I kill people for fun. In books.
About The Author
Wendy Tyson is an author, lawyer and former therapist whose background has inspired her mysteries and thrillers. Wendy has written four published crime novels, including Dying Brand, the third novel in the Allison Campbell Mystery Series, which was released on May 5, 2015. The first in the Campbell series, Killer Image, was named a best mystery for book clubs in 2014 by Examiner.com. Wendy is also the author of the Greenhouse Mystery Series, the first of which, A Muddied Murder, is due to be released in spring 2016. Wendy is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, and she is a contributing editor for The Big Thrill, International Thriller Writers’ online magazine. Wendy lives with her husband, three sons and three dogs on a micro-farm just outside of Philadelphia.
Between Good and Evil
(Auburn Notch Mystery)
(Volume 1)
Crime – Mystery
Sunbury Press, Inc. (January 24, 2016)
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1620066607
Paperback: 222 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1620067291
E-Book ASIN: B01B12YPTC
Q: Sheriff Flynn, thanks for joining us today at Island Confidential. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something readers might not guess?
A: Without going into too much detail, I’ll tell you I used to be a decorated Metro Detective. My captain said I was ‘overly impulsive’ and it was going to get me in trouble one day. Well, that day came. My disregard for procedure finally resulted in my being shot and left for dead during an investigation. It had a devastating affect on me that I’m still wrestling with. I’ve never really admitted this to anyone, but the bitter scent of ashes still sends chills up my spine and I just freeze.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best? Why?
A: I would happily say my deputy, Hank Harris. We got off to a rough start, since the mayor decided to give the newly vacant sheriff’s position to . . . how did Hank put it? . . . “some burned out, out of town detective.” He’s a good cop. Once I got to know him I could appreciate where his anger was coming from. Things are great between us now and I’m very thankful for that—it wasn’t that far into our first big case together when he saved my life.
Q: Which other character do you have a conflict with? Why?
A: Agent MacGregor of the FBI makes my blood boil. I’ve dealt with the Feds before, but Mac is operating on his own agenda. He’s showed up in town twice now unexpectedly, and both times on the heels of a suspicious murder. We’re cordial, and at times you might even think we’re friends, but make no mistake, he’s like a flu vaccine—once you get it, it take a few days for the pain to go away.
Q: Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author, R. Michael Phillips?
A: I think he’s pretty creative, a bit long-winded at times, but creative. Being a big-city detective I figured I’ve seen just about everything when it comes to crime, but Mr. Phillips still manages to surprise me. I like that.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I would love to say I’m going to sit back in my office chair, put my feet up on the desk, and enjoy the quiet for a while, but Hank just told me he saw a stranger in town with Alice Newbury. Hank said he seemed pleasant enough, but something about the stranger just rubbed him the wrong way. Alice recently retired and just lost her husband to a tragic accident, so maybe I’ll drive out to her place on Lake Auburn and see who this fellow is and what he’s up to.
Q: Thanks for stopping by!
A: It’s been a delight talking to you. Thanks so much for inviting me over and allowing me to share a little about myself with your readers.
Michael is a classically trained artist turned mystery writer. By combining his creative talents with a passion for mysteries he conceived his first series—The Ernie Bisquets Mysteries
Michael travels a bit, especially to Great Britain, but also has a fondness for New England. He spent many winters in the shadow of the White Mountains, skiing and enjoying the beautiful countryside. Those fond memories are the backdrop now for the new Auburn Notch Mysteries being published by Sunbury Press. The main character is Sheriff Promise Flynn—an ex-metro detective who left a dark past and her big-city detective shield behind and moved to a small New England town. What follows is anything but therapeutic.
When he’s not painting or writing Michael is an avid antique collector, filling his current home—an 1894 Queen Ann Victorian he, his wife, and son are restoring—with an assortment of antiques from around the world. Michael also enjoys cooking, working in the garden, and playing in the yard with their two rescues, Beau and Pup.
Author Links
Website- http://www.rmichaelphillips.com
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/R-Michael-Phillips-104782886282707/?ref=tn_tnmn
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2995205.R_Michael_Phillips
Twitter- https://twitter.com/rmpbook
A Fifer’s Blog- http://rmichael-fifer.blogspot.com
More Books by R. Michael Phillips
Excerpt:
“Please take your seats. The Villains, Vixens and Varmints Vaudeville Show is about to begin.” The master of ceremonies’ mellifluous voice boomed across Martini Theatre, and lights dimmed as a uniformed usher escorted me and Agent Burton to our front-row seats.
The society editor—my boss, Mrs. Harper—snagged two front-and-center seats to Friday night’s opening performance. No doubt the traveling troupe expected the Galveston Gazette (rather, me) to give them a rave review.
Well, we’d see if this dog-and-pony show lived up to its billing, literally. The MC gave a short introduction and a chubby clown paraded onstage with a spotted pony, a small terrier-mix perched atop its back. When the clown tried to coax the pup to stand on its hind legs, the spunky mutt refused to cooperate, while the audience laughed with glee….
I’d tried to beg off this assignment, but my boss always found a way to make me work until the last minute. “Vaudeville is so old hat,” I protested. “Wouldn’t you rather attend? It’s right up your alley.”
“What do you mean by that, young lady?” Mrs. Harper eyed me under her wide-brimmed floral Edwardian bonnet. “Are you implying that I’m an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy, not as modern as you young flappers?”
Yes, that’s exactly what I meant. “Not at all. I thought you’d enjoy the show more since I prefer moving pictures. I can’t wait to see The Jazz Singer!”
“Take your young man and have a good time. Besides, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
My young man? She made Agent Burton sound like a pet Scottie.
Sure, I was sweet on him, despite my mixed feelings: Did I really want to date a Federal officer with such a dangerous occupation? As the lone Prohibition agent in the “Free State of Galveston”—where mobsters mingled with police and politicians—I worried his days might be numbered. The Treasury Department could ship Burton off to a new town on an even riskier assignment. Worse, Galveston gangsters could gun him down any moment, just for doing his job.
During intermission, the MC announced a last-minute replacement for Dan Dastardly in the closing act. After the break, “Milo the Magician” took the stage, elegant in a tux, top hat and white gloves, and performed his requisite card tricks and rabbit in the hat….
The final act highlighted a short scene from The Perils of Pauline, featuring a dastardly villain wearing a black mask and cape trying to kidnap helpless, hapless Pauline. Twirling his handlebar moustache, the evil masked man tied poor Pauline to a tree while the Tom Mix character managed to chase off the villain, and rescue his beloved damsel-in-distress. Yes, the act was so corny and hammy that it was comical, but I enjoyed the melodrama of it all.
After the show, the performers gathered on stage, and as each act stepped forward to take their separate bows, the applause grew louder. When the Perils of Pauline actors appeared, the audience stood up, clapping wildly and cheering as the performers grinned and waved. Seems I was wrong about vaudeville: The appreciative audience gave all the actors a standing ovation.
Strange, I noticed the villain smiling at me from his vantage point onstage—or was he? Surely I imagined it…until he took off his hat and held it out to me like a rose, or a bribe. Then he gave me a bold wink—right in front of Agent Burton. Blushing, I did a double-take: Was the villain flirting with me? Or did he know I worked for the Gazette?
“Looks like the mystery man has his eye on you,” Burton teased. “Should I be jealous?”
“Dan Dastardly?” I laughed it off. “He must want a mention in the Gazette. You know actors and their egos.”….
As we left, I glanced at the stage and saw the villain staring after us, his arms crossed, looking puzzled. What did he expect—an interview? A bouquet of flowers? My phone number?
Q: Ellen, thanks for stopping by! Tell us about Jazz Cross.
A: Jazz (Jasmine) Cross is a rebellious society reporter determined to make her mark on 1920s Galveston, Texas. Her black-sheep half-brother, Sammy, owns a speakeasy and she’s dating a Prohibition agent, James Burton, and she feels caught between two clashing cultures: the seedy speakeasy underworld and the snooty social circles she covers in the Galveston Gazette. A lot of historical mystery sleuths are wealthy wives or socialites or related to royalty and I wanted to make Jasmine an independent working gal struggling to make ends meet and forge a career in a chauvinistic world—like her heroine, Victorian journalist Nellie Bly.
Q: How much of you is in Jazz? How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A: Sure, we do have somewhat similar personality traits since I’m a magazine writer/editor in real life, but I don’t have the stomach for hard news or crime stories. Of course I’d love to meet my characters! I do have a lot of sympathy for Jasmine since I know how it feels to be held back by higher-ups in the working world. You can’t always wait for a boss or someone to “give you permission” to act on your own or follow a lead or accomplish a goal—you might wait forever!
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A: Yes, I’m trying to show that Jazz becomes more confident and fearless, willing to stand up to her opponents and face danger without backing down. Also the men in her life, including the newspaper editor and her Prohibition Agent beau, are softening their stance on working women and giving her more room to grow.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
A: Tempting—I’m afraid they’d recognize themselves! So far, I’ve used composite characters with their own personalities.
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: Since 1920s Galveston was a wild and crazy town in real life, I’ve tried to incorporate actual settings and local landmarks, especially ones that are still standing. Sadly, many places mentioned were destroyed by hurricanes or—in the case of the speakeasies—shut down by Federal agents and/or Texas Rangers.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: What a fun question! I’d love Jon Hamm or Matt Bomer to play Sammy, Ryan Gosling to play Agent Burton. For Amanda, maybe Jennifer Lawrence. Jasmine is harder to figure out… she has wavy dark hair and blue eyes—perhaps a cross between a Myrna Loy and Agent Carter type (feisty though not as fearless).
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: Best advice? I once heard that it’s a good idea to read dialogue out loud to see if it sounds natural—and it works. Also to wait a few days or weeks to edit your novel so you get a new perspective.
Worst: Glue the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair. You get a lot of back aches that way! I’ve found that if I’m stuck, it helps to engage is some sort of physical exercise or mindless activity to keep your ideas fresh. I’ve gotten lots of ideas while brainstorming with my husband or friends at an outdoor café. I hate to be cooped up and only write when I see a scene or chapter unfold in my head. More fun and less frustrating than staring at a blank computer screen.
Also I tend not to outline my books in advance though I do have a general idea of overall plot. You miss a lot of possibilities if you stick to a rigid plot—I always work a few chapters ahead and jot down brief notes and ideas as I go along. Sometimes I get inspired by a new plot twist and keep writing to see where my characters take me. If I’m surprised by my storyline, I think my readers will be too!
Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance magazine writer and editor whose articles and essays have been published in a variety of national magazines. Several of her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World. During college summers, she worked as a reporter for a Houston community newspaper and as a cocktail waitress, both jobs providing background experience for her Jazz Age mysteries.
A flapper at heart, she’s worked as a magazine editor/writer, and in advertising and public relations (plus endured a hectic semester as a substitute teacher). She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism and served on UTmost, the college magazine and as president of WICI (Women in Communications).
FLAPPERS, FLASKS AND FOUL PLAY is her first novel, published in 2012, followed by the sequel, BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS, released in May 2013. She lives in Houston with her husband and Chow mutts, and visits Galveston whenever possible.
“When you grow up in Houston, Galveston becomes like a second home. I had no idea this sleepy beach town had such a wild and colorful past until I began doing research, and became fascinated by the legends and stories of the 1920s. Finally I had to stop researching and start writing, trying to imagine a flapper’s life in Galveston during Prohibition.”
Keep up with Ellen
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When Hayden Kent’s mentor and friend discovers her son Mike’s dead body, dressed in full scuba attire, washed up on Pigeon Key, she needs Hayden. Her paralegal and dive skills may help unravel the tragedy of Mike’s last days. He’d recently discovered a sunken Spanish galleon and rumors that he hit the mother lode ran through the Keys like wildfire.
Hayden’s dive on the treasure site uncovers gold, and clues that Mike’s death was something far more sinister than an accident. When two different wills, both signed the day Mike died, are delivered to the courthouse, the suspect list grows, as do the threats against her. The danger escalates as she tries to save herself, discover the motive, and find the killer.
I’ve never found a body underwater, or treasure for that matter. Not unless you count all the quarters. For some reason people lose quarters at sea. I can’t imagine what they’re doing with them, but I bet I’ve found $20 underwater. All in quarters. Someday, I’ll have to go out on one of those commercial fishing boats. Maybe it’s a tradition, catch a fish, toss in a quarter. Loss a fish, toss in a quarter. Now that’s more likely. Problem is I wouldn’t last on a fishing boat. I’d catch sight of a pretty reef below and splash! I’d be in the water and heading for the bottom.
Like my protagonist, I’m a SCUBA diver. Neither one of us can imagine life on land without the beauty of the deep. She’s the one who finds the bodies and the treasure. Maybe I should plan a couple of dives with her. For treasure. Not for bodies. Nothing wrong with a doubloon or two in the jewelry box.
There’s more treasure under the water than gold and silver (although finding some of that would be fun). The biggest treasure of the sea is the breathtaking beauty. Swimming with the fishes in my world is a good thing, and one I’m passionate about. I used to say that I made a bad trade when I swapped gills for lungs at birth. Then I discovered humans don’t have gills at any time in their development. So much for that little bit of trivia from my personal garden of misinformation! Still, you get the idea, and you have to admit, it sounds good.
When the warm water closes over my head and I follow the anchor line to the bottom, I’m at home. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a crowd of fifty divers or with only my favorite dive buddy. I’m more alive than at any other time. The soft kiss of the sea eases any tension. The in and out sound of my own breathing fades into the background and little things fill my vision. Cushion starfish often line a sandy bottom, looking more cartoon than real. Schools of fish, my favorite are the silversides. They form a shiny curtain under the sea and undulate as if controlled by a single puppeteer. Startle them and the entire school will flit off as if it were one fish.
Forests of staghorn coral create surreal structure. Perfect domes of brain coral sprout colorful Christmas tree worms that disappear in a puff of coral dust when the diver gets too close. Pillar coral stands tall and yellow nearly shoulder to shoulder. It’s here that the stingrays often hide. Covering their wings with sand and showing only two humps of eyes. Conchs pod their way across the bottom and Florida lobster wave antenna looking for all the world like they are playing out the King of the World scene from Titanic.
This is my world, and Hayden’s. And it’s at risk. Seventy-one percent of the world’s surface is ocean. That’s huge. Yet UNESCO estimates that eighty percent of marine pollution comes from land-based sources, this is runoff, sewage, just plain dumping and the ever-ubiquitous plastic. Plastic is estimated to be responsible for the death of one million seabirds and one hundred thousand marine mammals per year. The effects of pollution on the reef are clear. The reef is bleaching, the water often has a murky quality, coral are dying, fish populations are failing, some from overfishing, some from habitat change, some from a myriad of fishy illnesses that have become more common as the ecosystem weakens. We may never be able to undo all of the damage done, but if we act responsibly, we can lessen the new damage. It’s our responsibility, and it should be our joy.
So, here’s a secret for Island Confidential…the next body buried might just be the deep blue sea.
Thank you for having me. It’s been fun to be here and to share a little bit about my book and about Hayden and my passion for a healthy ocean.
Do you dive? Sail? Or is a nice hot bath the closest you get to open-water adventure? Enter to win an autographed copy of Death by Sunken Treasure by leaving a comment on this post.
Kait Carson spent a lifetime living and working in the tropical paradise of south Florida. She opted for a day job as a paralegal practicing in the world of high-end estates and probate litigation. Legal pads give way to a keyboard in the evening and Kait spins tales of murder and mayhem set in the steamy Florida heat. Like her protagonist, Hayden Kent, Kait is an accomplished SCUBA diver. She lives with her husband, six rescue cats and three tropical birds at an airpark in Florida. Not too far from the water.
Keep up with Kait
Q: Aloha Marty, and welcome back! Tell us about your protagonist, Pru.
A: Pru Parke is a middle-aged American gardener who, just three years earlier, moved to England. This drastic change in her life made great sense to Pru – her mother was English and Pru grew up with stories about her mother’s life as a girl – although her friends back in Dallas thought she was crazy. The Skeleton Garden is book four in the series, and so in only three years, a great deal has happened. She’s married for the first time, working with a brother she never knew she had, and living in a lovely house in the south of England. Pru is stubborn but kind and hates to argue. She’s always been known as a bit of a Pollyanna.
Q: How much of you is in Pru? How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A: I love soup – and so does Pru. We have a Southern background in common, although really she’s from Texas, not the deep South. And we both love gardening and England – so I think we’d be friends.
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A: That’s what I love about a series – there can be an over-arching story arc for the character throughout with small changes in each book as they relate to the plot of that particular story. Pru arrives in England with no family – an only child, both parents dead. But she has become accustomed to making her family out of those closest to her, and so in book one (The Garden Plot) we meet her London friend Jo and Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. Pru believes Mr. Wilson is being unjustly suspected of murder, which, she feels, is totally preposterous – and so she sets about to prove his innocence. In each book we see her make a family – it just so happens that now, she really does have a brother. (Read book two for that story – The Red Book of Primrose House.)
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
A: That’s funny. I’ve heard of authors who get fed up with someone and so use that person as the victim. And I’ve had people say to me (when I’m researching a place for the next book) that they have a few names they’d like to recommend as victims. I treat this as a joke – at least I hope it is. I have not turned anyone I know in real life into a victim.
Yet.
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: I am true to life – and I take liberties. The Skeleton Garden is based on a real village outside of Romsey in the south of England – although I’ve built up the village a bit. I love pubs, pub names, and pub signs, and have a fun time creating those – often an amalgamation of the many places I’ve visited. The Robber Blackbird is made up, but I hope that readers will enjoy the description of its sign and the interior and the cellars. (The German fighter plane buried in the garden – true!)
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: Well, very soon, Renee Zellweger will be old enough. She needs to dye her hair brown, though. And for Christopher – I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Clive Owen. Would you?
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: Writers – especially new writers – are always getting advice on how to write, and loads of published authors have put in their two-cents-worth, writing their own books on how to write. I suppose the best advice I’ve received is “just write.” Start – get something down and go from there. The editing process is quite freeing once you get to that stage. The worst advice is the kind that tells me what I must do, instead of letting me figure out my own process. “You must write a first draft straight through – don’t stop and edit!” is a common edict. No thanks, that’s not how I do it. Learning about the many different ways writers write is wonderful – being told how I should do it is not.
About The Author
is the author of three previous Potting Shed mysteries: The Garden Plot, The Red Book of Primrose House, and Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Her new Birds of a Feather Mystery series debuted with The Rhyme of the Magpie. Wingate is a regular contributor to Country Gardens and other magazines. She also leads gardening tours throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and North America. More Potting Shed and Birds of a Feather mysteries are planned.
Links
It may not sound very exciting, but the fact is a fact – with the growing number of small businesses, self-employed people and entrepreneurship, the demand for professional accountants that can service a large number of independent businesses is going to grow as well. All these small firms and sole proprietors won’t be able to employ accountants and auditors full-time, and will need somebody to take care of their books and records.
Programming in general and app development in particular is a job of the future. This market has exploded in the course of the last few years, and ongoing research and development in such spheres as the Internet of Things, smart home systems, artificial intelligence and so on show that what we’ve seen so far is nothing but a tip of an iceberg. If you get a good education in this sphere, you will have no trouble finding a job with any firm from the list of the top iPhone development companies.
The world’s population is getting older – the percentage of senior citizens, especially in developed countries, is growing steadily, and is going to noticeably change the world economy sooner than one may expect. All this aging population is going to need somebody to take care of them, and the number of registered nurses capable of doing so is already somewhat insufficient, which is reflected in rapidly growing demand for their services.
Nursing is not the only sector of healthcare that is going to grow. High-end specialist physicians, and especially surgeons, are among the highest-paid jobs today, and this tendency isn’t going to alter any time soon. Their median pay is already very high and is only going to get higher – however, the level of education necessary to land such a job is not easily attainable as well. Not to mention that it requires a considerable initial investment.
Veterinarians do much more than simply treat dogs, cats and other domestic animals (although it is no small feat in its own right). They also inspect livestock, protect public health, keep our food supply from contamination and disease and in general have a far greater impact on our everyday life than one may think. In recent years, scientific advancements in veterinary medicine have created many new jobs, and their number is only going to expand in the years to come.
Of course, having a degree in one of these spheres doesn’t guarantee total job security, but it certainly is going to be higher than in most other areas.
Melissa Burns graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University in 2008. Nowadays she is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Her sphere of interests includes startups, information technologies and how these ones may be implemented.
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