❤Author Interview: Cozy Mystery Author Kate Damon: Jury Duty is Murder #authorinterview

When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.

When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.

Writing as Margaret Brownley, she has published more than 40 novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Known for her memorable characters and humor, she is a two-time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist.

Not counting the book she wrote in sixth grade, and the puzzle of the missing socks, this is her first mystery.

Website ➜http://margaret-brownley.com/

Twitter ➜https://www.x.com/katejuryduty

Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/MargaretBrownleyAuthor/ and https://www.facebook.com/p/Kate-Damon-61565155275435/

Instagram ➜https://www.instagram.com/katedamonbooks

BookBub➜https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-damon

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4072660.Kate_Damon and https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/163681.Margaret_Brownley

I am so excited about your book, Jury Duty is Murder. Why did you choose this particular story to write?

Thank you so much for having me today. I usually write romance novels, so this project marks a significant change for me. My interest in understanding how jurors are affected when sequestered for long periods led me to investigate this theme in my writing. Initially, I intended to explore the psychological and emotional difficulties these individuals face during such isolation. However, much to my surprise, the story evolved into a mystery—a direction I had not foreseen when I started writing.

Can you give us a blurb so others will know what it’s about?

The verdict is in; a famed athlete is headed for prison. The jurors have done their job and are free to go back to their lives.

But after being sequestered for three months, life as most jurors knew it, no longer exists.  

HAROLD ASHMAN’s house is almost destroyed when a reporter drives through it. Exotic dancer, CEECEE LAINE, discovers that her boyfriend is two-timing her, and she no longer has a job. Actor ALEX MANNING learns his career is down the tubes, and 72-year-old, HELEN RYDER, discovers her family is plotting to put her in an old folks home.

Then things take a turn for the worse. When jurors start dropping like flies, CeeCee, Helen, Harold, and Alex are convinced there’s a killer on the loose. Now the feuding foursome must find the killer before he finds them—or before they save him the trouble by killing each other.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters in your book?

Mindy, known as CeeCee, is an exotic dancer whose life has been significantly impacted by the trial, resulting in both financial and emotional instability. This turmoil has forced her to indefinitely postpone her aspiration of opening her own spa.

Helen, referred to as Schoolmarm, is a 72-year-old woman grappling with the challenges of aging while her family considers placing her in an assisted living facility. This situation exacerbates her feelings of isolation and frustration.

Harold, nicknamed Shoe, encounters a string of misfortunes upon returning home from the trial. These difficulties compound his already precarious financial situation, as his hardware store is on the verge of bankruptcy. If this isn’t bad enough, he’s also coping with persistent marital problems.

Alex, a reporter and actor currently at a low point in his career, faces personal challenges while residing in a garage owned by an eccentric landlady.

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point where the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in your book?

The main pivotal point occurs when the main characters—CeeCee, Helen, Harold, and Alex—realize that former jurors from their trial are mysteriously dying. This revelation transforms their mundane post-trial lives into a suspenseful race against time as they suspect a killer is targeting them.

Does your book carry a message?

The book combines elements of a cozy mystery with themes of interpersonal relationships. The jurors, who are initially at odds with one another and struggle to get along throughout the trial, find themselves in a situation where they must set aside their differences. Their primary goal is to work together to uncover the identity of the killer.

During this challenging time, unexpected friendships begin to blossom among them. This highlights an important message: sometimes, friendships can emerge from the most unlikely circumstances. If we are willing to look beyond initial impressions or past grievances, we might find friends where we least expect.

Where can we pick up copies of Jury Duty is Murder?

https://www.amazon.com/Jury-Duty-Murder-Kate-Damon ebook/dp/B0D2282XN3/ref=sr_1_1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jury-duty-is-murder-katedamon/1146434395?ean=9781509259540

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?

I would just like to thank my readers for supporting me through the years, Though you know me as a romance writer, I hope you give my latest book a try.

❤Author Interview: Classic Epic Fantasy Author Christopher Kaufman: Tales of the Ocean City #authorinterview

 

 

 

Christopher Kaufman is an author, composer, presenter, illustrative artist and performer. He started imaginative fantasy books with illustrative art at the age of nine. During high school years he found music and attended The New Orleans Center for The Creative Arts and went on to major in music composition in college. He finished his schooling – earning his DMA in music composition at Cornell University where he studied with Pulitzer Prize Winning composers who prize his abilities as a composer.

Christopher is the type of person who needs imaginative fantasy scenarios to get to sleep. Therefore, he emerged from Cornell, not only with his degrees in music, but with the full event structure for his classic epic fantasy series Tales Of The Ocean City in his mind.

He began writing the story down in the early 2000’s, but it did not really come to life until he developed his home music ‘laboratory’ and started creating the music and text at the same time. Thus books one and two of TOC came about simultaneously as both graphically illustrated pages and effulgent audio albums filled with cinematic epic symphonic music.

They exist now as physical books and audio albums (that go together) and the new Video Book version.  He performs live tours with the music pouring through speakers, live narration and the colorful pages streaming on screen – a true immersive multi-media experience.

He also maintains his career as a composer for the concert stage with a full body of work, from solo works thru orchestral. He specializes as well in ‘environmental works’ which feature soundscapes crafted from hundreds of natural sounds, live musicians (from soloists, chamber groups and to full orchestra), videos filled with both natural and artistic images and readings from the works of John Muir and others.

His home page is – soundartus.com. 

His author page is talesoftheoceancity.com.

His you-tube channel is SOUNDARTUS.

Visit him at Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/talesoftheoceancity.

Christopher believes in the transformative power of imagination.

“Live with imagination!”

I am so excited about your series, Tales of the Ocean City. Why did you choose this particular series to write about?

  Hi, nice to speak with you! Tales Of The Ocean City is my main focus right now. It is at the heart of my work as a storyteller. I have others, of course, but TOC was the first of my books with audio albums. The music element is very important.

I started writing fantasy books with illustrations when I was nine years old. Later, I discovered music and lived the life of a composer for many years. But my stories never left me. In fact, I am the type of person who needs some kind of active imaginative scenario to get myself to sleep. I emerged from my schooling phase with a Doctorate in music composition (Cornell) and the complete event structure for Tales Of The Ocean City in my head.

I first began writing down the Tales Of The Ocean City stories in the early 2000’s, but it was only when I initiated my home music ‘lab’ and began creating the text, music and narration at the same time that I found my voice as a storyteller. After two Audio Albums (TOC books 1-2), and then adding the element of the graphically illustrated pages filled with art and color, the style for these works was established.

Can you give us a series blurb so others will know what it’s about?

Happy to. 

Tales Of The Ocean City tells the tale of a young civilization turning the corner into the future. The city as a whole must do this by facing a terrible enemy from the deepest past, The Vorm - with whom they co-evolved in ages past on their ancestral isle. The main characters are young Harl’ut and his lifelong companion, Vispushin - who is a perianth (a kind of telepathic pegasus).  They are very close, like family. They speak to each other mind-to-mind.  

Harl’ut too must face the past.  At the end of book two he undergoes an initiation adventure where he descends into the volcanic mountain, Pla’than’taa - from the belly of which The Ocean City was delved. There, he interacts with personifications of past god-like figures and battles a terrific monster. Later, he leads a cadre of young warriors into the Vorm Hive on a vital mission.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters in your series?

Well, I mentioned the main characters above - Harl’ut and Vispushin. The perianth race is based on my animal family, thus the close-knit relationship between them.  In book one, Harl’ut and Vispushin meet up with the Princess Bryn’lynn and her perianth-bond Zhii’gla.  Together the four of them engage in desperate battle with evil Vorm warriors over the southern plain. Later in the story, we meet the ancient warrior Verden, who is bonded with the King of Perianthus, Zhi’ga’fra - a giant silver-maned stallion.  We also meet, in book one, King Bro’whynn and the Sister Twain, Alessia and Alaxa who are the Captains of the guard.

In book two we meet Harl’ut’s friend Elá, an enigmatic bard-like figure and Maia, the woman who becomes co-leader of the band of young warriors, called The Kra’, whom they later lead on a special mission into the heart of the Vorm Hive in books four and five - The Vorm War.  In these volumes, the heroes of The Ocean City wage epic battle with The Vorm on the ancient Isle where they originally evolved.

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point where the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in one of your books in this series?

My experience has been that at the end of the introduction, and the sky battle is engaged, folks are well-hooked. The engaging playful scenes at the outset certainly intrigue readers; the feelings of flight and the color and energy contained in the first page are intoxicating.

This is true especially if they include the Audio Albums with the physical book or ePub versions - as the cinematic symphonic music conveys the powerful emotions of the story. People enjoy immersing themselves the first five-book series and then continue with the next follow-on series, The Green World. I will be continuing TOC for many years to come. 

Does your series carry a message?

All of my works celebrate the transformative power of imagination. I believe in that power as demonstrated in the fine arts and, especially, great fantasy stories. Much of my work is about feeding and growing imagination in one way or another. I hope people experience my work and then feel differently about how they experience the world around them.  Imagination is the highest function of the human mind - it gives us art, music and scientific theories…and helps us envision a better future for ourselves and our civilization. It has been damaged in many ways in our modern lives. Fantasy can help cure this.

 What's your next project?

Well, I am finishing up series two of TOS, The Green World - where , in book six, Harl’ut and Vispushin explore the underworld, meet all kinds of fantastical creatures and discover ancient civilizations. In book seven they travel to planet Orshellia and battle The Stranger and in book eight, which I am completing now, engage a danger which threatens all life in  their entire solar system. In the next series, the citizens of The Ocean City will explore The Star Kingdom. The series will continue to grow and expand.  I have plans for additional related series’ - and back stories from the times before Harl’ut and Vispushin’s lifetimes.

Where can we pick up copies of Tales of the Ocean City?

kaufmantales.com

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?

I would like to thank and acknowledge the writers that have informed my work and imaginative life and to whom I am eternally grateful; Tolkien, Lovecraft, McCaffrey, Moorcock, Burroughs, Le Guin, Dunsany, Lewis and Lloyd Alexander - who spoke about writing for adults for many years and enjoying it, yet, when he started writing for young people, the emotions became deeper and more powerful, not less so.

I’d also like to talk a bit more about the music in the audio albums. My work as a composer has informed my writing style.  In musical harmony you have chords with great tension that resolve (cadence) into more consonant ones.  In TOC there are situations of conflict that resolve, such as the visceral battle scene of book one that ends with a heightened and inspiring resolution. Music has given me a strong sense of pacing. I know when to write short, direct sentences to move the action at a terrific pace, and when to take time and paint a glorious picture. Let me know what you think.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this interview.  I would love to get you know you better as well. Hopefully, we can converse in the comments here and onward into the future. At kaufmantales.com these works, and my others, are available as physical books, audio albums, Epubs, kindle books and the new Video Book.

I look forward to hearing how my stories may have helped you live with imagination!

All best,

Christopher Kaufman

Pick up your copies of Tales of the Ocean City at https://kaufmantales.com/.

❤Author Interview: Mystery Author Mike Martin: Friends Are Forever #authorinterview

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 16 books in this light mystery series with the publication of Friends are Forever. 

A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. All That Glitters was shortlisted for the LOLA 2024 Must Read Book of the year award.

Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest Darkest Before the Dawn was released as an audiobook in 2024. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜  https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com/ 

Twitter ➜ https://www.x.com/mike54martin 

Facebook ➜  https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore

Congratulations on your new book, Friends Are Forever!  What attracted you to the mystery genre?

I have always liked the mystery genre. In particular I enjoyed some of the classics like Agatha Christie and I liked watching Murder She Wrote on TV.  When it came time to pick a lane to write my fiction stories, it was a natural fit for me to choose mystery.

Do you write in any other genres?

I have written a lot of non-fiction in my role as a freelance writer and I have written 3 children's books as well. Earlier this year I published my first collection of poetry called Hope and Love and Other Dreams.

What inspired you to write your Sgt. Windflower series?

I like to say that Sgt. Windflower came out of the fog in Grand Bank and started telling me his story. I just wrote it down and kept going. It's been quite a ride for 16 books. Yes, he has a lot to say!!

Can you give us your book blurb from Friends are Forever so others can find out what your book is about?

As Winston Windflower, his police colleagues and their families gather in Marystown, Newfoundland, to celebrate those being promoted up the RCMP ranks, a sophisticated heist by international mobsters and local biker gangs unfolds in multiple cities and towns throughout the province, robbing banks and businesses of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Mounties soon realize more than money is being lost.

In this, the sixteenth novel in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, author Mike Martin continues to craft intrigue in the cultural and geographical setting unique to Newfoundland and Labrador. Readers new to the Windflower mysteries and those returning will experience the joys of a close-knit community that thrives on the simpler things in life: por' cakes, a lighthouse in serious need of a facelift, TV movie nights and the warmth of get-togethers with family and friends.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

You can visit: https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com/

Or check us out on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore

Where can readers buy your book?

https://www.amazon.com/Friends-are-Forever-Windflower-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0F4K1HJ5L

 

 

Inside the Pages: Unorganized Crime by Judy Serrano

 

Title: Unorganized Crime (Unorganized Crime Series Book 1)
Author: Judy Serrano
Publisher: 6K Publishing
Pages: 283
Genre: Mafia Romance/Crime Fiction

As Jazz finds herself falling from a helicopter, Gage St. Claire comes to her rescue. Organized crime is once again the culprit of her parents’ situation, and as usual, she is caught in the crossfire. Gage pulls her out of the water and helps her escape to safety. The love between them is undiscovered as he tries to leave her behind in an attempt to keep her safe and move forward with his black ops pursuit. Jazz becomes an undercover cop with wiping out organized crime forever as her goal. After Jazz exposes one of the largest crime families in the country, quite by accident, she is hired to expose crime syndicate leader Michael Giambetti Jr., otherwise known as Achilles. Achilles earned his nickname because he has no weaknesses. He has no weaknesses, that is until he meets Jazz. Achilles has been untouchable, and if she were to break this case, she could finally prove herself as a serious undercover officer. Her job is not an easy one, and people around her are not who they appear to be. Will Gage come back for Jazz, or will he be lost to her forever? Will she crack the case on her own? Read as this courageous upstart stumbles through another adventure.

★★★★★ ORDER YOUR COPY ★★★★★

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“When you think about it, I really only need one hostage,” he said as he put his hand on the small of my back and gave me a gentle shove. The helicopter was in the air, and I fell helplessly into the clouds. I grabbed hold of the landing skid and dangled above the water. We were not quite high enough yet that I would turn to dust if I were to drop. “Let go!” he shouted from below. I saw Gage take off his boots and put his wallet next to them on the ground. “Jasmine, jump!”

            I saw him dive into the water, and I let go. This was the most terrifying thing I had ever done. As I hit the water, two strong arms reached for me and pulled me up as I plunged powerlessly into the deep. I held my breath, but I didn’t have much air left. He pulled me up so that I could breathe, and I grabbed hold of his neck. “I’ve got you, Jazz. You’re okay.”

            He turned me so that I could hold onto his neck from behind, and he swam to the shore. The helicopter, which was holding my dad tied up and gagged, was long gone. When we got to the shore, Hector, Gage’s boss, was standing there. He pulled me out of the water, and Gage followed. “Good job,” Hector said to me. “You’re very brave.”

            I watched Gage grab his wallet, cigarettes, and shoes. “You need to quit,” I said. “They’re no good for you.”

            He pulled out a smoke and lit the tip, taking a deep pull off his cigarette. “Someday,” he answered. “Unfortunately, we often want what is no good for us.” I knew to what he was referring, but I let it go. Although you might think that the smell of the cigarette would fill the air, there was an engaging male scent radiating off of Gage that made me almost forget my name.

Suddenly, I realized that Hector was gone. “Where did Hector go? Where’s my mom?”

            “They went after the helicopter, Jazz. I don’t think she’s coming back this time.”

            My mom abandoned my dad and me years ago. They both worked for the FBI, and she never seemed to be able to balance her job and her family. Hector was in charge of all their destinies. As delightfully delicious as Hector was, I always resented him for taking her away. It was my goal to be a cop someday and wipe out organized crime just so people like the ones my parents fought daily would go out of business for good. Of course, I realized how unrealistic that was.

            “I started my own team. You must remember me mentioning that to you,” he said.

            “Yes, Storm. That’s what you call it.”

            We stepped over to his jeep. He reached in and handed me a towel. I began to dry my face and hair with it, as he did the same with his own. Gage was a storm all by himself. He was tall, well-built, and had smoldering dark eyes. His hair fell just below his ears, and I can remember how soft it was when I last ran my fingers through it.

            “I’m not just working for the FBI this time. I have a job out of the country. I’m going to find someone’s daughter who was taken by terrorists.”

            My stomach churned as he opened the door to the jeep, and I hopped inside. “Don’t leave me, Gage,” I said, as my soaking wet body leaked all over his vinyl car seats.

            I reached up for his face, but he grabbed my hand. “We’ve been through this. You’re too young, Jasmine.”

            “Gage, I am 19 years old. I’m old enough.”

            “I’m 27, Jazz. You’re too young for me.”

            That stung. I was waiting for Gage to the be the one for me. I didn’t want anyone else, and even though he may think of me as too young for him, I felt the ache in his eyes. We heard a gunshot, and Gage pushed me down onto the floor of his jeep. He jumped into the driver’s side and took off down the road. “What’s happening?” I asked. “Who’s here?”

            “Someone realized you were still breathing, princess. Put your head down.”

            I stayed down on the floor of the jeep as a bullet hit the windshield shattering the glass. I tried so hard to be brave, but I could barely hold it together. I heard Gage give our location and situation out on a radio. It was only a few moments before everything got quiet. “I lost them,” he said.

“This is all related to my parents, isn’t it.”

            “You know I can’t tell you that.”

            “And the terrorists. Who are they? Who’s the girl?”
            He pulled the jeep over to the side of the road and sighed before looking at me. “Jazz,” he said, putting his hand on the side of my face. “Don’t wait for me. I won’t be back. Do you understand what I’m saying? I’m no good for you. Forget me.”

            He grabbed his towel and brushed the glass off the passenger’s seat. Then he held out his hand for me to take, and he pulled me up off of the floor. I sat uncomfortably and refused to meet his eyes. He wanted me to discard him like a pack of cigarettes. I knew he was no good for me, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about him. I didn’t say anything. Clearly, my efforts were futile.

            He put his hand back on the steering wheel, put the jeep back in gear, and we drove down the highway. “Don’t make me come back just to check on you,” he said. “Behave yourself. Move forward. Forget about me.”

                                                                            *****

I waited for him. I anticipated his return. I am now 24 years old, and he didn’t come back in time … or did he? This is my story. Let the ride begin.

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Judy Serrano graduated from Texas A&M University-Commerce with a master’s degree in English. She is the owner of Make Cents Editing Services and is an English teacher at a local high school. Judy writes romantic suspense, Mafia romance, and paranormal romance. She is the author of The Easter’s Lilly Series, The Linked Series, Ivy Vines, Visions and the Unorganized Crime series. Although originally from New York, Judy resides in Texas with her husband and six cats.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ www.judyserrano.com 

Twitter ➜ http://www.twitter.com/AuthorJSerrano 

Facebook ➜  https://www.facebook.com/JudySerranoAuthor/

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4792103.Judy_Serrano