Author to Author with Brian Stoddart
I’m thrilled to host mystery author Brian Stoddart, creator of the Superintendent Le Fanu historical series set in India in the 1920’s. Think Sherlock Holmes meets The Jewel in the Crown, with a bit...
Open Letter to Readers About Sex
My first novel, THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY, contains two sex scenes. The first catches Luz de Maria and Eddo as they fall in love with an emotional depth new to both of them. The second is when...
5 Lessons Learned in 5 Years as an Indie Author
It is hard to believe but I’ve been a published independent author for 5 years. In May 2012, after a tearful breakup with a publisher, I released THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY via Amazon and...
Chatting with Nordic Noir Author Torquil MacLeod
I’m thrilled to chat with Torquil MacLeod, author of the Malmö mystery series featuring Detective Anita Sundström. Full of shocking twists and Swedish authenticity, the series is a great addition to...
What Happened to the Jesse Stone Mystery Series?
When mystery author Robert B. Parker passed away, I mourned the end of the Spenser and Jesse Stone mystery series, as well as his Westerns featuring the enigmatic Virgil Cole. Sunny Randall, not so...
New Release! PACIFIC REAPER, the New Detective Emilia Cruz Novel
New release! Detective Emilia Cruz goes up against the cult of Santa Muerte, Mexico's forbidden saint of death in PACIFIC REAPER, the 5th novel in the series set in Acapulco. Without giving anything...
When Detective Emilia Cruz Meets Santa Muerte
Every Detective Emilia Cruz novel uses unique aspects of Mexican culture to create crimes and situations that would not be possible anywhere else. In PACIFIC REAPER, Emilia confronts the cult of...
Author to Author with British Mystery Writer M.A. Comley
British author M.A. Comley is here to talk about her multiple mystery series. Her latest book IN PLAIN SIGHT, 3rd in the DI Hero Nelson series, came out last week and quickly shot to the top of...
Taxes and the Mystery Author: Winners and Losers
In May I will celebrate my fifth year as a published author. For most of that time I was what the IRS would term a "hobbyist" but in April 2016 I embraced full-time authordom. Here were my...
Coming Soon! PACIFIC REAPER: A Detective Emilia Cruz #Mystery
PACIFIC REAPER, the 5th book in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series will be released for Kindle on 28 March, with the paperback version coming the following week. Detective Emilia Cruz...
When a Favorite Teacher Shows Creativity and Compassion
My favorite teacher was Mr. Taverna. He was the only male teacher in the elementary school and undoubtedly the most famous. Everyone in town knew that Mr. Taverna was a great teacher and it was...
Friends with Books: The Founder of BooksandSpoons.com
This week I stumbled upon the great site http://www.booksandspoons.com/, run by reader and chef Anu-Riikka. Half of the site is devoted to book reviews of romantic thriller and suspense novels and...
Romantic Suspense Who’s Who: Brilliant Academic Meets Iraq War Vet
AWAKENING MACBETH was recently reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and there was so much emphasis placed on the characters that it read like a Who's Who guide to romantic suspense. The book's premise of an...
Travelling in Dreams with AWAKENING MACBETH
AWAKENING MACBETH, is full of secrets. My family secrets become my character's secrets. Their secrets become a frightening truth. "A page turning paranormal romance"-- KIRKUS REVIEWS. Cue the...
Romance’s Newest Hero is a Wounded Warrior
Two weeks ago, I posted this picture on my Facebook page. (You can thank me again later, dearest reader Karen) The wounded warrior in the picture is Brian Taylor "BT" Urruela, taken by photographer...
Mystery and Thriller Trends for 2017
I recently chatted with Mary Rosenblum from New Writers Interface about what we can expect when it comes to mystery and thriller trends in 2017, as well as what really hooks a reader and draws them...
#New Release, Take 2
I could call it New Release, Part 2. Or The Case of the Disappearing Thriller. Or I could say that romantic suspense novel AWAKENING MACBETH, is FINALLY alive and well and available for your Kindle...
NEW RELEASE! Romantic Thriller with a #Paranormal Twist
AWAKENING MACBETH is out now for kindle readers, with the paperback coming 10 January! It's a romantic suspense thriller with a paranormal twist set in Charlottesville, Virginia and Edinburgh,...
Exciting News and Author Views
It's always exciting news when you learn something about yourself. Recently, I've figured out that disappointment doesn't mean failure. Frustration doesn't mean giving up. And creativity is a...
What I #amreading in December
I hereby declare December to be Discover a Good Book Month. Between decoration envy when I look at the neighbor’s artfully placed lanterns, red candles, and sprays of greenery; and the self-induced...
Detective Emilia Cruz’s gambling addiction
Detective Emilia Cruz is a gambler. You could even go so far as to say she has a gambling addiction. The Gambler As a cop in Acapulco, one of the most deadly cities in the world thanks to Mexico’s...
Music and Mystery with NPR’s Alt.Latino
My turn as a guest DJ on National Public Radio’s Alt.Latino show with host Felix Contreras has aired! Click below to listen to the show or find it here on the NPR webpage which includes expanded...
Romantic thriller with a paranormal twist hits #KindleScout
"She inherited a secret her soul doesn't know." That's the tagline on the cover of AWAKENING MACBETH, my latest romantic thriller. I want your vote Amazon's Kindle Scout program allows readers to...
5 Presidential Election Thrillers Better Than #Election2016
Exhausted by the run-up to the US presidential elections on 8 November 2016? Exchange those robo calls and campaign ads for some election thrills of the literary variety with 5 presidential election...
Book Review: Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo
For those mystery lovers who reveled in Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series, his new stand-alone novel Midnight Sun will be a bit of a surprise. Midnight Sun is easier on the blood pressure than Harry,...
“Authorize” Advice from Pulitizer Prize Author Richard Ford
Last year, I was lucky enough to attend the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival. Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford was guest speaker and winner of the 2015 F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for...
Book Review: The Blackhouse by Peter May
In The Blackhouse by Peter May, the setting is the remote, windy, and rainswept Hebrides islands off Scotland’s western coast. The murder is gruesome and mimics a recent killing in Edinburgh being...