Tag Archives: Author Feature

Meet the Main Characters of The Cowboy Contract, Paula Altenburg’s Newest Release

March 3, 2026 · Posted by Tule Publishing

The Cowboy Contract is Book 1 in the Roped in Time series. One reviewer calls it “crazy and charming.”

That’s the reaction I hoped for.

These books are western romances, but I also wanted to write something fun, which is where the setting comes in. The Roped in Time books are a mashup of the Wild West and contemporary times.

Burning Scrub is a former ghost town that an aging evangelical turned into an off-the- grid commune, but followers soon decided that life on a poor commune wasn’t for them, and they set the town up as a church so they wouldn’t have to pay taxes. When that didn’t deliver a steady enough paycheck to pay the bills, they turned it into a Wild West theme park for a high-end, international clientele.

The main characters are:

Beau Jones – national singing sensation who needs to work on his country brand,
whether he likes it or not. He falls in love with Belle, the town doctor.

Dr. Belle Forsythe – a beautiful, blue-eyed brunette with plenty of brains but no sense
of style. Signing a five-year contract with a Wild West theme park seemed like a fun way
to pay off her student debt at the time. She doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but
when she falls in love with Beau, she discovers that the chemistry behind it is real.

Jayce Hanson – a real western Marlboro Man. This poor schmuck is madly in love with
Belle, but he’s about to get his heart broken. (Don’t feel too sorry for him, though. He
gets his HEA in Book 2, Time’s Up, Cowboy.) He doesn’t love Beau.

Adam Caldwell – supply chain manager, procurement officer, and getaway driver. He’s
also the town safety officer, but that’s a loosely defined role because the day(s) without
incident rarely make it past 0.

Benny Jenkins – 93-year-old town founder, mayor, and former evangelist (also grifter,
depending on who you’re talking to). He lacks a filter and quite a few morals.

Leon Schmidt – Beau Jones’s agent.

Linda Lovett – 6-year-old who pops up in unexpected places and blabs the town’s
secrets at inopportune moments.

Mavis Jenkins – Benny’s 68-year-old daughter. She’s in charge of cultural sensitivity,
religious requirements, and dietary restrictions.

Pearl and Grady Lovett – Linda’s parents. Grady writes the scripts and Pearl designs the costumes. They’re real multitaskers.

Shanda – mystery woman. What a piece of work.

Tilly Wynn – small but mighty. She handles all external communications and runs the
town’s schoolhouse. Her secrets are revealed in Book 3. Until then, she’s pretty much
just an opinionated bystander who is friends with everyone.

Wyatt Earp, aka Sheik Ali – the town’s client. He’s partially responsible for Adam’s
poor safety record.

There are five books in the series.

The next book, Time’s Up Cowboy, releases June 23rd . If you drop by the Tule Book
Club on Facebook this week, advance copies are being given away.

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Paula Altenburg lives in rural Nova Scotia, Canada with her husband and two sons. A former aviation and aerospace professional, Paula now writes contemporary romance and fantasy with romantic elements. You can connect with her at www.paulaaltenburg.com.

Why I love Writing Southern Stories with Lenora Worth

February 23, 2026 · Posted by Tule Publishing

I’m Southern. That’s the first reason I love writing stories set in the South. I grew up on a farm. We lived in a true farmhouse with a big yard and lots of cracks in the walls! I learned to drive tractors, plant and harvest crops, haul produce to the market, and drive fast over terraces (hills in the field to keep erosion away). That was fun until my daddy stopped it real quick.

Another reason I love writing Southern—the food! Fried chicken or fried catfish, peas and creamed corn, roast beef and mashed potatoes that came out of our garden like everything else, huge pound cakes, and all kinds of pies. And the biscuits. I still love me some biscuits, even if I have to watch my waistline.

I also love the settings in a Southern story, and usually in my books, we’ll find jasmine vines growing on a trellis or gazebo, azaleas planted in big yards, blooming in several varieties and colors, camellias blooming in the winter, and huge life oaks and magnolia trees whispering secrets in the wind. What’s not to love!

You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. Family, food, and a slow-going life full of adventures and sometimes, tragedy. A southern story can always have a blend of modern times with a little mix of gothic. If there is wisteria nearby, you have the beginning of a little night music and a compelling love story.

I hope you’ll join me on some of my Southern Born adventures!

About the author

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Honor Rolls, Lenora Worth writes romance and romantic suspense for Harlequin’s Love Inspired and sweet romance for Tule Publishing. Her books have finaled in the ACFW Carol Awards. She also received the Romantic Times Pioneer Award for Inspirational Fiction. Lenora is a NY Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling writer and a 2019 RWA RITA® Finalist. With eighty-plus books published and over three million books in print, she enjoys adventures with her retired husband and loves reading, baking and shopping…especially shoe shopping.

Go to www.lenoraworth.com to sign up for Lenora’s newsletter and find her book list and upcoming releases.

Where Real Life Meets the Crime Scene with Tina Wolff

February 23, 2026 · Posted by Tule Publishing

The mystery genre contains a wide and varied spectrum of storytelling. There is truly space for every voice and a place for every reader. I first fell in love with mysteries in my teens—my grandfather was a Nero Wolfe fan and shared his passion with me. Never did I imagine that some ten years later I would marry a Wolff—albeit spelled differently.

Nero Wolfe mysteries are private eye detective stories with the majority of the pages dedicated to the investigation of the murder. But the remaining pages tell the story of the relationship between Nero and his right-hand-man Archie. We learn about orchids, fine dining and finer meals, and life in the period Rex Stout wrote—beginning in 1934 and concluding in 1974. (Just think of how life changed in that time!) I opened the books for the mystery, but I flipped the pages for the colorful scenes and commentary that made it all fun, aka the drama.

These days, I devour books, reading about 75 a year. As I’ve refined my reading
preference, I find that I am most drawn to stories that are 50/50. Mystery / Drama.
Romance / Suspense. Paranormal / Mystery. It’s like going out for ice cream and getting
a twist cone. I don’t have to choose between chocolate and vanilla—I can have both!

As I’ve matured in my writing style, I’m again 50/50. I can write a mystery and only a
mystery … but I think that would bore me. Perhaps that’s not the write word. I think I
would find it too intense. I love getting to know the characters and putting them in
awkward situations. So many come from real life. If they haven’t happened direct to me,
the people they did happen to told me the stories. Honestly, life would be boring if
everything went smoothly. Just last week, I traveled for work and somehow forgot
deodorant. I didn’t realize how many times a day I raise my arms until I forbade myself
from doing so. I went through an entire day at a conference with T-Rex arms. Sooner or
later, THAT is going in a book.

While I call it “drama”, I’m not talking about giving every character a tragic backstory
that has them taking every alphabet drug advertised on streaming channels just to get
out of bed. I’m talking about the real things we all deal with. Family. Work. Friends.
Health. I do occasionally tackle bigger issues. In my De La Cruz series, my lead
detective was a recovering alcoholic. This was inspired by and a tribute to my brother-
in-law who is fighting and winning against the addiction. In my new Rizk Brothers Legal
Mysteries, Jakob and his wife Courtney are expecting and dealing with the fear that
came with a prior miscarriage. I miscarried between my two sons and was surprised to
learn just how many couples deal with the loss. So many reached out to help me and, while it was 20 years ago, I remember their kindnesses. I hope bringing the experience
into my characters’ lives helps others feel not so alone.

Real life isn’t all work and no play, why should mysteries be any different? Incorporating
caricatures of real life—slightly exaggerated, kinda awkward, always entertaining—gives my detectives time to catch their breath and you, dear mystery lover, a chance to order your mind and suss out the killer.

Happy hunting, detectives!

About the Author

TG Wolff writes mysteries meant to be solved. She specializes in puzzles and giving you everything you need to beat the detective to the solution. Diverse characters mirror the complexities of real life and real people, balanced with a healthy dose of entertainment. TG Wolff holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, which gives her no background in writing but was an excellent training ground for mystery solving.

Ties That Kill: A Different Kind of Hero for a Different Kind of Thriller

February 18, 2026 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Love the mystery/thriller genre but tired of the stereotypical hero? You know the type: ex-military, never loses a fight, irresistible to women. Likewise, weary of authors creating characters of color—usually sidekicks—drawn from inauthentic life experiences? Missing nuanced portrayals of Black characters in popular culture?

If you’re ready for something different, Ties That Kill, Book One of the Silent Justice series, may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

The Setup: A Mystery That Cuts Deep

A dead man is found at a lakefront vacation home owned by a wealthy industrialist.
An anonymous letter lands in the hands of a local TV personality.
A dangerous standoff grips a blue-collar town as a lone man faces off against the FBI.

How are they connected?

When more bodies surface, the question shifts from who killed them to why. And that answer may be the only way this ends without more bloodshed.

A veteran FBI hostage negotiator is pulled from vacation into a volatile situation: local football hero Noah Winston—a skilled marksman with a troubled past—is barricaded inside his home. With tensions rising and the optics of a lone Black man surrounded by dozens of armed agents growing increasingly fraught, every move matters.

As suspicious deaths pile up, the negotiator and a TV reporter begin to understand their true mission isn’t solving a murder—it’s uncovering a decades-old cover-up. With help from Noah’s lifelong best friend Ricky, they unravel a web of race, power, loyalty, and justice playing out in real time.

In this gripping mystery, the line between justice and vengeance blurs. The powerful believed the past was buried. But Noah Winston doesn’t forget—and he doesn’t forgive.

What Makes This Story Different

Noah Winston isn’t cut from the usual thriller mold.

Raised in a small, blue-collar city and mentored by his fierce debt-collector-turned-bouncer father, Noah’s moral code was forged in places rarely explored in the genre. His story unfolds largely through the recollections of his lifelong best friend, Ricky—a white man whose bond with Noah begins in seventh grade in the funky late ’70s.

What follows is as much a coming-of-age story as it is a high-stakes thriller. Their friendship—built on football, loyalty, and shared history—becomes the thin line between life and death. In fact, the only thing preventing an FBI task force from storming Noah’s house (few believe he’ll be taken alive) is Ricky’s ongoing dialogue with the hostage negotiator.

This isn’t just a story about a standoff. It’s about family, poverty, race, friendship, and the long shadow of injustice.

Why I Wrote It

Growing up, there was a dearth of people of color in leading roles in the books and films I loved. It was a normalized experience—rarely seeing anyone who looked like me at the center of the story during an often tumultuous era of life.

I wanted to write a novel that delivered everything readers expect from a mystery/thriller—tension, momentum, high stakes—while also offering a protagonist with emotional depth and lived authenticity. I wanted readers of all backgrounds to understand not just what he does, but why.

Thus was born Noah Winston.

So… Hero or Villain?

Hero? Depends on your definition—and your understanding of his moral code.

Badass?

Definitely.

About the author

Fran Thomas finds one of the most difficult things about the writing process is trying to find the absolute right genre to describe his books. Mystery, thriller, suspense, multicultural, Black/African-American, crime/conspiracy? As a former Principal, he now appreciates the D. All of the above option his students had on many tests.

Desperate to find heroes who looked like him while growing up, Fran gravitated to Marvel comics, and appreciated how its diverse heroes challenged cultural stereotypes. Iconic characters like the Black Panther, Storm and Luke Cage added unique perspectives and contexts to dynamic storytelling, as did anti-heroes like The Punisher. His Silent Justice series continues that tradition.

When not writing, he can typically be found in the gym, Krav Maga dojo or reading–Marvel comics are still a staple. A lifelong New Englander, he is eagerly awaiting the springtime arrival of his first grandchild.

Behind the Veil: Halloween Q&A with Raemi A. Ray

October 19, 2025 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Today on the blog, we’re thrilled to welcome mystery author Raemi A. Ray—author of the delightful Martha’s Vineyard Murders series. With Halloween in the air and fall in full swing, we sat down with Raemi to talk haunted houses, guilty-pleasure snacks (looking at you, candy corn), and what’s next in her chillingly clever book series. From cults to corruption, and yes—even bat skeletons for the fireplace—Raemi’s answers are as sharp and unexpected as one of her plot twists. Let’s dive in!

1. If your book were a Halloween movie, what would it be called?

“Murder Island” sounds like a slasher movie, but I’ve always like the cutesy portmanteau titles like “Halloweentown” so perhaps, “Halloweenland?” Maybe the characters join in on a costume parade or something?

2. What’s your go-to fall treat or spooky-season snack?

Candy corn, in the candy corn shape and original color/flavor. I know it’s disgusting and I feel awful when I eat them, but the heart wants what the heart wants. The candy pumpkins are an abomination.

3. What are you currently working on? What inspired you to write this series/book?

I’m finishing up edits on Book 5 of the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series and working on Book 6. Truthfully, it’s a dull story about market research. There was nothing inspiring about the overall concept of writing mystery novels set on Martha’s Vineyard. However, the individual murder mystery stories are all unique and the ideas came from different places,
but mostly real life: Book 1 is about Cape Wind, an offshore windmill project, Book 2 is inspired by the story of the Whydah Galley, Book 3 is loosely based on a merger and acquisition I worked on (it was so boring), Book 4 is based on the unsolved Martha’s Vineyard murder of Clara Smith, Book 5 is about police corruption, and Book 6 will be about a cult.

4. Which character in your series would survive a haunted house—and who wouldn’t make
it out?

Gully would survive a haunted house. He’s unflappable and takes everything in stride. I haven’t told Gully’s story, yet, but it’s in the back of my mind. Despite being Dean Winchester-coded, Tarek wouldn’t make it. He’s too cynical and logical. He’d refuse to believe in ghosts even as they sucked out his soul. He also doesn’t believe in souls.

5. What’s one fall tradition you or your main character never skip?

Neither me nor my main character are much for traditions, but I have an unconventional tradition-by- convenience, I suppose. In the fall, I go shopping. My house is decorated with skulls and skeletons, and this time of year I can buy bone-themed things everywhere. As such, each autumn I shop for new house stuff matching my spooky year-round décor. This year I need new wine glasses, and I want a bat skeleton for my fireplace mantle.

About the author

Raemi A. Ray is the author of the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series. Her travels to the island and around the world inspire her stories. She lives with her family in Boston.

Photo Credit: L.A. Brown

Behind the Veil: Halloween Q&A with Kris Bock

October 12, 2025 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Kris Bock headshotToday we’re welcoming the wonderfully witty Kris Bock to the blog! From haunted museums in New Mexico to accidental detectives navigating life (and crime) after 50, Kris writes mystery and suspense with a healthy dose of humor and heart. We asked her all about Halloween movie titles, fall baking fails (spider cookies, anyone?), psychic sleuths, and the real magic of roasting green chile. Whether you’re into ghost stories, cozy casseroles, or just a great character-driven mystery, this is an autumn conversation you won’t want to miss.

1. If your book were a Halloween movie, what would it be called?

The Accidental Detective is a humorous series about a former war correspondent reinventing herself as she faces fifty, so how about The Curse of Starting Over.

For A Stone Cold Murder (The Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mysteries), maybe Little Museum of Horrors, since it’s set at a quirky small town Museum in New Mexico.

2. What’s your go-to fall treat or spooky-season snack?

As the weather gets cooler, I enjoy baking more. I once tried making chocolate chip cookies where you pull them out of the oven and use a toothpick to drag melted chocolate out of the chips to make “legs” so they look like spiders, but getting the legs thin turned out to be way harder than the online photos made it look. Now I see most of the recipes suggest using melted chocolate in a pastry tip or Ziploc bag.

I can’t find photos of my cookies where the spiders all had really fat legs, but here are some decorated mini cheesecakes I made for a different spooky party. Another favorite fall recipe that isn’t particularly spooky but is very tasty and season is Chai Tea Shortbread. Yum!

3. What are you currently working on? What inspired you to write this series/book?

The next book I have coming out is Buried in Betrayal (Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery Book 3) in early January. It continues the adventures of Petra as she enjoys her new “found family” and job at the Banditt Museum in small-town New Mexico and, of course, gets involved with another murder investigation. I believe the seventh Accidental Detective book will be out sometime next year as well. I’m doing some research and story development for a possible new mystery series, but it’s too early to talk about that! I’ll simply say that my ferrets are helping with the plotting.

4. Which character in your series would survive a haunted house—and who wouldn’t make
it out?

My main characters and sidekicks are pretty good at working together, so I think they’d all make it out. In the Accidental Detective series, Kate would have to wrangle her father’s “challenging” friends, who would probably want to run toward danger rather than away from it. But with her sister by her side, I think they’d get everybody out safely.

In Reluctantly Psychic, Petra might find a way to communicate with any ghosts, since they are presumably psychic energy left behind after death. So she could try to help them resolve their issues. And if that didn’t work, her new friends have some surprising skills that might help everyone escape.

5. What’s one fall tradition you or your main character never skip?

In New Mexico, autumn is announced by a chill in the morning air and the scent of roasting green chile. We eat green chile (the local pepper, not chili the stew) year-round on almost everything, but autumn is a great time for green chile stew, enchilada casserole, and other tasty local dishes. Check out some Southwestern recipes and baked good recipes on my blog!

About the author

Kris Bock headshotKris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with smart, snarky heroines finding adventure
(sometimes against their will) in the Southwest. She lives in New Mexico where she enjoys hiking with her
husband and playing with their ferrets.

Sometimes You Need a Lucky Bounce

September 24, 2025 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Just like in sports, sometimes in publishing, you need a lucky bounce.

My journey into novel writing began three years ago, inspired by a tragic and extraordinary incident that unfolded in an Indiana mall in the summer of 2022. On that day, an armed gunman entered the mall with an assault rifle and killed three people. Unbeknownst to him, a young man named Eli Dicken was also there. He had a concealed carry permit and was armed. In a remarkable act of bravery, Eli shot and killed the active shooter.

The story struck me on many levels. Eli was a hero, but the event also raised questions in my mind about gun laws, society, and how we ended up policing ourselves in such a way. That single moment was the catalyst for me to begin writing. My debut novel starts with a similar situation, an active shooter brought down by an armed bystander. Beyond that premise, however, everything in my story is pure fiction.

The Long Road to Publishing

Once I had finished my manuscript, I thought it was pretty good and so I hired a professional editor, who agreed with me. Feeling encouraged, I began pitching it into the publishing world. I quickly discovered how challenging the process really is.

One of the most frustrating parts of querying agents and publishers is how little feedback you receive. If you get a response at all, it is often generic. More often than not, I heard some version of, “It’s not a good fit for me,” but without any guidance as to why.

For 18 months, I sent out queries. I spent three times as long trying to find a publisher as I did writing the manuscript. During that period, I received only scattered bits of feedback. One agent thought my manuscript was too “didactic.” I had to look it up, but I will save you a trip to the dictionary if you don’t know: It means preachy. Another agent suggested the active shooter premise might be too controversial and hit too close to home. That was tough to hear because the premise was not something I could simply change. The story depends on it.

A Lucky Break

After months of rejection and vague responses, what I really needed was some luck. That came when I connected with Tule Publishing. My manuscript landed in the inbox of Julie Sturgeon, the acquiring editor for Tule Mystery.

Julie, who’s already incredibly sharp, lives in Indiana, and on the day Eli Dicken fired those famous shots, she was in that mall parking lot; the first cop on the scene swerved to miss hitting her Miata. By pure coincidence, she had a direct and visceral understanding of the moment that inspired my novel.

That hesitancy I had been facing with others didn’t exist with Julie. She understood the story, the premise, and the nuances. She did not shy away from the subject matter. Instead, she leaned in, read it through, and helped make it better. For that, I am forever grateful to Julie and Tule Mystery.

Appreciating the Bounce

As a college basketball fan, Julie knows how important a lucky bounce can be. A ball rolls around the rim and falls your way. A half-court heave beats the buzzer. Or, a player named Keith Smart seemingly comes out of nowhere, lights it up on a Monday night, and gives her beloved Hoosiers a national title.

Sometimes that one break changes everything. For me, Julie was that bounce. Without her, my manuscript might still be sitting in a stack of unread queries. Instead, it became the first installment of The Lemaster Files.

I hope you will give The Bystander a chance. You can read the first chapter for free on the Tule Publishing website here. If you enjoy it, I would be deeply flattered if you bought a copy. And if you do not, that is okay too. I already feel lucky just to be here.

About the author

John David is a long-time public relations and crisis communications consultant, author of a non-fiction business book, and a corporate ghostwriter. His debut novel, The Bystander (The Lemaster Files Book 1), was longlisted for the BPA First Novel Award. When not working or writing, he enjoys fishing, talking about politics, and following the Florida Gators. He and his beautiful wife Pamela live in Pinecrest, Florida.

Follow me on Bluesky.

From Scalpel to Storyline: Real-Life Medicine Meets Romance in Yukon Valley

August 7, 2025 · Posted by Tule Publishing

I’m so excited to be here talking with you about books – one of my favorite topics! That, and my love of medicine. Given my career as a doctor and the types of books I’ve released this year, it’s no surprise that I really love talking about the spot where medicine and fiction come together!

Tule editor extraordinaire, Julie Sturgeon, standing next to a poster of the series she helped bring to you. We’re goofing off because we can’t take a serious photo to save our lives. This was taken at Indy Author Event in Indianapolis, and yes I’ll be there next year – happily talking about books, books, books!

At first I wasn’t sure what to write for the Tule Book Blog. But as I sat, bone-weary, having just finished 10 days of locums work in the middle of nowhere, I thought maybe sharing a bit of life-becomes-fiction-becomes-life would be fun to read about! Or exhausting to read about. Either way, entertaining.

As you know, all three books in the YUKON VALLEY, ALASKA hospital series are now published! It’s a medical romance series that’s “Grey’s Anatomy meets Northern Exposure” and it was so fun to write and share with readers!

These books focus on healthcare professionals of all stripes who have to overcome physical, emotional, and geographic challenges to not only save lives, but to find true love.

  1. ALASKA, the first book in the series, follows a rural locums (temporary) physician who travels from sunny, warm Georgia to frigid Alaska where she butts heads with the town’s head paramedic, even as they must work together to help patients.

Story time! I wrote the first draft of DR. ALASKA back in 2021, when I was still working a full-time job in a very rural part of the country. My duties included hospital admissions, deliveries and c-sections, newborn care, and lots of procedures. I had never done locums work, although I had previously received the support of locums physicians in my own practice.

One of the many End of the World locations. You can almost see Canada from here!

In this photo, I’m prepping for an endoscopy case in mid-2020 – aka COVID pandemic hell. I was the hospital’s chief of staff at the time. Our facility was swamped with extremely sick patients, and the medical staff was spread so thin. I remember being very, very tired in this picture. But hey, I was still “smizing,” right?

Fast forward to May of 2024 when I received the contract from Tule to publish all three books in the medical romance series! Right around the same time, I began working as a locums doc myself. My job involved temporarily taking over practice duties for rural physicians. 

It was a truly surreal experience bringing the first book, DR. ALASKA, to publication, given that the story was about a locums doctor doing literally the job I was currently doing, also at a very remote location. I was experiencing the same things the character experienced! (Minus the sexy sled-dog racer/paramedic, darn it.)

In my car at the End Of The World, -20F, blizzard, hospital parking lot. I really don’t want to exit the warm vehicle to go check on a laboring patient.

There would be moments when editing all three books where I changed certain details because of the real-time, real-life experiences I was having. There were moments where my life basically became my fiction! Talk about a weird adventure!

All that to say, I love what I do from a medical practice perspective. Even though I’m now settled into a job in academic medicine (I’m a professor now – what?), I still do locums work 3-4 times each year in rural places. It’s a great way to keep my skills sharp, help colleagues, and bring back knowledge and experiences to pass along to the next generation of physicians. 

It’s also good fodder for future books … So stay tuned. I’m not done with Yukon Valley yet.  ☺

If you enjoy my stories (real or fictional), I hope you’ll hang out with me on my newsletter https://www.jilliandavid.net/newsletter-signup.html. There, you can stay up to date with all of my shenanigans!

Here are some other pictures of places where I’ve practiced medicine:

Just outside of a town I worked in. This area wasn’t “rural” it was “frontier” which apparently is even less-populated than “rural”… some Ob patients drove 2-3 hours to get to my hospital!

 

In this location, the town and hospital were at the base of a mountain range, so I could go snowshoeing or skiing but still be close enough to take call!

When caring for entire families, I get to know people so well. This pregnant couple had a great sense of humor. On his wife’s instructions, the patient’s husband popped up from behind the drape while she was having her c-section, and said “cheese” and of course I smiled. Which you cannot see because … mask. Yup, I’m a dork. Yup, I got permission to use this picture. Nope, there’s no HIPAA violation if you don’t know who, where, or when.

On the outskirts of a town (can you see the town from here? sure you can!) in the middle of the country in the absolute middle of nowhere!

Just outside of the town in Appalachia where I worked for several years.

About the Author

Award-winning and bestselling author Jillian David quickly writes then slowly edits medical romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense books. She loves to use medical situations and characters to drive drama in her books. Her favorite cell is the platelet and her least-favorite organ is the pancreas. She fully believes that curse words, when appropriately deployed during surgery, are hemostatic. Which also explains why no book of hers will ever bleed out…

 

 

The Scene That Changed Everything

July 23, 2025 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Writing Blood in the Cradle has been cathartic to me and I am so thrilled that Detective Chloe Van Belle has found her home. When I took on the challenge of writing a character with synesthesia, I didn’t know that she would change everything for me. Chloe’s passion for everything she does, her undying need for justice, and her morbid curiosity really struck a chord with me. Draft after draft, pieces of her tough exterior started to crack, and her vulnerability started to shine through. The chapter that really took a turn for me was Lillian Finney’s autopsy scene.

From the start, I wanted it to set the tone for the rest of the book—unsettling and difficult. I was fortunate to have the help from forensic expert, Geoff Symon, while writing this chapter, making sure all the information was accurate, and I learned a lot about autopsies.

My other goal with the chapter was to show how Chloe’s synesthesia really messed with her. It’s not a pretty scene, it’s dark and really challenging to comprehend. I’d grown tired of reading thrillers with children who passed, who were posed in a beautiful and angelic way. I wanted to portray what it was really like to lose a child in such a gruesome, senseless way, while also staying respectful to the character.

Since Chloe’s synesthesia presents itself as death tasting like cinnamon sugar, this was the perfect opportunity to really hone in on that. The scene is emotional and raw, capturing Chloe’s tangled grief and her morbid, intrusive curiosity. It sets the tone for the rest of the story: her uneasy relationship with death, the difficulty she has compartmentalizing it, and the quiet unraveling that makes her question why she ever chose this job.

I didn’t expect there to be a pit in my stomach while writing that scene—but there was. Not because of the violence or the grief, but because something in Chloe’s reaction mirrored my own. Her need to understand death, to make sense of something senseless, felt painfully familiar. I’ve always believed that fiction lets us walk the edge of things we fear, and in that moment, Chloe was walking it for me. She seems to do that in a lot of ways for me. Chloe may have started as a character on the page, but in that moment, standing beside that little girl, she became something more. And I think I did too.

By the end of the book, Chloe isn’t healed, but she’s no longer hiding from her grief, her instincts, or herself. Writing her journey gave me permission to look at the darker parts of my own curiosity and admit that sometimes, the most unsettling stories are the ones worth telling.

If there’s one thing I hope readers take away from this scene, it’s that grief and justice can coexist, and that sometimes, the people asking the hardest questions are the ones who’ve been haunted the longest.

About the Author

Cobie LaJeanne writes palpable psychological fiction with layered characters and storylines that will haunt you for years. As an adoptee with C-PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder, she is a strong advocate for mental health and the road toward healing. Her work is inspired by events in her life as well as true crime stories, exploring important topics such as familial generational trauma, religious/cult trauma, adoption trauma, and more.

Cobie lives in an RV full-time with her husband and two small girls, traveling the United States. When she isn’t writing, she loves to take French classes, listen to 90s and Y2K music, and experiment with makeup.

Her favorite authors include Loreth Anne White, Karin Slaughter, L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain, and Tana French.

Headshot by Jim Clark at Beaver County Photography 

Secrets, Suspicion, and Second Chances with Carol Light

July 9, 2025 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Death Watch, the second book in my Southern Secrets Mysteries series, is about second chances. Jana Nance (I pronounce her name JAN-ah), is forty-eight, a widow, and an empty nester. Her two grown daughters are living independently although they’re still emotionally dependent on their mom. They often call to vent about their relationships but seldom take her advice.

When Jana is passed over for a promotion at the Indiana Department of Tourism, she begins to think of making a change in her life. Her beloved grandmother, Nana Sue, who had provided a home for her in Crossroads, Arkansas, when she was in high school, has been moved into a nursing home due to her advancing Alzheimer’s disease. So, when the newly created job of tourism director opens in Crossroads, Jana applies and is selected for what promises to be her dream job.

A second chance is just that—an opportunity at which you may or may not succeed. Jana’s new job description probably should have had an asterisk with a footnote explaining that her new boss would be the mayor, Deeann Donahue, the girl in high school she most disliked. Succeeding in her job may depend on how well she can work with her boss, but Jana isn’t sure she wants a second chance to build a positive relationship with Deeann. Fortunately, her best friend, Charlie, now lives next door to Nana’s house. However, tragedy strikes when Jana and her new tourism committee discover the body of Charlie’s son, Eli, at the site of the city’s new proposed park. Eli is found with a cache of fentanyl-laced drugs, and allegations that he may have been selling them soon threaten the friendship between the two women.

There’s no second chance for police chief Tim Birch when he arrives too late to save a young officer who’s suffered a fatal exposure to fentanyl at a traffic stop. Tim is first on the scene, but resuscitation efforts fail. The dead officer is the niece of Tim’s sergeant, who hasn’t embraced his promotion to chief. Eli’s death in the park further leads to suspicion that there may be other officers on his force working against him. Tim will need help from a variety of sources, including Jana, to stop the spread of dangerous drugs and catch a killer who won’t stop with one victim.

For those who read Deadly Inheritance, my first Southern Secrets mystery, Death Watch is your second chance to spend time with the Crossroads characters you met in that story. Jack Huddleston, the word-nerd publisher of the Gazette newspaper is back, although he faces challenges of his own after recent near-death experiences. Merritt Quinn, Cal Kinney, and Curt Macmillan also return. And that new doctor in town, Clay Bailey? I don’t want to spoil a surprise, but there’s even a second chance at love for Jana in this story.

I hope you’ll enjoy Death Watch. Don’t expect all the loose ends to be tied up. There’s more to come in March 2026 when Tule releases my next Southern Secrets mystery, Fatal Silence, your third chance to visit Crossroads, Arkansas.

All the best,
Carol

About the Author

 

Carol Light is an avid reader and writer of mysteries. She loves creating amateur sleuths and complicating their normal lives with a crime that they must use their talents and wits to solve. She’s traveled worldwide and lived in Australia for eight years, teaching high school English and learning to speak “Strine.” Florida is now her home. If she’s not at the beach or writing, you can find her tackling quilting in much the same way that she figures out her mysteries—piece by piece, clue by clue. You can also follow me on BlueSky.