Creative Alchemy

Every goodhearted detective needs a loathsome nemesis.

Mike Faricy is a prolific author and has several mystery series on the go. Today we focus on his Dev Haskell series with book #27, Alley Katz. Readers describe Dev as a 'likeable rogue' and I think that's the perfect description. In our interview I mention to Mike that Dev made me think of a cross between Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr and Robert B. Parker's Spenser. And I love how deliciously nasty Dev's nemesis/employer, Tubby Gustafson, is.

If you like what you hear when Mike reads to us, there are two Dev Haskell novellas available at Mike's website for free, Twinkletoes and Dollhouse. You can sign up to receive those books here.

In case you missed it, I shared the first part of one of my monthly short stories yesterday here on the blog. You can read that here.

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Mike Faricy was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He developed his love for books from his parents reading to him at an early age. He currently has written seventy-five books in four crime fiction series; The Dev Haskell series, the Corridor Man series, the Hotshot series, and the Jack Dillon Dublin Tales series.

Mike is the winner of the 2019 Crime Master’s of America Poison Cup Award and the winner of the 2020 Crime Master's of America Poison Cup Award for the Best Selling series.

Mike lives in St. Paul, Minnesota and Dublin, Ireland, which makes me the most boring guy in two towns.

To learn more about Mike and all his books visit MikeFaricyBooks.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from Alley Katz

I hurried out of Annette’s house and sped toward Tubby’s palace. Every time the wheels turned, I seemed to dread the meeting just a little bit more.

A perfect blend of knitting and cozy mysteries.

Reagan Davis writes cozy mysteries set in small town Ontario. Her protagonist, Megan, owns a knitting shop; the perfect job for an amateur sleuth ;-)

In the introduction I mention speaking (via zoom) with a university psychology class last week about my memoir about ten years I spent in a cult in the 1990s. The students were super engaged and thoughtful and it was a joy to chat with them and answer questions. I'm always thrilled to help educate anyone about how cults work and how even smart, self-aware people can get sucked into them.

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Reagan Davis doesn’t really exist. 

She is a pen name for the real author who lives in the suburbs of Toronto with her husband, two kids, and a menagerie of pets. 

When she’s not planning the perfect murder, she enjoys knitting, reading, eating too much chocolate, and drinking too much Diet Coke. 

The author is an established knitwear designer who regularly publishes individual patterns and is a contributor to many knitting books and magazines. 

To learn more about Reagan and all her books visit ReaganDavis.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from Twisted Stitches

Monday July 6th

“Megan!”

The disembodied voice comes from nowhere. Just loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to recognize. There’s nobody around. This is the third time in fourteen hours the voice has called my name. Am I hearing things? Is this a neurological symptom?

The disembodied voice comes from nowhere. Just loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to recognize. There’s nobody around. This is the third time in fourteen hours the voice has called my name. Am I hearing things? Is this a neurological symptom?

Step aside Stephanie Plum!

In Jinx Ballou, Dharma Kelleher has created a tough, complex character who is a former police officer, a comic book nerd, and a Wonder Woman cosplayer. Jinx also happens to be transgender.

Dharma herself is trans and in our interview she talks about writing the books she wants to read, something I can totally relate to because I do the same thing. Dharma wanted to read about complex characters with rich lives in a way that wasn't focused on their gender identity or their transition. Those kinds of books are amazing and have undoubtedly supported and assisted many people, and now there's room in the publishing space for the type of book Dharma wants to read and write. Thank goodness for that!

In the introduction I also mention that I recently found out that my memoir, Cult, A Love Story, is being used as one of the textbooks in a psychology of cults class at a university in Iowa. Exciting!

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Dharma Kelleher writes gritty crime thrillers including the Jinx Ballou Bounty Hunter series and the Shea Stevens Outlaw Biker series. Dharma is one of the only openly transgender authors in the crime fiction genre. Her action-driven thrillers explore the complexities of social and criminal justice in a world where the legal system favors the privileged. 

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the International Thriller Writers, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She lives in Arizona with her wife Eileen and a black cat named Mouse

To learn more about Dharma and all her books visit DharmaKelleher.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from Chaser

CHAPTER 1

A blond woman opened the door, her swollen left eye shining with the rich color and texture of an overripe eggplant. Dried blood trailed from her twisted nose, over her split lip, and onto her faded Disney Cinderella T-shirt. Purple,

Another Vancouver private investigator series!

Perry (PA) Wilson writes about a Vancouver private investigator named Charity Deacon. I said to Perry at the beginning of our interview that I feel like Charity and my own heroine Freddie Lark are PI sisters; they're both in Vancouver and they're both independent women living the lives that suit them, not to mention solving crime.

Perry writes in several genres so if you enjoy reading outside the mystery genre I highly recommend you check out her other books. She is also in the process of narrating her books for audiobook. It's a laborious process but she's making progress and you can buy those audiobooks, including the one for Dreams, directly from her on her website.

Selling ebooks and audiobooks (not paperbacks) directly to the reader is one way independent authors like Perry are able to earn a living from their writing. When you buy directly from an author's website, she doesn't have to share the royalties for her books with the online vendor.

Last week on the podcast intro I mentioned a survey I had going about audiobooks. It was Perry who inspired that survey. She gave me some tips about the equipment she was using and after we stopped recording the podcast interview we talked about audiobooks and selling direct.

The survey results looked like this:

* 37% of people surveyed read between 1 and 5 audiobooks a week; and* 58% of respondents DO prefer it when a narrator does character voices

I wanted to know how audiobook readers feel about narrators doing character voices because I'm debating about narrating my own novels, but I'm not sure I could do different voices for each character. But now I have some information about readers' preferences and that's good to have. I don't have the bandwidth right now to add narrating to my plate, but maybe one day I will be able to pick up that project.

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

PA (Perry) Wilson lives in New Westminster BC and writes while looking out over a busy arm of the Fraser river.  Nothing like watching a tugboat pull a barge to inspire you.

She worked in project management for several years after a long stretch at a local credit union. Always a writer, she found National Novel Writing Month in 2008 and hasn't looked back since. She writes mystery fiction with a thriller vibe and a few other genres which she admits are just mystery books with an other world backdrop. 

To learn more about Perry and all her books visit PAWilson.ca

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, 

Murder with a touch of the absurd.

When Rich Leder finished reading his excerpt from his new book, Cooking for Cannibals, I realized his writing reminded me of Elmore Leonard's. As the title of this podcast episode implies, Rich's writing has a touch of the comedic, but not in a har-har way. It's more like a dash of salt added to a very spicy dish.

In the interview we talk about writing screenplays in Hollywood, writing 'high concept' books, and his other mystery series, the crime caper Kate McCall books.

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Rich Leder has been a working writer for more than three decades. His credits include 19 produced movies—television films for CBS, Lifetime, and Hallmark and feature films for Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, Longridge Productions, and Left Bank Films—and six novels for Laugh Riot Press. 

Learn more about Rich Leder and all this books at RichLeder.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from Cooking for Cannibals

Chapter One: A MODERN MARVEL OF MEDICINAL MANUFACTURING

It was an unprecedented feat of pharmaceutical engineering with a kiss from Mother Nature and a whisper from God.  Carrie could tell without technical measure, with her naked eye, with the touch of her hand, that the rats were younger this week than last, younger today than yesterday.  There was indisputable clinical corroboration to authenticate and validate her professional observations.  The most rigorous laboratory methodologies had been employed.  The results had been questioned and challenged time and again.  Every test, trial, study, and calculation confirmed the conclusion.  The aging process in all nine rats had been definitively and profoundly reversed.  

The drug worked.

Carrie stood hidden in a dark corner of Lab No. 3 holding a rolling pin.  Her knuckles were white from choking the handle.

All she did was take in a parcel for a neighbour.

Sebastian Fitzek is one of Europe’s most successful authors of psychological thrillers and I was thrilled to talk to him about his brand new book, The Package.

In the interview, Sebastian shares how the idea for the book grew out of the every-day occurrence of a package delivery to his quiet street in Berlin. Interestingly, Sebastian has also created several board games. We talk about how these games came to life and how he collaborated with others to make them a reality.

In the introduction I mention that I'm reading Cynthia Harrod-Eagle's most recent Bill Slider police procedural, Cruel as the Grave. If you've been reading the blog for a while you know how much I love these books. ;-)

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Sebastian Fitzek is one of Europe’s most successful authors of psychological thrillers. His books have sold 12 million copies, been translated into more than twenty-four languages and are the basis for international cinema and theatre adaptations. He was the first German author to be awarded the European Prize for Criminal Literature. He lives with his family in Berlin.

Learn more about Sebastian and all his books at SebastianFitzek.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from The Package

Chapter Two

Taking hold of her wheelie case, Emma hesitated before entering room 1904, for the simple reason that she could barely see a thing. The little illumination that did penetrate the darkness came from the countless lights of the city, nineteen floors beneath her. The Le Zen on Tauentzienstrasse was Berlin’s newest five-star chrome-and-glass palace, with over three hundred rooms. Taller and more luxurious than any other hotel in the capital. And – in Emma’s eyes, at least – decorated with relatively little taste.

That, at any rate,

Who better to solve mysteries than a research librarian?

Hester Thursby is a research librarian at Harvard with a non-husband and a niece in tow who has a side-hustle as a people-finder. Watch Her is the third book in this acclaimed series.

Author Edwin Hill reads to us from the beginning of the book and in the interview we discuss why he chose to write about a female protagonist, Hester's interesting approach to her relationship with her parter Morgan, and why Edwin made the choice to have the additional complication in Hester's life of the responsibility for Morgan's niece.

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Edwin Hill is the Edgar- and Agatha-award nominated author of Little Comfort, The Missing Ones, and Watch Her.

Edwin earned an MFA from Emerson College and served as the vice president and editorial director for Bedford/St. Martin's, a division of Macmillan Learning for many years before turning to writing full time.

He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and his favorite reviewer, their lab Edith Ann, who likes his first drafts enough to eat them. (You can follow Edith Ann on Instagram here.)

Author photo copyright Thomas Bollinger

Learn more about Edwin and all his books at Edwin-Hill.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from Watch Her

HESTER

rain splattered the windshield and heat pouredfrom the vents as Hester Thursby’s non-husband, Morgan, tried to parallel park their truck on an industrial street in Jamaica Plain. A week into spring, and winter still had a hold on Boston.

“Success,” he said, after the third attempt,

Canada is a biiiiig country!

Jay Forman's amateur sleuth, travel writer Lee Smith, has got innumerable places to visit...and lots of crime to solve. If you're missing the ability to travel in this our covid year then Jay and Lee can definitely help you out with some virtual travels.

In the second book in the series, No Return, Lee visits a fly-in Ojibway community in Northern Ontario to investigate the shooting death of a mining prospector. Other books in the series explore the Muskoka region of Ontario (one I'm familiar with from childhood visits to my grandparents), Newfoundland, and, coming in 2021, the west coast of Vancouver Island (where I happen to live).

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Jay Forman was once a relatively sane television producer. Since walking away from the cameras she’s been crazy busy adding mother and author to her list of credits.

Combining her love of mysteries with her own calamitous travel experiences, she’s now locked her focus on sending Canadian travel writer Lee Smith and Jack Hughes (Lee’s best friend with many benefits, not least of which is that he’s a billionaire philanthropist) to wherever bodies are found.

To learn more about Jay and all her books visit JayForman.ca

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from No Return

CHAPTER ONE

Sara knew something was wrong when all the kids went quiet. 

A raven’s long black wings swept through the air low over her head. His caw sounded like the alarm on her bedside clock radio and it alerted the rest of his conspiracy. Six of the big birds swooped down and began circling above the six little heads of her stationary students at the shore. 

Mary’s tiny hand squeezed Sara’s hard. “What is it?” she asked in barely more than a whisper.

“Maybe they’ve found some rubies?” Sara forced herself to sound cheerful, even though she knew darn well that the kids cou...

The jungles and lava fields of Hawai'i hold secrets.

If you've ever been to Hawai'i, it's likely that murder was the last thing on your mind. Not so for Robert McCaw's detective Koa Kane.

As Robert shares in our interview, he had a home on Hawai'i and became fascinated with its culture, language, and history. To me, the islands seem the perfect place to set a series of mysteries; the sometimes flouted expectations that visitors have of paradise, the mix of cultures, not to mention the colonialism, all seem like they would contribute to the stark reality behind the tourist-facing facade.

Death of a Messenger is the third book in the Detective Koa Kane series, though each can be read as a stand-alone. The others are Off the Grid and Fire and Vengeance. A fourth book, Treachery Times Two, will be published in January 2022.

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

Robert B. McCaw grew up in a military family traveling the world. After graduating from Georgetown University, he served as a lieutenant in the US Army before earning his JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

For a number of years, Bob maintained a home on the Big Island of Hawai'i, studying its history, culture, and peoples. Archaeology and astronomy are among his many interests. In researching his books, he talked story with Hawai'i County cops and walked the streets where his stories take place. He and his wife live in New York City.

To learn more about Robert McCaw and all his books visit RobertBMcCaw.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from Death of a Messenger

Hawai‘i County Chief Detective Koa Kāne strapped in, and the US Army UH-72A Lakota helicopter lifted off the Hilo tarmac. An anonymous 911 call to the Hawai‘i County Emergency Command Center had reported a corpse at Pōhakuloa,

Historical mysteries in an ancient time.

Regency and WWII historical mysteries are the ones I tend to notice most often. Sarah Woodbury offers us an alternative in her Gareth and Gwen series set in Medieval Wales. Sarah has had a big job on her hands in this series, weaving together history, mystery, a sprinkling of the Welsh language, and romance. But she clearly loves doing it because there are presently 13 books in the series.

In the interview, one of the things we touch on is Sarah's YouTube channel where she has lots of videos about Wales and history. You can see that here.

Today's show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week's mystery author

With over a million books sold to date, Sarah Woodbury is the author of more than forty novels, all set in medieval Wales. Although an anthropologist by training, and then a full-time homeschooling mom for twenty years, she began writing fiction when the stories in her head overflowed and demanded that she let them out.

While her ancestry is Welsh, she only visited Wales for the first time at university.  She has been in love with the country, language, and people ever since. She even convinced her husband to give all four of their children Welsh names. She makes her home in Oregon.

To learn more about Sarah and all her books visit SarahWoodbury.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from The Good Knight

“Look at you, girl.” 

Gwen’s father, Meilyr, made a tsk of disgust under his breath and brought his borrowed horse closer to her side of the path. He’d been out of sorts since early morning when he’d found his horse lame and King Anarawd and his company of soldiers had left the castle without them, refusing to wait for Meilyr to find a replacement mount. Anarawd’s men-at-arms would have provided Meilyr with the fine escort he coveted. 

“You’ll have no cause for complaint once we reach Owain Gwynedd’s court.” A breeze wafted over Gwen’s face, and she closed her eyes, letting her pony find his own way for a moment.