FEATURED AUTHOR: LESLEY COOKMAN

 

About the book

The sixteenth in the Libby Sarjeant Mystery Series
.

INTERVIEW WITH LESLEY COOKMAN

Lesley, how did you get started writing?
Professionally, as a feature writer for trade publications.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
Characters.

How often do you read?
Every day, 365 days a year.

What books do you currently have published?
All my books are still in print, so that’s sixteen mysteries, two novellas and two romances. Not to mention seven pantomimes and a musical play.

How often do you tweet?
Once or twice a day.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I enjoy Facebook, and use it a lot, both personally and professionally.

What do you wish you could do?
Play the piano.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Read.

Where is your favorite place to visit?
A tiny Turkish village that few people know about.

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Yes. My main character has most of mine!

Do you procrastinate?
Of course. What writer doesn’t?

What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Misuse and mispronunciation of words.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." -Douglas Adams

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
A commissioned short story for Christmas, because it had to be part of my series, but there was no time to develop the plot. Drove me mad!



What is your favorite movie?
Some Like It Hot


What are you working on now?
The seventeenth in the Libby Sarjeant series, to be called Murder On The Run.

Connect with  the author


Website     |   Blog   |    
Facebook   |   
Twitter   |   Accent Press
 

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH PAMELA FAGAN HUTCHINS' EMILY PHELPS BERNAL

ABOUT THE BOOK

USA Best Book Award-Winning Series, Cross Genre Fiction.

A heartfelt mystery from the bestselling and award-winning author of the What Doesn't Kill You romantic mystery series.

Big-haired paralegal and former rodeo queen Emily has her life back on track. Her adoption of Betsy seems like a done deal, her parents have reunited, and she’s engaged to her sexy boss Jack. Then client Phil Escalante’s childhood buddy Dennis drops dead, face first into a penis cake at the adult novelty store Phil owns with his fiancée Nadine, one of Emily’s best friends. The cops charge Phil with murder right on the heels of his acquittal in a trial for burglarizing the Mighty is His Word church offices. Emily’s nemesis ADA Melinda Stafford claims a witness overheard Phil fighting with Dennis over a woman. Before he can mount a defense, Phil falls into a diabetic coma, leaving Nadine shaken and terrified. Meanwhile Betsy’s ultra-religious foster parents apply to adopt her, and Jack starts acting weird and evasive. Emily feels like a calf out of a chute, pulled between the ropes of the header and the heeler, as she fights to help Phil and Nadine without losing Betsy and Jack.

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Emily is a disgraced paralegal and former rodeo queen who tucks tail and moves back to her hometown in West Texas when her Dallas husband leaves her for a woman who turns out to be a man. She works for Jack, a secretive criminal attorney and sexy mix of cowboy and Indian, and is trying to adopt Emily, a six-year old little girl from Mexico. Emily flounders a bit through her divorce, miscarriage, local gossip, adoption woes, and romantic ups and downs, but she has the love and support of the world’s best friends: CPS Investigator Wallace, strip club bartender Nadine, her former boss Katie who left the practice of law to move to the islands, sexy fish-out-of-water Ava, and tough-as-nails Michele. And when the chips are down, Emily is resourceful, a little bit spiritual, and a whole lot reckless, as she kicks ass and takes names.     

INTERVIEW WITH EMILY PHELPS BERNAL

Emily, how did you first meet Pamela?
I met Pamela when she was writing about my best friend, Katie, in Saving Grace, the first book in the What Doesn’t Kill You series.

What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?
My idea of heaven is riding Jack’s horse Jarhead on a gorgeous spring day in the mountains of New Mexico.

What impression do you make on people when they first meet you? How about after they've known you for a while?
I hate to admit it, but I think people think I’m a dumb blonde. But after they know me, I think they get me and see that I’m capable. I think I actually surprise them, but mostly because they don’t imagine me as someone who can rope, ride, and shoot.

What's the worst thing that's happened in your life?
When my daddy left us. That was the worst. My divorce was bad, and my miscarriage was horrible. But wondering if my daddy was even alive, if I’d ever see him again? Losing my hero? That was the worst. It really taught me to rely on myself, though. I knew that nothing was necessarily forever. 



Tell us about your best friend.
Well, my best friend ever is Katie, who used to be my boss. I soaked a lot of her tipsy tears into my shoulder, let me tell you. She’s got it together now, but she lives so far away on St. Marcos in the Virgin Islands. My local best friend is Wallace, and oh-my-God he’s hilarious. He’s got this giant heart for kids—he works as an Investigator for Child Protective Services—and an obsession for neatness. But bless his heart, he’s a single gay man in Amarillo, so he’s as much of an outcast as I am as the divorcee whose husband left her for a woman who turned out to be a man. 



What are you most afraid of?
That I’ll end up alone, without Betsy or Jack.



What do you like best about Jack?
I love Jack’s eyes and his enormous heart.

Least?I like least that he is cryptic and secretive. I wish I could get him to just open up to me.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
Kate Hudson would be my top choice, but Reese Witherspoon could pull it off, too.

Describe the town where you live.
Amarillo: flat, windy, smells like cow poop, and a church on every block.

Describe an average day in your life.
Since I’ve been working for Jack, there’s been nothing but chaos. I’ve been drugged, kidnapped, shot at, stalked, and had to escape with Betsy on horseback from a human trafficker’s ranch and save two foster kids from a bad cop in an abandoned mine. I’m not sure there are even average days anymore.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
I think readers will find that out in Hell to Pay, though I cringe to admit that my special skill is snake handling. Don’t ask, because I refuse to say another word about it.

Will you encourage your author to write a sequel?
I hope she writes about my dear new friend Laura. She was a champion jockey, and she and her husband are adopting a teenage girl. But she wants to start an equi-therapy camp for kids on Jack’s ranch. She’s asked me to help her, and I think it’s the greatest idea ever.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Writer of overly long e-mails, romantic mystery series, and (possibly) hilarious nonfiction. Resides deep in the heart of Nowheresville, Texas and way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, Wyoming. Passionate about great writing and smart authorpreneurship as well as long hikes with her hunky husband and pack of rescue dogs, her Keurig, and traveling in the Bookmobile.

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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

FEATURED AUTHOR: LINDA K. SIENKIEWICZ

ABOUT THE BOOK

What makes us step back to examine the events and people that have shaped our lives? And what happens when what we discover leads to more questions?

Angelica Schirrick wonders how her life could have gotten so far off-track. With two children in tow, she begins a journey of self-discovery that leads her back home to Ohio. It pains her to remember the promise her future once held and the shattering revelations that derailed her life.

Can she face the failures and secrets of her past and move forward? Somehow she must learn to accept the violence of her beginning before she can be open to life, and a second chance at love.

PRAISE FOR IN THE CONTEXT OF LOVE

“Linda K. Sienkiewicz’s powerful and richly detailed debut novel is at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey. In the Context of Love should be required reading for all wayward teenage girls—and their mothers, too.” ~Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award Finalist, American Salvage, and critically acclaimed, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters.

“With tenderness, but without blinking, Linda K. Sienkiewicz turns her eye on the predator-prey savannah of the young and still somehow hopeful.” ~ Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Deep End of the Ocean

“Absorbing, heartbreaking, compulsively-readable and insightful, Linda Sienkiewicz’s In the Context of Love casts a hypnotic spell. This is storytelling at its best.” ~ Lewis Robinson, author of the critically acclaimed, Officer Friendly: and Other Stories, and Water Dogs

BOOK TRAILOR

INTERVIEW WITH LINDA K. SIENKIEWICZ

Linda, how did you get started writing?

My writing evolved from my love of stories. As Thomas Lynch said, “Writers are readers who have gone karaoke.”

I like that. What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?

Writing a first draft is hard. It’s cheesy, bland, boring and unfocused. It takes a lot of faith to believe that you’ll be able to massage schlock into a good story.

What’s more important – characters or plot?

Characters and their inner development, which hopefully will lead to plot.

What is your writing style?

Evocative (I hope that doesn’t sound pompous). I like to evoke feelings and emotions through description and action with well-chosen words.

What do you think makes a good story?

A good story needs conflict, either inner or external. There has to be something for the character to resolve to keep the reader turning pages.

What scares you the most?

My own clumsiness is terrifying. I move too fast without looking. I fear I’m going to knock my teeth out some day.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without (besides your phone).

Got to have lip balm.

What do you love about where you live?

Historic Rochester, Michigan is so cool that my friend from California asked “Is this a tourist town?” Eclectic shops, five star restaurants, and festivals like Fire and Ice, Arts and Apples, Rockin’ Rods of Rochester, and the Big Bright Light Show at Christmas. Everything is within a few blocks of our 1914 home.



Name one thing you’re really good at and one thing you’re really bad at.

I’m great at hands-on creative problem-solving but I suck when it comes to organization.

Where is your favorite place to visit?

Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France, where I visited Jim Morrison’s grave. The cemetery is stunningly beautiful and strangely peaceful.

What would you name your autobiography?

Oh, Yes, She Did.


Do you have any hidden talents?

I can wiggle my ears.

Excellent. 
Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?

Of course. Like Angelica, I went through an angry, rebellious stage in my teens, and often stretched the truth to get out of the house. I was a little too fond of my boyfriend, as well (cough, cough). I have an addictive personality like her ex, although I’ve learned to keep things in check.

Do you procrastinate?

I follow the OHIO rule: Only Handle It Once. If I don’t take care of business right away, it’ll just nag at me.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

At a reading, a well-known poet from Cleveland read a poem referring to the Cuyahoga River catching fire. As a former Clevelander, I’d heard that worn-out story so many times that I decided to tease him when I took the stage to read. In front of 100+ people, I said “Thanks, Ray, for your Cleveland poem, but, about the river catching fire: get over it.” It did not sound as funny as I thought it would. I later apologized to Ray. He was a good sport.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write? 

It was difficult to write about my grown son’s suicide, even years after. Tears were rolling down my face, but I felt it was important to share my experience if the story helps another parent.

That's heartbreaking. What’s one of your favorite quotes?

“There is nothing fiercer than a failed artist. The energy remains, but, having no outlet, it implodes in a great black fart of rage, which smokes up the inner windows of the soul.” Erica Jong

Describe yourself in five words.

Impulsive. Empathetic. Naïve. Optimistic. Clumsy.



What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Roll over and beg.

What is your favorite movie?

Lars and the Real Girl with Ryan Gosling, a surprisingly tender and emotional story.

Do you have a favorite book?

Gilead by Marilynn Robinson. It was the most powerful and intimate story I ever read. Certain passages can still make me weep. In my novel In the Context of Love, I used the same perspective, where the book reads like a letter from Angelica to Joe.


What are you working on now?

The story of Angelica’s first love, the “Hungarian heartthrob, the Gypsy King,” Joe Vadas. I think he deserves his own book, don’t you?

Absolutely!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a published poet and fiction writer, cynical optimist, fan of corgis, tea drinker, and wine lover from Michigan. Her poetry, short stories, and art have been published in more than fifty literary journals, including Prairie Schooner, Clackamas Literary Review, Spoon River, and Permafrost.

She received a poetry chapbook award from Bottom Dog Press, and an MFA from the University of Southern Maine. Linda lives with her husband in southeast Michigan, where they spoil their grandchildren and then send them back home.

​Connect with Linda:
Website  |  
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  Goodreads  

Buy the book:
Amazon  | Barnes and Noble

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: JAMES HUTCHINGS

ABOUT THE BOOK

If you want to spark new ideas for worlds, plots or characters, you want Ideas and Inspiration for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers. Medicinal corpses, the jargons of thieves and carnies, Nazi UFOs, the colonization of space and green children from nowhere are only a few of the topics covered. This sourcebook is for all writers of fantasy or science fiction—whether novels, short stories, games, or any other form of storytelling.




INTERVIEW WITH JAMES HUTCHINGS

James, what do you think is more important — characters or plot?
Plot. The current "common sense" seems to be that you should develop characters, and then let the plot flow from what those characters would do. However I think most successful stories develop a plot, then develop characters for which that plot would make sense. I think perhaps the emphasis on character comes partly from seeing stories where the characters do things that don't make sense because the plot is supposed to go in a particular way (for example TV series where the situation has to end up basically as it began after every story). Having said that, it's sometimes more interesting as a writer to have the plot go in an unexpected direction because of the characters. So perhaps I think that you should develop a plot, then make characters that fit that plot, and then change the plot so that it makes sense for the characters.

Do you read a lot?
Almost constantly. At the moment the majority of my reading is research. However it's more interesting than most research.

What books do you currently have published?
I have four ebooks other than Ideas and Inspiration...: They Say the Sirens Left the Seas and The New Death and Others are collections, Telelee is a verse novel, and Two-Fisted Tweets is a collection of "stories," each of which is the size of a tweet (under 140 characters).


What’s the oldest thing you own and still use?My genitals.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Horrific.

Ha! Good one. What scares you the most?
Death in general, and being buried alive in particular.

What is your superpower?
If I were a superhero, I'd be Hanker-Chief, who fights people that sniff in public.


What’s your favorite Internet site?
Cracked.com. A couple of the articles in Ideas and Inspiration . . . started because of things I read there.


What’s your favorite song?
At the moment it's "Black Flag Flying" by David Rovics.

What are you working on now?
I'm working on a second volume of Ideas and Inspiration.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Hutchings lives in Melbourne, Australia. He fights crime as Poetic Justice, but his day job is acting. You might know him by his stage-name "Brad Pitt." His work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly and Wisdom Crieth Without among other markets.


Connect with James:

Blog  | Goodreads   
Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Smashwords  




CHARACTER INTERVIEW: SHERIFF PROMISE MARY FLYNN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Years after the Willis Asylum closed, the secrets of its past lingered in its decaying halls as a reminder to the good people of Auburn Notch—when Evil closes a door, he also opens a window. Sheriff Promise Flynn was new to the town, and she was about to find out some windows should never be opened. 

Promise Flynn is an overly impulsive Metro Detective whose disregard for procedure finally resulted in her being shot and left for dead during an investigation. To repair her bruised ego and splintered confidence she abandons the callous dark alleys of Chicago to patrol the quiet, birch-lined streets of Auburn Notch—a favorite vacation spot of her youth. For two years everything was idyllic, until the body of a young girl found in the abandoned asylum outside of town awakens the insecurities she thought her new life would insulate her from. As the new Sheriff she begins her investigation ignoring the similarities between the young woman’s death and her own case, oblivious to being unexpectedly recognized and penciled in at the top of a clever murderer’s To-Do list. Her internal struggle intensifies when a discredited crime reporter from the past suspiciously arrives in town to resurrect his threadbare reputation, along with an FBI agent chasing down a lead in a cold case. Both men quickly become entangled in Flynn's investigation and her attempts to finally put her past to rest. Flynn reluctantly accepts the murder of the young girl might be the work of the two men responsible for her hasty departure from Chicago, but Agent MacGregor insists the evidence points to a man he’s been chasing. As the rising current of her past threatens to pull her under, Flynn finds herself unprepared for option three.

ABOUT SHERIFF PROMISE MARY FLYNN

Promise Mary Flynn was a decorated Metro Detective, one of the youngest to achieve the rank. She was overly impulsive, charging right into danger without regard to procedure at times.  She ruffled a lot of feathers on her way up the ranks, but she didn’t care. Her penchant for disregarding procedure when it suited the situation finally resulted in her being shot and left for dead during an investigation. It had a devastating affect. Her was ironclad outer shell was shattered, along with her confidence. To repair her bruised ego and splintered confidence, she abandons the callous dark alleys of Chicago to patrol the quiet, birch-lined streets of Auburn Notch where she spent summers with her family. What follows is anything but therapeutic.

INTERVIEW WITH SHERIFF PROMISE MARY FLYNN

Sheriff, how did you first meet your writer?
Michael also spent a good deal of his youth in New Hampshire. He was very familiar with Auburn Notch, so when it came time to develop a new mystery series he decided to use our town as the setting. I was delighted to be included, though I could do without the murder and mayhem that goes along with his stories. Just don’t tell him I said that.

Want to dish about him?
He’s a very polite and modest kind of guy. I wouldn’t want to embarrass him. I can tell you he’s incredibly creative when it comes to new ways to remove people from this world. He doesn’t just use the old bang-bang-shootem-up methods, he’s always looking for new ways to surprise a reader and raise a few eyebrows. If you want to know what I mean, in this first book I would have never guessed you could kill someone that way.

Did you have a hard time convincing your author to write any particular scenes for you?
I’m a little irritated that the only men I meet are either deranged or a bit slimy around the edges. Michael and I have had a small discussion about this, and he has assured me in the next book I’ll be meeting a “rather dashing fellow,” as he put it. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m sure there will also be a few strings attached.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
For the most part I get along with most of them. Sure councilwoman Johnson and I have words every once in a while, but at the end of the day we’re friends. My deputy, Hank, and I had a rough start, but we worked it out just in time. Agent MacGregor is as good as any fed could be. The only problem is he just shows up at the worst times, and trouble is not far behind. I’ll let you size up Bob Clayton for yourself, just don’t do it at night alone.

Do have any secret aspirations that your author doesn’t know about?
As my confidence is returning, I sometimes think I’d like to go back to a big city. Not Chicago, but maybe Boston.



What's the worst thing that's happened in your life?
The worst thing that happened is a result of the stupidest thing I’ve done, but it turned out to be the best thing I’ve done. I was a Metro detective in Chicago when I ignored procedure and followed up on an anonymous tip without backup. It lead me right into a trap, where I was shot and left for dead. If it weren’t for Williams, my partner, I would have died that day. I won’t admit this in public, but it was an irritating reporter that had been shadowing us during a case involving a serial killer that alerted Williams to my stupidity. The one good thing that came out of that whole ordeal is I came to Auburn Notch to recuperate and never looked back . . . at least not until the incident at the asylum. I wouldn’t have put the two together if it wasn’t for that black candle they left burning in the window.

Tell us about your best friend Dr. Laura Dearing.
She is the precinct’s clinical psychologist in Chicago and my close friend for many years. It was Laura’s suggestion for me to return to the quiet, pleasant ambiance and familiarity of Auburn Notch to recuperate. We met there years ago during one of our family summer vacations. We were so surprised when we both ended up in the same precinct in Chicago. It didn’t take long to rekindle the friendship we enjoyed so many years ago.

What are you most afraid of?
The bitter scent of ash, and lets just leave it at that. 



What’s the best trait your author has given you?
My ability to size up a person within minutes of meeting them is the greatest strength he’s given me. It’s come in handy more than once. 
What’s the worst?The most irritating trait, and I’m embarrassed to say it, are what he refers to as my “runway looks.” I’d be much happier with a pleasant expression and authoritative glance.

What do you like best about your deputy, Hank Harris? Least?
Hank and I started out on a friendly note when I first arrived in town. He knew I was a detective from Chicago, but he didn’t know what brought me to Auburn Notch. There was a mutual respect for the badge between us. Everything changed when the mayor offered me the sheriff’s position. Hank became gruff, deliberately irritating, and went running to the town council about every little decision I made. I began to wonder if I could trust him. I found out he did a little digging into my past, which fueled his fire even more. He also felt he should have been made sheriff instead of me. I’ve worked with a lot of cops. Hank is a good one, but still a little wet behind the ears. This became very evident, even to him, when we found the body of that young woman in the abandoned asylum. Our relationship changed dramatically after that. I’m so happy it did, otherwise I might not be here today.

What’s your author’s worst habit?
He has an uncanny knack for digging up the worst humanity has to offer and giving them directions to Auburn Notch. Sure, he dresses them up a bit, makes them appear somewhat normal, but it isn’t long before I start to unravel their true character. And people in town wonder why I’m so suspicious of every stranger that strolls into town.

What aspect of your author’s writing style do you like best?
Michael has an artist touch when it comes to describing the setting of a chapter. I really believe it gives the reader a deeper understanding of the surroundings. He doesn’t just explain where the scene is taking place; he places the reader in the room experiencing all the sights and sounds the characters experience. At times it’s quite creepy.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
This is the one reason I would be happy about my looks and say I would be thrilled to see Charlize Theron play my character in a movie. Putting her stunning looks aside, she has just the right edginess to her attitude and the toughness to carry the badge.

Describe Auburn Notch.
Auburn Notch is a quiet New Hampshire town nestled beneath the shadows of the White Mountains. I spent many summers here as a young child with my parents, so returning after so many years felt like going home. The people are friendly, the air is clean and brisk, and the fresh scent of pine lingers over the town like a delicate lace throw. It’s the complete opposite of the gritty streets of Chicago I left behind. It’s the last place you would expect to find crime, but unfortunately it rears its ugly head from time to time even in this tranquil setting.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
That’s a tough question. I don’t know whether I would want to stand out from others in my genre. What I would really like is to be accepted as an equal to some of the great characters that have come before me. Having accomplished that would be a great achievement.

Will you encourage your author to write a sequel?
I’m very excite to say I just found out a second book has been submitted to Sunbury Press for publication toward the end of this year. It details a very strange occurrence in town, and will introduce readers to Alice Norbury. Alice is the town matriarch, and she becomes embroiled in an eco-terrorist plot after the mysterious death of her husband. I’ll tell you this one is not a story to miss. They say it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature; but when you do, look out. Her fury has never been so threatening. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael is a classically trained artist turned mystery writer. By combining his creative talents with a passion for mysteries he conceived his first series—The Ernie Bisquets Mysteries. It introduced Ernie Bisquets, a retired London pickpocket who decided he was going to assist the London police with their most difficult cases—whether they want his help or not. Michael has completed 3 books in the series, and has plans for at least five additional books. Book 4 is in the works now.
   
Michael travels a bit, especially to Great Britain, but also has a fondness for New England. He spent many winters in the shadow of the White Mountains, skiing and enjoying the beautiful countryside. Those fond memories are the backdrop now for the new Auburn Notch Mysteries being published by Sunbury Press. The main character is Sheriff Promise Flynn—an ex-metro detective who left a dark past and her big-city detective shield behind and moved to a small New England town.
   
When he’s not painting or writing, Michael is an avid antique collector, filling his current home—an 1894 Queen Ann Victorian he, his wife, and son are restoring—with an assortment of antiques from around the world. Michael also enjoys cooking, working in the garden, and playing in the yard with their two rescues, Beau and Pup.

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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes &Noble  |   Sunbury Press  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: BLAIR HOWARD

ABOUT THE BOOK

Checkmate is the fourth standalone novel in the Harry Starke series of mysteries.

Angela Hartwell lay dead in the shallow waters beside the golf course. There was not a mark on her, yet she had been strangled. How could that be?

Once again, it’s up to Harry Starke to find out. The investigation takes him into a world he’s very familiar with, a world of affluence, privilege, and corruption.

To solve the mystery, he must deal with three murders, a beautiful used car dealer, her lovely twin sisters, and a crooked banker.  Not to mention Burke and Hare, two crazy repo men who will stop at nothing to protect their employer’s interests. There's also the matter of an ingenious, sadistic killer. But nothing is ever quite what it seems . . .

Harry Starke is a hard-boiled private detective, an ex-cop, a tough guy from the right side of the tracks with finely tuned senses, good instincts, and friends in high places. He’s single, successful, well educated, and yes, he will hurt you if he needs to.

Excerpt from Checkmate

She walked around the desk, sat down, reached over and punched a number into the intercom. “Max. If you wouldn’t mind. Please come in here.”

A few seconds later, the door opened and in walked what could only be described as the Terminator. Max Tully was about as tall as me, but there the similarity ended. He must have weighed at least 250 pounds, but his body fat was probably less than five percent. He was a body builder, a powerhouse, probably on steroids. He was so muscled his arms wouldn’t hang by his sides.

“Mr. Starke is leaving now, Max,” Ruth said. “Please show him out.”

I stayed where I was. “I have a few more questions, if you don’t mind,” I said reasonably.

“I do mind. Max?”

He took a step toward me. “You heard the lady.”

“Back off, Fatso,” I said, even more reasonably than before, so I thought, as I got to my feet and turned to face him. “Fatso,” probably wasn’t what I should have called him, but I learned a long time ago that the best way to handle a tough guy was to throw him off his game before he got started. Anyway, he went for it. He growled, and took another step forward. I took a step backward.

“I said, back off.”

He grinned, exposing a set of white but crooked teeth, and raised his right hand to grab my shoulder. That’s the trouble with big, strong guys like him. They think their size and strength are all they need. This one, by the self-satisfied look on his face also thought he was better than me.

Fat chance, Blutto.

He didn’t even see it coming. I grabbed two of his outstretched fingers—the pinky and the one next to it—and bent them back. He howled in pain. His knees bent. His arm crooked upward toward his shoulder. His eyes closed. His head went back. Ruth sat staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

“Down, boy,” I said, as I slowly forced him to his knees. I sighed and shook my head as I increased the pressure until he was down on his back.

“All you had to do was ask nicely, and I would have left,” I said quietly. “You didn’t need to bring in the heavy — and that’s all he is, Ruth: heavy.”

I pulled on Max’s fingers, and he rose into sitting position. I bent down, put my mouth close to his ear.

“Max, I’ll say this just once, so listen up. I’m going to let you go now. When I do, you’ll stand up and go back to whatever hole in the wall you crawled out of. If you don’t — if you decide you think you can ambush me — I’ll blow away one of your kneecaps. I’ll put you on sticks for the rest of your days. Understand?”

He nodded. He was in too much pain to even speak. I let him go and stepped back and pushed my jacket back to expose the grip of the MP9 under my left arm. He got up and staggered out of the office, his right hand clasped in his left, close to his chest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Blair Howard is from a small town in England, near Stratford-upon-Avon, on the edge of the English Cotswolds. He is Kentucky Colonel, an honor bestowed upon him in 2008 by the then Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Steven L. Beshear. Until 2015, he wrote sweeping historical epics, and is the author of five historical novels. In July of 2015 he decided to try his hand at writing mystery novels, thus we have Harry Starke. The first in the series, Harry Starke, was released in mid-September 2015. The second novel, Two for the Money, was released October 19, the same year, Hill House, in mid-December 2015, and Checkmate in February 2016, and there are more to come.

Blair is the author of more than 40 books and more than 4,500 magazine, newspaper, and web articles. His work has appeared in many national and international publications, including Delta's Sky Magazine, PHOTOgraphic magazine, The Mail on Sunday, The Walking Magazine, Petersen's Hunting Magazine, The Boston Herald, The Detroit Free-Press, The Anchorage Times and many more.

Connect with Blair:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Amazon  


Buy the book:
Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: CONNIE ARCHER

ABOUT THE BOOK

The village of Snowflake, Vermont is buzzing with excitement. Hilary Stone, the famous author of Murder Comes Calling, is planning a visit. Even the discovery of the body of an unidentified woman strangled in the woods hasn’t dampened the spirits of Snowflake’s avid mystery fans – that is, until the villagers learn the murder mimics the popular novel. Could the killer be a deranged fan hoping for attention? Or is a copycat killer on the loose? 

INTERVIEW WITH CONNIE ARCHER

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I think it’s those wonderful moments when the words and images are flowing and you feel as if you’re actually inside your own story, clearly visualizing everything as it comes to life. It’s like an out of body experience!

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
I can’t say I have any regrets about anything I’ve done. I do wish I had known more about marketing and book tours and blogging at the time. That was a whole new experience quite different from the challenges of writing. So I had a huge learning curve in front of me.  I was very lucky that the first book was so well received and even though there was no time to kind of pre-advertise the first book, readers seemed to really like it and I was thrilled to be able to connect with so many fans of the series from the beginning. 

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
I’m laughing.  I think the hardest part of the whole process is sitting down to begin a new book. The moment you must start to craft a plot from maybe nothing but an idea and you don’t know if it will work. It feels like there’s a mountain looming in front of you that you must climb and come out at the end with a (hopefully entertaining) cohesive 80,000 word story. 

How often do you read?
I read all the time. With coffee in the morning, in bed at night, on lunch breaks, waiting at the doctor’s office. I’m always carrying a book around, and they’re always pretty much crime novels.

What do you think makes a good story?
I think the first, most essential aspect of a good story is creating characters that the reader can connect with and identify with at an emotional level. Those are the stories that always stay with me. And in crime novels, whether cozy or hard-boiled, I believe some edge-of-your-seat moments are important. They maintain tension and keep a reader turning pages to find out what’s going to happen next.

What books do you currently have published?

There are five books in the Soup Lover’s Mystery series: A Spoonful of Murder, A Broth of Betrayal, A Roux of Revenge, Ladle to the Grave, and now A Clue in the Stew.  In my other series, the Zodiac Mysteries, the first book will be out on June 8th. It’s called The Madness of Mercury.  So all in all, I will have six books published.

Do you have any secret talents?
I’ve found that some of my other interests have had to take a back seat, given my writing schedule. When I’m in the mood, I like to sew, and I love to browse thrift shops looking for interesting fabrics. I love old furniture too and several years ago discovered that I was pretty good at restoring pieces, stripping them down to the bare wood and refinishing them. I haven’t had time to do any of those projects lately, but I’ve done them quite a lot and it’s a very satisfying feeling to see a beat up old piece of furniture come back to life.

Is writing your dream job?

Hmmm.  Yes, I think it is.  I wish I could spend eight hours a day doing nothing but. I have tons of ideas for different kinds of stories and there doesn’t seem to be enough time to work on them. The first priority is always whatever deadline is in front of me. That has to come first. 

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Any station that offers international mysteries. I could watch that all the time. For the last few years, one of my local stations has done just that. I’ve been able to watch so many wonderful crime productions – Swedish, Danish, Italian, British – Inspector Montalbano, the Donna Leon series (a German production), Van Veeteren, Beck, Wallander, George Gently, Vera. I could go on and on. Every single one has been wonderful! 

What’s one THING you never leave the house without?
I do always remember my keys. I hate to go out with my hair a mess and no makeup, because if I do, I know I’ll run into someone I haven’t seen for ten years!

What do you love about where you live?

I live in California, and I love the winters! We’ve had a drought for many years, but if it’s going to rain, it rains in the winter and everything turns fresh and green.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Food shopping. I’d rather wash windows or dig ditches. I like to cook, but food shopping is my least favorite chore. I always go with a list, grab a cart and race through the supermarket. My neighborhood market (no names mentioned here) has a new marketing plan. If you’re looking for an item, it won’t be where it logically should be. For example, I wanted to buy a package of barley last week – to make soup of course! It wasn’t in the aisle with the pasta and the rice and the quinoa. It should have been, but it wasn’t. It was three aisles away, placed with more quinoa and rice noodles. Go figure! The market likes to offer coupons if you take a survey, and believe me, I always complain about this. Their marketing execs, I’m sure, are convinced their customers will buy more if they’re confused and forced to wander the store. It’s the new cruelty.

What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop
Right now, my screensaver is a photo I took of the Golden Gate straits on the western end of San Francisco. I’ve been busy taking lots of San Francisco photos because my new series – the Zodiac Mysteries – is set there and I knew I would be needing them. I love this particular picture. It’s taken from the top of Sutro Heights between two twisted trees, across the entrance to the bay and shows fog on the hills on the Marin County side of the ocean. I always sigh when I look at this picture. It’s so relaxing and I can almost feel the sea breezes. 

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m getting the second book in the Zodiac series – Dark Sun – ready to send to my publisher. It’s finished, but I like to give myself plenty of time to go over it again and again, so it’s in the best shape possible before an editor reads it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connie Archer is the author of the national bestselling Soup Lover’s Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime. A Clue in the Stew, the fifth in the series will be released on April 5, 2016. You can find her excerpts and recipes in The Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Writing as Connie di Marco, she’s also the author of the upcoming Zodiac Mystery series from Midnight Ink featuring San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti.  The Madness of Mercury, first in the series, will be released on June 8, 2016.  She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. 
  


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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |   Barnes & Noble   |   IndieBound