You Never Know

I just completed a two-day book festival in the lovely town of Muskegon, Michigan that was part of the annual Lakeshore Arts Festival. There was a steady stream of people wandering through our venue on both days, many of whom wanted to hear all about the authors and our stories. 

This was a great opportunity to get in front of potential readers and draw them into my mysteries.  For example, there were two young ladies who stopped by on Friday as the day was drawing to a close. They both professed a love of mysteries and we talked for quite a while. 

I was pleasantly surprised on Saturday when they returned and headed straight to my table.  Cheyenne wasted no time buying a copy of “Why 319?”.  While autographing her book, I mentioned that it’s my practice to always be on the lookout for distinctive names that would make for memorable characters.   

Not ten minutes later, her friend came back to purchase her own copy of ‘319’.  Her name? Mikahla.  I have no doubt both of these will appear as characters in the sequel I’m working on.

I did have a chance to grab a couple of photos between customers. While I saw a number of redheaded women during the day, this one certainly reminded me of Jamie Richmond.  What do you think?

Some of the props on my table display included a newspaper clip from when Jimmy Hoffa disappeared more than forty years ago, along with an official FBI cap a friend gave me. As Saturday was winding down, I met a delightful couple who quizzed me about police investigations, the work of the FBI and ongoing mysteries in the Detroit area. They asked questions about ‘319’ and Per, who was from Denmark said, ‘this would make a great movie.’

My response: “I always thought so. Got any connections with a producer or a studio?”

His reply, with a knowing wink. “Maybe. You never know.”

So now the book has found an international audience. And like he said, ‘you never know.’ Wouldn’t that be something. I wonder who’d they would cast to play Jefferson Chene?

On a side note, the organizers periodically would award a shopper with a 'golden ticket' that would allow them to pick one free book from the hundreds being offered by the various authors and the organizers would pick up the tab.  Three different times during the weekend, those winners chose one of my books.  That was a nice surprise.  I'm already looking forward to next year's festival.

Since I always have music, here’s a little Motown classic that seemed to follow me along the road Saturday. Hope you enjoy it.

https://youtu.be/Ayyy-03ITDg

From Coast to Coast

This week will mark my third book festival of the summer.   

It started out in mid-June in Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan and a great city not far from Motown, with plenty of cultural diversity and events to experience, no matter what the season.   

Last week it was up the East Coast of the state to Port Huron, where if you had a good arm, you could imagine tossing a ball across the river to Sarnia, Canada. Well, maybe if you had Tom Brady’s arm you could do that.

Now it’s time for the West Coast. 

Lake Michigan surrounds that side of the state, providing numerous small cities with an influx of tourists and summer vacationers. Muskegon is hosting the Lakeshore Arts Festival on July 7 and 8. 

Participating in the festival are about 60 Michigan authors.  Rumor has it that some of these intrepid souls may even be in costume. Whether that’s relevant to the genre they write or they are doing it just for laughs, nobody knows. You’ll have to stop by and see for yourself.  

The group should be easy to find, as we’ve staked our claim on the lobby of the great Frauenthal Center, right in the heart of the action.  With air-conditioned comfort no less.

Here’s a link to the event. It’s a great way to extend the Fourth of July holiday.

http://www.lakeshoreartfestival.org/ 

http://michiganauthors.com/lakeshore/ 

And here's a little tune to set the stage.

https://youtu.be/qx6ArTNwlW8 

Interview with Jefferson Chene

Recently at the urging of my publisher with Inkspell, I featured an interview with Jamie Richmond, my redheaded protagonist from that trio of mysteries, Devious, Vanishing Act and Fleeing Beauty. So it seemed only natural to give Jefferson Chene the stage today. 

Tell us a little about yourself:   

I’m not given to talking about myself much. I grew up in Detroit in an orphanage run by the Catholic church. My name comes from the intersection near downtown Detroit where I was found. Turns out the cops accidentally wrote that down on the report instead of ‘Baby Doe’ or something like that. By the time anyone noticed it, the name was part of the official record and it stuck. I was raised by the nuns and a priest who ran the orphanage and an adjacent school. It’s safe to say I’m no choirboy, but I have a very strict sense of right and wrong.  That’s probably why I became a cop.

How did your background get you involved in this novel?   

I’m a detective sergeant with the Michigan State Police. We handle major cases, usually those that cross jurisdictional lines, like from one suburban city to another.  When we realized the homicide victims were found in three different cities and the work of a serial killer, it was exactly the kind of case we take on.  

Who came first, you or the author? 

(laughs sarcastically) Guess that one’s up for debate, depending on who you ask. I’ve always been here. He just recognized my cases would make for a good story. Maybe a movie someday.  I wonder if Denzel Washington would play me. (more laughter) Or maybe somebody younger.

What’s your greatest strength?   And of course, we want to know the opposite, your greatest weakness.  

Strength would be my intelligence. I’m a student of criminal behavior. After more than ten years as a cop, I’ve seen a lot. Sometimes I can figure out a motive and who stands to gain the most from the crime. That’s helped me solve a number of cases.  Weakness… well, I’m not exactly a lady’s man. There’s a lot about women that I don’t understand, (chuckles) and probably never will.

What is it about this mystery that sets it apart from the others?   

The killer in “Why 319?” is taunting the police. Why else would they leave that message on the bathroom mirror? If they didn’t do that, it’s doubtful that we would have connected the murders, since they’ve taken place in three different cities across the metro area. So it’s an ego trip. Trying to show up the cops, that the killer thinks they are smarter than we are. But we don’t stop until we solve a case. That’s what makes our squad different. We’re a determined group of bad asses.

Tell us something about your background that may or may not be revealed in the book? 

(chuckles again) This is starting to sound like one of those online dating profiles. Okay, here goes. I enjoy cooking. I read fiction, mostly crime stories like Elmore Leonard’s work. After all these years, I’ve never considered trying to find my biological parents. They must have had their reasons for abandoning me. Life goes on. 

Are you the type of person who always seeks out the company of others?  

Nah, I’m comfortable on my own.  I’m close with the rest of the squad and have a small circle of good friends and acquaintances. I like people but I’m just not the gregarious type.

What do you do to relax after a day of fighting crime? 

A good meal, a drink or two and maybe read a couple of chapters of a good book. There’s a lot of great stories out there. I’m an insomniac, so sleep is elusive. It’s also vastly overrated.

Who’s your best friend and what influence have they had on your life?  

(Hesitates) I’d have to say Megan McDonald. We’ve been friends since the third grade. She knows most of my secrets. Maybe that’s why she followed me into police work. Every once in a while, she’d make some snide comment or try and get me back into the fold with the nuns and the priest who still run the school we attended. Megan’s a good reminder of my roots and how far I’ve come.

Which do you prefer, music or television?   

I’ll watch football on television, but that’s about it. Music. Give me some old Motown, blues, rock and roll or jazz and I’m good.  Like this one.

https://youtu.be/P9wBpmZn9nA