Author
Good morning lovely people. This is an interesting read which got me thinking…
As Maya Rodale notes early in this interview, romance novels tend not to get the same respect as other categories of fiction, historical or otherwise. Here, and
— Read on lithub.com/why-do-we-scorn-romance-novels/
I’m not gonna lie, this week has been a struggle both personally & professionally. We seem to have stepped into a world where humanity and what it means to be human have been trumped (literally) by the fissures which cut in and divide us. I have watched with sadness and disbelief as things I never thought possible have stampeded across all of the goodness and kindness that exists. Our world is broken, we are broken. The more I watch events roll out in front of me, the more I’m convinced we are at the pinnacle of a ‘now or never’ moment. We have but a small window, an opportunity to stand up and help to heal our broken world.
But I’m afraid we’ll miss it, that we’ll be so caught up in ourselves that we won’t understand or see our one chance for real change. But you know what? Self awareness is a wonderful thing, and I have been heartened to see a collective consciousness take hold across the world. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s that unity affects change.
If by reading this it’s made you think about how you, as one person can help to rid our world of the two deadly virus’s which plague it, Corona Virus and racism then that is a good thing. I’m not saying come up with an overnight fix which can fast track us to utopia, but by shining a light in the dark corners we can make it known neither are welcome here. We have been given the ability to write a new book, to write our chapter of history. What is it we want to be remembered for?
It gives me great pleasure to welcome my very talented friend and fellow mystery author Iris Chacon . Iris last appeared on my blog way back in 2017, since then she has been busy, busy, busy!
Welcome back Iris. For those that don’t know you please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a Florida girl, so even though I love to travel, I’ve only lived in the hot climate of the American Southeast. I feel secretly inferior to people who cope with actual winters. I’m married, have two grown (beautiful) offspring, and love animals. I’ve had several interesting jobs, but my most recent and favorite one was teaching.
What can you tell us about your latest release?
My newest book is The Mammoth Murders, Book 2 of the Minokee Mysteries.
A valuable fossil mammoth turns up in a Florida sinkhole, and people start disappearing. Shepard Krausse (a blind radio host) and Miranda Ogilvy (an “invisible” librarian) risk their lives and their relationship as they look for answers along a wilderness river. Sequel to the award-winning novel, Finding Miranda.The Mammoth Murders marks the debut of a popular new crime-solving character in the town of Minokee: Zeus (pictured below).
To purchase The Mammoth Murders click the link below…
Also available from Smashwords, Apple, B&N and Kobo
I’m loving the sound of The Mammouth Murders Iris, I have added it to my TBR pile. Do you always know where your stories will end up when you begin writing them?
I do a lot of planning before I start a book, especially with a mystery. I need to know the end before I start, and I need to know what some of the twists and turns and misdirection’s might be along the way. I need to know the major turning points in the main plot and the subplot(s). I may diagram or chart all these points and rearrange them several times before writing the narrative.
This may make you think that I know everything that will happen before I write the book, but I don’t. The charts and graphs go out the window when characters start acting and interacting. In the same way no battle plan survives the actual onset of shooting, no book outline survives the actual writing process. Continue reading “Saturday Spotlight ~ Iris Chacon”
There are so many things we can no longer do due to temporarily living in dystopia, but, thankfully, we can still read! If you have a ‘to be read’ pile as long as a pair of tights worn by a giant, then crack on! If, however, you are a bit light on the old words and ink, then now would be the ideal time to support your local bookshop. As with a lot of businesses, independent bookshops are struggling. Although you can no longer visit them, most shops have been proactive and set up online ordering and shipping. If your local shop does not do this, you can still support them and visit Hive.
Hive is an online bookstore with a difference. They support independent bookshops with every sale they make, and on the plus side you can nominate your local shop to receive a percentage from every purchase you make.
As we all start to adjust to the seismic shift of things, take a moment, escape, and read a book.
What a fabulous idea! Award winning author C J Cooke has partnered with Paper Nations to create the first ever ‘Stay at Home’ literary festival. Staring tomorrow March 27th, and running through to April 11th you can dip in and out of any of the workshops by simply clicking on the links provided (no need to register in advance). Workshops cover everything bookish, from how to write a best selling thriller to adventure writing for children. The festivals aims to combat loneliness, champion connectivity, & celebrate books! It is completely free and completely online, can’t say it enough – what a fabulous idea! If you need me, you know where I’ll be… Link to the full programme below…
Shared from LitHub…
If you fancy an edge of your seat read to take your mind of things right now may I suggest my medical thriller Forbidden Colours?
Forbidden Colours is available on what’s called a Kindle Countdown – that’s 99p ($1.14) for 7 days – here’s the link & happy reading…
Re shared from Lithub.com…
Of course, books can be a balm in these terrifying times—but as the surge in sales of plague-related literature reveals, sometimes all we want to …
The first lines of 10 classic novels, rewritten for social distancing.
Ever felt as if you are living in a parallel universe? Yep, me too! A trip to the supermarket this morning has reminded me of why I like books more than I like people. What is wrong with everyone? And will someone please explain the global obsession with toilet rolls?
Nowhere have I read that this virus requires an abundance of 2-ply or pasta. Maybe I missed the memo about the zombie apocalypse, or the last ever ‘Best Pasta Art in a Crisis’ competition – Who knows!
I used to collect milk bottle tops for charity, maybe it’s something like that, in which case I applaud all of you selfless creatures for doing your bit for humanity. Or, perhaps you are all hosting massive neighbourhood pasta bake-outs for the vulnerable people within your communities? Again you will get nothing but praise from me. If, however, your garage has been converted into a European mountain range, made up of fragrant smelling soft white’s topped off with layers of Farfalle & Penne, then SHAME ON YOU! What the hell were you thinking? No amount of pasta or toilet rolls are going to stop you from getting this wretched virus; it’s a PAN_DEM_IC. Sadly what your actions will do is to stop those who need those items from getting them. So if you are one of the many who temporarily forgot what it means to be human, you are forgiven. Get yourself and your plentiful supply of ____________ (paracetamol, pasta, toilet roll, flour – you fill in the blanks) down to your local food bank and donate as if your life depended on it – OK? It costs nothing to be kind, in return, you will get a nice warm fuzzy feeling, and the inner self-loathing you felt when you started reading this post will be gone.
Here endeth today’s lesson.
