Author Showcase: Charles Dougherty

 The inspiration for the J.R. Finn Sailing  Series

I was alone, tying my dinghy to a marina dock in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. Looking down at the cleat as I secured the bow line, I was surprised when two bare feet came into view.

"Coming or going?" a girl asked.

Glancing up at her, I saw that she was deeply tanned, with shoulder-length hair bleached by sun and saltwater. She wore cutoffs and a plain, white T-shirt. A worn backpack hung from one shoulder. Smiling, she looked me in the eye. She was an appealing young woman in her early twenties — about my daughter's age.

"Sorry," I said. "What's that?"

Holding my gaze, she grinned. "Are you just arriving, or are you about to leave St. Lucia?"

"I've been here a couple of days," I said.

"I'm looking for a ride. Are you by yourself?"

"No."

"Got a lady aboard?" she asked.

"My wife."

"That's cool," she said. "I'm flexible if you guys are."

I shook my head. "We aren't planning to leave any time soon. Sorry."

"No problem, but if you hear of anybody looking for crew, they can find me in the bar."

"Where are you headed?"

"Anywhere," she said. "I need to get out of St. Lucia. Thanks."

I nodded, and she turned away, heading for the bar in the marina.

That was twenty-plus years ago, but the memory is vivid. She was living dangerously. Did I look harmless to her, or was she so desperate to leave that she didn't care?

I've often wondered what became of her. Every time I hear about a woman going missing, she comes to mind.

Early in 2018, I decided to write a third series of sailing thrillers. My first two series, the Bluewater Thrillers and the Connie Barrera Thrillers, were well established. The Connie Barrera books are a spin-off from the Bluewater series, so I was looking for something different. I needed a new challenge. I settled on a male protagonist, as both of my established series featured women in the lead roles.

My protagonist is a retired government assassin named Finn. He lives on a beat-up old sailboat in the islands. Maybe Finn's not really retired. He does a little contract work for his old employer sometimes.

Needing an opening scene for Finn's first adventure, I drew on memories of my years sailing the Caribbean. That young woman I met in St. Lucia had promise. What if she wasn't as clean-cut as she appeared? She might have been looking for trouble. What if she approached Finn instead of me?

And that's how Assassins and Liars began. The young woman found Finn tying up his dinghy in Puerto Real, Puerto Rico. She introduced herself as Mary O'Brien and told him she was looking for a ride.

And so the J.R. Finn Sailing Mystery Series began. Eight books later, Finn's still trying to understand what Mary's game is, but he's enjoying her company. She seems to be fond of him, too, but there's still plenty of trouble ahead for both of them. I'm working on the ninth book in the series, and I'm enjoying their company more with every chapter.

For more information on the Finn books, go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PDJ5LQJ.

Sharks and Prey

Amazon

Kidnapping, Sex-Trafficking and Betrayal in the Islands

Sharks and Prey is the eighth and latest book in the J.R. Finn sailing mystery series. The series begins in Puerto Rico with Assassins and Liars, when Finn meets Mary O'Brien.

"People just call me Finn," he says, by way of introduction.

Finn is retired after a 20-odd-year career as an assassin with an unnamed government agency, but he still handles a contract job for them once in a while.

He's about to leave on a mission when Mary appears out of nowhere and asks to hitch a ride on his sailboat. She doesn't care where he's going; she just wants to leave Puerto Rico in a hurry.

Finn agrees to take her along, thinking she'll provide cover for his clandestine mission. The trouble begins before they even leave port. Mary isn't at all what she appears to be, but somehow, she and Finn become a couple over the course of several books.

In Sharks and Prey, Finn’s daughter, Abby, disappears from a beach resort in Antigua while on a semester break. Finn and Mary have just arrived in Antigua aboard their boat, Island Girl, to relax between missions. They learn that Abby’s missing when they see a poster in the Customs and Immigration office.

Finn has never met Abby; her mother divorced him while he was on a clandestine mission over 20 years earlier. He hasn’t spoken to his ex-wife since he left on that mission, but he’s followed his daughter’s life from afar. Distressed, Finn calls his ex-wife and offers his help.

Join Finn and Mary in Antigua as they wreak havoc while looking for Abby and her roommate.

Another page-turner in the J. R. Finn series, Sharks and Prey is perfect for fans of mystery / thrillers set in the Caribbean.

Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PDJ5LQJ

Author Bio

Charles Dougherty has written over 35 mystery/thrillers in three series set in Caribbean sailing world, plus two non-fiction books about life as a full-time cruising sailor, and a few other stand-alone novels.

Dougherty is a lifelong sailor; he's lived what he writes. He and his wife spent over 30 years sailing together. For 15 years, they lived aboard their boat full-time, cruising the East Coast and the Caribbean islands. They spent most of that time exploring the Eastern Caribbean. Dougherty is well acquainted with the islands and their people. The characters and locations in his novels reflect his experience.

A storyteller before all else, Dougherty lets his characters speak for themselves. Pick up one of his sailing thrillers and listen to the sound of adventure as you smell the salt air. Enjoy the views of distant horizons and

meet some people you won't forget.

These days, Dougherty and his wife are living in Texas to be close to their two children and eight grandchildren. As he says, "The sea and the islands will always be there, but little ones grow up quickly."

Find out more about his books at http://www.clrdougherty.com/p/home.html

First Friday in December-Dougherty, Iyer, Vidler

 It’s First Friday, when three authors post their 150-word stories based on a single picture. Read them! You may find a new author to follow. Here’s the inspiration.

Nick Fewing, Unsplash

Dougherty

It Ain't So Bad, Really

Me and the dogs, we seen better days. Worse days, too, though. Just now, it ain't so bad. We got one another for company, and to keep warm. Out here's a pretty good place to be; it beats them shelters all to hell. That's for sure. Shut up in there with all them bums, that ain't so good. Ain't so healthy, either. Not with the virus goin' round. Better out here, where the air's fresh and clean.

Yep, I been in worse places. The dogs, too. People think it's dangerous out here, but they got no clue. It's like a damn park compared to some of the places I been.

The only problem now is the restaurants bein' closed. Dinin' from their dumpsters ain't what it once was, what with all that carry-out business. But don't worry about us. We're gettin' by, and Christmas is comin' soon.

 Iyer

As I approached the man and his dog, I looked straight ahead. If I didn’t see the homeless I could convince myself they didn’t exist. That wasn’t true, of course, and I was ashamed for thinking it. As I passed, the old dog left his master’s lap and inched toward me. He seemed to know me. I stooped to scratch his neck when I noticed the white spots on his ears. I knew that dog. I gave the lab to someone many years ago. I studied the man. He raised his gaze, and our eyes met.

“Richie?” I said.

The man lowered his head and covered his face with his arm. My heart sank and soared simultaneously. “Richie,” I repeated. “I’ve searched everywhere for you.”

“I couldn’t let you see me this way,” he said.

“Now that I’ve found you, little brother, I’ll never let you go again. Come home.”

 Vidler

The dog did it. No one noticed Wilder. People focused on Harpo, and Wilder kept his head down. Folks were generous at Christmas, especially with the dog on his lap. A little boy offered Harpo his hamburger. Iffy situation, that one—the dogs were trained to never accept food from strangers. Wilder whispered firmly and Harpo scarfed it down. The kid beamed.

They’d collected quite a bit in the cup. But it was cold, the concrete was hard, and they’d been here for three days. Was it worth it? Street gossip said Bully Bill met with his dealer here, and Wilder and Harpo were ready.

And there he was, the fat man with bulging pockets. Harpo’s hair rose, and Wilder felt the silent rumble in the dog’s chest. Harpo’s muscles bunched. Wilder lifted the Glock from under the blanket. “GO!”

Harpo sprang.

Surveillance was a bitch, but it paid off.

 About the Authors

CLR Dougherty

Charles Dougherty has written over 35 mystery/thrillers in three series set in Caribbean sailing world.

Dougherty is a lifelong sailor; he's lived what he writes. For 15 years, he and his wife lived aboard their boat full-time, cruising the East Coast and the Caribbean islands. They spent most of that time exploring the Eastern Caribbean. Dougherty is well acquainted with the islands and their people. The characters and locations in his novels reflect his experience.

A storyteller before all else, Dougherty lets his characters speak for themselves. Pick up one of his sailing thrillers and listen to the sound of adventure as you smell the salt air. Enjoy the views of distant horizons and meet some people you won't forget.

Find out more about Charles Dougherty and his books at http://www.clrdougherty.com/p/home.html

Sharks and Prey

Amazon

Kidnapping, Sex-Trafficking and Betrayal in the Islands

Sharks and Prey is the eighth book in the J.R. Finn sailing mystery series.

Finn’s daughter, Abby, disappears in Antigua while on a semester break. Finn has never met Abby; her mother divorced him while he was on a clandestine mission over 20 years earlier. He hasn’t spoken with his ex-wife since he left on that mission, but he’s followed his daughter’s life from afar.

 Finn and his friend Mary visit Antigua aboard their boat, Island Girl, for a short holiday. They discover Abby’s missing when they see a poster in the Customs and Immigration office.

 Distressed, Finn calls his ex-wife and offers his help.

Join Finn and Mary in Antigua as they wreak havoc while looking for Abby.

Sharks and Prey is perfect for fans of mystery / thrillers set in the Caribbean.

Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PDJ5LQJ.

Polly Iyer

Polly Iyer is the Amazon bestselling author of ten books of suspense. They include Hooked, InSight, Murder Déjà Vu, Threads, we are but WARRIORS, Kindle Scout winner Indiscretion, and four books in the Diana Racine Psychic Suspense series: Mind Games, Goddess of the Moon, Backlash, and The Scent of Murder. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and monthly on the Blood Red Pencil Blog. Website

we are but WARRIORS

Amazon

Her latest book, we are but WARRIORS, is about an Israeli publisher whose Middle East peace plan divides his country into supporters and enemies. Some even want him dead before he speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It’s up to General Benjamin Lowe’s Security Agency and his twin sons, one a disabled Afghanistan vet, the other a covert military operator, to thwart a wily assassin and the sinister cabal behind an operation that could change the face of the Middle East, with a shrinking timeframe to prevent it. 

Ellis Vidler

Ellis is filling in for someone who couldn’t make it this month. She’s the author of five suspense novels (one with Jim Christopher) and two short story collections.

Cold Comfort

Amazon

After being dumped by her faithless fiancé, Claire Spencer abandons her dreams and settles for a quiet life as a Williamsburg Christmas shop owner. So how does she become a killer’s target?

Sometime security consultant Riley, burned out and haunted by a young girl he couldn’t save, vows never to work with women again. But when a thug tries to kill Claire, Riley's plans go all to hell. Knowing she’s in danger, he can’t walk away.

While dodging speeding cars, ducking bullets, and escaping through murky swamp waters, conventional Claire and freewheeling Riley struggle against their powerful chemistry—if she’s picket fences, he’s barbed wire.

________________________

Join us! Post your own version in the comments--150 words. 

The Genesis of the Glorious Twelfth

Buy Links Below for US and UK

My guest this week is Alan Calder, author of The Glorious Twelfth, a mystery/suspense novel set in Scotland.

    The Glorious Twelfth is set in my native Caithness where I was brought up and went to school. The most northerly Scottish mainland county has a particular atmosphere. It lies beyond the Highlands, the people a mix of Viking and Gael, the land littered with the stones of its prehistory, the geography dominated by the rugged cave infested cliffs of old red sandstone, the sky vast and the sea always brooding. Indeed the sea has always played a vital role in Caithness life, especially during the 19^th century when the herring fishing became established and provided the basis of between the wars writer Neil Gunn’s famous novel, The Silver Darlings. Caithness is a unique place and a fitting setting for the first novel that I began to write.

    In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown speculates that the Holy Grail lies buried in the filled in crypt of Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh. This mysterious church was built by the Sinclairs in the first half of the fifteenth century, by which time the clan was well established in Caithness where it still holds the Earldom. Caithness, then remote and inaccessible, would have provided a much better hiding place for the Grail than Rosslyn, especially after the Sinclairs began to build a series of heavily fortified castles round the Caithness coast. 

    In Caithness, the Sinclairs also built several mausoleums where many generations of their upper echelons were laid to rest. One of these, an enchanting building with an ogive shaped roof, is built over the remains of an ancient chapel to St Martin and surrounded by a graveyard which once contained a class II Pictish stone, conferring great antiquity on the site.  So the mystery of the Sinclair Clan is the main driver of the novel.

    The Glorious Twelfth opens on an archaeological dig led by archaeologist, Ben Harris, on the land of Sir Ranald Sinclair. Ben is soon distracted both by the laird’s beautiful daughter, Fran and artefacts that point to a medieval shipwreck near a cave that he discovers is connected by a tunnel to Sir Ranald’s mausoleum.  

ABOUT ALAN CALDER

Alan Calder is a Scottish born writer who divides his time between Yorkshire and his native Caithness. He is married to Jennifer and has two daughters and four grandchildren. He has BSc and PhD degrees in chemistry from the University of Aberdeen.

    Writing novels and poetry follows a successful career in research and marketing with ICI/Zeneca. He was made a CBE in 1996 for services to the chemical industry. He is also interested in fishing, walking and photography. His first book, The Stuart Agenda, was published in 2011.

ABOUT THE BOOK

    The Glorious Twelfth opens as archaeologist Ben Harris finds a Celtic stone and evidence of a medieval shipwreck on the Noster estate of Sir Ranald Sinclair. Careless talk by Ben at a conference in Paris sparks off a robbery at  Sir Ranald’s mausoleum, uncovering a treasure that has been hidden for centuries. The robbery follows the opening day of the grouse season, hence the title of the book. The chief villain, grail fanatic Russian Boris Zadarnov, also abducts Sir Ranald’s wayward daughter, Fran, who is already in love with Ben. American oilman Al Regan, a neighbour of Sir Ranald, leads a rescue party to Paris where Fran is freed and most of the treasure recovered, but the thieves escape with a ruby encrusted chalice

    For a series of misdemeanours, Ben is sacked from his university job. He finds consolation in the arms of Fran and moves north to continue treasure hunting, making the discovery of his life near one of the ancient Sinclair castles. Has he found the greatest archaeological prize in Christendom, the Holy Grail? Will he be able to protect it from the malevolent attention of the Russians?

    The genre is mystery/suspense with a streak of romance running all the way through. The action takes place mainly in Caithness with forays to Edinburgh, France, Italy, Egypt and Poland. The book can be downloaded to e-readers from Amazon or the publisher’s website.

    Buy Links for The Glorious Twelfth

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=531&category_id=69&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BG04SS8

www.amazon.com/dp/B00BG04SS8

    Also by Alan Calder, The Stuart Agenda published by Willowmoon  www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005BJ3GNI

www.amazon.com/dp/B005BJ3GNI

Interview with Jacqueline Seewald

Harlequin

Jacqueline is the author of a romantic mystery series featuring psychic librarian Kim Reynolds, a paranormal historical romance (Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards) as well as a number of short stories.

How did you decide to become a writer? Is it what you expected?

 I began writing as a small child. I always seemed to be making up stories. When I was able, I started writing them down. My mother bought me my first typewriter when I was eleven and taught me how to touch type.

Writing wasn’t what I expected. It’s a lot of hard work and not much glory. The writing itself is the easy, joyful, creative part. It’s the constant rewriting that’s hard. It requires lots of self-discipline.

What did you read as a child?

I read the usual children’s books early on. But when I turned ten I decided to read the classics, the great literature of the world.  I read books like The Three Musketeers for example. Later on, I enjoyed Jane Austen, Charles Dickens.

 Which comes first, plot or characters?

For novels, it’s the characters. They live in my head for a long time before I write a word.

 Plotter or pantser?

I guess a little of each, although I do try to outline a novel before I write it.

I like to know where it’s going so that there’s cohesion in the plot.

Who would you like to play your main characters in a movie?

A hard question to answer! I love George Clooney but think he’s now a bit too old for the lead male character Police Lieutenant Mike Gardner in the Kim Reynolds mystery series. As for Kim, there are a lot of actresses that could play her part well.

 Which of your characters would you least like to meet in a dark alley?

Probably Detective Bert St. Croix, Mike’s badass homicide partner—she doesn’t suffer fools. So if you’re a bad guy, watch out!

What’s coming out next?

The next new Five Star/Gale mystery novel comes out in hardcover August 2013. It’s completely different from any of my other novels. It’s written with my older son Andrew. Entitled The Third Eye, the novel is set in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, an area I love and think is quite unique.

Anything else you want to say?

In the Kim Reynolds series, there are connected murders that need to be solved. The main characters become personally involved as in THE TRUTH SLEUTH when Kim initially finds the body of a murdered boy and later discovers another on the high school grounds.

At Amazon

Each novel in the series is an independent mystery. However, each develops Kim as a person and her life continues to change much as that of a real person.

I am pleased that THEINFERNO COLLECTION and THE DROWNING POOL are now available at low cost in all e-book formats. You can check them out at:

http://www.lldreamspell.com/JacquelineSeewald.htm

Harlequin Worldwide Mystery reprinted THE TRUTH SLEUTH, the third novel in the Kim Reynolds mystery series, in January 2013 so the novel is now available inexpensively as a paperback.

Could you give us a short excerpt from one of your books?

This is from the beginning of THE TRUTH SLEUTH:

Kim was developing an uncomfortable feeling of wrongness; a kind of prickling sensation slithered down her spine. She recognized the feeling for what it was but shook her head, trying to dispel the spasm of dread that suddenly gripped her. God, not this again! Would she ever be free of it?

Then Kim gasped, seized by a stab of pain. In her mind, she heard a silent scream, an astonished cry for help. She felt another’s panic and terror. She began to shiver and tremble.

“What’s the matter?” Bert asked, her dark brows rising then knitting together in concern.

“Someone’s been hurt.” Those were the only words she managed to choke out.

“Who? Where?” April asked, glancing around in confusion.

“Maybe we better have a look,” Bert said. Her height of six feet gave her an advantage over both Kim, who was five foot six inches, and April, who was barely five foot two inches tall.

The crowd was starting to thin out, many bikers revving up their engines in anticipation of leaving now that today’s entertainment was over. Kim led, Bert and April following behind her. Although she was not really certain where she was going, Kim plowed blindly through the garbage-strewn grounds. And then she saw him: a very young man sitting in an aluminum beach chair, head slumped forward as if he were in a deep sleep.

“He’s dead,” Kim heard herself say with certainty. Her voice sounded hollow, expressionless and faraway, as if it belonged to someone else.

“Oh, God, are you sure?” April asked, tossing her gold-tinted curls as if to deny Kim’s statement.

“Kim’s got this gift of knowing stuff like that,” Bert said.

More like a curse, in Kim’s opinion.

Bert knelt down, at first not touching the body. “I don’t think he’s breathing.” Bert’s voice had taken on a note of professional authority. She looked and sounded like the seasoned policewoman she was. Bert felt for a pulse, then shook her head. “Don’t touch anything. I’m calling this in.” There was a grim expression on Bert’s café au lait features. She pulled a small cell phone out from the pocket of her black leather jacket.

Before Bert could make the call, Kim turned and faced her.

“There’s something I think you should know.”

“I’m listening.” Bert stood very still like a figure in a portrait.

Kim let out a ragged breath. “I think that boy was murdered.”

You can check it out here: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=27323

FIRST FRIDAY! 3 Fab authors-1 Picture. Bonds. Fey. George.

Photo by Ivan Dzyuba

For February’s First Friday, I wanted a little more heart, so I asked Parris Afton Bonds, Yves Fey, and Rebecca George, three wonderful authors with backgrounds in romance. The rules, as always, are to tell what they see in this photograph in 150 words or less. 

BONDS

Her steps lagged as her eyes took in the old place. It had always been a retreat, a respite from the dutiful demands of family, work, and, yes, even her public persona. She had bought the little house with her first royalty check, as meager as the house. Over the years, as her checks had increased, she could easily have afforded to restore the place to a quaint luster. Yet she had kept its genteel shabbiness, something to hide behind, something real, something authentic, when she no longer knew who she was, when she needed to escape the demands of everyone, waiting for her to solve their problems. Now the children were in college, her husband claimed by someone else, her work schedule less demanding but more rewarding. And the little house was no longer shabby but serendipitous, for inside awaited, at long last love. Her steps quickened.

FEY

Standing in the rough grass, Cassie looked at childhood home, the sting of salt air sharp on her skin, salt scents teasing her nostrils.  Teasing her memory.  She’d been isolated here.  Lonely.  Protected - the doors and windows roughly carved with runes, curtains woven with spells, dreamcatchers snaring nightmares.

Silence embraced her.  Not silence without.  Even on the most sunbaked summer day, the air weighted with heat, the sound of waves crashing on the rocks floated over the cliff’s edge.  Sometimes, like now, a gull screamed.

But blessed silence reigned within.  The rising cacophony of voices – voices of minds screaming, souls screaming – they did not carry here.  They did not invade her.

Cassie walked forward, then gasped as a cold spike of fear pierced her spine, pinioning her where she stood. 

Someone waited inside.  Hid inside.  Anticipating.  What?

Had she not chosen to come here? 

Had she been summoned?

GEORGE

She walked toward the cottage.

Fifteen years, she thought, and it looks the same.

Her heart began to beat faster as it would have fifteen years earlier.

Would he still look the same, she asked herself, and now questioned her decision to come back to Ireland. When she left, it was never to return. Yet here she was.

She had changed her name and, with a new identity, achieved a certain peace in Dallas. For fifteen years she believed she had buried the past. Then his letter came, and it was as if those years meant nothing.

“Please,” he wrote, “come home. Until now, I did not know why you left. If only I had  known the truth then, I would have done everything in my power to stop you.”

Would you, she wondered as she opened the door.

He stood tall before her.

“Hello, Harry,” she said.

“Hello, Kathleen.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Parris Afton Bonds

PARRIS AFTON BONDS

Parris Afton Bonds is the mother of five sons and the author of thirty-five published novels. She is the co-founder of and first vice president of Romance Writers of America.

Declared by ABC’s Nightline as one of the three-best-selling authors of romantic fiction, the award winning Parris Afton Bonds has been interviewed by such luminaries as Charlie Rose and featured in major newspapers and magazines as well as published in more than a dozen languages. She donates her time to teaching creative writing to both grade school children and female inmates.

At Amazon

YVES FEY

Yves Fey’s debut mystery, FLOATS THE DARK SHADOW is set in the dynamic and decadent world of Belle Époque Paris. Aspiring artist Theodora Faraday and Detective Michel Devaux clash in their search for an elusive killer who has already claimed too many children.  Classic detection and occult revelation lead Michel and Theo through the dark underbelly of Paris.  Following the maze of clues they discover the murderer believes he is the reincarnation of the most evil serial killer in the history of France. Whether deranged mind or demonic passion incite him, the killer must be found before he strikes again.

At Amazon

REBECCA GEORGE

Rebecca George is the award-winning author of five novels. Her newest, SO WHISPERS THE HEART, was released recently on Kindle. Of her four previously published  books, DAPHNE  was a Romantic Times award winner, Best Historical – Love and Laughter, and was considered by Aaron Spelling Productions for a TV movie. CALL HOME THE HEART was a runner-up for Best Historical.

A native of Georgia, Rebecca was raised in the Tidewater region of Virginia. She went to the University of Georgia and majored in history. She lives with her four rescued dogs in a historical district in Upstate South Carolina.

Join in and tell what the picture says to you. Post 150 words or less in a comment.

Interview with Mystery Author Jinx Schwartz

My guest this week is the funny, often outrageous Jinx Schwartz. Jinx is the author of the Hetta Coffey mysteries.

What’s the best thing about living on a boat?

Being on the water. I love, love it, even at a marina, but prefer to be at anchor. We are surrounded by sea birds diving for fish, rays doing an aerial ballet, turtles blowing in the night, and dolphins cavorting. Once in awhile, a whale blows. Now THAT will get your attention, especially if it is close!

What’s the worst thing?

See photo. Need I say more? Getting caught in a storm you can't hide from. We now have another boat.

What, if anything, do you miss about living on land?

We live on land several months of the year, and it's fine. I like my dishwasher. Given a choice, I'll take the boat, but both work for us. My husband is a golfer; he gets summers on the green, and I get winters on the water. I do not play golf, for I have way too much self-respect.

Have you actually met some of the characters you write about?

Oh, yes. First off, people who venture offshore in a boat less than several hundred feet long are a different breed. They are risk takers, rebels, dream seekers, and some are just plain nuts. Great material for books.

Do you suspect some of the people you meet are running or hiding from another life? 

Absolutely. We were approached on the beach once by a guy who stood out like, well, a landlubber. Turned out he was an insurance investigator and wanted to know if we knew a guy named X, who was reportedly living on a sailboat down here in Mexico. When I asked the name of the boat, the man said, "Elusive." He stomped off while I was still rolling on the ground laughing.

Who, living or dead, would you most like to spend an evening with? Why?

My parents and grandmother, of course.

However, for a stranger I'd pick Hunter S. Thompson, in a bar. Who wouldn't want to spend time with a guy who said: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity, but they've always worked for me."

Which, if any, other authors have influenced you?

Larry McMurtry. Seriously, who wins a Pulitzer Prize for a Western?  I love his sense of history and, because I am a Texan, his Texas-ness. We have our own brand of humor, sense of place in History, and even self-deprecation.  I am a ninth-generation Texan, which makes me even more unbearable than most. 

Who would you like to play your main characters in a movie?

Hmmmm. Hetta Coffey? A younger Bette Midler. Even if she is a Yankee. Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a yacht, and she'd not afraid to use it!

Which of your characters would you most like to meet in person?

Oh, I've met them all, trust me.

Anything else you want to say?

I always have a lot to say, just ask my friends. Some of it is even true, although the odds aren't that good.

BIO AND LINKS:

I was raised all over the world, in Texas. My dad built dams and we dragged relatives, and chile con queso, with us to Haiti, Thailand, Puerto Rico and the like. I followed his steel-toed footsteps into the building bidness and continued wandering around the globe. I started writing to set the record straight after reading a Texas history book referring to my ancestors as "a congenial society for evil." That just wouldn't do, so I wrote The Texicans.

Website: http://jinxschwartz.com

Twitter: @jinxschwartz I manically retweet interesting stuff posted by others. If boring, I Unfollow.

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/OegHma

JUST ADD WATER (Book 1) Award-winning Hetta Coffey series http://amzn.to/oA9wuF

Amazon author page:  http://amzn.to/QpYtAR

It's FIRST FRIDAY! James. Lavene. Seewald.

Three talented authors give their take on same photograph in 150 words. It's always interesting, the different ideas and voices that a single picture generates.

JAMES

The armless redheaded doll gave me the creeps when I first dug it up. I was clearing away brush after the violent windstorm from three days ago when I spotted a small foot sticking out of the ground beneath the elderly privet. I had no idea how long the doll had been interred. We’d lived in the house only five months, and I knew nothing about the previous owners.

Soon after we moved in my two-year-old son started talking about a red-headed girl doll he wanted to play with. The little girl had it, and he wanted it.

There was no little girl in our house or anywhere on the block. Yet the baby kept getting increasingly frustrated because the little girl held the doll and wouldn’t let go.

He jabbered excitedly and held out his hands when he saw what I’d unearthed.

LAVENE

They’d looked everywhere for Rita.

The storm had torn the Outer Banks apart. Most people thought Susie’s mother was crazy trying to find a doll when their home had been washed out to sea. They didn’t understand. Susie needed something to think about, something to hope for. She needed to think there was something still left for her so she could pick up the pieces of her life.

Susie’s Mom needed that too.

Susie and her mother found Rita, finally, lying on a bench near the boardwalk, as though she’d been waiting there all that time for them. They cried together, and Susie wrapped her scarf around Rita where the rough weather had stripped her dress away. She smoothed her hand across the doll’s hair and tried to make her presentable.

“I think she’ll be fine now,” Susie said with a smile.

“I think we’ll all be fine now.”

SEEWALD

Silently slipping into the magical dress shop,

cloaked in the black velvet mystery of night,

her heart tripping like a hammer,

she escapes into a world of wonder.

A  land of make-believe comes alive

as she sees the exquisite dresses,

fingers the delicate fabrics,

and pretends she is the fey fairy princess of her dreams.

She slips into a confection of silk and buttery lace.

The purity of a violin's sotto sound begins

 as she dances, swirls, twirls in her pretty party dress.

And there is nothing but the perfection of this moment,

 serene and beautiful for all eternity.

A loud rapping, tapping startles her.

"There you are," her mistress says.

At Amazon

"It is late and time we were in bed."

She fervently believes

some day her dream will become reality,

but for now,

she is merely a broken doll

clothed in torn rags.

THE AUTHORS

DEAN JAMES

Dean (AKA Miranda) James is a seventh-generation Mississippian who has now spent over half his life in Texas. A medical librarian by day (in the Texas Medical Center in Houston), he plots murders, listens to music, reads, and works part-time at Murder by the Book on Saturdays. He is owned by two cats who make Sarah Bernhardt look like an amateur when they think it’s feeding time.

JOYCE LAVENE

Joyce Lavene writes bestselling mystery with her husband/partner Jim. They have written and published more than 60 novels for Harlequin, Berkley and Charter Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. She lives in rural North Carolina with her family, her cat, Quincy, and her rescue dog, Rudi. Visit her at www.joyceandjimlavene.com, www.facebook.com/JoyceandJimLavene . Twitter: @authorjlavene, http://romanceofmystery.blogspot.com.

Amazon Author Page

JACQUELINE SEEWALD

Multiple award-winning author Jacqueline Seewald has taught creative, expository and technical writing at the university level as well as high school English. She also worked as an academic librarian and educational media specialist. Her Kim Reynolds mystery novels, originally published in hardcover by Five Star/Gale includes: The Inferno Collection, The Drowning Pool, and The Truth Sleuth. The first two novels in this series are now available as ebooks in all formats including Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc. Check out the The Truth Sleuth available as of January 2013 in paperback edition from Harlequin Worldwide Mystery.