Month: July 2022

Reviewers are loving The Wayward Path by Mark Love

Welcome, Mark!

“The Wayward Path” is the third novel in the Jefferson Chene mystery series, releasing August 3, 2022.  These books are set in the Detroit, Michigan area, which is where I’m originally from.  Detroit has a long history of crime and misbehavior, which always appealed to my story-telling mind. 

I’m a fan of distinctive names. The backstory for Chene (pronounced Shane) is that he was abandoned at birth and found at the intersection of Jefferson and Chene in Detroit.  A mix up on the paperwork led to that becoming his name.  The character was raised in a Catholic orphanage.  Never adopted, Chene has a little difficulty building relationships outside of the people he works with.  He can be a little rough around the edges, but he’s good at what he does. A borderline insomniac, Chene believes his mind is too busy for sleep and his body adapts to that strategy. Chene became a cop and worked his way through the ranks of the Michigan State Police. 

Metropolitan Detroit has a population of over 3 million people, and it covers almost 6,000 square miles, making it one of the largest metro areas in the United States.   With so many smaller cities in this region, I wanted to have a squad of detectives who would cross those territorial boundaries and go wherever their investigation took them.  This team would also be focused on getting results.

After creating the Chene character and others in the first book “Why 319?”  I kept coming up with new story ideas.  The feedback I got from readers was encouraging.  I realized these characters had much more to tell.  That’s what led to the latest book. 

*******

Charity Gray was an intelligent, inquisitive teen who disappeared fifteen years earlier. When her body is discovered, it should be a typical cold case. Before the Detroit police can get started, the FBI commandeers the investigation, with a prime suspect in mind: retired mobster Leo Agonasti.

When Agonasti slips through their grasp, he reaches out to Sergeant Jefferson Chene. Their unusual friendship draws Chene into the thick of the case. Burdened with two reluctant FBI agents, Chene is working against the clock and the feds to find the real killer.

Chene senses they are getting close to the answers. Will he be able to solve the murder and clear the old mobster of this heinous crime before time runs out?

EXCERPT:

MacGregor escorted us to the conference room, knocked twice and opened the door. Standing at the end of the rectangular table was a tall, blonde woman. She was pacing by the window. Seated at the table was another agent in a dark suit. He had a stack of files before him. His dark hair needed a trim.

He shot a disgusted look at the interruption. “What?”

MacGregor hooked a thumb in my direction. “State cops have arrived. This is Sergeant Chene and Captain Cantrell. They are…familiar with Leo Agonasti.”

Pappy pushed MacGregor aside as he entered the room and dropped into a chair. “Y’all need us.”

Sedlak threw his pen down on the table in disgust. It skittered across the surface and was headed for the edge when Pappy stopped it with a fingertip.

“Y’all know where Agonasti is?”

Sedlak went rigid. “We’ll find him, Captain Cornpone. We don’t require any assistance from the locals.”

“So, you do need us.” I slid into the seat beside Cantrell.

“That’s bullshit.”

The blonde had been watching this exchange with interest. She cleared her throat and took a step in our direction. “Your name is Chene?”

“That’s me. And you are?”

“Diana Trevino.” She sat beside me. “I represent Mr. Agonasti. He’s mentioned you occasionally in the past.”

Sedlak’s gaze was flicking across the three of us. He settled it briefly on Pappy. I thought there was a glimmer of recognition, but it may have been my imagination. Cantrell is definitely memorable.

“Why don’tcha take Miz Trevino outside and lemme have a minute with Mr. Sedlak. Mebbe we can speed things along.”

MacGregor was still standing in the doorway. He looked at his boss but got no signal that I could see. I stood and extended a hand to the lady. She took it lightly and grabbed her purse off the table as we exited the room. MacGregor followed and closed the door behind us. He waved at the group clustered around the desks. Banks came forward and escorted Diana Trevino to the restrooms.

“What the hell was that about?” he asked quietly.

“Looks like old home week. Give them a few minutes.”

“You think they know each other?”

I leaned against the wall. “How long has Sedlak been the assistant special agent in charge in Detroit?”

“Three years, maybe four. Why?”

“You think he and Pappy haven’t crossed paths before, between meetings, conferences and task forces?”

Mac shrugged. “Hadn’t really thought about it.”

“If Pappy didn’t know him, he would have shot him for that cornpone wisecrack. They were just playing for the audience. Chances are Pappy reached out to him while we were driving downtown.”

That brought a grin from MacGregor. “Well, that’s a twist.”

I watched Banks bring Diana Trevino back into the office area. She guided her over to the coffee urn.

“How soon can you give me a copy of the case file you have on this homicide investigation?”

Mac scoffed. “Seriously? What makes you think we’re going to share?”

“Pappy isn’t trading recipes for chicken fried steak. You don’t know where Agonasti is. His attorney wouldn’t share that information anyway, even if she knew. So I’d expect this to become a joint investigation within the next ten minutes. Might as well get me a copy. And don’t bother redacting it. I want the whole thing.”

“Damn, you’re cocky.”

I grinned. “There’s a difference between confidence and cocky. You should learn how to tell them apart.”

“Fuck you, Chene,” he said with disgust.

“That’s not very original. You need someone to write some fresh material.”

The conference room door opened and Sedlak waved us in. Pappy was rolling a cigarette slowly between his first two fingers. It wasn’t lit, which I took to be a courtesy on his part. If we were at the post, it would already be trailing smoke toward the ceiling.

“Agent MacGregor will provide you with a copy of our files on this investigation,” Sedlak said. “Probably easiest to give them a flash drive.”

“Make it two,” Pappy said. “May as well git started tonight.”

“You will keep us informed of any discoveries you make,” Sedlak said.

Pappy gave him a curt nod. “Course.”

“And if you learn the whereabouts of Leo Agonasti?”

“Y’all be second to know.”

MacGregor trotted off to make the copies. Pappy and Sedlak continued to stare at each other. I waited in the silence. Five minutes later, Mac returned and handed me a pair of flash drives. I passed one to Cantrell. He tucked it in his shirt pocket and pushed out of his chair.

“Chene, give Miz Trevino a ride home. Ah believe she be done here.”

Sedlak adjusted the knot in his tie. “Yeah, we’re done. For now.”

“Copy that,” I said.

Buy links:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wayward-path-mark-love/1141467645?ean=9781509242191

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-wayward-path/id6442843627

Social Media Links

https://Authormarklove.weebly.com

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009P7HVZQ

https://motownmysteries.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MarkLoveAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/motownmysteries

A beautiful story begun by one, finished by another

Welcome to my guest, Emily Johnson, who has a unique story about how this book came to be!

Can you give readers an idea of what Bird of Paradise is about?

Bird of Paradise follows the story of Arianna Heywood, who is looking forward to joining her older sister at UC Berkeley in the fall (it is the 1960s after all) and as a hopeless romantic she dreams of one day sipping Bellinis with her love in the city of her dreams.   

When a spring break trip to her family’s island home reveals that her childhood crush’s feelings have changed, she is eager to step into the world of womanhood. But you cannot always choose what happens in life. Facing immeasurable pain, she embarks on a decade-long journey of self-discovery, working to find her place in the world, torn between the pull of her Island and the possibility of what lies beyond. Guided by the wisdom of those who came before her, she must bridge the gap between her past and the story of her future, but then an unexpected encounter could change it all.

The book is a coming-of-age, family saga and romance. The genre grows and matures as Ari’s story is told.

Where did the inspiration for Bird of Paradise come from?

The book was co-written with my mother. She began writing Bird of Paradise over 20 years ago when she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

After many setbacks and recurrences, she passed away in 2012 (long after they said she would) and left the book unfinished. I found a letter from her with a copy of her manuscript and a request that I finish the story for her.  So, the inspiration was her.

What was it like trying to finish your mom’s story?

When I first sat down to read Bird of Paradise, it was within weeks of her passing. I was still in that very raw place, and it was difficult. I could hear her voice through the words. Even though it’s a work of fiction, there are many events and characters that pull from her life and the lives of those around her. As I read the story, it became more of a way to continue a conversation with her and it was a source of comfort.

From a technical standpoint, finishing someone else’s work isn’t easy. Her writing style and my writing style are very different. She is poetic and descriptive, and I am more abrupt and analytical. However, I knew exactly where I wanted to take the story itself and actually wrote the ending first. Then I backtracked my way to that line where she left off and added events and conversations to her part of the book to make a cohesive story and complete each character’s story arch. Then I added layer upon layer of detail to meld our styles. She created all but one character, so that was helpful. I think she purposely left one character for me to create and that was a lot of fun.

What do you think makes a good fiction book?

You must write with passion and believe in your story and characters. It’s easy to tell when an author is writing for someone else and not themselves.

Are you planning to write another book?

Perhaps. I have an idea for one that tells the story of the parents from Bird of Paradise as their relationship is key to the book. I just haven’t been able to find the time to really delve into it.

STORY:

Seventeen-year-old Arianna Heywood is a hopeless romantic who dreams of one day sipping Bellini’s with her love in Italy and when a trip home to the Island reveals that her innocent childhood crush no longer looks at her as his kid sister, Ari is eager to step into the world of womanhood. But as is so often the case, you cannot always choose what happens in life.

Facing immeasurable pain, Ari embarks on a decade long journey of self-discovery, but an unexpected encounter in the city of her dreams may change it all again. Torn between the pull of her Island and the possibility of what lies beyond, Ari must bridge the gap between her past and the story of her future. They say some love stories are meant to last forever. Will theirs be one of them? Only Ari has the power to decide.

Excerpt From Bird of Paradise

The sun was in its descending arc over the western headland now. It was an artist’s sun, all big and orange, spreading its sepia light over the Island, transforming it from brilliant contrasts to silhouetted images against a vibrant sky. There was a light trail that extended across the lagoon and out to the open sea, a golden touch she had called it when she was very young. But first she needed to cry the tears she had been suppressing all that day. It wasn’t a moment of weakness. She just needed to leave the tears behind. And when the last one had descended her cheek and dissolved into the fabric of her linen shirt, she knew she was ready. So, she resettled herself on the sleek wooden bench that Grandfather had lovingly crafted out of a singly koa log all those years ago and into which he and Mem had carved their names, and then Mama and Papa had done the same after them. She followed the light trail as far as she could see and searched the horizon until she found what she was looking for – the ferry that was sailing away with everything she loved most in this world. She stared at it for a very long time, watching it grow smaller and smaller. Then she closed her eyes and tried to remember what her life had been like before Michael.

Links

Instagram @ejohnson2014

Twitter @elhughes01

Website: emilyjohnsonwrites.net

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZYX339Z

Bios:

Marilyn was born in Southern California but spent her formative years in the San Francisco Bay Area with her parents and older sister.  She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Sociology and received an advanced degree in Elementary Education.  After moving with her husband to Aspen, Colorado Marilyn spent the next 20 years as a public-school teacher and elementary education consultant and lecturer.  She and her family moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina in 1996 and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with breast and advanced ovarian cancer.  She began writing The Bird of Paradise as a life gift for her daughter, Emily.  She passed away in 2012 leaving the novel unfinished – for Emily to complete.

Emily was born in Aspen, Colorado where she enjoyed skiing, dancing ballet and playing golf.  At the age of 13, she and her family moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina.  She attended UNC-Chapel Hill and graduated with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations.   She currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and son.  Emily enjoys playing golf, running, kickboxing, reading, and spending time with her family.  Finishing her mother’s work has been one of the greatest honors of her life.