Short Excerpt from Time of Death

If Alex could ever get a damn paper, she’d read the ads. What was happening in the world? Why did their newspaper disappear every day. Mr. Foley’s son swore he left it every morning. An idea dawned, and she smacked herself in the forehead, then grabbed the phone book.

“Mr. Foley, what time does your son deliver the paper to Isobel Devore?” She’d see what happened to it for herself. “Thanks.”

Oleander

In the morning, she’d be there watching. A thick stand of wax myrtle and palmetto would hide her, and she’d catch the thief with his hand in the box. It couldn’t be an animal, had to be human—or maybe Neanderthal. She wondered if Neanderthals read or if they used newspaper for something less appealing. Dismissing the mental picture, she locked the door and hurried to the car. At least she had a plan.

Her meeting with Tucker worried her. The drawings were coming with increasing frequency. What if something happened while she was off guard. He wasn’t going to be receptive, she could tell.

She crossed into Mt. Pleasant and turned on Johnnie Dodd Boulevard. At least she could read the papers at the library.

A flash of dull red in a filling station caught her eye. She slammed on the brakes and whipped into the parking area, leaving an angry driver hitting his horn.

An old Land Rover sat to one side, a small For Sale sign in the window. “Yes!” Chelsea leapt from the VW and ran as quickly as her stiff body would allow to the window. Wiping away a layer of dust, she peered inside the car, testing the handle with her other hand. It opened. Stains and a couple of rips marked the cloth seats. She climbed in and sat down, bouncing in spite of her bruises. 

“You interested in this baby?”

The voice at the window surprised her. A young man in jeans and a plaid shirt stood with his hands in his back pockets, his head tilted to one side.

“Yes. What year is it?”

Alex's Defender

“Nineteen ninety Defender. The real thing. She’s a little dirty right now, but she drives good, got some new parts.” He straightened and pulled a single key from his pocket. “Think you can drive it?”

“Of course.” She looked at the heavy gear in the floorboard. “Well, maybe a few pointers would be good.” She smiled at him. This was her car. She could feel it. A Land Rover! “Is it yours?”

“Yep. I’m the mechanic here. I bought it four years ago. I wouldn’t give it up, but me and my wife are about to have a baby, and she wants a more regular car.” He pushed long strands of hair out of his eyes. “Want to go for a ride?”

Available at Amazon, print , audio, and Kindle
Audio sample

FIRST FRIDAY! Blackburn, Lovely, and Vidler

The Delivery Guy © Alberto Jorrin Rodriguez | Dreamstime.com

It's First Friday again! One picture, three short pieces by three very different authors. Check them out. 

Blackburn

Send in the Clown

   Tips, baby. It’s all about tips. And so I wear this mask … sometimes. Because it’s also about who answers that door. If a woman answers, she screams, yanks the pizza from me, and slams the door. If a guy answers, he shakes my hand, and tips me well. And if little kids are in the house? Oh, baby! Then, whoever answers the door tips me well, because children love my mask.

   So it’s also all about guessing who will be on the other side of that door. Houses with kids are easy to spy—toys and other junk strewn outside are sure giveaways. Now, if I could only master the kid-less households ...

   But this delivery was pretty obvious. A two-pizza order in a warehouse? Didn’t think I’d be disrupting a ladies’ bookclub meeting, right?

   I was right! Four guys sitting around a rickety card table playing poker. Cha-ching!!

Lovely

   Joe’s brain cells were sparser than the pepperoni stingily dotted on the pizzas he delivered. It was Joe’s first night working for Harry’s Pizza, and customers were emailing to gripe about the foul smell of the pies he delivered. He didn’t realize his dearth of brain cells was balanced by tear-inducing body odor, and his technique of wedging pizza boxes against his ribs exposed them to his potent armpits.

   Why were customers upset? He reasoned it had to be the medical mask he was ordered to wear. It scared them. “People who stick needles in you wear those masks,” Joe thought. “I have a friendlier one from last Halloween.”

    Pleased with his solution, Joe rang the bell for his first clown-masked delivery. A woman opened the door, screamed, and fainted.

   “Was it bad breath?”

   Joe exhaled into his hand through the large hole in his mask and sniffed. “I’ll chew gum before I make the next delivery.”

Vidler

   This had to be the dumbest idea ever.

   But Boyd, his best friend since kindergarten, insisted his wife was having an affair.         “Dianne thinks I’m out of town.” He handed Jason the pizzas, a red shirt, and a mask. “She’ll open the door. Blame the mask on COVID-19, and whoever’s with her will want to see it. And I’ll know who he is.”

   This wouldn’t turn out well, but Jason couldn’t reasonably refuse. Reluctantly he dressed and checked the mirror. His moustache showed through the mouth. He sweated beneath the hot mask; Dianne would surely recognize him. And Boyd would be watching from the car.

 * * *

   Dianne answered the doorbell. “I didn’t order piz— Jason?” Laughing, she grabbed him and hugged. “Come in, quickly.”

   “You?” Boyd bellowed from the car. “My best friend?”

   Jason took a deep breath and turned. All he could see was the gun in Boyd’s hand.

Bang.

About the Authors

Cindy Blackburn

Cindy Blackburn writes cozy mysteries because she thinks grim reality is way overrated. When she's not thinking up unlikely plot twists and ironing out the quirks and kinks of her lovable characters, Cindy is feeding her fat cat Betty or taking long walks with her cute hubby John. A native Vermonter who hates snow, Cindy divides her time between the south and the north. Most of the year you'll find her in South Carolina. But come summer she'll be on the porch of her lakeside shack in Vermont. Yep, it's a place very similar to Lake Elizabeth. Cindy's favorite TV show is Young Sheldon, her favorite movie is Moonstruck, and her favorite color is purple. Cindy dislikes vacuuming, traffic, and lima beans.

Amazon

UNDISCLOSED

Welcome to Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, where Santa Claus is due to arrive any day now, and Cassie Baxter is going nuts. Who wouldn't go nuts? This is her first Christmas with her adopted son Truman, and she's determined to make it memorable. But that human skull the kid found when he was searching for Christmas decorations in the attic wasn't exactly part of the plan. And Joe Wylie, Cassie's supposed boyfriend, isn't making life any easier during this frantic week before the holiday either. Then there's Cassie's father, and her best friend Bambi, and her other best friend Sarah, and all those crazy, quirky, kooky neighbors that make Lake Elizabeth--Lake Elizabeth! Santa's sure to have a jolly good time when he finally does come to town! Ho Ho Ho

Linda Lovely

Linda Lovely, the author of eight mystery/romantic thriller titles, finds writing pure fiction isn’t a huge stretch given the years she’s spent penning PR and ad copy. She hopes readers have half as much fun reading her novels as she has researching and writing them. Amazing how much better she sleeps after finding a really cool way to do away with fictional villains who share personalities with real-life hypocrites and bullies. Her goal is to deliver thrill-packed reads, while ensuring justice is served, laughter is plentiful, and love triumphs. Though not perfect, her heroines and heroes are smart and determined. A long-time member of Sisters in Crime, Lovely also belongs to International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. When not writing or reading, Lovely takes long walks with her husband, swims, gardens, and plays tennis.

Amazon

BAD PICK

The plot for BAD PICK, Lovely’s latest mystery, is as current as today's headlines. But you'll also find plenty of laughs and a delightful side of romance. Vegan Brie Hooker lives with her feisty Aunt Eva at Udderly Kidding Dairy, a hop, skip, and jump away from South Carolina’s Clemson University. In BAD PICK, Brie’s fun farm outreach backfires when religious extremists decide goat yoga is a form of devil worship.  Picketers at Udderly’s gates soon become the least of Brie’s troubles. Not only is she accused of murder, she worries the death might actually be her fault. Danger mounts when an old family friend’s visit ensnares Brie in a high-stakes feud between a U.S. Supreme Court nominee and the woman determined to expose his secrets. 

www.lindalovely.com

https://www.amazon.com/author/lindalovely

https://www.henerypress.com/author-lovely-linda

https://www.facebook.com/LindaLovelyAuthor

Ellis Vidler

Amazon

Ellis Vidler lives and writes in the South Carolina Piedmont. She's also an editor and has taught fiction writing. Ellis’s books can be found at Amazon.

All Ellis’s stories have some degree of romance, a little bad language, and a lot of suspense.  The McGuire women psychics and the Maleantes novels are available in audio, print, or eBook and her short stories are available in eBook. http://www.facebook.com//EllisVidler.AuthorPage

PRIME TARGET

Suspense with a love story. When a New York ad exec’s husband is murdered before her eyes, only her wits can save her from the long reach of a ruthless crime lord.

Madeleine Schier heeds her husband's panicked call to come home, only to witness his brutal murder by a crime boss and become a target herself.

Excerpt from Cold Comfort

Amazon Kindle

   “I’m off duty now. I can give you a ride,” Parsons said. “Where do you want to go?”

   “Home.”

   “You sure? Don’t you have family or a friend you could stay with?”

   “No, no one.” She thought about Walt Kramer, her former fiancé. She could hardly call him—he’d eloped with his secretary—his pregnant secretary—two months before the wedding. Six months later, it still stung. Tears of self-pity stung her eyes. Roughly, she wiped them away. Get over it.

   The officer wheeled her outside the door to his car and settled her in the seat.

   Numb from shots and pills, she described the events of the past week. “For three nights, I noticed a car with one dim headlight—it could have been following me.”

   “I’ll put it in the report. Keep watching for that odd light. Anything else?”

   She rubbed her forehead. “Maybe. Several times I had this prickly sensation of being watched. I thought I must be imagining it. And someone may have been inside my house.”

   “May? Did you report it?”

   “I started to, but I couldn’t find anything missing—only the rumpled bedspread and the scent of tobacco and aftershave. No signs of anyone breaking in. I couldn’t be sure all these . . . it wasn’t my imagination.” Maybe she should have called, but she’d been raised to take care of herself. She nibbled her fingernail, then shoved her hands under her thighs. “I didn’t want to overreact.”

   “To be honest, you wouldn’t have gotten much attention.”

   “I found one of the dolls in my storeroom with its head crushed.” But how could she report a broken doll? “It could have been an accident. It just didn’t look like one.”

   He nodded. “Someone’s being very clever, trying to scare you without leaving real evidence.”

   “Last night I got a phone call.” The voice replayed in her head, making her skin crawl. “As soon as I realized what he was saying, what he wanted to do, I hung up and turned off the ringer.”

   “Caller ID?”

   “No. But I added it today.”

   “Not much else you can do unless you get an unlisted number.” He glanced at her with apology in his eyes. “Chances are he watches enough TV to know how to hide his number.”

   “Tonight, just before he ran off, he said he’d be back.” She tightened her arms around her midriff.

   “He knows your name, and it sounds like he’s seriously focused on you,” Parsons said. “I’m afraid you’ve got a stalker.”

   A stalker! Her stomach turned over. A chill ran through her. The word sounded so much worse than a one-time thief or mugger. Why would anyone be stalking her? Since she’d abandoned her dreams of a family, her whole life centered on the store. She didn’t go out, didn’t search for her soul mate in cyberspace, didn’t do anything that would attract attention.

   “He was waiting for you. I found broken glass on the porch from the light bulb. It didn’t burn out.”

Meet My Character Blog Tour

This tour highlights two main characters from my new book, Prime Target.  I was invited to participate by my friend Charles Dougherty, author of the Bluewater  Thriller Series. You can read more about his books at http://www.clrdougherty.com. Do take a look—they’re very good and take place in the Caribbean. Charles and his wife live on a sailboat there, and he knows what he’s talking about. His new book is Bluewater Bullion.

1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

My fictional characters are contemporary. Madeleine Schier is an ad exec and former concert pianist, and Charlie Dance is a former Navy Corpsman (medic).

2) When and where is the story set?

It begins in New York City, moves through the Kentucky mountains, and comes to rest on an apple farm near Hendersonville, North Carolina.

3) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Madeleine is hiding from her husband’s murderer, adjusting to a different way of life, and Charlie is searching for purpose and a way to live with his damaged body and soul. Both characters suffer from PTSD. They don’t trust their situations or even themselves enough to live fully.

4) What is the personal goal of the character?

Madeleine wants to bring down the man who killed her husband and destroyed her life; she’s hiding from a killer, marking time until he’s brought to justice. Charlie, a natural caretaker, needs a purpose and a way to contribute, but he’s hindered by people’s reaction to him.

5) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The title is Prime Target. There's a short excerpt two blogs before this one.

6) When can we expect the book to be published?

October 1. The eBook is available for pre-order on Amazon, and the print book will be out this week.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N34SOV2

My Writing Process

Aaron Paul Lazar, one of my favorite writers, tagged me for a Writing Process Blog Tour. If you haven’t tried his books, you’re missing something special. Aaron writes mysteries and more. One series features Gus LeGarde, a music professor, family man, gardener, and cook—a man you’ll want to know. Don’t Let the Wind Catch You, Tremolo: Cry of the Loon, and Double Forté are among his many books.

Now the blog about Ellis's writing process.
I’ll answer questions about my work and methods (or lack of) and will subsequently tag two wonderful writers to continue the topic.

 Q. What are you working on? 

I’m nearing the finish line with Prime Target, a suspense novel about a woman who becomes the target of a mob boss after witnessing her husband’s murder.

I’m also working on more stories about Will Porter’s Maleantes & More team (from Cold Comfort).  I think Will is up next—I have several chapters done and am in love with the characters, always a good thing. He’s assigned to protect Gwen Gordon (from Haunting Refrain) from a kidnap threat.

The next McGuire Women story is emerging from the psychic fog. Isobel (from Time of Death) will have a prominent role, but the main character is Aurelia’s child, who moves from the West to the Blue Ridge Mountains (home territory for me) looking for peace.

Q. How does your work differ from others of its genre?

I’m something of a cross-genre writer. My stories are primarily suspense but all have some kind of love story. Some readers prefer pure genre material, but I write what feels right for my story and characters. And what I like to read. :-)

My stories are linked: minor characters in one book become protagonists in another book.  In the Maleantes & More books, Will Porter operates a security firm. Ben Riley (Cold Comfort) is one of his employees.

Another book lurking in my mind is about another of Will’s men, Austin Cutter. Cutter is stunned to see a newspaper article announcing his engagement to Allison Gilmore, a woman he hardly knows.

Each book of the McGuire Women series (Haunting Refrain and Time of Death) features a different character from a family with a psychic streak.

All my books have mild adult language and situations, which I include in the descriptions because some people prefer not to read such books. To me it’s realism, but we all live in our own small world.

Q. Why do you write what you do?

These are the stories that pop into my head and also what I like to read. I set them in places I’ve been or live near because I can research the details more easily and because I find them intriguing environments. The characters have to appeal to me, and I usually fall in love with the hero. Some are beautiful, some are not, but all have qualities that draw me—kindness, honor, integrity—and a dash of vengeance. You pay goodness forward, but bad acts you pay back. Works for me and for my main characters.

Q. How does your writing process work?

Mine is an iffy process. I need silence to concentrate, but I’m learning to listen to music to help shut out other things. Early mornings when the house is quiet, no radio or TV, phone, or conversation, suit me best. Then I can think, get in the “zone,” so to speak. The more I write, the easier it comes. Write, write, write.

I’m slow, can’t help editing as I go, and I sometimes write myself into blind canyons. That requires backtracking and taking a different path. I WILL outline my next book before I start. :-)

That's it! Thanks, Aaron Lazar, for asking me to participate in this fun blog hop!

I’m passing the baton to:

Polly Iyer, suspense/thrillers, including Threads, Mind Games, and Goddess of the Moon. Polly's blog is on Goodreads.

Linda Lovely, mystery/suspense, featuring the Marley Clark Mysteries No Wake Zone and Dear Killer.

Formulaic? Same-old, same-old or a comfort read?

I've often heard the term used in a derogatory tone, and to be certain about its  meaning, I looked it up. The best explanation came from ArticleWorld.org .  Ah, a standard set of plots, characters, and so on. Yes, I've read many. I still dislike the word. It's in the same category as "literary." Literary is often used to imply that other styles of writing are somehow lacking in quality or generally unworthy.  Then again, used by genre writers, "literary" may mean plotless. (I've heard it described as self-absorbed and about as exciting as watching paint dry.) We seem to need something or someone to look down upon--one of our less desirable human traits.

Considering the number of books on the market and how many I read, I'm bound to recognize elements of the story. So does that make the book formulaic?  Perhaps, but that doesn’t necessarily cause me to reject it. What allows me to overlook the commonplace, what sets many of them apart, is the writing. If it flows well and the characters are believable and likeable—or at least interesting—I'm halfway there. Sometimes the plot falls apart for me—too many convenient events that don't tie in to the story, as if hurled from the heavens by a capricious diety solely to cause problems. Still, I've read many a good book that others consider formulaic (always described with a little disdain).

How far down into the story do you have to go to decide whether a story is formulaic? Take this as an example: Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, crisis occurs, boy gets girl. There's a formula that's been used more than once, but is it bad? The treatment of the story, the setting, and the characters can make it all seem new—something to read with pleasure and enthusiasm. You could go down another layer and see if there are still tried and true (or tired and overworked) secondary characters and situations. But it can still be fun to read. It depends on the pacing, the way the story unfolds, and how much we care about the characters.

When does it become a formula?

For me, the biggest challenge to my reading pleasure comes in the second phase—boy loses girl. The conflict is often artificial and contrived, but I think it's that old round hole thing—writers are forced to shove and squeeze their oddly shaped stories into that rigid mold. If it's formulaic, who can blame them? How many ways can you create enough conflict to keep apart otherwise sensible people who are attracted to each other? Personally, I'd like to see a little flexibility in that one. A little more credibility and realism would be a welcome change. Shakespeare handled it well, but I like happy endings. How often can a theme be used before it becomes trite? Is frequency the only measure?

In the good sense of the word, formulaic may be just what you're looking--a certain kind of story. Sometimes I'm in the mood for something in particular, and I that's what I look for. There are days when the windswept moors of Wuthering Heights appeal to me, and I want that kind of story. Or I need to laugh and I want something in the vein of One for the Money. A certain amount of predictability is good.
 I'll admit some books are so familiar that I can't remember whether I've read them before. I don't usually finish them. But I find "formulaic" applied to many that seem quite good to me. I'd have to go several layers down to reject a book because it's been done too often. Maybe I just don't have a discerning eye.

Every genre and just as many mainstream and literary stories follow some basic  theme or idea. Does it bother you? Do you see it? Do you look for something totally different? Do you consider many books formulaic?

Writing Close to the Bone

Hemingway in Milan, circa 1918,

This is a story I’ve read and heard about for years (you probably have too), but not even Snopes can really confirm it. It doesn’t matter; it’s still a great story. In a discussion about brevity, someone bet Ernest Hemingway he couldn’t write a story in six words. He took the bet. This is the story attributed to him.

For sale, baby shoes, never used.

Can six words bring you to tears? They can me. At least these six words can. This story has images, pathos, tragedy, and despair. It shows, it doesn’t tell. It’s a magnificent story. Hemingway is also supposed to have said it was his best work. I might argue with that, but it’s certainly a powerful work.

Based on Hemingway’s words, someone put together a little book about life in six words. (I really need to find the name and get a copy.) One that stuck was “I still make coffee for two,” by Zak Nelson. Another poignant tale.

Okay, got off my duff and looked for it. Here’s a link to the book on Amazon. (Since I looked, the Smith Magazine site has gone down--thanks, Donnell, for letting me know.)

It’s all there, making this blog completely superfluous (maybe not entirely—how often do I get to use that word?).

Have any you’d like to share? I’m thinking but to no avail. (Is that six words?)

The Next Big Thing

Exciting new author Jerrie Alexander tagged me in this interview game. Her new novel is GREEN-EYED DOLL, due out December 7, 2012. You can check her out at http://www.jerriealexander.com/  .

I tagged some other authors at the bottom, so be sure to check out their answers and their books too.

Amazon eBook and Print

Q. What is the title of your book? 

A. TIME OF DEATH. It's available now from Amazon.

Q. Where did the idea come from for the book?

A. Psychic phenomena have always interested me, and I love Charleston and the coast. Art is another interest, so when the three things came together in my head, it seemed like a natural. I love the characters too. 

Q. What genre does your book fall under?

A. Suspense with a little romance.

Q. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

A. Teri Hatcher is Isobel, maybe Jason O’Mara for Connor, and the cover model, whoever she is, for Alex. Her face, especially the eyes, is perfect.

Q. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?




A.  Artist Alex Jenrette draws scenes of violence with uncanny accuracy, but will anyone believe she never saw them happen?

Q. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

A. Self-published, my choice for the foreseeable future.

Q. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

A. Of and on for more than a year.

Q. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

A. Maybe a bit like Nora Roberts's Carolina Moon. May I mention my own? Haunting Refrain, which will be free Nov 14-18. J

Q. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

A. My grandmother, who had a psychic ability much like Rosalind’s in the book. It really does run in the family, but I didn't get the fuzzy gene. 

Q. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

A. The bad guys. I could see them so clearly, and one made me cry.

Okay, for all you authors out there…here are the rules:

 •Give credit to the person/blog that tagged you

 •Post the rules for this hop

 •Answer these ten questions about your Next Big Thing on your blog

 •Tag two or more writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

I tagged these two wonderful authors. Check them out!

L.A. Sartor at http://anindieadventure.blogspot.com

Magdalen Braden at http://www.promantica.com

My New Cover for TIME OF DEATH

Time of Death will be available from Amazon November 18th.

When murder strikes on a South Carolina island, artist Alex Jenrette’s psychic streak compels her to draw the scene with eerie accuracy. The police think she’s involved in the crime, prosecutor Connor Moran fears a psychic witness will get him laughed out of court, and the killer believes she saw it all. 

I'd love to hear what you think of the cover.

The Ending, a Bang or a Fizzle?

Death Proof (2007) 

Since I'm working on the ending to my current book, last scenes are on my mind. I thought I'd review my thoughts and see if you have anything to add. Have you ever read a book that kept you turning the pages, only to have it fizzle out on a weak ending? Something that wasn't worthy of the characters' struggle? I have, and I don't want to be guilty of it. It's such a disappointment.

The last scene should be the longest in the story. This is what the reader has been waiting for. Don't cheat him. Make it worth the wait. All the minor characters should have their problems resolved or settled by the last big scene. The protagonist and the antagonist should be the focus of the final confrontation.  This is the fight or confrontation the reader has waded through the rest of the story to reach.

The ending should satisfy the reader, which requires three things:

1.            The conflict is resolved and all the problems solved.

2.           There are no loose ends.

3.           Everyone gets what he deserves.

End the story as soon as the problem is solved. Leave the reader with a good feeling. Don't leave anything hanging unless there will be a sequel, and even then, it should be fairly subtle. Remember Star Wars? Han Solo was dropped into the cryogenic tank or whatever, where he will be frozen forever. We saw him drop, but we never saw him die, leaving the possibility of his return.

The last scene should be the most dramatic in the story. Pull out all the stops. Even though you know in your heart that the good guy will win, there should be doubt. Can he really overcome those odds?

Make the characters who have something at stake participate in the final conflict. Don't let anyone step in for a main character. No police show up to save the heroine from the bad guy (but she could disable or hold him until they arrive J). She must save herself, although she could have help from another primary character. No divine intervention! The heavens cannot open and put out the forest fire with rain when the main characters are surrounded by the blaze. The bad guy cannot have a heart attack that stops him from killing the hero. The abusive husband can’t die from a gas leak so the wife and children are saved.

Obviously the ending has to fit the story--it doesn't have to be a big, dramatic scene but it should still be satisfying.

Now, how can I achieve this from where I am in my story? 

Una Tiers Interviews Ellis

I'm delighted to interview Ellis Vidler about her new book, Cold Comfort.  Let's start with a little background about your first two novels, Haunting Refrain and The Peeper.

My grandmother had a streak of psychic ability—she knew when something was wrong with a family member, so that sort of thing always interested me. I don't know how Haunting Refrain came to me, but that's what I wanted to write. After a writing class with Scott Regan, I decided I'd better get on with it.

I met Jim Christopher, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) veteran, and he had an idea for a story. He asked if I'd like to write it with him. It was such fun, and I learned so much from him.

And you just published some short stories?  Yes, Tea in the Afternoon, is a collection of three Southern stories, based on remembrances I heard and people I knew, but they're entirely fictitious.

You have a touching dedication to Tea.  It's dedicated to my parents, who gave me a wonderful childhood. We lived in a small town in Mississippi where my friend and I rode double, barefoot and bareback, on her horse though fields and back roads. We stopped at farmhouses for water for us and the horse.

Then my family moved to another small town in Alabama, where I played outside all day, usually in the river bottom or woods. The rule was home by dark. It was a different world.

Can you tell us an early memory about your parents and books? My father read Tarzan of the Apes and the Oz books to me when I was very young. Tarzan remains one of my favorites. Mother read to me too. They said, "You'll learn to read for yourself when you go to school." I cried after my first day of kindergarten because they didn't teach me to read.

 Now we can talk about Cold Comfort. Where is the book set? Claire, my protagonist, owns a Christmas shop in Williamsburg, VA.  There are also scenes on the South Carolina coast at McClellanville and Georgetown and some in Washington, DC.

How did you create your villain? I usually see the characters first, and he suited the crime I had in mind. He did evolve a little more as I wrote, but I saw him from the beginning.  You identify aftershave and tobacco with him.  Why? Both are unpleasant smells to me and seemed to fit in his character. I wanted Claire to have hints of trouble but nothing specific at first.

What about Claire Spencer, where did she come from? Claire’s strong sense of doing what she has to came from a friend I admired.  The rest of her grew and developed as I wrote. My critique partners thought she was too ladylike and pushed me to make her tougher. They were right. She's not a kickass type, but she's strong and determined.

Your pace in Cold Comfort is fast.  How do you help the reader mark how much time has passed? Goodness, I don't know. I guess I just tell when the scenes occur. You know, in the morning, by mid afternoon, at four o'clock, whatever it is. All my books take place in a short period of time. I like the sense of urgency that comes from time limits.

You are so prolific, what's next? I'm working on two books, one about Kate McGuire's friend Gwen, from Haunting Refrain, and a character from Cold Comfort. This one begins on Isla Mujeres in Mexico and ends up in the southeastern United States.

The second one is about Kate's cousin, Alex Jenrette, who also has some inconvenient psychic ability. It's set on a fictitious island off the coast of Charleston, SC. I love the bad guys in this one, but the good guy is giving me trouble. I think he needs a personality transplant.

Thank you for meeting with me, Cold Comfort sounds great.

            Una, you're a dear to do this. I can't wait till your book, Judge vs Nuts, comes out. You're such a funny character yourself, I know it's going to be a fun read. I expect you back when it's released.

Here's Una's cover. Her book will be released soon.

Ellis's Book is available at

http://tinyurl.com/ev-cc-Smash

http://tinyurl.com/ev-cc-Omni

          http://tinyurl.com/ev-cc-Kindle

What do you think about book reviews?



5 Stars



How do you feel about writing book reviews and rating the books? I have a hard time with them. I'd like to give 5 stars, but if I give them to every book I like, my reviews won't mean anything.

Goodreads' rating descriptions appeal to me, but honestly, most books come under 3 or 4 stars that way.

1 - didn't like

2 - it was okay

3 - liked it

4 - really liked it

5 - it was amazing

Another problem is that I have a lot of friends who are writers, and for the most part, I love what they write. But that 5-star rating? I don't know. Should that be reserved for books such as The Kite Runner, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Secret Life of Bees, and Beach Music? Those books were very special in my view. Or does it just mean books I loved?

5 Stars

Will my friends be hurt if I don't give them 5 stars? I certainly don't mean it to be taking anything from their books. I'm still thinking about this. Maybe I should publish my own rating system on Goodreads and use 5 stars for books I love and often read several times.

Of course, if I really dislike a book, I wouldn't review it and probably didn't finish it anyway. I used to feel compelled to finish what I started, but life's too short. I don't have enough time to read what I'd like, and I don't plan to waste it on one I don't like.

Those stars include my own. I think Haunting Refrain and The Peeper are good, but I can't honestly put them in that stellar group with To Kill a Mockingbird or Gone with the Wind.

My other pet peeve is reviews that give a synopsis of the book. I skip those and absolutely won't write them. When I've accidentally read one, I feel I don't need to read the book, that I already know what happens. And spoilers drive me nuts. Why do people feel the need to publish the key to the story and take away all the suspense? At least it should be clearly marked that it contains spoilers.

Mostly I try to leave off the rating and just say how I felt about it. I'd like to know how you feel about it and what you do.