10 Moments That Changed My Life with Randy Overbeck ~ New Release: Red Shadows at Saugatuck

Please help me welcome today’s guest, Randy Overbeck…

1 – My parents’ divorce—When I was 12, my dad left and my mom had to raise six boys, ages 6 to 18. (I was the middle child.) Although those times were difficult and challenging, they caused me to grow up faster and I learned the importance of responsibility.

2 – First teaching job—I was just 21 when I got my first, real adult job, what I had trained for and dreamed of. What a change, a city boy uprooted to a small rural town and school district. My days consisted of eight-hour school days and my nights of six hours of prep and grading. I loved it and decided  this was what I wanted to do with my life, help kids learn and maybe achieve better lives.

3 – Getting married—A few months later, I married my high school sweetheart. Though we had dated for five years, starting life together was an interesting challenge in a new small town, on our own. I guess it worked. 54 years later, we’ll still married with three kids and seven grandkids.

4 – Birth of our daughter—My wife and I always knew we wanted to be parents and when our daughter came, I couldn’t believe how happy I was. Life pivoted with late night feedings and diaper changes. Our lives now revolved around her—and her two brothers who followed—and we loved it.

5 – College job—Even though I enjoyed teaching high school, I always thought I’d make a great college prof. I got my chance at age 29 and thrived at Morehead State University, teaching and advising students and working with my colleagues. But it was not to last.

6 – Lost my college job—I hadn’t realized it at the time but my college position had been funded with a federal grant and, after three years, the grant expired. Just like that I was unemployed in a different state, with no job, a wife and three kids to feed. But that loss changed the trajectory of my career. It took 60 applications and four interviews all over the country but I made the jump and got my first administrative position. It led me on a path where I ended up running four different school districts as superintendent and assistant superintendent for the next 28 years.

7 – Earned a Ph.D.—Even as a young man, I yearned to obtain a doctorate and finally made it at the age of 46, a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. The doctoral program caused me to grow as an educator and person, and helped me think differently about education, leadership and my responsibility in the world. 

8 – My first book published—In 2011, I retired and turned my attention to my second love—after serving kids—and had my first novel published, LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND. It did okay—won Thriller of Year from ReadersFavorite.com—and the writing bug bit me bad.

9 – Signing with Wild Rose Press—After working with a very small press for my first book, I wanted to find a more stable home for my fiction. In 2017, I found WRP or rather they signed me. And I found the Rose Garden, a supportive group of fellow writers who helped answer my questions and provided support. They nurtured my writing bug and encouraged me to keep at it.

10 – Literary agent contract—Even though working with WRP with my last five novels has been a rewarding experience, I’ve wanted to have a chance at the “big boys” and I needed to persuade an agent my writing was at that level. This past month I signed with Stonesong Agency for my new historical suspense. At this point, I hope this is a moment that will change my life going forward.

 Praise for Red Shadows at Saugatuck:

• “One of the finest books ever written! A paranormal mystery that stole my soul and took my breath away.” 5++Stars—N.N. Light Book Heaven

• “Complex and Captivating…mesmerized from the first page to the very last one.” 5 Stars—ReadersFavorite.com

• “Overbeck is a dominant storyteller. A must read book and series.”—Still Moments Magazine

• “A gripping tale of finding justice for a missing Native American teen…Overbeck kept me turning pages well into the night.”—John DeDakis, author of Fake and Senior CNN Editor for “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” 

• “Thoughtful, deeply human, and low key terrifying. I recommend it readers who like their readers to feel something, not just guess whodunnit.” 5 Stars and Gold Award Winner—Literary Titan

• “An exciting adventure bristling with suspense…a page turner until the very end.”—ReaderViews.com

• “The mystery and suspense kept the story engaging, not to mention the numerous twists that kept popping up. I can’t wait to read more in the Haunted Shores Mysteries Series and discover what mystery awaits. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Red Shadows at Saugatuck today!”—The Avid Reader

Blurb:

Darrell Henshaw hoped he was past it all. After all, no ghosts had visited him for years. Instead, he learns his five-year-old-son, Leo has inherited his “gift.”

Now, they both can see ghosts.

This time, Darrell drives his young family 800 miles to celebrate his Aunt Gertrude’s 80^th birthday. But, once in the resort  town of Saugatuck, Michigan, their participation gets derailed by the spirit of a Native teen who went missing weeks earlier. When he and Leo inquire about the girl, the locals dismiss their concerns—”Those girls run away all the time.”  Still, as questions pile up and threats grow, Darrell senses they may have stumbled onto something far worse and even more evil than one missing teen.

Can Darrell continue to pursue justice for the girl if it places his wife and five-year-old son in danger?

Excerpt:

Darrell knew what was happening, or he thought he did. Sheila—er, rather her ghost—was leaving breadcrumbs and he was supposed to follow them. He followed his son’s gaze and saw the kids playing on the gazebo. He watched as a long, sleek motorboat, painted white with a rainbow stripe down the side, glided silently down the Kalamazoo River, no doubt headed for Lake Michigan. To the left, a man and a woman headed toward a building painted in a scene reminiscent of Monet or Seurat. When they disappeared inside, he realized it was likely a set of restrooms.

“There she is!” Leo pointed at the restroom building.

Darrell looked in time to see the back of a girl with long black hair walk past the gaily painted building and disappear out of sight beyond the structure.

“Come on,” Leo urged.

Before Darrell could stop him, Leo took off running in that direction. Darrell hustled after him, Erin’s hurried footsteps right behind. When his son made it past the structure, he stopped, glancing around. Ahead of them, a young family sat together on a blanket, the mother holding up a baby and the father shaking a toy in front of the infant. A pair of teens were throwing a frisbee, one tossing it in long arcs across the green grass while a second ran to catch it, often in an acrobatic stunt. On the boardwalk along the water, an elderly couple sat together, still gazing out to the water, probably the same pair who’d been there when they boarded the ferry. A second wooden bench sat empty.

He brought his gaze back to his son, whose head looked like it was on a swivel.

Then Leo turned and looked behind him, his eyes going wide. “She must’ve gone in there.” His gaze swung to his mom. “Can you go in and check?”

Confusion bloomed on Erin’s features. Darrell realized she wouldn’t want to let her son down but she knew she wouldn’t be able to see Sheila’s ghost. Why would Sheila even go inside the restroom building? Erin’s gaze went from Darrell to her son. A small smile appeared on her face.

“Sure. I can go check.” She patted her son’s shoulder. “Probably a good idea to go to the bathroom anyway.” She placed a soft hand on Leo’s cheek. “Why don’t you and Dad go do the same while I check this out?”

Darrell took his son’s hand. “Sounds like a good idea. We’ll meet you right back here in…five minutes?”

Erin glanced over at the restroom entrance as three women opened the door and went inside. “Better give me ten minutes.” She looked down at her son. “If I find Sheila in there, it might be better to talk with her in private first.”

“Got it. See you here in a few.”

Darrell pulled Leo to the other door. He practically had to drag his son who wanted to keep his eyes focused on the door to the women’s restroom. But, when they got inside the men’s, Leo was dancing from foot to foot.

“You need to go one or two?”

Leo glanced up at him. “Both.”

When they got inside, Darrell’s gaze made a sweep of the small lavatory. A row of urinals and two stalls and he was relieved to find them both open. And they were alone, at least for the moment. Inside the first, he helped Leo get situated. “You want me to stay? You want my help?”

Leo looked up at his dad like he was crazy. “I’m a big guy. I can do this myself.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be in right next door.” Darrell backed out, closed the door, making sure it wouldn’t lock. Then he sat down in the next stall.

Darrell tried to figure out how he was going to handle this. Now, he had little choice. He was going to have to tell his young five-year-old son about the ugly side of life, at least some of it.

The sound of a flush interrupted his train of thought. It was close.

“Leo? You done?”

Another flush released a loud rush of water drowning out his son’s words.

“What? Leo, you okay?”

“I’m fine, Dad,” his son answered.

Darrell started, “Okay, stay there—” but his words were swallowed by the deafening sound of air rushing out of the dryer.

Darrell tried yelling over the cacophony. “Leo, just stay there and I’ll be right there.”

The blast of air covered most of what his son said. He thought he heard “outside” through the air noise. Darrell hurried his efforts, pulling his pants up, flushing the toilet and exited the stall. His gaze darted around. No Leo. He called, “Leo!” and listened. No answer.

God, he needed to get out there, check on Leo. He looked at his hands and the faucet. He had to wash them, had to. Turning the spigot, he splashed soap on his fingers and ran his hands under the running water. He leaned over and turned off both handles with his elbows. He stepped over to the now finally silent air dryer. He couldn’t take time for that and wiped his hands on his tan shorts as he hurried out the door, gaze darting around. No Leo. He looked at the “women’s door.

“Leo!” he screamed.

His head swiveled like it was on a pivot, right, left, right, left. Same family on a blanket and the young dad’s gaze met his. Two teens still tossing frisbee. The elderly couple hadn’t moved. The speedboat had disappeared. He glanced back toward Water Street and saw a few tourists drifting in and out of shops across the street. Three cars rolled past without stopping.

Oh, God. No bright red T-shirt.

About the Author:

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author, speaker and podcaster. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades and has mined that experience to create captivating fiction, authoring two series, the bestselling series, “The Haunted Shores Mysteries,” and the award-winning series, “Lessons in Peril.” His novels have won critical acclaim and garnered national awards including Mystery of the Year (ReaderViews) Best Book Award (Chanticleer Books and Reviews) and the Gold Award (Literary Titan) and amassed hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Dr. Overbeck also hosts the popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which reveals the unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and can be heard wherever listeners get their podcasts. He is a speaker in considerable demand, sharing his popular presentations about ghosts and the world of book publishing with hundreds of audiences all over the U.S.

As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.

When he’s not researching, writing, speaking or podcasting, Randy enjoys traveling with his wife Cathy and visiting both his far-flung family and the scenic locations around this country, often in search of inspiration for his next great story.

More info about his novels, programs and podcast can be found at his website www.authorrandyoverbeck.com

randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com

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