Author of Newest Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novel  Joins AUTHORS @ THE TEAGUE Series  in Glendale on National Book Tour

Please Note: Time - Date Change for Author Visit

Deborah Crombie, author of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mysteries, is appearing at the Velma Teague Library in Glendale, AZ on Wednesday, July 1 at 3 p.m. She'll be appearing as part of the Authors at the Teague series to promote her latest book- the twelfth in the series, Where Memories Lie.

If you're unfamiliar with this series, start with A Share in Death. It introduces Scotland Yard's Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, in his thirties soon after his promotion to the position. Gemma James, in her late twenties, is his Sergeant, a good-natured single mother with a young son.

Crombie, who lives in Texas, wrote the perfect English "country house" mystery for her debut. Kincaid, who was recently promoted, takes a vacation to Yorkshire, using his cousin's timeshare. The night after he meets Sebastian, the assistant manager of Followdale House, Duncan and two children find the man's body in the swimming pool. Due to the incompetence of a local police inspector, Kincaid is soon probing into the lives of the guests.

Kincaid is a man who cares about the victims, and proves to be a careful listener in his investigation. Deborah Crombie created two characters that exemplify the best of British police detectives. If you appreciate A Share in Death, there are eleven more books in the series.

Deborah Crombie will be discussing the Kincaid/James series, and signing books at the Velma Teague Library, 7010 North 58th Avenue in Glendale on July 1 at 3 p.m. Call 623-930-3431 for further details.

lholstine@yahoo.com
book blog:  http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Book Topics - Glendale Daily Planet
http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/book_topics.htm

"Reach librarians, and you reach the world."  - Betty Webb

(Added biographical info added   by GDP  for GPL Press Release.) 

The author’s love of Britain grew when she had an opportunity to take a post-university trip to England. She immigrated to the United Kingdom with her first husband, Peter Crombie, who was a Scot; first living in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then in Chester, England.

She later returned to Dallas and worked in her family’s business. While she was raising her daughter she began wiring her Duncan Kincaid novel. That book, “A Share in Death,” was published in 1993.

Her books have won great acclaim and been published in 13 countries.

She now lives in McKinney, an historic town north of Dallas, with her husband, Rick Wilson, two German shepherds and three cats.

Deborah Crombie at the Velma Teague Library 

Deborah Crombie, author of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mysteries, appeared at the Velma Teague Library today as part of the Authors at the Teague series. We were fortunate to have her squeeze us into her schedule when she was in town to appear at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale.

Deborah asked me to interview her, so after the introduction, I asked her to give us her background. She said she was a native of Texas, as Texan as you can get. She was an Anglophile, and she went to England in her 20s. She felt a staggering sense of homecoming in England. She'd read all of the English authors from Austen to Dickens to R.F. Delderfield. And, after she was there once, she did everything in her power to get back to England. Crombie said she wasn't an Anglophile because she married a Scot; she married a Scot because she was an Anglophile. And, she was married to her Scottish husband for thirteen years.

After she came back to the United States to live, she was homesick for England. She returned to Yorkshire, at the time that James Herriot was still practicing, and he would sign his books at his surgery on Thursdays. While driving in Yorkshire, they came across an English country house that was a timeshare, and it intrigued her. Crombie thought it was a perfect spot for a classic British crime novel. And, if it was a classic British crime novel, it needed a detective. And, the detective needed an associate.

When Deborah's daughter was in Montessori, she thought she could either work on a Master's degree, or try to write a novel. Her first book, A Share in Death, sold multinationally. It was nominated for Agatha and Macavity awards for best first novel. She's written twelve books in the series in fifteen years.

The Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series is set in Britain. When the series started, Kincaid was a Scotland Yard Superintendent, and Gemma was his Sergeant. Since then, James has been promoted to Notting Hill. Crombie said she wanted her characters to be mobile, so she could travel around England, and her trips would be tax deductible. That's worked out well. However, lately she's discovered it's hard to get out of London. And, with Gemma James' job, she wouldn't logically go with Kincaid on every investigation.

Duncan came from a section of England that Deborah loved. He's her male alter ego, and she felt as if she knew him from the very beginning. When she created Kincaid and James, she was rebelling with her characters against trends in detective stories at the time. She didn't want an angst-ridden detective. Duncan has some baggage, but he wasn't very disfunctional. He did his job because he loved it. He grew up in a literary household. And, he was divorced because his wife couldn't deal with the time he spent on the job.

With Gemma, Crombie was fighting the trend of female detectives who were just men in drag. They had no family, no children, and no obligations. She wanted a woman, who like other women, had to deal with family obligations, but was committed to the job. She was a character who wanted to be a cop, even though she was divorced, with a child. If Duncan was Deborah's alter ego, Gemma was as different from her as possible. She was in-your-face and outgoing. Over the course of time, though, their personalities have blended together.

She said she has to be conscious of time in her books. Only A Finer End has an actual date because it takes place at the millennium. Looking back at her earlier books, she notices how cultural things change in the books. For instance, in the first book, A Share in Death, Kincaid has a phone in his car, but it's permanently in the car. The story time has only been about four years in the lives of the characters, just slices of their lives.

Crombie is working on her thirteenth book. Her books have multiple viewpoints and storylines. Time is compressed into a couple weeks in the story. They're not like real police investigations, which take a great deal of time. The police have loads of paperwork. But, the story has to be fun to read, with action and faster resolutions than occur in real life. So, readers spend little bits of time with the characters.

Deborah Crombie has been under contract since her first book. She's always thinking ahead a book or two. She knows where the story arc is going after she finishes a book. She turns it in, and has to start the next proposal immediately. Her books are setting driven, and the setting functions as a character. 

She said she works out the characters, who did it, how the cases are resolved. She has to know all of it before writing. After attending a writers' conference, she said authors who write in first person might have it easier, and not have to plan the book out. She was asked what is harder, the beginning or end. She answered that she knows where the book is going, so for her, the beginning is harder. With Where Memories Lie, she wrote the ending when she was about half-way through the book. She wants to ensure that it's all going to weave together and be believable. Deborah said she does a proposal and an outline. She outlines in chunks. She'll bullet point outline each storyline, and then weave them together. She's obsessive-compulsive about staying in viewpoint. She has to get the time, the viewpoint, and what information she gives the reader. The red herring clues, the misdirections, must be there so the reader doesn't realize when an important clue is given. About half or two-thirds of the way through, when she has the outline to the end, she'll actually write the end of the book. She'll write that as fast as possible so she doesn't lose what she wants to say.

Where Memories Lie is Deborah Crombie's new book. Gemma, who is a baker's daughter from North London, made friends, in an earlier book, with Dr. Erika Rosenthal. Authors invent characters who appear once or twice in a book, in order to provide information to the detective, and then they disappear. Erika, who appeared in the seventh book, A Finer End, was supposed to disapper. She was a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany in 1939, who developed a special relationship with Duncan's son, Kit. But, Deborah found herself more interested in Erika's character. She wanted to know more about her, so she invented backstory for Erika. Her father was a well-known designer of art deco jewelry. He was tolerated by the Nazis because he was one of the craftsmen making things that were valued by the Nazi elite. Before Erika and her husband left Germany, her father gave her a piece of jewelry, a brooch. Something happened to it. When a friend of Erika's saw it in an auction catalog, Erika asked Gemma to help her find where the brooch was for years.

A good part of Where Memories Lie deals with 1952, when Erika's husband was murdered. Crombie's intention was to have Gemma use the notes from the detective who investigated the case in 1952, and the detective himself would not appear. However, when Deborah was on the Gatwick Express, she saw two men on the train, and she knew immediately that one of those men was her detective in 1952. She knew his name was Gavin. He appears on one page, and takes over the story. His relationship to the story was not what she anticipated. It made the book challenging to write. 

Crombie was pleased to be asked about her next book because Where Memories Lie has been finished for a year. She's moved on. The next book, with a working title of Necessary As Blood, takes place in the East End of London, a place she wasn't familiar with. She's taken one research trip; she's going back in August, and possibly in November. This is Jack the Ripper territory, an area often in conflict with change. At the moment, it's being gentrified, and there's a culture clash between the Bangladesh immigrants, the last of the white Cockneys, and the artsy crowd. This arty area is fertile ground for authors. 

Deborah said she tries to switch viewpoints in the books, one from Duncan's, and one from Gemma's, but this is going to be Gemma's book. It's the story of a couple in which the wife is white, and the husband is Pakistani. She disappears one day from the flower market, after asking a friend to watch her child for a minute, and she'll be right back. Later her husband disappears, leaving the two-year-old child alone. So, Gemma is brought into the situation.

When asked if readers need to read the series in order, Crombie said she tries to make the books stand alone, so readers could pick them up at any point. And, she's always hoping they'll buy her current book. But, it is fun to start from the beginning and see the development of characters.

Crombie was asked to explain proposals, and she said a writer proposes what they're going to do next. Her U.S. publishers get the books first, and they have 95% of the say. But, she is published in multiple countries. What Germany thinks is important. 

The first five books were with Scribner's, and then they were sold. Since her contract was going to be out after those five books, she got feelers. For the next three books, she was with Bantam/Random House. They had right of first refusal at the end of the contract, and another publisher can't even make an offer, so it's tricky for the author. She ended up with HarperCollins, and she hopes she's with them for a long time because she loves her editor and the packaging for her books.

She said she has great maps in the books, with pull out illustrations. The illustrations are taken from her photographs. She has done the cover photos for every book since In a Dark House, three books ago. Nottingham Gate Station is on the front of Where Memories Lie. Deborah thinks it's a fabulous cover. She already has photos she hopes are used for the next book.

When she was asked how she got published, she said her undergraduate degree was in biology, and she had no idea how to write a novel. So she dissected books she liked, and diagrammed them. She also took little writing courses, including an eighteen week writing course. By the time she'd written the manuscript of her first book, she was a member of Mystery Writers of America, Southwest Chapter, with headquarters in Houston. They had a conference scheduled with an editor coming in. She sent a query letter, and the editor said he wanted to see the entire manuscript. She found an agent, and has been with that agent for fifteen years. The editor didn't even remember her, when he met her, but finally, after reading it, kicked the manuscript up from Avon/Morrow to Morrow because he thought it should be a hardcover. In the meantime, her book was bought by Scribners, with a three book contract. She's now come full circle because she's at Morrow. Crombie said she's had a good editor at all three places. 

She was asked what books she dissected, and she said her favorite books were by Dorothy Sayers and P.D. James. They were her two main influences because she writes classically structured British detective novels. She's never collected a rejection letter.

I asked her about her reception in Britain, and she said she has the same publisher in the U.K., and it's no big deal that she's an American. They're well-received. However, the books are very well-received in Germany and France. 

She said her U.S. books always come out first, but Where Memories Lie will be delayed until spring for the British edition. The publisher is repackaging the whole series. They'll release half the series, then the second half, then the hardcover. Deborah said she has lots of British readers, but it's not always easy for them to find the books. 

She said she usually comes up with the titles of her books at the beginning, although sometimes she finishes the book, and her editor or publisher doesn't like the title. 

Deborah Crombie had a busy schedule today, first in Scottsdale, then at Velma Teague, and then on Tucson. However, Poisoned Pen Bookstore supplied books, and she took time to autograph them for audience members before leaving. It was a successful program in the Authors at the Teague series.

Deborah Crombie's website is www.deborahcrombie.com.

Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie. HarperCollins Publishers, ©2008. ISBN 9780061287510 (hardcover), 295p. 

Authors at the Teague Features: Shamus award-winning author Louise Ure Monday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m

Michael Moorehead Youngest Author to Receive  ABPA Glyph  Award  Shares Writing Techniques With Other Young Writers

By - Glendale Daily Planet Book Topics Writer Lesa Holstine

Author Michael Moorehead has a promising future ahead of him. Although he’s only twelve, the Tempe author has already written a successful picture book, “The Student From Zombie Island: Conquering the Rumor Monster.” In fact, it’s so successful that it won the 2008 Reader Views Annual Literary Award for Best Children’s Book for Ages 7 and Older.

“The Student From Zombie Island: Conquering the Rumor Monster,” was written when Michael was only seven. It has an important message about spreading rumors, since it tells the story of the rumors that flew around a school about the terrible monster that was coming. Bust 'em Up Bill hasn’t even started school yet, but his name alone is enough to strike terror in the hearts of the other students.

Moorehead’s book just won a 2008 Glyph award from the Arizona Book Publishing Association, recognizing the book with the best cover, making him the youngest recipient of an ABPA Award. The cover was a joint effort between the illustrator, Kathy Parks, who drew the picture; the graphics designer, Tanja Bauerle who put it together and laid it out; Linda Radke of Five Star Publications, who coordinated it all; and Michael Moorehead, the author.

Michael Moorehead is already living the busy life of an author. He’ll be appearing at Brilliant Sky Toys and books at 4929 E. Chandler Blvd. in Ahwatukee on Friday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m., where he will discuss and read his book, conduct a brief writing exercise with children, and autograph copies of “The Student From Zombie Island.” Then, he’ll be attended Book Expo America in Los Angeles, from May 29 through June 1, where he will sign books and meet people in his publisher’s booth.

Congratulations, and good luck to one of the Valley’s new successful authors.

Michael’s website is www.ZombieIslandBooks.com. The book is published by Little Five Star, a division of Five Star Publications, Inc. ISBN: 1-58985-072-6, ISBN: 978-1-58985-072-9, Published 2007.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Betty Webb at the Velma Teague Library

 

As part of the Authors at the Teague series, Betty Webb, author of the Lena Jones mysteries, appeared at the Velma Teague Library, discussing what Publishers Weekly calls her, "Mysteries with a social conscience."

Betty said she worked in journalism for twenty years, and they didn't allow her to make things up. She wanted to make things up. While reviewing books for the newspaper, she found herself looking for the mysteries, so she decided she wanted to write mysteries. There was a fellow member of her critique group who was too sweet and too nice, and just couldn't kill people in her writing. She'd put them in a coma, and Betty kept telling her she needed to kill someone. While trying to figure out who she wanted to kill, she and her husband, Paul, went to a Scottsdale Art Show. When she said to Paul, "Someone should kill that gallery owner," he replied, "There's your dead body." She went home and wrote the first chapter of Desert Noir. However, she didn't know why the gallery owner was killed or who solved it. She needed to know who was going to solve the crime. Since it was her first book, Webb was still trying to decide if she would write grizzly books, or lighter, cozy or traditional mysteries in the style of Agatha Christie.

Her character, Lena Jones, came to her in a dream. Lena was found at the age of four, lying at the edge of a Phoenix road, Thomas Road, with a bullet in her head. She was in a coma for months, and when she came out of it, she couldn't remember anything, where she was from, who her parents were, or what happened to her. She had some brain damage, which led to some behavior problems. The behavior problems made her unadoptable, so she grew up in foster care, where she was raped, abused, and malnourished. However, she survived to get a scholarship to Arizona State University where she studied police science. After graduation, she worked for the Scottsdale Police Department, until she was shot on the job. When she was offered a desk job, she decided to open her own detective agency, Desert Investigations, in Scottsdale. After having that dream, Lena became the daughter Betty Webb never had, and she wanted to do a series about her, beginning with Desert Noir, the story about the murder of that Scottsdale gallery owner.

In the Desert series, Lena Jones is looking for her biological parents and her background. Webb said, mystery writers work out their hostilities by killing people in their books, but mystery writers are really sweeter than romance writers who can't take out their frustrations in their writing. She said romance writers are the rough and tough ones.

Betty Webb said she first found out about the problem of polygamy in the American Southwest when she saw an AP story out of Washington. She started to check it out, and took trips to the Utah border because most of the Arizona polygamy colonies are up there, towns such as Colorado City. She met Flora Jessup, a former sister wife who escaped, and now speaks out against polygamy, and helps other girls escape. She wrote Desert Wives, which has been optioned for Lifetime TV, but not filmed yet.

Polygamy is not about religion. If a man takes ten wives, who are not really wives, but concubines, and has ten children with each, he has one hundred illegitimate children. What do illegitimate children get? Welfare checks of $250 a month per child, and the money goes to the Prophet. That's the money that has made Warren Jeffs a millionaire, money from breeding girls for their lifetime. The Prophet moves girls from other households. Warren Jeffs built the compound in Ed Dorado, Texas that has been in the news. All that welfare money goes to Jeffs. Polygamy is about money, which is part of the story of Desert Wives. The families are interbred, which means 65% of the kids are genetically damaged, but the Prophet doesn't care, as long as the girls can breed. At eighteen, the boys are dumped out of the compound, and become the Lost Boys. The can't read or write, and are dumped in Phoenix, Flagstaff and Salt Lake City. In Texas, they work construction until eighteen, but they actually work for script that is redeemable only in compound stores. So, when they're turned out at eighteen, they still have no money. In Desert Wives, Lena masqueraded as a sister wife.

While researching, Betty learned that polygamists are racists who pass out flyers at shows, such as survivalist shows. She checked out publishers of racist materials, and found there is a big market for publishing flyers, books, video games, and recordings. In her next book, Desert Survivors, Webb asks, what kind of person would own a publishing company that published racist material.

Desert Run came about because Webb lives near Papago Buttes, where there was a prisoner of war camp for Germans during World War II. On Dec. 24, 1944, twenty-five Germans dug a tunnel under the stockade to escape with a collapsed boat. Why a boat? Because their map showed rivers, which are actually dry river beds in Arizona. They were all members of U-boat crews, who thought they would sail out Cross Cut Canal.. When they discovered the canals were dry, they abandoned the boat, and spread out through the desert. They eventually all surrendered.

Betty Webb calls Desert Run her Glendale, AZ book. In her story, after the war, several of the German men came back, and moved to Glendale. One is still alive in the book, and Lena makes a trip to interview him. She's early one day, and goes through Glendale's antique stores. She's been living in a furnished apartment, and has never taken interest in her home, which is common with foster children. But, in one store, she sees a lunch pail with Roy Rogers, and buys it. She finds a Lone Ranger and Tonto bedspread, and by the time she leaves, she bought an apartment full of 50's and 60's cowboy furniture.

All of Webb's books start with a body because she said she likes to kill people. In Desert Run, Lena finds the body of a ninety-four year old man, a former prisoner. This is Lena's first cold case, a contemporary murder tied back to a murder during the WWII escape.

Desert Cut is Webb's new book, which has already gone through its first printing. Everyone knows about the illegal immigration problem in the United States. But, there's also a serious problem with legal immigration. Americans have big hearts, and they, and church groups, bring in people who have been displaced by war or famine. However, we've brought in groups that have beliefs that little girls are of less value than goats, and some of the beliefs are terrible. Some of their practices should not be continued in the U.S., but the groups that brought them in might not have known enough about the culture when they brought them. Now, some bulletins published even say it's not child abuse, it's cultural. Betty Webb said she first heard about it from an article about a court case in Atlanta, Georgia. There are severe child abuses against little girls, usually between the ages of 2 and 9, with the biggest group under seven. They call it a "rite of passage," and it's done with anesthesia, with antiseptic aftercare. The purpose is to make a girl a faithful wife.

Webb said her publishers were leery about the subject, but Desert Cut was published on Feb. 15, and the first edition has sold out. It received a starred review in Booklist, a magazine for librarians. Webb said, "Reach librarians, and you reach the world." You reach people once librarians find out about an issue. Then you'll get the word out.

For her research, she talked to people online who were fighting against the custom. Two Somali women, who were fighting against it, were found dead, deaths labeled "accidental." She said the custom is popular in African and Mideastern countries. Webb said France has had a large number of problems, and they've been arresting people, and prosecuting.

The next Lena Jones mystery, "son of Desert Wives," will come out in Fall 2009, Desert Lost. It's about the lost boys and urban polygamy, polygamy in the Phoenix area and the Valley.

Webb started another book at the time she was writing Desert Cut, because that one was so traumatic. She started a warmer, lighter mystery, which will be published this November. Webb volunteers at the Phoenix Zoo, and she loves zoos. The first book in her zoo series is The Anteater of Death, again from Poisoned Pen Press. Betty said there's an anteater named Jezebel at the zoo, and she's a Code Red animal. Code Red means, if it escapes, its shot on sight. Why is an anteater dangerous? When it stands on its hind legs, and balances on the tail that is as strong as a kangaroo's, it has four inch long claws that can dismember a jaguar. When a body is found in the anteater's enclosure, torn apart, the zookeeper, a woman named Teddy, thinks the anteater was framed. The zoo is on the California coast, and Teddy lives on a houseboat. The first and last chapter of every book in the series will be told from an animal's point of view. However, Webb isn't trying to make the animal anthropomorphic. The books will be about animals that the reader wouldn't normally associate with death.

Betty Webb said she wrote her first mystery at 56. There are no big issues in her new series. Webb likes big issues, so she'll continue to write the Lena Jones books, and her heart is with Lena Jones, the daughter she never had.

In a couple weeks, I'll have autographed Lena Jones books to offer as prizes on my blog. Watch for the chance to win two of these dramatic books.

Betty Webb's website is www.bettywebb-mystery.com

Desert Cut by Betty Webb. Poisoned Pen Press, ©2008. ISBN 978-1590584910 (hardcover), 277p.

Betty Webb, author of the popular Lena Jones
mysteries, set here in the Valley, will be appearing
at the Velma Teague Library as part of the Authors at
the Teague Series.  Webb, whose most recent book is
Desert Cut, will appear on Saturday, April 26 at 11
a.m.  Webb will discuss her books, and sign copies,
which will be for sale.  The Velma Teague Library is
at 7010 N. 58th Ave., Glendale.  Call 623-930-3431 for
further details.

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Desert Cut

 

Betty Webb, author of Desert Wives, a mystery that exposed polygamy in Arizona, has written another powerful mystery, Desert Cut. I was shocked and outraged, and most readers will be horrified when they read Webb's story, one that exposes a cruel practice affecting millions of girls.

Lena Jones was scouting movie locations in southern Arizona, when she uncovered the mutilated body of a young black girl. The child's body brought back Lena's memories of her own haunted childhood. As an ex-cop and private investigator, she was determined to find answers to the death of the young girl dubbed "Precious".

However, Lena met resistance in the small town of Los Perdidos. After discovering that another young girl had disappeared, she found a town sheltering refugees from Somalia, Egypt and other countries in Africa and the Mideast. Lena encountered a charlatan running a non-denominational church, two child predators, and a culture of racism in a town symbolic of Arizona's past and present history. The sheriff is convinced that Lena has stirred up the community, when two more girls disappear, and vigilante justice turns to murder.

Although Lena Jones seems unnaturally obsessed with a case that she hasn't been hired to investigate, Webb reveals enough of Lena's childhood that the reader accepts that obsession. She takes child abuse personally because of her own background. She's the victim of a gunshot wound from a mother who disappeared and left her to make her way through a series of foster homes.

Once again, Betty Webb paints a picture of Arizona as a beautiful state, with a violent past, and, at times, a violent present. Her journalistic background allows her to rip a brutal, tragic story from the newspaper. Her skills as a mystery writer allow her to tell that story through the eyes of Lena Jones, a woman whose heart bleeds for innocent children. Desert Cut is a story that should be read by anyone concerned with human rights, and the rights of children.

Betty Webb's website is www.bettywebb-mystery.com

Desert Cut by Betty Webb. Poisoned Pen Press, ©2008. ISBN 978-1590584910 (hardcover), 277p.

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Interview with Betty Webb

 

I just finished Desert Cut, the latest Lena Jones mystery. It's a very powerful story, as are some of Betty Webb's earlier books in the series. I feel so honored that Betty agreed to answer some questions about her books.

Lesa - Betty, would you tell us about Lena, her background, and some of her past cases?

Betty - Lena was found at the age of four, lying beside a Phoenix roadway, with a bullet in her head. When she emerged from her coma, she couldn't remember her name, who shot her, or who her parents were - total amnesia. The name "Lena Jones" was given to her by a social worker. Because of behavior problems, Lena wasn't deemed a candidate for adoption, so she was placed in the foster care system. Some were okay, but in at least one, she was beaten and raped. She eventually became a Scottsdle police officer, but after being shot up in a botched drug raid, she opened up her own private investigation business. Since her emergence in "Desert Noir," where her best friend - an art dealer - was murdered, she has gone on to investigate a polygamy compound in "Desert Wives," the niche publishing industry in "Desert Shadows," the real-life escape of German prisoners of war in "Desert Run" (a cold case file), and now a particularly hideous form of child abuse in "Desert Cut."

Lesa - You were a journalist before you turned to writing mysteries. How does your background impact the Lena Jones books?

Betty - Being a journalist gave me instant access to "hidden" stories, stories which were deemed too hot to handle by most industries. Also, my background as a journalist gave me terrific research skills - and the ability to know when someone was lying to me.

Lesa - Tell us about this latest Lena Jones book, "Desert Cut."

Betty - In "Desert Cut," Lena discovers a small town with a big secret. Los Perdidos, in Southern Arizona, has a large immigrant population, but not merely Hispanics. As has been happening in states all around the U.S., African and Middle Eastern immigrants have been brought in to provide cheap labor, but this clash of cultures turns out to be explosive.

Lesa - Your books have very powerful statements to make about social issues such as polygamy. Does fiction allow you to do more with social issues than journalism did?

Betty - Weirdly enough, yes. No one was writing about polygamy before "Desert Wives" came out, but a few months after it hit the bookstores, everybody and his dog was writing about it. And I am proud to say that "Desert Wives" played a major part in getting the law about polygamy changed here in Arizona. Before "Desert Wives," our legislature saw polygamy as a freedom of religion issue; after "Desert Wives," they could no longer turn their back on the rampant incest and child rape in the compounds, as well as the millions of dollars of welfare fraud the "prophets" were enjoying. I'm hoping for the same result with "Desert Cut."

Lesa - Lena's stories are set in Arizona. You seem to have a love/hate relationship with the state, its history, and its present. How do you actually see Arizona?

Betty - I've lived in Arizona since 1982, and during that time, I've seen the beautiful raped by developers. Gorgeous desert vistas are now covered in strip malls and housing developments. I spend a lot of time grinding my teeth about it.

Lesa - Am I correct in that you're starting another series? What can you tell us about it?

Betty - Yes, and believe it or not, it's a "traditional" mystery (otherwise known as a cozy). I'm a volunteer at the Phoenix Zoo, and one day, when I was working with the monkeys, I thought, "You know, there's got to be a book in this." So I wrote one. The first book in the new series is "The Anteater of Death," and it's set in a coastal California zoo, where a dead man turns up in the anteater enclosure. The anteater was framed! My sleuth in this series is Teddy, a poor little rich girl who has rebelled against her wealthy family by taking a job as a zookeeper. "The Anteater of Death" is due out in March '09, and there'll be another book every year in the series, featuring a different animal. Oh, and by the way, those books will be released under the pen name of Jo Howell.

Lesa - You won't leave Lena's fans hanging, will you? What are the plans for more Lena Jones books?

Betty - As of this point, there are 5 more books planned, and yes, in the 10th book, Lena will discover EVERYTHING about her mysterious past. But the series just might not stop there. What she discovers won't exactly set her anxieties to rest!

Lesa - As a librarian, I always end my interviews with a question about libraries. Betty, do you have any stories about the role libraries played in your life or career?

Betty - Wow, where to begin? Ever since I learned how to read at the tender age of 3 1/2, librarians have been my major role models. One even let me sneak books out of the adult section when I was only 10. Bless her! No matter where I lived, librarians always took me under their wings, told me what books I should be reading, what I might find too silly for words, and - during my current incarnation as a mystery novelist - helped me with my research. Librarians are angels, every last one of them.

Lesa - Thank you so much, Betty, for the interview, and the Lena Jones books.

Betty Webb's website is www.bettywebb-mystery.com

Desert Cut by Betty Webb. Poisoned Pen Press, ©2008. ISBN 978-1590584910 (hardcover), 277p.

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Rhys Bowen at the Velma Teague Library

 

With her new book due out in a few weeks, award-winning author Rhys Bowen took the time to appear at the Velma Teague Library, as part of the Authors at the Teague series. She had an appreciative audience, eager to hear about her mysteries that have won Agatha and Anthony Awards.

Rhys said she normally starts a talk by saying that she kills people for a living. Her Royal Spyness is the first book in her third mystery series.

She said she wrote for the BBC in London. She decided to write mysteries, but didn't know where to set them. She appreciates the settings in mysteries. She's a huge fan of Tony Hillerman and his settings. She said the first time she and her husband were in the Southwest, she didn't need a map, thanks to his books. She couldn't decide where to set her books until she was telling a friend about her childhood visits to family in Wales. They really had a mailman who read everyone's mail. There were two Methodist chapels across from each other. The ministers were nice to each other, but they had a billboard war. Constable Evan Evans then appeared, her first mystery character. The series is about a little village in Wales with a community policeman. However, Evans is a little too polite for Rhys. Sometimes he annoyed her. She wanted to write about someone who didn't shut up and stood up for herself.

Rhys' visit to Ellis Island was the start of her second series. Immigrants coming in at Ellis Island either experienced great joy or great despair. There was a great feeling of despair there. There was a great deal of corruption at Ellis Island. She said she realized Ellis Island was the scene for the ultimate locked room mystery. Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy mysteries are about an Irish immigrant who fled from Ireland after she killed a man who tried to rape her. Molly knew that there would be no justice, since she had killed the landowner's son. She took a false name, and fled. While at Ellis Island, someone was killed, and the identity Molly took was on the list of suspects. Molly became a detective.

Rhys said that New York City was not the melting pot everyone thinks it was. In fact, it was broken into the Sicilian section, the Irish section, etc. It wasn't until the next generation went to school together that New York started to become a melting pot. Her new book, Tell Me, Pretty Maiden, is due out in March. Molly's detective agency has become successful. She has too many cases, and wants her ex-cop boyfriend, Daniel, to join her. One winter night, they walk in Central Park, and find the body of a young woman. While Molly waits with the body, the woman regains consciousness.. She survives, but she's lost the power of speech and no one knows who she is. In each Molly book, Rhys can dig into some of New York's story. This book is about New York theater and the lives of the chorus girls.

Rhy's agent at St. Martin's told her that she needed a standalone to break her out as a bestseller. Rhys didn't want to do dark thrillers with serial killers, the type of books that make the listss. She didn't want to live with those characters for six months. Instead, she suggested Her Royal Spyness, and other people loved it as much as her agent did. Recently, on DorothyL, a listserv for mystery readers, there were 1700 books submitted as the ones people enjoyed most in 2007. Her Royal Spyness was the third most popular on the list with readers. It has also been nominated for a Dilys Award for the mystery booksellers most enjoyed selling in 2007.

Georgie, the heroine in Her Royal Spyness, is thirty-fourth in line to the British throne. She's a minor member of the Windsor family, living in poverty, with no way to make a living. She's expected to marry some member of a European royal family. Queen Mary is the character that asks Georgie to be a spy for her. Rhys said she met Queen Mary when she was quite elderly. She was still a formidable woman, with a rigid posture. In this book, Queen Mary wants Georgie to spy on her son, David.

Churchill once said that they should erect a statue to Mrs. Simpson because if David had become king, he would have invited Hitler into England.

Rhys said Queen Mary collected antiques, and was known to comment when she visited people, so they were obliged to present her with the antique she had admired. Rhys was born in Bath, and there were a number of antique stores there. Queen Mary had been known to raid antique stores, so the owners hid their better items if they knew she was coming.

She said that Her Royal Spyness was her most autobiographical book. There's a scene with Georgie going to tea with the Queen, when Georgie was living on very little food. It was a gorgeous spread, however, guests could only eat what the Queen ate. Rhys said she once went to tea with Queen Elizabeth II, who was always watching her figure. Since she only had one piece of brown bread, that was all her guests had. She said she's often thought that Elizabeth didn't know about that because she was a very kind woman, who would have wanted her guests to enjoy the food.

Rhys said, like Georgie, she had a brief and disastrous career as a model, and Georgie's scene is from Rhys' experience.

She said she married into an upper-class family, and there were lots of servants at the houses they visited. She said there is still very much a class system in England. Rhys went to a sherry party in the Cotswolds, and the talk of the party was that a grocer bought the house across the way. Upper-class families feel they are there by the grace of God, and everyone else is there to serve them. Among aristocracy, you are one of us or not one of us. That's still the way it is.

The second book in the Royal Spyness series is due out in July, and it's called A Royal Pain. The Queen is still trying to get her son away from Mrs. Simpson, so she invites an eighteen-year-old Bavarian princess to visit. She then tells Georgie that the princess will stay with her. The problem? Gerogie is living by herself in her family's London house without any servants. How can she explain that when the princess arrives with her retinue?

The setting is the 30s, a time of turmoil in Europe. Germany had strong Communists as well as the Nazis, fighting to take over the vacuum in Germany's government. There were Communist marches in England. Then there was Oswald Mosley, a fascist leader with a group of Black Shirts who skirmished with the Communists in London.

When asked about using real people in her books, Rhys said she uses suitably dead people, but she does try to be true to who the people were. In one Molly book, Mark Twain supported women's suffrage. She thought that was appropriate because he had made a speech about it, in the same time period as the Molly book. She said the Royal Family is fair game to use in books.

Rhys was asked about her books being published in England, and she said cozier mysteries are virtually dead in England. They publish dark, psychological mysteries such as those by Val McDermid and Minette Walters. She said she hasn't sold Her Royal Spyness in England.

She said she's a glutton for punishment, and wrote ten books in the Evan series. She didn't chose to end it, but the backlist went out of print, so she saw no reason to continue. Tell Me, Pretty Maiden is the seventh in the Molly series, and she's signed for two more. She's glad she moved on. The only problem with a series is you're tied to the same set of characters. She has a whole new scope of crime in her new series, with interesting crimes.

Rhys said her problem is she has too many ideas. She tells people if they have writer's block, then you're trying to make your characters do something they don't want to do. Her characters go in different directions than she expects. For instance, her next Molly book will be called In a Gilded Cage. In that one, she had no idea what would happen. Molly was participating in a march, but Rhys had no idea that a woman would be dragged out of the march, and a fight would ensue.

She said she can't outline because she likes to be surprised. She wants her sleuths to be believable. Her sleuths don't know where they're going, just as she doesn't know where they're going.

Rhys writes two books a year. She writes every day. She starts the day with her email, and then works. She writes five pages a day in her first draft. She gives first drafts to certain people, and then she polishes them.

She's polished up Tell Me, Pretty Maiden, and that next Molly book will be released March 4. I'm grateful she took time to talk to the audience at the Velma Teague Library before she goes on tour for her new mystery.

Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl

 

John Feinstein's mystery, Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl might feature two fourteen-year-olds, but it's a timely, and topical, book. Feinstein created an imaginary Super Bowl XLII, set in Indianapolis, instead of Glendale, Arizona. The featured teams are the Baltimore Ravens, and the "Dreams." And, he thrusts his two young reporters into the midst of a current scandal, steroids.

Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are young journalists who have covered the U.S. Open and Final Four. As a result, they were given a television show, Kid-Sports, with an all-sports cable network. When Stevie is let go on the eve of the Super Bowl, a Washington newspaper, and CBS, ask him to work for them. Stevie and Susan set out to cover a sporting event, but once again, as at previous events, they find themselves uncovering a story when a doctor lets it slip that some of the Dreams failed a drug test.

As always, John Feinstein does a wonderful job bringing a national sporting event to life. He is knowledgeable about the events, and the people involved. His inclusion of celebrities helps to bring realism to the stories. Feinstein mentions celebrities such as Wayne Gretzky, Tom Cruise, Bob Costas, and Billy Joel. Everyone has an interest in the Super Bowl. Cover-Up is a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of the Super Bowl, with a recognition of some of the problems that go hand-in-hand with the enormous amounts of money involved in sports. It's a fascinating mystery, with two likable characters, slimy villains, and perfect timing.

Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein. Alfred A. Knopf, ©2007. 978-0375842474 (hardcover), 298p.

Contact Lesa - lholstine@yahoo.com        

Book Topics- Glendale Daily Planet  http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/book_topics.htm
book blog:  http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Leighton Gage at the Velma Teague Library

 

Leighton Gage, author of Blood of the Wicked, appeared at the Velma Teague Library last night, as part of the Authors at the Teague program. If you get a chance to hear him, grab it. He's a man who can discuss everything from Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose to Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Jorge Amado. He has the sense of humor to compare his writing to that of poor Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and say he feels good that his own writing isn't used for a contest that celebrates the worst of all possible sentences, "It was a dark and stormy night." Gage writes vivid scenes of violence with the soul of a poet. He has a love of world travel that was inculcated by a sea captain grandfather, and he brings Brazil to life in living color.

Gage said it's important to put Blood of the Wicked into context. The murders that take place in the mystery could only have occurred in modern Brazil. Although he talks about the socio-economic status and politics in Brazil, he feels if you keep the reader intrigued and happy while reading the book, you can slip in other things. This book discusses the social, economic, and religious issues in Brazil. His second book, which will be out next January, is about organ theft in that country, a real problem. The third one will deal with child prostitution.

Blood of the Wicked deals with the conflict between rich and poor, the landowners and the landless. There is a thin layer of the very rich in Brazil, then a big space before the next class. There is a great deal of wealth in the country, and a disproportionate of it is held by a very few. Brazil is a very wealthy country. They used ehanol 25 to 30 years ago. They are mineral-rich. They are rich in natural gas and petroleum. The Amazon River is the source of 25% of the world's fresh water. It's a wealthy country, with a large underclass. And, it's a place where life is cheap. In the northern part of the country, it only takes $200 to have an ordinary person killed. Over 1,500 people have been killed in the land wars in Brazil.

Gage discussed the theology of liberation, an important concept in Blood of the Wicked. This is a theory that the Catholic Church is holding back the poor, with the promise of heaven in the next world, rather than the promise of what they can have in this world. Many priests who believed in the theology of liberation, and that they should be involved in this movement, have been forced to go underground after the Society for the Propogration of the Faith in Room said there is no theology of liberation, and priests should not be involved. It has actually caused a schism in the Church.

An other issue in the book is the corrupt police, which is very common, south of the border. In that part of the world, cops are often kidnappers, assassins and robbers in their day jobs. So, who do you trust? Gage's protagonist is a federal cop, Mario Silva. He's based on two people Gage knows. He made him a federal cop to allow him to roam the entire country, to deal with a number of crimes.

One man who is the source of Mario Silva is a friend who attended the FBI national academy in Quantico, which is a program that gives some FBI expertise to law officers with at least five years experience. Twenty-five policemen from other countries are invited each year. This builds informed contacts in other countries.

Gage introduced his wife, Eide, when he said she was Brazilian, and every single member of her family has been assaulted at one time by gunman. He said everybody in the country gets stuck up at gunpoint. It's a situation he uses in Blood of the Wicked. He said when the dictatorship fell apart in the late 80's, everything became lax under democracy. Crime rates exploded. It got so bad that people didn't even talk about it, possibliy in denial. They live with that in Brazil. The violence in the book reflects the reality of life in Brazil.

He said he lives in Brazil by choice because he loves it. He said it has a natural beauty, and it's the most beautiful harbor in the world. He said the people are nice. But, it's an accurate portrayal of the crime in the country. He suggested people read the author's notes in Blood of the Wicked before reading the story, in order to understand the background.

The second cop who is the basis of Mario Silva is his brother-in-law's closest friend. Senior police must have a law degree in Brazil. This man is the Head of the Murder Squad in Sao Paulo, with a staff of 750, and he feels he's understaffed. That says a great deal about the number of murders in a city of 11 million people. Drug gangs even attack police stations and kill cops. There are shantytowns around the major cities, and criminals come down from the hills. He said it's very important not to react to a stick-up. Don't stop at red lights. Slow down, and go through the light, or you will be accosted. Brazil has the largest fleet of armored personal vehicles in the world.

In answer to a question, he said everyone takes time off for Carnival, and Eide said, even the criminals. He said he loves the sense of humor of the people. Leighton Gage quoated Edgar Lee Masters in saying his heart answered to Brazil, and that he found the melody that harmonized with his heart.

Gage said he had been in advertising, and that's a young man's business. He decided to write a book, and it's not easy. He said it took him four or five books before he found his voice.

Leighton Gage's next book is due out in January 2008. I'm very honored that Velma Teague is the only library he visited on his tour of the U.S. I hope he and Eide come back.

Leighton Gage's website is www.leightongage.com

The Blood of the Wicked by Leighton Gage. Soho Crime, ©2007. ISBN 978-1569474709 (hardcover), 324p.

Contact Lesa - lholstine@yahoo.com        

Book Topics- Glendale Daily Planet  http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/book_topics.htm
book blog:  http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Added Photos by Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet (click for larger view)

Visiting author Leighton Gage signing a book for a visitor to the Authors At The Teague series.

Visiting author Leighton Gage signing Lesa Holstine's notes she took during the event.

Library Program Manager Bette Sharpe, A reference Librarian at the Velma Teague Branch of the Glendale Public Library getting book signed  by visiting author Leighton Gage

Visiting author Leighton Gage, wife Eide, 
and Lesa Holstine examine an uncorrected 
proof of one of Gage's works.

Louise Ure was born in Arizona, although she now lives
in San Francisco.  Forcing Amaryllis, published in
2005 was her debut mystery.  The Fault Tree has just
been published.




The Fault Tree


When Louise Ure's first Arizona mystery, Forcing
Amaryllis, debuted in June 2005, I was impressed with
the compelling story and the stunning cover. It went
on to win the Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus
Award for Best First Novel.

The Fault Tree, the second book in Ure's Arizona
trilogy, was just released, and it won't disappoint
any of her fans. Hopefully, it will introduce a whole
new audience to this talented author.

Cadence Moran is thirty-one, and an auto mechanic who
works nights at Walt's Auto Shop in Tucson. Walking
home from work one night, she hears a scream,
laughter, and a car tear away. Cadence has just heard
the end of a murder. Although Cadence is a witness,
she's blind, and can only depend on her other senses
to tell the police what she "knows".

Cadence is reluctant to get involved. Eight years
earlier, she was the driver in the accident that
blinded her, and killed her niece. She's lived with
her blindness, and her blame every since. One of the
officers on the case is reluctant to believe her, but
Detective Dupree has a feeling that Cadence is
reliable.

As the police blindly search for killers who seem to
have no connection to the victim, the killers are
searching for Cadence. She's suddenly a target, a
witness to a crime that the killers don't realize she
never actually saw. Ure increases the tension, telling
the story of Cadence's fear and her clues, the police
investigation, and the killers' attempt to eliminate
any witnesses. Cadence's clues lead the police in the
wrong direction, while the killers make serious
mistakes. The three storylines increase the suspense,
driving the three groups together.

Louise Ure has written a powerful story of
disfunctional families, blame, and responsibility.
It's a mystery that starts on a somber, but riveting,
note. "At the end, there was so much blame to spread
around that we could all have taken a few shovelfuls
home and rolled around in it like pigs in stink." The
rest of The Fault Tree captures the reader, and
doesn't let you go until the final sentence.

It's early in the year to predict another award
winner, but I predict that Ure's The Fault Tree will
once again vie for the mystery awards. Readers
interested in a fascinating character, or one of the
best mysteries you'll read in 2008, should pick this
one up.

Louise Ure's website is www.louiseure.com
__________________________________________

If you're interested in authors and books, Authors at
the Teague might be of interest to you.  On Jan. 24 at
7 pm, Leighton Gage, author of Blood of the Wicked,
will be appearing at the Velma Teague Library, 7010 N.
58th Ave., Glendale, AZ.

Contact Lesa - lholstine@yahoo.com        

Book Topics- Glendale Daily Planet  http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/book_topics.htm
book blog:  http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

                       Dilys Award Nominees

Congratulations to this year's nominees for the Dilys
Award, sponsored by the Independent Mystery
Booksellers Association, recognizing the book that
member bookstores most enjoyed handselling.

Nominees are: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey

The winner will be announced at Left Coast Crime in
Denver, March 6-9.

This award has local interest because Rhys Bowen,
author of Her Royal Spyness, will be appearing at the
Velma Teague Library, 7010 N. 58th Ave. in Glendale on
Sunday, Feb. 10 at 2 pm.  Bowen will be discussing and
signing her books.  No signup is required.

Contact Lesa - lholstine@yahoo.com        

Book Topics- Glendale Daily Planet  http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/book_topics.htm
book blog:  http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

---

 

Blood of the Wicked

As part of the Authors at the Teague series, Leighton
Gage will be appearing at the Velma Teague Library on
Jan. 24 at 7 pm.  He's a man who sounds as fascinating
as the lead character in his debut mystery, Blood of
the Wicked. The book has already received rave
reviews, but it doesn't hurt to add my praise. It's a
brutal, graphic story at times, but Gage's notes at
the end show he knows the Brazilian world he portrays.
Leighton Gage's knowledge of the political, economic,
and religious problems in Brazil is shown in his vivid
descriptions of the cruelty of life.

Blood of the Wicked introduces Mario Silva, Chief
Inspector for Criminal Matters in the Brazilian
Federal Police. He's a well-educated man, with a law
degree and training with the FBI. And, he's a
complicated character. It's well known in the country
that Brazilian justice is subject to bribes, money and
power. When Silva's father his brother-in-law were
killed in the early years of Mario's career, he took
matters into his own hands. Silva understands that
sometimes "Brazilian justice" isn't actually justice.

Silva's latest case starts out as a problem, and only
grows more complicated. Before it's over, it involves
landowners and the landless, the state police, the
media, street kids, and the Catholic Church. It
begins, and ends, with the death of priests. When a
bishop is assassinated, Silva's dislikable political
boss sends him to take charge. He arrives to find his
case entwined with a recent death of a family in the
landless movement. Brazil has a constitutional
obligation to confiscate untilled land and give it to
the landless. The landowners fight back. The landless
occupy land they don't own, and violence results. And,
the corrupt police support the landowners in many
areas.

As Silva and his small team from the Federal Police
investigate, they only face opposition from the state
police and the landowners. Before Silva can put
together the facts, he finds events escalating out of
control, as reporters are murdered, the families
occupying land are massacred, and each clue leads to
more violence. And, suspicion alone can't solve the
case.

Leighton Gage has written a powerful debut mystery. He
brings Brazil to life, with the complex politics, and
ugliness of the poverty, and, at times, the life. For
those who object to the brutality in the book, the
author explains that documented deaths are over 1,500
in Brazil's land wars. Gage shows the extremes of
poverty and wealth, capturing it vividly in two scenes
linked by one character, the mother of a street boy.
He tells of the family tragedies in Brazil, and the
crime. And everything is linked together, the
lifestyles, the police, the politics, and the Church.
Chief Inspector Mario Silva himself, is a complex man,
who has witnessed, and lived, the contradictions of
Brazilian life and "Brazilian justice."

I'm waiting for the return of Silva in the sequel to
Blood of the Wicked. And, I can't wait to meet the man
who can bring a character, and a country, so vividly
to life.

Leighton Gage will be appearing at the Velma Teague
Library in Glendale, AZ on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 pm.

Gage's website is www.leightongage.com

Blood of the Wicked by Leighton Gage. Soho Crime,
©2008, ISBN 1569474702 (hardcover), 324p.

Contact Lesa - lholstine@yahoo.com        

Book Topics- Glendale Daily Planet  http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/book_topics.htm
book blog:  http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

 

New Foreign Crime Novelist Stops in Glendale on U.S. Tour

"Authors At The Teague" Series Presentation

 

GLENDALE, Ariz. – New author Leighton Gage has lived all over the world – Australia, Europe, South America, plus traveled widely in Asia and Africa. He has had a background in the literary arts for years as a copywriter, an advertising creative director, a magazine editor, and a writer/producer/director of documentary films and industrial videos.

Now a part-time Brazilian resident, Gage, is taking his experiences and turning them into a new craft—mystery writing. He has fashioned Mario Silva, the chief inspector for criminal matters of the federal police of Brazil.

The engaging 65-year-old crime writer will be on an author tour, crisscrossing the U.S., and stop in Glendale at the Velma Teague Branch Library, 7010 N. 58th Ave., on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.

In his first Mario Silva novel, “Blood of the Wicked,” Gage begins the story in the remote Brazilian town of Cascatas do Pontal, where landless peasants are confronting the owners of vast estates. The bishop arrives by helicopter to consecrate a new church and is assassinated. Silva is dispatched to the interior to find the killer. The pope himself has called Brazil’s president; the pressure is on for Silva to perform.

Assisted by his nephew, Hector Costa, also a federal policeman, Silva must battle the state police and a corrupt judiciary as well as criminals who prey on street kids, the warring factions of the Landless League, the big landowners and the church itself, in order to solve the initial murder and several brutal killings that follow.

Gage brings a lot to the table with his experiences in foreign countries. He visited Spain in the time of Franco, Portugal in the time of Salazar, South Africa in the time of apartheid, Chile in the time of Pinochet, Argentina in the time of the junta, and Prague, East Germany and Yugoslavia under the Communist yoke. He is fluent in three languages and has a good working knowledge of three more.

During his advertising career, he won over 130 awards for creative excellence. He served as a jury member in all of the world’s major advertising film festivals. He has been a featured speaker in a variety of locations, including Helsinki, Hong Kong and Bombay.

“Blood of the Wicked” will be available for purchase at the program. No reservations are necessary. For more information, call 623-930-3431.

Authors at the Teague Series

On Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 pm, award-winning mystery author 
Donis Casey discussed and signed her latest mystery,
The Drop End of Yonder.

Did you miss this  presentation?

In a continuing series the Velma Teague Library presents authors for you to meet.

 The Place:  Velma Teague Library, 7010 North 58th Avenue, Glendale, presents Authors at the Teague.

No reservations are necessary.  For more information, call 623-930-3431.

Book Topics

Lesa Holstine

 Glendale, Arizona, United States

Authors at the Teague Series

Donis Casey

Thursday, Nov. 29th, award-winning mystery author
Donis Casey appeared at the Velma Teague Library in
Glendale, AZ, as one of the Authors at the Teague.
Casey just won the Arizona Book Award for Best Mystery
for her first book, The Old Buzzard Had It Coming.

Casey introduced the character of Alafair Tucker in
that first book. Donis grew up in Oklahoma, and her
family is from that part of Oklahoma where the books
are set. She said she takes stories from family
history, particularly her husband, Don's family, for
some of the book. Her mother told her about incidents,
or her in-laws did. She jokes that the worst crimes
are taken from his family history, and not hers.

She does a great deal of research, reading, and
discussing family stories to write her books. The
murder in her latest book, The Drop Edge of Yonder, is
based on an actual murder. One of the last scenes in
the book, a powerful one, is based on an article she
read over 30 years ago. A man told about someone he
"killed" in a battle, who kept attacking him, even
after he was basically dead.

Alafair Tucker, Casey's lead character, is not
particularly interested in being a detective. She's a
farm wife, with a husband and ten kids. What she is
interested in is her kids, and keeping them out of
trouble. In each book, one of the grown children gets
in trouble, and needs their mother to get them out of
it. Each book is about a different grown child.
Phoebe, a gentle girl, is featured in The Old Buzzard
Had It Coming. Alice, Phoebe's twin, is a headstrong
girl who doesn't appreciate her mother's interference,
is the lead in Hornswoggled. The third, and most
recent mystery, The Drop Edge of Yonder, stars Mary,
the good-natured daughter. Mary knows she holds a
vital clue to a murder in her mind. She's been
traumatized, but knows if she's left in peace, it
might float to the surface. The problem is her mother.
Alafair is desperate to keep her daughter safe from a
killer who is still out there, so she hovers and
snoops.

Donis Casey was raised in Oklahoma. She said in
writing these books, she discovered people don't know
anything about Oklahoma. She sarcastically thanked
John Steinbeck for that. She said in the 1910's,
Oklahoma was a brand new state, and some people were
very rich, with cattle, oil and land. Others who were
poor and lawless poured into the state from all over.
In some ways, Oklahoma was still the wild, wild west,
but in the cities, it was cutting edge. It was
racially different from other parts of the country.
The Indians in Oklahoma were prosperous, educated, had
their own nation, their own newspapers and schools.
They were not happy with the influx of people. Nor
were the blacks. There were black towns in Oklahoma,
settled after the Civil War. They were not happy with
their change in status. Some in the state were very
left-wing, not at all interested in the war brewing in
Europe.

Donis Casey and Lesa Holstine

Casey said in writing a historical mystery, the author
must know about the place and time. The world was much
larger, and much different in the 1910's. Crime
investigation depended on where you lived. In London
in 1914, a detective might have access to
fingerprints, and other "modern" techniques. In
Oklahoma in 1914, the local law knew the family and
friends of the victim, and in Boynton, the local
sheriff might have had a cousin like Alafair. People
were inclined to tell her things, since she was
"everyone's mother."

Alafair Tucker believes that loving can make you
dangerous. Intuition, not intellect, might be the
highest form of "knowing".

The pictures on the covers of Casey's first two books
are her relatives. The one on the cover of The Drop
Edge of Yonder was found at the Tempe Historical
Museum. It looks like her father's favorite aunt, Mary
Morgan, the character Mary was based on. The house on
the cover is her grandfather's house in Boynton,
Oklahoma, the model for Alafair's house.

In her most recent books, she includes a family tree,
so readers can keep the family straight. She also
includes recipes in the back of the books, and tells
how to eat that food. She chooses titles that are
ethnic sounding. The Drop Edge of Yonder is an old
Texas saying that implies a place halfway between this
world and the next.

Casey plans to do ten books, if she can maintain the
high level of quality. She already has ideas for all
ten. She's working on the fourth book right now. It
will be set in 1915, and Martha, the oldest daughter,
is the focus. It's a travel book, because Alafair,
Martha, and Grace, the baby of the family, travel. The
fifth book will be set in 1917. The world is changing.
It's a time of turmoil, with some similarities to the
current state of the world.

Farm families back then raised a labor force. At this
stage of her life, Alafair can investigate crimes
because her older daughters do much of the work around
the house. Alafair is based a lot on what Casey
observed about her grandmothers, her own mother, and
heard of her mother-in-law. Women were less
constrained on the frontier than in places such as New
York City. The women were laconic, with terse
deliveries. They talked straight.

Hornswoggled and The Drop Edge of Yonder are just out
is audio, so they're now available in book or audio
form. Readers will be waiting for the fourth book.

Thank you to Bette Sharpe, librarian at the Velma
Teague Library, for arranging for Donis Casey's
appearance at the library, and to Poisoned Pen
Bookstore in Scottsdale, for sales of the books.

The next Authors at the Teague appearance will be by
Leighton Gage, author of Blood of the Wicked.  Gage
will be coming from Brazil to speak at the library at
7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24th.

Donis Casey and Bette Sharpe

Contact Lesa - lholstine@yahoo.com        

Book Topics- Glendale Daily Planet  http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/book_topics.htm
book blog:  http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Published GDP  12/02/07

Book Topics Lesa Holstine  Glendale, Arizona, United States

Forcing Amaryllis

 

The last time I was so excited about a first-time mystery writer, I was reading Jonathon King's The Blue Edge of Midnight, which went on to win the Edgar Award for first novel. Forcing Amaryllis by Louise Ure is a powerful novel, with a fascinating protagonist. I know some readers were fed up with Calla, the main character, and others said the book's style indicated that it was a first novel, but I don't think they read far enoug