CASSIE SCOT PARANORMAL DETECTIVE BY CHRISTINE AMSDEN

Cassie Scot Mystery Series

by Christine Amsden

Interview with Christine:

What is the first curse word that comes to mind?  How often and why do you use it?

Damn. I use it too often, to be honest, whenever any little thing goes wrong. My son is starting to say it. We'll probably both need to go on the quarter system soon.

 How would you spend ten thousand bucks?

Alaskan Cruise. Or Mediterranean. Choices...choices...

What are 5 things within touching distance?

My mug of Crystal Light. My audiobook player (A big clunky thing with big buttons for the blind and physically handicapped. I'm legally blind and listen to most of the books I read for pleasure.) My to-do list. An mp3 player. Some random wires.

Do you have a crush on anyone?

I'm very happily married. (I don't think you can have a crush on your own husband. At least, it doesn't feel like the crushes I remember from my single days. It feels infinitely warmer and safer.)

What is your least favorite word?

I won't say or type it but it's four letters long and begins with a 'c.'

CASSIE SCOT: PARANORMAL DETECTIVE, book one, Blurb:

Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

Excerpt From CASSIE SCOTT: PARANORMAL DETECTIVE:

When we went back downstairs, I noticed a door leading to a screened-in back porch and started to turn the handle when my hand froze on the doorknob. My whole body stiffened, and my mouth went dry, so it took me several tries to alert Evan to what I'd seen.

“I found her,” I finally managed, in barely a whisper.

Nancy Hastings, Evan's sixteen-year-old cousin, lay in a pool of her own blood, eyes vacant and staring. Her hair had been a rich, luminous brown but was now matted with blood. It looked as if her throat had been torn out.

“No!” The cry tore from his throat and before I had a chance to stop him, Evan was inside the room and leaning over the body, looking for any sign of life, and probably destroying any trace evidence the police might have collected. But I couldn't blame him. I would have reacted precisely the same way, if it had been my family. As it was, I had to wipe away tears before I could get to my phone and call the sheriff. The need for secrecy had passed.

“Sheriff's department, this is Jane Conway.”

“Jane, it's Cassie. You need to get out to Belinda Hewitt's house right away. There's been a murder.” I hung up before she could ask for more details.

Slowly, Evan rose to his feet and made his way back into the house with me. He had smeared the blood and left footprints on the floor, but somehow none of it had ended up on him. Or if it had, then he had some way of removing it.

“The police are on their way,” I said, not sure if he would be upset with me for calling. Probably not. He looked too shocked to care.

“Yeah.” He leaned against a wall and closed his eyes.

“You should call your uncle.”

“Can I borrow your phone?” Evan asked. “Master Wolf doesn't believe in phones.”

SECRETS AND LIES, book two, Blurb:

Cassie Scot, still stinging from her parents’ betrayal, wants out of the magical world. But it isn’t letting her go. Her family is falling apart and despite everything, it looks like she may be the only one who can save them.

To complicate matters, Cassie owes Evan her life, making it difficult for her to deny him anything he really wants. And he wants her. Sparks fly when they team up to find two girls missing from summer camp, but long-buried secrets may ruin their hopes for happiness.

 Excerpt From SECRETS AND LIES:

The door opened with a jingle, and something in the air told me my day had just gone from bad to worse.

“Edward,” Victor said, as if greeting an old friend.

I faced my former father for the first time since he had announced his intention to disown me. He looked just as he always had, with straight dark hair, brown eyes, a long, angular face, and a wide, curving mouth – curving downward into a frown, that is.

If Victor was the last person I had expected to see in the diner that morning, then my former father was the last person I wanted to see. Even now, with Victor explaining my part in his unusual scheme for revenge, I didn't want my former father nearby. I didn't want his help. I only hoped Nicolas and Juliana hadn't broken their promise and told him about the life debt, or I would never hear the end of it.

The air crackled with visible tension. Sparks of shimmering red fire danced around my father's head. Behind the counter, Mrs. Meyers twisted her hands together anxiously, as if afraid her diner might burn down. Her fears were not unjustified.

I stepped boldly between them, facing my father. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk,” he said.

“I have nothing to say to you. You disowned me, remember?”

The color seemed to drain from his face as he stared past me, at his oldest enemy.

Victor raised his water glass in a mock toast. “I've known for some time. If it makes you feel any worse, so does everyone else in town who hasn't been asleep for a week. Or at least, they guess.”

“I don't care what you think you know. Stay away from my daughter.” With that, he grabbed my arm with a hand hot enough to leave a reddened imprint on my skin, and dragged me through the kitchen to the employee room at the back. Only then did he release my injured forearm.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Christine Amsden

Award-winning author Christine Amsden has written stories since she was eight, always with a touch of the strange or unusual. She became a “serious” writer in 2003, after attending a boot camp with Orson Scott Card. She finished TOUCH OF FATE shortly afterward, then penned THE IMMORTALITY VIRUS, which won two awards. Expect many more titles by this up-and-coming author.

  

Website: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/

Blog: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?page_id=200

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristineAmsden

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Amsden-Author-Page/127673027288664?ref=hl

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1030664.Christine_Amsden

Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/117845642477854934607/posts

Thanks for stopping by!

KARI LYNN TOWNSEND AND TROUBLE IN THE TAROT

Kari Lee Townsend, Author

Please welcome Kari Lee Townsend to today's blog. Kari lives in central New York with her understanding husband, her three busy boys, and her oh-so-dramatic daughter.She is the National Bestselling Author, Agatha and RT Reviewer's Choice Award nominee for her Fortune Teller Mystery series. Kari also writes romance under the name Kari Lee Harmon. Small towns, mystical elements, quirky characters, and a few chuckles along the way are what her books are all about.  

Caroline: Please share something about your childhood.

Kari: I have an older sister and a younger brother, and we grew up all over the place with a dad who was in the air force while we were young. Eventually he retired and became an air traffic controller for the FAA, so most of my older years were spent in northern New York. I have always loved to read, but I also grew up playing soccer and being a cheerleader J I am now married for almost 24 years with four fabulous children of my own: 3 teenage boys and 1 darling diva.

Caroline: You’re an eclectic writer. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Kari: I write both mysteries and romance, as well as some YA, so I have a lot of favorite authors. Basically, I love to try new things in both my reading tastes and with what I write. Pretty much anything with humor and romance is a must for me, even in my mysteries. I especially love Janet Evanovich and Donna Andrews.

Caroline: What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?

Kari Relax…what’s that? I repeat, I have 4 kids J When I do have the rare occasion to relax, I love bubble baths, a great book, candlelight, country music, and Pinot Grigio. As for hobbies, I am a picture fanatic. So if you’re ever at a conference with me, look out! Can you say candid camera? Haha.

Caroline: Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

Kari: You know, I love when people actually do have quotes they love, but I really don’t. I love a lot of quotes, but always forget to write them down and then mess them up when trying to retell them to someone. Basically, I think life is way too short to do anything other than live, love, and laugh hard…there’ll be plenty of time to sleep later. And one of my friends always says, “When life hands you lemons, reach for the tequila and call me.” I want to enjoy this crazy ride we’re on to the fullest for as long as I can, and I am always up for trying new things. Never EVER let fear stand in your way.

Caroline: Great advice. How long have you been writing?

Kari: A very long time. It took me 14 years to get published, but then my agent landed me two 3-book deals within 5 months of each other. All because I finally “got” it, and quit reworking my baby to death, and tried new things. But I don’t think those years were a waste. I think everything happens for a reason and makes us who we are. I probably couldn’t have handled the demands of publishing before it happened since I was a little busy having babies and getting my bachelors and then masters. We get what we want when we’re ready for it, and not a second before J So when success comes your way, enjoy it, people. Because you never know when it can be taken away just as quickly.

Caroline: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Kari: For years, the only time I had free to write was during “nap” time. To this day I accomplish the most after lunch and before the kids get home from school. I am not a night owl, so I get up really early to get the kids off to school. During that time, I check email (have coffee), check social networks (have coffee), check blogs (have coffee)…you get the picture. And then I am sick of sitting, so I make myself exercise (most days), then shower, pick up house, figure out dinner, and finally after lunch, I am ready to write. I need silence, a diet coke or pepsi ( I actually switch when I’m bored) and my laptop. By 3pm the kids are home, and I’m ready to play mom, wife, taxi, etc. until 8pm when I’m ready for that Pinot!

Caroline: Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Kari: I always used to be a panzer, but with my mysteries, I find I have to be a plotter. At least a partial plotter. I love the thrill of writing by the seat of my pants. But I also know I need suspects and clues and red herrings, and I can get way off base if I don’t have some overall idea of where I’m going. I tend to figure out some “main” crucial things that I need to happen, and then I plot as I go. About 3 chapters at a time, so those crazy twists and turns can still inspire me and keep me excited as they pop up throughout the book.

Caroline: I think that makes you a plotzer. Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Kari: I am a people watcher. I love to study dialogue, looks, quirks, etc. So bits of those always go into my books. Sometimes news clips or articles in a newspaper will make me think, “Wow, what a great idea!” And still, other times I actually model a character after a real life person on purpose. Take Granny Gert for instance. She is modeled after my late Grandmother Gertrude in her looks, but a lot of her funny actions are so my mom! I love the idea of immortalizing them, and plan to do that with my husband’s Grandma Tootsie in the next book. She is 98, lives alone, and is a total spitfire. I think Granny Gert needs a new friend!

Caroline: I’ve used my mom and her sister in a few of my books. Do you set daily writing goals?

Kari: A long time ago I learned to figure out exactly how fast I write, and then figure out a schedule that worked for me. I write 4 pages an hour for about 3 hours a day. In a perfect world, that would be 12 pages a day. I am realistic and know that really means about 10, which in my mysteries is one chapter. I write Mon through Fri 5 days a week, so that’s 50 pages a week, or 5 chapters. I take the evenings and weekends off because, I repeat again, I have 4 children. When I’m being good, I follow this schedule, so it really only takes me about 6 to 8 weeks to write a book, and then another month to polish. When I’m not being good, I go on writing marathons and finish a book in 3 weeks. So not pretty, people! Not to mention I am getting way too old for that, so you can probably guess what this new year’s resolution was…stick to the damn schedule!

Caroline: That should be all writers’ resolution. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Kari: If my readers walk away saying, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming,” then I have done my job. I want to keep them guessing. If my readers walk away also saying on a dreamy sigh, “Awww, Sunny and Mitch are so cute together. I really hope they make it,” then I am pleased. If my readers walk away saying all of that with a smile on their face and a chuckle as they add, “That scene about (fill in the blank) was sooo funny,” then I am tickled pink. I love a great mystery, a bit of romance, and a chuckle or two along the way.

Caroline: That’s my idea of a great book. What long-term plans do you have for your career?

Kari: The market is crazy right now. Scary, yet so exciting. I plan to be everywhere. I think it’s important to take risks, try new things, and diversify yourself. I want to continue to write traditional books like my cozy mysteries, self-publish books like my romances that I’ve poured my heart and soul into, and be with more than one publisher at a time. It took me way too long to get published to ever put all my eggs in one basket. Cliché yes, but oh so true.

Caroline:  Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

Kari: I am working on my next Fortune Teller Mystery, PERIL IN THE PALM, as well as my next self-pubbed romance, book 2 of the Comfort Club Series, and yes, book three of my YA Digital Diva series. And I’m having a ball every step of the way.

Caroline: What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

Kari: Never EVER give up! But…don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. You never know what you might be good at unless you give it a try. And never spend all your time trying to “fix” your baby. Have something else in case an editor says they love your writing but what else do you have. You always want to have “something else.” And finally, figure out realistically how many pages you can write a week so you won’t agree to something you can’t produce. Be honest with yourself, and then stick to whatever you set aside as your writing time. The only people who don’t get published are the ones who quit. If you want it badly enough, it WILL happen. You just have to keep at it and pay attention.

Caroline: What’s a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you?

Kari: My hubby is this totally fit body builder guy, yet I am the adrenaline junkie of the family and will try anything dare devilish like sky diving, hang gliding, zip lining, scuba diving, bungee jumping, etc. Yet I am scared to death of rodents. Can’t even look at a dead mouse or rat. Truly petrified. Love country music, yet love hard rock, too. And LOVE to read Scottish Historicals, but don’t have what it takes to write them.

Caroline: What’s something about you that would surprise or shock readers?

Kari: I’m not really shocking, sad to say. I was pretty much the boring, ultimate good girl, but I have the exact life I’ve always wanted and couldn’t be happier. I have been with my husband since I was 18. We didn’t marry until 21, and no, we didn’t have our oldest child until we were 26 J He just makes me laugh and still does. And he and all our children are Catholic, but I am Methodist. Gasp…shocking! That’s about it, folks.

Caroline: Is your book a series?

Kari: This is the 3^rd book in the Fortune Teller Mystery series, and I have at least 3 more planned. Hey, you never know. I guess I’ll wait and see what the characters tell me they want. When they say they’re done, then they’re pretty much done. Then again, readers are very persuasive people. And I love making sure my characters grow and develop. I know the mystery is the focal point, but I hate it when the leads act exactly the same in every book. Oh, and all of my Fortune Teller books focus on a different psychic tool, which keeps things interesting and gives me something new to research and learn about. Not to mention an immortal cat that adds a lot of mystery and fun in every book.

Caroline: Can you give readers a blurb about your book?

Kari: Here’s the blurb for TROUBLE IN THE TAROT

For psychic Sunshine Meadows, sometimes fortunes can be deceiving…

Lately Sunny has been experiencing a period of big opportunity: her business in Divinity, New York, is thriving, and Detective Mitch Stone has finally agreed to take Sunny on a date. But thanks to her clairvoyant abilities, Sunny knows better than anyone that life deals out bad cards along with the good. When Sunny agrees to read tarot cards at the annual summer Solstice Carnival, she meets her Granny Gert’s “arch nemesis” Fiona Atwater, and is overcome by a vision of Fiona in a violent argument. Sunny knows trouble is brewing when Granny and Fiona start having squabbles all over town. But the fighting comes to a head when a local baker gets run over by a big white Cadillac—and Granny and Fiona are found at the crime scene. Sunny knows she should step aside and let Mitch handle the investigating, but she’s not about to ignore her visions and leave her granny’s life in fate’s hands…

Caroline: Sounds like fun. How about an excerpt?

Kari: Here’s the excerpt for TROUBLE IN THE TAROT:

“The cards predict a very long week ahead of us, Morty,” I said as I laid out my fortune-telling supplies on a table inside the gazebo in Mini Central Park.

My big, white, beautiful, arrogant cat scowled and gave me a look—as much as a feline can give a look—that said, Duh! Ya think?

“How did I let her talk me into this?” I asked.

Cat or no cat, his scowl deepened, and I swore I could see the brow he didn’t have arch sky-high.

“Fine. Not me, us,” I added, making a set of air quotes. “And don’t give me that look, mister. You can’t say no to her any more than I can.”

I shook my head at the ridiculous traditional, turban-style fortune-teller hat she’d tied to his head because I’d refused to wear one. I was a real psychic and simply used fortune-telling tools to help interpret my visions. I didn’t care to add to the stigma already attached to my profession.

As usual, Granny was clueless and made it clear she thought I was being silly. She thought Morty looked adorable and that his attire added to our authenticity. I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I’d let it go. At least it was an improvement over the god-awful bow ties she usually dressed him up in.

Morty rolled his jet black eyes, leapt onto the railing, and stretched out in the early morning sunshine. I could see he would be absolutely no help whatsoever.

Just peachy.

Caroline: Where can readers find your books?

Kari: If you go to my website, I have a book page for my mysteries with all the buy links for the latest book here http://www.karileetownsend.com/10.html

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?

Kari: I can be found at my website www.karileetownsend.com and my blog www.mysteriesandmargaritasblogspot.com or www.killercharacters.com and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/karileetownsendAUTHOR  or Twitter http://twitter.com/karileetownsend 

Caroline: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?

Kari: Just that I love to hear from new readers, so drop me a line at karileetownsend@gmail.com and I promise I’ll get back to you. Also that I wish you the best of luck in whatever your endeavors might be. Happy reading J

HAPPY HAUNTING HALLOWE'EN TALE + GIVEAWAY

Happy Hallowe'en!

Here we are on the last day of our SPOOKTACULAR GIVEAWAY HOP and it's Hallowe’en. Please remember to leave a comment which includes your email if you wish to be entered in the giveaway. I'm giving a free pdf of one of my books (winner's choice) to one lucky commenter as I have each day of the SPOOKTACULAR GIVEAWAY HOP. This includes international readers. A follow, signing up for my newsletter, and/or subscribing by email count as additonal  entries, so be sure to tell me if your participation includes any of these. But to be entered, all you have to do is leave a comment. I'll announce my winners tomorrow. The SPOOKTACULAR GIVEAWAY BLOG organizers will announce the winners on November 2nd.

As promised, I have a scary tale alleged to be true. From TEXAS TEARS AND TEXAS SUNSHINE: VOICES OF FRONTIER WOMEN, edited by Jo Ella Powell Exley, this is the book's only incident involving a this sort of fright. Are you ready?



Amelia Edith Barr
1880

 In early summer of 1868, yellow fever came to Galveston, Texas. Scottish transplants Amelia and Robert Carr moved their children to a home away from the city. The house they rented on the beach had been falling down. But a Mr. Durr repaired the stonework and refurbished the building with fresh paint and wallpaper. Nevertheless, Amelia--a psychic--found the house radiated an unclean feeling. Even with two large lamps lit in the parlor, she said the room remained dull, gloomy, and full of shadows. A sense of foreboding hung heavy on Amelia as she moved into the house, but all was well for a few months.


Tiny frogs by the thousands
filled Galveston's streets
(Yes, this is a tree frog, but
he's so cute I used his photo)


By July, the fever had progressed within two or three blocks behind the house. Soaking downpours alternated with distressing heat. The result was streets full of grass alive with tiny frogs in such quantities that pedestrians could not avoid crushing them as they walked.

In August, Amelia strolled with Robert into town. The beds of the dying were drawn to open windows. Hardly a dwelling remained without someone in the process of expiring. Everywhere they walked, the fetid smell of yellow fever greeted them.



Jean Lafitte

 That same month, they learned their home was once a pirate's nest inhabited by Jean Lafitte in the days when Galveston was called Campeachy. Mr. Hall, the man who told the tale, said the house was painted blood red in those days. The vilest of men lived there, engaged in the foulest of deeds that included the slave trade. In fact, Mr. Hall said Lafitte sold slaves by the pound. 

Mr. Hall continued, "...for I know what fiends once made Galveston Island their home. Do you think they have forgotten the place of their sins and cruelties? No, Furies of ancient crimes are here, revengeful souls full of unsatisfied hatreds..."
 After midnight on the 20th of August, Amelia was too restless to sleep. She sat in a rocking chair facing an open window screened by green blinds made of thin wooden slats. She heard a faint stir among the leaves of the Japonica hedge that surrounded the place.


“There fell upon the closed blinds--on which my eyes were fixed--a blow so tremendous, that I was sure they must be shattered...before I could rise, another blow of less intensity followed, and then a third not quite as crashing as the second. I never for an instant thought the blows were made by any instrument. I was sure they were made by a hand.”


Afraid to approach the window, Amelia kept her back to it. She checked on her husband and children, but they were sleeping. Until dawn, she prayed for God’s mercy. When Robert awoke, she told him what had happened and together they examined the window. The thin wooden slats were not broken. The shape of a hand twice as large as any human's left an indention in the slats!

In her autobiography, ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, Amelia wrote, “Why were the blinds not broken to pieces by three blows from a hand like that? And how could the thin strips of wood be made to bend and take an impression? This evidence of physical force made by some spiritual entity remained for every one to see as long as I lived in the house.”



Yellow Fever
Victim

 Tragically, the entire family soon contracted yellow fever. Due to space constraints, I am forced to omit many eerie details. Sorry. Robert and the two sons died, and an unknown "man" spirited them away. In November, Amelia and her daughters moved to New York City where she wrote several books.

Do you believe Lafitte’s ghost dwelled in the house? Do you believe an unknown demon attacked the window? What do you think made the indention on the blinds?

Don't eat too many treats. Have a Happy Hallowe'en!
 
Thanks for stopping by!

AUTHOR LYN HORNER INTERVIEWED

Lyn Horner, Author

Please help me welcome Lyn Horner to A Writer’s Life. Lyn, readers love to get to know authors. Please tell us about growing up.


Lyn: I’m an only child. Born in San Francisco, I was raised in Minnesota, my mother’s home state. My father was a Texan and it’s from him that I inherited my love of the Old West. I’m married to my high school sweetheart. We have two grown children, six grandkids and a passel of cats.

Caroline: I love cats, but only have two. I notice that you also have a memoir titled SIX CATS IN MY KITCHEN. Would you like to give us a small peek at that book before we go on to DARLIN' DRUID?

Lyn: Thank you. I also invite you to try my memoir, SIX CATS IN MY KITCHEN. Six special cats are the headline-grabbing stars, but I touch upon subjects such as grieving the loss of loved ones, living with a disability, and coping with major life changes.

Quoting reviewer Todd Fonseca, “Through her prose, Horner’s love of life, cats, and wonderfully engaging humor comes through in this high energy memoir. Reading Horner’s story is like chatting with a best friend over coffee on a Sunday afternoon – few things in life are better.”



Caroline: Your book sounds inviting. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Lyn: Diana Gabaldon is my favorite author. I adore her Outlander series. I also like Linda Howard and Iris Johansen. As you might guess, my favorite genres are historical romance (especially Scottish, Irish & western romance) and contemporary romantic suspense.

Caroline: We share a love of the same genres. Isn't Diana Gabaldon a lovely person as well as a great writer? How many books do you read a month? What are you reading now?

Lyn: I don’t read as much as I used to because I’m busy writing. Such a burden!  Even so, I read five or six books a month. Right now I’m re-reading KINSMAN'S OATH by Susan Krinard. When I find books I like, I often read them again and again.

Lynn's Memoirs
and her 6 cats

Caroline: So do I, and each time I get something new from them. When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? I know you love your cats, but do you have any hobbies?

Lyn: Let’s see, I love to read of course, and I love movies. Some of my favorites are the "Lord of The Rings" trilogy, "Avatar," "Gladiator," "Last of the Mohicans," and "Red River" (the original black & white version with John Wayne and Montgomery Clift.) Gardening is my only outdoor hobby.

Caroline: At our house we're very grateful to Netflix so we can watch our favorite movies and TV series. Describe yourself in three or four words.

Lyn: Determined, imaginative & somewhat reclusive.

Caroline: Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed your muse?


Lyn: Dark chocolate, Celtic music and steamy hot baths. Oh, and an occasional margarita.

Caroline: You and I have a great deal in common. How long have you been writing?

Lyn: I’ve always enjoyed writing, but from the time my folks gave me a rudimentary oil painting kit, I set my mind on becoming an artist. I got my bachelor of fine arts and worked as an illustrator and art instructor for several years. Then I had two children, we moved, forcing me to quit work, and I found myself isolated at home with two small kids. To save my sanity I began to write as a hobby. That was well over twenty years ago. The ups and downs since then could fill a book.

Caroline: Writing does have a lot of ups and downs that mirror life. Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Lyn: I work on a laptop. My favorite places to write are in my recliner or on our bed with books and research notes spread around me. If I’m writing a blog or answering interview questions I can do it with the TV on, music playing, or my husband talking to me. But if I’m working on a book I need quiet. Solitude is best.

Caroline: Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Lyn: I’m a plotter. I use stickum notes to work out major plot points, then develop a loose outline. It undergoes changes as a book progresses, but having a plan keeps me on course toward my goal.

Caroline: Same here. What did we do before Post-It notes? Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Lyn: I am very often inspired by real events in my western historicals. For example, I use the Chicago Fire and our country’s first transcontinental railroad in DARLIN' DRUID. Most of my characters are purely fictitious, although I did include the real commander of Camp Douglas, Utah, as a peripheral character in DD.

Caroline: Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?


Lyn: I set goals but don’t always meet them. I write nearly every day, starting by 6:30 or 7 a.m. First I check email, comment on some writing forums, and maybe write a blog. When all the “fun stuff” is done, I go to work on my current project. With interruptions for household chores, it’s more of the same until late evening, sometimes into the wee hours of morning.

Caroline: I'm so not a morning person and tend to be more creative late at night. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Lyn: Most of all, I hope to give readers a rollicking good adventure that draws them in and won’t let go of them until the very last word.

Caroline: What long-term plans do you have for your career?

Lyn: I will continue to write my stories and publish them as ebooks. If I’m lucky enough to build a loyal following of readers, I will be proud and grateful. Beyond that I’ll take one day at a time.

Caroline: Well said! Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

Lym: Sure. I’m writing book II in my Texas Druids series. Titled DASHING DRUID, it’s the story of Tye Devlin and Lil Crawford, troubled souls who find both comfort and conflict in each other’s arms. Like his sister Jessie, the heroine of DARLIN' DRUID, Tye possesses a psychic gift inherited from Druid ancestors. He can experience other people’s feelings – he’s empathic in modern terms – an ability that may save those he loves or get him killed. I hope to publish this book by late 2011.

Caroline: What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

Lyn: Learn your craft, research settings and time periods carefully, and write the best book you can. Join a critique group and edit, edit, edit! Be persistent. Don’t let rejection letters stop you. Keep writing, keep submitting, and consider publishing your own eBooks. They are now outselling all forms of print books.

Caroline: Tell us about your latest release.

Lyn: If psychics live among us, if they existed in ages past, is it possible such gifted beings also inhabited the American Old West? They do in my Texas Druids trilogy. Meet the Devlins, whose hidden talents lead them across prairies and mountains, into the land of cowboys and Indians, with consequences not even a Druid seer could predict.

Set in 1872, DARLIN’ DRUID is a blend of epic adventure, stormy romance and family strife, peppered by flashes of Druid magic. Jessie Devlin, daughter of Irish immigrants and survivor of the Great Chicago Fire, is descended from the “Old Ones,” her mother’s name for their ancient Druid ancestors. Gifted with visions of the future, Jessie dreams again and again of an unknown man who saves her from death. A prophetic vision convinces her the man is real and sends her west in search of him. But will her quest lead her to love or into a deadly trap?

Caroline: You've hooked me! I do believe in psychic abilities and several people in my family are psychics of one type or another.

Lyn: Here's the excerpt:


A woman’s shriek rent the air, interrupting his ruminations and jerking him to attention. The sound had come from inside the depot.


“What the devil?” he muttered. Cutting a path between startled travelers, he shoved open the door and stepped into the building. The stuffy interior reeked of tobacco and sweaty bodies. Finding a gap in the crowd, David caught sight of a red-faced young corporal. The trooper bobbed and weaved, arms raised to fend off blows being rained upon him by a woman in a brown poke bonnet. Her weapon was a heavy looking black reticule.


“Scoundrel! I’ll teach ye some manners, I will!” she vowed in a furious Irish brogue. Swinging wildly, she sent the corporal’s blue cap flying.


“Take it easy, lady!” he cried. “I didn’t mean no harm.”


Wondering what offense the man had committed, David shouldered his way through the crowd until he stood directly behind the woman. Slim and a head shorter than himself, she wore a calico gown, the same drab color as her bonnet. Some settler’s wife, he assumed. But where was her husband?


“No harm, indeed! Stand still, ye heathen, and take what’s comin’ to ye,” she ranted. As she spoke, the yellow-haired corporal spotted David’s uniform and threw him a desperate look.


Feeling duty-bound to step in, David cleared his throat loudly and said, “Excuse me, ma’am, but perhaps that’s enough. The corporal might be needed in one piece when he gets back to his post.” His remark drew laughter from several bystanders.


The woman snorted angrily. “Indeed? Well, I don’t give a fig whether the lout is in one piece or twenty!” So saying, she landed a solid whack on the corporal’s noggin that made him yelp.


“Get ’im, darlin’!” a man in the crowd shouted, egging her on.


Afraid the young soldier might retaliate, David reached out to grasp the woman’s arms, stopping her in mid-swing. “Ma’am, if you’ll just settle down . . . .”


“Let me go!” she shrilled, attempting to wrench free.


He should have complied with her demand, but some primitive instinct made him slip an arm around her and haul her back against him. A sweet scent of lilacs and woman washed over him, and he instantly grew aware of her feminine curves.


She gasped indignantly. “How dare ye? Bithiúnach! Muclach! Take your filthy hands off me.”


Glad he didn’t understand Irish, David cursed under his breath when she rammed her heel into his shin. It didn’t hurt much thanks to his leather boots; nor did the small fists pounding on his arms. But her frantic twisting sent the wrong signal to his male parts.


“Calm down, you little wildcat!” he growled. Releasing her, he stepped back before he humiliated himself.


Whirling around, the woman drew back her arm as if to slap him, only to freeze when their eyes met. A choked sound escaped her lips and the angry color drained from her cheeks. Seeing her sway, David grasped her shoulders to steady her. Her hands clutched his forearms as he returned her wide-eyed stare.


Her eyes were sapphire blue, so dazzling that he had trouble breaking their hold upon him. When he did, he noticed how young she looked – eighteen or twenty, he guessed – and what a beauty she was.


His gaze wandered over her smooth, creamy cheeks and dainty nose then lingered on her pink parted lips. Forcing himself to look elsewhere, he noted the dark auburn curls framing her brow. Her ugly bonnet hid the rest of her hair, but he bet it would look like silk when she let it down.


Then he noticed how rapidly her breasts rose and fell, and desire surged through him, swift and strong. He felt a loco urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Reluctantly dragging his gaze back to her sapphire eyes, he wondered what had come over her. A moment ago, she’d been mad as a hornet. Now she stared at him as if she were seeing a ghost.


Dazed by the sight of him, Jessie wondered vaguely if she was having one of her visions. Her gaze kept returning to his gray-green eyes. Crowned by dark brows with an eerily familiar slant, they matched those she’d so often seen in her dreams. Could this tall, uniformed stranger be the man she had left home to find? She hadn’t expected her quest to bear fruit so soon. And the longer she studied his sun-bronzed, square-jawed face, arrow-straight nose and unyielding mouth, the more she doubted he was the one.


Those rakish features were hard, not gentle, and his hauntingly familiar eyes did not caress her like the ones in her dreams. Instead, they devoured her, making her stomach flutter and her heart race. When he boldly stared at her breasts, they tingled as if he were actually touching them. Stunned by her reaction, she inhaled sharply, catching the scent of shaving soap and virile male. She wondered if he would kiss her.


Caroline: Intriguing excerpt to add to the blurb. I'm sure they've made readers want to read the book. Where can readers find DARLIN' DRUID?

Lyn:
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ASNDES


Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?ean=2940012184290


Caroline: Anything else you’d like readers to know?

Lyn: See my vision of my book:

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?

Lyn: My home page: http://texasdruids.com//


Blog site: http://texasdruids.blogspot.com/


Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lyn-Horner/161787403863487

Thank you, Lyn, for sharing a new type of western historical with us today. Continued good luck with your writing career!

Thanks to you, readers, for stopping by.

EVER HAD YOUR FORTUNE TOLD?

A premise I’m developing for a Victorian novel involves a woman posing as a fortuneteller. Is she real? No. Do I believe it’s possible to predict the future? Yes! Just as I believe there are many people with psychic abilities who can see into our lives, I also believe that there are even more fake psychics preying on the public’s need to learn the unknown.



Fortune Teller

  A man in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas never made a business decision without contacting a particular medium, Madame Della Fox. There were rumors about her uncanny ability, and many others in our town relied on her for important decisions. These were successful people, so perhaps she was genuine.There were stories when I was a teen of her success. I do believe there are those gifted with the ability to foretell the future, who are psychic, and who can contact the dead. Since there are currently at least two television series along this theme, others must believe with me. After all, the series “Ghost Whisperer” is based on the life of a real woman, Mary Ann Winkowski.

Palm reading

My grandmother, who herself had a bit of “the gift” (she called it a curse) to foretell events, had her fortune told by a traveling gypsy when my mom was very young. The gypsy’s predictions came true. One of my BFF’s recently had her fortune told and the fortuneteller knew things she couldn’t have known unless she was truly psychic.


Victorians embraced the occult, both for entertainment and for answers. Change came quickly during the Industrial Revolution. Individuals were caught between eras. No wonder they grasped at the occult for answers. Fascination in mesmerism had begun a century earlier. During the Regency period, it was not uncommon to have a fortuneteller entertain guests at a house party. By the Victorian period, many sought help from fortunetellers—palm readers, tarot, seances, and other attempts to contact the dead or foresee the future. Others enjoyed the pretense. Although having fortunetellers appear at a party may not still be in vogue, most of us are no less fascinated by the occult.

Alice Duncan has a terrific SPIRIT mystery series in which the heroine, Daisy Gumm Majesty, is a fake psychic in 1920’s Pasadena, California. No, Daisy’s not a charlatan, just a woman down on her luck with an uncanny ability to analyze human nature and solve murders. She never claimed otherwise, but was drawn in to being a “psychic” by her aunt’s wealthy employer. I love this series, and it’s available right now on Kindle for 99 cents each. I’d read all but the latest, but I snapped up the entire series at this bargain. They include STRONG SPIRITS, HIGH SPIRITS, FINE SPIRITS, and HUNGRY SPIRITS. (I picked up some of Alice's other titles too.) Daisy has to earn a living for herself and help her family. Her husband, Billy Majesty, was permanently disabled in WWI from mustard gas, but Daisy plunges ahead with her business, keeping a smile for Billy regardless of her own emotions.

Her latest

If you love romantic suspense involving paranormal events and gifted people, you have probably already read Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick. I especially love the quirky, intelligent heroines writen as Amada Quick. I never miss one of her books. Perhaps I am too fascinated by people with extraordinary powers.
 Now, where did I put those Tarot cards . . .

Book Review--The Girl on Legare Street

With THE GIRL ON LEGARE STREET, author Karen White delivers another winning paranormal to delight readers. Her earlier book, THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET began the story of Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm with Melanie inheriting an antebellum mansion and the return of her father. THE GIRL ON LEGARE STREET continues that story with the return of Melanie's famous opera singer mother, Ginnette Prioleau Middleton, from whom Melanie has been estranged since Ginnette abandoned Melanie thirty years ago. Ginnette wants a reconciliation, but Melanie is not ready to forgive, in spite of the little girl inside her crying for her mommy.

Melanie sees and talks to dead people. She even receives phone calls from her dead grandmother. Ginnette is an empath, which is why she always wears gloves to protect her from vibrations picked up through her fingertips. Ginnette has returned to Charleston because she senses Melanie is in danger. She's correct! Jack, Melanie, and Ginnette combine forces to protect one another from a perilous foe..

Author Kerrelyn Sparks calls this book "Southern Living Meets Southern Unliving. A Lovely Read That's Elegant, Spooky, Romantic, And Scary." I wholeheartedly agree. Karen White is an amazing author whose work includes the subtle, dry humor I love. She perfectly captures today's Southern living--and I don't mean the magazine. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good paranormal with romance and mystery--and dead people.