Three yogis, two cops, and one damn cute dog

May 15, 2025/in Uncategorized/by donalee Moulton

We’re leaving winter behind and welcoming spring. This spring is particularly celebratory. I’m welcoming a new book. Bind is the first in my series, the Lotus Detective Agency. I thought this month I’d share an excerpt with you – and would love your feedback.

First here’s a little background.

Everything that happens in a yoga studio is not Zen. Sometimes it’s grand larceny. Three yogis, two cops, and one damn cute dog join forces to discover who’s stolen a Patek Philippe watch from what was supposed to be a secure locker. Time is ticking.

**And now here’s the excerpt from Bind.**

Ten yogis are in various stretches, twists, meditations, and yawns when Kristi walks back into the studio. She forces a smile, and the smile spreads of its own accord into her muscles, her bones, her heart. This is her sanctuary. She is at home here. The rawness she feels is still there, but it has moved to the edges now. Today’s bind is a yogi squat. One leg is extended; the other is bent. One arm goes under the bent leg; the other goes around the back until they meet. In theory. Lexie can’t wait until this mont Kristi takes this opportunity to explain the benefits of binds. “These poses allow muscles to release, relax, and open. You can go deeper. You can also focus on alignment and flexibility while building strength.” She breathes in. “Dear God,” thinks Lexie, “there’s more.” “If you make her stop,” Bonnie says to her higher spirit, “I will give you my first born.” Kristi continues to talk, and smile. “Remember to breathe when you’re in the bind. Don’t tighten. And come out of the bind if you feel any pain. Go to your edge, but no further.” Archina isn’t sure where her edge is, but she fears she left it behind several minutes ago. Woo Woo unbinds. She believes in the mind, body, spirit philosophy of yoga, but enough of this shit. If it’s one thing Kristi knows, it’s how to read a room full of yogis. The edge has been reached. She tells everyone to stand up, give themselves a hug, and as a special treat, this morning there will be an extended savasana that includes a meditation. (Kristi always has a guided meditation on her phone.) The room smiles, even Bhodi. Eleven bodies move from the vertical to the horizontal. Archina grabs a blanket; Lexie puts a bolster under her knees; Kevin, the newest member of the group, reaches for his socks. The Dalai Lama is midway through his 13-minute meditation on the disturbed mind when the studio door opens. Twelve faces turn to look at the human who belongs to the shoes that just clomped into their zen-like state. All twelve agree, zen is overrated. Standing at the entranceway to the studio is a 6’2” man with ripped muscles, ebony skin, and a three-day stubble. “He can bind with me any time he wants,” Kevin thinks. It takes the intruder less than a second to realize he has interrupted the class at an inopportune time. “I’m so sorry,” he says. “I thought class was over.” “We’re running a little late,” says Kristi in a voice the class has not heard before. “Please continue,” says Ripped. “I will come back.” “Too late now,” says Bhodi. He gets the evil eye from most of the class. “How can we help?” says Kristi introducing herself. Ripped steps forward, hand extended. “My name is Michael …” Before he can continue, Woo Woo interjects. “No, it isn’t. Your name is Lewis.” The demi-god looks at her in surprise. He’s not alone. The whole class stares at Woo Woo. “I’m so sorry,” Woo Woo says turning a deep magenta. “I don’t know why I said that.” But she does. Sometimes a thought, an image, a tickertape runs through Woo Woo’s mind. She knows it’s a message, and she usually tries to convey it. On this occasion, she wishes she hadn’t. Michael turns back to Kristi, leader of the pack. “Terrell. Michael Terrell.” “Did you want to join the class?” Bhodi asks. The snark is obvious. “Please,” thinks Kevin. “Please join.” Terrell smiles. “It’s on my bucket list, but today I’m here for a less pleasant reason. I’m a detective with the Halifax Police Department. I’m looking into a watch that seems to have gone missing from the gym.” Kristi tries to control her breathing. No one else tries to control anything. Lexie’s eyes fly wide open. Charlene gasps. Bonnie recoils. Honey farts.

Bethany Maines drinks from an arsenic mug

Picking a Pen Name

May 14, 2025/in Author Life, author promotion, Romance, writing life/by Bethany Maines

What’s in a Pen Name?

I recently have had the opportunity to submit to a dark romance anthology. For those that don’t know dark romance could be defined as a subgenre of romance that explores the messy, complicated, and sometimes twisted side of love and relationships. Dark romance is not my usual genre. A lot of the “morally gray” heroes in the genre just sound abusive to me and I wouldn’t let my heroines date them. However, I did have an idea that was a great fit for the anthology. So, I’ve decided to dip my toe into the dark and spicy waters of dark romance, and that means… it’s time for a pen name.

Why?

Because when my regular readers pick up a book with my name on the cover, they expect a certain tone—witty banter, action-packed plots, and swoony but emotionally stable romantic leads. And let’s be honest, they probably expect fewer, uh, bedroom scenes. The story I’ve written for this anthology is not that. It’s darker, moodier, and yes, much steamier.

In other words, it’s not your grandma’s fantasy romance. Unless your grandma is extremely cool and into antiheroes with tortured pasts.

Won’t Readers Be Confused?

That’s where the pen name comes in. It’s not about shame or secrecy—far from it. In the modern publishing world, pen names are tools. They help readers know what kind of story they’re getting into. Think of it like walking into a bakery versus a steakhouse. You love both, but you don’t want to order a croissant and get a ribeye. Or vice versa. (Although now I’m imagining some kind of buttery, flaky steak pastry and… I digress.)

The reality is, many authors use pen names to differentiate genres. Nora Roberts writes futuristic crime as J.D. Robb. Leigh Bardugo has her dark academia under her real name but uses a different approach for middle grade. It’s not about misleading anyone—it’s about making the reader experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible. So when I say this new name is the “spicier alter ego of Bethany Maines,” I mean it. It’s the same voice, same storytelling love, but focused on a different emotional and sensual frequency.

Now, picking a pen name is surprisingly difficult. Do I want something evocative and moody? Something a little edgy? Or maybe something just plain fun? I’ve already ruled out “Anastasia Ravenblood” (a little too much), but “Eva Steele”? Maybe. The options are endless—and honestly, a little overwhelming.

So here’s where you come in.

Help Me Choose!

I’d love your input! I’ve created a short (really short—like, blink and it’s over) Google Form where you can help me pick the perfect pen name. No personal data collected, no sales pitches, just your honest opinion and a chance to weigh in on this next creative adventure.

And don’t worry—I’m not abandoning my usual stories. I’m just branching out. Think of this as Bethany Maines… after dark.

Thanks for coming along for the ride, and I can’t wait to introduce you to my mysterious, smoldering, slightly unhinged pen name persona.

Vote on a Pen Name

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind end. She participates in many activities including swearing, karate, art, and yelling at the news. She can usually be found chasing after her daughter, or glued to the computer working on her next novel (or screenplay). You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

To find out more about books from the Stiletto Gang check out our BOOKS PAGE!

Mother’s Day Index?

May 13, 2025/in Author Life, amateur sleuth mysteries, Mother's Day, Mystery Series, Romantic Suspense, Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery series/by Gay Yellen

There are all sorts of mothers in modern literature, from the unbearably overbearing and ambitious Mama Rose in Gypsy to the kind, upstanding, Marmee in Little Women.

This past Mother’s Day weekend, the local paper published an article about the “Mother’s Day Index” a numerical attempt to calculate the monetary value of a mother’s work, based on time preparing meals, doing laundry, day care, budgeting, counseling, and so on. Apparently, this year, a mother is worth $145,235.

I laughed out loud at that number.

My mother has been gone five years now. She’s still very present in my life, especially lately, as I’m finally emptying the storage space that held lasting remnants of her time on earth.

Surrounded by physical evidence of her life, and what she managed to accomplish—not just for our family, but for the wider community as well—I can’t help but believe that the so-called index calculation is way off. It’s contemptibly low, as is the premise that a mother’s worth can be defined in dollars and cents.

I’m not normally prone to quoting the Bible, but Proverbs 31:10 (often referred to as the “woman of valor” verse) describes a woman who embodies strength, virtue, and wisdom as someone who is worth far more than any earthly treasure.

Surrounded as I am these days by so many mementos from my Mother’s life, that is exactly who and what she was.

Besides excelling at all the mundane Mom skills, she was a whiz at sewing and tailoring, writing, party-making, and creating art in many forms. When my Dad was building his professional practice, she was also his first office manager.

And how to value her volunteer roles as a non-profit museum director? Or as a Braille typist who transformed newspaper and magazine articles into tiny raised dots of code on pages for the blind to read?

Or as president of a statewide women’s organization, where she wrote and produced puppet shows (“The Good Fairy’s Crown” and “The Tooth Fairy’s Helpers”) to promote positive health habits for Texas elementary school students, or her art history adult education series, and her personal art-making as well.

Good Fairy 1967, Tooth Fairy Helper (Astronaut), 1969

I celebrated this Mother’s Day, not at a posh restaurant with Mom, but inside a rapidly emptying storage space and in my increasingly storage-box-cluttered home. I’m glad to have found a couple of appreciative charitable causes to take most of the things I can’t find room for. But I still have some paintings stacked in the corner with no wall space left to hang them on, and other precious mementos I’m not ready to let go of.

How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?

Jonathan Larson‘s lyric from the smash hit musical “Rent” echoes the Bible quote from Proverbs. For those of us lucky enough to have known or been loved by women or men of valor, there’s no way to put a value on that experience, except perhaps with an occasional tug on the heart, a random tear, a wistful smile, and deep, deep gratitude.

May all your celebrations be happy ones.

Gay Yellen is the author of the multi-award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series: #The Body Business, #The Body Next Door, and #The Body in the News!

Nixing the Crime Scene (Part 2) The Ladder Fiasco

May 12, 2025/in Donnell Ann Bell, life, The Stiletto Gang, writing life/by Donnell Ann Bell

Nixing the Crime Scene (Part 2) the Ladder Fiasco

By Donnell Ann Bell

Last month on my day to blog I talked about a broken coffee cup handle that led to my spilling coffee all over my carpet. Nixing Crime Scene Cleanup as a Career | The Stiletto Gang I made light of that accident because though cosmetic, no harm was done. Today, I want to continue the saga because the accident that followed, e.g. the cleanup of said carpet and surrounding walls, was no laughing matter.

I’ve always been a “do it myself” kind of person. I clean my own house because I’ve learned that if I hire someone, I clean it before the housekeeper comes anyway. So, when I saw all the coffee that had splattered off onto my newly painted walls, I thought, well, this isn’t the great room with its twelve-feet ceilings, this was the master. The ceiling was only nine feet and the floor wasn’t tile, it was carpet.

Off I went to get our seven-foot ladder from the garage. I climbed the ladder, went up and down several times and completed the task with no problems. On the last fateful descent, however, I wrongfully assumed I was closer to the floor. Big mistake! I estimate I must have been closer to two or three feet off the floor.

I remember thinking when I landed, Thank God for the carpet because I could have been hurt far worse. When I hit the ground, it knocked the breath out of me, and as I lay there with my body parts screaming, I remember thinking Okay, I don’t think anything’s broken. But in the upcoming hours and days, I would discover bruises on my left butt and arm that were in a word Shocking! I’d never bruised so badly.

When I called my friend to complain, she said, “Oh, you didn’t count the rungs!!”

I did not. That was my second mistake. My first mistake was doing it in the first place without anybody home. As age creeps up on me, I’ve been in denial. I thought I was competent and in relatively good shape. You know that old saying about “Assuming,” though.

Source Vecteezy Free Graphics

I could have saved myself plenty of embarrassment and not blogged about my stupidity. But from what I’ve learned, I’m lucky to be here, and I want to share if it prevents another from making a similar mistake.

Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury and death all over the world.

There are more than 300 ladder-related deaths and over 130,000 emergency room visits related to ladders each year.

Ladders were the main cause of 161 fatal work injuries in 2020.

March is National Ladder Safety month. I wish I would have known and paid attention.

For anyone who will climb a ladder in the future, here is a vital link that talks about Safety First and the Three Point Contact rule when ascending or descending a ladder. Here is a great blog about the 3 Points of Contact 3 Points Of Contact Rule Of Ladder Safety

From the blog’s opening . . .The rationale behind this rule is that it ensures stability and minimizes the risk of falling off the ladder. Maintaining three points of contact distributes your weight more evenly. . . . I hope everyone who reads my blog about ladders will take a moment to study this blog and its in-depth information.

I will also add to this information to do as my friend suggested. Count the rungs when you’re going up and going down.

Everything a writer does is all material. However, this isn’t something I’m glad I experienced firsthand. Accidents happen, but this one could have been so easily avoided.

Clicking Our Heels – Do You Prefer Amateur or Professional Sleuths?

May 7, 2025/in Uncategorized, Clicking Our Heels, The Stiletto Gang/by Debra

Clicking Our Heels – Do You Prefer Amateur or Professional Sleuths?

Lois Winston – I prefer to write about amateur sleuths because I find them fun to write. The amateur sleuth is the quintessential fish-out-of-water story, and as a writer, I can be very creative with that sort of character.

T.K. Thorne – I prefer professional sleuths because, as a former one, I get frustrated with how amateurs have to do things!

Saralyn Richard – Each has its place in the mystery genre. I love the fresh perspective of an amateur sleuth, who stumbles into solving a mystery, but I’m also intrigued by the many strategies a professional detective can use to find truth and bring about justice.

Donnell Ann Bell – It depends. Sounds wishy washy, right? But sometimes light reading is just what the doctor ordered. There are also times a cozy author surprises me by allowing an amateur sleuth to get into some harrowing misadventures (Lois Winston is a great example). But I admit I love thrillers and police procedures. I just finished Barbara Nickless’s The Drowning Game, largely set in Singapore, and I did a beta read for Author Joyce Woollcott whose police procedure is set in Ireland. These authors are so good I feel like I’ve traveled 😊

Bethany Maines – I personally find the research required to make a professional sleuth character believable daunting and prefer amateurs. I also like the element of uncertainty an amateur brings to the table. The reader doesn’t expect them to be Sherlock Holmes and have it all figured out. Being an amateur allows my characters to make mistakes and mistakes make for more interesting reading.

Paula G. Benson – I grew up loving amateur sleuths, but VI Warshawski convinced me that professional sleuths, particularly female ones, were fabulous. Now, I must have both.

Donalee Moulton – At present, I’m leaning toward amateur. I have more freedom and flexibility with how my characters do things – and how they can mess up. But there is a shift in the wind. I have been writing short stories with two new main characters: one is a lawyer and the other a private detective.

Gay Yellen – Samantha Newman, the main character in my mystery series, is an amateur sleuth. However, I enjoy reading other novels that feature professional detectives, too.

Judy Penz Sheluk – No preference. I’ve written and read both. Amateur can be easier, because the author can take more liberties with solving the crime. That said, professional sleuths can be both educational and entertaining.

Debra H. Goldstein – Amateur sleuths come more naturally for me because if the character makes a mistake (because of how I write), it happens. If a professional makes a mistake, I’ve missed something in my research and the readers can rightfully complain.

Mary Lee Ashford – I really do like both for different reasons. The amateur sleuth can fly under the radar on an investigation and often uncover clues that may not be apparent to the professionals. Often they are more adept at getting people to talk and so it can make for some very interesting investigations. On the other hand, the professionals don’t have quite the same restrictions as the amateur. The investigating detective has access to all sorts of intel that isn’t available to the amateur sleuth. Which is probably why so many of us pair the two in order to take advantage of the strengths of both.

Anita Carter – Amateur sleuth. I love reading and writing about the everyday person rising to the occasion and solving the puzzle.

It Was an Honor to be Nominated

May 5, 2025/in Judy Penz Sheluk, Anthologies, Mysteries, Mystery/by Judy Penz Sheluk

Back in March, I shared my good news about Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense getting the 2025 Derringer nomination for Best Anthology. Then, in April, I learned that two stories in the collection had also been nominated for Best Short Story. Since the initial short story submissions are blind-judged, it really is an honor just to be nominated. Let me tell you a bit about the stories:

Skeeter’s Bar & Grill by Julie Hastrup

The story of a jilted groom wandering into a desolate bar in the Florida Keys during an impending storm. Here are the first couple of paragraphs

Rounding the bend in the road, Jim—Sarah liked to call him James—caught sight of the enormous slate-gray shelf cloud barreling toward him like an alien ship going into battle. It blotted out the sun and the last remaining shreds of happiness in his soul. His fingers brushed the chilled leather of the passenger seat, searching for his phone and the directions it held. It couldn’t be that many more miles to Key West. The slim red line on the screen’s battery icon warned him his GPS instructions were about to end.

He’d made it 420 of the 470 miles from St. Augustine, only stopping twice. Once for gas and once to use the bushes along the side of the road. His hands cramped from gripping the steering wheel like a vice for most of the last eight hours. His eyes burned from squinting into the sun. And from crying. The gurgles in his stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten since last night’s rehearsal dinner. Time to pull over. But where? All the places he’d passed since leaving the mainland had been boarded up. A road trip during the forecasted storm of the season probably wasn’t the best idea. Then again, he hadn’t chosen the timing.

The other was my own story in the anthology, the story of a woman scorned looking for revenge, not because she was jilted, as Jim, the groom in Julie’s story was, but because she was overlooked. Here’s the intro:

The Last Chance Coalition by Judy Penz Sheluk

I watch Jake McFadden strut into O’Leary’s Bar & Grill with the swagger of a man who’s dabbled with the big time and likes to flaunt it. His hair, now gunmetal gray shot with strands of silver, is still thick, wavy, and carefully tousled. He’s also grown a beard, presumably to hide the sagging jowls of a man in his mid-sixties, though that presumption may be somewhat unkind.

The authors seated at the long, banquet-style table rise, their greetings effusive, and he accepts their adoration as his due. McFadden’s last “critically acclaimed” novel may have been a decade ago (in the publishing world, critically acclaimed is invariably a euphemism for poor sales), but he’s made a serious name for himself as an editor. Anthologies mostly, multi-author collections of mystery and suspense. He’s even been nominated for a Cleopatra Award for his work on Border Crossing, which is what rankles the most.

More than rankles, if I’m being honest. I mean, what sort of narcissistic egomaniac writes about nothing but his own publishing career and caps it off by including his own short story in the introduction—and not even a very good story, at that? What sort of pompous ass forgets to acknowledge the volunteer who spent countless unpaid hours vetting, formatting, and logging submissions?

Jake McFadden, that’s who.

Now, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want Larceny to win at least one of the three awards, but it didn’t. Even so, I meant it when I said it was just an honor to be nominated. Besides, there’s always next year. And if you’re interested in finding out what happened to Jim and Jake, you can purchase Larceny & Last Chances at www.books2read.com/larceny.

Malice Domestic 2025

May 1, 2025/in Author Life, Book events, Convention, Mysteries/by Mary Lee Ashford

by Sparkle Abbey

Malice Domestic 2025 is in the books and if there was a theme this year it was surely the kindness and connectedness of the mystery writing community.

It was heard in the stories from each of the honorees highlighting how much being a part of Malice has made all the difference. It was heard in the hallways as greetings and hugs were exchanged. It was heard over breakfasts or lunches as friends caught up with each other or new friends were made.

We attended our first Malice in 2011 knowing very little and we have to join the chorus of thanks to the many that shared information, made introductions, educated, and encouraged us. Best of all many of those early Malice connections are people we now consider friends.

Malice 2011

Malice 2013

Malice Go Round 2013

Mary Lee, Dru Ann, Anita, Catriona, Dana

Malice 2014

Malice 2018

Malice Go Round 2025

So Malice, thanks for the memories and we look forward to making more.

And thank-you to all of you for indulging us with this brief photo walk down memory lane.

And mystery writers and readers, if you haven’t attended a Malice Domestic conference…you should!

Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series. They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder. (But don’t tell the other neighbors.)

They love to hear from readers and can be found on Facebook and Pinterest, their favorite social media sites. Also, if you want to make sure you get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the SparkleAbbey.com website

Salting the Story with Spycraft by Carmen Amato

April 28, 2025/in Uncategorized/by Debra

I’m delighted to welcome guest blogger and former CIA officer, Carmen Amato, to the Stiletto Gang. I think you’ll enjoy the intrigue behind her writing. See you in June! Debra

Salting the Story with Spycraft by Carmen Amato

I was chatting with House of Mystery podcast co-hosts Alan Warren and Joe Goldberg when one of them asked an all-too-familiar question: “Why don’t you write spy thrillers instead of police procedurals?”

My first answer was that writing a spy thriller after 30 years as an intelligence officer with the CIA felt cliché. Stop the presses! Retired CIA spook writes spy thriller!

(Apologies to Joe, a fellow veteran of the CIA. He writes spy thrillers.)

My second answer is that crime fiction allows me to share Mexico’s rich culture, family traditions, incomparable food, and both modern and traditional architecture, all of which tug at my heartstrings after years living in the region.

Yet cartels, corruption, and violence threaten all of it. The Detective Emilia Cruz series set in Acapulco allows me to showcase the good and draw attention to the bad in a way that the news cannot.

As I developed the series, my role model was the Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith. Renko is a Moscow cop contending with systemic corruption, economic shortages and black market goods during the height of the Soviet Union. Debuting in 1981 with Gorky Park, this police procedural series took astonished Western readers inside Russia, exposing a country and its political system in a way that was never done before.

Likewise, the Detective Emilia Cruz police series takes readers inside Mexico in a way that has never been done before.

That’s not to say that my CIA career has been forgotten. Starting with Cliff Diver, first in the series, my experiences as a CIA intel officer both at home and overseas have found their way into the Detective Emilia Cruz series.

Of course, Emilia is not a spy but the first female police detective in Acapulco. Besides the resentment at having a woman in the squadroom, rampant official corruption means she lives in a stew of suspicion and deception. In addition to personal enemies, she also has to watch out for street violence and cartel retribution.

In a series loaded with action, spycraft skills like defensive driving, counter-surveillance and technical hacks are put to good use. Most recently in Barracuda Bay, the ninth and latest book in the series, Emilia draws on a critical spycraft technique: Disguise.

Traveling from Acapulco to Washington DC on an errand of mercy, Emilia witnesses a murder and barely escapes with her life. Hunted by killers disguised as cops, she becomes a fugitive in a strange land, without money, cell phone, passport or even a coat.

The killers have it all, even keys to her hotel room and rental car. They know she is a dark-haired woman in a gray pant suit, where she was last seen, and that she is likely to seek help at the Embassy of Mexico on Constitution Ave.

On the run, Emilia uses her childhood pickpocketing skills to acquire a few credit cards. She swiftly changes her appearance. The gray suit is exchanged for a black coat and pants. She adds hat, scarf, a guidebook, and a gossip magazine in English. Found in a trash bin, a bag from the Smithsonian Museum completes her transformation from terrified and disheveled foreigner to purposeful tourist bundled up against the November cold.

Changing clothes is one thing, but it’s another to adopt a totally different persona. The real test of her disguise skills comes when Emilia needs to meet someone in the fabled Willard Hotel’s Round Robin Bar, a watering hole for the rich and (politically) famous. In a desperate gamble, Emilia will attempt to pass herself off as a flamboyant movie star to whom she bears a strong resemblance.

Does Emilia carry it off? Let’s just say that while writing I recalled a question from one of my initial interviews at the CIA: “Have you ever pretended to be someone else?”

I believe I was hired on the strength of my answer.

ABOUT BARRACUDA BAY
Detective Emilia Cruz Book 9

With plot elements inspired by recent presidential elections in both the US and Mexico, Acapulco police detective Emilia Cruz stumbles on the body of a woman brutally shot to death. Incredibly, the victim was the sister of Acapulco’s ambitious mayor, who is running for re-election against an opponent with deep pockets.

Emilia’s investigation is immediately under pressure for a fast result. The victim’s ex-boyfriend has a suspiciously weak alibi but is the crime scene the key to finding the murderer? The building was once used for a secret Mexican government operation targeting a ruthless drug lord.

Meanwhile, there’s a conspiracy within the police department to force Emilia out.

Before Emilia can save her job or arrest her prime suspect, she’s sent on an errand of mercy to Washington, DC. There she becomes a fugitive hunted by killers masquerading as cops in a deadly game of political intrigue on the wrong side of the border.

Alone, desperate and on the run, Emilia turns for help to a man she once vowed to murder. Her brother.

Given today’s uncertainty over the future of the US-Mexico relationship and the popularity of international crime fiction in general, Barracuda Bay arrives at the perfect moment. This isn’t just another detective novel—it’s a visceral, immersive dive into the war on drugs and corruption from an author who has been on the front lines.

BUY LINKS
Amazon: https://geni.us/bbay2025
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/barracuda-bay-carmen-amato/1146877496
Books-a-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Barracuda-Bay/Carmen-Amato/9798989140374

Carmen Amato is the author of the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series pitting the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico’s cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series has twice won the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. Optioned for television, National Public Radio hailed it as “A thrilling series.”

Carmen is also the author of the Galliano Club historical fiction thrillers inspired by her grandfather who was a deputy sheriff in New York during Prohibition. Murder at the Galliano Club, won the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical. Revenge at the Galliano Club, was nominated for the same award in 2024.

Her standalone thrillers include The Hidden Light of Mexico City, which was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award.

A 30-year veteran of the CIA where she focused on technical collection and counterdrug issues, Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. A judge for the BookLife Prize and Killer Nashville’s Claymore Award, her essays have appeared in Criminal Element, Publishers Weekly, and other national publications. She writes the popular Mystery Ahead newsletter on Substack.

Originally from upstate New York, after years of globe-trotting she and her husband enjoy life in Tennessee.

Website: https://carmenamato.net/links
Substack: https://mysteryahead.substack.com

Slash & Burn: Or Just Rearrange a Few Words?

April 24, 2025/in History, T.K. Thorne/by TK Thorne

I stared at it, bracing myself.

It was a headline. It was subtle and chilling, and I couldn’t help wondering if I was complicit.

How Sewing a Patchwork Quilt is Like Writing a Mystery Novel

April 23, 2025/in writing a mystery novel/by Lois Winston

I’m not a quilter, but I’ve always appreciated the beauty and workmanship of handmade quilts. In many ways, creating a quilt is much like writing a mystery novel. When starting a quilt, the quilter must first decide on a design. As an author, I start by deciding on the book’s story.

The quilter then chooses fabrics to complement her design. I choose the setting for my story and the characters who will populate the story.

Most quilts are comprised of individual squares or blocks. Books are comprised of chapters. The quilter stitches together the individual squares into a quilt top, then adds interest and depth to the design by hand-stitching (quilting) the quilt top, batting, and bottom layer of fabric together.

I not only need to make sure my chapters are seamlessly “stitched” together to tell my story, but as a mystery author, I also need my sleuth to “stitch” together the clues to solve the mystery.

Since Anastasia Pollack, my reluctant amateur sleuth, is the crafts editor at a woman’s magazine, I feature a different craft in each book of the series. In Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth and latest book, I chose to feature quilting.

As it turns out, today is the start of Quilt Week, a four-day event sponsored by the American Quilter’s Society. Quilt Week takes place in Paducah, KY, a Unesco Creative City, known as Quilt City USA®. Paducah is also home to the National Quilt Museum.

The American Quilt Society is the world’s largest quilting organization. According to its website, it’s “dedicated to TODAY’s quilter. Inspired by the enduring creativity and importance of quilts and quiltmaking, our objective is to provide a forum for quilters of all skill levels to expand their horizons in quilt making, design, self-expression, and quilt collecting. Through our magazines, quilt shows and contests, workshops, and other activities in the world of quilting, we strive to inspire, instruct, and nurture the art and skill of quiltmaking.”

Quilt Week offers workshops, lectures, special events, quilt exhibits, vendors, and appraisals. Since I’m not a quilter, I doubt I’ll ever attend Quilt Week. However, now that I’m living in Tennessee, I think a day trip to Paducah to visit the National Quilt Museum is definitely in my future.

In the meantime, I’ve begun work on the next Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery.

Seams Like the Perfect Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 14

When staffing shortages continue to hamper the Union County homicide squad, Detective Sam Spader once again turns to his secret weapon, reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. How can she and husband Zack Barnes refuse when the victim is their new neighbor?

Revolutionary War reenactor Barry Sumner had the odd habit of spending hours mowing a small patch of packed dirt and weeds until his mower ran out of gas. He’d then guzzle beer on his front porch until he passed out. That’s where Anastasia’s son Nick discovers his body three days after the victim and his family moved into the newly built mini-McMansion across the street.

After a melee breaks out at the viewing, Spader zeroes in on the widow as his prime suspect. However, Anastasia has her doubts. There are other possible suspects, including a woman who’d had an affair with the victim, his ex-wife, the man overseeing the widow’s trust fund, a drug dealer, and the reenactors who were blackmailing the widow and victim.

When another reenactor is murdered, Spader suspects they’re dealing with a serial killer, but Anastasia wonders if the killer is attempting to misdirect the investigation. As she narrows down the suspects, will she jeopardize her own life to learn the truth?

Craft projects included.

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USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and follow her on various social media sites.