FEATURED AUTHOR: R.J. KORETO

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1902 New York, Alice Roosevelt, the bright, passionate, and wildly unconventional daughter of newly sworn-in President Theodore Roosevelt, is placed under the supervision of Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, ex-cowboy and veteran of the Rough Riders. St. Clair quickly learns that half his job is helping Alice roll cigarettes and escorting her to bookies, but matters grow even more difficult when Alice takes it upon herself to investigate a recent political killing--the assassination of former president William McKinley.

Concerned for her father's safety, Alice seeks explanations for the many unanswered questions about the avowed anarchist responsible for McKinley's death. In her quest, Alice drags St. Clair from grim Bowery bars to the elegant parlors of New York's ruling class, from the haunts of the Chinese secret societies to the magnificent new University Club, all while embarking on a tentative romance with a family friend, the son of a prominent local household.

And while Alice, forced to challenge those who would stop at nothing in their greed for money and power, considers her uncertain future, St. Clair must come to terms with his own past in Alice and the Assassin, the first in R. J. Koreto's riveting new historical mystery series.

Book Details:

Book title: Alice and the Assassin

Author’s name: R.J. Koreto

Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction

Series: Alice Roosevelt Mystery #1

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (April 11, 2017)

Page count: 288

On tour with: Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours

INTERVIEW WITH R.J. KORETO

R.J., what’s the story behind the title of your book?
"Assassin" says it all—it's Alice Roosevelt solving the mystery of President McKinley's assassination in 1901. The second book in the series, The Body in the Ballroom, comes out later this year.

Where’s home for you?
Rockland County, New York.

Where did you grow up?
In New York City, just like Alice Roosevelt.

Who would you pick to write your biography?
Henry Fielding, who wrote Tom Jones. What a wonderful story teller he is! He also holds an important place for mystery writers, as he founded the Bow Street Runners, London's first police force.

What’s one thing you wish your younger writer self knew?
Not only do you become a better writer, but you become a better editor. That is, you become a better judge of your own work.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
I have a job outside of fiction writing. I spend my day writing articles about tax and accounting regulations. I've been asked if I ever wanted to write a murder mystery set in the accounting world, and I might, because I have a great idea for a title: Bored to Death.

I love that! How did you meet your wife?
We met when found ourselves at adjoining desks, when we were editorial assistants at a  publishing company, some 30 years ago. I bought an IBM-PC and encouraged her to buy one too. I helped her carry it back to her apartment. She cooked me a hamburger. The rest is history.

Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?
On the spectrum, I'm more on the lonely genius end. There is some controversy about the "genius" level.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Friedrich Schiller: "Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." Isaac Asimov used it in a novel.

What’s your favorite line from a book?
“I was thinking, that when my time comes, I should be sorry if the only plea I had to offer was that of justice. Because it might mean that only justice would be meted out to me.” ― Agatha Christie, Murder at the Vicarage.

What would Alice Roosevelt say about you?
Alice might say: "I do think that for the most part, Mr. Koreto provides a fair portrayal of me and accurately describes my successes. But in several places he makes it sound as if I am often difficult and even arrogant. Everyone knows that's not true about me."

To which Mr. St. Clair, her Secret Service bodyguard, might say dryly, "Yes, Miss Alice. He sure got that part wrong."

How did you create the plot for this book? Is it based on real life?
Absolutely! William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, but so much remains unknown, such as the emotional state of the assassin. It was fun, and a challenge, to neatly merge real history and fiction. There really are a lot of unanswered questions about the assassination of William McKinley. My plot is fictional, but based on the real political turmoil at the beginning of the 20th century.

Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
Not just inspired—they actually were real people. Alice Roosevelt, her Aunt Anna, her president father, and Nicholas Longworth, who would become her husband. Her bodyguard Joseph St. Clair is fictional, but based on real Rough Riders.

Are you like any of your characters?
Alice's bodyguard, Agent St. Clair, is very different from me: he's a Westerner with little formal education but a lot of experience as a lawman and soldier. But we have one important thing in common: neither of us has any patience for fools.

Who are your favorite authors?
Agatha Christie: No one writes better plots. No one.
George Simenon: He has no equal in setting a scene.
Rex Stout: I wish I could write dialog half as well as he could.
John le Carre: The Smiley books left me dumbfounded.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The richness of his world is a triumph of imagination.

What book are you currently reading and in what format?
I'm more of a print reader than an e-book reader. Right now, I'm catching up on my Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock magazines.

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
Plot holes. Everyone can make a mistake, but sometimes I read a mystery where there's a huge logic chasm. I remember throwing one book down and saying, "If that got published, I can certainly write a novel!" I started that weekend.

Do you have a routine for writing?
I write evenings and weekends, usually with a little noise in the background. I grew up right in Manhattan and as a result I can't think if it's dead quiet.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
In an online review, one reader wrote she liked the protagonist of one of my books so much that she wanted her to be her friend. I can't even imagine a greater compliment.

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
It would probably be a character out of Lord of the Rings. My daughters will laugh at me.

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
One publisher returned a manuscript saying he liked my writing but didn't find one single sympathetic character in the book. Actually, I liked my characters. So I'm thinking, "OK, I'm not a failure as a writer. But I might be a sociopath." That took a while to get over.

What would your dream office look like?
Wood-paneled walls lined with books, all bound in leather. A huge antique wooden desk. A working fireplace.

Are you happy with your decision to publish with Crooked Lane?
I was very lucky to find a wonderful and shrewd agent, Cynthia Zigmund, who gave me valuable advice and then proceeded to reach out to publishers. My publisher, Crooked Lane, was still pretty new, and they were willing to really work with me on my books. It was a wonderful education.

What are you working on now?
Something I'm very excited about. In rural England in 1888, a fledgling police constable helps investigate the murder of a young woman he knew well, the daughter of an Earl. He helplessly watches as the wrong man is convicted and hanged—thanks to the Earl's prejudices. Over the next 35 years, as he rises through the ranks, he keeps revisiting the case, from London to India to the battlefields of World War I, even as the Earl's family faces the repercussions of the murder, generation after generation. We see the change in the noble family, in the constable and in England itself, over the decades.

EXCERPT FROM ALICE AND THE ASSASSIN

I had a nice little runabout parked around the corner, and Alice certainly enjoyed it. It belonged to the Roosevelt family, but I was the only one who drove it. Still, the thing about driving a car is that you can't easily get to your gun, and I didn't like the look of the downtown crowds, so I removed it from its holster and placed it on the seat between us.
"Don't touch it," I said.
"I wasn't going to," said Alice.
"Yes, you were."
I had learned something the first time I had met her. I was sent to meet Mr. Wilkie, the Secret Service director, in the White House, and we met on the top floor. He was there, shaking his head and cleaning his glasses with his handkerchief. "Mr. St. Clair, welcome to Washington. Your charge is on the roof smoking a cigarette. The staircase is right behind me. Best of luck." He put his glasses back on, shook my hand, and left.
It had taken me about five minutes to pluck the badly rolled cigarette out of Alice's mouth, flick it over the edge of the building, and then talk her down.
"Any chance we could come to some sort of a working relationship?" I had asked. She had looked me up and down.
"A small one," she had said. "You were one of the Rough Riders, with my father on San Juan Hill, weren't you?" I nodded. "Let's see if you can show me how to properly roll a cigarette. Cowboys know these things, I've heard."
"Maybe I can help—if you can learn when and where to smoke them," I had responded.
So things had rolled along like that for a while, and then one day in New York, some man who looked a little odd wanted—rather forcefully—to make Alice's acquaintance on Fifth Avenue, and it took me all of three seconds to tie him into a knot on the sidewalk while we waited for the police.
"That was very impressive, Mr. St. Clair," she had said, and I don't think her eyes could've gotten any bigger. "I believe that was the most exciting thing I've ever seen." She looked at me differently from then on, and things went a little more smoothly after that. Not perfect, but better.
Anyway, that afternoon I pulled into traffic. It was one of those damp winter days, not too cold. Workingmen were heading home, and women were still making a few last purchases from peddlers before everyone packed up for the day.
"Can we stop at a little barbershop off of Houston?" she asked. I ran my hand over my chin. "Is that a hint I need a shave?" I'm used to doing it myself.
"Don't be an idiot," she said, with a grin. "That's where my bookie has set up shop. I've had a very good week."
***
Excerpt from Alice and the Assassin by R.J. Koreto. Copyright © 2018 by R.J. Koreto. Reproduced with permission from R.J. Koreto. All rights reserved.

OTHER BOOKS BY R.J. KORETO

Death at the Emerald: A Lady Frances Ffolkes Mystery

Death Among Rubies: A Lady Frances Ffolkes Mystery

Death on the Sapphire: A Lady Frances Ffolkes Mystery

The Body in the Ballroom: An Alice Roosevelt Mystery

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

R.J. Koreto is the author of the Lady Frances Ffolkes mystery series, set in Edwardian England, and the Alice Roosevelt mystery series, set in turn-of-the-century New York. His short stories have been published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

In his day job, he works as a business and financial journalist. Over the years, he’s been a magazine writer and editor, website manager, PR consultant, book author, and seaman in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Like his heroine, Alice Roosevelt, he was born and raised in New York City.

With his wife and daughters, he divides his time between Rockland County, New York, and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Connect with R.J.:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads
Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

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GUEST POST BY LESLIE NAGEL

ABOUT THE BOOK

What’s the couple next door really hiding? Vintage fashionista and amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter finds out in this engrossing cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders.

In a small town like Oakwood, Ohio, everyone knows everyone else’s business—except for Charley Carpenter’s standoffish new neighbors, who tend to keep to themselves. But behind closed doors, Paxton Sharpe’s habit of screaming bloody murder at all hours of the day keeps Charley awake all night. Coupled with the stress of the increasingly delayed expansion of her shop, Old Hat Vintage Fashions, the insomnia is driving Charley crazy. Her only distraction? The local paper’s irreverent new advice column, “Ask Jackie.”

Jackie’s biting commentary usually leaves Charley and her employees rolling on the floor, but her latest column is no laughing matter. An oddly phrased query hinting at a child in peril immediately puts Charley on high alert. After arriving home to a bloodcurdling scream next door, she follows the noise into the basement and makes a grisly discovery: the body of Judith Sharpe’s adult daughter.

With Detective Marcus Trenault off in Chicago, Charley decides to take matters into her own hands. Convinced that the murder is connected to the desperate plea for help in “Ask Jackie,” she embarks on a twisted investigation that has her keeping up with the Sharpes—before a killer strikes again.

Book Details:

Title: The Advice Column Murders

Author: Leslie Nagel

Genre: Cozy mystery, 3rd in series

Series: The Oakwood Mystery series

Publisher: Alibi (April 3, 2018)

Print Length: 250 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

GUEST POST BY LESLIE NAGEL

Write What You Know? Yes . . . And No

Let’s talk about method acting. The core of “The Method” is emotional analogy. When you want to play a part in a convincing way, you must feel the emotions of your character. Sometimes that requires living the life of that character, literally walking a mile in her or his shoes. So, if you’re tasked with playing the part of a killer, do you go out and bump somebody off?

Thankfully, that won’t be necessary.

Instead, you try to resurrect the most homicidal feeling you’ve ever had and bring that sense of all-consuming rage to the part. It doesn’t take much – a memory of having your new car sideswiped in a parking lot could suffice, IF that memory is enough to bring your blood to the boiling point.

So how does emotional analogy apply to writing fiction?
   
“Write what you know” is both one of the best, and one of the most misunderstood, pieces of advice, ever. It encourages new writers to keep their setting and characters grounded in familiar territory, which hopefully translates into relatable, believable stories.

But it also paralyzes aspiring authors into thinking that authenticity in fiction means thinly veiled autobiography. If you’re a drunken, brawling adventurer like Hemingway, no problem. If you, like Jane Austen, are a gentlewoman living in a world obsessed with the marriageability of young women and the suitability of their admirers, you need merely to gaze out your window for inspiration.

But what about the rest of us? Do I only write books about being a part time teacher and raising a couple of kids? Of course not. How boring would that be to write, much less read? Conversely, have I ever killed a bunch of people and arranged them like scenes from favorite mystery books? I have not. But I wrote about it, and quite convincingly, according to my readers. How did I do that?

Well, has Andy Weir (The Martian) ever been stranded in space? Did Ernest Cline (Ready Player One) live in a future dominated by an immersive video game? NO, and NO. Yet both novels are authentic and convincing. How did they do that?

I don’t mean to suggest that writing about the world you know is a mistake. If you are a new writer still mastering your craft, I highly recommend it. After all, I set my Oakwood Mystery Series in my very real hometown. It’s relatively easy for me to describe the sights, smells, sounds, the people, even the weather, allowing me to focus on planting all those red herrings.

However, “write what you know” isn’t just about the five senses. It’s also about the six sense: emotions. You can write a scene about two people standing in your kitchen having an unexpected moment of romantic connection. You can describe their appearance. It’s your kitchen: you can describe the scene right down to the teacups, curtains and pot holders hanging on the wall.

But if you’ve never had a crazy crush, if you’ve never made eye contact with a sexy someone and felt the blush heat your cheeks before setting your pulse racing and your tummy fluttering, your scene will fall flat. However, if you connect emotionally with your characters, you can put your story on Pluto, and readers will buy into it one hundred percent.

I teach writing at a local college. Of the five steps of the writing process, I find prewriting is the most neglected. But prewriting is exactly how to get you where you want to go. Remember the emotional analogy of method acting?

As you prepare to write your scene:
1.    Evoke a memory that mirrors the emotions your character is feeling. (Nobody feeling anything? Reduce that exposition to one line and get to the good stuff.)
2.    When you have that memory, you need to dwell there for awhile. Think about the five senses you experienced while living it. Take your time. Then grab a pen and begin generating an emotional word bank.

Your heroine is walking down the hall toward a closed door. “She walked down the red carpeted hall toward the closed door.” Okay, despite the adjectives, I am asleep. WHY is she doing it? What is on the other side of that door?

Let’s say she’s heading in there to pick a fight. Before you write a line, you need to think of the last time you got in a good, heated shouting match. Then begin to generate emotional words for your word bank. Here are a few of mine (I fight a lot):  Stomp, Shout, Heat, Black, Fury, Slam, Idiot, Stupid, Hands Sweating, Red, Tight Throat, Silently, Scream, Rejection, Anger, Fear, Burning, Interruption, Savagely, Slash.

This process should also take a while. Start with a few, leave it, come back. Ultimately you’ll have a lot of sensory words that stem from your emotions.

Notice that I’ve got adjectives, nouns, adverbs and verbs in there. This is a BRAIN DUMP; nothing is off limits. Anything and everything that remotely comes to mind as you live that scene in your head goes into your word bank.

Stuck? Try switching places with another player in the scenario. Who is waiting behind that closed door? Watch yourself reacting through their eyes as whatever happened, happens to you.

Take a look at your list. If you’ve worked it hard, you’ll discover something interesting. While you dwelt in that emotional memory, the other five senses crept in! And that is the secret of writing what you know. Armed with a list of sensory words brimming with the feelings you want your characters to convey, you are now equipped to write a scene that will vibrate with emotional authenticity, a scene that will come alive for your reader.

I leave you to imagine your heroines, hallways and everything that lies behind that closed door. If you’re feeling it as you write, your readers will, too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leslie Nagel is a writer and teacher of writing at a local community college. Her debut novel, The Book Club Murders, is the first in the Oakwood Mystery Series. Leslie lives in the all too real city of Oakwood, Ohio, where murders are rare but great stories lie thick on the ground. After the written word, her passions include her husband, her son, and daughter, hiking, tennis, and strong black coffee, not necessarily in that order.

Connect with Leslie:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram 


Buy the book:
Amazon  |  B&N | Kobo | Google Play

FEATURED AUTHOR: STEVEN M. ROTH

ABOUT THE BOOK

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE PRESIDENT WANTS YOU DEAD?

You do the thing you were trained to do. You fight back or you die.

That’s the situation ex-Navy SEAL Trace Austin faces when the President of the United States decides to eliminate the five people who know his deadly secret — a secret so disturbing that should it ever be revealed, it will send the President to prison for the rest of his life.

Trace knows the President’s secret. He is one of the five people the President must eliminate before he leaves Office and gives up his powers as President.

But Trace will not go quietly. He will fight back against all efforts to get rid of him in this  edge of the seat, action-packed second book in the Trace Austin suspense thriller series that is full of twists and turns you won’t see coming.

Because Trace has no other choice.

When the President of the United States wants you dead, there is no place to hide. You resist or you die.

Book Details:

Title: No Place to Hide

Author’s name: Steven M. Roth

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Series: Trace Austin, book 2

Publisher: Blackstone Press (January 2018)

Page count: 293

INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN M. ROTH

Steve, tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
Trace Austin is an ex-Navy SEAL who gets caught up in two bad situations not of his making in the first two books.

No Place to Hide is the second book in my suspense/thriller series featuring ex-Navy SEAL, Trace Austin. It is not necessary to read the first book (No Safe Place) in order to enjoy this book, but there are some reveals in this book that are likely more meaningful if you’ve read the first book. If you are going to read them both, I recommend reading them in order.

I currently am doing my research and background reading for the third Trace Austin book.

Where’s home for you?                       
Washington, D.C.                                                                                                                          

Where did you grow up?                                                                                                
Margate New Jersey (a small town on the same 12-mile-long island as is Atlantic City); then, when I was 16, we moved to a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called Cheltenham.

What do you love about where you live?                                                                    
Availability of museums, other culture, ability to walk to most places.                                              

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?                                                          
Persistence pays off in most matters in life.

How true is that! Who would you pick to write your biography?   
David McCullough (except that I enjoy his work so much I would feel bad about boring him).

Ha! What is the most daring thing you've done?                                                                       
Defied my father when I was 17 years old when he refused to sign a permission slip for me to sky dive. I forged his signature, then took the dive and was terrified as I crawled out along the wing to jump, as well as terrified all the way down. Apparently, I do not have that so-called risk gene!


What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?                                                                  
See above. The end of the story is that I had a classmate over to Thanksgiving dinner a while later who did not know I had forged my father’s signature on the permission slip. He talked at dinner about how much he and I had hated our sky dives. I shudder, even as I write this all these years later, as I recall looking up from my dinner plate at my father, who nodded once as he looked at me, and said, “Interesting.” I had to live all through that slow, very long holiday dinner with the anticipation of explaining all this to my father after my friend went home.

Yikes! What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now (other than not to forge your dad's signature)?   
That I would have liked to pursue a career as a writer rather than as an attorney.

What makes you bored?                                                                                                    
People who think they are engaging in a conversation with you when all they are doing is talking about themselves. Also, people who insist on talking about politics even after I have indicated I am not interested.


What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?                                                            
Career (becoming a writer rather than a lawyer).

What makes you excited?                                                                                             
Researching a new book; then starting that new book.

Do you have another job outside of writing?                                                                    
No. Retired from private law practice.

What brings you sheer delight?                                                                                           
Spending time with our 8-year-old grandson. Also, watching the sheer joy my wife has from anticipating when she will be with him, and then watching her and him actually together.

Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?                                                
Lonely genius. Definitely.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?                                                                                         
“If you are in a hurry, dress slowly.” Found by me in a fortune cookie in a restaurant in Newfane, Vermont, in 1976 or 1977.  It still makes sense to me.

What would you like people to say about you after you die?                                     
That I was fair, honest, interesting, and also talented as a writer. That I was a good husband and friend to my wife, and was a good, loving father to our son and a good, loving grandfather.

What would your main character say about you?                                                                
I am too hard on him.

How did you create the plots for the books in your Trace Austin series–No Safe Place and No Place to Hide?
I engaged in the important “What if” process after reading a newspaper clip about the government having experimented with some of its citizens during the Cold War. This gave rise to the first book. The current book was a natural extension of the ending of the first one.

Is your book based on real events?                                                                                     
Not based on real events, but inspired by several. See above.

Are you like any of your characters? 
Yes. Somewhat like Trace Austin and like Socrates Cheng (Socrates Cheng mystery series) in terms of my core values.

With what five real people would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore? 
Michael Connelly, Winston Churchill, FDR, David McCullough, and Natasha Tretheway.

Who are your favorite authors?                                                                                     
Fiction: Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Tobias Wolfe, Lawrence Block, Pat Conroy, Joseph Conrad, Richard Stark (a/k/a Donald Westlake), Joyce Carol Oats.

Poets: Theodore Roethke, Kim Addonizio, Natasha Tretheway, Phillip Levine, and Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Biographers: David Herbert Donald; David McCullough
.

What book are you currently reading and in what format? 
Trotsky in New York 1917 by Kenneth D. Ackerman. Hardcover.

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?                                                                    
Authors who do not fact-check their books.


Do you have a routine for writing?                                                                                          
Yes. Research in the morning; writing and/or editing in the afternoon. Marketing in the evening.

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?                                                            
I outline chapters in great detail at Starbucks (I like the noise and activity around me as I do this). I write the chapters based on these outlines either at home (with music in the background) or in the library at the Cosmos Club, a private, cultural club in Washington. I read copy and edit back at Starbucks. I input my edits and revise either at home or at the Cosmos Club.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?           
Someone I did not know came up to me at Starbucks and said he had read my books (I had three out at that time) and asked if I would stay at Starbucks while he went home to retrieve the books so I could sign them for him when he brought them to me.

Wow! That's awesome. Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?                                  
The Philadelphia Free Library. I haven’t been there since I was 18 years old, but even as I write this I recall its smell, its overpowering sense of warmth, and just how inspired I felt as I wandered among its shelves (you could do that in those days). It also instilled in me a life-long love of books as objects, not just for their content.

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?                                                                                                                                              
A woman who reviewed my first book (Mandarin Yellow), which mostly takes place in Washington’s Chinatown, said it had too many Chinese characters (people, not letters) in it. I went back to the book and made a list of those characters I would eliminate and/or combine into fewer if I could, in hopes of learning something useful. There were none. I had already thanked the woman for her comment at the time, but later recalled the statement in the show Amadeus when Mozart’s patron rejected a new composition Mozart had written because it had “too many notes.” 

Perfect! What would your dream office look like?
Spacious! Big desk where I could spread out my manuscript and research materials, and leave them out as long as necessary. Many book shelves, with reference books within easy reach. Music speakers close by rather than in another room so I would not have to have the volume turned up as I now do. Good lighting. Everything I am missing in my cramped little home condominium office (that also doubles as a guest bedroom).

What are you working on now?
A third series – a mystery series – that takes place in Shanghai in the 1930s. The first book, Death in the Flowery Kingdom, takes place in 1935. I have projected a least four, and likely five or six books, in the series, ending in 1941 or 1942 when all of Shanghai came under Japanese occupation. The protagonist -– Sun-jin --  is a municipal police detective.

I also am currently doing the background reading for the third Trace Austin book which I will write when I have completed Death in the Flowery Kingdom.

OTHER BOOKS BY STEVEN ROTH

Socrates Cheng mystery series:
MandarinYellow                                                                   
The Mourning Woman                                                  
The Counterfeit Twin

Trace Austin suspense/thriller series:
No Safe Place

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve has written a three-book mystery series featuring his Chinese/Greek/American private eye — Socrates Cheng — and a two-book thriller/suspense series featuring ex-Navy SEAL, Trace Austin. He currently is working on the first book in a new mystery series that takes place in Shanghai in the 1930s.
Steve holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and history from Pennsylvania State University and a law degree from Duke Law School. He is retired from law practice and lives with his wife in Washington, DC.

Connect with Steve:
Website  |  Facebook  |   Twitter  |   Amazon

Buy the book:
Amazon

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH ELENA HARTWELL'S EDDIE SHOES

ABOUT THE BOOK

Private investigator Eddie Shoes heads to a resort outside Leavenworth, Washington, for a mother-daughter getaway weekend. Eddie's mother, Chava, wants to celebrate her new job at a casino by footing the bill for the two of them, and who is Eddie to say no?

On the first morning, Eddie goes on an easy solo hike, and a few hours later, stumbles into a makeshift campsite and finds a gravely injured man. A forest fire breaks out and she struggles to save him before the flames overcome them both. Before succumbing to his injuries, the man hands her a valuable item. He tells her his daughter is missing and begs for her help. Is Eddie now working for a dead man?

Barely escaping the fire, Eddie wakes in the hospital to find both her parents have arrived on the scene. Will Eddie's card-counting mother and mob-connected father help or hinder the investigation? The police search in vain for a body. How will Eddie find the missing girl with only her memory of the man's face and a photo of his daughter to go on?

Book 3 in the Eddie Shoes Mystery Series, which began with One Dead, Two to Go.

Book Details:

Title: Three Strikes, You’re Dead

Author’s name: Elena Hartwell

Character’s full name: Eddie Shoes (Edwina Zapata Schultz)

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Private Eye

Series: Eddie Shoes Mystery Series, 3rd in series

Camel Press (April 1, 2018)
Paperback: 288 pages
On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

ABOUT THE CHARACTER


Eddie was born to a teenage mother in Spokane, Washington. After dropping out of high school and spending a few years on the move, she settled in Seattle, Washington, where she worked for a private investigator. She earned a private investigator license not long before her mentor committed suicide. Unable to deal with the tragedy, and her feelings of guilt over her failure to save him, she fled her romantic relationship and headed to Bellingham, Washington to set up shop. Book one in the series picks up a few years later. Her estranged mother arrives on her doorstep and her ex-boyfriend moves to town. Then dead people start showing up.

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH ELENA HARTWELL’S EDDIE SHOES

Eddie, how did you first meet Elena?
According to her, she was on a road trip with her husband, and he came up with the name Eddie Shoes. She likes to say the name started it all. She claims I’m the love child of James Rockford and Kinsey Millhone. I think that’s a joke, but it’s a little hard to tell.

Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
I blame my mother. Life was going along great before she showed up and butted her way into my house and my work. She keeps getting us tangled up in homicide investigations, which is not my forte, as I lean toward safer clients. Okay, maybe that’s not totally fair. My life wasn’t exactly great, but at least no one shot at me. Things have gotten a little more interesting having Chava around. And she takes great care of my dog when I have to work. I seem to be extending my circle of friends, I’m not quite the loner I used to be. All right, I’ll admit it. Life is going along great now with my dog, my friends, and my mother. But do me a favor, don’t tell Chava that.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
The best scene to be in is when I get to eat this fabulous dinner at the resort where I end up with both my parents. They haven’t really seen each other since before I was born (you can read One Dead, Two to Go to find out how my father came back in my life). But the best scene to read is probably my escape from a forest fire. It’s very exciting!

If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
I would be independently wealthy and have at least one more bathroom now that Chava is living with me.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
I wish I was some of my fellow characters. They have pretty great lives. My best friend Iz has it made. She’s sassy and gorgeous and tough, I’d love to spend time in her shoes. She’s smart and doesn’t get hung up over anything or anyone. Chance Parker is a homicide detective and my ex-boyfriend. People respect him because of the job he does. He’s smart, methodical, fair, and always solves his cases. He’s very sought after because he has such a high solve rate. If I could be him for a little while, maybe I could figure out how he feels about me. My friend Debbie Buse would be a lot of fun to be too. She lives above her bookstore with her two dogs, Indy and Gracie Allen. I’d love that life. I don’t want to be Chava though. Then I’d have me for a daughter … although maybe that would be okay too.

Do have any secret aspirations that Elena doesn’t know about?
Rock star! She should totally write a scene where I sing karaoke! I know I could do it.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
I would go get coffee at Rustic Coffee in Fairhaven, head over to The Book Keeper and peruse the shelves. Then I’d have lunch at the Skylark. I’d visit the dog park with Debbie Buse and her dogs. I’d probably get another coffee in the afternoon, then later, I’d have dinner with my mom. It doesn’t sound like much, but that’s probably my favorite day.



What's the worst thing that's happened in your life?
My mentor Benjamin Franklin “Coop” Cooper, committed suicide. I learned you can’t stop someone who’s serious about killing themself. I think I have more to learn from what happened, but I don’t know what that is yet. It shadows everything I do.

 

What are you most afraid of?
Missing out on the chance for true happiness.



What’s the best trait Elena has given you? What’s the worst?
The Best? I’m funny. The worst? My mother is funnier.


What’s Elena’s worst habit?
She really has a messy desk. I keep trying to get her to clean up, but she’s hopeless. She usually has a couple coffee cups, a half a bag of dark chocolate covered walnuts (which she will NOT share with me), and receipts she should have entered into her tax documents a month ago. Every couple of months I talk her into tidying up, but that only lasts a day or two and things start to pile up again. She also keeps killing her houseplant. I told her she should just get an air fern and call it a day.



Describe the town where you live.
I live in Bellingham, Washington. It’s a town of about 80,000 people not far from Vancouver, Canada. It’s a college town, so it has a lot of young people and that laid back college vibe. It has a beautiful “old town,” which was actually the town of Fairhaven, settled in the 1880s. Fairhaven became a part of Bellingham around 1900. It has brick buildings and cobblestone streets, and it sits near Bellingham Bay. In addition to the bay, there are also lakes and rivers around the area and the Cascade Mountain Range is nearby, so there’s a lot of natural beauty.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
Besides being half Latina and half Jewish, I’m almost six feet tall, and my sidekick is my mother. Add in we live in the far northwest corner of the country, and I think I’m fairly unique.

If you could be “adopted” by another writer, who would you choose?
I would love to be written by the late, great Sue Grafton. My author attributes a lot of her voice to falling in love with Kinsey Millhone. I think Kinsey and I would be very good friends.

Will you encourage Elena to write a sequel?
I’m always after her to get me and Chance back together again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elena Hartwell is the author of the Eddie Shoes Mystery series, about a mother/daughter, crime-fighting duo set in Bellingham, Washington. The third book in the series, Three Strikes, You’re Dead launched April 1. Elena lives in North Bend, Washington, on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River. When she’s not scribbling mysteries, Elena can be found playing with her horses. She loves reading, writing, and the Oxford comma. If you follow her on Facebook or visit her website, you can see cute pictures of all her animals.



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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

FEATURED AUTHOR: KATE DYER-SEELEY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cut down among the flowers . . .
 
Britta Johnston might be a late bloomer, but after leaving her deadbeat husband and dead-end job, she’s finally pursuing her artistic passion at her aunt Elin’s floral boutique, Blooma, in Portland, Oregon. It’s on the banks of the Willamette, in a quaint district of cobblestone paths and cherry trees. The wine bar featuring Pacific Northwest vintages is a tasty bonus, offering another kind of bouquet to enjoy. But things aren’t as peaceful as they look.
 
For one thing, someone’s been leaving dead roses around—and a sleazy real estate developer who wants the waterfront property has put a big-money offer on the table. Then, after a contentious meeting of local business owners, he’s found on the floor of the shop, with Elin’s garden shears planted in his chest. And before the police decide to pin the crime on her beloved aunt, Britta will have to find out who arranged this murder . . .

Book Details

Title: Natural Thorn Killer

Author’s name: Kate Dyer-Seeley

Genre: Mystery


Publisher: Kensington (March 27, 2018)

Page count: 320

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

INTERVIEW WITH KATE DYER-SEELEY

Kate, will this series feature standalone books, or will readers need to read the series in order?
This is the first book in the series. I always think it’s great to start from the beginning. Each book is a standalone in terms of the mystery, but the characters and sub-plots will all grow and develop over the course of the series. Book #2 Violet Tendencies will come out this fall!

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Vancouver, Washington, just right across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon where the books are set. One year my parents took my brother and me on a “staycation” at the Riverplace Inn, a beautiful hotel on the Willamette River in Portland. I remember it seemed so fancy. I wore a special dress for dinner in the restaurant, and we ordered room service for breakfast and watched the boats on the river from our balcony. Portland was the “big city” compared to Vancouver and the waterfront area by the hotel felt like another world. That’s the inspiration for my fictional “Riverplace Village” in the book.

What do you love about where you live?
I live in the Pacific Northwest, which in my humble opinion is the most beautiful place on the planet. I love that everything is green; that we have mountains and beaches and deserts and farmland. Living here is wonderful for writing. There’s an abundance of wildlife and wide open spaces for inspiration. 



Have you been in any natural disasters?
Yes. I was in elementary school when Mt. St. Helens erupted. It’s one of my most formative memories—standing in our front yard watching the mountain blow. Ash coated the sidewalks and school was cancelled for a week.

If you had an extra $100 a week to spend on yourself, what would you buy?
Books. Sorry, is that too cliché? Probably. But it’s true. My parents used to tease that they “couldn’t keep me in books” when I was growing up.


What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?
Sun-in hair dye when I was in middle school. Bad idea. Bad hair. It’s a summer I’d love to forget.


What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
To trust your intuition.

Don't shush your gut–yep, that's a good one! What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
That everyone is just trying to fit in.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
I’ve had more than my fair share, but one of the more recent ones happened last fall. I was out for an afternoon walk. I was literally just walking on the sidewalk—not texting—not scaling a mountain—just walking when I tripped, fell, and broke my arm. It was lunchtime, and I was walking on a busy waterfront path so there were people everywhere to watch me tumble. 


What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
None. I’m a firm believer that each perceived mistake is a lesson. There are plenty of experiences and choices that I would like to erase or redo, but I’ve learned from all of them, and without struggling, self-doubt, regret, I probably wouldn’t be at the point I’m at now.

How did you meet your spouse?
We met in college. I set him up with one of my friends because he seemed like such a nice guy. Then I quickly realized my mistake.

What are your most cherished mementoes?
Letters. I’ve saved letters from my mom, grandmother, great-grandmother. There’s nothing like old letters and someone’s handwriting on a piece of paper. I hope that my son’s generation doesn’t lose that with texting. It’s not the same.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Whatever has happened to anyone else, can happen to you and to me. And the end of my youth was the possible truth that it all happens randomly.” ~The Philosophy of Loss by the Indigo Girls

What would you like people to say about you after you die?
That I was kind.

Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
Absolutely! I definitely subscribe to the “write what you know” philosophy. Aunt Elin, Britta’s aunt in the book is inspired by two real people. She’s a mash-up of the florist who designed my wedding flowers and the mom of my childhood best friend who is Swedish. She used to make Swedish pancakes for breakfast when I would have a sleepover. She taught me basic Swedish words, traditional recipes, and would pop out to her lush gardens to quickly put together a colorful bouquet for the table.

One of your characters has just found out you’re about to kill him off. He/she decides to beat you to the punch. How would he kill you?
LOL! I love this question. Um, hmmm. I thinking since the book is set in a flower shop it would have to be with a deadly bloom of some kind. Preferably something that appears benign but is actually poisonous. It would be ground into a powder and snuck into a strong cup of coffee.

Who are your favorite authors?
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Jane Austen, Maud Lovelace, Willa Cather, and Agatha Christie
.

What book are you currently reading and in what format?
I just finished The Indigo Girl, by Natasha Boyd in hardcover. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction and really enjoyed it!

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
When writers use “that” instead of “who” when referring to people. My dad taught honors English so I guess his red pen edits are permanently etched in my brain.


Do you have a routine for writing?
I write 2,000 words every day when I’m working on a new manuscript. I write early in the morning and then get outside for an afternoon walk to clear my head. Normally it’s when I’m walking that I’ll have a breakthrough on a plot point that I’ve been stuck on. I love those ah-ha moments.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
My very first book was a memoir. It was about losing my mom to young onset Alzheimer’s while becoming a mom. It was gut wrenching at times. I had to mine lots of memories in the process of piecing the story together, but it was such a gift and very therapeutic.

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Laura Ingalls Wilder—technically she was a real person but she fictionalized her life story. I’ve always been fascinated by the pioneers. Maybe it’s because I live in the Pacific Northwest where that spirit of independence runs deep.

Why did you decide to publish with Kensington?
I wanted to go with a traditional publishing house because I knew when I started writing mysteries that I had so many ideas that in my dream I would want to write more than one series. That has come true. Being with a traditional publishing house means that I can concentrate the vast majority of my time on writing. I’m not responsible for having to get my books into bookstores, or format, design covers etc. That’s not to say that I don’t still spend plenty of time marketing my books, making appearances, and connecting with readers on social media, but I appreciate that there’s a team of editors, designers, publicity, who all touch my book and help get it out into the world.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on book #2, Violet Tendencies, which comes out in November. This book revolves around Portland’s annual Rose Festival. I’m super excited to share it with readers this fall!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellie Alexander (also known as Kate Dyer-Seeley) is a Pacific Northwest native. Her love for the Pacific Northwest runs deep. Hence why all of her books (whether she’s writing as Ellie or Kate) are set here. From the Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland, Oregon to the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington to the hipster mecca of Portland, Oregon and a variety of other stunning outdoor locales, the Pacific Northwest is a backdrop for every book and almost becomes another character in each series.

When not writing, you can find her testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouse or brewpubs nearby. You’ll also find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of “research.”

Ellie loves hearing from readers and interacting on social media. Be sure to follow her to learn about her writing process, upcoming books, special events, giveaways, and more! Also, sign up for her e-mail newsletter to stay up to date on new releases, appearances, and exclusive content & recipes.


Connect with Kate:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |   Goodreads  |  Instagram 

Buy the book:
Amazon   |  Barnes & Noble 

Comment and leave your email address below for a chance to win an autographed print copy of Natural Thorn Killer. USA residents only. Good luck!

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH GOOSE PIMPLE JUNCTION'S PICKLE CULPEPPER

ABOUT THE SERIES

Book 1: Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction

When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.

Book 2: Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction

Goose Pimple Junction is just recovering from a kidnapping and a murder, its first major crimes in years, when trouble begins anew. Life is turned upside down in the quirky little southern town with the arrival of several shifty hooligans: A philandering husband intent on getting his wife back, another murderer loose in town, a stalker intent on frightening Martha Maye, and a thief who’s stealing the town blind of their pumpkins, pies, and peace. Together, they’re scaring the living daylights out of the residents and keeping the new police chief busier than a set of jumper cables at a redneck picnic. Suddenly, he has his hands full trying to apprehend a killer, stop a stalker, and fight his feelings for the damsel in distress.

Book 3: Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction

This is not your average Southern town. With a hint of mystery and a lot of laughs, you'll catch a glimpse of everyday life in Goose Pimple Junction in this short story compilation. Five short stories, one novella, and three recipes will give you more of the unique charm of Goose Pimple Junction, make you laugh, and have your mouth watering. If you want a feel-good read, you've come to the right place. Grab some sweet tea and escape to Goose Pimple Junction.

Book 4: Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction

Wynona Baxter is a master of disguise and often a ditzy airhead. A hit woman wannabe, when she's hired for her first job in Goose Pimple Junction and things don't go as planned, she's forced to resort to Plan B. She'll also need Plan C and D.

Caledonia Culpepper is the quintessential Southern belle. Who would want her dead?

Crooked lawyers, restless husbands, a teenaged hoodlum – it seems there are rogues and rascals everywhere you look in Goose Pimple Junction. When Caledonia and Wynona's paths cross, they prove there isn't a rogue or a rascal who can keep a good woman down. Mama always said there would be days like this . . .

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Pickle Culpepper is a teenage character in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. In addition to being a high school student, he works at the local bookstore. His mother is Caledonia Culpepper (main character in book 4), his father is Philetus Swift Culpepper IV, and his brother is Peanut. Pickle is famous for his funny T-shirts and lack of brains.

INTERVIEW WITH PICKLE CULPEPPER!

Hello, Pickle. Can you tell us how you got your nickname? Pickle isn’t your given name, is it?
No ma’am. My real name is Dylan. But my daddy doesn’t like that name. Never has. Soon as I was born and my mama insisted on naming me Dylan, Daddy started calling me Pickle. Said “Dylan” reminded him of dill pickles. Now just about everybody calls me Pickle. Even Mama.

Tell us about yourself, Pickle.
Well . . . I’m sixteen years old. Um . . . I work at A Blue Million Books — it’s a bookstore. Uh . . . I have a little brother named Peanut. And my favorite food is Slick’s macaroni and cheese and my mama’s peach pie.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Goose Pimple Junction?
I like to hang out with my girlfriend, Charlotte. She’s real nice and real pretty too. We go to shows, and football and basketball games at our high school, and we go to the diner a lot too. You know, the usual stuff. I also like to play practical jokes on my little brother, Peanut. He sure is fun to joke on. My favorite is hiding in his bedroom closet and jumping out when he comes in the room. He gets so mad! Once I hid under the bed and waited until he turned the light out to go to sleep. Then I reached my hand up and grabbed his arm. He screamed like a girl. Fun times . . .

What’s your favorite goosepimpleism?
There are lots of ‘em. But I have to say I like it when somebody says, “His pants are so tight if he farted, he’d blow his boots off.” Mama doesn’t like me to say the word “fart.” She says it’s unseemly. But I think it’s funny. I can make a fart sound with my armpit. Want me to show you?

Maybe later. Have you ever won any awards?
Sure. Just last year I was voted Person With The Funniest T-shirt. I didn’t even know it was a category, but I guess it is, ‘cause I won it.

Would you like to change anything in your books?
(Grinning) If I were writing it, I’d make all the chicks fall madly in love with me. And I’d make me the mayor of Goose Pimple Junction. And I’d make my mama order in pizza every night for dinner, and peach cobbler would always be ready and waiting at my house. And--

Okay. Curb your enthusiasm, dude. Do you always wear funny t-shirts?
Yes, ma’am. Except to church. Well, I wear ‘em to youth group, but I don’t wear ‘em to Sunday school or to the service.

Do you have a favorite shirt?
Uh huh. I like the one that says, “Lock up your daughters.” ‘Course, Charlotte gets kind of mad when I wear that one. And her daddy gives me the stink-eye .

What is your least favorite characteristic your writer has attributed to you?
I think she thinks I’m kind of a slow leak. I mean, some people think I’m as dumb as a bag of hair. But I’m not. I mean, I got Jack and me outta that bit of trouble we were in, didn’t I?

Did you get to have any input into the cover art?
(Looking dejected) No ma’am. I suggested putting my picture on the cover. You know, with maybe me running or doing something super cool. Or maybe jest looking real good. You know, a nice head shot. But Mizz Metz nixed that idea. It’s okay, but I think my face on the front woulda been better.

Thanks for talking to us today, Pickle.
Thank you, ma’am. I had more fun than a tornado at a trailer park.

Goose Pimple Junction trailer

Meet more of the Goose Pimple Junction characters!

Find out more about Amy, Pickle, and his fellow characters:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Pinterest  |  Instagram  |  Amazon

FEATURED AUTHOR: ALEX GRAY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Alex Gray's stunning new Lorimer novel, set against the backdrop of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, brings the vibrant city to life in a race to stop the greatest threat the city has ever known.

2014: The Commonwealth Games are coming to Glasgow and security is extra tight, particularly after a mysterious bomb explodes in nearby rural Stirlingshire. As the opening ceremony for the Games draws ever closer, the police desperately seek the culprits. But Detective Superintendent Lorimer has other concerns on his mind. One is a beautiful red-haired woman from his past whose husband dies suddenly on his watch. Then there is the body of a young woman found dumped in countryside just south of the city who is proving impossible to identify. Elsewhere in Glasgow people prepare for the events in their own way, whether for financial gain or to welcome home visitors from overseas. And, hiding behind false identities, are those who pose a terrible threat not just to the Games but to the very fabric of society.

Book Details:

Title: Silent Games
Author: Alex Gray

Genre: Mystery

Series: A DCI Lorimer Novel, #11 (Stand Alone)


Publisher: Witness Impulse (March 13, 2018
)

Page count: 368

On tour with: Partners in Crime Book Tours

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH ALEX GRAY

Things you need in order to write: My Apple Mac laptop (MacBook Air), as I have palindromic rheumatism in both hands and wrists, so writing longhand is no longer viable. Normally I use a posture chair to keep my back as upright as possible but an ordinary wooden one suffices at times too. Most of all I need to have a clear mind and thoughts turned to my subject: no distractions!
Things that hamper your writing: Telephone calls with someone demanding my time, often a good friend whose call matters. And, long, manicured fingernails (not a regular occurrence, but they interfere with typing). And occasionally, one of the cats wanting to sit on my lap or asking for food.

Things you love about writing: The way ideas flood into my head as I write and my characters speak to one another as though simply filling my mind with their voices.
Things you hate about writing: Meeting a deadline if I have had problems keeping me from my desk, but really I hate nothing about the writing process itself.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Making time to see all of my family and friends. Demands on my time are many, and I do miss the freedom to jump into the car or go for a long walk any time I want since my diary is usually bulging with dates for events.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Making new friends. I am Scottish Chapter Convener for the Crime Writers Association, so I meet lots of new and existing writers. Also, attending so many festivals has greatly widened my group of writing friends, and I count myself lucky to know so many fabulous people around the writing world.

Things you love about where you live: So many, beginning with the house I bought 29 years ago. It is an old cottage with a large garden, roses growing on the south-facing wall and more than 45 species of birds visiting regularly. We can step outside the house and immediately go off for a country walk. The views from my study are spectacular with hills around and the most amazing dawns and sunsets. Despite living in a village, we are not far from the motorway and there is a train station that takes us into Glasgow in less than 20 minutes. Nearby is the Erskine Bridge spanning the river Clyde, and we can be at Loch Lomond in about fifteen minutes.
Things that make you want to move: My grandchildren, Eloise and Blake, as they need picking up from school twice a week and live an hour away. But that is always just a passing notion as I never truly wish to leave my beloved home.

Words that describe you: May include friendly, kind and generous.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Over-planning for everybody else and being impulsive.

Favorite foods: Seafood of most types especially crab and lobster. And I could have been a rabbit in another life, as I adore salads.
Things that make you want to throw up: Dill and anything with aniseed.

Favorite music:  Almost anything by Joni Mitchell, but I am particularly fond of her first album, Song to a Seagull and "Sisotowbell Lane" is possibly my favorite.
Music that make your ears bleed: I loathe rap.

Favorite beverage: Hmm, maybe champagne, but I have a weakness for Prosecco, and it was after the second post dinner bottle that my friend Lin Anderson and I dreamed up the wonderful festival, Bloody Scotland.
Something that gives you a pickle face: Pastis.

Things you always put in your books: Places I love in Scotland and want to share with my readers. Things you never put in your books: Words of very foul language.

Things to say to an author: “Loved your book, thanks for writing it.”
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book : “Sorry, couldn’t finish it, kept falling asleep …zzzz.”

Most embarrassing moment: When I was appearing in the Royal Albert Hall to sing Carmina Burana and I lost my voice!
Proudest moment: When Bloody Scotland began in 2012, and I received a shower of accolades at the inaugural weekend. I will never forget the grin and thumbs-up from Val McDermid across the room at the opening reception. That, and William McIlvanney’s praise made me extremely proud.

READ AN EXCERPT

From Chapter 2
It was worse than he could ever have imagined.
Even from the roadside, where a line of police cars was parked, Lorimer could see the devastation. Plumes of smoke and flames still rose from the heaps of broken trees, and as he emerged from the Lexus, his skin was immediately touched by flakes of ash drifting in the air. The smell of burning wood was overpowering, and he could hear the occasional crackle and hiss of fire beneath the whooshing sound from the firemen’s hoses as arcs of water were trained into the heart of the inferno. His eyes took in the gap in the hedge where the fire engines had broken through to reach the narrow walkers’ path, and the tyre marks on the verge. It would be replanted, no doubt, but the burning trees would leave a scar that would take far longer to heal.
‘Detective Superintendent Lorimer? Martin Pinder.’ The uniformed chief inspector was suddenly at his side, hand outstretched. Lorimer took it, feeling the firm once up and down as the officer motioned them to turn away from the direction of the cinders. ‘Sorry to call you out, but as I said, we needed someone to front this. And your name came up.’
‘But isn’t this a local matter?’ Lorimer asked. ‘We’re in the district of Stirling, surely?’
Pinder shook his head. ‘It’s bigger than you might imagine,’ he began. Walking Lorimer a few paces away from the line of cars, he dropped his voice. ‘And there is intelligence to suggest that it may have a much wider remit.’
‘Oh?’ Lorimer was suddenly curious. The telephone call had mentioned an explosion, the immediate need for a senior officer from Police Scotland and a request to keep the lid on things, but nothing more.
‘You said intelligence.’ He frowned. ‘You mean Special Branch?’
Pinder nodded. ‘I’ve been charged with giving you this information, sir. And doubtless your counter terrorism unit will already be involved.’ He licked his lips, hesitating, and Lorimer could see the anxiety in the man’s grey eyes.
‘We are given to believe that this is just a trial run.’ Pinder motioned to the fire behind them.
‘A trial run,’ Lorimer said slowly. ‘A trial run for what?’
Pinder gave a sigh and raised his eyebrows.
‘The Glasgow Commonwealth Games.’
Lorimer looked at the man in disbelief, but Pinder’s face was all seriousness.
‘That’s almost a year away. Why do they think. . .?’
‘Haven’t been told that. Someone further up the chain of command will know.’ Pinder shrugged. Perhaps you’ll be told once you liaise with Counter Terrorism.’
Lorimer turned to take in the scene of the explosion once more, seeing for the first time the enormous area of burning countryside and trying to transfer it in his mind’s eye to the newly built village and arenas in Glasgow’s East End. He blinked suddenly at the very notion of carnage on such a vast scale.
‘We can’t let it happen,’ Pinder said quietly, watching the tall man’s face.
Lorimer gazed across the fields to the line of rounded hills that were the Campsies. Glasgow lay beyond, snug in the Clyde valley; on this Sunday morning its citizens remained oblivious to the danger posed by whatever fanatic had ruined this bit of tranquil landscape. He had asked why the local cops hadn’t taken this one on, and now he understood: the threat to next year’s Commonwealth Games was something too big for that. And since the various police forces in Scotland had merged into one national force, Detective Superintendent William Lorimer might be called to any part of the country.
‘The press will want statements,’ Pinder said, breaking into Lorimer’s thoughts. ‘It’s still an ongoing investigation. Don’t we just love that phrase!’ He gave a short, hard laugh. ‘And there is no loss of life, so we can try for a positive slant on that, at least.’
‘They’ll speculate,’ Lorimer told him. ‘You know that’s what they do.’
Pinder touched the detective superintendent’s arm, nodding towards the figures milling around on the fringes of the fire. ‘Apart from you and me, there is not a single person here who has been told about the background to this event. So unless the press leap to that conclusion by dint of their own imagination, any leak can only come from us.’
When Lorimer turned to face him, the uniformed officer was struck by the taller man’s penetrating blue gaze. Fora long moment they stared at one another, until Pinder looked away, feeling a sense of discomfort mixed with the certainty that he would follow this man wherever he might lead.
Wouldn’t like to be across the table from him in an interview room, he was to tell his wife later that day. But there on that lonely stretch of country road, Martin Pinder had an inkling why it was that the powers on high had called on Detective Superintendent William Lorimer to oversee this particular incident.
***
Excerpt from The Silent Games by Alex Gray. Copyright © 2018 by Alex Gray. Reprinted by permission of Witness Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Gray was born and educated in Glasgow. After studying English and Philosophy at the University of Strathclyde, she worked as a visiting officer for the Department of Health, a time she looks upon as postgraduate education since it proved a rich source of character studies. She then trained as a secondary school teacher of English. Alex began writing professionally in 1993 and had immediate success with short stories, articles, and commissions for BBC radio programs. She has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers' Constable and Pitlochry trophies for her crime writing. A regular on the Scottish bestseller lists, she is the author of thirteen DCI Lorimer novels. She is the co-founder of the international Scottish crime writing festival, Bloody Scotland, which had its inaugural year in 2012.

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