Mystery of the Month

Grilled, Chilled and Killed by Lesley A. Diehl

This is the second in the Big Lake Mysteries (the first was Dumpster Dying) featuring Emily Rhodes, retired preschool teacher and bartender turned amateur snoop.

It seems as if Emily is destined to discover dead bodies.  This time she finds one of the contestants at the local barbeque cook-off dead and covered in barbeque sauce in a beer cooler.  She should be used to stumbling onto corpses by now and the question of who killed the guy should pique her curiosity, but Emily decides to let Detective Lewis handle this one, at least until she figures his theory of who did the deed is wrong, wrong, wrong.  Lewis’ denigration of Emily’s speculations is condescending enough to stimulate her dormant snooping skills.  As the two of them go on their separate paths to find the killer, Lewis’ old partner, Toby the dirty, tobacco-spitting cop interferes in the investigation leaving Lewis with the wrong man in jail. Killers, bootleggers, barbeque and feral pigs—it’s a lethal game of hide and seek in the Florida swamp.

Buy links:

Amazon:  http://tinyurl.com/begadns

Oak Tree Press: http://OakTreeBooks.com/Shop%20OTP.htm

Bio:

Lesley retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in upstate New York.  In the winter she migrates to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto, and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office, and gators make golf a contact sport. 

  

Back north, the shy ghost inhabiting the cottage serves as her literary muse.  When not writing, she gardens, cooks and renovates the 1874 cottage with the help of her husband, two cats, and, of course, Fred the ghost, who gives artistic direction to their work.    

She is author of several short stories and several mystery series: the microbrewing mystery series set in the Butternut Valley (A Deadly Draught and Poisoned Pairings) and a rural Florida series, Dumpster Dying and Grilled, Killed and Chilled (to be released late in 2012).  She recently signed a three-book deal with Camel Press for The Consignment Shop Murders including A Secondhand Murder.  For something more heavenly, try her mystery Angel Sleuth.  Several of her short stories have been published by Untreedreads including one (Murder with All the Trimmings) in the original Thanksgiving anthology The Killer Wore Cranberry and another (Mashed in the Potatoes) in the second anthology The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping.  She invites readers to visit her on her blog and website.

 

Website: www.lesleydiehl.com and blog  http://anotherdraught.blogspot.com

Getting to know Kathryn E. Jones

I'm pleased to have Kathryn E. Jones, author of "Scrambled," with us today. Let's get to know her.

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

Kathryn: I love to take walks in the mountains or on the beach. Since I have mountains where I live and not many beaches, the mountains win out the majority of the time.

Patricia: What’s your favorite color? Why?

Kathryn: I love red. I also love hearts. I love wearing red and like to decorate with the color. Red makes me feel powerful and a bit glamorous. I like it because when I wear it I can't hide in a room of people and it forces me to talk. I wear red often when I give a presentation because it make me feel more courageous. I also love red roses and chocolate dipped strawberries. Yes, I am a romantic, but I don't write a lot of romance.

Patricia: How would you describe yourself, personality wise?

Kathryn: Along with being a romantic, I like my alone time and I don't like the idea of people covering up secrets. I think if something needs to be said it should be said, with tact of course, but it shouldn't be kept inside. I'd like to think that I am a pretty good conversationalist and that I care about what's happening in other people's lives. I like to have fun but I also like those quiet moment of meditation.

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

Kathryn: I LOVE to travel! My dream vacation is Paris, but I haven't made it there yet. I have been to New York and Hawaii, and have loved both. I've considered traveling to the coast of Oregon, staying on the beach for at least a week and writing, but haven't done that yet either. Mostly, I have dreams of traveling when I've sold enough books to get there. 

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

Kathryn: build my dream home. I would want to be involved in all of the elements, from creation of the project to the design and decor chosen. Part of the reason I'd want to be involved in all of the elements is so that I could create a large enough space to house my creative writing classes, tutoring sessions, computers, etc. I have even considered adding a bathroom and a small kitchen to the area. Most of this room is already designed in my head. I think it would be great for writers to be able to come to a place especially designed for them and to get the writing assistance that they need--all in one place!

Kathryn has been a published writer since 1987.  She has published various newspaper stories, magazine articles, essays and short stories for teens and adults.  She is the author of: A River of Stones, a young adult fiction novel dealing with divorce published in 2002, and Conquering your Goliaths—A Parable of the Five Stones, a Christian novel published in January of 2012. One of her newest creations, a Conquering your Goliaths—Guidebook, was published in February of 2012. Scrambled, published in September 2012, is her first cozy mystery.

Kathryn graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Mass Communication and a minor in Creative Writing. Her studies included work in creative writing, public relations and journalism. Recently, she has opened the doors to Idea Creations Press, a publishing services company that caters to writers and their writing, publishing and marketing needs.

Find Scrambled at: http://www.ariverofstones.com/scrambled.html. Purchase the book from Kathryn and get it autographed, or purchase the book from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (links are on the site listed above). Scrambled is available in both paperback and Kindle versions. 

A Teaser

I don’t watch a lot of TV but one thing I’ve noticed is that, when a station promotes an upcoming show or movie, they always choose a teaser, a short clip from the show to attract viewers. For sitcoms, they pick a really funny scene. For more intense viewing, they bait us with a question like: “Will the team discover who the murderer is in time to save. . . .” Each station spends a lot of time and money promoting what they have to offer because they’re competing with all the other stations. An excellent technique! I’ve been “hooked” lots of times. 

It’s no different in the world of publishing. So many books for readers to choose from. So, in an attempt to mimic the marketing masters (how’s that for alliteration?), throughout the year, I will occasionally post an excerpt from one of my Malone mysteries, hoping to entice you to buy my books.

Prologue from Unfinished Business

I pace the floor, my mind going a mile a minute, while the rest of the world sleeps. There is no rest for me because I am not like the others. I have a responsibility. So much to do. So little time. It is all up to me.

I light a candle and the flames make dancing shadows on the walls, in sync with Mozart’s Requiem. Pure, beautiful music: the way life should be. Not like the mindless trash I hear thumping from car stereos these days, screaming words of profanity. Quality has virtually disappeared and in its place? Quantity.

People want more and they want it now. They insist on instant gratification. Fast food. Faster everything. They drive their cars like lunatics, virtually riding the bumper of the car in front of them, urging the driver to go faster or get out of their way. They risk other people’s lives so they can get home two minutes earlier. And for what? To sit in front of the television set staring mindlessly at nothing, nothing of any value. It is sinful!

The world is a terrible place. God should be first! No one puts God first anymore. If they would turn their lives over to Him, they would be saved. But some refuse to be saved. Instead,they go about their pathetic lives, thinking only of themselves. What do I want and what do I have to do to get it? They use sex to manipulate others. Women haunt bars and flaunt their scantily clad bodies to get what they want. They have no family values, no morals. Adultery, abortion: atrocities against God.

Some people don’t deserve to live. They do not even care that their immoral acts, their lack of common decency, their selfishness, harms everyone around them. That has to stop. I have to stop it. It is all up to me. God has spoken to me. He has chosen me to carry out His work and He has shown me The Way. I know what needs to be done and, to honor Him, I will do His will. People have to pay for their sins. I will make them pay.

Actually, the deed itself is almost always so easy. People are creatures of habit. They leave their doors unlocked when they walk out to get the morning paper or take out the garbage, never thinking that someone might be watching them, waiting for an opportunity. They assume that “it” will never happen to them. But, for some, it will. I will see to it.

I must be the strong one. In the time I have left here, I must do my part to save at least this little corner of the world. And I must be careful. I must plan everything in advance, down to the smallest detail. Timing is of the utmost importance. I must be patient. It all comes down to control: self-control. I must suppress the rage inside me.

I need to play my role perfectly. I must continue to do all the things that are expected of me. Never show anyone the way I feel. I must say all the right words. Do all the right things. It is all up to me. No one must suspect me. No one must ever know. I cannot afford to make any mistakes. That would ruin everything. They would never understand and they would try to stop me. Then, there would be no one to carry out God’s work. It is sad enough that, when I’m gone, there will be no one left to rid this neighborhood of the human garbage.

I blow out the candle, extinguishing its life and pray for a few hours of sleep before dawn. I will not have to wait much longer. I can feel it.

It is almost time again.

If I've tempted you to order a copy of Unfinished Business (in paper or Kindle format), just click on the book cover on the right side of the page. Happy Reading!

Mystery Author of the Month, Stephen L. Brayton

I'd like to welcome Stephen L. Brayton. Stephen has a delightful sense of humor which comes through in his responses to my questions.

Patricia: Stephen, where did you grow up? Did your childhood contribute to your desire to be a writer?

Stephen: I grew up in the vast wasteland of northwest Canada, hunting caribou, reindeer, and seals and living in igloos. I knew as a youth I was destined for something better and a place a whole lot warmer...

Actually, I grew up in both the Quad Cities and then southeast Iowa. I don't know as my childhood contributed to my wanting to be a writer, I just thought writing was interesting. I have always been an avid reader and after reading countless mysteries, thought I could write something that people would want to read and enjoy. I wrote skits and plays and short stories up until high school.

Patricia: Where do you live now? Do you use that locale for settings in your novels?

Stephen: Right now I'm traveling across the miles of the Sahara with a bunch of Bedouins (bevy of Bedouins? Flock? What do you call a group of Bedouins?). Did you know camels are not nice animals?

 Seriously, I live in south central Iowa in Oskaloosa, which is Indian for 'Last of the Beautiful'. I used Oskaloosa for one scene in my first Mallory Petersen mystery, Beta. Mallory also visited the Quad Cities. (Which is where she spent her early childhood. Coincidence?)

Patricia: What inspired you to write your most recent novel? 

Stephen: When the writing bug hit me back in the middle 90s, I was involved with taekwondo. I thought a protagonist who was both a martial artist and a private investigator sounded pretty cool. I had learned so much from all of the women in my organization I had to make the character female but with a lot of my personality and sense of humor.. Thus, Mallory Petersen, Fourth Degree Black Belt and PI who lives in Des Moines was created. The first plot of her investigation into her boyfriend's murder came soon afterward.

Patricia: When did you “know” that you wanted to be a writer?

Stephen: This is a difficult question and I don't think I have an answer. I mean, there wasn't a particular moment where I stopped and said, “Hey, I want to write.” I just did. I will give credit to my parents for my continuing to seek writing success. I recall after I'd completed a bunch of short stories, maybe a few children's stories, my dad encouraged me to really try to make something of my writing. He's still after me to revisit the children's stories for publication.

Patricia: Name three of your favorite authors in the mystery/suspense genre. What makes them your favorites?

Stephen: I can pick only three? How unfair. I suppose since you're holding a gun to my head, threatening to force feed me coffee, and have cued up the first of several hours of opera if I don't answer, I'll have to go with:

Ellery Queen. I have all but four or five of his books. I like the puzzles. I was not logical enough to figure out any of the solutions before Queen did, but I still enjoyed the challenge.

Erle Stanley Gardner: Again, I have all of his Perry Mason novels as well as most of the others. He had such wonderful characters and I would love to meet a real life Della Street someday.

A tie for third between Rex Stout and F. W. Dixon (and those who took over after Dixon stopped writing). Nero Wolfe is such a wonderful character. Stout put so much detail and stayed consistent with his creation throughout the years. And of course, I can't forget the creator of the Hardy Boys. I'm 46 and I still read their mysteries. 
To read about Stephen's novels and/or to order a copy, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=stephen+brayton&sprefix=Stephen+Brayton%2Cstripbooks%2C282

We All Wear Many Hats

I love hats! In one of my favorite movies, "Sleeping with the Enemy," starring Julia Roberts as Laura, there's a scene where she  is back stage trying on all kinds of hats. It's a great scene accompanied by the song, "Green-eyed Girl." With each new hat, Laura becomes a different person or, at least, she gets to alter her personality to suit  the persona of the hat she's wearing. So much fun!

Throughout our lives, we all wear many hats. We are wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, employees and friends. Each of our roles in life brings out different aspects of our personality and we use different skills in each relationship.  

Writers need to wear many hats too. Writing is a solitary profession, at least for most of us, but marketing requires us to put on a different hat and, in doing that, to alter our personalities accordingly. For example, when I write I need absolute silence and solitude. No phone, no radio or TV. It's just me and my computer. I think, I plan, I dream, I write - alone.

Then comes that glorious day. Your book has been accepted! Once the book is published, everything changes. Now, a writer needs to change hats. To go from recluse to social butterfly in the blink of an eye. I feel like a chameleon changing colors each time I don a different hat.

No more sitting alone and creating. It's time to socialize. To schedule book signings, advertise on a blog and on several Internet sites and tell everyone about the book. We need to become "shameless self-promotors" if we want to sell our books. Even when we're at the grocery store, waiting in line, we're promoting. I always carry business cards and I'm sure to have copies of my books in the  trunk of my car at all times because you never know when someone you meet  - old friend or new acquaintance - will want to buy your book.

I'm not sure which hat I prefer to wear because, each is a different side of me. I love my time alone but I also love being around people. You could say I'm an introvert/extrovert. Which one (or both) are you?