AN INTERVIEW WITH KARINA CARDINAL FROM AUTHOR ELLEN BUTLER'S KARINA CARDINAL MYSTERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Karina Cardinal from author Ellen Butler’s Karina Cardinal Mysteries. 

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I was just your average Joe working on Capitol Hill. Seriously, my life leaned toward the side of bland. I’d been dating this guy who seemed normal, and I worked for a medical association in their government affairs department. I attended lots of boring fundraisers and committee meetings. My life could not have been more ordinary. Then one day, it was like … poof … the end of my normal life. The guy I’m engaged to turns out to be a stalker. His father is involved with the mafia, and my own impetuosity gets me into a jam that endangers my life. Ever since then, I keep finding myself amid the most ridiculous capers. 

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I’d have to say, I’m fiercely loyal to my friends and family. As a matter of fact, it is my utmost loyalty that has gotten me into some difficult situations. 

 

What do you like least about yourself?

Well, Mike would probably say it was my impulsiveness. It borderlines on recklessness. I’ll admit, patience is not my strength. I’m not good at waiting around, and, occasionally, I act before knowing all the facts. 

 

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

*eyeroll* Boy that’s a tough question to answer. So many choices—perhaps it was the time Rodrigo and I chased an assassin up I-95, until he turned the tables on us (Fatal Legislation). Maybe the time I allowed my neighbor to talk me into smuggling an Egyptian artifact into Mexico (Pharaoh’s Forgery). Or the latest, holding a séance at my aunt’s house to speak with the Civil War ghost living there (Spectral Revelations releasing October 2023). Really my author thinks up the most insane shenanigans. Sometimes I wonder if I’m in an I Love Lucy skit. 

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Of course, we argue! It takes plenty of drafts and deletions before we’re both satisfied.

 

What is your greatest fear?

Losing my sister or family members during one of my escapades. 

 

What makes you happy?

Shoes. I love shoes. I’m an absolute shoe-a-holic. I should probably see someone about that. 

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

That would be my neighbor down the hall, Jasper. He’s into reptiles, and his condo is like Wild Kingdom. He’s always wandering the halls with a snake or lizard. It freaks me out.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

My eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Thundermuffin. To say she’s colorful is an understatement. She’s also sharper than she lets on. I want to be like Mrs. T when I grow up.

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog? 

You can find her at her website. She also writes historical spy novels. You think I get into trouble. Wait until you read about her spies in WWII and the Cold War. Those ladies were something else. She bases the novels on true events.

 

What's next for you?
My author just finished the sixth book in my series, and she says she’s done with them. Perhaps, it means I can return to my normal life. However, you know the old saying—never say, never. Maybe in a few years, my author will come up with a new adventure. 

Ellen (the author): Don’t count on it. *crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow*

 

Pharaoh’s Forgery

A Karina Cardinal Mystery, Book 4

 

Margaritas, mayhem, and murder. Too bad her only defense is a cocktail umbrella.

 

After some of Karina Cardinal’s recent adventures—her lover Mike Finnegan would call them scrapes, jams, or pickles—she’s more than ready to blow this D.C. pop stand for a short girls’ trip to Mexico. Until Jillian’s roller skate wreck blows their plan out of the water.

 

With Jilly injured and Mike working, her fellow co-worker Rodrigo volunteers to share some sun, sand, and margaritas in Cancun. It’s tough to relax, though, knowing what’s in her suitcase. A package she promised to hand off to Mrs. Thundermuffin in Mexico.

 

Mrs. T’s evasive maneuvers around Karina’s questions wave more red flags than a bullfighter, leaving Karina no choice but to take a peek. Okay, so it’s not a kilo of something illegal. It’s an Egyptian death mask that turns out to be a magnet for crooks, conmen, kidnappers, and outright killers.

 

When the situation explodes into chaos, Karina and Rodrigo are lucky to have friends in the right place—at their backs. But they’re in one heck of a jam. And they could be going home in something tackier than a souvenir t-shirt—more like a body bag.

 

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GUEST SUSPENSE AUTHOR DONNELL ANN BELL TALKS ABOUT GIFTS--HERS AND OTHERS

Leaving international thrillers to the world travelers, bestselling author Donnell Ann Bell concentrates on suspense that might happen in her neck of the woods – writing what she calls Suspense too Close to Home. She’s the author of four standalone novels and is currently working on the third book in her Cold Case series. Learn more about Donnell and her books at her website. 

We All Have our Gifts 

By Donnell Ann Bell

 

I always believed I had a nice voice. Then I watched several seasons of America’s Got Talent and The Voiceand realized I could carry a tune and that’s about it. For what it’s worth, I readily accept I can’t dance and will never in this lifetime appear on Dancing with the Stars.

 

I tell you this, lest you think I’m being critical of people I love. It’s important to know our talents and equally important to know our limitations. In the words of writing coach Becca Syme, “Some people can, and some people can’t.”

 

When I was young and observant of family dynamics, I learned my father was good at his job, an extremely hard worker, but in no uncertain terms was he a handyman. In fact, if my dad even mentioned he was going to “fix” something, my mother left the room, picked up the phone and called a professional. I always thought that was a bit odd until she wanted a kitchen remodel. She showed us a spread in a home improvement magazine, stared longingly at it, and the first words out of my father’s mouth were, “I’ll do it.”

 

The outcome was ghastly, and they lived with it for a couple of years until even my father admitted the project was a disaster.  Later, my mom would have her dream kitchen, complete with an added sunroom. Better yet, it was completed by a licensed contractor.

 

Fast forward ten years or so when I met and married my husband. For all intents and purposes, I might have married my father. Not literally but figuratively, of course. My husband, now retired, was a chemical engineer, highly respected in his field of industrial water treatment. His brother, on the other hand, is an excellent carpenter and craftsman who builds houses. That started my husband down the wrong road of assumptions, believing he, too, carried a handyman gene.

 

Much like my father had with the kitchen, my husband decided he would economize and complete the laundry room in our basement. The laundry room, tucked between my children’s playroom, a bathroom, and a guest room, was space we used every day. No matter. He spent several hundred dollars on material, then banished us upstairs. After a few hours of banging and sawing, I dared a peek down the stairs to discover the washer and dryer now blocked a majority of the hallway.

 

Shortly after that, the door to the utility room flung open, my husband stepped outside, and in a disgusted voice said, “Hire somebody!”

 

Next year, we’re planning a bathroom remodel. I can already see him adding the budget in his head. I don’t think he’ll attempt to do it himself, but you never know. Wish me luck!

 

Speaking of gifts, I do believe one of mine is storytelling. To that end, for the rest of June, two of my books are on sale! Betrayed, one of my bestselling romantic suspense novels, and Until Dead, book two in my Cold Case Suspense series, are both on sale for the deeply discounted price of $.99.

 

Betrayed 

A mother told her baby’s death was a lie.

A daughter rocked by her true identity.

A detective fighting to protect them both.

A conspiracy that strikes at our most precious bonds.

When Oklahoma City resident Irene Turner learns the incomprehensible, that the stillborn baby she delivered 28-years earlier is alive, she takes the evidence to where her daughter now lives—Denver Colorado. Detective Nate Paxton can’t believe what Irene Turner shows him. Kinsey Masters, a world-class athlete, raised by a prominent Denver family, an unattainable woman he’s known and loved for years, was stolen at birth.

Irene Turner, Nate Paxton, and Kinsey Masters are united in a sordid conspiracy. But it’s who the conspirators turn out to be that will leave the trio shaken and in disbelief. Irene’s foundation of trust will be ripped from its core, as kidnapping, murder, and a thirst for revenge lead her to learn she’s been betrayed. 

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Until Dead 

This killer won't stop …until she's dead

When Lt. Everett T. Pope is notified of an explosion in downtown Denver close to the judicial buildings, his first instinct is gas leak. No such luck. As Incident Command and Pope's own Major Crimes unit move in, he discovers he knows the intended victims—an Assistant U. S. Attorney—and Pope's former partner, now a private investigator, has died shielding the injured AUSA with his body.

As ATF and the FBI take over investigating the bombing and unraveling motives behind the murder attempt, Pope is relegated to a peripheral role. But the injured AUSA's aunt is a United States senator used to getting results. She turns to the team that solved the Black Pearl Killer murders with a very big ask—find her answers and locate the bomber.

FBI Special Agent Brian DiPietro must recall his entire cold case team from their far-flung assignments knowing he's being asked to do the impossible. The senator, however, doesn't know the meaning of the word. All too soon, DiPietro finds his team working alongside ATF on a red-hot mission. One that uncovers a decades old cold case. 

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A CHAT WITH TEMPE CRABTREE FROM AUTHOR MARILYN MEREDITH'S TEMPE CRABTREE MYSTERY SERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Tempe Crabtree from the Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series by Marilyn Meredith.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

First, I am Native American. I worked as a resident deputy in the mountain community of Bear Creek. As a young widow, I raised my son on my own until I met, fell in love with, and married a pastor. 

 
What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I care about people and what happens to them. That’s why I never give up when trying to solve a mystery.

What do you like least about yourself?

That I didn’t learn much about my Indian heritage until I met Nick Two John who has helped me learn about the spirituality and mysticism of my culture.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Ghosts and spiritual beings becoming a part of my life. I’ve been visited many times by the spirits of murder victims—and even demons and angels.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Not so much argue, but I do make her understand and see what I will do when something happens to people I care about, or to me. 

What is your greatest fear?

That something might happen to my husband Hutch because of something I’ve done, or someone I’m investigating.

What makes you happy?

Solving a case and helping a soul to find rest. And because I now have a grandchild, being a part of his life.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why? 

I’d learn about my heritage much sooner than I did. Because Nick Two John opened my eyes to a whole part of my life I should have known about.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

In this particular book, it’s the husband of the murder victim. He is not the person I thought he was. 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places
with? Why?

I don’t think I’d trade places with anyone in this book or any of the others. I’ve had a great life. Yes, there’s been some heartache, but I share a great love with my husband, raised a son who is now grown, married, and a father. I’ve had a great career as a deputy, had some amazing adventures, met many intriguing people, and solved a multitude of puzzling mysteries.

Tell us a little something about your author. 

Marilyn Meredith is the author of more than forty books, including the Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series and the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. She lives in a place with a great resemblance to Bear Creek, where I worked. Readers can find her at her website and blog.

 

What’s next for you?

A Final Farewell is the last book in the series. My husband and I are starting a new life, one you’ll have to imagine.

 

A Final Farewell

A Tempe Crabtree Mystery, Book 20

 

A woman’s body found in a neighbor’s pond piques Tempe’s curiosity. It isn’t long before she is enmeshed in the intrigue and gossip surrounding the mystery.

 

Miqui Sherwood has two handsome suitors both wanting to marry her. Does either one have any ties to the murder victim?

 

Tempe’s life is threatened, and the health of Tempe’s friend and mentor, Nick Two John, is failing.

 

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MYSTERY AUTHOR JUDY PENZ SHELUK OFFERS ADVICE FOR WOULD-BE AUTHORS

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited. Learn more about Judy and her books at her website. Today Judy joins us to discuss her new nonfiction book for those who dream of writing a mystery.

Dreaming the Dream

If you follow this blog, and others like it, chances are that, like me, you’re an avid reader of mystery novels. My love of the genre started early, thanks to my mom’s parttime job in the toy department of Zeller’s department store, where, in addition to toys, they also sold children’s books. Every week, when she received her paltry paycheck for the few hours worked, she’d buy me a new book. Nancy Drew was a favorite, but there was also Trixie Belden, and Robin someone (if anyone knows her last name, please tell me!), which I remember liking. Anyway, the point is, I was hooked on mystery from a very early age.

 

As a teen, I discovered Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh, and by my early twenties, I’d read every book in both series. That led to the discovery of Dick Francis, John D. MacDonald, PD James, Martha Grimes, Sue Grafton, and many more.

 

Like many avid readers, I’d always dreamed the dream of writing my own book, though I didn’t follow that dream for decades, instead following a path of corporate finance. It wasn’t until I attended Bloody Words in 2012, a now defunct mystery conference once held biannually in Toronto, that I thought, “I’d like to try that now.”

 

Fast forward 11 years and I’m the author of two mystery series consisting of seven books, a few short mystery stories, and three multi-author anthologies. But the path to publication, for me at least, had many ups and downs, and the one thing I’ve learned along the way is that the world of publishing can be even more mysterious than Agatha Christie at her best (which, I’d argue, is Murder on the Orient Express).

 

In May of this year, I published Finding Your Path to Publication, where I share what I’ve learned about that world. No hard sell here, but if you’ve ever dreamed the dream, I’d like to think it’s a good place to start. After all, your dreams can’t go anywhere without you and neither can your book.

 

Finding Your Path to Publication

The road to publishing is paved with good intentions…and horror stories of authors who had to learn the hard way. 

 

For the emerging author, the publishing world can be overwhelming. You’ve written the book, and you’re ready to share it with the world, but don’t know where to start. Traditional, independent press, hybrid, self-publishing, and online social platforms—all are valid publishing paths. The question is, which one is right for you?

 

Finding Your Path to Publication is an introduction to an industry that remains a mystery to those on the outside. Learn how each publishing option works, what to expect from the process start to finish, how to identify red flags, and avoid common pitfalls. With statistics, examples, and helpful resources compiled by an industry insider who’s been down a few of these paths, this is your roadmap to decide which path you’d like to explore, and where to begin your author journey. 

 

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PAMELA RUTH MEYER ON HER JOURNEY TOWARD PUBLICATION

As a high school forensic science teacher, Pamela Ruth Meyer discovered inventive ways to solve crimes and was inspired to write mysteries. She describes her debut manuscript as Gilded Gotham Mysteries meets Bones. It's a turn-of-the-century love story wrapped in a historical mystery, intricately solved by a woman who changed the face of forensics for all time. The manuscript was a Page Turner Writing Award 2022 Finalist. Follow Pam’s journey toward publication on her website where you’ll also find links to her other social media.

Dancing with a Ghost

The protagonist in my manuscript makes miniatures that help her capture life from a bird’s-eye view. To freeze time. Miniatures are magical that way. They have enchanted me since I played with dollhouses as a girl. My imagination would come alive. I would become the doll. In some ways, writing a novel is like playing with dolls. But so much more, too. There is magic in books. 

I encountered my desire to write in the high school classroom, not as one of the students, but rather when I taught forensic science. Without fail, I’d learn something new and fascinating when preparing the lesson for each day. I’d often illustrate the significance of the given technique or method by telling my students intricate stories that, out of the blue, had surfaced in my mind. As we would discuss the killers, the victims, and the circumstances, I’d encourage the students. “Hold all of that in your mind,” I’d say, “and be the investigator.” They’d gasp with discovery upon noticing the tiniest and most wondrously significant of clues. 

I didn’t always know I wanted to write, but as the stories in my head demanded my attention, I eventually put pen to paper. I haven’t stopped since. Worlds manifested all around me as I lived through the characters I wrote. And the concept of time exploded and imploded all at once, and I could reach across it. A completely new path unfolded, a labyrinth through which I built the story, as if I, myself, was walking upon it at the very same moment that I wrote each word. 

As I write, I become someone other than myself, someone I know does not exist, and I use her to tell a story to someone I know does exist—you, my reader. I must watch the story unfold through your eyes, as well, bringing you to the experience, to feel, to know something new, to be changed. So that it makes sense to you, so you can intuit what’s coming but not really know it quite yet, not until you get to that part of the story, and only then do you know for sure that all along it had been true.

It's as if I write a dance for my character—much like I did as a child playing in my doll’s world. But to write this dance, I must be with my protagonist in my imagination. In some indescribable way, I must become her. When she moves through the story, I feel the wind. She hurts, and I cry. She glows with happiness, and my heart warms in my chest. I write a dance for my character, and later, sometimes much later, you read it, and if I’ve written it well, then you dance with her, too. 

But here’s the most time-twisting thing of all. Back when I wrote my character dancing, I knew you’d be there too. While I became dizzy with fear as the villain closed in on her, and my eyes teared as her lover broke her heart, you see, I also imagined it would be you who would feel afraid for her and cry with her. So, when I write, I dance with my imaginary person, while at the same time, I’m dancing with someone who’s not present but is real, too. It’s like I’m dancing with a ghost, and in the end, that ghost is you.

As with a gazillion other writers, I’m on a path to publication. My agent has submitted my manuscript, and several editors have expressed interest. Wish me luck, dear reader, and if that luck makes its way to me, then one day you and I will share in the magic of books when you crack mine open and release the genie I’ve written for us, and then, finally, we’ll dance together as it was always meant to be, we’ll dance together as one.

A CRAFTY COLLAGE OF CRIME BOOK TOUR LAUNCH AND BOOK GIVEAWAY

Today marks the start of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Crafty Collage of Crime, the 12^th book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series. My author, Lois Winston, and I will be guests on some of these sites. Others will post reviews of the newest book about me, and still others will feature Spotlights. Best of all, at each stop on the tour, you’ll have a chance to enter the Rafflecopter drawing for a chance to win one of three copies—paperback (US only) or ebook—of A Crafty Collage of Crime. The drawing will take place at the end of the tour.

Hope to see you there!

 

A CRAFTY COLLAGE OF CRIME TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

 

June 19 – Literary Gold – Spotlight

 

June 19 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – Review

 

June 20 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – Author Guest Post

 

June 20 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – Spotlight

 

June 21 – Hearts & Scribbles – Spotlight

 

June 22 – Jane Reads – Author Interview

 

June 22 – Novels Alive – Review

 

June 23 – Celticlady's Reviews – Spotlight

 

June 23 – Christy's Cozy Corners – Author Interview

 

June 24 – Baroness Book Trove – Spotlight

 

June 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Author Guest Post

 

June 25 – Indie Author Book Reviews – Spotlight

 

June 26 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – Spotlight

 

June 27 – Ascroft, eh? – Character Interview

 

June 28 – My Reading Journeys – Character Guest Post

  

June 29 – StoreyBook Reviews - Author Guest Post

 

June 30 - Maureen's Musings – Spotlight

 

June 30 - The Book's the Thing – Review

 

July 1 – Brooke Blogs – Character Guest Post

 

July 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Character Guest Post

 

July 2 – The Mystery Section – Spotlight

 

A Crafty Collage of Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 12

 

Wherever crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack goes, murder and mayhem follow. Her honeymoon is no exception. She and new husband, photojournalist (and possible spy) Zachary Barnes, are enjoying a walk in the Tennessee woods when they stumble upon a body on the side of a creek. The dead man is the husband of one of the three sisters who own the winery and guest cottages where Anastasia and Zack are vacationing.

 

When the local sheriff sets his sights on the widow as the prime suspect, her sisters close ranks around her. The three siblings are true-crime junkies, and thanks to a podcaster who has produced an unauthorized series about her, Anastasia’s reputation for solving murders has preceded her to the bucolic hamlet. The sisters plead for her help in finding the real killer. As Anastasia learns more about the women and their business, a host of suspects emerge, including several relatives, a relentless land developer, and even the sisters themselves.

 

Meanwhile, Anastasia becomes obsessed with discovering the podcaster’s identity. Along with knowing about Anastasia’s life as a reluctant amateur sleuth, the podcaster has divulged details of Anastasia’s personal life. Someone has betrayed Anastasia’s trust, and she’s out to discover the identity of the culprit.

 

Craft project included.

 

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IT’S RELEASE DAY!

Today marks the official release of A Crafty Collage of Crime, the 12^th book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, those books author Lois Winston writes about me. This time, she decided Zack and I shouldn’t return to Barcelona for our honeymoon as she’d promised. Some of you might remember Lois sent us to Barcelona once before in Mosaic Mayhem when I accompanied Zack on a photography assignment. Lois being Lois, she decided a couple of goons should kidnap me shortly after we arrived.

She had promised to make it up to me. She knew I really wanted to go back to Barcelona. There was so much I hadn’t gotten a chance to see. Lois changed her mind, though. She came up with a plot she liked better, and of course, it involved me finding more dead bodies.

 

And then there’s the Tennessee thing. You might remember Lois, the diehard Jersey girl, is now living in a Nashville suburb. Many of her readers have been asking when she’s going to move me, another diehard Jersey girl, down south. I told her if she did, I’d go on strike and take her muse with me. After extensive negotiations, we struck a compromise, and she sent Zack and me to Tennessee on our honeymoon.

 

Since Zack had an upcoming assignment to shoot a magazine spread on Tennessee wineries, she combined the assignment with our honeymoon, making it a working honeymoon. Convenient, huh? Maybe for her plot purposes, but it certainly wasn’t the relaxing honeymoon I’d envisioned. Far from it. Wait until you read what happened within minutes of our arrival at Three Sisters Winery! Talk about a double whammy!

Want a chance to win a copy of A Crafty Collage of Crime? From June 19^th and running through July 2^nd, Lois and I will be on a Great Escapes virtual tour where she’s giving away copies of my newest adventure. Follow the tour here to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win. You’ll also be able to read reviews from some of the bloggers and posts and interviews from both Lois and me.

 

A Crafty Collage of Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 12

 

Wherever crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack goes, murder and mayhem follow. Her honeymoon is no exception. She and new husband, photojournalist (and possible spy) Zachary Barnes, are enjoying a walk in the Tennessee woods when they stumble upon a body on the side of a creek. The dead man is the husband of one of the three sisters who own the winery and guest cottages where Anastasia and Zack are vacationing.

 

When the local sheriff sets his sights on the widow as the prime suspect, her sisters close ranks around her. The three siblings are true-crime junkies, and thanks to a podcaster who has produced an unauthorized series about her, Anastasia’s reputation for solving murders has preceded her to the bucolic hamlet. The sisters plead for her help in finding the real killer. As Anastasia learns more about the women and their business, a host of suspects emerge, including several relatives, a relentless land developer, and even the sisters themselves.

 

Meanwhile, Anastasia becomes obsessed with discovering the podcaster’s identity. Along with knowing about Anastasia’s life as a reluctant amateur sleuth, the podcaster has divulged details of Anastasia’s personal life. Someone has betrayed Anastasia’s trust, and she’s out to discover the identity of the culprit.

 

Craft project included.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH THRILLER AND MYSTERY AUTHOR CARY J. GRIFFITH

Today we sit down for a chat with thriller and mystery author Cary J. Griffith. Learn more about him and his books at his website.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

The bug to write bit me mid-way through my sophomore year at the University of Iowa. That was more than three decades ago. I have been writing ever since. 

 

The urge to write novels came out of simply wanting to tell longer, more complicated stories that could not be told any other way. 

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

I wrote lots of industry content about legal technology before publishing my first book. While my first book, Lost in the Wild, was nonfiction, I feel as though I used fiction-writing techniques to tell that story, as well as in the other nonfiction books I’ve written. My first novel came out soon after my first nonfiction book. That all happened around 2010. By that time, I had been pursuing creative fiction and nonfiction for more than two decades. So, it took approximately 20-25 years to realize my dream of publication. 

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

I am traditionally published. I have been able to sell all my books, fiction and nonfiction, to traditional publishers, without an agent. I admire and respect people who self-publish, or pursue the hybrid route, because I think it would be very difficult to handle every aspect of the publishing process. 

 

Where do you write?

Kitchen, study, home office, coffee shops, restaurants … wherever I can find an electrical outlet and a few spare moments, I write. 

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

Silence is golden, but I can write with music in the background. Preferably classic. I would find it very hard to write while Bonnie Rait’s belting out Angel from Montgomery. 

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

I have met very few really bad characters like the antagonists I write about in my novels. That said, Sam Rivers, the primary protagonist in my novels, is very much interested in the same things I am, wilderness and its flora and fauna. As a boy, he spent countless hours experiencing the transcendence and solace of nature, and so did I. 

 

Describe your process for naming your character?

I usually look for character names that sound good on multiple levels. Rivers is a great last name for Sam because it is indicative of his love of the outdoors and wilderness. Jon Lockhart, the primary antagonist in Killing Monarchs, is a very bad man, totally out of touch with his emotions. He has a locked heart. 

 

Real settings or fictional towns?

A little of both. Usually, I like to keep settings fictional to avoid any potential reader backlash. That said, sometimes I can’t help myself. There is a line in Cougar Claw in which I suggest residents of Shoreview, Minnesota (a real town) like to “dress up and put on …” – that was an observation that raised some reader’s ire. 

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

In Cougar Claw, Carla McGregor, the wife of the prominent businessman allegedly killed by a mountain lion, uses dice, numerology, and black magic to foretell the future. It’s only marginally effective. 

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

In daily life I am superstitious about the use of some numbers. For instance, I avoid using health club lockers that contain the numbers eight or five. Of course, I know this makes no sense whatsoever. 

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

A very, very, very tough question. There are so may I love and admire. Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea because nearly every sentence moves me, Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath because it is such a well-told tale of family, poverty, and society. But if I had to say just one, it would probably be Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudicebecause it was confoundingly interesting, timeless, worked on so many levels, and was a beautiful love story. 

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

That I could have the success I enjoy now, writing and publishing books, when I was in my thirties. 

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

For the life of me, I cannot find an agent. I have written seven books, both fiction and nonfiction, with more in the offing – some having won awards – but I have never been able to find an agent.

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Food

Water

The Complete Works of Shakespeare

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

Laying sod. 

 

Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why?

Ulysses, a hero who goes out into the world and has many incredible adventures and returns home penniless and wise. 

 

Ocean or mountains?

This is the toughest question on your list. I cannot choose.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

Both

 

What’s on the horizon for you?

I have three books coming out over the next year: Killing Monarchs and Dead Catch, both Sam Rivers Mysteries, and Gunflint Falling: Blowdown in the Boundary Waters (nonfiction).

 

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

First, and foremost, thanks to Lois Winston for providing us writers with the space to talk about our craft, books, and whatever else comes uppermost to mind. 

 

Killing Monarchs

A Sam Rivers Mystery, Book 3

 

As a special agent for the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Sam Rivers has studied a variety of animals. He visits an elementary school to share photographs of the monarch butterfly, and he brings his drug-sniffing wolf dog, Gray, to give a demonstration of his partner’s remarkable skills.

 

Gray follows his nose to a school utility room, where Sam discovers the custodian, dead. Local police write it off as a drug overdose, but Sam is no stranger to crime scenes. He suspects foul play.

 

When Sam comes upon a second victim, the coincidences are too great to ignore. His instincts tell him there’ll be more deaths, but those instincts put him at odds with conventional law enforcement. Armed with his knowledge of the natural world and his wolf-dog companion, Sam must uncover answers to questions that few others believe exist—before anyone else is murdered.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH HARPER FROM AUTHOR KAREN CHARLES' THRILLER, FATEFUL CONNECTIONS

Today we sit down with Harper from author Karen Charles’ thriller, Fateful Connections.

 

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?  

Before my author started pulling my strings, life was pretty predictable, stable, and secure.  It was demanding but consistent.

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?  

I am trustworthy, dependable, and honest.

 

What do you like least about yourself?  

The trait I like the least about myself is that I have a tendency to work too many hours.

 

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?  

The strangest thing my author had me involved in was a major car accident.  I was hanging upside down in my seatbelt in an overturned car, unable to get out.

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?  

I am a problem solver so once-in-a-while I would argue with the author about how to overcome obstacles.

 

What is your greatest fear?  

My greatest fear is a car accident with a fire.

 

What makes you happy?  

What makes me happy is a peaceful home with someone I love.

 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?  

If I could rewrite a part of the story, it would be the four of us traveling home safely without Oscar terrorizing us. It gives me nightmares.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?  

The character in the book who bugs me the most is Ethan.  To him everything is black and white, whereas to me, life is full of uncertain gray areas.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?  

Of all the other characters in the book, I would love to trade places with Anna. She has a wonderful life on the ranch with so much happening, great amenities, fun entertaining guests, and a chef.

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?  

My author has great depth and insight in her writing, having lived in other cultures and traveled a lot.  She is a global citizen with a world view, respecting, understanding, and celebrating the differences in people, realizing we are all humans.  Find more about her at her website.

 

What's next for you?  

I hope to be a character in her next thriller.

 

Fateful Connections

Fateful Connections tells the story of four people brought together by the tragic events of 9/11 in the United States. These four individuals were attending a conference in Seattle, Washington, and found it nearly impossible to make it back to their homes, which were scattered across the country. They decide to rent a car and drive together, as they cannot get any flights home. As rental cars are also impossible to come upon, they find a friend who has access to a repossessed car, which he is willing to rent out. Unbeknownst to the friends, the rightful owner of the car wants his car back, and as they find out, hidden inside the car are drugs and guns. What ensues is a dangerous journey which impacts the four friends’ lives forever. The story follows them on their harrowing journey home, then one and two years later as they meet up for an annual reunion. 

 

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