Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles Update, Part 1

 As of 20 September, 6 books have dropped in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series.

A project of The Underground Authors, the series is collective endeavor designed to bring readers everywhere top-drawer fiction with high entertainment value.

So how do 9 authors pull off a crime fiction series? Well, I’m glad you asked. They started with a unifying concept: the fictional town of Magnolia Bluff, Texas.

Then each writer introduced a set of characters and the places they hang out. These characters and their hangouts are available to the other writers to use in their books, as well.

So what about the books? In this post and the next, I want to share reviews by readers that will hopefully inspire you to take the plunge and plan a vicarious vacation to Magnolia Bluff.

All of the books can be found on Amazon.

Death Wears a Crimson Hat

CW Hawes kicked off the series with Death Wears a Crimson Hat. Below is a wonderful review by Joe Congel, who is the author of the exceptional Tony Razzolito mysteries.

I have read and enjoyed several books by CW Hawes. When I heard about the new Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series, I couldn’t wait to dig in. This is a multi-author series where each book will be penned by a different member of the Underground Authors, with Hawes at the helm for the first book in the series.

Being the first also means the author had the weight on his shoulders of establishing the small town of Magnolia Bluff, Texas as the backdrop for all the books to come. Not an easy task with so many different authors, each gifted with their own unique style of writing. But Hawes pulls it off flawlessly. We are introduced to the uniqueness of small-town living which can be both comforting and sometimes difficult. Especially if you are not home-grown or native to the town, making it hard at times to be accepted. Such is the case for Harry Thurgood and the Reverend Ember Cole. Both are fairly new to Magnolia Bluff, and both have a past they’d rather not have dredged up by any of the locals. And both find themselves being accused of murder.

As a fan of mysteries, I love a solid storyline that keeps the reader guessing until the end. And because of that, I will not provide a recap of the story other than to say that there is murder and mayhem and enough possible suspects to muddy the waters for the detective trying to solve the crime. Throw in a colorful cast of local characters who are involved in backstabbing, sordid love affairs, and a closeness that can only be found in a town small enough where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and you have the ingredients for the perfect murder mystery. One has to read and savor this whodunit as it unfolds within the pages to really appreciate the underlying complexity of this small town and its residents. The author has made sure to pepper us with enough clues and red herrings throughout, making this a very entertaining read.

Hawes is a wonderful writer who knows how to draw the reader into a story. And The Underground Authors are a group of extremely talented writers who trusted CW Hawes with the first book to kick off this series. That alone speaks volumes as to the talent of Hawes as a wordsmith worthy of providing a top-notch mystery to open what will undoubtedly be a top-notch crime series.

Eulogy in Black and White

I very much like the fiction of Caleb Pirtle III. He is a skilled and talented writer. His words are magic. He tells a story in such a way as to draw you into it so that you are in another place and time.

Here is my review of his contribution to the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

Eulogy in Black and White is a murder mystery that only the inimitable Caleb Pirtle III could write.

I’ve been a fan of Mr. Pirtle’s fiction for some time now. And he knows how to uncork one heck of a powerful novel. And this is a powerful novel.

His characters are people you’d swear you’ve met before. He paints the most atmospheric word pictures. If Albert Bierstadt had traded in his paintbrush for a pen, he’d be Caleb Pirtle.

Set in Magnolia Bluff, Texas, Eulogy in Black and White is the story of Graham Huston, who is on a mission of personal redemption.

However, the expiation of his guilt will have to wait when his friend, perhaps his only friend, is murdered. Another victim of the infamous May 23rd killings that have plagued Magnolia Bluff for nine years.

Pirtle is a master craftsman and will keep you guessing whodunit right up to the end. And in the meantime, you’ll learn a lot about the meaning of life and death and what true friendship is.

The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy

Cindy Davis is no stranger to the murder mystery. She’s written many of them and sold even more.

The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy is light and breezy, filled with great dollops of humor. But there is also the suspense that gradually builds and builds until you find yourself on the edge of your chair.

And Ms. Davis handles it all with aplomb. She knows her way around a mystery.

Below is Joe Congel’s wonderful review:

This is my third trip to Magnolia Bluff. And after the first two books in the series, I was eagerly awaiting book three. Author Cindy Davis shows us another side of this small Texas town that was not seen in the offerings from CW Hawes or Caleb Pirtle III. Oh sure, we still get to visit with a few familiar faces, like Harry Thurgood, owner of the Really Good Wood-Fired Coffee Shop, but the author also introduces us to some new characters that help round out the quirkiness of Magnolia Bluff. And we are treated to a bit of a paranormal spin in this cozy mystery crafted by the talented Ms. Davis.

Bliss Jager’s experience in this small town begins when her motorcycle breaks down in Magnolia Bluff. She is trying to escape her past and really only expects to be held up long enough to have her bike repaired so she can hurry along to her next destination… wherever that may be. But like most of the folks who find their way into Magnolia Bluff, she finds it difficult to find her way back out again. The parts for the repairs are going to take a couple days to come in, so what’s a girl to do? Bliss soon finds herself wrapped up in a murder mystery with enough suspects to rival the game Clue, and a ghostly partner that just happens to be the victim. Throw in a Toucan that seems to be able to communicate with her, Jimmy Buffett Lyrics that pop into her head and can only be described as somehow clairvoyant, and you have the making of a fun, page turning mystery.

Davis has a way of drawing you into the story. Her characters are people you want to get to know, and the story develops at a pace that keeps the reader interested from the first page to the last. Her writing seems effortless even though you know that a lot of thought and care went into each word written. I’ve read a couple of books by this author, and she never disappoints. I love the fact that Magnolia Bluff and The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy is just the first stop for Bliss Jager, and I am looking forward to seeing what other mysteries she gets tangled up in along her journey.

There you have it. The first 3 books in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, available on Amazon.

Next post we’ll take a look at Books 4 through 6. And we’ll follow that up with a look at Book 7 which is coming out in October.

There is great reading in this series. I encourage you to take a trip to Magnolia Bluff. It’s a great place to visit, rest, and relax. A beautiful place to recharge your batteries. Just watch your back while you’re there.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

The Shine from a Girl in the Lake Sample

 

The Shine from a Girl in the Lake by Richard Schwindt launches today. It is book number 6 in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series. And it is a winner.

Schwindt is one of my favorite contemporary writers. And he may even be on my all time top 10 list. He is that good.

In my previous post, I talked a little bit about mysteries and his latest book. In this post, I thought I’d give you a sample of the goodness that is in store for you when you pick up your copy.

Because if you want fiction that gives you a sense of place, is filled with suspense, is poignant, and is seasoned with humor, then Schwindt’s fiction is for you.

And now, sit back and enjoy the sample.

Week 1 

Chapter 1
Sunday afternoon 

I knew what a Walker Coonhound could do, but my experience with Butch mostly involved watching him roll over, and invite me to rub his belly on the days I wandered next door to drink with Jack Rice.

 

This didn’t prepare me for the furious restraint of the animal now stalking beside me in the hot brush, ten miles outside of Magnolia Bluff. His hackles rose stiff as knives, and his mouth curled in a rictus of canine rage and anticipation.

 

I had thought the recurve bow with a seventy-pound draw would do the job, but now I was not so sure. Deciding to kill a rogue boar, was easy. Executing the plan much more of a challenge. Judging from Butch’s demeanor, we were close indeed.

 

A review of the topographic map suggested the existence of a hollow in the next hundred yards; adjacent to a gorge, probably ringed with the ubiquitous juniper scrub.

Melanie Fairchild had spent her twenty-fifth year alone in a house in town, self- imprisoned with agoraphobia. She met a charming man online, who lured her out, impregnated her in his trailer, married her, and then ran away for good.

She was left with mixed memories of love and loss, a nice little boy named Seth, and an incentive to get out into the world. She inherited a run-down ranch when her mother passed, and managed to make a quiet living producing soybeans and goat milk.

Melanie counted on me to help keep her anxiety at bay, and manage the stresses of single motherhood.

Now a goddam feral hog threatened to undo her gains.

Two weeks ago, it appeared on the edge of an escarpment situated by the south end of her property. One week later, it had killed her Cocker Spaniel, Lady, while she and Seth watched in horror from the doorway.

Terrified, Melanie had booked three sessions last week. She had one girlfriend driving her to my office at the college, and another, armed, watching Seth, who was no longer allowed to play outside. This hog was smart. She kept a loaded lever action 30-30 by the door, but he didn’t show his ugly face again. She knew he was around, likely in the hollow where the feral hogs clustered.

Psychotherapists are supposed to do therapy; not solve people’s problems for them. Melanie was now 32, pretty, and probably harboring erotic transference for me.

I knew this was a bad idea, but another part of me wanted the thrill of the chase, and to do Jack Rice a favor.

Jack, 72, had been in the wrong part of the Mekong delta in 1968, when his buddy, just ahead, stepped on a Bouncing Betty mine. The other guy was shredded, but Jack lost his left leg, and sent home with a Purple Heart.

It was a bad start to adulthood. Jack stayed single, but forged a good life for himself running a garage, and hunting the hill country with his dog, and prosthesis. Two years ago, diabetes took the other leg. No more hunting, and time to retire.

He took the loss with surprising equanimity, telling me he considered every day since the Tet Offensive a bonus.

He still drank a bit, made his way to the coffee shop to bullshit with the boys, and walked Butch from the seat of his VA issue electric wheelchair. He even drove an old beater truck with hand controls.

I found Jack garrulous and opinionated, but a decent drinking buddy, and a great source of intelligence on local hunting.

“Take Butch with you tomorrow,” he said Saturday night, over a glass of whisky. “You may not find the hog without him, and, hell, it might find you first. Let Butch even the odds. Nothing meaner than a cornered boar.” He wasn’t finished. “And if I thought you’d listen, I’d tell you to take a rifle instead of the recurve. You’ll need to be awful close to hit it square.”

I laughed. “I’ll be fine, Jack. No need to fuss. If I get it, I’ll gut him and bring it back for you to butcher. All I’ll want is a roast and a couple of chops.”

He grinned and raised his glass.

I was a little drunk and cocky, sparing a glance to the friendly dog in the corner. Butch wagged his tail. “What’s he going to do? He’s too nice to hunt.”

“Just take him, stalk the hog, and let him do his thing. I trained him before I lost the leg; he knows hogs better than you.”

I waved away a fly with the corner of my bow as we tramped down a pathway. With the insidious arrival of late afternoon, shadows from the October sun lengthened around me.

As Butch stiffened, I unconsciously drew a broad head arrow from my hip quiver. My sympathetic nervous system activated, I felt the increase in muscle tension, respiration and heart rate.

Without notice, Butch bolted down the path, ears glued to his head. About 15 yards along he turned sharply to the right. That had to be the hollow. I started to jog after him, but he had begun to bay. Finding him would not be a problem.

Now I was running, and turned the corner almost as fast as he had. I pulled up sharply.

Maybe another 15 yards away, Butch was nose to nose with the boar.

No one told me it would be that big; it must have topped 200 pounds, dwarfing the enraged hound. Covered in stiff bristles, it rocked on its feet, obviously ready to fight back, but temporarily intimidated.

Butch never let up the baying, even when the boar noticed my appearance on the fringe of the hollow. That had to be the right hog; he was smart and mean. And he made the smart decision. To charge.

Charge me.

I had the arrow nocked, but he was halfway to me by the time I began my draw. The dog never lost a beat; pivoting, lunging and sinking his teeth into the boars’ ear.

This provided the opportunity to pivot myself, and line up for a clean shot. I drew. Damn dog was in the way. Christ, try telling Jack I shot his dog. Butch wasn’t letting go, probably saving both of us.

I shuffled to one side just as the boar turned to the other. With one fluid motion, I drew and fired.

It screamed like a human being, one long, pained wail, culminating with spindly legs collapsing from under it. Bullseye.

Butch and I felt that crazy elation that follows a kill. He circled the dead boar, panting. And me; I felt like I wanted to show up at Melanie’s house with the carcass, and then fuck her.

I returned to earth quickly. The carcass was promised to Jack, Melanie was vegan, you don’t sleep with clients, and I had a large pig to gut and drag back to my truck. I sighed and removed my pack. Time to dig out the knife. Dark would soon find us.

Butch still panted, while bleeding from one ear and a puncture wound on his thigh. He wagged his tail. The dog was happy.

***

Hope you enjoyed the sample. The Shine from a Girl in the Lake is live today. Get your copy on Amazon!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

The Shine from a Girl in the Lake

 

In The Simple Art of Murder, Raymond Chandler excoriates the classic detective story as unrealistic. And he is undoubtedly correct.

All one has to do is look at Edgar Allan Poe’s seminal detective, C. Auguste Dupin, to realize that the classic detective story was never intended to portray reality. The stories may possess elements of reality, but they are not reality the school of Realism would like. Fiction, after all, is fiction. It’s make believe.

But neither is the hardboiled world of Hammett or Chandler realistic. It’s simply much more gritty, depressing, and pessimistic. But that doesn’t make it real.

The world of Spade and Marlowe is just as unrealistic as is the world of Wolfe and Poirot. They are simply different unrealities.

Chandler’s defense of the hardboiled world was undoubtedly a case of self-justification.

Poe was an accomplished storyteller. His settings weren’t always real, but the atmosphere he evoked was something we can still touch and feel and smell and taste today. He leads us into believing his world is real — and that is what actually matters.

The classic detective story in the hands of a good writer does the same: it convinces us to accept what takes place as real, even though we know it’s not.

But more than that, what Poe actually gave us was a literary game. A LitRPG, as it were. The game of Clue, before it was invented.

The classic detective story is a cerebral exercise. It is a cognitive analysis of data to determine what is relevant and what is not in order to determine who did it. Who murdered Mr. Body and why. It’s also a whole lot of fun. It is a game after all.

The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles is a series of exciting whodunits. Each book is crafted by a different author, and each is set in the charming Texas Hill Country town of Magnolia Bluff.

Five books have been published to date. They are:

Death Wears a Crimson Hat by CW Hawes

Eulogy in Black and White by Caleb Pirtle III

The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy by Cindy Davis

You Won’t Know How… Or When by James R. Callan

The Flower Enigma by Breakfield & Burkey

And you can find them all on Amazon!

On September 20th, The Shine from a Girl in the Lake by Richard Schwindt will join the series. The book is currently on pre-order, so pick up your copy today.

I’ve read an advanced review copy and I can tell you the book is fabulous. It possesses all the elements of the classic whodunit coupled with the tension of a serial killer thriller.

Richard Schwindt is one of my favorite authors. In fact, I think he is one of the finest storytellers spinning yarns today.

His books are highly imaginative. Poignant. Often hilariously funny. His prose is imbued with a sense of place. He makes you feel you are there.

And all those elements come together to make The Shine from a Girl in the Lake one heck of a mystery-thriller.

Dr. Michael Kurelek teaches psychology at Burnet College in Magnolia Bluff. He also has his own private practice. He’s a man with a past looking for a new start in the small Texas town. Then one of his patients is found dead. In Burnet Reservoir.

When another patient ends up in the lake, Kurelek is driven to find the real killer before the police decide they are convinced he did it. The game is afoot. And it is a suspense-filled game of hunter and hunted. The ending had me biting my nails. Seriously.

The Shine from a Girl in the Lake is the perfect blending of classic whodunit and serial killer thriller. A fabulous book from the pen of one of the most imaginative writers working today.

Don’t miss this one.

The Shine from a Girl in the Lake

on Amazon

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

Hey Men, Here’s Why You Should Read Fiction

 

Men are a marketing demographic. Retailers know this, and market accordingly. Check any website or catalog that carries goods for both men and women. The retailer segregates the two, and makes separate appeals based on what motivates each sex to “Buy! Buy! Buy!”

So why the heck are publishers ignoring men? I noted in my previous post the publishing industry ignores men in favor of women, and by extension, so do authors. Why write off half of the potential marketplace? 

That doesn’t sound like a wise business strategy to me. Perhaps that’s why traditional publishing is constantly re-trenching and brick-and-mortar bookstores are in trouble. I remember when there were scores of publishing companies. All independent. All vying for authors and their books. Today they are all imprints or divisions of 5 mega-corporations. A very sad state of affairs.

So why do publishers and many authors ignore men? It’s because they believe the myth that men don’t read, and especially don’t read fiction. Note the operative phrase: believe the myth.

Not that long ago I read some publisher’s statement that if it wasn’t for women the novel would be dead. That kind of thinking excludes men from the publishing marketplace. It is gender bias in the extreme.

Popular indie author Mark Dawson has said that the readership of his John Milton thriller series is more or less evenly split between men and women. Perhaps somewhat shading towards men, but not by a large margin.

The books in the series generally rank in the top 5,000 in the overall paid Kindle store and in the top 100 of such sub-categories as Crime Action & Adventure.

Readers buy hundreds of Dawson’s books every day and at least half of them are men. And he is just one writer. 

As I noted in my previous post, Michael-Scott Earle conducted 2 very successful Kickstarter campaigns this year marketing to men.

Men don’t read fiction? Rubbish!

However, I will concede that there are men out there who don’t read fiction (in fact, I know one).

So for those men in your life who don’t read fiction, this post is for them.

I’m going to riff off of an Art of Manliness blog which is very good and I encourage everyone to read it.

Reading fiction is good for people in general, but is especially good for men who lack in some of the skills at which women naturally excel. Yes, guys, the women have us at a disadvantage and we need to play catch up. So let’s have at it!

Reading Fiction Strengthens Your Theory of Mind

At the risk of over simplifying, theory of mind is our ability to perceive what others are thinking, feeling, and perceiving. It’s our ability to get inside another person’s head. It’s our ability to “read” another person.

We see someone smile. Theory of mind is what tells us if, to us, the smile is warm and genuine, or perfunctory, or phony.

The famous poisoned cup scene in The Princess Bride is a hilarious example of theory of mind at work.

On the opposite side of the coin, when a baby puts his hands over his face and thinks because he can’t see me that I can’t see him — that’s a theory of mind fail.

Women are better at theory of mind than men. However, there’s an easy way for men to strengthen their theory of mind muscle — yep, that’s right: read fiction.

Studies have shown that reading fiction strengthens one’s theory of mind. So let’s hear it for reading fiction!

Reading Fiction Makes You More Empathetic

Empathy is when you feel what the other person is feeling. Empathy is having the same emotional reaction as someone else.

If my friend tells me his mother died, I know what he is going through because I’ve had the same experience. And most likely experienced the same emotions he is experiencing.

Women are generally more empathetic than men. So once again, guys, we need to even the score. We need to read fiction on a consistent basis to strengthen those empathy muscles.

Why is empathy important? Humans are creatures of feeling. Sure we think. But feelings are primary. They are lodged in the oldest part of our brains. 

When we can share feelings with another person, doing so builds a bond between us and them. And that breaks down barriers. Bonding builds relationships and civilizations. Civilizations you say? Yep. Because a civilization is nothing more than a group of people who’ve bonded together.

So, men, if you aren’t reading fiction — hop to it! We have a civilization to build!

Reading Fiction Increases Creativity

Reading fiction is a form of play. A form of make believe.

Reading fiction allows you to experience the world in new ways, or to experience new worlds. Fiction allows you to pretend you’re someone else, and do things you’d not normally do — or maybe never do.

Fiction allows us to re-evaluate beliefs. It challenges our preconceived notions. Makes us defend, or toss, our beliefs.

Nearly half of us are at least in part kinesthetic/tactile learners. That means we learn best by acting and playing and by hands on experience. In other words, we learn best by doing something while getting the information.

Fiction reading, being a form of play, is one of the best ways for kinesthetic/tactile learners to learn new ideas, to learn about life. This is especially true if the reading experience is out loud and shared with one or more people.

Fiction stimulates our creativity. It helps us to be dynamic, creative beings. So, guys, let’s read some books!

The Type of Fiction Doesn’t Matter

The positive effects upon the mind of reading fiction are not tied to a specific genre or “quality” of fiction. In this case, all fiction is equal. 

Read the classics. Read westerns, or sports stories, or spy thrillers. Read comic books or graphic novels. It doesn’t matter. It’s all good.

What does matter is that you read — and that you read fiction.

So men, if you aren’t reading fiction, pick up a book and dig in. Or get an audio book if you’d rather listen. It’s all good.

Women may be from Venus, but men are from Mars — and Martians read fiction!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes