mystery novel

Murder and Mayhem in Small Town Ontario with Gloria Ferris

02/22/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:31 — 14.1MB) | Embed

Small town, big mystery.

murder and mayhem in small town Ontario with Gloria Ferris

Gloria Ferris writes in several genres, but today we’re talking about her Cornwall and Redfern mysteries, specifically book #3 in the series, Skull Garden.

Small towns in Ontario are some of my favorite places in the world. I grew up visiting my paternal grandparents outside Gravenhurst, and now have an uncle who lives in the exact area near Lake Huron that Gloria is writing about in these books. So it was very easy for me to picture the landscape and architecture as Gloria read from her book, which was a delight.

In the introduction, I also mention a class I took recently on using the Enneagram to create characters. I loved the class and it made me reflect that there is always something new to learn about writing, which I love. Sometimes it can be intimidating, but mostly I love learning and hopefully improving my craft.

Today’s show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week’s mystery author

Gloria Ferris is a former procedure writer at a nuclear power plant, an exciting job to be sure, but it afforded little opportunity for plot and character development. So, she turned to fiction writing and is now the award-winning author of the humorous Cornwall & Redfern mysteries; a co-written Suspense series; and a YA urban fantasy series. Occasionally, she writes a short story just for the heck of it.

Gloria lives in southwestern Ontario and is a member of the International Thriller Writers and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

To learn more about Gloria and all her books visit GloriaFerris.com

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Bad Decisions Make Good Stories with Mike Faricy

02/15/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:03 — 20.1MB) | Embed

Every goodhearted detective needs a loathsome nemesis.

Bad Decisions make good stories with Mike Faricy

Mike Faricy is a prolific author and has several mystery series on the go. Today we focus on his Dev Haskell series with book #27, Alley Katz. Readers describe Dev as a ‘likeable rogue’ and I think that’s the perfect description. In our interview I mention to Mike that Dev made me think of a cross between Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr and Robert B. Parker’s Spenser. And I love how deliciously nasty Dev’s nemesis/employer, Tubby Gustafson, is.

If you like what you hear when Mike reads to us, there are two Dev Haskell novellas available at Mike’s website for free, Twinkletoes and Dollhouse. You can sign up to receive those books here.

In case you missed it, I shared the first part of one of my monthly short stories yesterday here on the blog. You can read that here.

This week’s mystery author

Mike Faricy was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He developed his love for books from his parents reading to him at an early age. He currently has written seventy-five books in four crime fiction series; The Dev Haskell series, the Corridor Man series, the Hotshot series, and the Jack Dillon Dublin Tales series.

Mike is the winner of the 2019 Crime Master’s of America Poison Cup Award and the winner of the 2020 Crime Master’s of America Poison Cup Award for the Best Selling series.

Mike lives in St. Paul, Minnesota and Dublin, Ireland, which makes me the most boring guy in two towns.

To learn more about Mike and all his books visit MikeFaricyBooks.com

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A Tough, Compassionate Hero To Root For with Dharma Kelleher

02/01/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:51 — 16.7MB) | Embed

Step aside Stephanie Plum!

A touch compassionate hero to root for with Dharma Kelleher

In Jinx Ballou, Dharma Kelleher has created a tough, complex character who is a former police officer, a comic book nerd, and a Wonder Woman cosplayer. Jinx also happens to be transgender.

Dharma herself is trans and in our interview she talks about writing the books she wants to read, something I can totally relate to because I do the same thing. Dharma wanted to read about complex characters with rich lives in a way that wasn’t focused on their gender identity or their transition. Those kinds of books are amazing and have undoubtedly supported and assisted many people, and now there’s room in the publishing space for the type of book Dharma wants to read and write. Thank goodness for that!

In the introduction I also mention that I recently found out that my memoir, Cult, A Love Story, is being used as one of the textbooks in a psychology of cults class at a university in Iowa. Exciting!

This week’s mystery author

Dharma Kelleher writes gritty crime thrillers including the Jinx Ballou Bounty Hunter series and the Shea Stevens Outlaw Biker series.
Dharma is one of the only openly transgender authors in the crime fiction genre. Her action-driven thrillers explore the complexities of social and criminal justice in a world where the legal system favors the privileged.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the International Thriller Writers, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She lives in Arizona with her wife Eileen and a black cat named Mouse

To learn more about Dharma and all her books visit DharmaKelleher.com

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Old Secrets, New Lies and Murder with Edwin Hill

01/04/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:52 — 12.1MB) | Embed

Who better to solve mysteries than a research librarian?

Old Secrets, New Lies and Murder with Edwin Hill

Hester Thursby is a research librarian at Harvard with a non-husband and a niece in tow who has a side-hustle as a people-finder. Watch Her is the third book in this acclaimed series.

Author Edwin Hill reads to us from the beginning of the book and in the interview we discuss why he chose to write about a female protagonist, Hester’s interesting approach to her relationship with her parter Morgan, and why Edwin made the choice to have the additional complication in Hester’s life of the responsibility for Morgan’s niece.

This week’s mystery author

Edwin Hill is the Edgar- and Agatha-award nominated author of Little Comfort, The Missing Ones, and Watch Her.

Edwin earned an MFA from Emerson College and served as the vice president and editorial director for Bedford/St. Martin’s, a division of Macmillan Learning for many years before turning to writing full time.

He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and his favorite reviewer, their lab Edith Ann, who likes his first drafts enough to eat them. (You can follow Edith Ann on Instagram here.)

Author photo copyright Thomas Bollinger

Learn more about Edwin and all his books at Edwin-Hill.com

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Exploring Canada and Solving Murders with Jay Forman

12/28/2020 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:22 — 16.9MB) | Embed

Canada is a biiiiig country!

Exploring Canada and Solving Murders with Jay Forman

Jay Forman’s amateur sleuth, travel writer Lee Smith, has got innumerable places to visit…and lots of crime to solve. If you’re missing the ability to travel in this our covid year then Jay and Lee can definitely help you out with some virtual travels.

In the second book in the series, No Return, Lee visits a fly-in Ojibway community in Northern Ontario to investigate the shooting death of a mining prospector. Other books in the series explore the Muskoka region of Ontario (one I’m familiar with from childhood visits to my grandparents), Newfoundland, and, coming in 2021, the west coast of Vancouver Island (where I happen to live).

This week’s mystery author

Jay Forman was once a relatively sane television producer. Since walking away from the cameras she’s been crazy busy adding mother and author to her list of credits.

Combining her love of mysteries with her own calamitous travel experiences, she’s now locked her focus on sending Canadian travel writer Lee Smith and Jack Hughes (Lee’s best friend with many benefits, not least of which is that he’s a billionaire philanthropist) to wherever bodies are found.

To learn more about Jay and all her books visit JayForman.ca

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Murder on Hawaii’s Big Island with Robert McCaw

12/21/2020 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:08 — 12.5MB) | Embed

The jungles and lava fields of Hawai’i hold secrets.

Murder on Hawaii's Big Island with Robert McCaw

If you’ve ever been to Hawai’i, it’s likely that murder was the last thing on your mind. Not so for Robert McCaw’s detective Koa Kane.

As Robert shares in our interview, he had a home on Hawai’i and became fascinated with its culture, language, and history. To me, the islands seem the perfect place to set a series of mysteries; the sometimes flouted expectations that visitors have of paradise, the mix of cultures, not to mention the colonialism, all seem like they would contribute to the stark reality behind the tourist-facing facade.

Death of a Messenger is the third book in the Detective Koa Kane series, though each can be read as a stand-alone. The others are Off the Grid and Fire and Vengeance. A fourth book, Treachery Times Two, will be published in January 2022.

This week’s mystery author

Robert B. McCaw grew up in a military family traveling the world. After graduating from Georgetown University, he served as a lieutenant in the US Army before earning his JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

For a number of years, Bob maintained a home on the Big Island of Hawai’i, studying its history, culture, and peoples. Archaeology and astronomy are among his many interests. In researching his books, he talked story with Hawai’i County cops and walked the streets where his stories take place. He and his wife live in New York City.

To learn more about Robert McCaw and all his books visit RobertBMcCaw.com

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Murder and Mayhem in Small Town Ontario with Gloria Ferris

This week’s mystery author

Bad Decisions Make Good Stories with Mike Faricy

This week’s mystery author

A Tough, Compassionate Hero To Root For with Dharma Kelleher

This week’s mystery author

Old Secrets, New Lies and Murder with Edwin Hill

This week’s mystery author

Exploring Canada and Solving Murders with Jay Forman

This week’s mystery author

Murder on Hawaii’s Big Island with Robert McCaw

This week’s mystery author

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