Sunday, March 4, 2018

HBS Author’s Spotlight – Class of February 2018

This month we have a group of interesting writers with worlds of knowledge and expertise. The author interviews are a MUST read.

Be sure to check out what they have coming next for their readers. I try to pick authors who are interesting studies and ask them unique questions for our Q/A section.

Check out the Showcase feature of the HBS Author's Spotlight. I have included those authors in this class. Also, we have added the Author Bundles and Series showcases we have posted this month.

Thanks to the following outstanding authors for a great month. Here is a summary of our February 2018 crew.


Jordan Dane
Author: Jordan Dane

Author Genre: Romance, Mystery & Thrillers, Young Adult

Author's Blog: Jordan's Website Contact Page
Website: Jordan Dane
Twitter: @JordanDane
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Bestselling, critically-acclaimed author Jordan Dane’s gritty thrillers are ripped from the headlines with vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor. Publishers Weekly compared her intense novels to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag, naming her debut novel NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM as Best Books of 2008. She also pens young-adult novels for Harlequin Teen. Formerly an energy sales manager, she writes full time and shares her Texas residence with two lucky rescue dogs.



Interview Excerpt

Next: The two-novella story with my hero Braxton Valentine will be completed when VALENTINE & THE LOTUS CIRCLE http://jordandane.com/books/amazon-kws/valentine-lotus-circle/   releases on February 15, 2018.

Social media: I’ve built up my Twitter and Facebook followers over time and being active. I have over 5,000 followers on each. I’m on Twitter all the time, mostly for fun stuff. (I’ll explain.) Other authors post more regularly on Facebook than I do, but too much social media is a time drain.

Audio books: The more formats listed on your book pages, the better visibility and Amazon algorithms appear to like the varied formats, too. After I realized Harlequin Teen didn’t acquire audio rights for my debut YA – IN THE ARMS OF STONE ANGELS – I explored creating a self-published audio book through ACX. Here is a link to ACX: http://www.acx.com/

Novellas: This is a huge topic for me. Novellas (usually price discounted) can be a great teaser for a series, without having to give away a first book in a series. Writing shorter stories, when I was used to writing novels, is NOT easier. It’s actually harder to maintain the quality my readers have come to expect on plot and pace and characterizations. I’m writing a stripped down version that has to be lean and mean, while still representing my brand.

Great blog: My blog is The Kill Zone https://killzoneblog.com/
- It’s an award-winning group blog geared toward the craft and business of writing. Let me emphasize the word ‘group’ blog. We post daily, but there are twelve of us who do the work and keep the blog active with a great community of aspiring and published authors.


Primary genre: My comfort read and genre is crime fiction. That’s a big umbrella for all the subgenres under it, like police procedural, espionage, action/adventure, romantic suspense, romantic thrillers, mysteries, etc.

By reader list, I believe you’re referring to my mailing list that I’ve grown over the years and have cultivated since I was first published. (If you’re referring to readers interested in obtaining Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) in exchange for an honest review, I offer ARCs exclusively through my e-newsletters to my mailing list of followers. It’s part of the perks to being a member.)

Author's Book List
Valentine: Steel Heart
Fiona's Salvation
The Darkness Within Him
Vigilante Justice
Hell Yeah!: Out for Blood
Mr. January
In the Eyes of the Dead
Redemption for Avery
The Last Victim
Tough Target
Hot Target
Crystal Fire
Blood Score
Indigo Awakening
On a Dark Wing
In the Arms of Stone Angels
Reckoning for the Dead
The Echo of Violence
The Wrong Side of Dead
Evil Without a Face
No One Lives Forever
No One Heard Her Scream
No One Left To Tell


For the rest of the story...View Jordan Dane - HBS Author's Spotlight

Effrosyni Moschoudi
Author: Effrosyni Moschoudi

Author Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Author's Blog: Effrosyni Writes
Website: Effrosyni Writes
Twitter: @FrostieMoss
E-Mail: contact@effrosyniwrites.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Effrosyni Moschoudi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. As a child, she loved to sit alone in her garden scribbling rhymes about flowers, butterflies and ants. Today, she writes books for people who love all things Greek. Her debut novel, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, has won a silver medal in the 2017 book awards of Readers’ Favorite. In their glowing 5-star review they declared it, ‘a stunning masterpiece’. Her historical romance, The Ebb, is an ABNA Q-Finalist. Effrosyni's novels are Amazon bestsellers, having hit #1 several times. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat called Felix, but her mind forever drifts to her beloved Greek island of Corfu.



Interview Excerpt

Social media: I have 72,000 Twitter followers at the moment and it’s steadily growing because I have been working to grow my follower count every week for the past four years when I started. This has been a conscious effort as I am aware of the power of the specific medium to spread a message far and wide. Twitter doesn’t sell books, but it provides visibility like no other social media platform.

Great covers: I am truly pleased with my covers. The process of creation starts with a general idea or image I will have in my head – sometimes I also know in advance what special elements I want in the design - like the bougainvillea branch on the top left corner of The Amulet, for example. I discuss my requirements with my graphic designer and then he works his magic.

Primary genre: I write paranormal romance mostly. I am inspired by stories that I would love to explore as a reader myself. I love books about ghosts, myths, angels, and so forth.

Free books: I believe in the power of free. I am not one of those authors who whine about the hard work they put in. We all put blood and sweat into our books but there are millions of books out there. So what makes one think theirs will stand out?

Great blogs: I have two blogs. The one on my website is mostly a book blog. I share my reviews and interviews with authors, as well as my news, personal stories, and memories from Corfu. Recently, I started posting about my travels too, sharing travel tips, information and my own photos. In my other blog, I mainly post Greek recipes. All my posts have one common purpose: to offer some kind of value to the reader.

Author's Book List
The Amulet
The Storm
The Flow
The Ebb
Poetry from The Lady of the Pier
The Necklace of Goddess Athena


For the rest of the story...View Effrosyni Moschoudi - HBS Author's Spotlight

Douglas Wickard
Author: Douglas Wickard

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Thriller, Gay and Lesbian

Author's Blog: Douglas Wickard
Website: Douglas Wickard
Twitter: @DouglasWickard
E-Mail: douglas@douglaswickard.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Amazon Kindle Bestselling author of the SAMI SAXTON thriller series and FBI Agent DAN HAMMER Detective series NOTHING SACRED and ENCOUNTER. Soon to be released: A PERFECT WIFE. Read the excerpt at douglaswickardbooks.com! LULLABY, the new Dan Hammer thriller coming in 2016 as well as DEVIANT, the second in 'The Queer Diary' Series.



Interview Excerpt

Next: I am currently putting together The Wanting Hour, which bundles Aberrant, Deviant and Transcendent in one book.

Great covers: I have a great web page designer. I choose the image with photos and she creates the design. She is amazing. Maddee’s business is xuni.com. Use her. She is unbelievable.

Bundling a series of novels: I enjoy writing series because I already know the characters. Writing new novels takes longer because of the character development. I am a stickler for character development. They need to be real and engaging. That takes time. When I sit down to write novels with my tried and true characters, it’s more like taking dictation. They tell me what to do! Seriously!

Free books: When my novel A Perfect Husband was first published and selling well, I was with a publishing house that didn’t allow free downloads. I have used free promotions in the past and I guess it does help sell books, but I stopped pushing so much.

Primary genre: I love psychological thrillers. I love the intrigue, the plot twists, the uncovering of secrets.

Author's Book List
Transcendent
Deviant
ABERRANT
ENCOUNTER
Nothing Sacred
A Perfect Wife
Perfect
A Perfect Setup
A Perfect Husband


For the rest of the story...View Douglas Wickard - HBS Author's Spotlight

Eric Wilder
Author: Eric Wilder

Author Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal

Author's Blog: Eric Wilder's Blogspot
Website: Eric Wilder Louisiana Mystery Writer
Twitter: @EricWilderOK
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Born on a sleepy bayou, Louisiana Mystery Writer Eric Wilder grew up listening to tales of ghosts, magic, and voodoo. He's the author of ten novels, four cookbooks, many short stories, and Murder Etouffee, a book that defies classification. His two series feature P.I.s adept in the investigation of the paranormal. He lives in Oklahoma, near historic Route 66 with wife Marilyn, three wonderful dogs and two great cats.



Interview Excerpt

Next: I’m working on French Quarter Mystery #7 tentatively titled New Orleans Dangerous. It’s about a basketball player in the NBA that arrives in New Orleans after being traded to the Pelicans. He quickly learns he has a dark connection with the city he didn’t know about that involves voodoo, incest, and murder.

Social media: My presence on Facebook and Twitter has played a large and positive role in my success as an indie author. Books aren’t sold without a continued marketing effort. Like most indie authors, I have a limited advertising budget, so I rely heavily on free exposure on Facebook and Twitter.

Great covers: I’ve used two different cover designers: Jim and Joan Higgins at bestbookcovers.com and Andres Grau at 13bookcovers.com. I start by giving them a synopsis of the book, always including several plot elements so they can tie the story into the cover. Book covers are probably the single biggest reason readers choose your book over others.

Book trailers can be an effective marketing tool. I’ve done a couple myself and hired a professional designer for another. A well-done book trailer helps a book’s exposure and the more times a perspective reader see’s your pitch, the more likely they are to purchase your book.

Audio books: There is a large market out there for audiobooks. Many people would rather listen to someone tell them a story than to read it themselves. Excellent earnings await writers if they can tap into this market. Creating an audiobook is both time consuming and potentially very expensive.

I love short stories. I’ve written many, and they have helped me become a better writer. I’ve published various short stories related to my two series and give them away for free or at a nominal price as teasers.

My primary genre is paranormal mystery though the novels have elements of both fantasy and the thriller. I market to mystery readers that love New Orleans. I also have a paranormal series set mostly in Oklahoma.

Free books: When I first became an indie author, I gave away many titles. I’ve heard the pros and cons of this marketing method. My opinion is it’s just plain nuts! Readers have thousands of unread titles on their Nooks and Kindles. Just because a thousand people downloaded your book doesn’t mean that a thousand people have read it.

Reviews: Good reviews are very important, and bad reviews can kill your book before it ever has a chance to get off the ground. In the past, I paid for professional reviews from the likes of Pacific Coast Review of Books.

Author's Book List
Sisters of the Mist
River Road
Black Magic Woman
Primal Creatures
City of Spirits
Big Easy
Blink of an Eye
Bones of Skeleton Creek
Ghost of a Chance


For the rest of the story...View Eric Wilder - HBS Author's Spotlight

HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Rhys Bowen
Featured Book: The Tuscan Child


From New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen comes a haunting novel about a woman who braves her father’s hidden past to discover his secrets…

In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.

Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father’s funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.

Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father’s history—and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father’s secrets now…


Author: Rhys Bowen

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Website: Rhys Bowen
Twitter: @RhysBowen
E-Mail: authorrhysbowen@gmail.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of two historical mystery series as well as the #1Kindle bestseller In Farleigh Field. Rhys was born in Bath, England and educated at London University but now divides her time between California and Arizona. Her books have been nominated for every major mystery award and she has won fourteen of them to date.

She currently writes two historical mystery series, each very different in tone. The Molly Murphy mysteries feature an Irish immigrant woman in turn-of-the-century New York City. These books are multi-layered, complex stories with a strong sense of time and place and have won many awards including Agatha and Anthony. There are 16 book so far in this series plus three Kindle stories, The Amersham Rubies, Through the Window and The Face in the Mirror--a great way to introduce new readers to Molly's spunky personality.

Then there is Lady Georgie, Rhys's latest,and very popular, heroine. She's 35th in line to the throne of England, but she's flat broke and struggling to survive in the Great Depression. These books are lighter and funnier than Molly's adventures. They poke gentle fun at the British class system--about which Rhys knows a lot, having married into an upper class family rather like Georgie's, with cousins with silly nicknames,family ghosts and stately homes. The eleventh book in the series, On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service, will be published August 2017. Two books in the series have won the Agatha award for best historical mystery.

The series received the Readers Choice Award for favorite mystery series and Rhys was nominated for career achievement. It was also voted one of Goodreads top 10 cozy mysteries. The books have been translated into many languages and brought Rhys fans from around the world.

Her most recent achievement was the big World War 2 stand-alone novel, In Farleigh Field. It has enjoyed impressive sales world-wide and brought Rhys many new readers.

As a child Rhys spent time with relatives in Wales. Those childhood experiences colored her first mystery series, about Constable Evans in the mountains of Snowdonia. 10 books including the Edgar nominee Evan's Gate. She has lived in Austria, Germany and Australia, but has called California her home for many years. She now escapes to a condo in Arizona during those cold California winters. When she's not writing she loves to travel, sing, hike, paint and play the Celtic harp.

Author's Book List
The Tuscan Child
On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service
In Farleigh Field
The Ghost of Christmas Past
The Edge of Dreams
City of Darkness and Light
The Family Way
Hush Now, Don't You Cry
Bless the Bride
The Last Illusion
In a Gilded Cage
Tell Me, Pretty Maiden
In Dublin's Fair City
Oh Danny Boy
In Like Flynn
For the Love of Mike
Death of Riley
Murphy's Law
Crowned and Dangerous
Malice at the Palace
Queen of Hearts
Heirs and Graces
The Twelve Clues of Christmas
Naughty In Nice
Royal Blood
Royal Flush
A Royal Pain
Her Royal Spyness


For the rest of the story...View Rhys Bowen - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase


Dianne Harman
Featured Book: Murdered at the Courthouse


Some experts say the honeymoon phase of a marriage lasts for about six months, but they didn't take murder into account!

When the county judge is murdered and Kat's District Attorney husband of far less than six months, is not only a suspect, but now the lead attorney in another murder case, Kat has to find the killer to clear his name.

Who knew the judge was addicted to watching computer porn? But was that the reason he was murdered?

Was the killer the judge's "unusual" wife who spent millions building a castle in the middle of Kansas and then filling the moat around the castle with alligators? Or the head of Mothers Against Pornography Addiction? Could it have been the woman who was having an affair with the judge? Or her husband? After all, he did attend Rageaholics meetings. Or even the young sorority girl who was making a lot of money appearing on porn sites?

Sometimes a guard dog is just as important as a former Green Beret, and Kat was grateful to both of them when they saved her life!


Author: Dianne Harman

Author Genre: Romance and Literary Fiction

Author's Blog: Dianne Harman Author
Website: Dianne Harman Author
Twitter: @DianneDHarman
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
USA TODAY bestselling author and seven time Amazon All Star Author, Dianne Harman, draws her stories and characters from a diverse business and personal background. She owned a national antique and art appraisal business for many years, left that industry, and opened two yoga centers where she taught and certified yoga instructors. She's traveled extensively throughout the world and loves nothing more than cooking, playing backgammon with her husband, Tom, and throwing the ball for their dog, Kelly.

Being a dog lover and having attended numerous cooking schools, she couldn't resist writing about food and dogs. Dianne is the author of several cozy mystery series: Cedar Bay, Liz Lucas, High Desert, Midwest, Jack Trout, and the Northwest. Each of these books contains recipes from her travels. Alexis, the first book in the Midlife Journey Series was also recently published. She's the author of the award-winning suspenseful Coyote Series.

Murder in the Pearl District was chosen by Amazon to be one of their Mystery books in their October, 2016 homage of great writing by independent authors and several of her books have been chosen by them as PRIME books!

Author's Book List
Murdered at the Courthouse
Murder at Le Bijou Bistro
Murder in San Francisco
Murder After Midnight
Murdered By Wine
Murder in Seattle
Murdered By Plastic Surgery
Murder in Whistler
Murder & The Movie Star
Murder on Bainbridge Island
Murder in Calistoga
Trouble at the Animal Shelter
ALEXIS
Murder at the Polo Club
Murder at the Clinic
Murder on the East Coast
High Desert Cozy Mysteries #1
Murder at the Big T Lodge
Murdered by Country Music
Murdered by Words
Trouble at the Kennel
The Blue Butterfly
Murder in Cuba
Murder & the Secret Cave
Murder At The Bed & Breakfast
Murder & The Monkey Band
Murder at the Cooking School
The Death Card
Murder in Calico Gold
Murder and Brandy Boy
Murder in the Pearl District
Murder in Cottage #6
Marriage and Murder
White Cloud Retreat
Murder at Jade Cove
Kelly's Koffee Shop
COYOTE SERIES
CORNERED COYOTE
Coyote in Provence
Blue Coyote Motel


For the rest of the story...View Dianne Harman - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase


Cricket Rohman
Featured Book: SAVING MADELINE


SAVING MADELINE is both heart-wrenching and humorous. In the beginning, Roxy, a naïve young actor arrives in Hollywood to follow her dream and escape from her mean-spirited family. When she finds herself coexisting in a cramped Los Angeles apartment with a wounded warrior and her German shepherd, tensions run high . . . And then her mother moves in—so much for escaping. Along comes the well-connected acting coach, James Jonathan Jarvis, and Roxy’s big break in showbiz: a part in a reality TV show with a wilderness survival theme. But a week before rehearsals begin, her mother disappears. Roxy’s search leads her close to Montana where she and Madeline become trapped in a real life-and-death situation. Though the daily obstacles that challenge these three women are paramount, they manage to find humor in their frequent calamities, and Roxy’s Hollywood misadventures buffer the troubling glimpses into the world of a woman whose memory is fading.


Author: Cricket Rohman

Author Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Author's Blog: Cricket Rohman
Website: Author Cricket Rohman
Twitter: @CricketRohman
E-Mail: CricketRohman@gmail.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Cricket grew up in Estes Park, Colorado, and spent her formative years among deer, bobcats, coyotes and beautiful blue columbine. Today she is a full-time author writing about the great outdoors, teachers, dogs, love, laughter, and life’s little mysteries—think romantic suspense.

Prior to writing, Cricket's career path included the following jobs: actor, singer, audio/video producer, classroom teacher, school principal, and U of A, College of Education assistant professor.

The first three novels in The Lindsey Lark Series are--WANTED: AN HONEST MAN; LETTERS, LOVERS, & LIES; and HIT THE ROAD, JAKE!.

And, yes. All three books are works of fiction. REALLY! (Well, except the part about the dog; Cricket really had a dog like Wendell, the mastiff, who appears in every book.)

Author's Book List
Forever Island
SAVING MADELINE
Hit The Road, Jake!
Letters, Lovers, & Lies
Wanted: An Honest Man


For the rest of the story...View Cricket Rohman - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase


Sharon Skinner
Featured Book: Rocket Shoes


“Shoes with engines, springs and sprockets, kick-start heels, and shoe-size rockets.” A rhyming story for every kid who wants to fly—and wonders when it’s okay to break the rules.

Like all children, José dreams of flying. So he works hard to buy a pair of rocket shoes that let him jet into the atmosphere. But all those spins, kicks, and airborne tricks cause such a ruckus around town that the mayor bans the shoes and shuts down the factory. Then, one day, during a terrible snowstorm, José hears a cry: his neighbor’s in danger—and he can only help her if he puts on the shoes. Will José dare to break the rules and save the day?


Author: Sharon Skinner

Author Genre: Children's Books,Fantasy

Author's Blog: Livejournal
Website: SharonSkinner.com
Twitter: @sharonskinner56
E-Mail: Sharon@BrickCaveBooks.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Sharon Skinner has been writing stories and poetry since grade school. She is a voracious reader of anything and everything, but her writing tends to be focused on fantasy, Steampunk, and the odd ghost story. She holds a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing, and works hard to continuously improve her craft. Sharon also teaches workshops on creative writing and engaging audiences. She is an active member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and currently serves as the Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ. When she isn't traveling around the country teaching writing workshops or doing book signings and author appearances in fun places like Emerald City ComiCon, Phoenix ComiCon, and various book festivals, she spends her time writing, re-visioning, and editing.

Author's Book List
Rocket Shoes
Collars and Curses
The Matriarch's Devise
Mirabella & the Faded Phantom
The Nelig Stones
The Healer's Legacy
In Case You Didn't Hear Me The First Time


For the rest of the story...View Sharon Skinner - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

HBS Bundles and Co-Authored Showcase


Featured Set: The Dead Red Mystery Series



R.P. Dahlke

Author: R.P. Dahlke


Author: R.P. Dahlke
Author Genre: Mystery, Romance, Humor

Website: R.P. Dahlke
Twitter: @rpdahlke
E-Mail: rp@rpdahlke.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
The Dead Red Mystery Series is about a tall, blond and beautiful ex-model turned crop-duster who, to quote Lalla Bains, has "been married so many times they oughta revoke my license." Lalla is no Danielle Steele character & she's not afraid of chipping her manicure. Scratch that, the girl doesn't have time for a manicure what with herding a bunch of recalcitrant pilots and juggling work orders just to keep her father's flagging business alive.Note: Beginning with A Dead Red Alibi, Lalla and her family will reside in South East Arizona where she will divide her time between a fledgling P.I. business with cousin, Pearlie Bains, and volunteering as a team member with Cochise County Search and Rescue.

My romantic sailing Mystery Trilogy start with A Dangerous Harbor, and continues with Hurricane Hole. Both now up on Kindle and if you liked my Lalla Bains series, I know you'll love these books: More romance, more suspense, and in an exotic location with nastier bad guys and a bald parrot!

Memberships:
Sisters in Crime, National and Tucson Chapter 1st chapter Pres.Cochise County, AZ chapter of Sisters in Crime 2003-2005.

Title: A DEAD RED MIRACLE

Author: RP Dahlke


Thinking to jump start their careers as private investigators in Wishbone, Arizona, cousins Lalla and Pearlie Bains buy into it with a local P.I. But their nifty plan starts circling the drain when his unscrupulous business practices end in his untimely death and they discover that he's been siphoning clients from their partnership.

With only a week before the state puts pulls the business license Lalla and Pearlie will have to corral a wall-climbing Apache ninja, pacify their former boss's greedy ex-wives and nail a killer. Sure Lalla and Pearlie are in a really tight spot, but all they need is a miracle or two.

Available at Amazon

Title: A DEAD RED ALIBI

Author: R.P. Dahlke


A successful, but reclusive young artist with a secret life.
A wannabe lawman and his dotty gun-toting granddad.
An abandoned mine pit, a curious dad and the local police chief found with him.
When Lalla and her dad take a trip to Arizona to inspect her new property, Dad disappears. But when Lalla enlists the help of a local tracker she's relieved to find him unharmed, but in the bottom of a mine pit.

Unfortunately, he's got company--a local police chief, and it looks like he's been murdered. Then too, a young woman artist living nearby has also been murdered. What're the chances that these two murders are going to be related? Well, if you're Lalla Bains, you don't guess, you start looking for the killer!

Available at Amazon

Title: A Dead Red Oleander

Author: RP Dahlke


"The main protagonists and all the supporting characters, have larger than life personalities, which lend themselves to some great dialogue exchanges and some pretty strange and esoteric action scenes. In preparation for the couple's forthcoming nuptuals, Lalla's relatives have arrived in California, from Texas and now the fun really starts!!"

When a late in the season emergency forces Lalla Bains to accept a greenhorn ag pilot for her dad's cropdusting business, she sighs in relief . After all, he comes highly recommended, his physical is spotless, and with a name like Dewey Treat, what could possibly go wrong?

Then her quirky relatives arrive from Texas and things go south in a hurry: Dewey Treat drops dead, his tearful widow claims he was murdered, clobbers Sherriff Caleb Stone with his own gun, and makes a run for it. Lalla, convinced the widow is innocent, sets out to prove it--against the express wishes of fiancé Caleb Stone.

Feds, local law, suspicious ag-pilots, nutso relatives, and her daddy's new sidekick, Bruce the goat, make life a living hell for Lalla. Will her nosey nature solve the crime and save the day? Or put them all in mortal danger?

Available at Amazon

Title: A DEAD RED HEART

Author: RP Dahlke


When a lovesick, homeless veteran litters her vintage red caddy with paper snowflakes, Lalla Bains, Aero Ag pilot figures it's time for a showdown. Unfortunately, someone else has the same idea leaving Lalla with a dying man at her feet, and only his strange last words, "The more there is, the less you see," as a clue to his killer.

Compounding her life her tightwad, widowed father becomes a born-again ladies man, a disreputable competitor tries to push her out of business, and last but not least, her antennae twitches that the sultry redhead in Modesto's police department may be vying for Sheriff Caleb Stone's affections.

It soon becomes crystal clear that the police are totally off base on this murder investigation and someone else is going to have to suit up to solve this case. Someone who is just exasperating, pushy, and tenacious enough to get the job done--and that person will be none other than:Ms. Lalla Bains.

Available at Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Title: A DEAD RED CADILLAC

Author: R.P. Dahlke


"I've been married so many times, they should revoke my license," says NY model, and reluctant pilot Lalla Bains.

Running her dad's Crop-Dusting business in Modesto, California she's hoping to dodge the inevitable fortieth birthday party. But when her trophy red '58 Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask why a widowed piano teacher, who couldn't possibly see beyond the hood ornament, was found strapped in the driver's seat.

Reeling from an interrogation with local homicide, Lalla is determined to extricate herself as a suspect in this strange murder case. Unfortunately, drug running pilots, a cross-dressing convict, a crazy Chihuahua, and the dead woman's hunky nephew throw enough road blocks to keep Lalla neck deep in an investigation that links her family to a twenty-year old murder only she can solve.

Available at Amazon
Barnes and Noble


Featured Set: The Mateguas Island Series



Linda Watkins

Author: Linda Watkins


Author: Linda Watkins
Author Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Thriller

Website: Linda Watkins
Author's Blog: Linda Watkins
Twitter: @Splatland
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Post with Profile + Interview: HBS Author's Spotlight

Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Linda Watkins currently resides in Sedona, Arizona and, in another life, was a Senior Clinical Financial Analyst at Stanford University School of Medicine. Born on the east coast, she grew up in a suburb of Detroit. Upon graduation from college (Carnegie Mellon, '70), she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she lived and worked for most of her adult life. In 2006, she packed her belongings and, along with her 3 rescue dogs, took the plunge and moved to a remote island off the coast of Maine. It was there that she wrote her first novel, Mateguas Island and, since publication, the novel has garnered the following awards:

* 2014 Gold Medal, Supernatural Fiction, Readers Favorite International Book Award Competition
* 2014 First Place Award, Contemporary Gothic, Chanticleer Book Review, Paranormal Awards
* 2015 Outstanding Novel in Horror/Suspense, IAN Book of the Year Awards

Return to Mateguas Island, the sequel, was also awarded a 1st Place in Contemporary Gothic Fiction in the 2015 Chanticleer Book Review’s Paranormal Awards, was named 2015 Finalist in Horror by Readers Favorite International Book Award Competition, and named 2016 Finalist in Horror by the IAN Book of the Year Awards.

The third novel in the Mateguas Island Series, Ghosts of Mateguas, was published in early 2016. In 2017, Ghosts was named "Finalist in Thrillers" in the Book Excellence Awards and "Finalist in Horror/Suspense" in the IAN Book of the Year Awards.

Today, Linda has completed a new stand-alone novel, Summer Girl, a work of literary fiction, which was published in November of 2017. She also completed a novella, Sarah & Zoey, which was published in September of 2017.

Today, she is working on a new series of gothic fiction, The Storm Island Mysteries. The first installment in this series, Storm Island: A Kate Pomeroy Mystery, is complete and she hopes to publish it in late 2018. She is also working on a prequel to the first Storm Island Mystery. After that, the next item on her agenda will be to write the 4th installment in The Mateguas Island Series.

Serious about dog welfare and rescue, all net proceeds from sales of The Mateguas Island Series are donated to Linda's charitable trust, The Raison d'Etre Fund for Dogs, Dedicated to Rescue and Research.

Linda is a member of the Horror Writers Association, The Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers, The International Association of Crime Writers (N.A.), and the Authors Guild.

To take a look at her other works or communicate with her, please visit her website (www.lindawatkins-author.com), her blog where she posts book reviews and other features (www.lindawatkins.biz) and/or her novel website, dedicated to the Mateguas Island Series (www.mateguasisland.com).

Title: Mateguas Island

Author: Linda Watkins


What could be more idyllic than to live on an island off the coast of Maine? That's what Bill Andersen thought when he moved his family to Mateguas. But Mateguas is more than just pristine beaches nestled between rocky shores. No, Mateguas is really something quite different….

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Title: RETURN TO MATEGUAS ISLAND

Author: Linda Watkins


A young woman, searching for answers ….
A man, trying desperately to remember what he has forgotten ….
What secrets lie buried?
What mysteries are waiting, patiently, beneath this island's pristine exterior?
Come back … back to the mythos, passion, and magic ….
RETURN TO MATEGUAS ISLAND!

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Title: Ghosts of Mateguas

Author: Linda Watkins


The body of a young girl, found floating in the icy waters of Scarborough Marsh…

Six men, over a span of thirty-five years, disappear without a trace…
A harbinger of evil, so ancient it defies memory, surfaces on the rocky shores of Mateguas...

Journey, with Karen and her family, back to the mythos, passion, and magic, and join her as she seeks to finally lay to rest the ... GHOSTS OF MATEGUAS.

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