D.L. (Deanna) Dixen and I have written two Pine County mysteries together and this latest release has possibly the most twisting plot and intriguing characters in any of the Pine County books. We each bring things to our collaboration, and Deanna's experience in the criminal justice system brings additional depth to the story and the CJ and Pam characters. Riley, a rookie recently added to the series, is growing into his badge. (Did I forget to mention there are horses?) I'm the nerdy partner who digs into technical details and spend hours in research. Deanna's thoughts and approach are neat and orderly. One beta reader described my mind as looking like a pool table after the break with balls (ideas) banging into each other and bouncing around inside of the bumpers. That said, we have blended our styles, taking the best of each to create a story that twists and turns.
With the upcoming April release, we've been busy preparing for local promotions, The Pine County History Museum (May 17) and the Milaca Library (6/27) were locked in early. There are several other venues on our calendars throughout the summer. I'll be at the Moose Lake Train Deport Museum for "Depot fest" on 5/23. The rest of the summer is filling in with Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake on 7/10 and the Cambridge Library on 7/11, and Northern Bloom and Gifts (Sandstone) TBD.
At each venue we'll see readers who are now old friends. Deanna's Pine County Dixen family will show up in Askov and Sandstone for signed copies (she has deep familial roots in northern Pine County).
One of my favorite readers loves to hear about the "off the beaten path" restaurants the Pine County deputies are visiting in each book. I'm sure he'll be disappointed when he learns we've used a fictional location, The Dusty Muskie, where CJ and Pam find a dead body is fictional. It's inappropriate to describe a real restaurant as a seedy location that maintains a drunk tank (Back room) with cots for customers who don't want to risk getting ticketed for drinking and driving. Nope, just didn't seem like any "real" establishment would like to be described like that. We also have a fictional neighborhood bar where a few illegal transactions transpire.
I hope our readers will forgive us. I'm also sure they'll whisper questions like, "Is the Dusty Muskie really Bob's Bait or the Muddy Muskrat?"
Check out our new release, "Woke Up Dead" at the BWL Publishing website, Amazon, or your favorite book outlet. Or visit us when we make our Pine County book tour in Moose Lake, Sandstone, Milaca, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Chisago Lakes, and other scenic Minnesota locations.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dean-L.-Hovey/author/B00J78JMLY
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=DL+Dixen&crid=238TP8OXXQQTW
I enjoy your stories. Keep them coming
ReplyDeleteGreat setting for a mystery novel. Yay, Arizona! A promising series. Thanks for sharing.
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