A Book and a Chat with Peter Leonard

Becoming an author whose works are heading for the top shelf of thriller writing is a hard job, even harder when your father is a famous author.

My guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat” Peter Leonard, is the son of Elmore Leonard  who is perhaps best-known for works such as “Get Shorty”, “Out of Sight”, “Hombre”, “Mr Majestyk” and “3:10 to Yuma“.

As we learned during the show, it took Peter’s father 25 years to become an overnight success,  and almost as long for Peter himself to get around to writing.

The wait however was well waiting for as hit after hit has flowed from Peter Leonard’s creative juices. His thrillers have earned him wide critical acclaim for their tight plotting and story lines.

Titles such as “Quiver”, “Trust Me”, “Voices of the Dead”, “All He Saw Was the Girl” ,”Back From the Dead”, and his latest novel “Eyes Closed Tight”, have put the name Peter Leonard as one of the most thrilling suspense novelists of our time.

About “Eyes Closed Tight”:

O’Clair is a former Detroit homicide investigator who now owns a motel in Pompano Beach, Florida in his retirement. He runs the place with his much younger girlfriend, Virginia, who’s a knockout and can fix anything. One morning, he’s cleaning up after the previous night’s partiers when he sees a lovely young woman stretched out asleep on a lounge chair. He shakes her gently. Then he touches her neck and feels for a pulse. There isn’t one. Her skin is cold, body starting to stiffen, definitely in the early stages of rigor.

When a second girl is murdered, O’Clair knows someone is trying to send him a message. The way the girls are killed reminds O’Clair of a case he investigated years earlier. Now convinced the Pompano murders are related, O’Clair returns to Detroit Police Homicide to review the murder file and try to figure out what he might have missed.

And when Virginia is kidnapped by the killer, the stakes grow exponentially higher.

So listen now and share an interesting and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Peter Leonard

Barry

Direct link to all shows

Archived versions of the shows including “A Book and a Chat with Peter Leonard”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:

Peter Leonard – Eyes Closeed Tight”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

All about Barry Eva his books and parodies and much more – Across the Pond LLC

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A Book and a Chat with Carla Neggers

Carla Neggers is a New York Times and US Today best selling bestselling author of coming up to 70 novels, which have been translations in 24 languages. However it all started high up in a sugar maple tree which was her escape location from the rest of her large family, and where she first started penning her own stories.

First published when in her early twenties, Carla has gone from producing romance stories, to western, detectives and adventure, along the way selling millions of copies of her work. Her Texas Rangers and U.S Marshall series have been followed by the FBI and Black Falls series.

Over the last few years two fresh series “ Sharpe & Donovan” and “Swift River Valley” have been flowing from this hugely talented author.

Now we have two new books in each of these series.

Cider Brook is book 3 in the Swift River Valley series, released January this year.

About “Cider Brook”:

Being rescued by a good-looking, bad-boy firefighter isn’t how Samantha Bennett expected to start her stay in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. Now she has everyone’s attention—especially that of Justin Sloan, her rescuer, who wants to know why she was camped out in an abandoned old New England cider mill.

Declan’s Cross which is book 3 in the Sharpe & Donovan soon to be followed by book 4 “Harbor Island”

About “Declan’s Cross:

An escape to an idyllic Irish seaside village is about to turn deadly in this riveting new novel by master of romantic suspense Carla Neggers.

For marine biologist Julianne Maroney, two weeks in tiny Declan’s Cross on the south Irish coast is a chance to heal her broken heart. She doesn’t expect to attract the attention of FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan-especially since a Donovan is the reason for her broken heart.

As well as the re-release the Texas Rangers series under the name “The Carriage House” sereis.

About “The Carriage House”:

Neggers delivers a colorful, well-spun story that shines with sincere emotion.” –Publishers Weekly
Fun and a little hard work. That’s all Tess Haviland had in mind when Ike Grantham paid her for her graphic design work with the run-down, 19th-century carriage house on Boston’s North Shore.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Carla Neggers

Barry

Direct link to the shows

Archived versions of the shows

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:

Carla Neggers – Sharpe & Donovan Series and Swift River Valley Series”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

All about Barry Eva his books and parodies and much more – Across the Pond LLC

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A Book and a Chat with Michael Bigham

Michael Bigham is my guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat”, after several attempts to get him on the show, it was good to finally chat to this debut author.

Raised in the Central Oregon mill town of Prineville beneath deep blue skies and rim rock, Michael worked in a lumber mill and also fought range fires on the Oregon High Desert in his early years before he swung from being budding hippy to cop. He was a police officer with the Port of Portland then after leaving police work, he obtained an MFA degree in Creative Writing from Vermont College.

His debut book is “Harkness” the first in the “High Desert Mystery Series”.

Set in the early 50’s and although it’s a mystery, the book is also about Matthew Harkness’ perilous journey through life, how he reacts to murder in his county and tragedy in his own life.

About “Harkness”:

Harkness isn’t your typical Western sheriff. Cowboy boots make his arches ache, he’s phobic of horses, but he does have a horse of sorts – a `39 Chevy pickup he calls Hoopie, and a sidekick – a neurotic wiener dog named Addison.

Harkness is a man of his times, shaped for both good and bad by his experiences in WWII. He deals with issues like bigotry and sexual suppression in a believable manner. We come to know him as a good man, but never a self-righteous one. The pursuit of justice is his job, and he’s good at it, but he never loses sight of where his next woman, or his next drink, is coming from. Harkness is the keeper of secrets in his little town and to solve the crime, he must decide which secrets to expose. One secret involves Judge Barnes, the county’s most powerful man. But Harkness had a secret of his own: he’s in love with the Judge’s wife. How much is Harkness willing to risk to catch a murderer?

Set on the Oregon High Desert in 1952, life in the small town of Barnesville has been easy-going for Matthew until a star-crossed teen-age couple disappears and he’s forced to deal with some horrific murders, one of which strikes very close to home, before finally confronting the killer man-to-man on the High Desert

The novel has brought forth reviews such as…

“Bigham has done an excellent job with his debut release. He has created a protagonist in Matt Harkness readers will want to visit with again and again.”

With the second in the series already underway I am sure we will hear more of “Harkness” and Michael Bigham.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Michael Bigham

Barry

Direct link to the show

A Book and a Chat with Michael Bigham

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from

“Michael Bigham”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:

“Michael Bigham – Harkness”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat with M.D. Kaczkowski

My guest today on “A Book and a Chat” is an author, artist and medical inventor, with many of his technologies in use by hundreds of patients worldwide. MD Kaczkowski is founder of The Center for Alloplastic Facial Reconstruction in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he serves as president and lead practitioner, designing and fitting ocular and facial prosthetic reconstructions.

His debut novel “The Seers” is called a Scilestial novel, a word that comes from the combination of words: “Science” and “Celestial”. It is books perhaps unlike you’ve ever read before a mixture of detective, science fiction, celestial or spirituality. Using technology, it gives us readers a multi-media experience with QR codes, illustrations and video links sprinkled throughout.

M.D. Kaczkowski sheds light on the unseen laws of the universe with a fantastical, page-turning thriller. The Seers introduces a world where good battles evil for the world’s soul. The fate of humanity rests in the hands of the Seers, a handful of humans with the rare ability to see the unseen, who call their Angels into action to do battle with Demons. This captivating, fast-paced story blends two classic genres: part apocalypse and part detective story.

About “The Seers” (taken from Amazon)

Welcome to a new world where science and spirituality are not separate, but coexist on opposite ends of the same spectrum. Creator M. D. Kaczkowski sheds light on the unseen laws of the universe with a fantastical, page-turning thriller. The Seers introduces a world where good battles evil for the world’s soul. The fate of humanity rests in the hands of the Seers, a handful of humans with the rare ability to see the unseen, who call their Angels into action to do battle with Demons.

This captivating, fast-paced story blends two classic genres: part apocalypse and part detective story. Through the characters’ lives, readers are introduced to the prophets of humanity, known as the Seers. Between chapters, Dr. John Alderson, a well-traveled Seer-physician, shares his inside knowledge and encourages readers to delve deeper by guiding them to sections in The Seers’ Handbook, which makes up the final third of the book. Welcome to the universe of The Seers. Your journey has only just begun.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with M.D. Kaczkowski

Barry

Direct link to the show

A Book and a Chat with M.D. Kaczkowski

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from

“M.D. Kaczkowski “

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:

“M.D. Kaczkowski – The Seers”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat with Brandt Dobson

Brandt Dobson, today’s guest on “A Book and a Chat”
discovered at grade school that he wanted to write, however it was not for some
twenty years later that he finally put pen to paper.

Sidetracked by work with
the FBI, Navy and Podiatric Medicine it took a while for Brandt to follow his
true calling, including a wait of twelve years before he finally  got the dreamed of book contract.

His first book “Original Sin” soon had his name and that if
his hero “Colton Parker” on the must read for detective/thriller readers. This
first book in the Colton Parker Mystery Series” was soon followed by “Seventy
Times Seven”, “The Root of All Evil” and “The Lost Sheep”.

The series has become a popular must read with readers clambering
for more of Colton Parker, now though Brandt has put before his readers a new
series that looks like being even more popular than Colton Parker.

“The Sons Of Dude” is the first in ”The Sons of Dude Series
and introduces us to not one but three characters that readers will be able to
follow in future novels in the series.

About “The Sons of Dude”: (taken from Seatlepi blog)

The Sons of Jude is about the challenges cops face and how they often come
from within their own ranks. The novel revolves around three central
characters: Frank
Campello, a twenty-year veteran of the Chicago police department; Andy
Polanski, a newly-minted detective who is transferred to Campello’s
district after ratting on other cops; and Christy
Lee, a local reporter with a grudge against the police.

 

 

 

 

With a mix like that, conflict is
inevitable. It was a lot of fun to write.

Judging by the reviews so far it was
not just fun to write but is proving to be great fun to read. Comments like “..a very well written suspense, thriller that provided a few twists and a satisfying end.,” litter his many reviews.

 

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on “A Book and a Chat with Brandt Dobson”

Barry

Direct link to the show

A Book and a Chat with Brandt Dobson

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from

“Brandt Dobson”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:

“Lynne Kelly – Chained”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat with Mar Preston (500th Show)

Today was special “A Book and a Chat” being the 500th show and it was fitting that the guest I had not only kept us laughing but proved yet another interesting and entertaining visitor to the radio show.
Mar Preston has lived a pretty eventful live, when her previous jobs include picking grapes in the Beaujolais fields and daffodils in Eureka, California, where she also sold Fuller Brush door to door, cleaned motel rooms, cracked crab and filleted fish. Her “what if” view on life and imagination developed through short stories until finally after seeing some police monitoring a march she was taking part in the idea for a detective story was born.
Her first book “No Dice” introduces us to melting pot that is Santa Monica as well as Police Detective Dave Mason and Ginger McNair. The knowledge she shows within this real who done it has been remarked about in many rave reviews. I am totally shocked that this is the author’s FIRST novel! It is such a fast paced who-dun-it, that I would have thought she had 5 or 6 books under her belt! Guess being a creative writing teacher really DOES give you the writing chops! You will be hooked from the first chapter of the tight story.
Her characters are lively, true to life and you can’t beat real life for giving you an excellent backdrop to base a story on! The story has lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Even if you guess who the murder suspect is before the end, you’ll be flipping the pages quickly to see how they get caught! You’ll also be hoping there will be another book to follow- and there will be… If you’re looking for a new voice in the police procedural genre, check it out…
The success of this first book leads to “Rip Off” and more of Detective Dave Mason.
About Rip-Off
High-tech burglary and murder are bad for business in the upscale, tourist-destination beach city of Santa Monica with its leftist politics, rich homeowners, and huge homeless population. Bad for Detective Dave Mason of the Santa Monica Police Department.
A deadbeat burglar has been found in the upscale Santa Monica beach condo of a playboy studio exec. The dead body must link up with a string of high-tech burglaries, and the Chechens Mason keeps meeting must link up with each other somehow, but how?
The investigation leads him down mean streets into the dark world of embezzlement and an explosion that almost kills him. The stakes rise as the investigation send Mason to the Hollywood Russian community where he is warned off by the FBI and Homeland Security. A bungled take down results in two murders of key informants. Fingers are pointed. Mason is outranked and the Department blamed.
While Mason brings an international whodunit to an end, restoring his own and the Department’s reputation, he finds his relationship with his community activist girlfriend teetering on the edge.
As Mar shared with us a third Dave Mason book is on the way ash she herself wants to know what happens next to Dave and Ginger.
Meanwhile there is a new “standalone” novel “Payback” soon to hit the shelves.
A California mountain village explodes with the news of the beheading of a popular mayor. But we’re all such nice people here in our little paradise, aren’t we, people ask?
It’s up to Sheriff’s Homicide Detective Dex Stafford to discover who of all these nice people has a dark motive. The village’s Patrol Officer, Holly Seabright, turns out to be a helpful, and attractive, ally in the dangerous unraveling of this fast-paced story.
As a reviewer said… “Her in-depth research into police work, how the police think and function; the story itself which kept me spellbound to the surprising end. Love her character development. A must for all lovers of mystery. “
I for one agree with that and I could not be more pleased to have Mar Preston as a guest on this 500th show.
So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Mar Preston
Barry
Direct link to the show “A Book and a Chat with Mar Preston”
or you can download the mp3 file of the show from “Mar Preston”
You can find out more about my guest and their books at: “Mar Preston – Rip Off”
Barry Eva (Storyheart)
My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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