of addiction eventually. I have a bunch of ideas for potential books jotted down in a notebook and alcoholism won the luck of the draw this time. It wasn’t particularly hard to draw inspiration since it’s such a prevalent issue. More specifically, I chose to shed light on the people impacted by the addict. Once I knew what direction I wanted to take, characters and situations fell into place pretty easily.

Is your book based on real events?
Although I will admit that I draw inspiration from my life in every book that I write, none of them are based on real events.

Why did you decide to self-publish?
I don’t know that I can say I made the decision to self-publish so much as it was decided for me. In other words, I couldn’t secure an agent. I was pretty naïve after completing my first novel and thought the process would be much easier than it actually was. Query after query, I received rejection letters. Some agencies did go as far as requesting the entire manuscript (Writer’s House being the most exciting) however in the end I was left without representation. It was only then that I opted to self-publish. Self-publishing definitely has its challenges, however, it also gives you a certain amount of creative freedom.

What steps to publication did you personally do, and what did you hire someone to do? Is there anyone you’d recommend for a particular service?
For my first two novels, I did everything from the cover art all the way down to the formatting. I realized with time that these steps were keeping me from what I actually enjoy doing; writing. I had sat on publishing Like Broken China for nearly a year simply because I didn’t have the will to edit/format it. So after doing a little bit of research, I found a company that could do all of the above and they were worth every penny. (Shout out to Alyssa Garcia of Uplifting Designs!)

What are you working on now?
At the moment I’m working on a novel that deals with someone returning to her roots only to find that perhaps there was no tree there to begin with. I also have a collection of children’s books that I’ve written over the years that I would like to illustrate (I was an art student before switching to neuroscience – yeah, I know. Very random).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.D. Thompson is a young authors and women’s fiction writer. She lives in a small town in the chilly northern peak of New-Brunswick with her family, an array tomato plants that annually fail to thrive and a growing number of incomplete knitting projects. Like Broken China is her third completed novel.

Connect with J.D.:
Blog  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon 

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH MARY FELIZ'S MAGGIE MCDONALD

ABOUT THE BOOK

 Silicon Valley Professional Organizer Maggie McDonald tackles her toughest case yet when a dear friend is falsely accused of murder. Aside from a depressed mastiff with PDSD, the only witness is an undocumented teen. Should he make a statement and risk deportation or stay mum and let the bad guys run amok? Or can Maggie organize a third solution without putting her friend, her family, and her community at risk?

ABOUT MAGGIE MCDONALD:

Professional Organizer Maggie McDonald has a penchant for order that extends beyond her clients' closets, kitchens, and sock drawers. A newcomer to the Silicon Valley town of Orchard View, she's determined to keep it a great place to live, work, and raise her two teenaged boys. Happily married to a former academic turned engineering manager with a tough workload and unpredictable hours, Maggie juggles her home life with her work and community volunteer efforts. Once she's found her place in the tightly knit community, she'd do everything in her power to protect her family and friends and repair the damage when violence rips a hole in the social fabric.

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH MARY FELIZ'S MAGGIE MCDONALD

Maggie, how did you first meet Mary?
Mary and I met at a conference for Professional Organizers in San Francisco. She wanted to write a cozy mystery about a character, but she didn't want to include recipes in the books. She was investigating alternative careers and thought that professional organizers might have access to some of their clients' darkest secrets—the ones we all squirrel away in our sock drawers or our attics and hope our friends and family never discover, let alone investigators in the middle of a murder case. I kept hearing the other organizers talk about this crazy author who was looking for stories about our most bizarre clients. Late in the afternoon we'd both had enough of the crowds and wanted a pick-me-up. I found myself standing in line with her at the Starbucks next door to the hotel. (Mary had forgotten to take off her conference badge, which I found out is normal for her.) We sat outside in the courtyard. I loaned her a pen when she couldn't find one in her huge tote bag. I told her stories. She scribbled notes. And we laughed. We talked until we realized we'd both missed the closing events and it was time to drive home. We discovered we live so close to each other we should have carpooled, and now we go to all our conferences together.

Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
Books and movies about Silicon Valley were all the rage when our first mystery, Address to Die For, came out. But all those novels and films? They were about the big shots—Wozniak, Jobs, and Zuckerberg, or the kids who are all messed up because their parents think money is more important than family.

In the real Silicon Valley rather than the one that Hollywood portrays, there are more ordinary people than there are billionaires. The rest of us--teachers, firefighters, police officers, journalists, civil servants, plumbers, carpenters, mechanics, gardeners, janitors, and bus drivers had a story that needed to be told. Silicon Valley is our hometown. We, like everyone else, live in neighborhoods. Our security depends on interconnectedness, rather than on a locked gate or bodyguard. That need for a community is universal, which makes it easy for readers to identify with us. We have our weird quirks. Silicon Valley living isn't like living in other parts of the country. Those idiosyncrasies make us intriguing. But this dramatic uptick in the murder rate in Orchard View? That has thrown us for a loop. Readers like stories about people in crisis, especially when everything turns out okay in the end. We've got the perfect recipe for escapist literature.  

If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
I tried to get Mary to leave out the scene in which Belle and I need to get cleaned up after rescuing Munchkin, the adorable mastiff who was involved in all the horror at the original crime scene. Thank goodness all that happened off-screen!

At that point, we had no idea what had happened, but we knew that Munchkin must have been involved in something dreadful, possibly criminal, and we wanted to preserve any evidence that might have transferred from Munchkin to us. Hot, tired, scared, and odiferous, we stripped down in the shower room at the vet's office, and I borrowed some scrubs to wear home. I felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed. Belle was shaking. We didn't want readers to see any of that. But Mary insisted. She let us keep our modesty, but she said mystery fans would need to understand how terrified we were so that they'd know what was at stake and appreciate what we risked to uncover the truth. I hope she was right. That's the worst part of life as a fictional character. We spend most of our time thinking we're independent actors and then something happens to remind us, usually in the worst possible way, that story is everything, even if it means we and our ordinary lives have to suffer.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
Max and the kids and I, and maybe some of our friends like Tess, Stephen, Jason, and Elaine, would take the dogs to one of the off-leash beaches and spend the day running in the waves and digging in the sand. We'd eat too many cookies, drink too much coffee, and laugh until we were wheezing and had forgotten what it was that was so funny. But it wouldn't matter because we'd be laughing out of an excess of joy in being together and knowing we all were loved.

Tell us about your best friend.
OMG! My best friend is Tess Olmos. About the only things we agree on are chilled white wine, hot coffee, cookies, and the importance of love, loyalty, and community. The public Tess is way more together than I am. The first time I met her she terrified me and I referred to her as "The Dominatrix." At a PTA meeting (a PTA MEETING!) she showed up in this freshly pressed designer suit, shoes that cost more than a vet exam, perfect makeup, and a gorgeous blowout. Her work wardrobe is stark—all black, red, and white with sharp pleats and no ruffles. It's like armor, and it makes her instantly recognizable, anywhere she goes. She's a Realtor and works with the big Silicon Valley movers and shakers with gazillion-dollar homes. So she needs to be tough when she's at work. But she's also got a hometown touch. Her offices give all her clients the feeling that they're settled in from the moment they decide to work with her. They all receive the same level of care, whether they're buying a studio apartment or some massive horse property with a helicopter pad.

But that's when she's working. At home, she's a mess. Stained sweats, crumbs in her hair, worn Ugg boots, and wet towels on the bathroom floor. At home, it's her husband who keeps things from falling apart and who makes sure they don't have popcorn for dinner two nights in a row.

Me, I'm somewhere in the middle. I showed up at that PTA meeting in jeans and sneakers. I may have a stray smear of mud from a misplaced dog paw, but I'm clean and tidy, mostly. Or I try to be.


What are you most afraid of?
Any threat to my family terrifies me. I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do to protect my two boys, even things way outside my comfort zone. 



What’s the best trait Mary has given you?
So far in the books, I've never been late for anything. That's a tall order in Silicon Valley, where the traffic snarls if a driver sneezes. I like to be on time and often arrive early because of that, but— Being perpetually on time in Silicon Valley? With two kids, a husband, and a dog that wants to go everywhere with me? Impossible. That's a complete fiction. I admire punctuality, but I expect my friends and colleagues to be humans, not superheroes.
What’s the worst?
Mary has this weird tendency to write all the conversations I have with my golden retriever Belle verbatim. Those are conversations I have in my head, not out loud in public on a city street. Yikes! I mean, yeah, Belle is my side-kick, and I kinda pretend to bounce ideas off of her, but if I talked to her in real life the way I do in the books, I'd probably be considered a threat to myself and others. Certainly, none of my clients would trust me to help them resolve the muddles in their garages and attics.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
I used to think Laura Linney would best be able to handle the more active parts of my life. She's so adept at tackling some of the worst situations imaginable. But I've since learned from other characters about the long lead time for films, even for television. Now I think by the time we all get to the screen, Amy Adams or Jennifer Lawrence will be old enough to portray me. It will be a forty-something actress, I'm sure— a role for actresses who often don't have enough interesting parts from which to choose. But older women have so many more layers and a perspective that serves us well in detecting patterns of behavior and the anomalies that lead us to unmask bad guys where others have failed.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
Many of the amateur detectives in cozy mysteries are such great cooks and bakers that they share their recipes with readers. I'm so busy that my family's meals are all too often prepared meals from our local grocery or something I've pulled from my freezer, or something my fabulous husband Max has whipped up in my absence. His specialty is fresh bread and hot soup. I'm older than a good number of cozy detectives and never wear stilettos. Those younger women look sharp in their fashion-forward clothing, but my rapid-paced life keeping up with clutter, kids, and pets works better with jeans and sneakers. My friends and I try to act as mentors for some of the younger detectives out there. They worry so much about things we've learned to let go. I'll take family, friends, confidence, intelligence and a loyal community over hot shoes and a trendy drink any day.

If you could be “adopted” by another writer, who would you choose?
My family and I have long been planning a vacation in Three Pines. While that tiny village in Quebec would vanish in the vastness of Silicon Valley, it is similar in many ways to Orchard View, where my neighbors all seem to excel in their areas of expertise despite quirky flaws that sometimes make me wonder how they lurch their way from breakfast to lunch. But that's their charm. Three Pines and its residents seem as beloved of and loyal to their author, Louise Penny, as my cohorts and I are to Mary Feliz. No matter what goes wrong, in the end, they remember that love always wins. And Madame Gamache seems so incredibly organized in her career as an archivist. I'd love to compare notes with her. I sometimes feel like an archivist of modern everyday people, helping them save and store what's important and discard what is not.

Will you encourage Mary to write a sequel?
Yes and no. Life around here is certainly quieter and more predictable when she doesn't write about us. And our sense of safety can seem precarious when she is writing. But there's no end to our adventures, particularly for my golden retriever Belle and the other dogs and cats. They're inveterate hams and scene stealers.

Mary's currently working on the fifth volume of our adventures, which thankfully gives the people of Orchard View a rest from our recent spate of unprecidented murders. My kids and I are on a working vacation on the shores of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary in an area where California's agricultural industry, touristry, environmentalism, and fishing achieve a tenuous balance. We're not enjoying as much time as I'd hope to spend hiking and enjoying the surroundings though. If I'm not careful, Mary's going to make sure my boys end up in jail. So much for a peaceful vacation. I have to say though, that she's not let us down yet, whenever I'm ready to give up, she's encouraged me to power through the conflicts until we arrive safely in a place where we can relax over good food and conversations with friends.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Feliz writes the Maggie McDonald Mysteries featuring a Silicon Valley professional organizer and her sidekick golden retriever. She's worked for Fortune 500 firms and nonprofits, competed in whaleboat races and done synchronized swimming. She attends organizing conferences in her character's stead, but Maggie's skills leave her in the dust.

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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

SPOTLIGHT ON: JAMIE BLAIR

     ABOUT THE BOOK


Cameron Cripps-Hayman is taken aback when she stumbles upon another murdered neighbor, this time behind her sister's shop, Dog Diggity. The timing couldn't be worse, as there's only a week left before the store's grand opening during Canal Days, the biggest festival of the year.

When the police arrest her handyman, Cameron knows they've got the wrong suspect, so the Metamora Action Agency sets their sights on cracking the case. With one solved murder under their belts, how hard could a second be?

With a flood warning and a murderer on the loose threatening the start of Canal Days, can Cameron and her crew save the town's annual dog and pony show from being canceled?

Canal Days Calamity 

(A Dog Days Mystery)


Cozy Mystery
, 2nd in Series


Midnight Ink (November 8, 2017)


Paperback: 240 pages


ISBN-13: 978-0738751221
E-Book 

ASIN: B01N5RVJDY 
  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamie Blair (Ohio) is the award-winning author of young adult and romance books, including Leap of Faith (Simon & Schuster, 2013) and Lost to Me. Visit her online at and on Twitter.

Buy the book:
Amazon    Barnes ∓ Noble 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: WENDY TYSON

ABOUT THE BOOK

It may be the holiday season, but the mood in Winsome is anything but jolly.



Megan Sawyer is determined to farm year-round. So much so that she braves a December snowstorm to pitch her fresh greenhouse greens to Philadelphia chefs. 

And then she sees a stranger stranded on the side of the road. 

But this woman is no stranger to Winsome. It’s Becca Fox, a self-proclaimed “love chemist” (you read that right). Becca’s headed to her aunt’s house to sell her love potions at holiday events. 

Or so Becca thinks.



Her sneaky aunt only invited Becca home to reunite her with her estranged father. It sounds noble and kind-hearted, until the man ends up dead. 

Megan soon finds herself in the middle. She realizes Becca’s not the only one getting iced over. Megan’s own aunt, the famous mystery author, is dragged into the drama. Her novels implicate her and she’s in trouble.



Now it’s personal. Megan must follow a cryptic trail of literary clues, all while sifting through the victim’s sordid past. She gets closer to the truth as the murderer gets closer to her.

Seeds of Revenge
A Greenhouse Mystery Book Three
By Wendy Tyson
Henery Press
Publication Date: November 14th, 2017
ISBN: 9781635112757
Original Trade Paperback & E-Book: $15.95 / $4.99
272 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH WENDY TYSON




A few of your favorite things:
My photo albums. The chef’s knife my son made for me. The pottery I’ve collected while traveling.
Things you need to throw out:
Clothes that no longer fit. Correspondence—I’m terrible at organizing paperwork. 


Things you need in order to write:
Computer or pen and paper.
Things that hamper your writing:
Bickering children. (My identical twin boys have made a sport of arguing.) A lack of down time—I need free time to let my mind wander.


Things you love about writing:
Starting a new novel. Finishing a short story. Meeting readers.
Things you hate about writing:
The final proofread. By then, I just can’t look at a manuscript anymore.

Things you love about where you live:
The views. The number of outdoor recreational opportunities. The smell of the woods after it rains. The emphasis on local foods. (We recently moved to Vermont.)
Things that make you want to move:
When the temperature dips below zero. Icy roads.


Things you never want to run out of:
Chocolate. Toothpaste.
Things you wish you’d never bought:
That wrinkle cream (doesn’t work!). The wide-legged black pants (not a good look on me).

Favorite foods:
Garden-grown tomatoes. Potatoes. Paneer Tikka Masala. Fresh strawberries.
Things that make you want to throw up: 
Spam. Sausage. Scrapple. Anything gelatinous.

Favorite band:
The Cat Empire.
Music that makes your ears bleed:
Too much electric guitar.

Favorite beverage:
Unsweetened iced tea.

Something that gives you a pickle face:
Tonic water.

Favorite smell:
Smell of wood smoke in the fall.

Something that makes you hold your nose:
Rosemary (I want to like it, but . . . )

Something you’re really good at:
Cooking.

Something you’re really bad at:
Cleaning.


Last best thing you ate: 
Mushroom stew over new potatoes.

Last thing you regret eating:
Peanut M&Ms.

Things you always put in your books:
Dogs.

Things you never put in your books:
Gratuitous graphic violence.

Things to say to an author:
“I read your book and left a review on Amazon.” We appreciate reviews—they really do matter. “I can tell you put a lot of time into getting the details right.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:
“You’re still writing that novel?”

Favorite things to do:
Writing. Traveling to new places with my family. Trying out new recipes, especially in the summer when the garden is bursting with fresh vegetables.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing:
Cleaning the bathroom.

Things that make you happy: 
Puppies. Autumn in Vermont. A day with no commitments. Walking along the beach. Morning coffee with my husband. Planning a trip. A new book.

Things that drive you crazy:
When people drive slowly in the passing lane of a highway. Rudeness. Hypocrisy. Litter. Paperwork.

The last thing you did for the first time:
I was the keynote speaker at a large legal event.

Something you’ll never do again:
Downhill skiing. Every time I try it, I’m as terrified as I was the first time. Nordic skiing for me!


EXCERPT FROM SEEDS OF REVENGE

Merry Chance’s statuesque four square was alit with white Christmas lights—Colonial candles in the windows, braids of lights outlining the window sills and doorways, blinking lights woven into wreaths, and miniscule bulbs incorporated into a doe and two fawns that adorned the front lawn. As Megan pulled up alongside the road in front of the home, she saw with relief that Merry was home. In fact, she was standing on her porch talking with a man.

Becca gave Megan a quick hug. “Thank you,” she sang. “You saved me quite a trek.”

Megan climbed out of the truck and pulled Becca’s suitcase from the bed while Becca unloaded her boxes of love potions. Merry had noticed them, and she turned her attention toward her niece.

“Aunt Merry!” Becca called. “Hello!”

She hurried toward her aunt and stopped short just feet from the landing, Megan trailing behind. The man had turned to look at them so that his face was visible. He was older, mid- to late-sixties, but his resemblance to Becca was unmistakable. Strong features: a square chin, a broad nose, unnaturally black hair receding ever-so-slightly into his scalp line. He wore a tailored coat and carried an expensive bag. His bearing screamed money and privilege.

The man regarded Becca with an evenness that seemed unnerving, while Becca’s whole body shook with emotion.

No one acknowledged Megan. She watched the scene unfold the way a bystander witnesses a car crash. Helpless and transfixed.

“No! Why is he here? Aunt Merry, why the hell is he here?” To him, “I told you I never want to see you again. Never. Do you know what that means? You brought him here on purpose.”

“Rebecca, calm down,” Merry snapped. “You’re jumping to conclusions.”

“He’s here, I’m here. What conclusions am I jumping to?”

The man said, “Actually, I was just leaving.”

“That might be best, Paul.” Merry glanced at her niece, lips pursed into a frown. “Let’s give Becca some time to calm down.”

Paul nodded curtly. “Very well. Thank you, Merry. You know where I’ll be.” He walked down the steps, past Becca, without so much as another glance in her direction. Becca placed her bags on the ground. With a sudden rush, she darted toward the man in the slippery snow, hands outstretched. She would have pushed him had he not reacted with laser speed. He grabbed her wrists and held them out in front of her. Merry took a step forward. Megan dropped the suitcase, ready to intervene.

But Paul and Becca just stood there, staring at one another. Finally, Becca said, “You’re hurting me.”

He looked down at his hands, wrapped like bindings around her wrists, and let go. “I’m sorry.” He backed away, his eyes unwavering in their focus on Becca’s face.

He climbed into his car—a silver Mercedes—and Becca spat at the ground near his tire. She rubbed her wrists, shoulders hunched.

Becca watched as he pulled away, his rear tires slipping in the deep snow. “Why would you invite him here, Aunt Merry?”

“I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

“He’s staying here. He made that pretty clear.”

“He wanted to see you. He wants to make amends.”

“I will never forgive him. You of all people should understand that.”

Merry regarded her niece with a long, sad stare. Finally she said, “Megan, I assume Becca’s car had some difficulty in the snow?” When Megan nodded, she said, “Thank you for bringing her.”

It was a dismissal, at odds with Merry’s normally saccharine insistence on hospitality. Megan placed Becca’s suitcase on her porch and and returned to her truck. She watched as Becca followed her aunt obediently inside. With the front door shut, the visage of the house returned to its festive façade.

A façade, indeed, Megan thought as she pulled away. That was all it seemed to be. She wondered what conversation was going on inside.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wendy Tyson is a writer, lawyer, and former therapist whose background has inspired her mysteries and thrillers. Wendy writes two mystery series. Killer Image, Wendy’s first novel in her popular Allison Campbell Mystery Series, was named a best mystery for book clubs in 2014 by the Examiner. Additional books in the Allison Campbell series are Deadly Assets (July 2014), Dying Brand (May 2015), and Fatal Façade (June 2017). Wendy’s bestselling Greenhouse Mystery Series includes A Muddied Murder (March 2016), Bitter Harvest (March 2017), which received a starred Publishers Weekly review; and Seeds of Revenge,  (November 2017). Wendy’s short stories have appeared in literary journals, including KARAMU, Concho River Review, and Eclipse, A Literary Journal, and she has short fiction in two fiction anthologies, The Night of the Flood and Betrayed. Wendy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Penn Writers, and International Thriller Writers, and she’s a contributing editor and columnist for International Thriller Writers’ online magazines, The Big Thrill and The Thrill Begins. Wendy splits her time between Pennsylvania and Vermont.

Connect with Wendy:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble |  iTunes