He has blessed me more than I can imagine. I have faith he
will continue to hold me in the palm of His hand.
I so agree with that,
and I thank Him often for where He’s led me. Tell us a little about your
family.
We have been blessed with four great children, one son and
three daughters. Our son is a professor at Carnegie Mellon
University . Our eldest
daughter handles royalties for those who write the music for movies. Our middle
daughter teaches in elementary school and sings in her own band. And our
youngest daughter is a writer of middle grade non-fiction and has over 70 books
published.
Then we have six grandkids, two granddaughters and four
grandsons.
Has your writing
changed your reading habits? If so, how?
When I’m in the middle of writing a mystery, I don’t want to
read any mysteries. Same thing for suspense. Those are my favorite genres to
read, but when I’m writing, I don’t want to be exposed to other writers’ ideas
in the same genre I’m writing at the moment.
What are you working
on right now?
I have just published the third Crystal Moore Suspense
novel, Political Dirty Trick. So, mostly I am working on the launch of
this book. It is published in digital, paperback and hardcover editions. The
audio will be out in the summer. But plot snippets for another Crystal Moore
book are beginning to rattle around in my brain.
What outside
interests do you have?
My wife and I like to travel. We have visited all fifty of
the United States .
We have traveled to six continents (having missed Antarctica ).
We have a nice home in Puerto Vallarta ,
Mexico , and
spend a good bit of time there.
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
Both my Father Frank Mystery Series and the Crystal Moore
Suspense books are primarily set in northeast Texas . Why? First, I know the area well. I
was raised in Dallas and after spending twenty
years in Connecticut , I moved to rural northeast
Texas . Second,
there are many interesting characters here that give me models for book
characters. And third, several of the
plots have naturally come from this area. For instance, Cleansed by Fire centers around church
burnings. That happened here a few years back. Then Over My Dead Body was inspired by eminent domain used by private
companies. That actually happened to my wife and I just about one year before
that book was released. Hmmm. Coincidence? Maybe not. A Ton of Gold was the result of reading an old Texas folktale.
What is the one thing
you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
How difficult and time consuming marketing would be.
Foolishly I thought the publisher would handle all that. There’s a lesson here
about rose-colored glasses.
What new lessons is
the Lord teaching you right now?
Patience. And I am not a very apt student. But He has been
so good to me throughout my entire life, I’ll try to do better for Him.
What are the three
best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
Read, write and be persistent.
Tell us about the
featured book.
In Political Dirty Trick, Crystal ’s good friend, Ron Drake, is a shoo-in to win the
gubernatorial race in Texas .
Two volunteers in the opposition camp (George and Ginnie) believe their
candidate’s only chance is a political dirty trick that will sink his numbers
in the polls. They construct an elaborate hoax and with a source in the D.A.’s
office, leak fake news to the media.
The dirty trick is successful and Drake’s numbers plummet.
But things go wrong and a man is killed. Ginnie is determined not to get caught
for the man’s death, and to cover it up, another man is killed.
Drake’s once invincible lead evaporates and on election day,
he comes in second. But the election isn’t over. The attempts on Crystal ’s life aren’t
either. Drake may lose the election. And Crystal
may lose her life.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Saturday,
March 24
She crept into the room, a mere shadow. No sound. No trace
of her presence. The small flashlight she pulled from her pocket produced only
a slight glow, hardly noticeable from across the room, invisible from outside.
But it revealed the major objects in the room: a desk, two chairs. And the
Mondrian. She studied the painting for a moment. Why would anyone pay big bucks for this nonsense? With a canvas, a
paint pallet and a bottle of vodka, I could produce the same thing in an hour
or two. Would anyone pay me three hundred thou for it? Not a chance.
No one was in the house, yet she moved with care to lift the
painting off the wall. Lighter than she expected and only about three feet square.
She turned and glided out of the room. Except for the missing painting, nothing
had been disturbed, not even the dust. She made her way down the short hall and
into the kitchen, headed out the way she came in.
She froze.
A noise, ever so slight, came from the back door. A key
slipped into a lock.
The owner, at a campaign rally, shouldn’t be home for
another hour. Light flooded the entry room and she heard footsteps coming
toward the kitchen, toward her. The room was still dark, but her eyes had become
accustomed to the low light. Her mind raced as fast as her heartbeat. She
started forward, then stopped. Back toward the study would leave her exposed in
the hall.
The only other exit was a door on her left. She opened it. A
pantry. She slipped in, and eased it shut just as the kitchen lit up.
Intriguing. How can
readers find you on the Internet?
My website is: http://www.jamesrcallan.com
My blog is: http://www.jamesrcallan.com/blog
My author page on Amazon is: http://amzn.to/1eeykvG
Thank you, James, for
sharing this new book with us. I’m eager to read it, and I know many of my blog
readers are, too.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Political Dirty Trick: A Crystal Moore Suspense (Volume 3) - PaperbackPolitical Dirty Trick: A Crystal Moore Suspense - Kindle
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8 comments:
Would love to read this book of intrigue and corruption. Vivian Furbay of CO
New author for me, book sounds great. Lincoln Nebraska.
Will we ever get away from fake news again? That's something I wish never to have heard of. Maybe I lived with blinders on. This book sounds very contemporary and very exciting. I would love to read it.
Linda in CA
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
This book sounds intriguing and timely. I would love to win it.
The author is new to me. I may check out some of his other works.
Connie in Texs
Wow! What a book! I would love to read it. Thank you for the opportunity. Melanie Backus, TX
Your book sounds great! I love youre using your Texas roots in your books. We lived in east Texas for 10 years before moving to Costa Rica. Thank you for your inspirational fiction writing!
God Bless,
Patty Cooper Camp
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
Wow! This sounds very intriguing.
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
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