Month: September 2020

One thing about John Hegenberger; he doesn’t hesitate to try different things. His range includes 1950’s Los Angeles noir, science fiction, westerns, thrillers, short stories, non-fiction, podcasts, audible books, series and stand-alone novels. So in other words, John strikes first and asks questions later.

He’s also funny. Personable. Knowledgeable. Someone who simply writes because he wants to write. And when John attends a BCW meeting, he’s the guy who settles in, asks smart questions, and then hangs out for a beer and lunch afterwards, with anecdotes and information you can’t get anywhere else.  

John was born and raised in Columbus. His background includes a degree in Comparative Literature from Capital University, and a professional life in advertising and marketing with Fortune 500 companies, before retiring to write full-time. And due to the whole COVID thing, we don’t get to see him anywhere near as much as we’d like. But hopefully you can take a look at his work and get an indication of him yourself:

Stan Wade series (1950’s Los Angeles, private investigator series, Black Opal Books)

Tripleye series (22nd century, science fiction)

Blaze series (western)

The Last Martian Chronicles (short stories, science fiction/fantasy, Rough Edge Press)

The Pandora Block (modern thriller)

Note: John can be found at https://www.facebook.com/johnhegenbergerauthor/, and you can sign up for his newsletter at johnhegenberger.com. You can also hear him on a 2016 podcast at Meet the Thriller.

Writers need to read. A lot. Marianne Beck, a retired registered nurse, is one of those writers. She reads everything she can lay her hands on.

Marianne never considered writing until one day she began reading a mystery novel and became disappointed with a boring plot and one-dimensional characters. She decided to write and publish her own novel, Murder Rule #1, and has now published a second novel, Revenge Rule #1. She also has a third novel, Deception Rule #1, coming out by the end of the year.

Born and raised in Ohio, Marianne currently resides in Florida and visits the Buckeye State during the summer.

“I was raised in a dying steel town and educated in the crucible of the boomer rebellion.”

That’s just a scratch on the surface of this week’s author, Tom Barlow. With over 100 short stories and four novels on his writing resume, Tom’s work ranges from crime fiction to speculative to literary fiction and many flavors in between. His writing has been described by one reviewer as “brilliantly layered…and refreshingly off beat.” His work can be found in several anthologies, including Best American Mystery Stories 2013, Dames and Sin, and Columbus Noir. He’s been writing regularly since 2004.

He writes because conversation involves a lot of give and take, and he’s always thought of himself as more of a giver.

To read more of Tom’s work, check out the links below. 

http://www.tombarlowauthor.com

amazon.com/author/tombarlow

https://twitter.com/TomBarlow

https://www.facebook.com/barlow.thomas

Eileen’s mother was hooked on mysteries and was rarely found without a book in her hand. So it was natural Eileen became an avid reader, starting with the Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene. Her mother was pleased by that until the day Eileen and her childhood friend decided their ninety-plus-year-old house held a mystery of its own. After they pried the built-in desk in her parents’ room from the wall, they discovered a hidden room that contained—wait for it—a clothes hanger.

Eileen lives on the Far West side of the city and before early retirement, ran life and annuity marketing for a Fortune 100 company. After a long celebratory road trip through Canada to Maine and back, she decided to write a book (a mystery, of course). One of her first steps was to join Buckeye Crime Writers (then SICCO), and she hasn’t looked back since. She now serves BCW as the board member focusing on social media.

Eileen writes a cozy mystery series, which features Merry March, a divorcée, mom, and business owner in the small town of Hopeful. Merry has a seventeen-year-old daughter and loves food, wine, friends, and her cats, though not necessarily in that order. She’s kind of a control freak, but her life over the past five years has been anything but orderly.

The fifth book in the Merry March series, Murder So Hot, was released last Thursday. It chronicles her best friend’s husband’s journey as he goes to Phoenix to meet the birth mother he discovered after taking a DNA test. When a murder happens, Merry flies in to help her friends. She investigates and finds darkness hides in the sunniest of places.

When Eileen’s not working on her books, she’s tweeting micro fiction on Twitter, or acting as sous gardener to her husband. They have two demanding cats and assorted koi, shubunkins, and minnows that require regular attention and feeding. You can find Eileen at www.eileencurleyhammond.com and her latest book at https://www.amazon.com/Murder-So-Hot-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B08G3HXVGP/. You can also order her latest paperback from your favorite independent bookstore.