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D.R. Ransdell is a writer and musician. She spent five years in Mexico teaching English and learning folk songs. Now, she plays with a mariachi group and writes a murder mystery series about mariachi bandleader Andy Veracruz. She also teaches writing at … Continue reading
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Today, Carole Brown talks about the benefits of travel to a writer, giving examples of how it has helped her in many books. She and her husband live in SE Ohio, but they have traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and … Continue reading
There’s been many pieces written on the amateur sleuth. Quite often, the amateur is pulled into the case and reluctantly takes it on. In my Crystal Moore Suspense Series, Crystal admits the most dangerous thing she ever did was say “no” to a man who never heard the word. And in that incident, she was pulled into the situation against her will. But, she had the will to extract herself, even if at a great cost. However, this is not the main thrust of the book. In fact, this is revealed only when she tells her sidekick about the incident two years later.
As unadventurous as Crystal sees herself, in both of the first two books it is Crystal who pushes herself into harm’s way. 
For the main plot line of A Ton of Gold, Crystal jumps into the fray. She gets in the middle of things when she believes someone is trying to kill her grandmother, her only remaining family and the woman who raised her.
My latest book is A Silver Medallion, June 2016. Here, Crystal decides to undertake a dangerous mission to rescue two young girls from a drug lord in the jungles of Mexico. Everyone tries to talk her out of it. Her grandmother, Eula, “who is tough enough to charge hell with a bucket of water”(description of Eula courtesy of a Caleb Pirtle review) tells her it’s a bad idea. Brandi, Crystal’s street-wise sidekick, says she can tell a dumb idea when she smells one. And Crystal’s boss, a former bull rider, tells her it is too dangerous. Lucita, the mother of the two girls is not certain she wants Crystal to go, afraid a mistake might mean harm for the children.
Even Crystal is reluctant. Several times, she convinces herself not to go. But her conscience keeps pulling her back. She is plagues with nightmares about the two young girls and their mother, slaves for the rest of their lives. She tries to think of some other approach. But the circumstances eliminate all of them. Finally, she is convinced if she ever wants to sleep again, or have a normal life, she must go and at least try.
Fortunately, she gets hooked up with mysterious Juan Grande. But if she is successful, she will have two ruthless and powerful men, one in Texas and one in Mexico, who now want her dead.
In A Silver Medallion, as with A Ton of Gold, Crystal enters into the dangerous situations willingly, yet fearfully. She has the unusual combination of reluctance and eagerness. It makes for an interesting and engaging character. She is the kind of character that adds to the joy of writing.
For less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks, or a Blizzard at the Dairy Queen, you can get a digital copy of A Silver Medallion. And as one reviewer on Amazon said, “Once I began reading it, putting it down became the challenge.”
Or from the BookLife Prize in Fiction, Critic’s Report: “reads like a gold-medal thriller from page one.”
A Silver Medallion on Kindle at: http://amzn.to/1WxoEaF
A Silver Medallion in paperback at: http://amzn.to/28LIdWs
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Today’s guest is Tamera Lynn Kraft. She writes historical fiction set in the United States because, she says, there are so many stories in American history. She has received a second place in the NOCW contest and a third place … Continue reading
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We pleased to have Kelly Irvin blogging for us today. Kelly has been a non-fiction writer for thirty years. But, she also has three Amish series. The first book in the Amish of Bee County series (Zondervan/HarperCollins ), The Beekeeper’s … Continue reading
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Today, we feature Kristin Neva, an author and blogger. She co-authored Heavy, Finding Meaning After a Terminal Diagnosis. Her first novel, Snow Country, A Copper Island Novel, will be published this winter. She offers writers some god advice on mixing the … Continue reading
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Today’s guest is Jo Huddleston, an Amazon Bestselling author of books, articles, and short stories. Novels in her West Virginia Mountains series and her Caney Creek series are sweet Southern historical romances. Jo is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and … Continue reading
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Today’s Guest is Lynne Wells Walding. Following in her father’s footsteps as a horologist, Lynne’s first writing endeavor was a self-published, instructional book on clock repair. She went on to write articles for several major slicks on antique clocks. But her … Continue reading
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Today’s guest is Donn Taylor, a poet, a writer of mysteries, suspense, and historical novels as well as essays on writing, ethical issues, and U.S. foreign policy. Wow. He taught English literature for eighteen years following service in the Korean and Vietnam … Continue reading
The Book Launch Party for A Silver Medallion was a smashing success.
But First —
Next Sunday afternoon, June 26, from 1 – 3, I am participating in an “Oldie Authors Book Selling & Autographing Event,” or some such name, in Dallas, at the huge Half-Priced Book Store near the corner of Northwest Highway (Loop 12) and Greenville Avenue. If you are in – or even near – Dallas next Sunday, please stop by and say hello. No need to buy anything, just have a visit. Of course, I will have books to sell – just in case.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming – last Saturday’s book launch party. It was my first such event, even though it is my eleventh book to be published. We, my wife Earlene and I, had no idea what to expect. But with the help of the Pittsburg Texas Pizza Inn owner Bob Sehon, we got it set up before the first person arrived. Perhaps the biggest help came from Galand Nuchols, an author of middle grade and YA books. She helped in many ways, not the least of which was to handle all the sales, while all I had to do was visit with people and autograph books.
Two people arrived about five minutes before the advertised start time, and then people came in steadily after that. Some stayed a short time, got books and left. Others stayed for most of the party.
Midway through, I read the first chapter of A Silver Medallion. Then, Bob Hibbard, a professional actor and expert on all things Tarzan, read a short scene from the period when Crystal is in Mexico. Fortunately, I read first, or they would have thrown rocks at me. Bob’s read was amazing.
We had a large glass jar filled with pieces of candy. People could write their name and a guess as to how many pieces were in the jar. Shortly before the end of the party, we opened the jar, revealing the actual number of pieces, and then checked all the entries for the one closest. Writer Linda Hobbs made an amazing guess of 108. The actual number was 107. Lori McAdoo was second with a guess of 110. Linda won a pair of books.
All in all, it was a rewarding experience, with an excellent crowd, plenty of book sales (including some of my other fiction and non-fiction), and good refreshments Best of all, everybody seemed to enjoy themselves with a lot of visiting between writers and readers.
“A Silver Medallion is a gripping, action-packed adventure from talented author James Callan. Crystal Moore is a tough and savvy heroine…”
New York Times Bestselling Author Bobbi Smith
“James Callan’s A Silver Medallion is a fine blend of colorful characters, action, suspense, and serious. Crystal Moore and her grandmother, Eula, are a great team as they take on modern-day slavery and academic fraud in this nonstop novel. Check it out!”
Bill Crider, bestselling author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series
A Silver Medallion is a Crystal Moore Suspense. It follows A Ton of Gold, the first Crystal Moore Suspense. In A Silver Medallion, Crystal meets a woman, Lucita, held slave in today’s Dallas, Texas. The woman is held, not by chains, but by threats to harm her two young daughters she has left behind in Mexico.
Lucita’s husband died and she found it impossible to support her family in her small town in Mexico. A man offers to get her a job in Texas where she will make a lot of money. He will pay her transportation and he will take care of Lucita’s two small girls until she can save the money to pay for their transportation to Dallas. She is told she will make very good money and can save enough to bring her daughters up in a few months.
But once in Dallas and at the home of Hunter Blackwood, it’s a different story. She is paid nothing and told that if she leaves, or even tells anybody of her situation, her girls will be killed. She quickly learns Blackwood is a ruthless man and will carry out his threat. Out of fear for her children, she says nothing and will not consider escaping.
Crystal would like to forget she ever found out about Lucita. But her conscience won’t let her. She finds she cannot sleep without nightmares about Lucita and her two young girls. Crystal’s only hope to return to a normal life is to free Lucita and her daughters. That means rescuing the girls first, for only then will Lucita consider escape.
And that means going into the Mexican jungle and challenging a merciless drug lord.
A Silver Medallion is in print and Kindle editions. Click on the cover to visit the book’s site on Amazon. Or, better yet, stop by the big Half-Priced Book Store in Dallas Sunday, June 26 between 1 and 3 and visit. I hope I see you there.