Guest Post: “On Becoming an Author” by Leslie Tentler, author of Fallen

by Carol5 Comments
I'm happy to welcome Leslie Tentler, author of Fallen, to my blog today. She's talking about how she went from reader to write and mentions a couple of books I read when I was a kid. On Becoming an Author By Leslie Tentler It’s sometimes said that authors start off as avid readers who begin to desire even more immersion into fictional worlds. Simply reading becomes not enough, so we begin to dabble in creating worlds of our own, daydreaming stories until finally we attempt the task of putting those ideas on paper (or these days, the computer screen). For many authors, I believe this path is true. As a child, I never planned to be a novelist, but I did have a strong imagination. And I also loved to read. My particular favorites were Nancy Drew mysteries. I’d learned the general timeframe in which new ones arrived at our local “Rose’s” – a discount retailer similar to Target or Wal-Mart in our small Southern...
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Reader’s Workouts – 10/28/2014

by Carol5 Comments
Okay - time for a reboot. I have been pretty lousy at exercising and eating right lately. Part of it is that I haven't had a goal, part is that we've been busy, and last week we went on a mini-vacation which meant lots of food and very little exercise. All excuses, I know, and I could still have easily fit in some walking or a few miles of running, but I didn't. So it's time to get back on a track. Here's the plan I've been using and I like it. I'm going to pick back up on week 11, hopefully. We'll see how I feel this evening when I head out. At least it's a nice day to run outside. Long runs are so hard on the treadmill. Food is just as important as exercise, so I need to come up with a plan. Tuesday - shrimp with peppers and spinach. Wednesday - Fall Festival at church, so hot dogs and nachos....
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Book Blitz: The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr

by CarolNo Comments
Book Excerpt: Prologue November 2002 – Astaire Castle, top of Spencer Mountain, Deep Creek Lake, Maryland Shivering, Rafaela turned up the fan for the heater in her old Plymouth. The weather channel was calling for snow. With an eye on the storm clouds heading straight for Spencer Mountain, she picked up the speed a notch. Her car bumped along the worn road cut through the trees and rock to take her to Astaire Castle. The notion of being trapped at the castle by a winter storm made her curse the day she had accepted the job as housekeeper at the Astaire estate. The young illegal immigrant thought her prayers had been answered by landing the job at the luxurious estate. Not only was it prestigious to work in a castle, but lucrative since Damian Wagner was paying almost twice her normal hourly wage. What a gem to put on my housekeeping resume! To be hire by only one of the world’s most famous authors of...
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A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr

by Carol5 Comments
Earlier today, you got to read a bit about Mac Faraday's life from his point of view. My first meeting with him and Archie Monday, his girlfriend was in A Wedding and a Killing. At #8 in the series, it worked fine as a stand-alone for me, although I may have enjoyed it a little more had I known the characters longer. I find that with a lot of series books, they work on their own, but they work better as a whole. I have to admit that when I saw this was touring, I decided to read it because I enjoyed Lauren Carr's  guest post in May, "My Mother Isn’t a Psychopath, She’s a Mystery Writer," so much. It was funny and true and gave me high hopes for her stories. A Wedding and a Killing was a quick read and I really like Mac. He's a good guy, a little gruff around the edges, but a hear of gold,...
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Meet Mac Faraday: A Character Guest Post by Lauren Carr

by Carol1 Comment
Today I'm happy to welcome Mac Faraday to my blog. Mac is the detective in Lauren Carr's new book, A Wedding and a Killing. Meet Mac Faraday by Lauren Carr Archie told me that I had to write this article for some blog (What’s a blog anyway?) for a friend who loves mysteries. So, where do I start? I guess I should start at the beginning. It all started a few years ago. Truthfully, it started much before that, but for me, it started a few years ago. One day, I came home from working eighteen hours on a case as a homicide detective in Washington, DC, to find that my wife of more than twenty years had thrown my stuff out in the yard. That was when I found out that she was leaving me for her lover, District Attorney Stephen Maguire. The next thing I know, I’m living in a third-floor walk-up apartment while Christine is living in the three-bedroom, two-bath home that...
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