Category Archives: Books

January 8, 2023 · 4:00 pm

Hot Chocolate and a Fast-Paced Thriller

It’s raining! It’s raining so much, it’s flooding—the perfect time to stay inside and get cozy with a cup of hot chocolate and an exciting book. Here are my winter thriller picks:

Re-releasing on January 18th by award-winning crime writer, Lisa Towles, Choke won A Big NYC Book Award in 2018 and has been cited as a”compelling story” and “a smoking’ good read”. I totally agree. It’s a IUPH reprint that was originally published by Rebel Publishers in 2017. I loved it then and again! In typical Towles-style, this fast-paced psychological thriller is a puzzle for the reader to piece together. Through snappy dialog, characters’ on-going internal anguish and tightly crafted and complicated plotting, Choke is a thrilling ride guaranteed to keep you awake way too late. I highly recommend Choke—and all of Lisa Towles‘s thrillers. See the trailer here.

Kerry Stine’s life is destroyed when she’s blamed for the death of a hospital patient. Not only is she fired, but she’s wanted by the police. On top of this, a squatter in her apartment thinks she’s hiding a priceless historical treasure—and wants it. Elsewhere, Dr. Adrian Calhoun is a target and a liability to the pharmaceutical industry for the controversial cancer cure he’s developed. Kerry’s search for the truth about her squatter leads her to a different truth – about a part of her past she’s not ready to face and a precious jewel that can’t possibly be hers. Adrian must protect not only himself but his secret formula and his vulnerable control group, before Pharma gets to them first. The destinies of Adrian and Kerry collide to piecing together stunning revelations that change their lives forever.

Published in 2021, Blood’s Echo is the first of three Veranda Cruz police procedurals set in Phoenix, Arizona. Veranda is determined to take down the heir to a ruthless Mexican cartel, but is she willing to lose everything, including her life, to see justice? Not only is Bartolo Villalobos unstable and vicious, but foes on the force stand in her way. Her new homicide team and an arsonist ally are drawn into the danger as the investigation heats up. When Veranda learns information held secret for years, she has no choice but to protect her family . . . and stop Villalobos.

Blood’s Echo deservedly won the Mariposa Award for the best First Novel. It’s a fast-paced, thrilling procedural dealing with some of the most dangerous police work: fighting the drug cartels. Hank Phillippi Ryan describes it as, “Taut, tense, and relentlessly authentic. Isabella Maldonado-with her unique personal knowledge of the danger, conflict and emotional toll of law enforcement is an important new voice in crime fiction.” I picked up my copy before getting on a plane and only put it down when I disembarked three hours later. Everything about Blood’s Echo kept me reading. Veranda is smart and strong, but she’s also a loving family member. I loved being a fly on the wall observing her big Latin immigrant family. I will read the rest of this series and the touted Nina Guerrera series too. Don’t miss this high tension, adrenaline producing thriller by Isabella Maldonado.

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.”

– Mortimer J. Adler

All Her Little Secrets is one of the best books I’ve read. Wanda M. Morris is an accomplished writer; her sentences are beautiful, her language is intelligent, and her ability to drop into various voices is smooth. The book is an edgy, hard look at racism, secrets, the legal system, and family. Morris doesn’t mince words. Character Ellice Littlejohn’s descriptions of being a powerless poor Black child in Georgia and an invisible Black professional woman in Atlanta are heart wrenching. Ellice’s secrets might have held her back, but her strength and determination to protect her family keep her going where a lesser person would give up. What a debut! All Her Little Secrets won the 2022 Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel. Congratulations Wanda! I look forward to more of Wanda M. Morris’s books.

Ellice Littlejohn has an Ivy League Law degree, a great corporate job in Atlanta and a long-time lover—who is white and her boss. When she finds him on his office floor shot through the head, she walks away. But why? She’s afraid her past, her jailbird brother, her impoverished upbringing, must remain secret. The following day she’s promoted to her boss’s position, but why didn’t the top executives go to the funeral? Ellice, the only Black employee, starts to uncover the rot at the core of the corporation. As she gets closer to the company secrets, her own secrets are exposed. It’s a moral and ethical nightmare, and a heart-pounding ride!

Okay! Pick a book or three and make the perfect hot chocolate. Here’s how:

INGREDIENTS: 1 SERVING

1 cup milk, soy milk, almond milk, or water 

1 package/disc Taza Chocolate Discs (any flavor)

Salt to taste

TO PREPARE:

1. Roughly chop or grate one disc of any flavor and set aside.

2. Heat one cup of milk or water in a small saucepan over medium heat to just below a simmer.

3. Remove the milk from heat and add a pinch of salt.

4. Slowly mix in the chocolate, stirring frequently until dissolved.

5. When the chocolate is dissolved, return the mixture to the stove and re-warm over low heat.

6. While the chocolate is warming, use a whisk or molinillo to froth the chocolate.

7. When the chocolate is hot and frothy, remove from heat and serve.

Happy Reading! Happy Drought Busting Rain!

https://www.anamanwaring.com

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October 20, 2022 · 5:18 pm

Fall into Reading

Dark Obsessions

by Marie Sutro  Book 1 of the Kate Barnes police procedural series

Police detective Kate Barnes is  becoming a criminal profiler with the help and insight of her  mentors. When Kate’s young protégé is brutally murdered in a ghastly public display, Kate  discovers she is central to the murderer’s plan, and vows to capture the perpetrator. Soon, it’s clear the murderer is the infamous Tower Torturer, a serial killer known for his medieval-style cruelty, who has emerged after years of inactivity. But why now? And why is he interested in Kate? She struggles to get ahead of the monster, but he is two steps out of reach, taunting her throughout the complex, twisted plot. Kate is horrified and darkly attracted to this case, which stretches her abilities to their limits and causes her to step up to a new level of police detecting. Dark Associations has been  compared to the Silence of the Lambs for its psychological suspense and sheer creepiness. I couldn’t put the book down. The story is grisly, the plot relentless and the characterization of Kate is deep. Marie Sutro’s 2017 series debut, Dark Associations

, is an excellent entree to the Kate Barnes series. Although late to the party, I’m anticipating reading more of these frightening, compelling thrillers. #2, Dark Obsessions is already on my TBR pile.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Stories of Family

 

by Aletheia Morden

“From the English countryside to San Francisco and Venice Beach, California, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea contains stories of the ups and downs of family life, plus a little murder.” is the message on the back cover, that doesn’t quite capture the droll, ironic, sometimes disturbing, yet always surprising nature of the nine stories in this slim volume. I laughed. I cried. I thought about my own familial experiences, and above all, I stayed up way too late reading! My favorite story, “The Queen of Tonga.”

Lying Crying Dying

by Dominic Martell 

Dubbed “the thriller nouveau,” Martell’s first in a post-cold war series written in the 1990s, is a masterpiece of intention, angst, danger and dark action. Antihero Pascal, marked for his selling out his comrades in a 1980s radical group is trying to atone for past sins. He lives alone hand-to-mouth, flophouse to cheap hotel to back alley taverns in Barcelona, hiding. When he thinks he might have  escaped his past, ex-lover Katixa with a suitcase of cash stolen from a political kidnapping in hand, turns up. She’s looking for away out of Spain and Pascal can’t resist her. On the run, Pascal hones his old skills to survive as betrayal dodges their steps and he realizes everything is a lie. Tension runs high throughout. Tightly crafted to put the reader into Pascal’s mind, I couldn’t help but   experience the action in a visceral way. As dark as this story is, I cared about Pascal. I wanted him to triumph. Not only did I visit parts of Barcelona no tourist ever sees, but I was introduced to the familiar streets of Barri Gótic, anew—narrow, winding, dark-shadowed and suspicious.  Some have  criticized the writing style as ponderous for its deep characterization. I found the  exploration of morality juxtaposed against Pascal’s passion and the  violence of this fictional world to be superb—it’s what elevates Lying Crying Dying above a straight spy thriller. If you love suspense, getting into the character’s heads, travel, and the post-cold war spy genre of novel, read this book!

For the Birds

by Crissi Langwell

I’d never heard of a ‘second chance romance’ before, being mostly a crime fiction reader, but For the Birds by Crissi Langwell has made me a convert. How could a second chance at lost love not be  entertaining? This  book does not disappoint! From the darling cover designed by the author herself, to the make-you-laugh-and-cry story, to the surprise twists throughout, and the warm, engaging prose I was riveted. Cricket has been pining for her lost love, Sonny, for a year since he took a job in another state. Now he’s back and the two are tasked to organize an anniversary party for Sonny’s new boss. Cricket  can’t let him know she still cares. Meanwhile Cricket’s sister has sent her  an exotic bird before turning up injured. Cricket is  pried out of her closed-down life to deal with the obnoxious pet, a hurting sister and keeping herself from losing her tattered heart all over again—all while she  goes on her own journey of self-discovery. Cricket is a great character, one I think many of us will find inside of ourselves. I commend author Langwell for her wonderful humor, great dialog and beautifully written passages. If this is what today’s romance books are like, I want more!

Blanket  A Papa Tell Me a Book series Book 2

by Ron Kinscherf         illustrated by  FolksnFables

Ron Kinscherf has created a wonderful concept with his Papa Tell Me  a Book series. I’ve just read Blanket and am thoroughly charmed. Little David doesn’t nap anymore, he “rests,” but not before he asks his grandfather to ‘tell him a book’ and picks a theme. This one is a blue blanket that has been handed down through the ages. Of course, David falls asleep during the story and dreams. He’s got quite an imagination spinning out of a blanket into dragons, monkeys and crocodiles. The illustrations from FolksnFables are delightful. This series, written for children aged baby to seven years, is a perfect introduction to books, storytelling and reading. The language is simple and by seven a child could read it to himself. In my book, entertainment and learning  are the perfect combo! Kudos to author Ron Kinscherf for giving Papi and Grana a new book to share with our little fellow.

Marie Sutro
Dominic Martell
Crissi Langwell
Ron Kinscherf

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June 14, 2022 · 9:21 pm

Hot Summer/ HOT HOUSE

A blackmailed Court of Appeals judge from the 9th Circuit, a French art exchange student with something to sell, and Mari E, investigator with an agenda of her own, sets another Towles jigsaw puzzle of characters, clues, motivations, and surprises in motion. 

Mari E is Marissa Ellwyn, wealthy owner of the prestigious Marissa Ellwyn Gallery, but when a former detective, her soon-to-be partner knocks, it’s on the door of her work-trailer in a seedy section of L.A.’s Fashion District. They’ve both got things to hide, but she needs back up and he has the skills. Mari is being followed by a dark grey van and has received threatening messages—obviously someone objects to her investigation, but for Mari, “The fate of my family and my heart depended on it.” 

Abernathy is investigating a college student who has died suspiciously along with the disappearances and deaths of two reporters following the case and the trail that leads to the judge. The cases are linked and as they investigate, threats come from all sides, even from Mari’s former handlers at the CIA.

Hot House moves at break-neck speed from its seemingly straightforward investigation into a shadowy mystery. Although the story is infused with humor and delightful touches like Trevor, Mari’s “Human Resources Director,” a German mastiff, the motivations of characters make for a dark and layered plot. Mari and Derek are professional and determined, mostly sticking to legal investigating techniques. Both have secret histories with the LAPD Chief of Detectives, and both think the PD did a poor job of the initial search, but it’s not until the dead coed’s secrets come to light that some of the puzzle pieces form a picture. And it isn’t pretty. 

I found Hot House thought provoking and suspenseful. I shouted  “Ah Ha!” at the end of Chapter Fifteen when a clue fell into place for me, and I realized how much fun I was having trying to solve the case. Besides the charming banter between Mari and Derek, the book challenged me. I jotted thoughts and reactions while reading: oh, crap, this goes deep, uh-oh,  hmmm-so why surveillance? What? What? And finally the shocking end—I just plain: didn’t see it coming!

Hot House is a hot book to read with a cool drink in the hammock on a hot summer’s day.

Mari E and Derek Abernathy (and Trevor) make a great investigative team in this first of the E & A Investigations Series. The next book can’t get into my hands fast enough! Hot House may have surpassed The Unseen as my favorite Towles novel. All I can say is, the books just keep getting better and better! (Don’t miss The Ridders coming this fall.)

THRILLER WRITER
LISA TOWLES

An Interview with Lisa Towles

am: Where did the inspiration for Hot House come from? 

LT: My husband gave me a character name he thought of one day (he does that sometimes) – Derek Abernathy. I told him to write the name down and put it on the top shelf of an open file on my desk (so I’d see it every day). 18 months later (LOL!) I started writing Hot House. Why that amount of time, how did my husband know that Derek Abernathy was going to be an important part of my future? That’s part of the mystery and magic of fiction writing…and marriage 🙂 

am: Like many of your protagonists, Mari Ellwyn is complicated and has something to prove and something to heal. What draws you to this type of character? 

LT: I love this intriguing assessment – prove and heal. You’re right! And when you say it in those terms, I think every good protagonist has these elements. Like real people, fictional characters can have an external face that they show the world (how they want to be seen) and a more personal side of how they authentically feel. For Mari, I think she’s trying to prove that she’s healed from her shot-in-the-line-of-duty trauma and she’s ready for prime time with a new partner. But what I think she’s still working on, in this book, is being able to trust other people, which will be an issue for her as she starts this new relationship with Derek. 

am: What defines Hot House as a Psychological thriller? 

LT: Hot House could be thought of as a psychological thriller because the story has a psychological component in it as it relates to central victim of the story: Sophie Michaud. The narrative and backstory of Sophie’s mental illness played an integral role in why she was targeted by her killer and ultimately why she died. 

am: I find your work to be like jigsaw puzzles. Bits of information need to be identified then tried in different directions to find where they fit. Eventually it all comes together. 

LT: I’ve always loved puzzles, and for people who love puzzles, they typically don’t mind the not-knowing and temporary state of confusion when it comes to crime investigation. We look for obvious clues that are visible on the surface. And whether those pan out or not, there are always underlying layers of truth that have been established to conceal a crime and its perpetrators.

am: Do you think your background in IT has you wired to think in non-linear ways? 

LT: Such an interesting question.  Software engineering, I suppose, is a good metaphor for crime investigation. You write code to develop a new application (writing parallel: a theory), but there’s a significant amount of testing and verification in many different contexts and scenarios to ensure that it actually works (proving the theory, evidence, etc). And on the less linear side, there’s an important component of “debugging”, which is a problem-solving investigation to fix any defects and things that don’t work correctly. And I think this is where the creativity and thinking-out-of-box comes in. Why doesn’t something work as expected? What are the variables that could be playing a role? When it comes to real and fictional criminal investigations, details arise that might not readily fit into a framework you’ve created for a suspect. But often investigators feel or sense a connection that might not be visible by others (a hunch). THIS is the nonlinear part. Not sure if working in IT or just reading mysteries since I was a little girl made be interested in this. I just know the investigations are fascinating and great fun. 

am: What draws you to the thriller genre? Do you write in more than one subgenre of thriller? 

LT: I think the pace, stakes, and vibe of thrillers draws me in as a reader, and that’s what I’m pulled to write as well. My second book, Blackwater Tango, was also a psychological thriller, about a psychologist/profiler investigating a serial killer. I’ve heard from my readers (body in a lobster trap) that this was my creepiest book of all – LOL! The Ghost of Mary Prairie (2007) was very different – what I called a heartland suspense, about a 15 year old boy in rural Oklahoma investigating a ghost he encounters, which leads back to his family’s tangled past. BooksRadar is a great site that shows all of my books, with descriptions, in the order they were published: https://www.booksradar.com/towles-lisa/towles.html     

am: You have a full time IT job, how do you manage to publish two books a year? 

LT: Honestly it’s a constant struggle. Luckily I’m a night owl and I do most of my writing after 9pm and on weekends when I’m more relaxed and have time to think and reflect about my work in progress. I’ve learned that the Pomodoro Method (writing in 25 minute blasts) works well for me. But it’s a hard negotiation to consistently juggle my day job, writing new work, editing my work, and marketing/promotion. 

am: What kind of publishing team do you use? 

LT: I’ve had a wonderful experience working with Indies United Publishing House for my last two books and I’m really excited to keep going. And I’m so grateful to have an Editor who I completely trust, some smart beta readers (like you, Ana!), loving friends and family who support me, and a growing community of engaged readers who kindly provide feedback to let me know what I’m doing right, what needs refining, and what’s most important to them. After all, nothing is more important than our readers! 🙂  

am: What was your first book? 

LT: My first book (published under Lisa Polisar) was published in 2003, a suspense novel called Knee Deep about a body discovered in a mineral mine in rural New Mexico (where I lived for many years).  

am: What’s coming next? 

LT: My next publication is one of my favorite books, a political thriller called The Ridders, due for release on November 30, 2022. 

am: When will the next E &A Investigations book come out? 

LT: Book 2 in the E&A series, called Salt Island, will be released by Indies United on June 14, 2023

Don’t miss Hot House—

FIRST PRIZE WINNER of the 2022 Book Fest Awards

WINNER of the Literary Titan GOLD Award for Fiction

AVAILABLE: Amazon, B & N, Indies United Publishing House

Worth every penny!

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June 26, 2020 · 5:20 am

Summer Reading

 

We’ve made it to  summer.  While coronavirus remains a threat, the weather is warm and, until fire season, we have a great opportunity to read (and drink!) So pull your lounge chair into the shade, mix a martini, and sink into a good read.

Here’s what’s on my list:

The Paris Package by A.W. Harton, set in pre-WW2 Europe. A young American couple on honeymoon in Vienna take possession of a book the Nazis don’t want  to surface, and they must get the book to its rightful owner in Paris.  The SS knows they’ve got it and are on their trail. I’m trying the Kindle/audiobook sync on this one. Too exciting to put down! I can listen while I make dinner.

 

The Blue Period by Luke Jerod Kummer about the young Picasso’s “blue period” as he bounced between Barcelona and Paris. Kindle.

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon—seven Outlander universe short stories to tide us through the season break! Audiobook.

 

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart all about the sordid lives of plants behaving badly. Want to kill, maim, intoxicate or possibly drive someone mad? Do it nature’s way. Paperback.

 

No Bad Deed the debut thriller by Heather Chavez turns my home county into a menacing backdrop to a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Hardbound.

Not for everyone on the list, Steven James, Story Trumps Structure. How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules is jam-packed with great information. It was recommended by my favorite writer of mysteries set in Paris, Cara Black. She’s written 19 books. I’ve read them all. Start with the first book: Murder in the Marais and finish with the latest, Three Hours in Paris.


Finally, the drinking part! A Drinkable Feast. A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris by Philip Greene. Did you ever wonder what the Lost Generation drank and where they drank it? A Drinkable Feast not only offers the recipes, but tells the stories behind the drinks and the artists, writers, and celebrities who drank them. My favorite so far? The Bailey created by Gerald and Sara Murphy, wealthy American ex-pats—the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s protagonists in Tender is the Night.

 

The Bailey

2 oz. Hendricks gin
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1-2 tsp. simple syrup
2 sprigs of mint

Tear up the mint leaves into a shaker, add the gin and steep for a couple of minutes, add the grapefruit then lime juices. Shake with ice and don’t allow it to dilute. Strain into a wine or cocktail glass and garnish with a sprig of mint. Enjoy!

 Drinking and literature—a time honored pairing!

And if you haven’t already, pop open a Victoria and try out the JadeAnne Stone Mexico Adventures. Lawn chair travel—next best thing to being there! These will offer you plenty of suspense and muy rico meals. Book three, Nothing Comes After Z is scheduled for release late this year.

2SET UP postcard   +   Now in digital and paperback  +

(and if poetry is your thing, check out Nature Girl. All available on Amazon)

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May 1, 2020 · 4:40 am

My Happy Crusade

 

I am thrilled to introduce my followers to a new friend and writer I met at this year’s Left Coast Crime conference. Anne Louise Bannon saved my voice with menthol drops during Author Speed-Dating, where we presented our books to almost 200 readers. (I’d say she was a lifesaver, but they were Hall’s.) Later, after the conference went on the chopping block of coronavirus, Anne Louise saved my sanity (I couldn’t get my flight changed) at the bar, where we flirted with the handsome bartender and discovered we have in common  a taste for  Virusvodkatinis and Long Good Bye Gimlets.

Today, Anne Louise Bannon is helping us build a better story during lockdown with her Happy Crusade.   Let’s give her a warm welcome!

 

 

INTRODUCING ME AND MY LATEST CRUSADE

By Anne Louise Bannon

When Ana Manwaring stopped by my blog last month [https://annelouisebannon.com/ana-manwaring-on-writing/], she asked me to come by here for a visit. So, here I am.

I met Ana at the aborted Left Coast Crime conference last March. We both got to participate in one major event, the Author Speed-Dating. Basically, we authors go from table to table, and offer up a two-minute pitch to the readers at each table. I knew it was going to be intense as hell because I’d been at a similar event for winemakers a couple years before.

You see, I’m also a wine blogger with my husband. The blog, OddBallGrape.com [https://oddballgrape.com], is on an extended hiatus for now. But a couple years ago, we were more active and at a conference for wine bloggers, we tasted while winemakers went from table to table and poured in two-minute pitches. With the Author Speed-Dating, I was looking forward to being on the other side of the table.

I am a pretty confident public speaker, which means I appreciate the value of rehearsal. Ana, who would also be presenting that morning, caught me muttering my pitch to myself, and came over and gave me another chance to rehearse. I may have mentioned that I was a touch nervous (which one should be – it keeps you on your toes). What a sweet offering! I did, of course, then remembered my manners, and heard her pitch, as well. It was wonderfully dramatic – just enough tongue in cheek for the occasion, but gave a lovely sense of the more dramatic work she was presenting.

So, we got to talking afterward, exchanged contact information, and we both have dates for a drink when we land in the other’s territory. Assuming we ever get off lockdown, that is.

Which brings me to the main reason I wanted to write about Ana’s act of kindness. You see, as scary as things are, it helps me to feel better when I can do something nice for someone else. Also, at a recent Zoom meeting, I pointed out that happy or funny stuff often helps me deal with the more dire events of the day. The idea that we’re helpless in the face of being stuck at home as the headlines get worse and worse is not the way it really is. There are things we can do, including being present to somebody whose anxiety levels have hit the ceiling. We can look at Mary Tyler Moore re-runs for a good laugh to restore our spirits. We can write about our scary feelings and turn them into a really, really powerful story.

At that same meeting, somebody asked for some happy stuff to read. What I’m proposing:  in the comments here, you share books that make you happy for one reason or another. Admittedly, what constitutes happy stuff will vary from person to person. Some folks might love a good horror story, with the return to order making them feel a lot better about the scary stuff we’re facing. Me? Not so much. I want to laugh, but that’s me. The idea is to discover new faves and maybe stretch ourselves a little, if that helps. Authors, here’s a chance to help your friends.

Like my friend Carol Louise Wilde, who has a wonderful series called the Nagaro Chronicles. It starts with Gift of Chance. It’s technically a fantasy because it doesn’t take place in the real world as we know it, but there’s no magic. The story is about a young man whose escape from political intrigue and those who would control him forces him on the journey to his true destiny. It’s not exactly funny, but it’s a rip, roaring good yarn, and that makes me feel good, too. Oh, and Ana Manwaring has some lovely thrillers, too.

But it’s your turn. What’s your happy stuff?

17.0325_Guy.cropped.small

Anne Louise Bannon is an author and journalist who wrote her first novel at age 15. Her journalistic work has appeared in Ladies’ Home Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Wines and Vines, and in newspapers across the country. She was a TV critic for over 10 years, founded the YourFamilyViewer blog, and created the OddBallGrape.com wine education blog with her husband, Michael Holland. She is the co-author of Howdunit: Book of Poisons, with Serita Stevens, as well as author of the Freddie and Kathy mystery series, set in the 1920s,  the Operation Quickline Series and the Old Los Angeles series, set in the 1870s. Her most recent title is Sad Lisa. She and her husband live in Southern California with an assortment of critters. Visit her website at AnneLouiseBannon.com, and look for her latest release:

SadLisaEbookCover

Link to books: https://annelouisebannon.com/fiction/

Editor’s note:

I’m currently enjoying, Death of the Zanjero, Book 1 of the Old Los Angeles series, set in 1870, the time ranchers and farmers paid the zanjero for rights to access water. I heard the pitch at Author Speed-Dating, “When life was cheap and water could cost you everything.”

When Burt Rivers’s body floats up out of the irrigation ditch, or zanja,  winemaker and healing woman Maddie Wilcox must find out who killed him, a chase that will tax her intellect, her soul and her very belief in humanity before she’s done.

 

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April 10, 2020 · 6:31 am

The Dilemma of the Quercus—or—Oak Erotica

April 2020 might not look like past years: the bright green of new grasses, the pinks and creams of flowering fruit trees, sunny daffodils, Easter-colored tulips. Maybe you haven’t been out to see the lambs gamboling in the country or noticed the sparrows building nests. Maybe that orange  isn’t the blooming California poppies but  the fake tan on President Trump as he makes himself actor, director and producer of Coronavirus—It’ll Go Away Soon so Just Forget It.

 

Even if you’re sheltering in place, you can turn off the horror show, step outside and watch Spring. Pull some weeds or tie up your spent daffodils. Rake up the dropped camellias. Pick daisies. Watch your trees unfurl new leaves. Tweet with the chickadees, listen to the doves. Count the crows—there’s one more than last year. Take a breath, let it out slowly. Feel the renewing energy of the season, and let go of your anxiety. Now find a sunny corner and read a poem. Or better yet, write a poem. It’s Poetry Month after all. Nothing is as healing as a good dose of nature and poetry!

 

The Dilemma of the Quercus—Or—Oak Erotica

You elongate your catkins,

male flowers dangled

from the tips of your naked limbs

in seduction of the wind before Spring

unfurls your pink or chartreuse canopy.

Your few females tuck up at the crook

Nondescript, awaiting the ecstasy of pollen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monoecious yet self-incompatible

you must count on your distant-relations

standing near, and the hillsides

abreeze in ochre, or the powdered

buzz of native bees

to deliver the yellow dust

that pollinates life into your acorns

to grow fine new trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find this and many more poems in my latest chapbook available on Amazon.

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March 28, 2020 · 9:27 pm

Expect Betrayal—Print version now available!

MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1943, England

Despite the fogginess of deep sleep, Etta Schnell sensed the hot prick of the energy probe.

She struggled toward awareness as fear danced at the base of her neck and rippled down her spine. A magical nightmare, a foretelling…a warning. Swirling images coalesced in her mind’s eye, bringing clarity. Something evil was stalking her and sought to rip the family grimoire from her care-taker hands. Her heartbeat increased, and her breath took on the nature of a pant.

The Book of Cures is in danger.

Because of decades of precognitive experiences, Etta intuitively recognized the probe’s source—Hitler, and his occult minions. The family grimoire contained hundreds of years of occult recipes for protections against malicious spells. The Nazis coveted The Book. They would surely corrupt the grimoire to bolster their twisted ambitions for the Third Reich. In the wrong hands, the spells could be turned from Good to Evil and reborn as powerful curses.

Her one ray of hope was that—in the magical nightmare—the American flag also chased the grimoire.

~excerpt from the Prologue

In the third Operation Delphi volume, Expect Betrayal, intrepid Lt. Olivia “Livvy” Delacourt, facility manager of The Watch’s Philadelphia headquarters, and her superior officer, the handsome Commander Barrington “Trey” Drew, III, are on assignment in England to retrieve Livvy’s family grimoire—a centuries old spell book in the sights of Hitler’s Der Mumm. Operation Delphi is certain information in the The Book could help the U.S.A. combat stateside mind control  emanating from Hitler’s occult group.

Almost from the moment Livvy  and Trey land at RAF Lakenheath Airfield, Livvy is aware of strange forces. They are met at the plane by Brick Kensington, Trey’s college buddy, currently in England to set up USO troop entertainment. She’d met him before and found him too smooth for her taste. He is hard to read and she dismisses her uneasiness around him as the effects of the long trans-Atlantic flight. Anyway, she has a job to do and it doesn’t include socializing with Trey’s Old Buddy. She needs to find her Aunt Etta and the grimoire before it’s too late, and she needs some sleep before she and Trey set out in the morning. Trey, on the other hand, makes a date with Brick for a play and drinks afterward. It’s over nightcaps the betrayal begins: Brick insists Trey carry his “lucky penny” to keep him safe—and to keep his whereabouts known to Brick. The two headed penny is really Brick’s enchanted tracking tool and Brick is a traitor.

In the morning, Brick shows up to drive Livvy and Trey to the aunt’s last known address. They can’t seem to shake him. Brick tests his psychic abilities on Livvy in hopes of keeping her from finding The Book. He plans to get his hands on it and arrange transportation to Germany on a U-boat. He’s going to buy himself entree into Hitler’s inner circle with the grimoire, but the aunt has disappeared. The chase begins. Brick sends assassins after the Americans, as they hunt for Aunt Etta, criss-crossing England following leads and addresses in Aunt Etta’s address book Livvy finds at there abandoned home. Several asassination attempts are thwarted, but the assassin gets away with the address book, aiding Brick in his chase.

After dead ends, and deadly encounters, Livvy finds a contact able to tell her what is on the missing “K” page and they and David, a psychic from the British counterpart of Operation Delphi, head toward the grimoire, danger following on their heels. But danger doesn’t put this duo off, it brings them together and Livvy’s romantic high school dream might turn into reality—after the war. First they have to beat the Nazi’s to Aunt Etta’s hiding place.

I’m not a sceptic. Read my post from June 2016 on volume two of the series, Expect Deception. According to author, JoAnn Smith Ainsworth, there really was a top-secret U.S. military branch comprised of psychics during World War II. I said it before, and I’m sticking to my story: Ainsworth certainly makes the job of psychic sound exciting, and for readers of WWII novels, she gives a riveting story of espionage and treachery set in an era of polite national determination. Volume three is even better. Some of the “polite” is tossed aside for the cause. And Livvy is more determined than ever. Although she’s never met her English family, this is her blood, and she’s wearing the key to the grimoire around her neck — a  gift  from her mother before her death. The operation is personal.

Ainsworth has again studiously researched her topic. The attention to detail and setting placed me right into 1943, but instead of being filled with wartime zeal, as I was with volume two, I felt the fear, strain, and exhaustion of the characters. People get injured or worse during war. Stakes are high. A manic quality imbues the more innocent and proper times. Livvy is willing to compromise her reputation to her orders — the mission cannot fail — and perhaps to a bit of: live today for tomorrow we may die.

In straightforward language, with well chosen details and not a trace of sentimentalism (okay, Livvy and Trey have soft spots for each other, but they’ve been friends since childhood) Ainsworth develops a suspense filled, historically steeped race against time and evil. The houses have been bombed. People are gone. The trains are delayed for troop movement, petrol is hard to come by, buses run late, phone booths are hard to find. Trey takes a larger role in volume three as he is assigned to lead the operation and protect Livvy. We get to know him better. He’s not a believer in the occult and he has a jealous streak. He also cares for his aide de camp, Livvy, and will do what it takes for a successful operation. Trey’s character is illuminated through the character of Brick, his “Old Buddy.” Trey is everything Brick is not. Brick is smarmy, greedy, deluded and small. He’s betraying his country and his own friend because he fantasizes he’s going to become powerful at the right hand of Hitler. Brick lacks the qualities of a winner, and whether or not he grabs the grimoire, he’ll always be a whiny con man, blaming his failures on someone else. You know the type.

The battle against evil has changed Livvy. She’s less innocent, more self actualized, stronger, yet more relaxed in her role. She yearns for a bath and clean, pressed clothes, but she takes charge with competence and compassion.  She has the eye and action of a pragmatist; theres no time for dithering or dissembling. When Trey is injured, she rips up her own clothes to staunch the blood. When evil looks her in the eye, she stares it down. I can’t wait to see what Livvy does in volume four. If the books were set now, she’d run for president. Livvy Delacourt would get my vote.

 

Congratulations to JoAnn Smith Ainsworth on Volume Three of the Operation Delphi series, Expect Betrayal. The paperback has come out and is available now. If you’ve waited, grab your copy today!

About JoAnn

JoAnn Smith Ainsworth experienced WWII food rationing, Victory Gardens, and blackout sirens as a child. She lived in Philadelphia during the ’50s and she attended the Berkeley Psychic Institute in the late ’70s. She is the author of six published novels: Expect Trouble, Book 1 and Expect Deception, Book 2 of the Operation Delphi series; two historical western romances released from Whiskey Creek Press; and two medieval romantic suspense novels released from Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Ainsworth lives in California.
JoAnn says this about her characters: Fighting may be necessary. My characters fight against Nazi spies, social prejudice, and other worldly events to preserve what they hold most dear.
To learn more about this award winning author, visit http://www.joannsmithainsworth.com.

“The impetus behind my writings lies in a desire to illustrate through the lives of my characters that small moments of courage are all it takes to attain what we seek from life.” ~JOANN SMITH AINSWORTH

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September 26, 2019 · 5:00 am

The Child Garden

SummerhillSchool

In 1965 I read  a book about Summerhill School, a British boarding  school for boys and girls founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill, while I boarded at Castilleja School in Palo Alto. Summerhill was everything I longed for in a school and everything my school was not. It had been founded on the  belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around. Happiness was foremost. Members of the school community were free to do as they pleased, so long as their actions did not cause any harm to others. This included  freedom for pupils to choose which lessons, if any, they attended. I thought it sounded like the perfect hippie school.

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It wasn’t that I didn’t like my studies, I did (except chemistry), but Castilleja’s buildings enclosed central gardens, sporting greens and pool, turning the site into a prison, complete with pleated skirt and white middy blouse uniforms. Students were controlled and scheduled at all times, and even the tiniest infraction would cause  loss of  weekend off-campus privileges. I hated it. I was too much a free spirit and nature lover to thrive there. An no boys. I yearned for Summerhill.

0005-1I just finished The Child Garden, and found myself reading about Summerhill School gone wrong. It’s called Eden School in the book. Maybe my parents had known what they were doing after all.

The dust cover flap reads: Eden was its name. “An alternative school for happy children.” But it closed in disgrace after a student’s suicide. Now it’s a care home, the grounds neglected and overgrown. Gloria Harkness is its only neighbor, staying close to her son who lives in the home, lighting up her life and breaking her heart each day.

When a childhood friend turns up at her door, Gloria doesn’t hesitate before asking him in. He claims a girl from Eden is stalking him and has goaded him into meeting near the site of the suicide. Only then, the dead begin to speak—it was murder, they say.

Gloria is in over her head before she can help it. Her loneliness, her loyalty, and her all-consuming love for her son lead her into the heart of a dark secret that threatens everything she lives for.

I was hooked by the Gothic looking cover and again by the prologue. Something had happened in 1985 and it was “time to think fast and get it right. Time to make sure only one life ended” that night.

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The story opens with a glimpse of Gloria Harkness in her job at the registry office then with her ancient blind friend, Miss Drumm, and severely disabled son, Nicky, at their care home, the former site of Eden School. Status Quo. Gloria’s days revolved around the job, caring for Nicky and maintaining Miss Drumm’s cottage, Rough House, and her old dog, Walter Scott. (One of her duties as caretaker of the property was to rock the Devil’s stone in the yard of Rough House.) By the end of the visit, a storm had kicked up, puddles deep and visibility was difficult on the deserted  road, twisting through the ten miles of countryside between the home and the cottage. Blinded by headlights, Gloria averts an accident and shakily continues toward home, but the car turns and follows her. Her cell phone has no bars. Locked into Rough House, she knows he’s out there with his lights turned off, but the comfort of Walter Scott and the cats calm her until Gloria hears a sound.

images.jpegIt turns out to be Steven “Stig” Tarrant, an old school chum Gloria had a crush on way back, and he’s in trouble. He’s being stalked by April Cowan, a classmate from Eden. Can Gloria help him?

Little by little Stig reveals the events of that Beltane night in 1985 at Eden School. Gloria is intrigued and feels loyal to an old friend, says she’ll help. They find April’s body and learn Stig is being set up  to take the blame. Gloria, in between registering the county births and deaths, marriages and divorces, caring for Nicky, Miss Drumm, the cottage and the pets, takes on the responsibility to  investigate April’s death and exonerate Stig.

The investigation leads her one-by-one to each of the 15 people who were present at Eden School the night “Mo-ped” died. Most of them are dead, allegedly by freak accident or suicide. Her investigation leads her to both Stig’s father, the founder of Eden School, and her own divorced husband Duggie. The twists, turns, reversals and reveals are brilliant, and the ending is not one that anyone would figure out early on, but makes perfect sick sense when Gloria figures it out.

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This mystery/cold case/thriller with a little horror suspense thrown in, contains a great setting, believable characters—the vignettes of the ex-Eden children are excellent sketches of their varying, mostly sad, lives—and, especially in the final few chapters, a rising tension that will keep you awake.

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Scottish by birth, McPherson has set the book in a small village near Galloway and it’s surrounding countryside. The care home property is a former grand home on an estate with a chapel, a devil’s bridge and a crypt. While the slightly archaic sounding and richly detailed descriptions are Scottish, the feel is decidedly Gothic. Gloria creeps around spooky places through dark and storm; I tensed up at   every twig snap, door slam, approach of creepy character. If you want atmosphere, this book’s got it!

shoppingMcPherson weaves a dark tapestry through vivid, authentic  detail and sharp,  emotionally complex characterization. The sprinkling of Scottishisms and language deepen the flavor to a malted blend of wood, fire, dirt, rubber, leather and the  devil. McPherson’s  inclusion of  ancient folklore:  Devil’s Bridges, hallowed places and rocking stones, lead us to believe it’s not the first time this place has been visited by evil. The death of the boy , the pattern of subsequent deaths, and the folk tales coalesce as Gloria gathers the fragments of truth to unmask the killer.

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I loved everything about this book. It’s cautious pace to start, the unique characters, the shadowed events, the heart quickening suspense, the surprise ending. If you’re looking for a good Halloween-time read, this shadowy, dark mystery will be perfect.

 

 

 

What people are saying about The Child Garden:

“A tale that shivers with suspense.”—The New York Times

“A terrific stand-alone that is complex, haunting, and magical.”—Library Journal (Starred Review)

“A stunning combination of creepy thriller and classic mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

“One surprising plot twist after another leads to a shocking ending.”—Publishers Weekly

“Catriona McPherson spins webs of intrigue so beautiful and intricate she puts spiders to shame. With The Child Garden, she once again proves why she has rapidly become a star in the thriller genre…This is a book you will absolutely devour.”—William Kent Krueger, New York Timesbestselling and Edgar Award-Winning Author of Ordinary Grace

“An enchanting brew of mystery, poetry, legends, and dreams, Catriona McPherson’s The Child Garden is also an elaborate shell game that will keep readers guessing up until the very end.”—Hallie Ephron, New York TimesBestselling Author of Night Night, Sleep Tight

THE CHILD GARDEN is a scrumptious Scottish noir delight, jam packed with isolation, scenery, old secrets full of lust and greed, jealousy, bullying, and cruelty. The protagonist, Gloria, is an incredible heroine, an individual for whom the Universe seems to have been against from the beginning-yet she found her North Star and held to that anchor through the worst. A dedicated mother, friend, and in terms of animals and her task of care with the Rocking Stone, an earth mother–the kind of person once termed “salt of the earth.” The mystery–twenty-eight years old, but newly erupting in the present day–is cunningly revealed, a matter of smoke and mirrors, now you see it, now you don’t–and the revelation is incredible. Readers, we have here a true Best of 2015.   ~Reader on GoodReads

Contact Catriona:

https://www.facebook.com/Catriona-McPherson-171725286218342/

CatrionaMcPherson@gmail.com

 

Bio

I was born in Edinburgh and lived there, in Ayrshire, in Dumfriesshire and in Galloway before moving to California in 2010. I don’t know how they did it, those early emigrants who set off forever from Leith docks. I’m back home every year for a couple of months and I still can’t watch Burnistoun without sobbing.

A born swot, I finally left school at age thirty with a PhD in linguistics from Edinburgh University. Proper jobs have included banking (hopeless), library work in local studies and fine art (marvellous), and a short burst of academia (miserable). I’m now a full-time writer and hope never to have a proper job again.

When not writing, I’m reading, gardening, cooking and baking, cycling in Davis, running through walnut orchards, getting to grips with this outlandish and enormous country (43 states visited so far!) and practising an extreme form of Scotch thrift*, from eating home-grown food to dumpster-diving/skip-surfing for major appliances.

*when “making a living” as a writer, thrift helps a lot.

 

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February 15, 2019 · 2:00 am

It Was a Set Up from the Start

San Albarradas, Oaxaca  October, 1991

In 1991  I drove to Mexico to research a novel. I bought a 1969 VW pop-top camper and tricked it out with everything I thought I’d need for a six-month stay: no-see-um netting, a generator to run my desk lamp and a pre-laptop portable Toshiba computer and printer, solar fans to suck the heat out of the cabin and air shocks to  smooth out the bumpy, pot-holed back roads of Mexico.  My eleven-year-old German shepherd, Parsley, co-piloted from her red leather seat salvaged from a Cadillac, the twin to mine.

California had taken an economic nose dive around the same time we bombed Iraq and I’d gone from a thriving bookkeeping and tax preparation business with little in my savings, to a bulging portfolio and clients who couldn’t pay me anymore. The universe pointed south. It had been my dream to learn Spanish and delve into the mesoamerican cultures while exploring Mexico, and overnight, the dream became reality. I made a plan, custom-built my bus’s interior, packed my bags and headed out.

Three years later I hadn’t written the planned book, but I’d lived an amazing array of experiences, starting with being threatened by armed narco-thugs on a lonely stretch of the Pan American Highway in the State of Michoacán—just like JadeAnne Stone, the heroine of the books I did write. It may have been a long time coming, but it was a Set Up from the start!

When JadeAnne Stone and her German shepherd, Pepper, are kidnapped off a lonely highway in Mexico en route to locate a banker’s missing wife, she unwittingly enters a world of high-stakes oil politics, money laundering, and El Narco’s grab for power. JadeAnne finds the missing wife and realizes she’s been set up. To stay alive she must unravel the Aguirre family’s secrets. Who will she trust as loyalties shift and greed rules?

Now available     Amazon      B & N        Kobo

If you enjoy the book, please take a moment to go to your retailer and leave an honest review. It won’t take long, and it will enable me to write more of JadeAnne’s adventures for you.

Thanks for being part of the journey.

~Ana

 

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February 11, 2019 · 2:38 am

In Her Own Words

 

hd_sht3_bw_smAs a follow up to my post, Absolution, last week, here’s what author DV Berkom has to say about her latest Leine Basso release via Absolution is Here!

DV Berkom Books

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P.S. Don’t miss Berkom’s Kate Jones series:

Kate and her college friend take a vacation in Mazatlán after graduation before settling into careers. But Kate meets Roberto Salazar at a disco, and doesn’t go home—at least until she steals a case of more than a million in cash from her narco boyfriend and his kingpin boss, Anaya—and flees—with the narcos hot on her trail in the debut, Bad Spirits. For Kate, testifying against a Mexican drug lord and a dirty DEA agent doesn’t turn out to be a life enhancing choice and she’s been on the run ever since, through six more novellas and novels. Kate tells her story in a fast paced narrative that’s part regret, part bravado, part snarky and always entertaining. For audiobook lovers, reader Melissa Moran is perfect as Kate Jones.

Bad-SpiritsNEW

 

 

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