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Sheila Bitts

Goodreads Author

Born

in Chicagoland, The United States

Website

https://amazon.com/author/sheilamaebitts

Twitter

https://twitter.com/sheilamaebitts

Genre

Mystery, Fiction, Poetry

Influences

Dark Romanticism, Science, History, Private Detective/ PI Genre.

Member Since

September 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomsheilabitts

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Sheila Bitts, MFA, MPH is the author of Roses (2018, poetry). Her flash fiction is in Beyond Words Literary Magazine (2021). Worth (2022) is her collection of short stories. She wrote the novel, The Diamond Escape (2017) and its screenplay (2020). Entanglement (2022) is the second book in the Falloy Private Detective Novels.

BlueCat Review of Screenplay, "The Diamond Escape"--"This script is entertaining and is clearly inspired by many classic movies. It’s both a heist story and a detective story and the writer draws deftly from both genres to create a breakneck pursuit of the titular diamonds. In this expansive chase.. The diversity of place and the speed with which we move between settings create an exciting and, on the whole, original pie Sheila Bitts, MFA, MPH is the author of Roses (2018, poetry). Her flash fiction is in Beyond Words Literary Magazine (2021). Worth (2022) is her collection of short stories. She wrote the novel, The Diamond Escape (2017) and its screenplay (2020). Entanglement (2022) is the second book in the Falloy Private Detective Novels.

BlueCat Review of Screenplay, "The Diamond Escape"--"This script is entertaining and is clearly inspired by many classic movies. It’s both a heist story and a detective story and the writer draws deftly from both genres to create a breakneck pursuit of the titular diamonds. In this expansive chase.. The diversity of place and the speed with which we move between settings create an exciting and, on the whole, original piece within two genres that crave originality."

"Falloy is a newly minted private-eye who I can root for."

"The piece appears to be well-researched and raises many important questions regarding the theft of jewels and artifacts from around the world on behalf of colonial interests." "There is a richness within the setting, especially the scenes set in the museum; the writer is familiar with all the characters we might encounter within these academic circles and creates a power around them, specifically with Etienne and Leon. This mix of the characters’ wealth and intellectualism make Etienne and Leon particularly formidable and interesting." "On the whole, an exciting piece that grapples with many important questions and draws us through a heist while keeping our interest, certainly no small feat... (There is a)...nice touch at the end, which ties the story in a circle and is thematically very satisfying..."

* * * * *
The Diamond Escape (novel) by Sheila Bitts
5/5 Stars
Review by Alma Boucher for Readers’ Favorite
"The Diamond Escape is engaging and exciting. The events are described in detail, and it was easy to visualize the people and events. The plot…kept me on the edge of my seat. The story was fast-paced and jam-packed with action. There was never a dull moment. Sheila Bitts builds the background for a wide number of characters. It was a wild roller coaster ride with participants that were authentic and relatable...The story was well written, and mystery and suspense were blended. The twists and turns unraveled toward an excellent ending. It was unexpected and surpassed my expectations."
* * * * *
Entanglement (novel) by Sheila Mae Bitts
5/5 Stars
Review by Alma Boucher for Readers' Favorite
"Entanglement continues the Falloy detective series. Sheila Bitts took me on a rollercoaster ride of mystery, murder, and suspense. The author's imagination had me hooked from the start. The plot was intriguing and complicated, and I could not put it down. It was a page-turner and full of action. The character development was brilliant. There were many players, and it was exciting to get to know them. My favorite characters were Falloy and Snow. The energy between them was fun and lightened the seriousness of the circumstances precipitated by the danger and murders. The story was well-written and exceeded my expectations by far."
* * * * *
Entanglement (novel) by Sheila Bitts
5/5 Stars
Review by: Essien Asian of Readers' Favorite.
"Sheila Bitts employs creative conversations between her characters…maintains our curiosity right up to the final chapters...Bitts' inclusion of time-altering scientific concepts in a story equally heavy on drama and old-school espionage activity creates an immersive atmosphere that sucks in even the most reluctant reader with a subtlety that should be applauded. An even balance between the physical tussling and the deduction-related activity guarantees that the avid action junkie’s essential diet is satisfied in a delicious potpourri of spine-tingling suspense. An impressive novel by my standards. It will surely hold its own in the genre." ...more

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Is Kindle Create Difficult?

Sheila Bitts Why yes, myself. It says one may toggle to book format, but in reality, one may not. Etc.

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Explain some influences in Worth. People have asked me, "What are they?"

Sheila Bitts I'm not sure this answer counts as a spoiler. It depends on how much you know about the allusions and the tribute references.

This book of short storie…moreI'm not sure this answer counts as a spoiler. It depends on how much you know about the allusions and the tribute references.

This book of short stories is influenced by Vonnegut, Shakespeare, James Joyce, Poniatowska, Robbe-Grillet, Magical Realism, Realism, Dark Romanticism, and many other people/styles including dark humor.

There are some heavy stories with some serious topics, but there are also some comedic pieces including some based on urban legends.

The stars used to separate segments in "The Asters" was taken directly from Vonnegut's use of stars in Slaughterhouse Five. It's also a trauma-driven story.

The Morse code at the end of "Frozen Over Ripples in a Pond" was what the woodpecker said to Carlsbad. You can go to a Morse code site and look it up. It was supposed to be interactive writing and reading as he found nature to be his only friend. That and the boy were part of the magical realism elements others had mentioned. He is symbolic, too, as he looks like the Tarot card for the Sun.

As for "Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire,"
I understand actual trigger warnings, but I was being one who copes through using dark humor and that's why I even mentioned them in the first story. This is also why I called them "Pulp Trigger warnings." It was a dark humor word play as I also write in the private detective/ noir /mystery/ thriller/ heist genres. Self-referencing, true, but also wider, I thought.

On the same story, adding Rod Serling was pure homage to his style because the whole story was imagined in black and white as if it were an episode of the Twilight Zone. I also said that was how Mr. Knowles saw the world. The point about the town being named its name in the first paragraph sounded like the old-fashioned Hollywood/Twilight Zone style of writing. Plus, then, I could introduce values as a theme.

On “Wonder Weapon” and on zombies: In Italy, there is a scandal about cruise ships and about the failure of flood gates stopping flooding in real life. I just took it a step further and made Donald Trump a blonde pomp zombie calling for calamari as he swiped at them because Trump's COO was named Matthew Calamari, Sr. Much of this is about the failure of leadership, banks, and the soul-crushing defeats that they release on the rest of humanity.

On the other zombie story, "The Scriptwriter," the reader does not know the Scriptwriter's real name until the end because it is a pun. If you look it up in the urban dictionary, you will see.

Shakespeare wrote in his sonnet form which I used for both my Othello and my Iago. I placed them on the Lido because I studied medieval pilgrimage. That was where many soldiers waited and died due to disease when they prepared to fight in the Crusades. I added senators and kept the story at the turning point before tragedy struck Othello.
(BTW There is a Shakespearean stage. However, I changed it. I made it rotate. That is a modernization that he would not have done, but yes, a literal turning point for a scene.)

This and the story called "Comandante" are two examples of stories with turning points for main characters. In the latter, Jesusa was at the crossroads. She is based on the novel's character from Poniatowska's Here's To You, Jesusa! So was the Comandante. There was so much violence in Jesusa's life after she chose to marry instead of staying with the Comandante. She was beaten to a pulp until she threatened to shoot her husband even as they fought a civil war on the same side. Her life never got better it seemed. I thought that was her turning point when she met the Comandante. I wish she had stayed with her as she was welcomed at her dinner table.

I could go on, but in short, the stories are often about the choices we make…and regret as much as they are about the value of a human being.(less)

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Sheila Bitts’s books

Average rating: 3.27 · 141 ratings · 55 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Entanglement (Falloy Private Detective Novels, #2) 3.09 avg rating — 53 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Diamond Escape (Falloy Private Detective Novels, #1) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 44 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Worth: Short Fiction Collection 3.40 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 2022 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Roses: Collected Poems 1988-2008, Second Edition 4.30 avg rating — 10 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Collected Poems (1988-2008) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Umbrella Initiative: A Rationale it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Screenplay of The Diamond Escape it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Merry Christmas 2024!

I hope everybody has a Great Christmas!

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The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon, #6)

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The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe

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The Lutheran Study Bible: English Standard Version

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Sheila Bitts is currently reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (New Updated Nook Edition) Every Single Sherlock Holmes Work incl. Study in Scarlet, Sign of the Four, Hounds of the Baskervilles, Valley of Fear, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, & More! by Arthur Conan Doyle	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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“There was still blood going down Henry's chin, but he didn't notice it and no one said anything, even though every time he took a bite of his bread his blood fell onto it until he was eating his own blood mixed in with the food.”
― Louise Erdrich, The Red Convertible

tags: native-americans, ptsd, veterans

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“spoilers (turning point)

"Now Cillian was awake—he was irreversibly awake. He blinked up at her face, which was staring down at him. When they locked eyes, her frozen smile widened.

“Mom!” he couldn’t help screaming. “Help!”

The Bog Girl, imitating him, began to scream and scream. And he could see, radiating from her gaze, the same blind tenderness that he had directed at her. Now he was its object. Something truly terrifying had happened: she loved him back.”
― Karen Russell, The Bog Girl

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“After a week’s quiescence, an ambulance tore across Road, siren wailing and lights flashing to the rhythm of help emergency help help help. Road opened its mouth and swallowed.
They were delicious.”
― Shalini Srinivasan, Road: A Fairytale

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“Why think separately of this life than the next, when one is born from the last? Time is always too short for those who need it, but for those who love, it lasts forever.”
― Dracula Untold

tags: inspirational

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“Misery is manifold. The wretchedness of earth is multiform.”
― Edgar Allan Poe, Berenice

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Sheila’s Friend Comments

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message 3: by Sheila (last edited Jan 04, 2022 01:03PM)

Jun 16, 2021 12:20PM

Craft: The author used unreliable first-person point of view of a SecUnit as well as dialogue to get her theme across. I thought of her bot character as female while reading it.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Quote

"I didn’t turn my helmet toward him because that can be intimidating and it’s especially important for me to resist that urge. 'I carefully monitor my own systems.' What else did he think I was going to say? It didn’t matter; I’m not refundable." (49)

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message 2: by Sheila

Feb 14, 2021 10:55AM

"He might have been compared to a summer’s day, particularly the
last hours of one, and while he lacked a tennis racket or a sail bag the impression was
definitely one of youth, sport, and clement weather."

and

"He had an
inexplicable contempt for men who did not hurl themselves into pools."

and

"Here he was exposed to the ridicule
of the north-bound traffic, but after ten or fifteen minutes he was able to cross."

from, "The Swimmer"
John Cheever

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message 1: by Sheila

Feb 14, 2021 10:48AM

"Capiche..."
from "Bullet in the Brain"
Tobias Wolff

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