Two unlikely friends, an old woman and a boy with special needs, take an aging champion to Westminster Dog Show, and heal their troubled families. Seventy year-old Bess Rutledge has fantasized about winning the Westminster Dog Show all her life, but now she has decided she is too old to follow her dream. She meets Benny, an angry fourteen year-old with mild autism and ADHD, who has a dream of his own: to impress his self-absorbed mother. He becomes convinced that winning Westminster with McCreery, Bess’ aging champion standard poodle, will finally make his mother proud of him. Getting Bess to go along with his plan, however, is not going to be so easy.
Interview with Diane Daniels Manning
Diane, what’s the story behind the title of your book? Almost Perfect is not in keeping with the book’s characters and outcome, but comes from an expression we often use with the children at our therapeutic school: “Perfection is the enemy of good enough.” Sadly, some children (and adults) get so caught up in needing everything to be perfect, they miss the happiness available to them when life is “good enough” — emphasis on the “good.” The title of my next book, a version for middle schoolers/teens is Good Enough.
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Redding, Connecticut, the setting for Almost Perfect. Mark Twain spent his last years there, and the library there was founded by him. I spent many hours there as a child dreaming of becoming an author like him.
That is so cool. What would I do if someone gave me $5,000? If someone gave me $5,000,I would donate it to the New School in the Heights, in Houston, Texas for scholarships.
Do you have another job outside of writing? I am the co-founder and executive director of a therapeutic school for bright children who haven’t succeeded in other schools because of their social or emotional differences. A similar school is featured in Almost Perfect.
Are any of your characters inspired by real people? My book has two main characters. Bess, a seventy-year-old woman, is based on the top breeder of standard poodles in America in her day. I did an oral history of her, and that is how I got my knowledge of dog shows and professional dog breeders. The other main character, the twelve-year-old Benny, is a composite of a number of children I have known both in my school and otherwise.
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing. “I liked it.”
What makes me bored? Trying to figure out forgotten/misplaced passwords.
What dumb things did you do during your college years? Not doing dumb things.
Have you been in any natural disasters? I lived in New Orleans for twenty years but decided to move to Houston when someone offered me the chance to start a therapeutic school there. I moved just a few days before Hurricane Katrina. Even though I wasn’t there during the storm, it was a terrible time. Houston was amazing in welcoming people fleeing the storm. Buses arrived at the Superdome on Friday. A hospital was set up inside and an operating post office. Every child was in school Monday morning. Children enrolled in private schools in New Orleans were admitted to private schools in Houston at no additional tuition. It made me appreciate my new city while feeling heartsick for my former home.
What do you love about where you live now? The generosity of the people in Houston.
Diane Daniels Manning is the co-founder and director of The New School in the Heights, a therapeutic school in Houston, Texas which helps children dealing with social-emotional challenges find success in school and life. She has a Ph.D. in Education and a post-doctoral M.P.H from Harvard and is a practicing child psychoanalyst certified by the American Psychoanalytic Association. Formerly, she was the Director of the Reading and Learning Disabilities Clinic at Tufts University, Lecturer and Research Associate in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Harvard, and Chair of the Department of Education at Tulane University. She learned the inner workings of dog show kennels by writing an authorized oral history of a lifetime President of the Poodle of Club of America. Her writing awards include the Faulkner-Wisdom Novella Prize and the Women in Film and Television Short Script Competition. When not at The New School, Diane and her writing partners, a Standard Poodle named Misty and a rescue cat named Elvira, convene at the keyboard to share great thoughts and plan the dinner menu. Connect with Diane: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Kate Mitchell has never forgiven herself for breaking Nick Lavigne’s heart. Now he’s back and he’s moved on, and it’s affecting Kate’s life more than she’s willing to admit.
Kate Mitchell has everything. She's the head of a crazy successful publishing house, engaged to the traffic-stopping sexy Mac Ellis and she's about to sign one of the biggest authors of her career.
And that's when everything falls apart.
Everything is perfect…until it’s not.
In a city of 8 million people Kate manages to run into someone she never expected to see again.
Nick is handsome, impossibly kind, every girl’s dream, and Kate’s former fiancé. He’s also the brother of the rising star author she’s trying to sign. Now that Nick’s back in town and has moved on he insists he’s over Kate, but part of him still can’t get past how amazing they were, and his sister won’t let anyone forget how brutally it ended.
When Mac is dealt a life-changing blow, it forces Kate to question every single choice she’s made.
Follow Kate as she embarks on a journey of life and love, navigating through the decisions that will change it all forever.
Interview with Christina George
Christina, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
That’s a great question. So for all of these books: The Publicist, Shelf Life, and Climax I tried to go literary – do something that tied into the book world. Climax seemed like a natural thing because it was the climax point of the story and it is also a nod to the term editors often use.
Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
Yes, Climax is part of a series but it is written to be a standalone, too. I worked hard to do that because I didn’t want new readers to feel “forced” to buy all of them.
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
Not to take anything personally. Much like Kate’s journey (and her job), it’s a hard lesson to learn. It’s not about you, it’s about whatever is going on for that person. That’s pretty freeing.
If someone gave you $5,000 and said you must solve a problem, what would you do with the money?
I would give it to an old dog rescue to pay for dog treatments. I have done some work with several of these rescues which take in elderly dogs that get discarded by their owners. Often even just $100 can be the difference between a dog getting a life-saving surgery.
What are your most cherished mementos?
I went to visit the beaches of Normandy in France and picked up a couple of rocks. It’s staggering to think what happened there.
If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
My dog, who rocks.
How did you create the plot for this book?
Well, book one in particular came out of real life experiences. Ninety percent of the author stories in book one and two are based on things that happened to me in my job. And some of the other folks like Mac and Edward are based on real publishing people I worked with.
Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
Yes, just about all of them. Their names have been changed to protect the guilty and sometimes spoiled :-)
What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
Not really a pet peeve but kind of a confession: I am a book sniffer. Sometimes I’ll sniff a book on a train and catch people watching me. They must be wondering “I wonder if that’s a new thing. A smell-a-tale?” Have you been in any natural disasters?
Yes, I was living in Southern California once and we had a massive fire, I mean massive. It burned so hot and so fast that by the time they could warn us to evacuate, we had 30 seconds to get out.
What would your dream office look like?
The same as now but with minions. Minions rock :-)
Why did you decide to self-publish?
Well, I work in traditional publishing, and I published under a pen name because you know, some of these stories are real so I figured it was just easier to do it that way. Also, I have seen the man behind the curtain, so to speak. I get how tough traditional publishing is these days. It’s not because traditional houses are the villains, at all. They are in business and want to make a profit and this does not always include supporting first time authors because they love the book. I know a lot of editors who 100% fall in love with a book but can’t sign it because maybe the market isn’t right, or the market is too small. Also, I’m a control freak. Well, actually, I prefer a control enthusiast. I wanted this book written a particular way, I wanted to control my cover, timing of release, etc.
What are you working on now?
Well, I got so many letters from readers that they loved the series and wanted it to continue that I’ve decided to do that. So right now I’m working on a book about Mac, one of the lead characters in the series. Then we’ll focus on Vivienne who was in Climax (she was a new character). After that, I’m writing one on Allan Lavigne. He’s the big (huge) bestselling author who is Kate’s best friend.
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
Wow, this is such a great question. I once had a fan write me a long email about what upset her about such and such in my book and why this or that character made such-and-such decisions. This was HUGE because wow, she cared enough to write me and she was so into the book that she became emotionally involved, that’s huge.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write? Why? Climax was very hard because it was so complex, and I had to keep these folks likable and at the same time make them seem real and flawed. That, for me, was tricky.
What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
Really, most comments I get are about how someone hates Kate or Mac – or that Kate’s spoiled. You know feedback is a funny thing, if you read it, step back from it, sit with it –more often than not it’s helpful.
About the Author:
Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years (give or take). Here’s what this book isn't: It’s not a slam against publishing (though it is broken) and it’s not a slam against authors (though some of them are crazy). This book is not autobiographical though many of the stories are true. No, you won’t know which ones, cause it’s more fun to guess, right? George continues to work in publicity and helps authors because at the end of the day she does love books, she loves publishing, and she loves authors. She hopes you’ll enjoy this romp through Kate’s world as much as she enjoyed creating it.
Brent Hartinger's tenth novel, The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know, tells the story of a young gay guy, just out of college, trying to make sense out of life and love in the boomtown that is Seattle in 2014. The book, his first in the "new adult" genre, will be released December 15, 2014.
In 2003, Hartinger made a big splash documenting the lives of gay teens with his humorous young adult novel Geography Club. It spawned three sequels, one of which won the Lambda Award. Geography Club was eventually adapted as a feature film, released in 2013, co-starring Scott Bakula.
In The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know, Hartinger turns his attention to the lives of gay twentysomethings. The result is a book with plenty of Hartinger's trademark humor, but with a sexier, more contemporary edge, exploring topical issues like online hook-ups, FWBs, and PrEP HIV prevention.
Russel Middlebrook, the protagonist of The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know, is also the lead in Geography Club and its sequels, making him the rare literary character to jump genres (from young adult to adult books). This latest book is also the start of a new series, Russel Middlebrook: the Futon Years.
Like Armistead Maupin's classic Tales of the City books, The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know is set in a very specific place and time—in this case, Seattle in the summer of 2014.
In the book, Russel is twenty-three years old and living in this trendy and completely pro-gay city. But Russel's life isn't keeping up with the hype. Most of his friends have a direction in life—either ruthlessly pursuing their careers or passionately embracing their own aimlessness. But Russel is stuck in place. The only thing he knows for sure is that crappy jobs, horrible dates, and pointless hook-ups just aren't cutting it anymore.
What's the secret? What does everyone else know that he doesn't?
Enter Kevin, Russel's perfect high school boyfriend. Could rekindling an old flame be the thing he needs to get his life back on track? Or maybe the answer lies in a new friend, an eccentric screenwriter named Vernie Rose, who seems to possess more than a bit of the wisdom of the universe. Or what the hell? Maybe Russell will find some answers by joining his best friend Gunnar's crazy search for the legendary Bigfoot!
One way or another, Russel is determined to learn the all-important secret to life, even if it's a thing he doesn't even know he doesn't know.
Brent Hartinger Answers the Dirty Dozen
1. What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Self-centered people. I run into people all the time who seem completely oblivious to the fact there are other people in the world. Either that, or they're aware and they just don't care. I'm not sure which is worse.
2. What is your guiltiest guilty pleasure?
My secret shame is . . . all-you-can-eat sushi bars! In the case of sushi, I sometimes will choose quantity over quality. Maybe even often! 3. What is your most embarrassing moment?
This may not be the most embarrassing, but I got home from Christmas shopping at the mall yesterday, and I realized that I'd had my fly down the whole time. And not just a little bit down -- it was wide open. Yikes! At least I was wearing underwear.
4. At least! What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?
Let's just say I've accidentally thrown more than one iPhone into the washing machine and leave it at that, okay?
5. Yikes. What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
In all seriousness, it might be deciding to become a writer -- although I didn't think of it as "daring" at the time. I was absolutely determined, and I never really had a back-up plan. If I'd known how incredibly impractical it is, I'm not sure I would've done it!
6. On what life choices would you like to have a re-do?
Yes, yes, if we redo things, then we wouldn't be the person we are, blah, blah, blah. Let's get real. If I had a choice, there's one two-year relationship that never would've happened and an entire website, now defunct, that I wouldn't have founded. Both were complete wastes of my time.
7. What makes you nervous?
I just produced a music video (for a song based on my latest book, The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know). I had absolutely no idea how much work it would be -- all for a three-minute video.
For days before, I was a complete wreck. But mostly I was nervous that I would disappoint all the people who had put their faith in me, that they would feel like they wasted their time.
Interestingly, it all worked out pretty well!
8. What makes you scared?
I'm often scared I'll fail as a writer. I've been doing this long enough that I now know that not everything I do works. And I've also been at it long enough to know that my own judgment of my work is sometimes very skewed. Then, of course, everything is complicated by the fact that sometimes the work really is good, but not everyone can see it.
It's the hardest thing in the world, knowing when to stick to your vision in the face of criticism and when to say, "Hold on, wait, I think my vision sucks."
9. What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?
Whenever I teach creative writing, I act like I know what I'm talking about. Sometimes I even feel that way at the time.
But the truth is, I'm not sure writing can be taught, and even if I can, I'm not sure I'm smart enough to do it. Good storytelling is the hardest thing in the world, which is why it's so incredibly rare.
Still, I always do the best I can, so maybe it's not really a lie.
10. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?
Other than that two-year relationship?
Yes, other than that!
Honestly, there was a girl in my Catholic high school who was once berated for getting pregnant by a teacher in front of the whole class. It's one my huge regrets in life that I didn't stand up and say to that teacher, "Shut your pie-hole, you miserable, small-minded, pathetic excuse for a human being!"
Even now, it still makes me furious. That might be the exact moment I became a liberal.
11. When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Wow, good question. Lately, I've been learning type-setting (of books?). There are certain "rules" that aren't supposed to be violated. At the same time, the manuscript itself can't (usually) be altered. So how do you set the type in such a way that you don't violate these "rules"?
Compromises, compromises. In type-setting, as in life, sometimes there simply are no good choices.
12. One of your main characters has to die. Which one would you kill off?
In my next book, I just killed off all the main characters except one. Which makes sense since it's a thriller. But even so, it was really hard. You spend all this time creating characters, and in some sense you "like" them (or you wouldn't have written them).
Needless to say, there won't be a sequel.
Check out the video: The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know
About the author:
Brent Hartinger is an author, playwright, and screenwriter. His latest book, about a gay 23-year-old trying to make sense of life and love in Seattle 2014, is out now. His first novel, Geography Club, is also a successful stage play and a feature film co-starring Scott Bakula and Nikki Blonsky. He also has a number of film projects in active development.
In 1990, Brent helped found one of the world's first LGBT teen support groups in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. In 2005, he co-founded the entertainment website AfterElton.com, which was sold to MTV/Viacom in 2006. He currently co-hosts a podcast called Media Carnivores from his home in Seattle, where he lives with his husband, writer Michael Jensen. Read more by and about Brent, or contact him at brenthartinger.com.
Brent Hartinger is available for podcast, blog, newspaper, and other media interviews.
It’s been years since Sandy Fairfax was a teen idol and starred in his
hit ‘70s television series Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth, but he still has his
fans. Now it’s 1993 and many of his grown-up fans see a leisurely
cruise as the ideal vacation. So, when Sandy’s agent finds him a
pleasant gig aboard the SS Zodiac, he jumps at the chance. And, when the
offer includes a spot for his musician sister, Celeste, who is blind,
Sandy sees an opportunity to re-engage with his estranged sibling.
However, the brother-sister duo are barely aboard the ship, when Sandy
finds a singer from another shipboard show murdered in his dressing
room. When the ship’s security officer does little to investigate, Sandy
feels obligated to jump in, even though he isn’t a detective––he just
used to play one on TV. Soon he’s grilling potential suspects, including
a burnt-out piano bar player, a Southern-fried magician, a blackmail
victim, a ventriloquist with a sassy dummy and even a former flame. Will
Sandy unmask the killer before the cruise ends? Will he connect with
the girl of his dreams? Will he have time to enjoy the sights of Nassau?
Or will he end up sleeping with the fishes in the Atlantic Ocean,
another victim in this killer’s Cunning Cruise Ship Caper?
Interview with Sally Carpenter
Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order? The Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol series is about a former ‘70s pop star that has been out of the business for too long, but now at age 38, he’s quit drinking and making a comeback. He’s also making amends with his estranged family. There’s a development arc over the series as Sandy regains his confidence on stage and deals with family issues. It helps to read them in order, but each book stands on its own as well. A new reader can pick up the story at any time.
Where’s home for you? Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Princeton, Indiana, a county seat town of about 10,000. I lived in various cities in the Midwest until 2000 when I moved to Southern California. Now I reside in Moorpark, which is considered “small” even thought it has about 34,000 people.
What do you love about where you live?
No snow to shovel and not driving on icy streets. Do you have another job outside of writing?
I work a full-time job to pay the bills. I work at a weekly community newspaper, but I’m not a reporter. I use my writing skills for headlines, and photo cutlines, and in editing articles.
What would your main character say about you? “Stop putting me in so many deathtraps! I also lose my life in every book!”
How did you create the plot for this book?
Research. The plot points arise from what I know about the subject matter. For this book, I took a cruise years ago and saved every scrap of information and took tons of photos from that event. In writing this story, I went through all of that and built my story from there.
Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
My protagonist, Sandy Fairfax, was inspired by The Monkees. I did plenty of research into teen idols of the 1960s/70s, including reading several autobiographies by various real life pop stars. Sandy is a mash-up of the guys I read about, but he doesn’t represent any particular person.
Is your book based on real events?
It was based on the cruise I took and the fact that some of the older teen idols have performed on cruise ships. Are you like any of your characters?
I’m a little like Bunny McAllister, Sandy’s biggest fan, and Celeste Farmington, Sandy’s sister. There are a few of my traits in these women, but they are not exactly like me. The fact that Celeste can sing and play keyboards is not a skill I have!
Who are your favorite authors?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (naturally), Robert Levinson and William Link, Rod Serling.
What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)?
I don’t have a Kindle/ereader. Looking at a computer screen all day strains my eyes, so I go with paper for pleasure reading. I’m re-reading the entire Sherlock Holmes canon in order. I’m enjoying those stories more now than when I was younger. On my next-up list is “Granny Snows a Sneak" by Julie Seedorf.
What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
I usually read before I go to bed, but by then I’m generally too tired to cover more than a few pages. And if I take too long in reading a book, I forget what I read days ago.
Do you have a routine for writing?
First drafts are always handwritten. I can’t compose fiction on a computer. It feels too much like a job, and I stop constantly to make corrections. I’m trained as a touch typist, so I can’t look at my fingers or the screen when I’m composing. Handwriting helps the story flow better onto the paper. I have a refillable pen I use only for writing. Then I type up the draft into the computer and revise from there.
Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
At home. I work a day job, so my writing time is limited to evenings and weekends.
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing? That I made the reader laugh.
Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
I’ve lived in various towns, and one of the first things I did after settling in was to get a new library card. I’ve been in many libraries but the most memorable was in the town where I grew up. During the summers mom dropped me off at the library while she shopped, instead of leaving me at home. The library was an old-fashioned brick building with a couple of “nooks” where one could get lost among the books and some chairs for reading. It was quiet, not like modern libraries where people are talking. No computers or activities going on, just paper books to read. In eighth grade, I won the summer reading contest for taking on the most books. I’m sure that library is much different now—-I haven’t been in it for years. But I have fond memories.
Why did you decide to publish with Cozy Cat Press?
Like most authors, when I started out with my first book I wanted an agent and a big advance and nice contract. Reality is, agents/large publishers won’t touch an unknown/unpublished author. Publishers won’t take a chance on an author until she’s a celebrity who will guarantee huge sales. After several agents turned me down, I queried small presses that do not require agents. My first book was with another publisher. After two years, that publisher put my book out of print. Many publishers won’t pick up a series that started with another press, so I was fortunate to find Cozy Cat Press. The publisher, Patricia Rockwell, liked my series and was willing to publish the second book. I got the rights back on my first book and self-published an ebook version to keep it in print. Are you happy with your decision to publish with CCP?
I have cats, so I love the name! CCP is very encouraging of its authors. Patricia works hard to get books on the market promptly as soon as they’re finished. CCP doesn’t set deadlines so authors can take as much time as they need to write. Authors can give input regarding book titles, book covers, and the promotional copy—-large publishers handle these areas with no regard to the author’s wishes. The other CCP authors support and promote each other.
How did you find them, and how long did your query process take?
I Googled “mystery publishers” and eventually found a list of various small presses; CCP was on the list. The query process went fast—-I think Patricia responded to my query in just a few days! Large publishers take months because they pass queries through several layers of readers, editors, marketing directors, etc.
What are you working on now?
The next Sandy Fairfax book, number four, The Bloody Black Tie Benefit Caper. Sandy’s taking part in a fundraiser to help save his father’s orchestra, and he’s also appearing on a TV game show. He’s handling some serious issues with his kids, and he’s trying to woo his girlfriend. And of course, there’s a corpse or two. I’m also starting on a new cozy mystery series set in the 1960s. I’m still working on the details, but it should be groovy and fab!
About the author:
Sally Carpenter is native Hoosier now living in Moorpark, California.
She has a master’s degree in theater
from Indiana State University. While in school her plays “Star
Collector” and “Common Ground” were finalists in the American College
Theater Festival One-Act Playwrighting Competition. Common Ground also
earned a college creative writing award and Star Collector was
produced in New York City.
Carpenter also has a master’s degree in theology and a black belt in tae kwon do.
She’s worked as an actress, freelance
writer, college writing instructor, theater critic, jail chaplain, and
tour guide/page for a major movie studio. She’s now employed at a
community newspaper.
Her initial book in the Sandy Fairfax
Teen Idol series, The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper, was a 2012 Eureka!
Award finalist for best first mystery novel.
Her short story, “Dark Nights at the Deluxe Drive-in,” appears in the anthology Last Exit to Murder.
Faster Than a Speeding Bullet was published in the Plan B: Vol. 2 e-book anthology.
Her short story “The Pie-eyed Spy” appeared in the Nov. 23, 2013, issue of Kings River Life ezine.
Elizabeth Carlson is living in the pits of hell- also known as grief.
Her husband of eight years, the father of her four children and the love of her life, died from cancer. Grady’s prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?
Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.
When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn’t just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she’s capable of ever giving again.
As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there’s more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there’s more to life than death.
Rachel Higginson is the creator of The Star-Crossed Series, Love & Decay Novella Series, The Starbright Series, The Siren Series, Bet on Us and the soon to be released, The Five Stages of Falling in Love! She is also the co-creator of the podcast "Zach & Rachel Take Over the World."
She was born and raised in Nebraska, and spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days raising four amazing kids. In the few spare moments she has to herself, she is either reading for hours on end or writing her own stories.
Rachel, an 18-year-old Columbia University student descends into the netherworld of runaways and predators to find her sister, Olivia, who has suddenly disappeared. After getting a job in a strip joint where Olivia worked, then doing private shows in the homes of rich clients, Rachel discovers that Olivia has been abducted by a killer who auctions the deaths of young girls in an eBay of agony. As she closes in on the killer who has taken Olivia, Rachel becomes his next target.
Guest Post: The Amateur Sleuth
There are two essential questions that have to be addressed in order to make an amateur sleuth believable. Motivation--why would someone with a regular day job get involved in solving a crime? And how could this person solve a crime where the police could not? The first question rests on immediacy. In The Schwarzschild Radius, my protagonist, Rachel, is an eighteen-year-old Columbia engineering student whose sister disappears. Here is her motivation. She is willing to do anything to get her back. The police investigation is so far fruitless so she must take matters into her own hands. Now comes the second question. What can she do that the police can't do better? After all, they have a gun and a badge, training, court orders and virtually unlimited resources that a single person without law enforcement authority does not have.
In Rachel's case, her advantage is her age and sex. She is vulnerable. She can enter a youth shelter posing as an underage homeless girl to gather information. The police cannot do this. In addition, she is willing to take a job in a sex emporium as a stripper to get more leads. Again, no police investigation will go this far. Finally, because she is so smart and computer-savvy, she can hack into the PCs of suspects and gather more incriminating evidence. The police certainly have the know-how to do this, but evidence gathered in this way without a warrant would be inadmissible in court and undermine the entire case against the suspects. So here again, my amateur sleuth has the advantage over the police.
Finally, it is essential that the amateur sleuth solve the crime herself, and if she gets into trouble, has to extricate herself from it without the cavalry coming to the rescue. Rachel manages to do this as well, using her resourcefulness. In short, a number of difficult criteria have to be in place for an amateur sleuth story to be plausible. In a thriller, there has to be a final confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist. How does an untrained, 110 pound eighteen-year-old girl prevail against a former special forces mass murderer? Again this has to be made believable by laying the groundwork well before this climax. You can't reveal at that moment that your amateur sleuth is also a world-champion Aikido expert and able to dispatch a 200 pound killer with her bare hands. Everything can fall apart if this confrontation is not believable. I won't give away how Rachel handles this moment, but the reviews would indicate that it was both believable and satisfying to the reader. Obviously, it is easier to write a story where your protagonist is a former cop or martial artist or has some specialized training that makes him a match for the antagonist.
The pluses of writing an amateur sleuth are that right from the start, you can have a very sympathetic and vulnerable character who can also surprise the reader in plausible ways. So all these points have to be worked out before you start writing an amateur sleuth story, especially a thriller, where the hero's life is in the balance.
About the author:
Gustavo Florentin was born in Queens, New York and received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic University of New York. He spent a decade in the defense industry working on the F-14 fighter jet and classified electronics projects. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many thought America wouldn't need weapons anymore, so while others waited for the peace dividend, he moved on to the financial sector in New York where he is currently a network engineer. His passions include violin, travel to exotic places and exploring worldwide conspiracies. He lives in New Jersey where he is working on his third novel. His thriller, In the Talons of the Condor, won the following awards: WUACADEMIA--Prix d'Or Best Novel The Verb First Chapter Contest--First Prize Mount Arrowsmith Best Novel 4th place The Writing Show--Second Prize best first chapter of a novel. Second Prize--16th Annual International Latino Book Awards Connect with Gustavo: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Barnes & Noble
From bestselling author Carolyn Arnold… Strap in for an adventure that will take you to the beautiful island of Jamaica and have you wanting a piña colada.
Jimmy finally takes a vacation–and a chance on love–only to be abducted. His female companion originally thinks he had cold feet about their relationship, but Sean and Sara know there’s more to it. Jimmy isn’t the type to just up and disappear, let alone leave a lady stranded.
Setting out on their private jet, Sean and Sara reach the tropical paradise of Ocho Rios, Jamaica with sightseeing as the last thing on their minds.
With a gold coin being their initial tie to Jimmy’s kidnapper, Sean and Sara even speculate about the involvement of pirates. Yet as the hours pass, and there’s no word from Jimmy’s captors, Sean and Sara will need to figure out the real motive before it’s too late.
With help from their friend, Adam, back in Albany, the pieces come together and not a moment too soon.
8th in the Amazon Bestselling McKinley Mystery Series
About the author
Carolyn Arnold is the bestselling author of the Madison Knight series, the Brandon Fisher series, and the McKinley Mysteries. Her love for writing dates back to her teen years, but her passion was reignited in 2006 when a fellow employee said “tell me a story.” Since then Carolyn has never looked back.
Her writing has since been compared to New York Times Bestsellers such as JD Robb, Mary Higgins Clark, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen, and more.
Carolyn was born in 1976 in a rural town of Ontario, Canada, and she currently lives with her husband and two beagles in a city near Toronto.
