SAM Magazine

E178 - Allan Hudson, excerpt from his novel, Vigilantes

Allan Hudson was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. Growing up in South Branch, he was encouraged to read from an early age by his mother, a school teacher. He lives in the seaside community of Cocagne with his wife, Gloria. He has enjoyed a lifetime of adventure, travel and uses the many experiences as ideas for his writing. He is an author of action/adventure novels, historical fiction and a short story collection. His short stories, The Ship Breakers, and In the Abyss, received Honourable Mentions in the New Brunswick Writer's Federation competition.
He is a strong advocate for writers supporting writers. He has interviewed many authors, including myself. His blog interviews can be found at South Branch Scribbler.
Today, I read an excerpt from his novel Vigilantes.
 

E177 - Spy Girls - Joanna Vander Vlugt (first chapter)

A CIA action officer is released from prison. A Chief Justice is murdered, and the Law Society is scrutinizing Jade Thyme’s conduct. Jade’s life can’t get much worse until she is coerced into finding an elusive double agent. Tangled in lies and political agendas, high speed chases and sticky bombs, can Jade outplay a dangerous Hungarian assassin before her own life is terminated?
On today's episode, Joanna reads the first chapter from her novel, Spy Girls, which is available for pre-order on Amazon and Kobo, and will be released on Saturday, March 16, 2024. https://www.amazon.ca/Spy-Girls-Jade-Sage-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CJ3P9Z1B/ 
Reviews are coming in such as this one:
“Spy Girls is adrenaline-fueled, adventure packed with heart-pounding action, unexpected twists, and a riveting plot that keeps readers hooked from the first page. With lives hanging in the balance and loyalties questioned, trust in each other is the only way to survive. But even the strongest bonds can be tested when faced with external threats and personal demons.”
—Joe Goldberg, author of the award-winning The Spy Devils thrillers https://www.joegoldbergbooks.com/ 
 
 

E176 - Heather L. Barksdale - Arriving Through Time (novel excerpt)

Heather L. Barksdale was born in Waterville, Maine. Her adventure into travel started young when her parents packed up the two-year-old and drove across the country to Seattle, Washington. They then flew to Fairbanks, Alaska to live until she was eight years old. She would move several more times throughout the years, living in places as different as Larimore, North Dakota, and Keflavik, Iceland.
As a military brat, her experience with travel grew throughout the years and her passion for reading thrived. With all the travel came many different schools and both the challenge and opportunity to make new friends. Constant though, was the presence of a good book. Her mom, an elementary school teacher, always encouraged her to read and eventually write. It was her mom that often introduced her to the books and genres that she would grow to love.
After realizing that one of the friends that she had made along the way was actually the love of her life, she and her husband married. They settled in Jacksonville, Florida where they continue to make a home today. Heather finds time to travel whenever possible. She has now traveled throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia seeking new adventures. She is an avid fan of historical fiction and calls upon her adventures as inspiration for her stories.
One such adventure, in Barbados, provided the motivation she needed (as well as some of the inspiration) to write her first book, Arriving Through Time. Heather is currently working on a sequel to her time travel adventure while also delving into her darker side with a new storyline filled with compelling characters - and killers.
 
Heather L. Barksdale

E175 - Donalee Moulton - Moist

Donalee Moulton's first mystery book Hung out to Die was published in 2023. Her historical mystery, Conflagration, will be published in 2024. 
Donalee's short story Swan Song appeared in Cold Canadian Crime and Black Cat Weekly. It will appear in the Mystery Most International anthology in 2024. Her second short story was published this spring in Black Cat Weekly. Her short story “Moist” originally appeared in After Dinner Conversation.   
Donalee is also the author of The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say, and co-authored Celebrity Court Cases: Trials of the Rich and Famous. 
She is an award-winning freelance journalist, and she has written articles for Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, the National Post, and Canadian Business. She lives in Halifax happily surrounded by family, friends, pets, and words of all shapes, sizes, and syllables.
https://donaleemoulton.com/https://donaleemoulton.com/
Donalee Moulton interview
 
 

E174 - J.E. (Jayne)Barnard - Bow Tide

J.E. (Jayne) Barnard is best known for her Falls Mystery novels of women's wilderness suspense from Dundurn Press, winner of the CWC Award of Excellence and finalist for the CWA Debut Dagger, and for the Maddie Hatter Adventures fantasy series, winner of the BPAA Alberta Book of the Year and twice nominated for the Prix Aurora. Between work on upcoming novels and short stories, she devotes almost equal time to editing, mentoring, and literary juries. She migrates annually between the Alberta Rockies and the Vancouver Island rainforests. Find out more about Jayne and her works at the links below:
jaynebarnard.ca
Incisive Editing Services
Linktree
 
Today, I had the pleasure of reading Jayne's short story, Bow Tide. In this episode spousal assault is discussed. In British Columbia the spousal assault crisis line is 1-800-784-2433. In the United States, the The Hotline can be accessed via the nationwide number 1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224 or (206) 518-9361 (Video Phone Only for Deaf Callers).
 

E173 - Andrew Welsh Huggins, The Whole Story

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is a Shamus, Derringer, and International Thriller Writers-award nominated mystery author of eleven books with more in the works.
His latest novel, The End of the Road, was named one of the best thrillers of the first half of 2023 by Library Journal and called by Kirkus, “A crackerjack crime yarn chockablock with miscreants and a supersonic pace.”
​Andrew's seven-volume (with an eighth on the way) Andy Hayes series features a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned investigator. “Readers who love old-fashioned detective novels will be in hog heaven as they tear into Welsh-Huggins’ latest adventure featuring Andy Hayes,” said Booklist of Fatal Judgment.
Andrew is also the editor of the Columbus Noir anthology from Akashic Books, a collection of fourteen mystery stories each set in a different Columbus neighborhood, named one of CrimeReads’ most anticipated crime books of 2020.
​Andrew’s short mystery fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and many others. His stories have also appeared in multiple anthologies, including Best American Mystery Stories 2021; Mickey Finn 21st Century Noir, Vols. 1, 3 and 4; Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon; Groovy Gumshoes: Private Eyes in the Psychedelic Sixties; and the 2021 Bouchercon convention anthology, This Time for Sure. Andrew’s story, "The Murderous Type," won the 2017 Al Blanchard Prize for Best New England Short Crime Story.
https://www.andrewwelshhuggins.com/

E172 - Ardelle Holden - Killing Imaginary Friends

Ardelle Holden is the author of The Samantha Bowers Mysteries. Her latest novel is an Oliver Frampton Mystery and is being released on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. If you like suspenseful, emotional, coming-of-age angst, you’ll love Ardelle Holden’s gripping story of Olly’s imaginary friends who torment and frustrate his life until, at twenty, Oliver discovers what really happened when he was eight.
Vancouver Island is Ardelle's home. She enjoys the glorious sunsets over Quennell Lake and Mount Benson. It’s a perfect spot for writing. Her plastic plants and polyester pets have allowed Ardelle and her husband, Pat, to winter in Mexico since 2006. The views of Mount Garcia over Lake Chapala provide another quiet scene conducive to writing as well as other artistic pursuits.
Ardelle's website is www.ardelleholden.com
I had a fabulous time reading the first chapter in Killing Imaginary Friends, and I'm looking forward to receiving the book.
 
 

E171 - W.L. Hawkin - Writing With Your Muse

E171 - W.L. Hawkin loves to travel to the locations where her novels are situated so she can soak up that sensory landscape. A graduate of Trent University in Ontario, having completed a B.A. in Indigenous Studies, Wendy is a prolific author. Her Hollystone Mysteries are based on a coven of witches who solve murders. 
She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada, the Federation of B.C. Writers, ALLi, the Writers Union of Canada and many more organizations. If you would like to learn more about W.L. Hawkin and Blue Haven Press, her website is Blue Haven Press To purchase Wendy's book, here is the link.