She's Mine is a Grace Awards Finalist!!!!!

Yeah, I'm !!!!!! kind of excited about this - The Grace Awards is in its 5th year but this is the first time I had a book eligible. And I'm a finalist!!

The Grace Awards celebrates excellence in faith-based fiction, seeking to expand its scope and readership and to showcase its value in the Christian community (and the world at large). The tag-line "Expanding the Tent Pegs of Christian Fiction" really sums up this award. Each year, from January 1 to February 28, readers vote for (nominate) novels published the previous year, in six categories. The voting requires readers to write a 40 (or more) word statement of why they like the book they are nominating. 

As SHE'S MINE was released on December 1, 2014, it was eligible for this award. But it had a short time in which to impress enough readers to garner enough votes to make the first-round pick. And it did! I'm so thrilled that you all like my book!!! Being nominated really is an honor. Whether or not my novel wins, I will always have this achievement to cherish.

Now, enough of tooting my own horn. Because I'm up against some stiff competition. One other finalist in the Mystery/Suspense category is none other than my critique partner Nike Chillemi. Her novel HARMFUL INTENT is a fast-paced police procedural type mystery with a hunky hero and a lovable yet sometimes snarky heroine. I absolutely LOVE this novel!   

I'm not familiar with the third finalist novel, BETWEEN THE LIES by Joy DeKok. It has 91, 5 star reviews so it must be a good story! The blurb on Amazon sounds very intriguing. I'll definitely be adding it to my TBR list :) 


In other categories, some of my favorites of 2014 are finalists as well as several of my fellow CIA members (that's Christian Indie Authors - not the "other" CIA!!). Here's a peak at the others:

Congratulations to all the finalists! Be sure to check the Grace Awards blog to read a short blurb about each novel. And check back in May to find out the winners! In the meantime, support Christian fiction by reading one or more of these wonderful novels and posting reviews online. Take it from this author - finding a new review posted is like Christmas morning!

Read an excerpt of DARKEST HOUR!

As promised, here is a peek into DARKEST HOUR by Nike Chillemi. I know you'll be hooked! Download the full novel for Kindle or Nook today!!

DARKEST HOUR by Nike Chillemi

(From Chapter one…)

A black coach resembling an ambulance drove into the lot. An older man in overalls pulled a collapsible gurney out of the back and raised its bed to hip level. Its chrome gleamed.

The night orderly and two nurses getting off the night shift stopped to watch.

The brown-haired man pointed to the gurney and his voice carried. "They finally allocated some funds my way. Makes transporting much easier. Oscar and I used to carry them on a stretcher. My back sure is grateful to the board of supervisors."

The detective laughed. "Don't you county guys have all the dough you want?"

"Who're you kidding?"

The gurney's wheels rumbled across the gravel parking lot. The older man pulled on the straps of his overalls."Hank, you ready to move the body?"

The stylish man nodded. "Let's do it." They lifted the body onto the gurney and the man in overalls covered Dr. McCloud with a white sheet. Blood seeped through and began spreading.

Lucinda gasped, took another step back, stumbled, but managed to keep her footing. She straightened her spine. She still had to go into that building and work a full day. She had a son to support.

The detective nodded toward the body. "By the size of the hole in his chest, I'd guess he was shot with a pistol, maybe at close range. I need to have the bullet as soon as you recover it."

"Then by all means, you'll be my guest at the autopsy."

"Gee, thanks." The detective shook his head.

The debonair man chuckled, turned, and approached Lucinda.

A tremor ran down her back. More questioning, and all she wanted to do was run and hide. She sniffled and wiped her nose with the side of her index finger.

He reached into his inside pocket and offered her a folded white handkerchief. "It's rough if you've never seen anything like this. I'm Hank Jansen, the medical examiner, by the way."

Lucinda's gaze followed the gurney to the black coach. "He was my boss."

"You work at the hospital for Dr. McCloud?"

"Yes. I... I'm his secretary... was, I mean. And Dr. Hinsey's too." She couldn't believe the doctor's life had ended this way.

Detective Daltry barked, "Hank, can I speak with you?"

"Excuse me." The medical examiner stepped away.

"Wait." Lucinda quickly refolded the handkerchief and handed it back to him. She didn't know this man. Wouldn't begin to know how to return the white cotton cloth. "Don't forget this."

"Take it with you. The day's not over. Things could still get rough." He smiled.

"No, I can't take your hankie."

"Listen, I'll pick it up the next time I'm at the hospital. You say you work for Dr. Hinsey?"

"Hank," the detective called, impatience sharp in his tone.

"Yes, Dr. Hinsey is the head of the maternity ward. I'll launder it and have it ready for you."

The medical examiner nodded and smiled. "It's a date. I mean, I'll stop by and pick it up." He turned and trotted toward the detective.
Lucinda slipped the handkerchief into her purse. She headed for the main entrance of the hospital, bent and picked up a fountain pen in the gravel lot.

She pivoted and advanced toward the two men.

The detective made a chopping gesture with his hand and raised his voice. "I'm not fooling, Hank. Don't go putting another notch in your belt. She's a witness."

"Can't a fellow do a simple act of kindness?"

"I'm warning you, stay away from her." The detective spun around and nearly collided with Lucinda.

Heat rushed to her face, and she couldn't meet either man's gaze. If the ground would only open and swallow her. She held the pen out to Detective Daltry. "Uh...I…I'm sorry. I think you dropped this."

See - you want more, don't you! Get the rest on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Visit Nike on her blog to find out about future novels, and other fun crime writing stuff: Nike Chillemi~Crime Fictionista

Betrayal everywhere! Can Lucinda trust Hank in her DARKEST HOUR?

This week I'm thrilled to be showcasing DARKEST HOUR the latest novel from my critique partner and partner-in-crime, Nike Chillemi. We met many years ago through ACFW, quickly discovering we share a warped sense of humor. She calls me "Blondie" and I call her "Red" (when I'm not calling her "fearless leader"!).

Nike's first three novels in the award-winning Sanctuary Point series have been well received. Readers look forward to strong female protagonists and truly heroic male protagonists. As she frequently says, Nike likes her villains to be bad. All of her characters come alive in each story, feeling as real as the people you meet out on the street. Below is a short interview with Nike. Come back Wednesday for a sneak-peek excerpt of DARKEST HOUR.

Lucinda Byrne lost her husband and parents at sea. When she discovers the body of her boss, his A-List society finacee, backed up by her powerful family and a corrupt DA, acuses Lucinda of murder. She struggles on, shielding her five-year-old son, her feisty grandfather and arthritic grandmother from the ugliness of her situation. She mistrusts the dapper ME, thinking he's a ladies' man, but soon realizes he may be the only one in her corner. 

Hank Jansen, the county ME who's had his share of pain and loss, doesn't know if this little widow was in on the murder, but he knows by the trajectory of the bullet she's too short to have pulled the trigger. His professional opinion ignored, he begins his own investigation and at least one cop accuses him of an ethics violation. He certainly can't deny he's fallen head over heals for the accused, and also is crazy about her son. A huge problem is there's a leak inside the investigation and the murderer is always one step ahead of them.

Nike has graciously answered a few questions for my blog:

Blondie (that's me!): Is there anything that happened in the writing of this novel that surprised you?

Red (that's Nike!): I thought my heroine Lucinda Byrne had two sweet grandparents who would stay in the background and just...well look sweet. However, Nellie and Daniel Walsh took me by surprise. I hadn't planned on Mrs. Walsh having crippling arthritis and on that illness becoming a sub-theme in the novel. So, I had to research how severe arthritis was treated in the 1940s. As his wife's role in the novel grew and blossomed, Mr. Walsh also made himself known as an elderly gentleman of honor and dignity with quite a backbone. Then I began to depict them engaging each other as a married couple. They weren't content to remain in the background. They insisted on coming to life.

Blondie: How did you develop the plot for DARKEST HOUR and how did you come up with the name?

Red: In my Sanctuary Point series, one novel flows out of another. Main characters in one novel will appear as subordinate characters in the next one. Hank Jansen, the Nassau County Medical Examiner, first appeared in my Christmas/New Year's novel in the series, GOODBYE NOEL. Then he popped up at the murder scene in PERILOUS SHADOWS. I got to like him and thought he'd be a terrific hero. He is the most flawed of my heroes, but like all my others, he seeks to right injustice. So, he needed a heroine, but I wanted a gal who would be put off by him at first. So, I created a widow with a young son who is dignified and protective of her family. At first she thinks Hank is a ladies' man and too cavalier for her taste. Then, of course, he grows on her. It helps that he's practically the only one who thinks she's innocent of murder. The name DARKEST HOUR came to mind because things in this story get so scary for the heroine.

Blondie: When we first meet Hank Williams it would never occur to us he'd take any personal risks to help a young woman he hardly knew. How did you create this character?

Red: That's right. Hank wouldn't be seen as a man to go out on a limb for anyone. It's not that he's cowardly. He's got a backbone. It's just that he's been so hurt in the past he doesn't extend himself for other people. He's as surprised as anyone when he decides to help Lucinda Byrne. Perhaps it's because his professional opinion has been ignored, and the one thing he's got left is his career. Then he begins to see her as someone who's being unjustly hurt. He can certainly identify with that.

Be sure to visit again on Wednesday to read an excerpt from DARKEST HOUR. If you haven't read any of Nike's other novels, you can get them at Amazon or Barnes and Noble when you pop over to order DARKEST HOUR!

Author Bio:
Like so many writers, Nike Chillemi started writing at a very young age. She still has the Crayola, fully illustrated book she penned (penciled might be more accurate) as a little girl about her then off-the-chart love of horses. Today, you might call her a crime fictionista. Her passion is crime fiction. She likes her bad guys really bad and her good guys smarter and better.
She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and is its Chairman, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 and 2012 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. BURNING HEARTS, the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series, finaled in the Grace Awards 2011 in the Romance/Historical Romance category. GOODBYE NOEL, the second book in the series released in December, 2011 won the Grace Award 2011 in the Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller category. PERILOUS SHADOWS, third in the series released July, 2012, and DARKEST HOUR, the fourth in the series released in February, 2013. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning). http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

Interview with Kiera Devane of "Perilous Shadows"

This week I'm thrilled to be interviewing Kiera Devane, heroine from Perilous Shadows by Nike Chillemi. Here's a blurb about the book:

 Pioneer newspaperwoman Kiera Devane is on a mission to prove a woman can do a man's job, as she hunts a young coed's killer? Ace radio broadcaster Argus Nye lost one love to a murderous fiend and his pulse races as he tries to protect Kiera from herself as much as from this killer.

Kiera was doted upon by loving parent, but they were killed when she was a girl and she was shipped off to live with a socialite aunt who had little time for her. In her aunt's house, she learned life could be cold and cruel. As a result, she grew up to be an independent and demanding professional woman. 

 Argus Nye, still bereft from the loss of his first love, can't understand why this female reporter is mesmerizing him. As she takes chances with her life trying to catch a killer, he's determined to protect her.

And now the interview: 

Tammy: Your parents died when you were quite young and a wealthy aunt raised you. Do you remember much about your parents? Were your parents wealthy as well, or did you have culture shock as well as grief when moving in with your aunt? 

Kiera: I have a few memories of my parents. I remember my father saying "grace" before meals. He was a successful stockbroker.  We lived in a brownstone in Kips Bay, in the twenties on the east side of Manhattan and had a housekeeper. I never thought of us as well to do, but I suppose we were. My mother did a lot of charity work rather than attend society events. So, all types of people came for dinner: doctors who treated the poor, nuns who worked in settlement houses, and missionaries who taught English to new immigrants. I was encouraged to engage in interesting conversation with guests at the table.

My aunt lived in the same neighborhood but still, moving in with her was culture shock, as you term it. She often derided my mother for having "wasted her time" with charity work. And she believed children should be seen and not heard. I was given my dinner in the kitchen before the adults ate and then hustled off to my room. My closest friend in those difficult days was my aunt's housekeeper. 

(She removes a pearl clip on earring and replaces it.) 

Of course, I always had Richard Aberdeen, my father's friend who became my financial advisor. He took me out at least once a month for the afternoon. I so looked forward to that. I eventually convinced him that I should live at boarding school and he saw to it.

  

Tammy: Many people call you an ice princess. Do you consider yourself cold-hearted? Is your life lonely?

Kiera: (A small smile plays at the corner of her lips) I've been called quite a few things. When my story took the front page away from some of my male counter parts, I assure you, "ice princess" wasn't among the things they called me. I've never thought of myself as cold-hearted or lonely. In fact, I never thought about it at all. I just get on with my life. That's how we live in the 1940s. We make the best of things.

  

Tammy: Working in a male-dominated career must be difficult. What made you chose such a goal? Were there times you wanted to give up? How did you make yourself continue?

Kiera: As I mentioned, my parents' table was filled with interesting people. We even had an occasional actor or ballet dancer dining with us. My aunt later said that was scandalous. I used to keep a diary. Sometimes I'd read what I wrote to my parents and they thought I captured their friend's personalities perfectly. They encouraged me to pursue writing. I suppose I could have given up and lived off of my inheritance, but a useless life simply wouldn't agree with me.

  

Tammy: What do you want out of life?

Kiera: What my heart longs for is a happy home like my parents had. And I want a marriage as good and as loving as the one they shared.

  

Tammy: What scares you most?

Kiera: Losing Argus. That something terrible would happen to him and he'd be taken away from me.

  

Tammy: You're stranded on a desert island. What 3 things would you want with you and why? Don't chose a person - that's next!

Kiera: Oh, dear. I love to accumulate pretty things that have meaning. I'm the type who brings something useful home when I travel. Not souvenir type things, but useful items I then make part of my life – an afghan, a gravy boat, a salt and pepper shaker. But three indispensible things, let's see...my Bible, my entire collection of Agatha Christie novels. I'm cheating, I know by making all those books one thing, but that's how I am. (She tosses off a wicked grin.) And number three would be, my family photo album.

Tammy: If you could have 2 friends with you on the island, who would you pick?

Kiera: I don't even have to think about it. I’d want to take along Argus, the man who overlooks all the ghosts of my past and loves me for me, just the way I am. That's a man I could warm up to. And Aggie, my boxer, named after Agatha Christie, who is my BFF, as you call it today.

Get Perilous Shadows to and learn all about Kiera Devane And Argus Nye as they work together to figure out who murdered a co-ed intern. You can get all of Nike's books at:
Amazon/Kindle http://amzn.to/SdJ5Fk

Barnes and Noble/Nook. http://is.gd/0ZaXUf

 

About Nike Chillemi:

Like so many other writers, Nike Chillemi started writing at a very young age. She still has the Crayola, fully illustrated book she penned (penciled might be more accurate) as a little girl about her then off-the-chart love of horses. Today, you might call her a crime fictionista. Her passion is crime fiction. She likes her bad guys really bad and her good guys smarter and better.

She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 and 2012 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chairman, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. BURNING HEARTS is the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series, published by Desert Breeze. GOODBYE NOEL, the second book in the series released in December, 2011 won the Grace Award 2011 in the Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller category. PERILOUS SHADOWS, the third in the series released in July, 2012. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning). http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

Small Towns Then and Now

When I decided to write contemporary romantic suspense, I chose the setting as small town New England. It's where I'm from and what I know. There are things I love about the area where I live. Other things aren't so wonderful. All together they make up a charming community that hovers somewhere between colonial charm and fast-paced, high tech land. Perfect for my novels. And easy to research.



Main Street, North Brookfield, MA (current)

What happens, though, when you have a fictional town set in a long-ago era? My friend and critique partner, Nike Chillemi, has just such a situation. She's writing novels set in fictional Sanctuary Point on Long Island during the late 1940's. I've invited Nike to stop in and share some of what's involved in writing about a familiar location in an unfamiliar time period.

North Brookfield, MA (circa 1900)

Welcome, Nike :D Grab a cup of coffee or tea, pull up a comfy seat, and let's chat. First, what made you choose Long Island for the location in your novels? And why the late 1940's?

NIKE: Tammy, thanks for inviting me to Naultag. What a lovely town you have here, quite a bit like my imaginary village of Sanctuary Point.

I chose Long Island for the setting of BURNING HEARTS because I love the Atlantic Ocean and wanted a village on the sea. Well, what I got was a village on the Great South Bay, which is very large and opens on to the Atlantic. I know the area well. Our family has gone to the beach many summers there so I knew of a spot right between Long Beach and Oceanside where I created my village. It has a wonderful cove, which I needed as the earlier generations of the richest family in Sanctuary Point ran whiskey on their boat during prohibition.

I chose 1946, one year after the close of World War II because it was a time when ordinary Americans had class and dignity. It was also a pivotal time in our nation. So many American soldiers had fallen in the war that America seemed to be losing her innocence slowly but surely. I wanted to create characters who struggled with these issues that framed the America we live in today.


Tammy, what would your two main characters say is the best thing about a small town and the worst thing?

TAMMY: Hmm, that’s an interesting question. Caitlin’s immediate response would be to tell you the worst thing about small town life: gossip. Everyone knows everyone, and they all talk. She’s the victim of mean-spirited rumors in SHE’S MINE, so this is a sore spot for Caitlin. As for the best thing - probably the memories. Caitlin grew up in Naultag, raised primarily by her grandmother, even before her parents’ nasty divorce. Being back in Gram’s house reminds Caitlin of the happier times, when she felt cocooned by love and had a sense of controlling her own destiny.


Sean Taggart left town for college, where he met and became engaged to a woman he thought he loved. She intended to keep him in her world—the big city with its “movers and shakers.” Sean had planned on a career in the financial market but when his fiancé made clear her disdain for “county bumpkins” he realized he was on the wrong path. One of the best things about small town, for Sean, is the friendliness. Everyone knows everyone; you don’t have to lock doors and you can keep your windows open even when you aren’t home. The worst thing is the gene pool – Sean is related to at least half the town! Which means his mother’s matchmaking efforts have included women he would never consider dating, but finding someone who isn’t his cousin is difficult!


I know Erika has lived in Sanctuary Point all her life and likely takes most of it for granted. What would she say is the best and worst about a small town? And Lorne – he’s the newcomer, running from a past he wants to forget. Does he like the quietness small town life offers? Or is he planning on moving on soon?

NIKE: Erica Brogna loves the village of Sanctuary Point until arson at the dress shop where she works kills Ada, her mentor and friend. She becomes heartsick wondering what happened to her village. She thought she could trust everyone who lives there and now, obviously, there's a killer lose. She's emotionally shattered by this. She's always known there are "haves" and those perceived to be "have nots" in her village and that her family falls into the lesser category. The residents whose families have been there for generations go to the well-established church and are mostly of Dutch, Irish, Scottish, or Scandinavian decent. They look down on the recent Czechoslovakian immigrants who go to a small chapel on a bluff looking over the bay. Erica is somewhat of a free thinker. She reads a fashion-forward magazine and has copied a few pair of slacks modeled in its pages. She wears these pants in the village. The daughter of the richest man in the village taunts her about this and starts rumors about her. She's not happy about that, but she's tough and able to fight back.

Lorne Kincade is a different matter. He's not come from a secure background. He came to this tiny village because he's running from the psychological demons of his childhood and from the horrors of World War II where he was an Army Ranger fighting in the European theatre. He inherited a ramshackle cottage in Sanctuary Point and had decided it's time to stop running. The thing that bothers him most is he's treated like an outsider. Some village residents think he's the arsonist/murderer which makes him feel even more isolated. He likes that he can ride his Harley Davidson on the highway and county roads that stretch all the way east to Montauk Point. The wind in his face is comforting and he can stop at any number of beaches along the way and watch the surf come in and go out. This seems to calm his troubled soul.


SHE'S MINE has characters in families who know each other well. These characters may have grown up together. What are these relationships like? How do some of the longtime residents react to Caitlin coming back after a long absence away from Naultag?

TAMMY: Sean Taggart is an only child but his mother’s sister has a large family. Sean spent a lot of his childhood hanging out with his cousins. The Taggart family has been in Naultag since the mid-eighteenth century; it isn’t surprising that Sean is related in one way or another to many residents. He’s gregarious, for the most part, and gets along well with the majority of people he knows...even the relatives.

Main St, E. Brookfield, 1962

Caitlin Harrington’s family, on her mother’s side, has been in Naultag for about 4 generations. Her aunts and uncle married and moved away so she doesn’t have any close relations living in town. But her grandmother, Sophie Baxter, was well-loved by everyone and Caitlin is welcomed back by most people. Except for whoever is leaving the ominous notes stating she doesn’t belong here.


The Harrington family isn’t from Naultag. Caitlin’s father, Jack, was a rising star in the Red Sox baseball franchise until a shoulder injury ended his career. He’s still considered a local celebrity. Caitlin never had a good relationship with her father.


Do you think family relationships play a big part in small town communities? Erica has a wonderful family – mother, father and brother, but Lorne has no one. Are his memories of his mother and father a factor in how he reacts to Sanctuary Point, the arson/murder, and most of all Erica?

NIKE: Something I didn't realize until the manuscript was in editing is that Erica's mom is very much like my maternal grandmother. Both had a great sense of humor and ran a boarding house. Mrs. Brogna is not only the glue that holds her family together , but also a nurturing force for her boarders.


The Dutch characters in BURNING HEARTS come from families that settled on the Great South Bay of Long Island as early as the 1600s. The most prominent family in Sanctuary Point, the MacTavish family, settled in the area just prior to World War I. They made their money smuggling whiskey by boat across the Great South Bay during prohibition. So, there's no shortage of generational sin. In addition many of the more established residents don't appreciate the new Czechoslovakian immigrants who are settling in the northern section of the village. That sub theme builds conflict right into the plot.

Lorne, an outsider to the village, inherits a ramshackle cottage from his uncle just before a house fire breaks out that takes the life of a young widow. The village chief of police is naturally suspicious of outsiders and looks at Lorne as a suspect. Lorne has a nightmarish childhood and his World War II military experiences in Europe have left him scarred. It doesn't help that he's being framed for arson/murder.


TAMMY: Poor Lorne! He’s such a wonderful character. Without giving anything away, I can assure readers that Lorne rises above all the suspicion like a true hero. I hope you’ll all join me in reading BURNING HEARTS, because then you’ll see why I love this novel. Pop over to Amazon.com to buy your copy today!

Nike Chillemi has been called a crime fictionista due to her passion for crime fiction. BURNING HEARTS is the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series.

Note about the photos in this post: many of the vintage photos were borrowed from VintagePostcards.org. Please visit their site for more wonderful scenes from the past. The E. Brookfield photo is courtesy of that town's website;they have a great Then & Now page. I took the photo of Main Street, North Brookfield shown at the top and the circa 1900's photo is from EPodunk.