J.M. Reinbold's Blog

 

I'm pleased to welcome Weldon Burge author of the crime thriller Harvester of Sorrow to the Green Lane blog. Harvester of Sorrow, Weldon's debut novel, will be released on November 16, 2021 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

Read my interview with Weldon and my review of Harvester of Sorrow below!

Interview with Weldon Burg   

What is Harvester of Sorrow about, in your own words?

The novel involves kidnapping of children, tainted cocaine, and a vicious pair of vodoun killers. Police Detective Ezekiel Marrs and his team of fellow officers must determine how these cases all relate, and Marrs must face a deadly confrontation when the truth is revealed.

What’s the story behind the title?

You mean beyond being the title of a Metallica song? 

The book went through several titles early on, but nothing ever “clicked” for me. The title came from a bit of dialogue later in the book when a modern-day houngan (a vodoun priest) describes the villain, Edouard LeBorg, who is a bokor (a practice of the dark arts of vodoun). The description of the character fit, and it popped into my head as the perfect title.

What makes your book unique?

I wanted to create a plot that at first seems to have wildly disparate elements. A houngan brutally slain in Port-au-Prince in Haiti. A half-naked man standing on top of his car who suddenly dies for an unknown reason. A kidnapped child found dead in a park. ODs skyrocketing in the small city of New Warfield where the lead character, Ezekiel Marrs, is a police detective. As the story progresses, Ezekiel pulls together these bizarre elements to solve the case—but not without confronting seemingly endless violence, death, and destruction. The book’s structure is like peeling an onion in reverse—as you pull the layers back together, eventually you get the fully developed story.

Do bokors—evil sorcerers—exist in Haiti and/or the USA?

Good question. Certainly not like Edouard, who reinvented vodoun to suit his sick purposes. Interestingly, I based much of Edouard’s characteristics on the serial killer and drug kingpin Adolfo Constanzo, who practiced Santeria, a Cuban form of voodoo. So, I wouldn’t be surprised at all that bokors exist in the U.S., and they most definitely exist in Haiti.

Tell us something we won’t find out just by reading the book jacket/cover.

A subtle underlying theme of the novel is motherhood. I’m sure most readers wouldn’t get that from the book cover, or even the synopsis. By the end of the book, however—particularly the final sentence—it becomes apparent. 

Have you lived in or visited Haiti where the beginning of your story takes place?

Nope, never been south of Florida. Just needed a ton of research to learn about Haiti (particularly Port-au-Prince) and vodoun. One of the reasons I set the novel in 1993 was because I wanted the novel to incorporate the Haitian refugee crisis in early 1990s—our villains arrive with the flotilla of Haitian boats that made their way to Florida.  

How did you prepare to write Harvester of Sorrow?

I’m a plotter (as opposed to a “pantser,” someone who writes by the seat of their pants). Most of the novel was constructed using the Scrivener program. But I still had notes all over the place. The novel required a good deal of research, including books such as Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica, Voodoo: Search for the Spirit, and Spirits of the Night: The Vaundun Gods of Haiti. I also researched police procedures and forensics using many resources. For once section of the book, I even contacted a chemist at Stanford University who had expertise in toxicology.

What are you working on right now?

I’m about 100 pages into a draft of a paranormal police procedural that involves astral projection. The original draft was something I started decades ago. At the time, I thought it was going nowhere, so I set it aside. After revisiting the draft last year, I thought maybe I could resurrect the tale. So, that’s where I’m at with that project. 

I also have the Ezekiel Marrs sequel in my head, which picks up pretty much where the first book left off. I’m looking forward to further developing the characters from Harvester of Sorrow. There are some surprises ahead.

What are your interests outside of writing and reading?

I’ve been a gardener since I was about eight. In fact, I was once a prolific writer of gardening articles for publications like Organic Gardening, Horticulture, Fine Gardening … I even at one time wrote copy for the Burpee Seed Company website. So, I even parlayed my gardening hobby into my freelance career. 

Which authors inspire you?

Where do I start? There are so many. I guess, as far as police procedurals go, I’m old school. I’ve always been inspired by Ed McBain’s 87th precinct series. His use of character development and dialogue is impressive, and I tried to emulate his style when writing Harvester of Sorrow. And McBain published 52 books in that series, spanning 1956 to 2005. Talk about longevity!

For plotting, give me Jeffery Deaver. The twists and turns in his fiction require immense ingenuity and, I suspect, patience. How does he write such complex stories? I’m envious.

For horror, I’d say Clive Barker. Any reader of The Books of Blood … well, Stephen King’s work fails in comparison, in my opinion.

I could go on and on, just looking at the classic novels that have paved the way for today’s writers. Poe. Machen. Lord Dunsany. Arthur Conan Doyle. Charles Dickens. And, as far as crime fiction goes, Dashiell Hammett.  James Cain. Patricia Highsmith. So many more!

Cracked Spine Book Reviews by JM Reinbold

Harvester of Sorrow by Weldon Burge

Weldon Burge’s tour de force debut novel, Harvester of Sorrow, is a meticulously plotted police procedural that will keep you turning pages as Detectives Ezekiel Marrs and Gordon O’Daniel attempt to track down a brutal and elusive killer. Lack of evidence, political maneuvering within the police department, and personal concerns only make matters worse for the detectives. But their persistence and ingenuity pay off when they finally run to ground two of the most sinister, yet strangely fascinating villains to appear in crime fiction in quite a while. Harvester of Sorrow is an addictive read. Highly recommended.

WELDON BURGE

Author of the Ezekiel Marrs thriller, HARVESTER OF SORROW

Weldon Burge, a native of Delaware, is the debut author of the thriller Harvester of Sorrow , the first in the Ezekiel Marrs series published by Suspense Publishing. He is also a publisher and full-time editor. Weldon's short fiction has appeared in many publications, including various magazines and anthologies (such as Crimeucopia, The Best of the Horror Society 2013, Pellucid Lunacy: An Anthology of Psychological Horror, Ghosts and Demons, Beach Pulp, and Scary Stuff, just to name a few). His stories have been adapted for podcast presentation by Drabblecast. Weldon is also a frequent writer for Suspense Magazine, often writing author interviews.

In 2012, Weldon and his wife, Cindy, founded Smart Rhino Publications, an indie publishing company focusing primarily on horror and suspense/thriller books, many of them anthologies. To date, the company has published 15 books, including Zippered Flesh: Tales of Body Enhancements Gone Bad, Insidious Assassins, Asinine Assassins, A Plague of Shadows, The Box Jumper, Broken: Stories of Damaged Psyches, and Green Tsunami.

Contact Information

Weldon Burge

contact@weldonburge.com

Website: http://www.weldonburge.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Weldon-Burge/e/B001KIVSDY

Bookbub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/weldon-burge

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/321854.Weldon_Burge

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weldon.burge

Twitter: https://twitter.com/weldonburge

 

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Design Your Own Personal Writer's Conference

Ads for writers’ conferences, retreats, workshops, and master classes abound, everything from charting character arcs and world-building to platform creation and do-it-yourself book marketing/promotion. Sometimes, you can find what you need when you want it, where you want it, and you can afford it. Sometimes, but not always.

For two years in row now, I have designed my own personal writer’s conference and held it on the same day as our local writers’ conference. Please don’t misunderstand me, our local conference is always top notch whether in-person or on-line. It is exhilarating to attend and catch up with fellow writers and friends, and participate in a variety of classes. However, the problem that I often encounter is that none of the offerings are what I need AT THE MOMENT to help me with the project on which I am currently working.

My solution: design and customize a personal writer’s conference to meet my specific needs. 

You can design you own personal writer’s conference to meet your specific needs. Here’s how:

Plan the date, location, and duration of your conference. It’s often easiest to have your conference at home, but you can have it anywhere, for example make your conference part of a vacation. 

My personal writer’s conference lasted for eight hours in my writing room. Your conference could be for a couple hours, a couple days, or even a week.

Mark the date of your conference on your calendar! And/or post the date where you will see it!

Prepare by deciding what it is that you want to learn, or develop, or achieve. You may wish to focus on one particular subject or multiple subjects.

Prepare by deciding on and gathering all the materials you will need to support your conference goals.

Prepare by making an agenda of the things you want to do and the times you want to do them. Your agenda can be detailed or casual, whatever suits you best.

Prepare by deciding how you will reward yourself for investing in yourself at the end of your conference. (I presented myself with a new, awesome True Writer pen!)

When the day of your personal writer’s conference arrives proceed with your plan!

*Remember: Build in break times and meal times. My most recent conference started after breakfast and included two thirty-minute breaks in the morning and afternoon, an hour for lunch (delivered), and dinner (easy or pre-made) afterward.

*Remember:  Have all the materials you will need for your conference—notebooks and writing tools, study books, videos, and audios, along with music, inspirational items, water, comfortable clothing, etc. in one place and ready to use.

*Remember: If other people are going to be around make sure they know that you are “attending” a conference and that you are not available for other activities.

If you don’t like conferencing alone, consider asking a friend or a small group (your critique group, perhaps) to participate with you. Each person should design their own plan, and then decide how you will share the experience with one another, in-person, on-line, or by some other way.

Finally, and most important, be flexible and have fun.

Following is a sample agenda (detailed) for one of my personal writer’s conferences.

My Personal Writer’s Conference

Saturday, July 18, 2020

8:00 a.m. Breakfast

9:25 a.m. Educational/Inspirational Talk

Video: “How Authors Can Successfully Self-Publish” (with IngramSpark and Brooke Warner)

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Morning Session and Writing

Video:  Write Your Book from the Middle with James Scott Bell

Reading: Super Structure: The Mirror Moment

Writing: (Sprint Exercise) Brainstorm a “mirror moment” for work-in-progress

Lunch – Order Pizza

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Mid-Day Session and Writing 

Video: “Tension and Imagery” with Jordan Rosenfeld 

Reading: How to Write A Page Turner: Create Radical Reversals

Writing: (Sprint Exercise): Brainstorm a radical reversal for work-in-progress 

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Afternoon Session and Writing

Video:  Unforgettable Endings with James Scott Bell

Reading: The Last Fifty Pages: Endings Are Hard, What Should an Ending Do?, Should You Know Your Ending Before Your Write?,  About Act Three

Writing: (Sprint Exercise): Brainstorm an ending for work-in-progress

Break/Snack

4:30 p.m.  Additional Writing Time (until 6 p.m.)

Work on next scene for the work-in-progress

Dinner

Copyright 2021 JM Reinbold

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Jason Beech interviewed me recently for You Have the Right to Remain Silent (but I wouldn't recommend it) on his Messy Business blog.

Q: A friend of mine doesn’t read fiction, paraphrasing Frank Skinner about it all being made-up and he has no time for any of that (???). What words do you have for such a philistine?

A: My mom and dad used to say that frequently. Not something their fiction reading and writing kid wanted to hear. This is what I told them: Just because non-fiction is supposedly factual, doesn’t mean someone didn’t make up those facts. Every day, we find out that something we believed to be fact is no more than an individual’s or a group of people’s interpretations of a thing, person, or event, or even completely made up. Our understanding of those things changes when new information comes to light or the misinformation is revealed. Also, non-fiction often keeps readers at a comfortable emotional distance, while fiction can bring life, emotion, feeling, and perspective to people, places, and events in a way that most non-fiction can’t, and that makes some people uncomfortable. It’s always good to get out of your comfort zone now and then, so don’t be a wimp, put on your big kid pants, and give that “fiction” a try.
Click here to continue reading.

A Cracked Spine Book Review -- JM Reinbold

Never Go Back by Jason Beech

For lovers of urban noir and Brit Grit in particular, Jason Beech's Never Go Back delivers an intense story in a big way. Driven by the sting of betrayal, British expat Barlow Vine (points for that name) flees Spain for his hometown in the north of England with blood on his hands and lustful despair in his heart.
Before he's even off the train in Sheffield, Barlow is embroiled in an altercation that has far-reaching and disastrous consequences, and he soon finds himself on an anti-hero's journey that at any moment might claim his life.
Beech has an almost preternatural insight into his characters' psychology, personalities, and motivations, and combined with his quirky, addictive style, Never Go Back keeps the reader not only turning pages, but sweating bullets along with Barlow.
The story ends with a neck-snapping twist that is both surprising and darkly satisfying. Never has "keep your enemies closer" had more prophetic meaning. Recommended!
Jason Beech's website/blog
Never Go Back on Amazon

Hungry for a Good Book?
A Book Tasting
Are you hungry for a good book? For the first time ever, the New Castle County Art & Book Fair is offering a FREE book tasting event. Come to the Hockessin Café in Classroom 1 on Saturday, November 2, 2019 between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to sample some of the awesome books being sold at the Art & Book Fair. Books available to “taste” will be selected from the authors at the event.  Discover over fifty local, independent and self-published authors.  A book tasting is a great way and a fun way to find a new genre of books. Once you have done a tasting you can visit the author on-site and purchase your next great read! 
Art & Book Fair authors, this is a great opportunity to have your book be part of the book tasting menu. This is not a donation, just a loan. Your book will be returned to you at the end of the event.  This is an opportunity to have the patrons attending the Fair “taste” your book for free and hopefully come and purchase their next favorite read from you. Authors with questions, please email Heather.Mergenthaler@newcastlede.gov.
Read local! Collect local! Come to the New Castle Art & Book Fair on November 2, 2019 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Hockessin Recreation Center (PAL Building), 7259 Lancaster Pike in Hockessin to meet the artists and authors, buy their books, and shop for unique and original art. Also, at the Fair, Face Painting is available for a small fee by Party Business, as well as Caricatures by artist Susan Cathcart. There will be FREE crafts for kids hosted by the Center for Creative Arts., and there will be a food truck too! FREE admission.
New Castle County Art & Book Fair Facebook Event click here. :

New Castle County Art & Book Fair Facebook Page click here.

New Castle County Art & Book Fair website click here.

Jason Beech interviewed me for his Stuff I Wish I'd Written series at his Messy Business blog. We're talking about Caroline Graham’s The Killings at Badger’s Drift, an English country mystery noir.
Read the interview here.

These are some of my favorite books to read in October and at Halloween. I've read all of them more than once. These are books that stay on my re-read list. Not all of them feature detectives or crime in the literal or traditional sense, but all of them contain elements of wrong-doing, in the past, the present, or even in the future. In keeping with the season, each of these "crime" stories also feature elements of magic, mythology, the paranormal, and/or the supernatural.    
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson is a murder mystery centered around the lives of the Blackwood sisters, Constance and Merricat, and their Uncle Julian, who have isolated themselves at their family home. Six years prior, both the Blackwood parents (John and Ellen), an aunt (Julian's wife Dorothy), and a younger brother (Thomas) were murdered – poisoned with arsenic, which was mixed into the family's sugar bowl and sprinkled on blackberries at dinner. Constance was arrested for the murders, but later acquitted. As yet, the murderer has never been apprehended. However, the folk of the nearby village still believe Constance is to blame. When their estranged cousin Charles arrives for a seemingly conciliatory visit, his ulterior motives soon wreak havoc on the family and old grievances resurface (1962).
I first read We Have Always Lived in the Castle in school. I think I might have been eleven (a magic age). What eleven-year-old wouldn't be attracted by that book cover! 


Something Wicked This Way Comes  is a 1962 dark fantasy novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about two 13-year-old best friends, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, and their nightmarish experience with a traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October, and how the boys learn about combating fear. The carnival's leader is the mysterious ”Mr. Dark”, who seemingly wields the power to grant the citizenry's secret desires. In reality, Dark is a malevolent being who, like the carnival, lives off the life force of those they enslave. Mr. Dark's presence is countered by that of Will's father, Charles Halloway, who harbors his own secret fear of growing older because he feels he is too old to be Will's dad (Wikipedia).
Something Wicked This Way Comes was my first introduction to dark fantasy, and what an introduction. I learned how to recognize "the Dark" from this one. 


Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie features Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver, who begins the novel in attendance at a Hallowe'en party. A girl at the party claims she witnessed a murder, which, at the time, she was too young to realize was a murder. Soon, the girl herself is found murdered, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub, and Miss Oliver calls in Poirot to investigate (1969).
Hallowe'en Party has all the things I love in a murder mystery: an English village, old customs, folklore, a special feature in the countryside that plays a part in the crime, a bizarre method of murder, an interesting and unusual cast of characters, and clever detectives. So good!


The Woman in Black is a 1983 horror novel by Susan Hill, written in the style of a traditional Gothic novel. The plot concerns a mysterious specter that haunts a small English town, heralding the death of children (Wikipedia).
In this story, as in We Have Always Lived in the Castle and Hallowe'en Party, old crimes arise to harry the living and demand justice. This story was adapted for film, but the book is far more frightening, if you can imagine that! 


Something from the Nightside (Book One) is a 2003 paranormal mystery by Simon Green.  Taylor is the name, John Taylor. My card says I’m a detective, but what I really am is an expert on finding lost things. It’s part of the gift I was born with as a child of the Nightside.           I left there a long time ago, with my skin and sanity barely intact. Now I make my living in the sunlit streets of London. But business has been slow lately, so when Joanna Barrett showed up at my door, reeking of wealth, asking me to find her runaway teenage daughter, I didn’t say no.           Then I found out exactly where the girl had gone. The Nightside. That square mile of Hell in the middle of London, where it’s always 3 a.m. Where you can walk beside myths and drink with monsters. Where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.          I swore I’d never return. But there’s a kid in danger and a woman depending on me. So I have no choice—I’m going home. (Amazon)
I'm a sucker for well done paranormal detective stories and Simon Green does a phenomenal job writing a real old-school PI in a wholly fantastical setting, and spicing it with wit, humor, and even a bit of camp.

Happy Halloween reading!

What are some of your favorite books to read in October or at Halloween?  

The New Castle County Art & Book Fair
Saturday, November 2, 2019 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Hockessin Community Recreation/PAL Center, 7259 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707.
The New Castle County Art & Book Fair celebrates Delaware's independently published and self-published authors. It is the biggest, best-attended, book-selling event of the year in the Mid-Atlantic region for these authors providing a specific focus and wide exposure for their work. 
Visitors to the Fair can meet and chat one-on-one with the authors and artists and are treated to colorful and imaginative displays that show off their books and art work. An added perk is that many exhibitors offer special discounts or special "swag" that you can only get at the Fair, and, because the Fair is held just before the winter holidays, you have the opportunity to purchase high-quality, unique holiday gifts!
A wide variety of genres and categories of books for adults, young adults, and children are represented. Action/adventure, romance, mystery/crime, sci-fi/fantasy, literary fiction, and poetry, as well as non-fiction subjects to name just a few. You'll find books by established authors and up and coming writers. 
Jewelry, pottery, blown and fused glass, fiber arts, cut and folded paper sculpture, water color, oil, and acrylic painting, wood carving, metal-work, and mixed media creations are some of the types of artwork you'll discover on Fair day.
While you're at the Fair, take a good look around because you might just discover the next big thing in books and art! 
There are always some fun surprises on Fair day. In the past, visitors have been entertained by marionettes, as well as featured readers, children's activities, and prize drawings. Authors and artists were interviewed by radio personalities Geeks & Ghosts for their internet radio program. And, there's the delicious food from local cafes! Stop by and see who and what's new this year!
If you love books and art. If you support the creative arts in Delaware and beyond, please spread the word about the Art & Book Fair. Mark your calendar to attend. Invite and bring a friend. Share that you're attending on social media. If you meet an author or artist whose work you think would be of interest to a family member, friend, or acquaintance, please pick up their information and pass it along to that person or persons.

Love Your Locals and Support 
the Creative Arts Community in Delaware and beyond
It's a wonderful thing to see nearly a hundred authors, artists, and artisans gathered in one place. It is even more wonderful to see the masses of readers and supporters of the arts strolling among the display tables, chatting with the authors and artists, appreciating, and supporting them.
If you are a Delaware-area author, fine artist, or artisan and you're interested in showing and selling your work at the New Castle County Art & Book Fair click here to register or call 302-239-8861.
At $55.00 per space, the NCC Art & Book Fair is one of the most affordable venues compared to the space costs of other conventions, festivals, and fairs.
Whether you are an exhibitor or a visitor, if you enjoy the New Castle County Art & Book Fair, if it's important to you, please call the Hockessin Community Recreation Center at 302-239-8861 and voice your support for this event.

The New Castle County Art & Book Fair is sponsored by New Castle County Department of Community Services in partnership with Hockessin Bookshelf, Hockessin Library, Radio Active Mango Recordings, and the Written Remains Writers Guild.

Saturday, October 26, 20191 p.m. until 2:30 p.m
Hockession Library1023 Valley Road, Hockessin, DE 19707

How to Write (and Read) a Crime Novel
A panel that addresses the specific challenges of writing crime fiction—and reading it. What are writers' concerns as they create fiction in their sub-genre? What do readers look for when reading crime fiction? How do novelists remain creative while meeting reader expectations?

Panel Members
From left to right: Don Helin, Thomas Leitch, Bryan Reardon, Lisa Regan
Don Helin

Don is the author of thrillers that draw from his military experience, including three tours (eight years) in the Pentagon. His novel, Secret Assault, was selected as the Best Suspense/Thriller at the 2015 Indie Book Awards. Don, is a mentor with the Mystery Writers of America. He resides in Lancaster County PA.You can reach Don at his website. 
Thomas Leitch

Tom brings a different perspective to the panel. Not a crime writer, he has been Mystery Editor at Kirkus Reviews for the past twenty years. He lives in Delaware within a four mile radius of the Hockessin Public Library, his local library.
Bryan Reardon

Bryan is the author of the New York Times best-selling novel, Finding Jake. For the past decade, he has also worked as a freelance and ghost writer. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Bryan worked for the State of Delaware for over a decade. He lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.Learn more about Bryan at his website.

Lisa Regan

Lisa is the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series as well as several other crime fiction titles.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University.  She is a member of Sisters In Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers’ Association, and International Thriller Writers. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip.
Jane Kelly, Moderator, is the author of the Meg Daniels Mysteries, set in New Jersey Shore towns as well as two mystery series available only for Kindle: Writing in Time and Widow Lady mysteries. The latest in the Meg Daniels series, Greetings from Ventnor City, becomes available in September. See more at Jane's website.

I have a guest post today on the Happy Self-Publisher Blog. Click over to read. Thanks Lois Hoffman for inviting me!

Click here to read. 

#truewriter #truedetective #truecrime