I am wickedly delighted to share the second of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…
The Curse of the Manitou by Stephen B. King
Recently, I visited the US, and during my travels, I visited the Native American Indian Museum in Washington. To say this was a sobering and informative experience is one of the great understatements. Being Australian, pretty much the only things I knew about native Indians I’d learned from Hollywood movies, and let’s be honest, they have mostly been unkind.
I have always been interested in the spiritual world, witches, warlocks, black magic ceremonies, and the like. I’ve also read every book my more famous namesake has published and love a good horror tale. So, I wanted to link the two topics: a respectful tale mentioning the plight of the Indian Nation in past times and a horror story for the Friday the 13th series I love so much.
Many years ago, I watched a movie called The Manitou. A tale based on a fantastic book by Graham Masterton about a Native Indian demonic spirit reincarnated every few years to wreak havoc on the Western World one assumes for the sins against his people. He is reborn through a lump on a woman’s shoulder, which contains his fetus. It really was an interesting, thought-provoking, and scary movie starring a great cast, including Tony Curtis. So, while mulling over my US trip, trying to come up with an idea for my contribution to the fabulous Friday the 13th series, I remembered that film. I googled Manitou to get the real story and am so glad I did.
My story features a Great Manitou of a Lake, which, in recent times, has become Lake Manitou. It turns out there are several in America called so, but none as scary as my fictitious one, set in NY State, in the Great Lakes area. The Manitou of the Lake was called on by a seer of a Native American Indian village located on its banks when the cavalry massacred the women and children in an attempt to force them to move West and give up their lands. The Colonel and all his future children are cursed to die by The Manitou’s hand in water.
When Robert Hartford, a direct descendant of Colonel Ramsey Hartford, inherits a house perched over the lake, he believes it is his lucky day. But he has no idea what horror will be unleashed on him and his family when he visits The House on Lake Manitou.
Happy Unlucky Friday the 13th! I am wickedly delighted to share the first of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…
Dormer by Mark Edward Jones
True Fact:
After a death in our neighborhood, the poor woman was not found for many days until neighbors noticed the mailbox had overflowed. Likewise, Dormer’s main nosy protagonist confronts the mailman about her neighbor’s stuffed mailbox and packages left on the porch, leading the neighbors on a search of the dead woman’s house.
Find the story here…
Blurb
Olivia Kraevitz, the ever-nosy neighbor, becomes alarmed when her eccentric neighbor, Vivian Johnson, and Vivian’s son suddenly vanish. Determined to uncover the truth, Olivia and her friends explore Vivian’s house, only to find themselves facing Brandy Looking, the enigmatic caregiver with a sinister edge. Olivia soon realizes that Brandy has dark plans for anyone who enters the attic with the dormer window—a place where you can see and be seen. Remember: you never know who’s watching.
Excerpt:
“Who’s this Brandy Looking person?” Glenda asked. “Is that a name?”
“Yeah. That’s Vivian’s caregiver.” Olivia pulled out wine glasses and set them next to the plates. “She gives me the creeps. I’ve only seen her a few times, always around dusk or after. I made sure to be outside one evening and met her coming down the sidewalk. She’s a tiny thing and strange to look at. White pancake makeup, blondish hair with dark roots, and deep red lipstick. She’d made herself up with dark-shaded eyes. Looked like a raccoon.”
Clara laughed.
Olivia didn’t smile. “And the oddest part—tattoos.”
“What’s the matter, dear? You look a little ghostly yourself.”
“Those tattoos. Six dark dots on each side of her forehead above her eyebrows. They grew larger as they got closer to her nose. And then in the middle ….” Her voice cracked.
“What?”
“An arc over the bridge of her nose.”
Clara drew close. “Why are you so upset?”
“When she got close to me that evening, she just stared—a weird smell, too…like a burned match. I said hello, trying not to be rude, but I just wanted to run away. Then she spoke—sounded like a little girl in a woman’s body. She said something about how rejuvenated she felt after her daily renewal.”
“Renewal?”
Olivia shrugged. “A nap, I guess. Anyway, while we talked, the arc above her nose got lighter. I noticed a glow.”
Clara opened the refrigerator and refreshed her glass from the white zin box. “Glowed?”
“It turned kind of purple.”
Glenda sighed. “Surely the light played a trick.”
She nodded. “Maybe. Brandy moved on, and I came home and locked my doors. I tried to ask Vivian about it the next day, but she seemed confused. I let it go.” The oven timer began dinging. She touched the timer. It stopped as the doorbell rang. “Can one of you get that?”
“I’ll do it,” Clara said. She took her wine glass with her and pulled on the door. The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the tile. She stared outside.
“You okay?” Glenda asked while grabbing paper towels.
“You have a visitor.” Clara pushed open the glass storm door and looked down at a tiny woman. “Can we help you?”
A giggle and a squeaky voice said, “I need my mail.”
About the Author:
Mark retired from higher education finance in 2017. He is working on his third detective mystery, has written three paranormal short stories, and has completed the first chapter of a proposed sci-fi mystery.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Susan Coryell…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I am a native of Virginia where I grew up in Herndon, a little dairy-farming town at the time. Many Northern Virginia communities were more urban than where I lived—so much so that when other schools played against us in a home game, they would “moo” rather than “boo” a referee’s call they disagreed with. When I left for college, the town census was at 2,000 population. When I returned 4 years later, with the building of Dulles Airport, the population had begun a steady climb until today it is more than 24,000. After teaching for 30 years (two in Hawaii and 28 in Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia), I retired, along with my husband, to Smith Mt. Lake in south central Virginia. Now we live in Clemson, South Carolina, near our daughter, her husband and out two teenaged granddaughters. We have a black cat named Walter who walked onto our patio and decided to live with us.
Where did you get the idea for Eaglebait? Why did you choose this genre. Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc. you’d like to share? What is the most difficult thing about writing a book? What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular?
Wardy Spinks, the 14-year-old protagonist, attends Evanstown High, home of the Eagles. Any foe or opponent is considered “Eaglebait,” a taunt for the opposing school, loudly proclaimed by their cheerleaders during pep rallies. Wardy Spinks becomes the joke of the school, thus he is “Eaglebait.” I wrote EAGLEBAIT while I was teaching middle school where bullying flourished. I wondered how some of the victims never appeared to recover while others managed to move on with their lives – thus the theme of building self-esteem emerged for the novel. Placed in “gifted-talented” classes because of his superior intelligence, Wardy is bullied relentlessly at Evanstown High because of his non-athletic, pudgy, bespectacled appearance and lack of social skills. Though he’s failing most of his classes, he’s secretly building a laser in his basement. Calling himself a professor of nuclear physics, he writes to research labs asking for assistance with a fuel formula for the laser. I consulted the smartest guy I knew at the time as to ingredients for such a fuel. When I asked him if this would actually work, he hesitated, then said, “Probably not…maybe…let’s change a few of the measurements just in case. We don’t want kids to replicate it and blow up their kitchens!” For The Wild Rose Press’s new YA line, I revised and updated Eaglebait with cyberbullying and technology. For me, the writing, revision and even the editing of my books is challenging but creative fun. The hard part is marketing and promoting the work once it’s published. Eaglebait is no exception.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Eaglebait?
I would hope my young adult readers would find ways for nullifying school bullies in their own lives or among their schoolmates and that they would work to build their own self-esteem as Wardy does in the novel. For adult readers – parents, teachers, counselors and all who work with youth, I would want them to note the steps built into the plot for dealing with bullying and to apply that knowledge to situations they encounter with teens and ‘tweens.
What is your favorite quote?
From Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar: “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
Have you written any other books that are not published?
I have seven published books, but I’ve written a dozen books in all. My very first book, DOUBLEHEADER, is about twin teenaged baseball players, a pitcher and a catcher, who telepathize their signals during games so that the opponents can’t anticipate the type of incoming pitch. There’s also a mystery involved. I proved to myself that I could write a full-length novel, but it was not quite ready for prime time. Currently, I am writing a children’s picture book and looking for an agent or publisher.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
A national review venue made the comment, on one of my children’s picture books, that it seemed unfinished. The reviewer wanted “more,” but my other reviewers and I consider the book satisfactorily completed. The best compliment came from my sister when she finished reading Eaglebait. “As I read,” she said, “I completely forgot that my sister had written the book.”
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
In Eaglebait, as with five other books I’ve published, all the characters are fictional. Of course, I pick up characteristics from actual people and build on them at times. I modeled the teacher/mentor in Eaglebait after a college professor – the most dynamic instructor I ever encountered in all my educational experience. One book, A Murder ofPrinciple, is based on a stinker of a principal I endured for a few years while teaching high school, although that character is highly fictionalized.
What do your friends and family think of your writing?
I come from a tribe of writers in my family, so, they understand the ups and downs of the process. My friends are uber-supportive, attending my launches, buying my books and spreading news about each publication. I am very fortunate to have such a helpful community.
How much of the book is realistic?
Eaglebait is realistic in every way. Some of the overt bullying events actually occurred in different school settings. The cyberbullying via Facebook, texts, instant messaging, etc. is a reality, both malicious and anonymous, that many students face today. An editor questioned me when I wrote the first edition, saying, “We just can’t believe such bullying goes on in schools.” In the Washington Post I found a current article, complete with a photo of a big kid with wild hair and tattoos on his arms, who was quoted: “I hit ‘em because it makes me feel good.” I sent the whole page to my editor and I never heard any more about their questioning the reality of school bullies.
How did your interest in writing originate?
Because I grew up in a family of writers, I assumed everyone was a writer, too. I was forever penning poems and stories about everything from honeybees to teenage angst I detected in older siblings. In third grade, I decided to write letters to my girlfriends in class. My mother helped me address and stamp the envelopes. One by one, my friends called me: “Susan! I got your letter! What fun!” After the fifth call, I said to my mother, “What is wrong with these people? I wrote to them – they’re supposed to write back to me!” My mother smiled. “They’re not all writers, like you, Susan.” What a shock! Somehow, I knew from the start that I was a writer and that writers have to write. Not until I was an adult with three children, however, did I set my mind to composing a full-length novel. DOUBLEHEADER was the result of that effort. Eaglebait followed.
Thank you for being here today, Susan. Even though I’ve known you for years, I feel I know you a little better now. 🙂 Please tell us about your book…
Blurb:
Wardy Spinks has been a loser for as long as he can remember. Freshman year in high school, Wardy becomes the victim of malicious bullying. Eventually his life begins to change. A charismatic science teacher becomes his mentor. Then, quiet Meg seems friendly. And Big Vi takes on a life of her own. Wardy discovers his attitude makes a difference in how he’s treated. If Wardy doesn’t feel like a loser, maybe he won’t be one.
Excerpt:
Home. Wardy Spinks was home, but it was nothing to be proud of. Dishonorable discharge. Sacked. Another failure. Martin-Barrett Academy was what his mother referred to as “the last resort.” Some resort. Uniforms, demerits, drills, formation, light out. What happens next when you’re only fourteen years old and you’ve just been expelled from the last resort? Wardy shut his eyes and tried to block out the scene forming in his mind. He’d been over it so many times. It was too recent—too painful and real. Besides, it was permanently programmed into his brain, the beginning of the end of his career as a cadet. Involuntarily, his thoughts slid back to that night less than a week ago.
Susan has been writing and publishing since EAGLEBAIT was first published in 1990 by Harcourt. The YA novel won the International Reading Association’s “YA Choice” and the New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age.” Now updated, EAGLEBAIT was republished by The Wild Rose Press, June, 2024. Susan has written a cozy mystery/Southern Gothic trilogy, including: A RED, RED ROSE (Amazon Encore); BENEATH THE STONES; and NOBODY KNOWS, published by The Wild Rose Press. A MURDER OF PRINCIPLE, a cozy mystery, was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2018. SPOOKY YOGA, a children’s picture book, KDP, 2022, and KIKI’S DREAM, published by Golden Bridges Press round out her current repertoire.
A 30-year English teacher of grades 7 – 12, Susan loves to present book talks and writing workshops at schools, libraries and community functions for writers and readers of all ages. She has conducted panel discussions, writers’ conferences and anti-bully youth groups. Her professional associations include SCBWI, South Carolina Writers Association, Authors Guild, and OLLI Writers at Clemson University. She has a Ba degree from Carson Newman University and a graduate degree, MAIS, from George Mason University.
Susan is married to her high school sweetheart. They live in Clemson, South Carolina. She enjoys traveling to Hawaii, walking, water aerobics, yoga and anything to do with grandchildren.
Susan is available for Zooms and interviews as well as in-person book talks and other programs locally.
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
My hometown is Decatur, IL and except for 4 years in the Air Force I’ve lived here all my life. I’m a widower. Lost my soulmate three years ago. She was my first editor and first reader for my first four books. She kept me on track and centered. I lost my writing companion, Ginger an eight-pound toy poodle, five years ago. She was fifteen and a half when she passed on. I was positive I couldn’t find a better dog, so I didn’t search.
Where did you get the idea for Bayou Chase?
Every November the NaNoWriMo website hosts authors. On the first of November, the task is to come up with a new idea and write a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. It’s been the impetus for three of my novels. This one someone had mentioned visiting Louisiana and going on a chase to get to New Orleans in a specific time. I let my twisted brain play with that and the book resulted. I didn’t make the word goal but did finish the book.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
I’ve always written mysteries, suspense, action novels because that’s what I love to read. In my blood, I guess.
What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular?
Finishing the book. In every novel there are points where you’re stuck. Not writer’s block. I don’t believe there is such a thing. It’s a place where I’ve put my protagonist in a seemingly inescapable situation, and I have to figure out a plausible escape plan. It may be in the middle of the book or maybe multiple situations throughout the book.
Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and do you like it?
Nope, no other occupation. I’m eighty-three years old and been a full-time author since 2002. I previously worked in retail, Security Service in the Air Force as a Chinese linguist and analyst, a manager in a Fortune 500 company for twenty-five years and owned a shoe repair and sales company for eleven years prior to authoring.
Do you collect anything?
Books. I read around one hundred books each year. All the well-known mystery and suspense authors grace my bookcases and fill my Kindle library. I use them also for help in making me a better author. I try to analyze how they do it and learn their techniques.
What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?
I’ve dabbled in paranormal, westerns but not extensively. I really have no desire to switch genres. I’m really happy where I am.
How did you come up with the title?
Titles are hard, but this one kind of named itself. It takes place in a Bayou in Louisiana; the main character’s name is Chase Anderson and he’s being chased. More like hunted. Pretty easy really.
Thank you for being my guest today. I am so very sorry for your losses. Please tell us about your book…
Bayou Chase Excerpt:
Chase leaned back. “Course I know the name. The bastard killed my wife.”
“Mr. Washburn died two days ago.”
“Good. Can’t say as I’m sorry for the piece of crap. Good riddance. What’s that got to do with me?”
“Well, his death is somewhat suspicious.”
“You accusing me of doing it?”
She shook her head. “No, just conducting an investigation. We got your service records. Very impressive. Delta Force, two tours in Iraq, sniper school, wounded and discharged.”
“Honorable discharge.”
“Yes, honorable. You also excelled in house-to-house penetration.”
“Look, Detective, I didn’t shoot him. I would love to have had the chance to put him in my sights, but I didn’t.”
“He wasn’t shot.”
“How’d he die?” He opened his hands palms up.
“He drowned in his bathtub.”
“All due respect, Detective Menendes, I think we’re done here, unless you think I swam up the drainpipe and took him out.”
“You understand our concern? You have the skills to pull this off.”
“That doesn’t equate to guilt, does it?” Chase stood up. “Am I free to go?”
Menendes stood as well. “Yes, as I said we are investigating all possibilities.”
“As far as I’m concerned you should have done a better job of investigating my wife’s murder. Then we wouldn’t be here, would we?”
“Mr. Anderson, I was not involved in that case, and I assure you, if I was, you’re right, we would not be here now. Have a good day. An officer will be outside to take you back home.”
J. D. Webb, served in the Air Force in Viet Nam and the Philippines as a Chinese linguist, as a corporate transportation manager, then shoe repair and sales shop owner, before becoming an author.
An award-wining author of five novels, an anthology and two short stories. Incredible Witness the anthology was a finalist in the 2023 Silver Falchion Awards. His latest novel is Bayou Chase, a thriller, published September 2023 from Wild Rose Press. It is a finalist in the 2024 Silver Falchion Awards
In 2023 Webb was honored to be elected to the Midwest Writer’s Workshop Board of Directors.
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
My wife and I live in a place one person claimed got hotter after sunset than in the middle of the sunny afternoon—Metro Atlanta, Georgia. Georgian since birth. Family scattered in Georgia, Florida and Minnesota. I enjoy the outdoors and beg for winter, which seems to avoid us most years.
Where did you get the idea for Lethal Impulse?
The idea came from my background of growing up in a minister’s home and tenure investigating homicides and employment in a medical examiner’s office, which led to a forensic consulting job with national travel and investigations and plethora of ideas for novels, including Lethal Impulse.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
I love crime fiction and suspense/thriller novels and movies. I enjoy writing in this genre for the challenge it offers in adding suspense, red herrings, and unexpected twists.
Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc., you’d like to share?
The main character, Neil Caldera, comes from a diverse family, completed forensics and theology majors in college and sought a career at NYPD. Lethal Impulse opens with his officer-involved shooting in which a bullet from Neil’s pistol kills a New York crime boss’s daughter. Fallout led to his move to a small town once named, “The Best Place to Live in Georgia,” and an encounter with a vengeful killer.
What is the most difficult thing about writing a book? What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular?
I am a pantser. I outlined my first novel and changed much of what I had written in the process. I felt it best to let creativity take over. When I reach a sticking point, I ask, What if? I had written about 2,000 words of Lethal Impulse when our consulting business shut down. I wrote 10,000 words a month for seven months. For the effort, I had a finished novel, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Lethal Impulse?
I want them to experience the characters’ highs and lows the way I did while writing their story and hope they approve of the way I fulfilled my promises to them. My objective is to transform readers into fans. I’ll do my best to live up to their expectations.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
The Husband, Dean Koontz.
What is your favorite quote?
“I have a perfect cure for a sore throat: cut it.” ― Alfred Hitchcock
Have you written any other books that are not published?
I have three manuscripts ready for submission. One is the first book one of a planned three-book series. My thriller, After Her Deceit, the sequel in a two-book series is scheduled for release on October 1st. The same publisher has another two-book crime-thriller series planned for release in 2025.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
Toughest:did not resonate with the characters.Best: great dialogue.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
I give life to characters and place them in true-to-life situations and watch their reactions and responses. A few I will create based on a person’s unique name. I always ask permission and portray those characters as good people.
How much of the book is realistic?
I’m all-in when it comes to offering readers an impression of reality and adhere to self-imposed standards of authenticity, believability and credibility based on my experience as a forensic investigator. I research settings for accuracy in real towns or ones based on real places.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Dean Koontz, a master wordsmith.
Thank you for the interesting interview. Crime Thriller is my favorite genre, and I also love Dean Koontz. And I love that quote from Hitchcock. 😀 Now, please tell us about your book…
Blurb:
He’s riddled with guilt. She’s annoyed with the status quo.
The death of a crime boss’s daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave NYC. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl’s murder.
Tess Fleishman’s pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have him, or destroy him.
Excerpt:
Neil had observed enough crime scenes to identify the familiar sight and smell of blood. Light revealed blood on three of the four walls and on a few boards overhead.
He strode to the rear space amidst various farm implements. The flashlight beam revealed nothing unanticipated to the right. The light revealed more to him than he foresaw. Happenstance played no role in the display now before him. The artist’s rendition displayed evidence of a warped mind. Malevolence flaunted in the form of a portrait painted with blood.
Neil widened the beam of light with a left twist of the flashlight’s head. Shock jolted him. The likeness on the barn wall stared back at him with remarkable resemblance.
“Holy mother of Moses. I understand why you didn’t want to come back.”
Neil looked at the front and rear doors. Light from an approaching vehicle rose on the front of the barn. Gaps around the door allowed enough streaks of light through to make shadows look as if the light infused them with life. The vehicle continued onward. Every shadow around Neil returned to stationary ominous forms. He half-turned toward the front and listened. The whine of tires on pavement diminished. Silence again filled the barn.
The hinges squawked against Neil’s shove on the right-side door. Chad turned his head in Neil’s direction. He was sitting on the ground with his back to the weathered wood. Knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them and his right hand clamped on his left wrist.
“It’s you.” Chad shuddered, tilted his head toward the barn. “In there. The picture on the wall looks like you.”
Neil glanced inside. The image renewed in his mind. “Is that the reason you called me? To have me look at someone’s depravity smeared on a barn wall?”
Steve Rush is an award-winning author whose experience includes tenure as homicide detective and chief forensic investigator for a national consulting firm. He worked with the late Joseph L. Burton, M.D, under whom he mastered his skills, and investigated many deaths alongside Dr. Jan Garavaglia of Dr. G: Medical Examiner fame.
Steve’s book Kill Your Characters; Crime Scene Tips for Writers was named finalist in the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Nonfiction and Honorable Mention in the 2023 Readers’ Favorite Awards. Lethal Impulse won the 2022 Public Safety Writing Association’s Writing Competition for an unpublished novel, longlisted in the 2022 Page Turner Awards and joint first prize in the 2020 Chillzee KiMo T-E-N Contest.
He lives in Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Sharon.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Tammy D Walker sharing her new release, Down to Earth (The Daw County Sisters Mysteries)
Blurb: Stacey Hengesbach has enough to worry about with a pecan harvest, festival preparations, and a daughter who’s eager to leave their tiny hometown all needing her attention. So when a radio antenna tower falls, seriously injuring its owner, she’s willing to believe it’s an accident like everyone else in the county does, including the sheriff. But then another antenna tower falls, this time on her best friend’s cafe while they’re inside. With the help of her family, friends old and new, and the local ham radio club, Stacey races to solve the mystery of the falling antennas before another one comes crashing down.
Bad Weather and Good Community: Storms, Radio, and Cozy Mysteries
Lightning flashes. Thunder shakes the house. In a cascade of noise, emergency alert texts clash with the wind howling just outside and the warning sirens wailing a block away. My family and I gather in a safe place in our house, an interior room with no windows.
Once inside the room, I grab one of the radios I’ve stashed there earlier, knowing we might have severe weather. Beside the hand-crank weather band radio with its USB charger and light is my other go-to in an emergency: my hand held radio with the local amateur repeater frequencies programmed in it.
While my husband looks up weather radar on his laptop and one of the kids tunes into our local NOAA all hazards radio stations, I’ll listen to the frequencies area weather spotters might use to report local hail, high winds, and tornadoes. Living in an area where we can–and do–get severe weather that develops quickly, I’m grateful that we have good coverage from our news outlets about storms so that we can stay safe. And hearing the reports from trained storm spotters nearby gives us an even clearer picture of what we could prepare ourselves for when clouds and rain have us in the dark, sometimes literally, should the power go out.
We often think of radio as just a technology, or as a one-way medium, as in the stations that broadcast news on the AM bands and music on FM. But for me, radio is far more than that. Radio is about community. While much of that community is focused on entertainment–music and sports, for instance–there’s a significant number of radio enthusiasts whose interests lie in how we can use the technology to help people stay safe in different kinds of crises.
So when I started writing Down to Earth, the second novel in my cozy crime series, The Daw County Sisters Mysteries, I wanted to bring radio in as a way to explore community. Because, after all, community is at the heart of cozy mysteries, in the way people come together, are driven apart, and return to each other again.
For Stacey, the main character, radio is tied to serving the people around her through the activities of the amateur radio club she’s in. It’s also integral to her sense of home, through nostalgia for a now-closed music station she loved in high school as well as her curiosity about a new enigma showing up on the FM band. And, since this is a mystery, a fallen radio antenna tower kicks off the central question of the book: who sees communication as a threat and why?
Back home in Dallas, when the storms clear, I’ll put away our emergency weather radio for later. My hand held radio goes back in its charger on my writing desk. And, like Stacey, I know that when I need it, radio will be there, providing weather reports, entertainment, and a medium through which I can connect with others who want to serve our community.
Bio: Tammy D. Walker writes cozy crime novels, and her latest from The Wild Rose Press is Down to Earth, the second in her Daw County Sisters Mysteries series. When she’s not crafting mysteries or poems, she’s probably reading, teaching, trying to find far-away stations on her shortwave radios, dreaming about travel, writing letters, or spending time with her family. Find out more at her website: https://www.tammydwalker.com/
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Kim Janine Ligon…
FIBER FANATIC
Thank you, Alicia, for the opportunity to share a bit about mystery, romance, and my passion for all things fiber on your blog today. I have been practicing the needle arts—crochet, knitting, embroidery, cross stitch, tatting, chicken scratch, and needlepoint since I was nine years old. I’ve never been one to sit and simply watch TV. My hands need to be busy and needlework is better than snacking. I usually have two or three projects going on at one time from knitting socks to crocheting baby blankets to cross stitch. My long-suffering husband refers to the area around my recliner in the den as my “nest”. At the end of the evening I have something to show for my time instead more pounds on the scale.
Shortly before I retired a made a list I titled “What Kim Is Going To Do When She Retires”. It included writing and publishing novels which came true in 2022 when I published my first cozy mystery with sweet, wholesome romance with The Wild Rose Press. In July this year, my third novel came out and in December I have a Christmas novel coming out. All of them are with The Wild Rose Press and my extraordinary editor, Dianne Rich. Mark that item off my list!
Another item was to learn how to spin—fiber into yarn, not the exercise bike kind. Five months after I retired, we made the trek north to buy my spinning wheel. And I made my first purchase of beautiful fiber. Little did I know that buying fiber is addictive. The beautiful colors, soft fibers. Exotic fibers like musk ox, buffalo, chinchilla. Walking through a fiber shop has an almost hypnotic effect on me. Everything is calling my name saying “Take me home.” Many of them are in tubs in my work room waiting to be spun!
I brought the spinning wheel home after a twenty minute lesson in the shop. Learning to spin is like learning to drive a car…in the middle of a three lane highway…going seventy miles an hour…and needing to change lanes. It is multitasking at its highest level.
Successful spinning means pumping the pedals at a consistent speed fast enough to twist the fiber onto the bobbin but not too fast or the fiber will escape your hands. At the same time you are holding the twist in check with your left hand while feeding the perfect amount of fiber to the ongoing twist so your yarn is a consistent thickness. My first efforts definitely created a thick-n-thin yarn—perfect sized yarn interspersed with clumps of too much in the feed. Another item off the list!
Once you get the rhythm down it is a relaxing process that allows me to work out plot problems while I’m spinning. I’ve made sweaters for friends and family from my homespun and after my sister-in-law gave me a loom for my birthday, scarves for everyone. Many of my characters have been bitten by the fiber bug too. I try to write and spin every day.
Wow, Kim…I wish I had that talent. It does sound relaxing and being able to make beautiful things for yourself and others would be awesome. Thank you for joining me today. Now, please tell us about your book…
BLURB:
Why are teenage mothers dying in the Garland Regional E.R. instead of delivering healthy babies for adoption at The Obstetrical Center? Something is seriously wrong. On her physician’s advice, Garland’s CEO Evelyn Langford reluctantly takes a long scheduled vacation for her fiftieth birthday leaving her team to conduct an investigation into Obstetrical Center.
Evelyn’s efforts to investigate the problem are hampered by her complicated relationships with her secretive brother, Frank, her subordinates, and, surprisingly, FBI Special Agent Rance Thompson, a new acquaintance, who comes to the small town to investigate possible links between the childbirth deaths and a string of teenage girl disappearances.
Will Frank’s increasingly erratic behavior and the growing attraction between Evelyn and the younger agent further complicate discovering the truth about the dying girls?
EXCERPT:
“You needn’t yell. I can hear you. The patient mumbled something to Dr. Merrick right before she died. She said ‘Doc, not me again, don’t. Please, I can’t. Please don’t.’ Does that make any sense to you?”
The physician hesitated a moment. “Why ask me? How would I know why a dying girl, who lied about who she was, said anything? She was probably delirious. Why do you think it has something to do with me?”
“She said not me again. I thought since she was your patient you might have some insight into her situation. Had she given birth at your center before?”
The physician hesitated a moment. “Why ask me? How would I know why a dying girl, who lied about who she was, said anything? She was probably delirious. Why do you think it has something to do with me?”
“She said not me again. I thought since she was your patient you might have some insight into her situation. Had she given birth at your center before?”
“How would I know off the top of my head? Hundreds of mothers have been through here. I haven’t memorized all their names, faces, and personal situations.”
Kim Ligon has been writing stories for most of her life—some on paper and some only in her head. She has lots of source material growing up as the oldest child in a large family in a small town in Wisconsin. Her father was a veterinarian so there were not only lots of children around, but all manner of house pets and farm animals too. Her love of reading comes from her mother who was seldom seen sitting down without a book in her hand. After a demanding career in healthcare information technology, she is now getting to do all the creative things she loves—spinning, knitting, crocheting, creating buildings on her husband’s model railroad and writing her stories to share with you. She lives with her chief encourager and personal romantic hero, her husband of almost forever, in Alabama. Please follow her further adventures at www.spinningromance.com or email her at kimjanine@spinningromance.com Enjoy!
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Susie Black with her Hobby, Career, Passion Post: The Philatelist: How Stamp Collecting Made Me a Better Writer…
I have been an avid philatelist since I was twelve years old. What is a philatelist? It’s a fancy word for a stamp collector. My introduction to stamp collecting was with a birthday gift of an album filled with stamps from one of my mother’s cousins. While the stamps fascinated me, other than attaching them to an envelope, I didn’t know much more about them. I took the album to a neighborhood coin and stamp store to see if the proprietor could teach me about stamp collecting. The first time I walked into that store, a magical world opened up for me that impacted my life in more ways than I could ever have imagined.
I credit my lifelong love affair with stamps and their influence on my writing to the generous, knowledgeable store proprietor. Every Friday after school, I went home to collect my weekly allowance and stamp album and then rode my bicycle to the stamp store.
Always wearing a jeweler’s loupe and a magnifying glass on a lanyard around his neck, Mr. Albin was so willing to answer all your questions, teach you everything you wanted to learn, and exuded so much enthusiasm about his chosen field, that even the most skeptical customer couldn’t help but become a fan. He was a wonderful teacher who taught me the proper way to handle and evaluate the quality of stamps.
After making my selections, I’d bring them to the proprietor to ring up, and that’s when the magic began. He had a story for every stamp, and his vivid descriptions made the stamps come alive. With one commemorating the casualties of our Civil War, his eyes filled as he whispered, as though praying in a Chapel. With another celebrating the end of slavery, he spoke with the fervor of a preacher. No matter what the story, he told it like a novel with a beginning, a middle, an ending, and a point of view. He told each story his special way; taking his time, slowly building up to the cliffhanger, and dramatically pausing right before the climax. Talk about pacing and how to build tension up to the finale. Mr. Albin had it down pat. He was my tour director on weekly adventures with stamps serving as the tickets for the ride.
I incorporated my hobby into a key scene in Death by Jelly Beans, my latest mystery. The stamp collector protagonist encountered a murder suspect’s spouse at a stamp store, which set another murder in motion. My view of the world and people play a major role in the writing style I learned from a marvelous man every Friday afternoon who led me by the hand on the continuing adventure of a lifetime through stamps.
Very interesting how you became involved in stamp collecting. Thank you for sharing. Now, please tell us about your book…
Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik discovers the Bainbridge Department Store Easter Bunny slumped over dead and obnoxious swimwear buyer Sue Ellen Magee is arrested for the crime. Despite her differences with the nasty buyer, Holly is convinced the Queen of Mean didn’t do it. The wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to nail the real killer. But the trail has more twists than a pretzel and more turns than a rollercoaster. And nothing turns out how Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge.
Excerpt:
The door to Sue Ellen’s office flew open and a six-foot tall rabbit I’d later learn named Pedro Conejo, President of Rent a Rabbit Characters, stalked out and bowled me over as I tried vainly to get out of his way.
The messenger bag containing samples and the presentation information fell off my shoulder and bounced across the room. The flap of the unzipped messenger bag flipped open, scattering everything inside it from one end of the room to the other.
The rabbit gripped the two ears atop the head with his paws. He ripped the headpiece straight up and off with a furious jerk and shoved it under his right armpit. He turned, faced Sue Ellen’s open door, and screamed loud enough for anyone at the mart three blocks away to hear. “You can’t prove a damned thing. Think you’ll get away with this? We have a contract. I’ll get you fired for this; you bitch!”
Then the rabbit removed the left paw of his costume with his teeth and gave Sue Ellen the middle finger salute. He hurdled over my prone body splayed out on the floor and stomped out of the office without so much as an apology for knocking me over, let alone an offer to help me up.
I sat up and poked my extremities to make sure nothing more than my pride had been injured. Satisfied my body, if not my self-respect, remained in one piece, I shook myself to get out the kinks the way my standard poodle Siggie does after a bath. I stretched as far as possible and grabbed the messenger bag. I spent the next five minutes crawling on all fours around the room, stuffing everything back inside the case. Note to self: Next time, zip the damned bag closed.
As I shoved the last sample back in the messenger bag, Sue Ellen’s assistant came out of the buyer’s office and observed me sprawled across the floor. I bit the inside of my cheek not to laugh as Abby deadpanned. “Sue Ellen will see you now.”
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Mitra De Souza
Thank you for joining me, Mitra. Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I grew up in San Diego County and currently live there with my husband, two kids and two big fluff ball rescue dogs. We lived in Trinidad and Tobago for 16 years (my husband is from there) and moved back to Southern California in 2018. In addition to being an author, I work full time at a local community college.
Where did you get the idea for THE FRAGILE?
I woke up one morning with the idea and knew I had to write it. The concept really spoke to me as a highly sensitive and empathic person. I wanted to reframe sensitivity as a strength and let young people know that who they are is more than okay. I really like how the main character learns to embrace her own inner strength.
Why did you choose this genre?
I love reading and writing speculative fiction. Growing up, I enjoyed watching The Twilight Zone and reading Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. With respect to writing speculative fiction, I love the freedom to imagine “what if’s” and to think outside the box. Most of what I write has at least some speculative element. I gravitate to YA fiction because I’ve spent the last 25 years working with young adults as an educator.
What do you dislike that most people wouldn’t understand?
I really dislike soda/soft drinks (especially Coke/Pepsi).
Do you collect anything?
I have a collection of keychains from various countries and states that people have given me. It started when I worked at The University of the West Indies, and students would go home over break and want to bring me back something from their islands. Key chains are relatively cheap and easy to find so I’d usually request one of those. So, my collection started with islands from throughout the Caribbean, but has grown to keychains from all over the world. It’s cool because the collection represents all the places that people I care about have been.
What was your first job?
Serving frozen yogurt at TCBY for $4 an hour.
What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?
My full-time job, but I need that to live. Despite enjoying my job, I look forward to when I can retire and spend my days writing.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read THE FRAGILE?
I hope readers feel seen and inspired to fully embrace their unique selves. I’d also love to spark conversations about how we can make the world a better place.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
It depends on why the review is “bad.” If they simply say they hate the book or give it a 1 star without any reason, I would definitely prefer no review. However, if the review contains constructive feedback that would be more helpful than no review.
What is your favorite quote?
“Justice is what love looks like in public.”- Cornell West
How did you come up with the title?
The title came to me one morning along with the idea for the book. In the book, children are called “Fragiles” because they are highly sensitive. Society often equates sensitivity with being weak and fragile, and the books seeks to reframe this.
Your favorite…
Movie – The Shawshank Redemption and Free Guy
Music – We Close our Eyes by Oingo Boingo
Place you’ve visited – Cuba
Place you’d like to visit – Barcelona
Food – grapes and fries (but not at the same time)
Thank you for the interesting interview…you’re right, I don’t understand how you don’t like soda, Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke are my jam 🙂 Now, please tell us about your book…
TAG LINE: An institutionalized teen with debilitating empathy and the secret ability to transfer feelings into people with her hands must choose between her longing to be cured and her will to fight back against a man bent on destroying everyone like her.
BLURB
Seventeen-year-old Maya is a Fragile—someone deemed too weak to function in society —and has spent the last decade institutionalized at the Academy for the Rehabilitation of Children. Maya wants nothing more than to be cured of her neurotic hypersensitivity which causes her to experience the pain and emotions of others. Instead, she begins to have vivid nightmares where she connects with a young girl’s trauma, leading her to uncover a plot to destroy the empathy centers in children’s brains.
Desperate to escape the girl’s pain, Maya learns she has the ability to transfer feelings into people with her hands when she accidentally hurts her best friend, Jacob. Lacking faith in her new ability, Maya must choose between fighting a man bent on destroying everyone like her, and finally being free from the burden of empathy.
In doing so, she might discover that she’s not so fragile after all…
Excerpt:
One summer evening about a year before her assessment, [Maya] watched the neighborhood boys catch fireflies. The jars lit up like lanterns as the sky faded into darkness. To her horror, the tallest boy with messy blond hair took a firefly between his fingers and smashed it until his fingers glowed with the firefly’s light. As the other boys gathered around to try, she screamed at them to stop. But they just laughed and continued to crush the fireflies. She lunged at the blond boy who shoved her to the ground. While the other boys laughed, one spat at her and mumbled “stupid Fragile” under his breath. Her bruises healed, but the words left a permanent scar.
Mitra has loved to write for as long as she can remember. In elementary school, she used to tape her short stories to the back of her chair for her classmates to read. She is drawn to stories that encourage people to view the world from a new perspective. When she lived in Trinidad and Tobago, she authored a series of children’s books published by a local NGO to foster empathy and promote animal welfare. She currently resides in San Diego with her husband, two kids and two big rescue dogs who think they’re still puppies. When she isn’t writing, she loves walking on the beach, laughing uncontrollably with her kids, and continuing her quest to find the perfect mango.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Frankie Sutton…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
Hey, I’m Frankie from Detroit. Aside from being an author, my other creative ventures have been singing, acting, and making animated music videos (AMVs) on YouTube. You can still see those videos under Simmian7.
Where did you get the idea for your book?
I started Trembles of the Heart as a challenge to write a novella. During research for story setting—I stumbled across some wild Utah Facts that meshed so well with the story. Did you know the official state dessert is Jello. And the MC in Trembles of the Heart often uses ‘Code Jello’ as an alert to an oncoming seizure. And her LI attends college in the same city (Odgen), which I discovered was a top-rated place to get EMT training—the exact career he chooses in the story.
Do you collect anything?
Shot Glasses from around the world and from TV shows. Some of them are oddly shaped.
What was your first job?
Back when products like Avon and Candlelight products were popular and many people had events in their houses for them…I worked for a lady who was a top seller for Candlelight.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
Yes, it’s proof that someone read my book and was moved enough to write their experience with my book on the internet.
What is your favorite quote?
It’s like someone is calling out to me. Writing it all down…it’s like I’m calling back to them. (quote from August Rush, but used for my writing)
What celebrity would you most like to be stranded on an island with?
Tom Hanks. Even though he only played a character, he still had to act out those scenes on Castaway.
If you could be a character in any of your books, who would you be?
Shae Taizer (Vampiric Crush, available 10-2-24). If I had her portal ability, I could travel to Japan and Italy without enduring those long, cramped flights.
What do your friends and family think of your writing?
My Gramma (RIP Gramma) was the first to believe I would be published. But the rest of my family is just as excited.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
I’ve met and worked with a few celebrities. But if I had to pick one…then, Lewis Black, a popular comedian. After attending his performance, we did the meet-and-greet. The venue said no cameras, so we left ours in the car. But after seeing so many using their cameras to get a pic with Lewis, my dad offered to get ours. The venue stated if he left, he couldn’t get back in. And passing it to Mum through the front door was vetoed. Lewis overheard our conversation and his reply made the whole line laugh. I cannot share exactly what he said, cuz he used a word often favored by Samuel L. Jackson. LOL
Your favorite…
Movie –Rise of the Guardians
Music – techno music
Place you’d like to visit – Japan, but I would NOT survive the plane ride, way too long
TV show from childhood – Silverhawks, Voltron, Transformers (only the 80s version), TMNT (the 80s cartoon)
TV show from adulthood –Dark Angel, American Gothic, The Odyssey (Canadian show), The OA
Sports team – any Japanese team from the Little League World Series
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? TV, because it’s something I can do by myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I enjoyed the interview…thank you for being my guest. Please tell us about your book…
Blurb:
Jessica has 3 secrets: crushing on Mason, epilepsy, & the doctor who killed her mom. Admitting the first 2 weren’t so bad—friends become lovers despite her escalating seizures. Her 3rd secret means justice for her mother, even if it destroys Mason’s mentorship & their hearts.
Excerpt:
Crayon drawings on my bedroom walls made way for more advanced paintings in various mediums—such as oil, pastel, or acrylic. My eyes drifted over the familiar surroundings—cheesy romance novels overflowing the bookshelf, the vanity covered in art supplies, and the framed paintings lining the walls. I sat at my small desk, pushed aside a couple of notebooks for school, and rested my elbow in the empty space. I held the phone to my ear. “Helen?”
“You gone to your room, eh?”
She’s been in my home almost as much as her own.
“Yeah.”
“How’s the new painting coming along?”
I glanced at the half-finished canvas propped on my easel in the center of the room. “It’s getting there. Still needs some work, but I like how it’s turning out.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” Helen said. “So…have you told Mason yet?”
“I saw him in the book section at the mall.”
“You need to tell him, Jess. This has gone on too long.” The disappointment in her voice was unmistakable.
“It’s just…I don’t know how he’ll react, you know? And what if he doesn’t feel the same way?” I sighed. “He’s with Daisy, anyway.”
Frankie Sutton, born within a Motown/Detroit community, was raised on creativity—starting with music. Her love of reading and writing developed during her school years. However, at the beginning of her high school years, she entered into the world of fan fiction and role-playing games—experimenting with many styles of writing, including poems and scriptwriting. When not writing, she loves bonding with her miniature schnauzer. Frankie embraces her life as a Motown Michigander, ready to share her large imagination with the world.
Author Alicia Dean 