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One of Deborah Plummer Bussey’s favorite childhood memories is visiting the local library where she first immersed herself into the world of books, but she never thought that one day she would become a writer. She is now releasing her third book in summer 2013.
Bussey lived in Cleveland, Ohio, until she was recruited to the University of Massachusetts Medical School in New England. She holds a Master of Education degree in community consultation and a doctorate in psychology. She is a psychologist and human resources professional with expertise in diversity management and organizational development.
After a lengthy career as an academic, she discovered a passion for writing. Bussey’s nonfiction self-help book, “Racing Across the Lines: Changing Race Relationships Through Friendships,” released by Pilgrim Press received the publishing company’s Mayflower Award for Best Publication in the church and state category. She is also the editor of the “Handbook of Diversity Management: Beyond Awareness to Competency Based Learning” from University
Press of America.
Having spent more than a dozen years of her life as a nun, Bussey is the creator of the Sister Nun mystery series. Half Dozen Publications released her debut novel, “They Still Call Me Sister,” in December 2011. Her newest book, “The Family That Stays Together,” is due out in June 2013.
Bussey lives in Westborough, Mass., where she is a regular blogger for The Huffington Post.
Connect with Dr. Bussey at these sites:
With such a successful career as an academic, why did you start writing the fictional Sister Nun mystery series?
A friend, an attorney who writes fiction in her spare time, encouraged me to write fiction. And so I did. I write fiction because it is cathartic to make stuff up. It reminds me of being on the stoop of my inner-city childhood home laughing with my sisters on made up stuff we thought was hilarious, or crying about made up stuff that manipulated our emotions, or scaring ourselves by our imagination of a world embedded in fear.
You were inspired by your own experiences as a psychologist and former nun to create the character of Kathy Carpenter. How is she like you, and how does she differ through fiction?
Kathy and I share the same fascination with human behavior and what makes people tick. Our values are the same—strong connection to family, steadfast faith, love of people and a deep appreciation for the value of diversity. We are both a little neurotic and are particularly fond of worrying. However, Kathy is riddled with a lot more self-doubt than I possess (only because I am older). Kathy is a lot more naïve than I hope that I am, and far less of a rebellious Catholic than I often can be.
Is her sister, Tina, based on someone in particular?
Tina was inspired by my own sister Lisa. They are very similar in personality and behavior. Lisa’s designer name is Simone Alisa and she is quite gregarious. When I was in the convent she would tell people that she had a sister who was a nun and they never believed her. She is the one who gave me the nickname Sister Nun, a shortened version of “my sister is a nun.”
Although your books are stimulating mysteries, you delve into deeper themes about managing the complexities of life especially in a diverse world. What are you ultimately trying to say through your writing? Is your fiction work a back up to your regular commentary on Huffington Post and other news outlets?
My belief is that if you are fully embracing life you are bound to encounter diversity and by extension its challenges and benefits. The Sister Nun stories reflect the challenges that people often encounter while trying to navigate our increasingly multicultural society—the tension between religion and sexual orientation, cross-racial friendships and interracial marriages, stereotypes about age- appropriate behavior, the susceptibility to materialism as a way to achieve happiness. The characters in these stories struggle with these challenges but also are able to grow and receive the benefits—deep friendships, creativity, inner peace, increased self-confidence and a real sense of community. There are similar themes in my Huffington Post blogs. I get to take a somewhat playful tone in my fiction work with the some of the same themes I blog about and provide commentary; especially the state of black America, communicating across differences and the critical need for the modernization of the Catholic Church. These are serious topics but I have fun embedding them the in dialogue.
What kind of role does your extensive knowledge of psychology play in your writing?
As a result of my training as a psychologist, the Sister Nun mysteries may have a bit more back- story than some mysteries. I want the readers to really understand who the characters are and what motivates them to do what they do. I try to make their behaviors consistent with their psychological make-up. I also bring in pop culture as context and to demonstrate the influence of our environment on our thinking and behavior.
You give readers a glimpse into life as a nun. How much of it is true?
The lifestyle depicted is pretty authentic although the specifics would vary among religious orders. “They Still Call Me Sister” provides more of a historical perspective and describes more of Kathy’s time as a nun in the late 1970s and 1980s. “The Family That Stays Together” provides a glimpse into contemporary religious life and the issues that some religious women experience. They are fully human, loving individuals and it would be naïve to think that they do not struggle with the same temptations similar to what other individuals experience.
What is the secret to writing a great mystery novel?
I believe great mysteries are about controlling the flow of information so that the reader is so engaged in the story that the subtle clues are not popping out while they are reading but are traceable after they get to the end and the mystery is solved. When readers get to be a detective along with the protagonist then they have experienced a great mystery.
Can we expect more detective work from Kathy and Tina in the future? Absolutely. They are sharpening their sleuthing skills and as Kathy expands her clinical practice there are a lot more murders to solve. Her close friend, Fr. Randy, will be featured more in the next story and we will get more of a glimpse in to modern priesthood.
When a television celebrity becomes suspect in the murder of her ex-fiancé, sister sleuths Kathy and Tina rally to support their family friend. Soon they end up in trouble. Will family ties be strong enough to protect a suspected murderer?
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Half Dozen Publications
Publication Date: July 2013
Number of Pages: 278
ISBN: 978-0-615-818658
Paperback: $9.99; eBook: $4.99
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Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya’s Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind’s ‘Sword of Truth’ series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.
Mysti’s other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She serves as a class mentor in Writers Village University’s six week free course, F2K.
Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.
Connect with Mysti at these sites:
Living In Spite of Depression
Everyone’s got something holding them back. That’s the way of life, isn’t it? We have goals and the inevitable obstacles to overcome in order to reach those goals. But, why must it be so hard? What good comes out of the constant bumps in the road?
Last summer, I was officially diagnosed with clinical depression. I’d been in denial about it for so long, I was one of those people who thought “depression isn’t real—it’s just in your head”. When it got to the point that I was literally lying in bed for most of the day, unable to cope with even the slightest stress, I knew it had gone beyond being “just in my head”. I had to get help, and I am SO glad I finally did. You can see the article I wrote on my blog about it here: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-journey-to-inner-peace.html
Good days are outweighing the bad now, but there are still those times when life gets overwhelming, when I feel the pinch of all the tasks begging for my attention and just want to hide under the covers and never come out. That kinda sucks when you’re a full time wife, mom of three young kids, and a writer. I mean, I have things to do, people! I can’t just give into this monster called depression.
So, I’m not. I’m doing my best to balance my life so that depression does not get the upper hand. Sure, it clouds up the day sometimes, but I’m learning to deal with it. Besides a low-dose medication, I try to take care of myself physically. When I keep active and eat right, I can definitely feel a difference.
I am careful not to take on more work than I can reasonably accomplish. That can be hard, simply saying “No” to things, especially when it’s something I would enjoy. And I have to stay somewhat organized in planning activities, making lists, keeping track of events and working steadily on tasks so I’m not falling too far behind. But, that’s what I have to do to keep my mind at ease and not sink into the shadows of depression.
Through this journey (or roller coaster ride), I’m learning more about myself. I’m learning my strengths and weaknesses and how to play up the former and work around the latter. I’m learning to be more pro-active and to speak my mind more often, which often means saying no to tempting offers. I’m learning to live my life in spite of depression, because I have a great life to live!
What’s holding you back? How do you jump over your own hurdles and live in spite of it all?
****
Somewhere, hidden in the waters of the Southern Sea, lies an island unlike any other. Within the amber glow of its pyrogem-laden cliffs, legend says the very heart of the dragon god Drae keeps the island, and its occupants, alive.
Loralee Munroviel, daughter of Leogard’s High Priestess Arianne, had no idea what she would face when she arrived by boat ten years ago and was left alone in exile. All she knew about Draekoria’s inhabitants was written in one tattered notebook. Now, her life revolves around keeping Drae’s descendants happy. Never in her life did she imagine being a Dragon Keeper.
Captain Igrorio Everlyn, known as Sir Robert to his unit of Holy Paladins, has faced his share of hell, battling the evils of Emperor Sarvonn’s tyranny and the dark god Tyr’s abominations. But none of that compares to the ten years of hell he’s been without Loralee, presumed dead.
One freak storm changes everything. Now the two of them must fight to re-establish the delicate balance of the island before the dragons take things into their own hands. Through it all, they discover the secrets that kept them, and their hearts, exiled for a decade.
Title: Hearts In Exile
Series: Tallenmere (stand-alone)
Author: Mysti Parker
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Melange Books
Formats Available In: All eBook formats and Print
Release Date: June 3, 2013
Excerpt From Chapter Three:
After a shipwreck, Sir Robert wakes up in a strange cottage, only to find Loralee, the love of his life, whom he thought had been dead for a decade…
“I don’t understand. What is this place?”
“It’s an island. Very few know of its existence.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of this confusing dream come to life. “But, why would you be here, and why would you be sorry? Unless…”
The words wouldn’t come. My racing mind pitched in to help. Unless she didn’t want to marry me after all.
Wrenching pain I’d kept tucked inside broke free, and I clambered to my feet. Loralee followed suit, backing herself into the small dining table.
I tried, but could not hide the bitter anger in my words. “How could you do this to me? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?”
Her eyes widened. She clutched the table with one hand and her robe with the other. “What you’ve been through? I didn’t want this. I was forced here.”
“What do you mean, forced here? Where are your shackles?” My voice roared through the little cottage as I gestured around me with one arm. “Where are the bars? This looks like no prison I’ve ever seen.”
Her voice cracked the air, rivaling with my own. “I was betrayed, forced into exile. Don’t you understand? I never wanted to leave you. I never wanted anything so much as I wanted you.”
Pacing away, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I had to calm myself, to let the weight of this discovery, the improbability of her explanation to sink into my water-logged brain.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at her just yet, so I stared at my bare feet instead. “Why didn’t you tell me, write to me?”
“I tried. I begged the supply ship crew to bring my letters to you. They always took them, but never brought one in return. I suspect they destroyed them, but I had no way of knowing.” She sucked in a shaky breath as though trying to hold back her tears. “I never stopped loving you.”
Turning back to face her, I felt like a mindless beast. Here I was, raging against the love of my life when she’d all but been brought back from the dead.
“Loralee.” I eased toward her. She cringed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Without a word, I leaned in and pressed my forehead to hers, allowing myself to breathe in her scent for the first time in a decade. We stood suspended like that for a while, lost in time, and emerging from a purgatory neither of us had imagined ten years ago. I would have been content to stand like that forever, but Loralee burst into tears and wilted to the floor.
I followed her down and opened the quilt to wrap us both inside. I held her tight while she cried.
While I cried.
I finally got enough breath to speak again. “What did you mean by forced here? They told me you were…” I couldn’t say it, not with her warm and so very alive against me.
“I know.”
The weight of it all came crashing down on me. “This is my fault, isn’t it? You’re here because of me.”
She made no attempt to wipe her cheeks, but shook her head and stared at the rafters as though entreating the gods. “No, it’s not your fault. Not at all. There is so much to explain, I don’t know where to start.”
I couldn’t comprehend any of it, so I focused on the here and now. “You found me on the shore?”
She nodded.
“The crew, Francis…did you find anyone else out there?”
“No, I had Xax-, I mean, no, I searched but didn’t find anyone else.”
The familiar weight of grief squeezed my chest, and a few more tears escaped before I could stop them.
She pulled me close and whispered, “I’m so sorry. I know how much you loved him. We all did.”
“We all grieved for you. You’ve been here…all this time?”
“Yes.”
“By the gods, Loralee, I’ve missed you so much.” I put my wet cheek against hers and pressed my lips to her soft skin. “Part of me died the day I thought you… please…just tell me how you ended up here.”
Loralee took a few deep breaths and finally pulled away from me. She caressed my cheek and smiled weakly. “I’ll make us a pot of tea. And then, I think we should start at the beginning, back to the Great Plague and when we first met. Do you remember that?”
Smiling past the sadness, I covered her hand with mine and closed my eyes. “How could I ever forget?”
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Robert J. Ray is a writer/ teacher with six Matt Murdock Mysteries, three volumes of The Weekend Novelist writing series, a tennis story, a thriller about diamonds, a small business textbook that has gone through five editions, and short pieces for magazines. He spent a dozen years teaching college students how to write better. He spent five years teaching tennis, using techniques like Inner Game.
Connect with Mr. Ray at these sites:
A dead girl with an arrow sticking out of her back sends Matt Murdock and Helene Steinbeck on a killer-hunt that takes them to Angel Mountain where a cold-blooded steely-eyed killer has hypnotized some rich people into funding a naughty habit involving pretty girls, young women in great shape from the worlds of Art and Professional Sport. The odds are fifty to one that they won’t get out of this mess alive.
She had the day off and she was lonely in Taos so she took her laptop and her sketchpad and sat in the shade at the Hard Wire Café. She was sketching a guy for money because she was broke.
He was handsome, with a great tan and a gorgeous smile. When he left her with a twenty she felt even lonelier. She bought a coffee, sweet iced latte, and hung out—was he gone forever or what?
An hour passed, then two. She did another sketch—ten bucks, thank you—and then the handsome guy was back.
“Come to a party,” he said. “Artists and writers, Colony People. Our kind, okay?”
The guy drove a silver Humvee.
She kicked off her sandals and settled into the comfy seat smiling. The guy had this really great profile.The Humvee climbed up, past the Pueblo, and crossed through a gate into Never-Never Land. Roofs, aspen trees turning, a lawn so green it came from England.
The first person she met gave her a drag. The smoke invaded her brain, curled like a cat. The people were beautiful, some her age, some younger. The food was out of this world.
Smoked meat, soft and succulent. “Have another bite, hon?” What is this meat, anyway?
There was wine, beer, tequila shooters, Scotch whiskey so smooth it raised your hopes for a better world. A world for starving artists like herself.
She danced around the campfire, barefoot. Her feet were tough from pounding New York streets.
A pretty girl, Tammy with a Texas accent and a bouncy blonde ponytail, whipped off her blouse and kept dancing— torchlight on bare tits, sell that sketch, make a killing.
Another girl, another blouse, and another. Blouses tossed like leaves in the wind, until she was the only one left, the only girl not on display. So she said, “What the hell?” and they clapped their hands, chanting, as she flung her blouse away and then….
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Camel Press
Publication Date: June 15, 2013
Number of Pages: 331
ISBN: 978-1-60381-925-1 // 978-1-60381-926-8
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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
July is being hosted byTasha @ Book Obsessed
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.
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This is a sticky post for my Read-A-Thon Progress
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MARIE ROMERO CASH was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to a family that would eventually number seven children, and has lived there most of her life. After graduating from Santa Fe High School, she took a job as a legal secretary, a field that would provide a lifetime of employment. But then, in her mid-thirties, she discovered the traditional arts of northern New Mexico. After twenty years of creating award-winning art, she began to write about it, but decided she needed a higher education to do so. At fifty she enrolled in college and, five years later, graduated with a degree in Southwest Studies. In 1998, she received the prestigious Javits Fellowship to pursue her education. Since then Marie has written several books about the art and culture of the southwest, including a memoir about growing up in Santa Fe. Treasure among the Shadows is the third book in the Jemimah Hodge Mystery Series, which began with Shadows among the Ruins and Deadly Deception.
Connect with Ms. Cash at these sites:
A woman is strangled and shot. She was last seen alive at a casino near Santa Fe. Forensic Psychologist Jemimah Hodge is on the case, as is her new boyfriend, Sheriff Rick Romero. The trail has already grown cold when another woman is murdered under similar circumstances. The first dead woman left behind a disgruntled ex-spouse but no other obvious suspects. Gilda Humphreys, the second victim, is another story. First there is her househusband, then there are all her co-workers … It seems no one is shedding a tear for Gilda.
While going through Gilda’s field notes, Jemimah discovers that the woman was experiencing a sexual renaissance. Could one of her lovers have killed her? Then there is Tim McCabe’s treasure hunt. A wealthy gallery owner and collector, McCabe has buried a chest filled with valuable coins and jewelry and challenged the public to find it. When Gilda wasn’t dressing down her co-workers or dallying with lovers, she was searching for McCabe’s treasure.
Was it greed that killed Gilda? A scorned lover or vengeful co-worker? With so many suspects and so few clues, Rick and Jemimah face one of the most challenging cases of their careers.
Treasure Among the Shadows is the third book in Jemimah Hodge Murder Mystery series.
It was a typical February Day. Locals referred to the month as Febrero Loco, crazy February, because the daily weather was as unpredictable as a roulette wheel. It was unseasonably warm and just to be on the safe side, the air conditioning at Buffalo Thunder Casino, north of Santa Fe, was cranked up.
The casino was gearing up for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, pulling out all the stops with promotions geared toward attracting patrons with the cherry red Toyota Camry give-away. Blackjack modules formed a large circle around the Craps and Texas Hold’em tables. The electromagnetic field and the thousand flashing lights could easily illuminate an entire city. Waitresses attired in short frilly skirts and low cut tank-tops stopped at each console to offer cold sodas, water and coffee, and friendly smiles to encourage tips.
She walked through the automatic doors, the strong odor of cigarette smoke assaulting her senses. Vanity precluded her from wearing sorely needed eyeglasses and she squinted her eyes in hopes of seeing a familiar face, preferably male and old enough to buy her a drink. She navigated her world in a blur, peering out of heavily made-up brown eyes and beneath thin, perfectly arched eyebrows. Dark red lipstick and a heart-shaped face framed by recently touched-up auburn hair completed the picture. She was dressed in black pants, a sparkly jacket and stiletto heels. The first was to hide the extra ten pounds she carried and the second was to give her four-eleven height a boost.
She found her favorite slot machine in a corner next to the lounge, where she could sometimes score a few drinks and maybe a place to stay for the night. Of late, she frequented the casinos on Highway 85staying until closing and hitching a ride back to Santa Fe, where she hung out in the laundry rooms of motels on Cerrillos Road. She was not a hooker. She was a forty-year-old woman down on her luck, having burned all the bridges behind her. She was desperate to win a jackpot to get her back on her feet.
She glanced through the corner of her eye at the man playing next to her. He was exactly her type—brown-skinned, tall, sleeveless t-shirt to show off bulging biceps, tattooed arms, long hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. Before the night was over, they were snuggled in a corner of the lounge, sipping rum and Cokes. If she played her cards right, she had a good idea where the evening was going to end up.
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Camel Press
Publication Date: June 1, 2013
Number of Pages: 310
ISBN: 978-1603819077
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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
