Today, I welcome John McMahon, author of the Detective P.T. Marsh series (The Evil Men Do, and The Good Detective). John was kind enough to stop in and share an excerpt from the latest in the series, A Good Kill, which finds the small-town Georgia detective responding to the scene of a school shooting, the investigation of which uncovers “a conspiracy at the highest levels of local government—including within the police force.” Book trailer included at end of excerpt.
I’m pleased today to welcome Marie Anders, author of the Inspector Quentin Neuner mystery series. The first four books in the series were published in Austria in Marie’s native German. Now, English translations are making their way into the hands of eager readers, starting with the first two in the series: Death By Truffles and The Finnish Sock . I hope this Q&A with Marie helps introduce English-speaking readers to a new author whose writing they can explore.
Today, author Lynn Slaughter stops by in support of her new YA mystery novel, Leisha’s Song (Fire and Ice Young Adult Books), in which teenage Leisha finds herself trying to balance the demands of school and family life, as well as a budding romance, all while investigating the disappearance of the beloved vocal coach at Leisha’s boarding school.
Today I welcome back author Jeff Richards (Open Country, Lady Killer), who was kind enough to stop by and share an excerpt from his new short story collection, Everyone Worth Knowing, out now from Circuit Breaker Books. “Riding the Fences” was inspired by the Eagles song “Desperado,” and follows the protagonist through the 2020 pandemic and BLM protests.
“At some point in the revision process, writers inevitably lose sight of the words they’ve written. The sharp eye and mind of Elizabeth White can help you see your work anew. She tells you where you’ve done your job well, and where you’ve made a mess of things—story notes, line edits, fact checking, you name it. And all this feedback comes with the vibe of a smart friend who gets what you’re doing.” — Jeff Hess
I had the pleasure of working with Joseph Goodall on his collection What the Bird Sees in Flight, interconnected stories that explore the relationships and aspirations of the Hester clan, a twentieth century dairy farming family in New Zealand’s Waikato District. In his guest post today, Joseph explains how he’s come to believe consuming short stories can “make us more present and in touch with the experience and perspectives of others, even make us more in tune with ourselves.”
I had the pleasure of working with Joseph Goodall on his first book, What the Bird Sees in Flight, a collection of interconnected stories loosely based on Goodall’s great-grandparents that explores the relationships and aspirations of the Hester clan, a twentieth century dairy farming family in New Zealand.
All my life I had been known for my mind, and now the only thing I trusted was going out of control. That was the situation that confronted me when I was initially diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Seven years of medication, rehab and therapy had got me stable and functioning again. And then … the illness came back.
