Even a Pandemic Can’t Stop Love and Murder

Author: A.E.S. O’Neill

 

After having been set up in Iraq, Alby O’Brien is on the Iraqi hit list. Therefore, Alby is now hiding in southern New Jersey to avoid the wrath of terrorists who are after him. Believing he is safely hidden in his cave-like garage apartment, he supports himself on under-the-table fix-it work while wrestling with nightmares of what happened in Iraq. Being that he was only a government contractor, he is not privy to all of the employee benefits provided by the government, and this letdown continues throughout his new life.

The author, A.E.S. O’Neill, wrote this book during a pandemic and used the pandemic as the setting. O’Neill does a great job working the pandemic into scenes and showing various reactions to it and the new way of life. Some characters detest wearing the mask; others double mask. Some wear the cheap mask, while others wear a Plastimask. Even the psychotically polite killer is sure to wear a mask. The author also mentions vaccines, variants, and GPS trackers—all items readers can surely relate to.

Alby was in Iraq when the pandemic hit, so the United States he returns to is different than the one he left—something Alby regularly struggles with.

Though Alby is trying to avoid the terrorists, he cannot seem to avoid trouble.

Something very valuable has been taken from a mob-run bank. The mob believes the thief was Alby, and now everyone is after him, who appears to have drawn the short straw in life. Despite his life being on the line, all he can think about is the mysterious Ginger. As it all comes to a head, Alby knows his choices are few and his fate could go either way.

This novel is filled with action at a speedy pace and takes place in just one week. How many lives can be changed in just one week! Once the action begins, it just keeps coming, breaking up the action scenes with small episodes of normalcy.

A reader may desire the prologue to occur later in the story with Alby remembering his life in Iraq, once the reader has been able to connect with Alby. However, the reader is able to empathize with Alby in chapter 1, and then the action begins in chapter 2.

O’Neill is a gifted writer, developing a great story with suspense, and he was at the right place at the right time. This novel is based on a true story O’Neill’s father told his son about a mob bank being ripped off and the ensuing consequences. The author does an excellent job of taking this true story and placing it in a pandemic crisis and entangling the two challenges.

Even a Pandemic Can’t Stop Love and Murder, vol. 1 Break the Bank is the highly entertaining and almost implausible story of what can happen by being at the wrong place at the right time.

Marcia Rosen (aka M. Glenda Rosen) is the author of 10 books, including the Senior Sleuth Mystery Series and the Dying to be Beautiful Mystery Series. Once again, she delights her readers with Murder at the Zoo, the first in her new Agatha, Raymond, Sherlock, and Me Mystery Series, debuting in 2023.

Murder at the Zoo starts off with the thud of a dead body landing in the lion enclosure of the Albuquerque Zoo. Our main characters are called to the scene: the lovely Miranda Scott, Senior Veterinarian at the Zoo, and the tall and handsome Detective Bryan Anderson, who is assigned to the crime scene. Within hours, another body is found near the lion enclosure with a bullet in its chest. The pace of the action quickly accelerates and keeps on going throughout the novel.

The romantic attraction between our two main characters is evident from the start but new murders and other serious crimes multiply quickly, putting our couple both at odds with one another and in danger of becoming victims themselves. A colorful cast of other characters who are not what they seem keep getting in the way, including a potentially corrupt politician and a possible crooked cop.

We also learn that Miranda’s family is more than dysfunctional. Raised by her gangster father and his friends and often used by her mother for her own personal gain, Miranda soon learns that her family is somehow involved in the chaos surrounding the zoo and the terrible events that have been unfolding are, in fact, personal. She becomes the target for revenge.

So where does the title of this new series come from? It turns out that, as a child, Miranda read dozens of mysteries by authors like Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler and loved characters like Sherlock Holmes. Over the years, she heard their voices in her head telling her what she should and should not do. As she eventually explains to Detective Anderson, “Somehow some of my favorite authors and characters seem to talk to me. . . The voices, of course, are really my own thoughts or feelings about something but they often play around in my head as if they are these other voices.” What these voices do for the reader, however, is to lighten the load as the murders pile up. Their distinct personalities provide humor in the midst of tragedy when they bicker amongst themselves, and guidance for Miranda as she tries to sort her way through her relationships with her family and the mysteries of her feelings for Bryan and the case which they are trying to solve together.

All in all, Murder at the Zoo is a great read and it’s sure to satisfy Ms. Rosen’s mystery fans. They’ll be wanting more before this first book in the series ends!

Rosen’s descriptions drew me into the story and made it an immersive experience. The narrative often pulled my focus to little details that hint to Miranda’s past and made me want to know more about her. This was an exciting read, and I highly recommend this story, which begins with a murder at the zoo.

 

Leah Rubin is a copyeditor and proofreader who works under the business name of Your Second Pen. A native of Chicago, she and her family threw away the shovels and the snowblower and moved to Arizona in 1999. With a degree in English and Speech Arts from Hofstra University, and a background in teaching (both in the U.S. and South Korea as a Peace Corps Volunteer), Leah worked in various administrative capacities while raising her family. Always the English expert, whether working in the office or managing a pottery gallery in Sedona, Leah followed her dream to start her own business when she and her husband relocated to Tucson in 2017. Armed with multiple classes in professional development and a new computer, the idea of Your Second Pen was born and has been blossoming ever since. While she doesn’t believe in having a “niche”, Leah has worked for several authors in the categories of memoir, biography, mystery, science fiction, spirituality, self-help, adventure, and business, as well. She enjoys working with first-time authors or seasoned writers. She prides herself on her professionalism, patience, perseverance, and the desire to work with an author to produce the best possible version of their written material. Whether a lengthy novel or a simple business letter, each project is equally important to her. Leah is a member of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors, the Professional Editors Network, and an active member of the Tucson Chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association.

Murder, mystery, and auditory hallucinations. Murder at the Zoo by M. Glenda Rosen grabs your attention right away and pulls you into the puzzle of Miranda’s life. The perspectives of famous murder mystery authors along with Miranda’s insights make for a fun read.

Something I always enjoy in a book is good banter, and this novel has a lot of it. I found myself laughing aloud while reading Miranda’s interactions with other characters as well as her internal dialogue with her favorite mystery authors.

While it wasn’t always clear which voice Miranda was hearing when Agatha, Raymond, and Sherlock were all conversing, I still enjoyed the interjections of the different perspectives.

Rosen’s descriptions drew me into the story and made it an immersive experience. The narrative often pulled my focus to little details that hint to Miranda’s past and made me want to know more about her. This was an exciting read, and I highly recommend this story, which begins with a murder at the zoo.

 

Aretta Ariel-Boggs is a freelance editor.

Knight Light

Author: Claudia Riess

 

A world chess champion is found dead. The cause of death remains mired in controversy when, three-quarters of a century later, a letter of his that could rock the art world is unearthed in a routine home renovation. The letter is addressed to a person of international repute and offers information about art works looted during the German occupation of Paris.

When the young man in possession of the letter is brutally murdered, his mentor, art history professor Harrison Wheatley and Harrison’s partner, art magazine editor Erika Shawn, hurl themselves into the mission of tracking down both the killer and the looted art.

As the third book in this art history mystery series, Knight Light once again follows Harrison Wheatley and Erika Shawn in their adventures. For a reader reading the books in order, additional information is gained because the two have aged and their lives have further developed. However, for the reader reading Knight Light without having read the previous two books, this book stands alone well.

The short prologue introduces the chess champion and describes his quick death. This introduction invites the reader into the story-worthy problem that will take place throughout the entire book.

Chapter 1 provides a nice introduction to Harrison Wheatley and Erika Shawn. For the reader who has read the other books in the series, this chapter shows how much time has elapsed since the last book and how their lives have changed since. For the new reader, this chapter introduces the two characters to describe where they are in life and further develops them. Therefore, whether this is your first read in the series or not, the characters are well developed.

The scenes developed in chapter 1 are very visual, and it is easy to imagine their home and their housekeeper. Multiple senses are used in just this first chapter, as the newborn’s cries can be heard through the monitor. Scenes continue to be well developed. The prose works well with the dialogue to move the scenes along while developing and showing the scenes.

To connect chapter 1 with the prologue (and provide some story progression), Harrison and Erika read the letter written by the chess champion. In addition, they speak about the man who found the letter and his desire to provide a lecture about the found materials.

The author, Claudia Riess, has completed a significant amount of research to write a book such as this. Even so, her love of art history is shared through her intimacy and love of the story. As a woman who grew up in the art history world, the reader can see how much this field means to the author and her desire to share it with and educate readers who may only have a love of mystery.

This book is a good read for those who love mysteries or those who enjoy art history — or even those with a dual love.

Knight Light is a well-written book with an intriguing story about art, murder, mystery, and international scandals.

Wild Heart

Author: Carolyn Haley

 

Love and romance aren’t for everyone. Linny Eagan thought she had found the love of her life, until she lost him, along with her job and her dream—all in one day.

With a dream of becoming an equestrian champion, but living in an unsupportive household, Linny is finally able to show off her equestrian skills to her parents. However, the day her parents come to watch a local event is the day Linny is in a life-altering accident, convincing her parents that horses are just too dangerous.

Shortly after the accident, Linny is sent off for the summer with her older sister to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to avoid horses and to heal (physically and emotionally), while searching for a new dream, preferably without animals, but definitely on the ground, according to her parents.

The sisters’ host for the summer, Connor Simon Winston, may dream of being an artist, but currently works at Galeson’s stable, taming a wild mare, while waiting to inherit a fortune, and refusing to play professional football or work in the family business.

Though Connor and Linny have opposing dreams, their hearts connect. The two must choose to allow one to sacrifice a dream for the other, go their separate ways, or create a new dream that includes them both.

As a Feathered Quill Book Award winner, Wild Heart is written in the first person through the point of view of Linny Eagan. This allows the reader to feel Linny’s gaps in memory and time. While writing in the first person can lead to a significant amount of telling in a story, the author, Carolyn Haley, has a good sense of the English language to bring the readers into the story. As a professional wordsmith, Haley quickly and easily captures the scenes through the use of the senses. Through Linny’s eyes, the reader can see the surroundings, including the beach, the corral, and even Connor’s physique. It is almost as if the reader is enveloped by Linny, as the reader can also feel Linny’s body quiver, hands shake, and knees weaken.

The author skillfully uses Linny’s injury to assist with transitions in time. For instance, the opening scene with Linny standing next to her sister and not remembering how she got there. Or Linny taking a nap in the afternoon and then sleeping until the next morning, missing dinner and the evening’s activities.

We believe this book is a good read for those with a love of horses and the equestrian life. And because this book is a good reminder of the power of love and the benefits of having both dreams and someone to share them with.

Wild Heart is a well-written book with an excellent story about life, growth, and healing.

Molto Grande

Author: Dick Franklin

 

Plagues have taken the lives of many people of Little Ariccia, Italy, including the lives of six of the nine people in the Giordano family. Shortly thereafter, the oldest living Giordano boy along with his father burn the chaff to clear the fields. When the winds pick up and the fire grows and becomes uncontrollable, the two living boys are orphaned.

The teenage Giordano boys take different paths for their futures.

Nicolo, the younger brother, is accepted into the music conservatoire, but only after being castrated, a medical procedure that has taken the lives of many other young boys seeking to join the music conservatoire. Luca, the older brother, is nursed back to health after the wildfire by a band of Roma (Gypsies). Luca is captivated by Donka, the Roma chieftain’s daughter, and struggles with whether to leave the band or remain with those who are persecuted.

The characters of the two boys were well developed, and the scenes were well described. It was easy to immerse oneself in the scenes and visualize what was happening. Shortly before the wildfire, Nicolo was taken from his father to be part of the music conservatoire; there are extensive pages on Nicolo and his castration process (and fears of seeing the boys before him die due to the castration) and being brought to the actual music conservatoire (and being forced to beg with the orphans). It was so detailed and lengthy that it was easy to almost forget about Luca.

However, when the chapters returned to Luca, the scenes and the characters were again well developed, and it was easy to feel his pain and struggles. Because of the wildfire, half of Luca’s face was disfigured. Luca’s feelings about this (and possible self-consciousness) could have been emphasized more. Even so, he was a well-developed and believable character who has great courage in trying to help the Roma to prevent persecution and death.

Overall, we enjoyed this novel. The author has a skill for writing and capturing the audience. At 800 pages, this is a long book. Chapters were short. Print was large. And the writing was so good that it was difficult to put down.

Whether you are a hobbyist or a full-time writer/editor, Hart’s Write Faster With Your Word Processor will help you work more efficiently while enduring far less headache. This text covers all of the bases from buying your computer and programming your word processer, to making sure your symbolism and characters’ background stories are bullet proof in your final draft. The content focuses on working with Microsoft Word, yet it is inclusive of all writing platforms. Hart has even gone so far as to inlay links throughout the text connecting to additional online resources including reference pages and informative essays.

I personally have always thought that customizing my computer and word processor was just an extra day’s worth of work that wouldn’t make much difference in the long run. Boy, was I wrong! After trying out a couple of Hart’s suggestions, I went back and ran through the entire text with my word processor settings open on the side. My workday has not been the same since.

 

Alexandra Goodman is an author, editor, and for-hire copywriter and ghostwriter. She has tackled a wide range of genres including creative fiction, poetry, non-fiction, business, press, and technical writing. She has personal experience and interest in business management, marketing, non-profit organizations, ecology, animal-care, alternative energy use, and travel.

Write Faster, thanks to Geoff Hart!

Toiling for more than one master, many knowledge-workers give short shrift to their electronic interface. Besides wasting time, such a choice hastens data loss and repetitive stress injuries.

Wordsmith Geoff Hart has developed an answer to our prayers: a comprehensive and down-to-earth guide to harnessing the full powers of our workstations. The book is available in three formats: print, e-book, and PDF.

Based on Hart’s 30 years of teaching writers and editors, Write Faster builds on his Effective Onscreen Editing (4th edition, 2019). Hart offers nuanced answers for many of our nagging questions, including

• Where are my files?
• Why does my word processor hurt me? and
• Isn’t there a way to automate this action?

Though the new work overlaps with Onscreen, Write Faster updates its guidance through Microsoft Word 2019 (both Mac and PC editions). Hart notes that most of his tips apply to any operating system and word-processing software.

Write Faster takes both experts and newbies by the hand, thanks to its engaging style. Readers will appreciate Hart’s glossary, which offers authoritative definitions of terms such as antialiasing, macro virus, and non-breaking space. Perhaps most importantly, Hart clearly informs readers on issues dividing writers; rather than taking sides in the Apple vs. PC debate, he lays out the merits of each side. Hart speaks his mind on software’s nagging limitations and offers fixes for many of Word’s challenges.

The advice offered by this book will help maximize writers’ efficiency. As part of the Write Faster site, Hart includes a “Things Not to Do” section, an indispensable resource for those of us who apprenticed on typewriters. Two strategies Hart offers are (1) eliminating the vestigial carriage return (ENTER key) and (2) creating your own page-numbering style. Appendix I advises adopting the Dvorak keyboard scheme in place of the less efficient QWERTY. Appendix II, devoted to the health aspects of our work, advises on our choice of lighting and keyboard.

Both writers and editors will enjoy Hart’s proactive approach to exploiting what our computers can do, warding off writing-specific trauma, and keeping manuscripts safe from prying eyes. To ensure the safety of our data, Hart advises us to buy an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which will secure our files even during blackouts.

Hart puts readers in touch with some of the best resources available. Hart’s hotlinks, provided in the electronic edition, point us to resources such as Eyesafe, a brand devoted to reducing the eyestrain of onscreen work, and StretchWare, a tool that regularly reminds us to limber up. Hart includes links to the work of peers such as Paul Beverley, author of Macros for Editors and Jack Lyon of Mastering Word for Publishing Professionals.­

Hart’s #1 tip? Create Word styles for every occasion. That way, you won’t spend your time, and that of your teammates, fiddling with your ruler or space bar every time you begin a new document.

Based on Hart’s broad coverage, nuanced discussion, and abundant links to complementary work, we recommend Write Faster to writers and editors seeking to work more efficiently.

 

Jon Hartmann copyedits academic, business, and literary work, specializing in writing by non-native speakers of English.

Geoff Hart’s Write Faster With Your Word Processor is a complete guide to using computer technology to increase both the ease and efficiency of the writing process. Hart takes a step-by-step approach to unravelling the incredibly extensive and complex features offered by Microsoft Word for both Windows and Macintosh to aid writers in personalizing their computers for faster, more consistent writing. (Hart notes that his focus on Microsoft Word does not preclude using this guide with similar word-processing programs.)

Each chapter provides a “working approach” to the topic covered, with a link to “on-line stuff,” allowing the reader to check for further explanations or updates. In addition, resources cited along the way offer further reading on specific chapter topics — all documented in an online, continuously updated bibliography. The title may seem a bit misleading, as a glance through the table of contents (TOC) shows this book covers more than the word processor. It also offers sections on choices of hardware, additional software, and backup strategies, as well as online research strategies and health and safety suggestions.

As a writer, I have used a word processor since I traded in my legal pads and pencils for a stand-alone Panasonic word processor in the late 1980s. Over the years I have moved through a series of computers and a variety of software until I finally met Microsoft Word on a Windows Millennium laptop. My current computer is a Windows 10 laptop with Office 365. As much as I am on a computer for my work, however, I am not particularly computer savvy, so I rarely attempt to adjust anything on my laptop or within Word. (And Mr. Hart makes many suggestions in his book that I will not have the courage to try.) My writing runs the gambit from fiction (novels, short stories, and plays) to scholarly nonfiction and everything in between. I also suffer from carpel tunnel in both hands and am ever in search of keyboard shortcuts to minimize my mouse time.

Whether you recognize my experience as similar to your own or are a whiz on a computer, this book will definitely help you speed up your writing process. The step-by-step instructions, provided in excruciating detail, do sometimes take a long time (for me) to implement, but as I carefully make a list of those things I have changed in Word so I can (a) remember how to use them the next time and (b) know how to undo something I decide I don’t like, this book promises to make a huge difference in my writing efficiency.

If you have been writing on a word processor for a long time, some of this content may seem like a refresher course. You will find some ideas that you already use (e.g., I always use style sheets). There may also be some strong recommendations you have already considered and rejected (e.g., I only rarely use detailed outlines and have never liked the “Outline” view in Word). You will likely, however, discover something you never knew about your software and rejoice at the simplicity of the cure for something that has always proven problematic (e.g., I can now create keyboard shortcuts for my fictional character names!). The highly detailed TOC and an index allow for easy navigation, and an extensive glossary helps the reader decipher the technical terms needed to understand what the author is talking about.

Some of the content may seem terribly simplistic to a seasoned writer. For example, Hart makes a firm point about organizing your files and makes suggestions on ways to do it. But then I remember a writer friend of mine with multiple books under his belt who still has no idea of where any of his files are saved on his computer, so even this discussion could prove germane to some writers using a word processor.

I do not recommend anyone attempt to read, digest, and implement this entire book all at once, but if you are like me, you can browse the TOC and appendices to find those shortcuts that look promising then take them for a test drive. Hart does not claim to have all the answers for all writers, and, in fact, his recommendation is to “learn what works best for you.” Fine advice, indeed, from someone who has written a work covering a whole universe of how-to advice on using electronic tools to help writers write more efficiently. But all writers, I dare say, will find a great many useful tools herein, though the complexity of the subject matter will require patience to implement them.

 

Laura A. Ewald is a former university librarian turned freelance writer and editor. A recent transplant to the Deep South, she shares her southern Mississippi home with her elderly parents and an ever-changing assortment of adopted stray cats.

Wicked Innocents

Author: S.H. Livernois

 

A young girl claims that her family has changed. Not in personality, but as if their bodies have been overtaken. Nelly Huggett does not feel loved by her mother, and people say she exaggerates a bit too much. Fellow classmates have ridiculed her, and her brother doesn’t even like her. So is Nelly telling the truth?

While her aunt takes Nelly in when she runs away from home on the night of Halloween, Aunt Emma believes Nelly is lying. However, it has been three days and no one has answered the phone at the Huggett house, not even a cellphone.

The Frontenac sisters, Hyla and Lizeth, are on the case. As supernatural sleuths, Hyla and Lizeth drive to the home of Aunt Emma at the bequest of a phone call from Nelly. After confronting Emma’s denial that anything is going on in Nelly’s house, the four of them drive to Nelly’s home in search of clues.

In Wicked Innocents, S.H. Livernois quickly builds suspense through the description of the emptiness and eeriness of the Huggett home. And then once the missing family members are discovered, the mystery evolves as the Frontenac sisters continue to investigate to determine if Nelly is telling the truth or filled with anger and lies.

While there is not an overwhelming number of characters, there are a handful of characters that are easily confused. The Frontenac sisters, Hyla and Lizeth, have different strengths, but their personalities are not different enough, making them easily confused. Emma and Gillian, Nelly’s aunt and mother, respectively, can easily be confused, leading to some interactions needing to be re-read. And Miles and Jack, Nelly’s father and brother, can be confused too, especially in a discussion about a dispute with a neighbor.

Though additional description of these characters could be added to further separate them from one another, and this lack of description causes some slowdown in the reading to completely understand a few scenes, this does not take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.

In reading this novel, it was obvious the book is still in need of a proofreader. There were errors in punctuation and a few developmental questions, such as an undifferentiated pronoun, making a sentence difficult to understand.

Overall, we enjoyed this novel. The author has a skill for writing mystery and suspense to capture the audience and involve the reader until the end.