G.G. Collins's Blog, page 2

Book Review: Unwanted Legacy: Gangsters and Ghosts

Paranormal Ghost Romance Is Criminal

by GG Collins Copyright 2024

Helen G. Huntley has written an engaging story taking place after the stock market crash but before WWII. Her prose will take you inside a crime syndicate and reveal a man who would be king despite inexperience. The anarchy is laced with romance and a few spooks.

Having spent most of his school years in Europe, Michael Dashiell returns home to Warrick, Rhode Island in 1935. His plans are to take over the local hospital from a long-time doctor who is ready to retire. Although he is prepared to be a doctor, he isn’t primed to become a gangster.

His homecoming is marred when his father is gunned down, mob style, before he can prepare his son for what is to come. Among his last words is the combination to the safe where Michael will find everything he needs to know. That and a cryptic promise he will continue watching over him. The future looks grim as Michael tries to deal with his new reality.  

“What’s troublin’ ya, Clarence? Ye look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Clinton taunted.

But all is not lost; there is the lovely Sylvia who is a nurse at the hospital. Unfortunately she is the daughter of his father’s sworn enemy, Dante Savino. Savino wastes no time in making Michael’s life complicated, but Michael finds he can step into the role of gangster with little trouble. He’s smarter than Savino. Savino is so old-school that he is willing to sell his daughter to the highest bidder.

That brings us to the ghosts. Remember Michael’s father pledged to continue watching over him? He keeps his promise by gliding in and out of Michael’s life giving him a push just before someone fired at him. Clinton Dashiell enjoys his new found freedom to come and go without being seen.

You’ll love these characters, but get ready for Alfred, the butler. He’s seen out a number of unpleasant guests. Although in a supporting role, he is worth his every scene. Huntley titles each of her chapters giving the reader a hint of what is to come. That’s an exciting look into the world of ‘thirties gangster life when the murder rate was the highest ever in the U.S.

Enjoy the mayhem.

Get your copy here: https://tinyurl.com/2jfpe5x7

Publishers Weekly Reviews “Editor Kill Fee.”

“Editor Kill Fee” chosen for review in Publishers Weekly

“It’s ideal for poolside reading.”

“Clever third mystery … “

“My favorite character, hands down, has to be the cantankerous cat, Oscar.” –Amazon Reviewer

Get your copy here: Kindle eBook & Paperback: https://amzn.to/3TAvKMx

Collins’s clever third mystery featuring Taylor Browning (after Looking Glass Editor) finds the New Mexico book editor investigating a pair of missing persons cases. Taylor, a member of the Santa Fe Wine and Crime book club, is disturbed when the group’s president, Anita Juárez, fails to make a scheduled appearance. When Anita proves unreachable, another member of the club alerts the police. Authorities discover Anita’s abandoned car, with her purse and phone inside, on a county route known as the Devil’s Road, which is notorious as the site of several other mysterious disappearances. While Taylor works with authorities to locate Anita, another local goes missing: restaurateur Gerald Barker, who is famous for his use of the rare and potent Mayan death pepper. Meanwhile, Taylor deals with a difficult author who insists an unprecedented kill fee clause be added to his contract, paying him handsomely if publication falls through. Collins gives herself a lot to juggle, but for the most part, she pulls it off, and she brings her subplots together with a satisfying finale. It’s ideal for poolside reading.

Reviewed by Publishers Weekly on 06/14/2024

GG Collins Cozy Mystery Nominated for New Mexico Book Award

“Editor Kill Fee” Up For New Mexico Book Award

The New Mexico-Arizona Book Coop began accepting entries February 1, 2024. The Coop consists of more than 1,500 publishers and authors who partner in showcasing and selling books about New Mexico, Arizona, and the Southwest.

Editor Kill Fee is the third in the Taylor Browning Cozy Mystery series. Taylor Browning is the mystery editor at the fictional Piñon Publishing House in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But there is a problem; she refuses to stay in her office. Instead, she attempts to solve mysteries. She discovers real mysteries can’t be edited.

On the home front, her cat Oscar tends to exact revenge for late dinners and imagined slights. Paper towels are frequently the chosen target.

“My favorite character, hands down, has to be the cantankerous cat, Oscar.” — Marcelle Valentine, Reviewer

Finalists will be announced in late September 2024. Winners revealed in November 2024.

Book Review: Two Houses (Verona College Book 1)

Rich Boy, Poor Girl

By GG Collins           Copyright 2024

Given this story has unfolded during each generation, even before the writing of Romeo and Juliet, Two Houses has taken this time in everyone’s life and made it all the more poignant and introspective. Told from the viewpoint of each character, in the capable hands of M.G. Cobbett, makes it an intimate read from start to finish.

Todd Steadman II and younger brother Jessie live in the neighborhood of Hawthorn Hill. Their father is chief constable in Beswick Stanton. It is the first day of school at Verona College and we immediately learn that Todd has broken off with his girlfriend Tamara Lewis, also “affectionately” known as Tampon Lewis.

Recognized for his bullying, Todd directs his attentions on Carmel Edwards. Boys used to pull girl’s pigtails when they were interested in dating her, but Todd chooses the fine art of bullying to pave the way to a date. He may not always get what he wants. His father has big plans for him including who he will marry. And he goes to absurd lengths to insure it happens; even controlling the boys’ cell SIM cards.

“I have warned their single mother that she is to keep her trash away from you or face the consequences. Last warning. I won’t have it.” – Todd Steadman, Sr.

The “trash” are Carmel and Penny.

For Jessie, the artistic one, he must live with the knowledge he is his father’s least favourite son and maybe isn’t loved by him at all.

Carmel and her sister Penny live – as we have come to call in the US – on the wrong side of the tracks. Their mother is raising them alone and Carmel has taken it upon herself to help out her mother with meals and housekeeping duties and works part-time at a petrol station. The sisters’ relationship of support and love is beautiful reading.

As the story unfolds, the boys’ mother Norika Fujimoto, who lives in Japan tries to intervene, but will she be successful? Read these soulful pages to find out if anyone gets their happy ending. You won’t want to stop turning pages.

Available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CG4PR6W3 and in the UK https://tinyurl.com/bdfkj3fb

Cozy Mystery on Greenhills Chats Podcast

Cozy Mystery “Dead Editor File” Review.

Watch book review of Dead Editor File in the UK via Greenhills Chats podcast. My thanks to Michelle Cobbett for reading and reviewing book one in the Taylor Browning Cozy Mysteries (available at Amazon https://tinyurl.com/yhhwn9p6 .)

“You have given me my new addiction – Cosy crime. Dead Editor File sealed my fate!” — Michelle Cobbett

For more from Michelle go to her review site: https://www.cobbettsbooks.co.uk/

Review of Short Story Dark Fantasy

Chrysalis by Susan K. Hamilton

by GG Collins    Copyright 12-17-2023

Have you ever met Death? Michelle “Misha” Blackstone meets death in this dark haunting story about a reporter who is on her way to martyrdom. But death doesn’t appear as the Grim Reaper holding the scythe but as a woman with chestnut hair and tats. They sit in a lovely park while Misha waits for her death; or maybe she is already dead.

“It wouldn’t be pleasant, and I shuddered, remembering the photos Doc Fadden had shown me of the test subjects.”

As they sit among the Gray, “That place that hangs between life and death … ”  In Death’s hands are scrolls, each a map of Misha’s life … and death. One scroll drops and Death tells her that she won’t die today from a torture-induced heart attack. Which scroll will chart the remainder of Misha’s life?

“Tell me something, Misha. Do you want to die today? Or do you want to fulfill this mission of yours, even knowing what it means for you?”

Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

Hamilton does it again with this not so distant future dark fantasy. Misha’s demise is up to her. Hamilton’s words will haunt you.

Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. https://tinyurl.com/bdh3jvb4

Birth of the Atomic Bomb

I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds – Bhagavad Gita

By GG Collins Copyright 2023

“The beginning of the atomic age began with a pinprick of light so bright it lit up the desert with the power of several midday suns … ” – Atomic Medium

https://tinyurl.com/5n74s59r

When I began writing Atomic Medium I thought the world had forgotten this era. But thanks to a movie called Oppenheimer a new generation is learning about the men and women who developed the bomb. Not with computers and smart phones but with a little thing called a slide rule and human calculators.

By Jack W. Aeby, July 16, 1945, Civilian worker at Los Alamos laboratory, working under the aegis of the Manhattan Project. – This image comes from the Google-hosted LIFE Photo Archive where it is available under the filename 96ad5a9a5c94664e.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See the copyright section in the template documentation for more information., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=140895

I was lucky to have access to photos from the Atomic City of Los Alamos including pictures of the houses where the scientists lived and the mess hall where they ate. I poured over maps of the compound and read books describing the times. Many of my sources are listed below and a full list can be obtained in the bibliography at the end of Atomic Medium.

My characters, reporter Rachel Blackstone and her friend Chloe Valdez, went back in time to 1945 New Mexico. It was here they experienced the first treacherous step into a future of unimaginable weapons.

“They dropped to the ground and held each other. They trembled with terror. Rachel wondered if their hair would burn off or if they were on the verge of incineration.” – Atomic Medium

“Calling it a weapon of mass destruction sounded like an understatement; a news bite, trivial. This was obliteration; one second you were there and the next you were vapor being inhaled by hell’s meteor.” – Atomic Medium

By Trinity_crater.jpg: Federal government of the United Statesderivative work: Bomazi (talk) – Trinity_crater.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12817993

We talk about nuclear weapons today like they have always been here. Each year scientists move the Doomsday Clock a bit closer to midnight. In January 2023 it was moved to 90 seconds before midnight. That’s how close we are to apocalypse.

* * *

Atomic Medium will be priced at .99 cents on July 30, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/5n74s59r

For additional blog posts on this subject: Atomic Bomb Test Successful but Deadly https://tinyurl.com/mu6mdz3v and The Building That Changed the World https://tinyurl.com/22bpr67t

For more reading: Bibliography of Atomic Medium

109 East Palace by Jennet Conant, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005.

The Manhattan Project, edited by Cynthia C. Kelly, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2007.

The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 1986 by Rhodes & Rhodes.

A Few Good Women by Evelyn M. Monahan & Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee, Alfred A Knopf, 2010.

The Streets of Santa Fe by Josh Gonze, 2012.

A Spy’s Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque by E. B. Held, University of New Mexico Press, 2011.

Manhattan Project Suitcase, Manhattan Days Script, Los Alamos Historical Society, http://www.losalamoshistory.org

Los Alamos National Laboratory/Science Photo Library at www.sciencephoto.com/media

Atomic Heritage Foundation, Profiles at www.atomicheritage.org/bios

Los Alamos National Laboratory, LANL History in Images at www.lanl.gov

Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association, Inc., The Otowi Bridge at http://www.mphpa.org

“Manhattan Project spies who met in Santa Fe changed the balance of the world” by Tom Sharpe, The Santa Fe New Mexican, September 27, 2000.

“The Difficulties of Nuclear Containment” by Sam Roberts, The New York Times, September 29, 2014.

Your Writing Muse

With a Little Help From Our Friends

Do you have that person? You know the friend you trust implicitly; the one you share bits of your writing with. I have that person: MJ Trantham. She has appeared in these pages several times over the years. You can find her contributions in these pages: https://tinyurl.com/9j5m2kar

MJ is my crystal expert – as a practitioner, she should write her own book about the magic of crystals. She suggested I give my character Rachel Blackstone (the Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mysteries) stones for protection in her excursions into the supernatural. Wow! It was so successful; I’ve introduced them in the Taylor Browning Cozy Mystery series too.

Photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash

Crystals added a new dimension to my storytelling.

For years, MJ lived in the Centennial State. Regularly, I would receive stories from her about the Ute tribes in Colorado. They were so fascinating; I thought I should include more in my books about the Natives in New Mexico. They are after all intricately involved in the history of the state. What followed was more about the Hopi, Navajo and Pueblo Indians of the Land of Enchantment.

I asked her if she would read a sample chapter here and there. I’m careful not to send her portions that reveal villains and key elements of the book so she can enjoy it in its entirety later.

She was game, but expressed hesitation. She didn’t think she was an expert on writing despite the fact she is an excellent writer. What she is with certainty, however, is a good reader and she has an instinct for storytelling. Her feedback has become invaluable to me.

Photo by Lucas van Oort on Unsplash

Who do you trust to share your work with?

MJ became that person to whom I give a sample here and there of my work in progress. In no time, MJ became my muse. Thank you MJ.

Book Tour Begins Today

Thank You Itsy Bitsy Book Bits

Editor Kill Fee is officially on the road. The third in the Taylor Browning Cozy Mystery series took off today. You can find all the scoop here: https://itsybitsybookbits.com/2023/05/editor-kill-fee-the-taylor-browning-cozy-mysteries-book-3-by-gg-collins/

Watch the Book Trailer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8dlLO5rquI

Read the Review:

Here is a new review excerpt written by @tarajohnson513 and published on Book Bub. For the entire review check out: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2330489227?utm_content=follow_alert&utm_source=social_email

“This was a great book with an interesting storyline that pulled me and from the first few pages I was hooked. I loved how the author immediately lends an air of mystery, suspense, and intrigue with the setting of Devils Road and Anita being drawn into the woods by a mysterious force. It gave me goosebumps and I could not wait to read what happened next. The characters are well rounded, lovable, and relatable. Taylor is one smart cookie who is ambitious and determined to get to the bottom of a mystery. I loved how she was relentless in getting to bottom of Anita’s disappearance and unravel the truth behind what was going on. A great book with mystery, drama, suspense, intrigue, and twists and turns that will keep you reading until the end.”

— Tara Johnson, Book Bub Member

Get your copy today https://a.co/d/epzN97r but stay away from the Mayan Death Pepper and Devil’s Road!

New Mexico’s Triangle

Who Knows What Lurks in the Pecos Triangle

by GG Collins (Copyright 2023)

In New Mexico near Pecos is a notorious road called county road 63A. It is known by another name to locals, El Camino del Diablo or the Devil’s Road. It begins easy, but if followed it becomes a axel-breaking journey to the end where there is an abandoned fire tower. But it’s not just damage to vehicles to worry about. There have been several disappearances from this location.

The Devil’s Road begins easy but if you continue to drive it becomes rutted, rock strewn and a bone-jarring experience.

Photo by Julian Hochgesang on UnSplash

There are Clusters of Missing Persons Throughout the World.

A cluster is comprised of 3 to 80 people. In the Santa Fe area there is a cluster of 15 people going back decades. In the Pecos Wilderness near 63A several people have disappeared. They have remained officially missing as no evidence of their death has been found.

Emma Tresp was on her way to the Pecos Benedictine Monastery on August 31, 1998. She had been there before so knew the way. At 71, she was a world traveler accustomed to finding her way in strange cities. When she didn’t arrive as planned at the monastery, a search was launched. Her white Honda Civic was found abandoned on 63A only two miles from the end of the road where the fire tower was located. Her belongings, including cell phone and purse were left in her car. Footprints were found a few feet from her car where they ended. She has not been found.

Why do people vanish off the face of the Earth in the Pecos Triangle? Is it serial killers, aliens, animals or portals leading to other dimensions?

Photo by Niilo Isotalo on Unsplash

On September 6, 2009 Mel Nadel went hunting with two friends. Nadel owned a gym and at 61 was fit and knew the area. His friends went off together to do some hunting, while Nadel remained at camp to build a blind. When his companions returned, Nadel was not there. While he was appropriately dressed for the weather and the wilderness — and armed — he was gone. Canines were able to follow his scent about 100 yards and then stopped. There was no evidence of animal attack. It was as if he’d simply vanished.

Common Points to These Disappearances:

The point of separation. Either someone is alone or separates from their companions.

Frequently the disappearance takes place near granite or a rock field.

There may be water nearby or a weather event.

Dogs can’t track 95% of the cases.

Other Theories:

Some Native American tribes have a history of avoiding the area due to the belief that a demon known as El Viveron my haunt these woods. Strange lights and UFO reports have existed since Europeans settled the Pecos region. Reports of colossal snakes and shadow people persist. Many theories exist from serial killers to portals leading to other dimensions.

Fodder for Fiction:

In my latest book, Editor Kill Fee, I used these incidents as a back drop to the story of the disappearance of the Wine and Crime Book Club president Anita Juarez. Anita takes a wrong turn and finds herself on 63A. Not to worry, it is still a cozy mystery and Taylor Browning has plenty of time with her cats — and maybe one is psychic? She and coworker Jim Wells find themselves lost in the Pecos Triangle as Det. Victor Sanchez fights jurisdiction issues trying to find them.

Check out Editor Kill Fee: A Taylor Browning Cozy Mystery at: https://amzn.to/3LBOpFw

For more information about the Pecos Triangle and the Devil’s Road, read these sources.

Allan Pacheco https://www.santafeghostandhistorytours.com/NEW-MEXICO-MISSING.html

Brent Swancer https://mysteriousuniverse.org/read/author/brent-swancer

Davis Paulides 411 Missing Book Series https://www.hancockhouse.com/collections/missing-411-series He also has several movies out. Try Amazon Prime for viewing.