This is my August reverie... There is never a perfect time to ponder one's direction in life. After all, those chores won't do themselves. The workload won't ease up. The needs, wants, demands, and fears of the world conspire to pull us from contemplation into action. But on a hot summer night when the sky glows with sunset smiles and the fireflies ease from their day nests to grace the darkness and the bullfrog on the edge of the pond announces his dominance, I find [...]
Summer is the perfect time to explore new authors and expand your reading world into genres unfamiliar to you. July's author offers a dive into the sci-fi thriller pool with The Pangaea Solution. This debut novel by one of my newest author friends, Charles Jacobs, doesn't disappoint in the action category. In his day job, Chuck works as a management consultant, specializing in quantitative analysis applied to risk and strategy, and as an aspiring writer. In his writing, he mixes a thrilling story with complex, [...]
Former librarian, bookstore manager, and current adventurer, Molly MacRae writes mysteries with a softer touch...and scrumptious food descriptions, books, and quirky characters. Upon meeting this author, one is struck by her warm, inviting personality, which mirrors the characters and the situations in her novels. Except for the murders, of course! ;) But the designation of COZY reminds the reader that the books will be heavy on the puzzle and light on the gore. A peak into MacRae's background reveals that she spent twenty years in [...]
You ever have one of those days when you swear the universe is sending smoke signals but you just can't read them? Yeah. I had one yesterday, its residue strong enough to push me to write about it today. I was preparing to leave for an evening of non-fiction readings by two local authors at the newest event sponsored by the Springboro Historical Society -- Reading Between the Wines -- where I serve as facilitator. I have the honor of introducing the readers for the [...]
Welcome, June, and welcome to crime writer, Shamus award-winning author, and fellow Ohio University grad (Go, Bobcats!) Trace Conger, whose novels explore murder in the crime, thriller, and suspense genres. I've had the opportunity to share space with Trace at Mulberry Street Books in Lebanon, Ohio, and pick his brain a little about the writing process and this writing adventure we share. He is the author of the Conner Harding and Mr. Finn series Janet Irvin: Trace, let's talk about choosing this writing path. [...]
The month of December always arrives precipitously, hard on the heels of November feasting, bringing with it my birthday, the festive holiday season, and the longest day of the year. This has to be my favorite month, and who better to grace it than one of my favorite authors, a Dayton local who teaches at the University of Dayton, offers multiple writing workshops around town, and has written a deliciously entertaining series of mysteries. The Luce Hansen tales introduce the reader to an intriguing new [...]
I must admit to a fascination with Kate Carlisle, our June author, especially her Bibliophile mysteries. After I read the first one, I was hooked, probably because protagonist Brooklyn Wainwright, a bookbinder by trade, loves books even more than I do. Plus, she has a really hunky love interest, which adds a lovely romance to the mix! But before we start talking to Kate, let me tell you a bit more about her. She is a New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: [...]