World Blog Tour . . .

WELCOME to the World Blog Tour!

Cindy Thomson is a writer and an avid genealogy enthusiast. 

Her love of history and her Scots-Irish heritage have inspired

 much of her writing, including her new Ellis Island series with 

Tyndale House Publishers. 

Cindy is also the author of 

Brigid of Ireland and Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland, 

and is co-author of the baseball biography 

Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story. 

In addition to books, Cindy has written on a regular basis for numerous online and print publications and is a mentor 

for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. 

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers 

and the Historical Novel Society. 

Cindy and her husband have three grown sons
and live in central Ohio. 

Visit her online at www.cindyswriting.com 

or on Twitter: @cindyswriting.

Thank you, Cindy Thomson for inviting me to join you on this World Blog Tour! 

They can be found on Amazon here:

Amazon

Now on to the questions and my answers!
What am I working on?

• I'm finishing up the second book of my mystery series, called Bat Crazy and here's a brief blurb about it:

Overhearing a strange conversation while at a dilapidated diner in a dusty town in New Mexico about vampire bats and a murder, Denton and Alex head straight to the new-found/opened cavern. They’re immediately thrown into the search for the person who is holding something over almost every employee working at the facility. What is the reason behind the threats and scares, and is there really vampire bats attacking visitors--or is it all a hoax? Are the young girl and boy as innocent as they proclaim or are they involved and hiding the truth? Will Denton and Alex solve this mystery before the vampire bat attacks them?

The first one is Hog Insane.

• I'm also finishing edits on a contemporary suspense set in Montana.
• And continuing to work on other books in series, plus a historical, light suspense while plotting other books when the time is right to begin them.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I do a ton of research for whatever suspenseful/mysterious novel I'm working on and I also try to inject a touch of humor. In the case of my mystery series, Denton Davies is at the right age to be set in his ways, define life by his own terms, and have a little dry humor about him. It helps keep the mystery novel lighthearted and an easy read, which is what I aimed for.

Even in my other more serious books, I like to share a moment or two of sweetness, humor or lightheartedness that eases the tension just enough to give the reader a chance to breathe. Lol.

And I like to believe (verification from writer friends and readers) that I have my own unique writing style. I insist on delving deep into the personal's feelings and bringing them to bear in the story. Most of all, I thank God for the original talent he's given me and the opportunity to follow my dreams.


Why do I write what I do?

All my life, I've loved suspense and mysteries. I devoured mystery books as a child and teen, so it was the logical choice to write the same. Notebooks were filled with childish-handwritten stories of other children/teens my age solving mysteries.

Even though I devoted years to my husband's and my ministry, I never forgot the love hidden within me to write seriously. One day, I realized and spoke to my hubby: it was now or never. That thought was impressed upon me, and I began writing fiction as a profession.

Only this time it was different. I was serious about pursuing writing as a career. In due process, my debut novel was published, then a second book was released, and now I have a WWII romantic suspense due out in November.

Suspense and/or mystery touches, and will continue to do so, all of my novels. It's my favorite genre, and why would I do otherwise?


How does my writing process work?

• Usually with an idea. 
• Then the hard part begins: the plotting. This will take time, even during the writing, as I'm a seat of the pants writer. 
• Research is vital in my writing. Although I seldom use it all, I like to know what my protagonist may (or may not) run up against. I like details that will bring the setting and era alive. I like to know how the characters would talk, how they dress, what they like to eat, what they do for fun and work. There are always plenty of things, minor and major, details to be worked out. 
• Writing and finishing. It's one thing to begin a project, but quite another to pursue and push through to the end. It takes determination and effort to sit down every day, or as your schedule is, and type, even when the words aren't there or a million other things scream for your attention. 
• Editing. As lots of authors will tell you, it never gets done. Of course, there is a time when you have to lay down your "pen" and say, It's finished. But many of us edit and edit and edit again. Guilty! :)

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out not only my novels, but Cindy's as well!
Blessings!

Burying the Hatchet
by Chris Well


Review
Book cover:

What happens when a psychic and a minister are invited to a debate, and both walk into the room but only one leaves alive? Longtime grump earl Walker thinks it may be time to find a different church as his new pastor is now a suspect in a murder. But can Earl’s lady friend convince him to stand up for his newfound friends and fight for the truth?
My take:

Another winner by Chris Wells.
He brings in a lot of the same characters:

• Earl Walker with his inquisitive mind and irascible nature, although he’s mellowed a lot since attending church,
•  Gloria Logan, vivacious, helpful, and caring.
• Jenny Hutton, “College,” who’s still young and innocent, and a little annoying, too.
• Deputy Landon Fisher, who doesn’t seem all that bright but willing to be helpful and convinced.

What is it when you throw a minister/pastor and a psychic together in a story? A book you can’t put down. Enemies, per se, the two are invited to a public debate, but only one of them comes out of it alive. Earl, and his friends, is convinced the pastor is innocent of murdering Montague Black, the psychic, as much as the county sheriff is convinced of his guilt.

Right in the thick of the county and federal investigation, Earl, spurred on by Gloria and Jenny’s faith in him, pursues the truth needed to clear his pastor of murder, even if it means tangling with the FBI. One step at a time, Earl peels away the illusions that cloud the real clues. Did Black really disappear and reappear from the death scene? In spite of no way to leave, how could a murderer, other than the pastor, have gotten away? And what does the psychic’s death have to do with three other senior people’s demises in the community?

Add to the above plot is the attention-grabbing subplot of romance between Gloria and Earl. Earl, who’s not afraid to take the bull by the horns in questioning suspects, shies away from confessing his love for Gloria. And though we can see—feel—Gloria’s yearning for him to speak “the words,” Well makes us wait right up to the end for Earl to finally reveal his heart to her.

Once again, the author takes a cast of characters and makes them come alive. They are people who could live in our own neighborhoods, people we could pass on the streets every day. Their personalities are flawed and real and with whom we can identify. Well is not afraid to talk about Earl dropping his dentures behind the sink, yet his character’s heart flutters at Gloria’s beautiful eyes. Gloria’s strong faith and contrasting fear for Earl’s safety is touching. Jenny’s methodical yet understanding ways and Deputy Fisher’s behind the scene’s help in finding the real murderer in spite of his fear of disobeying the sheriff’s orders—both have you rooting for these characters.
Once again, Well brings in wonderful touches with the settings.

• Earl’s home, his lack of food supplies, his daily routines, and the ever muted tv
• The restaurants: the first, noisy and kid-filled, the second, quiet and tasty food
• Church with its marbled blend of personalities
•  Media with its ever present search for stories
• Rest and nursing homes and the sometimes humorous, but always respectful attitude toward the elderly with their variety of physical problems, but capabilities of leading profitable lives

All in all, another wonderful, interesting mystery tale with its subtle hints that kept me guessing. I loved Well’s tributes to several different master writers of this genre. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a classic mystery novel.

Please welcome my friend, Susan Sleeman!

Make sure you leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win Susan's book!

How long have you known that you were a writer? Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just loved writing all your life?

The life long love of reading inspired me to want to write a book, but it was God who arranged free time for it to happen. I’ve always enjoyed writing from creative to technical writing I’ve done in the corporate world, and I said for years that I was going to write a book, but I was so busy working full time, raising children, and volunteering at church that I never made the time. Then in 2000, I began having health issues that limited my physical activity. Forced to sit for long periods of time, I started to research the craft of writing and began my first book.

As my health deteriorated, I had more and more time available and soon I was writing fulltime and actively pursuing publication. I continued to work on the craft and to submit books, got the requisite rejections and then in the fall of 2008 at the ACFW conference, I was awarded a book contract in front of 500 or so of my fellow writers. My agent, crit partners and the editor had conspired to keep this a secret from me for five months. Since then I have contracted additional books in the Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense line and look forward to writing for years to come.

Wow! Exciting way to begin. Can you tell us the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

I write romantic suspense and mystery. In both of these genre’s there are equal parts romance and suspense and or mystery. Suspense and mystery often overlap but differ in that suspense is a story where the clock is ticking and you're on the edge of your seat waiting for what’s going to happen next. It’s more frightening, scary even, with the heroine’s life often in danger throughout the entire book. A mystery on the other hand is a story filled with questions and usually involves solving a murder where the reader is wrapped up through the entire story trying to guess the killer’s identity.

How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

I used to write more when I felt like it, but deadlines now force me to be more disciplined. I currently set writing goals for every day and I write every day of the week. If the words aren’t flowing one day, I keep myself in front of the computer until they come or make up the time the next day.

To complete a rough draft of a book once the synopsis is finished will take about two months. Then it takes another month to complete the editing process, before the manuscript is submitted to my editor and she starts the official rounds of edits.

Tell us about your new book. What is the spiritual message in it? What can readers expect to get from reading it? How and where can readers buy your book?

I have two books releasing within a month of each other so I will tell you about both of them. The first is High-Stakes Inheritance a romantic book published by Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line. In High-stakes Inheritance, family counselor Mia Blackburn’s Uncle Wally dies and leaves behind a will that requires her to return to Logan Lake, Oregon to live at the rustic Pinetree Resort for one full year in order to inherit the valuable property. If she fails to stay at Pinetree for the full year, the property reverts to her brother.

But on her first day in town she receives a threatening message: Leave Logan Lake or you will pay. Despite the warning, Mia won't let anyone scare her from the rustic resort. But when a fire traps her in a burning barn, she fears that she won't get out alive. Just in time her ex-boyfriend wilderness counselor Ryan Morgan rescues her from the deadly blaze. He had once broken her heart, yet she still has feelings for him. With Ryan insisting on keeping a close eye on her, Mia feels safer-and closer to Ryan than ever before. Yet the threats haven't stopped, and soon Mia's high-stakes inheritance includes a murder-and Mia could be the next victim.

The second book is Nipped in the Bud, book one in my Garden Gate Mystery Series. Read Between the Tines and Seed You Later, books two and three are not contracted, but if this new mystery line does well, I hope they too will be published. These books take place in Oregon in a fictional town named Serendipity and feature Paige Turner, a landscape designer and host of a local radio show. She has a knack for finding trouble and there is no trouble bigger than discovering a dead body. Which she does after she bickers with a town official---and that day he's discovered dead in a mound of mulch---she finds herself in . . . well, a pickle! With no alibi, she struggles to prove her innocence, but she soon enlists the help of lawyer Adam Hayes. The question is will his knowledge of the law keep her out of jail and will he win her love?

Both books have a spiritual message revolving around trusting God and what happens when we don’t do so. We are taught as we are growing up to be independent, to stand on our own two feet, to be responsible and plan for our future, and sometimes we forget that all of this is a good thing, but not when we begin to rely on ourselves instead of God. We can’t see the big picture of life as God can, so when we stop asking him for direction and trust in what we alone can see, we don’t make the best decisions and life can be filled with worries.

Both of these books can be purchased on line at Amazon, CBD, Barnes and Noble, etc. or in stores at WalMart, Borders, and many grocery and drug stores.

Oh, my, Susan, I've already read High Stakes Inheritance and love it. Your mystery series sounds fantastic. Tell us, do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through?

There are many things on the road to publication that can make you want to give up. Rejections by editors and agents, harsh critiques from other writers, cancellation of the line of books your recently contracted novel was to be published in, negative reviews, and on and on. But when each set back occurs, you are faced with two options. Give up or learn from the experience and move on.

I have to admit my first reaction is usually to question my abilities as a writer and have the urge to throw in the towel. But then, after I process the information, I try to use it to be a better writer. As with everything in life, what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger if we let it.

Would you explain how you “chose” (or were chosen by) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin.

My first step was to find publisher’s guidelines. Most publishers have them and if you want your book to be published by that company, you need to follow their guidelines. If they say they only publish books between 50-60,000 words, don’t write and submit a book of 100,000 words or you are asking to be rejected. If they publish only romance, don’t send them a suspense book.

So with both of my current releases, I found the guidelines for publishers I was interested in working with, read many of the currently published books to get a feel for the line, and then wrote books that fit within those guidelines.

Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

First off, getting a book published is a goal I wanted to obtain, but it doesn’t equate to success in a writing career. And I can tell you that since I have contracted a few books, I have been busier than ever and working harder than ever.

Sitting back and relaxing, if you don’t ever want to publish another book is an option, but I want a writing career so I can never sit back and relax. Book publishing is a business like any other business and businesses exist for one reason, to make money. To make money in the publishing world the company has to sell a lot of books. If a book sells well the company is happy. It a book doesn’t sell well, the company rethinks publishing another book with that author.

So if you want a career in writing you need to make sure your books sell. This does not allow you to sit back and relax. You must promote your book through interviews, book signings, websites, and social media, etc all at the same time as coming up with and writing another novel and perhaps working on edits for a third novel all the while meeting your publisher’s deadlines.

There is however, time in this busy schedule to enjoy holding your book in your hand, to read wonderful emails from readers whose lives you touched, to celebrate the sale of another book to a publisher and to thank God for the blessing of this crazy, hectic, yet most wonderful job in the world.

Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could?

I love to read. I don’t like to clean house. I love to play with my grandson and spend time with my family. I don’t like to do the dishes. I love to garden. I don’t like to do the laundry. I love to work on websites and graphic design things. I don’t like to do the taxes. I love to go out to dinner. I don’t love to cook dinner.

If my travel budget weren’t fully committed to traveling between Florida where I live and Portland, Oregon where my children and grandson live, I would like to go to Australia, France and Alaska.

Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?

I can be found at all of the following places on the internet and would love to connect with readers in any and or all of these places.

• http://www.susansleeman.com Personal website
• http://www.thesuspensezone.com Book review website
• http://hometownmysteries.com Hometown Mystery Website
• http://www.twitter.com/susansleeman Twitter
• http://www.facebook.com/susan.sleeman Facebook friends page
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Sleeman-Books/124844037537711 Facebook fan page
• http://www.loveinspiredauthors.com Love Inspired Author

Susan, thanks so much for the interesting interview! Folks check out her books. She is a great writer!
Blessings!

My Review of
Chris Well's new mystery novel:
Nursing a Grudge

Book Cover:
What's a grouchy old man to do when two women drag him from his assisted-living apartment to a clandestine chili party? He almost has fun -- until someone drops dead. But Earl Walker is the only one suspicious of the way the partygoer met his demise. Can he solve the puzzle -- and figure out his relationship with his new lady friend -- before the state shuts down the home and all the suspects move away?

My thoughts:
Oh, my. A wonderful addition to the mystery world. Wells delivered with his usual ability, another book that keeps your attention. Who would have thought a mystery with a nursing home protagonist could be so overwhelmingly good?

When young and blundering Jenny Hutton with her inapt attempt at witnessing, forces her unwanted attention on crabby Earl Walker, sparks fly. She’s determined he should “get out”. He’s just as determined to stay in his rooms and watch any TV sitcom available. Keeping to himself so that he can keep his wife’s memory alive, will serve another purpose too: the less he has to do with others, the less trouble he’ll have to deal with. He didn’t blend with the activities and the other residents when he first came, and he doesn’t want to begin now.

When Jenny and Gloria, with the big red hair and new name for Earl (Blue Eyes), plot together for his good, they unknowingly push him into finding the murderer of the most unliked person at the home: George Kent. The problem is it could be any of the residents for they all have secrets that pertain to Kent. Can he locate that person before the home is closed down, and can he prove it?

Romance blossoms between Gloria and Earl, but is that what he wants? She has an overblown personality, but is attractive and friendly and makes his heart flutter (it’s not a heart attack, is it?). His lack of concern at dressing his best (for what he refuses to acknowledge is a date) is frustrating for poor Jenny. His feeble attempts at conversation with Gloria are touching.

Even danger enters the picture when Earl corners a fellow resident to ask questions. Obviously the murderer doesn’t like it, because Earl is almost killed with a knife.

The whole story takes several twists and turns, including blackmail, with Earl pointing a figurative finger at several residents, but at the last, when all evidence points to the one person that he’d rather it didn’t, he “confesses.” In his frustration at his own lack of ability to save that person, he finally turns to God.

One of the first things that caught my attention was Earl Walker’s personality. Well did a superb job letting that shine through, and I loved it. Yes, he was grouchy, but he was also smart, with a dry wit evidenced by his constant gentle harassment of do-gooder, Jenny Hutton.

A cute tidbit that I liked was how Jenny, so taken up at first, with one of the male employees that got fired, toward the end shrugs her shoulders, and eyes a different man. Coming from the point of view of an elderly person, it was a particularly funny piece of information about the fickleness of young love that added to Well’s book.

And the second part that enraptured me, was his ability to bring out the setting so well. Though there wasn’t an abundance of nursing home employees involved in the book, the whole atmosphere shone through perfectly. From the activities room to the exercise room, from the cafeteria to the disturbingly endless hallways, each part played a small, but integral part in bringing the setting to life.

Chris did an excellent job with this novel. The flow of the whole story, the individualistic development of his characters, the plot, all of it was written with a natural and smooth rhythm. I’d love to read more of his mysteries and look forward to it. He’s just shot to one of the top spots in my mystery writer’s list.



Blessings!

What We Writers Write

Genres: the various differentiated areas of novels.

Let's start with Mystery writing!

According to Sue Grafton, the mystery is:
"a way to examine the dark side of nature, a means to by which we can explore the perplexing questions of crime, guilt and innocence, violence and justice. The mystery not only re-creates the original conditions from which violence springs, tracking the chaos . . . but attempts to divine the truth through the process of rational investigation and eventually restores order to the universe."

So, a mystery writer must be(come):

• A psychologist (a person who studies humans and human nature). A person who studies and details little, sometimes unimportant, items that can be used at a later time, or that make sense when put together with other information. A person skilled in mind puzzles.

A mystery is (to some people's way of thinking) the most explicit of all novels. You pose a question in the beginning. By the end, you have answered all the questions. The basic question: Who did it?

A writer must follow some rules to write a mystery. Some of them are:

• Plot (which is everything for a mystery novel)
• Hero (ine) must be credible and interesting.
• The setting must be a suitable background for your story line and your pool of characters.
• Some type of violence is required. (whether theft, greed, murder, etc.)
• Some types of violence are a no-no! (graphic details of crime and certain types of crime dealing with children or animals)
• First person point of view is the preferred manner of story telling, although it does limit the story line to the ONE view. Some do use third view and succeed.
• This is a duh one: the hero cannot be the villain. Kind of hard to do this in a 'normal' mystery.
• Bring in the culprit early in the novel, within the first two-three chapters. Fairness to the reader in giving the clues throughout the book.
• In a mystery, two character scenes simplify the ease in reading the story.
• Do your research (this works for all genres!). You don't want a more knowledgeable reader turned off by your confusing, lack of correctness information weaving throughout your book.

Remember: rules are meant to be bent or broken. But you better have a good reason to do so!

Quote:
What you want is to practice, practice, practice. It doesn't matter what we write (at least this is my view) at our age, so long as we write continually as well as we can. I feel that every time I write a page either of prose or of verse, with real effort, even if it's thrown into the fire the next minute, I am so much further on. --C.S. Lewis

Blessings