In The Delta

In The Delta
In The Delta

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

THANK YOU KINDLE READERS

A big thank you to readers who downloaded 17 Days in December. I hope you enjoyed it and, if you did, let me know. In fact, if you didn't, let me know as well - what you didn't like etc. If you enjoyed it, check out other titles, free to Amazon Prime members and $2.99 for everyone else.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

BARGAINS AND FREE STUFF

Since I don't expect to get rich, or even eke out a living from my writing, and in view of our devastating economic times, I have lowered the price of the Kindle editions of my book to the minimum allowed by Kindle Direct Publishing $2.99. You can get a free Kindle Reader App for your laptop, IPAD or IPHONE and read cheap.

If you have a Kindle Reader and join Amazon Prime, you can download my books and many others for FREE.

Happy reading.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

FREE HOLIDAY GIFT TO READERS

I AM OFFERING A FREE DOWNLOAD OF MY BOOK 17 DAYS TO ANYONE WITH A KINDLE READER DECEMBER 20, 2011 THROUGH DECEMBER 24, 2011. VISIT THE KINDLE STORE ON THOSE DATES. ANY PROBLEMS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.


She hid in the dark, like a frightened child. Except that when she’d been a child, she had never had anything to hide from, never had anything to fear. She had been safe.

******

It came out of nowhere. Totally unexpected, unimaginable. Maybe if he had had even a little doubt, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But there it was, one moment everything was just as he believed it was. The next, it was all turned around. Five words that changed his world forever. And as bad as it was, it would become even worse although he couldn’t have imagined it at the time.

This is the beginning of the story of Kimmy and Matthew, two people profoundly damaged by their pasts, thrown together on a canoe trip down the Colorado River. It is a trip that will change their lives.

From their rescue of the little dog Tachi to their meetings with myriad people, each with his or her own story to tell, it is a sort of road movie, with equal parts tears and laughter, love and adventure.

17 Days - long enough to live a lifetime or to begin again.

If you are interested, you can Search Inside the Book on Amazon.

Thank you.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

A Beautiful Place To Die

With the publication of A Beautiful Place To Die, the fourth installment in The Delta Mystery series, I will have achieved my goal - publication of all of my books in both paperback and Kindle editions.

With only one exception, getting the books ready for a reading audience beyond family and friends involved rewriting. In several cases, particularly The Movie Murderer and A Beautiful Place To Die, major plot revisions were involved. With others, it was a matter of polishing and refining.

The exception was Maggie Ryan. It was the first book I conceived and almost the last one written so perhaps, in part, the fact that it didn't need rewriting was a result of how much I learned along the way. But, I believe that the real reason is that Maggie is such a personal story. So much of it was, to a greater or lesser degree, based on personal experience and observation. It has a ring of truth and a far greater reality than the more romanticized love story of Nick and Jessie Red Cloud, which exists in a different realm altogether.

I owe a special debt of gratitude to my husband who patiently stood by me through this most difficult time, when I was working feverishly, often into the night, until my eyes burned so that I had to sleep and start again the next day.

I thank also Create Space, the publishing arm of Amazon, an author friendly group of people who made it possible for me to bring my writing to a real audience.

A little break, now, to catch up on Sons of Anarchy and other deferred pleasures, before I begin again, with an already outlined sequel to The Movie Murderer. The adventures of Rick and Katie continue in Acts of Contrition. Look for it sometime in 2012. Thank you Readers.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

17 Days

17 Days is a road movie in book form. Kimmy and Matthew are two damaged people who come together on a canoe trip down the Colorado River. When they stop on a seemingly deserted beach to rescue the little dog they name Tachi , they encounter a dangerous adversary who will track them to an eventual confrontation. Along the way, they meet a variety of characters engaged in their own journeys. It's a story comprised equally of laughter and tears leading at last to a place called home.

Click on the title to go directly to Create Space for a look at the cover and more information.

Thank you to all of my readers for your continued encouragement and support.

Maggie Ryan Volume One

Maggie Ryan is a saga of two families united by one woman.

On the shores of Green Bay, an inlet of Lake Michigan, Maggie Kelly comes of age in the neighborhood of Menekaunee, considered by some to be the wrong side of town, beloved daughter of an Irish bar owner.

At 15, she becomes the lover of Michael Kelly, son of a wealthy family. Their life and future happiness seems assured, until the arrival of Michael's brother Dan. Dan falls disastrously in love with Maggie, and determined to have her, sets about to get what he wants.

Dan will have Maggie, for awhile at least. But times change and Maggie changes with them, testing the limits of her freedom.

At the end of Volume One, Maggie appears trapped by circumstance, but her life will take an unexpected turn in Volume Two, when she meets the man who she will love above all else, a man for whom she is willing to sacrifice everything.

To view the cover or to order the book, just click on the title.

Maggie Ryan Volume Two

Maggie's story continues with the introduction of Joseph Dodge, the love of her life, the man for whom she sacrifices everything. But Maggie's all consuming passion brings sorrow beyond imagining, leading to a separation that tests her strength and resolve.

Please click on the title for a view of the cover, a summary of the story and to order the book if you are interested.

Thank you to my readers.

Susan and Tecate

Susan and Tecate is a kind of prequel to The Delta Mystery Series. It introduces the characters of Susan Chappelle and Jessie (pre Nick). Click on the title and you'll be taken to Create Space where you can view the cover, read a summary of the story and if it interests you, purchase the book. Thank you, Readers.

In The Delta - The first book in the Delta Mystery series

Click on the title to go directly to Create Space to view the cover, read a summary of the story and, if interested, to purchase the book.

As always, special thanks to my readers.

On Sutter Island- The second book in the Delta Mystery Series

Click on the title to go directly to Create Space for a look at the cover, a summary of the story and to buy the book, if you are interested.

Thank you, Dear Readers

The Meadows - 3rd book in The Delta Mysteries

As The Meadows opens, Colin Talbot, a wealthy Sacramento politician searches frantically for Maya, his 6 year old daughter, missing on his private island retreat, Jessie Red Cloud suffers a tragic loss of her own and Nick comes close to losing Jessie.

For Homicide Detective Cody Red Cloud, the investigation into the death of Maya Talbot is an exercise in frustration and futility. When the case goes cold, Colin Talbot, desperate to deflect the suspicion surrounding his family, hires Jessie to find the truth behind his daughter's death. Strand by strand, Jessie untangles the web of lies and deceit that hide a killer.

Click on the title to go directly to Create Space for a look at the cover, a summary of the story and to purchase the book. Thank you to my Readers.

The Movie Murderer

In this book which I describe as a Film Noir of sorts, the killer known as The Movie Murderer places his victims in scenes from some of L. A.'s most well known Noir Movies - L.A. Confidential, To Live and Die in L.A., Chinatown and The Long Goodbye.

The game begins when he discovers a worthy adversary in Homicide Detective Rick Sandler, a computer savvy modern day Western lawman who wears cowboy boots to work and rides a horse when he's not working.

All satisfying Noir films and books have one common element - Cherchez la femme, a French phrase translated as "look for the woman" the meaning being that a man behaves in an otherwise inexplicable manner because he is trying to cover up an affair with a woman, or trying to impress a woman. The expression comes from an 1854 novel The Mohicans of Paris by Alexandre Dumas and his 1864 theatrical adaptation - There is a woman in every case; as soon as they bring me a report, I say, 'Look for the woman!'

In this case, the woman is Katie O'Hara, the unwilling beneficiary of the killer's homage, and the willing lover of Rick Sandler.

Click on the Title to go directly to Create Space for a description of the story and to view the cover and to buy if you are interested. Thank you Dear Readers.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Meadows - 3rd book in The Delta Mysteries

The Kindle edition of The Meadows, the third book in the Delta mystery series, is now available on Amazon.com. The Paperback edition will be published in October.

The Meadows continues the story of Nick and Jessie Red Cloud and their extended family. It opens with two family tragedies - a personal loss which stuns Jessie and sends a grieving Susan to The Delta in search of solace, and the death of the 6 year old daughter of Colin Talbot, a wealthy Sacramento politician, on the family's private island in the area of The Delta known as The Meadows.

When the Talbot case goes cold, and suspicion falls on his family, Colin Talbot retains Private Investigator Jessie Red Cloud to do what the Sheriff's Department could not do, discover who is responsible for his daughter's death.

What Jessie finds is a web of family secrets, to be untangled strand by strand, until she uncovers the truth hidden behind a facade of wealth and status and discovers the killer hidden by a shield of lies and deceit.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Meadows - 3rd book in The Delta Mysteries

The Meadows, the 3rd book in the Delta Mystery Series, continues the story of Nick and Jessie Red Cloud. The story opens with two life changing developments and one tragic mystery.

The 6 year old daughter of Colin Talbot, a wealthy and influential Sacramento businessman and politician, is murdered on the family's private island retreat in the remote area of The Delta known as The Meadows. When the case goes cold, in spite of Cody Red Cloud's relentless investigation, Colin retains Jessie Red Cloud to find the killer. Jessie vows to uncover the truth behind the smokescreen of lies and deception that surround the family and its secrets.

More than a mystery, this is a story of families, coming together and breaking apart, a story of the interrelationship of parents and children, spouses, lovers new and old. While Jessie searches for a killer, Susan begins a new life, Cody finds a new love, Anna and Bodie make a commitment and life on Sutter Island goes on as always, sweet refuge in a sea of troubles.

Look for The Meadows - coming to Amazon.com this Fall.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Reliving the Past

Attended my Class Reunion back in Marinette Wisconsin this month. Marinette Wisconsin and it's sister city Menominee Michigan lie just across the Menominee River from each other, as anyone who has read my book Maggie Ryan knows.

Marinette has a wonderful neighborhood on the shores of Green Bay, which is really an inlet of Lake Michigan between the Wisconsin/Upper Michigan shoreline and the Sturgeon Bay Peninsula. That neighborhood is Menekaunee - described by those of us who love it as "A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem". It is known in Ripley's Believe It or Not as having more bars and churches per block than any city its size in the U.S.

Menekaunee was the place I always wished I lived - so much more interesting than just plain Marinette. Many of my closest friends lived there and I had plenty of sleep overs there during my high school years. It became home to Maggie Kelly before she became Maggie Ryan. Maggie's father Patrick is, as all of my friends know, patterned after my beloved father, the first person that people talk to me about when they see me after an absence of many years.

Like Patrick Kelly, my father was a bartender at a place called The Red Brick. It still does business today. Like Maggie, I did my homework in a booth in the bar after school. And to this day, bar rooms seem like home to me, especially bars that are not trendy - no big screen tv's blaring every sport in the world. Just down home places where patrons drink Bud, play darts and listen to the juke box - no I PODS allowed. Nothing against I PODS. Got one myself. Play it incessently. When I'm not drinking Bud in a Menekaunee bar.

I never knew why Menekaunee, which was not a town, but just a neighborhood, had its own name until I did some research for Maggie. Then I learned, after all of these years, that Menekaunee was the first home of the Menominee Indian Tribe. How fitting, I thought, since the hero of the book and Maggie's one true love is a Menominee Joseph Dodge. How did I know to write that?

My home since 1974 has been Los Angeles and I admit to loving it. I live just steps away from the Glendale Narrows - one of the few sections of the L.A. River that has a natural bottom, not lined with concrete. Because of that, we have islands that are home to so many birds. When I ride my horse, I see Blue Herons, Egrets, families of colorful ducks. And the Park is full of Parrots - bright green and incredibly vocal. That little stretch of River is a stand in for the vast waters of Lake Michigan where I grew up. I love the water, which is why you will find some kind of water on the cover of every book I publish.

I have strayed far from my original topic which is Class Reunions. Perhaps I was just lucky to grow up at the right time - When I visited the Blog set up especially for my class mates in anticipation of our reunion - when I saw us in our baby dolls at slumber parties, and swimming at the gravel pit - Why, when we had Lake Michigan at our back door? - when I saw our class pictures - my daughter says "You all looked like you were 30 when you were 18 - maybe it was the hair do's and the angora sweaters.
I was teary with nostalgia. Forget any sophistication you might have picked up from living in a "big city". I was home again.

My Message - If you are invited to attend a high school class reunion - you can go home again. But probably not if you are under 50.

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Movie Murderer

The Kindle edition of The Movie Murderer will be available on Amazon shortly.

The Paperback edition will follow within approximately one week.

This book is somewhat of a departure from my earlier mysteries. It is edgier and deals with more adult themes of violence and sexuality - alway tasteful however.

Here's a taste:

The newspapers called him “The Movie Murderer”. Like “The Hillside Strangler” or “The Night Stalker”. You know what I mean. In L.A., every psycho gets a stage name.

In this case, it started with a very smart detective who was, among other things, a film buff, like a lot of Angelenos. He saw something that no one else saw but his theory was not taken seriously. Because of that, one of his colleagues mentioned it to a reporter from The Times, late one night after a few too many drinks in a downtown bar in a neighborhood teetering between gentrification and homelessness.

Until then, there were just a series of killings of girls no one would miss. But once the reporter wrapped his imagination around the concept, it became news.

Somewhere in the hills of Hollywood, the killer opened his morning copy of the L.A. Times and smiled. He had begun for his own amusement, sure no one would get the joke. He had despaired of finding a worthy adversary, or any adversary at all. But he had underestimated.
And so the game began.

The pawn in the game is sexy, sassy Katie O'Hara. Caught up in a passionate affair with LAPD Detective Rick Sandler, Katie unwittingly becomes the object of a killer's desire.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Movie Murderer

A new murder mystery set in Los Angeles is in the works. It is a harder edged story than its predecessors. Here's a taste:


Prologue

The newspapers called him “The Movie Murderer”. Like “The Hillside Strangler” or “The Night Stalker”. You know what I mean. In L.A., every psycho gets a stage name.

In this case, it started with a very smart detective who was, among other things, a film buff, like a lot of Angelenos. He saw something that no one else saw but his theory was not taken seriously. Because of that, one of his colleagues mentioned it to a reporter from The Times, late one night after a few too many drinks in a downtown bar in a neighborhood teetering between gentrification and homelessness.

Until then, there were just a series of killings of girls no one would miss. But once the reporter wrapped his imagination around the concept, it became news.

Somewhere in the hills of Hollywood, the killer opened his morning copy of the L.A. Times and smiled. He had begun for his own amusement, sure no one would get the joke. He had despaired of finding a worthy adversary, or any adversary at all. But he had underestimated.

And so the game began.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Maggie Ryan Volume Two

Maggie Ryan Volume Two has been published and will be available shortly on Amazon.com in both Paperback and Kindle editions.

Maggie Ryan Volume One

Maggie Ryan Volume One has been published and is currently available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle editions.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Maggie Ryan

My next book, Maggie Ryan is a very special book for me. It spans 40 years - from the 1950's to the 1990's and is set in a place that is, in many ways, still home to me - WIsconsin and Upper Michigan.

I can best describe it as a family saga with a great love story at its heart. It will be published in two volumes due to the face that the page limit for an Amazon paperback is 822 pages. To fit Maggie into that space would have required me to edit out 1/3 of the book and that was impossible to do without losing too much of the story.

To my friends who read the early manuscript, there have been some changes, for the better, I hope. For those who expressed a desire to see it in print, it should be available no later than July 1. Watch my blog for updates.

Susan and Tecate

Susan and Tecate is now available in both paperback and Kindle editions. Enjoy.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Susan and Tecate

The Kindle edition of Susan and Tecate will appear on Amazon within the next couple of days. The paperback edition will follow within the next two weeks.

Susan and Tecate is the prequel to the Delta Mysteries and introduces the characters of Susan, Paul and Jessie.

LAPD Mounted Officer Susan Chappelle's beat is Griffith Park, over 4,000 acres of hillsides and remote canyons, in sharp contrast to the city that surrounds it.

Susan's placid patrol becomes a search for two women gone missing in the Park. When a third woman is found murdered, the search turns into a hunt for a serial killer. Shut out of the official case by the lead detective, Susan, her horse Tecate and her homeless friend Charley undertake their own investigation.

Along the way, Susan meets Paul Green, a charming attorney who may or may not be everything she believes he is.

Monday, April 4, 2011

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Susan and Tecate

The new old book Susan and Tecate, the prequel to The Delta Mysteries, is nearing completion. Hope to have it published by the end of April.

Following that, I anticipate publishing Maggie Ryan, a family saga set in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan spanning the time period from the 1950's to the 1990's. Stay tuned for updates.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

On Sutter Island

On Sutter Island, the sequel to In The Delta, has been published and will be available in paperback at Amazon.com this week.

In The Delta introduced Nick and Jessie to readers and to each other. Their story continues in On Sutter Island. Jessie is now a Sheriff's Deputy searching The Delta for a serial rapist who shows his victims no mercy.

But Jessie's quest takes a dangerous turn when she becomes the object of her quarry's obsession.

In The Delta Re Published

In The Delta has been republished and will be available shortly in paperback at Amazon.com

Monday, March 7, 2011

In The Delta

My apologies. I discovered several errors in the print edition of In The Delta and have temporarily de-published and submitted a corrected copy for publication. The book will be unavailable until the review process is complete but hopefully the new edition will contain no errors. Thank you.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Coming Soon - Susan and Tecate

Susan and Tecate, a prequel to the Delta Mystery series, will soon be available on Amazon.com. Although it does not take place in the California Delta, it introduces several characters who are central to the Delta mysteries including Susan, Paul and Jessie.

Susan is a mounted patrol officer with LAPD who, along with her beloved horse Tecate, and her homeless friend Charley track a serial killer through Griffith Park. Stay tuned for more details as the publication date approaches.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A Big Thank you to a Cynical anti-romanticist

I received the greatest compliment today. One of my readers told me that she teared up when reading a scene at the end of In The Delta. She couldn't really say why - she is rarely, if ever, manipulated by romantic fiction. I told her that if I could move her to tears I must be doing something right. So Thank You Cynical Reader. You made my day.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

I'm on Amazon.com

In The Delta, the first of my Delta mysteries in now available on Amazon.com in paperback, large print and Kindle editions.
17 Days, a tale of romance and adventure on a canoe trip down the Colorado RIver is also available in paperback and Kindle editions.

Next up, the sequel to In The Delta - On Sutter Island.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Self Publishing Debate

To quote a really overused phrase: The Times They Are A Changin. A few years ago, when I began sending queries to agents, well meaning people told me "Don't give up. Just keep sending out those letters and writing samples. And whatever you do, don't consider self publishing. It's the kiss of death for a serious writer. No agent or publisher will take you seriously if you self publish." Well, guess what? No one was taking me seriously anyway.

I've always written because I don't really have a choice. I'm a writer whether anyone reads my work or not. Fortunately, there were enough people around who were interested enough to read what I wrote and to encourage me to keep at it. Of course, it's one thing when friends tell you they like your books and something else entirely when you hand the same books over to strangers who can be completely honest. When someone told me about Authonomy, I took the plunge and posted my first book Susan and Tecate. It was an amazing experience to receive positive reviews from other writers.

I decided that I was getting to old to spend the next few years hoping that some agent somewhere would connect with my work. I had looked at a few of the well known Print On Demand publishers, but since I really didn't expect to make a lot of money, I couldn't justify the expense. The most reasonable of them charged in the neighborhood of $1500. Then I read an article in Time Magazine and discovered Amazon's Create Space and Kindle Publishing. While they offer very reasonably priced expert assistance, anyone with some skill can prepare their own Print and Kindle editions and publish and distribute on Amazon.com.

I did it. The books are beautiful. I couldn't be happier. When I made my first few dollars, I jokingly told my friends I wouldn't be available for awhile as I would be shopping for some horse property in the California Delta, the setting for my mysteries. My friends wrote back - "We knew you were just in it for the money."

Bottom line - even Stephen King is doing it. Of course, he'll sell more books than I will. His reputation is made. I'm an unknown. But the truth is, I'm really not in it for the money. And seeing my books in print and on Amazon is a lot more rewarding than having a pile of manuscripts gathering dust on my shelves.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

17 DAYS PUBLISHED

Prologue - Kimmy

She hid in the dark, like a frightened child. Except that when she’d been a child, she had never had anything to hide from, never had anything to fear. She had been safe.

When she heard his footsteps on the stairs, she lowered herself to the floor and crawled under the bed. He found her, of course, and dragged her out by her ankles. When she tried to hold onto the bedpost, he kicked her wrist until she had to let go.

He got down on the floor with her. Don’t be afraid he said. When he tried to kiss her, she turned her face away, knowing as soon as she did that it was a mistake, wanting to take it back but it was too late, too late.

He started hitting her then. She fought back. He hadn’t expected that and it stopped him for a moment. But when she started to crawl away on her hands and knees, he caught her easily.


Prologue - Matthew

It came out of nowhere. Totally unexpected, unimaginable. Maybe if he had had even a little doubt, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But there it was, one moment everything was just as he believed it was. The next, it was all turned around. Five words that changed his world forever. And as bad as it was, it would become even worse although he couldn’t have imagined it at the time.

She followed him through the house, crying, begging, but he shut her out, shook off her hands that tried to hold onto him.

He pulled a big suitcase down from a closet shelf and threw her clothes into it, as much as would fit. Then he dragged it and her to the front door. He threw the suitcase onto the porch and pushed her out after it. He closed his ears to her pleas, locked the door and when she called out from the other side, he answered coldly “Go somewhere they care”.

Then he turned out the lights and went and lay on their bed, staring up at the ceiling.

!7 Days is a road movie but the road is a river and each day of the journey brings a new encounter with outlaw Bikers and Deadheads, an Elvis impersonator and a wild pig, a man who fell in love with his own wife, and Paco and his Coyotes, among others. All have their own small stories filled with love and laughter, tears, and adventure.

Kimmy and Matthew are people profoundly damaged by their pasts, coming to know and to love each other as they share a canoe and try to live a lifetime in just a few days. The two become three when they rescue the little dog Tachi, an act that leads to a confrontation with a trio of deadly Asians.

I dreamed this story on my own trip down the Colorado. The half Maori Kimmy, a free spirit whose mother taught her that she is a warrior and the Lakota Matthew who learns from her to let go of his pain and live again could never have imagined how far the river would take them in 17 Days.

17 Days is available at Amazon.com in both a Kindle and a print edition.

IN THE DELTA PUBLISHED

In The Delta, the first book in the Delta mystery series has been published and is now available on Amazon.com in both a print and a Kindle edition.

Here's a taste of In The Delta:

PROLOGUE
Back in the sloughs, the darkness was absolute. All her life, she’d heard the expression it was so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, but she’d never experienced it till that moment. She crouched in the reeds, feeling mud and water oozing into her shoes. It was quiet too, so quiet, until the footsteps on the trail above her. She experienced one moment of terror until she remembered that she wasn’t alone. Peter was there, right beside her. She could hear him breathing. She turned toward him and put her finger to her lips, but then she realized he couldn’t see her in the dark, so she put her hand over his mouth, in warning. His breath was warm on her hand. Then she heard a voice, just above them, calling her name, softly, so softly “Angel? Where are you, Angel?”

A girl named Angel and the boy she loves vanish from a dark and lonely place called Lost Slough. Their disappearance attracts little attention when it’s assumed they’ve simply moved on. But for Angel’s friend, LAPD Officer Jessie, a 4-month old Missing Persons Poster turns a houseboat vacation in the California Delta into a desperate search for the couple or their killer - a search that leads Jessie to the Chinese community of Locke and a bar called Al’s Place where she meets the Lakota, Nick Red Cloud. Their erotic attraction for each other catches fire in a heartbeat and grows in intensity as they explore the Delta together by boat and on horseback. While Nick and Jessie’s love for each other grows stronger, Angel’s story plays out in flashbacks… Until, at last, Jessie discovers the terrible truth of what really happened on the banks of Lost Slough.

Amazon provides Look Inside the Book which allows you to browze the book and see if it's to your taste.