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Book Tour: The Desk from Hoboken by ML Condike

March 17, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours, Writing

 

A Genealogy Mystery Series

 

Mystery

Date Published: March 5, 2024

Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.

 

 

 

 

In a bid to heal from the grief of a personal loss, forensic genealogist, RaeJean Hunter, takes on a straightforward case —identify human remains found on a nearby college campus, believed to be the 180-year-old remains of Mary Rogers, a woman who died mysteriously in 1841 and was believed to have been buried in the nearby cemetery that had washed away. It should be simple enough, a project to get her back in the game.

Unfortunately, it quickly becomes anything but. In fact, it becomes downright dangerous.

Someone doesn’t want RaeJean to investigate the puzzling death of the woman whose death inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Mystery of Marie Roget.” As she follows clues through four states and discovers living
family members who both help and hinder her search, she quickly realizes that the secrets of Mary Rogers’ demise were never meant to be exposed.

What lengths will someone go to keep the truth buried in the past? As threats escalate and RaeJean and her family’s lives become endangered, she’s forced to follow every lead and use every skill she has to find the answers
she needs before it’s too late. Using DNA from two famous New England families, historical data, modern genealogical techniques, and a little guidance from a seemingly mystical antique desk, RaeJean takes on the cold
case despite being given every reason to abandon it.

After all, what truths have been hidden for 180 years that would be worth bribery, kidnapping, and even murder?

RaeJean Hunter is about to find out.

 

 

About the Author

ML Condike has published short stories in anthologies that include Strange
& Sweet, (2019), Tall Tales and Timeless Stories, (2022), Malice in
Dallas, Metroplex Mysteries, Volume 1 (2022), and won first place in the
fifteenth annual Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards, Mystery/Crime
category (2019), and 2nd Place in the Tennessee Williams Short Story
Contest, Key West Art & Historical Society (2022).

She’s an associate member of Mystery Writers of America Florida
Chapter, Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime North Dallas
(Treasurer), Granbury Writers’ Bloc, and Key West Writers Guild.

As the result of her study of genealogy for her debut novel The Desk from Hoboken, she researched her own family and she discovered she had a direct bloodline to a Patriot. So, most recently she has been inducted into the
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

 

Contact Links

Website

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Follow the Publisher on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
@harborlanebooks

 

Purchase Links

Amazon

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RABT Book Tours & PR

Excerpt

Chapter One

Come on, girl! It’ll be fun.” It was mid March and I stood in my bathing suit on the edge of our pool in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Our corgi, Sophie, watched from ten feet away, ears !at against her head. Her look suggested she wasn’t joining me. She didn’t like water, never mind “fifty-eight-degree water. It would be shocking.

Every year, my husband, Sam, and I vied for the title of First-In-The-Pool. Today, I was determined to swim and win regardless of the pool temperature.

“It’s now or never!” I leaped in, submerged, and then in a split second, shot straight up out of the frigid water. “It’s cold! It’s cold! It’s cold!”

Sophie circled the pool, barking as I splashed my way to the steps and climbed out.

“Phew! What a wake up call, Sophie!” I toweled my hair while she licked my wet legs.

“You win!” Sam shouted from the back door, saluting me with his steaming coffee mug.

“I’ll be in as soon as I dry of.”

He grinned, disappearing back inside.

Five minutes later, I grabbed the hot mug as the last fragrant squirts of Cinnabon coffee gurgled from the Keurig. Something had changed in me overnight. It could have been the promise of spring, with the leaves budding, but I had a hunch it had something to do with the phone call from late yesterday afternoon. A potential client needed a genealogist.

Whatever it was, I felt alive again. Smiling, I joined Sam in the breakfast nook.

“You look happy. Finally beat me to the “first dip. How was it?”

“Bloody cold.” I sipped my coffee in silence. The strong brew made my lips tingle. Or maybe it was simply rekindled optimism.

I, RaeJean O’Leary Hunter, a notorious workaholic, hadn’t entered my home office since the mental fog set in six months ago. Life’s current had pulled me under. Today, I’d resurfaced, gasping for a breath of fresh air.

Sam gazed at me over the rim of his mug. “Thinking about returning to work?”

“Actually, I am. I received a voicemail late yesterday about a case that could be a good segue back to work. Easy, I think.” My stomach $uttered at the prospect, but I knew I had to take the plunge, not unlike diving into the frigid pool in order to feel like a winner again. I smiled to myself.

Sam grinned. “That’s great. Maybe we should resume the office remodel.”

“I’d like that.” We’d purchased the house as is and had been remodeling for a while. Actually, it was more of a restoration, but we’d suspended our work when I got pregnant. If I took the case, I’d need a workspace other than our library. 2 The Desk from Hoboken

“Great. I’ll call the contractor.” He kissed me and disappeared into his office.

After rinsing my cup, I scrambled upstairs with the intent of checking on my neglected office and preparing it for the work crew. I rushed past the door to the room where I’d wallowed for months. After two steps, I froze. A lingering compulsion sabotaged my plan. Instead, I stepped back and entered the unlit nursery.

Scooping up the stuffed bunny that Sam had bought the day we’d learned I was pregnant, I sat in the Boston rocker, reliving the months after our loss. The tiny bunny sprawled across my lap as I agonized over the only thing I tended to worry about since that time, the secret I’d kept from Sam.

Determined to move on, I sucked in a breath and glanced down at Sophie. “Big girls don’t cry.”

It worked. Today, I didn’t shed a tear.

 I stood, tossing the toy onto the chair. “Let’s go.” I followed the dog as she padded out the door.

Guest Post

How to Sell Your First Novel

There are thousands of books, internet articles, podcasts, blogs, etc. suggesting how to sell your first novel. Each of them has a nugget that could help, but there’s no one magic answer.

First and foremost, you have to have a product worth selling. Yes, a product! The publishing industry is a commercial enterprise. You must have something a buyer wants. A few words of caution here. Don’t rush the first book. It could make or break your future opportunities.

Write the best book you can. Have readers and writers review it. Once you feel it’s ready, hire a reputable editor. An inexpensive one might do if you’re a natural writer, but an experienced editor in your genre is worth their weight in gold. They’ll save you from sure failure!

Once you have that “golden” product, you must decide if you want to self-publish, acquire an agent, or query publishers who take work directly from writers. This is a personal choice and I have no recommendations.

I wanted vetting by a well-known, successful agent. After 104 queries, I found an agent willing to take on a debut author. I hoped to be published by a big press, so my agent queried them all. After several dozen rejections, we agreed to change our strategy and try a small independent press. Voila! Success!

Smaller publishers offer a variety of services. However, don’t become complacent and think your publisher is your marketer. They will do their best because your success is their success. However, you are not their only author. Their budget doesn’t belong to you. For you to be worth their time and money, your book has to sell!

Start early gathering your tribe of reader-followers. I’ve posted a morning picture to Facebook since 2018 (https://www.facebook.com/marylou.condike) and collected a lot of friends. Readers, authors, and folks worldwide share my sunrises. If I’m traveling, I photograph the sunrise where I’m staying. If I never wrote again, I’d still greet my FB friends with a daily sunrise!

The balance between over-selling the book and getting people interested in buying your product is delicate. You’ll find it when your follower numbers decline, indicating they’re sick of “buy my book” ads. Back off selling and try to find interesting information to share.

I have no advice about book tours or signings. I’ve read mixed reviews about signing tours. Study your market and learn where the majority of your readers shop. I’m guessing it’s on the internet. Get your book listed on as many sites as possible and get prerelease reviews from anyone who will agree to read and review your book. My publisher used Readers’ Favorite: Book World ( www.readersfavorite.com ) and Net Galley (www.netgalley.com ). Become an Amazon and Goodreads author.

Good luck with your first book!

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Big, Cheesy News Update!

March 15, 2024 by in category Writing tagged as , , ,

I’m so excited to announce that my second children’s book, Mac and Cheese in Outer Space is coming soon! 

I will be working again with Winda Mulyasari, who helped my mac and cheese world come to life back in 2020 when I published Mac and Cheese, Please, Please, Please

Winda is super talented and I’m excited to watch her take my wild ideas and turn them into beautiful illustrations. My mac and cheese heart is bursting with excitement. 

I’m also feeling very fortunate that I get to have my very first official author reading on Monday! Pictures to come!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful St. Paddy’s Day!
Peace, love, and Mac and Cheese,
Renae

Mac and Cheese in Space – Coming Soon!

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My psychedelic bell bottoms and Audrey Hepburn shoes: How I turned my 1960s ‘stuff’ into a ‘happening’ at UC Irvine by Jina Bacarr

March 11, 2024 by in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as , , , ,

I write novels about Paris WW2, the US home front during WW2, the TITANIC, the Civil War.

I live and breathe history.

So it’s no surprise I collect ‘stuff’ from history. Vintage clothes, chinaware. Jewelry.

And my own history, too. Childhood, teen years… and university life.

When I had the opportunity to help plan the Golden Anteater Society Event at the University of Caliornia Irvine (alumni who graduated from the mid-sixties to 1974), I mentioned I had cool stuff from the 1960s and voilà! My collection became part of the ‘memorabilia room’ at the University Club on campus. I was so excited to see alumni checking out record albums, university newspapers, Beatles magazines, Buffalo Springfield poster, mini-dresses, those psychedekic bell bottoms, and my hippie fringe purse.

The event was sold out!

I was also excited to display my latest Boldwood Books historical novel, Sisters At War (mentioned in my Letter to the Editor in The New York Times–you’ll see what I mean in the video along with the UCI event). I’ve come a long way since I was a student at UCI writing stories and dreaming of faraway places.

So many adventures since then… I drew upon the most difficult for inspiration to write Sisters At War about sexual assault against women. I never felt more vulnerble in my life as when I was writing Sisters At War and now the sequel Sisters of the Resistance.

A road that led me around the world and back home to the university when I clicked my heels three times.

Wearing my Audrey Hepburn silver slippers.

Jina

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A few of my favorite things…about March

March 10, 2024 by in category Writing

Things I love about March:

  1. St. Patrick’s Day…when I was a kid, St Patrick’s Day meant make sure you wear green so you don’t get pinched, and even then, there was no guarantee.
  2. Flowers begin to bloom. When the boys were young we lived in the California, Antelope Valley. The poppy fields there can be amazing, and a wonderful reason to love March, and spring in general.
  3. The beginning of spring. Okay, I’m a little old school, but for me this means I can wear white again, bring out sundresses and sandals…even if I need a sweater, and maybe plant some flowers of my own.
  4. Love…I mean, love can happen anytime, but spring is the perfect time for romance, maybe a picnic, a hike in the wildflowers, or brunch on a patio…your choice.
  5. And this year Easter, I mean come on, chocolate bunnies, Easter egg hunts, maybe a new dress and shoes…

 And did I mention I wrote a book about St. Patrick’s Day? #SilverBracelets, book 2 in my #HermosafortheHolidays series is available in both print and ebook on Amazon. Okay, yes, I know I’ve mentioned it before, but if you haven’t read it and you’re looking for a spring romance, I hope you’ll check it out. Here’s the blurb:

#SilverBracelets by Tari Lynn Jewett

So, you’d like to go viral on social media?

Fourth grade teacher, Ashley Swensen finds herself in a hashtag nightmare, when a picture of her crashing a bicycle at School Safety Day, goes viral, with the tag #AshleyAccidents.  And why is it that every time she screws up one hunky cop happens to be around? Before she knows it, she becomes an unwilling poster child for community safety. And even a St. Patrick’s Day birthday isn’t bringing her luck.

Officer Benny (Benito) Lopez just wants to ask the cute teacher for a date, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. And his friends keep making things worse. Then he remembers his grandmother’s advice, to make a grand gesture.

Will they accidentally fall in love? Or will social media keep them apart? Only her girlfriends and a little ‘luck o’ the Irish’ can help her now. And chocolate of course…

In the meantime, tell me what you love about March?

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It All Started With A Short Story

March 5, 2024 by in category Writing

I was stumped for something to write about this month. I have been working on a book due to my editor next month. Plus, I need to review the edits for my mother’s first devotional. I’m so proud of her. I went on the hunt for something from my blog and came up short. However, I found something I thought would be good to share…my first published work.

I had the privilege of writing a piece for Christian Fiction Online Magazine (I don’t know if it’s still publishing). I remember being so excited at the opportunity. Looking back now, I see how different my writing is. I used to use this as a free download for new subscribers. I took it down, because it no longer represented my writing style. In looking at the publish date, I discovered it was the fourteenth anniversary of my first published writing piece. Talk about shocked. I can’t believe it’s been that long since I began my writing career.

Here’s my first short story. Tell me what you think. If you’ve read any of my current works, this will be extremely difference. Trust me, I won’t be offended by your comments. See you next month.
_____________________

CAREER REBORN
(Published 01.21.2010 Christian Fiction Online Magazine)

I had been wanting to quit my job for the past year and a half, but the timing was never right. But fortunately, that is no longer an issue. My boss was fired last week, and it seems likely that everyone on her team will be fired as well, leaving me, her assistant, or as she referred to me “The person she was forced to hire,” jobless.

I know God hears me when I pray, and I was trusting Him to show me what to do next. But in the meantime, I put on my favorite black Prada skirt and pumps, black cashmere sweater, and the floral print Hermes scarf my generous but scathing boss gave me for my last birthday, and grabbed my most recent Christmas gift from her, a black leather YSL Muse handbag. I figured mourning attire would be appropriate, since I was on my way to the funeral service for my dead career. I took one last look in the mirror, picked up my keys, and walked out the door, not quite sure how painful today’s meeting with Human Resources would be.

I treated every step of this morning’s walk to work like a funeral procession, absorbing everything in sight and unsure if I would travel down this street again. When I arrived at my office building, I rode the elevator with the rest of the people from my boss’s team, each of us quietly staring at the brass doors, trying not to look at one another. As the doors opened and we exited the elevator to our new futures, we were greeted by Marcy Gibbons, the head of Human Resources.

No greeting. No smile. Just her curt command: “Follow me.” Surely an omen of what was to come. She turned and led the way down the hall. We followed her into the conference room and took seats around the large oval mahogany table, waiting for the official word ending our time with the company. As we fidgeted in our seats, still avoiding eye contact, the door whooshed opened. Mr. Thomas, the head of the company, strode in. This was a first. In all the years I’ve worked here, I have never known him to personally fire anyone. He didn’t even fire my boss. He never lowered himself to deal with such menial tasks; he left those duties to Marcy.

He surveyed the room. “Good morning, everyone. As you know, Christina was let go, and after careful examination of your collective work, I have uncovered some rather interesting information.”

As his voice rumbled around the room, I looked over at Marcy, sitting as still as a statue.

“Marcy and I have come up with a plan to handle this unique situation.”

He cleared his voice and our eyes met. Instead of feeling nervous, I was very calm. Okay, God, hit me with it. I know whatever it is You have planned for me, You have also instilled in me everything I need to do it.

Marcy stood and walked around the table, handing everyone a packet with their names printed on the outside. When she came to me she walked past without giving me anything. Okay, I guess that means as Christina’s assistant I won’t be getting a severance package like every one else. I shifted a little in my seat and placed my hands in my lap. All eyes were on me, but I remained calm.

“Jillian Morgan.” A chill ran up my spine when Mr. Thomas called my name. “Sir.” When senior level executives are fired, it’s customary to fire their assistants as well. And in extreme situations, their entire team is demoted.

“You worked for Christina for five years, giving you access and insight to every account her team handled. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And is it true that among your many duties, you assigned the territories to each manager, developed the team strategies, composed the quarterly reports for upper management, and did the team’s bonus reviews?”

“Yes, sir.” I needed a good review for my next job, so if ever there was a time to toot my own horn, it was now.

His eyes locked on to mine. “Tell me, Jillian, when exactly did you start doing Christina’s job?” Busted. I thought my duties for Christina were a secret. Now I know I’m getting fired . . . and without severance.

“Uhm, I-I . . .” I cleared my throat and looked around the room at all of the people on Christina’s team. They all thought she was a genius, generous, and a dynamic leader. After all, every year the strategies the team had employed worked; they exceeded their goals and got big fat bonuses. “She had me . . . I mean . . . for the past four years.”

“I see.” He nodded his head and looked over at Marcy before continuing. “Come here, please.” I got up and walked over and stood next to him. “I have reviewed every report this team has filed in the past three and a half years and discovered the change in productivity occurred when Jillian arrived. I know you all thought you were being fired, but there’s been a change in plans. No one is being fired.”

A collective sigh resonated around the room.

“However, Jillian, you will no longer be allowed to stay on as an executive assistant.”

No surprise there. My stomach clenched.

“Instead, I am promoting you to Senior Director for this team.”

“Excuse me?” I couldn’t keep my mouth from hanging open as he extended his hand to congratulate me. How had I gone from a lowly assistant to Senior Director? Thank you, God. I shook my head trying to process everything. I looked around the room and everyone was smiling.

“There is nothing wrong with this team. You all work well together. And I believe with Jillian at the helm, you will continue to do even better. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, Mr. Thomas. We won’t let you down.” He shook my hand as everyone jumped to their feet and applauded. All I could do was try not to faint.


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