With the help of Stephanie Foster, the Event Coordinator and Reference Librarian, I have put together a post highlighting some of the authors and their books.
I love events like this. Readers get direct access to local authors and a great time is had by all. (Date: March 23, 2019)
Desert Sleuths Sisters in Crime – Mesa Public Library - Red Mountain Branch 2019
Murder Lifts the Spirits
Petra Paranormal Mysteries Book 2
Author: Margaret C Morse
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Attorney Petra Rakowtiz thought her courtroom skills were magical... that is until this newbie witch realized what real magic was.
For the past two months Petra has made the Disclaimer Ranch her home, undergoing treatment and training for her fledgling powers. She’s focused on learning to be a good witch—no more accidental arsons. But when a fellow Ranch resident and wizard dies while arguing with Petra, the other program residents accuse her of murder by magic, and Petra must use all of her legal know-how to defend herself!
With a slew of suspects ranging from a convicted killer to a wanna-be Watson making wild accusations, Petra has her hands full. Not to mention the murder victim who returns in ghostly form, demanding that Petra find his killer. The clock is ticking as the other residents become targets and Petra finds herself going toe to toe with a murderer intent on not-so-magically making her disappear...for good!
Author: Margaret C Morse
Author Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Website: Margaret C Morse
Twitter: @marcalmor
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Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Margaret loves murder mysteries—the sooner the corpse appears, the better! Whether it's a cozy, a paranormal, or romantic suspense, she likes to watch the puzzle unravel. If not reading crime fiction, she's writing her own mysteries. Margaret's debut novel features a lawyer who turns into a witch during her first murder case. When characters can kill with spells, the ways to dispatch a victim dramatically increase. Margaret used to practice law, so she knows a lawyer can transform into a witch. Margaret shares a home in Phoenix with her husband and their seven rescue dogs. A mix of breeds from pit bulls to terriers, the pack walks their owners every day. When not engrossed in murder, Margaret tries new recipes, grows weird succulents, and goes bird watching with her husband. They've enjoyed sights that range from hawks soaring for prey to baby birds squawking to be fed.
Priestess of Ishana
Tesha Series Book 1
Author: Judith Starkston
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A curse, a conspiracy and the clash of kingdoms. A defiant priestess confronts her foes, armed only with ingenuity and forbidden magic.
A malignant curse from the Underworld threatens Tesha's city with fiery devastation. The young priestess of Ishana, goddess of love and war, must overcome this demonic darkness. Charred remains of an enemy of the Hitolian Empire reveal both treason and evil magic. Into this crisis, King Hattu, the younger brother of the Great King, arrives to make offerings to the goddess Ishana, but he conceals his true mission in the city. As a connection sparks between King Hattu and Tesha, the Grand Votary accuses Hattu of murderous sorcery and jails him under penalty of death. Isolated in prison, Hattu's only hope lies in Tesha to uncover the conspiracy against him. Unfortunately, the Grand Votary is Tesha's father, a rash, unyielding man, and now her worst enemy. To help Hattu, she must risk destroying her own father.
Step into this exotic world of historical fantasy, with its richly imagined details of the Bronze Age, evocative of the Near East. In a whirlpool of magic, politics, family crisis and love, Tesha pursues justice over the dark forces arrayed against her.
Author: Judith Starkston
Author Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Website: Judith Starkston
Author's Blog: Judith Starkston Weekly Posts
Twitter: @JudithStarkston
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Judith Starkston has spent too much time reading about and exploring the remains of the ancient worlds of the Greeks and Hittites. Early on she went so far as to get two degrees in Classics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Cornell. She loves myths and telling stories. This has gradually gotten more and more out of hand. Her solution: to write fantasy set in the exotic worlds of the past. Fantasy and Magic in a Bronze Age World. Hand of Fire was a semi-finalist for the M.M. Bennett's Award for Historical Fiction. Priestess of Ishana won the San Diego State University Conference Choice Award.
Judith has two grown children and lives in Arizona with her husband. Because writing is best done with community, Judith belongs to her local Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime, the Society of Southwestern Authors and the Arizona chapter of the Historical Novel Society. Judith is represented by Richard Curtis.
For a free short story set in her Bronze Age fantasy world and a free cookbook of recipes inspired by the ancient Mediterranean foods in her novels, subscribe to Judith's newsletter on her website. The newsletter goes out occasionally with updates about new releases, special offers and useful information about recommended books and the background of her Bronze Age world.
The Dues Card
Author: Donna Lee Bowring
AVAILABLE at Amazon
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Cody Ryan agrees to meet with her brother Jerry, whom she has not seen nor spoken with for more than twenty years. Illness, family secrets, and desertion tore their young lives apart. She makes the difficult trip home with the hope that she can come to terms with the past and put painful memories to rest.
The Dues Card is a story of loss and betrayal, but also one of bravery and acceptance. Cody begins the narrative when she is twelve-years-old, determined to overcome the heartbreak that ensues as her family breaks apart.
Readers will follow Cody's efforts to deal with events beyond her control as she grows from child to adult. She must accept that the world is often unfair and creating a life she can value rests on her shoulders.
Author: Donna Lee Bowring
Twitter: @BowringDonna
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Donna Bowring is a widow who lives in Goodyear, Arizona. She is a retired Graphic Artist who has been a typesetter/designer and owned and operated a small graphics shop. She retired from Arizona State University where she worked as the Production Manager in Student Publications. She earned her BA in English from ASU, attending classes part time while working on campus. In her spare time she reads, gardens and continues to write. She has published short stories in Inkslingers Anthology, issues 2012, 2013 and 2014. She has also published in Canyon Voices, Arizona State University’s digital anthology, issues 2012 and 2014. She has published poetry online in Whispers in the Wind. The Dues Card is her first novel.
Devil Be Gone
Author: Rita Toma
AVAILABLE at Amazon
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With Megan as their scout, The Dynamic Trio meet their biggest challenge yet - a demon. Making matters worse, the trio are sometimes whisked back in time to the 18th century, where the very different lifestyle intensifies their problems.
The Dynamic Trio hope to change history and honor a boy's request by saving him from a life he desperately wants to avoid.
Will the skills Megan was given be enough to overcome a demon?
Author: Rita Toma
Website: Rita Toma Author
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Rita Toma was born in Ontario, Canada where she spent most of her life. Today she resides in Arizona, enjoying both countries' cultures and stimulations.
Her travels through many other countries have taught her life lessons from extraordinary experiences.
She enjoys the company and devours the knowledge of fellow Inkslingers. They keep her focused on her writing. The author is published in three of their Anthologies. Rita is a member of the Northwest Valley Critique Group and the Historical Society.
Although she enjoys reading and swimming, travelling tops her bucket list.
Rita's Young Adult trilogy, David's Ghost, Twin Disasters, and Devil Be Gone can be found on Amazon.com (.ca), and ordered in book stores, both in print and Kindle. All other e-books can be found on Smashwords.com.
Chaos Theory
Author: M. Evonne Dobson
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Seventeen-year-old Kami is into science, way smarter than she should be, a little obtuse, and born to investigate. The kind of girl who excels in Martial Arts and runs a chaos theory experiment in her locker. Kami finds a way to focus her talents when she meets Daniel, whose younger sister Julia died from an overdose of prescription drugs—drugs that the cops think came from Daniel’s stash. First Daniel turns up at Kami’s MA class, and later she saves him from a couple of drug dealers at the local skate park. Neither episode endears him to her, but Kami views life as a series of data points, and in Daniel’s case, the data do not add up. Her theory turns out to be correct: Daniel is taking he fall to protect his sister’s reputation—and to work with the cops to find out who really supplied his sister with drugs. Kami assembles a team of sleuths to help Daniel meet those goals. Top of the list is her best friend Sandy, who can con anybody out of anything, every time.
Sandy’s boyfriend Sam, editor of the school newspaper, is researcher in chief. Then there is gorgeous Gavin, a computer genius whose abilities to help are hindered by the fact that he’s already in trouble with the cops for hacking. Daniel’s novice police handler provides a link to law enforcement.
The trail leads to the local stables, where Julia kept a stash of drugs. The team next uncovers a link to the manufacturer of the drugs. Working with the police, Kami goes undercover as an intern at the pharmaceutical company that makes the drugs that killed Julia. But she’s not the only undercover agent on the trail. In Chaos Theory, first time author M Evonne Dobson not only tells a fast-paced mystery, but also explores her protagonist’s deep need to understand the chaotic lives of those around her, lives that refuse to be neat, clean, and simple. Especially when death happens to those you love. Set in Iowa, Chaos Theory is a young adult contemporary crime novel, the first in a proposed series tentatively called The Kami Files.
Author: M. Evonne Dobson
Author's Blog: Writer's Blog
Twitter: @megdobsonagent
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Author Description:
MEG E. DOBSON (aka M Evonne Dobson), ives in Iowa’s prairie land with two horses, a ghost cat, and a blue merle Sheltie. She occasionally escapes to a Scottsdale AZ writing studio. She was awarded an SCBWI-IA mentorship for her multiple characters’ distinctive age appropriate voices in 2013. In 2014, Meg’s first short story placed in the Top 5 of a national Writers’ Police Academy contest. The Poisoned Pencil published her Chaos Theory, a young adult crime fiction, in February 2015. She l website: MEvonneDobson.com Writer's Blog: megevonne.blogspot.com Facebook/Goodreads/Amazon: M. Evonne Dobson
Chain Of Lies
Merano & Bell Novels) (Volume 3)
Author: Susan Budavari
Buy at Amazon
In her quest to find the rightful owner of a priceless antique brooch that mysteriously comes into her possession, Grace Danford, her husband Bill, and infant daughter, Sophie, are brought in contact with the Warners, a wealthy older couple. The Warners unexpectedly offer Grace a job, causing her to wonder about their motives. Following an attempt to kidnap Sophie, Grace hires private investigator Matt Merano. While Matt pursues clues pointing to the involvement of someone in the Warners’ circle, and Grace looks into her own family history for a past connection to the Warners, secrets emerge placing Grace and her family in extreme danger. Are the Warners exactly who they appear to be or is there a devious agenda guiding their actions?
Author: Susan Budavari
Website: Susan Budavari
Desert Sleuths - Susan Budavari
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
I’ve always been an avid mystery reader. When I moved to Arizona I decided to try my hand at writing mysteries. I planned to build on my prior experience in scientific writing in the pharmaceutical industry in New Jersey. How difficult could it be to write a mystery? Especially, one with elements of science or medicine? Quite difficult, I soon found out.
Before attempting a full-length work, I honed my skills by writing short stories, mainly crime fiction and suspense. Some of those stories appear in award-winning anthologies, including ones published by Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter.
Parts Unknown
An Alaskan Mystery
Author: Toni Niesen
AVAILABLE at Amazon
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Somewhere over the Alaskan wilderness a plane has disappeared.
As winter approaches Anchorage, flight instructor Beri Quinn races to find a student who took off in one of her planes, and hasn’t been seen since. She’s convinced he’s still alive despite the Civil Air Patrol calling off their search. She strives to locate the missing pilot, save her reputation as a flight instructor and keep her business. But both in the air and on land, she must overcome gathering forces conspiring against her.
A single mother, Quinn fears losing custody of her son. She draws on her knowledge of aviation and musters the emotional strength necessary to overcome unseen adversaries and protect her family. With missing gold, sabotaged aircraft and unsolved murder, the stakes are high for Quinn and for her enemies.
To resolve her dilemma, Beri must answer one underlying question: did her student misjudge the weather and make a fatal mistake, or was he the victim of an elaborate murder plot? In her quest for an answer, she discovers unexpected betrayal and a massive criminal conspiracy.
Author: Toni Niesen
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Toni Niesen lived in Alaska for twenty-four years. She worked in public health in Anchorage, and lived the life of a pilot vicariously through the exploits of her husband and friends. She is the author of short stories, three of which were published in Desert Sleuth anthologies. Parts Unknown is her debut novel. She currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, grandson, and Boston Terrier, Sushi.
Killing in Quarter Time
a Missy Jenkins musical mystery
Author: Suzanne Flaig
AVAILABLE at Amazon
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The third novel in the Missy Jenkins musical mystery series. Death by chocolate. A fiery car crash. A senator with a shady past. A family with too many secrets. Missy finds herself in the middle of a composition of killing. And the final death could be hers.
Author: Suzanne Flaig
Website: Missy Jenkins Musical Mysteries
E-Mail: missymysteries@hotmail.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Suzanne Flaig is a former piano and organ teacher from Pennsylvania who grew up in a roller skating rink. She started playing piano at age six, and Hammond organ at age nine. After graduating from Ithaca College with a major in French, she married Paul and they had two sons, Jeffrey and Robert. Suzanne then attended Millersville College for her teaching certification. She worked as a substitute teacher as well as teaching piano and organ in her home studio and giving class and private rollerskating lessons.
Suzanne began writing full time after moving to Arizona in 1998. Now a great-grandmother, she spends her time writing and editing. She is the author of the Missy Jenkins musical mystery series, and has published numerous short stories, poems and magazine articles. She has also served as editor for several anthologies and books by other authors. She is a member and past president of the Desert Sleuths Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the Tempe Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association. She is the facilitator of the Mesa Writer's Guild in Mesa, AZ.
Dead Men Don't Talk
Author: Debra S. Sanders
AVAILABLE at Amazon
When Southern belle and caterer, Daisy O'Connor tries to locate her missing step-brother, it's a sure recipe for trouble. Daisy puts her promising career on hold to return to the Lakota reservation where she spent several miserable years. It doesn't take long to remember why she vowed to never go back. The bully from her childhood is now a tribal cop, her long, red hair is still subject to ridicule, and secrets she'd forgotten begin to resurface.
It will take a lot of Southern charm, a few white lies and sidestepping Deputy John Greyhawk for Daisy to find her step-brother but what she uncovers along the way might send her home in a body bag.
Author: Debra S. Sanders
Website: Debra S. Sanders
Twitter: @DebSanders01
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Embracing a penchant for road trips led Debra S. Sanders to chuck most of her material possessions in favor of an RV lifestyle. It wasn’t easy. Dragging a skeptical husband, drooling 100-pound retriever and thoroughly disgusted cat into a tiny vintage trailer took a bit of convincing. After packing basic necessities or at least the ones that would fit in a tiny house on wheels, the four set off for parts unknown. Almost four years later, Debra still loves wandering the backroads of America - albeit more comfortably in a 35' fifth wheel. The dog doesn't drool as much, the cat has become a well-seasoned traveler and the husband smiles from time to time when he thinks his wife is not looking.
As author of 10 novels, mostly thrillers and mysteries, and 3 non-fiction books, Debra continues to write from the road. Her current cozy mystery series follows psychic detective and Southern belle, Daisy O'Connor, as she attempts to find justice for the dead while running a small restaurant and caring for adopted Lakota grandfather, Charlie Tall Tree. When the south meets the rez, Lord have mercy! DEAD MEN CAN’T DANCE – Book 2 in the Dead Men series. Release: March, 2019
Debra is currently working on a dark thriller set in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Drawing from her experience as a contract FEMA Disaster Inspector, she builds a grim world in which one claim inspector fights fraud with murder.
THE DEAD NEVER LIE - Estimated release date - Spring, 2019.
The Parmeter File
Author: Merle McCann
AVAILABLE at Amazon
ORIGINAL COVER Someone is out to harm Holly Greer, and she's frantic to know why. Determined to stop the life-threatening madness, Holly sets out on a high-stakes journey to discover what evil provoked the attempts on her life. Her efforts take her far from home as she faces vengeance, manipulation and destruction. Amidst the threats and intimidation, her situation is dramatically changed when the handsome man from Chicago strides into her life intending to have his way in more ways than one. A born survivor, she dodges assassins, discovers blackmail, murder, and fraud within the United States pentagon, and a love is rekindled.
Fast paced, unpredictable and heart stopping, The Parmeter File is pure entertainment to the very last page.
Author: Merle McCann
Website: Merle McCann
Twitter: @gigimm2
E-Mail: merlemccann7@gmail.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
MERLE McCANN is known for her National literature award- winning Longjohners Mystery Series for middle grade readers. She has published many short stories featuring Arizona, Mississippi, and Washington locations. McCann’s work won best in all categories and genres in the Dixie Kane Memorial as well as Arizona Authors Association annual National literature contest. Born in the Yukon, raised in Seattle, she has traveled the United States and Europe with her husband, pursuing their Arabian horse business. She has also worked as a paralegal, event planner, and scenic photographer, and lives with her husband in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Cornered!
A Kendra Morgan Mystery Book 2
Author: Patricia Curren
AVAILABLE at Amazon
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The small-town gossips of Finchville, Nebraska, are having a field day discussing Glory Delgado's penchant for excessive shopping and pervasive hoarding. But even they are shocked into silence when Glory is found murdered in her farm house.
Kendra Morgan has vowed to keep her nose out of police business and concentrate on the budding relationship with her new boyfriend, Johnny Haskins. However, the teen is pulled back into her old ways when she learns Johnny may be in danger. He lives on the farm adjacent to the murder victim. And the primary suspect is Glory's husband, who is known for his hot-blooded outbursts. Kendra is haunted by visions of Mr. Delgado bursting into Johnny's home with a weapon and taking out the entire Haskins family.
And when a farmer is found hanged in his barn, Kendra is certain there's a link between the two deaths. Her obsession with finding justice for the victims and their families sends her underground to find the killer, once again putting her own life at risk.
Author: Patricia Curren
Author Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction
Website: Pat Curren
Twitter: @pcurren88
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Patricia Curren lives in Mesa, Arizona, and is working on her third novel in the Kendra Morgan series, which has been described as both "wonderful and creepy." Unlike her first two books, the new one will be set in Phoenix, Arizona. She plans to do the same justice to the Arizona setting as she did in portraying the climate, culture, and especially, the people of Nebraska. Patricia loves hanging out with her cat, Cajun, when she's not working. Visit her website at www.patriciacurren.com for posts about writing, cats and fitness. She loves hearing from her readers there.
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