The Magic of Books

One of my readers in New York’s Adirondacks, sent me this photo. She’s found her perfect spot on the shore of Lake Champlain to enjoy The Art of Murder.

That’s what’s magical about books. There are various ways to take your favorite author with you wherever you go. I just finished reading Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders. It’s different from his Thursday Murder Club books, as We Solve Murders is more in the thriller category. His character Amy is an enigma. She is likable and mysterious in that she is a contracted bodyguard with no qualm about killing if needed. Osman’s supporting characters are fully developed and I love their quirky personalities. I think we will be seeing more of this crew. Now I’m on to one of my favorite authors, Paula Munier. I love her character, Mercy Carr, and her dog, Elvis. The title is The Night Woods, and in this book, Mercy is ready to deliver her first child. But that doesn’t stop her from investigating the attack on her friend and a murder. I look forward to the journey Mercy and Elvis will take me on.

The Art of Murder

I can’t believe it has been a year since I've posted. Time to catch up! I’m excited to announce that my fifth book, The Art of Murder, was published in May. This book, originally titled Glenside, presented a number of challenges. As stated in the last post, the characters, Autumn Whitcomb and Yuri Rachinskij, were developed by patrons from two rural Upstate New York libraries. The patrons did a great job, and I am forever grateful to them for bringing me two interesting characters. Because of the differences in the characters, I had to work on some complicated plot lines. Officer Autumn Whitcomb was fairly easy to develop. She dealt with sexism and fraud in her North Carolina position while dealing with a failed relationship. Her character overcomes and grows when she is made a detective with a New York police department and is immediately faced with a murder to solve. Quickly. Ukrainian Yuri Rachinskij was the biggest challenge. I wanted him to be real, but without getting into the war. What would prompt him to leave his beloved National Archives and end up in the same New York town as Autumn? I worked through that challenge and came out with a winner. Whenever I finish a book, I wonder if anyone will like it. That’s the life of an author. This book resonated with readers right away. One reader wrote, “You've hit another one out of the park. Somehow, you manage to take current concerns and weave your characters through them into a tapestry that keeps us on the edge of our seats in suspense. Hope you have as much fun writing as we do reading.” The answer to that is, yes, it is great fun to be with my characters. You can find the book on Amazon: