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Please welcome guest blogger Katherine Prairie!

Balance, by Katherine Prairie
www.katherineprairie.com

If you’re like me, there’s something about fall that ignites a rush of energy and new projects. It’s the time of year too, when friends return from summer holidays, organizations restart their meetings and interesting classes are on offer. Of course, all of these added temptations occur during the months when I’m most likely readying a manuscript for my editor, and I’m left wondering how to balance it all.

I try to corral my work into a reasonable number of hours a day, but that can be difficult when it’s so easy to slip into my home office to write. Add in the unpredictable nature of creativity, and you may easily find me writing well before dawn while the rest of the household is asleep! But I remind myself that even though writing is something I enjoy, I have to draw a line somewhere or risk crowding out the rest of my life. Life-work balance … it’s a struggle that I’m sure many of you share!

But the idea of balance has me thinking about other aspects of writing too. At the heart of my Alex Graham mysteries is real science and politics specific to the location in which the story is set, and that means hundreds of hours of research. It’s easy to get caught-up in something intriguing or devote weeks of effort researching a topic that ultimately doesn’t make it into the book. Balance in research means learning when to say no. At some point I have to step away from the journals, libraries and expert resources, and just write the story.

So beyond the absolute essentials needed to start a story, I’ve started to research as I write instead of trying to do everything up-front. It’s a more balanced approach that surprisingly suggested a different organization for my research, one that has made a world of difference. I now link specific research to a section or chapter of my novel, and that makes it easier to incorporate ideas and fact-check as I write.

Balance also means knowing when to say yes, and that applies to my characters and plots. I’m more of a pantser than a plotter, but my first draft becomes an outline that serves as the framework for subsequent drafts. As I’m writing a second or even a third draft, a character or scene that I hadn’t considered might take shape, or a plot twist or subplot might come to mind. It would be easy to reject these additions and keep to the outline, but I’ve learned to say yes to these creative sparks. Although it can take weeks to weave these new ideas into a near-completed draft, it’s always worth it because the end result is a better story.

I’m not sure I’ll ever achieve true balance in life or in my writing, but learning to say no to the time-wasters and yes to valuable ideas, people and experiences is a step in the right direction!

About the Book:

Explosive violence rocks Canada’s Slocan Valley after the shooting deaths of three teenagers in a bombing attempt at the Keenleyside dam. A joint U.S.-Canada military force locks down the Valley to protect Columbia River dams critical to both countries but martial law incites more violence.

Geologist Alex Graham refuses to let politics stand in her way. She evades military patrols to slip into a restricted zone in her hunt for a silver mine to claim as her own. But her plans are derailed by an intentionally set fire that almost takes her life.

Someone wants her out of the Slocan Valley.

When Alex discovers a gunshot victim in an abandoned mine, she fears she could be next. But she s never been one to wait for trouble to come to her and she tracks a suspicious man seen once too often in the lonely mountains.

All eyes are on the dams, but the true threat lies elsewhere.

About the Author:

With a love of the outdoors and a natural curiosity about the physical environment, geology was a natural fit for Katherine Prairie. Although she started her education as a mining geologist at Lakehead University, Katherine ultimately graduated from the University of Alberta and headed off to Calgary to work in petroleum geology.

She worked primarily on international oil and gas projects as a specialist in geological computer modeling, but her consulting practice included diverse clients such as Saks Fifth Avenue, British Columbia’s Parks and Protected Services and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. During these years, she also completed a M.Sc. in Chemical and Bio-Resource Engineering at the University of British Columbia, her studies focused on water management and environmental issues.

Katherine is an award-winning presenter and an enthusiastic teacher who has taught and designed numerous courses in both the private and public sector. She is the author of The Essential PROC SQL Handbook for SAS Users published by SAS Press in 2005.

She finally stepped away from the petroleum industry after twenty-five years to pursue her love of writing full-time. The result was her first novel, a mystery entitled Thirst. Learn more about Katherine here : www.katherineprairie.com

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Patrick Kelly has recently released Hill Country Siren, the third novel in the highly praised financial thriller series featuring Austin sleuth, Joe Robbins. Following is a Q&A with the author.

1. Hill Country Siren is your third Joe Robbins financial thriller. What can you tell us about Joe, and how does this book continue the traditions established by the other novels in the series?

As a freelance CFO, Joe is an analytical thinker. But, at the same time, his modest upbringing and early boxing experience have made him a man of action.

In Hill Country Siren, Joe uses his analytical talents to solve the mystery (as he did in the first two novels), but he doesn’t stop there. He can’t stop there. So long as Joe believes he can make a difference, he must run toward the danger. When Joe uncovers the trail of a serial killer in Hill Country Siren, he decides that he must track the killer down.

Joe’s recklessness is a source of great tension between him and his wife, Rose. In the second novel, Hill Country Rage, with their marriage on the brink of ruin, Rose proclaims, “You run to trouble like a moth to flame, Joey. Like a moth to flame.”

2. In Hill Country Siren, Joe takes on a fraud case for a famous Austin-born country rock singer named Sophie Tyler. What’s special about Sophie, and why is helping her so important to Joe?

The first line in the novel reads, “I fell in love with Sophie Tyler long before she hired me.”

Joe first heard Sophie’s music when he was a teenager in high school, so when he lands the assignment to work for her on the fraud case, he feels as if he’s won the lottery without buying a ticket.

The inspiration for Sophie’s character and the book’s title came from Homer’s ancient tale, the Odyssey. I think we’ve all heard music so beautiful it transforms us. During Sophie’s long career many men found her irresistible, and Joe is no exception.

3. As Joe delves deeper into Sophie’s background, he discovers that there are a number of individuals who might be motivated to steal Sophie’s money. Who are the most compelling suspects, and what clues does Joe use to solve the mystery surrounding Sophie’s case?

Sophie’s talent agent, Halet Blevins, is an aging womanizer with a great sense of style and a history of drug and money problems. Keri Theroux, Sophie’s best friend since high school, has begun to question her lifelong membership to Sophie’s entourage. Halet and Keri are high on Joe’s list of suspects.

But I believe that Johnson Sagebrush—Sophie’s enigmatic manager—is my best bad guy yet because of his name, his mysterious past, and his choice of weapon: Johnson favors a crowbar.

Joe begins his investigation by following the cash. As a freelance CFO, Joe is in a unique position to find loose ends that indicate something is afoul. In Hill Country Siren, he discovers a fraudulent wire transfer, an investment in a fake tech company, and a real estate scam. And as always, Joe must use his analytical mind to solve the mystery and his fighting skills to clean up the mess.

4. Hill Country Siren takes place partly at Sophie’s mansion in Los Angeles and partly at a music festival in Austin, both Sophie and Joe’s hometown. How integral are L.A. and Austin to this particular Joe Robbins mystery, and why did you place the story in these two settings?

I like to use iconic locations in Austin and the Hill Country for key scenes. In Hill Country Greed, a girl commits suicide by hanging herself from the balcony of the Driskill Hotel. In Hill Country Rage, Joe fights a giant in the waters of Lake Travis. And in Hill Country Siren, Joe goes undercover at the Austin City Limits festival. Setting Joe up to guard a celebrity and search for a suspect in the middle of sixty thousand fans made for great tension.

Lots of celebrities live in Los Angeles, so it seemed natural to set part of the action in Beverly Hills. That gave me a setting for a terrific fight scene at Sophie’s mansion. I also had fun contrasting the fabulous weather of L.A. with Austin’s brutal summer heat. And finally, my grown children live in Southern California so, of course, for the sake of research, I had to visit them twice while writing the novel.

5. Joe’s ex-wife, Rose, and his two daughters, Chandler and Callie, play important roles in all of the Joe Robbins mysteries. Can you tell us a little about what’s in store for them in Hill Country Siren?

At the end of Hill Country Rage, it appears that Joe has finally accepted that he and Rose will not be reunited, but early on in Hill Country Siren, we learn that Joe still has feelings for her. As for Rose, she has taken her relationship with Dave Moreton (who she first met in Hill Country Rage) to the next logical step.

Joe wants his daughters to remain his little girls forever, but Chandler, Joe’s twelve year old, is physically and emotionally transitioning from girl to woman. As the oldest daughter, Chandler tries to protect her sister from the fallout of her parents’ split. This realization adds to Joe’s stress as he strives to solve the mystery.

6. Are you working on another Joe Robbins mystery? If so, what can you tell us about it?

I have the next three Joe Robbins novels roughed out in my mind, but it will take some time to reduce those ideas to the page. In one novel, Joe will return to Dallas to investigate a fraud at his old company, Liberty Air. While there, Joe will spend quality time with his father and sister (neither of whom readers have yet met), as well as an old love interest.

In a subsequent novel, Joe’s adolescent daughters will join an organization that he soon suspects of perpetrating a massive fraud. And, of course, there is the ongoing question of whether Joe and Rose will reunite. On this subject readers’ views range from Joe just needs to move on . . . to . . . Joe and Rose forever.

I’d also like to take Joe on vacation. Austin gets hot this time of year. I thought perhaps the Greek island of Santorini would make for a good setting, but I’ll need to research it first.

About the Book

Hill Country Siren

Joe Robbins Financial Thriller Series, Book 3

The financial thriller series endorsed by critics and business executives alike
Joe Robbins is hired by a rock star to investigate a fraud and winds up on the trail of a serial killer

Joe loved Sophie Tyler long before she hired him. She was a hometown hero, a musician who grew up in Austin and made the big time. Joe first heard her music in high school; he’d buy her albums and play them over and over, and dream.

Twenty years later, Sophie has left a trail of lovers behind her; she draws them in like a maelstrom, the outcome pre-ordained. When she hires Joe to investigate a fraud he solves the case in a couple days, but then the perpetrator is brutally murdered, and Joe finds himself pulled into a world of stardom, and enchantment, and the frightening path of a freshly awakened serial killer.

As Joe pursues the killer from Austin to Cabos San Lucas to Beverly Hills, he falls dangerously in love with the Hill Country Siren.

About the Author

Patrick Kelly holds a BA in software engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA in finance from Carnegie Mellon University. He served as Chief Financial Officer for six different companies before beginning his career as an author of the Joe Robbins Financial Thriller series. Kelly resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife and family.

For more information on Patrick Kelly or Hill Country Siren, please visit: https://patrickkellystories.com/ or www.amazon.com

Hill Country Siren by Patrick Kelly.  Chaparral Press LLC (July 15, 2016). ISBN: 978-0991103355. 304p.

I am delighted to welcome novelist Mark Edwards with his list of terrific thrillers!

Best British Psychological Thrillers of the Decade (So Far)

The Girl on the Train, by London-based author Paula Hawkins, was an enormous hit worldwide, with the movie about to hit cinemas. Hawkins is just one of a large number of British psychological thrillers writers who are producing books with as many twists, shocks and OMG moments as our American counterparts. Here are some of the best from recent years.

Elizabeth Haynes – Into the Darkest Corner
In Haynes’ debut novel, which she wrote during NaNoWriMo, a young woman is in hiding after escaping the terrifying clutches of her new boyfriend. Suffering from OCD, she is struggling to go on with her life…and fears she is still very much in danger. An utterly compelling, sexy, complex masterpiece from one of the UK’s best crime writers.

Clare Mackintosh – I Let You Go
A woman flees to rural Wales after a hit and run accident that kills a child. Inspired by a real unsolved case, the first novel by former cop Clare Mackintosh has the most audacious, breathtaking twist in the middle – and then gets even better.

Sabine Durrant – Lie With Me
The quality of the writing in Lie With Me is a cut above most other thrillers. Durrant can craft sentences that make other authors weep with envy – including the ‘hero’ of this tale, a literary has-been who accompanies a group of old friends, and his new lover, on vacation and finds himself caught in a web of deception. Brilliantly atmospheric.

Alex Marwood – The Darkest Secret
Like Durrant, Marwood is a brilliant writer who is skilled at really getting inside the heads of her characters – in this case a group of awful narcissists who collude to hide a terrible secret. Years later, the shockwaves of their decision are still being felt. Superb writing and a killer ending.

Paula Daly – The Mistake I Made
Best described as Indecent Proposal set in England’s picturesque Lake District, this is another book with a flawed heroine, a physiotherapist who makes a bad mistake that comes back to bite her. I love this novel because Paula Daly has such a warm, conversational tone which makes this an effortless, fun read. It’s like listening to the confession of a good friend.

CL Taylor – The Missing
All three of CL Taylor’s psychological thrillers are great but this one just about edges it because it handles a difficult subject – family secrets and a missing teenager – with such imagination and sensitivity. This is also a masterclass in sleight of hand and misdirection. I defy anyone to figure out what happened before it’s revealed.

Emily Barr – The Sleeper
Another book about a girl (or rather, woman) on a train into London – except this was written before Paula Hawkins’ bestseller and is just as good. A woman who lives in the south-west of England takes a sleeper train every Monday morning, lives in London during the week – leaving her husband behind – and comes home Friday evening. Soon she finds herself living a double life in more ways than one – but is unaware that someone is manipulating her. This book is impossible to put down.

Helen Fitzgerald – The Cry 
Fitzgerald is actually Australian – which is where most of this book is set – but she lives in Scotland so I’m making her an honorary Brit for the purposes of this list. What’s the worst scenario you can imagine yourself in? I bet it’s not as bad as the scenario in this searing book: a couple accidentally give their baby a fatal overdose on a plane, then try to cover it up. It’s dark, painful but humorous and hopeful in places too. Another one-sitting read.

Mark Edwards – The Devil’s Work 
Can I include one of my own books on this list? Why not. The Devil’s Work is a psychological thriller set in the office from hell. When Sophie returns to work after taking a break to raise her daughter, she is full of hope and excitement. But somebody at work is out to get her – she just has to figure out who, and why, and how it connects to a dark secret from her college days…

About The Devil’s Work by Mark Edwards

A gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Magpies.

It was the job she had dreamed of since childhood. But on her very first day, when an unnerving encounter drags up memories Sophie Greenwood would rather forget, she wonders if she has made a mistake. A fatal mistake.

What is her ambitious young assistant really up to? And what exactly happened to Sophie’s predecessor? When her husband and daughter are pulled into the nightmare, Sophie is forced to confront the darkest secrets she has carried for years.

As her life begins to fall apart at work and at home, Sophie must race to uncover the truth about her new job…before it kills her.

Photo Mark Earthy
http://www.earthyphotography.co.uk
This image is protected by Copyright

About Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which terrifying things happen to ordinary people. His first solo novel, The Magpies (2013), reached the No.1 spot on Amazon UK as did his third novel Because She Loves Me (2014). He has also co-written various crime novels with Louise Voss such as Killing Cupid (2011) and The Blissfully Dead (2015).

Mark grew up on the south coast of England and starting writing in his twenties while working in a number of dead-end jobs. He lived in Tokyo for a year before returning to the UK and starting a career in marketing. As well as a full-time writer, Mark is a stay at home dad for his three children, his wife and a ginger cat.

Website: www.markedwardsauthor.com

Twitter: @mredwards

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ markedwardsbooks

I am delighted to welcome guest blogger Matthew FitzSimmons!

For over a decade, I taught English literature to American twelfth graders. I’ve known people to recoil in horror when I shared what I did for a living. For some, the idea of teaching a classroom of seventeen-year-olds would be akin to the tenth circle of hell. But it was, for me, the best and most important job that I’ve ever had. It reminded me why books mattered to me, and in the end it rekindled a love of writing that I believed had died.

I came to teaching after trying, and failing, to publish a novel in my twenties. I’d given writing a fair go, devoting to it years that felt like wasted time in retrospect. A failure at only twenty-nine, I felt done. Finished. There is something draining about stumbling in so public a fashion, in full view of your friends and family. Burned out, I was certain that I would never write again, and in truth, I didn’t write a word for years.

Instead of writing books, I redirected my energies to teaching them. It turned out I was a good teacher. The kids got me, and I like to think that I got them, too. Most days anyway. At their best, my classrooms were lively, freewheeling spaces. The students energized me, and I loved how often something unexpected happened to make me smile. There was the day that all the boys came to class dressed like me – I didn’t know I had a recognizable style. Or the boy who used video games to analyze Kafka’s The Metamorphosis in an essay (it was brilliant). Or the time a girl argued impassionedly to the entire class that Ernest Hemingway would have been a great rapper, leading to an impromptu homework assignment to write rap lyrics in the voice of a character from The Sun Also Rises. I learned to expect the unexpected – craved it actually.

Which is not to say it was an easy job, or that I ever inspired an entire class to stand on their desks in solidarity. Success in teaching is rarely so cinematic. The truth is that most of my students were not readers by the time they reached me. Although many had been avid readers when they were younger – Harry Potter was a great literary unifier for my students – few read for pleasure anymore and viewed books merely as part of the job of going to school. Each new novel was greeted skeptically, opened by wary high school seniors curious to see what fresh hell I’d inflicted upon them. I saw my job as making the case for books. To make that case, however, I had to think about why I read. I felt passionately enough about reading to teach it, but I’d never given much thought to why. I’d always been a reader and simply left it at that.

To their credit, my students weren’t easy sells. They held their ground, pushed back, and challenged my crusade to make them readers. I like to think I converted a few, but in twelve years I never had a class that all loved the same book. At first it drove me crazy, but eventually I accepted it, eventually I embraced it. Why should they love the same books as me? Wasn’t my job to help them cultivate their own taste in literature? I adopted an expression that I repeated any time a student told me they liked or disliked a particular book: “I don’t care unless you can tell me why.” It was the key to my teaching – they were seventeen, telling me why was in their blood. But to tell me why, they had to read. I won even when I lost.

Somewhere in there, I caught the bug again. I began to write – nothing fully formed, nothing that would ever see the light of day. That dream was dead, I reminded myself. But somewhere along the way, I’d become a much better writer without having done any writing of my own. One day I began to write a book that would become The Short Drop. I realized that in teaching my students, I’d also been teaching myself. Or they’d been teaching me. I learned at least as much from my students as they learned from me, and I know for certain that I would not now be writing my third novel had it not been for them.

About the Author

Matthew FitzSimmons is the author of the bestselling first novel in the Gibson Vaughn series, The Short Drop. Born in Illinois and raised in London, England, he now lives in Washington, DC, where he taught English literature and theater at a private high school for over a decade.

About the book

POISONFEATHER: Book 2 of 3 in the Gibson Vaughn Series

Gibson Vaughn, hero of the bestselling novel The Short Drop, returns in a smoldering thriller.

When jailed billionaire Charles Merrick hints publicly that he has stashed a fortune in an offshore cache, a school of sharks converges upon his release from federal prison.

Among his swindled victims is Judge Hammond Birk, the man who saved Gibson Vaughn’s life when he was a troubled teenager. Now Gibson intends to repay that debt by recovering Merrick’s victims’ money.

But Gibson isn’t the only one on the trail of the hidden fortune.

The promise of billions has drawn a horde of ruthless treasure hunters, including an edgy ex-con, a female bartender with a mysterious history, a Chinese spy with a passion for fly-fishing, and a veritable army of hardened mercenaries. To stay ahead of the sharks and win justice for his mentor, Gibson will need all his formidable skills. But at the end of the road, he’ll still have to face “Poisonfeather”—a geopolitical secret that just might get Gibson killed…or worse.

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I am delighted to welcome novelist Lis Wiehl! Being a popular legal analyst for Fox News, Lis needs to get her glam on at a moment’s notice. Here are some of her tips and tricks.

My Favorite Beauty Tips and Tricks:
How to Keep It Together Fast and Cheap
by Lis Wiehl

1. I always carry a stash of self-adhesive fake eyelashes strips. Press them on and presto! your eyes look fabulous and you skip the always treacherous eyeliner. You can get them at any drug store for between $5 and $7.

2. Gather your hair up in a scrunchy and leave it up as long as you can. When you let it down, you’ll have amazing volume. As if you just had a full blow out!

3. The night before you wash your hair, dip the ends in warm coconut oil, and sleep with it on. It’s the best conditioner ever. Your pillowcases may need a little Shout before you throw them in the wash, but it’s worth it. And the smell of the coconut oil can trigger dreams of a tropical paradise.

4. If you don’t get enough sleep (hello!) a slice or two of cucumber over the eyelids for even a few minutes work wonders.

5. My tried-and-true lemon and honey mask once a week. Just mix them together and slather on. This works well when combined with the hair-in-scrunchy tip.

6. A friend has a posture-perfect mantra: “Display the brooch!” It works wonders on those slouchy days we all have. Just pretend you’re wearing a gorgeous brooch you want the whole world to see. Your shoulders will instantly go down and back, your chest will rise, you’ll walk tall and feel great. And it’s free!

7. Joni Mitchell famously sang, “Happiness is the best facelift.” She’s right. Everyone looks radiant when they’re happy. Having a not-happy day? Well in his classic song, Smile, Charlie Chaplin advises us to, “Smile though your heart is aching.” Good advice, Charlie.

8. Tinted moisturizers are a gift from the beauty gods. They can eliminate the need for foundation and cut your prep time down to almost nothing. For around ten bucks, Neutrogena Visibly Even BB Cream is a bargain. It’s also contains a 30 SPF sunblock. That’s what I call a trifecta.

9. Breathe, baby, breathe. Two minutes of sitting quietly and taking deep breaths is a terrific calming and centering exercise that delivers amazing beauty benefits. You’ll look (and feel) rested and relaxed. Try it. It really works.

10. This is going to sound really weird, but it works. Slosh a tablespoon of the aforementioned coconut oil around and between your teeth for 15-20 minutes. Your teeth will look brighter when you’re done. Do it regularly and you’ll be amazed at the difference. P.S. – don’t spit the oil out in the sink or toilet, it can harden and clog the pipes. Use the wastebasket. (I warned you it would sound weird.)

Author Bio:

Lis Wiehl, author of The Candidate: A Newsmaker Novel is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels. She is a Harvard Law School graduate and has served as a federal prosecutor in the state of Washington and as a tenured faculty member at The University of Washington School of Law. She is currently a popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel.

For more information visit her Website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

THE CANDIDATE by Lis Wiehl. Thomas Nelson (October 4, 2016). ISBN: 978-0718037680. 352p.

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Hunting Jack Reacher Is Deadly Business

Søren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855) famously said that life can only be understood backwards, but we must live it forward. Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011) believed we can only connect the dots of our lives looking backwards; we must simply trust that the dots will somehow connect in the future. I say they’re both right, evidenced by my Hunt for Jack Reacher thrillers.

Here’s the convoluted, inside story of how my FBI Special Agents Kim L. Otto and Carlos Gaspar came to be on the Hunt for Jack Reacher, how I write these books, and where it’s all going.

The stage was set almost twenty years ago.

I met Lee Child by chance. Killing Floor, Lee’s first Reacher novel, was published in 1997. My first novel, Due Justice, was published in 1999 (revised and republished in 2012). We were new authors, making the rounds of libraries and conferences and bookstores, introducing ourselves to readers and writers and publishing professionals, building our writing careers.

Before Jack Reacher became the world-wide phenomenon he is today, before the successful Tom Cruise movies, before Lee Child was a household name, before I’d written more than thirty books and become a bestseller many times over myself, and along with hundreds of other people, our separate paths led us to attend one of many Bouchercons, the World Mystery Conventions.

I’m not sure which Bouchercon it was. Maybe Las Vegas. Maybe Milwaukee. Maybe a different one. Maybe you were there? Anyway, here’s how I remember our first meeting. Very mundane. No big music score to clue me in that this could be important and to pay attention to the details because I’d want to share them with you here one day. Nothing like that at all.

Lee is a smoker. I am not. But during Bouchercon and other conferences, the smokers and non-smokers frequently stand outside in the smoking zones, talking about books and life and simply getting to know one another, the way most friendships begin. Lee and I met each other and lots of folks for the first time in similar situations and you probably have, too.

We had quite a few things in common in addition to our interest in writing thrillers. Such as? Well, we’d started publishing crimefiction as a second career around the same time. I’m an American fascinated with British crime fiction; he’s a Brit who loves American style. Lee had obtained a law degree but never practiced law; I was a practicing lawyer, writing and publishing crime fiction when I could find the time.

And so on.

Which is to say that we enjoyed talking shop once or twice a year when we’d see each other in passing, usually in the smoking section, or later at the bar, at a conference.

By the time I read Killing Floor years later, Lee’s star was firmly on the rise. Reacher had grabbed the public interest in a phenomenal way and Lee was becoming more and more popular. I’d written and published four novels at that point and was still practicing law. He was on number five or six or seven, or thereabouts.

During a library event in Jacksonville, Florida, where we were both speaking, we chanced to talk about his first novel and how writing Reacher had changed his life. I had no idea back then that Lee Child and Jack Reacher would someday change the trajectory of my writing, too.

The murky middle.

By late 2004, when International Thriller Writers was being created, Lee and I were both asked to serve and help to build the fledgling organization. He joined the board and I chaired the national events committee for a year before joining the board as a Vice-President.

In 2006, for the first ThrillerFest in Phoenix, we performed a mock trial. I created the trial using Lee’s novel, Persuader, as the source material and played the role of Judge. Jack Reacher was charged with murder. Lee, of course, played Reacher. Thriller writers who were also real-life lawyers and cops played the prosecutor, witness, defense attorney, and bailiff. Our jury members were well-known reviewers and dedicated thriller readers. We all had a blast.

After a hard fought contest, and intense jury deliberations, Reacher was acquitted by jury nullification. Meaning all three juries ignored the overwhelming evidence of premeditated murder to find Reacher not guilty. The deliberations highlighted all the reasons readers love our favorite vigilante hero with a heart.

Looking backwards, maybe my Hunt for Jack Reacher Series was really conceived back then. But I didn’t know about it and neither did Lee. Not for another six years.

That was then.

By 2009, we had both rotated off the ITW board. At a cocktail party in New York during another ThrillerFest, Lee suggested that we write something together. We began to discuss the possibilities and knocked around a few ideas for several months. Eventually, we came up with the bones of the concept for what has become my series.

The concept goes like this. Two powerful men are looking for Reacher. We don’t know why. All we know is that he’s being considered for some sort of special project. Two FBI agents, Otto and Gaspar, working off the books and under the radar, are building a file on Reacher. Before he can be asked to handle the project, they first must find him.

The problem is that while Reacher was in the army, he had a tendency to, well, ignore the rules and take justice into his own hands. Sometimes, with murderous consequences. There’s a lot of evidence in the files from back then that Reacher was dangerous and uncontrollable, prone to fight first and ask questions later.

After Reacher left the army, his name never appears in any file, anywhere, ever again. Witnesses won’t talk about him. There are no photos or other physical evidence to be found. Certainly, none of Reacher’s DNA exists anywhere. In short, for the past fifteen years, Reacher has been a legend to those who knew him and a terrifying ghost to those who, well, Don’t Know Jack.

Agents Otto and Gaspar are tasked with finding out everything they can about what Reacher’s been doing since he left the army. To do that, in each of my novels they are sent to interview two characters from one of Lee Child’s novels. Using skill, wit, guile, coercion, or whatever they have at hand without committing a felony, Agents Otto and Gaspar uncover the truth about Reacher like an archeologist discovers buried treasure. Along the way, Otto and Gaspar get into all kinds of trouble and must fight their way out again. These books are thrillers, after all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Diane Capri is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author of numerous series, including the Heir Hunter Series, Hunt for Justice and Hunt for Jack Reacher series and the Jess Kimball Thrillers. A former lawyer, she now divides her time between Florida and Michigan. Capri has been nominated for several awards, including the International Thriller Award, and she won the Silver award for Best Thriller e-Book from the Independent Publishers Association. She is currently at work on her next novel. Visit her website to connect with her: http://DianeCapri.com

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Can she ever trust another “bad boy”? 

India Sommers once had the perfect family—until an ex-boyfriend broke in and shot her husband. Not only did that cost her the man she loved, a respected heart surgeon and the father of her child, but she also feels responsible. Charlie died because of the people she hung out with before she had the strength to change her life.

Just after moving to Whiskey Creek with her little girl, Cassia, to start over, she’s learned that her ex-boyfriend’s trial ended in a hung jury. He’s getting out of jail; he could try to find her again. And that’s not all that scares her. She’s extremely attracted to her next-door neighbor, but Rod Amos is the handsome “bad boy” type that’s given her so much trouble in the past. If she got involved with him, her in-laws would sue for custody of Cassia.

India has to keep her distance from Rod—but the more she gets to know him, the more difficult that becomes.

PRAISE FOR THE WHISKEY CREEK SERIES:

“Another Whiskey Creek novel is just what readers need to satisfy their craving for a romance that tugs at the heartstrings.” RT Book Reviews on A Winter Wedding, Top Pick

“This Heart of Mine is a potently emotional, powerfully life-affirming contemporary romance that can be read and enjoyed on its own, but it also serves as an excellent addition to Novak’s popular Whiskey Creek series.”–Booklist, starred review

“Another engrossing addition to Novak’s addictive series.”–Library Journal on This Heart of Mine, starred review

“Novak’s Whiskey Creek novels are a favorite among romance readers because of their small-town charm… Novak never disappoints.” RT Book Reviews on This Heart of Mine, Top Pick

“Once again Novak’s Whiskey Creek springs to life in all its realistic, gritty Gold Country glory as two determined, likable people come to terms with their pasts and give love a chance. This poignant, heartfelt romance puts a refreshing spin on the classic reunion/secret baby theme.”–Library Journal on Come Home to Me

From the Author: Brenda’s Top-10 Romantic Foods

Food can mean many things—calories to keep you alive, the vegetables your kids don’t want to eat, or the fast food burger you grab when you’re short on time. But it can also be something more – a romantic adventure of captivating tastes, smells, and feelings. If you’re looking to turn up the heat in your relationship, here are a few foods that will make you and your partner feel a little weak in the knees:

1. Chocolate
How could we not start here? Smooth and creamy, chocolate is king! Depending on your diet, it may even be a little naughty. It’s also believed by many to be an aphrodisiac, and while science is a little hesitant to agree, I have a hard time arguing to the contrary. 😉 My new love? Dark chocolate with sea salt. Decadent!

2. Steak
Okay, this is where all of you vegetarians cringe (and you’ll definitely want to skip this one), but there’s something carnal and satisfyingly primitive about tearing into a steak. A woman can see her date doing it and have the exciting feeling that he’s going to throw her over his shoulder and take her back to his cave. For a man, there’s really nothing more encouraging than seeing his date eschew the prim salad, roll up her sleeves and go for it. (Or maybe I just want to believe this, since steak is one of my favorites foods! LOL)

3. Whipped cream
Light, delicious, and it goes well on everything: on ice cream, on fruit, on – dare I say – your partner’s body? This versatile treat can turn a regular night into something fun and surprising.

4. Raw oysters
Okay, I’m giving this one on faith for the more adventurous among us, because I can’t pretend I’m speaking from experience. (Presenting me with raw oysters would probably be the quickest way to “kill the mood.” LOL) But…unlike chocolate, whose aphrodisiac status is perhaps a bit more placebo-oriented, oysters actually do contain amino acids that are said to increase sex drive. Since its powers of passion are well-documented, it also sends a clear message about how you plan to end the night.

5. Sushi
There’s a lot of discovery here – what you like, what you don’t, how to finally get those damn chopsticks to work so you don’t look too silly. A sushi date is an odyssey of unique flavors, not to mention that many of the rolls are art on a plate. And a sushi date practically requires that you share with each other. What’s more romantic than that?

6. Strawberries
They’re bursting with flavor, heart-shaped, and you can feed them to each other. These delectable sweet berries are great for bringing out your playful side and helping you slow down and focus on each other. Bonus points if you get them involved with my #1 (chocolate) or #3 (whipped cream) selection.

7. Spaghetti and meatballs
Counterintuitive? Perhaps. You might think you’d never want to order this one on a date because it’s messy to eat, but that’s exactly why you should. If you and your date commit to this sloppy Italian meal, it’ll force you to stop trying to be perfect and get comfortable with each other. There’s just something about a partner who’s willing to get a little dirty, isn’t there? 😉

8. Something spicy
This time I am speaking from experience, because I love nothing more than a lot of flavor. Whether it’s Indian food, Thai food, Mexican food, or just throwing a handful of jalapeños into the dish, sometimes there’s no better way to spice things up than actually spicing things up. (Is it hot in here, or is it just you?)

9. Lobster
Want to make a night special? Add lobster. It’s succulent, it’s indulgent, and what can be better than a meal that comes with a tiny bowl of butter sauce for dipping? When you’re looking to create a night to remember, sometimes it’s worth it to splurge, because the splurge alone says, “You’re important to me.”

10. Fondue
Always a sure bet for a great date. You can go out to do this, or you can do it at home with a small crockpot. It’s interactive and gratifying to just keep dipping. And we’re talking about a huge bowl of creamy cheese. How can anybody not love that? Even better, you can end the night right where we started—with chocolate.

Remember, there’s a little bit of romance wherever you look. It can be a place or a book or even your dinner. So, next time you’re at the grocery store, drop a couple of these items in your cart. You may be glad you did.

About the Author

New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than fifty books. A five-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Silver Bullet. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit http://www.brendanovak.com.

To win your own copy, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with “DISCOVERING YOU” as the subject.

You must include your snail mail address in your email.

All entries must be received by May 31, 2016. One (1) name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. Your book will be sent by the publicist.

One entry per email address. Subscribers to the monthly newsletter earn an extra entry into every contest. Follow this blog to earn another entry into every contest. Winners may win only one time per year (365 days) for contests with prizes of more than one book. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.

 The Adventure of Blending Genres by Joe Hart

To me writing has always been an adventure.

Before I learned various rules and boundaries it was purely imagination and creativity fueling the story. Now that isn’t to say my first works were cohesive in a traditional sense, plus I was very young (nine or ten when I wrote my first stories). That feeling of freedom and excitement have never left me when looking at a blank page and that’s probably the reason I’m writing full time today, but learning the basic dos and don’ts helped shape my writing and gave it direction that it didn’t have before. As the old saying goes- you need to learn the rules before you can break them.

As I got older and my writing developed I noticed not only my craft changing but also the elements that made up my plots. Cross genre or crossover books are the terms that have become well known in recent years due to readership devouring stories that didn’t necessarily adhere to one specific category. To me this made perfect sense. Thrillers, horror, mystery, romance, political intrigue, and literary fiction had always been very definable, but these new works bent and broke the boundaries, they re-wrote the rules of what an author could or couldn’t have happen within the pages. I think several elements added to the rise of this amalgam of literature, one being the creativity factor that many authors were able to utilize without being bound to one specific genre. By being able to combine two or more genres the possibilities are endless. Imagine a homicide detective who is an angel cast out of heaven who doesn’t remember her past and possesses power she doesn’t understand. How about a murder mystery set on Mars during a crisis that threatens the entire established colony? Or maybe a literary novel involving the very last zombie on Earth who is desperately trying to survive and evade his human pursuers while trying to understand what makes us human in the first place?

Some wonderful examples of cross genre fiction are Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines trilogy and his upcoming novel Dark Matter, Marcus Sakey’s Brilliance Saga, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and Chuck Wendig’s Miriam Black series.

In my newest novel, The Last Girl, I imagined a world in which women were no longer born and the fallout 25 years after the phenomenon began. The heart of the book is a thriller, there’s no denying that, but there’s also dystopian elements, action/adventure, suspense, mystery, romance, and a touch of literary philosophy. It was a blast to write and that sense of adventure was there, strong as ever, which is crucial for me when creating living, breathing characters and a plot that draws the reader into another world.

I think readers have been hungering for crossover tales for some time since few people enjoy only one category of fiction, and from my own experience writing across many genres has kept the fire of creation burning that drew me to the craft in the first place.

About The Last Girl

A mysterious worldwide epidemic reduces the birthrate of female infants from 50 percent to less than 1 percent. Medical science and governments around the world scramble in an effort to solve the problem, but twenty-five years later there is no cure, and an entire generation grows up with a population of fewer than a thousand women.

Zoey and some of the surviving young women are housed in a scientific research compound dedicated to determining the cause. For two decades, she’s been isolated from her family, treated as a test subject, and locked away—told only that the virus has wiped out the rest of the world’s population.

Captivity is the only life Zoey has ever known, and escaping her heavily armed captors is no easy task, but she’s determined to leave before she is subjected to the next round of tests…a program that no other woman has ever returned from. Even if she’s successful, Zoey has no idea what she’ll encounter in the strange new world beyond the facility’s walls. Winning her freedom will take brutality she never imagined she possessed, as well as all her strength and cunning—but Zoey is ready for war.

About the Author

Joe Hart was born and raised in northern Minnesota. Having dedicated himself to writing horror and thriller fiction since the tender age of nine, he is now the author of eight novels that include The River Is Dark,  Lineage, and .The Last Girl is the first installment in the highly anticipated Dominion Trilogy and once again showcases Hart’s knack for creating breathtaking futuristic thrillers.

When not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising, exploring the great outdoors, and watching movies with his family. For more information on his upcoming novels and access to his blog, visit  www.joehartbooks.com.

04/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

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I am delighted to welcome author Lisa Black! Check out her latest Gardiner and Renner book, That Darkness.

I despise controversy. Hate it. If two people are about to get in a fight I don’t whip out my cell phone camera, I leave the room. I grew up with a short-fused older sister while caught in between two perpetually squabbling besties—all of whom I secretly blame for my decision to marry a man with a fuse so short he made those girls look like Strawberry Shortcake. So suffice to say the last thing I ever try to do in my novels is court controversy. I ignore ‘hot-button’ issues, politics, religion, child-rearing techniques, food preferences and whether or not Picasso is overrated. But I’m afraid I may have edged too close to that cliff with this one.

In That Darkness, it seems like a typical week for crime scene specialist Maggie Gardiner–a gang boss shot in an alley, a lost girl draped over an ancient grave, a human trafficker dumped in the river–nothing all that out of the ordinary for the Cleveland police department as spring turns toward summer along the Erie banks. The methods are usual, the victims unsurprising–but when she notices a pattern, a tenuous similarity among the cases, she begins to realize that her days will never be typical again. How much of her life, her career, her friends, will she be willing to risk to do what’s right?

Jack Renner is a killer who does not kill for any of the conventional reasons…no mania, no personal demons. He simply wants to make the world a safer place. He doesn’t think of himself as a dangerous person–but he can’t let anyone stop him. Not even someone as well-meaning as Maggie Gardiner.

Maggie has the self-sufficiency of a born bit-of-a-loner. She works with a bevy of clever experts surrounded by armed police officers. She is both street smart and book smart, having seen the worst the city has to offer.

But Maggie Gardiner is not safe. And, until she can draw Jack Renner into the light, neither is anyone else.

I love the book. But as the release date loomed I began to have nightmares of getting irate emails from fans saying things such as I can’t believe you ended the book like that and I’ll never read one of yours again. Not to mention one-star reviews on Amazon with titles like Tremendously Disappointing. I shudder at the thought. Then I shudder again. Then I break out the vodka.

Unfortunately—or fortunately—I still wouldn’t change a word. I wrote it the way I did because I had to write it the way I did. That’s the only reason I can give. But to a writer, that’s the best reason of all.

About the book:

In this tour de force of psychological suspense, bestselling author Lisa Black draws from her experience as a forensic investigator to create two of the most fascinating characters in crime fiction: a killer with a unique sense of justice and a woman in a lifelong relationship with death…

That Darkness

As a forensic investigator for the Cleveland Police Department, Maggie Gardiner has seen her share of Jane Does. The latest is an unidentified female in her early teens, discovered in a local cemetery. More shocking than the girl’s injuries–for Maggie at least–is the fact that no one has reported her missing. She and the detectives assigned to the case (including her cop ex-husband) are determined to follow every lead, run down every scrap of evidence. But the monster they seek is watching every move, closer to them than they could possibly imagine.

Jack Renner is a killer. He doesn’t murder because he enjoys it, or because he believes himself omnipotent, or for any reason other than to make the world a safer place. When he follows the trail of this Jane Doe to a locked room in a small apartment where eighteen teenaged girls are anything but safe, he knows something must be done. But his pursuit of their captor takes an unexpected turn.

Maggie Gardiner finds another body waiting for her in the autopsy room–and a host of questions that will challenge everything she believes about justice, morality, and the true nature of evil …

Praise For Lisa Black and her bestselling novels

“Lisa Black writes with immediacy and unmatched authenticity.” –Jeff Lindsay, New York Timesbestselling author of the DEXTER series

“In Black’s skillful hands, you’re in for a surprise…a gifted storyteller.” –Ridley Pearson

“A must-read for fans of Cornwell and Grafton.” —Booklist

“Black, who is a forensic scientist, certainly knows her field.” —Publishers Weekly

“Quite simply, one of the best storytellers around.” –Tess Gerritsen

“Highly entertaining…Fans of forensic thrillers will look forward to seeing more.” —Library Journal

“Pulse-pounding adventure…devilishly clever.” —Mystery Scene

“Lisa Black heightens the suspense.” —South Florida Sun-Sentinel

About the author:

Lisa Black has spent over 20 years in forensic science, first at the coroner’s office in Cleveland Ohio and now as a certified latent print examiner and CSI at a Florida police dept. Her books have been translated into 6 languages, one reached the NYT Bestseller’s List and one has been optioned for film and a possible TV series.

Website: http://www.lisa-black.com/

Twitter: @LisaBlackAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.black.3194

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/115085.Lisa_Black

4/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THAT DARKNESS by Lisa Black. Kensington (April 26, 2016).  ISBN 978-1496701886.  336p.

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I am delighted to welcome debut novelist Sarit Yishai-Levi! 

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is a dazzling novel of mothers and daughters, stories told and untold, and the ties that bind four generations of women.

Gabriela’s mother Luna is the most beautiful woman in all of Jerusalem, though her famed beauty and charm seem to be reserved for everyone but her daughter. Ever since Gabriela can remember, she and Luna have struggled to connect. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriela senses there’s more to her mother than painted nails and lips.

Desperate to understand their relationship, Gabriela pieces together the stories of her family’s previous generations―from Great-Grandmother Mercada the renowned healer, to Grandma Rosa who cleaned houses for the English, to Luna who had the nicest legs in Jerusalem. But as she uncovers shocking secrets, forbidden romances, and the family curse that links the women together, Gabriela must face a past and present far more complex than she ever imagined.

Set against the Golden Age of Hollywood, the dark days of World War II, and the swinging ’70s, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem follows generations of unforgettable women as they forge their own paths through times of dramatic change. With great humor and heart, Sarit Yishai-Levi has given us a powerful story of love and forgiveness―and the unexpected and enchanting places we find each.

A Conversation with Sarit Yishai-Levi, author of  The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem

What is your inspiration behind The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem? How did you come up with the novel’s title?

This may sound strange, but the inspiration for The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem came from within me. I did not set out to write an epic novel, but having started, it felt like someone was sitting at my shoulder, whispering in my ear and leading me through the story, through its twists and turns. That experience had been my life for the 6.5 years it took me to write this book.

I don’t remember exactly when I picked the title The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, but when the character Rosa mockingly calls her daughter Luna “the beauty queen of Jerusalem,” I knew instantly that this should be the book’s title. My Israeli editor wasn’t very happy with the title, but I insisted.

You’re a well-known Israeli journalist. How is writing a novel different from the work you do on a day-to-day basis? 

There is a world of difference between writing a column or other journalistic story and writing a novel. In journalism it is necessary to be matter-of-fact, even lean, and to narrow down the story handed to you by the subject. The person who is interviewed is the center, and the journalist is merely a vessel to channel their message to readers. The words are theirs, as well as the drama and the story. When writing a novel you have all the time in the world to tell your story. It is you who put words in the characters’ mouths and thus create the drama, the highs and the lows. You build a whole world, and it is a very exciting and rewarding experience.

How has the success of the novel changed your life, personally and professionally? What is it like to have your novel published in multiple languages and countries?

The publication of the book changed my life completely. Its phenomenal success in Israel made me instantly famous. I did many interviews, TV spots, and talks. Before the book came out I was Sarit Yishai-Levi, the journalist. Now, I am author and journalist, and for me it is an absolute dream come true.

The moment I held the Italian edition of the book (Italy is where the novel was first published outside of Israel) was very emotional. The fact that people in another country had read my story moved me to tears. When I went to Italy for the book launch, I visited the famous Rizzoli bookstore in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. Seeing my book featured on the main table there was overwhelming. Since then the book has been translated to other languages, and I am very excited each time I hold a new edition of it. I am especially looking forward to the book’s upcoming release in English. I truly hope it will move American readers as it did Israeli readers.

Who are your favorite novelists? Were there any writers or books that inspired you?

My favorite authors are Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ayn Rand, Paul Auster, Paullina Simons, Victoria Hislop, Maria Duenas, and the Israeli authors Amos Oz, Meir Shalev, David Grossman, and Zeruya Shalev. Books that have inspired me: A Pigeon and A Boy by Meir Shalev, The Island by Maria Hislop, and The Time In Between by Maria Duenas. My all-time favorite novels are Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

What do you hope readers take away from the novel?

One should be able to forgive others before one is able to forgive oneself. In order to love another, one should love oneself. Love conquers all. In addition, I hope readers will embrace the story of the Ladino-speaking community that has resided in Israel for generations as the story of Israel and an important part of its culture and history.

What’s up next for you?

I am now finishing a new book, scheduled for release in early 2017 in Hebrew by Modan Publishing House. Filming for the movie adaptation of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is scheduled to begin at the end of 2016 in Israel.

Praise for THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF JERUSALEM  

About the Author