Thonie Hevron Author

By Paty Jager

I have to confess, while I’m not a huge fan of magic, that is, watching a magician hide and then reveal an item and I don’t try to figure out how he/she does the tricks, I love using that technique when writing a mystery.

My favorite part of writing a mystery is coming up with a sentence here or there that is a clue but I bury it in information that directs the reader in a different direction.

My Shandra Higheagle mysteries have two elements that help the reader discover who the killer is. One is the story, the 50,000+ words that show the characters, reveal the clues, and give red herrings, and hide the clues. The other way is through the dreams Shandra’s deceased grandmother appears in when Shandra is sleeping. These clues are more subtle with hidden meanings.

And I play fair. I always give the killer away in the dreams if the reader can decipher them. And I always make sure the killer, even if it turns out to be someone other than I started out with as the killer, has been in the story a majority of the time and the clues to the killer have been salted throughout.

There is nothing worse than getting to the end of a mystery and wondering where the character the cops arrest came from and what obscure motive did they have?

I love making my killers either vile enough that the reader believes they are the killer then showing why they couldn’t have done it, or taking a person who no one would think of and carefully lacing the why and how through the story.

My new release, Abstract Casualty, takes place in Kaua’i Hawaii. I recently vacationed there. I went to the island with the idea to make it work for a setting for a Shandra book. I was lucky enough to find an event that would bring Shandra to the island.

The fun part was twisting and turning the characters, their reactions, actions, and untold truths into the mystery that evolved. I was pleased when one of my first readers said: “…a tricky, intricate plot.” That was what I was going for. With each book, I feel I need to up the mystery and keep the reader intrigued enough to keep reading.

I’m currently working on a Gabriel Hawke book set in Iceland. Another place I visited last year.

Thank you for having me on this blog. If you have any questions about writing a mystery or keeping a series going- this is book 14 in the Shandra Higheagle series, ask away.

Abstract Casualty

Book 14 in the Shandra Higheagle Mystery series

Hawaiian adventure, Deceit, Murder

Shandra Higheagle is asked to juror an art exhibition on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

After an altercation at the exhibition, the chairwoman of the event, Shandra’s friend, arrives home with torn clothes, scratches, and stating she tried to save an angry artist who fell over a cliff. Shandra and Ryan begin piecing together information to figure out if the friend did try to save the artist or helped him over the edge.

During the investigation, Shandra comes across a person who reminds her of an unhealthy time in her past. Knowing this man and the one from her past, she is determined to find his connection to the dead artist. When her grandmother doesn’t come to her in dreams, Shandra wonders if her past is blinding her from the truth.

https://books2read.com/u/4XXLke

By Donnell Ann Bell

The craft of writing has always been a mystery to me. There are so many accepted “rules” among the writing community that people automatically accept and never question the premises.

Rules such as: Avoid omniscient point of view. Never write a prologue. Flashbacks are verboten. Never start a book with a dream or your protagonist taking a trip, and, God forbid, do not start your book with a funeral.

These are just a few of the “rules” I’ve heard handed down by agents and editors. And, if you’re a writer hanging on the words of one of these industry professionals, chances are their words contain more weight than any law passed through Congress.

Writers listen, which is an excellent trait. But sometimes paying too close attention can hamstring a story. Further, it prohibits authors from thinking outside the box and limits creativity. That’s why it’s important to know the so-called rules, while it’s just as important to know when to break them.

Some years ago, I belonged to a critique group made up of some very talented authors. During one session, a partner glanced up from my pages and asked, “Whose story is this?”

I was taken aback for a moment. But then I questioned the premises. My critique partner writes romance. When I read her books, which I enjoy, I know within the first pages who the stars of her books are. There’s only two of them and the cast of characters is small.

I write police procedure, which is made up of a task force of police and FBI. Lieutenant Everett T. Pope, Special Agent Brian DiPietro, Special Agent Devon Taylor and Officer Allison Shannon are each important to the book, although there is a pecking order.

Some authors give task force characters individual books to avoid confusion. Whereas I prefer the entire task force to work together to drive my plot. (Think Criminal Minds or NCIS.) Although I have only four points of view in the entire book, the reader is going to know what each member of the task force is doing to solve the case.

Neither scenario is wrong. There are audiences for both. But if I was a strident rule follower and didn’t understand the genre I’m writing, I might have gone back to the drawing board and made my newest release a much different book.

Which might have been a mistake as Black Pearl, A Cold Case Suspense is a finalist in the 2020 Colorado Book Awards Thriller Category.

I enjoy a larger ensemble of characters, a threat, and a ticking clock. Whose story is it? I’ll let the reader decide. As they say, after all, “Go big or go home.”

Can you break the rules? Authors do all the time. You can do anything if you tell a great story.

About Black Pearl

A cold case heats up when a 9-1-1 call puts police at a Denver murder scene pointing investigators to the abduction of a Colorado teenager fourteen years before. The connection? A calling card—a single black pearl—is found on the newest victim. Is the murder a copycat? Or has a twisted serial killer, thought dead or in prison, returned to kill again?

The hunt for a multi-state killer is on and brings together an unexpected team: a Denver Major Crimes police lieutenant; an FBI special agent who investigated the previous murders, a rookie FBI agent with a specialty in psychology; and the only living victim of the Black Pearl Killer is now a cop.

For Special Agent Brian DiPietro, the case is an opportunity to find answers. For Officer Allison Shannon, the case will force her to face down the town that blamed her for surviving when another did not. And for both DiPietro and Shannon, it’s a chance to find closure to questions that have tormented them both for years.

Order form: https://donnellannbell.com/books/black-pearl/

About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell is a multi-award-winning author. Writing around the theme SUSPENSE TOO CLOSE TO HOME, her novels have been Amazon e-book bestsellers. Before turning to fiction, she was an editor for a weekly business publication and a parenting magazine. You can find her through her website at www.donnellannbell.com

By Jacqueline Vick

One of the questions I’m asked most often is how do you research your characters?

This is not a question asked loudly by the lady in the back row at a bookstore signing. Rather, the whispered query is most often made in a quiet spot far from witnesses, with the questioner wearing a distinctly uncomfortable expression—a combination of an honest desire to know backed up by the thought that there are things that, once known, might intrude on otherwise peaceful thoughts.

That’s because my characters include an exorcist and a pet psychic. I have to research their jobs so that I can make the character realistic. If he or she does something out of character, the reader must understand that this isn’t the usual behavior for a pet psychic or a priest.

And so must I.

So, I’ll answer the question here for those too embarrassed to ask.

There’s no substitute for hands-on experience

Let’s start with the pet psychic. Since I’m not an animal, I couldn’t be on the receiving end of a pet psychic’s reading, so I scheduled a couple of appointments for my dog and observed.

The first psychic, a woman, did her communicating over the phone. She told me that my dog would overcome his nervousness if he wore a scarf in his favorite color—forest-green.

The second animal communicator came in person and “listened” to my dog. Buster responded to him well, stretching out at his feet and periodically woofing. This man also consented to an interview, and it is from this interview that much of my information comes.

I also attended a pet fair that featured a psychic, and it’s my belief she was doing the same “cold reading” Frankie Chandler does in the same situation in Barking Mad at Murder…at least until Frankie begins hearing from her furry friends.

When all else fails, read.

It should come as no surprise that I did not experience or observe an exorcism. Instead, I turned to the many books out there written by experienced exorcists. One of the most fascinating is Possessed, which is taken from the diary of a Jesuit priest who assisted in an exorcism beginning in 1949. For those interested in the book, be prepared. It is dry reading, as its purpose is not to entertain.

I also listened to recordings of talks given by exorcists and deliverance teams. Not surprisingly, people who asked what I was working on tended to back away with frozen smiles when I told them.

My Harlow Brothers mysteries feature an etiquette author who writes under the pseudonym Aunt Civility. The archives of the Miss Manners column were a good place to start.

Double-check Everything

Remember the pet psychic who said my dog favored forest-green? I researched and found that dogs are essentially colorblind. As far as the spooky details about possessions, obsessions, infestations and attachments? I’ll have to just take the priests’ word for it. And I wouldn’t dream of questioning Miss Manners.

When you get down to it, pet psychics, exorcists, etiquette authors and readers are all human and experience the same joy, fear, and guilt. Only the circumstances differ.

Why don’t you judge for yourself? Leave a comment and I will draw a random winner to receive eBook copies of An Unhealthy Attachment, Barking Mad at Murder, and the latest Harlow Brothers mystery, Bad Behavior, which will be released on April 1. The winner will be announced on my website, jacquelinevick.com on Saturday, March 21.

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Short bio:

Jacqueline Vick spent her childhood plotting ways to murder her Barbie doll. Writing provided a more productive outlet. She is the author of over twenty humorous novels and short stories. You can find out more at www.jacquelinevick.com or join her Mystery Buffs here.

By Kathy McIntosh

My experience in book clubs tells me that indeed, readers’ tastes and preferences vary widely . . . and wildly.

My current book club focuses on mysteries, but we all read and recommend outside the genre. What draws me and the readers in my group?

A strong, compelling hero or heroine. Usually we prefer those we can identify with and like, but if the character is evil but fascinating, we keep reading. Flawed characters are in vogue, but when the character has so many problems, they get in the way of solving the mystery, well, that’s a problem for the readers I know. They also get peeved when a formerly wimpy character suddenly exhibits powerful skills never hinted at to save themselves or others.

A problem or conflict that needs to be solved, and it really ought to come up pretty dang soon in the story. In a mystery, the problem’s generally a crime, but it might start out with a minor problem that kicks our main character into action.

A great setting, with a big BUT. Establishing the setting is important, but the story is more important. We recently read a book where we all thought the writer excelled at writing setting with great accuracy, but when the setting became more important than the story, our interest waned.

Details add authenticity, but too many intricate details—perhaps about an autopsy or about how to create a craft item—can get boring.

Too much preaching irks the readers in my book group. Readers are there for the story, not to be lectured.

If it’s too easy to figure out “whodunit,” that can be a problem. A bigger one is when the killer/bad guy is introduced way too late or only for an instant, so the reader can’t conclude that their guilt is obvious once all the clues are in.

So what about you? What do you love—or dislike—about the mysteries you read? What causes you to fling a book across the room, or figuratively fling a Kindle?

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A reformed high-tech marketer and former columnist on words and business writing, Kathy transformed her love of words and nature into her fiction. After many years in Idaho, she and her husband moved to southeastern Arizona a few years back.

Kathy’s first two novels, Mustard’s Last Stand and Foul Wind, are humorous romps in the wilds of north Idaho. Her newest mystery, Murder, Sonoran Style, portrays death in the heat of the desert, with a light touch and lots of laughter. Murder, Sonoran Style won honorable mention in the 2019 PSWA writing contest.

Mustard’s Last Stand, Kathy’s first, award-winning novel is free on Amazon today through Sunday.

LINKS:

Murder, Sonoran Style https://amzn.to/2IIwBrw

Mustard’s Last Stand https://amzn.to/33rMZEK

Foul Wind https://amzn.to/2B6Hq2m

By Pamela Beason

In April of 2019, I had begun my fifth Sam Westin mystery, set in the Cascade Mountains, my regular stomping grounds close to home. I planned to include an avalanche and wolverines. However, my progress on the manuscript was severely hampered by the need for a plot. My imagination was not coming up with one.

Fortunately, I was about to set off for a Great Old Broads retreat in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona, where I would study the “sky islands,” the isolated clusters of mountains rising from the surrounding desert. I flew into Tucson and drove east to the Southwestern Research Station, where I stayed in a dorm normally reserved for researchers and volunteers.

We were close to the US-Mexico border. Like all Americans, I’d seen plenty of news filled with debates over the border wall, and stories of brutal crimes along the border and migrants dying in the desert or detained in makeshift prisons.

At 5400’ in elevation, the Research Station is a different ecological zone than the arid plains I crossed to get there. Readers who are familiar with my Sam Westin wilderness mysteries know that each of those books features wild places and wild animals, so I was eager to learn what southeastern Arizona had to offer. During the days, we explored the nearby canyons and hills. In the evenings, we attended presentations about the unique flora and fauna of the sky islands. One talk was on reintroduction of Mexican wolves, another on the efforts to save jaguars in Mexico and the US. I heard that two jaguars had been sighted in recent years in Arizona. That set my imagination on fire—Imagine spotting a jaguar during a hike! I learned that some animals of the sky islands historically migrated from one small mountain range to the next “island.” Now, the border wall had disrupted that movement. Online, I found sad photos of wildlife stopped at the impassable wall, imprisoned, cut off from the areas in which they expected to find water, food, or mates.

We took a trip to view the wall between Douglas and Naco. The tall structure rippled along the scrubby hills for as far as I could see. On the Mexican side, the brush was thick and wild. On the US side, a wide road was cleared alongside the wall. Many access roads branched off from that, cutting dusty swaths into what little vegetation the area offered. The debris jammed alongside the wall in arroyos proved that the fence sometimes impeded the flow of water. I discovered the story behind the many signs that read “Humanitarian Aid is Not a Crime.”

Desperate migrants. Drug runners. Human traffickers. Vigilantes. Border Patrol agents on dangerous duty. Personnel building the wall, observation towers, and roads. Hispanic Americans with long histories straddling the border. Pronghorns, javelinas, owls, wolves. Dozens of hummingbird species. Jaguars!

How could I not write a story set in this area? Wolverines would have to wait.

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In Borderland, a young wildlife photographer, Jade Silva, vanishes after taking a photo at the border wall of the last known jaguar remaining in Arizona. Her roommate and fellow Southwestern Research Station volunteer, wildlife biologist/writer Sam Westin, struggles to find Jade. Was the Latina woman detained by the Border Patrol, kidnapped by cartel thugs, or simply lost in the vast desert like so many migrants? It’s hard for Sam to know where to start looking, and even harder to enlist help from the overburdened authorities.

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Pamela Beason, a former private investigator, lives in the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not hard at work on another book, she explores the natural world on foot, on cross-country skis or snowshoes, in her kayak, or underwater scuba diving. Learn more about her and her books on https://PamelaBeason.com.

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Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Borderland-Sam-Westin-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B07YMWHKBH Also available for Nook, Apple, and Kobo.

By Bob Doerr

Thanks, Thonie, for this opportunity to be on your blog. I enjoy writing and telling stories, and in the last eleven years, I have had fifteen books published. All my books are fiction, so a question people often asked me is, “Where do you get all the ideas for your stories?”

I explain that after nearly thirty years in a career that focused on criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations followed by eight years in financial planning, I started my writing career with a plethora of ideas. The stories were all there, bouncing around in my cluttered mind. The difficult part is not coming up with a new story, but selecting which one I want to turn into a book.

While I have no shortage of ideas to plot out, sometimes my friends encourage me to set my story in a specific place or situation. That’s how my selection of an ocean cruise for the setting of my newest book came about. I’ve been on a half dozen cruises, and inevitably, while on the cruise, one or more of my friends would talk about how a cruise would be a great setting for a murder mystery or thriller. I liked the idea, too.

I also decided to do something different with this eighth Jim West adventure. I brought back two characters from prior books, something I hadn’t done before. The book is still a “stand alone” read, but in coming up with a reason to put Jim on a cruise, I wanted to give him a traveling companion, and, perhaps, finally develop a long term relationship with a woman.

Since nothing ever seems to come easy for Jim, I thought how better to mess with his vacation than to throw a murder or two or three at him. He is sucked into the murder investigation by the unexpected presence of a former lady friend. Her husband of barely twenty four hours is the second victim, and as she had years earlier, she turns to Jim for help.

I enjoyed writing Honeymoons Can Kill and hope readers will like the book, too. Thank you again, Thonie, for having me on your blog.

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Bob Doerr, an Air Force veteran, has fifteen published books. His past books have won a variety of awards, and Bob was selected as the Author of the Year by the Military Writers Society of America in 2013. Bob lives in Garden Ridge, TX, with his wife of 46 years.

To buy this novel, click here: Honeymoons Can Kill