Once She Discovers Magic
The House That Lies follows 14-year-old Emma and her friends as they investigate a mysterious mansion where ghostly encounters, unexplained disappearances, and secrets challenge everything they believe about the supernatural. What inspired the setup of your story?
I have always loved mystery novels, especially those with possible supernatural aspects to them. That love for the mysterious came out in this novel, helping me set up not only the world itself, but the belief or disbelief from the characters’ mindset.
Emma approaches supernatural mysteries with skepticism and logic. What inspired you to give her this analytical mindset in a world filled with magic?
I have always loved Star Trek, especially Mr. Spock. I used a great deal of his influence to give Emma similar reasoning skills. As far as magic, she never really believed in it until she was exposed to the portal for the first time and transported herself to a distant book world. (See Book 1—The Journey to Nirisia)
Ashford House feels almost like a character itself. How did you develop its disturbing history and atmosphere to deepen the mystery surrounding Dunhallow?
I believe nearly every town or city has a creepy, haunted houses that carry a history. (Whether it is real or not is for you to decide.) I love stories where the houses are, or seem to be, alive or haunted by past deeds, and so on. I used that same energy to invent the Ashford House.
The story explores Emma’s growing awareness that her friendships may change as their lives take different paths. Why was this emotional thread important to include?
In book #1, Emma is a brilliant, introverted girl who hated leaving her own house. She had no friends to speak of and was quite comfortable at home with her cat. Once she discovers magic and travels to Nirisia she realizes what she had been missing all along—friends. Now, the thought of losing her friends back to their world is heart wrenching. So, that thread is woven into every book since her friends have become an important part of her everyday life.
Author Website: https://mark-k-mcclain.com
But when Emma, Faylen, and Cedar find themselves in this spooky town, they set out to be the first ones to return with answers. And when someone close to them goes missing, waiting is no longer an option. They must uncover the dark secret hiding behind Ashford House’s walls—or sealed away in its basement.
Can the trio solve the mystery that an entire town cannot, before Ashford House claims them too?
Considerations in the Final Third of Life: Reflections for Living Well, Letting Go and Leaving a Legacy
Peter Klein’s Considerations in the Final Third of Life is a thoughtful and wide-ranging exploration of aging, personal identity, and the search for meaning during life’s later decades. Drawing from his own experiences, Klein examines the psychological, emotional, physical, and philosophical dimensions of growing older, offering readers a perspective shaped by decades of observation and self-examination. Central to his approach is the metaphor of life as a river, carrying individuals through experiences that gradually shape their character, beliefs, and understanding of the world. This recurring image provides a unifying thread throughout the book, connecting reflections on ambition, relationships, mortality, and personal growth. Klein writes, “The river will not slow down. But you can learn to read it.” That observation captures the book’s underlying philosophy: experience provides the perspective necessary to navigate life’s remaining years with greater awareness and intention. His candid writing style, particularly when recounting personal regrets and lessons learned, establishes an intimate connection with readers while encouraging them to examine their own lives.
Klein explores how aging can bring increased emotional maturity, independence of thought, humility, and freedom from the constant need for approval. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, and personal observation, he examines the distinction between accumulated knowledge and wisdom acquired through experience. His concept of the initiated, individuals who have earned their understanding through decades of living, provides an appealing framework for appreciating the intellectual and emotional resources of older generations. Particularly engaging is his account of digitizing thirty-five years of personal datebooks and using artificial intelligence to conduct a comprehensive life review. This unusual exercise illustrates how examining the past can reveal patterns, clarify priorities, and deepen self-understanding. Discussing the social identities people construct throughout their careers, Klein observes, “But the years ahead belong to the face underneath.” It’s an especially effective expression of his belief that later life offers an opportunity to discover and embrace one’s authentic identity.
The book also addresses the practical realities of longevity, health, and preparing for the physical challenges of advanced age. Klein examines biological versus chronological aging, preventive medicine, nutrition, exercise, and the importance of taking an active role in personal healthcare. His discussion of the marginal decade, the final period of life when physical and cognitive limitations may become more pronounced, emphasizes the value of preparing well before those challenges emerge. An accompanying appendix provides information about medical screenings, blood tests, and health monitoring, extending the book’s usefulness beyond philosophical reflection. Throughout these discussions, Klein combines scientific research, historical examples, and personal anecdotes to make complex subjects accessible. Some medical statistics and conclusions would benefit from more careful qualification, particularly where individual experiences are used to illustrate broader trends. Nevertheless, the emphasis on informed decision-making, preventive care, and maintaining independence provides readers with practical considerations that complement the book’s larger exploration of aging.
Perhaps the book’s most intellectually ambitious sections concern mortality, religious faith, consciousness, and the possibility of an afterlife. Klein considers these subjects through the perspectives of philosophers, scientists, medical professionals, and individuals who have reported near-death experiences. His examination of these accounts reflects a willingness to explore difficult questions while acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding them. These discussions introduce a spiritual dimension that complements his reflections on the human experience, inviting readers to consider their own beliefs about existence and death. Equally meaningful are his observations about forgiveness, gratitude, love, and the importance of preserving personal stories for future generations. His treatment of legacy emphasizes the lasting influence of relationships, character, and the ways individuals affect those around them. Considerations in the Final Third of Life succeeds as a personal and intellectually engaging meditation on growing older, combining practical guidance with serious philosophical inquiry. Although its themes will resonate most immediately with readers approaching or experiencing retirement, its examination of time, identity, and human connection offers valuable insights for adults at many stages of life.
Pages: 227 | ASIN : B0HKQKF1Q6
“remember that you must die.”
The Step and the Walk follows a grieving scholar who is pursuing immortality through forbidden alchemy, but each step toward conquering death demands a devastating sacrifice. How does this installment contribute to the larger emotional and philosophical questions you want to explore throughout the trilogy?
I can only think of the phrase “memento mori” — or, “remember that you must die.” This is an underlying theme to the entire Darkening Gate trilogy. Lily Bellamy, whom we met in The Name and the Key, deals with her own tragedy but is far more accepting of death than Andresh is, and we learn more about that in The Step and the Walk. Andresh knows that everyone must die, but he doesn’t find that acceptable because he believes death is unfair and that lives were taken from him instead of realizing each person will have an ending to their own life. He is terrified of death because, with death, Andresh doesn’t want to lose any more people he loves. Andresh is ignoring another part of “memento mori,” though: he isn’t taking time to live his life fully. True, he has Lily and enjoys what time he has with her and her family, but Andresh’s priority has always been the ending of death through the power of alchemy. He is single-minded in his focus, and doesn’t realize that sacrificing parts of his humanity to do so is a little bit like death in its own way. The same thing with Fire. Fire is the energy of the soul, and Andresh gives it up willingly to feed the demon he works with, not realizing he is shaving off years of his own life to do so. He is hastening his death and he doesn’t even know it. As he walks closer to his end, risking everything for eternal life, he doesn’t remember that he needs to live for the remaining moments he has–to live for love, for happiness, for kindness, and goodness.
How do Andresh’s relationships with Lily and Sebastien reveal different aspects of his personality and emotional needs?
Andresh has placed Lily on a sort of pedestal, and treats her as the ultimate goal and culmination of his love. He has adored her since childhood and constantly addresses her in his journal, imagining she is right there with him as he explains and explores his choices. The problem is, Lily isn’t there while Andresh goes through something more than life’s trials. He is incredibly lonely and desires affection from someone close to him so he can experience it in real time. Enter Sebastien, his handsome classmate, who pursues Andresh and reminds him, “I’m here with you, right now.” Andresh has also given Sebastien high regard–not as much as Lily, but he too idolizes Sebastien in a way, flattered by the attention of a wealthy, attractive gentleman. I think this indicates that Andresh doesn’t actually have the high self-esteem he tends to give off in front of others. He doesn’t seem to feel complete without someone else there, and there is danger in elevating his lovers beyond the truth of who they are. Andresh doesn’t recognize this in himself yet, but he has trouble seeing people as they are. He only reacts to how they make him feel. Let’s hope that as he continues his relationship with Lily, he learns to be more accepting of reality.
What philosophical questions about immortality, sacrifice, and personal identity were most important to you while developing Andresh’s journey?
I really revisited my own grief as I wrote this trilogy, and this book especially. I lost my father when I wrote my graduate thesis. His death was sudden and in no way expected. When that happened, I quickly became afraid and wondered who would be next. Over the years, I dealt with many more deaths in my family, and my feelings always went back to the fear of wondering if the people closest to me were the next to die. I channeled all of this fear into Andresh, who is perpetually afraid of dying and what could come after that, if anything. I would never wish to be immortal, but I wanted to take the fear of death to its extreme with Andresh, and have him contemplate the gift of immortality. In the book, being immortal means becoming a god. If Andresh is a god, he has the power to stop the death of other people, not just his own. Of course, this is his rationalization. While his demon Isabelle assures him his thinking is sound, there is no guarantee of any of it. Why trust a demon, after all? But Andresh is so desperate, he will do anything for the purpose of meeting his goals.
As for sacrifice, I thought of the chemical processes in alchemy–the burning and dissolution, the purification and recomposition–and wondered what that would be like for a human: to break down the self and eventually be reconstituted as something more than a human being. For the first sacrifice, I thought of the most controversial aspect of human nature: desire. Desire can lead to love, but it can also lead to desperation and murder. It can be perceived as good and bad, but it is also an entirely human trait. I thought that if humans gave up their desire, they might be closer to being a god because the push-and-pull and conflict would no longer be there. They have grown beyond it. Add to the story some romance, and you can see how giving up desire would impact that aspect of the book.
I think personal identity is a great exploration that occurs in the novel outside of Andresh’s pursuit to end death. Andresh’s journal reveals truths about himself, and through that self-reflection, Andresh learns more about who he is as a person. He denied, or at the very least, was baffled by his bisexuality, but later comes to terms with it as a part of who he is. He repeatedly questions whether or not his choices make him a good person, or if what he is doing is actually evil. He constantly struggles with his identity and how he recognizes things about himself, which I think creates a great side-conflict in the book. After all, we’ve been told we should “know thyself,” and what sort of problems could arise if you have no idea who you are or what you truly want?
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am currently writing the third book in The Darkening trilogy, The Fear and the Flame. It’s due to my publisher in March, although I hope to deliver the manuscript faster than that. We’ll see. I can only tell you that the book will release in 2027, but I am unsure when. I am doing my best to resolve the story in the most thrilling, emotionally fulfilling way possible, and I am aiming for that happy ending. It’s a lot of work but I am enjoying the ride all the same. I hope readers will be able to wait and look forward to the conclusion!
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To achieve immortality, just give up your desire and walk through the Gate.
Driven by loss, Andresh has bent his every study toward a single heresy—an end to death itself. At university, he finds the path: the Magnum Opus, an alchemical road to immortality, and a demon named Isabelle who trades in the secrets that line it. But the road has a toll. Each gate demands he sacrifice a piece of himself, and the first—Nigredo—asks for the one thing he never imagined surrendering: his desire.
Which would be simpler if his heart were not already divided between Lily, the friend he has loved as long as he can remember, and Sebastien, the classmate who makes that loyalty harder to keep by the day. He wants them both. The first gate will let him keep neither. And the further Andresh walks, the clearer it becomes that he is not the only one with designs on his soul—and that a man bargaining away death may be a danger to far more than himself.
Perfect for readers who love:
– Dark academia, alchemy and demonic bargains
–Romantic temptation and impossible choices
– Gothic, epistolary, and steeped in forbidden magic
– Forbidden ambition and the price of immortality
Unique Belonging
What happens when people feel like they belong at work but can’t fully be themselves? And what becomes possible when they’re encouraged to bring their individual perspectives, experiences, and ideas to the table? These questions are at the heart of Unique Belonging: Shaping Human-Centered Cultures to Unlock Innovation by Dr. Selen Turner. Drawing on more than two decades of professional experience, doctoral research in organizational psychology, and conversations with business leaders, Turner explores the relationship between belonging, individuality, and innovation. Her central argument is compelling: Organizations thrive when people feel both connected to others and valued for what makes them different. She makes a convincing case that workplace culture influences much more than employee satisfaction. It shapes whether people speak up, challenge assumptions, take creative risks, and contribute their best thinking. As artificial intelligence continues to transform the workplace, Turner’s emphasis on the human side of innovation feels especially relevant.
Turner divides her approach into three interconnected areas: the individual, the leader, and the organization. Each has a responsibility in creating a culture where people can flourish. The individual must develop self-awareness, confidence, and the courage to contribute authentically. Leaders must cultivate trust, encourage curiosity, welcome different perspectives, and demonstrate kindness through everyday actions. Organizations must reinforce these behaviors through intentional systems, clear expectations, and meaningful opportunities for connection. Turner brings these ideas together through her Innovation-Enabled Culture Blueprint, which offers a practical way to understand and improve workplace culture. Her Four Cultural States of Innovation Matrix is particularly useful, helping readers recognize patterns of disconnection, conformity, fragmentation, and healthy collaboration. These frameworks give readers a vocabulary for workplace experiences that can sometimes be difficult to identify or explain.
What makes Unique Belonging engaging is how Turner connects research with recognizable human experiences. Throughout the book, she introduces executives, entrepreneurs, educators, and professionals whose stories illustrate how culture takes shape through seemingly ordinary interactions. A manager who makes room for quieter employees, a leader who encourages experimentation, or an organization that genuinely acts on employee feedback becomes an example of how meaningful change happens. Turner also shares experiences from her own career, giving the book a personal quality that strengthens its message. Her writing is accessible and encouraging, and she consistently brings readers back to actions they can take in their own environments. Reflection questions, practical exercises, and concrete examples make the book especially useful for readers who enjoy applying what they’ve learned. There’s considerable material to absorb, and the recurring themes reinforce the idea that building a healthy culture requires attention, consistency, and shared responsibility.
I recommend Unique Belonging to business leaders, managers, HR professionals, organizational development specialists, and anyone responsible for guiding teams through growth or change. It’s also valuable for emerging leaders and individual employees who want to understand their own role in shaping the environments around them. Readers interested in psychological safety, inclusive leadership, employee engagement, and workplace innovation will find plenty to consider. Perhaps the book’s most meaningful contribution is its recognition that belonging and individuality are complementary human needs, and that supporting both benefits people and the organizations they help build. Turner offers a thoughtful combination of personal insight, research, and practical guidance, with ideas that readers can revisit as their responsibilities evolve. Unique Belonging invites us to pay closer attention to how we treat one another at work and how those interactions influence what’s possible when people feel genuinely valued, heard, and empowered to contribute.
Pages: 313 | ASIN : B0HL41HH22
It’s Not Hard To Be Kind
Marco the Magnificent and the Biddy Buddies follows a determined young sleuth and four sharp-eyed neighborhood grandmas who join forces to investigate strange happenings in their town. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Marco appears in books 2, 3, and 4, so he has already helped in earlier investigations and has even been made a member of the Eagle River detectives. He’s an interesting kid and I thought he deserved his own book.
How do the Biddy Buddies’ experiences and perspectives complement the skills of the younger detectives?
They bring resources to the investigation that the kids don’t have. Mainly a deep knowledge of the history of the town and who has the influence to move things forward. They know the Mayor, even watched him grow up. They remember stories that their parents told them. This gives the kids leads to work on.
What do you hope young readers learn from Marco’s determination, curiosity, and willingness to help others?
That they, too, bring value to a community. It’s not hard to be kind, or to listen to an older person tell stories. Live joyfully. What is a town without it’s children?
What is in store next for the Eagle River Detectives series, and are there new adventures you’d especially like to explore?
With the town itself being one of the main characters in the books, there is a lot of material to work with here. I have a hunch where the next book would go. We’ll see.
Author Website
Mystery & Adventure Friendship & Fun. This book has a FREE downloadable Abandoned Mine escape game with purchase.
Missing pets, a suspicious accident and a weird art show grab the attention of ten-year-old Marco Herrera, a new member of the Eagle River Detectives. Time to call on his block lieutenants, a group of nosey neighborhood grandmas he recruited over the past year. With their help Marco is the first to know when anything new or exciting happens in the little town of Eagle River, Nebraska.
Enter the Biddy Buddies. Four of Marco’s best lieutenants band together to form an undercover spy network that teams up smoothly with the Eagle River Detectives.
Join Marco, the Biddy Buddies and the rest of the kid detectives in an exciting romp where young and old band together to keep the town safe and secure for both man and dog!
Imagine A Happy Ending
Racing Hearts Collide follows a MotoGP champion and an ambitious mechanical engineer as they navigate competition, heartbreak, and a second chance at love while discovering that life’s greatest victories aren’t won on the track. What did you like most about writing this book?
My favorite part of writing this book was creating a racing schedule and race results that led to rewatching dozens of MotoGP races as “research” to create a new season of racing that had the feel and excitement that I wanted. I used these as an outline to shape the story. I also loved creating the dynamics between Vince and Catarina because I wanted to imagine a happy ending for the real MotoGP rider who inspired the character of Vince.
Vince is a twelve-time world champion confronting the realities of aging in a demanding sport. How did you approach portraying his evolving identity and ambitions?
While my character is fictional, at his core, Vince was inspired by my long-time favorite MotoGP rider, Marc Marquez. I imagined a different future for him after an almost career-ending injury in 2020. I tried to get in his head and think what it would be like to have lived for your sport for almost your whole life but age and physical limitations mean an end is coming. If not now, then soon. He needed to start thinking about his future and what it would mean for his life. I wanted to think about what it would be like for that transition. Vince’s brother Isaac had a similar revelation in the previous book, Racing Towards Destiny. In both stories, the brothers evolve to learn that there is more to life than racing.
Catarina is determined to establish herself as a mechanical engineer in the male-dominated world of MotoGP. What inspired her character and professional journey?
There is exactly one woman in a powerful role in the current MotoGP paddock, the owner of the Gresini Racing team. When her husband, long time team owner and former rider died in 2021, she took on a leadership role. She has faced a level of scrutiny and prejudice that has nothing to do with her ability and the incredible success of the team since she took over. It’s been the top independent (non-factory) team since her takeover as team boss. The Marquez brothers raced for her in 2024 and she and her incredible team revived his career, giving Marc a stepping stone back to success. On her team, he earned a factory ride for the following year and a way back to the championship in 2025 (and potentially 2026 as he is the championship leader with 3 races remaining in the current season). Much of his recent success he credits to Gresini Racing and Nadia Padovani.
So, while there are a few women mechanics, they are underrepresented at all levels of MotoGP (riders, crew, management, and ownership). I wanted to bring another woman into this world who would face challenges related to that and meet them head on.
Vince and Catarina share a romantic history that complicates their renewed connection. How did their longstanding friendship shape the emotional development of their second-chance romance?
It meant they started with a level of comfort and respect that someone new to Vince’s world would not have known or understood. He is an elite athlete near the pinnacle of his long career. Many women wouldn’t have understood the challenges facing Vince and would have simply been frustrated by his intensity and purpose that always put racing first. Vince and Cat already had physical chemistry and friendship.
In Racing Hearts Collide, at last they also have timing.
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Vince and Catarina are long-time friends, working for the same MotoGP team. After narrowly missing the title last year, they’re more committed than ever to winning.
Catarina Navarro has spent years fighting for respect in the male-dominated world of MotoGP racing. Armed with dual engineering degrees and unwavering determination, she’s been promoted to her dream job as tire technician for twelve-time world champion Vince Vasquez. But when her father’s cancer returns, Catarina must balance family obligation, her dreams, and the most challenging season of her life.
Vince is lonelier than expected after his brother’s retirement leaves him with no one to confide in or to see past his public persona. Compounding the problem, his hotshot young teammate has matured, becoming a championship contender. The two riders engage in a titanic battle for the world title.
Vince and Catarina forge a bond through their vulnerability, hoping to create a future together that’s more than just racing. If they can’t navigate their personal difficulties, another championship might slip away and leave them broken-hearted.
Head to the finish line for your copy of Racing Hearts Collide: A Friends to Lovers Sports Romance-filled with heart-pounding race action and steamy romance.
It Just Keeps Building
One Taste of Euphoria follows a kingdom threatened by a criminal guild, a young woman unraveling the mysteries of her powers, and characters whose quests for justice, love, and happiness carry dangerous consequences. What inspired the idea behind this book?
This is the third installment in The Legends of Baelon series, so the inspiration for it really came from the storyline preceding it. The series builds on itself, with each book leaving the reader with a sense of satisfaction, but also a clear message that the story is not finished.
How has Sibil Dunn’s evolution as the Wisperal allowed you to explore the tension between extraordinary power and emotional vulnerability?
Sibil’s evolution presented an interesting challenge because she’s exploring that tension herself, and the reader gets to go along for the ride. She’s young and emotional, but also strong-willed and capable, so she wrestles with being both at the same time. Complicating matters is her uncertainty surrounding the origin of her powers. Are they inherited from her mother? Do they stem from the mysterious plant, Euphoria? Or are they just a part of her natural maturation? Regardless, it’s fun to write about a character who has so many strengths, and yet is so emotionally vulnerable–you don’t often get to see that in real life.
In Carson’s pursuit of the Takers’ Guild, how did you approach the moral complexities of distinguishing justice from personal revenge?
For a number of the protagonists (Rolft Aerns, Sibil and Tristan share the same dilemma) the pursuit of personal revenge is a strong motivator. But Marshal Carson tends to be more reasoned than most. His primary allegiance is to the crown and King Axil, and he uses that allegiance to help filter out his personal agendas.
As the third installment in the Legends of Baelon series, how does One Taste of Euphoria deepen the consequences of earlier choices while introducing new conflicts?
Most of the characters in this story, protagonists and antagonists alike, have numerous opportunities to cut bait and “let well enough alone”. The fact that they continue to fish–whether that be due to greed or vengeance–almost always leads them into deeper waters. The more they invest in a particular pursuit, the harder it is to give the chase up and take their losses. Reynard’s pursuit of the gold is a classic example. Once it leads to the death of friends, he finds even greater reason to pursue it, because he can’t live with the thought they died for nothing.
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With the Takers Guild largely destroyed, the realm of Aranox seeks to recover from a turbulent and painful period. But the guild’s remaining member, Ruler Three, proves to be more than just elusive. The League of Assassins chooses sides, and the kingdom faces its toughest challenge yet.
Marshal Carson meets his match. Trouble courts Rolft once again. The past returns to haunt both Sibil and King Axil.
The flames of true love flicker in a dying light, and the fate of all Baelon rests on the shoulders of a weary few.
The Legends of Baelon series is best enjoyed in order:
Book 1: Six Moons, Seven Gods
Book 2: Two Crowns, Three Blades
Book 3: One Taste of Euphoria
Poverty, Crime, and Glamor Ran Unchecked
Behaving Badly follows a fearless reporter who, while investigating the disappearance of a missing girl, discovers that the case may lead her straight to her husband’s killers. What drew you to Depression-era Hollywood as the setting for this particular mystery?
My love of Los Angeles history coupled with hiking through the urbs and burbs of Los Angeles on weekends immersed me in my setting from street level and literally kept me in the story as I wrote. So much of L.A.’s groundbreaking architecture, like the Examiner building near downtown L.A. to the old concrete streets, bridges, and staircases on nearby hills still exists, open for exploration as Tess would experience them. 1932 L.A. sat at the center of a liminal period—the depression ending to the wild 20s, the bother of prohibition, uncontrolled crime, and the dark cloud of war in Europe on the horizon. Los Angeles highlighted the contrasts—oil baron mansions, Hollywood Boulevard lights, the glamor of the silent era overtaken by talkies, modern architecture like the Oviatt building, movie theaters lining Broadway in DTLA, and the depression driven poverty of Hoovervilles, the lawlessness of Prohibition tunnels beneath downtown, running at the same time as prep for the summer Olympics, and unchecked crime, coexisting in a city that exploded in population since the turn of the century. In 1932 Los Angeles, poverty, crime, and glamor ran unchecked, side by side. As a mystery writer, I liked the fact that Tess lacked the luxury of a cell phone or computer to solve mysteries and crimes. She needed smarts and guts.
How did you approach developing Tess as a capable, determined journalist who is also navigating the emotional consequences of losing her husband, and what made a newspaper reporter the right protagonist for this story?
Credentials, a paycheck, and deadlines defined crime beat reporter as the career for Tess. Her press credentials gave her access to people and places an amateur sleuth could not easily attain. Deadlines and assigned stories kept Tess in action without manufacturing mysteries for her to solve, and the paycheck legitimized her efforts then became a necessity to pay the rent as a widow in a depression society. The hyper activity of a newsroom provided an atmosphere for her to bury her grief and provided distraction. Tess modeled other real life female journalists of the era in Los Angeles like Aggie Underwood, Charlotta Bass, Louella Parsons, and Florabel Muir, who typified the strong, educated, modern women of the progressive movement at the turn of the century.
What interested you about exploring the relationships between organized crime, corrupt law enforcement, and powerful social institutions?
Digging deep, I saw how everything intertwined. Money and power in a depression society allowed special treatment for the missing children of the wealthy while the missing children of poor families were often abandoned or sent away to fend for themselves. Low paid cops bent their ethics to feed their families. The ungodly large amount of money wagered on gambling ships by people who couldn’t afford their rent. Corrupt politicians, seduced by power, exchanged favors for dollars or more power. During the depression, people made daily choices between pride and ethics or food and shelter. Even widowed Tess, now lacking the second paycheck that paid half the bills when her husband was alive, faced choices between looking away for her own survival, literal or financial, or standing on her principles.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Tess Hammond and the direction of the second book?
A cliffhanger at the end of BEHAVING BADLY sets the tone of the second Tess Hammond novel. Tess finds herself going deeper into the social politics of 1932 Los Angeles—racism, prostitution, and the conservative movement create social roadblocks to Tess’s determination to report on and solve a crime. The 1932 Olympic games’ start date is near, tensions over safety are high, and the upcoming 1932 national elections are looming.
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