Tag: Book

If You’re a Lover of Short Crime Fiction, This Book Is a Must-Read for You

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BOOK REVIEW

Book: Sweet Southern Charm – A Short Murder Mystery
Genre: Mystery thriller
Author: Lanie Goodell
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: B Sudharsan

Sweet Southern Charm by indie author Lanie Goodell is not as sweet as its title suggests. It is a murder mystery after all, so it is supposed to be anything but sweet! The incredibly fast-paced story proves to be an interesting read, though. At least, I found the story refreshing, and after reading the story, I got the feeling of having read a crime novel in its entirety.

I suppose the reason for my feeling so is that Ms Goodell variegates the story by adding elements of mystery, romance, love, hate, and friendship – elements that you are sure to find in a crime novel. Furthermore, she does a great job of transporting the reader to the scenes she describes powerfully, employing crisp adjectives and vivid verbs. I took about half an hour to complete reading the book, but if you happen to be a slow reader, you might take about forty to fifty minutes to finish it, that is, if you read it in one go.

Two Murders With Striking Similarities

Sweet Southern Charm begins with an interaction between Janet Cramer, a ‘trashy’ woman living in a posh locality, and Chester Barfield, a guy masquerading as an employee of a company that offers a free assessment of personal security. The latter manages to make an entry to the former’s house, and it is what ensues that makes the story. Janet is found murdered, and investigator Georgia Beaumont and her subordinate Collin Cavanaugh are consequently roped in to figure out who perpetrated the crime. While the story on the one hand fast unravels the mystery, it also details the love-hate relationship Georgia and Collin share on the other.

Investigating the neighbours of the victim does form an integral part of the story, which also witnesses another murder bearing striking similarities to the first. A lady around the same age as Janet’s is found dead, and her body, like that of Janet, bears no wounds. Also, an eerie resemblance exists in the manner in which the dead bodies are left after the murder. All of this indicates that the perpetrator is a professional who knows his job well.

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The Missing Link Does the Magic

Nonetheless, there is something that Georgia seems to be missing, something that she feels can provide a crucial link between the two cases. This ‘missing link’ adds magic to the story, thereby ensuring the reader continues to read with rapt attention. And why the book is titled the way it is titled is known thereupon.

Having said this, I think it is also important for me to mention that I unearthed the suspense halfway through, so a large part of my reading happened only to find out if what I had surmised was correct.

Give It a Read!

I would recommend this book to lovers of crime fiction who don’t have the time to sit through a long novel or who are perhaps looking forward to reading something interesting before hitting the hay. I myself happened to read this book last night, and I did not regret picking it up. It is free on Kindle Unlimited.

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One Man, Many Faces

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INTERVIEW

Indie author A M Hounchell wrote his very first story in kindergarten. ‘It was a love story between a rabbit and a grasshopper,’ begins Hounchell, speaking with Literary Harbinger in an exclusive interaction. His answers to each of our questions are crisp and direct yet thoughtful. As a matter of fact, on being asked if he remembers his oldest story, he responds with a smile, ‘I still have that yellowed page somewhere in my house actually. And yes, I do remember the story.’

With several books currently in his kitty, the Kansas-based author, who has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, lets us know he is a big fan of the flashlight method. ‘I just write what comes naturally and let everything grow organically. I have never been able to use outlines because it feels limiting,’ he says. 

Veins Filled With Ink

Talking about his very first book Zumanity, which he started working upon two years ago, the 26-year-old, who often jokes his blue veins are filled with ink, says, ‘Every zombie story has the one character that holds onto its humanity for a bit longer than everyone else. But what if that continued for a longer period of time? The main character in Zumanity falls to her death shortly after being bitten by a zombie, so she has an odd transformation.’

Nonetheless, it is his second book that he considers his magnum opus. Titled Running out of Time, Hounchell makes known that it came about mostly as a joke about an ordinary guy being the centre of a cosmic battle between time and space. ‘It’s grown in the last four years to a five-book series with a sixth on the way. It’s unedited, absurd, and experimental,’ Hounchell explains. 

Fan of Piers Anthony

On being asked who his favourite author is, Hounchell, who has 35 works in progress as you read this (and you read it right!), doesn’t take more than a second to splutter Piers Anthony’s name. ‘His Xanth novels are filled to the brim with puns and magical wonder. In fact, during my time in college, I contacted him for my senior capstone project, and he got back to me,’ Hounchell makes known. 

Anyhow, if you ended up thinking this young author’s life revolved only around books, you would be mistaken; for Hounchell divulges that writing apart, blacksmithing is something that he is keenly interested in. But he categorically states he is not great at juggling between two or more tasks at a given point in time. ‘Especially now, everything is changed for the worse. I’m looking for a new job and just trying to survive while writing,’ he states, adding, ‘I read, play video games, and when I finally find time to start blacksmithing, I shall do it. I’m reading up on it right now.’

No Hard and Fast Rules

Hounchell says he writes when he feels the urge. ‘I sometimes write thousands of words at once, and other times I write twenty. Since I don’t have outlines, I just have story ideas rattling in my head constantly,’ he lets on. ‘I try to write an hour or two before bed though,’ he adds. Be that as it may, there is something that he is extremely excited for. ‘It’s my solo gamebook Technomancer and the Sword,’ he says. And does he want to become a full-fledged author? ‘I can’t plan on anything, but I want to make writing a full-time career when I can,’ he says.  

A player of Dungeons and Dragons, Hounchell has a piece of advice for budding authors who feel discouraged if their works don’t do well. ‘I want to tell them not to get discouraged,’ he says, only to add, ‘but it’s hard to feel that way sometimes.’ He stresses, ‘Instead, try to take your little victories when you get them. Sometimes, just the fact that your friend bought your book should be enough. One step at a time.’ 

And as our discussion comes to a close, we ask him if there is anything he would like to change in the world. ‘Wealth inequality,’ he utters. ‘It seems ridiculous that CEOs make 10000% more money than their employees,’ he points out before signing off.

‘I Think Writing a Novel Is a Little Like Archery’

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INTERVIEW

On a fine day in 2017, R C Robbin was tarrying for his group yoga class to begin. ‘I was sitting in the lotus pose on my mat,’ begins the lover of yoga on being asked how his debut novel Savasana’s Kiss – A Yoga Love Story happened. ‘The weather outside was poor, and perhaps because of that, I ended up being the only student in the class. I was 44 then,’ Robbin, who lives at Westchester in New York, lets us know.

Flabbergasted, I gawp at him. ‘Excuse me, did you say you were 44 then?’ I want to know of the American author, and he responds in the affirmative. I keep mum to allow him to continue. His calm demeanour and the charm he exhibits make it appear as if he is in his early thirties. But as it is rightly said, looks can be deceptive. Thus, I take him at his word and sip some freshly brewed coffee even as he ventures to speak his mind.

‘The yoga session was one-on-one, and for some strange reason, the session felt more personal, more intimate. And while driving back home I thought how it might feel to have romantic feelings for my teacher,’ he lets me know, adding that in real life he and his teacher share ‘a strong platonic friendship.’ Calling his yoga trainer an ‘amazing human being’, he states, ‘She is beautiful from inside and out’. And this brief thought that struck his mind, says he, is what turned into a story idea. ‘I rushed to the keyboard and started typing out my thoughts. One year later Savasana’s Kiss was born,’ he divulges.

Robbin, who has been writing short stories and poems since his teenage years, says that although this episode became an idea for the book that has now bagged the NIEA Finalist (Erotica, 2018) and NGIBA Finalist (Romance, 2019) awards, he had to create a rough outline of the main characters including the chapter breakdown. ‘I think writing a novel is a little like archery,’ he opines, and asks a very intriguing question, ‘Would you shoot a bow and arrow with your eyes closed?’ And when I nod my head from left to right, he gives me the answer, ‘No, right? It’s much easier to aim when you can see your target.’ The stress on ‘target’ goes without saying.

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And what about a schedule? Does he feel obligated to follow a strict routine? ‘I think writing doesn’t work that way. At least for me. I write when inspiration strikes though I wake up by eight in the morning and go to bed by midnight. It’s just that I don’t feel obliged to follow a schedule,’ says Robbin whose favourite author happens to be Kurt Vonnegut. ‘Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five has been my all-time favourite,’ he stresses, stating that the late author was a great inspiration to him as he could write non-linear stories.

The author, who has been married for ten years, makes it clear that he did not aspire to become an author. ‘Writers write because they are compelled to do so,’ he declares, and I meditate on the sentence. ‘That makes a lot of sense,’ I tell him. But that’s not the only thing we agree on. Unlike a few authors who’ve maintained they never feel the burden of writing, Robbin affirms that writing a novel is not a piece of cake. ‘It’s a grind. However, when the results are appreciated, it makes it all worthwhile,’ says Robbin, who is also into fitness, weight training, and archery. Oh yeah, and he loves watching football!

When asked if he has any works in progress, he says that his debut book’s success has compelled him to work on its sequel. ‘Besides that, I am experimenting with the horror genre. I have about fifty pages done on a spiritual zombie novel,’ he lets out.

By the way, is there anything he would like to tell the budding authors who lose motivation if their works don’t do well? ‘Of course. I would tell them to be patient with themselves. Added pressure does not help the process. Also, with age comes wisdom. As well as more stories to tell!’ And if there is one thing that he would like to change in the world, what might that be? ‘A vaccine for COVID-19 immediately comes to mind,’ he says, adding ‘other than that, to end world hunger.’ He signs off with a beatific smile.

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‘Take a Chance on Yourself’

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INTERVIEW

Author C M Turner does not mince words a bit. With a childlike charm and ebullient disposition, Turner’s repartees to the questions she gets asked are no less than a joyride, for her whimsical responses, just like her impressive works, are not only interspersed with idiomatic expressions and vivid verbs but also with wit and humour. She does not use the word ‘laugh’, for instance, but says ‘chuckle over’. Likewise, instead of ‘shout’, she employs the word ‘bellow’ to convey the meaning she intends to convey. The list, notwithstanding, is endless. To add to that, her works are filled with such graphic accounts that reading a book of hers is like seeing a movie being played in a home theatre. So when the illustrious author agreed to get interviewed by Literary Harbinger, our joy knew no bounds. 

‘My Dog Is My Writing Companion’

‘Becoming an author was a well-thought-out decision,’ says Turner, who is currently living with her daughter and son-in-law in Las Vegas, the US. She adds that she pets a Golden Retriever. ‘We call him George Clooney, and he is my writing companion,’ she says with a smile. On being asked how her latest book Where the Ironweed Blooms happened, Turner, who loves to explore different genres including mystery, horror, and surrealism, tells me that it all began with her desire to create a Halloween story for her daughter. ‘It was originally just twenty-five pages,’ says she, adding, ‘but every time I read it, a new idea came to my mind. After years of these new ideas, I ended up with the novel it is today.’

But if you thought she wrote only novels, boy, you were mistaken, for Turner tells me that she loves to paint as well! ‘But painting has never presented the same calling to me as writing. I have always been content to have it as a hobby, something to fall back on during lulls in my writing, or when the mood strikes,’ she explains, clarifying that she has not been painting much lately. ‘It requires a certain amount of space to leave your equipment set up, and my room only accommodates the necessary amount of bedroom furniture, plus a desk, desk chair and computer,’ she elaborates.

Inspired by Old Yeller

So as the discussion warms up, I decide on asking her about her inspiration and she calls to mind the first book she had read when she was all of ten years of age! ‘It was Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, and I knew right then I wanted to be a writer,’ she tells me. Going further, she says, ‘I wanted to try to write a book just half that good. The memory of that book has been so long-lasting that even today the breed of dog I have looks an awful lot like the one in that book did!’

Talking about her published works, Turner says her first book titled Husband: A Short Story Series is a compilation of stories she wrote in her early twenties. ‘They are nothing like my two novels though,’ she states. ‘They occasionally depict true occurrences and most have been embellished for the enjoyment of the reader.’ And as far as her latest novel Not Flowers for Charlie is concerned, she says she had started writing it way before she began working on Where the Ironweed Blooms. ‘It is just that the second one got published first,’ she smiles. 

Flying by the Seat of Pants

Reared in South California, the author, who initially experimented with poetry, also lets me know that she has never outlined or planned her story. ‘A story just unveils itself as I am writing it. Sometimes new ideas might come as I am writing, but I will incorporate them right as I go. I do usually have some idea of a plot in mind, but the characters always develop as I tell the story,’ explains Turner, whose list of favourite authors includes Harper Lee, John Irving, J D Salinger, Henry Miller, Emily Bronte, John Knowles, Toni Morrison, and Rebecca Welles amongst others. ‘This is just a partial list, of course!’ she laughs.

Be that as it may, none of Ms Turner’s works has ever got a rating below four stars on Amazon or Goodreads (with a majority of readers giving these books a five-star rating). She, nonetheless, tells me that there is always scope for improvement when it comes to writing. She plans to launch a book by the end of this year and may launch two more in 2021. ‘What I have learned from this business is that you need to exercise a great amount of patience. Nothing is fast,’ she stresses.

‘Don’t Give Up On Yourself’

And does she have any suggestions for budding writers? ‘I suppose what I would tell a budding author who is becoming discouraged is this: Do not give up on yourself. If you believe in your work, then it is your job to make others believe in it too. Do not give up! Just try harder. There are so many more ways to get your work out in the world today than ever before. Do not wait around to be that very small percentage who gets lucky enough to land an agent or miraculously has their work seen just at the right time by the right person in a big publishing house.’

She also emphasises that it is only commonsensical for an indie author to make the most use of the different ways to self-publish in this day and age of cut-throat competition. ‘Take a chance on yourself! If you are not willing to gamble on you, then why should an agent or publisher?’ she says signing off with a beautiful smile.