JD Robb, aka Nora Roberts, has been pumping out this series since 1995 and Echoes in Death is the latest in a long line of excellently crafted murder mysteries. When I began reading this series (22 years ago) with book #1, Naked in Death, the futuristic setting seemed far, far away. Today the vertical capability of vehicles, the stun guns, the ‘autochefs’ in her stories don’t seem very far fetched. While entertaining it never gets in the way of a solid cop versus killer story.
NYPD Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a veteran murder cop, and her billionaire husband, Roarke, stumble upon a naked, dazed woman wandering incoherently down a Manhattan street. After identifying her Dallas soon discovers her husband has fared much worse. A pattern soon evolves when similar cases begin to pop up. But what could connect these bizarre cases?
Most people know I’m all about the writing! I’m not fond of ‘spoilers’ (when reading or reviewing) and am very careful not to give my readers cliff notes on the whole story. Fans of JD Robb already know that this book will be just the latest in a saga of solid mysteries. Set in New York City, and woven with great characters that fill Dallas’ life and job, it’s a foregone conclusion that Echoes in Death is more like the ‘next chapter’ of the ‘.…in Death‘ BIG book. No question readers will find the plot intricate, the characters fascinating and growing with each book, and the story compelling. Each book/story stands alone but you must consider, after reading “Echoes…”, to start at the beginning. Highly recommended I give it five quills!
Nora Roberts/JD Robb
Here’s a bit of trivia for you: 27 Nora Roberts/JD Robb books have sold every minute of every day. We writers of lesser fame (tongue in cheek) can only dream of this kind of popularity. But it’s well deserved; this author has honed her craft to a razor sharp tool, especially for the “....in Death” series.
MY BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! Did you miss? July: Janet Macleod Trotter, author of Tea Planter’s Daughter and in August Cheryl Hollon. September’s author will be Dylan Callens and October, Donna Kauffman.
TS. Cheryl Hollon writes a charming series entitled Webb’s Glass Shop mysteries. I particularly like her well-developed characters. Let’s follow her around in her writing processes in this entertaining interview.
Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? (please provid
my writing shed
e a photo/s of your shed, room, closet, barn….) Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.
CH. I have a little writing shack behind the house. It’s an ordinary wooden storage shed that used to contain husband’s woodworking tools. He sacrificed that to my writing addiction by emptying it out, painting the inside white, and installing a lot of shelfs. Since we live in St. Petersburg, Florida, he also installed a small window air conditioner. It looks out over the bird feeder and is shaded by an old oak tree.
Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)
CH. I have a well-established and reliable morning routine that gets me writing every day. My alarm goes off at 6:30 am and I get dressed, grab coffee, then walk out to my writing shed. I power up my laptop to post a Facebook comment by 7:00 am to a group of writers who start their day with a sprint. This focusing technique is hosted by Ramona DeFelice Long. In short, we each sign in and then write for an hour with no interruptions. She puts up the Sprint Thread every morning. It’s a way to get those fingers moving and ensures that I have accomplished a good bit of my writing target for the day.
Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?
CH. I spent a few years as a card-carrying Boy Scout Leader. First as a Den Mother, then as a Committee Chairman, and finally as a member of the Training Council. My husband was and still is basically allergic to nature, so I stepped up in his place when our two boys wanted to join the local troop. It was a terrific experience – I received the best leadership skills training I’ve ever experienced. It was simple, direct and actionable.
Q. Do you have a set time each day (or night) to write?
CH. In the early morning, the words just fly from my fingers onto the page like eager ducklings. After that, if I haven’t met my word target, I must hunt those words down, grab them by the scruff of the neck, then stab them to the page. I really try to finish my new words before eleven in the morning.
Q.What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?
CH. I’m getting to be an expert in confronting and defeating procrastination. In fact, I’ll be presenting a workshop on that topic at SleuthFest 2018. I basically trick myself into working for little rewards during my writing sessions. One of my tricks is to use an hourglass to write for a continuous thirty minutes with no breaks for e-mail, social media or any breaks at all. I also line up a series of rewards for successfully achieving the sprint. The rewards are a combination of candy treats, on-line crossword puzzles, social media time and reading intervals.
Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?
CH. When I have a need for a new character, a waiter for example, I’ll take several distinctive features from recent restaurant experiences and Frankenstein them together into one person. To make that character come alive, I free-write dialogue to discover their personality in how they use language. It’s a method that works for me – your mileage may vary.
Q. What first inspired you to write your stories?
CH. In my previous career as a project engineer and program manager for foreign military sales of flight simulators, there were many long-haul flights to Singapore, Taiwan and even India. I started scribbling ideas then as well as during the several months the team was on site for delivery and acceptance testing. Taking advantage of a corporate downsizing incentive, I left to write full time and haven’t regretted it for a second.
Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?
CH. The situation comes to me first. Since I write for a series, the characters are already known. First, I pick the site for the discovery of the victim. Then I concentrate on how someone could be driven to make a violent fatal choice as a reaction to difficult circumstances.
Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?
CH. I get completely immersed in my writing world. I’m a visual writer and play the scenes in my head as if I’m watching a movie. I’ve also been told that my writing is heavy in dialogue. I like that – that’s how I hear what my characters are feeling and what they’re thinking about doing next.
Q. Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment?
CH. My muse is Lujoye Barnes who lives in a woodland cottage near Gainesville, Florida. We have been friends for more years than I care to count. We have always shared a love of books and especially mysteries. When I get stuck in a plot, I always ask myself, “What would Joye like to see happen next?” It works every time. She has been my number one inspiration since I first confessed to her that I would like to write.
Join us for Part II of this fascinating Interview on Aug. 25th
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MY BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! Did you miss the past few months?
A real cliff hanger! To the last page (especially the last page) MacNeal’s new book keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This series is a delight. Beginning when a ‘math-o-holic’ girl gets hired in Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s office as a typist. WWII is just gearing up. With an aptitude for numbers and codes Maggie Hope quickly rises, for a woman, in the war offices. In this latest offering, we catch up with her as she ‘wrangles’ her way into war-torn and occupied France. Searching for her sister, she is thrown into the deep end of espionage.
The Maggie Hope Mystery series offers intrigue, twists and turns and great characters. Woven expertly through world history the reader is treated to the workings and intrigues of 10 Downing Street and M16 (the CIA of England) . This reviewer strongly urges the reader to start at the beginning with Mr. Churchill’s Secretary and read the books in order. But, of course, The Paris Spy stands very well on its own. With each book Susan MacNeal gives the reader a complete story, albeit a dangler most likely leaving the reader in a most delicious sort of suspense.
Available at www.amazon.com or your favorite book store.
Did you miss my Interview with this Author??
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MY BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! Did you miss the past few months? Johan Thompson (South African author) joined us in April. June: Mehreen Ahmed. July: Janet Macleod Trotter, author of Tea Planter’s Daughter and in August we say ‘hello’ to Cheryl Hollon.
REVIEW~~Recommended Reading – Donovan’s Bookshelf ‘By now it should be evident, with Volume 7’s addition to the ‘World of Murder’ series, that Trisha Sugarek has a real winner on her hands in terms of an ongoing theme able to sustain itself through book after book. This latest focuses on the Chinese mafia in New York City, and presents a riveting story line that takes two different cultural milieus and ties them neatly together. Replete with satisfying turns, this story not only fits nicely into the prior series but stands well on its own…. ‘ More
TS. I wouldn’t ever have imagined that a short little play, written on a whim, would become a best selling true crime series. Here’s how it all began,
Years ago one of my crew, in a stage production I was directing, said, “Trish for years now I’ve had this great idea for a play script but I know I’ll never write it….hell, I wouldn’t know where to begin…. and you’re the writer so I want to give you my idea.” His name escapes me but it must have been Billy Bob or Bubba or junior seeing as we were in Texas at the time. This idea of Bubba’s blossomed first, into a one act play, and later into this series of true crime mysteries. All because we had a few beers one night and he thought I could write it better than he could. Thank you, Bubba, wherever you are!
I feel like I need to explain the ‘writing a play on a whim‘ remark. I was deep into writing my series of 10 minute plays for the classroom, many of them addressing the serious challenges of teens today. Why not throw in a “G” rated murder mystery, for the kids, just for the fun of it? So I did.
Many of my fans and friends read my play scripts even though they aren’t involved with theatre.
So the feedback that kept coming back was, “We want more of Detectives O’Roarke and Garcia. Can’t you adapt this play into fiction?” Never dreaming, at the time, that there were seven books (and counting) in me! I have to pinch myself.
Midwest Book Review ~ Angel of Murder ‘It takes a tightrope artist of a writer to create chapters that successfully delve into a killer’s thoughts without revealing his identity in the process, but Sugarek achieves this with a dance of introspection.’
At all fine book stores in paperback & e-books Click here to see them all
In Book #6 of this true crime series, someone is knocking off the homeless of NYC. There don’t appear to be any motives; what could a bum have that anyone would want? Their life style affords the killer plenty of opportunity and who cared what happens to these shadow people? Detectives O’Roarke and Garcia quickly realize that they have another serial killer on their hands as more bodies are found at an alarming rate.
Midwest Book Review said, “Beneath the Bridge of Murder(Book 6 in the ‘World of Murder’ series) just goes to show several things: that a series of murder mysteries can each successfully hone very different settings, characters, and circumstances that tie together under a universal theme; and that an ability to build tight, unpredictable characters is possible across a number of series titles if the author is truly skilled.”
Available at: Amazon.com or your favorite book store. Also available in e-books.
MY BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! Did you miss the past few months? December: Reed Farrel Coleman, contributing writer for Robert B. Parker series. January was Dinah Jefferies and February’s author is Sheryl Steines. Johan Thompson (South African author) will join us in March.
Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.
A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry. Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee. http://reedcoleman.com/video/
Q. Do you believe in muses? Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment?
A. I think a “muse” is a cute concept, but I’m a professional. This is my job. Lawyers don’t need a muse. Cops don’t need a muse. I don’t need a muse. I need a contract. (Feels as though I’m interviewing Jesse Stone, right?)
Q. When did you begin to write seriously?
A. When I was 13 years old. I have always taken writing seriously. But I quite my career in 1987 to devote myself to writing. I gave up $40,000 per year, a company car, an expense account and trips to Europe. I guess you could say I was pretty serious about writing.
Q. How long after that were you published?
A. Three years.
Q. What makes a writer great?
A. When I find out I’ll tell you. I know great writing when I see it in the same way I know a great pianist or great painter, but defining one is an elusive task.
Q. You have kept Robert Parker’s Jesse Stone series alive for all of his fans. What’s the secret to writing in another voice? You do it flawlessly.
A. The secret for me is that I don’t write in Bob Parker’s voice. I stay true to his characters and to the form of the Jesse Stone novels, but it would be impossible for me to imitate Bob. When I first got the gig, I spoke to Ace Atkins (Spenser) and to my friend Tom Schreck (Duffy Dumbrowsky series). They both gave me great advice, but it was something Tom—a huge Elvis Presley fan, said to me that made a light go off in my head. He said that he had seen the very best Elvis impersonators in the world, but that they were trapped because the audience could never escape the fact that it was an imitation. And there was something that they could never do, something new. When he said that to me, I knew I wouldn’t try to imitate Bob.
Q. … and the all-important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?
A. Funny, I don’t think about that much. 26 published books in, it’s not even a question for me. As long as I have a strong idea in mind that I think will sustain the novel, I just assume I’m capable of making it happen. I never outline, so it’s just the belief in my ability that drives me.
Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?
A. In the mirror. Dylan Klein, my first series character, was very much an extension of me.
Q. What inspired your story/stories?
A. What doesn’t? Everything inspires me. An overheard bit of conversation, a newspaper story, a TV show, a situation in a friend’s life, a book …
Q. Have you? Or do you want to write in another genre`?
A. I write poetry. I’ve written some sci fi stories. I’ll basically write anything.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
My BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! October Author, Lisa Jackson. November will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes and in December, Reed Farrel Coleman, contributing writer for Robert B. Parker series
Keeping Robert B. Parker’s characters alive! An Interview with Reed Farrel Coleman
Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.
A. I have an office in my home with custom-built bookshelves, mementos, awards, posters, etc. It’s the only place I truly feel comfortable writing in, but because I’m committed to two books a year, I have had to learn to write on the road, in airports, and hotel rooms.
Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)
A. It’s all a ritual and it begins with coffee, the paper, doing the crossword puzzle. Then it’s downstairs to my office. I answer my emails and devote 15 minutes max to Facebook. I need absolute silence to write. No music, no noise at all.
Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?
A. Hard for me to know what you don’t know about me. But here are a few things: I watched someone die of a gunshot wound right in front of me when I was 15 years old, I watched General Hospital for 30 years, and I worked in the cargo area at Kennedy airport for 5 years with the cast of Goodfellas.
Q. Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative?
A. My most productive time is 7-10:30 in the morning, but I can do work and editing throughout the day.
Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?
A. Procrastination is death for your career. A writer is only a writer when he or she is writing. Thinking isn’t writing, research isn’t writing, doing anything other than writing isn’t writing. Either give yourself a page or word goal for the day. Meet it and feel good about yourself. Don’t meet it and feel guilty or disappointed. It should be like working out. When you miss a day, you feel bad about it.
Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing and for how long?
A. Absolutely. Time vanishes. Sometimes it’s minutes, but hours have passed for me when I’m in the groove.
Part Two of this fascinating Interview : December 19th
My BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! October Author, Lisa Jackson. November will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes and in December, Reed Farrel Coleman, contributing writer for Robert B. Parker series
The Cliffhouse Haunting A Review ~~~ 4 out of 5 quills
If you like being scared spit-less this is the book for you. As if a vicious serial killer isn’t good enough, he’s paired up with a very unhappy spirit who haunts the Lodge and the Lake named for her.
In Thorne and Cross’s latest offering, Cliffhouse Lodge is famous for its ghosts. Overlooking Blue Lady Lake, Cliffhouse has just been renovated by its owners, Teddy and Adam Bellamy, and their daughter, Sara. Cliffhouse has not always been a place of rest and respite, though. Over the years it has served many vices, from rum-running to prostitution – and although the cat house has been replaced by a miniature golf course and carousel, Cliffhouse retains its dark history; darkest during the Roaring Twenties, when a serial killer called the Bodice Ripper terrorized the town, and a phantom, the Blue Lady, was said to walk when murder was imminent. Death Walks With Her… Now, there’s a new killer on the loose, and the Blue Lady sightings have returned.
I enjoyed the twist on a ‘normal’ family unit. Teddy and Adam are a married, gay couple who have a biological daughter (through surrogacy), Sara.
The characters (and I do mean characters) who wander in and out of the Lodge are well drawn and entertaining. This writing duo is clever, indeed.
Did you miss my INTERVIEW with Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross? Click here ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! October Author, Lisa Jackson. November will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes and in December, Reed Farrel Coleman, ghost writer for Robert B. Parker ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!
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Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.
LJ. I write on a laptop in a chaise lounge with coffee near me and my dogs at my feet. The space is my bedroom, though I’m moving and will actually have a dedicated office within the year. But this works for now. I just need the place to be relatively quiet where I can get away from the distractions of life. You know, that nagging laundry or beckoning cross word puzzle or enticing walk?
Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)
LJ. No real rituals, but I have my synopsis of the current story close at hand and usually a cup of coffee. As stated above, the dogs (three—two pugs and a beagle) are usually close by and snoring as they’ve already been fed and walked. I don’t like a mess around me, but at the latter stages of the book my work area becomes a disaster. Also, I really hate to admit this, but when I’m late with a book, at the tail end, when my stress level is in the stratosphere, I eat sugary things to stay awake and keep at it. I recommend Hot Tamales candy and M&M peanuts. But be wary, extra pounds do appear!
I have created a collection of my series, World of Murder, under one cover. These are stand-alone mysteries following murder cops, O’Roarke and Garcia as they search out killers in New York City.
In the World of Murder series, Detectives Jack O’Roarke and Stella Garcia, two murder cops, seek out killers on the streets of New York City. Their investigations take them from the sleazy world of strip joints to Manhattan’s upper Eastside. Poor and rich alike, no one is exempt from murder. O’Roarke and Garcia are stars at NYPD with their careful forensic investigative skills and just plain, solid cop work.
racters that fill Dallas’ life and job, it’s a foregone conclusion that Echoes in Death is more like the ‘next chapter’ of the ‘.…in Death‘ BIG book. No question readers will find the plot intricate, the characters fascinating and growing with each book, and the story compelling. Each book/story stands alone but you must consider, after reading “Echoes…”, to start at the beginning. Highly recommended I give it five quills!
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