An Adventure And Sharing

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Do you enjoy getting lost in a swashbuckling adventure from time to time? Do you enjoy sharing happiness, especially this close to Valentine’s Day?

Who doesn’t enjoy losing themselves in another world for a few hours a day or passing along well wishes to a friend? Well, I’ve got just the thing for you on both counts.

First, thanks to Ayelet of Gallery Books (a division of Simon and Schuster), I have a copy of author Richard Doetsch's latest release, THE THIEVES OF DARKNESS, to giveaway. This will be the paperback version that is slated for release on Feb. 22.

This irresistible thriller has been compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Thomas Crown Affair. Doetsch is also the author of THE 13TH HOUR.

Here’s a brief synopsis of THE THIEVES OF DARKNESS: A reformed master thief travels to Istanbul to keep an ancient artifact from falling into the wrong hands. Along the way he discovers that his new girlfriend has a few secrets of her own and is forced to put both their lives in danger for a greater good.

Michael St. Pierre thinks he has left his days as a master thief behind him. He's just started dating again following the death of his wife and has embarked on a new relationship with a beautiful, smart woman named KC. But then, he gets word that his best friend, Simon, is being held captive in a brutal and isolated middle eastern prison, sentenced to death. For the first time, Michael must break into a prison—this time to rescue his friend. Imagine his surprise when he finds KC in the neighboring cell. After a thrilling rescue, the three journey to Istanbul to complete the mission that led to their incarceration. 

Simon and KC are on the trail of a map that holds a secret as ancient as mankind, a secret that has roots in the foundations of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. In order to get their hands on the map and save Simon's life, Michael and KC must complete an amazing series of stunts and thefts, outwitting the authorities and a ruthless and equally skilled enemy. Old family secrets and loyalties come into play as they race through the secret underground tunnels of Istanbul, and eventually travel deep into the Himalayas to a mysterious land that might be the legendary Shangri-La itself. 

Doesn’t this sound like a terrific adventure to keep you guessing from the first paragraph to the last? I’ve got a feeling this is a fast pace, heart-pounding thriller.

Author Richard Doetsch’s website is http://richarddoetsch.com

Now for the giveaway which, I’m sorry to say, is only open to residents of the US. Send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with " Win The Thieves of Darkness” in the subject line. Your message should include your name and mailing address. Just so you know, I don’t share your mailing information or use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter is 8 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Feb. 22 (paperback release date).

Now for sharing ‘well wishes’ with friends, just a couple of notes to share about fellow bloggers.

Vicki Delany’s book, NEGATIVE IMAGE, is up for a CBC bookies award for best mystery/thriller/horror. The voting is open until Sunday and she could use everyone’s vote. It's fast and easy and there is no sign in. Just scroll down to Mystery/thriller/horror, click the button NEGATIVE IMAGE and then click vote. Check out her blog @ One Woman Crime Wave for more information. 

Fellow blogger Roland Yeomans just published his first e-book, THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS. Be sure to check it out, as well as Roland’s blog @ Writing In The Crosshairs.

I also want to draw your attention to the page listings under ‘Giveaways, Awards, Books.’ I’ve added a page entitled, AUTHORS AND THEIR BOOKS. Here I hope to add fellow bloggers who have new releases out, especially those who are self-publishing. If I don’t have your book listed, either leave me a comment or send me an e-mail with the information. I don’t mean to leave anyone out. Just remember, I aged this month and I’m naturally blonde so I may not remember as well as I should. LOL

Oh, and right below the page listings you’ll find a mystery is afoot.

So, are you ready for a little adventure and intrigue, as well as sharing in some fun with online friends?

 

 

Guest Blogger: Vicki Delany

It’s my pleasure to welcome Canadian author Vicki Delany as the special guest blogger here at Thoughts in Progress today.

Vicki’s latest work, NEGATIVE IMAGE, is due to be released on Nov. 2. She stopped by today to talk about ‘the village mystery.’
 
“The lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.” Sherlock Holmes, ADVENTURE OF THE COPPER BEECHES.

“Do you know what Sherlock Holmes said about the countryside?”
“No.”
“’The lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.’ The Adventure of the Copper Beeches.”
“The great detective never came to Trafalgar, sir. I think he’d find it peaceful here. Most of the time.”
“I’m not interested in what happens here most of the time.” Sergeant Dick Madison and Constable Molly Smith, NEGATIVE IMAGE.

Since the time of Conan-Doyle and Agatha Christie the village setting has been a staple of a certain type of mystery novel. A novel that is as much about the personal and family life of the protagonists as their jobs, that is more about human relationships and love and loss than international terrorism or guns-for-hire, thrives in the small town environment.

And, as Sherlock Holmes pointed out, countryside does not always mean peaceful.

After writing two standalone novels I wanted to begin a series. There was never much doubt in my mind as to where the series would be set – it needed to be someplace I wanted to spend a lot of time in, even if only metaphysically speaking. In real life, the town of Nelson (pop 9,000) is nestled in the mountains of the British Columbia Interior. Using Nelson as a guide, I created the town of Trafalgar.

Like its inspiration, Trafalgar is surrounded by mountains, and very isolated. It is eight hours drive to Vancouver or to Calgary, and the nearest city is in another country – Spokane, Washington. It is a place of long-time residents, who were born and raised in the valleys and mountainsides.  It is also a place of transients and newcomers, attracted by the beauty, the isolation, the artistic community, and the area’s reputation for independence. Neo-hippies - dreadlocks, girls with long colorful skirts, boys with wild beards - mix with the comfortably-early-retired, owners of big houses and expensive hiking equipment; with artists, who’ve moved there to paint or write; and with the spiritual, attracted by the ‘ley lines’ or ‘vibes’. All of these people come together in the village setting where they create a vibrant and active citizenship, full of strong opinions. And the potential for conflict, which is the key to any crime novel.

A reader in Arizona told me that Trafalgar reminded her a great deal of Sedona. It’s hard to imagine two places that look more different, but the sense of both places is the same – the supposedly mystic qualities attracting a variety of people, the conflict between the traditionalists, fighting to keep the town as it is, and new money, wanting more and more development, pushing up the cost of housing, sometimes beyond what locals can afford.

In strictly practical terms, the small town setting allowed me to give the main protagonist of the series, a young, keen, probationary constable by the name of Molly Smith, a role in criminal investigation. In a big city she would be directing traffic, but a small town force does with what it has. The 20-member police department allows her to become more involved in major crimes, plus the fact that she is a local and the detective sergeant is a newcomer, means he sometimes has to rely on her for local knowledge.

It isn’t always easy for Constable Smith, trying to be a police officer in a town where, as she thinks in the first book in the series, IN THE SHADOW OF THE GLACIER: It was hard, sometimes, to be a cop in a town where a substantial number of the residents had seen you performing as Number Two Wise Man in the Grade Three Christmas pageant.

The small town setting also allows the characters’ families and friends – and enemies – to be involved in the drama without too much of a stretch.  The plot of NEGATIVE IMAGE, the fourth book in the series, revolves around what happens when Sergeant John Winters’s wife’s former fiancé arrives in town. And ends up dead with a rather incriminating piece of old memorabilia in his possession.

NEGATIVE IMAGE will be released by Poisoned Pen Press on November 2nd. If you’d like to read the first two chapters, please go to: www.vickidelany.com.
 
Vicki, thanks so much for blogging here today. I think a small town setting is perfect for a murder mystery for all the reasons you mentioned. It gives the story a more personal feel.

For a bit of background on Vicki, she writes everything from standalone novels of psychological suspense such as SCARE THE LIGHT AWAY, and BURDEN OF MEMORY, to the Constable Molly Smith books, a traditional village/police procedural series set in the B.C. Interior, including IN THE SHADOW OF THE GLACIER and NEGATIVE IMAGE, to a light-hearted historical series, GOLD DIGGER  and GOLD FEVER, set in the raucous heyday of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Having taken early retirement from her job as a systems analyst in the high-pressure financial world, Vicki is settling down to the rural life in bucolic, Prince Edward County, Ontario where she rarely wears a watch.

Here’s a blurb from NEGATIVE IMAGE: What would you do if you suspect the person you trust most in the world has betrayed you?  What would you do if the person you trust most in the world believes you capable of betrayal? When his wife’s former fiancé is found dead of a single shot to the back of the head, Trafalgar police Sergeant John Winters is forced to make the most difficult decision of his life: loyalty to his job or to his wife. Meanwhile, tragedy strikes the heart of Constable Molly Smith’s family. Fourth in the critically acclaimed series.
 
What's next for Vicki: The fifth book in the Constable Molly Smith series, AMONG THE DEPARTED, will be released by Poisoned Pen Press in May, 2011. The third Klondike Gold Rush book, GOLD MOUNTAIN, will be available in fall 2011. After that Vicki's taking a break from Molly Smith to write a standalone novel of suspense with historical overtones.

Vicki's books are available at your favorite independent mystery bookstore and major chain stores, as well as BN.com, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.ca