This Week's Special Guest - Betty Gordon

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome mystery author Betty Gordon as she talks about Egypt and her new novel VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS.

Betty Gordon, a native Texan, moved from Dallas to Houston in search of her destiny. After careers as a dance instructor, sculptor, and legal assistant, she followed her dream to write books that would entertain and challenge readers.

Betty graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown with a B.S. in Professional Writing and from U of H-Clear Lake with an M.A. in Literature (Creative Writing), and an M.A. in Visual Arts. She attended law school for a year before leaving for the world of art and writing. She continues her education with on-line writing workshops and conferences.

A supportive husband, three grown sons, and a Maltese who thinks he's another son complete her family.

Publishing credentials: Murder in the Third Person, Deceptive Clarity, The Magic of Christmas (a mini-ebook collection of short stories for all seasons), Valley of Obsessions (Coming Soon), and The Common Thread (co-authored with CC Smith) Release date 2011. Numerous short stories in L&L Dreamspell's anthologies, Dead and Breakfast, A Death in Texas, A Box of Texas Chocolates, and Twisted Tales of Texas Landmarks.

Betty is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Writers' League of Texas, The Final Twist, Houston Writers' Guild, and Bay Area Writers' League.

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VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS
by Betty Gordon
BEHIND THE SCENES

VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS and the delights of exploring ancient Egypt were just mustard seeds when I was trying to convince my husband to make San Antonio, Texas, our vacation spot some years ago. Beautiful scenery, festive restaurants, and shops await visitors as they follow the Riverwalk that borders the San Antonio River. We had been to San Antonio more times than you could count on one hand, but I enjoyed it every time.

My husband acted interested and said he would check on travel details. I was happy and began the imaginary journey during the days that followed. A few days passed. He hadn’t said anything about the trip and I couldn’t stand it one more minute. So, trying not to sound plaintive, I asked how plans for the trip were coming. He smiled but didn’t say anything. I’m not known for my patience, so this time – not caring if I sounded plaintive or not – I started in on him.

“If you don’t want to go, just say so.”

He hugged me and let me in on a secret he managed to keep from me. I’ll never forget his next words as they made a dream of a lifetime come true.

“How would you like to take a journey down the Nile?”

The rest is history. We went to Egypt and had the experience of our lives. I only wish I could go again and experience more, but with the unrest in that part of the world, I doubt it will happen. Truthfully, it doesn’t matter. I was there, I saw as much of Cairo and the monuments as possible., I made a voyage down the Nile via a boat that allowed passengers to disembark at historical sites, I saw King Tutankhamen’s Tomb, and I relived it all in VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS.

The concept for the story and characters began when I made this trip to Egypt some years ago. The pharaohs, the monuments – everything about the country intrigued me and had done so since childhood when I could only look at pyramids in picture books. I decided during this memorable trip to write about my adventures although the actual words wouldn’t come to life until much later. Many unbelievable things happened during my journey to this impressive country and these happenings are woven into the story. Of course, not ALL occurrences are real and even those that are have been fictionalized to a certain extent. Sketches of prominent story sites are included as well as one photo I took while in Egypt. I had numerous photographs, of course, but sadly they failed to transfer well. The history of this country, the majestic and memorable pyramids, and monuments wrapped themselves around me impatiently waiting to see print.

My characters usually evolve from my imagination when I first enter the twilight zone at night. Unfortunately, oftentimes these thoughts keep me from sleep and I end up at the computer describing a character or creating a budding plot. Desiree Roberts, the protagonist in Valley of Obsessions, is a natural for me as I wore a hat as a paralegal/legal assistant for many years. So, I understand this woman who searches for ways to unite with a fascinating country in a special way and find love at the same time.

Most of the time I am what one would call a “pantster.” I develop the story as I write, but this novel evolved in a way that required some outlining. Even though I write down the characters’ traits when I begin the story, their personality quirks develop much later and are capable of changing the direction of the story. My Muse usually takes over at this point and uses the personality quirks to create numerous tantalizing threads in the cast of characters. I think, and hope, that these tantalizing threads lead to a conclusion that is both challenging and surprising for readers.

VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS by Betty Gordon

Desiree's passion for ancient Egyptian culture leads her on a dangerous trip down the Nile.

Can Desiree Roberts leave her law career in Texas and become a 1980's Egyptian?

Will the country that has captivated her since childhood embrace her, or will it lead her down dangerous paths fraught with deception and betrayal?

As Desiree follows her dreams and treks through shifting sands, she enters portals of pharaohs long since entombed. Her obsessions lure her into alien territory filled with suspicious characters - where someone wants to end her fantasies.

How far will he go?

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WIN - Leave Betty a question this week at the Tiki Hut because TWO lucky readers will receive their choice from Betty's book list check out her website for your choices! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are one of this week's TWO winners!! Good luck!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - J. K. Maze

This week's special guest is mystery author Joan K. Maze to talk about heroes.

Meet J.K. Maze:

I've always been involved in the arts, music, writing and painting, beginning with studying voice at Northwestern University. I interrupted this endeavor for a family, but finally finished my degree at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. The emphasis, this time, was in subjects related to writing.

My first attempt at fiction was at the age of eight when my mother taught me how to use her turn-of-the-century typewriter. It was so heavy I couldn't lift it, but that didn't stop me from spending hours learning to type and, supposedly, write. As far as the story is concerned, it contained every mistake known to the publishing world, but it sparked my interest, which grew from that point on.

After spending years learning the craft of writing and producing stories, I joined Romance Writers of America, then KOD, the mystery and suspense group, and subsequently others. While I've received help from a local non-RWA writers' group, I credit RWA for bringing my writing to the point where it was considered publishable. Red Rose Publishing is a great organization to work with, and I'm delighted and honored to be one of their authors.

My first published novel, MURDER BY MISTAKE, is a cozy and the first in the Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series, it was followed by FRAMED IN FEAR, a single title romantic suspense. The second Mollie Fenwick mystery is almost ready to present to Red Rose Publishing, and is entitled MURDER FOR KICKS.

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How does a writer choose between two heroes? by Joan Maze

I’ve been asking that question ever since working on Murder By Mistake, the first in a cozy mystery series (also Chicklit). When I originally planned this book, it was to be a stand-alone mystery. That quickly changed when I realized I wanted to keep this protagonist, and thirty-something widow. She’s also an artist and works part-time for a bus company, transporting seniors and the disabled.

She’s also psychic, and when she sees a vision of a murder in her apartment, she decides not to inform the police of the clues. Who would believe a psychic?

The hero I originally planned for this mystery is her next door neighbor, a hunky homicide cop. Below is her first impression:

I couldn’t help grinning at the memory of the hunk. He had stood there, glaring at me, his arms folded across a broad chest, his legs slightly apart. Despite my agitation, I’d been unable to resist looking him over, my eyes going from the top of his head to his feet. His hair was a sort of russet brown with an errant lock tumbling over his forehead. He wore jeans molded to powerful looking thighs.

Then the unexpected happened. Another man walked onto the set and absolutely refused to leave, at times overshadowing Hero #1. How could this happen? I hadn’t planned him at all.
To discover why I didn’t want to get rid of him, check out the following excerpt, where she meets him for the first time.

Knowing Gladys’s penchant for the unusual, I thought I was prepared, but when we walked into Jack Wolf’s studio, I damned near fainted. The man out-intimidated Bartholomew by a mile. Wolf’s black hair was long and loose, Indian style, his short-sleeved white shirt hung open, revealing the bronzed skin of his heritage and a six-pack I simply gaped at. He wore his jean shorts low, and his muscles made it obvious he still worked out regularly. He was tall, maybe six foot three or four, and his eyes were black. The room was lined with shelves containing art supplies, and three easels contained paintings in various stages of completion. The whole scene before me suggested emotions and feelings in a big way. There was also strength, as evidenced not only by the paintings themselves, but by the man.

Wolf has become a very important part of the series; in the second book, Murder For Kicks, he becomes the heroine’s kickboxing instructor, and the heat index goes up about fifty degrees, maybe more.

So, how does a writer choose between two heroes? I still don’t have an answer. Not only is my protagonist, Mollie, unable to choose, neither is this writer. And guess what, there’s a third hero waiting in the wings, anxious to take a larger role in the next book, Murder By Spook. (That’s spook as in spy, not ghost.)

The first time a character took over, I tried to fix it. It didn’t work. Now, after many such occurrences, I’ve decided it’s logic taking over.

Either that or my characters are smarter than I am.

WIN - Leave Joan a question or comment here at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut this week and your name goes in the hat for a free download of her book MURDER BY MISTAKE. Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you're our winner! Good luck!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Shirley Tallman

Hi fellow Islanders, and thanks for inviting me to blog on Authorisland! I’m honored to be asked.

First of all, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Shirley Tallman and I'm an author and screenwriter. I've written a syndicated newspaper column (titled Penny Pinchers), movies for ABC, CBS and NBC (including THE BABYSITTER'S SEDUCTION starring Keri Russell), stage plays, romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouette, and murder mysteries for St. Martin's Press (the Sarah Woolson historical mystery series).

My husband and I live in Eugene, Oregon (GO DUCKS!!!), but we spend a lot of time at our cabin in Lake Tahoe (the Nevada side). And no, I don't gamble because I never win. If I just once hit a jackpot -- JUST ONCE! -- I could probably be persuaded to change my mind. But I never do. Oops! All right, you caught me. Maybe I still give it a try every now and again. I mean, come on, there's gotta be a first time, right??

Okay, now that you know a little bit about me, let me tell you something about my books – mystery whodunits set in 1880s San Francisco. My heroine, Sarah Woolson, is young, intelligent, and beautiful – the only daughter of an eminent, well-to-do family. She is, in fact, the sort of woman any man would be delighted to marry. There’s just one catch: Sarah has no intentions of entering the domestic state, which would legally allow her husband to pretty much control her life! (Sounds awful, doesn’t it? But that’s the way it was in the 1880s).

To the dismay of her family and friends, Sarah has chosen a very different path. Defying Victorian convention, she has vowed to become an attorney, a decidedly unwomanly profession! As far as nineteenth-century San Francisco is concerned, women belong firmly in the home. To venture outside this realm is to go against God’s will – a firmly held belief most men, and a surprising number of women, are all too willing to say to her face.

In MURDER ON NOB HILL – the first book in the Sarah Woolson series – feisty Sarah finagles an interview at one of the city’s most prominent all-male law firms, managing with a little subterfuge, to be hired on as the company’s newest, and only female, associate attorney. She soon acquires her first client, a lovely young society matron accused of murdering her wealthy, and abusive, husband. Ignoring her employer’s protests, Sarah champions the young woman, only to find herself embroiled in shady legal maneuvers, a daring Chinatown raid, and a secret and very scandalous sex club.

Book two in the series, THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS, finds Sarah once again risking her job, and her reputation, to defend a man whom she believes has been unjustly accused of murder. Faced with her first criminal trial – and an unfriendly judge and jury – she very nearly loses her own life in an effort to prove her client’s innocence.

In THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER, Sarah and her reluctant colleague, Robert Campbell, brave the worst storm of the season to attend a séance at San Francisco’s famed Cliff House. After a dramatic display of spirit apparitions, flying trumpets, and phantom music, Sarah and Robert make a grisly discovery: One of the twelve people seated with them around the séance table has been brutally strangled!

SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL – which will be released on March 30th – opens when a badly beaten murder victim is discovered only two blocks from Sarah’s peaceful Rincon Hill home. Within the next week two more bodies are found in the same neighborhood, and the city is thrown into a state of panic. Reluctantly, Sarah agrees to represent the two young men accused of the killings, only to find herself faced with the all but impossible task of proving the men innocent.

Engaged in a desperate struggle to find the murderer, Sarah becomes involved in the erotic escapades of the town’s infamous high-end brothels, secrets surrounding a proper Anglican church, the volatile goings on in San Francisco’s theater district, and a vicious killer who will stop at nothing to achieve a scandalous objective!

I think you get the idea. Our resolute heroine is determined to go to whatever lengths necessary to defend her clients, even if it means taking on the entire male-dominated 1880s legal establishment! She’s one very brave and determined young woman.

But I’ve gone on long enough – probably longer than DeNita had in mind when she invited me to write a blog for her fantastic website. If you’d like to learn more about me, or my books and movies, please visit my website at http://www.shirleytallman.com/. While you’re there, you can check out my book video, read chapter one of SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL, visit my blog, the San Francisco Facts page, or just drop me a note to say hi. I LOVE to hear from you, and promise to answer all your letters personally.

Thanks again for letting me visit the Island and meet all of you. It was great fun!

Aloha,

Shirley Tallman

WIN - leave Shirley a comment or question this week and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of your choice of one of the first three Sarah Woolson Mysteries! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if your name is drawn. And don't forget to check out the fantastic contest Shirley has going on over at her website www.ShirleyTallman.com - she's giving away a KINDLE and $75 in Amazon cash this month to celebrate her new release!!

This Week's Special Guest Gale Laure

This week's special guest at the Tiki Hut is international selling author, Gale Laure.

Gale is a native Texan. She was born along the coast of Texas in an area referred to as the "Golden Triangle".

Gale Laure spent her young adult years in Tyler in East Texas, and Houston, Texas. She has resided in a small suburban town in the Houston area for more than 20 years with her husband and family.

As mysterious as her mystery-suspense thriller book and novel, Laure writes under a pseudonym. She is very adamant about maintaining her privacy and the privacy of her family as a mystery!

With an attitude that "you can do anything you set your mind to", Laure travels forward in life fulfilling all of her dreams. She credits her huge imagination and true love for research for taking her to this career decision to be an author. She also credits some special people in her life which offered encouragement to become a mystery writer.

She has gained her experience for writing from her careers including owner of a business service, marketing and consulting company, owner of her own travel agency, employment in the medical field including office manager, a short stint as a legal assistant, a paralegal, and employment in an insurance office and CPA's office.

Gale Laure enjoys her career and life as an author. She finds inspiration from her readers, friends and family.

Laure's hobbies include genealogical research, movies, creating stories for the children around her, involvement in her church and people watching. By watching people she obtains ideas for the characters in her books. So watch out! You may see some of your own traits in a character in her mystery, romance, and suspense-thriller books. She loves the "human being" and everything about them, both good and bad.

Gale Laure is known for her informal Southern style of writing. Books written by Gale Laure include her current debut, mystery-suspense thriller, Evolution of a Sad Woman. It is selling internationally as an ebook download, Kindle and a trade paperback.

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***
An Interview with Keziah Elaine Theriot
By Gale Laure

Keziah Elaine Theriot - or Kizzy, as she is called – is the main character and the murder victim in Evolution of a Sad Woman. Kizzy is described as being a different woman with each of the five men that she loved. These five men join forces as strangers to try and solve her murder in this mystery, suspense, thriller and romance novel.

Kizzy, how many men have you loved in your life?

I have loved only six men in my life. My father, Alan, was the first man I ever loved. My father was strong and gentle all at the same time.

Tom Hastings was my first true love. Tom was the most fascinating man I ever knew. I could feel weak in Tom’s arms. He was so big and so strong.

William Newton was the smartest man I have ever known. He was actually brilliant about everything. He had dignity and poise. His smile could light up a room.

Evan Picard was the gentlest person I ever knew. He tries to be tough with other people, but he always treated me with gentleness. His hands were strong and soft all at the same time.

Jimmy Smithson was the sexiest, bad boy I have loved. Even Jimmy’s badness was good. Jimmy does everything with a passion.

Father C.D. Casmiersky was the best person I have ever known. He is a genuinely good and God-like man. He was pretty good looking, too.

How many men have you had sex with, Kizzy?

(Giggles). I don’t think that number is important. I can tell you, many people have found me sexy and none of them have ever been disappointed.

What did you want for your life?

(Kizzy answers very solemnly)
I always wanted happiness. I wanted to be a movie star with the camera lights flashing around me. I wanted to strut on a deliciously, deep, red carpet with one of the men I loved on my arm. I wanted to go home from the event to my children sleeping sweetly in their beds. I wanted to kiss their foreheads and cover their toes. I wanted simple peace.

If you could live your life over again, would you change everything? Anything?

To change my life would say that I had done everything wrong. I think I would repeat meeting and loving the six men I have loved. Would I change everything? No. Would I change some things? Maybe. I would not do everything differently. You see this time I would know the outcomes of all my actions in advance. So I would do everything the same. It would only be the outcomes that would be different.

Do you feel your loss of innocence was your downfall in life?

My loss of innocence? I never lost my innocence right up to the end.

Do you think you are a good person, Kizzy?

Of course, I am. I am as good as anyone else. I am much better than many people. Believe me, I could name some.

Were you a different woman with each of the five men?

I don’t know why you say that. I am just me – always. Maybe they were different with me.

Kizzy, what do you think about the men you have loved falling in love with other women?

(Slowly moistens her large pink lips) Those five men will never love anyone the way they loved me. Once I love a man, he stays loved. (Smiles) They will never, ever forget me!

Lastly, Kizzy, what would you like to say to the readers?

Don’t judge me. You don’t know me.

(Leans forward and whispers) And, you never will!

(smiles)

WIN - leave Gale a comment or question sometime this week and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of her book EVOLUTION OF A SAD WOMAN. Please be sure to include your email address, so we can contact you if you are this week's winner!

This Tuesday At The AuthorIsland Tiki Hut - Author Dianne Miley

Today's special guest is author Dianne Miley.

Dianne grew up in northeastern Ohio as the oldest of four children. Growing up, she always loved to write. She began writing poetry in second grade. During high school, she wrote for the yearbook and school paper. Now she flexes her imagination through inspiring tales of romance and mystery. Best of all, she's found a way to share her faith through fictional characters in a fun romance.

In her spare time - ha! - she enjoys gardening, flower arranging, decorating, cooking, baking, and entertaining. She also loves visiting tea rooms and quaint little shops like the ones in Crystal Falls, the fictional town where her series of books is set. See the FUN PAGE on her website for the favorite tea party recipes of one of the characters in the Crystal Falls series. The recipes will change often, so be sure to check back!

Visit Dianne's Website *** Visit Dianne's Myspace *** Get Dianne's Newsletter

Thanks for being our guest today Dianne!


Hello everyone,

I’m so glad my writing journey has brought me here to the Island. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about writing and about myself. While this is a tough way to make a living, it’s also lots of fun and very rewarding.

Many years ago, I started out with some perfect characters and a small town I loved. But I didn’t have a story. Then I found out I had to make bad things happen to them in order to create “conflict.” I don’t like conflict. Really, who does? Yet once I got started, my poor characters didn’t know what they were in for.

So why did I choose to write inspirational romantic mysteries? I couldn’t choose just one. Kidding! Since I’m a romantic at heart, what more interesting conflict than between a man and a woman? That part came naturally. The same thing happened with the inspiration. Being a Christian is such a huge part of who I am, it came through without my realizing. I actually tried once to write “mainstream.” A critique partner suggested I market it as inspirational. It’s my natural voice, so why fight it?

Writing not only allows me to flex my wild imagination by creating wonderful characters, places, and plots, but I can also share a message of God’s love and forgiveness. In my stories, morals are a standard to live up to, cussing is not allowed, and each story makes it clear that every human being is God’s child and He loves us no matter how badly we mess up. If we only ask Him, God happily forgives us.

With this in mind, don’t be surprised to find some seedy characters in my inspirational romances. Alcoholics, cheaters, and even a stripper might show up. In real life, Christians share the world with unsavory people who can be neighbors, coworkers, or even family members. While moral standards remain paramount in my stories, I write about the real world, and Christians mess up too.

After all, not meeting the goal is what makes an interesting story. Faltering Christians are so much more fascinating… and so much more like me!

Which brings me to another fascination of mine - an intriguing mystery. I love trying to figure out whodunit – whatever it is. When writing my first novel, Lilacs for Laura, the storyline stumbled into a murder. While I certainly didn’t want to make my heroine the murderer, the question of who would be had me spellbound. Mystery is the most captivating part of the writing for me. However, it’s also the most challenging. I have to keep my poker face intact until the end of the book. And in a series, I don’t want the second book to reveal whodunit in the first book – just in case someone hasn’t read that one yet. This can be tricky, but so far I’ve managed.

I hope you’ll take a look at The Crystal Falls Series and let me know what you think. Lilacs for Laura and the sequel, Roses for Rachel, are both available from TheWildRosePress.com. I’m currently revising the next book in the series.

To learn more about me and my writing, please visit my website: http://www.diannemiley.com/. For bi-monthly updates, sign up for my newsletter by emailing me at: Dianne@DianneMiley.com.

Happy Reading and God Bless!

Dianne

My hubby and me on Christmas

This Tuesday At The Tiki Hut - Shirley Tallman

Even as a small child, Shirley Tallman, dreamed of being a writer. Now, this multi published, award-winning author dreams of having more time to write!

Shirley, who has ten contemporary romances published under the pseudonym Erin Ross and several television and movie scripts sold and in production with her screenwriting partner Nancy Hersage, is currently hard at work on her new historical mystery series for St. Martin's Press.

The Sarah Woolson Mysteries, which started with MURDER ON NOB HILL, have all the charm of a nineteenth-century Legally Blonde and have earned Shirley a good deal of acclaim. The second book in the series, THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS, sold out its first hardcover printing in just seven weeks and the third book, THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER, has been chosen as a July 2007 selection by The Mystery Guild Book Club.

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Welcome to the Tiki Hut, Shirley!

Hi Everyone!

What a thrill it is to join you here today in the Tiki Hut. Author Island is one of my favorite websites! DeNita does such a super job of taking care of her readers, as well as her authors. There are always fun things to do and exciting places to explore on the Author Island website.

Today, I have exciting news! The first two books in my Sarah Woolson historical mystery series – MURDER ON NOB HILL and THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS – have been released as Trade Paperbacks. For those of you who are still confused about the difference between mass paperbacks and trade paperbacks, mass paperbacks are small, pocket-size books, while trade paperbacks are the very popular soft-cover versions of standard-size hardcover books.

But before I go any further, maybe I should tell you a little bit about myself. I started writing over twenty-five years ago with a weekly newspaper column titled, PENNY PINCHERS. It featured articles on how to feed your family well – and nutritiously – on a budget. After that came a hardcover book – written with a good friend of mine, Nancy Hersage – titled, PLEASE STAND BY – YOUR MOTHER’S MISSING.

While Nancy went on to write stage plays, I wrote ten Harlequin/Silhouette contemporary “Desire” romances, set all over the world. Then came yet another change as Nancy and I once again teamed up to write TV movies. Blithely unaware of how difficult (read impossible) this was to achieve, we sold movies to NBC, CBS, ABC and HBO. Our movie, THE BABYSITTER’S SEDUCTION, starring Keri Russell, Stephen Collins and Phylicia Rashad, did extremely well at NBC, and still continues to play regularly on the Lifetime Network.

As I said earlier, I now write the Sarah Woolson historical murder mysteries set in 1880s San Francisco: MURDER ON NOB HILL, THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS and THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER. My heroine is a lovely and intelligent young woman who has always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. The trouble is, everyone believes women belong in the home, that it is against God’s will for them to seek a career. But Sarah is undeterred by the all-male legal establishment and their blatant chauvinism.

In MURDER ON NOB HILL – the first book in the series – Sarah finagles her way into one of the most prestigious law firms in San Francisco, only to find herself embroiled in shady legal maneuvers, multiple murders, a daring Chinatown raid, and a secret and very scandalous sex club. In THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS, Sarah manages to become only the second woman in the city’s history to defend a man accused of murder in a court of law. No one, including the judge and prosecuting attorneys, are the least bit happy to see her there, and she ends up very nearly losing her life! THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGER finds Sarah attending a séance at San Francisco’s famous Cliff House, only to discover at the end of the session that one of the participants has been strangled. Pressured into defending the accused murderer, Sarah becomes involved in a complicated murder plot involving ghosts, gypsies and City Hall.

All three books in the Sarah Woolson series have sold out their first two hardcover printings, and as I mentioned earlier, MURDER ON NOB HILL and THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS are now out in paperback. Yay!! To celebrate this great news, today I’ll be giving away a signed copy of MURDER ON NOB HILL or THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS. Your choice.

While I’m here in the Tiki Hut, I’d love to hear from as many readers – and would-be writers – as possible. My interests are varied – novels, mysteries, movies, newspaper journalism, publicity, and tips on how to get your writing career up and going. So please log on and let’s get a good discussion going!

Best wishes,

Shirley

PS Don’t forget to visit my website for more fun contests, and an opportunity to purchase SIGNED copies of my new trade paperback books at a great discount! You’ll also find special sale prices for the award-winning hardcover third book in the Sarah Woolson series, THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER.