Today, we have a guest post from a talented, award winning writer, Elaine Faber. She has 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….

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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.