Good Morning, Booklovers!
We’ve had topsy turvy weather of late. Drought, then rain. Tropical heat, then cool. It’s been a bit cooler since the big storms Monday night – nothing compared to what New Orleans suffered – but thunder and lightning, rain, hail, and little sleep. We[re still under the umbrellas this morning…just in case. And joining us on the deck is mystery writer Elia Seely, bringing us her featured book, A Fractured Peace.
Welcome, Elia! How do you take your coffee?
ES: I love coffee and have a French press, aero press, moka pot, and pour-over all in my arsenal. I prefer French press at the moment—but mostly because my ancient coffee grinder can’t produce a truly fine grind for the other methods. Cream, no sugar, or cappuccino style (yes, I confess I have a fancy milk frother).
We’ve had topsy turvy weather of late. Drought, then rain. Tropical heat, then cool. It’s been a bit cooler since the big storms Monday night – nothing compared to what New Orleans suffered – but thunder and lightning, rain, hail, and little sleep. We[re still under the umbrellas this morning…just in case. And joining us on the deck is mystery writer Elia Seely, bringing us her featured book, A Fractured Peace.
Welcome, Elia! How do you take your coffee?
ES: I love coffee and have a French press, aero press, moka pot, and pour-over all in my arsenal. I prefer French press at the moment—but mostly because my ancient coffee grinder can’t produce a truly fine grind for the other methods. Cream, no sugar, or cappuccino style (yes, I confess I have a fancy milk frother).
Ally chuckles: Never fear, my magic pot can meet any request. While I get our coffee mugs filled, please tell readers a little about you.
BIO:
I live and write from Colorado and Florida. Against all best practices, I’m at work on three series at once. I love the mystery genre and also appreciate the great characters found in literary fiction and the classics. I’m also a textile artist, gardener, sailor, and cook.
Tell me something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio. “I am a professional astrologer and intuitive; find me at the Grounded Mystic.”
Author Contacts:
BookBub | Amazon | eliaseely.com | thegroundedmystic.com | Facebook
I live and write from Colorado and Florida. Against all best practices, I’m at work on three series at once. I love the mystery genre and also appreciate the great characters found in literary fiction and the classics. I’m also a textile artist, gardener, sailor, and cook.
Tell me something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio. “I am a professional astrologer and intuitive; find me at the Grounded Mystic.”
Author Contacts:
BookBub | Amazon | eliaseely.com | thegroundedmystic.com | Facebook
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
ES: I’m self-published because I like the freedom of being able to make all my own decisions and work on my own timeline. There’s a steep learning curve that I’m still navigating, but I feel that much of the ‘publishing’ activity we indie authors have to engage in is also increasingly required of traditionally published authors as well—so why not be one’s own boss? I feel grateful that as authors we have a choice of how to publish, and that we may also decide to try both. I haven’t yet been drawn to traditional publishing—the astrologer in me would say that is the North Node in Aries in my 9th house :)—but I like that I can pivot if that’s what feels right for a particular book or series.
Ally: If you switched careers with the main character of the last book you read, what would it be?
ES: I just finished re-reading Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall.’ I love this book, and I have to say I really admire her portrayal of Thomas Cromwell. He’s so capable, knowledgeable, and ingenious. My new career, circa the 1530s, would be Master Secretary, Master of Rolls, and I believe, Chancellor of Cambridge University! I have a feeling that in his role of mystery writer he’d add a dollop of international intrigue and a soupçon of stake-burning and beheading to my plots.
Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
ES: I’ve always been a storyteller and writer … from the time I was making up dramas for my Barbies and Hot Wheels cars to pecking out stories about animals that could talk on my mom’s old green and gray Smith Corona. I have always—and still do—tell stories as part of my day jobs too. My current work-for-hire includes copywriting and marketing, as well as astrological and Akashic Record readings. I write because I love stories, and I love to make things. The actual writing is incredibly fun.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
ES: I’m in the final polishing stages of a mystery set in Florida. This is yet another new series, set in present time, with a female police detective.
Blurb:
Detective Libby Jamison isn’t sure she’s ready to handle a homicide. Her most recent case, a horrible string of serial murders, and her subsequent breakdown, has left her professional and personal life in a shambles. But this new victim, a young woman found in an abandoned boat, is not much older than Libby’s own daughter, and Libby feels she must show her boss that she’s fit to work the case.
Libby has been living with her sister, Etta, after her breakdown blew her marriage apart, and Etta is the first to identify the dead girl as a member of the local metaphysical community. Etta convinces her sister to let her cast a ‘murder chart’—an astrological snapshot of the crime—to help her solve the the murder. Although skeptical of the paranormal, the victim’s life was steeped in esoteric occult study, and so Libby must learn to suspend her disbelief and navigate the archetypes of the Tarot and Astrology in order to bring the killer to justice.
Ally: Which of the trivia questions caught you eye?
ES:
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
ES: I’m self-published because I like the freedom of being able to make all my own decisions and work on my own timeline. There’s a steep learning curve that I’m still navigating, but I feel that much of the ‘publishing’ activity we indie authors have to engage in is also increasingly required of traditionally published authors as well—so why not be one’s own boss? I feel grateful that as authors we have a choice of how to publish, and that we may also decide to try both. I haven’t yet been drawn to traditional publishing—the astrologer in me would say that is the North Node in Aries in my 9th house :)—but I like that I can pivot if that’s what feels right for a particular book or series.
Ally: If you switched careers with the main character of the last book you read, what would it be?
ES: I just finished re-reading Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall.’ I love this book, and I have to say I really admire her portrayal of Thomas Cromwell. He’s so capable, knowledgeable, and ingenious. My new career, circa the 1530s, would be Master Secretary, Master of Rolls, and I believe, Chancellor of Cambridge University! I have a feeling that in his role of mystery writer he’d add a dollop of international intrigue and a soupçon of stake-burning and beheading to my plots.
Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
ES: I’ve always been a storyteller and writer … from the time I was making up dramas for my Barbies and Hot Wheels cars to pecking out stories about animals that could talk on my mom’s old green and gray Smith Corona. I have always—and still do—tell stories as part of my day jobs too. My current work-for-hire includes copywriting and marketing, as well as astrological and Akashic Record readings. I write because I love stories, and I love to make things. The actual writing is incredibly fun.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
ES: I’m in the final polishing stages of a mystery set in Florida. This is yet another new series, set in present time, with a female police detective.
Blurb:
Detective Libby Jamison isn’t sure she’s ready to handle a homicide. Her most recent case, a horrible string of serial murders, and her subsequent breakdown, has left her professional and personal life in a shambles. But this new victim, a young woman found in an abandoned boat, is not much older than Libby’s own daughter, and Libby feels she must show her boss that she’s fit to work the case.
Libby has been living with her sister, Etta, after her breakdown blew her marriage apart, and Etta is the first to identify the dead girl as a member of the local metaphysical community. Etta convinces her sister to let her cast a ‘murder chart’—an astrological snapshot of the crime—to help her solve the the murder. Although skeptical of the paranormal, the victim’s life was steeped in esoteric occult study, and so Libby must learn to suspend her disbelief and navigate the archetypes of the Tarot and Astrology in order to bring the killer to justice.
Ally: Which of the trivia questions caught you eye?
ES:
- book you’re currently reading: The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel
- an author (living or dead) you’d love to take to lunch: Hilary Mantel. In my opinion, she is one of the best historical fiction writers out there. I just want to know all her secrets!
- favorite comfort food: coffee and chocolate chip cookies (gluten -free)
- the best thing a book fan has ever said to you: “I couldn’t wait to get home from work so I could keep reading, and find out what would happen next.”
- Do you re-read books? Any book in particular? Often! Any beloved author from Virginia Woolf to Shirley Jackson to Agatha Christie. And the aforementioned trilogy of Hilary Mantel’s … also just re-reding The Sisters Brothers too—fantastic characterization!
Ally: Thanks for joining us this morning, Elia. Before we wind down, please show us your featured book.
A Fractured Peace (Gold Creek Series Book 1)
Genre: traditional mystery with a touch of the supernatural
A dismembered body, a Buddhist monastery, a young girl’s second sight.
A relaxing trail run turns into a gruesome nightmare when deputy Shannon O’Connor finds a dismembered body in the forest outside her rural community of Gold Creek, CO. The small town sheriff’s department has never seen such a bizarre crime, and Shannon is placed in the role of lead investigator on her first murder case.
When she discovers the victim had been studying at the secluded Buddhist monastery nearby, she is catapulted into a world of mysticism that is foreign to her and fraught with secrets. The threads of the case unspool, revealing a chilling race for supernatural power and control that, terrifyingly, involves the emerging abilities of her young daughter’s second sight.
Will Shannon find the killer before he strikes again, or worse, permanently damages her daughter’s fragile spirit?
A Fractured Peace will appeal to readers who enjoy a multi-dimensional protagonist working in rural, Western settings, such as found in the novels of Tony/Anne Hillerman, C.J. Box, or Craig Johnson. It will also appeal to readers who enjoy a touch of the supernatural, handled in a believable way, with elements of Eastern spirituality and metaphysics.
“A Fractured Peace is well-structured, good pacing, cliffhanger questions at each chapter, and layered but not so dense that I felt bogged down – the book is a fast read with a satisfying ending. I can’t wait to see what happens for Shannon (and her kids!) next.”
“Beautifully written, with suspense, longing, and surprise expertly woven throughout.”
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Elia-Seely/e/B00J36KOTO/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
Genre: traditional mystery with a touch of the supernatural
A dismembered body, a Buddhist monastery, a young girl’s second sight.
A relaxing trail run turns into a gruesome nightmare when deputy Shannon O’Connor finds a dismembered body in the forest outside her rural community of Gold Creek, CO. The small town sheriff’s department has never seen such a bizarre crime, and Shannon is placed in the role of lead investigator on her first murder case.
When she discovers the victim had been studying at the secluded Buddhist monastery nearby, she is catapulted into a world of mysticism that is foreign to her and fraught with secrets. The threads of the case unspool, revealing a chilling race for supernatural power and control that, terrifyingly, involves the emerging abilities of her young daughter’s second sight.
Will Shannon find the killer before he strikes again, or worse, permanently damages her daughter’s fragile spirit?
A Fractured Peace will appeal to readers who enjoy a multi-dimensional protagonist working in rural, Western settings, such as found in the novels of Tony/Anne Hillerman, C.J. Box, or Craig Johnson. It will also appeal to readers who enjoy a touch of the supernatural, handled in a believable way, with elements of Eastern spirituality and metaphysics.
“A Fractured Peace is well-structured, good pacing, cliffhanger questions at each chapter, and layered but not so dense that I felt bogged down – the book is a fast read with a satisfying ending. I can’t wait to see what happens for Shannon (and her kids!) next.”
“Beautifully written, with suspense, longing, and surprise expertly woven throughout.”
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Elia-Seely/e/B00J36KOTO/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1