Category Archives: Book description or review

A Spark of Imagination

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Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She’s been a finalist in a number of contests. Today, she reveals how one bit of quirkiness managed to get into her latest novel. It’s a fun read.  I think you’ll enjoy it.

It first started with a love of guinea pigs. When my sons were young, we had several furry pets. The first to join the family was Fluffy. We didn’t know a lot about raising guinea pigs at the time. We placed our new pet in a glass aquarium so we could easily watch the new addition to the family. Our standard poodle would sit for hours on end watching the guinea pig. We called it “‘Fluffyvision”.  🙂

Unfortunately, Fluffy wasn’t as healthy as we thought, and she didn’t last overly long. My sons were soon asking for a replacement. Next came Squeakers. When we were bringing her home in the van, she squeaked the whole way, which is how she got her name. She was an incredibly intelligent guinea pig who knew to run to the refrigerator, and when opened, which drawer held the carrots – one of her favorite treats. She lived for many years. When she made an untimely demise, we went to the pet store and found two more guinea pigs – Checkers and Cocoa. By this time my sons were in high school.

One day I had a photo frame on my entrance hall table. I’d recently purchased the frame and hadn’t decided what to put in it yet. The frame came with a photo of a woman in it. One of my sons asked me who it was, and I teasingly said, “That’s your great Aunt Gertrude. She lives in Texas on a guinea pig ranch.” We spun all kinds of stories about the factitious family member.

So, when it came time to write the third book in my current series, I told my sons that the heroine’s name was Gertrude. They immediately encouraged me to somehow add guinea pigs to the story. I didn’t know if it was a feasible option since my books are set in the 19th Century. I started researching to see if it was a possibility. I learned about Queen Elizabeth I who had a guinea pig when she was a little girl. Some sites even mentioned the exotic pet trade in Virginia as early as 1627. I had enough information to know I could in fact include guinea pigs into my story.

Here’s a sneak peek at the back cover of my new book, Wooing Gertrude:

Enoch Valentine has given up finding peace for his past mistakes. He throws everything he has into being the new part-time deputy in Burrton Springs, Kansas while maintaining the foreman position at a local horse ranch. But when trouble stirs on the ranch, he questions whether he’s the right man for either job.

Peace has been elusive for most of Gertrude Miller’s life, especially under the oppressiveness of an overbearing mother. She takes matters into her own hands and sends for a potential husband, while also opening her own dress shop. Gertrude hopes to build a future where she’ll find peace and happiness.

Will either of them ever be able to find peace?

Thanks, Jodie, for giving us a peek into how some “quirkiness” got into one of you novels.  And I must add, Wooing Gertrude is available now on Amazon.  And dear reader, please leave Jodie a comment, maybe on how some little bit sneaks into one of your novels.  Thanks.  jim

Here’s where you can find Jodie online:

Jodie Wolfe is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and Faith, Hope, & Love Christian Writers (FHLCW). She’s been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at  .www.jodiewolfe.com

Should 1984 be renamed 2023?

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some banned bksThis week is Banned Books Week.

And in case you haven’t heard, book-banning is in full swing in the United States.  In the 2021-2022 school year, more than 1,600 books were banned across 32 states.  Texas and Florida lead the nation in book banning.

PEN America leads the opposition against banning books.  Founded in 1922, PEN stands for poets and playwrights, essayists and editors, and novelists. Its founding members included  Willa Cather, Eugene O’Neill, Robert Frost, Robert Benchley, and Booth Tarkington (the first president).  It is now part of PEN International (founded in 1923).

Current and past members include Edward Albee, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, E.L. Doctorow, Roxane Gay, Langston Hughes, Barbara Kingsolver, Norman Mailer, Thomas Mann, Arthur Miller, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie, Richard Russo, Sam Shepard, Susan Sontag, John Steinbeck, Anne Tyler, and many other well-respected people in the literary world.

In February, the ACLU joined with librarians in Missouri to file a federal suit over Senate Bill 775, a school library obscenity law that opponents say forces librarians to censor their collections under the “threat of arbitrary enforcement of imprisonment or fines.”

In March, library advocates in Llano County, Texas, won a preliminary injunction and order to reinstate more than a dozen banned titles at their local public library and to stop future bans while the lawsuit proceeds. In his order, federal judge Robert Pitman held that the library leaders infringed the constitutional rights of their users by unilaterally removing books they deemed inappropriate or disagreed with.

And in May, PEN America and Penguin Random House joined forces with a group of authors and parents to sue school administrators in Escambia County, Florida, over the removal of allegedly inappropriate books from school libraries.   Jeffrey Sachs, a professor at Acadia University who tracks free speech in education, claimed “Every single Republican-controlled state where the legislature is currently in session is considering a new ‘educational gag order’ bill. Many even target university libraries ….” It is increasingly focused on an evolving array of subjects, themes, and identities — including U.S. history, race and diversity, social emotional learning, LGBTQ+ identities, and sex education.

A lawsuit in Texas is perhaps the most high-profile suit in an escalating legal counteroffensive being waged by freedom to read advocates in response to an ongoing, politically-motivated surge in book bans and state-level legislative attacks on the freedom to read. Republican State Representative Matt Krause sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency asking if any of the schools in the state have the books listed on a 16 page spreadsheet, as well as how much schools had spent on these 850 books. Supposedly trying to protect the teenagers, he none the less included Teen Legal Rights, Gender Equality and Identity Rights (Foundations of Democracy), Equal Rights, We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and About Students, and Peaceful Rights for Equal Rights

An article in PEN stated, “The Supreme Court has held that ‘one is not to have the exercise of his liberty of expression in appropriate places abridged on the plea that it may be exercised in some other place.’

Under some of the laws, librarians can be fined or imprisoned for not purging books the lawmakers have deemed inappropriate.

Here are some of the books being banned in many areas.  Charlotte’s Web, Maus, (Holocaust graphic novel),  The Handmaid’s Tale,  the Harry Potter books,  To Kill a Mockingbird,  John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Looking for Alaska (NY Times Bestseller, NPR’s top Ten Best-Ever Teen Novels, Time Magazine’s 100 Best Young Adult Novels of All Times, and a TV miniseries), The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (NYT Bestseller, American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, Best Book for Reluctant Readers, major motion picture), and The Lion Children’s Bible: Stories from the Old and New Testaments (banned in Florida).

And considered to be one of the most influential books of the 21st century, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer, has been banned in many schools. It deals with themes of death, trauma, and grief in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Maybe the book 1984 should be renamed 2023.

Please leave a comment – your thoughts on banned books.

An Unusual Anthology

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Here’s a blog from another member of the Underground Authors. I think you’ll enjoy this bit from Joe Congel.

My Journey into Magnolia Bluff, Texas started as a fan. I loved the idea of a group of authors getting together to promote and support each other’s work. I was also intrigued with their group name. They are collectively known as The Underground Authors. I’d already had a great experience with this concept as a member of the WolfPackAuthors, another group of talented writers who banded together to promote and support each other’s work. As a member of the WolfPackAuthors we branched out from just promoting our individual writing into collectively putting together two short story anthologies.

The Underground Authors did the same thing. They put together a collection of short stories all centered around one theme–a single picture of a boat. Then, of course, came the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles. A mystery/crime series that spans several sub-genres within that category. Everything from cozy mystery to psychological thrillers.

I read every book as soon as it was available. There were nine titles released during the first year. I loved the diversity of the stories and the writing styles that each author brought to the table. And I wasn’t alone. There were a lot of other readers that also looked forward to each new book. The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series was a hit.

Somewhere along the way, the group decided to expand as they geared up for the second year of the series. I received an email from CW Hawes asking me if I would be interested in joining The Underground Authors and writing a book for the series. I jumped at the chance.

And now, my offering for year two of the series is being released this month, September 18th.

It’s currently on pre-order for a limited time price of just 99¢. Second Chances: Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, Book 17

You can get your copy here: SECOND CHANCES

You can also get the entire series by clicking here: Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles

Here is the blurb:

Retired New York Police Detective, Brandon Turner wanted to move as far away from the Big Apple as possible.

Pointing a finger at a map, he ends up in Magnolia Bluff, a small town in the Texas Hill Country.

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy to retire here as he’d hoped. While exploring a park with his dog and the real-estate agent showing him the property, they discover a body. They report the death and, as far as Turner is concerned, that’s where it ends. But it’s not that simple.

This body was not the first. There were others and all the evidence points to drugs. The local police are not savvy enough to solve these crimes on their own and ask Turner for help. But the former detective has other ideas. He intends to leave his past life where it belongs… in the past. But he soon realizes that he just can’t stay away from the case. Vowing not to work with the local detective, Turner begins his own investigation, putting himself, his dog, and the woman he just met in danger.

Can Turner and the local police set aside their differences long enough to stop a potential drug ring from destroying more lives? The town’s residents are counting on it. As for Turner, he just wants to solve the case as soon as possible so he can start enjoying his retirement.

___________________________________________________

I hope you’ll give Second Chances a try. It’s a little bit cozy and a little bit not. I think you’ll enjoy it. I know I enjoyed writing it.

Updated Interview with a Crime-solving Priest

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Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Father Frank DeLuca, the protagonist of the Father Frank Mysteries.  He’s a very interesting person, who just happens to solve crimes.   So, let’s put some questions to him.

JC:        How are things going at Prince of Peace church in Pine Tree?

FF:         Quite well.  Most of the parishioners are healthy, both physically and spiritually. And with the bequest Syd Cranzler left us, we are planning some new programs for all the youth in Pine Tree.

JC:         You mentioned Syd Cranzler. I understand you got quite involved in actually identifying the killer. How did that happen?

FF:         Mostly luck. The police chief felt like Syd had committed suicide and closed the case.  I couldn’t believe Syd would do that. So, I had to find enough evidence to get the police to reopen the case. But, the police really solved it.

JC:         Not what I heard. I understand you really provided the evidence to catch the murderer and also to convict –“

FF:         Woah. Don’t go any farther down that line. How about our youth choir? Have you heard them?

JC:         I have and I was truly impressed – not only with their singing, but also with the money they’ve raised for various causes outside your parish.

FF:         Yes. In fact, that was their mission from the beginning: to sing and help others. I’m very proud of them.

JC:         And they got started to help those who had lost a church to arson.

FF:         Correct. Three Baptist churches were burned, leaving many people without their church. The kids wanted to do something to help them. As I said, I am very proud of them and what they’ve done.

JC:         You were instrumental in solving the arsons and putting a stop to them.

FF:         Well, I was there when the police caught the arsonist.

JC:         I heard you identified the arsonist and led the police to stop another church from being burned.

FF:        Would have been better if I’d done it sooner, and saved more churches.

JC:         So, this year, you helped the Texas Rangers tie up a case.

FF:         Again, they did the real work. I was very impressed with Lieutenant Dick Richards. I believe the Rangers really are the elite of investigative organizations. And Richards is an exceptional person.

JC:         Okay, I can see we aren’t going to get much here on Father Frank, the crime solving priest.

FF:         My real job is helping people with their spiritual life.

JC:         But yet, you get involved in crimes – or rather solving crimes.

FF:         Thanks for changing that. I certainly try not to get involved in crimes at all. But sometimes one can’t sit on the sideline. One has to be ready to come off the bench and try to find the solution. With the arsons, churches were being destroyed. I couldn’t sit on my hands and do nothing. And Syd’s family needed some closure. It couldn’t be left that he committed suicide, when he didn’t.

JC:         And the murder at the writers conference?

FF:         My sister was the sheriff’s prime suspect. In fact, he wasn’t looking for any other suspects. I had to do whatever I could. If he wasn’t looking for suspects, I had to.

JC:         So, you’ve become a crime-solving priest.

FF:         (Father Frank laughed.) No, no. I’m just a parish priest. But if I can help people, I think that fits within the role of a cleric. And right now, that means I have a couple coming in for counseling. So I must end this.  Thanks for your interest in Prince of Peace Church. Go talk to the Popsters – that’s the youth choir. They’ll show you what charity really is. You’ll be surprised what those youths say and do.

JC:         And there he goes.  Folks, having talked with the police and Lieutenant Richards, Father Frank really is a great sleuth.  Callan has chronicled some of the priest’s crime solving in the Father Frank Mystery Series of books.

Father Frank Mystery #4 is now out. The good priest took his first vacation in four years and went down to Magnolia Bluff, in the Texas Hill Country. Well, you guessed it. Trouble found him there. But things took an interesting twist. If you get a chance, check it out.

“You Won’t Know How, or When” by JAMES R CALLAN | WYLDWOOD BOOKS EBOOK COVER

Reality and Fiction

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Today’s guest is J.R. Lindermuth.  He lives and writes in a hoJ.R. Lindermuthuse built by a man who rode with Buffalo Bill Cody. A retired newspaper editor,  he is now librarian of his county historical society where he assists patrons with genealogy and research. He has published 19 novels and two non-fiction regional histories. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

So, you can see, he is a perfect person to tackle the dichotomy of fiction and reality.

Facts are important if you’re going to write fiction.

Isn’t that a contradiction, you might ask. Not at all. Fiction is a simulation of reality. If you incorrectly present something in fiction a reader knows to be a fact you may be called out for your error or even lose that reader.

When you’re writing a story you can rely on imagination and create a world to suit your purpose. That’s called fantasy. J.R.R. Tolkien did it to the delight of his readers. So does George R. R. Martin. If the reader understands that’s your intention, it will be accepted without question. While Martin’s work is replete with dragons and magick, it’s also solidly grounded in ‘realism’ through his employment of psychology in depicting his characters and knowledge of medieval society.

This attention to facts is even more important if you’re writing about an actual time and place. You can twist things a bit to suit your purpose–that’s called fiction–so long as your reader is willing to accept your diversion from fact. For instance, if you’re writing a western your reader will accept having a character ride a horse or even a mule. Expect a frown if you seat this same character on a unicorn; that would be fantasy.

So, what can you do to help stick to reality when writing fiction? There are two tools that work well. One is called empathy. The other is research.

Empathy is vicariously experiencing the emotion, thought, or action of another person. This is a useful tool for a writer in many circumstances. However, it has its limits. Some characteristics are timeless. But if you live in the 21st century and you’re writing about the 19th century how can you be sure of depicting things accurately?

That’s where research comes in. No one has yet developed a time machine which would allow us to visit other periods and see what life was like then. We do have some good substitutes, though, which can provide an idea of what life was like in other periods.

Reading biographies, journals, histories and even fiction of the time can offer some insight. Even better choices for learning are newspapers and magazines of the period. Such journals reflect the character of the times in which they’re created; they show us what was important to people, their pastimes, their morals, their prejudices. They can give you everything you need to create believable characters of the time you’re writing about.

These valuable materials are available in collections at historical societies, in many libraries and even on line. Librarians are good at telling us where to find newspapers to suit our needs. Reading them is fun and sure to stimulate your imagination.

Such sources have been important to me in writing historical fiction. They were especially important in writing my latest, Twelve Days in the Territory, which is set in 1887 in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), an area I’ve never visited. I was especially pleased when my editor, a native of the state, praised my attention to detail and efforts to ‘get it right’ about the territory in those times.

Here’s a blurb for Twelve Days in the Territory:Twelve Days in the Territory

Will Burrows, a mild-mannered school teacher, is the only man in town who volunteers to join Sheriff Gillette in pursuit of outlaws who have taken Martha Raker, the sheriff’s niece, hostage and fled into Indian Territory in the fall of 1887.

Gillette doubts Will’s suitability for the task, but the young man who has been courting Martha insists he must go. Yet even Will has doubts about his qualifications and harbors a secret which raises his fears of what they’ll face in the Territory.

Martha, a strong-willed young woman, will show courage and tenacity in the will to survive, confident in the belief she will not be abandoned by the man she loves or by her uncle.

All three will face trials the like of which they’ve never known before and they soon discover Crawford McKinney, the outlaw holding Martha is the least of their troubles.

……..

If this sounds as interesting to you as it does to me, you can take a closer look at

https://amzn.to/2RluAJ1

I can recommend it.

 

Invitation to a Party . . .

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One photograph.Beyond the Sea

An empty boat on the edge of the sea.

Why is it there?  How did it get there?

The sea has washed all footprints away.  Was anybody in the boat when it landed on the beach?

What stories could it tell?

Twelve writers, members of the Underground Authors, studied the picture. And each wrote the story that the picture, the boat, whispered to them.

The result is the anthology Beyond the Sea.

Friday, May 7 at 5:30 p.m. CDT, the group will host a virtual launch party on FaceBook.  All of the authors will be there, ready to answer questions, give “the story behind the story.”  And there will be prizes that those who attend will have a chance to win.

Try to join us for this virtual launch – and see what the boat whispered in our ears.  Click   https://bit.ly/3ams2AG   to see the event page.

Of course, if you can’t wait, the book is available right now on Amazon at  https://amzn.to/3sZ0O9W  in digital.  Paperback copies will be available at the launch.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Profits from Beyond the Sea will be donated to Team Rubicon, an organization that helps with disaster relief (a 501C3 recognized charity).

 

 

An Interview with Maggie DeLuca

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Today, I’m interviewing Maggie DeLuca, Father Frank’s sister.

JIM:       Hi, Maggie. First, just to get everything in order, are you Father Frank’s younger sister or older sister?

MAGGIE     Thank you for that question. I am his older sister.  Of course, sometimes I act like his kid sister.

JIM:       Okay, an older sister, but young at heart.

MAGGIE     You got it.

JIM:       But, sometimes you, ah, … well, as Father Frank says, let your mouth take control.

MAGGIE     (laughs) Yes, he does say that. And that my mouth precedes my brain. But, I’m an upfront person. I let you know who I am, what I do, what’s on my mind. He thinks I should be more private.

JIM:       But it does get you in trouble sometimes; at least, that’s what I’ve heard.

MAGGIE     True. But I probably would have gotten in that trouble anyway, so why wait? Let’s get this show on the road.

JIM:       The last time, or at least the last one I’ve heard about, had to do with the murder of that best selling writer, Rod Granet. That was pretty serious.

MAGGIE     It was. And I have to admit, I regretted some of the things I said, and the people that heard it.

JIM:       Got the sheriff on your case, right? He arrested you and I understand, he truly wanted to convict you.

MAGGIE     That is true. And to be perfectly honest, I was scared. I told Frank he had to get busy and find the real killer.

JIM:       But the sheriff told him if he investigated, he’d throw him in jail. Didn’t that worry you?

MAGGIE     Not as much as a murder conviction worried me. The sheriff wasn’t looking for anybody else. I mean, Rod was dead. The sheriff wanted someone in jail. And he was only looking at me.

JIM:       In the end, Father Frank did come through for you, right?

MAGGIE     He did. But between you and me – do not tell Frank this – I don’t think I’d be here today if it weren’t for that Texas Ranger, Dick Richards.

JIM:       He and Father Frank seemed to work well together.

MAGGIE     Yeah. Richards was smart enough to know what a great asset Frank is. He gets a bunch of pieces of information that don’t look like they go together. And Frank finds the way they fit, and what they mean.

JIM:       Okay. You aren’t going to jail. What’s your next adventure?

MAGGIE     Actually, two adventures. First, I’m going to finish a book I’m writing. And Rod won’t be here to steal this one. I now know I can be a USA Today best seller. I’ve earned an Austin B award for best plot, even though it had Granet’s name on it. So, this is going to be a great book.

JIM:       Sounds like an important goal.

MAGGIE     No, the important goal, and adventure is a new baby. In five months, I’ll be a Mom! That’s even better than being a USA Today best seller. (Maggie gets up.) Got to run. Doctor wants to check out the baby, and the mom.

JIM:       And she was gone in a second. I think she’s gotten a bad rap. It isn’t that her mouth is so fast. She’s fast about everything. But it was a pleasure visiting with her. And I’m glad I got to share it with you.

“From the first sentence, it captures your attention and carries you on an intriguing mystery-solving adventure.” From a review by Sharon S.

“I’ve read so many mysteries/suspense stories that all sound alike. A Plot for Murder is very distinctively and enjoyably different.” R. Bruner, Amazon review.

Rod Granet, award-winning novelist and womanizer, is the main speaker at a writers conference. But after the opening session and in front of a crowd, Maggie DeLuca, Father Frank’s sister, accuses Granet of stealing her story and says he will pay.

That night, Granet is killed.

The sheriff quickly zeros in on Maggie and she is hauled off in handcuffs. When Father Frank comes to her aid, the sheriff threatens him with jail if he interferes.

A Texas Ranger is assigned to the investigation. He sees Father Frank as a valuable asset. Even as the sheriff continues to harass Father Frank and interrogate Maggie, the Ranger pushes Father Frank to get more involved, telling him the sheriff considers Maggie his only  suspect. Father Frank is faced not only with his sister being the prime suspect in a murder case, but also threatening letters, a rifle shot through his car as he drives across a bridge, and the sheriff’s promise to put him in jail if he investigates the murder.

Can Father Frank stay out of jail and alive, and find the real killer?

If you’d like to order a copy of A Plot for Murder: Murder at the Writers Conference, use this link which will offer you a choice of formats and retailers.    https:books2read.com/u/mYAW2P

 

 

 

The Elevator Pitch

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Today, we have a guest post from a talented, award winning writer, Elaine Faber. She Elaine Faberhas a number of mysteries published, including a four-book series centered around a cat who can actually solve crimes, and a three book series set during World War II.  She’s multi-published in magazines and over twenty anthologies. But today she’s telling us a little about her latest mystery, The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain.  It weaves together mysteries about a secret government installation, a missing sister who may have amnesia, drug sales to teenagers, and sightings a illusive woman in a flowing green dress with a mountain lion, who just might be the legendary Native American Spirit Women.

And as you can see below, Elaine has an excellent sense of humor. You can expect to see some of that in this delightful book. And this book has a great cover that sells!

The blurb on the back of my latest mystery, “The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountainbriefly outlines the storyline. ‘While the government plans to build a secret facility, housing tract, and big box store that will easily put the local merchants out of business, someone is selling drugs to the teenagers on the nearby Native American reservation…

 In addition, the frequent  sightings of a mysterious woman in a flowing green dress accompanied by a mountain lion has Deputy Sheriff Nate Darling wondering if she is his missing sister, out of her mind and running with a mountain lion, or is she the legendary Native American Spirit Woman sent to help the troubled town?”

As an author, I always hold out hope for the chance to catch the attention of the big publishing house, but these days, agents are only interested in working with someone famous or possessing a platform of 10,000. We, of lesser fame and fortune must resort to Indie Publishing and self-promotion. Beyond writing a compelling plot and interesting dialogue, we must master the skills of publicist, bookkeeper, full time blogger, cover artist, and skilled orator, always keeping an eye open for opportunities to sell a book we happen to have handy in a large canvas bag.

I’ve become passably competent at most of the above skills, but I recently learned of another talent to master…In the off chance that I should run into that elusive literary agent on an elevator, or sipping a Carmel Macchiato at Starbucks, I must have memorized what is called in the publishing world, an “elevator pitch.” Once I have the agent’s momentary attention, I must deliver a compelling ‘hook,” and within sixty seconds, convince him everyone from a Texas cowboy to a New York stockbroker will buy my book with his last green dollar, and that it will become a Best Seller.

I have practiced my ‘elevator pitch’ in front of a three-way mirror and perfected where to smile, when to pause for special effect, and when to use hand motions to emphasize the final sentence.

Unfortunately, I fear if I should ever be fortunate enough to find myself on that much discussed elevator, in spite of good intentions and hours of practice, I expect the conversation would more likely go something like this.

“Uh… You’re that Random House guy, right! Wait. Let me push this button and stop the elevator. I never thought… I have some notes here somewhere. Where is that paper? Well, never mind. I wrote a book, see? You’re not going anywhere special, right? About that book I wrote… You’re gonna love it. It’s called The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain. Do you like cats? There’s a mountain lion. That’s a cat, right? This lady goes missing in an accident and then there’s a mountain lion and a Native American spirit woman shows up. So, about this cat…see….

****

The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain is available at Amazon in e-book for $3.99.  http://tinyurl.com/y7rp7f3x

Elaine Faber is a member of Sisters in Crime, Cat Writers Association, and Northern California Publishers and Authors. Her short stories have appeared in national magazines.  Please leave a comment.  Click on “Leave a Reply” just below. We will respond.  Thanks.

 

The Pioneer Spirit

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Today’s guest blogger is Jodie Wolfe, a former columnist for Home School Enrichment who now creates novels where hope and quirky meet.  She is also the co-founder of the blog Stitches Thru Time.  When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie.  Today, she’ll explore an aspect of being a pioneer and what it takes. And it is Valentine’s Day, right?

I’ve always had a fascination with the 19th Century. I think part of it is because of the pioneer spirit. A time when people left all that they knew in hopes of building a better life somewhere else, typically in the Midwest. I can only imagine the amount of work, planning, and building it would take to start with nothing in order to dig a well, build a house, plant crops, and eventually have a homestead or farm that could support life for you and your family.

One aspect of the pioneer spirit that’s always interested me is the idea of becoming a mail-order bride. Leaving your current life to become a complete stranger’s wife. Now of course, sometimes they corresponded long distance for quite some time before they decided to get married. Sometimes the fella sent for the gal and they were hitched right away, while other times he sent for her and they had a couple weeks of getting to know each other before they tied the knot. At times a photo of sorts was exchanged, but that wasn’t always the case.

Some guys advertised for a wife in order to cook and clean for them, or to help with children if he had a spouse who’d died, and he was on his own to raise his young ones. A whole slew of scenarios was possible. I contemplated and researched for a while before I came up with a story line for my new book, Taming Julia. I wondered what would happen if a pastor was dictated by his congregation to find a wife if he wanted to keep his job? Their real reason for their doing so was so that he would consider the daughters of those in his congregation. But instead, he decides to advertise for a wife who is willing to marry by proxy.

Proxy is another interesting component of the era of mail-order brides. Some married when they arrived while others chose to marry by proxy (while apart – more of a legal document of sorts) that made them legally married before the woman traveled to where the fella lived.

That’s what I chose to happen in my story. The preacher is given an ultimatum from his congregation to marry by a certain time. In order for that to happen, he advertises for a mail-order bride with the following qualifications:

Matrimony News, February 6, 1875 edition

Minister bachelor aged 27, height 5 feet 10 inches seeks genteel, honest and first-rate homemaker with a desire to serve God. Must be willing to marry by proxy and arrive in Burrton Springs, Kansas by May 1.

During the era, there were many such advertisements in the newspaper for a bride. My twist to the story is that the wife who arrives isn’t anything like what the minister wanted. So now he’s faced with a dilemma of what can he do to tame his new bride. It made for a fun story to write. Here’s a glimpse of the back cover:

In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery’s sole desire is to serve God, but his congregation’s ultimatum that he marry or leave, forces him to advertise for a wife by proxy.

Jules Walker strides into Drew’s life wearing breeches and toting a gun and saddle–more cowboy than bride. After years on the trail, she’s not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family, and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.

How about you, can you imagine marrying a complete stranger and taking a chance on a new life?

Let’s hear some comments on that.  And guys, you can offer what you think about ordering a bride off Amazon.  Click comments below, or the little balloon at the upper right of this blog.  Thanks.

Where you can find Jodie online:  Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jodie-Wolfe-553400191384913

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15220520.Jodie_Wolfe

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jodie-Wolfe/e/B01EAWOHXO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Purchase Links for Taming Julia:

https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Julia-Jodie-Wolfe-ebook/dp/B083L8MDD5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=taming+julia&qid=1578503989&sr=8-1

 

 

 

The Mystery of Writing

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Today’s guest blogger is Patricia Gligor, a Cincinnati writer of mysteries. Her latest is Small Town Mystery series, Book #2 – Murder at Maple Ridge.  She’s had a varied career, including managing a sporting goods department and proprietor of a resume writing service. But her passion has always been writing fiction. Here she talks about the mystery of writing.

 

I’ve always been in awe of the writing process. And, after seven published novels, I’m still amazed – maybe more than ever – at how writers’ minds work, including my own.

I love old houses and, several years ago,I went for a walk in my neighborhood and happened upon an old Victorian. As I stood gazing at the house, I thought about what it would say if its walls could talk. And the first book in my five-book Malone mystery series, Mixed Messages, was born. My twenty plus years in Alanon, a 12-step program for the friends and families of alcoholics, helped me to create two of the characters and gave me a subplot that would continue throughout the series.

I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in a small town. In my first Small Town Mystery, Secrets in Storyville, I explored that possibility. I worked in retail for many years, managing a sporting goods department, and I had lots of stories to tell – through the eyes of my main character. I’ve had friends ask me which scenes really happened and which were figments of my imagination.

Which brings me to my newest release: Murder at Maple Ridge. Once again, an old house inspired me. One I’d driven by – and admired – for many years on the way to a park about an hour from where I live. The knowledge I gained working in sporting goods – about firearms and hunting –was invaluable.

So, although I know what inspired me to write each book, the question remains: Where did the ideas come from to fill all those blank pages? How, as I write, do just the right people, places and things from my life experiences pop into my mind? How do physical and personality traits of people I know or have met, bits and pieces of overheard conversations, places I’ve lived or visited and a multitude of other things coalesce to create the characters, the plot and the setting for a book?

I’ll probably never know the answers to those questions but that’s fine with me because the not knowing, the endless possibilities, is what makes writing an adventure – and a mystery.

To read about her books and/or to order them, go to: http://tinyurl.com/8sd2cz4    

And we’d love to hear your “mysteries” in the writing process. Click on the little balloon at the upper right of this blog to get to the comments.  OR, down below the icons for FB, Twitter, etc, and click on “replies.”