I kill people for fun. In books.
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JJ MacGregor’s very bad day has just gotten a lot worse. JJ thought starting the day without coffee was a disaster, but now there’s a dead musician behind the Pismawallops High School gym. His trombone is missing, and something about the scene is off key. JJ and Police Chief Ron Karlson are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but will they be able to work harmoniously or will discord ruin the investigation? With the music teacher as the prime suspect, JJ could be left to conduct the band, and then Graduation might truly end in a death by trombone, or at least the murder of Pomp and Circumstance!
About The Author
Rebecca Douglass was raised on an Island in Puget Sound only a little bigger than Pismawallops. She now lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area, and can be found on-line at www.ninjalibrarian.com and on Facebook as The Ninja Librarian. Her books include the tall tales for all ages, The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners, middle-grade fantasy Halitor the Hero, and the first Pismawallops PTA mystery, Death By Ice Cream.
Rebecca likes to spend her time outdoors, when not writing or working to make the schools the best they can be. She spends her free time bicycling and running, and her vacations hiking, camping and backpacking.
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When Professor Molly Barda witnesses a gruesome incident at the Pua Kala Gardening Club, she has no intention of playing amateur detective. But when she’s pulled into the murder investigation, she begins to uncover the tragic truth behind a century-old haunting. The Black Thumb is an exploration of love, gardening, death, house-hunting, mistaken identity, rebound relationships, well-meaning parents, Albanian food, and ghosts.
The Black Thumb is Book #3 of the Molly Barda Mysteries. Which cover do you prefer?
Knowing I’m going to be visiting this site on April 1st has made me think of retirement. You might wonder why this would be the case…a good friend of mine thought it would be the best possible day to retire, so today she’ll turn up at her office for the last time, and celebrate the end of her working life with friends and family at a big party this evening. It’s the sort of pattern many of us have grown up expecting: I have vivid memories of the first day of my own father’s retirement – my sister, mother and I all enjoyed breakfast with him at the Savoy in London – a perfect way to start life as a retired person.
It’s made me wonder if I’ll ever “retire” from writing – and, if I do, how I would mark that decision. Writing is, as all writers would acknowledge, a solitary job. I am sitting here right now at my desk with my keyboard in front of me and my two chocolate Labradors at my side. They wouldn’t notice if I didn’t write any more – well, they might get a few more walks with “mum”, but that would be the only change in their daily lives. So there’d be no one to party with, no one to pat me on the back and thank me for a job well done, and my books would still be out there – with (hopefully) new readers discovering them all the time, regardless of whether I am still writing them or not.
The other thing about “retiring” from writing is that it’s hard to do. I often wonder if I only exist insofar as I write. Certainly my characters only exist because I keep inventing their daily lives, but me? Of course I could work harder in the garden, enjoy more time with my spouse (so long as he’s retired too, of course) or develop a hobby or two – but why? It might be that writing is a solitary job, but I’m doing it at home without the necessity for a commute, and I can work it around other responsibilities and duties. So why stop? Nope – I have to admit, I don’t see “retirement” on my horizon – but I am looking forward to celebrating the end of an illustrious career with a good friend tonight. April Fool’s Day? Not her – she’s made a decision to take a huge step, and I’ll be wishing her well as she takes it. Do you hope your favorite writers never retire.
Cathy Ace’s latest Cait Morgan mystery is The Corpse with the Garnet Face.
Cait’s husband Bud gets word that his elderly uncle has died–which wouldn’t be so unusual, except that Bud had always believed his mother was an only child. Cait and Bud travel to Amsterdam to settle Uncle Jonas’s affairs. Naturally, Jonas’s existence is only the first of many secrets remaining to be discovered.
Amsterdam comes alive on the pages of The Corpse with the Garnet Face, a bustling, colorful tourist destination that for Bud and Cait is layered with mystery, past loss, and present danger. Cait is an entertaining first-person narrator, stubborn and opinionated but likably self-aware. Bud is an amiable foil for her strong personality. The Corpse with the Garnet Face is one of those wonderful “just one more chapter before I go to sleep” books–it pulled me in and kept me hooked until the end.
About The Author
Originally from Wales, now-Canadian Cathy Ace writes the Cait Morgan Mysteries. Her series has found her criminal psychologist, foodie sleuth stumbling upon Corpses with a Silver Tongue, a Golden Nose, an Emerald Thumb, Platinum Hair, Sapphire Eyes and, now, a Diamond Hand during her globetrotting. The winner of The Bony Blithe Award for Best Light Mystery in 2015, when not helping Cait solve traditional, closed-circle mysteries, Cathy’s a keen gardener, ably assisted by her green-pawed chocolate Labradors.
Keep up with Cathy
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
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