Happy #NationalDogDay!

 

For so many of us, our pets go beyond an animal presence in our lives; they are our children, extended members of our family who bring our soul love and nourishment. To celebrate our dogs this National Dog Day, I wanted to take a look at some of our fabulous books that celebrate the bonds we have with our dogs - even as they help us solve crimes!

The Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series, by Linda O. Johnston

Read if you like: Recipes for homemade pet treats (and human treats!), Joanna Fluke, and cozy mysteries with dogs

Join veterinary technician Carrie Kennersly, owner of the new Barkery & Biscuits Dog Bakery, as she and her canine companions navigate the mysteries of murder.

Grab the latest release in the series, Pick and Chews!

Looking for more Linda O. Johnston mysteries that feature dogs? Check out the Superstition Mystery series!

The Dog Days Mystery Series, by Jamie M. Blair

Read if you like: Recipes for homemade pet treats, books that make you laugh out loud, and cozy mysteries with dogs

Join Cameron Cripps-Hayman and the rest of the Metamora Action Agency as they solve crimes, aided by their canine companions.

The latest release in the series, Fatal Festival Days, is now available for pre-order!

The Downward Dog Mystery Series, by Tracy Weber

Read if you like: Yoga, German Shepherds, and cozy mysteries

Join yoga instructor Kate Davidson, her German Shepherd Bella, and boyfriend Michael as they solve murder after murder.

Grab the latest release in the series, Pre-Meditated Murder.

The Animals in Focus Mystery Series, by Sheila Webster Boneham

Read if you like: Photography, animals of shapes and sizes, and cozy mysteries

Join animal photographer Janet McPhail and her cadre of animal companions as they solve murders.

Grab the latest release in the series, Shepherd's Crook.

eBook Deals: Select Titles from Jess Lourey Are on Sale for Just $0.99!

Everyone loves a deal! For a limited time, grab two ebooks by Jess Lourey while they're on sale!

	Buy for Kindle: $0.99 Buy for Nook: $0.99 Buy for Google Books: $0.99
	Buy for Kindle: $0.99 Buy for Nook: $0.99 Buy for Google Books: $0.99

When an Entire Novel is Inspired by an Opening Sentence: a Guest Post from THE NEGOTIATOR Author Brendan DuBois

We welcome Brendan DuBois, author of the new Negotiator, to Midnight Ink's blog today! Here he shares the inspiration...a simple opening line...for his latest book.

There are a lot of memorable opening lines in novels.

"Call me Ishmael," from Melville's Moby Dick.

Or, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again," from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca.

Then there's my personal favorite: "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Four shots ripped into my groin and I was off on the greatest adventure of my life!" from Max Shulman's Sleep Til Noon.

The reason I wrote The Negotiator was due to a first line that just popped into my head one day while I was working on a new project, and which I quickly wrote down so I didn't forget it:

"I'm a negotiator, the best in the world."

There.

That one sentence bubbled up in the creative cauldron that is my mind, and lived for a while on an otherwise blank document on my computer.

I didn't know who the narrator was, but I knew he had a cool job. He was a negotiator. Or, rather, the Negotiator.

Imagine you're in the possession of something highly illegal, like stolen bonds, or jewelry lifted from a burglary, or a rare piece of art. You need to get rid of it, but you don't know who to trust to get a fair deal without being ripped off.

That's when The Negotiator steps in. He will appraise your stolen item (no drugs, people, or anything that would threaten the security of the United States) and approach a potential buyer. He will serve as the intermediary, ensuring that both sides of the negotiation feel comfortable with the deal, with him getting a percentage of the sale for making the deal.

It's a win-win-win all around.

And then I started writing The Negotiator, and then started having a lot of fun, more fun than any author should get.

You see, I'm also the author of the Lewis Cole mysteries, and the eleventh novel in that series—Hard Aground—was released this past April. I also write science fiction, and I have a novel coming out in October, Black Triumph, from Baen Books. Oh, and in my spare time (hah-hah-hah), I'm also co-authoring works with New York Times bestselling author James Patterson.

Which meant that when I started writing The Negotiator, it wasn't my first rodeo, but I decided to do something very, very different.

No outline.

None.

Zero.

Zed.

There are plotters (writers who write detailed outlines of their works) and "pantsers" (writers who write from the seat of their pants), but at least in those two examples, both sets have some idea of where the story is going.

Not me.

Heck, I didn't even know the name of my main character, the narrator, and to this day, I still don't know his real name. I don't know where he was born, how he was raised, or what his background is. He's a mystery, an enigma, and as I noted in Chapter One:

"…What did I do before I went independent?

Perhaps I was once one of those $500 an hour Wall Street lawyers working for a hedge fund, going line by line through financial documents, yawning desperately in an attempt not to toss myself out of a twentieth floor window. Or maybe I was the best BMW salesman in Southern California, with a wall of plaques and a shelf full of trophies denoting same, complete with my own private parking space and a host of envious fellow salesmen who wished they could dine on my liver. Or maybe I was a Special Forces soldier, with a love of firearms and the canny ability to be dropped into whatever Third World hellhole was making the news that month, and being able to reach an agreement between tribes that have been at war since the time of Charlemagne over a stolen goat.

Take your pick."

But what I quickly learned that writing in ignorance produced a Zen-like bliss, and I had so much fun just writing the story, letting things happen, and trying to puzzle out what happens next.

And part of the fun was having something bad happen to The Negotiator, where a proposed deal quickly turns deadly, leading into a lot of gunfire and the death of The Negotiator's business associate.

That won't stand.

And as the book unfolds, the reader gets to learn more about my main character than his negotiating skills, including his investigative techniques, his attractiveness to members of the opposite sex, and his absolute drive and determination to find justice, no matter what.

For in that case, that's non-negotiable.

***

"The mysterious George has lots of clout, and the Negotiator has to make some exceptionally sharp and unexpected deals in his quest for payback. DuBois wraps up his clever tale with a few nifty twists. Readers will hope for a sequel."—Publishers Weekly

For the Negotiator, calling 911 isn't an option.

The Negotiator has built a lucrative business on his talent for moving valuable merchandise with no questions asked. As a successful entrepreneur in the criminal underground, he's learned that it's good for business—and for his health—to keep gunplay off the table as much as possible.

But when a deal that promises to deliver a massive payday leads to a bloodbath, he's forced into a no-holds-barred mission for vengeance. And for the Negotiator, when the stakes of a deal are life and death, gunplay is definitely back on the table.

Praise for Brendan DuBois:
"Surprises keep coming until the last page, where we're let in on a vast, circular plot reminiscent of Grisham—and worthy of him."
—Booklist

"A taut, suspenseful thriller."
—Library Journal

"DuBois throws in a pleasing final surprise."
—Kirkus Reviews

"[DuBois] writes a mean novel."
—Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

---

Brendan DuBois (New Hampshire) is the author of Resurrection Day, the Lewis Cole series, and several other novels. His short stories have been included in several "Best of" anthologies, and have won two Barry Awards and an Al Blanchard Crime Fiction Award. Visit him online at www.brendandubois.com.

What It Takes to Write a Mystery

by Linda O. Johnston

What does it take to write a mystery?

An imagination, certainly.  Who's your protagonist, and how does she wind up solving crimes--especially if she's an amateur who earns her living in ways far removed from being an investigator?  Someone like a veterinary technician who winds up owning a barkery and bakery... and somehow winds up finding murderers, too, after she and her closest friends sometimes become murder suspects.  That's what happens in my Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries for Midnight Ink.

It takes persistence, sitting down in front of computer screen often enough to get that story fully written, from first draft to a polished manuscript you're ready to send to your editor.  And then going through the edits that are necessary to get the story polished enough for printing and/or making available as an e-book.

It takes a sense of wanting to do all you can to make sure readers know about your books, from social media to personal appearances including attending conferences--which can yank a writer from her comfort zone if she would rather write than get before and audience and crow about what she does and what great stories she's written.

Oh, and yes.  It takes a sense of humor--and maybe a sense of daring.  What do I mean?  Well, a few weeks ago we had a couple of cops visit our house to look at the footage from the security cameras my husband mounted because of some issues in our neighborhood.  That day, there was a problem at the house across the street--which happens a lot.  This time, though, police were called in and needed more information.  We were able to show them some footage that we think was helpful to them.  They even saved some on their body cameras.

And what did I say to them?  Among other things: "I kill people for a living."

Fortunately, they were nice cops and they had a sense of humor, too.  Of course I explained what I meant, that I was a mystery writer.  And I wouldn't have said it at all if I hadn't gotten the impression that they were nice cops with a sense of humor.  They laughed, and so did I

. 

So yes, it takes imagination of many sorts to write a mystery!

 

Linda O. Johnston is currently writing the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries for Midnight Ink.  Her most recent one is Pick and Chews, a May 2018 release, which is fourth in the series.

When the Stars Align (Or, How it All Began...): a Guest Post from TAIL OF THE DRAGON author Connie di Marco

We welcome Connie di Marco, author of the new Tail of the Dragon, the latest release in the Zodiac Mystery series, to Midnight Ink's blog today! Here she shares the astrological inspiration for the characters of her new book.

Julia Bonatti, my San Francisco astrologer, was born on December 3, 1981 at 11:51 a.m. PST in San Francisco. But really, I believe she was born years before that, most likely the day I cracked open my first Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden or Sherlock Holmes—the day I became a hopelessly addicted and devouring lover of mysteries!

Fast forward many years (hate to tell you how many) and I finally worked up the courage to attempt to write my very own mystery. I wasn't sure I could do it. I had no idea how to go about it and knew even less about the business of writing and publishing. My goal was to write one mystery book and hopefully be traditionally published. I never anticipated the winding path I had embarked upon.

Julia’s practice, I realized, had to be in San Francisco, a city of dank alleyways, brilliant sunshine, secret stairways, vicious winds, fog and shadows–a fascinating, mysterious place. A city that has inspired scores of writers–from Dashiell Hammett to John Lescroart, and many, many more. A perfect setting for a mystery!

As an astrologer, Julia spends a lot of time working in isolation, just like a writer, studying natal charts and calmly advising her clients. But her occupation would put her in touch with a wide spectrum of people, clients who would bring crime to her doorstep. What could be better? An occupation that could get her into lots of trouble!

The Madness of Mercury, the first book in the Zodiac Mysteries, was inspired by the Jim Jones years in San Francisco. My evil preacher, the Reverend Roy of the Prophet's Tabernacle, arrives in town and in short order has made inroads into the police department, swayed politicians and charmed society movers and shakers. Julia, in her astrological advice column, "AskZodia," speaks out against the cult and immediately becomes a target of the Army of the Prophet.

I was very excited about The Madness of Mercury, but before I could complete it, I had to put it on hold when the offer to write the Soup Lovers' Mysteries (as Connie Archer) came about. As much as I enjoyed writing something quite different for a few years, I was frustrated that I hadn't been able to finish The Madness of Mercury and continue with the Zodiac project.

Fast forward again–five books later, and thanks to Midnight Ink, the Zodiac Mysteries were finally ready to see the light of day. The second in the series, All Signs Point to Murder, is based on a real crime of which I had personal knowledge. I didn't believe the woman convicted of the crime was guilty. And so, All Signs Point to Murder was my take on what could have really happened. Did it? Well, I'll never know, but I still believe in my premise.

But how does Julia solve her crimes? With astrology, of course! And that involves working out the charts of the murderer and victim, just so that everything is accurate. For example, in All Signs Point to Murder, the victim was a woman somewhere between 25 to 35 years of age. She had to be of questionable common sense and her life needed to be pretty much out of control. But she was still more a victim than a killer. Was this fair to my character? No, not really. It's fiction, but it had to be within the realm of possibility.

I decided to make her a Sagittarian with her Moon in the same sign. She's too trusting, too outgoing, and more than a little foolhardy. But with Scorpio rising, and a dreadful Mars-Pluto conjunction in the 12th house, sitting on her Ascendant, she could be dangerous–mostly to herself. Her killer needed to be someone who could exert a controlling influence over her. I finally found the perfect birth date for my killer–a Neptune placement that would cloud my victim's judgment. It would be too late before she'd see the truth.

Now your brain is probably short-circuiting with all this astrochat, which is what mine does when I'm trying to sort out these charts. Do I worry that I've painted myself into a corner? Sometimes. But eventually it all works out, enough so that an astrologer could agree with me at least. After all, whatever the birth date, anyone is capable of murder, aren't they?

Julia’s third adventure is the Tail of the Dragon. She's asked to go undercover at her client's law firm in an effort to expose the sender of death threats. The plan soon goes awry and Julia realizes she's dealing with a murderer. Her life is now in mortal danger and she'll need to check her own transits to see if she can survive this tale!

***

"di Marco does a good job keeping the reader guessing whodunit in this psychic cozy."
—Publishers Weekly

A rare astrological event could help San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti avoid a deadly destiny

Julia Bonatti loves the freedom of working for herself as a professional astrologer. But after receiving several unexpected bills, she considers a temp job offer from her old boss a stroke of luck too good to pass up.

On her first day, the posh law office becomes a crime scene when one of the partners is found dead. Julia discovers that a series of death threats have been sent to several employees of the firm, and she uses her astrological expertise to discover possible motives. But before she can convince the authorities of what she knows, the killer strikes again. Will Julia unmask the culprit before he, or she, takes another life?



Praise for the Zodiac Mysteries:
All Signs Point to Murder:
"Di Marco crafts an intricate, twisting plot and layers on the astrological details that fans of psychic mysteries so enjoy."
—Booklist

The Madness of Mercury: "This smartly written debut from di Marco sets the stage for a promising series."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Di Marco's series starter features a clever plot and a smart and feisty heroine with feet firmly planted on the ground while she searches the stars."
—Library Journal

---

Connie di Marco (Los Angeles, CA) is the bestselling author of the Soup Lovers Mysteries (Penguin), which she published under the name Connie Archer. She has always been fascinated by astrology and is excited to combine her love of the stars with her love of writing mysteries. Visit her at ConniediMarco.com, on Facebook at Connie di Marco (Author), or on Twitter: @askzodia.

Writing About What You Know...Even When That Means Filling Seats at the Emmys: A Guest Post from HOLLYWOOD ENDING Author Kellye Garre

We welcome Kellye Garrett, author of the new Hollywood Ending, the second in the Detective by Day Mystery Series, to Midnight Ink's blog today! Here she talks about writing what you know...including being a seat filler at the Emmy Awards.

Everyone knows the adage, "Write what you know."

That’s definitely true for me. My Detective by Day series focuses on a semi-famous black actress who uses her Hollywood insider knowledge to solve murders. Whereas, I was a semi-successful black TV writer who uses my Hollywood insider knowledge to write murder mysteries.

With each book in the series, I try to focus on a different element of Hollywood. For book two—Hollywood Ending, out August 8—I set it during awards season. If you’re wondering what awards season is, this is how I describe it in the book:

"Awards season was all about getting dressed, getting drunk, and getting tiny gold statues that usually meant an extra zero in your paycheck and an extra line in your obituary. The three-month stretch kicked off with the Independent Spirit Award nominations in November and culminated with the grand dame of them all—the Oscars—in February. In between, everyone and their mama gave out awards like candy on Halloween."

Although I've never been to the Oscars, I have been to the Emmy Awards, which ironically is probably the only acting awards show that doesn't take place during Awards season. It airs in September to coincide with the new broadcast TV show premieres.

You're probably wondering why I was at the Emmys. It definitely wasn't because I was nominated.

I was a seat filler!

Have you ever noticed that there are never any empty seats whenever they show the crowd at an awards show? That’s because of seat fillers. A seat filler is a person who literally will sit in Tom Cruise’s seat while he takes a bathroom break.

I know other awards shows will put out casting calls for seat fillers. I got the gig because of another Hollywood staple: I knew someone.

In Hollywood Ending, Day heads to the Silver Sphere Awards, which I created just for the book. Here’s her prep process:

"I had to hand it to Sienna. We both looked great. Her Glam Squad had given me the full second-season-of-a-reality-show-makeover complete with clip-on hair extensions and enough nose and cheek contouring to make a Kardashian weep with joy. Clothing-wise, Sienna had opted for a low-cut Jessica Rabbit inspired number and I’d gone for an off the shoulder purple classic silhouette that flaunted way less boob and way more booty. We both wore our hair down. The hair stylist opted for a stick straight look for Sienna and flowy beach waves for me. I was impressed."

My own process was nowhere near as glam. I definitely was not wearing anything designer. Nope. I found a cute (and cheap) turquoise dress at my local Ross. Instead of hiring a hairdresser to put in extensions, I just plopped on a wig. And I did my own make-up. And these were the days before contouring and highlighting and all that other fancy stuff. You just put on some powder and foundation and called it a day.

Still, even without the entire glam squad, I felt gorgeous.

I arrived at the Shrine Auditorium ready to do my duty!

Because you don’t actually have a seat, they line you up in a loading area by the lobby. You literally move conveyor style to the front of the line and wait until it’s your turn to temporarily take ownership of a seat in the actual auditorium.

I ended up acting as a seat filler for both the Creative Arts Emmy Awards—which recognizes the more behind-the-screen categories like set decorator—and the Primetime Emmy Awards we all know and watch.

At the Creative Arts Emmys, I hit the seat filler jackpot, meaning someone in the first row never bothered to show up. So I basically sat down and watched the entire show in the best seat in the house. At one point, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Gardner came and sat next to me. This was when they first started dating and I was totally eavesdropping on their conversation. (It was nothing juicy, unfortunately.)

I moved around a lot more at the Primetime Emmy show and even managed to get some screen-time when I happened to be sitting in front of a winner when they announced his category. Soon after I had to give up my seat because its true owner arrived.

Ruby Dee.

I was a huge fan of her work, especially as a woman of color trying to make it in Hollywood in the 50s. Truth be told, I would’ve given up my seat for her anyway.

***

And the award goes to . . .

. . . Dayna Anderson, the semi-famous actress turned PI who steps up her sleuthing swagger in this follow-up to breakout hit Hollywood Homicide, winner of the Lefty Award and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel!

Tinseltown's awards season is in full swing, and everyone is obsessed with dressing up, scoring free swag, and getting invited to the biggest awards shows of the year. But when celebrity publicist Lyla Davis is killed, the festive mood comes to an abrupt halt.

Apprentice private eye Dayna Anderson thinks she's uncovered the killer. Unfortunately, what starts as an open-and-shut case turns out to be anything but. Diving deeper into the investigation, Dayna gets a backstage look at gossip blogging, Hollywood royalty, and one of entertainment's most respected awards shows—all while trying to avoid her own Hollywood ending.

Praise for Hollywood Ending
"Day's funny and determined, the sort of woman who really WOULD make a wisecrack when faced with danger. She's done her time in the tinsel factory and seen the light. She's the perfect guide to the lifestyles of the rich, famous, and homicidally inclined."
—Donna Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of the Meg Langslow series

"Kellye Garrett's Hollywood Ending glitters with stardust. A fun, fast-paced mystery, it's definitely an A-lister."
—Elaine Viets, author of the Dead-End Job mysteries

"Fasten your seatbelts. A star is born!"
—Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters mysteries

"Kellye Garrett's Hollywood Ending is an entertaining whodunit that provides readers a peek behind Hollywood's star-studded curtain."
—Diane Kelly, award-winning author of the Paw Enforcement, Tara Holloway, and House-Flipper mystery series

Praise for Hollywood Homicide:
Winner of the 2018 Lefty Award for Best Debut

Winner of the 2018 Agatha Award for Best First Novel

Winner of the 2018 IPPY Gold Medal for Best First Book

"[A] winning first novel and series launch…Garrett writes with humor and insight about the Hollywood scene. Readers will look forward to Day's further adventures."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A smart, sassy debut, introducing an appealing protagonist with amusing friends."
—Library Journal (starred review) and Debut of the Month

"Veteran TV writer Garrett uses her Cold Case experience to inform her debut, which sets up more than one charming character and isn't afraid to go cynical on all things LA."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Funny, lively characters populate this new Detective by Day series…this will be an entertaining entry into the amateur sleuth genre."
—RT Book Reviews

---

Kellye Garrett (East Orange, NJ) spent eight years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for Cold Case. A former magazine editor, she holds a BS in magazine writing from Florida A&M and an MFA in screenwriting from USC’s famed film school. She now works for a leading media company and brainstorms ways to commit murder for her novels.

The True, Eerie Story that Inspired BIG WOODS: A Guest Post from author May Cobb

We welcome May Cobb, author of the new Big Woods, to Midnight Ink's blog today! Here she shares the true, eerie story that inspired her new book.

Although my debut thriller, Big Woods, is strictly a work of fiction, the idea for this novel is based in part on a story my mother once told me while I was growing up in East Texas.

My mother, a nurse, worked the graveyard shift in the psychiatric unit of our small town's hospital. One night, a frantic young woman in bloodied and ripped clothing appeared in the doorway and begged for the staff to take her into hiding. The woman claimed she had been held captive by a group of powerful men, but had managed to escape. She whispered to my mother that the men—all town elders—had formed a secret cult and forced women into performing ritualistic sex acts.

My mom's co-workers thought the woman was insane, but my mother believed her. On a scrap of paper, she drew my mom a map to a nearby cemetery where she said the rituals were held. One weekend while my mom was off work, the hospital released the woman and my mom was never able to find her, or find out what happened to her.

Soon after, she followed the woman's map to the backwoods cemetery and walked up on the remains of a recently-smoldering fire ring.

My mother never forgot her, and it forever changed the way we saw our small southern town: an eerie place that has always been a center of religious fanaticism mixed with whispers of the occult.

***

"Stephen King's Stand by Me collides with Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects in this exceptional thriller. Gutsy, gripping—and pitch-perfect in its resurrection of an era long gone."
—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

It's 1989 in the sleepy town of Longview, Texas, when ten-year-old Lucy disappears. Her parents, the police, and the community all brace for the worst, assuming her body will soon be found in Big Woods. Just like the other unsolved kidnappings.

But then Lucy's fourteen-year-old sister, Leah, starts having dreams about Lucy—dreams that reveal startling clues as to what happened. Leah begins her own investigation, and soon she meets a reclusive widow who may hold the key to finding Lucy . . . if only she can find the courage to come forward.

Delving into the paranoia surrounding satanic cults in the 1980s, Big Woods is an emotionally wrought, propulsive thriller about the enormity of grief, the magical bond between sisters, and a small town's dark secrets.

Praise for Big Woods:
"Big Woods is a nuanced family story and also a heart-stopping thriller with surprising twists. Cobb taps into the fabulous 80s sensibility of Stranger Things and also into our deepest fears about safety, evil, trust, and the power of faith in what we don't understand. I couldn't put it down."
—Amanda Eyre Ward, author of The Nearness of You and The Same Sky

"Compulsively readable."
—Rosamund Lupton, New York Times bestselling author of Sister

"Big Woods is brilliant! Cobb has crafted a haunting thriller that dives deep into grief, family connections, and the dreadful power of fear. The novel succeeds as a rich exploration of emotion and a not-so-distant time while also shining as a riveting page-turner."
—Owen Egerton, author of Hollow and writer/director of horror-comedy Bloodfest

"The novel's plot is well twisted, and author May Cobb draws out terrifying moments with clarity. Big Woods is perfectly timed to take advantage of the 1980s horror revival. Its historic details are excellent, down to the songs on Leah's car stereo. Cobb paints in Day-Glo and brings terrors of the night to life."
—Foreword Magazine

---

May Cobb is a novelist and freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Big Woods was selected as the winner in the 2015 Writer's League of Texas Manuscript Contest, and the pitch to Big Woods was selected as the Winner for the 2016 NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza. May earned her MA in Literature from San Francisco State University and has spent the past several years researching and writing a book about the late jazz great Rahsaan Roland Kirk (forthcoming). Her essays and interviews have appeared in The Washington Post, The Rumpus, Edible Austin, and Austin Monthly. Visit her online at www.maycobb.com.