Today NN Light Book Heaven has posted a beautiful Author Spotlight on yours truly, featuring all of my books. Please stop by to learn 10 new things about me: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/helen-c-johannes-abs
Hope to hear from you soon!
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Spotlight on FOX TALE by Karen Hulene Bartell
A hearty “Welcome back!” to my fellow TWRP author Karen Hulene Bartell. She’s sharing the details on her latest release, the second in 2024.
Title – Fox Tale
Author –
Karen Hulene Bartell
Genre –
Paranormal Romance
Publisher –
The Wild Rose Press
Book
Blurb –
Heights terrify Ava. When a stranger saves her
from plunging down a mountain, he diverts her fears with tales of Japanese kitsune—shapeshifting
foxes—and she begins a journey into the supernatural.
She’s attracted to Chase, both physically and
metaphysically, yet primal instincts urge caution when shadows suggest more
than meets the eye.
She’s torn between Chase and Rafe, her ex, when
a chance reunion reignites their passion, but she struggles to overcome two
years of bitter resentment. Did Rafe jilt her, or were they pawns of a larger
conspiracy? Are the ancient legends true of kitsunes twisting time and
events?
I haven’t heard of this legend, but a story about fox shifters who can manipulate time sounds fascinating. Let’s see the Fox Tale excerpt –
The
kitten crawled on the pillow, purring in my ear as he kneaded my neck and
shoulders with his silky paws.
“That
actually feels good.” I chuckled at the irony, then exhausted, fell into a deep
sleep. I found myself sitting on a shaded, grassy slope. A gentle breeze
fluttered against my cheek.
No,
not a breeze, Chase.
He
caressed my cheek as he swept my hair behind my ear and whispered sweet
nothings. His breath tickling, he nuzzled my neck.
Goosebumps
slid down my spine.
Then
he massaged my back….
As
latent yearnings awakened, I arched my back, enjoying the waves of sensation.
With a shudder, I moaned, pulling him toward me in a deep kiss….
Bbbrrringg,
bbbrrringg, bbbrrringg.
As
the alarm jolted me awake, the heat rose to my cheeks, and I scanned the
surroundings to get my bearings. Mortified, I cringed beneath the sheets. What
have I done? Then relieved to see only the kitten for a bed partner, I gave
a nervous laugh. It was a dream--just a dream.
The
kitten uncurled from between my legs, purring.
Embarrassed
by the sensations it elicited, I scrambled to my feet. Did the kitten
trigger those dreams?
When did you start writing?
An
only child, I began writing my first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy
of creating my own happy endings…However, I got four pages into my first “book”
and realized I had to do a lot of living before I could finish it!
IMHO,
reading is the entry to writing. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved
annually--sometimes monthly--I found my earliest playmates as fictional friends
in books. Paperbacks became my portable pals. Ghost stories kept me up at
night--reading feverishly. Novels offered an imaginative escape, and the
paranormal was my passion.
So here I am all these decades later, still creating my own happy endings…
Your
history sounds so familiar: grade school attempts at writing and scouring the
library for fictional friends. (Been there, done that too!)
With another release under your belt, what's next for you?
I’m
writing a political-suspense thriller set in Taipei, Taiwan, entitled Silkworm,
that portrays a US Senator’s daughter caught between two men, two cultures, two
political ideologies, and the two Chinas.
A
love triangle is the metaphor for Taiwan and China (the two dragons) competing
for geopolitical and technological accords with the US. As mainland China seeks
to recover the third of its lost provinces–Taiwan–Rachel Moore struggles to
escape the triple nightmare of impending war, a marriage of convenience, and an
assassination plot against the man she loves. Silkworm weaves their
stories with the trilateral events currently erupting in Southeast Asia.
Wow, from paranormal to political thriller! You are multi-talented, for sure. Best of luck with everything on your plate.
Here are the Buy Links for Fox Tale –
UNIVERSAL
LINK: https://books2read.com/u/br9VJM
AMAZON:
https://shorturl.at/uwGPX
GOODREADS:
https://shorturl.at/jozDY
BARNES & NOBLE / NOOK: https://shorturl.at/nuMOZ
For
more about Karen, here’s her Author Biography –
Author
of the Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series,
as well as Kissing Kin, Fox Tale, Wild Rose Pass, The Keys: Voice of the
Turtle and more, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote
speaker, IT technical editor, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes
multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural. Born to
rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates
as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost
stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her
passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing
her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy
endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides
in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her mews—three rescued cats
and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Connect with Karen on her Social Media Links –
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell
MeWe:
https://mewe.com/i/karenbartell
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HuleneKaren
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell
Website:
http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/
Email:
info@KarenHuleneBartell.com
Amazon
Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/
BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/
AUTHORSdb:
https://authorsdb.com/community/17847-karen-hulene-bartell
Please show Karen some love by visiting her sites and checking out her books.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
My Guest Today: Paranormal Romance Author Karen Hulene Bartell
My guest today is an author after my own heart, someone with wandering feet and an itch to travel to new places, someone who is inspired by what she sees. Please welcome Karen Hulene Bartell, a multi-published author whose latest release is the paranormal romance Kissing Kin.
I’m always intrigued by how book ideas are birthed. What was
the inspiration for Kissing Kin?
Whenever I visit provocative places, encounter new
experiences, sample different ethnic foods, or chance upon stimulating people,
I’m inspired. Ideas flow. (I should’ve been a travel correspondent.) There’s
something about traveling that takes me out of my rut and propels me into new
realms of possibility.
I’ve written some of my best concepts sitting in noisy
airports or hotel bathrooms at midnight (so I don’t wake my husband with the
light). Being out of my element and in new environments stimulates my
imagination.
As I visit new destinations, I’m infused with innovative
ideas, envisioning scene after scene, like vignettes flowing from one to the
next and the next.
Oh, I love that feeling! How did that play out for this book?
In Kissing Kin’s case, my husband and I spent
Christmas week hiking and horseback riding in Big Bend National Park twenty
years ago. You’ve seen the area on maps--the southernmost tip of Texas that
borders the Rio Grande and dips into Mexico. Spanning more than 800,000 acres
of Chihuahuan desert, mountains, and rivers, Big Bend is larger than the state
of Rhode Island--and filled with lions and bobcats and bears. Oh, my!
Driving home early that New Year’s morning, we missed the
turnoff in Alpine and followed TX-118 north. Snow-covered and glinting against
the frosty blue January sky, a remote jumble of mountain peaks and ranges
beckoned as they rose above the desert floor. I was enchanted. Gazing at the
sky island for the first time, wide-eyed, I wondered whether those rocky
pinnacles were mirages or optical delusions.
But as the craggy peaks loomed larger (a mile high, I later
learned), I realized they were no hallucination or Fata Morgana. A hasty glance
at the map told us these were the Davis Mountains. As we approached, vertical
basalt columns rose like thousands of giant fingers reaching for the sky. The
palisades, buttes, and bluffs towered above both sides of the road with a raw,
majestic beauty, and I breathed a contented sigh, almost as if coming home.
That missed turn took us only a half hour out of our way, but
as we drove through those mountains, my life changed. From that day to this,
the area’s held my heart and imagination. Wild Rose Pass became Book I
of the Trans-Pecos Series, and Kissing Kin has become Book II. Both
novels are standalones with dissimilar genres--Wild Rose Pass is a
historical novel, while Kissing Kin is a paranormal romance.
What a fabulous setting! Now that
we’re dreaming of those mountains, we’re primed to see the blurb and excerpt.
Book Blurb –
Maeve Jackson is starting over after
a broken engagement—and mustering out of the Army. No job and no prospects, she
spins out on black ice and totals her car.
When struggling vintner Luke Kaylor stops to help, they discover they’re distantly related. On a shoestring budget to convert his vineyard into a winery, he makes her a deal: prune grapevines in exchange for room and board.
But forgotten diaries and a haunted cabin kickstart a five-generation mystery with ancestors that have bones to pick. As carnal urges propel them into each other’s arms, they wonder: Is their attraction physical…or metaphysical?
Kissing Kin Excerpt – Dozing by the Fire
“Mind if I camp out ’til the roads clear?”
“Under the circumstances?” The clerk shook his head. “Not a problem.”
“Thanks.”
He started toward the sitting room and nearly bumped into Maeve, leaning
against the wall. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You
didn’t.” She tossed her chin. “I was cat-napping.”
“Right.”
He compared her guarded veneer to her sleeping-beauty persona. Which is
closer to her true self?
“Couldn’t
help overhearing.” Gesturing toward the clerk with her chin, she grimaced. “I’m
responsible for you being out tonight--”
“No.”
He shook his head. “This is just a freak storm.”
“You
don’t have to sleep in a chair.” She took a deep breath and gave a quick,
tight-lipped smile. “My room has two queen beds, and you’re welcome to one of
’em.”
Unsure
of the extent of her invitation, he did a double take.
“Just
so we understand each other, this is a bunk, a place to sack out. Period.
Amen.” She spoke in a low-pitched, no-nonsense voice. “Nothing more, so don’t
get any--”
“Got
it.” He covered his disappointment with a laugh. “Thanks, I appreciate the
offer, but I’ll be fine dozing by the fire.”
“Hey,
I’ve bivouacked with soldiers in Afghanistan. We do what’s necessary under
extenuating circumstances.” Shrugging, she glanced at the door. “And this
blizzard qualifies.” Her face relaxed into a smile.
Her
offer tempting, he compared sitting up all night to stretching out in a bed.
Then he glimpsed the clerk.
“If
you’re worried about my reputation, don’t be.” She laughed, the sound like
sleigh bells tinkling on a crisp, wintry night.
What is it about her that conjures thoughts of other times--other eras?
Now that you’ve hooked us into this paranormal
story, we need the buy links.
UNIVERSAL LINK: https://books2read.com/u/boXl10
AMAZON: https://shorturl.at/iwEIJ
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204849593-kissing-kin
APPLE:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/kissing-kin/id6475424012
BARNES
& NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kissing-kin-karen-bartell/1144521766?ean=9781509253951
And an author’s bio and social media links:
Author of the Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, as well as Kissing Kin, Fox Tale, Wild Rose Pass, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle and more, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, IT technical editor, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her mews—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell
MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/karenbartell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuleneKaren
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell
Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/
Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/
AUTHORSdb: https://authorsdb.com/community/17847-karen-hulene-bartell
Thanks for visiting, Karen, and sharing the origins of your latest release. You've made us all want to visit the Big Bend area and check out Kissing Kin.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
My Guest Today: Cozy Mystery Author Mary Ann Jacobs
I’m always fascinated by how writers become authors. Everyone
seems to find their own particular path. What have the steps been on your
journey to being a published novelist?
When I taught school, I always wanted
to write. I published a poem and essays but had little time for any other
writing. When I retired, I collected all my scraps and loose pages of writing
from my messy classroom desk and vowed to organize my writings and create many
different types of writing.
Covid was a blessing because I now
had time for writing. At first, I wrote a poem a day and sent my poems to the
members of my bridge group. Every time I decided to stop, they encouraged me to
continue because they looked forward each day to a new poem.
You were extremely fortunate to have
such supportive friends! Then what happened?
I published many of those poems in
magazines and anthologies then turned my attention to a new genre. I had been
watching Hallmark movies and reading cozy mysteries in our time of isolation.
Finally, I decided that I would try my hand at a cozy mystery. I considered
this as my Writing Therapy to escape the boredom of isolation during Covid.
I set the mystery in the Berkshires
where my grandchildren live, and where I spent many summers. I modeled Sadie’s
character after my aunt who was a feisty, independent woman.
Knowing your setting is a definite bonus when describing it. Let's hear more about your book.
Blurb:
In the fictional small town of Pittman in the
heart of the Berkshire Mountains, two murders and a kidnapping occur.
Robin
George and Sadie Aboud form the Super Sleuths and intend to set the Sheriff
straight and solve the crimes for him. At one point, the frustrated Sheriff
suspects all the amateur sleuths, and Robin and Sadie must convince him of
their innocence.
Of
course, a cozy mystery needs villains. The two evil villains are Chester
Fergusson, a realtor and con artist who is trying to buy up all the property on
Farley Square, and Mopey Tyler, a suspected drug dealer and the owner of a smut
shop. When they hatch their kidnapping plan, they involve Mike’s Dad, who owns
the local bowling alley.
Excerpt:
Suspicions Revealed and Rebuked
Sheriff
Houtman frowned at the boys as he listened to their allegations, then he said,
“If I catch any of you, and that includes the grownups in this room, inserting
yourselves into our investigation, I’ll arrest you for obstruction of justice.”
“We
are looking for a murderer who is probably still right here in our town. It is
too dangerous to be playing amateur detective. Do you understand me? Sadie,
Robin, and Lola, this means you.”
We all looked guilty and nodded our
heads. I’m pretty he didn’t believe a thing we just reported. He then turned
and left in a hurry.
Sounds like a perfect cozy to enjoy on spring break. Now that
you have a novel with your name on the cover, what have you been doing?
Don’t
Mess with Me is now one year old. I have enjoyed going to many book clubs
that have read my book. I enjoy the fact that when I ask the readers if they
guessed the ending, the majority say they never guessed it. I also ask what
they would like to see in the second book in the series, and I have included
many of those suggestions into the second book in the Berkshire Mystery Series.
The
second book is now under contract with The Wild Rose Press, and we will begin
to edit it in March.
Since I love
to cook, I have modernized my grandmother’s Lebanese dishes and included a
couple recipes at the end of each book. I’m sure Sadie must serve these recipes
at Sweet Indulgences, her fictional restaurant in Pittman.
Oh,
could you share a recipe? I’m always looking for new dishes, and I’m sure my
readers are too.
Creative Leftovers
In my family, we often use lamb in recipes. When we use ground
lamb in rice and sauce or kousa, we often have leftover ground lamb.
Scrambled
Eggs and lamb
1. In
a skillet, place 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, and a pat of
butter. Add leftover lamb then fry.
2. Whip
4 or 5 eggs in a bowl.
3. Add
eggs to the lamb, onion, and pine nuts mixture, and scramble lightly in a
skillet.
4. Do
not let the scrambled eggs get hard.
5. Serve
with heated pita bread.
I want to thank Mary Ann for visiting today
and sharing her book and writing journey. For more information and to check out
Don’t Mess with Me, click on the links below.
Buy links:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-mess-with-me-mary-ann-jacobs/1142600182?ean=2940186700777
Contact the author at maryannjacobsauthor@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/maryannjacobsauthor
Website: maryannjacobsauthor.wordpress.com
Twitter:
maryann68592654
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1878950818?source=link_share
Monday, February 26, 2024
My Guest Today: Paranormal Romantic Suspense Author Mickey Flagg
Please welcome paranormal romantic suspense author Mickey Flagg. She’s just released His Soul to Keep, the third book in The Champion Chronicles. Let’s find out a bit about her before we ask her questions.
Bio
Always
an avid reader, the realm of paranormal fiction is the perfect landing point
for Mickey Flagg. After a successful career as a music teacher and an urban
school administrator, she continues to spin stories of passion, love and
redemption. She’s been a contributor in a book on urban music education and has
also authored an article for Still Standing, a web-magazine about loss
and healing. Named a Distinguished Music Educator at the 2010 Yale Music
Symposium, Mickey is a life-long New Jersey resident, a member of Liberty
States Fiction Writers and NJRW, and has served as a Professor in Residence
with a local university.
A number of writers I
know are or have been teachers, but you’re the first I’ve met from the field of
music instruction. Tell us, what inspired you to write fiction? And what drew
you to the paranormal romance genre, specifically the vampire sub-genre?
I love doing puzzles. The more pieces the better. Writing is like
putting a puzzle together and creating a vivid picture. I simply choose to make
my vivid picture with vampires, witches, and mystical warriors.
One of the first pieces of advice an aspiring author gets is write what you love. In my case, that’s paranormal fiction. When you add a heady dose of romance and some gut-wrenching suspense, the sub-genre becomes paranormal romance suspense. I write in a broad genre that is crowded with so many twists and turns that your head could spin. Focusing my stories on a cast of characters, the world I create consistently pits evil against good. Writing dark fantasy enables an author to bend the rules to meet his or her own criteria. I like that perk. It places my characters in situations that have roots in real-world relationships with more than a splash of other-world drama.
Oh, I like that rule-bending perk too. Tell us more
about the drama inherent in your stories.
My main character in The Champion Chronicles is a mystically
enhanced vampire who regained his soul with some Heavenly help. Writing someone
who should be intrinsically evil but chooses the most difficult path to
redemption creates fascinating possibilities for him and for me as the writer.
By giving him a soulmate who should have destroyed him and a troubled human son
who shouldn’t exist complicates his world. Add to the mix a host of secondary
characters that he must interact with, and my paranormal world is complete.
Some authors choose to write cozy mysteries, young adult, or
second-chance romance. I choose to write tales of love and redemption in the
realm of the paranormal. I’ve always been drawn to the genre because of the
vampire trope. Be it Anne Rice or J.R. Ward, various writing styles intrigue
me. So do story lines that involve all the fantastical what-ifs, like Diana
Gabaldon’s Outlander Series. So, I write what I like. Strong characters
who value love and family above all else. They just happen to be mystical or
magical and live in a world that is always threatened by something evil. I
build a story where good always wins, and whether mystical, magical, or human,
my characters must face his or her demon within and do some soul-searching
along the way.
For me, writing paranormal fiction is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. I’m
just never sure of the vivid, completed picture until I type: The End.
I like the puzzle
imagery, working the pieces until the image/story is complete. Let’s take a
look now at what you’ve completed in His Soul to Keep.
Blurb
Too many questions. Too
many doubts. Michael Malone’s new existence is not only shocking but beyond
puzzling. Keeping his distance from his soulmate and his troubled son only
makes matters worse. When his beast-within is resurrected by dark magic and implanted
in a teenage girl, he feels the aberration, feels responsible. But he isn’t a
commanding, mystically enhanced vampire anymore. Will he be able to destroy the
evil entity, or will he be forced to take it back within his soul to save an
innocent? First, he must locate who inspired this heinous act, the wicked
wizard and a beautiful but cunning female vampire he knew centuries ago. His
new reality, his very human life hangs in the balance and he will face
unparalleled evil. Many innocent lives are at stake—should he not succeed.
Excerpt
In a familiar way, Alana settled between
his long legs. Pulling out of the steamy kiss, her head rested on his heart,
and every thump filled her with wonder. No ordinary man could wear snug black
jeans and a simple black shirt with its sleeves rolled up the way Michael did.
Dark colors enhanced his singular, intense look. Even with her eyes closed, she
could see only him. She could sense strength in his soul, in his muscular body.
His embrace was a place of comfort as well as erotic joy.
Years apart, and then realizing how much
she loved him... What he had put himself through ten months ago had reshaped
their destiny, and now, the possibility of a long life together had real
meaning. She felt him deep in her soul. Being with him made her very core ache
with a lover’s need. In an intimate way, she studied his day-old beard, the
width of his shoulders, the lines of his face. Her hands weren’t willing to
leave his chest. He shifted, and she drifted farther away to sit on her heels,
to drown in the full vision of him. His eyes shimmered as his warm fingers
threaded hers.
“How’d it go with Lu? Did you get a chance
to talk?”
“Jeez, Mom, that’s a tough one. Couldn’t
we start with something easier?”
She chuckled. “I think Mom sounds sweet.
He lets me call him Lu.”
“If you’re okay with it, so am I.”
“Where is he?”
“Anywhere I’m not, apparently.” He groaned
in a frustrated way and pushed back to sit up against the padded arm. His hands
slipped out of her hold, and he laced them to his chest. When he blew out a slow breath, shivers ran
down her spine.
“Did something happen?”
“I expected non-stop questions, not a
sudden shutdown.”
“Do you have any idea how unbelievable this is? How unexpected—”
“No, really,” he said with a touch
of sarcasm. A distant look she’d never seen before settled on his face. “I
asked for an end to my existence. I didn’t ask for life.”
His eyes dulled while hers blazed. Sucking
in a breath, she held it. Maybe she’d misunderstood. “You wanted an end to your
existence? Meaning… the forever kind of death?”
“Alana, I’m not about to lie.”
“Nope, rewind and talk. Talk fast.” The
proverbial romantic, rose-tinted glasses had just ripped right off her eyes.
“What I did in undeath, unexpected
questions fired at me by twelve individuals to explain or clarify… then sitting
in the church after a six-hour inquisition—which
took place a full month after I
completed their Document of Atonement. I…came undone. Before I left you last
May, I had no right to ask for your love.” He looked at the wall, down the
hall, at anything but her.
“Michael—”
“And whose idea was it to have my son
here, waiting for my return?”
“We all thought—”
“I told him I’d come for him when I was ready. That was the deal. He
should have been forced to stay at school in England. I had no right believing
I could teach him how to deal with life, either.”
“Michael, stop,” she managed to whisper.
Illogical words came from a most rational man. She couldn’t swallow, didn’t
recognize the chill in his tone.
Now that you have us hooked, let’s share
contact info and buy links:
Contact links:
Website info: http://mflagg-author.com
Social Media links:
Facebook: (1) M.
Flagg | Facebook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/flagg_michele
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyflagg
Buy Links:
Amazon.com:
His Soul to Keep (The Champion Chronicles Book 3) eBook : Flagg, M. : Books
His
Soul to Keep by M. Flagg, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
I’m so grateful Mickey was kind enough to visit today. Please take some time to check out her series, The Champion Chronicles and her latest release His Soul to Keep.
Friday, February 16, 2024
Book Spotlight: ACCIDENTAL ALLIES by Karina Bartow
Please welcome Karina Bartow, author of The Unde(a)feated Detective series. Today’s spotlight is on her latest release in the series, book 2, ACCIDENTAL ALLIES.
I doff my hat to you for coming up with
characters and situations that can sustain a series. Detective fiction is a
wonderfully compelling genre, and one of my favorites. Tell us, how did you
come up with the plot for this follow-up book?
In continuation of The
Unde(a)feated Detective series, I decided to bring Minka back to the police
force in Accidental Allies, but I wanted her return to be suspenseful,
much like her departure was in Husband in Hiding. Thus, I set it around
an explosion. You can’t get much more action-packed than that, right?
Absolutely a bang-up idea!
Along with that, I used this
installment to provide a glimpse into the adversity Minka faced—and continues
to face—in her pursuits to be a policewoman. Being disabled myself, I channeled
some of my own experiences and reactions to them through her. Like her, I’ve also been privileged to have
“allies” in my corner who believe in me, so I implemented characters around her
that show her that kind of support.
Sounds very timely, trying to break
the “blue ceiling” and be seen as fully capable. What’s the blurb?
Everybody’s experienced a rocky start
to a new job, but few can top Minka Avery's return to Orlando PD.
With
many disillusioned with the justice system, several brow-raising suspects
emerge right away. Minka and her new partner, Renee, follow several tips that
lead to dead ends, until they zero in on the courthouse's former security
guard. Their attempts to apprehend him send the city and police department into
chaos. Meanwhile, Minka contends with the lingering suspicion of another party
being involved. Could his accomplice be closer than she thinks?
Wow! Let’s see an excerpt.
Because of the explosion, all of the
amusement parks closed early, driving out the entire community of panicked
tourists. News vans and first-responders added to the congestion, all sharing
the same destination. Rush hour on its worst day didn’t compare to this chaotic
ride.
Upon driving
closer, Minka and Renee saw smoke ascending from the twenty-three-story
building. Totally engulfed in flames, the Orange County Courthouse lacked its
former majestic quality. Firefighters surrounded the south side where the
thickest smoke bellowed into the sky. The darkness of it, combined with the
late hour, filtered the whole scene, but the detectives managed to find Cael
and his partner, Declan Schuster. Having arrived minutes ahead of Minka and
Renee, Gus stood with the guys.
Minka swallowed
the lump in her throat. “I can’t believe this is happening here.”
We’re hooked! Let’s see the links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Allies-Unde-feted-Detective-ebook/dp/B0CHWKQ98F
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Accidental-Allies/Karina-Bartow/9781509252077?id=8973185582242
Now for an author bio and social media
links:
Social Media:
Website:
https://www.KarinaBartow.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/karinabartowauthor
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/KarinaBartow
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/karina.bartow/
Please
thank Karina for visiting today and dishing on ACCIDENTAL ALLIES by checking
out her books!
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