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Ripped Into (Stuart Finlay 1) by Jack Chandler-review & interview

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Ripped Into (Stuart Finlay 1) by Jack Chandler-review & interview

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 1, 2025

As a private investigator, Fin has built a successful career by reuniting families with their lost runaways. His latest case is sixteen-year-old Sarah, who vanished the night her home burned to the ground, leaving him with nothing to go on but a photograph and newspaper article.

Everyone Fin approaches – from classmates to the police – is unwilling to talk about the missing girl, and independent witnesses with no incentive to lie are corroborating stories that can’t possibly be true.

Who the hell is this girl?

As Fin fights to discover the truth, he finds himself sucked into an unforgiving world of violence and sexual obsession. The price of saving both Sarah and himself may end up being the exposure of his own painful past and the secrets he has fought long and hard to suppress.

••••••

REVIEW: RIPPED INTO is the first instalment in Jack Chandler’s contemporary, adult STUART FINLAY suspense, thriller series focusing on twenty-nine year old, private investigator Stuart Finlay.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Stuart Finlay, RIPPED INTO follows former British soldier turned PI Stuart Finlay as he is tasked with finding a missing sixteen year old girl. Approximately one year earlier, following a deadly fire at her home, sixteen year old Sarah Matthews disappeared without a trace, and in the ensuing time, law enforcement stalled in their search for the truth. Fast forward to present day wherein PI Stuart ‘Fin’ Finlay has been contracted to locate the missing young woman, a young woman who does not want to be found but all is not as it appears to be, and our hero finds himself with a target on his back, and the people he loves on the run or in hiding in the face of threats against everyone involved.

The world building focuses on the hunt for s missing girl, and the search for the truth. There is more to the story of the missing girl than Fin could have ever imagined, including several people willing to kill to get their hands on a young woman who is nowhere to be found but Fin has acquired some information and power over the people who want him dead, power that will keep him alive, if only for a short time.Stuart Finlay is not the perfect hero but he is a man determined to protect the people he loves

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including Fin’s girlfriend of two years Gail, and pub owner, Fin’s friend George. The requisite evil has many faces.

RIPPED INTO is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, obsession and madness, and dysfunctional family value. The premise is dramatic, dark, edgy and suspenseful; the characters are desperate, determined, dangerous and lost. The overall conflict has yet to be resolved-the story continues in book two 13 CHANCES.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC: Hi Jack and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of RIPPED INTO.

Jack Chandler: Thank you 😉

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Social Media: Website / Amazon Author Page/ Goodreads/ Facebook/ Bookbub/

Jack Chandler: I was born in Wales and travelled both with my family and later alone. As a child, we had three years in Hong Kong, where my parents’ relationship broke down. We then had to return to England. In 1995, after working in a bank (which I found utterly soul destroying), I left for Australia to find myself again. It took six weeks, but it worked. When I came back, my father was in Hong Kong, where he lived out the rest of his days. My mum had gone to Puerto Rico, as her third year in her university course as a mature student. And my brother had moved to Japan. My boyfriend, now husband, had gone to Germany for an 18-month contract. I followed him and we’re still there now (these contracts have a habit of getting extended). We are now married with two fantastic boys (I might be slightly biased there) who are now beginning to find their way in the world. I have never been happier than I am at this time in my life.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Jack Chandler: I always found reading to be a bit of a chore – turns out I was just reading the wrong stuff. I discovered Harlan Coben and his writing style is so relaxed and easy to read – extremely accessible. Not pages and pages of blocks of description and yet you always know where you are and who you’re with. He writes very concisely. Pure genius.

I then discovered Jericho Writers an organisation designed to help authors learn the craft and industry, to find agents and publishers, and to work out which path is right for them. I learned more from them in the first year than I did the ten years previously searching the web. I’ve just come back from their Festival of Writing event and I always leave there with my brain racing with all I’ve learned, but also with an enthusiasm and need to write (and sleep!), as well as a bunch of new writing buddies. Solid advice from them and hearing about other authors experiences with trad publishers, helped me finally decide on self-publishing as my path.

Through Jericho, I discovered David Gaughran’s site who is incredibly knowledgeable on self-publishing, and so very generous with the information he just gives away for free.
And then of course, I discovered Mark Dawson’s courses with Learn Self-Publishing, which I’m still working my way through.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing this story?

The main one was trying to get it out there. I sent it to all publishers that would accept submissions – this was back in the day when you had to post them. Got nowhere. Wrote some more. I went to the Frankfurt book fair and submited directly there. Got nothing. Wrote some more. Things changed – the big four started gobbling up the smaller publishing houses and now there were fewer places that would accept direct submissions. I emailed my submissions to agents and publishers. Got nowhere.

In the end, just wanting the book out there, I self-published in 2012 (under a different name). I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn’t do any publicity. Keywords and categories were lost on me. The book landed into a void but a few friends bought it. I hadn’t planned on a sequel, but then my readers asked for it (which was lovely and surprising).

The sequel was self-published in 2016 (under a different name). Throughout, I kept trying for publishers and agents. Needing to try something different and with a story knocking around in my head that was desperate to get out, my first romantasy was self-published in 2018.

I found Jericho Writers in 2019 and learned I was doing everything wrong! Two years in, my kids were getting older, I had more free time, and Jericho announced their flagship course UNWC (now Ultimate Novel Writing Program). I’d passed on the course the previous year, but this time I decided I was going to take this writing thing seriously. It was (for me) an expensive course, but the only one I’d found that would let me work on my own work-in-progress rather than doing exercises each week through short stories or poems or plays – things I wasn’t interested in. I took down all my books.

I then wrote a children’s story designed for German children wanting to learn English (published in 2021) – so it was very basic English and it sold to a traditional publisher in Germany. They were very fair with me, but at the end of the day, I sold the story, and it no longer felt like mine. Edits were made which I wasn’t given the opportunity to approve. The cover was chosen. The illustrator was chosen. The publishing house did nothing wrong, but the industry isn’t exactly set up to make the author the king in this. We are the bottom rung of the ladder, or at least, that’s how it felt. I’d only been working on “Bubbles: the Story of a little cat” for a year. I wasn’t hugely invested in it, but it still stung when I realised it’s no longer mine. I couldn’t lose that level of control over these characters I’ve been living with in my head for years. I love these characters. I didn’t want to be told, “sorry, this character has to go” or “we’re going to change the title to…” or “thank you for the input on the cover, but we’re going to go another way.”

I didn’t want to lose control. Sophie Flynn from Jericho told me that self-publishing isn’t a second choice. It’s a hell of a lot of work. If you’re going to do it, you have to want it. Harry Bingham, founder of Jericho, said in one of his webinars that he’d had to buy his rights back when he felt his book hadn’t been properly presented or marketed, and it had cost him 10,000 (pounds or dollars, I can’t remember now) to do so. It seemed insane to me to have to buy back my story.

Then an author friend of mine had a heart-breaking experience with a publishing house and that was it. Traditional publishing just isn’t for me. I wanted the control over the cover, the blurb, the manuscript, the characters, the ads, promotions, even the marketing (the part I dreaded). I did Jericho Writers Self-Edit course in 2022 with the goddess Debi Alper, who teaches the course. Then I started raiding David Gaughran’s site – his course ‘Starting from zero’ is free and so incredibly helpful. I set myself a deadline of May 1st this year, and started learning how to make my own website, how to set up a mailing list, and how to make it all work – I am so out of my comfort zone right now, I can’t begin to tell you.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of RIPPED INTO?

Jack Chandler: Gladly.

The pitch:
The job is risky but simple: Find the girl. Get her out. Bring her home. Easy.
But the girl won’t cooperate.
The killers who had her want her back.
And now they know where Fin lives…

The blurb:
As a private investigator, Fin has built a successful career by reuniting families with their lost runaways. Then a stranger appears at his door with a cash-filled envelope and a newspaper clipping. The man’s stepdaughter, sixteen-year-old Sarah Matthews, disappeared a year ago after emptying her mother’s bank account, and allegedly torching her family home.

Now her stepfather wants Fin to find her, but everyone Fin approaches – from classmates to the police – is unwilling to talk about the missing girl, and independent witnesses with no incentive to lie are corroborating stories that can’t possibly be true.

Who the hell is this girl?

As Fin fights to discover the truth, he finds himself sucked into an unforgiving world of violence and sexual obsession that becomes more deadly with each revelation.

A British fast-paced action thriller with shocking plot twists and compelling characters. Don’t miss the heart-pounding first book in the Stuart Finlay thriller series. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben, Robert Crais, and David Baldacci.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning RIPPED INTO?

Jack Chandler: I actually started writing this in my teens with little or no plotting. Just scenes were coming into my head and a story developed. I can’t remember when I actually started, but I know aged 13 or 14, I went to the local police station and started asking questions to a very concerned officer who wanted to know I really wasn’t going to try any of this!

TRC: Is any of the premise based in reality or fact?

Jack Chandler: Elements for sure. There are parts of my life in there, snippets from people I’ve known. You can’t write in a vacuum. Most of it comes from you, and it can be intensely personal stuff, but if you don’t feel it, the reader won’t either.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Jack Chandler: The sequel, 13 Chances, is due out before the end of August. I don’t have an exact date yet – I’ve just sent it off to my editor and it really depends on what she says when I get it back! The first drafts of books 3 and 4 are already written. I haven’t yet thought past that, but I think I’d also like to re-write my romantasy book and get that out there too…

TRC: Do you have a regular love interest planned for your hero?

Jack Chandler: Yes. My hero, Fin, is in love with his girlfriend Gail, and the books all follow their relationship with its highs and lows. He’s very good at reading people, but a bit crap at reading Gail – or maybe his mind is protecting him from what he sees! They have a lot to sort out between the two of them!

TRC: Believability is an important factor in writing story lines especially stories of mystery and suspense. How do you keep the story line believable? Where do you think some author’s fail?

Jack Chandler: You have to bring the reader with you. Everything I write about are things that have happened, will happen, and continue to happen. They’re all grounded in reality. And they have a natural progression. The motivations of characters are clear and stated. And every character has a motivation and method that clashes with every other character. It doesn’t all have to be hanging from a cable car with your fingers cramping. But if you have one character wanting something desperately – where success or failure seriously influences their life or the lives of those he loves – and the other character wanting if not needing the exact opposite with the outcome being equally as important to them, then you have a believable and desperate conflict and two characters with everything to lose. Be consistent with your character, and readers can relate. If you don’t do that, then readers are less willing to take the journey with you.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Jack Chandler: Yes! And I really hope so! Mine was an unusual choice. I bucked the trend a little by not wanting it dark or gloomy and not going for the neon colours in the text that seem to be popular. Also, several people believe having your main character on the front cover now is a bit passe. I don’t care. This self-publishing lark is taking a lot of effort and if I’m going to give it my all, then I’m going to do it my way. I chose a cover I loved. It’s colourful, attractive, still with a hint of doom, and my main character is front and centre. Jem Butcher designed it for me, and I believe he’s done the perfect job.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Jack Chandler: Both. I create the world, give them a space to play in. Then I make something happen. How the characters react to that is sometimes planned, but sometimes they go their own way. Two of the chapters in Ripped Into I typed with my hands in a cold sweat thinking ‘what are you doing? Get out of there!’ The character didn’t listen and the chapters, I think/hope read well. It is an absolute gift when the characters take over. It sounds insane to non-authors, I know, but I really am a very happy, well-adjusted person. Ask any other author you know, and they’ll tell you the same. The characters come alive and when they do, it is bliss.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavour?

Jack Chandler: You need empathy. In the trade it’s called ‘save the cat’ after the very famous book with that title. Readers will get on board with a character they can understand. Even if that character is bad or mean or juicily horrible. Once you understand them, you know their motivations, you can see how they are the hero in their own story, and you can empathise. It doesn’t work if random things happen and there is no explanation or motivation for any of it – say, you have a serial killer without any exploration as to why they do what they do, then it becomes much harder to suspend disbelief and get lost in that world.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Jack Chandler: Definitely not. Can’t focus on the two at once.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Jack Chandler: That we’re in control of the story. And that writing a book is easy. Like most creative pastimes, it is hard and a tough industry. If you can step away from it, do. Those of us who write, do so because we have to. We can’t not write. I’m miserable if I don’t write. It’s like playtime for the brain. If you can take it or leave it, leave it. Save yourself. It’s too late for the rest of us!

TRC: What is something that few, if anyone, know about you?

Jack Chandler: I’m congenitally anosmic – that means I was born with no sense of smell. I seem to be the first in my family, but I’ve handed it down to my kids, so in our house we make up 75% of the population (not including the cat). Out in the world, 1% of the population is anosmic. Only 1% of that 1% are congenitally anosmic – that’s why you probably haven’t heard of it before.

TRC: I think we all learned something new today !

Jack Chandler: And also, my parents messy divorce was written as a backdrop to a thriller (thankfully no longer in print) written by a colleague of my father’s. He had ringside tickets to everything and it’s all out there in black and white in the novel. He did change our names. The divorce happened in 1980. The book came out in 1995, I think. My mum and I found out about it in 2013, but all her friends knew about it. I don’t know if my father ever knew. It is bizarre reading about parties and events played out on the pages of someone else’s novel. And to be fair, the story is quite incredible, if you didn’t know it was true, you might find it far-fetched.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Jack Chandler: I’ve just sent off the sequel to Ripped Into (13 Chances) to my editor. She should get back to me within two-three weeks. I’m working on a German translation of Ripped Into, which I need to prepare the cover for and find out how to publish and link to the English versions.

Pre Order 13 CHANCES: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Release Date: September 1, 2025

I have a webinar, much like this interview, where I will be a guest speaker along with some other authors later this month.I’ve applied to a company that produces (non-AI) audiobooks and I’m waiting to hear back from them within the month, hopefully.

And I’ve just attended the Self-publishing Live conference and Jericho Writers Festival of Writing, both of which have left me a huge list of action points of things to do or improve. Once all that is done, I’ll finish the edits for 13 Chances and get that out in the world, and then get to work on book3 in the series. And at some point, I should probably get some housework done and try to rescue the garden…

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Jack Chandler: Just a huge thank you to you for this opportunity. I don’t have a big publishing house to help me through any of this, and it’s fantastic that you’re happy to interview me as a proud self-published author. Ripped Into became a Hot New Release within 5 days of publication and a #1 Amazon Bestseller within 13 days. I still can’t believe any of that is true! It’s support from people like you that have helped make this happen.

Also, I sell character names in my book to raise money for charity. These characters are what I call ‘Innocent Bystanders’ – they are people the hero interviews or who gives him clues. They are not baddies and not victims. The charity of my choice is TallShips.org who give children from difficult backgrounds a chance to prove to themselves what their worth is, so that no matter what they’re told or how they’re put down in their lives, they KNOW they are wonderful. TallShips.org does amazing work. If any of your readers are interested in having their name, or the name of an impossible-to-buy-for friend, in the book, please get in touch – there’s still time to be in 13 Chances, but there aren’t many spaces available

Here’s the APPLICATION LINK

Oh, and if you would like a free story, please head over to my website for a FREE book which gives you some background on my main character, Fin.

CLICK HERE for a FREE Jack Chandler story

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Salmon stirfry

Favorite Dessert – chocolate brownie or mousse

Favorite TV Show – Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip AND Firefly (sorry, couldn’t choose between them)

Last Movie You Saw – The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Milk, no doubt

Secret Celebrity Crush – Chris Hemsworth (I mean, come on, that’s a given!)

Last Vacation Destination – Stubai Valley, Austria

Do you have any pets? – a wonderful 17-year-old cat who we’ve now had for almost 8 years. He was treated badly in his kittenhood and consequently has some peculiar quirks but is the most loving animal ever.

Last book you read – currently reading ‘Two Horses’ by Susan Ivarr – an excellent book aimed at those women who used to read horsey books as a teen and grew up to find there is nothing in the market for them. I’ve never been a particularly horsey person myself, but I’m getting swept up into the story including the horsey elements, and I have a secret crush on the luscious Calum!!!

TRC: Thank you Jack for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of RIPPED INTO. We wish you all the best.

Jack Chandler: Thank you so much!

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Summer Warrior by Regan Walker-Dual Review & Interview

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Summer Warrior (The Clan Donald Saga #1) by Regan Walker-Dual Review & Interview

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 7, 2020

Somerled’s parentage was noble, of the Kings of Dublin, the royal house of Argyll and the great Ard Ri, the High Kings of Ireland. But when the Norse invaded Argyll and the Isles, his family’s fortunes fell with those of his people. All hope seemed lost when he rose from the mists of Morvern to rally the Gaels, the Scots and the Irish.

Sweeping across Argyll and the Isles like a fast-moving storm, brilliant in strategy and fearless in battle, Somerled began retaking his ancestral lands, driving away the invaders and freeing the people from the Norse stranglehold. In doing so, he would win the title Somerle Mor, Somerled the Mighty, Lord of Argyll, Kintyre and Lorne and, eventually, Lord of the Isles.

This is the unforgettable story of his path to victory that forged the Kingdom of the Isles and won him the heart of a Norse king’s daughter.

•••••••

Sandy’s REVIEW: SUMMER WARRIOR is the first instalment in Regan Walker’s THE CLAN DONALD SAGA historical fiction series.

Lord Somerled MacGillebride, the new leader of the Gaels in the aftermath of an attack against the MacInnes Clan, and the resulting death of their Chief, must undertake a journey to stop the advance of, and the raping and pillaging by the Norse pirates along the coastal waters of Scotland and the Kingdoms of the Isles. Born of a Norse mother and a Gael father, Somerled, of the royal house of Argyll, Kintyre and Lorne, set about to reclaim his family’s fortune, name and ancestral lands where he will come face to face with his future in the guise of Ragnhild, the Princess of Man, daughter of Olaf the Red, King of Man. But a potential war between England and the Scots is on the horizon, and Lord Somerled had previously pledged his support to King David and the Scots, and with the promise comes the likelihood and implied call to duty.

Meanwhile, Ragnhild Olafsdottir, the Princess of Man, chatelaine and daughter of King Olaf the Red, has fallen for our story line hero but King Olaf has bided his time in offering his daughter’s hand in marriage. With more than one suitor vying for her affection, Ragnhild must abide by her father’s wishes but secretly pines for a man whose duty first is to another king and people. Ragnhild is a beautiful, independent and strong willed female who knows her time with her father’s family may be coming to an end. Hoping to reclaim the lands for his son Prince Henry, King David’s call to arms gathers the Chiefs and clans, many of whom will not survive the war.

SUMMER WARRIOR, inspired by historical accounts, is the fictionalized retelling of Lord Somerled MacGillebride, Ragnhild the Princess of Man, and the war between King David and the Scots. Regan Walker’s world building is beautiful, magical and intricate; lifelike and credible. The romance between Ragnhild and Somerled takes a backseat to the wondrous imagery, yet, the attraction is tangible and unmistakable. A captivating and delightful story SUMMER WARRIOR is a fantasy for the mind.

________

Georgianna’s REVIEW: Summer Warrior is a story of historical fiction. The research for this story is excellent and detailed. The author really delves into the time period and marries research with the ability to weave a unique storyline.

The story begins in summer of 1135 A.D. off the coast of the Isle of Man. Somerled MacGillebride, a noble in the royal house of Argyll whose father and many warriors had been defeated by the Norse pirates, sailed near the Isle of Man on his way home. He spotted a white horse galloping across the plain above him and wondered at the rider. A girl with flaming red hair rode like the wind. His brother told him she was the daughter of King Olaf. He thought her spirit was one to be coveted, but he had lost all his lands and had nothing to offer the king for her hand.

Ragnhild, King Olaf’s daughter rode like the wind, running from the hint of marriage to Rognvald Kolsson, Earl of Orkney. She thought he was an evil man and that he’d murdered or had murdered his cousin to gain the title. He looked at her with lustful looks, and she knew he would ask her father for her hand. Her stepmother had just given birth to a male child and wanted her gone.

Okay, that’s pretty much the set-up, except that Somerled was approached by the MacInnes men after their chief had been slain by Norse pirates. They wanted him to lead them all in driving out the pirates and freeing them from Norse oppression.
This is a well-researched saga of the Clan Donald, its founding and recapturing the isles from the Norse. There are battles, wars, and castle building. The romance is light, with only one stolen kiss, but many thoughts of each other as Somerled gains titles and lands to gain the hand of the princess.

If you enjoy historical period adventures and world building, this is a fantastically bold story. The two are meant for each other, but there are no love scenes of stolen moments or anything like that. The love is chaste and yet fulfilling. The isles are well described, the characters are unique and the conversations realistic. The adventures are fierce and many.

Copies supplied for review

TRC:   Hi, Regan and welcome back to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of SUMMER WARRIOR.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow: Website /Amazon Author page /Facebook /Goodreads /Twitter/

I am a lawyer turned writer (though I still practice law on a part time basis). I love reading stories set deep in history and that led me to write my first novel, a Regency, in 2011. Since then, more Regencies followed and then I ventured into other eras. First it was the Middle Ages with the Medieval Warriors series set in England and Scotland and then it was the Georgian era (late 18th century) with dashing sea captains. I am just beginning a new series, The Clan Donald Saga. Book 1 is Summer Warrior.

TRC:  Who or what influenced your career in writing?

I was always a writer but I didn’t always write fiction. I suppose my good friend, Judy, influenced me to go in that direction. She urged me to write one. That led to Racing with the Wind, my first Regency. Ultimately, my love for the ocean led me to write seafaring stories. Every morning, my dog, Cody, and I take walks on the beach. It is very soothing to the soul.

TRC:  What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing your first book?

There weren’t many, really. I had to get used to being inside a character’s head but I discovered I loved storytelling. Some of my books have given me pains in the middle when I’m not sure where they should go. Since my books are all based on real history, that usually helps guide me. I love research, so that is not a problem.

TRC:  Would you please tell us something about the premise of SUMMER WARRIOR?

Since Summer Warrior is the first in the series and sets the foundation for all that follow, its central character is Somerled, the acknowledged founder of Clan Donald. The heroine, Ragnhild, daughter of the King of Man and the Isles, was a beauty and Somerled was smitten. He was, for all I could learn, a handsome charismatic leader, respected by the people of Argyll and the Isles. He built an independent Kingdom of the Isles and freed the people from the Norse stranglehold. When you are writing about the 12th century, there is a dearth of original sources. I read all the ones I could get my hands on and got all the books that spoke of the clan’s history (I have over 40 books for the series and that’s doesn’t account for my Google Books searches and my Internet research). The Internet sources conflict and are not reliable in all cases, however.

TRC:  What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning SUMMER WARRIOR?

I did research for weeks before I wrote anything. And the research didn’t stop after that. Often, I had to look up something while I was writing. I’m very visual so it’s important for me to know what things look like (there is a Pinterest storyboard for Summer Warrior: https://www.pinterest.com/reganwalker123/the-clan-donald-saga-by-regan-walker/). I don’t plot but I do follow a historical timeline.

TRC:  Do you believe authors have a responsibility to be historically accurate when writing an fictional historical story line?

Let me put it this way, stories that are historically accurate are the ones I want to read. I know some readers don’t care. I do.

TRC:  Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Absolutely. Covers will make me want to read a book and they will make me not want to read a book. Titles are also important. Titles that are flip or too cute tell me the author isn’t committed to historical authenticity. I always design my cover very early in the process, when I’m just beginning to write and then I write to the cover.

TRC:  When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Both. I get them in the place and in the scene and then they surprise me. One editor told me I was easy to work with because I knew my characters so well. I think that I do.

TRC:  The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

We must bring our characters to life, showing their hopes and their dreams along with their failures and fears so readers can identify with them. I like to make my heroines inspiring but realistic and my heroes noble of heart and drool-worthy. (I wrote a post on Rogues Who Make Readers Sigh: https://reganromancereview.blogspot.com/2019/02/rogues-who-make-readers-sigh.html.) We fail if we make our characters superficial or trite.

TRC:  Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Yes and the music changes based on the era in which my book is set. For Summer Warrior, I listened to Nordic music and some medieval playlists depending on the scene. Music puts me in the era. And when I begin to play that music, it also brings me into my story. I don’t change the music for the characters but I do change the music for fight scenes and sea battles.

TRC:  What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Oh gosh. That’s a difficult one to answer. I know one of my friends told me she envied me my sex life (many of my Regencies have a graphic love scene or two). I laughed and told her that was all imagination. So, I suppose some readers think we have lived what we write about; not so.

TRC:   What is something that few, if anyone, know about you?

Here’s the short list: I was the football team mascot in high school (a dynamite stick). I learned to ride a motorcycle on an antique Velocette bike. I own a hand gun and shoot well. As a lawyer, people would be surprised to know I am a romantic, though you can see it in my stories. I have also served at high levels of government and some of that helped me understand the role of the Crown in my novels.

Antique Velocette:

TRC:  Who is your favorite author (living or dead)?

I have a list on my blog; it’s pretty long. For historical romance, the short list would include Virginia Henley, Kathleen Givens, Jan Cox Speas, Penelope Williamson, Joanna Bourne, Victoria Holt, Elizabeth Stuart, and Laurie McBain, to name a few. For historical fiction, it is probably Elizabeth Chadwick, who always has a love story or two in her novels.

TRC:  On what are you currently working?

Now that Summer Warrior is launched, I’m doing research for the next in the series, which I expect will be set in 13th century Scotland.

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

I have an award-winning blog, Historical Romance Review: https://reganromancereview.blogspot.com/

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: seafood

Favorite Dessert: chocolate or coffee ice cream

Favorite TV Show: I don’t watch TV, only Amazon Prime and Netflix and those would be historical series or movies; I get my news on the Internet

Last Movie You Saw: Outlaw King

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Dark 70%

Secret Celebrity Crush: Sean Connery (at any age)

Last Vacation Destination: The Scottish Highlands (and I hope to go back next spring)

Do you have any pets? Yes. My dog, Cody, a 3-year-old wirehaired pointing griffon. He’s wonderful.

Last book you read: Sharon Kay Penman’s Time and Chance

Thank you Regan for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of SUMMER WARRIOR. We wish you all the best.

My links:

 

 

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Murder Ballad Blues by Lynda McDaniel-Review & Interview

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Murder Ballad Blues (Appalachian Mountain Mysteries #4) by Lynda McDaniel-Review & Interview

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 15, 2020

Laurel Falls, N.C. 2005 A mysterious death in the North Carolina mountains. Then a second. By the third, the FBI finally gets involved. Trouble is, they’re looking in all the wrong places.

Abit Bradshaw has a theory, but of course the FBI doesn’t take him seriously. When he teams up with musicologist Wallis Harding, bluegrass music becomes more than something to practice and perform. It’s key to finding the serial killer.

Della Kincaid, a former crime reporter in Washington, D.C., can’t seem to escape her past. Now living in the small town of Laurel Falls, she’s busy investigating a fraud case that gets darker at every turn. She’s about to give up when a secretive whistleblower pulls her in again—and back to D.C.

Abit and Della team up once again to convince the FBI to help them with both their crime investigations.

Will Abit and Wallis discover the killer’s pattern … before he strikes again?

Can Della make sense of the whistleblower’s clues before the fraud case is closed for good?

You’ll love this suspenseful mystery because everyone longs to find justice in this crazy world.

Get it now.

This is the fourth novel—a standalone novel—in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. All the favorite characters return, along with the debut of several colorful new ones.

••••••

REVIEW: I like a good murder/mystery and this one wasn’t too bad. In fact I could see it as a movie or tv series.

Della is a reporter digging around for the next big story, married/divorced/still seeing her ex/husband/now boyfriend (yeah I got confused too! She’s known Abit for years and counts him as a close and dear friend.

Vesper junior (Abit) or Rabbit as his wife calls him is happily married with kids and plays in a band with his wife and friends. Life might be dull, but Abit likes it that way thank you. I felt so sorry for Vesper, he got the nickname because his father always called him “a bit slow”, which got shortened over time. I don’t know if I could be called Abit and know it’s nasty and not a cute nickname!

So we have Wallis and Abit bonding over music and using it to track killers, rather ingenious if you ask me.
Della uses her contacts in the paper to dig deeper, hoping to get a story out of it. But wanting to help the FBI (who she shared a sizzling kiss with!)

Reading the cover I did think a ménage. Sadly no, but in a way I’m glad, I don’t think it would have worked out?

The killer was pretty smart, and catching up with him was good. And a couple of clues might have you guessing who it might be.

I liked how we came along for the ride, we saw all the thought processes and saw glimpses of their lives. But it all gets a little too close to home when Abit’s kids get kidnapped by the killer! Will he be able to raise the ransom money in time?

I think there we just a few too many characters in this book, not sure we needed all those extra’s. But other than that, they were all pretty solid.

This book worked backwards, we see Abit running away from the killer, we don’t see who it it, we just see him run…..

Told mainly in Della’s and Abit POV. It needed just a little polishing, I felt something was missing. The connection between Abit and Della was good, the connection between Abit and Wallis wasn’t as well felt.

But I’d happily read another book with these characters in. They did make me smile, and at one point I did get a “scooby doo” moment ?

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie ?

TRC: Hi Lynda and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of MURDER BALLAD BLUES.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

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Lynda: I’ve lived all over this country—from the Midwest to the Deep South to Appalachia to the Mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest and finally California—and yet I find I often start stories and recollections with “When I lived in the mountains of North Carolina ….” My interests in so many things—writing, hiking, nature, mountain music, organic gardening, ecology—took root while I lived on a small farm there, an eager participant in the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s. I made mistakes by the wheelbarrowful, but I learned just about everything that matters to me today.

I was lucky to live near the Campbell Folk School, an amazing center for art, craft, and music (and featured in my novels as The Hickson School of American Studies). That’s where I was introduced to the music of my heritage. The first time I walked into the school’s wood-paneled community room where fiddlers played, it was like finding a lost relative.

My writing career also started at the Campell Folk School. One day the director asked if I’d like to learn public relations. To be honest, I should have answered, “What’s that?” Instead, I said, “Sure,” and took to it like ink to newsprint. I haven’t stopped writing since. These days, I spend my time writing my Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. I started them as a way to share some of the unforgettable stories from my years in the mountains.

Before my novel-writing days, I crafted 1,200 articles for arts and culture magazines such as Southern Living, Country Living, AmericanStyle, Southwest Art, Yoga Journal, American Cinematographer, Chile Pepper, and Restaurants USA. Newspaper articles about art, food, and business ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Charlotte Observer, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, washingtonpost.com, among others. I’ve also written 15 nonfiction books, including several on the art and craft of writing.

I moved to the mountains of North Carolina on a whim. Why not? Let’s see what it’s like, we thought during those adventurous times. But decades later, I believe I was drawn to that place, signing on to a graduate program in life I didn’t realize I needed. By comparison, my life today seems so tame, but that doesn’t worry me. In the mountains of North Carolina, I also learned there is a season for everything.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Lynda: In addition to my lucky break at the Campbell Folk School, I credit my mentor Dick Simms in Atlanta, Georgia for supporting my interest in writing. For writers, self-doubt is never far away, like a grumpy uncle who lives in the basement, poised to come upstairs at the most inopportune times. Dick gave me the encouragement I needed believe in myself. Later, Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird shared invaluable advice that I still draw from today.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing this story?

Lynda: I wanted to incorporate bluegrass and old-timey music into the story, and while I loved the sound, I didn’t know that much about the stories behind murder ballads. I did a lot of research and worked many hours to develop the logistics that Abit Bradshaw and Wallis Harding also work on in Murder Ballad Blues.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of MURDER BALLAD BLUES?

Lynda: Abit Bradshaw worries about the safety of his family when he hears about the first murder in the mountains of N.C. He struggled through his own childhood, thanks to unloving parents and a restrictive community that labeled him “slow.” But he’s found his rightful place in the world as an accomplished woodworker and mandolin musician in the bluegrass band The Rollin’ Ramblers. By the second murder, he has an inkling that music plays a role in the killer’s pattern. He can’t prove it, though, so he reaches out to Wallis Harding, a self-taught mountain music expert. Together they work to discover the killer’s pattern. Their hardest challenge, however, arises after the third murder when they go to the FBI with their theory.

Della Kincaid, Abit’s best friend, is still running Coburn’s General Store in Laurel Falls, N.C. She hasn’t been a crime reporter for years, ever since she left D.C., but she hasn’t lost the curiosity and bravado that made her such a success there. She gets involved in a real-estate fraud case in the N.C. mountains that takes her back to D.C. for help.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the APPALACHIAN MYSTERY series? Do the books have to be read in order?

Lynda: Murder Ballad Blues is the fourth book in the series, and I have two more books planned. Murder Ballad Blues is a standalone. I paid close attention to backstory that needed explaining, but in a way that wasn’t too repetitive for fans of the series. I’ve tried to make each of the books a standalone, but I have to say I think the experience is enhanced by reading the first three in order.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning MURDER BALLAD BLUES?

Lynda: I spent several months mulling over the plot of Murder Ballad Blues. It’s more complex than the first three books in the series. I found it particularly challenging to get the dates and circumstances of the contemporary crimes to jibe with those of the murder ballads.

Fortunately, I have a muse who comes sweeping in, anytime day or night, to offer ideas. The key for any writer is to listen and capture those gifts ASAP before they evaporate like a dream. For example, the character Wallis Harding came to me like that, and I think he’s one of the most successful characters I’ve ever developed. He’s funny, ornery, and kind, all wrapped in one.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Lynda: I do, especially with online sales and all the competition for readers’ time and money. I believe a cover’s appeal to a potential buyer is as much subconscious as conscious, which adds to the challenge of getting it right. The publishing gurus all say to test your covers, and I have done that with the first three books. I especially like the cover for Murder Ballad Blues; it’s got the misty-mountain-moonlit-river-thing going just right—straight out of one of the crime scenes in the book.

TRC: When writing a story line, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Lynda: We work together. Like I mentioned about the muse, while I’m writing about any of my characters, they come swooping in. Abit told me many times what he wanted to say, especially when he talks about his son, Conor, and his fears about his family’s safety. He’s the kind of father he longed to have when he was young. And Della, well, she’s sassy and says things I wish I could say!

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Lynda: I can only speak for myself, but I think we need to write more from our hearts, rather than our heads. When I do that, the scenes always work better. It’s hard, though, because these days there are so many so-called experts bandying about rules and restrictions. I find that draws us back into our heads, and the results are more wooden. Yes, we need to know the rules, but edicts like “don’t use ‘was’ or ‘ing words’” swirling in our heads can smother the creative spirit. I like to think of my readers and imagine that my words are like throwing my arms around them.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Lynda: I usually don’t listen to music when I’m writing fiction. When I wrote nonfiction magazine articles and books, I could listen to music—but not with fiction writing. I need to hear the muse and characters when they make the scene. That said, for Murder Ballad Blues I did listen to a lot of bluegrass and old-timey music so I knew what I was writing about (and I loved every minute of it).

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Lynda: That they write beautiful first drafts. Anne Lamott was one of the first authors who helped me debunk that myth in her book Bird by Bird. That book was a godsend, as I mentioned earlier.

TRC: What is something that few, if anyone, knows about you?

Lynda: I was a traveling artist/weaver for a number of years while living on the farm in N.C. I learned to weave at the Campbell Folk School, and for about five years I traveled the art-show circuit selling my wall hangings.

TRC: Who is your favorite author (living or dead)?

Lynda: Graham Greene.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Lynda: I’m musing about Book Five in the series as I work on marketing Murder Ballad Blues. I plan to set it in a place a little different from Laurel Falls, N.C. More to be revealed later …

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Lynda: I hope anyone who longs to write—whether that’s a memoir, book, article—will listen to his/her heart and do it. The world is full of naysayers, but you can do it. Humble yourself to learn more about your genre and the art of writing in general, but listen to that voice within.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Cheese, almost any kind

Favorite Dessert: Cookies, almost any kind

Favorite TV Show: “Rectify,” beautifully written by Ray McKinnon

Last Movie You Saw: I’m having trouble with this one, given the shelter-in-place order and the dearth of good movies. The last good movie I saw was “Barbara,” a German movie I re-watched because of its tragic but beautiful story of selfless love.

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Milk

Secret Celebrity Crush: Matthew Rhys

Last Vacation Destination: Mendocino, California

Do you have any pets? Late last year I lost my beloved dog, Mollie, at only 4 years old. Murder Ballad Blues is dedicated to her, and she’s memorialized in the book as Abit Bradshaw’s dog, who he describes as “precious like no other.”

Last book you read: Fallen Mountains by Kimi Cunningham Grant. Exquisite writing.

TRC: Thank you Lynda for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of MURDER BALLAD BLUES. We wish you all
the best. Thank you!

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