#authorinterview – Page 11 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blaque Pearle by Tarris Marie

Book Description

Tarris Marie’s debut novel intertwines crime, romance, and the ‘90s era. A refreshing new voice for urban romance lovers and women’s crime thriller connoisseurs.

Before her Hollywood dreams were shattered, Pearle Monalise Brown was the tenacious aspiring actress from Compton’s unforgiving, scarred streets. Never broken, Pearle switches gears to a fallback plan—resorting to her beauty and acting skills to swindle money and expensive jewels. When she’s hired by the Colombian cartel to steal a priceless Basquiat from the debonair kingpin and art collector, Blaque, her talents might not be enough to keep her from falling into a trap she never saw coming.

Blaque is sagacious and handsome—not to mention the legacy of two powerful organized crime families: the Laurent’s—known dons hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, and the Savage’s—a sophisticated syndicate with criminal enterprises across the U.S. As Blaque and Pearle become passionately entangled, Pearle falls prey to a darker underworld. Time is ticking. Lives are at stake. Will these love outlaws be able to outsmart their enemies, or will they wage an all-out war, leaving the bodies to fall wherever they may?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Blaque Pearle by Tarris Marie intertwines crime, romance, and the ‘90s era. Much like her characters, the author also took a powerful journey, having to overcome Stargardt Disease, a genetic condition that caused her legal blindness and cost her a corporate job.

The plot has deeply flawed but relatable characters who risk everything for love and family. The main female lead, Pearle Brown was an aspiring actress that got caught up in her brother’s scheme. She decides to use her beauty and acting skills to swindle money and expensive jewels from unsuspecting people. When she and her brother are hired to steal a priceless Basquiat from the debonair kingpin and art collector, Blaque, her talents might not be enough to keep her from falling into a trap she never saw coming, falling in love with him. Although he is from two powerful crime families he also falls in love with Pearle and will do anything to keep her safe. Together they use their skills to battle their enemies and help those in need.

The book has vivid descriptions, captivating characters, and a complex storyline. It is not only riveting but informative as well.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why become a writer?

Tarris Marie: I decided to write after I lost my central vision. I had come from the corporate world and after losing some of my vision I became depressed and was on a downward spiral. When I was on the floor, I heard a voice telling me to get up. I asked God what to do and heard, write a book. This was in 2020 when I decided to write a series, a total of four novels.

EC: Do you want to talk about your disease?

TM: Stargardt Disease is a hereditary disease of the retina, affecting the central sight. It is a juvenile form of Macular Degeneration. For me, I got it my late thirties. Now I am legally blind. It does not affect my peripheral vision, but I could not see anything I directly look at. My support system is my husband, children, family, friends, and the best doctors. I use technology to help me become independent.

EC: Is the story related to your life?

TM: I wrote about the decade in which I grew up. I was trying to find myself, so I went back in time. This book is the first book to come out, taking place in the 1990s. I grew up in an urban environment in Gary Indiana, America’s murder capitol. I grew up in a loving home. I lived the 1990s culture, the hip-hop music, and the hairstyles. I met a lot of people, learned a lot, and grew a lot.

EC: Why did you make your hero and heroine “bad guys?”

TM: They start off as “bad.” But there was redemption, and the characters were relatable considering the decisions made was to survive. I was also able to relate to these characters because I do know what it feels like to be in a place where you must do what is necessary to survive.

EC: Why not end the story with Part I?

TM: Part I was more about the drug aspect, while Part II concentrated on human trafficking. In the late 1990s it used the Internet, a lot of traps for young girls.

EC: How would you describe Pearle?

TM: Low-key, greedy, quiet, protective, and loyal. I named her Pearle, symbolic because it has a lot of layers. Like the gemstone, the character has a hard exterior, but has layers.

EC: How would you describe Blaque?

TM: Gentle but could be rough and powerful. A listener, honest, funny, open-minded, adventurous, mysterious, and serious. I named him Blaque to represent the black male that I knew. He loved the women in his life and respected them. The color black is mysterious and sexy. Putting his name along with Pearle, the gemstone Black Pearl is unique, created in a different type of oyster. It represents healing of broken hearts. Like me, I needed to heal because I was broken. I hope to take any reader on that journey as well.

EC: Next book?

TM: The title is Empress Creed, out in February 2024. It is a prequel with a hindsight into the family. It takes place in the 1930s in the Midwest and shows how the crime family got started.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Detective’s Deadly Secrets and Vanished by Anna J. Stewart

Book Description – A Detective’s Deadly Secrets

To solve her husband’s death…

She needed the man who still adored her.

Detective Lana Tate’s convinced there’s only one man who can help untangle her husband’s mysterious death: Agent Eamon Quinn. The FBI superstar is an old friend who will stop at nothing to find the truth. He joins forces with Lana—the once-favorite colleague he’d secretly pined for. But as their long-buried attraction bursts into flame, so does the danger threatening them at every turn…

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Book Description – Vanished

She’ll risk everything to expose the truth.

Since her twin sister Sylvie’s disappearance seven years ago, single mother Mabel Reynolds has turned grief into action and become a strong voice for victims of violence and abuse.

When new revelations shed light on what may have happened not only to Sylvie, but dozens of other women, Mabel’s hope for answers is reignited. But the new oh-so-charming DA overseeing the investigation seems more interested in a quick rather than an accurate resolution.

With little faith in the system, Mabel isn’t about to stay quiet, not when she’s finally close to the truth. She’s willing to go up against anyone—even a smug, irritating, attractive DA to get the answers she and other families deserve.

Open and shut.

That’s what Assistant DA Paul Flynn has been told about his new assignment supervising a house of horrors case. With a high-profile conviction at stake, Paul can’t afford to make a wrong move if his professional goals are to be achieved.

But Mabel Reynolds has his attention. All of it. Attraction aside, the woman knows far more than what’s in the official files which makes her something even more intriguing. But using Mabel as an asset means exposing her and her young daughter to even more danger. Danger that is closing in on them from every
side. As even darker forces appear, and their lives are threatened, Paul is faced with risking not only his entire career, but also the one thing he never anticipated losing: his heart.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

A Detective’s Deadly Secrets by Anna J. Stewart is sadly the last in the series. The hero is FBI Agent Eaman Quinn, someone readers should be familiar with. He is reunited with a former girlfriend, Lana Tate. She is searching for answers surrounding her late husband’s death but needs his help. Together they work the case and become reacquainted.

Vanished is the second book in the “Red Lily series.” It featuressingle mother Mabel Reynolds who wants to find answers regarding her twin sister’s disappearance. When new revelations shed light on what may have happened not only to her twin, Sylvie, but dozens of other women, Mabel hopes to find answers. New to the case is Assistant DA Paul Flynn who is willing to listen to her concerns and to investigate the case. Even allowing Mabel and her friends to add their input. As they get closer to finding what happened their lives become endangered. As they work together there is an instant attraction which complicates matters further.

Both these books have a riveting suspenseful story with some romance. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they won’t want to put these books down.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Anna J. Stewart: This final book in the “Honor Bound Series” evolved. I wanted it to be Eaman’s story, appearing first in Gone in The Night, book three. When I ended the series, I wanted to go full circle with this book eight. Since book three he has made appearances in all the books. It made sense to me to make his love interest someone he knew but could not get involved with because she was married.

EC: How would you describe Eaman?

AJS: Honorable, protective, loyal, calm, and confidant. He is somewhat lost, questioning his own motivations as to why he still is an FBI Agent. He specializes in child abductions and child killings.

EC: How would you describe Lana?

AJS: Lana is the one who really guides the story. She can kick butt. She was an alcoholic but is now ninety days sober. Determined, skittish, stubborn, with a lot of inner strength. She makes poor decisions.

EC: Why the alcoholism angle?

AJS: I made her newly sober. An alcoholic is always an alcoholic. I wanted her to be in a place where a relationship is not an impossibility, but she must be careful to take care of herself. I wanted to write a character with substance abuse for quite a while. For this romantic suspense it added an extra layer.

EC: The relationship?

AJS: She comes back into his life after her husband died eighteen months before. Lana has burned bridges because of her grief. He is the only person she can trust. Lana is an interesting counterbalance to him. He wants something more than work and darkness.

EC: How did you get the idea for your other book, Vanished in the “Red Lily Series?”

AJS: It is book two in the series. Exposed was the first book that ended with the heroine in Vanished, Mabel, having her sister disappeared eight years ago. I wanted to write a book where she experiences the loss of her identical twin sister but without any answers. There is a bit of a cliff hanger.

EC: How would you describe Mabel?

AJS: A single mom to an eight-year-old daughter, born at the same time her sister disappeared. She lives in an apartment building with four of her best friends, trying to help her what happened to her sister. She is going through a lot of emotional traumas. She is spiraling downward after Sylvie was tragically murdered. She is trying to deal with her emotions of anger, sadness, and frustration to find answers. Logically she knows Sylvie is dead but has a slimmer of hope she is alive.

EC: What was the significance to the twin sister, Sylvie, coming alive in Mabel’s dreams?

AJS: My editor is a twin. I read a lot and talked to them about the psychological connection of identical twins. She is part ghost and so much a part of Mabel. There is this inherent connection. Readers can think of Sylvie as a dream, ghost, and/or Mabel’s self-conscious. I hope they consider her as an actual character in the book.

EC: What are the differences between Mabel and Sylvie?

AJS: Mabel is practical, level-headed, logical, haunted, determined, and energetic. Sylvie was a dreamer, the romantic one, and happy. She chased the dream of stardom in Los Angeles. She always persevered.

EC: How would you describe Paul Flynn?

AJS: He grew up in Los Angeles and has always hated it. He is charming, kind, empathetic, tender with a little attitude. He is a high-profile DA which comes with a lot of confidence. I liked playing with the dynamic that depending on who he is in contact with he has some different personality traits. He is very good at adapting to different situations and handling different types of people. He thinks quickly on his feet.

EC: What about the relationship?

AJS: Paul and Mabel have an instant connection. He sees in Mabel someone who really needs answers.

EC: Next books?

AJS: Book three picks up a couple of weeks after Vanished ends. The epilogue of Vanished has a cliff hanger. The titled is Buried out in November. This will be the story of Dr. Cassia Davis, a forensic expert. She is has not left her apartment in four years, but the hero is hired as her eyes and ears.

The next book is the third book in my “Hawaiian Reunion series,” titled Surprise Second Chance. The plot has a single father who is dealing with some custody issues of his children with his ex. He needs to find the work-home balance. He is given the opportunity to reconnect with his high school sweetheart living in Hawaii.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Sniffing Out Murder by Kallie E. Benjamin

Book Description

When a murder unleashes a widespread investigation through Crosbyville, children’s book author Pris and her trusty bloodhound, Bailey, must sniff out the truth before the whole town goes to the dogs.

After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.

Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.

With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Sniffing Out Murder by Kallie E. Benjamin, the pen name for Valerie Burns, is the first in a new series. This book is a delightful read that has humor and a riveting ‘who done it.’

Readers are introduced to the main character, Priscilla Cummings, who is a teacher by day and a children’s author by night. That is until she has found success with her first children’s book, about the adventures of her dog, Bailey the Bloodhound. Because of her success she has decided to become a full-time author, but also continues to have Bailey assist children to read. Bailey is a trained therapy dog and frequently goes to the local library to have children read to him and watch him demonstrate his tracking skills.

The mystery has Bailey sniffing out a murder, digging up the body of Whitney Kelly. She is a mean girl who earlier had a confrontation with Priscilla. But Pris is not the only enemy she has made, and the list of suspects continues to grow for Police Chief Gilbert Morgan. He is tenacious and determined to find the killer, but readers also see his other side. Raising his daughter Hannah as a single parent, he is very caring and gentle. Both he and Pris develop a relationship after Bailey helps Hannah with her reading skills and Pris becomes involved in solving the murder mystery.

Readers will be kept guessing until the very end about who done it. This plot has it all: delightful characters, great banter, a mystery, and a sweet bloodhound.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Since it is an anonymous name how did you choose it?

Kallie E. Benjamin: Kallie was my great grandmother’s name. I never knew my grandmother but did know my great grandmother. The “E” is from my mom whose name was Elvira but decided not to use Elvira as my author’s name. My dad’s first name was Benjamin.

EC: How did you get the idea for the story?

KEB: I get nervous when I start a new series, hoping readers will enjoy it. Dogs are my thing and I wanted to write a new series with a new breed of dog. To me, a bloodhound symbolizes search and rescue. This series has a lot of family ties for me. Also, when I write cozies what is important to me is the ‘who done it.’

EC: How so about family?

KEB: It is set in Indiana, which is where I am from. The town’s name, Crosbyville is based on one of my nephew’s children, Crosby. His other child is named Cameron. The main character, Priscilla, is an author and her agent’s name is Cameron. Her best friend, Marcella is named after my niece’s daughter. Since I write murder mysteries, I will make sure that these names will endure and continue without having to be a character that can potentially get murdered or be considered a person of interest.

EC: Why make Bailey, the Bloodhound a therapy dog?

KEB: I used to do therapy with my poodles. We would go to nursing homes and hospitals. I wanted him to help with assisted reading. When a child had to testify it was found that they were less stressed if they spoke directly to the dog.

EC: You went down nostalgia lane-why?

KEB: LOL. I brought in Andy Griffith and Magnum PI. I ran some things by my niece who just turned thirty. She told me she watches the reruns of the old shows. I enjoyed throwing things in there.

EC: Whitney, the victim was not very nice, correct?

KEB: I based her on Cruella de Ville to a small extent. I usually murder someone who no one likes. They usually are villainous. Both Whitney and Cruella had issues with dogs. They viewed their agenda as more important than anything else. They are single minded without any concern about what happens to others. I use real people in my life in my books when they make me mad. It is therapeutic for me. I will use their initials but change the names to be the victim.

EC: How would you describe Priscilla?

KEB: Pris and I have in common that we both have a job that provides income, but we are also authors. We have that same passion about writing mysteries that includes dogs. Pris wants to help people and can recognize people’s shortcomings. She is also a klutz and very curious.

EC: How would you describe police chief Gilbert?

KEB: He has dedicated his life to protecting others. He is very direct, straight-forward, responsible, and protective. He also is a single parent, raising his daughter. As the story progresses readers will find out more about his late wife and her family. His daughter and family are very important to him. His relationship with Pris will continue and grow stronger, although there will be some conflict surrounding their views.

EC: Next book?

KEB: The setting is a festival in Crosbyville where a murder occurred. Bailey finds clues that get Pris more involved in the mystery. The working title is Hounding a Killer, coming out in late 2024.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: What Waits in the Woods by Terri Pariato

Book Description

When Esmé Foster left the Boston suburbs to become a professional ballerina, the future shimmered with promise. Eleven years later, her career has been derailed by an injury, and Esme knows it’s time to come back to Graybridge to help her brother care for their ailing father. But her return coincides with an unthinkable crime. Kara Cunningham, one of Esme’s high school friends, is found dead in the woods behind the Fosters’ house.

Esmé is shocked and grieving, but also uneasy. In her dreams, she still sees the man who showed up at the scene of the car accident that killed her mother—and told Esmé he was going to kill her too. Family and friends insisted the figure was a product of Esmé’s imagination, that she was concussed after the crash. But she and Kara looked alike, sharing the same petite build, the same hair color. Could Kara’s murder have been a case of mistaken identity?

Detective Rita Myers is familiar with close-knit communities like Graybridge, where, beneath the friendliness, there are whispers and secrets. The town has seen other tragedies too, including the long-ago drowning of a young girl in a pond, deep in the woods. Even within the once-close circle of friends that included Kara and Esmé, Rita discerns a ripple of mistrust.

Day by day, Esmé discovers more about the place she left behind—and the friends and family she thought she knew. Soon, shining a light into the darkness to learn what really happened the night Kara died is the only way she can bring the nightmare to an end . . .

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Elise’s Thoughts

What Waits in The Woods by Terri Parlato has a riveting plot. Not only does it have a full mystery with many people of interest, but it also explores how an athlete, in this case a dancer, can have their career derailed by an injury.

Esmé Foster forcibly retired from her chosen career as a ballet dancer. Now, eleven years later she returns home to Graybridge. But her return home is anything but calm, considering it coincides with one of her high school friends, Kara Cunningham, found dead in the woods behind the Fosters’ house. Her crushed skull allows detective Rita Myers to realize it was not an accident, but a murder.

Now, Esmé’s high school friends, her family, and neighbors are all suspects. To make matters worse the killing has intensified the nightmares Esmé had after her mother was killed in a car accident when she was nine. She remembers a man who showed up at the scene of the car accident and told Esmé he was going to kill her too. Family and friends insist that no man exists and that her memory is faulty. But that never stopped the nightmares or her determination to find the “Phantom” man.

This story is told in two perspectives which increases the intensity. The neighbors, Mr. York, and the Ridley family, also have reasons to be considered people of interest. One is a creepy old man, and the family has a drug dealer, a convict who finished serving time, and a sister who has a brain injury from a childhood tumble down a flight of stairs and was suspected of quarreling with her sister and drowning her.

There are not only multiple suspects but also multiple twists and turns. Readers will be kept guessing as to who the killer is and what was their motive.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why ballet?

Terri Parlato: I had the main character as a professional ballerina, but then her dancing days ended do to an injury. I explored how does she move forward. I wanted to give her a professional life and wrote about something I really love. I vicariously enjoyed ballet and read books about ballerinas. I went to the ballet whenever I could. Esmé had to retire at age 27 which is not unusual because they have a short career. Ballet is very hard on the body.

EC: It seems a lot of dancers and sports figures flounder when they must retire-do you agree?

TP: To be a ballerina and even with sports it is a passion. I wanted to write what happens to that person who devoted their whole life to something and it comes to an end. How would she handle it?

EC: Esmé and her friends?

TP: They were close friends. After Esmé graduated from high school she ran away to another state. Now that she is back home, she wants to reunite with her friends and is devasted that one of them, Kara, was murdered. She feels guilty because she never tried to keep up the friendship and now that Kara is dead, she has no chance of doing it. She had a lot of regrets. All these friends become suspects in Kara’s death.

EC: How would you describe the victim, Kara?

TP: Sweet, naïve, trusting, and an addict. Her father left when she was little which made her insecure.

EC: How about Esmé?

TP: When she was young, she was selfish. Her father was an alcoholic which affected her. But she matures throughout the book. I want my main character to go on a journey, changing for the better.

EC: Why different narratives?

TP: I used to write in third person. But then I read a book by Mary Kubica that had several points of view. I thought how it got me into the mind of the character, in first person. It also helps me build suspense as well.

EC: There is a quote in the book by, Esmé describing her family-can you explain?

TP: She felt being home was not great, but it was home sweet home. “There is something deep connecting us to the place where we grew up. The familiar scenery, smells, memories. It is a sense of belonging, shared histories…” Looking at my own life, I am very sentimental and nostalgic. Even though everything when I was a child was not necessarily happy, it was still home. I wanted to show how it was bittersweet for Esmé who was gone for eleven years, to now come home. Things might have been sad and scary, but she did find there were good times.

EC: How would you describe Detective Rita?

TP: This is the second book in the series. In the first book, All the Dark Places, Rita had another case to solve. I am still flushing out her personality. I wanted to create a detective who was an older woman. She is still vital in her career and is not someone who is pushed to the sidelines. She is a workaholic that limits her social life. She is very independent and tough.

EC: Why the “Sweet Dancer” poem in the beginning of the book?

TP: I am a former English teacher. I love poetry. To me, this sounds so much like Esmé. It is a poem about ballet, but there is some darkness in it as well. People will have read it before they start the story. I wanted to bring some artistic sentiment since Esmé is a retired ballerina in an emotional state. I think poetry elicits emotion.

EC: Next book?

TP: Rita will be in the next book. Same police department, same fictional town. There is no title yet. It should come out next December. There will be a compelling case for Rita to solve. There will be a third point of view. This one does not start with a murder, which is different than the first two books in the series.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Cowboy Christmas Carol by Melinda Curtis

Book Description

Christmas will come…

To even the most reluctant cowboy!

Rodeo roper Ryan Oakley may hate Christmas, but he still needs a miracle. Unfortunately, the only person who sells top-notch competition horses is Jo Pierce, his former high school nemesis. Now Ryan’s making the single mom a bargain: he’ll set her up with his twin brother, her longtime crush. It’s the perfect holiday plan…until the no-nonsense working cowgirl ends up lassoing his heart instead.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Cowboy Christmas Carol by Melinda Curtis recalls the story of Scrooge, A Christmas Carol. In this case it is one of twin brothers, Ryan, wants nothing to do with the holiday. If readers want a story that will put a smile on their faces, they will want to read this because the banter between the characters is off the charts.

Ryan and Tate Oakley are twin brothers who are part of the rodeo circuit. They always come close to winning but never can achieve the big prize. Ryan feels it is because they need better horses. He decides to buy a pair of the best roping horses from the woman who was his nemesis in high school. Jo Pierce was expelled from school after an epic prank on Ryan and now she is a horse breeder and trainer while single parenting her twin sons. Because she has a huge pending balloon mortgage hanging over her head, she reluctantly names a price. As the two continue to negotiate and work to come up with a solution to both their problems, they learn the reasons for their animosity of the past.

Readers will enjoy taking a journey with the hero and heroine as their feelings begin to change, realizing that they both must let go of the past to find a future. This is a wonderful, sweet romance with delightful characters and a hilarious horse.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Melinda Curtis: I changed it to be a Christmas book. I watched on Apple TV, Spirited, played by Will Farrell. I love a Christmas Carol and played on it. I thought what is better than a grumpy cowboy who does not like Christmas. I gave him an emotional wound that happened at Christmas.

EC: How would you describe the twin brothers, Ryan versus Tate?

MC: Ryan is more protective, while Tate goes through life letting things slide off his back. Ryan sees it as Tate not taking life seriously or applying himself. Ryan cares more about Tate. Ryan is trying to have he and his brother move forward and create a good life for both.

EC: Describing Ryan?

MC: He is guarded, standoffish, cold, an introvert, and a planner. He is also stubborn and grumpy. He is referred to as ‘the not nice Oakley.’

EC: How would you describe Jo?

MC: Rough and tumble. She is also direct, prickly, obstinate, and can be grumpy. She has a father who tries to break her spirit but remains confident. Unlike Ryan, she loves Christmas. She does not want to break the bonds of family even if it is at the expense of the livelihood of her ranch.

EC: What about the relationship?

MC: She and Ryan bond because both came from divorced parents. In high school he was seen as not being very nice and she was seen as being a stubborn tomboy. The high school pranks they played on each other got out of hand, which affected their relationship. She now thinks of him as pushy. She has a crush on his twin brother Tate.

EC: The role of the twin boys?

MC: Max and Dean are the twin boys of Jo. I wanted to write them as a mirror of Ryan and Tate. One is more introverted and one out to have fun. It shows how Ryan and Tate would have turned out had they had a loving household to grow up in. Max and Tate are the extroverts who the girls gravitate too, while Ryan and Dean are the introverts and responsible.

EC: You also have a horse, Tiger, in the story?

MC: Horses are like dogs in they have different personalities. They can be troublemakers. I wanted an unusual looking horse. I modeled him after my daughter’s dog. He just wants to be with people, plays rough, and is an escape artist. Tiger was considered the companion horse, the family horse, and the ‘heart horse.’ There is a phrase in the horse community; this is my heart horse. The one I will remember always after they are gone.

EC: Next books?

MC: The next book in this series will be Tate’s book, titled, A Cowboy for the Twins, coming out March of next year. Readers will learn a lot more why he does not have a care. More of the Harmony Valley books coming up. This year I had a lot of releases.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Emily Dickinson Mystery Series Book 1 & 2 by Amanda Flower

Book Descriptions

Because I Could Not Stop for Death – Book #1

January 1855 Willa Noble knew it was bad luck when it was pouring rain on the day of her ever-important job interview at the Dickinson home in Amherst, Massachusetts. When she arrived late, disheveled with her skirts sodden and filthy, she’d lost all hope of being hired for the position. As the housekeeper politely told her they’d be in touch, Willa started toward the door of the stately home only to be called back by the soft but strong voice of Emily Dickinson. What begins as tenuous employment turns to friendship as the reclusive poet takes Willa under her wing.

Tragedy soon strikes and Willa’s beloved brother, Henry, is killed in a tragic accident at the town stables. With no other family and nowhere else to turn, Willa tells Emily about her brother’s death and why she believes it was no accident. Willa is convinced it was murder. Henry had been very secretive of late, only hinting to Willa that he’d found a way to earn money to take care of them both. Viewing it first as a puzzle to piece together, Emily offers to help, only to realize that she and Willa are caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse that reveals corruption in Amherst that is generations deep. Some very high-powered people will stop at nothing to keep their profitable secrets even if that means forever silencing Willa and her new mistress….

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I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died – Book #2

August 1856. The Dickinson family is comfortably settled in their homestead on Main Street. Emily’s brother, Austin Dickinson, and his new wife are delighted when famous thinker and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson comes to Amherst to speak at a local literary society and decides he and his young secretary, Luther Howard, will stay with the newlyweds. Emily has been a longtime admirer of Emerson’s writing and is thrilled at the chance to meet her idol. She is determined to impress him with her quick wit, and if she can gather the courage, a poem. Willa Noble, the second maid in the Dickinson home and Emily’s friend, encourages her to speak to the famous but stern man. But his secretary, Luther, intrigues Willa more because of his clear fondness for the Dickinson sisters.

Willa does not know if Luther truly cares for one of the Dickinson girls or if he just sees marrying one of them as a way to raise himself up in society. After a few days in his company, Willa starts to believe it’s the latter. Miss Lavinia, Emily’s sister, appears to be enchanted by Luther; a fact that bothers Emily greatly. However, Emily’s fears are squashed when Luther turns up dead in the Dickinson’s garden. It seems that he was poisoned. Emerson, aghast at the death of his secretary, demands answers. Emily and Willa set out to find them in order to save the Dickinson family reputation and stop a cold-blooded fiend from killing again.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died by Amanda Flower has her venturing into historical mysteries. These books have a unique portrayal of the famous American writer Emily Dickinson. Emily along with her maid, Willa, become sleuths and help to solve murders. But a bonus is having readers getting glimpses of how Emily thinks and what the culture of mid-19^th century was like.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea to use Emily Dickinson?

Amanda Flower: Each book’s title will be the first line from one of her famous poems. In the first book, the poem was about a carriage ride with a horse. In this novel, a horse is very central to the story. The second book has flies surrounding the found body, which is related to the poem I used. I pay tribute to the poems, but do not follow it verbatim. Her poems are imagery and vague with multiple meanings. She never wrote clearly.

EC: Why Emily Dickinson?

AF: Her poems are mysterious. I have been a huge Emily Dickinson fan since I was 15 years old. I wanted to write a historical novel with another version, so I decided to write a mystery with her. Last year it won the Agatha for best historical mystery and a final for one of the Edgar Awards. The real characters beside Emily were the maid Margaret O’ Brian. I added a maid assistant, Willa to tell the story in the same manner that Sherlock Holmes had Watson. I also chose that period of her life, in 1855, where Emily and her sister came to Washington because her father was a member of the House of Representatives. This time was about six years before she went into hiding for the rest of her life as a recluse. She did not get any acclaims for her writing when she was alive.

EC: Why the reference to slavery?

AF: In the 1850s America was in turmoil over slavery. I knew I had to include this issue, or it would be a disservice. It divided everyone. The Underground Railroad went through many small towns close to where I live in Ohio. One of my jobs was leading Underground Railroad tours through the town that I worked in. I spoke about the people who lived there and those who tried to escape.

EC: How would you describe Emily’s personality in your book?

AF: This is my best interpretation of the real Emily. She likes to investigate, a good judge of character, ignores societal class, and is loyal. She is also bold, caring, curious, confident, and blunt. She was probably her father’s favorite because he gave her special treatment. She enjoyed wandering around and instead of not telling her to stop bought her a dog for protection. The dog is real and so his name Carlo, a character in Jane Eyre. He lived for seventeen years, which is unusual for a pure bred, Newfoundland. One of the theories is that Emily became a recluse after he passed away. Her dad would buy contemporary fiction books and leave them around the house for her to just happen to find. The family gave her room to be different, a genius aspect.

EC: How would you describe the real maid, Margaret?

AF: Kind, protective, tough, and can be hard-nosed. I made her gruff with Willa.

EC: How would you describe Willa?

AF: Nervous for her brother’s safety, compassionate, strong, determined, loyal, and broken. In the first book she is more timid. She is determined to find out what happened to her brother, Henry. As the series goes on, she is very protective and loyal to Emily. She understands more social standing than Emily. Willa is very aware of the class distinction and sees the servants as being invisible. Emily tries to treat her as an equal.

EC: What is the difference between the sisters, Vinnie, and Emily?

AF: Vinnie acts like an older sister even though Emily is the older sister. At the end of their life, she took care of Emily. Vinnie is more into societal norms. She carries the weight on her shoulders. Vinnie is a cat person, while Emily is a dog person who hated cats. The cats probably annoyed her dog. Emily did write about disliking cats.

EC: What about Henry?

AF: Henry is an idealist. He wanted to take from the rich and give to the poor. He had a happy and carefree personality. He knew Willa’s upmost goal was to protect him. He is also kind, with a nose for trouble, and caring.

EC: The second book in the series, I Heard a Fly Buzz When I died, highlights Ralph Waldo Emerson-why?

AF: Through my research I found he stayed with Emily’s brother at their estate. Plus, I really like his works and wanted to include him in the series. He was the peak of American literature during that time. He encouraged young authors to write in an ‘American voice.’ After a lifetime of acclaim, he felt pretty good about himself. He is very aloof and is distant from others.

EC: Why the plagiarism angle?

AF: It was harder back then to prove. Many authors self-published back then and it was hard to prove that someone else wrote it so it would have been easy to plagiarize. It is still a problem today. Writers would think about this problem. Although they do have a certain way of phrasing. Emerson had a very strong voice, very authoritative and confident. He wrote essays and non-fiction. The victim in the story was a social climber who tried to put his name on other’s works.

EC: Louisa May Alcott and Emily contrasted each other as writers?

AF: I put her in the story because she was about the same age as Emily and lived nearby. It was possible they could have met although no evidence. I also wanted to contrast her with Emily. Some authors like Emily did it for the sake of art and her own personal thoughts, while others like Alcott did it for the sake of supporting her family and was driven. Emily feared fame and did not try to get published more. Personally, I write for both reasons. I put in the author’s notes how ‘Emily wrote for the expression of art; Louisa wrote for the money.’

EC: Louisa May Alcott was also in the story-what was her voice?

AF: She is very confident, opinionated, with fun banter. Anyone who read Little Women would recognize these qualities in her main character, Jo. She is blunt, straight forward, and wrote for the money because she is super pragmatic. Growing up her family did not have money because her dad believed in living simply. She broke barriers by being a female who used her own name and became popular. When she started writing she used pen names. But with Little Women she wrote under her own name and this book changed the life of herself and her family.

EC: Next books?

AF: The third one in the series might be the last one. It is titled I Died for Beauty and will come out in early 2025. The plot setting has the 1857 blizzard with a deep freeze in New England. A young Irish couple die in a fire at their house. Emily and Willa try to figure out what really happened.

The next book coming out in February is titled Crime and Cherry Pits, a cozy. In March my first Katherine Wright mystery will be released titled To Slip the Bonds of Earth about a murder.

The Candy Shop mystery will be out in October next year. The Matchmaker mystery comes out the following year. Each main character will have a book coming out every other year.

THANK YOU!!

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