Kris Calvin's Blog

Talent this outsized is rare, to find it on display in a debut novel rarer still, and to see it utilized in the service of an exciting and entertaining crime fiction novel with what the Sun Sentinel describes as “an appealing plot and equally pleasing characters” (instead of pummeling the reader senseless with endless gore and violence—a popular trend) is not only refreshing, but exceedingly difficult to achieve.

Jason Powell manages this impressive hat trick.

In NO MAN’S GHOST, Powell writes powerfully and clearly and the dialogue, regardless of the character’s age, gender or disposition, is entirely believable. Mr. Powell grew up in a family of nine children and today, in addition to being a critically-acclaimed author, is a firefighter with the New York City Fire Department. The skill with which he purposefully employs each word in NO MAN’S GHOST makes it easy for me to picture Powell fighting flames with a similar intensity or negotiating persuasively at a very young age with one or more siblings to be given the last cupcake.

Brianna Labuskes, highly-regarded best-selling author of THE LOST BOOK OF BONN says of NO MAN’S GHOST “Crisp, gorgeous prose and sweat-inducing action scenes take readers into the heart of danger.”

Meredith Hambrock, recipient of rave reviews for OTHER PEOPLES’ SECRETS shares that “No Man’s Ghost is both a deeply compassionate tribute to the everyday heroism of ordinary people and an uplifting balm that gripped me with its ease, romance, and sense of wonder. I couldn’t put it down.”

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY states NO MAN’S GHOST is “a promising debut…Powell’s strength lies in his descriptions of fire and the sights, sounds, and emotions of being inside a burning building.”

At authorjasonpowell.com you can learn more about Powell, read his stellar short stories and pick up a copy of his exciting debut, if you’re so inclined.

I greatly enjoyed NO MAN’S GHOST and look forward to many more books from this exceptionally talented young author.

Happy Reading!

Kris

www.kriscalvin.com

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Other People’s Secrets?  There is no book like this book. And Meredith Hambrock? There is no author like this author. Publisher’s Weekly raves that  Other People’s Secrets  is a “dynamic debut”. Author Kim Fu calls Hambrock’s writing “vivid and close to the skin”.

With this crime fiction/thriller, nominated for a Lefty award at Left Coast Crime 2023,  Hambrock breaks all the rules and wins at a game I didn’t know could be played.

The plot is straightforward. Until it’s not.  The protagonist, 29-yr-old Bunny, a foul-mouthed, impulse-control-challenged alcoholic who started life in a dumpster, is impossible to like. Until she wins you over, and you feel something close to respect for Bunny, maybe even affection.

How does Author Meredith Hambrock do it? It may relate to her experience as a Canadian sitcom-writing-rockstar, with over 100 episodes of comedy TV to her credit. In spite of that (or perhaps because of it?) Meredith seems very nice. Oh, and she calls soda “pop”. You can learn more about Meredith and her work at meredithhambrock.com.

Bottom line? OTHER PEOPLE’S SECRETS is the book to read right now if you’re not averse to scenes that include profanity, alcohol-induced vomiting, and all-around adolescent-like bad behavior, when wrapped in prose at times profound and always in the service of a story remarkably told.

Happy Reading!

Kris

ps If you’d like my next Author of The Week delivered to your inbox, you can sign up here: https://www.kriscalvin.com/blog/

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I’m a serious fan of Tracy Clark’s crime fiction/mystery series featuring Cassandra Raines, a young former Chicago cop turned private investigator.

I’m not the only one.

Clark’s debut, BROKEN PLACES, made Library Journal’s list of Best Crime Fiction that year, and CrimeReads named Cass Raines Best New PI of 2018. Publisher’s Weekly says of the most recent in the Cass Raines series, “A potent mix of empathy and rage fuels Sue Grafton Award–winner Clark’s exceptional fourth Chicago mystery. The action builds to an exciting showdown. Those who like their crime novels with a social conscience will be amply rewarded.”

When I say I’m a serious fan, I mean serious!  I’ve read all four books, several of them twice AND listened to them on audiobooks. (Shari Peele is an award-winning  narrator and a fabulous fit for these books.)

So when I learned Ms. Clark had a new series with the first book due out last month I was concerned.

Did this mean no more Cass Rains? I wasn’t ready for that. And suppose I didn’t like the new protagonist or the new storyline?

(Remember, I’m a very serious fan of that first series…)

Fortunately, my worries were unfounded.

I finished the first Detective Harriet Foster book HIDE in one sitting and agree completely with award-winning author Jess Lourey’s assessment that HIDE “…hits all the right notes—a captivating protagonist up against a nightmarish serial killer, their hunt played out  across a Chicago so immersive, so flawlessly rendered, that you can hear your own footsteps slapping the streets—while managing to create something completely unique. One of the best books I’ve read in years.”

Though also set in Chicago, Clark’s new protagonist Harriet Foster is a 10-plus year veteran on the Chicago Police Force who offers a completely different window into crime-fighting and justice than PI Cass Raines gave us.

One last thing: As an author, I know how difficult it is to write a brief biographical statement that doesn’t sound like everyone else’s. Tracy Clark achieves that and much more, sharing truth about herself and her writing while demonstrating how enjoyable well-written words can be, whatever their purpose. Take a look at https://tracyclarkbooks.com/about/

While you’re there, perhaps consider using the link to pick up a copy of one of Tracy’s books, whether starting with the first Cass Rains BROKEN PLACES  or jumping in with the new Harriet Foster book HIDE.

Happy Reading!

Kris 

www.kriscalvin.com

ps My next Author of The Week is Brianna Labuskes. For delivery to your inbox (your information will never be shared) sign up here: https://www.kriscalvin.com/blog/ 

 

 

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I’ve been researching the years 1910-1912 in the United States as background for a suspense/thriller I’m writing with a dual timeline that includes that period…

I started by reading the daily 1911 newspapers in the locale where the book is set—300 of them!  I learned a lot from the ads—the products people purchased, the theater shows they went to, the vacation spots that sought their business. But I still didn’t feel that I had a real window into what it was like to live  in that era. How did people talk to one another—what was the slang of the day? What were their relationships like? What were the social norms?

I  consulted the list of bestselling novels in the US at that time…

After reading three, I’d gained a much stronger sense of place and lifestyle for 1910-1912 America—the research aspect of that effort was an enormous success!

But there was so much more…

The physical experience of holding those books in my hands and of turning the pages that were over 100 years old felt to me, as a life-long reader, to be such a gift.

Beyond that, reading these stories I was reminded there is merit in simple themes well-told…

These bestsellers are all, at their core, romances, each with a strong woman protagonist whose ability to make her way in the world and find happiness is largely dependent on the matches she makes. I don’t read modern romance novels and therefore can’t say how similar these are to those, but in 1910-1912 marrying for love versus money is a common driver of the plot, and class barriers to obtaining either/both are omnipresent. Religion—behavior God would and wouldn’t like—is often at the forefront. Still, each of these novels transcends its time by examining the universal  struggle we face as humans:

“Is my life meaningful? If it is not now, how might I make it so?”

A caveat… 

I  want to stress again that these are simple stories. They are  largely predictable, and best read without high expectations. There’s no shortage of melodrama, though once I permitted myself to accept that as part of the time in which these books were written, the authors’ words had power, despite their not infrequent overreach.

So, here goes…

Below I offer a bit about each book in the order in which I read them:

THE MELTING OF MOLLY 

Maria Thompson Davies

(1912)

Molly caught “sneaking” bread and butter!

Light and humorous, this is a quick and entertaining read, though I was disappointed to find 25-year old widow Molly’s “melting” in the title is meant  literally. Molly desperately wants to lose weight because an old beau, who she last saw when she was 17, is returning to the small town of Hillsborough, Tennessee where they grew up and where Molly still lives.  The novel is a first person account of Molly’s weight loss journal, given to her by her doctor in which he’s laid down the law about what she can eat and activities she must undertake. Molly takes the little red book a step further and utilizes it as a diary of all that is happening to her and how she feels about it.  Here’s the first sentence Molly records: “Yes, I truly think that in all the world there is nothing so dead as a young woman’s deceased husband, and God ought to give His wisest man-angel special charge concerning looking after her and the devil at the same time!”

THE STREET CALLED STRAIGHT

Basil King

(1911)

“To Evelyn from Bill…” original handwritten note in the front of my copy of The Street Called Straight

Figuring out what constitutes “doing the right thing” is challenging for both men and women in this story. It’s written in close third person from multiple points of view, male and female. It’s set in the Boston area.

At age 24, Peter  Davenant proposes to Olivia Guion, a woman well above his station. She doesn’t bother to answer him, leaving the room as though a proposal hadn’t been made. Eight years later, having made his fortune and traveled the world twice, Davenant chances to meet Olivia again, when she is engaged to another man. Regardless, romance must take a back seat to their individual (and disparate) pursuits of achieving an ethical life through strength of character. Here author King describes the thoughts of Olivia’s father, an example of what happens when the path to the right thing is obscured:  “It was a cry, not of surrender, but of protest—of infinite, exasperated protest, of protest against fate and law and judgment and the eternal principles of right and wrong, and against himself most of all.”

A MODERN CHRONICLE 

Winston Churchill

(1910)

(Note: Not “that” Winston Churchill; this is an American novelist.) Table of Contents for A Modern ChronicleNote: The author is not  “that”  Winston Churchill—”this” Winston Churchill was a best-selling American novelist

This is a winding and at times repetitive saga of a young woman whose beauty makes every man fall for her. Honora (have to love the name) tries to navigate that attention with an eye not only toward her dreams, but also the needs and feelings of others. Author Churchill  also engages directly with the culture of American capitalism and the risks of worshiping money above all else.

With patience, I felt rewarded, though unlike the other two novels,  I couldn’t read it in one sitting. I could have done without there being so many  potential beaus! Still, I’m glad I persisted; there’s a lot to think about in these pages.

It’s told by a narrator who has their own presence: “All this belongs, however, to another history, which may some day be written. This one is Honora’s and must be got on with, for it is to be a chronicle of lightning changes.”

 

I bought these books for about $10 each from second-hand book vendors online (avoiding Amazon when I could, though they are available there). To my mind, it was money very well-spent.

Thank you for being a reader, whatever you read!

Kris ps A couple of questions for you: (1) If you read modern romance, based on the quotes and brief overviews here I’d be interested in how you think they compare. (2) If you write historical novels (or contemporary with a historical subplot) how do you go about your research?

 

The post A peek at 3 bestselling novels from 1910-1912: As a writer, I learned a thing or two! appeared first on Kris Calvin.

I first met Catriona McPherson at a drinks gathering of writers and artists. I was a newbie author with a traditional mystery due out the following year, and Catriona was (and is) a  multi-award-winning, best-selling author of more than 20 books. (Now 29? Maybe 30?).

I was way out of my comfort zone… I knew no one when I arrived. I’d  barely begun the  transition from a purely analytical, policy-making life to one in which I hoped to embrace my creative side. Fortunately, everyone there was kind and welcoming. It was the start of several enduring friendships, including with Catriona. Since then, I have witnessed her lift up many new and unknown writers, not only with social media posts, but also with personal encouragement.

I  should clarify something… Catriona typically produces two or even three full-length stellar novels for publication a year. That’s in addition to her short stories in anthologies (often to benefit good causes) and her  long list of prestigious speaking and teaching engagements. So I am definitely not suggesting anyone cold call Catriona for help—she has to “say no” even when it  pains her to do so.  But I  am in awe of the fact that despite being established and accomplished and fully booked, Catriona McPherson somehow finds a way to help an astonishing number of  other authors!

Catriona…

Having now read all (nearly all?) of Catriona’s books, I have a few favorites: Catriona’s catalogue of work includes masterful stand-alone suspense and thrillers, a long-running historical mystery series featuring  Dandy Gilver, PI, and the modern (and laugh-out loud funny!) Last Ditch mystery series starring the irrepressible Lexy Campbell, a therapist/counselor turned amateur sleuth.

Catriona’s  THE TURNING TIDE  is “a deliriously fun tale, flawlessly written”—Saga.  It’s #14 in the Dandy Gilver series. #15 THE MIRROR DANCE  is out in a month in the US.

QUIET NEIGHBORS is amazing—if you’re looking for a stand alone, you might start there. It received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly,  and the New York Times says  McPherson writes “…mystery stories that are both cozy and creepy, which accounts for the quirky charm…” of QUIET NEIGHBORS.

Catriona’s latest suspense thriller A GINGERBREAD HOUSE  “…shows four women’s lives colliding in a life-or-death struggle in Scotland.” It might keep you up at night reading to the end!  KIRKUS says A GINGERBREAD HOUSE is   “a disturbing story of madness and fortitude that grabs your attention from Page 1.” (Perfect to get in the mood for Halloween!)

Brenda Blethyn star of the Vera TV series, Catriona McPherson Toastmaster of Malice Domestic Conference #30 (center) and Ann Cleeves author of the Vera and Shetland books!Did I mention Catriona is lots of fun? Shown here with author Eileen Rendahl and me.

Finally, a  few fun facts  about Catriona… Catriona was  born near Edinburgh in Scotland—she has a PhD in linguistics from Edinburgh University. Catriona makes a killer pumpkin pie—not literally, but it is delicious! Some say Catriona  was feted by the Queen of England or maybe she met her? Though perhaps that’s only legend, in keeping with Catriona’s  place  among the royalty of mystery and suspense writers!

One thing is definitely true: it’s Catriona’s birthday today! 

To learn more about Catriona McPherson and her work go to http://www.catrionamcpherson.com

 

 

The post Happy Birthday Catriona McPherson—Author Extraordinaire! appeared first on Kris Calvin.

 

As I write this, ALL THAT FALL, my debut thriller is ten hours, fourteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds old!

In my head I’m a little bit anxious, but mostly excited for the party I picture happening tonight at a local bookstore, at which dear friends, family, and fellow authors will gather to celebrate my finally being able to share this action-packed Sacramento-based adventure featuring government ethics investigator Emma Lawson and the cast of characters who make up her world with readers!

I’m thinking about what I’ll wear—that little black dress I’ve been saving— what treats and refreshments I’ll serve—cupcakes, lemonade and,  for those who partake a selection of California wine— and what book swag—door hangers and pins— I’ll have there for guests!

  But tonight’s in-person launch party is, sadly, destined to occur only in my imagination… 

There are no in-person bookstore events yet where I live, and for scheduling reasons the fabulous zoom launch party (which I can’t wait for, more on that to follow) is not happening until next week, when ALL THAT FALL will be ten days and five hours old.

I’m not sure what that is in “book years”. Is that like dog years, do you multiply by seven?

 Fortunately, a little “real” goes a long way…

I was contemplating, a bit disheartened, how to make this day special—about something other than tweets and posts—while waiting for the zoom party in ten days’ time,

when my phone rang.  I picked it up to be greeted by a dear friend singing to me, “Happy Book Birthday to you!”,  followed in the next few hours by multiple deliveries of cake, flowers and wrapped gifts on my doorstep.

Remarkably (at least, I thought so) the tweets and posts bearing good wishes—professional and personal—from my kids, my colleagues, authors, friends and lovers—old and new—took on a different character. They became part of something off the screen, brightened and given weight by the tokens of celebration in my home, the scent of the baby roses, the dense flavor of the chocolate cake, and the feel of the new notebook for my writing table. It’s wild.

It’s like a party is happening here.

I feel so fortunate, and joyful, and enveloped in this loving acknowledgement, not only of my book, but also of the importance of honoring the creativity in all of our lives.

 It is the perfect book birthday…

                                                         Thank you!   

                                                         Kris

 

To learn  more about ALL THAT FALL there’s info and easy buy buttons  at www.kriscalvin.com 

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As I write this, ALL THAT FALL, my debut thriller is ten hours, fourteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds old!

In my head I’m a little bit anxious, but mostly excited for the party I picture happening tonight at a local bookstore, at which dear friends, family, and fellow authors will gather to celebrate my finally being able to share this action-packed Sacramento-based adventure featuring government ethics investigator Emma Lawson and the cast of characters who make up her world with readers!

I’m thinking about what I’ll wear—that little black dress I’ve been saving— what treats and refreshments I’ll serve—cupcakes, lemonade and,  for those who partake a selection of California wine— and what book swag—door hangers and pins— I’ll have there for guests!

  But tonight’s in-person launch party is, sadly, destined to occur only in my imagination… 

There are no in-person bookstore events yet where I live, and for scheduling reasons the fabulous zoom launch party (which I can’t wait for, more on that to follow) is not happening until next week, when ALL THAT FALL will be ten days and five hours old.

I’m not sure what that is in “book years”. Is that like dog years, do you multiply by seven?

 Fortunately, a little “real” goes a long way…

I was contemplating, a bit disheartened, how to make this day special—about something other than tweets and posts—while waiting for the zoom party in ten days’ time,

when my phone rang.  I picked it up to be greeted by a dear friend singing to me, “Happy Book Birthday to you!”,  followed in the next few hours by multiple deliveries of cake, flowers and wrapped gifts on my doorstep.

Remarkably (at least, I thought so) the tweets and posts bearing good wishes—professional and personal—from my kids, my colleagues, authors, friends and lovers—old and new—took on a different character. They became part of something off the screen, brightened and given weight by the tokens of celebration in my home, the scent of the baby roses, the dense flavor of the chocolate cake, and the feel of the new notebook for my writing table. It’s wild.

It’s like a party is happening here.

I feel so fortunate, and joyful, and enveloped in this loving acknowledgement, not only of my book, but also of the importance of honoring the creativity in all of our lives.

 It is the perfect book birthday…

                                                         Thank you!   

                                                         Kris

To join the virtual launch where I’ll be in conversation with the incomparable author GAYLE LYNDS  https://gaylelynds.com/  

(Please do, it’s free!) Register here: https://www.facebook.com/events/5241885512549348

 To learn  more about ALL THAT FALL, maybe even buy it on Launch Day—ebook, audiobook or hardback—there’s info and easy buy buttons  at www.kriscalvin.com 

The post I have a book birthday today… appeared first on Kris Calvin.

I feel very fortunate that I was allowed input into the choice of narrator for ALL THAT FALL, my debut thriller. It will be my first audiobook as an author. (I’ve listened to hundreds by other authors!) When I was given samples of actor/narrator/voice-over artists, I was impressed by all of them. There’s a lot of talent out there. But because my book is from multiple points of view, I realized what I needed was someone who not only could give voice to Emma Lawson, the 32-year-old Sacramento-based investigator who is the lead in ALL THAT FALL, but who could also bring to life Emma’s best friend Kate from Ireland, homicide detective Carlos Sifuentes originally from El Salvador,  three-year old Vivian, and 15 year-old Luke. Wait, what? How could one actor possibly do justice to all of those characters?

Fortunately, once I had that requirement in mind, the right narrator jumped out at me. In fact, she stood out so completely from the rest that I got nervous she might be not available or some other glitch would prevent her from doing it. But those fears were unfounded, and it is with great joy that I can announce that actor Caitlin Davies is narrating the ALL THAT FALL  audiobook, possibly even as I type this!

A bit about Caitlin: She is a voiceover artist and award-winning audiobook narrator. She’s  also a freelance audiobook director with Macmillan Audio and Hachette Audio. Caitlin has narrated books for Audible, Blackstone, Blue Heron Audio, Brilliance, Dreamscape (my publisher!), Hachette, Harper, Listening Library, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Podium Publishing, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Scribd, and Tantor Audio. And in the mind-bending “intersection of worlds category”  Caitlin has also voiced characters for the video game Magic: The Gathering Arena. My son, Nate, was the 2011 California state champion for Magic the Gathering (MTG), the in-person competitive version of the same game! (For those not familiar with MTG, it’s kind of like poker, but with creatures and spells. There are an estimated 35 million Magic The Gathering players worldwide.)

To be clear, I haven’t heard a word yet of Caitlin voicing ALL THAT FALL. Which means when I assert “my narrator is better than your narrator”, I may be out on a limb here.  But having heard Caitlin Davies’ other amazing work, that limb feels very sturdy to me.

 Kris

 

For more about Caitlin: http://caitlindavies.com/narrator

To see what else she has voiced on Aubible https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Caitlin+Davies

To preorder the ALL THAT FALL  audiobook so you will have it as soon as it drops:

https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Fall-Kris-Calvin-ebook/dp/B08F4HDBBP/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

The post My narrator is better than your narrator…(fight me on that) appeared first on Kris Calvin.

What I’m streaming

This (very short) story starts with Edward Susumu Curry, MD, a Yale-educated pediatrician and a leader among his peers, a smart, compassionate person who was widowed when his two sons were very young.

Ed and I became friends when his boys were older. Whenever I would ask him about them, I knew I was guaranteed a smile, and that Ed would say how great Bradley and Russell were doing. That they were “definitely figuring things out”.

But I wondered about Russell, who wanted to be an actor.

I thought about how hard that path would be, how insanely competitive and likely disappointing, which none of us wants for our kids or the kids we care about.

But Ed never said anything remotely like that. He talked about the discipline Russell showed in pursuing his goal and how he never gave up. And as the years (yes, years) passed, Ed was not a “stage parent” (far from it) but he remained quietly and strongly  supportive of both his sons finding their own way.

And that’s why this week I was standing and cheering when the newest Red Power Ranger RUSSELL CURRY (not only the leader of  all the Power Rangers (!) but also an alien who had been “hyper-asleep” for 65 million years) said his first line on Nickelodeon’s premiere of the 28th season, with I’m guessing a gazillion and one people watching.

Good people deserve good things. A nd Ed, Russell and Bradley Curry are among the best.

—For those interested, a brief review of the show. https://primaryignition.com/2021/02/22/power-rangers-dino-fury-episode-1-review/

The post What I’m Streaming: Power Rangers Dino Fury (Spoiler Alert—It’s not for the Cyborg Dinosaurs) appeared first on Kris Calvin.

 

 

 

 

What I’m Reading:  The Father Luis Chavez Mystery Trilogy by Mark Wheaton

Mark Wheaton’s action-packed and beautifully written Father Luis Chavez Mystery Series is more about modern social issues than it is about religion, though former Los Angeles gang member and recently-ordained priest Father Luis  Chavez underpins his search for justice, which  at times turns violent, with his struggle to live consistent with his faith.

The trilogy begins with Fields of Wrath, followed by City of Strangers, and completed with Wages of Sin. All are  character-driven, complex crime fiction thrillers. I hope someday there will be more Father Luis Chavez stories to read.

I  first met Mark in 2016 at the www.LeftCoastCrime.org mystery conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

He has successfully authored comics, screenplays, and novels across several genres, and cliched or not, he is one person about whom I can honestly say “his creativity knows no bounds”.

In Mark Wheaton’s critically-acclaimed sci-fi fantasy  novel Emily Eternal, an “artificial consciousness” engineered to help individuals face trauma must deal with a whole other level of psychic chaos when the human race is confronted with the impending death of the sun, the planet Earth and everyone on it.

“The most fascinating AI character in recent memory.” – Entertainment Weekly.

And his newest thriller is due out March 2, 2021: The Quake Cities. Can’t wait!

I am grateful to Mark for the kindness and encouragement he has shown me as a writer and as a friend.

Learn more about Mark Wheaton and his work here:

https://www.mark-wheaton.com/

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