Interview with John Holt

Interview with John Holt,

Author of The Thackery Journal

Questions: R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

Firstly let me say a big thank you Roy, for giving me this opportunity. I hope that you and anyone reading this enjoy it, and hopefully gain something from it.

I was born in 1943 in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. I currently live in Essex with my wife, Margaret, and my daughter Elizabeth. 

For many years I was a Chartered Surveyor in local government. I was a Senior Project Manager with the Greater London Council until it was closed down in 1986. I then set up my own surveying practice, preparing architectural plans for extensions, and new houses. I had a heart attack in 2004, and vastly reduced my work load, and eventually retired in 2008.

I had always wanted to write a novel but could never think of a good enough plot. My first novel, The Kammersee Affair, published in 2006, was inspired by a holiday in Austria. 

We were staying in Grundlsee. The next lake, Toplitzsee, was used by the Germans during the war to test rockets, and torpedoes. There were rumours of gold hidden in that lake. Despite extensive searches the gold was never found. In my book, however, it is found, only in the next lake, Kammersee.

The books that followed, The Mackenzie File, The Marinski Affair, Epidemic, and A Killing In The City. all feature Tom Kendall, a down to earth private detective. In August 2012 I decided to go down the self-published route, and formed my own publishing brand PHOENIX..

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

I suppose it must have been whilst at school. I wrote a story about a small settlement in Australia, and how it developed into a town. The story covered a period of about 100 years, and was told in a half a dozen hand written pages. 

Needless to say it was never published. I wonder what happened to that manuscript. In the early sixties I used to write articles, and reviews for a couple of magazines specializing in Negro Blues. Both magazines no longer exist, and with their demise gone to are my articles.

Were you inspired by someone or something?

I was brought up on Enid Blyton. Every week my father would bring home the latest copy of the Enid Blyton magazine. Sadly not very fashionable now, but the Famous Five and the Secret Seven, would keep me occupied and entertained for hours. 

Later it was Alastair Maclean, and Hammond Innes, who provided the excitement. Then Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime. But did any of these fine authors inspire me? Maybe, but I certainly have never tried to copy their style.

What do you like about writing a story?

I got a lot of enjoyment out of readers the novels of the people mentioned above. To enter into a different world and meet exciting people, and encounter dangerous adventures whilst in the safety of your own home. 

I get that same kind of enjoyment from creating my own works. I hope that others get that same enjoyment.

Can you tell us about your book?

I normally write Private Detective novels, and so far I have four self published.

My latest novel "The Thackery Journal" is quite a departure, and a long way outside my comfort zone. It is an Historical Fiction novel set during the American Civil war. It is a "What If" novel regarding the assassination of Lincoln. 

I have been working on it, on and off for about four or five years. During that time it has gone through a few changes. My first book, “The Kammersee Affair” is about the search for Nazi gold. Whilst researching I found an article about some Confederate gold that went missing as the Civil war came to an end. 

I thought that could be the basis of a fairly good story, and that was the start of “The Thackery Journal.” So I had the missing god, and I knew that somebody had taken it. I wondered how that person would feel as his pursuers closed in. So the final chapter of “Thackery” was written. That chapter, written many years ago, has basically remained unchanged, even though the rest of the story has.

What genre best fits for the book?

Historical Fiction

Are you working on something new at the moment?

I am currently working on two more Tom Kendall novels and I have made a tentative start on an Adventure novel. I also have some ideas for another American Civil War novel. I’m rethinking the missing gold item.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

The main tip I can give is write for nobody but you. There will be a lot of people who will like your work (we hope), but there will be a lot of people who hate it. 

You cannot please everyone all of the time, so don’t even try. As long as you like what you have written, that’s good enough, if someone else likes it that’s a bonus.

Where can people go to read your work?

I have a few chapters from my novels over on Wattpad - My latest novel "The Thackery Journal" is a "What If" novel regarding the assassination of Lincoln.

I have a web site, although I don’t use it that often - http://johnholt1943.blogspot.co.uk/

My Facebook pages are - https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Holt-Author/553064201380567

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Thackery-Journal/583932428307932

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Kendall/524023174290695

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kammersee-Affair/141374892672877

Do you have anything to add?

I realized pretty quickly that the chances of being published by one of the traditional publishers was pretty remote. I wasn’t a celebrity chef, or a footballer, or a TV personality. Eventually I was published by Raider Publishing International in New York. Sounds impressive yes? 

Well Raider is a vanity publisher, and I paid them to get published. Nonetheless it was a good feeling to have my work in print. The contracts were very short, and when they ran out I did not renew. I decided to take the Self-Publishing route. With the likes of Lulu.com, Createspace, and KDP, it is now so easy, and at no cost. With the help of friends on Facebook, and Twitter, it has worked out reasonably well, and I wish I had done it a lot sooner.

So thank you once again Roy. It is very much appreciated.

Review of The Dragonfly Door

Review of The Dragonfly Door

Written by Margaret A. Millmore  

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

The story told by Ms. Millmore, in her novel The Dragonfly door, is one of true fiction. She has stretched the reader’s imagination, bringing them to the edge of reality with a thrilling story that keeps you reading on, and on.

Each time the door is opened or closed a new twist is brought to light. Traveling with the speed of light in and out of the door, the main character learns more about why he was placed on earth and how his life has an effect on those that follow him after he makes a decision.

A conundrum, we all try to solve on a daily basis is how what we say to our children will affect their lives and our future with them, is placed in question. In her tale of the unknown, that gap is bridge and revealed somewhat.

This revelation presents eventful situations for the main characters where they meet the future. One of their own, in the present, has contaminated the world with a virus, leading to why one of the doors was opened in the first place.

You may be confused at first, but Margaret brings it all together with exciting prose, beginning with a man who is put in a psychiatric ward to the acceptance that that man and his mission is needed to save the world in the future. But, he is a lunatic. Or is he? You’ll have to read The Dragonfly Door to find out.

This novel hits all the right buttons: entertaining and gripping. A fine read over three or four sittings.

eBook link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FL572Q4

Interview with Margaret Millmore

Interview with Margaret A. Millmore, 

Author of The Dragonfly Door 

(a modern day time-travel thriller/suspense novel)

Questions by Roy Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself? 

I’m a native Californian, and have lived in San Francisco since 1991 with my husband Bryan. I’m the author of 5 books; Doppelganger Experiment and Books I through III of The Four Series via World Castle Publishing (2011, 2012, 2013), and The Dragonfly Door via Amazon (October 2013).

Were you inspired by someone or something? 

A few years back I was driving home from the grocery store, located out by Ocean Beach in San Francisco – the neighborhood is generally quiet and residential, suddenly I noticed swarms of dragonflies, they were everywhere, so many that I had to pull over to watch them. I couldn’t leave the experience alone, so I wrote it down upon returning home (the ice-cream melted a bit while I did this….). That’s where it stayed for a while, but I knew there was something there, it just hadn’t formed yet. A little bit later I was visiting family in Southern California during the Thanksgiving holiday, we were driving through the high desert and the landscape suddenly spoke to me, and the plot was born. It took me a little more than 3 years to bring this book to fruition, but it was worth every minute of it.

Can you tell us about your book?

The Dragonfly Door:

Most people would envy Frank Mann for living off a trust fund in beautiful San Francisco. But Frank was directionless and spiraling downward – lonely, drinking heavily, getting into brawls. He was sitting at a bar when above the gleaming bottles he first glimpsed the thing that would change his life forever.

“It was the largest dragonfly I’d ever seen. Its wings were silver and its body a luminescent blue-green, almost metallic. I swear it was looking right at me.”

But it wasn’t looking at him. It was looking for him. Because it wasn’t a dragonfly at all. It was a door into the future. And it was sent to find Frank Mann for one specific reason: because only he could save mankind from extinction… But success will not be as easy as stepping through the dragonfly door.  (for a detailed synopsis, visit: http://margaretmillmore.com/home)

eBook link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FL572Q4

What genre best fits for the book? 

This book fits a few different genres. First, there is a time-travel element, its integral to the plot, but it’s not the plot, however that element puts it into the science fiction genre. The story itself falls under thrillers and suspense.

Are you working on something new at the moment? 

I’m currently working on a new novel that I’m hoping will evolve into a series. It’s a bit far off at the moment, but I can say there will be ghosts, and of course bad guys, I’ll toss some good guys in there too, just to balance things out.

Where can people go to read your work? 

All of my work is available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Millmore/e/B005ME8QTQ). For more information, visit: www.margaretmillmore.com

Do you have anything to add? 

I hope you have the opportunity to read my newest novel, The Dragonfly Door, and if so, please post a review on Amazon.com, the review is the lifeblood for independent authors and we very much appreciate the time you spend reading and posting. Thank you Roy, for the opportunity to visit your blog again.

Freedom of the Monsoon

Freedom of the Monsoon

Written by Malika Gandhi   

Reviewed by Roy Murry

The horrific events of the Mahatma Gandhi’s Quiet Revolution and the conflict between white and brown Indians are brought to light in Ms. Gandhi’s Freedom of the Monsoon. Mahandas, his real name was the Bapu, endeared father of the non-violent revolution that led India to freedom from British rule in 1947.  

In Malika’s historical novel we feel the pain of being dominated by another race of people, who have no real understanding of what being a Hindu or Muslim Indian entailed in that era. Conflicts arose because of these misinterpretations. Using a village’s involvement as the nucleus of her story, the Indian point of view is enhanced.

Un-necessary deaths, jailing’s, and killings were the norm according to the flow of events that led to the uprising that followed. This story has been told a number of times; however, Ms. Gandhi gets to the core of the conflict.

That miss-understanding of language and customs lead to conflicts. She details the areas between the caste system and the religious norms using the language of the period throughout this story. The reader will have to go with the slow flow of the Indian polite dialog to get the feelings behind each character’s adventure.

Those conflicts: love affairs between people of different classes, religions, color, and government vs. the people will keep you involved. Villager’s interwoven into what was an era that changed all their lives.

Ms. Gandhi did a fine job with her interpretations of the era surrounding The Quiet Revolution.

My book is available on amazon: http://amzn.to/1a50xb6

Interview with Malika Gandhi

Interview with Malika Gandhi

Author of Freedom of the Monsoon

Questions by R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I am a young author of one and bit years and I love it. I am also a wife, and a mother to two boys.  I am an illustrator as well as a writer.

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

Yes! I was in junior school then. My story was about a monkey called Manglu and a dried up watering hole! I had the book laminated and wrote Author: Malika Gandhi on the back. I knew then on that I wanted to be an author.

Were you inspired by someone or something?

I was (and still am) an avid reader. I used to read a lot of Roald Dahl and C.S Lewis books then. I think they were the ones who inspired me.

What do you like about writing a story?

I love how characters take over and tell their story themselves. I like to add a little drama and bring the characters to life.

Can you tell us about your book?
Freedom of the Monsoon is set in the harrowing era of pre-independence India, when Mahatma Gandhi called for Quit India in 1942. The story focuses on five individuals who fight battles – of their own, and of their country’s. The reader will see 1940 India, and “live” the lives of those troubled, who face the dangers of losing a lot more than they bargained for.

What genre best fits for the book?
Historical Fiction.

Are you working on something new at the moment?
Yes. I am writing a trilogy based on Fantastical creatures, witches and powerful spells. The story focuses on two worlds: Earth and another which is fictional. I am very excited about this project as it new territory for me!

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Be true to yourself. The thing about being an indie author is patience. Being indie is not just about writing the book but also marketing it. You are the creator from start to finish.

Where can people go to read your work?
My book is available on amazon: http://amzn.to/1a50xb6

Do you have anything to add?
Love your writing and don't ever let anything stop that. It is a unique treasure we hold.

Review of The Murders at Astaire Castle

Review of 
The Murders at Astaire Castle

written by Lauren Carr

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Intrigue and fun are the words that describe this whodunit novel by Lauren Carr. She takes mystery to a different level that one gets entertained while trying to find out who or what is doing the killings in this tourist town.

‘The Murders’ is the right beginning of the title. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose count, as I did. The chain of events will come to a conclusion that the reader will understand, after Ms. Carr’s main character Mac Faraday and his support team, including Gnarly his German shepherd, uncover the villain.

The crimes are gruesome and non-link able as one may think. They do have one link and that is the personage that had lived and died at Astaire Castle. Is a ghost, a werewolf, a wolf man, a man or a woman the culprit? You’ll have to buy the book to find out.

Ms. Carr’s writing is fun to read if you like having an animal take over the scene. In this novel, likable and unlike able animals take over most of the scenes other than the investigative police work .

Your emotions will be played with in a good way and you’ll have a hard time picking out the criminal, because it’s a shape shifter according to a wolf man. There are also low key love entanglements. Ms. Lauren Carr draws you in; like I just did.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Carr/e/B001JP4F0Q/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1360868874&sr=8-2-ent

Interview with Lauren Carr

Interview with Lauren Carr                   

Author of

The Murders at Astaire Castle

(A Mac Faraday Mystery)

Questions: R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself? I first fell in love with murder mysteries when my mother read Perry Mason to me at bedtime. From murderous bedtime stories, I grew up to become the author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.  

The Murders at Astaire Castle is the fifth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series. Within days of its release in July 2013, it was in the Top-100 slot on Amazon under mystery-thrillers/police procedural. It is my Halloween mystery.

This month, The Lady Who Cried Murder, the sixth Mac Faraday mystery, was released and is in the top one-hundred in police procedurals and cozies on Amazon. In this mystery, Mac Faraday and his friends encounter their strangest group of suspects yet in the murder of a fame-obsessed reality star.

I am also the owner of Acorn Book Services, which offers publishing management, consulting, editing, cover and layout design, and eBook formatting for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genres, all written by independent authors, will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information.

I do all that from my home in Harpers Ferry, WV, where I live with my husband, son, and three dogs (which includes a German shepherd named Gnarly).

Do you remember the first story you wrote? Actually, I remember two stories. I had been making up stories from the time I could use my imagination, but never actually sat down to write one out. At fourteen, I decided to write a short story for a writing contest in a teen girl magazine. It was a kidnapping story. A romance won.

Later, when I was a senior in high school, a friend of mine was in a fix. She was taking creative writing and had the whole semester to write a short story, but she couldn’t. She was completely blocked. So, on the day the story was due, during lunch, I wrote out a short story in long hand. It was a comedy about a dog that was suffering from the humiliation of fleas. He is in love with the dog across the street, but his flea problem repelled her. The story was written in first person. She paid me with a cheeseburger, fries, and soda. It was my first professional writing job. She got an A for the story.

Were you inspired by someone or something? I’d have to say my mother. Books and mysteries are the love we share. She has always encouraged me to write and supported it. I can’t tell you how many times she would read a book and say, “Your stories are so much better than that.” She said it enough for me to believe it.

What do you like about writing a story? It’s the escape into a world of adventure and mystery.

Can you tell us about your book? In The Murders at Astaire Castle, Mac Faraday discovers that he owns a haunted castle. Or is it cursed?

Topping the list of the ten most haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago—and Mac Faraday owns it!

In spite of David’s warning, Mac can’t resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn’t seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.

Halloween has always been a fun time. It’s the time to break out and be someone else. As a child, I would pretend to be one of the Bobby Twins searching for clues to lead me to a secret treasure. If I was lucky, it was made up of chocolate. As a teenager, I was Nancy Drew. Always, when October rolled around, I craved mysteries with something extra added—something beyond the normal—something supernatural. As an author, I couldn’t resist taking this one Mac Faraday Mystery on a scary Halloween adventure.

What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet—including a wolf man. No, we’re not talking about Gnarly.

What genre best fits for the book? It’s a mystery.  I would not classify as a paranormal, though they do encounter a wolf man in the castle. Amazon has placed my mysteries under both police procedural and cozy. I guess you would describe them as “gritty cozies.”

Are you working on something new at the moment? Right now, I’m working on the next Mac Faraday, which I am aiming for an early 2014 release. The working title is Twelve to Murder. In this mystery, Mac is taken hostage by the prime suspect in a double homicide, who gives him twelve hours, until midnight, to find the real murderer and prove him innocent. If Mac fails, then the hostage taker is going to kill him—after shooting Mac in the head.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? Write whatever turns you on. Don’t worry about the market or what is hot right now. That always changes and you will go nuts trying to keep up with it. Write what you love. If you love it, there will surely be an audience who will love it, too.

Where can people go to read your work? Amazon.com. All of my books is available in both print and e-book. The e-book versions are only 99 cents each.

You can start by visiting my author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Carr/e/B001JP4F0Q/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1360868874&sr=8-2-ent

Do you have anything to add? Readers can also get the updated schedule for my tour by visiting my sites:

Visit Lauren’s websites and blog at:

Website: http://acornbookservices.com/

                 http://mysterylady.net/

Blog: Literary Wealth: http://literarywealth.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauren.carr.984991