Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!
 
This week’s guest author  interview features PJ MacLayne and her suspense/action novel, The Rise of Jake Hennessey, a Harmony Duprie Story.
 
Why don’t we begin, PJ, by telling readers something about you?

Bio:
 
Less than a year ago, I retired from my day job and moved halfway across the US, and am back in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, which has given me the background for most of my books. I am the author of  the six The Harmony Duprie Mysteries, as well as the companion stories, The Fall of Jake Hennessey and The Rise of Jake Hennessey. I have also written The Free Wolves urban fantasy books.

Tell us something that isn't in your regular bio: “I don’t wear makeup. Currently, I don’t even own any. I used to occasionally wear eyeshadow, mascara and blush, but that’s it. I’ve never owned foundation. The closest thing I have to makeup is clear lip gloss for my chapped lips. Makes my morning routine simple!”
  
You can find PJ on various social media sites.
 
Website: https://pjmaclayne.com
Facebook https://facebook.com/pjmaclayne 
Twitter https://twitter.com/pjmaclayne
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/P.J.-MacLayne/e/B00HVE8WZI    
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/p-j-maclayne
 Newsletter http://eepurl.com/cL73Cz
 Instagram: https://instagram.com/p.j.maclayne

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
PJ: I didn’t choose writing as a career-it chose me. I wrote essays back in the dark ages when I was in high school, as well as poetry. I’ve never attempted to support myself from my writing and have had a variety of other jobs. Now that I’ve retired, I still don’t write full-time.
  
JLB:  What inspired your featured book?
PJ: Jake Hennessey started as a background character in the Harmony Duprie stories. In fact, he was barely mentioned in the first book. Once he made an appearance in the second book, Her Ladyship’s ring,, he wouldn’t let me write him out of the series. (And I tried!)
Still, he never revealed his whole story, no matter how hard I tried to figure him out. But once I was done with the mystery series and was ready to start something new, he butted in and said it was his turn.  That resulted in The Fall of Jake Hennessey, a prequel to the Harmony Duprie stories, and The Rise of Jake Hennessey, a sequel.
I have to give credit to a former co-worker, Jenny. She was always a fan of Jake, and I wrote the books partly to give her the story she wanted.
 
JLB:  Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
PJ: I use an on-line critique group, Critique Circle, and I find it to be a great resource. Getting feedback from a variety of other authors helps me find plot holes and weak spots in my stories, as well as pointing out what works well for readers. The downfall is that you don’t always get the same people following the story the whole way through.
 
JLB:  Do you write from an outline?
PJ: I am totally a pantser- I start with a beginning and end in mind, and discover the middle. My stories are driven by the characters and I make changes at their insistence. I’ve made major changes in my stories based on arguments I’ve  had with my characters.
 
JLB:  How many drafts (revision passes) do you do on a typical book before submission to your editor/publisher?
PJ:  I usually do at least three drafts before sending it to my editor, and two after. (Including the changes my editor suggests.) My last revision is having the draft read to me by my computer in a monotone computer voice.
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
PJ: I’m working on a female PI story set in Pittsburgh, PA in the early 1980’s. That was the beginning of the digital age and the end of the steel mills in the area. It’s a much grittier tale than my previous mysteries and I am trying to make the background as realistic as possible. I don’t have a release date set yet, but I’m going to give it as much time as it needs.
 
JLB: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
PJ: 

• Ebook or print? Both! I love the feel of a book in my hands, but I also appreciate the ease of carrying a lot of books around on a tablet when I travel. 
• Favorite comfort food: chocolate, of course. As an alternative, I make a mean chicken and dumplings which is perfect for supper in the winter. 
• Have you written a book during NaNo? Several of them. That’s what got me hooked on fiction writing in the first place. 
• A supernatural ability you’d love to have: Healing. I’d like to be able to help people feel better without them knowing how it happened. 
• How long does it take you to write a book? I’ve written a book in less than nine months and had another take fourteen months. (But I moved in the midst of that one.) 

JLB: Thank you for visiting with us PJ. Before you go, please tell readers about The Rise of Jake Hennessey.

The Rise of Jake Hennessey
Genre: suspense/action

For 22 years, semi-retired jewel thief Jake Hennessey honored his promise to stay away from Harmony Duprie. He has no plans to change that... until Special Agent Doan Houck saunters into Jake's bar, claiming Harmony's life is in danger.
 
She's not the only one in jeopardy. Jake is run over by a motorcycle and is the target of a drive-by shooting. He doesn't know who to trust. Not the feds Not the local cops.
 
Not even Harmony.
 
But Jake will do anything to protect his ex-lover. Even if it means matching wits with an FBI agent, revealing old secrets, or ending up in prison. Again.
 
If it comes down to saving his life or Harmony's, there is no choice at all.
 
Buy Links
 
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C59KDNNW
 Nook (B&N):  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143484076?ean=2940161154397
 Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-rise-of-jake-hennessey
 Apple:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6449169609
 Books2Read:  https://books2read.com/u/mdX7jE

Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!
 
This week’s guest author interviewee is mystery author Michele Drier (who also writes paranormal romance), and the featured book is TAPESTRY OF TEARS, A Stained Glass Mystery.

Welcome, Michele. I am so pleased to have you visit the blog. Thank you for coming. Shall we get started?

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB:  Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
MD:  I don’t know if I “chose” writing as a career, it kind of chose me. Years ago as a reporter with the San Jose Mercury-News, there were several of us who had a partially written book in a desk drawer (and even a cops reporter who had a bottle tucked away as well). I know a couple of my co-workers actually wrote a book, but no one I know ever made a best-sellers list.
At the back of my mind I always told myself stories with the idea that one day I’d write some of them down and, when I finally retired from my day job, looked in the mirror and said, “OK, you’ve fooled yourself for years. Now it’s time to get real.” That was in 2011 and I’m now working on my 18th novel.
  
JLB:  Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
MD:  Yes and yes. In the past, I was involved in three different critique groups, including one which had several poets. They may not have read deeply in my genre, but it was always interesting to hear their critiques…poets use language differently and their comments were eye-opening. I’m now in only one critique group, but a couple of us have been together for about eight years. I won’t send anything out the door (even this blog) without running it by them first. I also have beta readers, usually five or so for each book. There are people who may or may not be in my writing community (one person I went to high school with) but they give me valuable feedback on plot holes, character disassociations, pacing and time line problems…those things and pull you out of the story and make you say “Huh?”
 
JLB:  What three books in your genre (other than your own) would you recommend to readers? 
MD:  Rather than books, I’d recommend authors. Kate Atkinson for her Jackson Brodie series or her stand-alones, Tara French for any of her Dublin police books and Martin Cruz Smith for his Arkady Renko novels (Gorky Park, Polar Star).
Like eating popcorn, I also devour any Martha Grimes or Elizabeth George book as well.
 
JLB:  Where do you go to find a new book to read? A friend, google search, browsing a brick-and-mortar bookstore? 
MD:  All of the above. I always rely on recommendations from friends and fellow writers. I also subscribe to several daily news sources (Reuters, al Jezzera, CNN, Washington Post, Axios, New York Times) and they often have ads from major publishers. I can’t be trusted browsing in brick-and-mortar book stores (both budgetary and space limitations) but buy and read most books on my Kindle so occasionally I’ll search Amazon or B&N for new listings.
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? 
MD:   I’m working on the third in the Stained Glass Mysteries, Resurrection of the Roses. I’m looking at a late summer release date.
Stained glass artist Roz Duke and her friend Liam Karshner are in France, where Roz has been invited to keynote a symposium at the Sorbonne on Medieval stained glass. When she comes across a man impaled on a large shard of ruby red glass, the Surete is called and, in the form of a sexy Frenchwoman, puts Roz in the “person of interest” category. This is a follow up on the second book, Tapestry of Tears, with Roz in England.

JLB: Let's finish today's interview with a look at your featured book.

TAPESTRY OF TEARS (A Stained Glass Mystery)
Genre: Traditional Mystery

History had always been a strong magnet for Rosalind Duke. She took up the medieval craft of making stained glass and was building a solid international reputation, taking on larger and larger commissions. Her idyllic life with her husband, Winston Duke, an art historian at UCLA, was cut short when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting.
 
After moving to a small town on the Oregon coast, she’s offered a commission to translate the medieval embroidery, The Bayeux Tapestry, into stained glass for a museum at a small Wisconsin university. Roz jumps at the chance. Not only to try to transfer the Tapestry into a new medium, but to spend time in Southern England and Northern France, tracing the path taken by the invading Normans under William the Conqueror.
 
But the 21st century drags her back when she finds a body crumpled against a wall in an ancient stone church in the small town of Lympne, on the southern coast of England. Has she walked into a contemporary murder?
 
Buy link:
 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P5Q8JMT

About the Author:

Michele Drier is a fifth-generation Californian and spent better than 20 years as a reporter and editor at California daily newspapers. She is the past president of Capitol Crimes, a Sisters in Crime chapter; the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime, current president of NorCal Sisters in Crime, and co-chaired Bouchercon 2020.
Her Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries are Edited for Death, (called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review), Labeled for Death and Delta for Death. A stand-alone, Ashes of Memories was published May 2017.
Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, was named the best paranormal vampire series of 2014 by PRG. Book Eleven, SNAP: Pandemic Games was published in 2022
Her new series is the Stained Glass Mysteries, Stain on the Soul and Tapestry of Tears, and she’s working on the third, Resurrection of the Roses.
She lives in Sacramento with her cat, Malley.
 
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I’ve always been a sports car fanatic and used to competitive drive. In two different marriages, I drove my Porsche and my husband’s Corvette in both Autocrosses and Time trials, events where you compete against the clock on different race courses including Laguna Seco and Sears Point. Said goodbye to the husbands and racing about 25 years ago, LOL.”
 
Contact Michele:
 
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michele-drier
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5034919.Michele_Drier
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micheledrier/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier/
Website: https://micheledrier.me/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/micheledrier

​Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!

I'm pleased to have cozy mystery author Judy Alter on the blog today with an article based on her own experiences and her featured book, IRENE DEEP IN TEXAS TROUBLE.

The blog is in your hands, Judy.

Irene Deep in Texas Trouble is the fourth in my series, Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries. I didn’t start out to write a series. Neither did I intend to write about a faux French chef who is very much a diva. What I thought I was going to write about was a young woman with culinary ambitions who moved from Texas to Chicago.
 
The culinary ambitions are because I have long said if I had life to live over again, I’d go to culinary school. As it is, I was too old by the time I realized that cooking was a passion. My knees and back would never have tolerated the long hours standing over a stove. And the Chicago setting? The older I get the more nostalgic I am about my childhood in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, so that’s where Henny James lands. And Texas? That Lone Star State has been home for over fifty-five years, so Henny makes a reverse of the journey I made long ago, and she brings with her the Texas recipes that are so familiar to me. Probably subconscious but I set up the competition (mostly friendly) between French cuisine and Texas down-home cooking.
 
As for Irene Foxglove, the diva chef, I have absolutely no idea where she came from. She was just there one day. At six feet tall, she towers over Henny, her assistant who narrates Irene’s story. Irene brings secrets to the story—the puzzle of her marriage, her spoiled daughter, the man who threatens her. Add in some murder and mayhem, and Henny realizes her role is to save Irene. So that was Saving Irene, a stand-alone that I wrote on a whim to satisfy my culinary longings. A beta reader assured me the story was complete, and I should not think about a sequel.
 
Irene, however, did not agree. She kept nudging me, planting ideas in the back of my mind, until one day I found myself a thousand words into the second book, Irene in Danger. Today, with four books, Irene has begun to suggest things about the fifth book. She wants it titled Missing Irene, and she’s given me the opening scene. I just haven’t had time to put it in the computer yet. I have no idea what happens after that scene, but I’m confident Irene will let me know.
 
It was relatively easy for me, an indie author, to turn a stand-alone into the first in a series. For traditionally published authors, the launch of a series depends on publisher approval. Yet if I didn’t’ know II was writing a series, how do others know so they negotiate with a publisher? I asked Susan Wittig Albert, author of the China Bayles series (and many other titles), if she knew when she started out that she was beginning a long series—she is now at work on Never Forget Me, the 29th in the series. She revealed she knew she was proposing a three-book series to her publisher; after those three books, she proposed the following three but took the project to another house. And the series took off.
 
My next question was, “How do you know when a series is over?” Susan offered two scenarios: when the audience loses interest or when the author runs out of ideas, wants to move on to something else, or dies (think of Dick Francis whose son continued his series or Robert Parker whose Spense books are now written by another author).
 
Authors talk about the arc not only of an individual book but of a series. How do you know when the path of the arc is descending? Susan advised losing the image of the arc and thinking of the series as a bundle of character growth, challenges, obstructions, sidelines, all the parts that make up a complex story. When they start to fall apart, the series is done.
 
Long series are particularly hard because they can easily go stale and dull. How do you keep them fresh? It takes a supply of new ideas. Recently I read Fire and Rain, sixteenth in Julie Mulhern’s Country Club series, and as I turned the last page (on my Kindle) I realized that one of the standard antagonistic characters is about to disappear from the series and a charming young new character is about to become a major player. That series is continuing.
 
My Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, the first series I attempted, ran to eight books—and I knew it was over when I lost enthusiasm for it. I couldn’t see where the characters were going next, which I suppose is a way of saying the characters stopped talking to me. As for Irene, I’m sure she’ll let me know when the series is done, probably by stopping talking to me. But, for now, it’s ongoing, so watch for Missing Irene—in about a year.

IRENE DEEP IN TEXAS TROUBLE
Genre: cozy mystery

Deep in Texas Trouble is all about love and romance—and murder!
It’s Christmas in Texas. Henny’s best friend, Charlie, is marrying the love of her life, rich and spoiled Rick Scott, and Henny will cater the wedding supper. Irene, faux Franch chef, diva, and Henny’s one-time mentor, and Chance, Irene’s billionaire lover, are spending the holiday with Henny’s family, and Irene steps in as Henny’s sous chef. When there’s a sensational murder at supper, Irene is the prime suspect. Murder is  complicated by a kidnapping, threatening notes, and a runaway couple. Once again, Henny is the one to save Irene.
Come on down to Texas and wander the historic Fort Worth stockyards, watch a rodeo, discover a new competitive sport, and eat some Texas food. While Irene detests most of the Texas menu, you’ll probably like it. Recipes included.

Amazon Buy Link:
 Irene Deep in Texas Trouble: An Irene in Chicago Culinary Mystery - Kindle edition by Alter, Judy. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

About the Author:
​
After an award-winning career as a western writer, Judy Alter turned to mystery. She is the author of three earlier series—Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, Blue Plate Café Mysteries, and Oak Grove Mysteries. Irene Deep in Texas Trouble is the fourth in her new Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries, following the successful Saving Irene, Irene in Danger, and Finding Florence. Alter is retired as director of a small academic press and lives in a cottage in Fort Worth with her dog, Sophie. She is the mother of four and grandmother of seven and is an avid cook. She’s even written a book about cooking in her cottage, Gourmet on a Hot Plate.
​
Find Judy at http://www.judyalter.com or her two blogs, http://www.judys-stew.blogspotcom and http://www.gourmetonahotplate.blogspot.com; Facebook: Judy Alter | Facebook; Twitter: @judyalter.com; Bookbub: Partner Dashboard My Books - BookBub; Goodreads: Search results for "Judy Alter" (showing 1-10 of 174 books) | Goodreads: Search results for "Judy Alter" (showing 1-10 of 174 books) | Goodreads

Bio:
 
Jann Franklin, a resident of Grand Cane, Louisiana, began writing to express her creative side.  But it wasn't always like that--not until her husband encouraged her to value her small town roots. Jann is a newspaper columnist and author of two book series about small town life. Her books center around the fictional town of Graisseville, Louisiana and its 298 quirky residents.
 
Contact links:
https://www.jannfranklin.com/
https://twitter.com/JannFranklin3
https://www.facebook.com/jannfranklinauthor
https://www.instagram.com/jannfranklinauthor/

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB:  Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
JF:  I'm self-published because I enjoy the freedom of making my books exactly the way I want them.
 
JLB:  Do people you know ever sneak into your books as characters?
JF:  At first I tried hard to keep people I know out of my books. When I started my cozy mysteries, my father asked to be in it. The heroine's father is a retired veterinarian named Skeeter, and he's based on my father. Once people found out he was a supporting character in my book, they've asked to also be included. Apparently it's exciting to be a fictional character!
 
JLB:   Do you write from an outline?
JF:  Not really. I create the bare bones of the victim and the suspects, including their motive, means, and opportunity. I write down the clues in the order I want them revealed. I also create the super clue, that one key piece of information that solves the crime. And then I just start writing.
 
JLB:   Do you read reviews of your own books? Do you respond to them? Are you affected by them?
JF:  I'm forced to read reviews, because I need to put them on my ads. But I stay away from them as much as I can, because I know authors who have their whole day ruined because someone wrote a three star review, or left a one star rating with no reason why. I've had enough people tell me they love my books  and identify with my characters--I'm happy.
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
JF:  I had so much trouble marketing my Small Town Girl series because it's not a specific genre, that I took a detour to write the third and final book. Now my focus is my cozies, and the second one will be out in July, Boudin and Bloodshed. My plan is to deliver one every quarter, and I'm writing the third mystery, Fruitcake and Fraud, which will come out late November. Being from Louisiana, I have to write one about Mardi Gras, so I'll start my fourth one in July, Mardi Gras and Mayhem. It will be out in January.
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you select to answer?
JF: 

• Ebook or print? print
• Most watched tv show: Bluebloods
• A movie you’ll always remember: The Princess Bride
• Most beloved comic book character: Wonder Woman - we all need a lasso of truth
• Something unique in your handbag: toothpicks. Nothing drives me more crazy than having things stuck in my teeth.

 
JLB: Thank you for visiting the blog, Jann. As we end today’s interview, please show us your featured books in the Small Town Girl Mystery series and the related Small Town Girl trilogy.

​Muffalettas and Murder (Small Town Girl Mysteries)
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Evangeline Delafose is finding Graisseville, Louisiana just as she remembered—boring and uneventful. Until her brother Nate asks her to help solve a murder.

Buy link Book 1): https://www.amazon.com/Muffalettas-Murder-Small-Town-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BPQYJQ3T

Small Town Girl Series
Genre:  A trilogy about small town life; clean, humorous Southern fiction.

Jen Guidry thrives in the big city, but her husband Mike finds the bright lights blinding. He moves their family back to the tiny town in Louisiana where he grew up, a place that doesn't even have a coffee shop! How will Jen cope with being a fish out of water?
 
Buy link Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/Trading-Bright-Lights-Lightning-Bugs-ebook/dp/B0BN6QLDQ2
 
Books 2 and 3 are also on Amazon

About the Author:
An enrolled descendant of the Karuk Tribe of California, I enjoyed a forty-year investigative career in law enforcement and private and corporate investigations. I attended the Institute of American Indian Arts, earning an MFA-Creative Writing.
As a corporate and private Investigator, I conducted investigations throughout the Americas and Asia. For about five years, I kept my investigative skills honed by volunteering as a Missing Person investigator at a California Police Department.
My short stories and poems have been published in numerous anthologies. My debut novel, The Mona Lisa Sisters, was released in 2020. Robbers and Cops followed in 2022. New Liberty-A Hector Miguel Navarro Novel, the first in the series, will be out shortly.

Something unique that isn’t in your regular bio: “My father was exceptional, and his skills led to a unique experience in my teens. Dad was a horseman, a good part of his life. Pop even rode with the 11th Calvary, the Blackhorse Regiment, up to and into World War II. 
Pop bought three wild donkeys in my fifteenth year, and we trained them to be pack animals. Pop made the saddles and all the equipment needed by a beast of burden. We spent over three weeks on the John Muir Trail and more weeks in the backcountry of California. In all my years, I’ve never met a man like my Pop.”
 
You can contact me at:
Email              gdcramer@outlook.com
Blog                 https://gdcramer.com/george-cramer-blog/
FaceBook      https://facebook.com/george.cramer.56211
LinkedIn         (99+) George Cramer | LinkedIn
Amazon           Amazon.com: George Cramer: books, biography, latest update

​Perhaps the most exciting place and time to have ever lived was Brooklyn in the Roaring ‘20s. This is why I chose to set my historical PI mystery there and then. It was a time of Prohibition and speakeasies, jazz and the shimmy, moving pictures and baseball—and above all else, a full-throttled expression of living life to the fullest.
 
In Velma Gone Awry, I attempt to bottle this ebullience of esprit within the pages of a mystery novel. 8 Ballo is a PI in 1923 Brooklyn, living and working in Bushwick, when he is hired to find the missing adult daughter of a German businessman. Thus, the caper begins, and the high jinks ensue.
 
8’s first stop in his search is at the Algonquin Round Table presided over by Dorothy Parker, who is an acquaintance of Velma. The wisecracking wit of Parker and the other members of this esteemed literary circle are put out on display. Through the course of the book, 8 and Parker become good friends, as she aids him in finding the where and why of Velma.
 
After Dorothy goes off elsewhere with the group for cocktails, 8 meets and interviews the very-hungover married couple, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. He will also travel out to visit them later in the book in Great Neck, or should I say East and West Egg, setting for The Great Gatsby.
 
Next is a visit to Harlem to speak with Coleman ‘Bean’ Hawkins, who at one point had a dalliance with Velma. This legendary jazzman weaves his way through the pages, as do other prodigious musical talents of the era such as Fletcher ‘Smack’ Henderson, Ethel Waters, and many more.
 
Places such as Coney Island are brought to life as 8 searches for Velma. The carnival atmosphere with the rides, the debauchery, the circus acts, and the illegal speakeasies permeate the pages. The sheer energy of Coney Island, with the recent advent of the nickel train, which brought the poor as well as the rich to the beach, is caught in all of its vibrant colors, smells, and sounds.
 
Speakeasies and rum running can’t take place without gangsters, and the likes of Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Charlie Luciano, and Arnold Rothstein have appearances. Rothstein is credited with fixing the 1919 World Series and the other three became incredibly powerful, first beginning Murder Incorporated at the Candy Store in Gravesend and the Back Room in lower Manhattan. The Back Room is still in operation, retaining its 1920’s speakeasy flavor, and I recently got a tour of the back of the Back Room, through a special bookcase doorway into the secret lair where these Italian and Jewish gangsters plotted.
 
Of course, New York City in the 1920’s wouldn’t be complete without a cameo from Babe Ruth, in all of his brash bravado style. Travel to the top of the Hotel Bossert, into the old Sicily of Williamsburg, the upscale Brooklyn Heights, and the neighborhood of Bushwick. Trolleys, new Yellow Cabs, Tommy Guns, corruption, and vice mix with entertainment and excitement.
 
The flavor, bustle, excitement, and verve of Brooklyn and New York City in the Roaring 20’s is brought to life in Velma Gone Awry. Follow 8 Ballo and his gang of friends as he tries to uncover where she’s gone and why. And find out why he has a numeral for a name. 

About the Author:

Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym, before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014 he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.
 
Cost has published four books in the Mainely Mystery series, with the fifth, Mainely Wicked, due out in August of 2023. He has also published four books in the Clay Wolfe Trap series, with the fifth, Pirate Trap, due out in December of 2023.
 
For historical novels, Cost has published At Every Hazard and its sequel, Love in a Time of Hate, as well as I am Cuba. In April of 2023, Cost will combine his love of histories and mysteries into a historical PI mystery set in 1923 Brooklyn, Velma Gone Awry.

Contact the Author:
Email:               matthew-cost@comcast.net
Website:         https://www.mattcost.net
Twitter:           @MattCost8
Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/matt.cost.3
Instagram:       https://www.instagram.com/mlangdoncost/
Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13910694.Matthew_Langdon_Cost

​Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!
 
This week on the mystery blog, I’m talking with suspense writer Lis Angus and taking a look at her featured book, Not Your Child. Before we get started, Lis, please tell readers a little about yourself.

Bio:
I grew up in the western Canada province of Alberta. After high school I spent two years in Germany, then finished university in Ottawa, where I met my husband. We raised our two daughters in Toronto, and now live in a small town south of Ottawa.
I’ve been writing all my life, from childhood on, but abandoned fiction writing after my teen years. My early career was spent working with children and families in crisis, then later I was a telecommunications consultant and policy advisor, conference organizer, business writer and editor. I had always wanted to write a novel; after I retired I decided it was time, and plunged into writing a first draft. Meanwhile I took writing classes and joined a local writing group. I also joined the Sisters in Crime “Guppy” chapter, where I learned a lot from other writers.
My debut novel, NOT YOUR CHILD, was published in April 2022 by The Wild Rose Press, so this month is its one-year anniversary. I’m excited to celebrate this milestone—and meanwhile I am working on a second book, another standalone suspense novel.
 
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “Somehow, I’ve managed to take boat rides on several of the world’s great rivers: the Nile, the Amazon, the Danube, the Rhine, the Yangtze, the Thames. And I also toured the countries they’re in, of course. My usual travel companion is my husband, but the trip to China was with my two sisters. My older sister had dreamed of visiting China since she was a child, and we finally made it happen, and even visited sites in Tibet.”

Author links:
Website: https://lisangus.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisangusauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisangus1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisangus459/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59436824-not-your-child

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB:  What is the hardest part of writing for you?
LA:  I’m still developing my craft as a fiction writer, so every stage takes effort. Getting the first draft down is a big milestone: as someone said, “you can’t edit a blank page.” Once I have something on the page—or on the screen—I can start to work on it. I revise scene by scene, and section by section: first working on big issues like character, plot, and structure, then refining to improve the flow. If I make a significant change, like eliminating a story line, I call that a new draft, though within a draft I might rewrite every scene a few times. At one point with NOT YOUR CHILD, I threw out the final 25% of the book and changed the ending completely.
 
JLB:  Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
LA:  I definitely use beta readers. I have several that I rely on to help me identify places in my draft that are unclear or need revision. However, it’s important to let them know what kind of feedback I’m looking for: if I want to know if a plot twist works or a character is believable,  I’m less interested in finding out about spelling mistakes.
 
JLB:  How many books do you read in a month? Which genre(s)? Favorite authors?
LA:  I always have a book on the go, and I generally average two or three novels a week. I regularly update my library request lists. I mainly read within the crime fiction spectrum —from domestic suspense to thrillers to police procedurals. I like atmospheric novels that go beyond plot to delve into the relationships between characters. I admire many authors: a few that come to mind (in no particular order) are Jane Harper, Adrian McKinty, Tana French, Lisa Unger, Ruth Ware, Chris Pavone, Karin Slaughter, Michael Koryta, Nicci French.
 
JLB:  Do you read reviews of your own books? Do you respond to them? Are you affected by them?
LA:  I do read my reviews, both by professional reviewers and by readers.  I’ve been lucky that they’ve mostly been positive, so that encourages me. I love to know that my work is resonating with readers, and I try to thank them for the feedback. Occasionally there’s a review from someone who hasn’t  enjoyed the book, but I figure I can’t please everyone, and I certainly don’t try to change their mind.
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
LA:  I’m currently working on my second novel, another standalone suspense. I’m hoping to have a draft to submit by the end of the year. Optimistically, I’d hope for a release sometime in 2024.
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you choose?
LA:

• ebook or print?  I prefer the feel of a print book, but sometimes an ebook is just more convenient, especially when travelling.
• most beloved comic book character:  Hobbes (from Calvin and Hobbes) —he breaks me up!
• have you written a book during NaNo? NOT YOUR CHILD started as a 2017 NaNo project, though it took four years and numerous drafts before it found a publisher.  And the book I’m currently writing started as a NaNo project too.
• How long does it take you to write a book? Too long! I’m not a fast writer, and I’m also something of a perfectionist.
• Favorite childhood book. I adored Trixie Belden. But another series I loved is one you may not have heard of: Freddy the Pig, who solved mysteries on Mr. Bean’s farm in Centerboro.

JLB:  Good luck with your writing, Lis. Thanks for visiting with those of us who love a good crime story. Now, let's take a look at your featured book.

Not Your Child
Genre: suspense
 
When Ottawa psychologist and single mother Susan Koss discovers that a strange man has been following her twelve-year-old daughter Maddy, she fears he’s a predator. But it’s worse than that. The man, Daniel Kazan, believes Maddy is his granddaughter, abducted as a baby—and he’s obsessed with getting her back.

Susan insists on a DNA test to disprove Daniel’s claim, but the result is one she can’t understand or explain: it says she’s not Maddy’s mother.

Then Maddy vanishes. Susan’s convinced Daniel has taken her, but he has an alibi, and two searches of his house turn up nothing. The hunt is on—police are on full mobilization, and Susan fears the worst.

 
​Buy links:
Note: There’ll be a special ebook 99¢ sale on NOT YOUR CHILD from April 12-26, to mark the book’s one-year anniversary.
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Not-Your-Child-Lis-Angus-ebook/dp/B09QRST379?maas=maas_adg_8A6B91EC58EC3F0283D1E75DECA38D55_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas
Universal book link: https://books2read.com/notyourchild

Welcome to the blog!

Please join me in visiting with DK Coutant regarding her experiences in writing, her reading habits, and her first cozy mystery, EVIL ALICE AND THE BORZOI.

Good morning, Dawna. Before we begin the interview, please tell us something about your background.

​Bio:
 
DK Coutant graduated from Davidson College with a Psychology degree, and applied her behavioral training at Sea World, training dolphins and whales. Realizing that scrubbing fish buckets might get old, she went back to school and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her academic career began at the University of Southern Maine before DK made the jump to the University of Hawaii at Hilo rising to Department Chair of the Psychology Department. After many happy years in Hawaii, DK made the move out of academics to become a professional geopolitical forecaster for GJP, Inc ( https://goodjudgment.com/Inc ) and INFER  ( https://www.infer-pub.com/). Evil Alice and the Borzoi is her first work of fiction published by The Wild Rose Press.
 
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “That’s a tough one. I threw everything but the kitchen sink into my bio. But okay, here’s one... We have an Old English Sheepdog puppy. She is seven months old and named Beasley. Most people guess she was named after the talking doll from the 1960s, but that is not the case. My husband and I are big fans of David Beasley, the Executive Director of the UN World Food Program. One night after seeing him being interviewed on PBS we added Beasley to the top of our puppy name list. When I met the puppy in person, Beasley was the only name she responded to, and she has been Beasley ever since.”
 
Author Contacts:
Website:  https://www.dkcoutant.com/
Twitter: @dkCoutant
Instagram: @DKCandDog

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
 
DKC: I am traditionally published with Wild Rose Press. I had queried more than 150 agents, with some full requests but no success. I then started on publishers that would accept queries directly from authors. My full-request ratio was much higher with the small publishers than with agents. But just as I was exploring the self-publishing option, I got my contract offer. Because this was my first work of fiction, I wanted some professionals with more experience than me to guide me through the process. I lost some control, but I believe ultimately the final product is better than it would have been if I had put it together on my own.
 
JLB:  Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
 
DKC:  I’ve tried both. I have a local critique group that I enjoy. Most of them write memoir, but they are people who love writing and we learn a lot from each other. I also love a good beta reader though for specific help and guidance on my 2nd or 3rd draft manuscripts. I have several that have been generous with their time and keen insights on what I’ve gotten wrong.  I don’t know what I’d do without them.
 
JLB:  How important do you think writing and reading are in today’s world?
 
DKC: Critical. Reading allows us to experience other cultures and life experiences. There was some research that it can help build empathy in kids. (I’ll find the citation if you want) When I taught Cross Cultural Psychology one requirement of the course was to find a book from a culture other than their own and read it, then report on the how that culture was different than their own.  I loved reading those reports and I think my students enjoyed writing them. That’s why I am excited the publishing industry is opening up to new voices from new backgrounds.
 
JLB:  How many books do you read in a month? Which genre(s)? Favorite authors?
 
DKC:  Gosh. It depends on the month but probably 7-8. I usually have 2 novels going at a time, One I read on my ipad, so I can read at night and not wake up my husband. Those are also great for travel because my TBR list are already downloaded on it. But I miss the smell of a real book, so I also have a hard copy (usually paperback) that I read during road trips in the car or if I have any free time during the day to curl up with a book for an hour.
I read pretty widely, including select non-fiction, but my go-to genres are mysteries, paranormal, and fantasy. I just finished The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty and that trilogy was amazing. And I’m currently in the middle of the latest Inspector Bruno mystery by Martin Walker. And starting Julie Mulhern’s latest Poppy Fields mystery. I also love Michael Chabon and Amor Towles.
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
 
DKC:  Cleo Cooper has another adventure in front of her. Instead of the beaches of Hawaii, she will be hitting the ski slopes near Santa Fe and solving a murder, of course.  I’m heavy into editing now but hope to submit the manuscript to publishers by late spring.
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
 
DKC: 

• Memorable book you’ve read:  A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. Somehow I bought it thinking it was a mystery which it isn’t. But it is absolutely delightful, and there is even a wonderful scene with a couple of Borzois!
• Favorite quote: The Cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea -Isak Denisen
• Your pets:  We are down to one dog. We travel a lot and it is doable with one dog, more than that is too stressful for me. At the moment we have a 7-month-old, Old English Sheepdog, named Beasley. You will find a bevy of pictures of her on my Instagram account.
• Favorite sport:  Snow skiing! Down hill.
• Beach lover or a snow skier? Both!
• Beer at the bar or a book on the deck? A book on the deck… with a glass of wineJ

 
JLB: Thank you for visiting the blog, Dawna. Before we finish, please show us your featured book.

EVIL ALICE AND THE BOIZOI (A Cleo Cooper Mystery)
Genre: cozy mystery
 
Paradise is shaken when the body of a young woman is dragged onto a university research vessel during a class outing in Hilo Bay. Cleo Cooper is shaken when she finds her favorite student is on the hook for the murder.
Danger lurks on land and sea as Cleo and her friends are enticed to search for the true killer. In between paddling, swimming, and arguing with her boyfriend, Cleo discovers all is not what it seems on the Big Island of Hawaii. But will she figure out the truth before she becomes the next victim?
 
Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Alice-Borzoi-Cooper-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BS4JKGKS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676220929&sr=8-1
 
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/evil-alice-and-the-borzoi-dk-coutant/1142929587?ean=2940186721369

The Brooklyn North Murder
Genre: Mystery
Rating: PG-13

A hi-flying investor determined to make sleepy Morgansburg NY a tech hub, vanishes from the middle of a lake during a triathlon. Mary Watson, a university librarian and computer genius, has to solve the mystery with the help of her Artificial Intelligence program “Doyle.”

Buy Links:
The Cloak and Dagger: 
​https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-brooklyn-north-murder-erica-obey/18583571?ean=9781940442457
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-North-Murders-Novel/dp/1940442451
 
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-brooklyn-north-murder-erica-obey/1142642951?ean=9781940442457
​
​Excerpt:

Custody of the eyes. Up until now, it had been an abstract concept I had associated with the medieval and theology sections of the library where I worked. Now, it was a practical challenge. Who knew how hard it could be not to look at the tiny red Speedo being worn by the man who had pulled me close for our Triathlon Team Photo?
​
Only a year ago, this triathlon had been the Morgansburg Annual Fun Run that had consisted of a single lap of Battlefield Bluff. Now it was the Billings Sprint Challenge Series, and had apparently attracted the combined populations of Brooklyn and Poughkeepsie via a social media campaign that had pronounced it one of the ten summer events in the Hudson Valley not to be missed. The transformation – excuse me, rebranding ­– was also the reason why I was shivering by the edge of an icy lake at the ungodly hour of eight in the morning, trying not to examine the all too evident assets that a hedge fund manager named Cam Billings was scarcely hiding beneath an entirely indecent red Speedo.

I was not wearing a swimsuit – or even a wetsuit, as the other competitors were. I had managed to weasel my way out of the swim by claiming a rotator cuff injury, and so was wearing running tights and a reasonably warm wind shirt. It’s not that I can’t swim – a summer camp instructor who fancied herself a Navy SEAL had made sure of that. But that statement only holds true if you consider the dog paddle a recognized stroke of the U.S.A. Swimming Association. I’m not particularly good with bicycles either. But as the hot tech star destined to transform Morgansburg, N.Y. into the next Silicon Valley, I was expected to represent De Sales College, and so I was taking on the last leg of the College Relay Team. All that was required of me was the same brisk shuffle around Battlefield Bluff as last year’s Fun Run.

Paul Morgan flanked me as we locked arms for the camera. He was wearing a pair of bicycling shorts that did little more to disguise his assets than Cam’s had. But I didn’t have to imagine what lay beneath that thin, Lycra barrier. Paul and I had dated during our first year at Yale, back in the days when having sex seemed to be the done thing.  Victorian brides were taught to lie back and think of England on their wedding. I lay back and rehearsed conjugations and declensions in my head in order to pass the time. Our relationship fizzled out somewhere around the Greek Middle Voice.

That didn’t stop him from grabbing me in a bear hug as he said, “Look, after the swim, I need to be ready to tag in at the changing area. So can you go ahead and get some video of Cam when he comes out of the water for our real time followers?”

“Real time followers?” I grumbled to Doyle. “Who would really sit down and watch this in real time on their phone? My mother?”

“I regret to inform you that Helen Watson is not among the 12,467 subscribers to the Sprint Series webcast,” Doyle informed me.

“It was a rhetorical question.” My mother was not what you’d call a doting parent. When I presented her with a copy of my published dissertation, she had asked, “What do you want me to do with this?”
The response I squelched was unprintable.

Okay, so I was complaining to my phone. Pretty weird, I suppose – at least if you’ve been living off the grid for the past five years. Some people talk to Siri. Some talk to Alexa. Hell, my ninety-year-old grand-mother binge drinks Cosmopolitans with them while they cheat at online bridge. So, sue me if I talk to Doyle.

Granted, Doyle was different from those virtual assistants he dismissed as “the Code Girls.” For one thing, the Girls simply crawled the web and retrieved information. Doyle didn’t crawl. He extrapolated. Or as Doyle would put it, the Code Girls were artificial intelligence; he was the real thing. I’m not quite so sure. For one thing, I’m the one that programmed Doyle. I know where the bodies are buried – or to put it in programmer-speak, I am aware of a few significant glitches that need working out. Primary among them is the fact that Doyle is a complete and utter ass. 

​About the Author:
 
Erica Obey is the author of The Brooklyn North Murder, the first full-length Watson & Doyle mystery, as well as five other novels set in the Hudson Valley, including the award-winning The Curse of the Braddock Brides. Erica is the Past President of the MWA-NY chapter, and a frequent reviewer and judge. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and published academic work on female folklorists before she decided she’d rather be writing the stories herself.
 
Something unusual/unique that isn’t in your regular bio: "I can show you how to make Christmas ornaments out of egg cartons and old copies of the Reader’s Digest. (Okay, I didn’t grow up in Lake Woebegon, but it was close.)"
 
Author Contacts:

Website: www.ericaobey.com 
FB/IG: @Erica Obey (personal), @EricaObeyAuthor (page) 
Twitter: @EricaObey

​Up Close And Pawsonal 
Genre: Cozy Mystery
 
A casual evening of listening to music by a local cover band turns into a murder investigation when a drive-by shooting destroys the tranquility of the night and critically injures two of the band members. Lily Dreyfus stressed and unsettled from having been at the concert, realizes one of the dead band members is the nephew of her coworker at the Forever Friends Animal Shelter. Lily will leash together a set of seemingly unrelated events to seek the perpetrator and make them heel.
Buy link
https://www.amazon.com/Up-Close-Pawsonal-Dreyfus-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BTC4GM4Q/

Author Bio:
Darlene is a member of Sisters in Crime National and several regional SinC groups. She combined her passion for the written word and animals into the Lily Dreyfus series. Darlene volunteers at the Animal Welfare Association, a New Jersey animal shelter, where she chats with the dogs while completing her assignments. She has a 30-year career in Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and is an avid reader, gardener, and traveler. Darlene lives in New Jersey with her four-legged best friend, Billie.
 
social media
www.ReadDarlene.com
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Darlene-Dziomba/author
@ReadDarlene1
facebook.com/read.darlene.7
ReadDarlene@hotmail.com