VERONICA HELEY

 Veronica Heley has published over seventy books, having been in the business for more than forty years. She lives in Great Britain and is currently writing two gentle crime series set in different areas of London. She also produces the occasional short story. She’s involved with her local church and community affairs, likes to break for coffee with friends and does the garden when she has time. She has been a member of a book reading club for forty years, but has decided that life is too short to read depressing literature anymore.

Now and then someone asks me what Ellie Quicke is like. Sometimes they say they think that she’s like me, and I say, ‘Yes, she is – sort of.’ Because she is not very tall, not exactly sylph-like and her hair is silver. But Ellie is not really me. I wouldn’t call myself a soldier for Christ – but then, neither would Ellie. Yet that is what she is, in a way. But she’s also a fallible human being who can be forgetful and leave the house with her skirt tucked up into her pants at the back. And yes, the other day I put on a full skirt, and as I was walking up past the shops, a woman I didn’t know called out to me and pointed . . . and then we both got the giggles. So perhaps I’m more like Ellie than I thought.

I recorded an interview and some extracts from my newsletters for the people who produce the Ellie and Bea audiobooks, and they have now gone live on their Soundcloud page. I do hope you like them. My website manager says he’s put links through my website on the home page – that’s the interview; and on the blog page. But you can also access the official Isis sites through this: 

Podcast & Interview:

https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/isis-unabridged-podcast-3-veronica-heley-interview

Collected newsletters 2011-2014 (one audio file)

https://soundcloud.com/isis/veronica-heley-newsletters-2011-2014

Links to individual newsletters (click on each title)

https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/sets/veronica-heley-newsletters

Some more good news. I’ve got the first of the reviews in for MURDER IN TIME, published in May in the UK, and August in the USA. Booklist says that ‘The indomitable amateur sleuth Ellie Quicke is back doing what she does to perfection... An absorbing plot starring the always charming Ellie, and a slam-bang ending, makes this one a pleasure to read.’ AND – wait for it – Publishers Weekly says ‘Heley’s prose is sure, her characters well-drawn, and though her tone is light, the plot is satisfyingly dark and sinister.’ How about that!

LONGSWORD is the next of my historicals to be brought out as an e-book by Severn house. We’re back in the lawless Middle Ages when a man fleeing from a wrongful conviction takes refuge in the castle in which lives a girl who’d once been promised to him in marriage. He’s a red-head but the cover gives him black hair. Oh well. Now, if I’ve understood this correctly, if you do Control and click on this URL, you get the cover and the first two chapters; http://aerbook.com/books/Longsword-8830.html And yes, it works!

And so, back to Ellie number sixteen. This is now roaring ahead, with Diana being threatened with hell-fire – am I enjoying that bit! – and suspicion being cast everywhere. I know that very soon I’m going to have the copy editing of the last Bea Abbot to do, so I’m trying to get ahead with Ellie while I can.

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

Severn House e-books released in June, July and August

Bea Abbot:   FALSE STEP: http://aerbook.com/books/False_Step-8687.html

Historical:    LONGSWORD: http://aerbook.com/books/Longsword-8830.html

Ellie Quicke: MURDER IN TIME:  http://aerbook.com/books/Murder_in_Time-8823.html.

Don’t forget that if you would like a digital review copy of Murder in Time, it is available from Severn House through NetGalley. This facility is available to librarians, booksellers and established reviewers and bloggers, but NOT to the general public who only post reviews on Amazon or Goodreads – unless they are Amazon Vine reviewers or GoodReads librarians.  Apply direct to Charlotte Loftus on Charlotte@Severnhouse.com

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories originally published in the Methodist Recorder, concerning the problems of three retired men and their families, plus some Ellie Quicke short stories. £3.40 UK, and $4.90 USA. http://www.veronicaheley.com/othertitles.php?11-11

 Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

 

Sandra Orchard and Counterfeit Currency

LISA: One of the things I love about writing is all of the research. It doesn’t seem to matter if I’m writing historical or contemporary, I always end up spending hours upon hours doing research. And because I enjoy it so much, I admit that I sometimes find myself spending a bit too much time researching those tiny details.

Because of this, I was particularly interested in hearing from Sandra Orchard about some of the research she had to do for her second book in her Port Aster Secret mystery series, Blind Trust, that recently released. Here’s what Sandra has to share about researching counterfeit money! (Don’t forget to read to the end of the post to find out how you can win a copy of one of Sandra’s fabulous books!)

SANDRA: Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by your blog! I also love doing research and Blind Trust was no exception. This story opens with my heroine being caught passing counterfeit bills. Bills she received from her dear sweet neighbor lady to buy groceries—a woman who couldn’t possibly be printing counterfeit money in her basement. Could she?! 

This is the first of several mysteries in the story, and one I had a lot of fun researching. Once I managed to convince my local banker that I wasn’t contemplating anything illegal, she was happy to sit down with me and demonstrate all the things they look for to discern counterfeit money from the real thing.

The story is set in Canada, where, like in New Zealand and Australia, our bills are now all plastic and much more difficult to counterfeit then the old paper bills. 

However, at the time I was writing the novel, the new five and ten-dollar bills hadn’t released yet, so I decided that those would be what my bad guy counterfeited, since even now many paper twenties, tens and fives are still in circulation. 

My American editor, unaware of the marked differences between Canadian and American bills was skeptical that anyone would risk counterfeiting such small denominations. 

However, my neighbor had received fake five-dollar bills in the Ladies Missionary Circle offering at her church on two separate occasions (an event I include in the story), so I knew it wasn’t too far-fetched. 

But for fun, when the security guard presents my Detective hero with the evidence and the detective raises his eyebrow to the heroine, she responds:

“You can’t think that I . . . ?” At the amused twinkle in his eyes, she let out a humph. “What kind of moron counterfeits ten-dollar bills? If I wanted to defraud someone, I’d at least go for twenties. More likely fifties or hundreds!”

The amusement in Tom’s bright blue eyes intensified, but he held his mouth in a firm line. “You’re not helping your case,” he murmured.

She rolled her eyes. He knew she was joking. Then again—she slanted a glance at the guard—maybe this guy didn’t.

In the US, the most common type of small-time counterfeiting operation is a cut and paste job in which someone cuts the corners off a twenty and pastes them onto four 1-dollar bills, for example, then tries to palm off each as a twenty, usually to buy a two-dollar item so that they’ll receive their change in real money. But this won’t work with Canadian bills as each denomination is a distinctly different color and the numbers aren't in the corners.

However, modern copiers and printers do an astounding job of replicating paper money that will pass undetected to those who aren’t paying close attention. For example, the last time our paper fives got a new look, an enterprising teenager printed a bunch of fakes and palmed them off to unsuspecting classmates, who’d never seen the crisp new bills and so were easily duped. 

But…I’ve been told that newer color copiers and printers are designed to lock up if they’re used to print money. As tempting as it was, I didn’t dare test it on my own printer! 

Not to mention I’d spent a lot of time studying the Criminal Code of Canada while writing the book, and learned that it’s a criminal offence to: make, publish, print, execute, issue, distribute or circulate, including by electronic or computer-assisted means, anything in the likeness of a current bank-note.

Now, if you have authentic looking play money for your kids, no worries, there are exceptions for bills that are less than ¾ of the size of the real thing or that are printed on only one side or printed in black and white. 

Whew! Wouldn’t want those little kiddies carted off to jail while playing store!

(All bank note images in this blog were sourced from the Bank of Canada image gallery.)

LISA: Thanks so much for sharing, Sandra! Now for the giveaway. Sandra is offering an Ebook giveaway of Blind Trust (or Deadly Devotion if the winner hasn’t read it) or one of her LIS books if the winner has already read both of the Port Aster books. Leave a comment below with a message for Sandra. I’ll draw a winner after midnight (PST), Aug 6^th.

Sandra Orchard is a multi-award-winning Canadian author of inspirational romantic suspense/mysteries with Love Inspired Suspense and Revell. An active member in American Christian Fiction Writers, The Word Guild, and Romance Writers of America, she enjoys helping writers hone their skills. To find out more about her novels, and to read interesting bonus features, please visit www.sandraorchard.com or connect at www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard 

Click here to buy the book!

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

TRACY HIGLEY Interview and GIVEAWAY!

TRACY HIGLEY started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored twelve novels, including The Queen’s Handmaid and Chasing Babylon. Tracy is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. See her travel journals and more at TracyHigley.com

We're so excited to have Tracy Higley with us today! I'm personally a huge fan and let me tell you, you are going to love her latest release, AWAKENING. 

Tracy is giving away one copy--either print or ebook--of AWAKENING to one winner. To enter the drawing simply comment below and include your email address.

Now, let's find out more about her.

SS: How long have you been writing?

I started writing stories as soon as I picked up a pencil, I think!  My first “real” novel was started at the age of eight. I wrote short stories, plays, poems, and newspaper articles all through my childhood, but it took until I was about thirty to begin getting serious about writing novels for publication.

SS: Do you write full time? If the answer is no, what else do you do? If you are a full time author, what other jobs did you have in the past?

Besides writing, I also run an internet retail company, selling mainly craft and hobby supplies online. I have employees that handle all the day-to-day operations, which leaves me free to pursue writing, research, and travel. I’m also finishing up a Master’s degree in Ancient History.

SS: Tell us about the moment you finally felt like a “real author”?

I think it was the evening I got the call from my agent that my first book had been offered a contract by a publisher.  I’d only had an agent for about three weeks at that point, so the whole thing was very new.  I was shocked!

SS: Who has been your greatest supporter as an author? 

No question—my husband. In the early days, before the contracts started coming, he would rearrange his work schedule so he could be home with our little ones so I could get away and write, and his support has continued for the past twelve years – from encouraging me to get away to strategizing my career with me to just listening to me vent about stories that aren’t working!

SS:  Why suspense? Do you write in any other genres? If so, what?

I’ve written both contemporary suspense and historical suspense, but I always seem to gravitate toward the edge-of-your-seat types of stories that are heavily plotted with lots of twists and turns. It’s what I love to read, so I guess it’s a natural fit for my writing, too.

SS: How does your faith play into your writing?

Every book seems to be at least a bit of my own faith journey – discovering the ways in which God calls us to be part of a larger Story, to take on our own adventures, and the ways in which we resist and struggle. I think I’m always working that out on the page, through my characters.

SS: If you couldn’t write, what else would you want to do?

I really enjoy the business side of my life, so that would probably fill up more of my time.

SS:  Tell us about your current release.

I am very excited about this week’s release of Awakening.  I’ve been writing historicals for a few years now, and this is my first novel with a contemporary setting for quite some time. It’s woven with historical elements, but the main storyline is about a woman who has lost her memory in some unknown trauma, and the global quest for an artifact that is mysteriously tied to her past.   

SS: Where did you get your inspiration for this book?

It actually started on a long walk with another writer friend – John Olson – who is awesome at coming up with storylines. We were brainstorming together about the book I would write if I had no constraints of genre, market, or expectations.  The idea for the story was born that day, and evolved in the months that followed.

SS: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from your story?

I hope readers walk away with a sense of the mysterious and unexplained elements of the world in which we live – one where God is much larger than we tend to think and the unexpected can happen to any of us.

SS: Who is your favorite character in this book and why?

I love the main character Kallie’s strength and courage in the face of the great obstacles she faces.

SS: Who is your least favorite character in this book? Why?

Least favorite character?  I love them all!  Even the bad guys!

SS: What are you working on now?

I’m working on a trilogy of novellas that follow the magi on their journey to Bethlehem. It’s not your grandmother’s magi story, though!  Suspense, action, adventure, and spiritual darkness abound.

SS: A tough question: Where do you want to be career-wise in five years? Ten years? 

I’d love to still be doing what I’m doing – writing a couple of books each year and getting them out to readers who love them. I’d also like to continue my travels, and spend some longer periods of time in different areas of the world as my kids get older and more independent of me.

SS:  Now let’s get a little personal. Name two things on your “bucket list” that you haven’t done yet.   

I don’t really have a bucket list, but two places I’d really like to travel to someday are Morocco (Casablanca) and India.

SS:  What is the silliest thing you have ever done? 

Ha! I’m not nearly silly enough, so I will substitute “stupid.”  I tend to get lost in my own head often, which results in some mishaps.  Like getting seriously lost out in the world. Running out of gas (often). Forgetting to pick up children.  It’s a problem.

SS: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

Overcoming my significant claustrophobia to climb up the inside of the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

SS: Where can readers find you on the internet?

 I’d love for readers to check out my travel journals, book excerpts, and lots more on my website at www.TracyHigley.com, and connect with me on Facebook (/tracyhigley) or Twitter (@TLHigley)

Thanks so much for stopping by, Tracy! 

Don't forget to enter the drawing for AWAKENING by commenting and leaving your contact information!