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Heroic Measures: A Thriller

Heroic Measures by Joel Shulkin MD[image error]

Excerpt + Book & Author Info + A Giveaway!

 

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Heroic Measures

Death Benefits

Stephen Englehart, an Armed Forces medical examiner. dedicates his life to bringing peace to the families of fallen soldiers. Tagged as one of the best, he’s able to spot forensic clues others miss. But when the body of a US Marine, supposedly burned beyond recognition, shows up with hardly a scratch, even Stephen is stumped. Were the bodies switched? Then, in the middle of the autopsy, the impossible happens.

The soldier wakes up.

Something incredible—and dangerous—is happening to the military’s elite, and Stephen may be the only one who can figure it out. And when Stephen’s sister, a Green Beret, goes missing, the entire military machine seems designed to stop him from finding her. To find the truth and save his sister, one man must stand against an army. Can he be the hero he never thought he could?

Praise for Heroic Measures:

“A rollercoaster ride filled with thrills and intrigue.”
~ Reader’s Favorite

“A high-octane blend of action and intrigue where the momentum rarely lets up.”
~ Book Viral Reviews

“A powder-keg combination of military, medical, and technothriller. Buckle in for a wild and suspenseful ride.”
~ Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Rips through twists and turns that will make you dizzy.”
~ Lisa Black, New York Times bestselling author

“If you want a fast, heart-pounding thriller that you can’t put down, make Heroic Measures your next read.”
~ Jennifer Graeser Dornbush, crime author

“If you love a good thriller, Heroic Measures is a must-read…With plot twists around every corner, this novel will have you hooked from the very first page, making it a great choice for just about any reader.”
~ Book Nerdection

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller (forensic military thriller with superhero and sci-fi tropes)
Published by: Zero Dark Publications
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Number of Pages: 382
ISBN: 979-8990018808
Series: Death Benefits

To purchase Heroic Measures, click any of the following links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | BookBub | Goodreads | Zero Dark Publications



Read an excerpt of Heroic Measures:

Prologue

 

The first thing US Marine Corporal Mark Greenwood noticed when he woke up half-buried in a sand dune was the intense heat. He hated the heat. He hated the desert. 

So, when he realized he was on fire, he was downright pissed.

“Shit!” he shouted, and patted his burning arms. He rolled in the sand until he managed to douse the flames on his head and shoulders.

When he was sure he was no longer burning, he stood and assessed his situation. He was outside the ruins of what looked like some kind of medical building. Chunks of rubble lay scattered around him, half burying the broken and charred bodies of what he assumed had once been human men. A smoke trail rose from inside the building and twisted away on a dust devil. The interior walls glowed amber. Mark sniffed the air. Odors of propellant, charcoal, and blood assaulted him. An air traffic control tower loomed over him, and beyond it, an air strip stretched toward the horizon.

Pain shot through his skull. Electric.

He jammed one palm against the back of his head—it felt wet, sticky. He gnashed his teeth.

“Relief,” he whispered. “Relief, damn it.”

A cool wave washed over his body. The pain subsided.

The corporal lowered his hand. Blood covered it. Blood and some kind of grayish stuff.

The world around him shimmered, like a mirage. He squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten, then opened them again. Blinked several times. No more shimmering. Better.

It’d been a long time since he’d felt pain like that. Something must’ve hit him hard. But he didn’t have time to figure out what it was.

“Foxtrot team,” he said into his radio, his voice deep and raspy. “What’s your position?”

The radio crackled and hissed.

“This is Greenwood. Hostiles are down. I repeat. Hostiles are down. Awaiting orders.”

Still no response.

“Sergeant, where the fuck are you?”

Automatic rifles popped in the distance. Mark scanned the ground. Where was his M27?

More gunfire. Well, he didn’t need a rifle, anyway.

Pebbles kicked up in a wake behind him as he sprinted across the sand.

Something felt off. His right leg wobbled with each footfall. He had to fight to keep his six-foot frame balanced as he ran. After a few seconds, he stopped and looked down. 

A jagged piece of white bone poked through his Combat Utility Uniform below the knee. The camouflage was stained black.

“Shit on a stick.” Mark bent over to push the bone back into place. Pain shot up his thigh. Gritting his teeth, he kept his fingertip pressed on the bone and started counting. He could feel the bone weaving together, and when he reached sixty, he let go. The bone still felt unstable, but it would have to do. He resumed his sprint.

The Humvee stood perched atop a dune half a klick away, the front passenger tire flat. He spotted Lance Corporal John Kirby inside the armored turret, manning the M2 cannon. He couldn’t see Sergeant Grant or the others.

Movement caught his eye. Off to the left.

Two soldiers holding rifles raced toward the Humvee.

A fly buzzed by his ear. Mark swatted it away and focused.

Hostiles!

Something popped inside his skull. Tiny shocks jolted his brain, forcing him to stop running. He pressed both palms against his head and roared in agony.

“Relief. Relief. Relief.”

The pain washed away. He lowered his hands.

Eliminate all resistance. 

The voice came from inside his head. Toneless. Genderless. Commanding.

Adrenaline surged through his body. The last remnants of pain vanished.

Mark squinted. The hostiles were only a quarter klick from the Humvee. Why wasn’t Kirby shooting at them? It was almost like . . .

Eliminate all resistance.

With a grunt, Mark ran. Harder. Faster. He closed the distance in less than five seconds.

The hostiles turned and raised their rifles.

He ripped their weapons away, snapping their wrists. The hostiles screamed.

He tossed one rifle to the ground and swung the other with both hands. The stock smashed in the face of one of the hostiles. The other tried to run. Mark shot him in the back, turned, and finished off the one he’d battered.

Another fly buzzed in his ear. He wiggled his finger in the canal until it stopped. Fucking desert bugs.

Someone shouted from the Humvee.

The M2 roared to life, fifty-caliber rounds whizzing through the air.

Mark froze. Why was Kirby firing at him?

A round slammed into Mark’s shoulder, ripping a hole through the muscle. He screamed and forced himself to stare through the haze of white-hot pain at the Humvee turret.

No, it wasn’t Kirby. Son of a bitch. That was why he hadn’t shot at the hostiles. The man at the cannon was a hostile.

Another round grazed his thigh. Rage burned a swath through his body. He threw away the rifle and dashed toward the Humvee.

The cannon kept firing at him. He ignored the rounds pummeling his body armor, even the ones that managed to penetrate his side and abdomen.

Mark scrambled over the Humvee’s hood and leaped onto the roof.

The hostile punched at him. Mark caught the fist and twisted, hearing and feeling a loud crack.

That earned a scream. Mark grabbed the hostile’s throat with his other hand. He squeezed, and the neck snapped.

Mark hurled the lifeless body onto the sand.

“Greenwood!”

The voice sounded familiar. Mark looked down.

A US Marine stood next to the Humvee, aiming an SSW40 grenade launcher at him. It took a moment for the corporal to recognize Sergeant Gardner Grant. He was about Mark’s height and build but lacked the hard edges. On the ground nearby, another Marine nursed her injured leg with one hand and leveled an M18 pistol with the other. Corporal Micaela Deodato. 

Grant’s eyes widened, his lips twisting into a grimace as he asked, “What the hell happened to you?”

Mark tried to process a response but couldn’t. He’d just saved them from the hostiles. Why were they pointing guns at him?

“Why did you kill those men?”

Again, Mark stumbled over the question. But this time he was able to find an answer. “I was following orders.”

“Not my orders. Whose?”

Eliminate all resistance.

The world shimmered. That fucking fly buzzed in his ear again.

Mark rubbed his eyes and squinted. 

Something about Grant’s face wasn’t right. It looked like him—but it wasn’t. Mark glanced at Deodato. Same with her. Their eyes were cold. Distant.

They’d flipped sides.

Mark swung the M2 around and locked on to Grant.

“You traitors!” he shouted.

“Corporal,” Grant said, keeping the SSW40 trained on Mark. “Stand down.”

Sweat streamed down the corporal’s cheeks. His shoulders tightened. This was total FUBAR. His whole team couldn’t have betrayed him.

Eliminate all resistance.

He tightened his grip on the cannon. It didn’t matter. He had to complete his mission.

“Get down, Sergeant!” Deodato shouted. Her pistol fired.

Bullets streaked toward Mark. One grazed his cheek. The other buried itself in his arm. He roared and rotated the M2 in her direction. The cannon spat at Deodato, and she crumpled to the ground.

The SSW40 in Grant’s hands made a heavy thump-thump sound. Grenades whizzed toward Mark.

The world exploded.

*** Excerpt from Heroic Measures by Joel Shulkin MD. Copyright 2024 by Joel Shulkin MD. Reproduced with permission from Joel Shulkin MD. All rights reserved.

 

Joel Shulkin MD, Author of Heroic Measures

Joel Shulkin, MD is the author of Adverse Effects and Toxic Effects, the first two novels in the Memory Thieves series, and he has penned award-winning short stories and poetry.

A developmental-behavioral pediatrician and United States Air Force veteran with a master’s in public health, Joel lives in Florida with his wife, two daughters, and two puppies.

To learn more about Joel Shulkin, click on any of the following links: AuthorJoelShulkin.com, Goodreads, BookBub – @thrillers1, Instagram – @drjoelshulkin, Threads – @drjoelshulkin, Twitter/X – @drjoelshulkin, Facebook – @drjoelshulkin
& TikTok – @drjoelshulkin


 

 
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The Usual Silence: New Suspense by Jenny Milchman

The Usual Silence, new suspense by Jenny Milchman

Author Interview + My Thoughts + Book & Author Info + Author (Foster!) Pet Corner!Don’t miss any author interviews! Click the link here.The Usual Silence

Amazon #1 Bestseller

A psychologist haunted by childhood trauma must unearth all that is buried in her past in this twisting, lyrical novel of suspense by Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author Jenny Milchman.

Psychologist Arles Shepherd treats troubled children, struggling with each case to recover from her own traumatic past, much of which she’s lost to the shadows of memory. Having just set up a new kind of treatment center in the remote Adirondack wilderness, Arles longs to heal one patient in particular: a ten-year-old boy who has never spoken a word—or so his mother, Louise, believes.

Hundreds of miles away, Cass Monroe is living a parent’s worst nightmare. His twelve-year-old daughter has vanished on her way home from school. With no clues, no witnesses, and no trail, the police are at a dead end. Fighting a heart that was already ailing, and struggling to keep both his marriage and himself alive, Cass turns to a pair of true-crime podcasters for help.

Arles, Louise, and Cass will soon find their lives entangled in ways none of them could have anticipated. And when the collision occurs, a quarter-century-old secret will be forced out of hiding. Because nothing screams louder than silence.

To purchase The Usual Silence, click the any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble & IndieBoundMy Thoughts on The Usual Silence

My favorite Jenny Milchman novel to date! I’ve always been a fan, but this book pulled me in and kept me reading even more than her previous novels.

Dr. Arles Shepherd is a flawed and complicated character. The kind of character readers root for, even though she may not be someone they would sit down with to have a beer. Struggling to recover from her own dysfunctional history, she’s committed to helping others overcome deeply rooted problems. But despite her best intentions, she feels just unreliable enough to make her untrustworthy. A deliciously off-kilter experience as we see events through the eyes of multiple characters.

This brings me to another aspect of the novel I liked quite a bit. Milchman deftly weaves multiple events, characters, and timelines together. This is not an easy beach read, but that makes it all the more engaging. Like many great pieces of literature, the reader can’t simply scan the sentences and follow along. Attention must be paid to track the twists and turns, and understand how the past informs the present, which makes the end, when the threads come together, that much more satisfying.

Some novels are an escape, easily read with a cocktail in one hand and the beach shushing in the background. Other novels are complex explorations of the human experience, which require the reader to fully invest their time and attention.

There is room on our shelves for books that fill both these niches. When you’re looking for the latter, this should be the first on your TBR list.

Interview with Jenny Milchman — Author of The Usual SilenceThe Usual Silence centers on psychologist Arles Shepherd, who works with children and has a traumatic past of her own. What drew you to creating a character with a damaged childhood who also works with traumatized children?

It’s a little known (or maybe not-so-little-known) secret that many psychologists, social workers, counselors, and others in the profession, have traumatized pasts of their own. Trauma can be a magnet, drawing together those who have survived it. Or perhaps, by working through trauma more or less successfully, industry professionals wish to help others achieve their own versions of closure.

The character of Arles jumped into my head almost full form, born there like Athena from Zeus. Once I knew she was a psychologist, it was clear to me that she must have a trauma background. I just had to unearth what it was.

 

The Usual Silence expertly weaves multiple storylines together, sending readers back and forth between events and characters. What was the writing process like? Did you write each storyline first, then put them together? Or did it come together as a single strand from the beginning?

I love this question! I wrote the novel linearly, from the vignettes in the father’s point of view to the chapters in the two women’s points of view. Only the italicized passages, which twist (or give one violent wrench) at the end, were added later. But this novel went through so much revision, deep dive after deep dive, that linear makes the process sound way smoother than it was. It was extremely intense for me to pull off what you kindly call expert. I had brilliant editors—more than one of them. They helped keep me on track.

 

The Usual Silence is your sixth published novel. How has your writing or writing process changed over the course of your career? Has your view or understanding of the publishing industry changed now that you are an established author?

I keep thinking my writing process will change, as in get easier, and then it keeps on keeping on. Actually, to be clear, writing the first draft is a stunningly beautifully, easy phenomenon for me. Seriously. I go out to my converted shed every day—seven days a week when I’m in the throes of a new book—as if there were wings to spur me on. I’m so excited to sit down and write, it feels like Christmas morning.

Then I finish and hand out the manuscript to my first batch of trusty readers and my editors, and…let’s just say there are no wings. Revising for me is more like slogging through wet sand. I’m never sure I’ll be able to do it, and I live in a state of perennial fear. I think it’s that the first, fun draft feels so right to me that once someone points out what isn’t working, I crash to earth. I feel about revising how I hear a lot of writers talk about the first draft. And over the course of six published books, that hasn’t changed.

But with this new one, a significant difference did occur, because The Usual Silence is the start of a series. The layers of Arles that I knew would play out in books to come—like how, at thirty-seven years old, she meets the first love interest of her life—felt so rich to me as I discovered them. I wanted to lie down in Arles’s world and gaze at it. To drink it in like nectar.

In terms of the industry, the biggest thing that’s changed is that I am embracing the many different ways in which publishers get books to readers today, and readers read—or listen—to them. I am an old-fashioned, sit-on-a-bookstore-or-library-floor kind of reader myself. But the expertise at Thomas and Mercer and Amazon Publishing is expanding that view in thrilling dimensions.

 

How does your own background in psychology assist (or get in the way!) of writing suspense?

I wrote my first—unpublished—novel when I was doing my internship as a psychologist-in-training at a rural community mental health center. I was assigned this very scary case—one I hesitate to describe without a content warning, particularly on this blog—and it was as if life were a real live suspense novel. I sat down and began writing.

Ahem. Unpublished, as I say. It’s hard to convert real life to fiction because where is that satisfying arc, however bumpy or clean, that we love to find in a novel?

Still, until that point, I’d never realized how much I loved thrillers, or that I was going to write them—and write them, and write them, until eleven years and eight manuscripts later, I finally broke through. So my first career in a very real sense gave me this one, the one I feel I was meant to live.

 

You are incredibly generous helping other authors. What have you read lately that everyone should have on their TBR list? What did you love about it?

When I am writing a new novel, I tend not to read fiction, instead focusing on books that relate to research I am doing, or else books on craft. So apropos of what you said about helping other authors, let me recommend Into the Woods by John Yorke. He’s a legend in British screenwriting—small and big screens—and in this book analyzes what makes a story work. I found his thoughts about series based on the TV world particularly incisive.

And in case your readers are looking for fiction recs, the person who told me about Yorke’s book is novelist Holly Brown who also writes under the pen name Ellie Monago. She writes fun domestic suspense with a deeper layer beneath it. Look her up!

 

What are you working on now?

I just turned in book two of the Arles Shepherd series!

 

Words of Wisdom for aspiring writers:

Don’t ever stop.

Great advice! Thank you for visiting with me and my readers!Author Foster Pet Corner!

Most springs we foster kittens, the most adorable miniatures you could ever want to see.

Oh my goodness, just take a look at what they did with slippers…

 

 

 

Jenny Milchman — Author of The Usual Silence

Jenny Milchman is the Mary Higgins Clark award winning and USA Today bestselling author of five novels. Her work has been praised by the New York Times, New York Journal of Books, San Francisco Journal of Books and more; earned spots on Best Of lists including PureWow, POPSUGAR, the Strand, Suspense, and Big Thrill magazines; and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist and Shelf Awareness.

Four of her novels have been Indie Next Picks. Jenny’s short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies as well as Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and a recent piece on touring appeared in the Agatha award winning collection Promophobia.

Jenny is about to launch a new series with Thomas & Mercer featuring psychologist Arles Shepherd, who has the power to save the most troubled and vulnerable children, but must battle demons of her own to do it.

Jenny is a member of the Rogue Women Writers and lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.

To learn more about Jenny, click any of the following links: Facebook, Patreon, Twitter & Goodreads

The post The Usual Silence: New Suspense by Jenny Milchman appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.

Halloween Parade Peril: Cozy Mystery

Halloween Parade Peril — A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery

Author Guest Post + Book & Author InfoDon’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here for more.Halloween Parade Peril

A spooky spectacle turns deadly when a singer’s voice is silenced forever. Does an amateur sleuth have the ghost of a chance to unmask the killer before the jack-o’-lantern’s candle is snuffed out?
Emerging antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is excited about traveling to Ireland for a prestigious auction. Alongside her friend, Sergeant Keya Varma, Dotty revels in Dublin’s iconic sights and finds herself spellbound by haunting melodies at the Bram Stoker Festival. But a Halloween parade turns tragic when a musician’s last melody leads to his final breath.

With the police operating a skeleton crew, Keya expresses grave concerns while Dotty carves up excitement at the auction, bidding for a pumpkin full of Irish treasures. But when one of their friends ends up behind bars and another confesses to the crime, this duo of detectives realises the witching hour is near.

Can Dotty piece the eerie puzzle together and unveil the villain before the plot thickens like a witch’s potion?

Join Dotty and her friends in Dublin for the latest instalment of the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. If a cauldron of quirky characters, bewitching puzzles, and enchanting Irish folklore is what you crave, then Victoria Tait’s spellbinding narrative will keep you captivated until the final page.

Make no bones about it – read Halloween Parade Peril today!

Halloween Parade Peril: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Setting – Ireland
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press (September 13, 2024)
Number of Pages c. 240
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CM2MGBVY
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To purchase a copy of Halloween Parade Peril, click any of the following links: Amazon   Books2Read Author Guest Post

The History and Traditions of Samhain: The Irish Halloween

Introduction

Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in,” where “Sow” rhymes with “cow”) is a festival with deep roots in ancient Celtic traditions, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.

Celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, Samhain is considered one of the most significant festivals in the Celtic calendar. It is a time when the veil between the living and the dead is believed to be at its thinnest, allowing spirits and ancestors to return to the earthly realm.

Over time, Samhain has evolved, blending with Christian traditions to become what is now widely recognized as Halloween. However, its origins and customs remain integral to Irish culture, preserving the essence of this ancient celebration.

Halloween Parade Peril is set in Ireland and incorporates the rich stories, traditions and beliefs of the Irish people.

The Origins of Samhain

Samhain, meaning ‘Summer’s end” has its origins in the pagan traditions of the Celtic people, who lived across much of Europe, particularly in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.

For the Celts, the year was divided into two main halves: the light half, representing spring and summer, and the dark half, representing autumn and winter. Samhain marked the beginning of the dark half of the year, a time when the natural world began to die back, preparing for the barrenness of winter.

This transition was not just a physical one but also carried significant spiritual meaning. It was believed that during Samhain, the boundary between the physical world and the spiritual world was at its most permeable, allowing spirits, both benevolent and malevolent, to cross over.

Traditions and Customs of Samhain

The customs associated with Samhain are deeply symbolic and reflect the festival’s focus on death, rebirth, and the supernatural.

One of the most well-known traditions is the lighting of bonfires which were believed to have protective and cleansing powers, warding off evil spirits and ensuring the community’s safety during the dark months ahead.

Another key aspect of Samhain was the practice of offering food and drink to the spirits of the dead. These offerings, often left on doorsteps or windowsills, were intended to appease wandering souls and ensure that they would not cause harm to the household. In some cases, people would set extra places at their tables during Samhain feasts to welcome deceased relatives, a tradition that underscores the festival’s emphasis on honouring ancestors.

Samhain was also a time of divination and prophecy. The thinning of the veil between worlds was believed to make it easier to communicate with the otherworld, and people would perform various rituals to gain insight into the future. For example, young people might engage in apple bobbing, a game with roots in ancient divination practices, to predict their future spouses. Other common divination methods included interpreting the shapes of melted lead or the patterns of stones cast into a fire.

The Evolution of Samhain into Halloween

As Christianity spread across Europe, many pagan festivals were adapted and reinterpreted within the Christian calendar. By the 9th century, the Christian Church had established All Saints’ Day on November 1st, followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2nd, as a way to honour saints and the faithful departed. The evening before All Saints’ Day, known as All Hallows’ Eve, gradually became associated with many of the customs of Samhain, eventually evolving into what we now recognize as Halloween.

Despite these changes, many traditional Samhain customs persisted, particularly in rural Ireland and Scotland. For instance, the practice of “guising,” where people dressed in costumes to disguise themselves from wandering spirits, continued and eventually influenced the modern tradition of dressing up for Halloween. Similarly, the practice of carving turnips into lanterns to ward off evil spirits was carried over to Halloween, where it became the tradition of carving pumpkins, particularly in North America.

Samhain in Modern Times

In Ireland and Scotland, Samhain has seen a resurgence in recent years, with communities hosting festivals that celebrate traditional music, storytelling, and rituals.

In these modern celebrations, bonfires are still lit, and people may engage in traditional customs such as divination or making offerings to the dead. However, there is also a focus on cultural preservation, with efforts to educate younger generations about the historical significance of Samhain and its role in Irish heritage. This blending of the old and the new allows Samhain to remain a living tradition, evolving while still honouring its ancient roots.

In Halloween Parade Peril, I emphasise storytelling and one of my characters tells wonderful Irish tales. These, and the origins of Samhain, were the themes of the story inspired by a book I bought in Hodges Figgis in Dublin. Established in 1768, this iconic bookshop is thought to be the third oldest in the world.

I hope you enjoy reading Halloween Parade Peril.

Victoria Tait — Author of Halloween Parade Peril

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, and never expected to travel the world. She’s drawn on her life’s experiences of following her military husband, and a love of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder She Wrote, to write British-based cozy mysteries.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative.  As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world of intrigue, surprises, and humour, as well as a delectable helping of mystery, because tea and intrigue are a perfect blend.

To learn more about Victoria, click on any of the following links: Website, Bookbub, Instagram, Pinterest & GoodreadsVisit all the Stops on the Tour!

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Now You Owe Me: Debut Psychological Thriller

Now You Owe Me by Aliah Wright

Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!Don’t miss any Debut Author Interviews! Click the link here.Now You Owe Me

Ben and Corinthia spent years abducting college coeds, until one night they took the wrong victim.

No one knew witnessing their first murder at seven would propel Ben and his twin toward a killing spree in Pennsylvania. Racked with guilt, they vow to take just one more victim. Too bad they snatched the wrong woman . . .

Praise for Now You Owe Me

“Well-crafted characters will draw in readers, and an intricately woven plot will keep them in their seats. Recommended for fans of Tana French, Gillian Flynn, and Karin Slaughter.” —Elisabeth Clark, Library Journal

“Readers are drawn into a gripping tale—I read it in almost one go…happily, this stellar debut is the first in a series.” —Henrietta Thornton, firstCLUE

To purchase Now You Owe Me, click on any of the following links: IndieBound, Reparations Club, BookBub, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Apple, Walmart & GoodreadsNow You Owe Me Author InterviewNow You Owe Me is a psychological thriller about twins Ben and Corinthia. What would you like readers to know about them?

Ben and Corinthia love each other tremendously and share an unbreakable bond. Inseparable as children, their closeness has endured as adults. When Ben and his twin are 7 years old, they witness a murder, which launches a sequence of events that shapes them into killers of young women.

The story unfolds from their perspective: Ben has his reasons for kidnapping women, and his sister has her reasons for disposing of them. They decide their next victim will be their last. However, what they don’t realize is that the person they’ve chosen is not the easy target they expected. That’s because of the victim’s roommate, a tenacious and brave young woman named Amanda.

 

Now You Owe Me is a violent novel with graphic events. What drew you to tackling such a dark book for your debut?

Did you know statistics show that more than 270,000 women and girls go missing in the United States every year? Some never make it home.

Horrified by seeing so many cases like this, I found myself wishing for a different outcome—so I wrote one. I am also a huge fan of procedural dramas, horror films, true crime stories, courtroom dramas, and justice—all of which are woven within the book.

Now You Owe Me also exams the influence of family dynamics and how that shapes our identities. And it explores the various challenges that permeate our society.

 

Now You Owe Me includes a character named Amanda Taylor. Tell us about her:

Remember the theme song from that old TV show The Golden Girls? Thank you for Being a Friend? Amanda is that kind of friend.

She’s feisty, determined, courageous and fearless, but she’s also opinionated, impulsive and a tad reckless. A complex character, Amanda is the kind of person who will go to the ends of the earth for a friend—without considering the consequences. Both only children, Amanda and Fiona are more like sisters than best friends and their bond is something neither woman has ever experienced. Amanda doesn’t just respect and admire Fiona, she reveres her and thinks of her as the sister she never had.

Before they met, Amanda was a shy, wallflower. With Fiona’s influence, Amanda has transformed from a child who followed her parent’s dictates into a carefree adult, college co-ed. So, when her best friend and roommate vanishes, Amanda does all she can to find her. She also feels responsible for not being there when Fiona disappeared. Driven by a sense of urgency, a strong sense of justice, and her need to assuage her own guilt, Amanda cannot sit by and watch the search for her friend falter—even if it means potentially destroying her own life in the process. It’s as if she takes John 15:13 seriously.

 

How has your career as a journalist impacted how you write fiction?

For many years I worked as an entertainment editor at a major wire service, where I edited hundreds of film-reviews each year and watched countless films, too.

When you see so many films you notice patterns and I can write endlessly about that. As a result, I have a strong aversion to the predictable (smile), which is why Now You Owe Me brims with twists and turns.

Before working at Gannett News Service, I was a reporter for the Associated Press, covering a range of topics from police and courts to politics and investigative journalism. I’m naturally curious—essential for anyone who has been a reporter—so research informs what I write. I believe fiction should have some kernels of truth because that is what makes it believable. And it is that plausibility that can be truly frightening.

 

What can we find you doing when you aren’t reading and writing thrillers?

Traveling! I’ve crisscrossed the country and have traveled extensively abroad—France, Germany, the Caribbean, Central America, North America, the Middle East, and India.

Although I canceled plans to travel to Africa in 2020, I’m hoping to resume international travel soon. Future books in this series feature characters who move around the globe, and I love to write what I know and about the places I’ve experienced firsthand.

 

What are you working on now?

I’m currently finishing a certificate in Digital Marketing Strategy at Harvard, which I should complete by the time you publish this column. Additionally, I’m working on the sequel to Now You Owe Me and plotting the third novel in this series. I have a few ambitious projects waiting in the wings—I just need to decide what to tackle next.

 

What words of Wisdom do you have for Aspiring Writers:

Writing isn’t just about skill and talent—it’s also about dedication. Dedicate time to writing. Make it important and don’t let other people or things invade that time you need to be alone, think, and compose your symphony of words! And whatever you do, don’t quit. Believe in yourself. I could write reams of advice, but I’d like to encourage your readers to visit my TikTok @aliahwrites for more.

Great advice! Best of luck with your debut.Author Pet Corner!

One of the hardest things I had to do was find a new home for my very affectionate tuxedo cat, Archie (short for Sterling Archer). He’s a Hemingway kitty, meaning he’s a polydactyl cat like the ones Ernest Hemingway kept at his home in Key West.

Archie has extra toes on his front paws. When he was a kitten, he would close his eyes and curl up in your hand if you scratched him behind the ears and he still does! He’s in a few of my early TikToks.

We got him during the pandemic, but since I’ve been traveling a lot this year promoting the book, I had to find him a new home. Thankfully, he’s with my niece and her family just 25 minutes away, so I see him as often as I can.

Elena says: That was so considerate of you! Sometimes the most loving thing we can do for an animal is place them in the best home possible.

Author of Now You Owe Me Aliah Wright

Aliah Wright, an award-winning journalist, began her career as a reporter and editor for several publications, including The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, The Associated Press, and what is now known as the

Gannett | USA Today Network). Her first book, a text-book titled, “A Necessary Evil: Managing Employee Activity on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn … and the Hundreds of Other Social Media Sites,” was a publisher’s best-seller and is now in its third iteration. She has lectured worldwide about social media strategy.

Her riveting debut novel, Now You Owe Me, about serial killers stalking college co-eds in Pennsylvania, is being released September 10th.

To learn more about Aliah, click any of the following links: Website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & Twitter

Header image from Pixabay

The post Now You Owe Me: Debut Psychological Thriller appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.

Not the Killing Kind: A Debut Crime Thriller

Not the Killing Kind, the debut crime thriller by Maria Kelson

Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!Don’t miss any debut author interviews, click the link here for more.Not the Killing Kind

This gripping, high-stakes debut thriller about the lengths mothers will go to protect their children is perfect for fans of Wanda M. Morris and Jess Lourey.Boots Marez is a Latina single mother raising a headstrong and sly eighteen-year-old boy she adopted six years ago. She also runs a school that helps the undocumented people in her politically divided town in Northern California. When her son Jaral is jailed for the murder of one of her former students, her world is turned upside down.

Struggling to protect her son, Boots has to spotlight a community used to living in the shadows, putting her hard work over the years in doubt. Meanwhile, a vicious parents’ board wants to trash her ideals and oust her from the school she helped build. As she faces increasing danger to clear her son’s name, she must decide how far she is willing to go to bring her son home.

But nothing is as it seems—Jaral has been keeping secrets from her after all. And as she puts the missing pieces together, she will discover a deeper and darker web of lies that has been hiding in plain sight.

To purchase your copy of Not the Killing Kind, click the following for links to your favorite outlet: Penguin Random House.Interview with Maria Kelson — Debut Author of Not the Killing KindNot the Killing Kind focuses on Boots Marez, a single mother of an adopted, now adult, son. What would you like readers to know about Boots? 

Besides being a mother, Boots is also a progressive education leader in a rural town. She’s struggling to keep her K-8 school going despite financial challenges and ideological opposition from surprising corners of her community. Education has become such a hot-button issue in some rural counties that the profession truly demands heroism, these days.

The name “Boots” got attached to her following a childhood tragedy. Why keep the nickname after all these years? I think she’s bringing that part of her past with her into her adulthood.

 

Not the Killing Kind also centers around the school that she runs, which helps undocumented people in her town in Northern California. What drew you to incorporating that aspect of the story?

Boots teaches adult English Language Learners and this has been, up until now, her primary means of getting to know (and wanting to help) undocumented families.

I became interested in the relationship between a Latina teacher with citizenship privileges and her undocumented adult Latina students when I ran a family literacy program in an elementary school serving Spanish-speaking mothers. I was so moved by how these mothers swam against so many currents to try and give their children the happiest, safest, richest childhood they could. And I was frustrated by how, no matter how many home visits I made, and after school parties I threw, and friendly conversations I had, I knew there were parts of their lives I’d never understand fully.

That meant, in some cases, I could only make my best guess about how best to help.

This novel ratchets up that contrast between generally warm feelings flowing between teacher/adult students and nearly insurmountable gaps in understanding about each others’ lives.

 

Not the Killing Kind won the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Crime Fiction Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime. Tell us about that award and what winning it meant to you and your publishing journey:

Actually, I won it the first year it was offered—2014! That’s ten years ago! The award was meant as a one-time gesture to honor the late crime writer Eleanor Taylor Bland. I gave a little acceptance speech at a Sisters in Crime breakfast at Bouchercon in Long Beach, where I basically said, “Let me know how I can help make it so that more writers can feel the great feeling of validation that comes with this award.” 

That happened to echo thoughts that some in Sisters in Crime were already having about continuing the award, and 10 years later it’s been offered annually, open to crime writers of color of any gender who have yet to receive a contract for a full-length crime novel. I served as a selection judge for a year or two, and there have been some fantastic titles that had their start with this recognition. 

It’s meant for a work-in-progress. That’s important, because “in-progress” is probably the most vulnerable time in a new novelist’s journey. The message the award sends to the finalists and winners is that there is an audience hungry for crime writing by writers of color, in general, and for the work of these individual, specifically. I can say first hand: that’s very affirming!

In concrete terms, the award comes with prize money meant to advance a writer’s career in some way. I used my loot to fund a trip to SleuthFest in 2015, the crime writing con put on by the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America. That’s where I started to learn how to pitch by pitching, and where I started to learn how to talk about my book by talking about my book. It was a great conference for gaining this kind of experience—small enough not to be overwhelming, but with access to some high powered and highly experienced authors, agents, and editors—because—Florida!—in February!

 

What can we find you doing when you aren’t writing and reading poetry and crime fiction?

A have a day job, a hubs, two adult kids, and an old pooch. I can be found walking Maggie slowly down the road at sunset, or off on a hike with my sweetie while Maggie stays home and watches the Bob Ross channel (really).

 

What are you working on now?

Next up: a standalone thriller set in the greater Yellowstone area, featuring a Latina law-enforcement ranger for the National Park Service. Plus grizzlies. 

 

Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers:

We all know nothing makes more of a difference than increasing the time for rear-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard. Be ruthless and creative about how to add that time to your week consistently. So-so writing sessions (short amount of time, or high amount of distractions, etc.) are so much greater than zero writing sessions.

Author Pet Corner!

Here’s Maggie, the 13 year-old cattle dog mix.

Maggie!

She was adopted at 6 months old from the Colorado Cell Dogs program, which places pound puppies with incarcerated trainers who teach the dogs basic obedience and get them ready for their forever homes.

 

 

 

Maria Kelson — Author of Not the Killing Kind

Maria Kelson has two collections of poetry (as Maria Melendez) with University of Arizona Press, which were finalists for the PEN Center USA Literary Award and the Colorado Book Award.

Not the Killing Kind is her debut novel. It received the inaugural Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Crime Fiction Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime. A former Santa Fe Arts Institute and Hedgebrook resident, she has given readings and workshops at campuses and literary festivals around the U.S. and served as an American Voices arts envoy in Bogotá, Colombia.

Born in Arizona, raised in northern California, she has lived in one southeastern, three midwestern, and five western states. Connect at mariakelson.com.

To learn more about Maria, click on any of the following links: Website, Facebook, X/Twitter.Elena Hartwell/Elena Taylor

Header Image from Pixabay

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Medical Thrillers: Combining Fact with Fiction

Medical Thrillers — Dengue: A Microbial Mystery by Millicent Eidson

Author Guest Post + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!Read more guest posts and author interviews! Click the link here.Medical Thrillers: Dengue: A Microbial Mystery

Is dengue the next pandemic? Two veterinary medical detectives, decades apart in age and experience, battle the tropical disease on the mainland, then in Hawai‘i.

Even in paradise, people can’t escape blood-thirsty mosquitoes spurred on by a warming climate. Join these resilient women as they push through personal challenges to discover the scientific truth and stop the relentless death toll.

Praise for Dengue: A Microbial Mystery

 “The mystery, the characters, the setting, and the uncanny timing of this book make it a compelling read. I would recommend it to anyone who loves medical thrillers, mysteries set in Hawaii, mysteries with diverse characters, books with a strong female protagonist, and fictional tales related to climate change.” —M. Reade, USA Today Bestselling Author

To purchase Dengue: A Microbial Mystery, click on any of the following links: Books2Read, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo & AppleGuest post on Medical Thrillers by Millicent EidsonScience Meets Storytelling: Discovering an Invisible World Through Fictional Adventures

Scientific writing appeals to our intellect, while fiction tugs at our emotions. Scientific writing sticks to facts, ignoring character; fiction thrives on imagination and conflicted characters. Scientific writing demands succinct sentences, whereas fiction unleashes creativity. Polar opposites, right?

Fiction writers vary in their reliance on facts. Historical mysteries anchor in past events although dialogue may need some modernizing. Many sci-fi and fantasy authors create worlds far from reality.

As a veterinarian working for state and federal agencies, I research zoonoses—diseases transmitted through animals and insects to humans. Solving outbreaks means writing scientific papers for prevention and control. Teaching graduate students about zoonotic diseases has been my side gig, aiming to enhance public health communication.

When I yearned to reach a broader audience, I birthed the MayaVerse, centered on a fictional veterinary disease detective. The stories are medical thrillers with a dash of romantic suspense and women’s fiction. The real criminals are viruses, bacteria, and parasites, sometimes aided by humans in bioterrorism plots. Animals and insects that spread diseases are never villains, but part of a vivid One Health universe.

Medical thrillers have a rich tradition. Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles novels feature a police detective and a medical examiner. Robin Cook and Michael Crichton explore science and health risks in their ‘what if’ scenarios. The MayaVerse carves a unique path, with nature as a primary setting and veterinarians in public practice as central players. The goal is to entertain, educate, and enlighten about zoonotic threats, with every plot rooted firmly in scientific facts.

I believe the reality of zoonotic diseases is thrilling enough without inventing threats. Maya Maguire and other characters bring to life a hidden world of microbial terrors. Dive into the MayaVerse to experience this blend of scientific fact and creative fiction!

Author Pet Corner!Bosco!

She’s my grandcat (she belongs to my daughter) and she’s my MayaVerse spokesmodel.

Many tortoiseshell color kitties like Bosco have soft fur, and most are female.

Bosco also has catcher’s mitts with her extra toes (polydactyl).

 

Millicent Eidson — Author of Medical Thrillers

Dr. Millicent Eidson, a master of intrigue and suspense, weaves her literary magic through the pages of the Maya Maguire microbial mystery series. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for scientific puzzles, she invites readers into a world where microbes hold secrets more treacherous than any criminal.

Millicent’s career as a public health veterinarian and epidemiologist began at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After days filled with pathogens and outbreaks, the nights belonged to whispered tales of microbes dancing in her imagination. Upon retirement, her passion for storytelling blossomed into the MayaVerse.

To learn more about Millie, click any of the following links: Website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram & X

Header image from Pixabay

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A Scandal in Mayfair: Historical Mystery

A Scandal in Mayfair by Katharine Schellman [image error]

Guest Post + an Excerpt + Book & Author Info + a Giveaway!
Don’t miss any blog tour post! Click the link here.

  A Scandal in Mayfair

A Lily Adler Mystery
Sometimes danger lurks in plain sight, and in the cutthroat London Season socialite Lily Adler must race against time to catch a killer.

Fans of Bridgerton will delight in this Regency-era mystery featuring an intrepid sleuth, plenty of intrigue, and a touch of romance.

London, 1817. The London Season is beginning once more, and Lily Adler’s return to her home on Half Moon Street feels different this year. No longer a recent widow, she has a life and friends waiting for her. Lily also has new responsibilities in the form of her protégée Amelia, the sister of her longtime friend Jack Hartley, who is escaping her own brush with scandal and murder.

It doesn’t take long for Lily’s growing reputation as a lady of quality who can discreetly find what is missing or solve what is puzzling to bring a desperate young woman to her doorstep. But helping her means unraveling a tangled web of family secrets. Soon, a missing will, a dead body and the threat of blackmail leave Lily facing danger every way she turns.

The glittering society of Mayfair conceals many secrets, and the back alleys of London hide even more. Lily Adler will need to find the connection between them quickly if she wants to stop a killer before it’s too late.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781639108411 (ISBN10: 1639108416)
Series: A Lily Adler Mystery, Book #5 | Each is a Stand Alone

To purchase A Scandal in Mayfair, click on any of the following links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Penguin Random House

Read an excerpt of A Scandal in Mayfair:

“You are Mrs. Adler? You do not look anything like I expected,” the young woman said bluntly. “I thought that someone who offers such investigations would be . . . more dramatic, I suppose. But you are very nearly plain. Well, not plain,” she added apologetically, looking Lily over once more. “Your gown is beautifully made, I must say, and you are very elegant—a tall figure helps with that, I suppose.” She sighed, glancing down at her own figure, which was of average height and rather waiflike. “But I thought you would be more glamorous. Is it not a glamorous occupation that you have?”

“Hardly an occupation,” Lily said firmly. Miss Forrest was not wrong; with unremarkable coloring and looks only just on the pretty side of average, elegant was the best descriptor Lily could hope for from an impartial observer. But it still rankled to be sized up so bluntly. “And not a genteel one, if it were. Besides, I think what you have heard of are discreet inquiries for those who need them. A dramatic or imposing appearance would hardly serve that purpose.”

“Oh, indeed. That does make sense.” The girl’s eyes were wide as she nodded along. “That is what Mrs. Mannering said—that you were the soul of discretion. I am so hoping it is true, believe me. My predicament is dreadful, and it would become even worse were it to be widely known and discussed.”

“That is often the case, especially in town,” Lily said, but her eyes narrowed as she spoke. The Mannerings’ daughter had disappeared one night, leaving no trace of where she might have gone, and they had been beside themselves when Lily arrived for tea with a mutual friend. She knew Mrs. Mannering to be a loose-tongued woman, so rather than offering to help directly, she had presented them with one of her cards and suggested that her “acquaintance” might track down their daughter.

The daughter had been located—she had become so fed up with her parents’ matrimonial ambitions that she had run away to the home of her aunt—and the Mannerings had never known that it was Lily herself who had found her.

“So it was Mrs. Mannering who suggested you contact the lady of quality?” On the one hand, Mrs. Mannering loved to gossip. On the other hand, sharing such a story about her own daughter would hardly reflect well on her, even if that daughter was now well married. And Lily had no interest in assisting someone who began with lying to her.

“Yes,” the young woman said, nodding.

Lily waited silently, her brows rising just a hair.

“No . . .” Miss Forrest stretched the word out hesitantly, biting her lip as she looked away. “That is to say, not exactly. Mrs. Mannering mentioned that someone had assisted them with a sort of inquiry—she made it sound dreadfully dramatic, which is why I thought—well, and she showed my cousin, who is my companion, and me the lady of quality’s card over tea. And I was already so worried, and in need of help, that I—I took it.” The final words came out in a rush, and the girl looked suddenly both deflated and relieved. “I stole it, I suppose. And then I wrote because I so desperately needed someone to help me. Can you?” She raised her eyes hopefully to Lily’s.

“Perhaps,” Lily said. “Though beginning with a falsehood does not bode well.” Miss Forrest’s face fell, and she looked like nothing so much as a scolded puppy. Lily sighed. “Tell me what it is you need assistance with.” She glanced at Clive and added coldly, “And how you come into it, sir. Then I shall make up my mind.”

Miss Sarah Forrest sat up very straight. “I need your assistance to escape my uncle. I fear he has stolen all the money my father intended for me to inherit.” Her mouth and hands both trembled, and she clasped her fingers together tightly to keep them still. “He says it is for my own good that he controls my inheritance. But I do not believe my father would do such a thing. And now, because he has kept my independence from me, my uncle is preventing me from marrying in order to keep me dependent on him, perhaps forever.”

Lily sat back against the bench. She glanced at Clive. “And that is where you come into it, I suppose?”

He, still standing, bowed. “I have asked Miss Forrest to marry me, yes. We met during the winter and were instantly in sympathy with each other.”

“Mr. Clive’s family is from Suffolk, and his property is there too, of course.” Miss Forrest said, holding out her hand to her suitor. “But he felt so dreadfully isolated that he came to London last winter.” 

“I had not recalled that your family was from Suffolk,” Lily said, her eyes fixed on Clive. Her hands were clenched into fists by her sides; she took a deep breath, trying to relax them. “How forgetful of me.”

“No matter,” Miss Forrest went on, not noticing Lily’s tone. Clive’s sideways glance, however, said he had not missed it. “Such a handsome, charming young man is much better suited to life in town, do you not think?”

“My dear Sarah is too kind to me,” Clive said gallantly, taking the hand she held out to him, giving her a warm smile as he pressed it between his. “And I am fortunate indeed that she is. She is the love of my life.”

“So Miss Forrest said in her letter,” Lily said a little more cynically than she intended. But it was impossible to keep a completely straight face as she watched their romantic interlude, or as she remembered the melodramatic turns of phrase the young woman had employed.

“Yes.” Miss Forrest smiled at her sweetheart, showing no hesitation or embarrassment over her elevated prose. “He is a most dashing, wonderful young man. Though I hardly need tell you that,” she added earnestly, turning back to Lily, “as you are already acquainted.”

They were acquainted. And when Lily had met him in her aunt’s small Hampshire village, he was a cardsharp and a bookmaker, accepted into more elevated circles than the ones into which he had been born because nearly every young man with pretensions to dissipation owed him money. No one had trusted him, but no one could risk offending him either. He knew it, and he despised those around him even as he needed them in turn.

Once or twice, Lily had thought she saw a hint of the more admirable man he might have become had he chosen a different path. But if there was, he had not bothered to cultivate it. And he had made no secret of his plan, during that brief week of their acquaintance, to use his ill-gotten income to one day place himself in the role of a gentleman and improve his lot in life.

It seemed he had succeeded. Or would have, if Miss Forrest’s inheritance had not disappeared.

“But it seems this dashing, wonderful young man will not marry you without your inheritance?” Lily asked.

That prompted a scowl from Miss Forrest. “I know what you are thinking, ma’am. But you are wrong. My dear Mr. Clive has some money of his own. The problem we face is that my uncle will not give his consent.”

“How old are you, Miss Forrest?” Lily asked, glancing sideways at Clive.

“I am not yet two-and-twenty,” Miss Forrest said sitting up very straight, as though to look as mature and worldly as possible.

“Then you are legally able to marry, even without your uncle’s consent,” Lily said pragmatically. “If it is not a question of needing your inheritance, why not simply do so?”

Clive sighed. “Because—”

But Miss Forrest broke in. “Just because he is not marrying me for my money does not mean we’ve no need of something to live on,” she said, the irritation plain in her voice. She gave Lily a look up and down. “You will forgive me for saying, ma’am, but you look like you are no stranger to comfort. Is it so wrong that we might wish for the same in our own lives?”

Lily wanted to argue the point, but it was a reasonable one. Or it would have been, were it not for what she knew of the gentleman in question. “Very well,” she said, inclining her head. “I merely wish to know all the facts of the situation.”

“And if I had come to you for marriage advice, your interference might be warranted,” Miss Forrest snapped, her cheeks going splotchy with irritation. “But I did not.”

“Sarah,” Clive said before Lily could reply. When she glanced at him, his smile was firmly in place, but there was a cynical edge to it. “It is a mark of her good character that she asks such questions. Mrs. Adler does not know me as you do.”

Miss Forrest took a deep breath, reining in her emotions once more. “I suppose. But my uncle’s refusing his consent only proves my concern is warranted.” She clasped her book tightly against her midsection, as though it were a shield she could hide behind. “Even if my father did change his will, whatever inheritance my uncle is currently steward of would pass from Uncle Forrest’s control to that of my husband if I marry. What other reason could he have for refusing his consent if not to keep control of those funds?”

“Skepticism of your suitor, perhaps?” Lily murmured.

“But we have never met,” Clive put in. “He has refused to do so.”

“Which is also suspicious!” Miss Forrest declared.

Lily glanced around. Miss Forrest’s emphatic tones had drawn curious stares from the couples strolling nearby. One of the women glanced at them several times, though she had not stopped talking to the man with her. A feeling of unease settled in Lily’s stomach. She thought she recognized the woman, though she could not put a name to the face.

She needed to leave this conversation as soon as possible.

“Well,” she said, tapping the tips of her fingers together, “you tell an interesting story.”

Miss Forrest met Lily’s eyes; her own, for the first time, were wide and sober. “I know it sounds like something out of a novel. But it is the truth. All I want is to reclaim the independence that should be mine.”

“Then you would be best served by speaking to your father’s solicitor,” Lily said briskly. “He would be able to assist you in understanding how your father left things, I’ve no doubt.”

The young lady scowled, her cheeks flushing red. “I do not know who his solicitor was. And for obvious reasons, I cannot ask my uncle for the name.”

“Then what is it you are hoping I will do?” Lily said. “I am one woman, Miss Forrest. I cannot retrieve your money for you.”

“I know that. But my uncle will have a copy of my father’s will in his house, and I think I know where it would be.” The girl leaned forward, her breath coming quickly and her hands trembling once more. “I want to hire you to steal it for me so I can prove what he has done.”

*** Excerpt from A Scandal in Mayfair by Katharine Schellman. Copyright 2024 by Katharine Schellman. Reproduced with permission from Katharine Schellman. All rights reserved.

 

Guest Post
On Giving Yourself a Break
by Katharine Schellman

 

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this book exists. 

The first Lily Adler Mystery, The Body in the Garden, came out in April 2020, launched into the world during a global pandemic and, despite my efforts to plan events and promote its arrival, accompanied by the sound of crickets. I had no idea if I’d ever sell another book, much less one in this series. I felt as if I’d lost my one chance to be an author through pure bad timing.

But here we are a few years later. Not only is the fifth Lily Adler Mystery, A Scandal in Mayfair, landing on bookshelves, I’ve also been fortunate enough to publish the first three books in my Nightingale Mysteries, which are set in 1920s New York City. Being able to share books I have written with so many readers already feels like a huge privilege; being able to publish eight in such a short time period, especially after such a lackluster start to my writing career, feels surreal. 

There’s one comment that it has led to more than any other, though, and it’s this one: You must write all the time.

My dirty secret is that I do not. I don’t write all the time. In fact, I think the frequently repeated quote that “to be a writer, you must write every day” makes me more frustrated than any other piece of writing advice out there. I think that mindset hold so many people back from claiming their creative identity—as a writer or anything else—because they are constantly questioning whether they do or are “enough” to count.

You don’t have to write every day to call yourself a writer. In fact, I think you shouldn’t.

There are times when writing simply isn’t possible, for either physical or emotional reasons. Last fall I broke my elbow in two places, and my plans to start working on the drafts of two new books were put on indefinite hold while I gave my body time to heal. I couldn’t completely step back; I was still on deadlines for books that needed to be edited, and I would hunt-and-peck my way through edits with one hand for an hour or two a day before I was too exhausted to keep going. But I didn’t try to write anything new.

Then, when I was able to get back to writing, my family experienced a devastating loss in the death of a beloved member. Physically, I could have written. Emotionally, I couldn’t find a single word. It was months before I got back to drafting.

I could have pushed through either or both those times, forcing myself to put words on the page because a real writer writes every day. Perhaps some writers would have; perhaps they would have needed that to get through such a difficult time. I needed to pause, to care for myself and my family, to heal in two very different ways.  

Even when writing is possible, though, sometimes I just don’t do it.

Like any kind of professional pursuit, especially a creative one, writing takes a lot of emotional and mental energy, in addition to the tangible work and time that you put into it. And that energy doesn’t come from nothing. I find that I work best—that I’m at my most creative in my ideas and most efficient in my use of time—when I take lots of breaks from writing. When I give myself space to heal, mentally and physically. When I make time for exercise and for friends. When I read lots of books and watch TV that I enjoy. When I travel and garden and play the piano and, inevitably, spend hours building Lego and Magna-Tiles with my kids. Those things energize me. They give my brain a chance to process ideas. They give my imagination fuel. 

And they give me permission to be a person, which ultimately makes me a better writer—whether or not I’m putting words on the page every day.

Whatever your professional and creative pursuits are, I hope you’ll also give yourself space to step back when you need to. Your work will be waiting for you when you return. You might even find that it comes to you more easily after you’ve given yourself the gift of time to be a person in the world. 

Katharine Schellman Author of A Scandal in Mayfair

Katharine Schellman is a former actor and one-time political consultant.

These days, she writes the Regency-set Lily Adler Mysteries and Jazz Age Nightingale Mysteries.

Her books have been praised in outlets from Library Journal to The New York Times, with reviewers calling them “worthy of Agatha Christie or Rex Stout” (Library Journal).

Katharine writes in the mountains of Virginia, where she lives with her husband, children, and the many houseplants she keeps accidentally murdering.

To learn more about Katharine, click on any of the following links:
KatharineSchellman.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @KatharineSchellman
Instagram – @katharinewrites
Facebook – @katharineschellman

 

Don’t Miss Any Stops on the Tour

08/19 Interview @ Literary Gold
08/19 Showcase @ Silvers Reviews
08/20 Review @ ashmanda. k
08/20 Showcase @ Books, Ramblings, and Tea
08/21 Review @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
08/22 Guest post @ Cozy Home Delight Book Reviews
08/22 Review @ Novels Alive
08/23 Review @ Cozy Up With Kathy
08/23 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews
08/24 Review @ The AR Critique
08/25 Review @ feliciaisbooked
08/26 Review @ Country Mamas With Kids
08/27 Review @ Because I said so
08/28 Interview @ darciahelle
08/29 Showcase @ Binge Reading Books
08/30 Review @ Why Not? Because I Said So Book Reviews
09/01 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
09/02 Review @ Review Thick & Thin
09/04 Review @ Nanas Book Reviews
09/05 Interview @ Words by Webb
09/08 Guest post @ The Mystery of Writing
09/09 Showcase @ Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense
09/10 Review @ Words by Webb
09/12 Review @ One More Chapter
09/12 Showcase @ Kenyan Poet
9/11 Showcase @ Avonna Loves Genres

 

Elena Hartwell/Elena Taylor

The post A Scandal in Mayfair: Historical Mystery appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.

French Quarter Fright Night: A Vintage Cookbook Mystery

French Quarter Fright Night, A Vintage Cookbook Mystery by Ellen Byron

 

Author Interview + Book and Author Info + Author Pet Corner! + a GiveawayDon’t miss any blog tours! Click the link here.French Quarter Fright Night

The third in the fabulous cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron.

Welcome to the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear! Prepare for the spookiest night of your life . . .

It’s Halloween in New Orleans, and the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is setting up a fantastic haunted house tour for their visitors. But when flashy movie star Blaine Taggart and his entourage move into the mansion next door, gift shop proprietor Ricki James-Diaz gets a fright of her own.

While Ricki is excited about the potential business the tours will bring to her vintage cookbook shop, she’s less thrilled by former friend Blaine’s arrival in town. Then Bon Vee’s prop tomb becomes a real tomb for Blaine’s nasty assistant, and suddenly everyone at Bon Vee is a murder suspect. There isn’t a ghost of a chance one of them committed the crime, but with NOPD busy tackling the mischief and mayhem generated by the spooky holiday, it falls on Ricki and her friends to catch the killer.

As the Big Easy gears up for the Big Scary, it seems everyone has skeletons in their closets. Can Ricki reveal the shadowy killer before someone else becomes part of the Halloween horror show?

French Quarter Fright Night (Vintage Cookbook)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – the Garden District of New Orleans
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House (September 3, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448312655
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448312658
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CTHQXNM5

 

Purchase your copy of French Quarter Fright Night at Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org French Quarter Fright Night Author Interview with Ellen ByronFrench Quarter Fright Night is set at The Bon Vee Culinary House Museum in New Orleans. Tell us about the museum and the neighborhood it’s located in:

The museum is actually an historic mansion in New Orleans’ stunning Garden District. It was inspired by the homes of Ella Brennan, the iconic NOLA restauranteur behind Commander’s Palace, and her sister Adelaide.

I read a story about how Adelaide happened to walk by this elegant 19th century columned home on Prytania Street and declared that one day she’d buy it. And she did! The house was famous for its Gold Ballroom and the many parties that bon vivant Adelaide threw.

After Ella divorced, she moved into the house with her two children, who’d often have to yell down to their party-loving mother and sibling in the middle of the night, “Be quiet, I have school tomorrow!” After Adelaide passed away, Ella moved to another historic home right next to Commander’s Palace and they’d send her meals over through an attached pass-through.

French Quarter Fright Night is third in the Vintage Cookbook series. What would you like readers to know about the first two books?

They’re fun to read?? Especially Wined and Died in New Orleans, Book #2, whose plot was inspired by both a real-life experience and a story I read on the internet.

I happened to be in New Orleans researching and visiting my daughter when Hurricane Ida was approaching. I wanted to stay but my daughter insisted we evacuate and thank God we did. But that indecision – do we stay or go? – formed a plot thread in Wined and Died, when a hurricane might strike New Orleans.

The story I read on the internet was about a couple who bought an old home in upstate New York and during renovations, they found a stash of hundred-year-old whiskey stashed in the crawl space. It turned out the original owner was a bootlegger! This story inspired the plot point where the characters of my series find a stash of old and rare wine hidden under Bon Vee.

French Quarter Fright Night introduces a flashy movie star, Blaine Taggart. You live in Hollywood and work in the film industry, is Blaine modeled after any actor you know personally? How did you come up with that character?

I did work with one actor who inspired aspects of Blaine’s personality. He was handsome, charming, and totally self-centered in an affable way. I won’t name him, though!

I was very lucky. I worked with fantastic actors on every show, even the ones that flopped. They were all hardworking, dedicated performers – even the actor who might see a bit of himself in Blaine! (Although he probably would be clueless about it, lol.)

What is Halloween like in New Orleans? What’s your favorite part about that holiday there or in Los Angeles?

Halloween in New Orleans is the best!!! (Well, considering New Orleans brags about being the most haunted city in America, it kind of has to be doesn’t it?). They embrace it with the energy of Mardi Gras, going all out to decorate their homes and wear great costumes.

The week before, the city celebrates with the Krewe of Boo, a Halloween version of a Mardi Gras parade.

I got to watch the parade two or three times over the last couple of years and it’s a blast. A friend of mine was actually in one of the marching dance troupes, the Amelia Airhawts! On Halloween night, the French Quarter is filled with people in the most wonderful costumes, both locals and visitors. It’s a much less drunk and more laid-back celebration than Mardi Gras. Everyone is there to admire each other’s creativity and just have fun.

You write a number of series! How do you juggle the different characters, locations, and even author names. What keeps you excited about returning to (or creating) different series?

It’s not always easy. I made the mistake of giving three out of four of my protagonists names that begin with “M.” (Even Ricki James-Diaz in my Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. Her full name is Miracle.) But I love switching up protagonists and settings, finishing with one book in a series and then segueing to another in a different series.

It’s like hanging out with a rotating crew of friends, even if fictional, and locations that I love… even if some are fictional!

What are you working on now?

I just finished the outline for the fourth Vintage Cookbook Mystery and am in the weeds for the outline for the third Golden Motel Mystery.

Words of wisdom for aspiring writers:

Find your tribe. There are people who are passionate about the same genres as you are. Connect with them and you’ll have a support system that will help you navigate the highs and lows of a writing career. Also, stay humble and be a lifelong learner. Do Olympians stop practicing once they achieve a goal? No, they keep training and improving. We can always grow as writers, so be open to always learning new things.

Great advice! Thanks for hanging out with me and my readers!Author Pet Corner!Cammie!Cammie likes to sleep on Ellen’s pillow.

Our latest pet child is Cammie! We adopted her on Father’s Day, 2023.

The rescue thought she was about a year and a half or two. She was found pregnant on the streets of San Pedro.

The Amanda Foundation (our go-to rescue) took her in. All five of her puppies were adopted but she wasn’t – until us.

She’s feisty and hilarious. She loves to steal socks, so I put a bin of them in our hallway for her! We adore our Cammie.

 

 

Ellen Byron — Author of French Quarter Fright Night

Ellen is a USA Today bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, and Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico).

Her new series, The Golden Motel Mysteries, recently debuted. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Visit her at Cozy Mysteries | Ellen Byron | Author

To learn more about Ellen, click any of the following links: Newsletter, Facebook, Instagram & BookBub

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Visit all the Stops on the Tour!

September 4 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT  

September 4 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

September 6 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 6 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

September 7 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 7 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

September 8 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW, RECIPE

September 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 9 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 10 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

September 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

September 11 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW  

September 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIIGHT

September 12 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 13 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

September 14 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

September 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

September 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 16 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

September 17 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

 

Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell

The post French Quarter Fright Night: A Vintage Cookbook Mystery appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.

A Corpse at the Witching Hour: A Food Blogger Mystery

A Corpse at the Witching Hour: A Food Blogger Mystery

 Don’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here for more.A Corpse at the Witching Hour: A Food Blogger Mystery

Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .

When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.

Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . .

Includes two tasty recipes!

A Corpse at the Witching Hour: A Food Blogger Mystery
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing (October 6, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1960511394
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1960511393
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKM7LTGJ

To purchase A Corpse at the Witching Hour, click any of the following links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Bookshop.org Debra Sennefelder — Author of A Corpse at the Witching Hour

Debra Sennefelder lives and writes in Connecticut, where she lives with her family and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu.

An avid reader across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

She’s the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series and the Cookie Shop Mystery series. When she’s not writing, she’s either baking or reading.

To learn more about Debra, click on any of the following links: Website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Facebook, BookBub, Goodreads & InstagramElena Hartwell/Elena Taylor

 

 

 

 

The post A Corpse at the Witching Hour: A Food Blogger Mystery appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.

EBooks On Sale for Eddie Shoes in September!

Ebooks On Sale for Eddie Shoes! 

Ebooks on Sale for $2.99!Don’t miss any posts about publishing. Click the link here.Ebooks on Sale Through September 30Three Strikes, You’re Dead

This cozy mystery about a mother-daughter duo whose holiday weekend turns to crime-solving offers an “appealing portrait of rural Washington” (Publishers Weekly).

It was supposed to be a mother-daughter getaway but nothing is ever ordinary for private investigator Eddie Shoes and her unconventional mom, Chava. Especially when Eddie stumbles upon a stranger who is gravely wounded.

As a wildfire sweeps through the forest, Eddie struggles to save the man, who begs her to help him find his missing daughter before succumbing to his injuries. Now on assignment for a dead man, Eddie is short on clues. Of course, that doesn’t stop her mom from wanting to help out.

After all, Chava’s own illegal behavior makes her a criminal expert of sorts. And when Eddie’s mob-connected dad joins the search, Eddie starts to wonder if she and her family are the good guys or the bad guys. Either way, Eddie’s determined to get to the bottom of this mystery—even if it kills her.

‘The third and final book in this series book is as hilarious as the first two. I continue to enjoy the author’s writing style and the shenanigans of Eddie and her crew of eclectic sidekicks. As with the previous two, this book had me engaged from start to finish.” —Paws, Read, Repeat

To purchase the eBook, click either of the following links: Amazon & Barnes and NobleEBooks on Sale Through September 6One Dead, Two to Go

This mystery featuring a crime-fighting mother-daughter duo is “smart, page-turning fun, with the most feisty and likable P.I. since Kinsey Millhone.” (Deb Caletti, National Book Award finalist).

When private investigator Edwina “Eddie Shoes” isn’t fending off surprise visits from her troublemaking mother, she’s spying on cheating husbands, hoping to land hefty divorce settlements for their heartbroken wives. But when the latest mistress Eddie captures on film dies—and Eddie realizes she’s the last person who saw the woman alive—things begin to take a twisted turn. It doesn’t help that the detective on the case is her ex, Chance Parker, who’s none too happy with the way Eddie left things between them. So when Eddie’s mom, Chava, unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep, Eddie’s actually glad to see her for a change. Because there’s no one better acquainted with the criminal mind than her card-shark of a mother. And now that Eddie’s in deep with the dangerous crowd, she’s going to need all the help she can get . . .

“Private eye Eddie Shoes and her cardsharp mother plunge the reader into a tale of fractured relationships, mayhem, and thrills.” —Deborah Turrell Atkinson, author of the Storm Kayama Mysteries

To purchase the eBook, click on either of the following links: Amazon & Barnes and NobleTwo Heads are Deader Than One

A private investigator trying to help an old friend escape jail time becomes a murder suspect, in this cozy mystery. 

When her best friend from high school turns up out of nowhere begging for help, private investigator Eddie Shoes is right to be wary. She hasn’t seen Dakota in years. Maybe it’s nostalgia that has her bailing the woman out of jail. Eddie even reluctantly agrees to help Dakota find the person whose been stalking her.

Of course, the moment Dakota is freed, she disappears, leaving Eddie on the hook with the local police, headed up by Eddie’s ex-boyfriend, Det. Chance Parker.

Now Eddie is hot on Dakota’s trail, wondering if she was kidnapped or if she just jumped bail. Either way, things are not looking good for Eddie, especially when her business card is found on the bodies of not one, but two murder victims.

Even worse, all evidence suggests that the answers to this mystery are tied to Dakota and Eddie’s shared history. Which means that in order to solve this case, Eddie’s going to have to face down her own demons. . . .

To purchase the eBook, click on either of the following links: Amazon & Barnes and NobleElena Hartwell — Author of Eddie Shoes and this Blog

Elena Hartwell spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under the name Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo.

With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, under Elena Taylor, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in her beloved Washington State, Elena uses her connection to the environment to produce tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community.

Elena is also a senior editor with Allegory Editing, a developmental editing house, where she works one-on-one with writers to shape and polish manuscripts, short stories, and plays. If you’d like to work with Elena, visit www.allegoryediting.com.

Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she and her hubby own south of Spokane, Washington. They live with their horses, dogs, and cats. Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

To learn more about me, you can find me on social media: Facebook, Instagram & TwitterAnd on these websites: Elena Hartwell & Elena TaylorDon’t miss my latest release, A Cold, Cold World on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound

The post EBooks On Sale for Eddie Shoes in September! appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.