Local author roundup: New releases from Flathead Valley writers
“A Sharp Solitude”
Christine Carbo
Synopsis:
In the darkening days of autumn, a murdered journalist’s body is discovered in a remote region near the Canadian border. Before she was found, Anne Marie Johnson had been writing an article about a canine research program that uses trained dogs to track scientific data. She was last seen with a man named Reeve Landon, whose chocolate Lab was one of the subjects of the piece. Now he’s the prime suspect.
Back in the FBI’s regional office in Montana, investigator Ali Paige is not officially assigned to the case since the crime was committed outside federal land. But Landon happens to be an ex-boyfriend and the father of her child. He calls Ali for help while he is being questioning but soon he goads her to find out what really happened to Anne Marie.
Set against the breathtaking terrain of Glacier National Park, this page-turning and suspenseful novel demonstrates that no one can ever really outrun their demons, even in the vast terrain of Northwest Montana.
What inspired you to write this?
“A Sharp Solitude” features a local FBI agent who played a supporting role in my last work, “The Weight of Night.” I had a lot of fun writing her as a side character in that story, so I knew I wanted her to be my protagonist in my fourth novel. Also, I knew I wanted to feature a male’s voice as well. The male protagonist in this story is her ex and the father of her child, and he turns out to be a prime suspect in the murder of a journalist. He has an interesting backstory – as I try to give most of my characters – and he works for a program that trains dogs to track scientific data. I became interested in that endeavor after reading a fascinating article about the use of canines to locate the scat of all sorts of wild species.
Where can people find your book?
Wherever books are sold: local bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc. “A Sharp Solitude” officially hits the shelves on May 29, but it can be pre-ordered at any of these book-sellers before then.
“Instrument of the Devil”
Debbie Burke
Synopsis:
Dashing terrorist Khalil Sharivar plans to bring down the electrical grid starting at the Hungry Horse Dam in Montana. He doesn’t need explosives or weapons, only a smartphone, his charm and the perfect scapegoat — Tawny Lindholm, a beautiful small-town widow intimidated by technology. Her rigged phone is his tool of seduction and manipulation, tangling her ever more tightly into his plot. Soon the feds are chasing her and her family is in jeopardy. If Tawny can’t turn the instrument back on the devil himself, she dies.
In the era of runaway surveillance, if it could happen to Tawny, could it happen to you? Follow Tawny to find out!
What inspired you to write this?
My first smartphone did weird things that seemed beyond my control. I joked it was possessed by the devil. My wild writer’s imagination started to wonder: what if a bad guy used a smartphone to set up an innocent person as a scapegoat for a crime? At the same time, I was researching the vulnerability of the power grid. I learned how easily a smartphone could take over computers and destroy electrical generation. The plot combined my real-life phone struggles with a fictional terrorist trying to bring down the grid. In 2016, after I’d finished the first draft, the FBI thwarted an attempted cyberattack by terrorists on a dam in New York. At that point, I knew I was onto something that could actually happen.
Post script: Turns out my phone was not possessed, just defective. But at least its antics inspired a novel.
Where can people find your book?
“Instrument of the Devil” is available at Amazon.com in e-book and trade paperback.
“Temptation’s Despair”
David Andrew Tucker
Synopsis:
Mark Taylor is at the top of his game living the American dream – wealth, a gorgeous wife – everything a successful man wants. With one slip in judgment, his world comes crashing down. His greatest challenges lay before him as he confronts his past, his present, and his future. Five different lives are unknowingly intertwined in the balance – while one grave mistake affects them all.
What inspired you to write this?
Although the events in the novel are purely fiction, I wanted to write a gripping story. I know many friends and acquaintances who have either faced broken relationships in their past, or are dealing with them now. I understand the struggles involved and how a single event can completely disrupt a person’s hopes and dreams, and how it can impact those closest to them.
I hope the book will be well-received by readers due to the plot revolving around many aspects of modern day relationships. The story delves into the complexities and challenges of marriage, friendship and family life.
Life can be an emotional rollercoaster ride and many of the situations the main characters experience throughout the course of the story are ones the readers themselves may have dealt with in their own lives.
Where can people find your book?
The e-book is currently available on Amazon. The paperback version will be available soon. I’m currently writing the sequel and hope to release it by midsummer.
“Outside the Lines of Gilded Age Baseball: Alcohol, Fitness and Cheating in 1880s Baseball”
Rob Bauer
Synopsis:
This is a book not just for baseball fans. It’s a comprehensive examination of the unusual ways players behaved in 1880s baseball, full of fun stories anyone can enjoy.
In the 1880s, drinking by baseball players was out of control. Every team had players who drank too much. Men came to the ballpark drunk, or drank during games. The Philadelphia Athletics brought a keg of beer to one doubleheader with St. Louis. How did the problem get so bad?
What about physical training? Players had no scientific training plans, but tried to stay in shape all the same. Some swung Indian war clubs to loosen up, while others went to hot springs. Regarding the question of treating injured players, what worked best? Was it rest, water, electricity, magnetism, patent medicines, or a branding iron?
What inspired you to write this?
There are two main reasons I started my series of books on 1880s baseball. First, despite the fact there are literally thousands of books on baseball history, very few of them are about 19th century baseball. So these books are a chance to add something new to the existing scholarship, which is, after all, what historians are supposed to do.
The other reason is that almost all books on baseball history are about a special team or season, or statistics, or biographies of well-known players. My books are none of those things. Instead, I’m writing about the major issues that influenced the game and helped define what it was like to play baseball in the 1880s. By the time all four books in the series are done, readers will have a comprehensive view of baseball in these years.
Where can people find your book?
Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and the FVCC bookstore has also agreed to stock copies.
“Over the Stile”
James Turner
Synopsis:
“What do you remember when you were 6, 10 and 12 years of age? We are all unique with our own specific memories. ‘Over the Stile’ relates experiences from my growing up years. One afternoon when I was 6, I was standing on a ladder talking to my neighbors over the fence, and boom! To my surprise, the ladder collapsed. A broken arm is painful!
Worse yet, when I was 13, I and a neighbor had one of the bloodiest fights ever seen in my neighborhood. We ripped each others’ shirts off, and punched each other while my parents cheered for me. The watching neighborhood kids were on my side too.
You’re invited to come and enjoy the journey with me down memory lane. May you be reminded of your own childhood days.”
What inspired you to write this?
“I just liked my childhood and I felt that it was worth bringing to the reading public attention. It starts from when I finished kindergarten and goes all the way up to when I went to college and basically I simply say, ‘and it was over before I knew it,’ and that’s true about college.
I felt that these stories would be good to tell and I had the time on my hands so I went ahead and wrote them.
Whether it’s in the same place or all across the country, they should remember that their childhood is the best years of their life … My childhood years were the best years of my life in all facets — in relationships, physically how I looked. Looking back on it, I really enjoyed it.”
Where can people find your book?
Amazon.com
Editor’s note: Are you a local author who has recently released a new book? Let us know! Send an email with a brief description of yourself and your book to ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com for consideration.