Book Excerpt Exclusive: Your Mid-Career GPS: Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next by John Neral @john_neral #bookexcerpt
Our exclusive book excerpt for today is from John Neral’s new book, Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next.
Are you considering a career change but doubt yourself or get easily overwhelmed by the entire process?
Are you a mid-career professional ready to level-up, but unsure of what steps to take?
What if there was an easy and supportive way to plan your next career destination?
Your Mid-Career GPS will guide you to create your own professional roadmap so you can find the job you love or love the job have. John Neral, Certified Professional Coach, will help you strategically position yourself in the marketplace while teaching you how to leverage your unique skills from a place of value and service for any organization.
Learn how to prepare, position, and promote yourself as you create a tactical and strategic plan by building Your Mid-Career GPS. Let this book be your guide to answer many of the current questions you have about creating your next advancement opportunity.
Book Excerpt:
Introduction
My career path has been messy. It’s had its share of ups, downs, spirals, and turns. There were incredible moments of joy, along with sheer frustration, pain, and stress. I’ve worked with some of the most memorable and incredibly talented people you could imagine. I’ve also worked with a few people who weren’t my favorites, but I have learned a ton from them and will always be grateful. And I’ve learned this is very common.
In Herminia Ibarra’s Harvard Business Review article, “Reinventing Your Career in the Time of Coronavirus,” Ibarra states, “Even in happier times, career change is never a perfectly linear process. It’s a necessarily messy journey of exploration – and to do it right, you have to experiment with, test, and learn about a range of possible selves.”
Reinventing your career isn’t new. We’ve been doing this as long as there has been “work.” But the pandemic made us pause, reflect, and consider what’s next for us professionally, perhaps a little more than during pre-pandemic times. That’s why you need a plan to help you get wherever you are going professionally, and it’s why I believe having a GPS is vital to your success.
Your career path is defined by particular moments where you’ve fought for whatever you wanted – be it a promotion, more responsibility, increase compensation, or more time with family. It’s during these moments when you are entirely committed and engaged in achieving the goals you’ve promised yourself and you are not going to settle. And while the outcome is important, you can’t overlook the steps you took to get there. Yet, sometimes, when people hit mid-career, they forget what those steps were.
You’re reading this book because you are feeling stuck in your career or feeling undervalued. You know you are capable of more. It has been years since you graduated high school or college, and you are easily overwhelmed by all of the things you think you need to do. And while you know you should get your résumé updated, the problem is you can’t find it, or it’s been years since you’ve written one. You believe you should be more engaged on LinkedIn but don’t know how to do that. You say you aren’t good at networking and interviewing, yet you know these things are integral to your success. Your thinking is continually putting you in a deficit, rather than focusing on what you are good at and taking a realistic inventory of where you can improve. You lie awake at night worrying about how you will navigate this career transition, and at times, it’s too much. It’s one of the many things keeping you up at night.
If you attended college, I’m willing to bet there was a time when everything flowed. You moved through the process. You enrolled, got accepted, took your courses, and four years later, exited with a degree, and hopefully, a job. You thought you had it all figured out. You knew what to do and were getting acclimated to that thing we call “adulting.”
Now, you may feel far removed from that time. Your strategic career plans may have derailed a bit, leaving you feeling alone, perhaps a bit shameful, and beating yourself up because you believe you should have figured this all out by now. You fear being perceived as irresponsible for not liking your job or wanting a change, but you don’t want to settle. You haven’t come this far to settle. You refuse to let go of your dreams.
What if you made a decision that you were going to welcome all of the new opportunities coming your way? Reading this book is one of the first things you will do to helping you build Your Mid-Career GPS, and it’s a great place to start.
It can be challenging to make a change mid-career. I know because I did it on several occasions. Many people doubted or questioned my career moves and gave me a reason to think I was foolish. It’s time to quiet the noise and get clear about what you want. Making a career change is just a circumstance. Your thoughts around an upcoming career change are an opportunity for you to hear what’s going on inside your head and decide how to help you take action.
This change for you is personal and may look very different from other mid-career professionals’ changes. For example, you may be seeking an internal promotion because you have spent several years at a company, have done great work, and value loyalty, so you want to stay and see if there is still room for you to grow.
You may have all the information you need to know that there isn’t a path upward for you at your current organization. Thus, you are looking to leverage your talents and expertise, take them to a new organization, seek a new and perhaps, more exciting title, and increase your salary. You want to work somewhere you feel more valued.
You may be looking to do something completely different. Navigating a career pivot can undoubtedly be exciting, but may cause tons of questions about whether or not such an opportunity is possible.
People struggle with SHOWing UP when they are fearful of the outcome. We are accustomed to ruminating on potential outcomes, only to waste energy about how things will play out, ultimately holding ourselves back from going after what we want. People often ask me how they can get out of their way. The answer is all about how you want to SHOW UP.
Throughout this book, you will notice that I always write SHOW UP in capital letters. My first book, “SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career,” uses SHOW UP as an acronym for these strategies: Set Ground Rules, Have Intentional Conversations, Own Where You Are, Welcome New Opportunities, Use Your Genius, and Protect and Promote Your Brand. As you read this book and see this reference, I hope you will think of SHOWing UP in the context of these six specific strategies, what they mean for you and your career, and reflect your mindset and actions toward SHOWing UP. There is a section devoted to SHOWing UP later in the book.
For this book, I will use the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) definition that a mid-career professional is someone with more than 10 years of professional experience. You will reach certain guideposts or mile markers that distinguish the early, middle, and later stages of your career. You have experience. You have achieved some level of success in your work, you’ve been recognized, and perhaps earned a promotion or two. You are more focused and confident about the work you do and don’t want to do. Identifying as a mid-career professional is also a reflection of your mindset.
In my mind, you are a mid-career professional when you identify as being in the “middle” part of your career. I agree with OPM’s definition but I also see where some people like to divide their careers into thirds. After graduation, be it high school or college, you could easily have 39-45 years of gainful employment. That means you would define each third based on every 13-15 years. Typically, the majority of my clients fall in that 32-50 age range.
Whether or not you identify as a mid-career professional, the strategies outlined in this book will help you create your career GPS so you can take steps to help you reach whatever professional destination is next for you.
Mid-career professionals may find themselves in a constant battle between maintaining the status quo and doing something they’ve always dreamed of doing. While they are proud of their accomplishments, there is also a part of them that regrets not obtaining the level of success or recognition they thought they would’ve achieved by now. Maybe they’ve lost sight of how amazing they truly are. If this sounds like you, keep reading.
Additionally, by the time mid-career has happened, you’ve experienced a lot of life events. You may be married or divorced. You may have been in several long-term relationships or trying to figure out what a relationship looks like for you. You have certain hobbies but often struggle with finding time to do them because of your job and family pressures. You may have aging parents and struggle with the difficult shift of being their primary caregiver. I know only too well how difficult and emotionally wrenching that can be. Yet, you get up every morning, put on a happy face, and do the best work you can because that is the kind of person you are.
The clients I work with are heart-centered professionals and leaders. Their default is always to put everyone first, sacrificing their needs for the sake of a project or a dear colleague who needs their help. They struggle to find what work-life balance looks like for them. They know they want it, but they are not sure how to obtain it. Additionally, you find yourself in an energetic battle to keep your tank full. Because you are always giving to others and your employer, you run the risk of burning out at a moment’s notice, as your tank seems to always be on or close to empty.
In this book, I will ask you to define certain moments of your career. One of the most defining moments in my career happened in my 11th year as a middle school mathematics teacher. I loved where I was working, the people I was working with, and I certainly had a fantastic time with the students I got to teach every year. One day, as I was beginning to teach a lesson on multiplying fractions, I looked at 25 students’ faces staring back at me, and the voice in my head said, “You can’t do this anymore.” It was as if that voice came out of nowhere, but it was loud, and I needed to listen to it. I felt happy. I enjoyed what I was doing. But I wasn’t satisfied knowing that this could be it for the rest of my career. I wasn’t ready to settle. As I continued to deliver the lesson, I gave myself permission to question what I was doing with my career and why I wanted more from it. Have you ever had one of those moments?
What transpired over the next few months was an opportunity to honestly evaluate where my career was going and what I wanted. I had a fantastic consulting relationship with a Fortune 500 company along with a successful tutoring business outside of my teaching duties. I was learning that I wanted to shift my focus from teaching students to working with teachers. This would look like some kind of administrative position or an opportunity to level up, but I was unsure of what that was.
I talked to my closest friends and colleagues and told them I was considering making a significant career change. I had my résumé professionally written. I updated my LinkedIn profile. I started networking, looking for jobs, and sharpening my interviewing skills. And then the rejections came.
I got to several last-round interviews for a handful of positions that I not only wanted but also believed I would’ve been great at, only to learn I wasn’t the selected candidate. If someone were kind enough to give me some honest feedback, I would hear things like, “You made it a difficult decision for us, but we went with someone who had more experience.” These are comforting words amid disappointment and perhaps something you also have experienced recently.
My opportunity to make such a change came three years later, when I was 40. I accepted a position as a Professional Development Specialist for the District of Columbia Public Schools. In this role, I would work with and supervise 21 instructional coaches across 13 middle schools. I was going to help teachers be better teachers. I got the job I wanted and a fantastic opportunity to stretch and grow. While the job came with an advanced title, it also came with a pay cut. I relocated from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., for a professional and personal opportunity. My husband and I had been dating long distance for two years, and because he was happy with his job, I decided I would be the one to make a move since I was looking for a new job. Yes, you could say I made a move for love, but it was not only for the love of my husband but also for the love of my career. Relocating wasn’t part of my plan, but it was a welcomed detour and new destination for my Mid-Career GPS.
That move over 10 years ago accelerated my career. It gave me opportunities I would have never had if I decided to stay in my previous position. I had an opportunity to work as an administrator in a larger and high-profile district. From there, I went to go work at the State Superintendent’s Office. From that position, I leveled up to take a job at an educational nonprofit as a Training and Staffing Director. And then, I took an even bigger leap into entrepreneurship. I have never regretted any of these moves, and I continue to have an exciting career. I get to go to work every day. I get to coach amazing clients and help them figure out what’s next for them professionally by helping them create their mid-career roadmap to find a job they love or love the job they have. I’ve launched two podcasts. The first is called #SHOWUP2020 and highlighted everyday people who do extraordinary things because of how they choose to SHOW UP. My second podcast is “The Mid-Career GPS Podcast,” and it’s an extension of this book. You can listen to it wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take some time to talk about a defining and universal moment in all of our careers. That is the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic had on us both personally and professionally. Together, we saw a record number of people unemployed due to the pandemic. According to the Pew Research Center in an article titled, “Unemployment rose higher in three months of COVID-19 than it did in two years of the Great Recession,” Rakesh Kochhar writes, “The COVID-19 outbreak and the economic downturn it engendered swelled the ranks of unemployed Americans by more than 14 million, from 6.2 million in February to 20.5 million in May 2020. As a result, the U.S. unemployment rate shot up from 3.8% in February – among the lowest on record in the post-World War II era – to 13.0% in May. That rate was the era’s second-highest, trailing only the level reached in April (14.4%).”
We saw industries brought to their knees because life as we knew it had changed. People stopped traveling and staying in hotels. People stopped going to restaurants and instead learned how to cook. While food delivery services saw an uptick, we must acknowledge that many small businesses and restaurants closed because of the pandemic.
Millions of people were either furloughed or laid off. When 2020 began, many companies were positioned to have their best year. Their strategic plans, dreams, and goals quickly changed by late spring when COVID-19 didn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
And with increased vaccinations and a potential return to “normal” on the horizon, it will take years, if not decades, for us to recover from the personal, professional, financial, and mental health impact this pandemic has had.
As an executive and career transition coach, I share this with you because I spent the majority of 2020 working with my clients about what their career roadmap would look like. Just like you, things changed for them. And while 2020 certainly gave us time to reflect and consider, it also hit our savings accounts and checkbooks; affected our mental health, families, and relationships; and caused moments of intense isolation. We missed milestone events and celebrations. Where possible, the majority of the workforce transitioned to a virtual platform, and running out to get your coffee in the morning or midday wasn’t something you were typically doing anymore. Gone were the casual, in-person conversations you had with dear friends and colleagues. Gone were the moments when you would stop by someone’s office and see if they could take a walk or grab a cup of coffee with you. Now, your dining room table or favorite chair has been turned into your home office or classroom.
2020, in my opinion, will go down as one of the most challenging years for us professionally. Whether you had a job for the entire year or didn’t, it took a toll on you. While you were grateful to have a job and a steady paycheck, I know many people who experienced a form of survival guilt and were hesitant to complain about something at work because they had a job and people they knew did not. You may still be unemployed as a result of the pandemic, and I hope the information in this book not only provides you with relevant and tactical strategies to help you navigate and create your mid-career roadmap, but also gives you some inspiration and motivation. Let me ask you this: How would you SHOW UP if you knew your value was non-negotiable? As you go through this book, I hope you will find an answer to that question.
How would you SHOW UP if you knew your value was non-negotiable?
My book will help you create Your Mid-Career GPS to create a plan to get you from where you are to wherever “Point B” is for you. In this book, I’m leveraging my coach training and experience to help you explore and consider all of the options you have in front of you by asking questions to help you reflect and decide on a course of action you see as best for you. By the end of this book, you are going to have a plan, a roadmap, a GPS to help you chart a path to whatever is next for you professionally. You have an opportunity to go after what you want – this isn’t an opportunity for you to settle. Lastly, I have no judgment on any client’s decision regarding their career path because I know they are making the best decision for them. This means that I have no personal stake or agenda in how a client reaches their best conclusion. My role is to facilitate the process of helping them get there. Let this book be a guide or a resource to help you create Your Mid-Career GPS.
Throughout this book, you will see a combination of information, both from my experience and experts in various fields, along with coaching questions designed to help you think, reflect, and explore the actions you want to take. They all combine to help you create a step-by-step roadmap, or a personal career GPS, to navigate whatever is next for your career. The ultimate goal is for you to increase your overall job satisfaction, know your value and worth, and be happier than you have ever been professionally.
Periodically, I will share my background and experiences that have helped shape these tips and strategies while supporting that information with research and additional expert information. Some topics in this book are virtually impossible to capture all of the information you may need or question. That is where Google is best. Do not hesitate to put the book down and search for things on Google that have piqued your interest or are not answered in this book.
This book will walk you through four specific stages to help you build Your Mid-Career GPS. In the Prepare section, you will explore your current career situation, along with your attitudes, strengths, and value to help you identify any move you want to make. In the Position section, you will look at best practices for writing your résumé, optimizing your LinkedIn profile, and creating your “Unique Professional Value Statement.” Once you have prepared and positioned, the next step is to promote who you are and what you do. In the Promote section, we will talk about building your networking and interviewing skills. More importantly, you will learn how to tell your story from a place of value and service, so you can get people interested in who you are and what you do, rather than just finding you interesting. The last section is an updated version of my #SHOWUP6Strategies. It was important for me to revisit these strategies because of what we experienced in 2020. I’ve updated these strategies through a lens of helping mid-career professionals SHOW UP to find the best ways they can make an impact and increase their job satisfaction.
Roadmaps are not created overnight. As you navigate the information in this book, you may find yourself taking detours and visiting various topics of interest to you right now. For example, if you pick up this book and have an interview tomorrow, I strongly suggest you immediately jump to the interview section and read it. However, I hope you will move sequentially through these sections. It will help you gain greater insight into the kind of work I do with my clients in helping them create their Mid-Career GPS over several months of working together.
As I say on my podcast, it’s time to start building Your Mid-Career GPS. Let’s get started!
John Neral, MA, CPC reawakens, energizes, galvanizes, and innovates the mind think of employees, corporations, associations, and systems. A celebrated executive/career and professional development coach and in-demand, mindset-shifting public speaker, John’s professional walk included a 25-year career in education and a longstanding corporate consultant for Fortune 500 giant, Casio America, Inc. He now leads John Neral Coaching, LLC, one of the most progressive, mindset-shifting professional and organizational coaching and public speaking firms in the U.S. He is the author of Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next and SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career and the host of “The Mid-Career GPS Podcast.”
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As a Master Practitioner in the Energy Leadership Index, John’s experience has made him an impactful and valuable coach to his one-on-one and group coaching clients and organizations. With Energy Leadership™, John identifies where people perform at their optimal levels and when they are under stress. Combining the Energy Leadership™ principles, a client’s workplace strengths, and their “unique professional value,” John helps his clients create their career GPS so they can take action toward achieving their professional and personal goals.
A former church organ prodigy, John is an avid traveler–having sojourned to 5 of the 7 continents, a professional bowler and the winner of a Professional Bowlers’ Association Regional Title (2010), and a game-show fan, having appeared on previous episodes of GSN’s Chain Reaction and Make My Day. John is happily married and lives with his spouse and their rescue cat, Amy Farrah Meowler (named after the Big Bang Theory character), in the heart of Washington DC’s Dulles Technology Corridor, Tysons Corner, VA.
You can visit his website at https://johnneral.com or follow him at Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
Book Review: Frazier, the Very Special Cat by Faye Rapoport DesPres
Frazier, the Very Special Cat is a sweet, heart-warming story for young children! It teaches love for animals, counting, the senses, and encourages discussion and problem-solving.
Frazier is a stray blond tabby not doing very well on his own, but things get worse when he gets hurt. Fortunately, the author is able to trap him and bring him to the vet. Now, all he needs is a permanent happy home…but who will want to take a chance on a one-eyed cat? Not to despair, for a fully happy ending awaits this sweet kitty!
Frazier, the Very Special Cat is Book 3 in the Stray Cat Stories series, and it is the perfect tale to read at bedtime or discuss with an adult in a home or school environment. The rhythm and repetition make it a fun read-aloud picture book. A charming addition to any child’s cat bookshelf!
The book is available in Kindle, paperback and hardcover. Find out more and get your copy on Amazon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Faye Rapoport DesPres is the author of the memoir-in-essays Message From a Blue Jay (Buddhapuss Ink, 2014) and the Stray Cat Stories Children’s Books Series (Writer’s Coffee Bar Press). She earned her MFA at the Solstice Creative Writing Program at Pine Manor College and has published creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry in a variety of literary journals. A life-long advocate for animals, wildlife, and the environment, Faye donates a portion of the proceeds from her children’s books to non-profit animal rescue organizations. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband, Jean-Paul Des Pres, and their rescued cats.
Connect with Faye on the Web:
Website: www.fayerapoportdespres.com
Twitter: @FayeRapoDesPres
Instagram: FayeInBoston
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058817963789
Follow the author on Amazon and receive updates of her new books in this series.
Meet Frazier from Faye Rapoport DesPres’ Children’s Book, ‘Frazier: The Very Special Cat’
We’re thrilled to have here today Frazier from Faye Rapoport DesPres’ new children’s book, Frazier: The Very Special Cat. Frazier is a former stray cat of unknown age who lives in Massachusetts.
It is a pleasure to have him with us today at Beyond the Books!
Thank you so for this interview, Frazier. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?
I think Faye did a pretty good job telling my story. Maybe the only thing I’d want my readers to know is that I am definitely the King of my castle, a condo in Massachusetts. I have a great human mom and now two feline siblings, but I’m the boss.
Do you feel the author did a good job colorizing your personality? If not, how would you like to have been portrayed differently?
I think I am portrayed just as I really am — sweet, brave, and lovable.
What do you believe is your strongest trait?
I know what I want, and I get it. After all, I’m a cat — it goes without saying that I should get what I want. But I do give lots of love back in return.
Worse trait?
Cats can have bad traits? That’s news to me.
If you could choose someone in the television or movie industry to play your part if your book was made into a movie, who would that be (and you can’t say yourself!)?
Brad Pitt.
Do you have a love interest in the book?
No, but I have a sister I love a lot. Her name is Snow White (though she’s called Opal by our human mom now).
At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?
I was nervous when I lived outside. It was hard finding enough food and water, and I got into a lot of fights. I never felt safe or like I could really rest. I had no idea how my story would turn out, and things were getting bleaker by the day, especially after I got injured. Thankfully a human or two stepped in and brought me inside and to a doctor. That was the beginning of a whole new life for me.
If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?
That’s a hard question. I guess I wouldn’t want to be the veterinarian, because I might have tried to scratch him once or twice in real life before I realized he was trying to help me. Faye doesn’t mention that in the book!
How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?
Let’s just say I’m very happy about the ending.
What words of wisdom would you give your author if s/he decided to write another book with you in it?
Call my agent.
Thank you for this interview, Frazier. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?
I’m here lounging on the bed if anyone wants to see me.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Frazier: The Very Special Cat is the third book in the Stray Cat Stories children’s book series. It tells the heartwarming story of a big orange tom cat who needed help and the humans who came to his rescue. The book, which is based on a true story and features colorful, charming illustrations by Laurel McKinstry Petersen, teaches children about compassion for stray animals and ways they can help. It also includes a message about being different and still being happy and loved. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of books in the Stray Cat Stories Series is donated to non-profit animal rescue organizations.
Find out more on Amazon.
Book Excerpts: Tutankhamen Speaks and Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello
Title: Tutankhamen Speaks
Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Publisher: Beyond Today Educator
Pages: 81
Genre: Teen / YA / Ancient Egypt Historical Fiction
From over 3000 years ago comes the voice of the Boy King.
Scrolls found buried in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. Transcribed in an ancient hand. Record the words of King Tut for all to read.
Tutankhamen answers all of the lingering questions, including the big one.
Discover the real story behind this famous pharaoh. Transport yourself back to an Ancient Egypt filled with mystery, magic, and danger!
Book Excerpt:
Growing up in Akhet-Aten
From the time I was able to walk, I had the run of our palace. Usually it was just me and Ankhesenpaaten. We played the normal childhood games. We would run through the palace chasing and hiding from each other. The gardens and the pools were great places to hide. All too often one of us would fall into one of the pools as we raced by. Then we would move the game outside into the heat so that our clothes would dry. In Egypt’s heat, it didn’t take long. [missing text]
Sailing toy boats
When I was small, palace carpenters made me toy boats. Sometimes these were made to resemble the barges that would carry crops and animals down and up the Nile from one settlement to another. Some were fully outfitted royal barges complete with sails and the poles used when the barge was moving up river. I started playing with these in the palace pools. Later, as I got better at loading them and maneuvering them, I would find a place near the palace where the Nile ran slower. There I would dig out canals for the boats to float in. Sometimes Ankhesenpaaten would help me. One time we had so many canals built that it took all afternoon for our crop barges and the royal barges to enter into the canal system and then sail through and re-enter the Nile. I loved those days with Ankhesenpaaten and the Nile.
Senet
In the evenings we would play Senet. My sisters and I became skilled Senet players, and our games would often last late into the night. My favorite were the casting sticks.
Title: Sons of the Sphinx
Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Publisher: Beyond Today Educator
Pages: 189
Genre: Teen / YA / Ancient Egypt Historical Fiction
A grandmother’s gift usually bring happiness. Rosa’s gift: a very different story. Hearing the dead alienated her from classmates. Not good for a 15-year-old.
Many times very insistent, the dead cared little for her surroundings. They even bothered her in class. Dates? Forget that.
Then one day, he shows up in her room. An old dead guy. A really old famous dead guy. In living human form!
Thrilling story of battling good and evil in an ancient world.
Book Excerpt from Chapter 11:
A well-traveled dirt road leads back into the valley formed by the hills on either side. Although not high by my experience, rising up from the sandy floor, the Theban Hills are impressive. Jagged crevices run up and down the sides of the hills, and in many places, man-made square arches can be seen. The Tombs of the Pharaohs. I’m walking in the footsteps of an ancient people. How cool.
I hurry to catch up with him. A mistake, sweat stings my eyes and grit scrapes my cheek when I wipe my face. My shirt is sticking to me by the time I come even with him. Does Re never find a cloud to hide behind? Did I say Re? Now I’m starting to think as an Egyptian. Good grief. Must be the heat. There is no shade anywhere. Like a shimmering mirage on a hot highway, the heat rises in waves off the barren hillsides. No trees can withstand this burning furnace. The only shelter exists under the entrances to the tombs.
Tut hurries ahead, but I may never get here again, so I take my time. We pass one entrance, and I walk over closer to it. Heavy wooden doors covered in hieroglyphs bar the way. Ancient rope—rough, scratchy, and strong—twisted around the door handles and knotted tight, holds them closed. On the right door handle there is a clump of mud molded like those wax seals used on letters. It covers the handle and the rope. Symbols are pressed into it.
“Tut, what is this for and what does it say?”
He hurries over, curious.
“Why the rope and this lump of mud?”
“Lump of mud? Oh Roosa, you are looking at the Necropolis Seal placed here by the priests. That it is still here means that the tomb is intact. No one has entered since the burial.”
“Does the seal say whose tomb this is? Is it a pharaoh?”
“No, not a pharaoh. Here.” He points to a set of hieroglyphs. “These state that this is the tomb of the dignitary Ramose.” He pauses. “I remember hearing stories about him when I was young. He was the governor of Thebes during Thutmosis IV’s time.”
“Do all the tombs carry this seal?”
“Yes, but even in my reign, it was becoming difficult to keep the tombs sealed. Thieves continually broke in to steal the property of the dead.”
“Tomb robbers.”
“Yes. When they were caught, their hands were chopped off.”
I gasp at such horrible consequences.
“You are shocked. I understand that in your time, there does not exist an undisturbed tomb here.” He waves his hand around the entire valley. “Who are these people who think they have the right to touch a Pharaoh of Egypt, even a dead one? They disturb our sacred resting places and steal the items left for our journey into the afterlife. May they all be cursed along with their families.”
I stand beside him, my mouth agape. Up to now, Tut has been determined in his mission, angry at Horemheb, but he hasn’t lost his composure. Until now. I try to find words to soothe him.
“They only want the world to know about the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. How magnificent they were. How they lived.”
He turns on me. “You don’t learn about a people by stealing what is sacred to them. In my time and yours, they are nothing more than common tomb robbers!”
“Scholars have shared what they learned. They search for knowledge. I learned about you from the artifacts in the exhibit.”
“Harrumph! What do you and they know? Nothing. Nothing at all! All you do is seek the treasures and the gold to make yourselves rich.” He spits in the dirt. “You wouldn’t know wealth if you were buried in it. Tomb robbers, the whole lot.”
He stomps away almost at a run, propelled by his anger. I hurry to keep up with him. We round a bend and to the left a small path winds up a cliff and then disappears. His chest heaves with ragged breaths and he’s actually vibrating he’s so enraged.
“We aren’t all like that, you know.” I whisper, wanting to avoid a harsh response. “Some of us understand that true wealth comes from within, from one’s heart, from love for others, and from respect for family.” I pause. “Some of us do.”
He says nothing; he doesn’t turn to look at me, but his breathing slows; his fingers unclench.
Cheryl Carpinello taught high school English for 25 years. During that time, she worked with numerous students who didn’t like to read for a variety of reasons. However, she discovered that even the most reluctant readers became engaged in the classroom and in reading when she introduced units on King Arthur and the works of ancient world writers. Upon retiring, she set out to write fast-paced, action-filled stories in these setting to encourage young readers to read more. When not writing, you can find her reading, spending time with family, and traveling.
“In 2008, my husband and I spent three weeks traveling around Egypt via train and visiting all those magnificent archeological sites. Since we returned home, Egypt has never been far from my thoughts. I truly believe that I left part of my soul in that ancient land. To satisfy my longing to return, I wrote Sons of the Sphinx and Tutankhamen Speaks.” Visit her on Twitter and Facebook.
OTHER BOOKS BY CHERYL CARPINELLO
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An Excerpt from Rosemary and Larry Mild’s Mystery ‘Death Rules the Night’
Website: http://www.magicile.com
Publisher: Magic Island Literary Works
Find out more HERE.
About the Book:
In Death Rules the Night, the fourth Dan and Rivka Sherman mystery, Rosemary and Larry Mild deliver a smart, suspenseful tale that will keep readers spellbound.
About Death Rules the Night: Reluctant sleuths Dan and Rivka yearn for a tranquil life as owners of The Olde Victorian Bookstore in Annapolis, Maryland. When copies of a tell-all book on the prominent Atkins family go missing from the bookstore, from all the local libraries, and even from the author’s bookshelves, Dan wants to know why. But the price of “why” brings threats, stalking, break-ins—and a brutal murder. He and Rivka fear for their lives.
The Atkins family secrets are weaving a sinister web. Tom Dwyer, a retired truck driver, is ready to confess to a crime that he and Frank Mulhaney, another driver, committed twenty years ago. Frank plots revenge on Tom. Bookstore clerk Ivy hears ugly gossip aimed at derailing her wedding. Will the family secrets finally see the light of day? And will the killer ever be caught?
Death Rules the Night is a tightly woven, cleverly plotted tale with an irresistible cast of characters—including Lord Byron, the wily bookstore cat who springs his own surprise.
About the Authors:
ROSEMARY AND LARRY MILD, cheerful partners in crime, coauthor mystery, suspense, and fantasy fiction. Rosemary and Larry have published award-winning novels, short stories, and essays. They co-authored the popular Paco and Molly Mystery Series; Hawaii adventure/thrillers Cry Ohana and Honolulu Heat; and three volumes of short stories, many of which appear in anthologies. After forty-plus years in Maryland, the Milds currently make their home in Honolulu, where they cherish time with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.
ROSEMARY, a graduate of Smith College and former assistant editor of Harper’s, also delves into her own nonfiction life. She published two memoirs: Love! Laugh! Panic! Life With My Mother and the acclaimed Miriam’s World—and Mine, for the beloved daughter they lost in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. On her lighter side, Rosemary also writes award-winning humorous essays, such as failing the test to get on Jeopardy; and working for a giant free-spending corporation on a sudden budget: “No new pencil unless you turn in the old stub.”
LARRY, who was only called Lawrence when he’d done something wrong, graduated from American University in Information Systems Management. In 2019 he published his autobiography, No Place To Be But Here: My Life and Times, which traces his thirty-eight-year professional engineering career from its beginning as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy, to a field engineer riding Navy ships, to a digital systems/instrument designer for major Government contractors in the signal analysis field, to where he rose to the most senior level of principal engineer when he retired in 1993.
Making use of his past creativity and problem-solving abilities, Larry naturally drifted into the realm of mystery writing, where he also claims to be more devious than his partner in crime and best love, Rosemary. So he conjures up their plots and writes the first drafts, leaving Rosemary to breathe life into their characters and sizzle into their scenes. A perfect marriage of their talents.
THE MILDS are active members of Sisters in Crime where Larry is a Mister in Crime; Mystery Writers of America; and Hawaii Fiction Writers. In 2013 they waved goodbye to Severna Park, Maryland and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where they cherish quality time with their daughters and grandchildren. When Honolulu hosted Left Coast Crime in 2017, Rosemary and Larry were the program co-chairs for “Honolulu Havoc.”
Over a dozen worldwide trips to Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Great Britain, France, Italy, Israel, Egypt, and more have wormed their way into their amazing stories. In their limited spare time, they are active members of the Honolulu Jewish Film Festival committee, where Larry is the statistician and recordkeeper for their film ratings.
Connect with the authors on the web:
https://www.magicile.com
https://www.facebook.com/rosemary.mild.1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-mild-930
Brother and Sister from Death Rules the Night by Rosemary and Larry Mild
Cora drove her bright green Mercedes SL Class convertible up to the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel entrance and turned the car over to a young, good-looking valet parker, who tried unsuccessfully to flirt with her. Inside the lobby, she ignored the reception desk and headed straight for the elevator. Dressed in a navy business suit, she made her way directly to room 233. She knocked rapidly four times and waited.
“Who’s there?” a deep male voice answered.
“Your sister.”
Muddy opened the door and blinked twice. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“That’s no way to greet your sister. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Sister schmister. What the hell are you up to? You’re not one to make social calls, especially not to me. Out with it, woman. You must want something from me.”
“Of course not, dear brother. It’s just that I hadn’t heard from you in several days, and I wanted to thank you for handling the movers at the old house. It sure made our lives a lot easier on moving day. At first, I wondered why you volunteered, but then I realized that you were just being nice.”
“Meaning you thought I was acting out of character?” he asked. His sarcastic tone was not missed.
“Don’t get me wrong, Muddy. Motive aside, you were appreciated. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to come in and sit down.”
“Of course, my manners seem to be malfunctioning today.” His hand swept through a healthy arc, showing her the way in.
Cora took a seat in front of the wide glass sliding doors. The expanse revealed a view of the Annapolis City Dock and its famous Ego Alley, a tiny harbor inlet where boat owners paraded their floating prides and joys during the summer season. Muddy sat down on the bed opposite her and tried to analyze her real reason for coming.
“Yeah, I was just being nice.” He sounded as though even he wasn’t convinced of his own generosity. Her gratitude didn’t sound right to him. She hasn’t any idea that I really needed time in the empty house to seal off the secret room from the new owners.
“Muddy, I know you were opposed to Rae selling the house, but Daddy left it to her, and she should be free to do with it as she pleases. I believe she sold it for money to support her writing career.”
“Rae should’ve asked each of us whether we wanted to buy it beforehand,” he complained. “She never asked me. That’s why I’m so pissed at her.” The old buzzard could have left something for his only son. The house would have been nice—even a partnership, so I could have blocked any sale.
“I didn’t know you wanted to buy the house,” said Cora. “Were you able to save that much dough serving in the Merchant Marines all this time?” The Merchant Marines pays well, but not that well, she thought.
“No, but one of you sisters might have wanted to keep it—maybe turn it into a bed and breakfast or something.” He admitted to himself, No way I could have saved that much, even if I’d behaved and avoided spending the lion’s share on whisky, waste, and whores.
“I have no interest in that sort of thing,” said Cora, “and Gloria certainly couldn’t handle a project like that. No, Rae did the right thing in selling it. There are far too many rooms to clean and take care of without maintaining an expensive household staff.”
“But our house has been in the family since colonial times,” Muddy protested, “and I don’t want to see strangers living in it.” Ordinarily, I wouldn’t give a crap.
“I didn’t know you felt that way,” she said. “You’ve never taken any interest in the family history before.” The sonofabitch is lying. What’s his motive?
“There’re a lot of things you don’t know about me,” declared Muddy.
“I’m sure there are, but one thing is nagging at me.”
“What’s that?”
“Why are you so suddenly interested in Daddy’s book?”
“Who says I am?”
“It’s kind of obvious. I hear you’ve been following Dan Sherman, that bookseller, all over the place ever since he borrowed Daddy’s manuscript from Rae.”
“Damn it. You’ve been talking to that Sherman guy, haven’t you?”
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But why are you following him around otherwise?”
“That’s my business—and you’d better stay out of it if you know what’s good for you.” He hadn’t meant to voice an ugly threat; it just spilled out.
“What are you trying to hide, little brother?” Now I’ve got him, she thought.
“That also is my business, not yours.” The bitch is getting too close.
“I’ll bet dollars to donuts it has something to do with the house. Doesn’t it, Muddy dear?”
“You’re all wrong, Cora. You couldn’t be more wrong.” Too damn close.
“Ah! Perhaps you protest way too much, little brother.”
“Now you’re getting much too obnoxious, I think you ought to leave.”
“Why, Muddy? Am I getting too close to the truth?”
“You wouldn’t know the truth if you stepped in it. Now get the hell out of here before I throw you out.”
Cora stood and walked toward the door. As she passed him, he reached out and pinched her hard on the rump. It was his way of curbing his frustration—a way of having the last word. She spun around and slapped him—a stinging blow across the face in one swinging action. Stunned for only a few seconds, he returned an even stronger slap. She ran out the door in tears, the left side of her face wearing a red mark half the size of his hand. It smarted now, but later, it would turn sore, black and blue. She had failed to get Muddy to admit to anything, but she thought she knew what he might be hiding.
In the Bookish Spotlight: My Feats in These Shoes by Ronda Beaman
Title: MY FEATS IN THESE SHOES: A SOLELY ORIGINAL MEMOIR
Author: Ronda Beaman
Publisher: Adelaide Books, NYC
Pages: 190
Genre: Memoir / Inspiration
BOOK BLURB:
If memoirs, done right, tap the right sort of personal journey to ignite fresh insight and inspiration into the human journey, then what better way to humorously and poignantly illuminate the sequential steps and stages of life than with shoes?
“My Feats in These Shoes” is an exuberantly spunky woman’s spirited and irrepressible romp—slips, missteps, leaps, scuffs, and twirls—toward becoming something bigger, something better, something more.
Far from serving up trauma porn (or emotional bunions), this memoir is an upbeat, humorous, affectionate and affecting coming of age memoir that ends each chapter with a ‘Put Yourself in My Shoes’ section for readers to consider their own strides in pursuing an out of the shoe box life.
I have never known anyone great who didn’t face hundreds of pebbles in their shoes as they climbed their mountain of purpose, contribution, and meaning. What do they do? They untie their shoes, pick out the biggest pebbles, throw them underfoot, put their shoes back on and then put all their weight into pulverizing the remaining gravel holding them back or down—and then they keep climbing.
Dr. Ronda Beaman has been Chief Creative Officer for the global research and solution firm PEAK Learning, Inc., since 1990. As a national award-winning educator, Dr. Beaman is Clinical Professor of Leadership at The Orfalea School of Business, California Polytechnic University. She is Founder and Executive Director of Dream Makers SLO, a non-profit foundation granting final wishes to financially- challenged, terminally-ill adults, and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Pay It Forward Foundation. She was recently named a Stanford Fellow at the Distinguished Career Institute.
Her national award-winning book, You’re Only Young Twice, has been printed in five languages. Her memoir, Little Miss Merit Badge, was an Amazon bestseller and was featured at The Golden Globe Awards. Her children’s book, Seal With a Kiss, is designed to improve skills for beginning readers and is offered at Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers internationally. My Feats in These Shoes will be released in Spring 2021.
Dr. Beaman is an internationally recognized expert on leadership, resilience, fitness, education, and life coaching. She has conducted research in a host of areas, written many academic articles and books, and won numerous awards. She was selected by the Singapore Ministry of the Family as their honored Speaker of the Year and named the first recipient of the National Education Association’s “Excellence in the Academy: Art of Teaching” award. She has been selected as a faculty resource for the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) university in Argentina, Kyoto and India, where she received the highest speaker ratings among 36 elite faculty. She has been featured on major media including CBS and Fox Television, USA Today, and is a national thought leader for American Health Network.
Dr. Beaman earned her doctorate in Leadership at Arizona State University. She is also a certified executive coach and personal trainer with multiple credentials from the Aerobic Research Center. Her family was named “America’s Most Creative Family” by USA Today and she won the SCW National Fitness Idol competition.
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Compulsion by Jennifer Chase Book Blast!
When Serial Killers Terrorize a California Beach Community, One Woman Stands in Their Way…
By Jennifer Chase
Title: COMPULSION: EMILY STONE THRILLER SERIES BOOK ONE
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: JEC Press
Pages: 235
Genre: Crime Thriller
BOOK BLURB:
Emily Stone doesn’t have a badge. But that hasn’t stopped her from tracking down some of the West’s most dangerous child-killers. Armed with a digital camera, laptop computer and her trusty Beretta, Stone uses her innate gift for detective work to identify the perps — and then anonymously e-mail the evidence to the cops.
Now, the hunt for two brazen serial killers on the loose right in her own coastal California town threatens to expose Stone’s identity — unraveling her carefully constructed cover and jeopardizing her life’s work. But when she gets too close to the action, this razor-sharp hunter becomes the hunted. Cooperating with the handsome local police detective could be the only hope for stopping the rampage directed at unsuspecting young women — and saving herself. Can they piece together the clues in time? Compulsion mixes CSI-style investigation with a ripped-from-the-headlines plot and a dose of romance for a keeps-you-guessing, fast-paced and savvy thriller, right up until the shocking finale.
PRAISE
“Jennifer Chase’s Compulsion is an all-time great fiction suspense thriller. Jennifer takes her knowledge of forensic science and criminology to new levels of understanding and entertainment. This is one edge-of-your-seat who-dun-it that will keep you enthralled from the first page to the last.” —Sandra E. Graham, BookPleasures, author of Amos Jakey and Nicolina
“…The new novel Compulsion by Jennifer Chase is a captivating thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page is read. The careful character development results in real, three-dimensional men and women, even if some of them are almost unimaginably horrifying. The plot, with its slowly revealed layers, is one that engages the readers immediately and takes them on quite an adventure…” – Amazon Reader
“…It is really a fantastic book… It is a fresh and fun read. I really had trouble putting it down…” – Amazon Reader
“This truly is a top-notch mystery – thriller of a read. One that has thought out characters, defined so well that you feel as if you are part of their lives, and a storyline that is mysterious, and chilling, yet delivers a personal touch that brings realism to the mix. CSI fans will love this book, as will any mystery/thriller fan, for it is definitely one that delivers.” – Amazon Reader
“Pot boiler will keep the pages turning… If you enjoy crime fiction with a local [California] flavor, you might wish to try this debut novel. Hang on; this one also has a wild ending with some major eye-popping developments that will take you by surprise.” – Amazon Reader
The man strolls down the gravel driveway to his makeshift torture trap disguised as a late model Chevy Suburban. It is in fact a hideous, retrofitted, rolling snare designed specifically for the secure confinement of the innocent. He has already stalked and captured several children between the ages four and ten; they had been simply taken from their safe homes and familiar yards. They are never to be seen alive again. Their only mistake was their innocence and inexperience of the inexplicable evil that relentlessly wanders the neighborhoods across the nation, sporting a simple psychological mask of normalcy.
Dressed in khaki shorts, cheap superstore sneakers and a loose fitting blue and yellow Hawaiian shirt, the clean shaven, dark-haired man in his late-thirties looks almost like any other man who might have had a decent day job and perhaps even a family of his own. He doesn’t have a single care in the world. He feels a sense of peace and even a deep relaxation; he’s both tired and re-energized.
This particular man has a desire: a dark secret of an unfulfilled need to prey upon the innocent, snatch them from their secure lives, torture them, murder them, and then leave their tiny remains isolated away from civilization. This driving compulsion will never be satisfied, and the hideous crimes will never be fully solved. The police will never find the little victims’ remains, and families will never receive closure for their unimaginable loss.
Only one promise will prevail, the crimes will continue, remain unsolved and with time eventually be forgotten by the general public. The continuous fantasy re-enactment will never stop as long as the killer is left alive. Death poses the only logical solution to stop this tormenting cycle of death.
The man opens the creaky back doors of the Suburban and takes out two white five gallon buckets setting them down on the trash littered street. The back of the vehicle is cluttered with miscellaneous tools and paint supplies that a painting contractor would most likely use. Upon closer inspection, deeper inside the cargo area, there are handcuffs and shackles fixed to stationary hooks reminiscent of medieval torture chambers. The windows are coated with a thin opaque vinyl that ensures complete privacy.
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today BestSelling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
Website: https://authorjenniferchase.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jchasenovelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase
Dead Game (Book Two)
Dark Mind (Book Three)
Dead Burn (Book Four)
Dark Pursuit (Book Five)
Dead Cold (Book Six)
More Books by Jennifer Chase…
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Character Interview: Kate Hamilton from Connie Berry’s traditional mystery ‘The Art of Betrayal’
We’re thrilled to have here today Kate Hamilton from Connie Berry’s new traditional mystery The Art of Betrayal. Kate is an antiques dealer and appraiser, in her mid-forties, living currently in the village of Long Barston in Suffolk, England.
It is a pleasure to have Kate Hamilton with us today at Beyond the Books!
Thank you so much for this interview, Kate. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?
KATE: There is the small matter of my age. I’m either 45 or 46, a detail my author has never pinned down. I suspect it’s because she’s neglected to give me a birthday, which I consider unfair and unfeeling. I love parties. And cake.
Do you feel the author did a good job colorizing your personality? If not, how would you like to have been portrayed differently?
KATE: I must admit Connie knows me pretty well. After all, she and I share a lot in common. We were both born into southern Wisconsin’s Norwegian-Danish community, and we both grew up in the high-end antiques trade. We had fathers we loved and were blessed with intelligent, wise mothers, who’ve been both our trusted confidants and advisors. Both of us are curious by nature, and we’ll often go to great lengths to straighten out mysteries and illogicalities. As you might imagine, that sometimes gets us into trouble.
Early on in our relationship, Connie subjected me to an Enneagram test. Not surprisingly, I turned out to be an Investigator, which is the role I’ve been playing recently. I came to England to visit my daughter last Christmas (she’s a student at Magdalen College, Oxford), and I ended up solving a series of deaths connected with an Anglo-Saxon treasure trove dug up on the estate of Finchley Hall, a crumbling Elizabethan stately home owned by Lady Barbara Finchley-fforde. According to my Enneagram, I’m alert, insightful, and curious. I need to understand why things are the way they are, so I ask questions and test assumptions. I’m reluctant to rely on the opinions and ideas of others. At my best, I notice details and patterns others miss. At my worst, I can become scattered and fearful.
At the moment, I’m running an antiquities shop on Long Barston’s High Street while the owner, my friend Ivor Tweedy, recovers from bilateral hip-replacement surgery. I think Connie has done a good job of describing the affection I feel for this small village in rural Suffolk—and for the people I’ve come to care about.
With that said, however, I do feel Connie sometimes shares more of my private thoughts than I’d like—my relationship with Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, for example. We met almost a year ago on a snowy road in the Scottish Hebrides. I suspect Connie’s readers knew I was in love with him before I did. Is that fair?
What do you believe is your strongest trait?
KATE: Detective Inspector Mallory might tell you my strength is noticing details others miss and seeing patterns in seemingly unrelated facts. But I’d say my strongest trait is loyalty. The reason I get involved in solving murders isn’t (as some suspect) because I make a habit of stumbling over bodies, but because I can’t sit by and allow people I care about to be hurt. In Scotland I got involved in a bizarre murder case because my late husband’s best childhood friend was falsely accused. Last Christmas when a young museum curator was found dead in a lake in Finchley Park, Lady Barbara Finchley-fforde asked me to clear the name of the initial suspect, her missing son. At the moment, I’m looking into the death of a reclusive widow who came into Ivor’s shop to consign a Chinese pottery jar from the Han-dynasty tombs of Imperial China. Ivor’s reputation is at stake, not to speak of his bank account. The jar has gone missing, and insurance won’t pay.
Worst trait?
KATE: As much as I hate to admit it, my worst trait is nosiness. What can I say—I’m an Investigator. When things don’t make sense, I simply have to find out what’s really going on. That gets me in trouble when I’m caught snooping or when I ask the wrong person the right question.
If you could choose someone in the television or movie industry to play your part if your book was made into a movie, who would that be (and you can’t say yourself!)?
KATE: What an interesting question! My choice would be Carey Milligan, although she’s twenty years younger than I am, and we don’t look much alike. I don’t have her adorable dimples, for one thing. And she usually lightens her hair, so I’d have to insist the producers dye her hair dark brown and give her blue contact lenses. Carey and I are about the same height—5’ 7”—but I admit to having a little more weight on my frame than she does. What I like most about Carey is her energy, wit, and vulnerability. She’s a versatile actress, known for costume dramas. I loved her as Edith Pretty in The Dig and as Daisy in The Great Gatsby, so she can play a range of ages. She does a brilliant American accent, too.
Do you have a love interest in the book?
KATE: At last I can say without hesitation that I do. When Detective Inspector Tom Mallory and I first met on Scotland’s Isle of Glenroth, I thought he looked like a monk—all right, a dishy monk. It took me some time to let my guard down enough to find out if I really liked him. I don’t risk my heart easily. This is no doubt traceable to my history of losing people I love. I lost my brother Matt, my hero, when he was eleven and I was five. He was a Down Syndrome child and suffered from congenital heart problems. When I was seventeen, my beloved father was killed in a car crash on Christmas Eve. Three years ago, my first husband, Bill, a Scottish transplant to the U. S., died in a boating incident, leaving me with two teenagers to raise.
Tom gradually worked his way into my heart—which is a problem. Of all the eligible men in the world, why did I have to fall in love with a man who lives on the other side of a great big ocean? Will we ever solve the problem of two careers on two very different continents? I can’t say. For now, though, I’m enjoying spending as much time with him as I can.
At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?
KATE: Without giving away any spoilers, I’d have to say about mid-way through the book. None of my so-called theories had panned out. The only clues I had made no sense. A young woman showed up on my doorstep in the pouring rain, pleading for my help. The National Trust’s decision to take on Finchley Hall was delayed, putting my friend Lady Barbara in a financial bind. Ivor’s recovery from hip surgery hit a brick wall. And to cap everything else off, Tom’s mother Liz (definitely not my fan) produced a gorgeous blonde, the spitting image of his dead wife. Since throwing in the towel wasn’t an option, I had no choice but to persevere.
If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?
KATE: I wouldn’t trade places with anyone right now. Even if Tom and I don’t know where we’re going, I’m sticking around to find out. If I had to choose someone I definitely would not want to be, however, my answer would be Professor Markham, a retired university lecturer who’s writing a scholarly volume on the history of East Anglia before the Norman Invasion. Ivor sold him a translation of The Little Domesday Book, part of the so-called “Great Survey,” a census record of men, land, and property ordered in 1085-86by William the Conqueror. I delivered the volume to the professor and realized he paid for the book with money that should have gone for things like food. Professor Markham lives in the Essex village of Hatfield Broad Oak, in a demi-detached row house stuffed with mismatched furniture, lamps with exposed wiring, tottering piles of scholarly journals and magazines, and an ill-tempered gray cat who took an instant dislike to me. Professor Markham lives in the past. Literally. On his desk is a circular file of Anglo-Saxon and Early Norman names—the equivalent of an eleventh-century Rolodex. These long-dead people are his closest companions. I love history, too, but I don’t want to live there.
How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?
KATE: I like a happy ending where justice is served and all the loose ends are tied up. The world should be a place where truth and goodness triumph and evil is shown up for what it is. In the real world, that doesn’t always happen. But in the world of fiction, where I live, it can and often does. Exactly how is Connie’s problem. I was just happy to be of assistance. For now, the ending of The Art of Betrayal is my secret. To find out, you’ll have to read the book.
What words of wisdom would you give your author if she decided to write another book with you in it?
KATE: Please, just give me a birthday! Everyone deserves a birthday—even fictional characters. And—oh, yes—please, no high towers or slick rooftops next time. And definitely no spiders.
Thank you for this interview, Kate Hamilton. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?
KATE: You will. Connie is just finishing up a new adventure to be titled The Burden of Memory, which will be released sometime in 2022. A few surprises are in the works. That’s all I’m allowed to say.
Thanks so much for inviting me to visit Beyond the Books! I had a great time and look forward to being with you again sometime.
Connie Berry is the author of the Kate Hamilton Mysteries, set in the UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes. Like her protagonist, Connie was raised by antiques dealers who instilled in her a passion for history, fine art, and travel. During college she studied at the University of Freiburg in Germany and St. Clare’s College, Oxford, where she fell under the spell of the British Isles. In 2019 Connie won the IPPY Gold Medal for Mystery and was a finalist for the Agatha Award’s Best Debut. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and is on the board of the Guppies and her local Sisters in Crime chapter. Besides reading and writing mysteries, Connie loves history, foreign travel, cute animals, and all things British. She lives in Ohio with her husband and adorable Shih Tzu, Emmie. You can learn more about Connie and her writing at her website www.connieberry.com.
American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is spending the month of May in the Suffolk village of Long Barston, tending her friend Ivor Tweedy’s antiquities shop while he recovers from hip surgery. Kate is thrilled when a reclusive widow consigns an ancient Chinese jar—until the Chinese jar is stolen and a body turns up in the middle of the May Fair. With no insurance covering the loss, Tweedy may be ruined. As DI Tom Mallory searches for the victim’s missing daughter, Kate notices puzzling connections with a well-known local legend. This fiendishly complex case pits Kate against the murky depths of Anglo-Saxon history, the spring floods, a house with a tragic history, and a clever killer with an old secret. It’s up to Kate to unravel a Celtic knot of lies and betrayal. You can find The Art of Betrayal wherever good books are sold.
Amazon: The Art of Betrayal: A Kate Hamilton Mystery: Berry, Connie: 9781643855943: Amazon.com: Books
Indiebound: The Art of Betrayal: A Kate Hamilton Mystery | IndieBound.org
Book Excerpt: THE FRAGILE ONES by Jennifer Chase
Title: THE FRAGILE ONES
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 300
Genre: Crime Thriller
Purchase: https://amzn.to/38AVsdG
BOOK BLURB:
“Please Mommy, can Tessa and I go play on the swing by the creek?” the little girl begs, pushing a blonde curl from her eyes. “We’ll stay together, and we promise to be safe.” Hours later, their mother waits anxiously for her darling girls to arrive home with a list of reasons why they are late. But the front door never opens…
When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine—dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall—Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.
Carefully picking through the fragile remains, Katie makes the first of many disturbing discoveries: the girls were not biological sisters. The youngest, Megan, is a DNA match to a kidnapping case years before. The tiny number burnt into her skin the mark of a terrifying killer intent on keeping count of his collection.
Her PTSD from the army triggered, Katie is left reeling as she maps other missing children in the local area. Has this twisted soul found a way to stay nearby his victims? Could he be watching now as Katie hits one dead end after another?
A wild storm building, matching a fiber found during the autopsy to a nearby boatyard is the break Katie needs. But when another girl goes missing, just as lightning strikes and the power goes out, Katie only has her instincts, her team and her service dog to rely on. As time runs out for Katie to finds the stolen child alive, who will become the next number on this monster’s deadly list?
Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh, you better buckle-up for the ride of your life! BEWARE – this gripping crime thriller is guaranteed to keep you up all night!
PRAISE
Wow!!!… a page-turning, nail-biting crime thriller!!… absolutely fantastic… had me completely hooked… filled with nail-biting suspense… keeps you on edge.’ Bookworm86, 5 stars
‘Excellent… nail-biting… had me enthralled from page one… gripped through each twist and turn… jaw-dropping and totally unexpected… brilliant.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘My heart was in my throat… kept me tapping my e-reader screen.’ Robin Loves Reading, 5 stars
‘Oh, my goodness!… non-stop!’ Diane is Reading, 5 stars
‘THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS PUTTING THIS BOOK DOWN!!!!!… I was literally holding my breath… I HAD TO KNOW!!!!! As for the explosive ending? WOW definitely not what or who I was expecting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
BOOK EXCERPT:
“Please can we go?” whined Tessa as she followed her mother through the living room and into the kitchen. “Please,” she said again, pushing her blonde curls away from her eyes. “I really want to go to the swing by the creek.”
“Not by yourself,” countered Mrs. Mayfield, ignoring her daughter’s angry stare. “We’ve talked about this before.”
“Yes, and you said I couldn’t go alone, and I’m not. Megan will be with me.” Tessa’s older sister was barely a year older and her best friend. Her mother began emptying the dishwasher, putting plates and glasses away in the cabinet. It was unclear if she was thinking about what Tessa had said or not, so she tried again. “I’m almost eleven and Megan is almost twelve. We’re practically teenagers,” she said. “Besides, Janey and her brother will probably be there.”
Mrs. Mayfield laughed. “You know, you would be a good lawyer the way you make your case.”
“I don’t want to be a lawyer. I’m going to be a vet,” Tessa said, grinning.
“Well, I know you are going to be whatever you want to be.” Mrs. Mayfield laughed to herself as she slipped the last piece of silverware into the drawer and turned to face her daughter. At the sound of her name, Megan had joined Tessa in the doorway and they both stood quietly waiting for an answer. Glancing at the wall clock with a sigh, she said, “You both have to be back by four thirty, not a second later. Understand?”
“Thank you! Thank you!” Tessa said, grabbing her sister’s hand in glee. Both girls were in denim shorts and pastel T-shirts with their favorite matching blue sneakers.
“Be home on time,” their mom called after them.
“We will,” chimed the girls.
Mrs. Mayfield heard the front door shut, followed by the sound of running footsteps.
She smiled and went back to her chores as the afternoon ticked by.
At 4:45 p.m. Mrs. Mayfield was waiting impatiently to hear the girls enter the house with a list of a dozen reasons why they were late—but the front door never opened. An hour after that, unable to wait any longer, she looked outside, thinking that the girls might be in the yard.
Debris from a croquet set littered the lawn; the wooden mallets abandoned and colored balls scattered as if the girls had been playing only moments ago. The trampoline in the corner had one of the girls’ bright blue sweatshirts hanging on the edge. It swayed slightly in the breeze.
There was no sign of them.
She ran through the house to the backyard, but it, too, was deserted. No whispers. No giggles. No shrieks of laughter. The wind was picking up and whistling through the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees—almost whispering a warning.
Mrs. Mayfield pulled off her apron and reached for her coat, deciding to walk to the creek and bring the girls back herself. At this point, she was more angry than concerned, knowing how they could be forgetful when they were having fun, and often lost track of time.
But surely they would be on their way home by now? she thought to herself asher pace quickened from a fast walk to a jog. Against her better judgment, and knowing that she couldn’t shelter them forever, she had crumbled and let them go down to the creek where one of the neighboring boys had constructed a swing that they loved to play on.
And now fear ripped through her body. “Tessa!” she yelled. “Megan!” Terrible scenarios shuffled through her thoughts as she tried desperately to keep her emotions on an even keel.
“Tessa! Megan!”
She yelled their names over and over until her voice went hoarse. Her chest felt strangely heavy and her vision blurred as she ran, but her strength and mother’s instinct pushed her forward, down the trail leading to the creek. The trail was well-worn by local kids looking for adventure and fun. Stumbling as she ran, she frantically turned left and then right. There wasn’t a soul around… She was alone. She kept moving.
Looking up at the tall pine trees, everything spun in a dizzying blur of forest and darkening sky. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and open again, then stopped for a moment to listen.
The swing was only visible at the bottom of the path just above the creek and she could hear the water rushing below. Peering over the edge, there was no sign of them—or anyone. She kept turning, expecting to see her girls everywhere she looked. They weren’t there. All around her were discarded candy wrappers and remnants of fast food containers. Proof that children played here often.
There was no sound apart from the whisper of the trees. No children laughing nearby.
“Megan! Tessa!” she yelled again, but there was only silence. She ran all the way up the trail to the street, still calling their names in a full-blown panic.
Mrs. Mayfield turned her attention up the road, her mother’s instinct in high gear. Something blue lying beneath a bush caught her eye and she ran towards it.
She leaned down and her hand trembled over the light blue canvas before she forced herself to grab the abandoned blue sneaker.
“No,” she said, barely breathing.
Written on the side tread of the shoe with a thick black pen was one word: Tessa.
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today BestSelling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
Website: https://authorjenniferchase.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jchasenovelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780337.Jennifer_Chase
Book Excerpt: The Fragile Ones by Jennifer Chase
We’re so excited to welcome Jennifer Chase, author of The Fragile Ones
The Fragile Ones
“Please Mommy, can Tessa and I go play on the swing by the creek?” the little girl begs, pushing a blonde curl from her eyes. “We’ll stay together, and we promise to be safe.” Hours later, their mother waits anxiously for her darling girls to arrive home with a list of reasons why they are late. But the front door never opens…
When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine—dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall—Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.
Carefully picking through the fragile remains, Katie makes the first of many disturbing discoveries: the girls were not biological sisters. The youngest, Megan, is a DNA match to a kidnapping case years before. The tiny number burnt into her skin the mark of a terrifying killer intent on keeping count of his collection.
Her PTSD from the army triggered, Katie is left reeling as she maps other missing children in the local area. Has this twisted soul found a way to stay nearby his victims? Could he be watching now as Katie hits one dead end after another?
A wild storm building, matching a fiber found during the autopsy to a nearby boatyard is the break Katie needs. But when another girl goes missing, just as lightning strikes and the power goes out, Katie only has her instincts, her team and her service dog to rely on. As time runs out for Katie to finds the stolen child alive, who will become the next number on this monster’s deadly list?
Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh, you better buckle-up for the ride of your life! BEWARE – this gripping crime thriller is guaranteed to keep you up all night!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Walmart | BookBub
‘Excellent… nail-biting… had me enthralled from page one… gripped through each twist and turn… jaw-dropping and totally unexpected… brilliant.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
Enjoy an excerpt from The Fragile Ones
PROLOGUE
“Please can we go?” whined Tessa as she followed her mother through the living room and into the kitchen. “Please,” she said again, pushing her blonde curls away from her eyes. “I really want to go to the swing by the creek.”
“Not by yourself,” countered Mrs. Mayfield, ignoring her daughter’s angry stare. “We’ve talked about this before.”
“Yes, and you said I couldn’t go alone, and I’m not. Megan will be with me.” Tessa’s older sister was barely a year older and her best friend. Her mother began emptying the dishwasher, putting plates and glasses away in the cabinet. It was unclear if she was thinking about what Tessa had said or not, so she tried again. “I’m almost eleven and Megan is almost twelve. We’re practically teenagers,” she said. “Besides, Janey and her brother will probably be there.”
Mrs. Mayfield laughed. “You know, you would be a good lawyer the way you make your case.”
“I don’t want to be a lawyer. I’m going to be a vet,” Tessa said, grinning.
“Well, I know you are going to be whatever you want to be.” Mrs. Mayfield laughed to herself as she slipped the last piece of silverware into the drawer and turned to face her daughter. At the sound of her name, Megan had joined Tessa in the doorway and they both stood quietly waiting for an answer. Glancing at the wall clock with a sigh, she said, “You both have to be back by four thirty, not a second later. Understand?”
“Thank you! Thank you!” Tessa said, grabbing her sister’s hand in glee. Both girls were in denim shorts and pastel T-shirts with their favorite matching blue sneakers.
“Be home on time,” their mom called after them.
“We will,” chimed the girls.
Mrs. Mayfield heard the front door shut, followed by the sound of running footsteps.
She smiled and went back to her chores as the afternoon ticked by.
At 4:45 p.m. Mrs. Mayfield was waiting impatiently to hear the girls enter the house with a list of a dozen reasons why they were late—but the front door never opened. An hour after that, unable to wait any longer, she looked outside, thinking that the girls might be in the yard.
Debris from a croquet set littered the lawn; the wooden mallets abandoned and colored balls scattered as if the girls had been playing only moments ago. The trampoline in the corner had one of the girls’ bright blue sweatshirts hanging on the edge. It swayed slightly in the breeze.
There was no sign of them.
She ran through the house to the backyard, but it, too, was deserted. No whispers. No giggles. No shrieks of laughter. The wind was picking up and whistling through the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees—almost whispering a warning.
Mrs. Mayfield pulled off her apron and reached for her coat, deciding to walk to the creek and bring the girls back herself. At this point, she was more angry than concerned, knowing how they could be forgetful when they were having fun, and often lost track of time.
But surely they would be on their way home by now? she thought to herself asher pace quickened from a fast walk to a jog. Against her better judgment, and knowing that she couldn’t shelter them forever, she had crumbled and let them go down to the creek where one of the neighboring boys had constructed a swing that they loved to play on.
And now fear ripped through her body. “Tessa!” she yelled. “Megan!” Terrible scenarios shuffled through her thoughts as she tried desperately to keep her emotions on an even keel.
“Tessa! Megan!”
She yelled their names over and over until her voice went hoarse. Her chest felt strangely heavy and her vision blurred as she ran, but her strength and mother’s instinct pushed her forward, down the trail leading to the creek. The trail was well-worn by local kids looking for adventure and fun. Stumbling as she ran, she frantically turned left and then right. There wasn’t a soul around… She was alone. She kept moving.
Looking up at the tall pine trees, everything spun in a dizzying blur of forest and darkening sky. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and open again, then stopped for a moment to listen.
The swing was only visible at the bottom of the path just above the creek and she could hear the water rushing below. Peering over the edge, there was no sign of them—or anyone. She kept turning, expecting to see her girls everywhere she looked. They weren’t there. All around her were discarded candy wrappers and remnants of fast food containers. Proof that children played here often.
There was no sound apart from the whisper of the trees. No children laughing nearby.
“Megan! Tessa!” she yelled again, but there was only silence. She ran all the way up the trail to the street, still calling their names in a full-blown panic.
Mrs. Mayfield turned her attention up the road, her mother’s instinct in high gear. Something blue lying beneath a bush caught her eye and she ran towards it.
She leaned down and her hand trembled over the light blue canvas before she forced herself to grab the abandoned blue sneaker.
No,” she said, barely breathing.
Written on the side tread of the shoe with a thick black pen was one word: Tessa.
Copyright © 2021 by Jennifer Chase. Shared with permission.
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today BestSelling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers. Find out more about Jennifer and her books at https://authorjenniferchase.com/. Follow her at Twitter and Facebook.
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