Serious Wednesday: Welcome, Linda Weaver Clarke! And a GIVEAWAY!!

 Welcome to talented Linda Weaver Clarke who writes historical, romance and mystery novels. 

SHE will giveaway the book: 

ONE LAST DANCE

 to everyone who comments on this blog post! 

Never Too Late To Dream

I believe it’s never too late to accomplish one’s dreams. Some people have a bucket list that has daring things to do or something they longed to do for years. It is never too late and you are never too old to do something you have longed to do.

After raising six daughters and believing it is never too late to dream, I decided to go back to college. It was a scary thing to do and I don’t know why I was so worried. At the age of 50, I graduated from college with a Theatre and Arts Degree. After that, I performed for a concert series. It was unbelievably fun and enjoyable until I got reflux and lost my voice. Feeling discouraged, I didn’t know what to do with my life. But . . . when one door is closed, God opens another door for you to walk through. And that was exactly what He did for me.

An interest in writing engulfed me. So I went to the library and studied every book available about writing. I wanted to write family-friendly stories for all ages. So I sat down and wrote a few books until I was brave enough to send one to a publisher. At the age of 56, I became a published author and won an award for my first book, which surprised and delighted me. After writing five historical romances, I wrote 12 cozy mysteries and then wrote three swashbuckling romances. Since I was a fan of Robin Hood, Zorro, and The Scarlet Pimpernel, I couldn’t help it. I even wrote some non-fiction and a children’s book. 

Being an author has been an interesting path to travel. The most recent series that I just completed is a historical mystery romance series set in the 1830s. It is called A Willow Valley Historical Romance. Each romance has a mystery to solve.

One Last Dance is the first book in this series, which will keep you guessing until the end of the book. When Felicity meets their charming new neighbor, she soon discovers that he is hiding his true identity. Nicholas Adams is on a quest. When she finds out that someone is after a valuable heirloom, a precious treasure found in her attic, her life takes a new turn.

“This book has my favorite genres: historical, romance, and mystery. Although I enjoyed the romance, what I liked most was the mystery. Intrigue and suspense kept me hooked and I loved the air of mystery behind a few of the characters. It kept me guessing to the end, and of course, it had a sweet, happy ending. This is one of my favorite books by Linda Weaver Clarke.” –Inishowen Cailin, Book Reviewer

Book trailer:

https://vimeo.com/310912310

Angel’s Serenade is the second book in this series. Each day as Emmeline practices the piano, she doesn’t know the new doctor in town secretly sits on his porch to listen to her music. As Emmeline gets to know the charming doctor, they become intrigued by her neighbor’s mysterious behavior. Will they discover his secret? And who is the leader of the River Pirates, who is causing so much havoc?

“Clarke has created a sweet romance that will warm the heart, and it’s wrapped up in fascinating yesteryear details of courting, medical practice, and river pirates. I highly recommend the book to those who enjoy sweet romance with a bit of mystery.” –Author Gail Pallotta

Book trailer:

https://vimeo.com/408058731

In A Pleasant Rivalry, Angelica is surprised when she finds out that an old school chum has returned to Willow Valley. Since she writes articles for the Chronicle and Simon owns the Willow Valley News, they just happen to be rivals. The competition is on. Who will be the first to discover the identity of the jewel thief or the arsonist? To her surprise, Angelica realizes she is losing her heart to her rival.

“I loved this book!  It was a great historical read and full of surprises.  I totally didn't expect what happened… to happen.  The time period was an interesting one and I love how the author intertwines historical events into the story.  It was a new and refreshing tale.” –Sunnie Reviews

Book Trailer:

https://vimeo.com/427914575

Holidays in Willow Valley is full of surprises. This book is a collection of six holiday stories, something that I hadn’t done before. What were the holidays like at Willow Valley in 1840? While writing this book, I learned to appreciate our holidays.

“This book contains six short stories of different holidays celebrated in the 1840 time period. These are enjoyable stories to read any time of year, not just in holiday times. The characters and the book carry Christian values, which I love. These are very entertaining stories!” --Sunnie Reviews

Book Trailer:

https://vimeo.com/438375608

I soon realized that writing short stories was a pleasure and quite fun. So I decided to try it once again. So I wrote the fifth and last book in this series called Tales of Willow Valley. It is a collection of five “Love Stories.”

“If you are in the mood for some sweet, clean, historical, romantic short stories then look no further. I enjoyed each story and how the women are not sitting back waiting on a man, but are take-charge women that start their own businesses, aren’t afraid to face ruffians, and encourage women to fight for their rights. It is amazing what you can learn when an author does research into events in the past to make sure their works are as authentic as possible.” –Story Book Reviews

As of today, I am the author of 32 books and 28 Audible audiobooks. You can order any of my books from Amazon and Audible Audiobooks at my websites below.

My Book Blog: https://lindaweaverclarke.wordpress.com

Audiobook Blog: https://familyfriendlyaudiobooks.wordpress.com

Cozy Mystery Blog: https://cozymysteryseries.wordpress.com

Historical Romance Blog: https://historicalromances.wordpress.com

Linda’s Website: www.lindaweaverclarke.com

Thanks for joining me today, Linda! 

Folks, please check out her blogs and be sure to comment to receive the book: One Last Dance

Serious Wednesday: Variations of Mystery Books

 What are some, if not all, types of mystery books?  

• traditional, cozy, malice:  cozy settings (which can be in a city as long as the setting is confined and cozy) 
• Golden Age: took place (roughly) from the late 1900s thru the end of WWII. 
• Hardboiled PI:  a loner who works for justice in a corrupt world.
• Noir:  works carrying a pessimistic view of the world; emerged during the 1930s.
• Paranormal/urban fantasy:  echoes of nineteenth-century Gothic works.
• Police Procedural:  follows cops in their investigations.

There are more...and subgenres that include suspense and other genres in the writing. 

Are you writing a mystery book? 

What subgenre are you using? 

Want to share a line of your work?  

Here's mine:

No pulse. But I had known there wouldn't be. The bullet hole in his head said it all.

Happy mystery book writing! 

Rambling Friday: Coming...Someday!

The Golden Touch

Book Five

Appleton, WV Romantic Mysteries

Sometimes you've just gotta have faith that you can do this.

You can accomplish this task.

That you can finally type the words: The End.

Soon, I hope.

Blessings!

Serious Wednesday: Murder in Disguise by Donn Taylor

I am so delighted to introduce and share this interview with my friend, Donn Taylor, with all of you. Please be sure to check out the links below to discover where his books may be purchased. Now here's Donn...

Murder in Disguise Blurb: 

Official verdict: Suicide.

But why would that vigorous department chairman kill himself? To avoid disgrace? Those rumored ventures on the dark side? Some other secret life? Visiting professor Preston (Press) Barclay wonders.

But his questions bring no answers, only anonymous threats. He has enough problems already, proving himself on a strange campus while radical faculty do all they can to undermine him. Worse yet, that sexy siren assigned as his assistant complicates his courtship of the beautiful Mara Thorn.

While Press keeps asking questions, Mara’s research reveals a cancer of criminal activity that permeates the community and even the campus itself.

The more Press questions, the more dangerous the threats against him become, and the more determined he grows to clear his friend’s name.

But can Press and Mara’s stumbling efforts prevail against the entrenched forces of police, the campus radicals, and an unseen but powerful criminal organization that increasingly puts their lives in danger?

Link to buy:

Murder in Disguise is available among my other books at: https://amzn.to/2TddBsm

What started you on your writing journey?

I'm not really sure what started it. I don't remember a time when I wasn't trying to create something. I began writing music at age 14. But at age 18 I got interested in poetry—the Romantics, of course—and began writing poetry and some very bad short stories.

The Cold War draft and the Korean War interrupted, and the next two decades of Army brought only bare-facts tech writing. After that came graduate school and the painful switch to bloviated academic writing—and in both situations no time for creative writing.

Two decades after graduate school I retired from college teaching (English Lit) and decided to see if I could write the kind of poetry I enjoyed teaching. That point proved, I turned to see if I could publish a novel. It took longer than I expected to convert from literary thinking to commercial-fiction thinking.

That first novel—The Lazarus File—took a couple of years to finish. It was published in 2002, and it's still selling as an e-book.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

1. Aside from the Bible, my reading goes in three wildly different directions. In commercial fiction,

it’s suspense. Almost any book by:

• Jack Higgins (Henry Patterson), but especially his Paul Chavasse series and the first half of the Sean Dillon series.

• Also any of Harry Wegley’s thrillers

• and most Westerns by Terry Burns or Ernest Haycox.

• But my all-time favorite is Gavin Lyall’s The Wrong Side of the Sky.

2. The second direction is the classics. I don’t do a lot here, but they keep me reminded of the deep meanings genuine art can reveal. Favorites include:

• poetry by George Herbert, Tennyson, and W.H. Auden.

• For novels, it’s hard to beat Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse.

• And just for fun the other day I revisited (in English translation, of course) part of Ariosto’s light-hearted epic romance, Orlando Furioso (Orlando Insane). It has wonderful comic situations.

3. The third direction is nonfiction—most recently:

• the late M. Stanton Evans’s Stalin’s Secret Agents

• and Paul Kengor’s Dupes (American non-communists who unthinkingly promoted Soviet Russia’s interests).

• But my favorite is Mark Moyar’s Triumph Forsaken, a historical study of early Vietnam War using Communist as well as US sources.

Which character in your newest release most interested you while you wrote? Why?

I’ve been blessed that in each of my novels there is one character who simply took off and wrote himself. In Murder in Disguise, that character is the graduate student, Helen Chevius, unmarried and who delights in introducing herself, “I’m Miss Chevius.” That prompts the person meeting her to respond with something like, “I don’t doubt that, but the word is pronounced MIS-ch-vus. Now, what’s your name?” So Helen can explain, putting the other person on the defensive. But that’s not all: She responds to difficult situations by taking some outlandish action or other that puts her, at least partially, in charge of the situation. It was a challenge to find the wild actions for each of her situations.

Why do you write in the genres that you do?

In real life I have two backgrounds, military (to include aviation) and academic. The military experience led directly into suspense writing for two novels, with a heavy emphasis on espionage. The academic experience led itself to the Preston Barclay mysteries set on college campuses—mysteries, yes, but with continuous satire of academic institutions and their pretensions. I also wrote one historical novel, Lightning on a Quiet Night, set in the place and time when Mildred and I were growing up. I wrote it before I knew the limits of genres in commercial fiction. Consequently, it splits the requirements for several genres: romance, mystery, suspense, and comedy—all in a historical setting. That made it a misfit in all of them, but it still was a finalist for the Selah Awards.

What is a favorite memory from your childhood?

This is a weird one. I don’t have coherent memories until I was about age five. But there is one vivid one before that. I remember waking up in a Pullman coach on a train at night. We were stopped in a station. I could see and hear a steam engine on an adjacent track, and I could see and hear the steam released from the engine. I remember vaguely that my mother comforted me, and know that I went back to sleep. Why is it weird? Because our only trip that matches it was our return from NewOrleans, where I’d had bilateral mastoid surgery. That would mean I was two years old. I will never understand why that one early scene still remains so vivid in my mind.

Share a verse or Scripture passage with us that is special to you. (and why it's special)

I would share three. Two statements by Jesus form the bedrock core of my belief. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6)

And He said, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.…" (John 11:25)

And the third scripture: I am fascinated by the perfect structure of Psalm 19 ("The heavens declare the glory of God…). In the first six verses, the psalmist contemplates God's physical ordering of the creation. In the next six verses (beginning "The law of the Lord is perfect…), the psalmist contemplates God's moral ordering of the creation. In the final three verses (beginning "Who can understand his errors?"), the psalmist invokes God's ordering power to order his own life, concluding with the familiar prayer, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in they sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."

About Donn:

Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterward, he earned a Ph.D. in Renaissance literature and taught literature at two liberal arts colleges. His publications include several suspense novels, one historical novel, and one book of poetry. Two of his novels have been finalists in the Selah Awards. He lives in the woods near Houston, TX, where he writes fiction, poetry, and essays on current topics. A blog describing the action of God in his life (“A Quiet Assurance”) is at https://bit.ly/2R4jSRd

He is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/donntaylor and www.facebook.com/authordonntaylor, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/donntaylor3. His website is www.donntaylor.com

Thank you, Donn, for sharing about you, your writing, and books with us!

Friends, don't forget to check out his links! I'm sure you're going to enjoy them!

BAT CRAZY -- COMING!

Monster-sized bats with red eyes that attack humans?

Nah. At least Denton doesn't think so.

But when RV trouble forces them to stop at a dilapidated town called West Santina, 

Alex and Denton find themselves right in the center of a dangerous plot. 

With one attempted murder and a murder on their hands, they're hard pressed to trust anyone. 

Could it be the back-slapping mechanic who definitely isn't what he seems?

Or maybe the grouchy mayor is behind all the random acts of violence?

Or it could be the supervisor of the newly opened caverns? 

She's snotty and unfriendly and blames everything on her assistant Anne.

The Bat Clan and all the teen-aged batlins.sure are creepy.

Their crazy activities are enough to cause anyone some sleepless nights.

Bones and bats, painted symbols and hooded figures.

A wheezing worker and a cavern guide who wants help but isn't very helpful

are the least of the Davies trouble in their new adventure in New Mexico.

COMING SOON!

BAT CRAZY

Meet Award Winning Mystery/Suspense Writer:  Alice K. Arenz

Oh, yes. Don't forget to leave your comment and email address for a chance to win Mirrored Image!

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?

When I was a kid, I loved making up stories for my dolls and paper dolls. Even when my brother and I played with the neighborhood kids, it was cool to collaborate and create a storyline – just part of being a kid. When I was twelve, I started working on my first “novel,” The Adventures of Christopher and Christina. The handwritten pages made their way through the rows of study hall students in our small school. People from seventh grade through sophomores and juniors would return the pages to me at the end of the period and ask when the next installment would come. It made me feel pretty cool. It also made me realize this was something I’d like to do with my future – although, at the time, I didn’t really think in terms of years and years down the road.

As for the “call,” I’d have to say that I recognized it before I graduated from high school. I thought it would be neat to become an actress who wrote all her own roles. So I enrolled as a Speech and Theatre major in college. That didn’t work out very well for me as I’m a super introverted introvert. When we had to “perform” in Oral Interpretation class, I’d get so nervous I wanted to barf – it wasn’t at all like the plays in high school where you’re surrounded by people. I was on my own in front of the class. But it was the teacher’s comment that I was “a shy little trinket who’d be better at staying in the background than the forefront” that really got to me.

When it came time to prepare for the final – a “special” timed performance – I was at a loss of what to do. I prayed and cried, then prayed some more. Then I found myself in front of my typewriter with a two-page “story” that was about a woman who’d just lost her husband in Vietnam and couldn’t figure out why all the peace demonstrators were using violence when they said they opposed it. The story stunned me, but I recognized it as the answer to my prayer. But now I had to convince the professor to allow me to perform it in class.

I remember he laughed when I asked for permission. He glanced at the pages and sort of tossed them back over the desk, not reading them at all. He said it would be okay, but I needed to find something to go along with it to fill up the designated time frame. So I found a poem – I wish I could remember the title – about how war was this ball had been let out of a box and that it destroyed everyone who touched it. Very powerful stuff – in 1972 as well as today, huh?

Anyway, I acted/read the poem first, then followed it with The Sounds of Silence, which is what I named my story – yeah, I know, not very original. And you know what? The class was spellbound . . . and so was the professor. When the period was over, he took me aside and set up a date to put my performance on video to “use as a teaching technique to show others what Oral Interpretation is all about.” I was beyond surprised. Even more so when I received my grade for the final – a triple A+!

My life took a different turn after that. I quit college and became a wife and mother a couple years later. But I never, ever stopped having the urge, the desire to write. As a matter of fact, my ex constantly complained that every scrap of paper in the house contained pieces of stories and ideas for even more. By the late 70s I was learning and submitting, and continued to do so until my first book was accepted just a few years ago.

Wow. What fun. Please explain what genre you write in.
Since I have always liked to read primarily in the mystery/suspense genres, it seems natural for me to write the same sort of stories.

My first two published books, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma and The Case of the Mystified M.D., are what’s known as cozy mysteries. This subgenre is best described as a mystery with a lot of humor thrown in, which makes them lighter in context. But don’t get the idea that you lose the mystery in the process, because you don’t. You just get a little different spin on things. I always tell people that I guarantee they’ll make you laugh. ;)

My newest book, Mirrored Image, is a mystery/suspense – though some have referred to it as a “psychological thriller,” which is pretty neat. I tell people to think of the books written by such people as Phyllis A. Whitney, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and Daphne du Maurier – not that I’m in their league, but that MI was in the same basic genre. It’s a novel I first wrote in 1986 and have rewritten almost every year since – I believed in it so much.

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 don’t set a goal when I’m writing – I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer and follow the inspiration I’ve always said comes straight from God. Sometimes the words flow so quickly I’ve no idea what I’ve written. Other times getting more than a sentence out is frustrating. That’s when I know I haven’t been listening to His guidance closely enough.

As for how long it takes . . . that all depends on the story and what’s going on in my life. I wrote Bouncing Grandma in about four months, suffering from the worst headache I’ve ever had. A year later when it was accepted by Sheaf House and I was asked to add ten thousand words, it was like pulling a tooth that wasn’t ready to come out. It took a couple months to finally see where I was being led.

You recently had a book published. Would you take this time to describe it to us? How and where can readers buy your books?

The tag line for Mirrored Image is: Their faces were the same. Will their fates be as well?

The uncanny resemblance of a murder victim to eccentric newspaper columnist Cassandra Chase, gives Detective Jeff McMichaels the haunting suspicion that there is a link between the two women . . . a link that may only exist in the murderer’s mind.

What is the spiritual message in your book? What can readers expect to get from reading it?

I don’t know how to answer your first question – it’s not something that I think about as I’m writing as some authors might do.

As for what readers can expect to get out of reading my books, I’d have to say a good, clean mystery/suspense with believable characters and situations – and proof that writing a novel with a Christian world view doesn’t mean you have to skimp on anything!

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?

Sure, giving up sometimes seems like the thing to do. I’ve been down that road before, didn’t really write for almost seven years – but it never took away that . . . compulsion to create. Characters would form in my brain and clamor to get out, and trying to keep them quiet wasn’t always an easy task. The more I’d pray for God to take this away, the more He seemed to be insisting I come back to it.

No one can tell you that being a writer is an easy road. It’s not. And no matter how much you think you’re prepared for all the pitfalls and disappointments, you won’t be. I know because I’ve been there. And you know what? I’m sure I’ll be there again.

Who’s inspired you the most?

God

Would you explain how you “chose” (or were chosen by) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

Actually, my publisher chose me. True story. We knew each other online through ACFW and a couple writer’s loops. She knew my story, a bit of my background. One day while we were exchanging emails about her newly created small press, she asked me to send her “copies of my books.” I sent her The Case of the Bouncing Grandma, Mirrored Image, and An American Gothic. A couple weeks later, she’s calling me to accept Bouncing Grandma and we’re discussing how the whole thing was definitely a God thing!

And no, being published doesn’t mean I can sit back and relax. It means I now have to work harder.

Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out?

My web site is http://www.akawriter.com/.

Thanks for asking me to join you today!

And thank you, for being here. It's been a privilege.
Readers, leave your comments for a chance to win Mirrored Image.
 
Blessings, everyone!

And Today We Have With Us . . .


Hickory, the pet mouse from "Catch Me If You Can." He's agreed to be interviewed and has some interesting observations.

Caroline: Thanks for sharing with us today, Hickory.


Hickory: No problem. Glad I can enlighten a few minds about the world of mice.

Caroline: What do you mean?

Hickory (a minute cough behind paws): For instance, people think of us as nuisances. That's not entirely true.

Caroline: Really? I've always thought of them as . . . well, pests.

Hickory: That's because you're uneducated on that subject.

Caroline: You're being a little blunt here. Tell us something about mice that will change our minds.

Hickory: Ahem. Mice are smart. No, don't laugh. We really are. We enjoy good music. That's why many times we hang around pianos. Love those keys! And not to brag, but we're clean, interesting and fun to have around. At the least, you'll get some attention from others if you're really devoted to us!

Caroline: Really?

Hickory: Did you know I could have been groomed for exhibition, but decided living the life as a partner to a detective would be more exciting.

Caroline: Wow. That sounds fascinating.

Hickory: And my curiosity makes me an excellent choice as a pet for a detective. I do have pretty keen senses. We can sense things humans can't.

Caroline: Okay. You've sort of got me convinced. Now tell me what your role is in CMIYC.

Hickory: I'm a pet.

Caroline (scowling): Funny.

Hickory (laughing): Just kidding. Tara's brother gave me to her as a joke, but she ended up loving me. I go with her everywhere because I'm small, content to be quiet when I have to be, and smart enough to give her a few hints in her career.

Caroline: What is her career?

Hickory: She's a teacher turned detective.

Caroline (with eyebrow lifted): Why did she choose that career?

Hickory: Because of her older brother's murder. Tara's been struggling a lot with bitterness over it. But she did feel like God was leading her to begin this new career.

Caroline: I heard that you were kidnapped in CMIYC. Are those rumors true?

Hickory (nodding): Yes, they are. The villain stole me in my cage because he thought it would send Tara straight to his arms.

Caroline (shivering): And did it?

Hickory (with far-away look in eyes): Yes, it did. And that's all I'm going to tell you about CMIYC. If you're interested in reading more about me, er-r-r, I mean about this story, you'll have to get the book!

Caroline: Thanks, Hickory, for telling us a little bit about yourself and this super-sounding mystery. Hope you can return some day.

Hickory (shrug): Perhaps. If I don't get too famous or too busy.


Folks, you never know what kind of characters will pop up. Let's hope Hickory doesn't get so famous he forgets about us common folk!




For those of you who've suddenly developed a desire for a mouse-pet, remember:

• They must have attention, or you'd be better off with two.
• Tin cans, paper cups and ropes in a cage are great entertainment activities.
• Give them something to chew on.
• They like treats such as sunflower seeds.
• Curious ones are the most healthy.

Enjoy!




(Hickory came across this quote after a nap one day on top of a book. He wanted me to use it! Smile):
You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things . . .You can just be an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals. --Sir Edmund Hilliary


Have a fun evening and many blessings!