INTERVIEW: Australian Crime Author Lee Christine

Lee Christine

Newcastle, Australia

 

Welcome to Vision and Verse, the site that loves Art and Authors Can you tell me a little about what you've written?

I have written two crime novels with romantic elements and six romantic suspense novels.

 

What is your favorite genre to write?

Crime with romantic elements

 

Favorite food.

Fresh whole fish

 

Tea or coffee?

Both

Pizza or ice cream?

Pizza

 

Wine or beer?

Wine

Where would you like to visit?

Iceland

 

Favorite musical artist.

Lady Gaga  

 

Do you listen to music when you write?

I haven’t listened to music since I began writing crime. I’m one hundred percent focused on the plot.

 

What makes you laugh?

My Irish Wheaten Terrier, Honey. She’s such a funny dog, very engaging.

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory.

 

How old were you when you started writing?

Sixteen. I was in a soft-rock band and I wrote song lyrics. I also wrote two advertising jingles for television.

 

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?

I write an outline of the story in a new notebook. I know my characters well before I start, and I know the beginning, the end, and the major turning points and challenging situations my characters will face. I also draw the family tree, or a diagram of the characters’ relationships, on a hard poster board. 

 

Describe your perfect evening.

Dinner followed by a live musical theatre performance.

 

Where do you get your inspiration?

Setting was my inspiration for the Snowy Mountains Mystery series. I felt it was the perfect setting to write a crime book with romantic elements. Other novels have been based on interesting news reports and the idea has flowered from there. Sometimes, it can be a simple conversation that I’ve had with someone. 

 

What do you do when you get a writer's block?

I push through and keep writing. It’s the only thing that works for me.

Who is your favorite author?

I have many but I'm really enjoying Tana French's novels. I'm currently reading The Searcher. 

 

Best book you ever read.

Beach Music by Pat Conroy. The emotive writing had me sobbing at the end. I’ve never forgotten the story.

 

Last book you read.

The Good Teacher by Petronella McGovern.

 

 

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?

I would have loved to have been a musician, but realistically, I’d probably be teaching.

 

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

My mother. She was loyal, kind and loving. Family definitely came first, and I never doubted I was loved.  

 

 

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

Dolly Parton. I admire her talent as a singer, songwriter and actor. I also admire her energy and work ethic, and the humanitarian work she has done in the past and continues to do. And Dolly’s fun! 

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?

Start writing, even if your life is busy with work, children and other responsibilities. 

If you only write a couple of hundred words per day, that’s fine. 

I wish I’d had the confidence to start writing earlier in my life.

 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

 

https://www.facebook.com/leechristine59

 

https://twitter.com/leechristine59

 

www.leechristine.com.au

 

 

 

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BOOK REVIEW: Bromington-on-sea by Trisha J. Kelly

I just finished reading Bromington-on-sea by Trisha J. Kelly and I loved this cozy mystery about Rosie Woodhouse, her family and friends,  and her adventures. The character of Rosie is the center of the story with daily adventures and the mystery she becomes drawn into when she moves to the coastal town of Bromington. I highly recommend the fast-paced cozy mystery to anyone who likes a good read.

Rosie Wodehouse is a very ordinary, unspectacular twenty-something. She lives with her pets in a small ground-floor flat in London. Her half-brother doesn’t like her, he never has, and her mother wished she’d never been born.If only her father, Walter, would stick up for her. The meek, mild-mannered man will do nothing to upset his wife, up until now. The only person he truly loves is his daughter. Things are heading for a stark change. Not only by what it is Walter Wodehouse has been hiding, but also the week when the family members both receive a letter.Great Aunt Dorothea, deceased, is about to put the cat among the pigeons.

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Bromington-sea-Wodehouse-Cozy-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07TBNRYM2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Bromington-on-Sea&qid=1611071264&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

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Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.

SCHEDULE: March 29 - April 2, 2021

 Mon., March 29 - ART:

The Giant Hand of Vyrnwy

by Sculptor Simon O'Rourke

Tues., March 30 - BOOK REVIEW:

Bromington-on-Sea

by Trisha J. Kelly

Wed., March 31 - INTERVIEW:

Australian Crime Author

Lee Christine

Thurs., April 1 - ENTERTAINMENT:

Outside the Wire 

(Netflix)

Fri., April 2 - BOOK:

MacKalvey House

by Carol Ann Kauffman

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Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.

BOOK: A Dilemma for Daisy, A Monday Mystery Society Book, by Carol Ann Kauffman

 

Daisy Mazlo faces a dilemma. She’s met the man of her dreams in Cooper MacNeill, a gentleman in every sense of the word: tall, dark, handsome, wealthy, kind, witty, lovable, and very interested in her. 

But Daisy can’t accept his love, so she runs away, moving back to Oakville where she grew up to sort out her feelings. Will the small loving community of her past help her find herself? Will Cooper come after her? Will a letter be pivotal in resolving Daisy’s dilemma? 

Will love win out?

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XZCK820

A Dilemma for Daisy is part of the Monday Mystery Society series, published by Books To Go Now.

The Monday Mystery Society attracts ten diverse individuals, all attractive in their unique ways—and all of them single. Five stories of love in a small town.

A Mystery for Marissa - Alison Jean Ash
When young bookstore owner Rob starts a new reading group, The Monday Mystery Society attracts ten diverse individuals, all attractive in their unique ways—and all of them single. How many of them will still be single by the group’s closing party? Rob has found the woman of his dreams, but Marissa stiffens up at the hint that he might ask her out. Thinking fast, the young bookstore owner invents a mystery reading group, just for the chance to spend some time with the gorgeous nurse. The big mystery on his mind is how far he’ll have to go to get her attention: does he need to show up wounded in her ER? Welcome to Oakville, where people still know their neighbors, friendships last a lifetime—and gossip is a force of nature.

The Right Kiss - Giuletta M. Spudich
Janie is a confident, professional editor in her thirties … when she’s not around men. The opposite sex sends her into frazzled and tongue-tied states of being. She prefers the company of her best friend Sharon Hall, or no company at all, and is largely alone. 
When she joins the Monday Mystery Society book club, she hopes to make connections with other Oakville residents through literature, especially Victorian mysteries. Little does she know that at the book club, there is a tendency to find love in unexpected places … 
Will she let go of her cool personality and let love in? Or will she run from the sudden affection of two different men and disappear into her favorite stories, alone and lonely? 

A Singular Romance - JW Stacks
A neo-Victorian romance of fine mysteries, upset stomachs, and torrential downpours. 
Julia can't handle people. Lara can't handle Julia. Neither of the two know how to deal with the 
feelings they bring out in each other. When a shared love of Victorian mysteries bring these two 
mismatched girls together, can the matchmaking track record of the Monday Mystery Society 
remain unbroken in the face of overwhelming odds? 

A Dilemma for Daisy - Carol Ann Kauffman
Daisy Mazlo faces a dilemma. She’s met the man of her dreams in Cooper MacNeill, a gentleman in every sense of the word, tall, handsome, wealthy, witty, and very interested in her. But Daisy can’t accept his love, so she runs away, moving back to Oakville where she grew up to sort out her feelings. Will the small loving community of her past help her find herself? Will Cooper come after her? Will a letter be pivotal in resolving Daisy’s dilemma? 
Will love win out?

Protest of Love - Samna Ghani
Mary Gardner is a successful career-oriented woman with a passion for work and books. She is part of The Monday Mystery Society at Acorns, the local bookstore in Oakville. Her life is perfect, in her opinion, till she meets Stefan. Things start going downhill as he infiltrates her work, her life and her heart. 

Stefan Larsson, a dashing European attorney fighting for the rights of the weak and downtrodden. He threatens everything Mary has worked so hard to achieve. He is smart but aggressive; passionate but dominating. He’s out to get Mary but the question is: will he remain unscathed?

This Books To Go Now project was so much fun to write! Head writer on this project was the wonderful Alison Jean Ash. The concept was simple. People join a book club. Relationships begin.

This anthology followed a timetable. Each mystery book club selection  was given a date. We followed each other's stories in a specific sequence. Alison went first with A Mystery for Marisa. The characters in all five books are the same. However, each book dwells on a specific relationship forming between two characters. Most of the characters are introduced in the first book and play a small role throughout the series, so we had to work together to keep each character's personality and actions consistent throughout the five-book series.

We hope you enjoy The Monday Mystery Society books.

Amazon Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YOGMA2M/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p3_i0

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ENTERTAINMENT:The Letter for the King (Netflix)

“The Letter for the King” is a coming of age story based on a Dutch book. My husband was taken with this series immediately. It is beautifully filmed in New Zealand and the Czech Republic. It has a lovely soundtrack. The acting is decent. But for me, it tended to drag on and did not hold my interest. Still...it had some wonderful moments. 

If this pandemic drags on and you run out of really good things to watch, remember this one. It has some redeeming qualities

 

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Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.

INTERVIEW: Southwestern Mystery Author Rich Curtin

 

Welcome, Rich Curtin. You are one of my favorite authors. I love Manny Rivera and his mystery series. I am thrilled to have you with us this morning. Welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for Art and Artists and those who love them. Can you tell us a little about what you've written?

Manny Rivera Mystery Series, books 1-9.

 

What is your favorite genre to write?

Mysteries

Favorite food.

Mexican.

Tea or coffee?

Manny and I have the same problem. 

We drink too much coffee.

 

Pizza or ice cream?

Blue Bell Butter Pecan ice cream.

 

Wine or beer?

Both

 

Where would you like to visit?

I always look forward to returning the Manny’s country – 

the Four Corners area.

I love that part of our country.There’s no place more beautiful than New Mexico. I would move there in an instant if I could. 

Favorite musical artist.

There are so many (hard to pick just one): Willie Nelson, Eagles, America, Neil Young, George Harrison, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and Merle Haggard. If I had to pick just one—Willie.   

 

Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

No. It keeps me from immersing myself in the story.

 

What makes you laugh?

Slapstick

 

This is an art and author blog, so I am obligated to ask: Favorite work of art or sculpture.

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin

 

How old were you when you started writing?

I started writing mysteries after I retired from a science and engineering career. I was 64. 

 

Do you plan out your novels in detail or do you just sit down and write?

I admire authors who can just sit down and write, but that’s not me. I definitely plan out each story in detail. I need to be able to see every scene, know every character, feel the conflicts. I do my storyline editing when the story is still in outline form. I’ll make probably 25 passes through the story this way before I attempt to write a single word. This saves a lot of editing, throwing out chapters, etc. It also helps to ensure that I have a story worth telling. If the story outline doesn’t excite me, I don’t want to waste my time writing it or the reader’s time reading it.

  

Describe your perfect evening. 

Too varied to list.

 

Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration to write fiction came from reading Tony Hillerman’s novels. My inspiration for stories comes from within. I start with what I think is an unusual motive for murder and build out from there. I do a lot of just sitting and thinking.

 

What do you do when you get a writer's block?

Stop writing. Analyze why. It’s often because I’m trying to write something that’s not really interesting to me. Best to toss the part of the story that I was working on when I got the block.

 

Who is your favorite author?

Tony Hillerman. Cormac McCarthy would be a distant second.

 

Best book you ever read.

So many good ones. I can’t really single out a “best.”

Last book you read.

Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols (The movie is even better.)

 

 

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?

I’d write anyway.

Over one hundred reviews, and that's the best answer to that question yet!

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

Too many to list.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?

Find an author you would like to emulate and read everything he or she has written. Then read others in the same genre.

 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

My website: richcurtinnovels.com

Facebook: Rich Curtin

Note to my gentle readers:

Look for my reviews of Coyote’s Revenge on May 4, 2021

and Death Saint  on April 13, 2021 

right here on Vision and Verse.

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Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.

BOOK REVIEW: Wine and Dead, Another Murder by Christa Nardi

Wine tasting, murder and more.
A murder and a toxic substance in a vineyard would spell doom for the manager of any winery. And when that manager is a woman, a rarity in the wine industry, people are quick to place the blame on her shoulders. Even though Sheridan's husband, Brett, and his partner are already on the case, the amateur sleuth, is quick to jump in. In her search for clues, Sheridan and her friends explore the offerings at several nearby vineyards, where they discover more than great wine.
Join Sheridan for a trip from your favorite chair, filled with friends, fun, and a two mysteries.

Customer Review

Book Lover 222

5.0 out of 5 stars Think I Found My New Favorite Series!

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

I love mysteries. Couple that with wine tasting and a dog shelter and I think I found my new favorite series! I loved the character Sheridan Hensley, a teacher who loved to figure out murder motives and her handsome homicide detective husband Brett. Well written, easy to read, and easy to get pulled into the story. Perfect read to take your mind off current events.

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Another-Murder-Sheridan-Hendley-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08PMHY4HM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=wine+and+dead%2C+another+murder&qid=1611070716&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

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Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.