Wendy Dingwall's Blog, page 2

Moderating A Mystery Panel at High Country Festival of the Book!

Just on the heels of finishing my Florida book tour to promote my latest Yvonne Suarez travel mystery, Celtic Curse, I'm very excited to be moderating a mystery panel on Saturday, June 22nd at the High Country Festival of the Book in Beautiful Boone, North Carolina. The panel is called Murder Goes South Mystery Panel and offers a discussion of why mysteries set in the South sizzle. (Sounds like a hot topic to me ;-)

Mystery authors participating in the panel discussion are Glenn A. Bruce, author of seven thriller novels and over 80 screenplays; Cathy Pickens, author of the Southern Fried Mystery Series set in the fictional town of Dacus, SC and Jane Tesh, author of two mystery series; The Madeline Maclin Series and the new Grace Street Mystery Series.


 

  

 The panel discussion is from 10:00-11:00AM on Saturday, June 22nd. At any other time during the day, I can be found at the Canterbury House Publishing table signing Celtic Curse or or selling books for other authors of Canterbury House. Hope to see you there!

All Mystery E-Newsletter

Check out this week's newsletter. Hera's Revenge is reduced to $2.99 for the week!

http://allmysteryenewsletter.com/cate...

Story within A Story - "Celtic Curse: An Yvonne Suarez Travel Mystery"

While waiting anxiously for Galley copies of my latest travel mystery to arrive, thought I'd relay a short story of love and loyalty that I encountered in my research and travels to Edinburgh. The story is a popular one and if you have small children, you may recognize it as one told by Walt Disney in a cartoon movie many years ago. It's the true story about a Skye terrier named Greyfriars Bobby who became famous in the 1800s for sleeping every night for fourteen years on the grave of his master who had died of tuberculosis, destitute except for the money to be buried in the Church yard near Edinburgh Castle.

During the day Bobby made friends of children from a local orphanage and the local restaurant owners who fed him scraps of food, but every night, no matter how cold, snowy or rainy, he’d return to sleep on his master’s grave. In 1867 he was at risk of being destroyed because he didn’t have an owner so the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, who also happened to be the director of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, bought Bobby a license and made him the responsibility of the town council. Bobby died in 1872 but couldn’t be buried inside the cemetery because it was consecrated ground, so he was buried just inside the Greyfriars Kirkyard, the nearest he could get to his master John Gray’s grave. A year later, Lady Burdett-Coutts commemorated Greyfriar’s Bobby by endowing a statue atop a fountain at the southern edge of George IV Bridge. To this day tourists and locals alike honor his memory by visiting his statue. In "Celtic Curse," protagonist Yvonne Suarez buys a book about Bobby for her daughter as a souvenir. Upon reading the story, she is touched and wishes that humans were as loving and loyal as that little skye terrier.

Best Spy Novel I've Read in Years!

Best spy novel I’ve read in years! I can certainly understand why his novel has received so many 5 star reviews. Leach’s engaging characters, and thought-provoking plot kept me riveted to the end. Though the circumstances seem fantastic, he makes the story believable. I loved his main characters and hope to see more of Matt and Bill in future books!

Well Done First Novel!

The title, Shades of Gray, was never more appropriate to a story as it is in Holloman’s tale of good versus evil, which shows how good people can get caught crossing an evil line that becomes blurred by crisis. Holloman grabs the reader right from the beginning with action but the humanness of his characters is what keeps you turning the page.

Having once been the owner of a travel agency, I related to the seamless way he wove in the workings of the agency and its relevance to the story.

I found it difficult to assign a genre to this story. It is a page turner, and it has some very suspenseful moments, but it’s also thought provoking like a good southern-lit novel. If you enjoy somewhat dark suspense novels that hit a chord of realism, you should definitely add Shades of Gray to your elibrary.

A Thoroughly Enjoyable Read!

“A whistling woman and a crowing hen never come to a very good end.” This first sentence grabbed my interest right away.

"Whistling Woman" is a thoroughly enjoyable look at the lives and times of historical Hot Springs, North Carolina from 1895 through the early 1900s as seen through the eyes of young Bessie, CC Tillery’s great aunt. The characters are well drawn and believable. I especially loved Bessie’s Cherokee great grandmother, Elisi, who has the second-sight and the gift of healing through herbal remedies, and the gift of storytelling. Elisi teaches Bessie all she knows about healing, and tells her true stories of Indian life in the mountains, about the Trail of Tears and Cherokee legends.

Bessie, the spunky strong child, exasperated her mother at times, but held the large family together, while her fragile mother, often ailing and in bed, depended on Bessie to care for the home and younger siblings. Bessie had a loving spirit and so delegated duties fairly, based on their ages and abilities. At first resentful of her mother’s weakness, she learns a heartwarming lesson of her mother’s true strength. Bessie idolized her Sheriff father and he enjoyed her companionship, but when he turns to drink in their hour of need, can she forgive him?

Bessie’s life is a mixture of fun times, sad times and many life lessons. Still, Bessie has time to daydream about the handsome young man foretold to be her husband. She dreams that someday he will marry her, making her happy and allowing her to become the woman she wants to be.

I like stories that offer inspiration and happy endings and this gave me both. I sure hope there’s another book coming about Bessie.

Ft. Lauderdale Setting for Wendy Dingwall's Travel Mystery Sleuth, Yvonne Suarez

As a former travel agent who lived and worked in South Florida, I saw first hand the many diverse travel clients from around the world likely to stop into an agency located on A-1-A in Ft. Lauderdale. I met people from Africa, Asia, Australia, Britain, Europe, South America, and including islanders from around the world. What a super experience! 

Situated between the popular cities of Miami and Hollywood to the south and Boca Raton and Palm Beach to the north, this exciting location seemed the perfect place to set the travel agency for protagonist, Yvonne Suarez, in my travel mystery series.

Ft. Lauderdale has so much to offer both visitors and residents. From one of the world's most beautiful beaches to a bustling cruise-ship port, to some of the best restaurants in the country. Besides the superior fishing and water-sports, the shopping on Las Olas Boulevard rivals that of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. The Performing Arts Center, the Museum of Discovery and Science, and the Museum of Art are just a few of the cultural activities one can enjoy.

Ft. Lauderdale weather is tropical, never too hot or too cold. The city is clean and beautifully landscaped with the lush tropical foliage one expects to see in Gold Coast cities, and the picturesque downtown skyline is a sight to behold.

In the Yvonne Suarez travel mystery series, the fictional Pinkerton Travel Agency is located on A-1-A across from the Galt Ocean Mile.

is the first in the Yvonne Suarez travel mystery series set in Greece and the Greek Islands and was touted as Celtic Curse will have a Spring/Summer release date: May 1, 2013

Coming next May! "Celtic Curse"

In my second travel mystery, "Celtic Curse," Yvonne Suarez (travel agent protagonist) arrives to tour Edinburgh Castle from Peebles a nearby town along the River Tweed. At the Castle entry Scottish bagpipers greet them playing "Scotland the Brave."  Enjoy this YouTube video version!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSH0eRKq1lE

 

You may not know, but....

I have been a Yoga enthusiast since I was very young and many years before it became trendy. I have always felt that it was the only all encompassing form of exercise, both physical and mental, available to everyone. It heartens me to see that it is even being taught in prisons to help calm minds and teach prisoners self-control, as well as  teaching violent offenders to de-stress and find better ways to deal with anger and aggression.

It was only natural that I would allow my travel agent protagonist, Yvonne Suarez, a hobby, and that hobby is yoga. As her character develops, I fully expect that her stretching and muscle building exercises will come in handy as she fends off murderers while becoming a more proactive sleuth.

"Hera's Revenge" Set in 2003 Pre Olympics in Athens, Greece

Weaving reality into my mystery and how the reality plays out today:



While riding on a tour bus, my character tour participants could see the early stages of construction of certain stadiums, and the upfitting and enlargement of other buildings in what would eventually accommodate massive amounts of people who would attend the Olympics in 2004. Comments were made as to whether they would finish in time. I had actually been in Athens at that time and seen the construction and heard similar comments. It was a wonderful time to be in Greece as there was no civil unrest and the friendly atmosphere was perfect for vacationers.

In September 2004, BBC News reported that most of the building was completed at the very last minute. And, that the cost for this Olympics, due partly to 911, was the most expensive in history, especially due to the extensive security required. It was also disclosed that the cost of the Olympics ($8.6bn, 7bn euro) along with other social expenses were never included in Greece's national budget and blamed on previous governments lack of disclosure of the extent of Greece's debt at the time. All this contributed greatly to today's Greek debt tragedy.