Blog Archives
The Pressure of Testing
Tokyo Juku follows an eighteen-year-old student in Japan who, while studying all night in her cram school, discovers one of her teachers has been murdered, leading to an investigation into the education system. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The main inspiration comes from talking with my students. Their struggles inspired me to write about them. I teach at a university, so hearing from my seminar students about what they’ve been through really made me rethink the Japanese educational system from their perspective. One of the largest problems is the pressure of testing. Students hate tests. I mean, really hate them! My job entails evaluation, but more as individual feedback than standardized testing as social gatekeeping. Over the years, when I tell people that I teach at a university, they often cast their eyes down and mumble the name of their school, a little embarrassed at their past failings. Or, just the opposite, very proudly. That’s a sad reaction to what should be a life-transforming experience. In the novel, I wanted to take my students’ stories, my observations, and others’ experiences and condense them into the struggles of the main character, Mana. Like most Japanese, she has to learn how to navigate treacherous educational waters. As an educator and a writer, I’m on the side of improvement, but that’s easier said than done.
How has character development for Detective Hiroshi Shimizu changed for you through the series?
Hiroshi has evolved through the series. In the first novel, he had just returned from America and found the detective job through a connection. He works the job reluctantly but gradually finds he is pretty good at it, despite being resistant to crime scenes and the grittier aspects of the job. He reconnects with his college girlfriend, moves in with her, and they start a family in the latest novel. That idea of fatherhood causes him great anxiety because of what he’s seen behind the curtain. Does he want to bring a child into the world he’s glimpsed while working in homicide? But he has a knack for finding the pattern in the chaos of cases, and he’s needed.
Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to deliver an effective novel?
An effective novel comes first. The moral is something that occurs in readers’ minds. I think if you push a moral or make themes too explicit, it takes away from the beautiful ambiguity of reading. As a writer, I can nudge readers in specific directions, but they will draw their own conclusions. So, if you push a moral without a compelling story, it comes across as preachy. Nobody likes that. Readers have their own reactions to the characters’ conflicts, which might yield a moral they take away, but it might also be something more complex—a conclusion or understanding that doesn’t fit into the frame of a moral. The conflicts and confusions of characters are at the heart of an effective story. I focus on that. My job as a writer is to keep them turning pages, thinking, and enjoying the ride.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Detective Hiroshi Shimizu and the direction of the next book?
The next book will focus on the tourist industry, which has really taken off in Japan. I have culture shock—or maybe reverse culture shock—in parts of the city swamped with visitors from abroad. That’s changing the city. I’m not against that, but the influx of tourists and tourist money has not been clearly planned for. And much of Japan is highly planned. Japan is internationalizing, in good and bad ways, so that Hiroshi will be needed even more with his English and accounting skills. He’s got plenty more cases to work on.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
Eighteen-year-old Mana pulls an all-nighter at her juku, a private Japanese cram school that specializes in helping students pass the once-a-year exams. She failed the year before but feels sure she’ll get it the second time—if she can stay awake. The Japanese saying, “Four pass, five fail,” presses her to sleep just four hours a day, and study the rest.
When she wakes up in the middle of the night, head pillowed on her notes, she takes a break down the silent hallway. A light comes from an empty classroom, and still sleepy, she pushes open the door to discover something not covered in her textbooks. Her juku teacher, the one who got her going again, lies stabbed to death below the whiteboard, with the knife still in his chest and the AV table soaked in blood.
Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is called in, and though he’s usually the forensic accountant, not the lead detective, he’s put in charge of the case. With the help of colleagues old and new, he’s determined to find the killer before the media convicts the girl in the press, the new head of homicide pins it on her, or big money interests make her the scapegoat.
Hiroshi follows up on uncooperative witnesses, financial deceptions, and the sordid details of some teachers’ private lives. Even as he gets closer, the accumulating evidence feels meager amid the vastness of the education industry, and the pressures and profits of Japan’s incessant exams.
At the outset of the investigation, Hiroshi listens as an education ministry official lectures him on how education holds the nation together, but he soon discovers how it also pulls it apart, and how deadly a little learning can be.
Overlooked Corners of History
An Unsuitable Job follows the first woman detective in her Las Vegas agency, who is investigating the murder of a salesman at a hotel and encounters a dismissive attitude from those around her. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The idea came from my fascination with overlooked corners of history, especially those involving courageous women who quietly broke barriers. When I discovered the real-life Harvey Girls—young women trained to serve with precision and elegance across the American West—I saw the potential for a deeper story. Many of these women had grit and ambition but were often remembered only for their uniforms or smiles. I wondered: what if one of them refused to fade into the background? What if she stepped into a role no woman had held before—like that of a detective?
The hotel setting, inspired by the historic Castañeda Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico, was the perfect place to explore class, gender, and secrecy. A grand old hotel invites both luxury and scandal—and that’s where Josie MacFarland steps in.
I found Josie to be an intriguing character, and I admired her determination to prove herself in a career dominated by men. What was your inspiration for this character?
Thank you—I admire her too. Josie is very close to my heart. She’s smart, observant, and deeply principled, but also shaped by the pressures of 1929: the Great Depression, limited choices for women, and expectations from her family. I gave her my own stubborn streak and added a longing for justice and belonging that I think many of us share.
She’s inspired in part by the women in my own family—strong, capable, and often under-recognized—and by the many female pioneers who were told they were “unsuitable” for one reason or another. Josie doesn’t just want a job; she wants to matter. And she wants to do it her own way.
How did the mystery develop for this story? Did you plan it before writing, or did it develop organically?
A bit of both. I began with a clear sense of the victim and the setting—who died, where, and why it would shake up the community. But the full mystery unraveled as I wrote. I’m a big believer in letting characters surprise me. Once I had Josie on the page, her instincts began to shape the investigation. Clues appeared I hadn’t planned for, and side characters revealed secrets I didn’t see coming.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
Yes—this is the beginning of The Harvey House Mysteries, a new historical series set in the American Southwest during the late 1920s and early ’30s. Each book will feature Josie as the recurring protagonist. She’s now a “Harvey House Detective,” solving problems the company wants handled quietly—before the press or police get involved.
The next installment will take Josie deeper into the dusty corridors of power, family secrets, and crimes that echo far beyond one hotel room. I’m currently working on book two, and let’s just say: someone ends up dead in a very public place—and it’s not who anyone expected.
That’s part of the fun and challenge of writing a mystery. It needs a solid structure, but also room to breathe. I knew the ending early on, but the journey there? That unfolded like a case file opening in real time.
Author Links: Facebook | Website | GoodReads
1929 Las Vegas, New Mexico. When a man is murdered at the Castaneda Hotel, Josie MacFarland is given an impossible role: the first Harvey House Detective. Armed with only her determination, Josie faces a dismissive sheriff, the cold shoulder of old friends, and the hardships of the Great Depression.
She can either return home in disgrace—or fight to prove she belongs in a world determined to shut her out.
For readers of Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, and Sulari Gentill.
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.
The Darker Undercurrents
Dark, Cold Eyes follows two private investigators who are investigating a series of murders linked to a long-forgotten cult in a small upper-crust neighborhood. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My passion for infusing my narratives with real historical facts is unparalleled. These facts breathe life into the story in a way that nothing else can. When readers uncover that the unsettling details are rooted in truth, the story resonates more deeply. Michigan, for instance, has a rich and often overlooked history with both cults and mafia organizations, spanning decades from the past into the present. It’s not the only state with such shadows, but it’s rarely the one people think of first. Even with the Jimmy Hoffa mystery resurfacing in national headlines from time to time, the darker undercurrents of Michigan’s criminal past remain largely unnoticed. Bringing these truths forward doesn’t just enrich the setting; it gives my characters real-world forces to navigate the kind of conflicts any of us might unexpectedly encounter.
There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
Creating characters with deep human traits is at the heart of my storytelling. I ensure they have fundamental flaws because none of us is perfect, and neither should they be. Life unfolds in awkward, messy, and sometimes unexpected moments, and I want my characters to reflect that. Maybe it is a playful wife choosing the worst possible moment to grab her husband’s tush, or a spouse becoming angry even after the other just saved the day because the situation could have gone terribly wrong. These imperfect reactions feel genuine. Even something as simple as a character tripping while walking across a room can make them feel alive and relatable. Human moments like these anchor a story in truth and draw readers closer.
What was the hardest part about writing a mystery story, where you constantly have to give just enough to keep the mystery alive until the big reveal?
I am not a fan of obvious foreshadowing, but I love weaving subtle hints throughout the story. My readers have probably learned to pay close attention to that first chapter. I often hide key information early on, then bury additional clues deep within the narrative. A few chapters later, they discover that the small detail my characters casually dismissed actually plays a significant role in the mystery. The problem is that you don’t know exactly which detail to pay attention to. That mirrors real life, where we often overlook something vital until it suddenly matters.
Where does the next book in the series take the characters?
I am not sure yet. No new storylines for Keri and Jade Shaw have come to me. I have always struggled to write books in a strict sequence, which is why I usually work on two series at once. Moving between them helps keep my creativity flowing. What I never want to do is force a story onto my characters. Stepping back for a while, much like taking a real vacation, often gives me the space to let the proper storyline rise to the surface.
Author Links: GoodReads | BlueSky | Facebook | Pinterest | Website
Book 4 in the Shaws Investigation Series
by Kay A. Oliver
Six murders. One small town. And a case that refuses to play by the rules.
When Lieutenant Valencia begs the Shaws to break their cold-case-only rule and dive into an active investigation, Keri and Jade Shaw reluctantly agree. But nothing about this case is ordinary.
Jade unknowingly sets off a chain reaction when he takes an ancient book linked to a long-forgotten cult—unleashing danger that hits far too close to home. Now, their strongest ally, Valencia, has been taken hostage. They have to find her before she’s killed.
The Shaws must race against time to unravel the mystery. Because whoever’s behind the killings isn’t just hiding in the shadows…They’re watching. And they’re ready to strike again.
Some secrets kill to stay hidden.
Out of Mind
Out of Mind follows Paige as she rebuilds her life after a violent attack and the loss of her closest friend, all while her dangerous ex-lover Max Dovic remains a shadow over every step she takes. The story cuts between Paige’s attempt to find peace in Michigan and Max’s own slippery survival, creating a tense back-and-forth rhythm that carries through the book. The plot keeps tightening as their worlds drift closer again, which gives the story a steady pulse that never really relaxes.
Reading this book gave me a strange mix of nerves and curiosity. The writing feels punchy and quick, almost like it is trying to outrun the danger inside the story. I liked that. I also felt the emotional weight of Paige’s grief in a way that surprised me. Her memories show up like bruises. Small, painful, and always there. Sometimes the dialogue moves fast, and at other times the scenes linger on the characters’ inner messiness. That shift made the story feel alive. It kept pulling me through, even when the subject matter got dark.
Max’s chapters left me unsettled. They show a different angle, one that is slick and cold. I found myself rooting for Paige even harder because of how sharply the book paints that contrast. The pacing kicks up in the middle and does not really let up afterward. I enjoyed that jump in energy. Some twists were wild and maybe a little over the top, but I did not mind because the book leans into that dramatic style. It feels like it knows exactly what kind of ride it wants to be.
The story gives thrills, heartache, and a good punch of tension. I would recommend Out of Mind to readers who enjoy fast suspense, emotional stakes, and characters who carry real scars. It is a good pick for someone who wants a gripping story that stays close to the characters’ feelings and keeps the pace hot all the way through.
Pages: 293 | ASIN: B0FP7P4RJ2
Voodoo and the Bayou
Once Upon a Time in the Big Easy follows a former hitman down to New Orleans as he tracks a kidnapped girl trapped in the underworld of human trafficking. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wanted him to have a challenge of being a hero and not only saving a young woman but taking down a disgusting scoundrel.
Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?
New Orleans is such a mysterious city, historically with voodoo and the bayou in its landscape. Made me think of intrigue for the readers.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Chubby Pone and the direction of the next book?
Consequences is the next adventure for Pone as he races against time to save his handler, who was poisoned by a bullet and is in a deep coma. He tries to find the culprit and a cure.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
For a young girl kidnapped by her father. The task gives him more than he bargain for as Theiler Lebeau throws him into a world of gambling, contraband, prostitution, and incest. The Troubleshooter puts his life on the line again to help those who can’t help themselves.
Ending Theiler’s bayou fabulous life of disgust is top priority, along with rescuing a young girl and others, while crumbling an evil empire.
Autobiography: Winner of the International Writers Inspiring Change: Most Inspiring Author Award in 2017 for the horror/thriller “Things That Go Bump in the Night: Here There Be Monsters,” “Crabbe H. Appleton: At your service” with Mercury Slim short stories and song lyrics.
The Depth That Horror Offers
Blood on the Trailhead follows the Chief of Police for a state park who is investigating several cases involving a mutilated body, strange glyphs, and a missing child, all leading to a supernatural cause. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Our inspiration all started around the Indigenous myth of the Tah-tah-kle’-ah. Feel free to Google it, but be warned, it will be a big spoiler. Therefore, we don’t want to elaborate here, knowing many people have not read the book yet.
We were also very inspired by the beauty and the vastness (Redwoods) surrounding Ferndale, CA, which is the town that we modeled the small city of Lost Grove after. There is still so much wilderness that holds pockets of secrets that we have yet to uncover. We found this fertile ground to explore in this story.
What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?
A big one for this book was nature conservation and the preservation of cultures, specifically the Wiyot tribe of Northern CA. Both of these are throughlines that run through the horror and mystery in the story. One of the other ideas we cling to in the Lost Grove series is the close-knit mentality of the small town of just under 1,500 residents, their resilience, and camaraderie. We see this among the teens and in the small police force. Lastly, and this is more so a focus for Alex, is always keeping a sense of humor in the characters that feels grounded and true to who they are.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
Well, we both absolutely love horror in any fictional medium. We watch over one hundred horror films a year and host our own year-end Horror Oscars. We also love the depth that horror offers its lead characters, placing them in life-or-death situations that reveal everything about a person. The draw to paranormal is the intrigue of the unexplained that exists and persists in our world. The paranormal also gives us a chance to explore things beyond what we experience in most of our day-to-day lives. Charlotte, in particular, has always been fond of folklore and superstition, which are ripe to explore in this sub-genre.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
Regarding Lost Grove, they can expect book four next fall. The working title is The Devil’s Acre, and it will return readers to Lost Grove during one of its darkest winters. Cold Cases, isolation…it may be one of the more unsettling books in the series so far.
Charlotte is also wrapping up an epic fantasy trilogy, Trust of the Magdrid that she has been working on for some time now. She hopes to release the first in that series late next year as well.
Alex is in the midst of his own mystery trilogy. Book one, The Disappearance at Devil’s Churn, is complete. He is planning to begin work on book two at the start of 2026. He is waiting until he finishes book three before releasing any of the books, as they will be released in quick succession.
Charlotte Zang Links: GoodReads | Website
Alex J Knudsen Links: GoodReads | Website | Facebook
Just outside town, a local teen stumbles on strange, twisting glyphs scorched into the trees, eerily similar to those once studied by an Indigenous academic researcher who disappeared just years earlier. Desperate for answers, she turns to a friend with family ties to the Wiyot Nation, only to be warned off: some things are better left buried.
When a local teenager goes missing, town meetings turn ugly, campers cancel in droves, and the pressure mounts with each bloodied trail. On the eve of the county fair, Seth is faced with the burden of an old case threatening to resurface and unravel his career, along with the rising dread of a community coming apart.
Because what waits in the forest isn’t just an echo of the past. It’s hunting again.
LITERARY TITAN 