Author S.L. Pierce Writing What’s On Her Mind

Join me in welcoming author S.L. Pierce as the special guest blogger here today as she makes a stop on her virtual book tour.

S.L.’s latest release is SECRETS, a mystery/thriller. Here’s a brief synopsis: Secrets…we all have them.

A woman with a hidden past…

Two men who weren’t supposed to be seen together…

A cop who won’t let go…

Industrial espionage….

Deception…

Betrayal…

SECRETS is a fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing to the very end. Gwen Michaels moved to California two years ago to start fresh, hoping her past could stay secret forever. But when a hired killer shows up, she assumes her cover is blown. When it turns out the man knows nothing of her past, the search is on for who wants her dead, and why.

S.L. joins us today to talk about writing on short notice and what’s on her mind.

With short notice to write a guest blog (which shouldn't be a problem, right? I am a writer) I can only write about the one thing on my mind right now. The stupid, trivial, all consuming thing I can't get over? Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher?!

For those of you not familiar, Jack Reacher is the character created by Lee Childs and star of fifteen books, 40 million copies sold, so far. Jack Reacher is 6'5” 230 pounds, blond and blue eyed. Need I say more about why Tom Cruise doesn't work?

Well, I will. I'm sure there are lots of characters out there portrayed in movies by actors who didn't exactly fit the look of the book character. But in this case, Reacher’s size is not a trivial part of his character. It is his character. It's what makes him, him. Since he was a kid it has been his ability to fight that made him what he is, shaped his beliefs and actions. Yes, he is also a smart guy, solving mysteries but still...

So, as a writer, I had to consider, would I sell my soul (yes I am going that far) to have my book made into a movie. Lee has been quoted as saying he thinks Tom Cruise can play Reacher. Seriously? I have to believe, deep down, that I wouldn't let Hollywood destroy my character. Before I let Hollywood have Gwen Michaels (the main character in SECRETS), I would have to have final say. Because, not for any amount of money, would I let them turn her into some Hollywood version of a strong woman. Which, from what I have seen, means she would still need to be rescued by a man in the end. And need to be in a bikini or bra and underwear at some point.

No, No, Never. Not for any amount! Otherwise, what was the point of writing her in the first place? And, if SECRETS is ever a bestseller, optioned for a movie, you can hold me to it.

S.L., thanks for guest blogging today. I totally agree with you about Cruise being able to play Reacher. He in no way resembles the image I have of Reacher.

Now for a bit of background on S.L. She spent ten years earning a PhD in engineering before deciding she would rather be a writer. She currently lives in Colorado with her husband and four children. She is always at work on her next novel. Her other work includes THE HATE (2011) and THE WARNING (April, 2011) – which is available FREE! For more on S.L. and her writing, drop by website or her blog.

Click on the widget below to read a full sample (28 pages) of SECRETS

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SECRETS is an e-Book only and can be purchased at Barnes & Noble – NOOKbook, Smashwords, Amazon.com – Kindle, and Amazon.co.uk – Kindle.

What are your thoughts on Cruise playing Reacher? If you’re a writer, how would you feel about the movie industry changing your main character when your book becomes a movie?

The Devil To Pay by Maria Zannini

Ever have one of those days when everything goes wrong and you’d give anything to change it?

You might want to learn from Shannon McKee’s despair that sometimes getting what you wish for isn’t always a good things, or is it?

Shannon’s life is a mess. She’s deep in debt and in a drunken plea declares she’d sell her soul to get out from under her troubles. The next morning just as Shannon attempts the unthinkable, a handsome stranger walks into her antique shop. The stranger, Liam Chase, gives Shannon a jeweled scarab he wants her to identify.

Briefly forgetting her troubles, Shannon begins to study the artifact. Soon a second charming stranger enters her shop. Introducing himself as Michael, he offers to help Shannon with her research.

Shannon finds herself mysteriously drawn to both strangers. Little does she know, both men have been sent from different sources for her in answer to her plea.

As the story unfolds, Shannon realizes what her plea will cost her in the end.

Author Maria Zannini has created characters that you will adore and has intertwined them into a fantasy world that will make you believe. The story is a mixture of suspense, humor, fantasy, and romance with a healthy dose of faith and hope. There are several explicit sexual interludes. However, these hot and steamy scenes are tastefully written and add another layer to this intriguing plot.

Is Shannon’s plea her damnation or salvation, will she cause Liam and Michael to lose what they hold most dear or help them find a love they never imaged, and is Evie a foe or a much-needed friend? The answers will surprise you.

THE DEVIL TO PAY is the first installment in the Second Chances series. Once you meet these eclectic characters, you’ll be hooked for more. It's a fast, sexy read that will captivate your attention from beginning to end.

Author Maria Zannini blogs at http://www.mariazannini.blogspot.com

The Devil To Pay by Maria Zannini, Second Chances Series, Bad Dog Press, @2011, Kindle Edition, 151 KB

FTC Full Disclosure - I received a copy of this novella from the author through an editing project. The author did not request or suggest a review. I did the review because I found the book to be enjoyable and entertaining.

Author Laura Griffin: ‘I Will Never Quit’

Today I’d like to feature author Laura Griffin. Her latest work, UNSTOPPABLE, appears in the Pocket Books anthology DEADLY PROMISES.

“I will never quit” By Laura Griffin

Several years ago I stood knee-deep in the Pacific Ocean, teeth chattering, wondering what on earth would possess a sane man to join the Navy SEALs. I was on Coronado Island that day, and my mission was partly tourism and partly research. I had decided to write a SEAL character in my next book, and had spent the past few months researching what many would call the most elite fighting force in the world.

Coronado is a place where young men who aspire to be SEALs suffer through a ruthless training regimen that boggles the mind. For weeks on end, bands of SEAL trainees run with telephone poles, do five-mile ocean swims, undergo “drown-proofing,” endure sleep deprivation. They are systematically broken down—pushed beyond all limits, both physically and emotionally—and if they survive, they’re built back up again. Few make it through, and that is the point. Those who do come out stronger and more deeply committed to their jobs than most of us can imagine.

It takes a special sort of man to become a Navy SEAL, which is precisely why I had decided to write a SEAL character in my next story. I want my heroes to be, well, heroic. I had recently finished reading LONE SURVIVOR, a book about Marcus Luttrell, the SEAL who managed to live through a deadly firefight in the mountains of Afghanistan. Three of his teammates died. After being blown off a mountain by a rocket-propelled grenade, Luttrell--severely injured--crawled and walked seven miles to a village where he was taken in by a local tribe.

How did he do this? The man is a SEAL. The word “impossible” is not part of the SEAL vocabulary. Men who become SEALs share a special vision of what it means to stand in the face of adversity.

I will never quit…If knocked down, I will get back up, every time…I am never out of the fight. Sound hardcore? It is. It’s straight from the SEAL creed.

A man such as this—one who is unwilling to give up under the most dire circumstances—was just the sort of hero I needed for my story, UNSTOPPABLE, which involves a terrorist plot on American soil. After months of research, I started writing about U.S. Navy SEAL Gage Brewer, and I’m still writing about him today.

I thought about the SEAL creed recently as I watched the news about Osama Bin Laden. I am never out of the fight. It seems fitting, and not altogether surprising, that SEALs were the ones to finally track down the world’s most wanted man. They risked their lives, in an operation that could have ended in disaster, in order to make the world a safer place. These guys are tough, they are committed, and they never give up—not even after ten years. They are heroes. And it’s a good thing we have them in real life, and not just in books.

Laura’s next book, SNAPPED, will be published in September. Find out more about Laura and her writing at her website.

Laura brings up an interesting point, it takes a certain kind of person to be a SEAL. Thankfully there are those willing to do what it takes to become a member of this elite team. Laura, the good folks at Pocket Books and I ask that you consider donating books and care packages to our brave service men and women stationed overseas.

What are your thoughts on writing soldiers, especially elite units, into your stories? As a reader, do you enjoy stories that involve soldiers? Thanks for stopping by. 

Revelations by Laurel Dewey

The disappearance of the 15-year-old son of a prominent businessman brings Sergeant Detective Jane Perry to the small town of Midas, CO.

It appears the teenager has been abducted by Jordan Copeland, who committed a similar crime decades ago. Signs lead Jane to believe the boy may still be alive so she races against the clock to find him.

The more Jane investigates Copeland as the abductor, the more doubts she begins to have. Copeland is intelligent, but tends to use riddles and creates his own truths. Along the way Jane also finds deadly secrets all around the upscale town.

While dealing with the case, Jane is also faced with terrifying news on a personal level. To complicate matters, she has to contend with feelings she had suppressed for ages.

This is the third Jane Perry novel, but is a stand alone book. Author Laurel Dewey has written this story with a more personal twist for Jane, but still a force to be reckoned with where her investigation is concerned.

REVELATIONS is a mystery filled with suspense and intrigue with a touch of paranormal. Once you pick it up, you won’t put it down until you know the truth.

Revelations by Laurel Dewey, The Story Plant, @2011, ISBN: 978-0984190553, Paperback, 464 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book as part of the author’s blog tour and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Have you read any Jane Perry novels? What are your thoughts on adding a touch of paranormal to a investigation?

Penguin Classics Celebrates Its 65th Anniversary

Penguin Classics is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year and is recognizing that while what readers read matters, how they read is also becoming increasingly important as well.

With that in mind, Penguin Classics has just released a wonderful new amplified eBook (the first of several, sure to shake up your summer reading a bit): OF MICE AND MEN: AMPLIFIED (ISBN: 9781101531693), John Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize-winning tale of commitment, loneliness, hope and loss. A rarity in American letters, OF MICE AND MEN achieved remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play and two acclaimed films. Now enhanced with additional content, OF MICE AND MEN: AMPLIFIED allows the reader to delve into one of Steinbeck’s most beloved novels as never before. Think of it like bonus features on a DVD, but with literature.

Readers can purchase OF MICE AND MEN: AMPLIFIED from Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble (please note: due to the video features included this eBook is not compatible with the standard Kindle device, but will work if purchased on Amazon for use through the Kindle For iPhone/iPad/etc app).

Here’s a full list of the amplified features:
*  An exclusive audio interview with award-winning actor James Earl Jones on his stage performances in OF MICE AND MEN.
*  Stills from the 1992 film adaptation starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.
*  The 1962 Nobel Banquet Speech by John Steinbeck.
*  An exclusive Q&A with renowned composer and librettist Carlisle Floyd on OF MICE AND MEN as an American classic opera.
*  A video slideshow of historic 1930s Dust Bowl images that captures the period of several Steinbeck works by American documentary photographer Dorothea Lange.
*  The poem “To a Mouse, On Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough, November 1785” by Robert Burns (the original source of Steinbeck’s title OF MICE AND MEN).
*  An introduction and suggested further reading by Susan Shillinglaw, Professor of English at San Jose State University and Scholar-in-Residence at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas.

Here are several select quotes from the audio interview with James Earl Jones:
“Classics are those plays that can be redone, forever through eternity.  It’s true with a lot of modern plays, I would count Driving Miss Daisy as one, I would count Of Mice and Men as one, of course, King Lear is one, there are many plays.  Because of the nature of the play, nothing dates them, nothing pins them down to a particular time in history.  They are relevant through all of history.”
 
“Playing Lennie is about someone who does not have language; who has some words and they mostly revolve around texture, texture you can feel.  One scene he gets involved with playing cards, he gets fascinated by the fact that in every card there’s a top and a bottom, there’s a head on each end of the card.  He figures it out and remarks to George, “look George, there’s heads on both ends.”
 
“For the actor, what I like, is you start with a character at ground zero, a character who has nothing to draw from, from life experience, not that he can remember, a character with no sophistication, nothing to hide what he really is: another animal, a good animal, but still, nothing sophisticated, nothing fancy, nothing social, just a basic creature, what Shakespeare called “the elemental man.”  When King Lear meets Edgar in the forest and Edgar is freezing to death because he has no clothes on anymore, Lear says “ah, the elemental man.”  Meaning he doesn’t have a stitch of clothes, or anything to cover his ass, everything is hanging out, nothing to hide him. Those kind of men are not a challenge to play, but a great pleasure to play because I can reach into my elemental self.  I’m playing a somewhat elemental man now in Driving Miss Daisy, the role of Hoke, the man who is illiterate. Those people are interesting to play—illiterates—because they have no language to cover up who they are.”

Behind the scenes look at the creation of this amplified eBook from Penguin Classics Editorial Director Elda Rotor:
“Teachers were our inspiration to develop the video of historic photos to accompany Of Mice and Men.  Teachers more and more draw from sources such as photographs, films, YouTube videos, and music to enliven the experience of understanding and contextualizing a classic work. In our research we came to Dorothea Lange and her incredible photojournalism documenting American life in the late 1930s.  Steinbeck through his writing and Lange through her lens portray Dust Bowl migrants, agricultural laborers, men, women and children struggling and living through Depression-era America.
 
“We were drawn by her images of real people vulnerable to the condition of farms and the economy. We hope Lange’s photography will help readers delve deeper into the conditions that Steinbeck’s characters lived through, and perhaps encourage discussion among students, teachers and general readers affected by our own recession.
 
“We repeated the first image at the beginning and end of the video because we found it the most compelling and powerful. The two men walking down a road remind us of the friendship and journey of Lennie and George, and juxtaposed with this billboard advertisement adds another layer of interpretation and feels very modern at the same time. From the start of developing the video, this image has had a hold on us, and we hope the presentation as a whole enhances the reader’s experience of Steinbeck’s classic.”

And now a video preview of this eBook.

Have you read OF MICE AND MEN? What are your thoughts on this amplified book? What do you think of it being published as an eBook?

 

Author Riley Adams: A Mystery Writer’s View & Tips

It is with great pleasure and delight that I welcome author Riley Adams as the special guest blogger here today as she tours blogdom with her latest release.

Riley (also known by many as Elizabeth Spann Craig) is the author of the Memphis BBQ Mystery series and the second installment in the series, FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD, was released Tuesday, June 7. 

Here's a brief synopsis of the book: When an anonymous food critic blasts several local restaurants- including Aunt Pat's-Lulu Taylor and her customers are biting mad, especially when they learn that Eppie Currian is the pen name of their friend Evelyn's cheating boyfriend. When "Eppie" gets his own fatal review, the list of suspects is longer than the list of specials at the best BBQ place in Memphis.

Riley joins us today to talk about ‘A Mystery Writer’s View of the World (and 6 Tips for Friends of Mystery Writers).

Being a mystery writer can really change your perspective on the world. 

I was having lunch with a friend one day and she started detailing something really horrible that her boss was doing at work.  “That sounds like a great motive for murder!” I said.  I rifled through my purse for a notecard to jot down the motive du jour for future reference.

My friend gaped at me. “Elizabeth!  I’m not murdering my boss!”
“Of course not!” I hurriedly agreed.  “But you could want to.”
Being a mystery writer has meant that I read the local newspaper with a good deal of prurient interest.  Who’s been misbehaving lately, and why?  If they murdered, did they know their victim?  How did the police figure out they were responsible?

Being a mystery writer has provided me with an unhealthy interest in poisons. In fact, I have several poison-related books that were written specifically for mystery writers (I now suggest ordering these books online instead of flipping through them at the local bookstore in full view of your community). My husband has even jokingly (I think) told my children that if anything strange happens to Daddy, to be sure to tell the police what Mama does for a living. 

What if you are friends with or live near a friendly local mystery writer? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

As mentioned previously, if you want your friend to actually pay attention to your story instead of diving for a notepad, keep away from topics that involve people being unhappy or upset with other people. 

You and your mystery writing friend could be out in public when he starts talking excitedly about a new, untraceable poison he’s discovered that acts immediately and is extremely accessible. In this instance, be sure to warn him to keep his voice down or suspend discussion of his exciting discovery for a later time.

Unless you want your party hijacked, it’s probably best not to introduce a gun collector, police detective, forensic specialist, criminal law attorney, herbalist, morgue supervisor, or FBI agent to your mystery writing friend at a social gathering. 

Remind your friend to avoid discussing gory forensic details during the course of a meal.

Notice your mystery writing friend talking to herself? Please refrain from calling the guys in white coats…it’s all a perfectly normal part of the writing process (probably.)

Are you neighbors with a mystery writer? Want to dig a large hole in your yard…perhaps to plant some lovely new shrubbery or a tree? Consider touching base with your writing friend beforehand. Otherwise they may regard the hole with undue suspicion, contact local authorities, or spend large amounts of time peering at you through binoculars.

Elizabeth, thanks so much for guest blogging. I enjoy your mystery writer’s take on life. Mystery writers do keep things interesting. FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD is a great read and I wish you much success with your writing.

On a personal note, I want to say an added 'thanks' to Elizabeth/Riley. With her help, advice and encouragement I ventured out into blogdom visiting other blogs. She explained the ins and outs of having a professional account on Facebook for this blog, in addition to my personal account for connecting with family and friends. In addition, she introduced me to other friends and authors and even helped when I made my way to Twitter. So thanks for all you do to help others (authors and non-authors alike).

Now for a little background on Riley for those who don’t know her. Riley/Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries (2012) for Penguin/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink. She blogs daily at Mystery Writing is Murder, which was named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2010 and 2011. 

She is also one of the founders of Writer's Knowledge Base--the Search Engine for Writers a great resource for writers and she can be found on Twitter: @elizabethscraig

What are your thoughts on how a mystery writer views the world? Do you think a mystery reader also views life a little different? Thanks for stopping by.

Author Linda Hubalek On Progressing To a Better Life

Please join me in welcoming author Linda Hubalek to Thoughts in Progress today as the special guest blogger as she makes a stop on her virtual WOW Blog Tour.

Linda is the author of the historical fiction series, TRAIL OF THREAD, which is just being released in e-books. The tour is in celebration of the e-book release of the series, which takes place in Kansas during the Civil War era. This year we are commemorating the 150th anniversary of both Kansas and the Civil War.

In celebration of this release, Linda is offering one Kindle copy of the e-book TRAIL OF THREAD to one lucky visitor who comments on her post between today and  8 p.m. (EST) Friday, June 10. Be sure to include your e-mail address in your comment, if it’s not included in your profile.

Linda stop by today to talk about ‘Thoughts in Progress for the Kansas Pioneers.’

Thoughts in Progress. Everyone has to think through things in their mind to move on, or progress to the next step.

I’m author Linda Hubalek and all of my historical fiction books weave a story about how my pioneer characters have thought about progressing to a better life by moving to Kansas to homestead land. 

In TRAIL OF THREAD, Deborah and John Pieratt (featured in the first book of the TRAIL OF THREAD series), left Kentucky in 1854 when the Territory of Kansas opened to homesteaders. They were part of the thousands of families that packed wagons and headed west for the promise of a new life. This progression leads them to own land for their family of six young children.

THIMBLE OF SOIL, the second book in the series, features Margaret Ralston Kennedy. She was a widow who moved with eight of her thirteen children from Ohio to the Territory Kansas in 1855. She was dedicated to the cause of the North, and helped with the Underground Railroad in both Ohio and Kansas. Margaret’s progression of moving fleeing slaves gave them a change for a safe free life.

Orphaned Maggie Kennedy, portrayed in STITCH OF COURAGE, the last book in the series, traveled to Kansas looking for her brothers as the states fought out the history of the Civil War. While this might seem as a step backwards due to the times, it leads her to marriage and a family of her own.

The TRAIL OF THREAD series, written in the form of letters the women have written back home to loved ones, show the thoughts, and process them went through to provide a better life not only their families, but also the state and nation during the troubling times of the Civil War.

Are you ready to progress into this pioneer series? Please look at my website and books for a new adventure.  Many thanks from the Kansas prairie…where you’ll love the journey to Kansas…Linda K. Hubalek

Linda, thanks so much for guest blogging today. The courage it took these families during this period is amazing.  I am in awe of what they had to go through and how they survived. Wishing you much success with your writing and this great series.

Here’s a brief blurb for TRAIL OF THREAD: Taste the dust of the road and feel the wind in your face as you travel with a Kentucky family by wagon trail to the new territory of Kansas in 1854. Find out what it was like for thousands of families who made the cross-country journey into the unknown.

In this first book of the TRAIL OF THREAD series, in the form of letters; Deborah Pieratt describes the scenery, the everyday events on the trail, and the task of taking care of her family. Stories of humor and despair, along with her ongoing remarks about camping, cooking, and quilting make you feel as if you pulled up stakes and are traveling with the Pieratts too.

Excerpt: January 24, 1854 . . .

“I don’t usually pay attention when the men talk about politics, but I automatically listened while I laid the dishes of food in front of them. They were discussing the new government bill that proposes to open up prairie Indian land, west of Missouri, to white settlement. A bill called the Territory of Platte failed last spring due to Southern opposition. Now an amended bill, breaking up the land into two sections, the Territory of Nebraska and the Territory of Kansas, is being discussed. Problems of slavery being legal in the new territories are being hotly debated between the Northern and Southern states. It sounds like the government has determined that the people who settle the territories can decide whether they want to allow slavery in their new states.

The traveler carefully pulled a folded newspaper clipping out of his front jacket and handed it to John. Holding it up to the candlelight, John read out loud that when the bill passes in the spring, as they predict it will, a man can claim whatever land he wants in these new territories for about a dollar an acre.

Kentucky was a wilderness in the early 1800’s, when John’s grandfather, Valentine Pieratt, moved his family from Maryland. He sailed across the sea in 1780 from France to fight in the Revolutionary War, decided to stay in the New World, and moved westward to a new wilderness whenever the area he lived in became populated.

Because land is getting scarce here for new generations, the idea of plenty of cheap land immediately stirred our men’s interest. I believe the adventure of their grandfather haunts their thinking, too.

When John finished reading that article and looked up into my eyes, I knew his mind was set to move as soon as possible. He wanted to blaze his own trail to the new territory and be ready to stake his claim when the land opened up. We are partners in life, but I knew I had no say in this move.

Today is my thirty-third birthday. Where will I be on the next? Will my children survive the trip and be around me to help celebrate it?”
Now for a bit of background on the author. Linda’s sixth grade teacher assigned her class the traditional “What I Want to be When I Grow Up”. Linda has an untraditional answer…she didn’t want to be a nurse, a teacher, or a mom. She wanted to be a farmer! Linda’s sixth grade dream came true when she graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Agriculture/Horticulture and spent years doing agronomy research and eventually starting her own business Prairie Flower Creations.
 
Much like her own ancestors headed West, Linda found herself in California tending a cement garden and longing for the fields of Kansas. Linda “visited” her beloved Kansas by writing the TRAIL OF THREAD series about Kansas pioneer women.  Although Linda is back in Kansas (growing bison this time, not prairie flowers), she’s still writing about Kansas women. Her FOURTH series, the KANSAS QUILTER series will be released late this year.

For more on Linda and her writing, visit her website at http://www.lindahubalek.com/, follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/LindaHubalek, visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lindahubalekbooks, or contact her at linda@lindahubalek.com

What are your thoughts on the pioneer life? Would you have liked to have lived during that era? What would be the best and the worst thing about it? Thanks, as always for stopping by.

Sunday Salon: Finger Lickin' Dead by RIley Adams

The week is gone and it’s time to start a new one with Sunday Salon.

So get comfortable, reach for a cup of your favorite brew and let us discuss books. My morning cup (or two) of coffee is a must. But as the sizzling summer heat blankets our area, my taste turns to sweet tea during the day. No one makes a better glass of cold, sweet ice tea than Lulu Taylor, the owner of Aunt Pat’s Barbecue Restaurant. You ask who that is. Well, a perfect reading companion to a relaxing summer day is the soon-to-be released second installment in the Memphis BBQ Mystery series by Riley Adams featuring Lulu Taylor in FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD.

FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD by Riley Adams

Aunt Pat’s Barbecue Restaurant in the heart of Memphis (Tenn.) feels a bit of a hit when an anonymous food critic gives it a bad review. Famous for its ribs and spicy cornbread, Aunt Pat’s takes the bad press much better than another restaurant that closes its doors after a bad review.

Lulu Taylor, owner of Aunt Pat’s, is more worried about one of her close friends and loyal customers, Evelyn. It seems Evelyn is blinded by the love of her former husband who has cheating ways and always looking for money.

When it’s learned that Evelyn’s ex, Adam, is the anonymous food critic, things heat up hotter than the Fourth of July. Before long Adam is found dead and the list of suspects begins to grow. Was it his ex-soon-to-be again wife, was it his soon-to-be ex-wife, one of the restaurant owners he blasted in a review, or maybe it was just a loyal restaurant customer upset over his take on the delicious food?

When a second person turns up dead, the situation gets as sticky as the sauce on Aunt Pat’s lip-smackin BBQ ribs. As Lulu tries to sort through the list of suspects, she gets a little too close to the killer. Meanwhile, the gang pulls together to help out one of their own with a most unusual wedding at Graceland.

Author Riley Adams has created a group of characters that will have you laughing, crying and shaking your head. If you live in the South, her take on Southern charm will remind you why you love it so. This is a story about family, friendship, loyalty, and Southern charm, not to mention murder, mystery, mayhem and intrigue.

FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD is the second installment in the Memphis BBQ Mystery series, but is a stand alone book. An added bonus is several of the delicious recipes mentioned throughout the story are included in the back of the book.

Once you pick up FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD, you won’t be able to put it down until you find out whodunit and how the wedding turned out.

Riley Adams is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Spann Craig, who blogs daily at Mystery Writing Is Murder and blogs on Wednesdays at Mystery Lovers Kitchen. FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD is scheduled to be released June 7, but can be pre-order now.

Finger Lickin’ Dead by Riley Adams, A Memphis BBQ Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, @2011, ISBN: 978-0-425-24191-2, Paperback, 264 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Do you enjoy mysteries with a Southern fare? Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

Romance And A Giveaway

Are you ever in the mood for a story of love and romance that will sweep you away and remind you of what true love is all about?

Sometimes I think we all need a story like this. Okay, so maybe the guys reading this blog don’t (or won’t admit it), but we all want to believe in love. Thanks to Anna and the good folks at Little, Brown and Company, I have 2 copies of an epic love story - TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER by Tom McNeal - to giveaway. Please see the end of the post the giveaway guidelines.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the book:
Judith Whitman always believed in the kind of love that "picks you up in Akron and sets you down in Rio." Long ago, she once experienced that love. Willy Blunt was a carpenter with a dry wit and a steadfast sense of honor. Marrying him seemed like a natural thing to promise. But Willy Blunt was not a person you could pick up in Nebraska and transport to Stanford. When Judith left home, she didn't look back.

Twenty years later, Judith's marriage is hazy with secrets. In her hand is what may be the phone number for the man who believed she meant it when she said she loved him. If she called, what would he say?

TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER is the epic love story of a woman trying to remember, and the man who could not even begin to forget.

For a bit of background on author Tom McNeal. He was born in Santa Ana, California, where his father and grandfather raised oranges. He spent part of every summer at the Nebraska farm where his mother was born and raised, and after earning a BA in English at UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing at UC Irvine, he taught school in the town that was the inspiration for his first novel, GOODNIGHT, NEBRASKA. Tom has been a Wallace Stegner Fellow and a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, and his short stories have been widely anthologized. For more on Tom, check out his website at http://www.mcnealbooks.com/

To read an excerpt of the book, click on this link.

Here’s a book trailer for TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER.



Now the giveaway guidelines. To enter this giveaway, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com). Your subject line should read, “Win TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. In addition, Hachette advises winners that they will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if they win the same title in two or more contests, they will receive only one copy of the title in the mail. (Winners here have always be great about letting me know if they have already won the book somewhere else so another winner can be selected. However, this announcement is something that has to be passed along from Hachette). Just so you know, I don’t share the mailing information or use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, June 18.

Share your thoughts on romance-related books. Do you enjoy reading a story every once and a while that highlights more love than mystery and murder?

Archaeology, Templar Knights, And A Giveaway

Do stories that deal with archaeology, lost treasure, and Templar Knights have a great appeal to you?

They draw my interest quickly. Who doesn’t dream of finding a lost fortune or a valuable treasure hidden in an attic or buried in their backyard? Thanks to Alexandra and the good folks at Penguin, I have a book giveaway today featuring the adventures of an archaeologist and an Army Ranger. Be sure to check the end of the post for the giveaway guidelines.

Paul Christopher, the New York Times bestselling author of THE TEMPLAR CONSPIRACY (Signet Mass Market; June 7, 2011; $9.99), delivers a new thrilling mystery that confronts the Templar’s dark past, and weaves together the lives of two friends who are bound together by the discovery of terrifying secrets that could affect their lives forever. THE TEMPLAR LEGION is the fifth installment in Christopher’s Templar series featuring Army Ranger John Holliday.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the book:
John Holliday has just begun teaching at the Alabama Military Academy when his friend, archaeologist Rafi Wanounou comes back with the news of an intriguing find. While researching the origins of Ethiopian Jews near Lake Tana, Rafi’s archaeological dig led him to discover the tomb of Julian de La Roche-Guillaume, a 14th century Templar knight. Lying next to the body, Rafi finds an ancient clay tablet written in Viking Runes. This strange discovery intrigues Holliday—why would a Viking artifact be stowed away next to the body of a French Templar Knight, the two separated by four hundred years of history? And what brought the two together in a remote land like Ethiopia?
 
Determined to solve this mystery, Holliday and Rafi follow a trail of clues that will lead them to the Horn of Africa. The two men risk their lives to uncover a mysterious plot rooted in centuries of Templar Secrecy, and to rediscover a treasure hidden from the world for nearly a thousand years.
 
For fans of Raymond Khoury and Dan Brown, THE TEMPLAR LEGION will not disappoint. The author has written several other Templar novels, including THE TEMPLAR CROSS which was the first title to make the printed New York Times list.

Onto the giveaway. To enter this giveaway, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com). Your subject line should read, “Win THE TEMPLAR LEGION.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. Just so you know, I don’t share the mailing information or use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of THE TEMPLAR LEGION will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, June 12.

So share your thoughts on stories of archaeologists, the Templar Knights, and hidden treasure. Do you enjoy a certain book or series based on these things?

Unbelievable True Story Book Giveaway

Do you enjoy reading mysteries (or any type genre) that is based on true facts?

With most mysteries there is a bit of truth found somewhere either in the main plot or the idea that gave the author something to ponder and develop. That to me makes a story more intriguing to know it did or could have happened.

Thanks to Lindsay and the good folks at Viking/Penguin I have a copy of a story that tells the unbelievable true story of the shape-shifting con man known as Clark Rockefeller to giveaway today. THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT: The Astonishing Rise and Fall of a Serial Imposter by Vanity Fair contributing editor Mark Seal goes on sale today, June 2. Please see the end of the post for the giveaway guidelines.

The critics are raving about this book: Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Kirkus gave it starred reviews calling it “impossible to put down,” “irresistibly lucid and propulsive,” and “one of the most intriguing, compelling stories of audacious criminality you’re likely to read this year.”
 
And in a shocking development making headlines this March, Rockefeller was finally charged with the 1985 murder of John Sohus, the son of his San Marino landlord.

Here’s some background on the book: Much was reported after Rockefeller’s arrest in 2008, but his full story has never been told. In preparation for this book, Seal spent two years interviewing almost two hundred people who know the man and discovered that his fraud was deeper, more sinister and more widespread than anyone could have imagined.
 
Clark Rockefeller, a.k.a. Christian Gerhartsreiter, a.k.a. Christopher Mountbatten Chichester, a.k.a. Christopher Crowe, was born in the sleepy town of Bergen, Germany, and from his earliest days knew he was destined for something bigger and better. In 1978, at seventeen years old and obsessed with America, Christian Gerhartsreiter used a tourist visa to go to Connecticut and enroll in high school. Over the next thirty years, he worked his way up the social ladder in increasingly exclusive enclaves on both coasts. The imposter charmed his way into prestigious social clubs and financial institutions—working on Wall Street with no credentials and showing off an extraordinary fake art collection that even high level art dealers and prestigious gallery curators believed was real. His lifetime of deceptions and shams culminated in a stunning twelve-year marriage to Sandra Boss, a rising star businesswoman with a Harvard MBA who believed she’d wed a Rockefeller. But in 2008, the marriage ended and he made the grave mistake of kidnapping his own daughter. When he was caught, his thirty-year track of deceptions came to light. Authorities were finally able to connect the dots between his many identities and he was sentenced to up to five years in prison for kidnapping and assault.
 
On March 15, 2011, in yet another shocking twist, Rockefeller was charged with the 1985 murder of John Sohus, the son of his landlady when he was living in San Marino, CA under the name “Christopher Chichester.” Rockefeller is still serving time in Boston for kidnapping his daughter, but the LA County district attorney is seeking extradition to bring him to LA to face the murder charges. In THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT, Seal lays out a wealth of chilling evidence (based on unprecedented police interviews, reports and documents) about Rockefeller’s involvement with the disappearance of John and his wife Linda, who hasn’t been seen since 1985.
 
In today’s America, it’s unfathomable that someone could stay in this country for three decades not as a clandestine illegal immigrant, but as a brash, outsized character, hungry for attention and fabricating connections to some of the most famous people in the world. But as Rockefeller’s story would show, people don’t usually argue with a name or ask questions if you exhibit brazen confidence. THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT—the jaw-dropping story of a real-life Talented Mr. Ripley determined to live out the American dream by any means necessary—will be one of the most riveting books you’ve read in years.   

Now for a little bit about the author, Mark Seal. He is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of the critically acclaimed book WILDFLOWER: An Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Death in Africa, about the murdered wildlife filmmaker and naturalist Joan Root. Seal was a 2010 National Magazine Award finalist for his Vanity Fair profile of Clark Rockefeller. He lives in Aspen, Colorado. For more on Seal and his writing, check out his website at http://www.mark-seal.com/

Seal talked to close to 200 people who knew the man known as Clark Rockefeller. The following are just a few of the many people Seal talked to who have never spoken to the media:
● FBI investigators and police detectives who prosecuted Rockefeller on kidnapping charges and investigated the murder of John Sohus and disappearance of his wife Linda Sohus.
● The Boston assistant district attorney who prosecuted Rockefeller on hiding out in New York City for four years after the disappearance of John and Linda Sohus.
● Elmer and Jean Kelln, a California couple who picked up Rockefeller when he was hitchhiking on the autobahn in Germany in 1978. They were his first introduction to America.
● The friends, family and former teacher who helped Rockefeller install himself into two Connecticut high schools at age 17.
● Jann Eldnor—a Swedish cowboy / hairdresser / town character in San Marino who cut Rockefeller’s hair each month. Jann came to know many secrets about Rockefeller and has his own theory about why and how Rockefeller murdered John Sohus.
●  Former colleagues from Rockefeller’s Wall Street jobs.
●  Neighbors and friends of Rockefeller’s in New York who knew Sandra and Clark as a couple
● Friends, neighbors, city officials and adversaries who knew Rockefeller in Cornish, New Hampshire where he went to war with many of the locals while posing as a county squire.
● Friends from Boston, including a former county sheriff, who became part of Rockefeller’s elaborate pose in that city.

Onto the giveaway. To enter this giveaway, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com). Your subject line should read, “Win THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. Just so you know, I don’t share the mailing information or use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Friday, June 10.

How do you feel about reading stories based on true events? Is a story based on true events more intriguing to you or less? Thanks for stopping by. Hope to visit with you soon.