Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts

Friday, March 03, 2017

THE STORM KETCHUM ADVENTURES FROM GARRETT DENNIS!



Port
Starbird
Storm
Ketchum Adventures Book 1
by
Garrett Dennis
Genre:
Mystery, Historical Adventure

Mystery,
History, and Adventure in the Outer Banks!
~
WHERE IS PORT STARBIRD? ~
Find
out in this quirky tale set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
In
this quirky low-key murder mystery/adventure, Storm Ketchum, a
damaged emigre to the coastal town of Avon on North Carolina's Outer
Banks, likes to mind his own business and isn't any kind of detective
- until he's forced to become one by extraordinary circumstances. On
the verge of losing his modest waterfront home to an unscrupulous
developer, Ketch stumbles onto the scene of a crime that might expose
the perpetrator of an unsolved murder and enable him to save not only
his own home, but also the similarly threatened bohemian boatyard
community he's inexorably drawn into. And in case Plan A fails, he's
hard at work on a Plan B that's both laudable and pitiable. Together
with his loyal dog, a salty charter boat captain, the sketchy
denizens of the boatyard, and an alluring scuba diving instructor who
may or may not have a hidden agenda, Ketch struggles to make sense of
his new reality, while trying to save some of the things that really
matter along the way.


Port
of Refuge
Storm
Ketchum Adventures Book 2

~
WITCHERY & MAYHEM IN THE OUTER BANKS ~
Welcome
to PORT OF REFUGE - another light and quirky island mystery steeped
in Outer Banks culture, from the author who took you to PORT
STARBIRD.
Storm
Ketchum, a damaged emigre to Hatteras Island on North Carolina's
Outer Banks, generally prefers to stay close to home and mind his own
business - but he unexpectedly finds himself entangled with a
cult-like coven of modern-day Roanoke Island witches when a relative
of his paramour meets an untimely end on church property. Is the High
Priestess of the Croatoan Covenant Church really in contact with the
departed spirits of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island? Are the
members of her church really from both this world and the next? Or is
she just a con artist preying on gullible Wiccan acolytes - and is
she a killer? A desire to provide closure for the family drives Ketch
to once again call on his amateur sleuthing skills to conjure up
answers to these and other questions, in the process risking the
physical and spiritual well-being of both himself and the one he
loves.
Join
Ketch, his loyal dog Jack, and his Kinnakeet Boatyard friends as they
embark on a bewitching new adventure in the picturesque Outer Banks,
where intrigue continues to cast its spell on them all.


The
Port Fee
Storm
Ketchum Adventure Book 3

"ENGAGING
AND QUIRKY MYSTERY, HISTORY, AND ADVENTURE!"
Underwater,
everybody can hear you scream, but they can't tell where you are...
Ketch
is at it again in the magical Outer Banks of North Carolina, in this
new adventure from the author of PORT STARBIRD and PORT OF REFUGE.
It's
a picture-perfect summer afternoon on a pristine beach near a ghost
seaport on an uninhabited island. What could go wrong? But things do,
when two bodies wash ashore and Ketch stumbles upon clues that lead
to the sunken treasure of an old-time buccaneer off Portsmouth
Island. Ketch isn't the only one who has an interest in the treasure,
and it exposes both him and his adversaries to unexpected obligations
and consequences. It seems everyone has to pay the port fee...
Good
guys and bad guys, boating and diving, a dash of romance, and a
mysterious otherworldly presence all come together in THE PORT FEE,
Ketch's most challenging adventure to date.

Garrett
lives in upstate New York, where he and his wife serve as
housekeeping staff for two rather spoiled dogs. He has graduate
degrees in biology and computer science. After a career that ranged
from testing experimental drugs (legal ones, and not on himself!) to
developing computer operating system software, he decided to retire
from the real world and try his hand at writing fiction. Garrett
lived in coastal North Carolina for a while some years back, and the
current focus of his writing is a place that's very special to him,
the Outer Banks region of North Carolina, which he still visits as
often as possible. There are now three books in his Storm Ketchum
Adventures series of quirky Outer Banks suspense novels, plus two
short Storm Ketchum Tales. 


Friday, October 16, 2015

DEADLY OCCUPATION IS A FAST-PACED HISTORICAL MYSTERY

My Review of DEADLY OCCUPATION

DEADLY OCCUPATION, by Suzanne Adair, is a rousing historical mystery. If you’ve read other works by Ms Adair, then no doubt you are also a fan of Lt. Michael Stoddard—even though he is a Redcoat. Cheering for him makes me feel a traitor, but I can’t help myself. My American Revolutionary ancestors are probably scowling down at me from above (giving them the benefit of the doubt).



Major Craig and the 82nd regiment take over Wilmington after the rebel soldiers have fled. Those left in town are paroled to conduct business. Soon Major Craig is made aware that on the day the rebels fled, a local woman named Julia Garrity went missing. Michael Stoddard is appointed Lead Investigator to find her.

In this book, Michael is twenty-six. He’s a man of honor and treats those he encounters without bias unless they have broken the law. As his assistant, he’s chosen young Private Nick Spry, age eighteen. They are mismatched physically and by rank, but have much in common. Both young men are keen observers of detail, a quality important in any investigation.

The men are allowed to board at the house of a local woman, Mrs. Chiswell. She isn’t home, but her housekeeper, Enid Jones, is terrified by past events. Michael and Nick are pleased they have good food and a better place to bunk than the barracks. (Nick is also pleased the maid next door is a buxom blond, Molly.)

Michael is aided in his search by attractive widow Kate Duncan, co-owner of White’s Tavern with her brother, Kevin Marsh. One of those assisting with Kate’s intervention is Mrs. Hooper, wife of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Not only has Mrs. Garrity disappeared, but there have been attacks directed at other women: Mrs. Farrell and a young widow, Esmé Delacroix.

A curious new religious group has set up just outside town. A supposed Anglican vicar, Elijah Spivey, encourages women to take part in foot washing and to accept leadership roles in his Mary and Martha of Bethany congregation.  Mr. Spivey is partial to brunettes with brown eyes, which fits Mrs. Garrity’s description. But Mr. Garrity is not blameless, nor is his housekeeper, Mrs. Overstreet.
Although referred to, the demonic Lt. Fairfax does not make an appearance.

As usual with Ms Adair’s books, historic details are blended in without being pedantic. On the contrary, her writing makes history come alive. DEADLY OCCUPATION is a fast-paced mystery that kept me unable to stop reading until the conclusion. I don’t give spoilers in my reviews so I can’t tell more. Allow me to summarize and say this great book is thick with intrigue and subplots to keep readers guessing. DEADLY OCCUPATION is definitely a 5 out of 5 rating.

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016FJNWA4

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1048353039

Kindle UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016FJNWA4

Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadly-occupation-suzanne-adair/1122780410

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/deadly-occupation

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0988912937
 

Suzanne Adair, Author
Award-winning novelist Suzanne Adair is a Florida native who lives in a two hundred-year-old city at the edge of the North Carolina Piedmont, named for an English explorer who was beheaded. Her suspense and thrillers transport readers to the Southern theater of the Revolutionary War, where she brings historic towns, battles, and people to life. She fuels her creativity with Revolutionary War reenacting and visits to historic sites. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking, dancing, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Check out Suzanne's web site and blog at http://www.suzanneadair.net/ to learn more of her adventures.

Here's what Suzanne Adair says about her writing:

I write page-turner crime fic­tion nov­els set dur­ing the Amer­i­can Revolution.

Why the Amer­i­can Rev­o­lu­tion? Well, I hated his­tory the way it was taught in high school: gut­ted of all the cool stuff, reduced to facts and dates so you remem­ber it the wrong way. Come on, admit it, when you think of the Amer­i­can Rev­o­lu­tion, you imag­ine bewigged, bor­ing men who spout unin­tel­li­gi­ble polit­i­cal philosophy—right?

And who wants to slog though that?

When you read fic­tion, you want to be immersed in another world. You want to escape.

I’m on a mis­sion to make the Amer­i­can Rev­o­lu­tion acces­si­ble and fun for you. I give you real­is­tic, relat­able char­ac­ters, tightly plot­ted drama, and thrilling his­tory. You’ll feel like you’re there. Even bet­ter, you’ll never miss the 21st century.

Pre­pare to be trans­ported into a past where heroes are ordi­nary peo­ple. Like you and me.


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

CADENCE OF GYPSIES BY BARBARA CASEY - BLOG TOUR



THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES
By
Barbara Casey

BLURB:  

Three high-spirited 17 year olds, with intelligent quotients in the genius range, accompany their teacher and mentor, Carolina Lovel, to Frascati, Italy, a few weeks before they are to graduate from Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women. Carolina's purpose in planning the trip is to remove her gifted, creative students from the Wood Rose campus located in Raleigh, North Carolina, so they can't cause any more problems ("expressions of creativity") for the headmaster, faculty, and other students – which they do with regularity. Carolina also wants to visit the Villa Mondragone where the Voynich Manuscript, the most mysterious document in the world, was first discovered and search how it is related to a paper written in the same script she received on her 18th birthday when she was told that she was adopted – a search that will take them into the mystical world of gypsy tradition and magic, more exciting and dangerous than any of them could have imagined.


The author will be awarding a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble to one person who leaves a comment on this tour.




EXCERPT
THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES

"Ouch!  You're standing on my fingers!"  This from the petite girl with a long, blond ponytail, wearing a nightgown, most of which was pulled up between her legs and tied into a knot at her waist to keep it from getting tangled on the limb where she was perched.   Somewhere above her the sound of a saw and splintering wood filled the darkness followed by a stream of profanity repeated in several foreign languages for emphasis.

"It doesn't look right.  It's supposed to have a rim and a dent."  Clinging to a 12-foot ladder as she pointed the flashlight first this way and then that, the heavy-set girl wearing a nightshirt buttoned at the neck offered this with a slight lisp.

The girl with the blond ponytail giggled.

"What do you mean--dent?!  Let me see that picture."  The tall black girl completely hidden aimed her flashlight toward the magazine that was being thrust upwards through the thick branches in her direction.

"And the top is supposed to be rounded--like a button mushroom," the girl in the nightshirt added, the word "mushroom" sounding more like "muthroom."

"That's because it's circumcised," supplied the girl with the ponytail, from which she removed a small twig and a handful of leaves.

"Shekoo, baboo!”  More profanity.  “Okay.  I know what to do."  The tall black girl disappeared back into the upper-most branches of the tall plant that was more tree than bush.  After several additional minutes, the sawing, crunching, and clipping sounds finally gave way to the more gentle sounds of tiny snips.  And then, silence.

"That's it; everybody down."

The petite girl, with the magazine that had been overlooked in the last confiscation and now wedged firmly under her armpit, started the perilous descent first since she was nearest to the ground, followed by the tall girl.  The girl in the nightshirt eased her way down the ladder juggling pruning shears, a hand saw, and scissors.  Once on the ground, the three girls stood back to admire their work.

"That is one honkin' Peni erecti," said the tall girl causing a fresh explosion of giggles.  "Let's get out of here."  After quickly rolling down the legs of her pajama bottoms, the tall girl grabbed one end of the ladder and, along with her two friends, lugged it and the other tools back to the shed that housed lawn maintenance equipment.  Task accomplished, they returned to their rooms, and to their individual beds, careful not to disturb the other dorm residents, the floor monitors, their suitemates and, most importantly, their slumbering dorm mother, Ms. Larkins.  Within minutes, they fell into a deep, peaceful sleep--the sleep of innocent angels.

It would soon be light; and Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women would start another day.

Barbara Casey

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. Since that time her award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in several publications including the AMERICAN POETRY ANTHOLOGY, the SPARROWGRASS POETRY FORUM, THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF POETRY (Editor’s Choice Award), the NORTH CAROLINA CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE MAGAZINE, THE NEW EAST MAGAZINE, the RALEIGH (NC) NEWS AND OBSERVER, the ROCKY MOUNT (NC) SUNDAY TELEGRAM, DOG FANCY, BYLINE, TRUE STORY and THE CHRISTIAN RECORD. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ms. Casey's award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in THE COSMIC UNICORN and CROSS TIME short story anthologies. Her essays, also written for adults, appear in THE CHRYSALIS READER, the international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, and A CUP OF COMFORT ANTHOLOGY by the Adams Media Corporation.

Her two middle-grade/young adult novels, LEILANI ZAN and GRANDMA JOCK AND CHRISTABELLE (James C. Winston Publishing Co.) were nominated for awards of excellence by the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, the National Association of University Women Literary Award and the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary AwardSHYLA'S INITIATIVE (Crossquarter Publishing Group, 2002), a contemporary adult novel of fiction, received the 2003 Independent Publisher Book Award and received special recognition for literary merit by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. Ms. Casey’s novel THE COACH’S WIFE (ArcheBooks Publishing), a contemporary mystery, was listed as a Publisher’s Best Seller and was semifinalist of the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel. In 2007 her novel, THE HOUSE OF KANE (ArcheBooks Publishing), also a contemporary mystery, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination, and in December 2009 her novel, JUST LIKE FAMILY (Wandering Sage Publications), was launched by the
7-Eleven stores in St. Louis, Missouri. Her young adult novel, THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES (Gauthier Publications), was released in March 2011 and considered for the Smithsonian’s Most Notable 2011 Books.  It has also been selected by Amazon for its 2013 List of Best Books.  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY (Strategic Media Books), a novel for adults, was released in March 2013 and received an IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction.  It has also been listed as a “2013 Best Summer Read” by Conversations Live Radio and has been placed in nomination for a Pulitzer Award.

Ms. Casey is a frequent guest speaker at writers’ conferences and universities throughout the United States. She is former director, guest author, and panelist of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida; and for thirteen years she served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Florida.  She held the position of Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 to 2003.

Ms. Casey is president of the Barbara Casey Agency. She represents clients nationally and internationally in fiction and nonfiction for adults. Her past and present professional associations are numerous and include being editorial consultant for The Jamaican Writers Circle in affiliation with the University of West Indies and Mico Teachers College in Kingston. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories.

LINKS




Remember to leave your email with your comment to be entered in the drawing for a $25 gift card from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Thanks for stopping by!





Wednesday, October 19, 2011

SUZANNE ADAIR VISITS

Suzanne Adair, Author


 Please welcome one of my favorite historical authors, Suzanne Adair. Her book PAPER WOMAN won the prestigious Patrick D. Smith Literary Award. CAMP FOLLOWER was a finalist for both the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Sir Walter Raleigh Award. Her current release, REGULATED FOR MURDER is certain to win awards as well.


Caroline: Readers love to get to know authors. Please tell us something about yourself that lets readers get to know the real you--perhaps something they might find surprising.


Suzanne: I took up dancing adult classical ballet lessons when I was in my early twenties in college and am still dancing ballet. I've performed in several small companies. Ballet has given me a love of all dancing: ballroom, jazz, country, etc.


Caroline: You must have natural talent, because ballet lessons usually require one start very young. Your novel PAPER WOMAN is one of my favorites. Is the American Revolution your chosen era for all your books?


Suzanne: I'm glad you enjoyed PAPER WOMAN. The American Revolution is my chosen era for this series of books. But starting next spring, I may release the first book of a science fiction series that's set in the 24th century.


Caroline: No, no! I want more Michael Stoddard books! (Oh, for a moment I forgot it's your choice. LOL) Where do you glean most of your research?


Suzanne: Most of my research for the series set during the American Revolution has come from hands-on experience as a Revolutionary War reenactor, and from historical sites that I visit.


From Suzanne's site
Caroline: On your blog, you have photos of Revolutionary re-enactors. Do you participate in these battles or watch them?


Suzanne: I don't participate in the actual battle reenactments, but I watch my sons re-create the roles of redcoats on the battlefield. My active participation is as a civilian accompanying the army.




Caroline: Would you like to share an unusual/interesting experience you had while visiting a battleground or researching one of your books?


Suzanne: While I was staying at the Kinard House, a restored Victorian-era B&B just down the street from the Revolutionary War fort in Ninety Six, South Carolina, I met the resident ghost, Henry Kinard. On two previous visits to Kinard House, the owner had never dropped the slightest hint of a spectral resident, but my experience that third visit tallied exactly with her experiences. I have a scientific background and didn't believe in ghosts, but I could find no other explanation for the experience. And fortunately, it was a pleasant encounter.


Caroline: I've met several ghosts, so I'm a believer.
In the past you had used a traditional publisher. What made you decide to publish independently?


Suzanne: The regional press that originally released my trilogy (PAPER WOMAN, THE BLACKSMITH’S DAUGHTER, and CAMP FOLLOWER) as well as the historical fiction and non-fiction of a number of authors folded. I approached several agents and small presses with REGULATED FOR MURDER, but they dragged their feet or said they didn't know how to reach my audience. Meanwhile loyal readers kept asking me when my next book was coming out. They'd been patient, but they wouldn't wait forever.


By the time my publisher folded, I was managing most of my own promotion and even some of the distribution. Also I'd retained almost all subsidiary rights when I signed the contracts, so I'd already made the trilogy available for ebooks. January 2011, I decided to independently publish the Michael Stoddard series, bringing each title out in electronic format first, then releasing a print version several months later. My print rights for the trilogy reverted to me, so those books will be re-released in print in several months.


Caroline: I'm pleased to know that! They are keepers and I'll want them in print as well as the e-books on my Kindle. I know you use real events in your stories. Are any of the major characters based on real people?


Suzanne: None of my major characters are based on real people. They're all blends of people I've known and fictional characters. The following actual historical people have appeared as cameos or secondary characters in my books:


PAPER WOMAN: Luciano de Herrera
THE BLACKSMITH’S DAUGHTER: Thomas Brown, Lord Cornwallis
CAMP FOLLOWER: Francis Marion, Banastre Tarleton
REGULATED FOR MURDER: James Henry Craig


Caroline: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?


Suzanne: Entertainment, education, and escape.


Caroline: Great answer! Tell us about your latest release, after I remind readers to check the review from Monday's post.

 SuzanneFor ten years, an execution hid murder. Then Michael Stoddard came to town.


Bearing a dispatch from his commander in coastal Wilmington, North Carolina, redcoat Lieutenant Michael Stoddard arrives in Hillsborough in February 1781 in civilian garb. He expects to hand a letter to a courier working for Lord Cornwallis, then ride back to Wilmington the next day. Instead, Michael is greeted by the courier's freshly murdered corpse, a chilling trail of clues leading back to an execution ten years earlier, and a sheriff with a fondness for framing innocents—and plans to deliver Michael up to his nemesis, a psychopathic British officer.


Caroline: Michael Stoddard is a wonderful hero! I can hardly wait to read his (okay, your) next book. Where can readers find your books?


Suzanne:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Regulated-Murder-Stoddard-Revolution-ebook/dp/B005V334M2/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1318876227&sr=1-5


Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96171


Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/regulated-for-murder-suzanne-adair/1106658070?ean=2940013308572&itm=1&usri=suzanne%2badair

 
Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?


Suzanne's bio: Award-winning novelist Suzanne Adair is a Florida native who lives in a two hundred-year-old city at the edge of the North Carolina Piedmont, named for an English explorer who was beheaded. Her suspense and thrillers transport readers to the Southern theater of the Revolutionary War, where she brings historic towns, battles, and people to life. She fuels her creativity with Revolutionary War reenacting and visits to historic sites. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking, dancing, hiking, and spending time with her family.


Visit her blog (http://www.suzanneadair.typepad.com/) and web site (http://www.suzanneadair.com//) for more information.


Follow her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Suzanne.Adair.Author/, Twitter http://twitter.com/Suzanne_Adair/, and Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1188958.Suzanne_Adair/


Learn about downloads, discounts, and special offers from Suzanne Adair and her author friends. Subscribe to Suzanne's free newsletter http://tinyletter.com/Suzanne-Adair-News/.


Caroline: Suzanne, thank you for sharing with us today. Wishing you continued success with your amazing books!



Readers, please return on Friday to meet Alyson Reuben.


Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, March 11, 2011

MYSTERY HAPPENS WITH BOBBYE TERRY


Bobbye Terry, Author
I'm so pleased to have my friend Bobbye Terry as a guest today. Bobbye is a genuine Southern belle, transplanted to the dry cotton fields of West Texas. I used to live near those fields--talk about culture shock for Bobbye!  But she is doing quite well, thank you very much, and turning out so many good books you'd think she had three arms and two keyboards. Nope, just one very determined author who has the discipline to work hard. Please help me welcome Bobbye.

Caroline: How did you get into writing as a career?

West Texas Cotton Field
Bobbye: A fluke or series of them. Maybe it was fate. They could be the same thing. The first time I was consulting in a feast or famine situation when I thought about writing a novel and realized I didn’t know how to write anything but nonfiction. Then I found VRW, Virginia Romance Writers, an RWA chapter. The rest is history.


Caroline: It must have been fate. No one could write as well or as fast as you unless you were destined to become a writer. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Bobbye: Fun, imagination, lively upbeat characters, good development, realistic dialogue and a sound plot. I want readers to remember me.

Caroline: Your characters are fun and I think all your readers will remember you. In what genres do you write? Why more than one?

Bobbye: I love to read many different kinds of writing and so I write them as well ( not just fiction but nonfiction, many types, and poetry). I started in romantic comedy writing with a cowriter as Terry Campbell. To this day, I find it difficult to write anything without humor. I also write fantasy and sci-fi as Daryn Cross and suspense and women’s fiction under my real name, Bobbye Terry.
 Caroline: You do have a gift for comedy, even in your fantasy and sci-fi. Who are your favorite authors?

Bobbye: Too many to name, I do have a lot of Caroline Clemmons books. I love Dean Koontz and grew up with many of the icons of sci fi. In mystery/thriller, how about James Patterson? Love cozies, so add Nancy Cohen’s Bad Hair Day Mysteries. I adore Cindy Sample’s DYING FOR A DATE. On a different mystery note, before I forget, watch out for Tina Whittle. She has a touch of genius with her first release, THE DANGEROUS EDGE OF THINGS. I haven’t even touched the surface regarding authors.

Caroline: Thanks very much for the promo! I have you to thank for telling me about Cindy Sample's DYING FOR A DATE, which I loved. I was already a fan of Nancy Cohen's books. Now I'll have to check out Tina Whittle's book.  Oops, back to the interview. Describe yourself in three words.

Bobbye: Determined, loyal and genuine. Like me or not, I am what I am, so are my friends—and if you don’t like it, too bad. I’ll prove to you I can do whatever I set out to do and take my buddies with me.


Caroline: Yes, those words describe you perfectly! Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Bobbye: I am a pantzer (panzer, whatever) with moderate plotting interruptions. In other words, I can’t know how I’m going to get there because it ruins it, just like knowing the ending of a book I read; but, I think I know where I’ll end up—though sometimes that changes. How do you like that for a circuitous answer?


Caroline: The truth is always a good answer. You’re a prolific writer. Do you have a writing schedule?


Bobbye Terry's photo of a Texas sunrise
 Bobbye: Absolutely—sun up to sun down.  Okay, I usually start at 7:30-8:00 a.m. and stop at 6 or so in the evening for dinner with frequent interruptions and errands. But I have written until ten or beyond. It just depends on the muse and the deadline, the latter usually self-imposed.


Caroline: Oh, yes, when the muse is with us, we don't dare stop writing, do we? Are you attending any conferences this year or scheduled as a speaker? Blog tours or other promotions?


Bobbye: No conferences right now but I am always blogging, do a regular stint twice a month for Writers Fun Zone and The Mojito Literary Society. I even have folks asking me to blog which is a great honor. I promote in a variety of ways from promos on websites to contests. Just check me out at Mystery Happens, http://bobbyeterry.blogspot.com/

Caroline: Any guilty pleasures or vices you’d care to share?

Bobbye: Red wine, dark chocolate and a great cup of coffee. Can I add handsome men? That used to work great, but frankly, they don’t work half as well as good books do anymore. Now if the right one came along in a few years…maybe.


Caroline: I hope the right one for you comes along. When you’re not writing, what do you do to relax?


Bobbye: Gee, not sure I know how to completely relax. My mind works 24/7 Now here’s a surprising one: I read, EVERYTHING. I even read the tabloids in the grocery line, the backs of boxes, candy wrappers, anything I can get my hands on. Nothing to read? I’ve been known to write out points for a plot on a scrap of paper from my purse.


Caroline: That sounds like my husband and me. We HAVE to read something. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?


Bobbye: BICHOK—Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. It’s the only thing that works when you’re trying to get published. The more you write the better you get at it. Of course, you have to read about the right way to craft a novel, all the fine nuances. Learn from those who walked that way before.


Caroline: BICHOK works! Tell us about your latest release, BURIED IN BRINY BAY. I read it and really enjoyed it. Your surprise near the end caught me off guard.

Available Now!




Bobbye: Here's the blurb:

Roxie Turner finds herself up to her neck in trouble when her lifelong nemesis, Georgia Collins, is discovered buried in the town’s landfill. To make matters worse, with her characteristic Southern sass, Roxie has been saying she’d kill Georgia for more than twenty years. In fact, she listed the ways to do the woman in, constantly reminding prominent citizens of her intent. It was all a joke, or so she thought. But the joke turns on her as, suddenly, other dead bodies begin to pile up, all murdered with a technique from Roxie’s list.

Enlisting the assistance of handsome hunk, PI Greg Norris, Roxie’s sister, Trixie Frye, comes to her aid, bent on uncovering the killer and the truth. Can they find out both before Roxie goes to the big house?

Caroline: The sisters, Roxie and Trixie, are fun characters and I liked Greg a lot, too. Can you give us an excerpt?


Bobbye: Certainly. Here’s an excerpt:

Trixie groaned as she flopped on her living room sofa. “I’d never have guessed our town’s detectives could be so downright unpleasant.”


“Make that shitty.” Roxie sat in a side chair and crossed her arms. “I can’t believe our own brother took us in. And you were just about as bad. Thanks for getting us dragged in for two hours.”


“Look.” Trixie waved her finger in the air. “I was dragged in with you. It’s no fun being related to a cold-blooded killer.”


“I am not a killer.” Roxie voice quivered on the last word.


“Sorry.” Trixie kicked off her shoes. “I told you the detectives surprised me with how good they are—at the end, they even had me convinced.”


Roxie sagged against the chair back. “Sure I’ve thought of ways to kill Georgia for nigh on twenty years, but I could have done a lot better than dumping her in the landfill. Even throwing her in the Pamlico Sound like I suggested once. That would have been better. There’ve been a lot of bodies they’ve never found out there. It’s just a matter of watching the tide and the moon phase. Then there’s that area, you know the one off the point with all the sharp jutting rocks and the deep drop-off…”


“Roxie, too much information. Remember, Georgia’s dead with a capital ‘D.’” Trixie rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Who else would the police think did it? You had cause, that’s for sure, and you’ve even told the mayor how you planned to kill her. Everyone thought you were joshing, but now that someone’s actually murdered her, well, thinking you did it is a natural conclusion.”


“So how do we convince them otherwise, Trix? I don’t look good in yellow or stripes.”
Caroline: Such a fun pair. Where can readers find your books?

Bobbye: Just about everywhere: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Smashwords, Koby, Sony, Apple. Look, you’ll probably find them.

Caroline: And there are a lot of books to find if you include the Terry Campbell books. How can readers learn more about you?

Bobbye: I already told you about one of my blogs. I’m also at http://daryncross-fantasy.blogspotcom/ and on my websites at http://www.bobbyeterry-mysteryhappens.com/ and www.DarynCross.com

Caroline: Thanks for being a guest, Bobbye. Best wishes for lots of sales of your books.

Bobbye: Thanks for having me.