Blog Archives
Closer to Reality
Arid follows a desperate man and a dwindling band of survivors who struggle to stay alive in a scorched wasteland where water is controlled by the rich and greedy. Joshua is ambitious but deeply worn down. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I give fragments of my personality to a lot of my characters, and Joshua is no exception. All he really wanted was a normal life and to live in a world that hasn’t lost its humanity. I don’t think he will ever stop striving for that.
Beyond survival, what do you see Arid saying about greed and power?
That what happened in Arid is closer to reality than some may think.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
I’m not sure at this point. I’m currently working on a novel that is set to be published this spring, but it’s a totally different subject matter. I definitely haven’t ruled out the possibility of a sequel.
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It’s the distant future. The earth is scourged by nuclear warfare and natural resources have become scarce. The country is overtaken by wealthy moguls who dominate the water supply and sell it back to the public at ridiculous prices. After a drastic crime increase “indigents” who can’t afford water are stripped of their belongings and forced out of town by an army of brutes called Purifiers.
Life becomes harsh and ominous for the bright, ambitious Joshua Wyman and his group until they begin to occasionally receive food and other basic amenities after Joshua is deemed useful. When a blatant abuse of Purifier power during a routine visit leaves them reeling, Joshua and his friends reach their breaking point.
They devise a plan to steal the Purifiers’ vehicle during their next visit and escape their hell. Their journey across the uncharted wastelands filled with murderers and thieves proves to be far more than this civilized, benevolent crew bargained for. This tense, divided city will soon face its greatest fear-uprising!
Quantum Weirdness
Diverging Streams follows two young lovers who, after an accident, are separated and reunited twenty years later by another accident, leaving them with the ability to travel through time and dimensions. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I began working on this book over 30 years ago, and I really don’t remember any particular inspiration for it. At one point, in 2008, I gave up on it and published Chapters 2 and 3 as a stand-alone short story, but about 2010, I took it up again and finished it in 2015.
Your novel has some interesting characters with their own flaws, yet they are still likable. How do you go about creating characters for your story?
I know it sounds corny, but I listen to my characters and allow them to develop their own personalities. I like to compare it to those old Max Fleischer cartoons in which Betty Boop or Koko the Clown climbs out of the ink bottle onto the paper. And once the characters are fully developed, I let them write the story for me. I feel more like an observer than the creator.
The science inserted in the fiction, I felt, was well balanced. How did you manage to keep it grounded while still providing the fantastic edge science fiction stories usually provide?
I have long believed that time, like space, is three-dimensional, which I maintain offers the best explanation for quantum weirdness. The world I have created—the constantly dividing and diverging time streams, each with its own unique reality, follows necessarily from multidimensional time. Although the afterlife, as I have described it, is more speculative, it is perhaps more a case of probable than merely possible.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
I have no interest in further pursuing this story. I have finished two more novels: Conniption Creek, a dark comedy in the tradition of Catch 22, and The Swing Time Soda Emporium, a coming-of-age story set in small-town America during the 1940s, which I hope to publish by late this year or early next.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Consistent with the many worlds interpretation of quantum physics, time—like space—is three-dimensional, with a nearly infinite number of constantly dividing and diverging time streams, each stream containing its own unique reality.
Defusing Theories
In Serial Obsession, a journalist-turned-cold case investigator discovers new information in the case of a serial killer and sets out to uncover the truth behind a wrongful accusation. How were you able to strike a balance between suspense and romance?
I always want my novels to be plot-heavy and use the sex and intimacy as just a part of what’s really going on. I want there to be purpose for the relationship, and that purpose will usually be that the main characters find it more advantageous and a lot more fun to work as a duo. Naturally, this arrangement creates depth in the relationship and helps it develop into something almost surreal. The danger and the unknown seem to pull the lovers in even closer, making their connection not only fiery but also a testament to mutual respect and loyalty. Serial Obsession is a great example of how a story creates the relationship, and the lovers’ romance enhances the story.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a series? The most rewarding?
The Map Dot Series is different than most book series because the books are actually stand-alones. We call it a series because every book has a common thread—the action takes place in a little Midwestern map dot town. The town is real, and even the locations such as Whittle’s Pub and Grub from Serial Obsession are real, but the story and the characters are entirely from my overactive imagination. These books have no reading order and are only numbered to show the order of release. So, in this case, my challenges were minimal.
Honestly, I spend a lot of time defusing theories about who’s who because everyone thinks there’s a little truth woven into the plot and characters. But that’s just not the case. I just like to build my stories around the places I know best because it helps me visualize and keeps me from taking too many liberties with the flexibility of fiction. Most definitely, the most rewarding aspect of creating this series is going to the little towns, talking with the people there, and getting feedback on the books.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 3 of the Map Dot series? Where will it take readers?
Desperate Measures, Book 3 in the Map Dot Series, comes out this spring. This time, the unassuming little map dot town is Argenta, Illinois, and the location is partially the town pub, Bargenta. This book was inspired by my upcoming participation as an attending author on the Love Lit Cruise in February 2026. The main character is a romance novelist who suffers tremendously with the details of her own love life. And, yes, she is embarking on an adventure on the high seas aboard the Love Lit Cruise early in the book. But let me remind you, my characters are not based on anyone real, despite the fact that everyone will assume I am Poppy Wallcroft (sigh). This superficial description of the book might seem like I’m venturing into a more traditional romance subgenre; however, Desperate Measures contains my signature female power character, plot twists that will have your head spinning, and thrilling danger that makes you gasp. Words Matter Publishing and I are shooting for an April release.
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“I’m so sorry, I just came out here half-dressed like I owned the place.”
“…please don’t apologize for making my day,” he said, flashing her a look from those sexy blue eyes. “I never knew that old t-shirt could look so good.”
Camille Hargrove is a serious cold case investigator. When a tip leads her to Lake of the Ozarks to reopen the Kelcee Meyer rape and murder case, Camille vows to find justice for Kelcee and her family. In the process, she encounters Ross Paine, the innocent man framed for the crime. The investigation heats up when Camille and Ross give in to their fiery attraction and become partners in more ways than one. When they expose Shane Simpson, the real killer, Camille becomes his target, and they discover that Shane’s connection to Ross is more complicated than they ever suspected. Unravel the mystery and catch a killer with this sexy duo in Serial Obsession, Marcy Bialeschki’s second stand-alone novel in the Map Dot Series.
Serial Obsession
Serial Obsession is a romantic suspense novel set around the Lake of the Ozarks, and it opens with a chilling hook. A serial killer named Shane Simpson hunts a young woman, Kelcee Meyer, and frames an innocent man, Ross Paine. When journalist turned cold-case investigator Camille Hargrove stumbles onto new information, she heads into the small Midwestern “map dot” towns to uncover the truth. The story weaves between a murder mystery, a wrongful accusation, and a slow-building connection between Camille and Ross, all against the backdrop of a community shaken by fear and rumor.
I felt pulled in by how grounded the world was. The lake towns feel authentic. People work long shifts, drive beaten-up cars, and deal with messy families. The author leans heavily into the genre’s blend of romantic suspense, giving us both danger and desire, and she doesn’t shy away from intensity in either direction. Sometimes the scenes get gritty, sometimes tender, and sometimes downright chaotic, but that unevenness actually made it feel more like real life. I liked that Camille isn’t a perfect detective. She’s passionate, stubborn, and occasionally a hot mess, and that combination kept her relatable.
The book moves quickly from plot to plot: murder, investigation, flirtation, danger, repeat. I realized the speed mirrors Camille’s own momentum. She throws herself into things whether she’s ready or not, and the narrative matches her energy. Ross, meanwhile, is written with this quiet heaviness that lingers. You feel the injustice hanging over him. The contrast between his guarded calm and Camille’s spark gives their scenes a natural tension. Even the villain gets space to be more than a shadow. We see the twisted logic behind his actions, which made the thriller element feel more unsettling.
By the end, what stayed with me wasn’t only the mystery but the themes simmering under it: how communities rush to judgment, how a rumor can ruin a life, and how hard it is to rebuild trust once it’s been shattered. The romance adds warmth, and the suspense keeps the pages turning, but there’s also this thread of “fairness” running through the story that gives it more weight than your typical thriller.
If you like romantic suspense that leans into both sides of the genre, with small-town atmosphere and characters who feel bruised but determined, I think you’ll enjoy Serial Obsession. Readers who want a gritty mystery wrapped in a relationship-driven plot will probably get the most out of it.
Pages: 356 | ISBN : 978-1968542061
Comfort and Risk
In Dead Reckoning, a group of detectives and their families find themselves embroiled in a mystery complete with missing passengers and eerie mysteries on what should have been a relaxing Mediterranean cruise. Where did the inspiration for this mystery come from?
I’ve always been interested in how a normal setting can suddenly turn dangerous. Cruises are supposed to be fun and relaxing, but they’re also closed‑off worlds where people can’t just walk away. That mix of comfort and risk gave me the idea for Dead Reckoning.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
For me, they go hand in hand. A twist works best when it grows naturally out of the story. I like to drop little clues along the way so readers feel surprised but also realize the twist makes sense.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a trilogy? What is the most rewarding?
The hardest part is keeping everything consistent from book to book — characters, details, timelines. The best part is being able to spend more time with the world and the people I’ve created. It lets me go deeper and give readers more to enjoy.
Can fans of The Stanton Falls Mysteries look forward to more work from you soon? What are you currently working on?
Yes! Dead Reckoning is a stand‑alone mystery, separate from the Stanton Falls trilogy. I wanted to give readers a fresh story with new characters and a different setting. At the same time, I am continuing to develop future projects — including more mysteries — so fans of Stanton Falls can look forward to new work from me soon.
Processing My Trauma
Tremor in the Hills follows a teenage girl struggling with trauma after surviving a devastating quake, whose best friend is accused of murder, and she has to help discover the truth. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration: In 2007, I was with my husband and 2 young children visiting his family in Ica, Peru, when an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck. 90% of the town we were in was destroyed, and we had a difficult time getting home, although we were VERY lucky and grateful that we survived, and everyone in his family did also. 500 people died in the same town we were in. When I got home, everyone wanted to hear my story, but I did not want to talk about it, so I wrote it down and sent it to everyone I knew. The writing got a very good reception, and I have always loved mysteries, so I decided to continue processing my trauma through writing a story based loosely on my experience.
It seemed like you took your time in building the characters and the story to great emotional effect. How did you manage the pacing of the story while keeping readers engaged?
Tremor in the Hills has been through countless edits and 3 different editors, so I think it was mainly practice, editing, and just getting to be a better writer over the years.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I hate to say it, but I think it’s a mixture of real-life experience and twisted imagination… I do believe that story development and shocking plot twists are melded together.
When will Book Two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
Book two, with any luck, will be out in late 2026. It will feature many of the same characters. The setting is Caral, an archaeological site in the north of Peru, and answers part of the question of where K’antu went at the end of Tremor in the Hills. There will be 3 books total in the trilogy.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Never Too Late to Live
My Sexual Awakening at 70 is a raw and daring memoir that traces the path from your childhood steeped in repression and control to a late-in-life explosion of freedom, sensuality, and truth. Why was it important for you to share your story with the world?
It was important to me for a few reasons. One, I wanted to be able to tell the truth about all I went through in my growing-up years, and two, I wanted to share the joy I felt at experiencing sexual freedom for the first time in hopes that other women might be inspired and able to do the same.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
That it is possible to live, really live, free from nightmares from the past and experience the joy of sexual freedom.
What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
It was challenging to open up about all of it, my past with my parents, and my sexual explorations, but all of it was rewarding because in the end, I was able to feel free for the first time in my life.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
That it’s never too late to live, truly live, your own life, no matter what torment you have gone through.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Interweaving a repressed and intimidating upbringing with her lively and uncensored search for sexual liberation (complete with writing erotic stories), Rosenberg discovers it’s never too late to find freedom and begin life anew.
Deadly Antagonist
The Whistle of Revenge finds Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler married and living under assumed identities, fighting to rescue their son who has been kidnapped by their nemesis. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wanted to write book four of the Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler Mysteries with kidnapping as the premise. Finding a worthy adversary for Holmes was the tricky part.
I enjoyed the shifts in perspective. What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing from various characters’ points of view?
After much deliberation, I decided on Jack Stapleton, the deadly antagonist from The Hound of the Baskervilles. Although Jack was presumed dead, meeting an a grisly end on the Great Grimpen Mire, his body was never found. He was such a great character to resurrect. I decided to give him his own POV so readers could get to know a bit more about the celebrated Detective’s old nemesis and discover what he’d been up to for the past seventeen years.
Writing from Jack’s perspective was the most challenging because so little was known about him. I enjoyed developing the character. Some of my readers told me they felt a little sorry for him at times.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
It’s tricky to balance the two. I am a panster writer, so plot twists and story development come to me as I go along. However, I did a fair bit of outlining for Whistle, mainly due to the complexity of the story.
Can fans look forward to more from Holmes and Adler? What are you currently working on?
I plan to start book five before the end of this year, which will find Sherlock and Irene in the USA, which will make a nice change from all those tricky Italian translations. It’s going to be another controversial story with a shocking plot twist that readers will not see coming, involving events from Sherlock and Irene’s past, which will have far-reaching consequences for our intrepid duo. I can’t wait to get started.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
If you loved Conan Doyle’s, The Hound of the Baskerville, prepare to be enthralled by KD Sherrinford’s captivating follow-up, The Whistle of Revenge.
The deadly antagonist, Jack Stapleton, makes a spectacular return to the city of Milan in pursuit of his old nemesis, the celebrated Detective Sherlock Holmes.
Adopting the enigmatic persona of Janus, a vengeful Stapleton, along with the Italian mafia, wreak havoc on the Italian horse racing fraternity and fledgling car manufacturing industry, and kidnapping Holmes’s beloved son as part of their evil and well-executed master plan—Operation Whistle.
Will Holmes, Irene Adler, and their trusted ally, Inspector Romano, crack the code, rescue the boy, and unmask the deadly Janus?
Set against the backdrop of modern Milan, mind games and misdeeds of the highest order play out as the story reaches its thrilling and memorable conclusion.
LITERARY TITAN 