Getting to know Jan Dunlap

I’m pleased to have mystery author, Jan Dunlap, with us today. Let’s get to know her.

Patricia: What are your favorite things to do when you’re not reading or writing?

Jan: I love to swim. I’ve never had lessons, so I’m not very good, but something about moving through water is so calming and blissful for me. I also really like walking outdoors. I’m fortunate to live very near the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and I walk their three-mile loop at least once a week with friends, and in the winter, I go snowshoeing there. I set my fifth murder mystery there, too, so I guess I find walking time to also be my creative thinking time, which is another reason I like to walk!

Patricia: What’s your favorite color? Why?

Jan: Bright or pine green. It makes me think of growing things and the freshness of life, and it connects me to nature, which I find so healing.

Patricia: How would you describe yourself, personality wise?

Jan: I’m kind, polite, and a creative introvert – I love spending time alone to think, create, pray. Alone time recharges all my batteries, which makes me wonder how I ever had the energy to raise my five kids! I think a lot of my brain cells shut down during that time to divert the energy into parenting, which is both exhilarating and exhausting, mentally and physically. Now that my kids are grown and on their own, I’m enjoying pouring my energy into my writing career and developing adult friendships. We got a dog two years ago – I’d been terrified of dogs my whole life – and she not only helped me overcome my fear, but now I do dog-owner things and I love talking with other dog owners everywhere I go. It’s made me more outgoing, since I used to be pretty quiet and shy. I think I’m also less concerned about what other people think of me, too – how can you worry about what people think of you when you’re carrying a bag of dog poop?

Patricia: Do you like to travel? If so, what are some of your favorite places to go and/or what was your favorite vacation?

Jan: I grew up as an Army brat, and we traveled all around Europe while my dad was stationed there. I had a multicultural education long before it became an educational buzzword! My favorite place was Venice – it was unlike anywhere else we visited with its gondolas and gorgeous architecture. A few years ago, we went to the western coast of Costa Rica on vacation, and it was fabulous. I really liked Dublin and the Irish people when we visited there recently, so that may merit a return trip, too.

Patricia: How would you complete this sentence? If I won a million dollars, I would  ------

Jan: Set up a foundation and give the money away. I’d like to give college scholarships to promising students who would otherwise not be able to go on to college, so they can have the opportunity to fulfill their potential academically and make their own contributions. I think a good education is a gift that never stops giving to both the student and everyone around them.

Jan Dunlap is the author of the humorous Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries (all five of which have been nominated for the annual Minnesota Book Awards) that follow the adventures of a really nice guy who finds dead bodies when he’s out birding. With readers across America and Europe, Jan’s brand of humorous storytelling has earned her accolades from critics and readers alike, along with fans of all ages. Her characters are sketched from real life and real people; as a weekly humor columnist for her local newspapers for five years, Jan polished her skills of observation and human insight that continue to win her new readers of both her mystery series and her online blog. Currently teaching English online as an adjunct for New Mexico Junior College (thanks to a master’s degree in English Studies from Minnesota State University-Mankato), Jan frequently speaks to book clubs, community service organizations, writers’ groups, birders, and senior living communities about birds, writing, and the importance of humor. Jan is the mother of five children and lives in Chaska, Minnesota, with her husband Tom, her daughter Colleen, and their dog Gracie.

Links to Amazon.com (both print and Kindle available for each book)
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=A%20Boreal%20Owl%20Murder
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Warbler-Weekend-Birder-Mystery/dp/0878393218/ref=pd_sim_b_3
http://www.amazon.com/Bobwhite-Killing-Birder-Murder-Mystery/dp/0878393757/ref=pd_sim_b_2
http://www.amazon.com/Falcon-Finale-Birder-Murder-Mystery/dp/0878394486/ref=pd_sim_b_3

http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Crows-White-Birder-Mystery/dp/0878396160/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Links to Barnes & Noble (both print and Nook available for each book)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Boreal-Owl-Murder?keyword=Boreal+Owl+Murder&store=book

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Murder-on-Warbler-Weekend?store=book&keyword=Murder+on+Warbler+Weekend
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/A-Bobwhite-Killing?store=book&keyword=A+Bobwhite+Killing
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/falcon-finale-jan-dunlap/1101236093?ean=9780878394487
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-murder-of-crows-jan-dunlap/1109953138?ean=9780878396160
Books are also available from my publisher North Star Press at https://ourbooks.myshopify.com/collections/birder-murders.

A Tribute to Summer

I sigh as I write this. Summer is officially over and I hate to see it end because I’m a summer gal at heart.  But each season has its own beauty, wonder and mystery.

In fact, my first Malone mystery, Mixed Messages, takes place in Autumn and its sequel, Unfinished Business, is set in Winter. My third book, Desperate Deeds, which I'll be sending to my publisher very soon, takes place in Spring. (The west side of Cincinnati is the setting for those books.) So, it should come as no surprise that the fourth book in the series will be set in Summer. (There will be a change in locale.)
Although I enjoy each season, I relish the feeling of freedom that summer brings. No jackets, coats or boots to wear. I love to go barefoot, wearing only shorts and a tee shirt and I love to swim. But, more than anything, I look forward to traveling to the ocean in the summertime and sinking my feet into the soft, cool sand as I gaze at the waves crashing to shore. So, as my tribute to summer, I’d like to share a few photos of some of my previous vacations.

 Tybee Island, Georgia 2003

 Biloxi, Mississippi 2005

 Pensacola Beach, Florida 2011

Virginia Beach, Virginia 2013

May the spirit of summer dwell in your heart all year long!

 

Mystery of the Month, Counsel of Ravens

In the dark of night, murder strikes on Route 66, and once again Hubert James Champion III finds himself having to face realities he’d rather run from. Indeed, within two days, Hugh finds himself embroiled in murder on a national scale, seeking justice for petty crimes of a local nature—and very close to home, reviving his skills as a psychologist to help people who have become friends. Indeed, his friends need him.

In addition, there are troubling mysteries of the personal kind still tucked away in the recesses of Hugh’s subconscious. He may be still “hiding out” in the desert, but East Coast ties continue to haunt and thwart his building hopes for the future.

Fortunately, he has his ravens to counsel him, and through it all—the Mojave winds continue to blow…

Buy link Amazon:  http://tinyurl.com/lebhpm2  Buy link B&N: http://tinyurl.com/lxncehp

Madeline (M.M.) Gornell has five published mystery novels—including PSWA awarding winners Uncle Si’s Secret and Lies of Convenience (also a Hollywood Book Festival honorable Mention), Death of a Perfect Man, and Reticence of Ravens (a finalist for the Eric Hoffer 2011 fiction Prize, the da Vinci Eye for cover art, and the Montaigne Medal for most thought provoking book). And her latest is Counsel of Ravens (June release date)—her first sequel and a continuation of Hubert Champion’s Mojave saga. She continues to be inspired by historic Route 66, and expects to release in early 2014 her first mystery thriller—Rhodes.

Madeline is a lifetime lover of mysteries, and besides reading and writing, she is also a potter with a fondness for stoneware and reduction firing. She lives with her husband and assorted canines in the Mojave High Desert near the internationally revered Route 66 (Newberry Springs).

Madeline is giving away a paper copy of "Counsel of Ravens" to one lucky person who leaves a comment.
Madeline has chosen not one, but two, winners! The winners are Mary Lowery and Eileen Obser. I've sent Eileen's email address to Madeline but, Mary, I'm sorry but I don't have yours. Please email Madeline at mmgornell@earthlink.net with your mailing address. Congratulations, ladies!

 

Unbelievable Characters

Truth is stranger than fiction and there's a good reason for that. While life doesn't always make sense and people do some strange things, often for no apparent reason, whatever they did is a fact and we have no choice but to accept it. Because it's true.

It doesn't work that way in fiction. In fiction, things need to make sense and characters need to behave in ways that are in keeping with their personality, abilities and history. We readers expect the characters in the novels we read to be believable. We need to know them well enough to understand and accept their actions as being something they could or would do given who they are and the circumstances they’re in. Even if their actions are bizarre. Especially if their actions are bizarre.

What happens when I'm reading a novel and one of the characters does something totally “out of character,” something that doesn't ring true given what I know about him or her? What that tells me is that the author hasn’t fully developed the character and/or the author hasn't given me enough background information. When that happens, I stop caring about the character. And, I stop trusting the author. From that point on, if I bother to finish reading the book, I've lost interest because the character isn't believable.

Have you ever lost interest in a book because one of the characters was unbelievable? (Please don't mention specific titles.)