Elena Hartwell's Blog, page 34
August 19, 2023
The Hitman’s Mark: Wattpad
The Hitman’s Mark, a Wattpad story by Emily A. Renfroe
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!Don’t miss any author interviews. Click the link here.The Hitman’s Mark
After a devastating tragedy shatters the renowned Romano crime family, Don Leonardo Romano sends his only child, eighteen year old Valentina, to a university across the Atlantic, far from New York and the dangers that accompany their family’s “business.”
But upon graduation, she finds herself flung back into a world driven by money and divided by blood. As her father’s only heir, the fate of the Romano family weighs heavily on Val’s young shoulders. Determined to please her father and uphold the family’s power, Val vows to strengthen the Romano name by any means necessary, even if that means selling her heart to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, upon receiving orders to serve as Valentina’s personal guard, hitman Matteo knows it won’t be easy keeping the Romano principessa alive, especially when the rival crime families set their sights on the young heiress.
But, as their relationship grows, Matteo realizes that his own desire might be the greatest threat to the Romano dynasty.
To read The Hitman’s Mark, click here.Interview with Emily A. Renfroe, author of The Hitman’s MarkYou chose to release The Hitman’s Mark chapter by chapter on Wattpad. What has that experience been like, and why did you choose that format for your novel?Releasing The Hitman’s Mark chapter by chapter on Wattpad has been such a fun experience, but it has also presented an exciting challenge for me as an author! I actually knew that I wanted The Hitman’s Mark to be part of Wattpad’s ongoing stories when I crafted the original plotline, so, once I sat down to begin drafting, I had to approach the writing process a little differently.
Just like the other books that I’ve written, I tried to hook readers with an enticing, inciting action within the first chapter. However, once I had the first chapter written, I needed to prioritize maintaining that level of intrigue at the end of every chapter. Therefore, every chapter of The Hitman’s Mark seeks to end on a bit of a cliffhanger—some far more than others—but my goal was to leave my readers on the edge of their seat and eager for the next chapter to release.
This has been a really valuable lesson to learn as a writer, and it is one that I’ll be able to apply to all of my future books, regardless of whether they fall under the ongoing category.
What would you like readers to know about Valentina Romano?Oh, Valentina! Val has easily become one of my favorite characters to write, and I think that stems from the fact that we are so different from one another. As a self-confessed introvert and staunch rule-follower, it has been immensely enjoyable to write from the point of view of a bold, confident, and occasionally reckless woman.
Val is a force to be reckoned with, both for the characters that she interacts with in the book and also for myself as a writer. Sometimes, I’ll have a scene plotted out, but, as I’m writing it, Val catches me off-guard by saying or doing something that completely changes the direction of the book. I’ve never had a character that I can so clearly “hear” in my head, and that has been such a rewarding experience for me.
All in all, I love Val. She’s the sort of woman I would want to be friends with because she’s fiercely loyal and compassionate to a fault– especially in the mafia-centered world that she lives in. Also, it’s safe to say that she’s a certified badass, again, perhaps to a fault. In my opinion, she’s a strong female lead that knows what she wants and makes bold moves to achieve it, which I think isn’t seen enough in mafia romance books.
What would you like readers to know about Matteo Costa?Matteo is a dream, plain and simple. He checks off the boxes of “tall, dark, and handsome” that I have always enjoyed writing, with hints of overprotectiveness, brooding tendencies, and gentleness that make me melt. Although he might come across as the stereotypical “bad boy” hero that is commonly found between the pages of a dark romance, I think that Matteo’s backstory makes him unique.
Commonly, the heroes in mafia stories are “bosses,” or the men that rule the dangerous crime families. Matteo offers a different perspective as a hitman and bodyguard. In essence, he’s a highly trained soldier with considerable power, but he is still subject to the whims of a boss—Val’s father. This adds an interesting dynamic to his character because he does not have complete control over his actions and future. Oftentimes, he is torn between his own desire and his sense of duty toward the Romano family that he serves.
Of course, there’s more to Matteo than meets the eye, and I’m so excited for readers to begin season two. So much about Matteo’s past is set to be revealed. Without spoiling too much, it’s safe to say that his role in the Cosa Nostra is about to be flipped on its head.
The Hitman’s Mark centers on a crime family in New York, how did you go about researching the mafia for your project? What interests you about organized crime?Oh goodness, I’m afraid I didn’t do as much research as I should have, haha! As much as it embarrasses me to admit, Wikipedia was my friend in the initial planning stages of The Hitman’s Mark. I briefly investigated the history of the Italian mafia in New York, mainly researching prominent mobsters and events throughout the 1920’s. Then, I shifted my focus toward researching the role of modern organized crime in New York and throughout the United States.
Funnily enough, I think I learned the most about the mafia and the Cosa Nostra from reading other dark romance books about organized crime! I binge-read tons of mafia romance books and decided I’d try my hand at writing my own.
Organized crime has always interested me because it’s a secret, dangerous world that most people don’t know much about. It’s something that I definitely do not want to tangle with in real life, but writing and reading about it allows us to explore the world and create our own stories within it.
What can we find you doing when you aren’t writing?At the moment, you can find me taking care of my newborn baby! She’s three weeks old as I’m writing this, so I have my hands full. Usually though, I enjoy going for walks with my pups and working out at the gym! I also have an unhealthy obsession with small town romance books, so I almost always end the night reading about some couple in a little fictional town with a whimsical name.
Congratulations!What are you working on now?Right now, I’m working on season two of The Hitman’s Mark, which is titled, “The Hitman’s Secret.” I took a bit of a break last month with the birth of my daughter, but I just dove back into Val and Matteo’s story and am having an absolute blast! On the side, I am also drafting book two of a fantasy werewolf series that was inspired by Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s relationship in Game of Thrones.
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers:Write what you love and write it often. Even if you only write one page a day for a year, at the end of the year, you’ll have an entire book.
Great advice!Author Pet Corner
Teddy!
Moose!My dogs are the absolute loves of my life! I rescued these boys during a very hard season in life, and I really believe that they saved me.
I adopted Teddy first, and he will always be my first baby. He made me the obsessive dog mom that I am today. He’s a bit of a grump and enjoys snuggling with his humans the most, but he also goes crazy playing fetch with these little orange balls. (He refuses to play with any toy other than these orange balls.) He is also the king of underbites and has the sweetest snaggletooth!
Then I have Moose, who I adopted a year after Teddy!
I used to volunteer at the animal shelter in my rural college town, and he was brought in one day while I was walking the dogs. I instantly fell in love with him and his gentle, quiet demeanor and returned daily to visit with him. Although I tried to convince others to adopt him first (I was a college student on a budget and already had one dog to support), he was eventually put on the “at-risk” list. I immediately stepped in and rescued him, and he came home with me on the day before Christmas! He’s my Christmas miracle. He had a rough start to life but is now constantly spoiled and loved on!
Emily A. RenfroeEmily Renfroe is an aspiring author and avid lover of all things romance!
From the time she first saw Mr. Darcy walk down the countryside hill in the Pride and Prejudice movie, she knew that she wanted to write and create her own epic, soundtrack-worthy romances. She lives in Georgia with her husband, newborn daughter, and two adorable rescue pups.
She enjoys going for walks, watching Formula 1 with her husband, and daydreaming about far-away fantasy worlds that she hopes to one day bring to life.
To find out more about Emily, click on the following links: Wattpad, Instagram, LinkTree.Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
Header Image by Jo Wiggijo from PixabayThe post The Hitman’s Mark: Wattpad appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 17, 2023
Her Own Revolution
Her Own Revolution: Château de Verzat Series by Debra Borchert
Guest Post + Book & Author Info + Rafflecopter Giveaway!Don’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here.Her Own Revolution
A Woman Forges a Treacherous Path to Save Hundreds from the Guillotine
If Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville had the same rights as a man, she wouldn’t have to dress like one, which she does to attend University—forbidden to women. By swearing her commitment to the revolution, she succeeds in convincing her father, the Public Prosecutor who condemns thousands to the guillotine, to hire her as a court clerk. But she intends to earn passage to join her lover, Henri, in America.
Tasked with copying lists of names scheduled for execution, she reads Louis LaGarde, a fallen noble whom she despises for having exposed her as a woman when they both attended University. Believing him innocent, she replaces his name with one already dead, saving his life. But she realizes that unless she forges a treacherous path, hundreds more will perish at her father’s hands.
When a Revolutionary hunts her down, she must accept LaGarde’s help, yet she denies her attraction to him out of loyalty to Henri. She fights for her life and the lives of those she’s come to love, but she must face the truth of her own heart.
Her Own Revolution: Château de Verzat Series
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Historical Romance
2nd in Series
Setting – Paris and a Loire Valley vineyard during the French Revolution
Le Vin Press (July 14, 2023)
Paperback : 422 pages
ISBN-10 : 0989454576
ISBN-13 : 978-0989454575
Digital Print length : 364 pages
ASIN : B0BYKFQGLG
Inspired by Mysteries
By Debra Borchert
If an author is lucky, sometimes a mystery falls into her lap. While researching the French Revolution, I requested to view monies used during the late 1700s at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris.
The numismatic curator, Monsieur Thierry Sarmant greeted me and led me to his office which was lined with shelves of drawers that were about three inches deep.
I explained that I wanted to view Louis d’ors, écux, livres, and assignants.
I sat on a couch with a coffee table before me.
He pulled out drawer after drawer and placed them before me.
I gasped in awe. The trays were filled with solid gold coins, Louis d’or, from 1786, complete with the profile of King Louis XVI and the Bourbon Crest. I swore they winked across the centuries at me.
After allowing me to photograph them, Monsieur Sarmant brought out more trays, these filled with silver coins: écux.
After regaining my composure, I asked, “How have so many valuable coins survived—and in mint condition?”
“Many people during the Revolution secreted money in walls, fireplaces, and under hearths when paper assignants were issued and rapidly became worthless. Coins continue to be discovered during renovations and are donated to museums,” he explained.
My mind churned with the delicious images of hoards of coins collecting cobwebs in attics, wine cellars, and secret rooms. When I researched the finding of old coins, Google delivered numerous stories. During the renovation of a house in Brittany, a pouch filled with coins from the reigns of French Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, was discovered and sold at auction for one million euros.
A vineyard worker discovered a cache of coins tucked away in the rafters of an attic. As the building was owned by a champagne-producing company, and the coins were minted between 1851 and 1928, it is believed the money was payment for shipping champagne to the United States during Prohibition.
Another delicious mystery.
Researching clothing and accessories revealed the language of the fan. Women used their fans to entice, rebuff, admonish, tease, apologize, dismiss. They were most careful with the delicate fans and stored them in beautifully crafted box, works of art, themselves. But what was the message being conveyed when a woman left a fan open?
Beauty patches were worn by both men and women, and the positioning of a patch could indicate availability for a tête à tête. The shape of a patch could alert a lover to stay away as a spouse had returned.
Although not my intent, I discovered a treasure trove of ideas that could contribute to creating mystery throughout stories.
At Versailles, I visited the Orangery, a greenhouse where citrus trees grew. But I also came upon such an extravagance at a lowly château. Was the world so in love with lemons? Or were the lemons used not only for tartes but also espionage?
The purposes of objet d’art can vary if a gal uses her imagination. Tiny cloisonné containers seemed to accommodate matchsticks. But matches had not yet been invented at the time of the creation of the “souvenir boxes.” I suppose they could have been used to store treasured, yet very tiny, gifts. But I chose them for concealing love notes, and in another book, espionage messages disguised as love notes.
In touring châteaux, I discovered many ways to conceal secret compartments, drawers, shelves, staircases, rooms, doors, chutes, dungeons, tunnels, caves, and windows.
My research completed, my only remaining job was to incorporate these mysterious treasures in my stories. I promise my readers they will discover many mysteries in Her Own Legacy, Her Own Revolution and Her Own War.
###
Debra Borchert, Author of Her Own Revolution
Debra’s debut novel, Her Own Legacy, is the first in a series that follows headstrong and independent women and the four-hundred loyal families who protect a Loire Valley château and vineyard, and its legacy of producing the finest wines in France during the French Revolution.
Her Own Revolution is the second book in the Château de Verzat series. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she weaves her knowledge of textiles and clothing design throughout her historical French fiction.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and standard poodle who is named after a fine French Champagne.
To stay caught up with Debra, click on the following links: Website, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads.Visit all the Stops on the Tour!
August 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 16 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 16 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
August 17 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 18 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Celticlady’s Reviews – RECIPE
August 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – I’m Into Books – RECIPE
August 22 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 23 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – My Reading Journey – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
The post Her Own Revolution appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
Her Own Revolution: Historical Romance
Her Own Revolution, Château de Verzat Series by Debra Borchert
Don’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here.Her Own Revolution
A Woman Forges a Treacherous Path to Save Hundreds from the Guillotine
If Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville had the same rights as a man, she wouldn’t have to dress like one, which she does to attend University—forbidden to women. By swearing her commitment to the revolution, she succeeds in convincing her father, the Public Prosecutor who condemns thousands to the guillotine, to hire her as a court clerk. But she intends to earn passage to join her lover, Henri, in America.
Tasked with copying lists of names scheduled for execution, she reads Louis LaGarde, a fallen noble whom she despises for having exposed her as a woman when they both attended University. Believing him innocent, she replaces his name with one already dead, saving his life. But she realizes that unless she forges a treacherous path, hundreds more will perish at her father’s hands.
When a Revolutionary hunts her down, she must accept LaGarde’s help, yet she denies her attraction to him out of loyalty to Henri. She fights for her life and the lives of those she’s come to love, but she must face the truth of her own heart.
Her Own Revolution: Château de Verzat Series
[image error]
Historical Romance
2nd in Series
Setting – Paris and a Loire Valley vineyard during the French Revolution
Le Vin Press (July 14, 2023)
Paperback : 422 pages
ISBN-10 : 0989454576
ISBN-13 : 978-0989454575
Digital Print length : 364 pages
ASIN : B0BYKFQGLG
Debra’s debut novel, Her Own Legacy, is the first in a series that follows headstrong and independent women and the four-hundred loyal families who protect a Loire Valley château and vineyard, and its legacy of producing the finest wines in France during the French Revolution.
Her Own Revolution is the second book in the Château de Verzat series. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she weaves her knowledge of textiles and clothing design throughout her historical French fiction.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and standard poodle who is named after a fine French Champagne.
To learn more about Debra, click any of the following links: Website, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads. Visit All The Stops on the Tour!
August 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 16 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 16 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
August 17 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 18 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Celticlady’s Reviews – RECIPE
August 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – I’m Into Books – RECIPE
August 22 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 23 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – My Reading Journey – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
The post Her Own Revolution: Historical Romance appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 15, 2023
Fortune’s Son: Debut Thriller
Fortune’s Son, debut thriller by Hannah Louise Shearer
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Pet Corner!Don’t miss any author interviews. Click the link here.Fortune’s Son
JAKE FORTUNE WOULD GIVE EVERYTHING UP FOR HIS SON. AND HE MAY HAVE TO.
Detective Jake Fortune’s world is turned upside down when his 9-year-old son is kidnapped. The Seattle cop blames himself for not believing Garth when he swears he had visions of bad things happening to them.
Jake is a man who is emotionally tortured by the day-to-day ugliness of the crimes he sees, by the difficulties of being a single parent, and by loving his brilliant, beautiful partner, Anya, who is too tough to let herself cross that line.
They are up against human traffickers whose cargo fills the belly of a ship. Garth may be a child, but he’s a worthy adversary and he knows his dad is coming to get him.
But will Jake find Garth in time, or will he lose everything he believes in and everyone he loves? One thing is for sure – no one and nothing will stop him from trying to save his son.
To purchase Fortune’s Son, click the following links: Amazon, B&N.Interview with Hannah Louise Shearer, author of Fortune’s Son Fortune’s Son features Jake Fortune, a Seattle police detective. What was your research process like to write a police procedural/ action adventure novel?My late brother, Phil, introduced me to science fiction when I was about seven. That morphed into a philosophy of being open to a bigger Universe than the one we see every day. I ended up writing in that genre, but I read and loved mysteries and action adventure.
Even though this novel could be viewed as a police procedural, it’s really a combination of all the genres I loved as a kid who loved to read, and the adult who still loves to watch Law & Order and detective shows. A long way of saying I’ve been researching procedurals for my entire writing career, starting with fire and police departments in Los Angeles and then all over the country. It wasn’t a new arena to me. With that experience, and some phone calls to the Seattle Police Department, it really became an everyman (woman) police station.
Jake Fortune is a single dad. What led you to putting a parent/child relationship at the heart of your novel?I had a writing teacher at Berkeley who told me that writers usually don’t know their theme until they’re done. That’s the case here. Jake and his son, Jake and his dad, Anya and her parents … the need for and complexity of family connected all the dots for me.
The parent/child relationship is pretty much at the heart of our lives, for good or bad. Who we were together—or apart—then, now and in the future affects and determines our actions and what we seek to change or emulate throughout our lives.
Tell us about Garth Fortune:Garth told me who he was from day one. I’ve never in my entire career had a character who simply appeared as true and whole as he did. This little boy wanted to be heard.
Fortune’s Son is set in Seattle, but you live in Los Angeles. What made you choose such an iconic city for your debut novel?My first trip to Seattle was on my honeymoon (never mind, I still love the city, regardless …)
My second trip to Seattle was when I was producing a two-hour version of Emergency! A long time ago! I think the fact they had one of the first paramedic teams in the country captured my imagination and never let go. They reached for the future while still being rooted in the present.
The city speaks to me viscerally—the views, the water, the hills, the generosity of the people. The feeling of being in a small town in the middle of a bustling, ahead-of-its-time city. The fact that it can be overcast for days, and then the mountain comes out—that never fails to make me gasp with appreciation. I fell in love with the city and it stuck. And the nearby islands were the perfect setting for the story.
As a Hollywood writer and producer, you’ve written for some amazing series, including Emergency!, Cagney and Lacey, and daytime dramas like The Bold and the Beautiful. How does writing for television compare to writing a novel?I’m so proud of Emergency! because it had such a huge impact on the public good, and still does to this day. But don’t forget Star Trek: The Next Generation! That’s the one I still get residuals for!
Writing for TV was great training for writing a novel. You have to juggle so many needs, of people, of filming, of crew, of locations, money, timing, personalities. It teaches you to be smart, what’s important in a story that’s going to be interrupted by unwanted commercials, how to imbue your work with yourself and your dreams while serving a bigger master … many masters.
Writing a novel is serving yourself, your story and your reader. It’s intimate. It’s the opposite of satisfying production needs. It’s satisfying your needs, and the story’s and the characters’. That’s it. You don’t have to worry about what the scene will cost, or how to portray what your characters are thinking, because we KNOW what he or she is thinking. To me, the difference is living in the story instead of showing the story.
I love TV and I love writing for TV, but doing this book has made me a better writer in both genres. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my dreams and hopes with others while I’m entertaining them.
What are you working on now?Writing the sequel. It’s both easier and more difficult.
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers:Don’t let anything or anyone stop you, including yourself.
Author Pet Corner!
I rescued Sasha in 2015 to keep my old cat Tommy company. He was 12 and she was a baby and fell in love with him. They were together until he died in 2020 and I don’t think she’s ever gotten over it. She’s still extremely playful and loving. And demanding. She loves me and tolerates her brother of three years, Herbie.
I rescued Herbie just at the beginning of the pandemic, right after Tommy died. He was two and had come out of a bad hoarding situation, was semi-feral and completely shaved. He fell in love with Sasha, who almost tolerates him. He hates being brushed. He loves and cuddles with me, except when he’s scarring me forever for whatever unknown sins I commit.
Hannah Louise Shearer, Author of Fortune’s Son
Writer. Producer. Seeker.
Hannah Louise Shearer is well known as a writer in a variety of genres, with the unifying theme of exploring how people react under the pressure of challenging circumstances, and how that shapes their lives and their identity. She gives her characters the opportunity to become more emotionally conscious about themselves, the people they relate to, and the world around them. During her time as Executive Story Editor for Star Trek, the Next Generation, she was recognized for her ability to evoke emotion and humanize outer space, and several of her lines of dialogue have become famous quotes.
She wrote and produced the television series Emergency!, Knight Rider and Quincy and wrote for Cagney and Lacey, Pacific Blue, Island Sun and VIP. She was also a staff writer for daytime dramas, including General Hospital; Port Charles; Days of Our Lives; and The Bold and the Beautiful. She produced many television shows and movies of the week, including: the mini-series The Rebels, The Seekers, The Immigrants, and Condominium, as well as numerous pilots, including Nashville Beat, a two-hour television movie/pilot that she created, wrote and produced. She started her career as a researcher on the police drama Adam-12, and later became the first female television line producer at Universal Studios.
Hannah has been a member of the Writer’s Guild of America, West since 1977. She was first published at the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Journalism and wrote for the Daily Californian. She continued with prose at Written By, the former Maggie-award-winning Journal of the Writers’ Guild, where she created Muse-ings, a wide-ranging column about the writing life. A native Californian, Shearer lives in Los Angeles, where she is working on her second novel.
To learn more about Hannah follow her on Facebook or Instagram, or stop by her website.Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
Header Image by Hayley Zacha from Pixabay
The post Fortune’s Son: Debut Thriller appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 14, 2023
Goodreads Book Giveaway: The Construction of Character
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Calling all writers! Goodreads Book Giveaway!Learn more about The Construction of Character! Click the link hereAll genres, including fiction, memoir, and other narrative nonfiction, engage with individuals who drive the plot. The Construction of Character analyzes what makes a strong, complex character and how to strengthen works in progress or start something new. It also describes how to create engaging dialogue and avoid common missteps in making a fictional character feel real or a real person’s story feel flat.
Drawing on the author’s decades of storytelling and teaching experience, this short guide provides the framework for writers of fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir to construct the most dynamic characters possible. Readers don’t remember every plot point, but they do remember how characters make them feel. This guide will help any writer reach their publishing goals.
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The Construction of Character (A Wait, Wait, Don’t Queryby Elena HartwellGiveaway ends August 22, 2023.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
The post Goodreads Book Giveaway: The Construction of Character appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 10, 2023
Honey Drop Dead: New Cozy
Honey Drop Dead, A Tea Shop Mystery, by Laura Childs
The murder of a political bigwig at a Honey Bee Tea sends Theodosia Browning buzzing for answers in this latest installment
of the New York Times bestselling series.
Theodosia’s Honey Bee Tea was an elegant affair set in Charleston’s new Petigru Park amid newly planted native grasses and a community beekeeping project. But when a phony beekeeper shows up and sprays toxic smoke at the guests, the party erupts in chaos. Worse yet, a shot rings out and Osgood Claxton III, candidate for state legislature, falls to the ground—dead.
Holly Burns, the gallery owner who asked Theodosia to cater the tea, is understandably heartbroken. A man is dead, her guests are angry and injured, and the paintings that were on display are left in tatters. When the police don’t seem to have a clue, when old-line politicos don’t want questions asked, Holly begs Theodosia to run a shadow investigation and help restore her gallery’s good name.
Between hosting a Wind in the Willows Tea and a Glam Girl Tea, Theodosia questions everyone that had a bone to pick with Claxton. This includes Booker, an angry outsider artist; Lamar Lucket, Claxton’s political opponent; and Mignon Merriweather, the dead man’s soon-to-be ex-wife. But the investigation becomes a political hot potato following a second murder, the revelation of a messy affair, a chase through a swamp, and a vandalized shop.
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!
Honey Drop Dead (A Tea Shop Mystery)
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Cozy Mystery
25th in Series
Setting – South Carolina
Berkley (August 8, 2023)
Hardcover : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593200950
ISBN-13 : 978-0593200957
Digital ASIN : B0BLTT3TCN
Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
To stay caught up with Laura, click on the following links: Website – Facebook Visit All the Stops on the Tour!
August 8 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
August 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 9 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
August 10 – The Mystery of Writing – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW
August 11 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
August 11 – The Book Diva’s Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 12 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 12 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 15 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
August 16 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
August 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
August 18 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
The post Honey Drop Dead: New Cozy appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 9, 2023
In the Shadow of the Bull
In the Shadow of the Bull, a historical mystery by Eleanor Kuhns
Spotlight +Excerpt + Book & Author Info + Giveaway!
Don’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here.
In the Shadow of the Bull
Ancient Crete, 1450 BC. In a world of Goddess worship, sacred snakes and sacrifice, human jealousy, resentment, and betrayal still run wild . . .
When her sister Arge drops to the floor in convulsions and dies at her wedding, fifteen-year-old Martis, a young poet and bull leaper in training, is certain she was murdered.
The prime suspect is the groom, Saurus, from the Greek mainland, but when Arge’s shade visits Martis, swearing Saurus is not the murderer, Martis vows to uncover the truth.
As Martis begins asking questions, she discovers that while Arge may have had no secrets, many of the people around her certainly do.
Praise for In the Shadow of the Bull:
“This complex, character-driven mystery is loaded with fascinating historical details” ~ Kirkus Reviews
Book Details:
Genre: Historical Mystery
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: July 2023
Number of Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781448310869 (ISBN10: 1448310865)
Series: An Ancient Crete Mystery (#1)
To purchase In the Shadow of the Bull click on any of the following links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Severn House
Read an excerpt: In the Shadow of the Bull
Saurus was clad, not in a colorful loincloth, nor in the robe Cretan men wore for certain rituals, but in his leather armor. His wavy black hair spilled over his shoulders, un-oiled. And he carried his weapons, long knives in their scabbards, at his waist. His one attendant, his friend Kabya, stood behind him, dressed in like manner. Gasps of condemnation sounded through the crowd.
‘Does he think he’s going to fight someone,’ Mother said in angry disapproval.
Saurus looked around at the crowd, his eyes narrowed, and then he lifted his chin defiantly. Although I didn’t like him, I recognized his uncertainty. He knew we despised him and his barbarous ways.
When Saurus had first come to the palace, I’d been prepared to accept him. He knew my mother’s brother and had come with news of him. Like my uncle, Saurus was also a trader. At least he said he was, and we welcomed him into the house.
My dislike dated from that first day, before I knew he would take Arge from us. He examined me and my sisters with careless lechery. I’d just come from acrobatics and wore a boy’s loincloth. As his gaze swept over me, I shuddered with a strange prickly hot feeling. And then he dismissed me with a quick, indifferent turn of his head. Then the flush that burned through me was one of anger.
Despite my feelings, and his awkward broken Cretan, he’d quickly charmed all my sisters. And although Mother frequently eyed him with reserve, I saw them laughing together more than once.
At first, he’d spread his easy compliments among all my sisters – though I was invisible to him – but soon he paid more and more attention to Arge. A knot of worry formed on my mother’s forehead.
Several months after Saurus’s arrival, Arge announced she planned to marry him.
There was Arge now, in front of the mound of ash left by previous sacrifices. Against the deep purple of her jacket, her skin looked deathly pale. She’d pressed her mouth into a long thin line. Was she regretting her decision now? I looked up at the sky, so dark the stars spangled the expanse with flecks of silver, and sent another fervent prayer heavenward – ‘Please, Lady of the Animals and of Childbirth, stop this marriage. I will offer you all the honey from my bees.’
The High Priestess with her nine attendants suddenly appeared from the shadows, stepping through the trees into the torchlight. Their eyes sparkled and one of the attendants stumbled. They were drunk on the sacred liquor, a mixture of beer, wine, fermented honey and herbs. The priestesses wore the sacral knot tied at the nape of their necks, above the tight jackets. to show they were in service to Her who gave us life. Some of them wore doves on their heads, live doves tied to the headdress by the feet, for love. Three of the women carried baskets.
Instead of a dove, the High Priestess carried snakes in her headdress, living snakes that coiled as high as they could from the bindings, flicking their tongues and hissing. Snakes to promote fertility in this new marriage.
As the High Priestess approached the altar, a soft moan of anticipation whispered from the crowd. The goats began struggling even harder against their bonds as they caught the scent of the snakes. The Priestess, who did not seem to notice the throng of people standing on the other side of the altar of ash and bone, turned to the first attendant. She took away the lid and removed the large heavy snake from the basket to coil it around her waist. The remaining two baskets yielded additional snakes. Chanting sonorously, she allowed the snakes to twine up her arms.
I could not repress a tremor of remembered fear and my mother glanced at me. Only nine at Opis’s wedding, I’d been so terrified by the snakes that Arge had had to carry me from the ceremony. I looked at Arge now. Her expression was fixed in a grimace of pain.
Suddenly she fell to the floor, writhing in convulsions and spilling bloody vomit from her mouth.
For several seconds no one moved. The Priestess’s chant continued, then lurched to a stop mid-syllable. Pandemonium erupted. Screaming, Mother ran to her daughter and fell to her knees beside her. After a moment of frozen disbelief, Opis and Nuia followed at a run. I couldn’t move. I stared in horror at Arge’s body lying on the stones. What had I done? I’d pleaded with the Goddess to halt the wedding and She had. But why this way? Why kill Arge, the sweetest and most unassuming of all women? Raising my face to the sky, I began to sob. The stars
in the sky blurred together into streaks of silver. ‘Why?’ I asked the Goddess. ‘Why?’
This was my fault: the Goddess had answered my prayers.
***
Excerpt from In the Shadow of the Bull by Eleanor Kuhns. Copyright 2023 by Eleanor Kuhns. Reproduced with permission from Eleanor Kuhns. All rights reserved.
Eleanor Kuhns, author of In the Shadow of the Bull
Eleanor Kuhns is the 2011 winner of the Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America first mystery prize for A Simple Murder. That was the first in the Will Rees series. She went on to write ten more.
In the Shadow of the Bull is the first in the Ancient Crete Mystery series.
To learn more about Eleanor, click on any of the following links: Website, Goodreads, Bookbub, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Visit all the Stops on the Tour!
07/17 Review @ Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
07/18 Review @ 5 Minutes for Books
07/18 Showcase @ 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS
07/19 Review @ Review Thick & Thin
07/20 Review @ Its All About the Book
07/21 Showcase @ Books, Ramblings, and Tea
07/25 Interview @ Hott Books
07/26 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads
07/27 Review @ Celticladys Reviews
07/31 Review @ Scrapping and playing
08/03 Showcase @ fuonlyknew
08/05 Review @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
08/08 Interview @ Cozy Up With Kathy
08/08 Review @ sunny island breezes
08/10 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
08/10 Review @ Coffee and Ink
08/11 Review @ Cozy Up With Kathy
09/05 Podcast Interview @ Blog Talk Radio
09/05 Review @ Just Reviews
Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
Amazon #1 bestseller
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
The Foundation of Plot , a Wait, Wait, Don’t Query (Yet!) guidebook.
The post In the Shadow of the Bull appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 6, 2023
Sown In Tears: Historical Fiction
Sown In Tears, A Historical Novel of Love and Struggle by Beverly Magid
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Pet Corner!Don’t miss any author interviews. Click the link here.Sown In Tears
The small village of Koretz is attacked and the Jews targeted, but Leah and her sons survive. She captures the attention of the Russian captain, Ivan Vaselik, who finally shows her what it means to love. But Leah is playing a dangerous game of helping the underground workers against the military.
Who will win?
With Leah on her own to protect her sons in a world turned upside down by violence and hatred against the Jews, can she muster the strength and win against the powerful Russian injustice?
To purchase Sown In Tears, click the following link: Amazon.Interview with Beverly Magid, author of Sown In TearsSown in Tears is set in Russia in 1905. Tell us about that era and why you were drawn to write about it?
This was a time before the Russian revolution, but a very bad time for Jews.
They were not permitted to live in areas outside the Pale of Settlement, restricted from most professions and subjected to frequent pogroms or violent attacks on their villages. Both sets of my grandparents lived through these times and then ultimately immigrated to America.
My father was a young boy when they arrived here, but he had vivid memories of his older brother being taken before a firing squad with the other young men in the village and only because of extreme bravery at the last moment, he ran, grabbing the hand of his best friend, escaping before they were shot.
He hid in a water- filled ditch for three days, before dragging himself home, where my father first saw him, muddied and swollen twice his size.
What would you like readers to know about Leah Peretz, the main character in Sown in Tears?She grew up loving books and being an independent inquisitive young woman, who finds herself in arranged marriage, to a scholar, but one primarily interested in religious texts.
She is disappointed in the physical aspect of their relationship. But she is a survivor, who manages to protect her children after a pogrom, when her husband is killed. She is resourceful and resilient, now on her own, ultimately in charge of all their lives.
Ivan Vaselik is Leah’s love interest in Sown in Tears, he’s also Russian. How does their relationship complicate Leah’s life?She fascinates him and she is drawn to him, experiencing feelings for the first time in her life, but he is a Captain in the army, in charge of the battalion and she is helping underground members who are active against the military.
It’s the military which permits and sometimes participates in the violent attacks against the Jews. She could be in danger if discovered and has to be on guard at all times.
This novel first came out in 2012, what led you to re-release it now?One of the advantages of indie publishing is, your book continues to be available, POD, print on demand. The world has been focusing on the problems of women (even if they don’t solve these problems) as well as problems with Russia.
I felt that a story about survival, struggle against injustice and a story of love, the love of a mother, the love of a woman, was particularly relevant today. I decided that the novel deserved another opportunity to be seen and read. I hope to re-launch Where Do I Go, the sequel to Sown in Tears later this fall for the very same rationale.
As a journalist and entertainment /celebrity PR executive, you have met a host of famous and talented people. Who surprised you the most after meeting them, and why?I think the surprise is always how kind and generous the most famous and talented ones were.
As a journalist for a music industry publication, I interviewed John Lennon after the Beatles broke up. He was funny and warm and answered with total honesty and humility. As a PR rep, clients like Dolly Parton or Whoopi Goldberg or Jacqueline Bisset all had great senses of humor and most fun to be with.
What are you working on now?Since the pandemic, I’ve been writing a lot of poetry.
During those dark days, I felt that poetry gave me the most direct way of expressing my feelings without having to create a whole world of characters and environment. I’m happy to say a few of them have been published in various poetry journals. But I’ve also been playing with a series of character stories which could someday coalesce into something larger.
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers:It may sound corny, Don’t Give UP.
Write what scares you, don’t worry about your reader, they will go along with you if the story is good, there’s conflict and you surprise them.
Author Pet Corner
King and Lucy!I’ve had cats ever since I lived in a fifth-floor walkup apartment in New York and knew I wouldn’t be happy running up and down five flights with a dog, although I do love them also.
My current two rescue cats are King (8 yr old male) and Lucy ( two yr old female).
Lucy has only been with me for nearly four months, after my cat Bobbysox suddenly passed away.
She and King have a truce and warily approach each other. Not yet sure how close they will become.
Beverly Magid — Author of Sown in Tears
Beverly Magid is long-time resident of Los Angeles, but her heart still commutes to New York.
Before publishing three novels. FLYING OUT OF BROOKLYN, SOWN IN TEARS and WHERE DO I GO, she was a journalist and a PR executive in the entertainment industry.
She also manages to be a political junkie and social issue activist, which considering the state of the world, keeps her very busy along with her poetry and fiction writing.
To learn more about Beverly, check out her website here.Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
Header image by Khusen Rustamov from Pixabay
The post Sown In Tears: Historical Fiction appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 5, 2023
Blindsided Justice: Contemporary Thriller
Blindsided Justice, a thriller by Dan Romanello
Guest Post + Book & Author Info + Giveaway! Don’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here .Blindsided Justice
Dylan Tomassi returns in this sequel to the original coming of age thriller, PAPERBOY. Having grown up poor, Dylan is now a successful private investor, wealthy beyond his wildest dreams and living an idyllic lifestyle on Florida’s gulf coast. Cognizant of his humble beginnings, he is committed to paying it forward as he prepares for the opening of his charitable foundation’s crown jewel.
But crime is raging out of control following the election of an opportunistic carpetbagger and Dylan and those closest to him become victims of a broken system that places them in grave danger. He utilizes his considerable resources to protect those he holds dear, but everyone and everything are not what they appear to be.
An exhilarating action thriller, BLINDSIDED JUSTICE drops you in the middle of an epic battle between justice and subversion.
Book Details:Genre: Contemporary Thriller
Published by: Sanitas Publishing
Publication Date: August 2023
Number of Pages: 304
ISBN: 979-8-9863151-2-6
Series: Dylan Tomassi Novels, Book 2
WHY I WROTE BLINDSIDED JUSTICE
By Dan Romanello
My most recent novel, BLINDSIDED JUSTICE, is the second installment in the Dylan Tomassi series, which features the adventures of the eponymous protagonist. Raised by a selfless single mother and mentored by a mysteriously reclusive widow he met on his newspaper route as a child, Dylan overcame poverty, hardship, and personal setbacks to become the embodiment of the American dream. Now a middle-aged mega millionaire, he lives an excitingly luxurious lifestyle on Florida’s west coast.
The series follows the exploits of our extraordinary hero as he navigates life in an unpredictable modern-day society that frequently finds him entangled with nefarious and often dangerous characters. The question I get asked the most is whether the Dylan character is based on me, and the answer is a resounding no. We actually have little in common. However, one thing we do share is an apolitical view of the world with an emphasis on common sense and reasonableness.
My primary purpose in writing the book is to entertain and provide readers with an escape from the bustle of daily life and all the craziness going on around us. But there’s more. The storyline follows the natural progression of real-world cultural issues and where they can lead. In this latest installment, Dylan and those close to him become victims of a system gone awry following the election of a state attorney who implements a radical criminal justice agenda.
As a former prosecutor I have seen first-hand how the deterrent effect works to reduce crime when a robust criminal justice system is applied evenly and consistently to all citizens. Alternatively, when that perception is negatively altered, serious societal issues can arise. For example, those predisposed to engage in criminal behavior become emboldened and no longer fear the consequences of the law. Others may feel the law no longer protects them, which can lead to unpredictable outcomes. Some, when faced with the opportunity to intervene and assist a victim of criminal conduct, will decline to get involved. Others will perceive the breakdown in law enforcement as a call to arms and engage in acts of aggression and, in extreme cases, vigilantism. The book delves into this phenomena, and it’s weaved into the suspenseful adventures of the central character and those close to him as they become entwined in the consequences of a breakdown in law and order.
If you’re expecting the ideological sledgehammer approach whereby the audience is hit over the head with politically oriented ranting, you won’t find it here. My objective is to engage the reader with delectable storytelling and unforgettable characters. For those who seek pure escapism, it’s there for the taking. And for others who may read the book and are left thinking about one thing or another, that’s okay as well. In either instance, relax and enjoy—that’s my real purpose for writing the book.
Dan Romanello
Dan Romanello worked in the newspaper industry before attending law school at the University of Florida.
After serving as an assistant state attorney, he spent more than 20 years as a partner in a boutique firm, running the trial practice group. An accomplished trial lawyer, he has litigated cases in courtrooms throughout the state of Florida.
After retiring from the active practice of law, he wrote the first book in the Dylan Tomassi series, PAPERBOY. He resides on Florida’s gulf coast.
To learn more about Dan, click on any of the following links: Website, Goodreads, Bookbub, Twitter, Facebook.Visit all the Stops on the Tour!
08/02 Showcase @ 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS
08/05 Guest post @ The Mystery of Writing
08/08 Showcase @ Books, Ramblings, and Tea
08/10 Interview @ Hott Books
08/12 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads
08/13 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
08/15 Showcase @ Im Into Books
08/17 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews
08/18 Review @ mokwip8991
08/28 Podcast interview @ Blog Talk Radio
08/28 Review @ Just Reviews
Amazon #1 Best Seller!
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery
The Foundation of Plot, a Wait, Wait, Don’t Query (Yet!) guidebook.
Header image by JakeWilliamHeckey on PixabayThe post Blindsided Justice: Contemporary Thriller appeared first on The Mystery of Writing.
August 2, 2023
The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales
The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales, by Elizabeth Pantley
Excerpt + Book & Author Info + Giveaway!
Don’t miss any blog tour posts! Click the link here.
The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales
Hayden meets a mysterious ghost with secrets to tell. Can he help explain the unsolved mystery surrounding the death of someone who was already dead? Can Hayden, with the help of her family, friends, and her sassy cat, Latifa unscramble this mystery and keep Destiny Falls safe? A mysterious old man keeps popping up to tell Hayden a series of tall tales. Who is he? And is he actually glowing? Are his stories fiction, or is he telling her the history of her family, the enchanted islands, and the witch? And why did a dead body show up . . . of someone who is already dead?
Can Hayden and her quirky sidekick, Latifa unscramble this mystery?
Hayden’s adventures in the magical world of Destiny Falls continue in this gripping story that answers your questions about the mysterious world she entered through a mirror in book one, Falling into Magic. We learn more about her missing mother, whose story begins in book two, The Disappearance of Emily.
Book Details:
Genre: Cozy Mystery Publication Date: July 2021 Number of Pages: 341 ASIN: B095177BFG Series: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic, 3
To get your copy of The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales, click on the following links: Amazon | Goodreads
Read an excerpt of The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales:
The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales
1
It had taken a week, but finally I had memorized my long-lost mother’s letter. Now I was struggling to get a fire started in my fireplace in which to burn it. It hurt my heart to give up something so precious to me, but there was no other option. Now, if the dang logs would just ignite!
I rearranged the logs, and finally, after three false starts, I had a nice blaze going. I decided to recite the letter one more time before giving it up to the flames.
“Oh, goodie! Another reciting of the mysterious letter!” Latifa said. Not only did my cat’s comment enter my head, but her joy was evident in the tone of her voice.
“How do you know that? Is it one of your telepathy skills?” I asked her.
“Nothing so mysterious. You always cough twice before you begin. I thought it was part of the introduction. ‘Cough. Cough. My darling daughter, Hayden . . .’”
“Ah. Well then. Relax, sit back, and enjoy the show.”
She took my instructions literally. She jumped up on the bed, planted her ample behind on my pillow, and shifted her body this way and that until she was perfectly comfortable. Latifa leaned back against the headboard and looked like a furry, laughing Buddha.
I stared into the flames and took in a breath. It had taken forever to memorize this. Not just because it was a long letter, but because of the lifetime of emotions it brought to the surface.
I cleared my throat. Cough. Cough. I gave Latifa the side-eye, and she wiped the smirk off her face.
My darling daughter, Hayden,
I hope with all my heart that you find this letter. I have been trying in vain to reach you since you arrived in Destiny Falls. I have things I must tell you.
All your life you have believed that I abandoned you. I want you to know that I did not leave you of my own choosing. You were my life, my precious new baby. First, I lost Leonard, the love of my life, gone so fast. So mysteriously he vanished. Taking with him my little son, my heart, my precious Axel. Then I was stolen from you. Not a day has passed that I don’t grieve for you, for all that we’ve lost. Our little family, torn apart.
Your birth was a beacon. A beautiful thing, drawing evil to it. I discovered that it was the reason they found Leonard. They removed him to Destiny Falls. And it was the reason they found me. There are things you have never been told because no one knew the story to tell. I have learned much, and I will tell you some of these things now.
I have great pain and empathy for you being abandoned by your mother as a newborn. Because you see, they snatched me away from my mother, days after my own birth.
Days after I was born, I was found in Seattle, in unusual circumstances, too complicated to explain now. I was placed in a foster home with two wonderful, kind-hearted people who then adopted me. Your Nana and Granana. They did not know the circumstances of my abandonment, nor did they care. They embraced the maternal roles and raised me as their own. And then they raised you as well. They are saintly, beautiful women, and I miss them desperately.
It pains me to think they live with the belief that I left them willingly, without a backward glance. That I disappeared without a trace. Well, except for that horrible note that I was forced to write. The words cut me deeply and they created a scar on my heart that I feel to this day. “I can’t do this. Take the baby. Goodbye.” The smudges on that paper were remnants of my tears.
There are so many things that Nana and Gran did not know. Things that they could not know, for their safety and yours. Facts that were well hidden.
I was not a normal baby found in abnormal circumstances. Anything but normal. I didn’t know my background until I was stolen away from you. That’s when I began to learn the truth, in bits and pieces, over years of searching, prodding, and discovering one small piece at a time.
My mother brought me to Seattle. She had escaped with me from a cold, dangerous island called Gladstone, which is where I was returned and where I remain.
There is one family here that holds a power within them: the Gladstones. It is a power that fuels the engine of Gladstone. They need the family here to maintain their illusions and their magic.
There is a parallel place where you find yourself now. Destiny Falls.
Gladstone and Destiny Falls are two halves of what was once a whole. The yin and the yang, the dark and light, the moon and sun. Destiny Falls is the positive half, but it is also fed by the power of a family—the Caldwells. Your father was needed there for that reason, as the Caldwell power runs through him.
Hayden, you need to know something very important. My birth name was Emily Gladstone, and the Gladstone power runs through me. That makes you half Caldwell and half Gladstone. You are unique. I do not know exactly in what ways. I can only imagine what powers might flow through you. In all my studies, I have not found there to be another like you.
Keep this information well hidden. Do not tell anyone, as it can be used against you if the truth comes to light. I have learned in life that there is no one you can trust. Especially here. Be wise in this. Hold this information close. Memorize this letter and then destroy it.
I will continue my attempts to reach you, but so far it has been hopeless. Please know that I love you with all my heart. Be careful, my sweet daughter. I hope to see you some day. Stay safe.
Love, your mother,
Emily
I heard the soft puff of two furry paws being tapped together. “Brava! If I weren’t wearing these furry mittens, you’d hear my applause. Sometimes I feel like Bernie Sanders.”
“Why Bernie Sanders?” I asked.
“The most famous mittens in history! Stop living under a rock, Cricket, and read the news once in a while.”
I crossed my arms and frowned at her. “And where exactly do you read the news?”
“Oh, sweetie, sweetie.” She shook her head and scrunched her nose. “Chanel and I pore over the paper every morning once Eleanor has completed her perusal of it. Your grandmother kindly spreads out the pages for us. Speaking of newspapers, when’s the next issue of the Destiny Falls Observer? You had a magnificent first issue. The story of the capture of that murderous ferry helmsman and his fiery death! Ooooo, gripping stuff! Oh. Can I say death now, or do I have to say demise?”
I ignored her reference to my aversion to the word “death.” I mean, since I had been so close to two deaths who could blame me? They were people I knew. People who had not died of natural causes. That gave me the shudders.
“The paper is on a once-a-month schedule, you know.” I lifted my chin and attempted to look confident.
“Then you best get yourself a new calendar, Cupcake. It’s been a month since your big debut.”
I knew that, of course. I’d been working diligently at my new job as editor of the Observer. But it had been an effort since we lived in a small town with little actual news.
Well, to be clear, I thought Destiny Falls was a small town, though others had indicated that I was wrong in that assumption. The enchanted location was on an island … somewhere. Where exactly was a big secret that I’d been unable to crack. Where in the world was I? It had been on the top of my list of research projects, but I kept get sidetracked.
“The lack of interesting news makes reporting a challenge. What do I put on the front page? Hmmm?” I shrugged my shoulders and tapped a finger on my lips. “Should it be the local arts and craft fair, or the ribbon cutting at the new hair salon downtown? Hardly a good follow-up to the capture of a murderer and the police car crash that killed him on the way to prison.”
“I have confidence you can dig up some juicy gossip. You’re good at that.”
“Um. Thanks? I think.”
I realized with a start that I was still holding my mother’s letter in both hands, close to my heart. I was reluctant to give it up to the flames. It answered some long-held questions, but it brought up more mysteries than it solved.
My mother did not leave me by choice. That was earth-shattering news. All my life, I’d believed I was abandoned, and I was wrong. My mother did not discard me. She loved me with all her heart and was wrenched from me as much as I was stolen from her. And Nana and Gran adopted her as a baby? How was it I never knew this?! Neither one of them was known for being able to keep secrets—and this was a doozy. What could be their purpose in keeping this from me? I couldn’t imagine.
“Gladstone has her,” I said aloud, feeling a chill zap through me.
“Da-da-da-dumm. The forbidden, mysterious island of doooom,” whispered Latifa as she slowly crept toward me across the bed.
Latifa’s theatrics jarred me out of my melancholy moment.
“And I don’t understand something.” I was pacing the room now. Questions were rolling through my head. “She says I’m unique, that there’s not another like me. But what about Axel? He was born of the same parents. Doesn’t that make him half Caldwell and half Gladstone, too? Doesn’t this power run through him as well? And, what exactly is this power she refers to?”
“It’s needed to fuel the illusions and magic. Like the great and powerful Oz.”
My cat loved her old movies and occasionally tried to tie them to real life. It was often a stretch, but this time it seemed to accurately define this very weird situation. I was a normal human being, yet was I somehow behind the curtain, making the magic happen?
“And why isn’t there a letter to Axel, too? Or one for my father? Doesn’t it seem odd that she would write only to me? Now? What about all these years that Dad and Axel have been in Destiny Falls? Something’s definitely off …”
I was pacing the room, thoughts jumbled up and swirling through my head. I couldn’t even catch some of the ideas as they raced by.
“And here I am with another colossal secret.” I sat on the floor and put my head in my hands.
“Yeeeesss.” Latifa hissed out the word. “She warned you. ‘Do not tell anyone,’ she said. She did not say, ‘Do not tell anyone except Axel.’ Or ‘Do not tell anyone except your father.’ Or “Do not tell . . .”
“Ugh! I get it, Latifa!”
I stood up and walked over to the fire. It was time to do this. Tears came unbidden, and I gently kissed the paper that had been handwritten by my enigmatic mother. Then I slowly moved it over the flames. I gasped and yanked the paper back before it caught.
The back side of my letter had the impression of writing. Like when someone presses on paper with a pen and leaves a shadowy indent on the page beneath it.
What did my mother write on the page before my letter? Did she write a letter like this to Axel or my father before she wrote mine? Or was it something as mundane as her grocery list? I needed to find out.
I tilted the paper back and forth but could not see more than a bit of a shadow in spots.
I remembered back to when I was little. Gran and I used to write secret messages to each other using this technique. We’d press hard on the top page, leaving what we called “invisible ink messages” on the page below. The reader would decode the message by gently rubbing the side of a pencil over the page.
I took the letter over to my desk and pulled out a pencil. Starting at the top of the page, I gently sketched over the imprinted letters, and as I hoped, some words showed up. It took a while, but I had lightly drawn over the entire page. I puzzled over the words that appeared:
Write letter to Hayden
Transfer letter to Nakita
Pay Nakita “postage”
Reapply for ticket?
Lazarus??????
Clearly, this was the second page of a list. I wish I knew what the first five items were! Could letters to Axel and my father be on this list? It would certainly help if I knew that—then I could discuss the letter with them. Without knowing this, I was hesitant to expose the secret.
Nakita was the ferry captain who had been murdered right after she mailed the mysterious box of documents to me. It appeared that my mother paid her to deliver the letter to me—at least that was what I took this to mean. Did “reapply” refer to the illegal tickets on the ferry between Gladstone and Destiny Falls? My mother’s name had been on several lists apparently related to the transport scheme, but the word DENIED always followed. Was she going to try again?
The question marks after Lazarus on number ten were darker than the rest of the writing. As if she pressed much harder on those than all the other writing. Who was Lazarus? Was she frustrated or confused about him? Or did she simply have no idea what her next plans were?
I needed more time to make sense of the message. Perhaps another session of research at the library would uncover more pieces to this puzzle, including who Lazarus of Gladstone was. I would hide the letter for now and examine it again later. And to think! I almost dropped it into the flames!
I carefully folded the letter and tucked it inside a paperback mystery I kept on hand as a backup in case my Kindle ever lost power. I zipped the book into the pouch of my backpack and placed it on the shelf of my closet.
With that done, I changed into my running clothes and made my way downstairs.
*** Excerpt from The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales by Elizabeth Pantley. Copyright 2023 by Elizabeth Pantley. Reproduced with permission from Elizabeth Pantley All rights reserved.
Elizabeth Pantley — Author of The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales
Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.
She simultaneously writes the well-loved Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the new Magical Mystery Book Club series.
Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books.
Catch Up With Elizabeth Pantley: www.NoCrySolution.com Goodreads BookBub – @DestinyFalls Instagram – @destinyfallsmystery Facebook – @DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic
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