In the Pale Light - A Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway

 Review

IN THE PALE LIGHT
By Westley Smith

On Christmas Day 2015 Clay Graham, his wife, and teen-aged daughter were found brutally murdered. Although never proven, the consensus was that Terry Graham, Clay's brother, killed his family in a blind drunken rage. The whole town knew that Terry was a drunkard unable to control his temper and he was already vilified for the death of a well loved woman years before. Now, nine years after his family's murder, Terry remains alone on his farm, tormented by townsfolk who harass him and damage his property and tormented by his own thoughts, wondering if it was just possible that he did kill his family. New evidence has recently been discovered and the State Police have assigned two new detectives to investigate the cold case. As the police renew their investigation Terry starts his, but with his health declining, he doesn't have much time left.

Hickory Falls is a town full of small minded, low class bullies. It's a town filled with people without any hopes or dreams, a poor town filled with the dregs of humanity. After reading each chapter I wanted to take a shower as if by physically cleaning myself I'd be able to get the grime of the place off of me.

The writing was taut with increasing intensity. The characters were compelling, not only Terry and the detectives, but minor characters too. The villains here were twisted and as the novel progressed almost everyone was tainted by the cruelty of both fate and humankind. I really enjoyed how the two investigations paralleled each other culminating in the ultimate showdown. I also appreciated the dénuement as I read with grim satisfaction.

IN THE PALE LIGHT is a visceral novel of vengeance and the search for truth.

*************************************************************************

IN THE PALE LIGHT

by Westley Smith

August 12 - September 6, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

When Clay Graham and his family are found slain in the parking lot of his struggling business, the police suspect Clay's troublemaker brother, Terry. Terry claims he was drunk the night of the murders and passed out at home. With little evidence against Terry to make an arrest, the case soon goes cold.

Shunned from the community, harassed by the locals who believe he's a murderer, and suffering from an undiagnosed illness, Terry lives alone on his farm, punishing himself for his past indiscretions.

Then Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Henry Miller, who has ties to the town and the Graham murders, shows up with newly discovered evidence that kick-starts the case all over again.

Now, before his illness kills him, Terry sets out, battling against small-town secrets and old grudges, racing against time to stay one step ahead of both the State Police and his own impending death, to finally find out what really happened to his family and hopefully prove himself and innocent man --if he is one.

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thriller
Published by: Watertower Hill Publishing
Publication Date: August 13, 2024
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Watertower Hill Publishing

Read an excerpt:

December 25th, 2015

The emergency lights from the Hickory Falls Sheriff’s Department Ford Interceptor flashed across the snow when it pulled into the Graham Video store parking lot. The sheet of white should have been untouched by tires at 6:45 a.m., and the snow-covered green Jetta, sitting in the far left-hand corner of the parking lot should not have been there. Two different sets of tire tracks cut through the pristine snow. One set belonged to the Jetta. The other set made a large circle in the snow before making its way back toward Main Street.

The officer brought the SUV to a stop about five feet from the Jetta; its headlights bathed the car in the frigid darkness. Unable to see past the Jetta’s frosted snow-covered windows, a building sense of unease began to crawl over him, tightening the flesh to his bones.

The officer’s shift had been easy that night. He had not responded to any emergency calls, nor had he had to pull anyone over. A Christmas miracle itself. But all that had changed fifteen minutes ago while he was patrolling Broke Run Road, when Sheriff Will Daniel’s voice came over the radio.

“Call just came in. We got a report of shots fired at the Graham Video store. Caller says they saw a man running across the parking lot, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun. The suspect reportedly got into the passenger side of a blue sedan before it took off with two others inside. Need you to check it out,” Daniel had said.

Why the hell is the sheriff in at this hour? the officer had wondered. Shouldn’t Susan be on the call desk? And what’s going on at the Graham Video store?

Now on scene, with the first cracks of gray sky beginning to materialize through the night horizon, he radioed back into the station.

“I’m at the Graham Video store. I’ve located a V-dub Jetta. It’s an early 2000s model. No sign of anyone else, including the reported blue sedan. Though there are two sets of tire tracks in the snow, indicating another vehicle was present.” He glanced at the video store’s entrance. There were no broken windows and no ajar door to indicate a robbery had occurred. The place appeared buttoned up tight. “No signs of a break-in, Sheriff. Getting out to inspect the vehicle.”

“Ten-four,” Sheriff Daniel’s voice came back over the line. “Proceed with caution.”

Again, the officer thought it was strange that the sheriff was in at that hour, and on Christmas morning. Where was Susan Green? She usually worked the overnight shift; she should still have been at the station, working the dispatch desk. Still, the officer knew, she could have gone home for any number of reasons—the holiday, the storm, or maybe a family member had fallen –ill—and the sheriff had filled in for her. Pushing the thought from his mind, the officer returned to the pressing matter at hand.

Stay focused. Stay sharp.

Stepping from the SUV, the blowing snow and driving wind bit at the officer’s exposed skin, penetrated his clothes. Zipping his jacket up to his chin, he started toward the car, trudging through the shin-deep snow.

As he neared the Jetta, pelted with snow and ice so hard it stung, he noticed a set of footprints leading away from the passenger-side door toward the second set of tire tracks before vanishing. The tracks were nearly filled in with fresh powder, but it was unmistakable what they were. He assumed this was where the person had gotten into the second car—an old blue sedan. Looking back to the Jetta, he saw something smeared along the top of the passenger-side door. Whatever it was had frozen to a hard, ruby-colored substance.

He eased in for a closer look.

lood!

Frozen blood.

A strange tightness gripped the base of the officer’s neck as if Death had wrapped a cold, boney hand around him and begun to squeeze. His heart rate quickened. He placed his right hand on his sidearm and identified himself.

“This is the Hickory Falls Sheriff’s Department. If there’s anyone inside the vehicle, would you please step out?”

There was no reply. The car was dead still. The only sound across the parking lot was the howling wind and the ice pebbles hitting the closest metal lamp post.

Not wanting to disturb what he believed to be blood on the passenger-side door, the officer lumbered through the deepening snow, around the front of the Jetta, to the driver’s side. Reaching down, he took hold of the handle and pulled.

The driver’s side door was locked.

He took a deep breath of cold air, sending what felt like ice daggers into his lungs as he tried to steel himself for what he might find inside. His teeth began to chatter, and an internal shudder tremored in his core and quickly expanded to the rest of his body.

“I’m asking anyone inside to identify themselves and step out.” He waited, but when no one replied, he said, “If you do not comply, I will be forced to inspect the vehicle. Last warning.”

Silence.

No movement came from within. The car's stillness bothered him—like it was dead. But that was impossible. Cars could not be deceased like humans or animals. So why was he getting the dreaded feeling that death emanated from it?

Placing his gloved hand on the window, he brushed the light dusting of snow away and bent down to look inside.

The officer recoiled at what he saw or who he saw staring back at him. His feet slipped out from under him, and he went down onto his backside, hard. Snow kicked up when he hit the ground, and for a moment he was cocooned in falling white powder, protected from what he had seen.

But when the snow settled, the officer was again gazing at the driver’s-side door of the Jetta. There, he saw a man’s pale face pressed against the glass, the muscles twisted and tightened in agony. His eyes were open and locked directly on the officer with a vacant, lifeless stare, pleading with him, even in death, to save him.

Too late. I’m too late to save you.

The officer shot to his feet; snow fell off his uniform in large patchy clumps. And though the temperature was in the teens, he felt sweat break out across his back and forehead.

Moving gingerly toward the Jetta again, the officer realized he knew the dead man looking back at him.

Clay Graham—the owner of the Graham Video store.

He removed his Maglite from his belt and turned it on. Bending, he shone the beam through the ice-crusted driver’s-side window and began to scan the car's interior.

That’s when he saw them.

He pressed a gloved hand over his lips, suppressing the scream that wanted to leap from his throat at the horrific sight of carnage and death inside the Jetta.

It wasn’t just Clay Graham dead inside the car but also his wife, Claire, and their teenage daughter, Sidney.

***

Excerpt from In the Pale Light by Westley Smith. Copyright 2024 by Westley Smith. Reproduced with permission from Westley Smith. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Westley Smith had his first short story, Off to War, published when he was just sixteen.

He is, more recently, the author of two horror novels, Along Came the Tricksters and All Hallows Eve, as well as the thriller Some Kind of Truth. His short fiction has been published in various magazines and websites. Wes lives with his wife and two dogs in the beautiful woodlands of southern Pennsylvania--the perfect place to hide a body.

Catch Up With Westley Smith:
WestleySmithBooks.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @wssmith100
Instagram - @wsmithbooks
Facebook - @westleysmith100

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Westley Smith. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

In the Pale Light - An Interview, Excerpt, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Westley Smith to Cozy Up With Kathy today. IN THE PALE LIGHT was released earlier this month.

IN THE PALE LIGHT we learn of a cold case murder investigation that starts to heat up. What makes cold cases so intriguing?

The unknown factor. The mystery of why a crime happened. Who did it. And why.


On Christmas morning a family is found shot to death in their car, the father's brother the main suspect. I always feel worse when deaths occur on a holiday. Was there a specific reason you chose Christmas for this crime?

Yes. The town where the murders occur is deserted because it’s Christmas Eve and in the middle of a blizzard.


It's fascinating that Terry, the main suspect and brother of the victim, isn't certain of his innocence. How did this uncertainty change your writing. Did it make writing the story easier or more difficult?

Difficult. I had to write Terry as an unreliable narrator and make every decision or action he takes in the book make the reader question if he really is a murderer.


What first drew you to crime fiction?

I’ve always loved mysteries since I was a kid. But the book, oddly enough that got me hooked on crime, was a Louis L' Amour story called BOWDRIE FOLLOWS A COLD TRAIL– where Texas Ranger Chick Bowdrie comes across a skeleton and has to solve what happened to this person.


Do you write in any other genres?

I do. I also write psychological thrillers.


Tell us about your series.

I don’t have any series just yet. Maybe in the future.


Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

I like Steve James from my debut thriller, SOME KIND OF TRUTH. He’s a deep, complex, and flawed character who walks the moral line of investigative journalism ethics.


What made you decide to publish your work?

It’s been my dream to be a published author since I wrote my first short story when I was ten years old.


If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Raymond Chandler


What are you currently reading?
END OF STORY by AJ Finn and The ArchAngels Mission series by Joshua Loyd Fox


Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

I’m a big movie buff and have amassed quite a physical media collection from Beta Max, VHS, DVD, Blu-rays, and 4K – my basement looks like a mom-and-pop video store from the 1980s. I love history and often watch documentaries or read books on various subjects. I enjoy weightlifting and walking.


Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

Peanut Butter, Bananas, Chicken, Protein Powder


Do you have plans for future books?

Yes.


What's your favorite thing about being an author?

Crafting the story. I love creating stories; even though it’s hard work, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

************************************************************************

IN THE PALE LIGHT

by Westley Smith

August 12 - September 6, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

When Clay Graham and his family are found slain in the parking lot of his struggling business, the police suspect Clay's troublemaker brother, Terry. Terry claims he was drunk the night of the murders and passed out at home. With little evidence against Terry to make an arrest, the case soon goes cold.

Shunned from the community, harassed by the locals who believe he's a murderer, and suffering from an undiagnosed illness, Terry lives alone on his farm, punishing himself for his past indiscretions.

Then Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Henry Miller, who has ties to the town and the Graham murders, shows up with newly discovered evidence that kick-starts the case all over again.

Now, before his illness kills him, Terry sets out, battling against small-town secrets and old grudges, racing against time to stay one step ahead of both the State Police and his own impending death, to finally find out what really happened to his family and hopefully prove himself and innocent man --if he is one.

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thriller
Published by: Watertower Hill Publishing
Publication Date: August 13, 2024
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Watertower Hill Publishing

Read an excerpt:

December 25th, 2015

The emergency lights from the Hickory Falls Sheriff’s Department Ford Interceptor flashed across the snow when it pulled into the Graham Video store parking lot. The sheet of white should have been untouched by tires at 6:45 a.m., and the snow-covered green Jetta, sitting in the far left-hand corner of the parking lot should not have been there. Two different sets of tire tracks cut through the pristine snow. One set belonged to the Jetta. The other set made a large circle in the snow before making its way back toward Main Street.

The officer brought the SUV to a stop about five feet from the Jetta; its headlights bathed the car in the frigid darkness. Unable to see past the Jetta’s frosted snow-covered windows, a building sense of unease began to crawl over him, tightening the flesh to his bones.

The officer’s shift had been easy that night. He had not responded to any emergency calls, nor had he had to pull anyone over. A Christmas miracle itself. But all that had changed fifteen minutes ago while he was patrolling Broke Run Road, when Sheriff Will Daniel’s voice came over the radio.

“Call just came in. We got a report of shots fired at the Graham Video store. Caller says they saw a man running across the parking lot, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun. The suspect reportedly got into the passenger side of a blue sedan before it took off with two others inside. Need you to check it out,” Daniel had said.

Why the hell is the sheriff in at this hour? the officer had wondered. Shouldn’t Susan be on the call desk? And what’s going on at the Graham Video store?

Now on scene, with the first cracks of gray sky beginning to materialize through the night horizon, he radioed back into the station.

“I’m at the Graham Video store. I’ve located a V-dub Jetta. It’s an early 2000s model. No sign of anyone else, including the reported blue sedan. Though there are two sets of tire tracks in the snow, indicating another vehicle was present.” He glanced at the video store’s entrance. There were no broken windows and no ajar door to indicate a robbery had occurred. The place appeared buttoned up tight. “No signs of a break-in, Sheriff. Getting out to inspect the vehicle.”

“Ten-four,” Sheriff Daniel’s voice came back over the line. “Proceed with caution.”

Again, the officer thought it was strange that the sheriff was in at that hour, and on Christmas morning. Where was Susan Green? She usually worked the overnight shift; she should still have been at the station, working the dispatch desk. Still, the officer knew, she could have gone home for any number of reasons—the holiday, the storm, or maybe a family member had fallen –ill—and the sheriff had filled in for her. Pushing the thought from his mind, the officer returned to the pressing matter at hand.

Stay focused. Stay sharp.

Stepping from the SUV, the blowing snow and driving wind bit at the officer’s exposed skin, penetrated his clothes. Zipping his jacket up to his chin, he started toward the car, trudging through the shin-deep snow.

As he neared the Jetta, pelted with snow and ice so hard it stung, he noticed a set of footprints leading away from the passenger-side door toward the second set of tire tracks before vanishing. The tracks were nearly filled in with fresh powder, but it was unmistakable what they were. He assumed this was where the person had gotten into the second car—an old blue sedan. Looking back to the Jetta, he saw something smeared along the top of the passenger-side door. Whatever it was had frozen to a hard, ruby-colored substance.

He eased in for a closer look.

lood!

Frozen blood.

A strange tightness gripped the base of the officer’s neck as if Death had wrapped a cold, boney hand around him and begun to squeeze. His heart rate quickened. He placed his right hand on his sidearm and identified himself.

“This is the Hickory Falls Sheriff’s Department. If there’s anyone inside the vehicle, would you please step out?”

There was no reply. The car was dead still. The only sound across the parking lot was the howling wind and the ice pebbles hitting the closest metal lamp post.

Not wanting to disturb what he believed to be blood on the passenger-side door, the officer lumbered through the deepening snow, around the front of the Jetta, to the driver’s side. Reaching down, he took hold of the handle and pulled.

The driver’s side door was locked.

He took a deep breath of cold air, sending what felt like ice daggers into his lungs as he tried to steel himself for what he might find inside. His teeth began to chatter, and an internal shudder tremored in his core and quickly expanded to the rest of his body.

“I’m asking anyone inside to identify themselves and step out.” He waited, but when no one replied, he said, “If you do not comply, I will be forced to inspect the vehicle. Last warning.”

Silence.

No movement came from within. The car's stillness bothered him—like it was dead. But that was impossible. Cars could not be deceased like humans or animals. So why was he getting the dreaded feeling that death emanated from it?

Placing his gloved hand on the window, he brushed the light dusting of snow away and bent down to look inside.

The officer recoiled at what he saw or who he saw staring back at him. His feet slipped out from under him, and he went down onto his backside, hard. Snow kicked up when he hit the ground, and for a moment he was cocooned in falling white powder, protected from what he had seen.

But when the snow settled, the officer was again gazing at the driver’s-side door of the Jetta. There, he saw a man’s pale face pressed against the glass, the muscles twisted and tightened in agony. His eyes were open and locked directly on the officer with a vacant, lifeless stare, pleading with him, even in death, to save him.

Too late. I’m too late to save you.

The officer shot to his feet; snow fell off his uniform in large patchy clumps. And though the temperature was in the teens, he felt sweat break out across his back and forehead.

Moving gingerly toward the Jetta again, the officer realized he knew the dead man looking back at him.

Clay Graham—the owner of the Graham Video store.

He removed his Maglite from his belt and turned it on. Bending, he shone the beam through the ice-crusted driver’s-side window and began to scan the car's interior.

That’s when he saw them.

He pressed a gloved hand over his lips, suppressing the scream that wanted to leap from his throat at the horrific sight of carnage and death inside the Jetta.

It wasn’t just Clay Graham dead inside the car but also his wife, Claire, and their teenage daughter, Sidney.

***

Excerpt from In the Pale Light by Westley Smith. Copyright 2024 by Westley Smith. Reproduced with permission from Westley Smith. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Westley Smith had his first short story, Off to War, published when he was just sixteen.

He is, more recently, the author of two horror novels, Along Came the Tricksters and All Hallows Eve, as well as the thriller Some Kind of Truth. His short fiction has been published in various magazines and websites. Wes lives with his wife and two dogs in the beautiful woodlands of southern Pennsylvania--the perfect place to hide a body.

Catch Up With Westley Smith:
WestleySmithBooks.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @wssmith100
Instagram - @wsmithbooks
Facebook - @westleysmith100

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Westley Smith. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

Murder Marks the Page - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a recent release that's on my TBR pile. Murder Marks the Page by Karen Rose Smith is the first book in the Tomes and Tea Mystery series. This series is a spin of from the author's Daisy Tea Garden Mystery series.

 Blurb:

New York State’s Belltower Landing is a lakeside resort town where tourists spend their summer days boating, floating, and paddle-boarding on the water. It’s also the perfect place to cuddle up with a good book and enjoy a cup of tea, courtesy of Tomes & Tea. Owned and operated by Jazzi and her best friend Dawn Fernsby, the book bar is beloved by vacationers and locals alike, but browsers grabbing brews in the off season aren’t enough to help them make ends meet.

Between brainstorming social media publicity ideas for the shop and fending off flirtatious men she has no interest in or time for, Jazzi befriends a woman named Brie who has recently made contact with her biological father. As an adopted child herself, Jazzi is more than happy to give Brie emotional support, especially as her wealthy father’s wife and children see her as a threat.

But Brie is also looking to start a family of her own. Unfortunately, all the potential princes she’s met through a dating app turn out to be frogs. Then, when Brie is found murdered, Jazzi finds herself playing detective. With a list of suspects ranging from jealous half-siblings to less-than-suitable suitors, Jazzi may need to consult some of her shop’s bestselling mysteries to help her uncover a killer . . .

The House on Crow Mountain - An Interview, Excerpt, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Rebecca Lee Smith to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Rebecca's latest release is The House on Crow Mountain.

 

In The House on Crow Mountain we meet portrait artist Emory Austen. How did you choose this unusual career for your protagonist?

RLS: Before I went to college, I thought I wanted to major in art but soon realized that my lack of drawing and painting talent was a going to be real drawback. Not far from where I live, there is a Smoky Mountain Tennessee town called Gatlinburg (right down the road from Dollywood), where artists used to set up shop on the sidewalk and paint portraits of tourists from the local ski resort. It was fascinating to watch them work, and I always thought it would be such an amazing gift to have. And seriously cool.


Kathy: Emory returns to the North Carolina mountains after her aunt's death. How does that setting influence the story?

RLS: Growing up, Emory’s aunt’s old Victorian house on Crow Mountain was the one place Emory felt she belonged, even though she thought her aunt didn’t want her there. The misty mountains on the Tennessee/North Carolina border, where the Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains meet, have always seemed so magical to me, drawing me in, calling to me. I wanted Emory to feel that magic as well.


Kathy: Crows are unique animals with a good deal of folklore and mystery associated with them. Is there significance related to that in your choice of naming Crow Mountain as your homestead?

RLS: In an earlier draft, the mountain was actually named something else, but crows kept showing up in scene after scene until I took the hint and named it after them. Crows are indeed unique. They can recognize human faces, make and use tools, and when one of their own dies, the others gather around the dead crow to pay their respects. And then, there’s the fact that three or more crows is called a murder. A murder of crows. What mystery writer doesn’t love that?


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

RLS: For awhile, I tried writing romance, but for some reason, a dead body kept turning up in the manuscript with a mystery to solve. Also, I was reading a lot more cozy mysteries than romance, so I thought maybe that’s what I should be writing. I love creating a puzzle to solve, using quirky characters as suspects, unexpected twists and turns, and finally piecing things together so it all makes sense in the end. It’s so satisfying to me. Not to mention fun.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

RLS: My first two books were published in the romantic suspense genre.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

RLS: So far, The House on Crow Mountain is a standalone cozy mystery. But I’m not ruling out the possibility of developing it into a series. I love reading series.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

RLS: Mrs. Etta Shipley, an elderly nursing home resident who becomes Emory’s friend and helps her solve the mystery. When I was growing up, both my grandmothers lived with me. I shared a room with my maternal grandmother until I was fifteen, and she was funny, sassy, and the most down-to-earth no-nonsense person I’ve ever known. I’m sure I based Mrs. Shipley on her. (I really hadn’t thought about that until now.)


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

RLS: I love to read, and after spending years working in theater honing my dialogue skills (and getting a little burned out in the process), writing seemed like the next logical step. Seeing a book cover with my name on it had always been a secret dream of mine, but it took years, writing several books that will never see the light of day, to get published.


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

RLS: I love this question! And wow. Okay…Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Nora Ephron, and Nora Roberts (because, in addition to picking her brain about the sheer volume of great work she can produce, she would just be so much fun.)


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

RLS: I’m between books right now. I just finished a beautiful, lyrical book called The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister, and I’m ready (and excited) to start A Time to Swill, Book #2 in Sherry Harris’ Sea Glass Saloon mystery series.


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

RLS: Pre-pandemic, I loved hanging out at the local pub. But now, it’s mostly reading, writing, watching English murder mysteries, crocheting while watching English murder mysteries, deadheading the marigolds (one of the few plants the neighborhood deer won’t eat), and visiting with my (vaccinated) kids. I also walk a rather lively Jack Russell terrier named Wilbur twice a day, does that count?


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

RLS: Vanilla yogurt, pimento cheese, peanut butter, and Reduced-fat Triscuits.


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

RLS: I have Book One of a new series finished and ready to go to my editor. It’s about what happens when the richest, most despised woman in town leaves her fortune to an unemployed elementary art teacher out of spite, then turns up dead.


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

RLS: The surprised look on someone’s face when they ask what I do for a living and I say, “I write books.” 

************************************************************************

 The House on Crow Mountain by Rebecca Lee Smith

About The House on Crow Mountain

The House on Crow Mountain
Cozy Mystery Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wild Rose Press (July 14, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 310 pages

When her aunt suffers a stroke, New York portrait artist Emory Austen returns home to the North Carolina mountains to mend fences and deal with the guilt over her husband's senseless death. But that won't be as easy as she hoped.

Someone in the quirky little town doesn't like Emory. Is it the sexy architect who needs the Austen land to redeem himself? The untrustworthy matriarch? The grudge-bearing local bad boy? Or the teenage bombshell who has raised snooping to an art form? Even the local evangelist has something to hide. Who wrote the cryptic note warning her to "Give it back or you'll be dead? And what is 'it'? As the clues pile up and secrets are exposed, Emory must discover what her family has that someone would kill for.

About Rebecca Lee Smith

Rebecca lives with her husband and a dog named Wilbur in the beautiful misty mountains of East Tennessee, where the people are charming, soulful, and just a little bit crazy. She's been everything from a tax collector to a stay-at-home-mom to an award-winning professional actress and director. When she's not churning out small-town cozy-ish mysteries, she loves to travel the world, go to the Outer Banks for her ocean fix, watch old movies, and make her day complete by answering the Final Jeopardy! question. Her Southern roots and the affectionate appreciation she has for the rural towns she lives near inspire the settings and characters she writes about.

Author Links: 

Website - https://rebeccaleesmith.com/  

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.l.smith.18  

Twitter - https://twitter.com/rbeccaleesmith  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B & N -

Book Excerpt

Could it be something of Kent's they were after? Something he’d kept hidden? He was good at keeping secrets. In fact, he’d been a master at it. After his death, I’d packed the few possessions he hadn’t moved out of the apartment and sent them to his parents. I’d kept nothing except the gold wedding band he’d thrown at me from across the room and his cell phone.

Kent’s death.

Hard to even think those words, much less say them out loud. It was all still so surreal.

Maybe everything that had happened in Bitter Ridge was karma. Maybe the Universe was finally giving me exactly what I deserved. Kent's death had been my fault. And no matter how much he had deceived me, or betrayed me, or reduced my sad little trusting heart to shrapnel, I could never forgive myself.

I laid my head on my knees and closed my eyes. I rocked my body back and forth, like a child trying to soothe itself when sleep will not come. Then at last, in the cool dark shadows of the night, I began to cry.

Oh, God, I am so sorry.

I hadn’t loved Kent for a long time. At the end of our marriage, I hadn't even liked him. But I had never wished him dead.

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Murder With Oolong Tea - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a recent release. Murder with Oolong Tea by Karen Rose Smith is the sixth book in the Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery series and was released last week. 

Blurb:

In Pennsylvania's Amish country, Daisy Swanson finds herself going back to school expecting to serve tea--only to get a crash course in criminal justice . . .
 
The faculty of Willow Creek High School are having a get-together after the spring concert with refreshments provided, courtesy of Daisy's Tea Garden. Oolong tea and chocolate biscuits are just what the staff needs to help them unwind from Althea Higgins' demanding curriculum. Her lessons on such controversial subjects as school uniforms and underqualified substitute teachers are earning her an F from her colleagues.
 
But a failing grade was preferable to Althea falling victim to foul play. Daisy was there when her body was discovered in the school swimming pool, murdered by strangulation. Althea was certainly a strict, opinionated taskmaster, unliked by both teachers and students, but would any of them actually want to kill her? As Daisy starts asking questions, she gets a real education in Althea's history, discovering more than enough enemies with more than enough motives to cancel her classes permanently . . .  

Includes delicious recipes!
 

Spotlight - Staged to Death

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on Staged to Death by Karen Rose Smith. This book is the first in the Caprice De Luca Mystery series and was published in December 2013.

From the back cover:

Welcome to Kismet, PA, where home stager Caprice De Luca helps her clients shine in a lackluster real estate market-and where someone may only be in the market for murder...

Caprice De Luca has successfully parlayed her skills as an interior designer into a thriving home staging business. So when her old high school friend Roz Winslow asks her to spruce up her mess of a mansion to perk up a slow buyers market. Caprice is more than happy to share her skills. But when Roz's husband Ted is found skewered by one of his sword room's prized possessions, it appears the Winslows may have a few skeletons in their palatial closets. With the stage set for murder, Caprice will discover she can track down an antique tapestry and a cold-blooded killer with equal aplomb-as long as she's not the next victim...

Recipes included.

Long Running Series

I'm always a little sad whenever I finish a book I really like. Sad that the adventure is over and I have to say goodbye to new friends. The wonderful thing about cozy mysteries is that they're usually series-so when you finish one, you know you'll meet up with everyone again for the next adventure.

Unfortunately, some series are short lived. In some cases, this result is not desired by the author either. The book doesn't sell well and the publisher won't publish further stories in the series. Happily, the advent of e-books and self publishing has allowed some authors to continue their series even when the publisher says no. Sometimes the series ends because, tragically, the author died. Barbara Burnett Smith wrote the Purple Sage Mysteries and had just started a new beading series, Bead on Trouble when she died. A second book in that series, Beads of Doubt, was published, finished by another author. 

Some series have a set ending by the author. Carole Nelson Douglas intends to go through the entire alphabet with her Midnight Louis series. After the first two books, Catnap and Pussyfoot, the titles follow the alphabet-Cat on a Blue Monday. She's currently on W with the 2012 release of Cat in a White Tie and Tales. Kate Kingsbury also had an ending with her Pennyfoot Hotel series; although that's not quite true in that four years after the series ended she began bringing those characters back in Christmas mysteries.

Long running series are great in that you truly get to know the characters. Seeing how the characters change and grow can be amazing and wonderful. At the start of the series by Elizabeth Peters we meet Amelia Peabody, a single lady in Victorian England who is finally free to travel. By the most recent book in the series Amelia is married with grandchildren! We've also seen the political and archeological changes in Egypt. Crocodile on the Sandbank was published in 1975 with A River in the Sky released in 2010. There are currently 19 books in this series.

So what makes a series long running? Although time does count for something (the Amelia Peabody series continued for 35 years and although the author is 85 years old, she's still with us-so there may yet be another book in the series!) to me it's the number of books in the series that makes it long running. For me, a series must have at least 10 published books in order to be considered a long running series.

There are problems with long running series. Unfortunately, I've found a few clunkers in some of my favorite series. I suppose when you write that many books, some are bound to be not as great. When it first started, I adored the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown; every book was great. Then there was a horrible clunker. I didn't give up on it, and Rita Mae Brown got back on track with some wonderful books which I recommend. There are currently 20 books in the series which began with Wish You Were Here in 1990 with the 21st scheduled to be published in June 2013. What's interesting is that the clunker sits half way through the series.

So what are some other long running series? Cleo Coyle currently has 12 books in her Coffeehouse Mysteries. Laura Childs has two long running series. The Tea Shop Mysteries started with Death by Darjeeling in 2001 and the 14th in the series will be released in March 2013. Her Scrapbooking Series just makes the cut with her 10th book in the series, Postcards from the Dead published in 2012. There are 17 books in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson series with the 18th to be published in February 2013. Two of these are actually novellas, found in holiday collections with stories with other authors, but still, more than enough to make a long running series. There are 16 books in Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear series. Kate Collins started her Flower Shop Mysteries with a 2004 publication. There are now 13 books. There are 17 books in the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton starting with Aunt Dimity's Death back in 1992 with the 18th due in April 2013.

As you can see, there are plenty of long running series out there-and many series which I hope will become long running. Do you have a favorite long running series? Which current series do you hope become long running ones?