Category: Murder Mystery

Author Interview – Saffron Amatti

Paranormal Mystery Author

It’s time to meet author, Ligia de Wit and find out about her writing journey and her book Seven Hundred Beachfront.

Helen: Welcome, Saffron. It’s wonderful to have you on my blog. I’m looking forward to hearing more about what you’ve been working on since we last spoke. Tell is about your latest book.

Saffron: My most recently published book is Dripping Poison, book 3 in the Beyond The Veil Detectives series. 
It’s December 1929, and four young private investigators have been summoned by a dead man to a remote manor in the heart of the snow-blanketed English countryside. Before dinner, they’re forced to attend a seance that isn’t all it seems…And after dinner, someone is dead. 
Snowed in with a killer, the sleuths must now not only solve the mystery that brought them to Wilmott Manor, but they must now catch whoever is murdering his family one by one. 

Helen: I love your characters, so I am sure this is amazing. What were your thoughts behind you cover?

Saffron: So, I design all my covers myself (art classes finally coming in handy!) and I can probably go into far more detail than you could ever actually want. 
But essentially, I keep the same format across the covers for the series – the dark Art Deco-patterned background, the central image, the fonts and overall layout – to keep the covers cohesive. Then, I change the image (in this case, a rose) to something relevant to the story, and pick a bright contrasting accent colour. If I can squeeze a skull or a bloodstain or something similarly macabre in there too, so much the better! Anything to indicate it’s a murder mystery when someone is scrolling by.

Helen: You are so clever designing the covers yourself. How did you come up with the title?

Saffron: Dripping Poison is a book that was written for a title. Basically, I thought it sounded like a book title I’d pick up, and wrote something to fit! 

Helen: It certainly sounds deadly! And suits your series. What made you write this particular book?

Saffron: Though the book could’ve gone in various directions, a major and perhaps unexpected theme is faking paranormal activity. Which wasn’t something I planned specifically for this book, but a few years ago, the local reader/writer group I’m part of asked me to write a murder mystery evening for our Christmas party. 
Me being me, I couldn’t resist putting ghosts in it – but I didn’t want it to relate to my books, so I created a fake seance (and slightly unnerved some of my fellow players because I didn’t write a script, just handed out character sheets and instructions to have fun improvising, and maaaaaybe accidentally-on-purpose didn’t tell everyone about the “ghosts” thing. Sorry, guys!) 
However, I loved the idea of dropping a real psychic medium (like my character, Lucas Rathbone) into a totally fake séance with lots of “paranormal” activity, and seeing what happened, so I found a place for it in Dripping Poison.

Helen: I always feel so sorry for Lucas. You are always dropping him into difficult situations! When did you first realise you had a passion for writing?

Saffron: Oh, gosh, I didn’t really. I sort of fell into it by accident. I basically thought of a story I wanted to read and wrote it, then wrote nothing for a couple of years until I thought of another story I wanted to read. Now I just keep on doing that, though I’m slightly more proactive about finding the stories nowadays!

Helen: Nice, that’s a very relaxed process. No pressure is good! Which element of the writing process do you find most challenging and why?

Saffron: Usually I’d say editing, but currently, I have an outline that’s refusing to be finished. I know what happens at the end of the book. I know whodunit, whydunnit, howdunnit, and all the red herrings and twists we’ll come across on the way to solving the murders. But the exact order of things is refusing to be pinned down. 

Helen: Timelines can be the most challenging. The order in which things happen is really important and frustrating to get right! Talking about timelines, who first inspired you to write?

Um… whoever wrote the three or four really awful mysteries I read back-to-back before I decided enough was enough and I should write my own book?!
Partially because I didn’t think it was altogether fair to criticise people’s efforts in something I’d never done, but mostly because I figured I couldn’t do any worse!
I wouldn’t name and shame them, though, even if I could remember the books.

Helen: What a great reason to start writing. I’m so glad you did! Tell us about the genre write and why you chose it.

Saffron: I write historical murder mysteries with a paranormal twist. Or, paranormal mysteries set in the past, if you prefer. It’s been several years, and a dozen published books, and I still don’t know how best to describe them!

I grew up watching TV programs like Poirot, Midsomer Murders, and Jonathan Creek, so I guess murder mysteries are something I’m familiar with and felt like a natural fit. I’m also a bit of a history nerd, so again, it just felt natural to set my books in the past! Plus, the 1920s are a classic era for the kind of books I wanted to write.

As for having a psychic sleuth, I’ve been interested in the paranormal since I was a kid, and having a detective who could speak to the murder victims seemed interesting to me!

Helen: What is the best thing that has happened to you since you began writing?

Saffron: Finding a community of writers, especially on Instagram. Right from the start, they’ve been so welcoming, so generous, so supportive, and so all-round lovely. I’ve made real friendships, found help when I’ve needed it (and given help in return, which is truly an honour), and people who truly get how wonderful, frustrating, joyous, heart-wrenching, and magnificently challenging writing and publishing is. 

Helen: The support of the writing community is so important to new writers, and the contined support is inspiring. What is one of the most useful resources you use when writing?

Saffron: I draft in an online writing program called 4 The Words, which has gamified writing sprints into an RPG where you battle monsters by writing a certain amount of words in a set time. Very useful for keeping scatterbrained people like me focused! 

Helen: That sounds like so much fun and a great way to get words down on paper!! What a great resource to help people focus. How do you get the ideas for a new book?

Saffron: Generally, by stumbling across something interesting and idly wondering how it could be used to kill someone! I then figure out who would use something like that, who they would kill, why they’d kill that person in particular, and why the ghost wouldn’t just tell Lucas who killed them.

Helen: You always make it so difficult for Lucas. Lol! What are you doing to him next? Tell us about your current WIP.

Saffron: Hanged By Silk is the fourth book in the Beyond The Veil Detectives series, and much like the last one, is being written because I thought it was a good title for a book!  (In case you’re wondering, apparently the English aristocracy could, if sentenced to hang, request a rope made from silk. This has no bearing on the story, though!)

It’s taking place in London just before Christmas 1929, and my team of four private investigators have split up to investigate two very different cases: one, the trade in fake antiquities, and the other, the murder of a young woman at a ritzy teetotal club. 

Lucas, as the psychic medium on the team, thinks he ought to drop the antiquities case that’s boring him to tears and switch to the murder – but his wife and their friend Tommy want to prove their sleuthing prowess without supernatural help. So, Lucas is stuck on the deadly dull case with Tommy’s husband, Noah, and fretting about the woman he loves confronting dangerous killers, when…

When he steps into a junk shop and is overwhelmed with a feeling of dread, like something evil lurks in the shadows, watching him with curiosity, wondering what he is and how it can use him. He’s felt this once before, right at the start of the book, when a witch helping him understand his hated “Gift” hands him a necromancer’s notebook, and it makes his skin crawl. 

Unwilling to let things that feel like… that stay out in the world where anyone could find them, Lucas and Noah start trying to find these objects. But when their investigation leads them back to the murder their spouses are untangling, perhaps it’s better the two groups join forces after all…

Helen: I know Lucas is your protagonist. Why did you write her/him?

Saffron: Lucas Rathbone arrived, unbidden and unnamed, in my head somewhere around the end of 2018, then spent six months nagging me to write his story. I do it mostly to shut him up, to be honest. No, I jest. Well, not entirely – the nagging really happened – however, I really just loved the idea of a psychic sleuth, particularly one who didn’t embrace their “Gift” but used it anyway, because it’s the right thing to do.

Helen: If Lucas could answer, why would he say we should read your book?

Saffron: “For the love of God, please don’t read it. I hate the attention, and Saffron only ever writes about the worst, most difficult parts of my life. She’s not as funny as she thinks she is, either.”

I’m so grateful for his help…

Helen: You guys have this love-hate relationship. It’s so funny to watch. Moving on to the business of writing. What is the most useful piece of writing advice you’ve received, and by whom?

Saffron: My friend, DP Haka, told me to make a cup of coffee and imagine sitting down with my character and talking to them as if they were someone I was meeting for the first time.

I fear this may have led Lucas to think he ought to be treated as an equal partner in this whole writing malarkey. However, as a comment I frequently get about Lucas is that he feels like an old friend, perhaps that’s a deal I can live with.

Helen: Every writer experiences self-doubt. How do you overcome the fear and the little doubting voice in your head to keep writing?

Saffron: So. The long answer is:

I’ve always been “arty”, and through school, college, and university, took whatever creative courses seemed fun. And anyone who says the creative arts are a “soft option” has clearly never been on one of these courses (at least, not with the lecturers I got), because every damn week you pour your heart and soul into something, only for someone to critique the living daylights out of it – sometimes in front of your peers – then tell you to go away and do it again for next week.

At which point, they’ll tear that apart, too. But if you want to pass your course – and I’m too stubborn to give in when I probably should – you must do it.  If this sounds rough, it is. It destroys any confidence you ever had, but you have two options: either stay destroyed, or pick up your shattered ego and reform it into something new, preferably retrieving whatever gold may have been buried in the “constructive” criticism you’ve just endured.

It might take a lot of time and effort, it’ll never return to how it was before, and it’ll crack again with every harsh word you get about your work, but if you don’t pick yourself up again, that little creative spark, the thing that drove you to make something in the first place, will die forever. And whoever said you weren’t good enough will be right. 

So, for me, that little voice in my head got bricked up behind the pieces of my broken heart a long, long time ago, and I can barely hear it any more. If I do, I tell it it’s wrong, because I win. They don’t.

The short answer is spite.

Helen: As a writer you have to accept that not everyone will like your work. It’s those that love it that you need to listen to. My reader’s support is what keeps me writing more. Let’s chat about your writing proocess. How do you fit your writing into your everyday life?

Saffron: I’m very lucky that I generally have a chunk of time every day to write in, so fitting it in isn’t much of a problem (having no kids, no social life, and no TV helps a lot!). But when I am too busy to get to the laptop and write for a decent amount of time, I have a Bluetooth keyboard that links to my phone. I can get set up to write in seconds, can put everything away again almost instantly, and write wherever I am.

Helen: Do you listen to music when you write, if so, what do you listen to and why?

Saffron: I listen to the soundtrack from the Monster Hunter World game, because it’s mostly epic orchestral music without lyrics. I’m also very familiar with it all, so it helps me block out the world/keeps my brain busy without being distractingly new!

Helen: As you write a period novel, how much research do you do for each book?

Saffron: As much as needs doing! Sometimes, if I’m pretty familiar with everything involved, it’s barely any – just a few things here and there to check I’ve remembered correctly. But other times, when I’ve had an idea and don’t reeeeally know how to implement it, research can take three times as long as writing. Usually, it’s somewhere in between.

Helen: Are you a pantser or a planner? Do you write free form, or do you have a framework you stick to?

Saffron: Kinda both. I do a lot of brainstorming for my books, and then once I think I know what’s going to happen, I’ll pants the outline. In fact, I usually pants it several times, getting in a horrible tangle along the way. However, I figure that, going back to the Terry Pratchett quote earlier, this is a quicker way of telling myself the story than trying to get the entire thing out of my head in something resembling a book. It’s also much quicker to add something to an outline than it is to a full draft. I’ve done that before, and these things have a habit of having knock-on effects throughout the book.

Once I’m happy with an outline, I’ll tidy it up into bullet points for each scene, which I stick pretty closely to.

Helen: Do you ever encounter writer’s block? If you do, what do you do to overcome it?

Saffron: Take a break. For me, it generally means something in a scene isn’t working, and I need to step back and do something else for a while. The problem usually works itself out whilst I’m not thinking about it, or I come back with a fresh set of eyes that can see where the issue is.

Helen: I agree, sometimes it’s better to just let the back brain noodle on it for a while, and then when you go to sleep, the answer comes to you. Or it does for me. Who is your favourite character from your book?

Saffron: Ooh, tough question! I love them all, but Tommy has the most interesting backstory, and honestly, he throws the most curveballs, as you’ll see later. Keeps things interesting… even if I sometimes wish he’d just finish a scene the way I planned it!

Helen: I think Tommy grew on everyone. If you didn’t write mystery then which genre would you like to try and write in next?

Saffron: Funny story, I nearly didn’t write mystery at all!

Before I started writing Lucas and co, I kicked around a couple of other ideas. One was a kid’s mystery series, another was a near-future sci-fi, but the one I actually started writing was a time travel alt-history set in WW2 Germany.

But there was too much research I didn’t want to do. Sci-fi isn’t a genre I’m super familiar with, certainly not the time travel subgenre, but I know the fanbase love their details to be precise. Similarly, WW2 German isn’t a period of history I know much about (I hate military history of any kind, but particularly the World Wars) but I can’t fudge details because there are plenty of people out there who love all that stuff and know every single tiny thing about the war.

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t work without time-travelling Nazis, so I ditched that and invented a cute village in 1920s England instead, so no one could tell me I’d got something wrong about a real place.

Then my characters ended up in London, but we won’t talk about that.

Helen: I’m so glad you ended up in the twenties! It would have been a great shame to have never met Lucas and the crew. Most authors read a lot. Do you have a favourite book? Tell us why you like it so much?

Saffron: Oh, this is a tough one. Currently, it’s probably – and please don’t take this as a recommendation to read it, because it isn’t – Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh.

I actually picked it up as research and without knowing much about it, other than it was a (probably) semi-biographical book set in 1920s England with a bisexual male main character who has a same-sex relationship.

My character Tommy is a bisexual man living in 1920s England who is in a same-sex relationship, so I thought – brilliant. This is literally perfect for retroactively researching something I never planned for, because Tommy kinda neglected to mention he likes boys when he crash-landed in my first book, then took one look at Noah in book 6 and went “that one”, despite me having invented a nice girl for him to marry instead. This is what I meant earlier about curveballs, and this isn’t even the curviest one he’s thrown me.

Incidentally, I expected the same-sex romance in Brideshead Revisited to be more “read between the lines,” but nope. It was obvious Charles and Sebastian were a couple. What’s even more interesting is other characters clearly knew about their relationship too, but often seemed accepting of it. Totally unexpected, especially as the book was first published in 1945, a couple of decades before homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK. Anyway, I went into it expecting something fluffy and light-hearted about the upper classes. Kinda like Jeeves and Wooster, but a romance instead of a comedy. And for a good chunk of the book, it was charming, heart-warming romance, albeit with a dark undercurrent.

However, the reason I DON’T recommend Brideshead Revisited to just anyone is because it lures you in with this darling romance between two sweet young men, and – spoiler alert – then utterly destroys their lives. It’s beautifully written, completely compelling, bold, brave, unexpected, and absolutely something that SHOULD be read, but it’s still bleaker than a Bronte novel read in a leaky bus stop on a grey day in November when you’ve stepped in a puddle with leaky shoes.

Not something to be read if you’re feeling down, basically. And I think it’s important to point this out, because it completely floored me, and it’s fantastically written. But how I wish I’d known what I was getting myself into… Oh, heavy Catholic themes too, so if that’s a trigger for anyone, give this a wide berth. Anyway. My favourite book was heavier than I expected, and I loved it.

Helen: What are some of the books you read recently that you would recommend to others?

Saffron: I’ve just finished Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, and had forgotten just how good it was. 

I seem to be into re-reading at the moment, actually, as I’ve just re-read The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie, which again, very good. I’m a huge fan of the Jeeves and Wooster books, so always recommend those. 

Not such recent reads, but Love Habit by TL Clark was one of my favourites from last year, and Raven Song by Jennifer Brasington-Crowley is excellent, and When We Were Out Of The Ordinary by Elen Chase is gorgeous. Having always said I hate romances, it’s quite surprising to find myself recommending three of them!

Helen: It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, Saffron. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. Just to close us out, what advice would you give new writers?

Saffron: Just do it. Don’t think too hard about it, don’t second-guess yourself, and don’t, whatever you do, edit as you go. Get everything out of your head, then come back to fix it later.

You’ll think it’s absolutely awful and want to consign it to the bin immediately – but remember every book you love has been edited a dozen times or more, and didn’t go to print the second the author wrote “the end.”

Your favourite author also looked at something resembling word salad, probably cried a bit, and then rolled up their sleeves to form the clay they’d just created into a beautiful object they were proud of. 

There’s a quote from Terry Pratchett that says “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story,” and it really is. Once you know the story, you can refine it into something actually readable, but you can never get to that point unless you get that first draft out of your head.

About the Author – Saffron Amatti

Saffron Amatti is the author of the Lucas Rathbone Mysteries, a series of historical cozy mysteries with a ghostly twist set in 1920s England. She lives in a rather pretty village in Derbyshire, UK, where she spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about how to kill people and (almost) get away with it. This is almost entirely in relation to her writing, but she keeps her family on their toes by throwing a little doubt in occasionally.

Follow Saffron on social:

Universal links to all Saffron’s books: https://mybook.to/SaffronAmattiBooks

Saffron’s website: www.saffron-amatti.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saffron.amatti/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaffronAmattiAuthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@saffron.amatti

Pintrest: https://uk.pinterest.com/saffronamattiauthor/

Purchase Dripping Poison by Saffron Amatti

UK: eBook | Paperback
USA: eBook | Paperback

As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.

If you enjoy epic fantasy then check out my award winning Sentinal series, which is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love my SoulMist series, start with SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fantasy? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.

Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

Sign up to my newsletter and download a free copy of Sentinals Stirring

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Book Review Alert: Grave Situation by Louisa Masters

Reviewed: May 11th, 2025
Released: March 20th, 2025
Genre: Epic Fantasy (LGBTQ)


He’s not the hero they deserve, but he’s the hero they’ve got.

No, seriously. Talon wants to know what he did to deserve this. What would make a sentient rock decide that he of all people should be the one to save the world from zombies? That’s right. Zombies. Because apparently a higher power decided that teaching magic to teenagers wasn’t enough of a challenge.

With a ridiculously attractive healer (who may or may not hate him), his sister (who he miiiight have a forbidden telepathic link with), a sentient god-like rock (that can only communicate via yes/no vibes), a disdainful dragon, and a rude matchmaking horse by his side, he just might be able to save the world.

Or die trying.

Meet Talon Silverbright. He’ll save the world, but only because a rock said he has to. Read My Thoughts…

Book Review Alert: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

Reviewed: April 19th, 2025
Released: January 2nd, 2025
Genre: Fantasy Murder Mystery


For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To mark this incredible feat, the Emperor’s ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess’s Mountain.

Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing. Except one: Ganymedes Piscero – class clown, slacker, and all-round disappointment.

But when a beloved heir is murdered, every one of these powerful people becomes a suspect.

Now Ganymedes – alone and vulnerable without a Blessing – must become the hero he was never born to be.

With the body-count rising, can he unmask the killer before they reach the shore? Read My Thoughts…

Author Interview – Jeff Kerr

Author of the murder mystery novel, Murder creek

I am very pleased to welcome Jeff Kerr to my blog this week, and we’re chatting about his crime fiction novel, Murder Creek, the third book in his Adam Cash series.

Helen: Welcome Jeff. Welcome to my blog. It’s not often we get crime fiction authors on my blog, so I’m excited to chat about your books. Tell us about the latest book you’ve released.

Jeff: My latest book Murder Creek, is book 3 in the Adam Cash mystery series. The plot concerns a modern Texas sheriff’s deputy, Adam Cash, investigating the theft of a secret stash of cash from a local ranch. The investigation takes a dark turn when Cash finds the body of one of the thieves in the woods. As he uncovers clues, other bodies turn up, and Cash knows he is on the trail of a ruthless killer. An attempt on his life makes it clear that his survival depends on solving the crimes.

Helen: I am very happy to say that I’ve read Murder Creek, and you can find my review here. I thoroughly enjoyed your novel and the twists and turns you take the reader through. As with any book, the cover needs to reflect the genre. How did you choose this design?

Jeff: The cover is intended to convey both genre and place. My designer, Cheynne Edmonston, worked hard to create an image that instantly lets readers know the plot involves danger in the Texas Hill Country. I hired Cheynne beginning with book 2 in the series and asked him to look for inspiration to the covers of C.J. Box, Jeff Carson, and Craig Johnson. Down the road, I’ll ask him to design a new cover for book 1 as well.

Helen: It absolutely works. What made you choose to write crime fiction?

Jeff: I write crime fiction because it’s one of my favorite genres to read. Plots allow for character development, intrigue, and sharp twists. My goal is to keep the reader guessing while presenting enough clues for everything to make sense in the end. Twists must be satisfying and, of course, Cash must get the baddie.

I set the series in the Texas Hill Country because of my close ties to the region’s culture, geography, and people. Although I live in Austin, I spend much time at a weekend retreat near a small town, Blanco, that inspired Cash’s hometown of Pinyon.

Helen: Tell us about your protagonist, Adam Cash.

Jeff: Good crime fiction protagonists must be smart, brave, and persistent. They must also have a chink in their armor. Deputy Adam Cash confronts danger without flinching, yet shrivels in the face of emotional turmoil. That tendency drives Edie, the love of his life, crazy.

Helen: I think your portrayal of Adam works really well, and I sympathise with Edie, because he doesn’t have a clue, even though he knows he’s messing up. Where do you get your plot ideas from? It must be difficult coming up with new murder scenaries and enough twist and turns to throw the reader of the scent.

Jeff: Everyone wants to know where authors get their ideas! In my case, there is no easy answer. Usually, I find myself asking, what if? For Blunt Force Trauma, I asked myself what would happen if a man who wanted to be a deputy was framed for the sheriff’s murder. Second Death came from mulling over what would happen if an unusual item was found on an accident victim. For Murder Creek, I wondered what would happen if someone kept a large sum of cash in their home. And for the next book, Roadkill, yet to be written, I want to create a story about modern cattle rustling.

Helen: Do you find you need to plan your books to get the flow right? Or do you prefer to let the writing take you where it will.

Jeff: I’m a bit of both, which I believe is true for most authors. Before writing the first page, I create a rough outline of plot and characters. Once I start writing, I’m apt to deviate substantially from that. And once my editor has a say, look out!

Helen: Have you read any books recently that you would recommend to other readers?

Jeff: My wife and I recently listened to the audio versions of Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy series. In my view, these books are as close to perfection as a crime fiction author can get. I’d stack them up against anything else in the genre.

Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today. Just to close us out, what’s the best piece writing advice you’ve recieved?

Jeff: Jeff Carson, an author I admire, has been kind enough to offer advice and encouragement when I’ve bugged him with questions. He told me to remember I’m playing the long game. In other words, success comes only with time and hard work. I must be patient.

I also keep in mind a quote I’ve seen attributed to Jodi Picoult: “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”

About the Author

Jeff Kerr

Jeff Kerr wasn’t born in Texas but says “y’all” like a native. He wrote a poem in the third grade that earned him a school prize, a book about the American flag. You’d think that would have inspired him to become a writer but that came later.

Jeff wrote and published his first book twenty years ago. He hadn’t planned on doing so until one night at the supper table his son interrupted a discourse about local history by saying, “Enough, Dad! Write a book.” Choosing to interpret a teenager’s flip remark as sage advice, he did. Six books later, he calls himself an author. So there.

When Jeff isn’t writing you can find him floating a Texas river or battling cedar on his small slice of Hill Country land. When he is writing, he stays busy by creating pulse-pounding crime thrillers that, according to one reader, “move along like a runaway locomotive.” Thank you for spurring me to action, son.

Author website

Facebook: facebook.com/JeffKerrAuthor/

Twitter: x.com/jkerr50

Bookbub: bookbub.com/authors/jeff-kerr

Instagram: instagram.com/jkerr50/

Tiktok: tiktok.com/@authorjeffkerr

Purchase Jeff’s book, Murder Creek

Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback

Link to book on Amazon US: eBook | Paperback

As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.

If you enjoy epic fantasy then check out my award winning Sentinal series, which is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love my SoulMist series, start with SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fantasy? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.

Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

Sign up to my newsletter and download a free copy of Sentinals Stirring

By clicking the sign up button above, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and the newsletter platform provider to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

By signing up to my newsletter, you agree to receive commercial information from Helen Garraway, located at 61 Bridge St, Kingston, Hertfordshire, UK (Data Administrator). You can withdraw your consent at any time. The data will be processed until the consent is withdrawn.

Book Review Alert: Murder Creek by Jeff Kerr

Reviewed: November 13th, 2024
Released: October 23rd, 2024
Genre: Murder Mystery


Texas stalwart author, Jeff Kerr, delivers the hardest-hitting Adam Cash story yet, a barn burner of a crime thriller that fans of Craig Johnson and C.J. Box won’t want to miss.

When a man from Dieter Bergheim’s past shows up at an assisted living facility, demanding retribution for a decades-old betrayal, Dieter refuses to make amends. Days later, a break-in at his brother Emil’s ranch leaves one man dead and a hidden stash of cash exposed. Noble County sheriff’s deputy Adam Cash, a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan and a former high school football hero, is pulled headfirst into the investigation, grappling with smalltown loyalties and his own haunting memories of war as he uncovers a dark and tangled web of secrets as big and bold as the Lone Star state itself.

Cash discovers $1.4 million missing, a mysterious hole in a workshop floor, a murder weapon, and a list of suspects as long as a Texas highway. As the bodies pile up and the clues grow more perplexing, Cash must untangle a trail that leads him to confront his most dangerous foes yet and face his darkest fears. But when the killer sets their sights on Cash and breaks into his home to kill him, Cash has to wonder if he’s the hunter or the hunted. Read more…

Book Review Alert: Divine Guidance by Shari T. Mitchell

Reviewed: January 25th, 2024
Released: October 10th, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Murder Mystery

Psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly battles inner demons every day. But when the “demon” is flesh and blood, will the final analysis be murder?

Marnie Reilly is a hot-headed counselor with a difficult past; a dead mother, father, brother and an abusive ex-boyfriend. She has publicly taken on “The Collective,” a group of psychics and charlatans who sell hope at top dollar to troubled people looking for answers. They have threatened her, but she hasn’t taken their “hoodoo voodoo” nonsense seriously – until now.

When the police find Marnie’s ex-boyfriend’s dead body in her shed, she finds herself in the middle of a murder inquiry. Serious questions arise about her involvement in the murder and Marnie is certain The Collective has framed her.
Marnie, her Border Collie, a childhood friend and a cranky detective battle thunder, rain, ice and blizzards to end a rash of murders in the sleepy city of Creekwood. Will the ghosts of her past help too? Read My Thoughts…

Read my Thoughts…

Book Review Alert: Followers of the Owl by M.G Hernandez

Reviewed: January 21st, 2024
Released: August 18th, 2022
Genre: Mystery Suspense

A girl and a boy, haunted by their past, must battle their personal demons to fight the evil hiding in plain sight.

Eighteen-year-old Dee Bailey works hard on her personal brand. She’s intelligent and passionate about her community. To her peers, she’s a great friend and everyone’s favorite social butterfly.

But when alone, she’s terrorized by a secret that leaves her cowering to the floor. Until one night, a mysterious girl in white appears on the manicured lawn of her family’s vacation home. She follows the robed figure into the woods with no clue that she’s about to change the course of her future.

Meanwhile, Brandon Cuenca is drowning in the weight of his self-sabotage. Mourning the death of his girlfriend, he throws himself deep into a world of drug binges and questionable life choices—until the news of another disappearance of a Wakefield teenager forces him to set his problems aside. The victim was the third girl abducted in their social circle.

But when a chance encounter lands him in her path, he learns that bringing her home is more complicated than finding her. What happens when the missing doesn’t want to be found?

Followers of the Owl explores greed, avarice and the human need to find light in the darkness.

Trigger Warnings: Use of profanity, drug use/alcohol use, no sex but brief sexual interactions, dysfunctional relationships, brief discussions of triggering topics: sexual/physical abuse.

Read my Thoughts…

Author Interview – Shari T. Mitchell

Author of Fatal Vow

I’m very excited to chat to Indie Author Shari T. Mitchell who has just released the third book in her Marnie Reilly series, Fatal Vow, and she has made time to talk to us about her new release. Join me as we celebrate her new release and chat about her books.

Helen: Welcome Shari. Congratulations on releasing your latest book this week, and thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. Tell us a little about your new release.

Shari: Fatal Vow, Marnie Reilly Mysteries Book 3, is a mystery thriller with a paranormal twist. Marnie Reilly’s last year has been an absolute shitstorm. She fought off her fair share of psychopaths and dealt with a rash of murders over the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. She desperately wants to protect the people she loves, so she removes the danger catalyst from the equation—herself. Fatal Vow opens on the first day of summer. She’s returned home to Creekwood after 4 months holed up with a friend in Northern New York to find trouble has followed her.

When a long-held truth hides a sick, twisted lie, will the psychic psychologist’s greatest enemy save her from a fate worse than death?

The last year has been an absolute shitstorm for psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly. Desperate to protect her loved ones from the evil stalking her, she fled her hometown of Creekwood, New York. 

It’s the first day of Summer and she’s back in town to make amends and take control of the chaos of her past. But her greatest enemy is hot on her heels with an axe to grind. Or is that just an illusion created by a madman?

Helen: It sounds like Marnie finds trouble wherever she goes. What can you tell us about your thoughts behind the cover?

Shari: My MC Marnie Reilly has purchased a new home! There was nothing wrong with her previous house, unless you consider her abusive ex’s body being dumped in her shed and two police officers being murdered on her doorstep worrisome. Marnie is settling into an old homestead on a 550-acre ranch where troughs and crops receive their watery nourishment from a windmill that has stood for over 100 years. It is hit by lightning often, dispelling the old wives’ tale that lightning doesn’t strike the same spot twice. It’s a theme in Marnie’s life as bad things happen – A LOT.

Helen: The lightening strike is effective! How about the title? How did you choose the title?

Shari: Cross my heart and hope to die may be a harmless childhood promise, but could it be a deadly, self-fulfilling prophecy?

Helen: Oh, clever. I like the tie into something that seems harmless. Fatal Vow is the third book in the series, what drove you to write this story?

Shari: Fatal Vow is the third book in the Marnie Reilly Mysteries series. As a fiction writer, my characters are very real to me. They natter at me when I am not writing. Anyway, I have a character  (an antagonist) who needed me to tell their truth, so I obliged.

Helen: Tell us more about your protagonist, Marnie.

Shari: Marnie Reilly is the psychic psychologist with a tragic past, a quick temper, and a huge heart. Because I use writing to heal from trauma, I created Marnie following a difficult situation I was processing. I was feeling beaten (literally) so I developed a character who was strong yet vulnerable and who had the fortitude to withstand controversial and emotionally difficult experiences. It’s cathartic to kill off an ex in a story. [smirking]

Helen: I’m glad you were able to find a release through writing. I find writing very cathartic as well. If I were to ask Marnie why we should read her books, what would she say?

Shari: Ha-ha! Marnie is an animal lover, so she would tell you to read the series to meet her Border Collies Tater and Dickens.

Helen: A very good reason! Who is your favourite character to write?

Shari: Easy! Detective Tom Keller! He’s funny, kind, handsome, a scaredy cat, but he’s also brave when he needs to be. He’s not comfortable with the paranormal and squirms at the thought of ghosts being in his proximity. Tom is a prankster and my comic relief. When things get too serious, he does or says something to cut the mood. Like me, he doesn’t have a filter.

Helen: He sounds like a terrific character. When did you realise you had a passion for writing?

Shari: From a young age. I’m a storyteller and was one long before I even knew the alphabet. My sisters went to school before I did, so I entertained myself with make believe and would share my stories with my mother while we had lunch. And I come from a long line of bullsh*tters, so that helps.

Helen: Was there anyone in particular who inspired you to write?

Shari: Gosh! Heaps of people, starting with my mother and two lovely English teachers who encouraged me. But a life event made me dive into writing. My father died when I was seventeen. Notebooks and pens became my best friends, and writing was the perfect escape for teen angst and grief.

Helen: How do you come up with ideas for your books?

Shari: I wish I could say there is an elaborate process, but I can’t. Stories simply pop into my head.

Helen: Most of my ideas arrive when I’m trying to go to sleep! Are you working on a book now?

Shari: I am currently writing Marnie Reilly Mysteries Book 4. I have a macabre Halloween short story on the go, too. It is outside of the series and allows me to stretch my writing chops.

Helen: That will please your fans. They are always looking for the next book as soon as you finish the last one. Let’s talk about your writing process. Which part of the writing process to you find most challenging?

Shari: Editing is the bane of my existence.

Helen: I actually quite like it, until I get to the twentieth time I’m reading my book, then maybe not so much! What is the most useful tool you use when writing?

Shari: Gosh. That’s tough. There are so many. Probably the internet. No matter what time of the day, you can always find something related to the area of query. And you can always back check findings via a trip to the library or a bookstore.

Helen: We are very fortunate to have such a comprehensive research tool at our fingertips 24/7. Having said that, do you do much research for your books?

Shari: Loads! I have a library of resource books, and I spend a lot of time on the internet or in the library ensuring that my “methods” are accurate.

Helen: When writing, do you plot the whole book or are you a pantser?

Shari: Well, I start with an outline and then forget about it by the end of the third chapter. Free form works for me. But I always write my last chapter first. The end of the story is always in sight and helps to set up the next book in the series.

Helen: When do you write? Are you a night owl or an early bird?

Shari:  I write early in the morning (5:30 to 7:30). Weekends are usually jampacked with household errands and chores, but there are always a few hours when hubby is practicing his guitar or watching one of his shows where I slip up to my home office and write.

Helen: I am not an early morning person! What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve received and how do you deal with imposter syndrome?

Shari: Don’t give up. That advice has come from my mother, my friends, teachers, and writing friends. I do suffer from imposter syndrome often, but I’m stubborn and I don’t quit. It really is that simple.

Helen: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block, and if so how do you deal with it?

Shari: Gardening, a long walk or playing with my four dogs (the Pawsome Foursome) usually does the trick. If that doesn’t work, wine.

Helen: Lol! Wine sounds like the perfect remedy. Which genre do you typicaly write in?

Shari: Mystery thrillers. I have always been a huge fan of mysteries. I started out reading Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, then moved on to Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell and Mary Higgins Clark. My mother was a voracious reader of mysteries. She got me hooked. I love the challenge of figuring it out before the middle of the book.

Helen: My mother got me into reading as well. We are very lucky. Which books have you read recently?

Shari: Jennifer Brasington Crowley’s Raven Song was fantastic. It’s not my usual genre, but I loved it! The Bellerose Witchline series and the Door to Door series by T.L. Brown are wonderful. Helen Aitchison’s Dinner Club is also a favorite. Again, outside of the norm for me, but it is a breathtaking novel about found friendships and acceptance. And over the past six months I have indulged in Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series. I am up to P is for Peril. My TBR stack is about ready to topple over. There are so many good books to read. Unfortunately, time doesn’t always permit a book a week. I try to read two a month.

Helen: Thank you so much for spending time with me today. Is there anything else you would like add?

Shari: Marnie Reilly is not me. Many people assume she is because we share similar qualities—a love of animals, hair color, eye color, build, clairvoyance… But she has more tact and patience than I do, and she is a lot younger, too. My characters all have bits and pieces of my quirks, but none of them are me. Detective Danny Gregg’s irrational fear of dolls is all me! Marnie has a fear of closed places—also me. And Tom’s smart mouth and unfiltered responses are somewhat me.

Helen: It’s interesting how bits of us do end up in our characters. Thankyou, Shari, for chatting with me today. I wish you all the best with your latest release.

About the Author

Shari T. Mitchell

Shari T. Mitchell is the author of the Marnie Reilly Mysteries thriller series, which includes Divine Guidance, Torn Veil, and Fatal Vow (coming July 2023).

Raised in Northern New York State, Shari’s hometown and surrounds are the inspiration for her series’ fictional town of Creekwood, New York—which is located somewhere in the Adirondack Mountains.

While Shari loves developing multidimensional characters with whom her readers can relate, her passion is plotting the twists and turns of a mystery. It feeds her analytical and creative mind.

She lives in North Carolina and shares her home with her partner in crime, Harper, and their crazy rescue dogs, Dougal, Callee, Midget, and Mags.

A thirty-plus year marketer, Shari loves spending time with her family, cooking, hiking, traveling, gardening, and reading. She is often heard chatting with her characters because they natter at her constantly!

Mystery is her favorite genre, having cut her teeth on Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden. Her favorite authors include Robert Frost, Agatha Christie, Mary Higgins Clark, Ruth Rendell, Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, David Baldacci, Louise Penny, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell and Michael Koryta.

Website

http://www.sharitmitchell.com

Purchase Fatal Vow via Amazon

Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook

Link to book on Amazon US: eBook

As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.

If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

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Book Review Alert: Wicked Hunt by SK Alexander

Reviewed: April 10th 2023
Released: January 24th, 2022
Genre: Crime Thriller

A vicious sniper on the loose in Los Angeles. A grief-stricken empath. A ticking clock…


For Nathaniel Colt, Los Angeles is not the City of Angels. For the empath, LA is hell. A quick visit turns into a nightmare when the former special agent becomes embroiled in the hunt for a ruthless sniper terrorizing the city.

When the lurking evil puts the profiler and those closest to him in his crosshairs, a race against time begins and the consultant must rely on his psychic abilities before their time runs out.

Can Nathaniel save those close to him or will LA, once again, prove that it is hell on Earth for the empath?

Read My Thoughts...

Book Review Alert: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Reviewed: April 7th 2023
Released: January 24th, 2022
Genre: Crime Thriller

It’s time to solve the murder of the century….

Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to solving a puzzle and that a message in secret code ran through all Twyford’s novels. Then Miss Iles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Iles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today?

Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Iles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn’t the only one trying to solve it….

Read My Thoughts…