Vocal Expressions

Author’s Bio: S. R. Webster has previously published works under the name Sandra R. Campbell, including paranormal thrillers Butterfly Harvest , Dark Migration , and The Dead Days Journal . Several of her short stories have appeared in Suspense magazine and various horror anthologies. Notably, Chilling Entertainment produced her short story Abandoned for the Simply Scary podcast.   After a brief hiatus, S. R. Webster is back, ready to unleash a new wave of monsters and genre-bending mayhem. A Girl Named Ghost is her debut publication as S. R. Webster. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the Maryland Writers’ Association, and the director of an M.W.A. critique group.   Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your book? S. R. Webster: A Girl Named Ghost was not conceived in the typical manner. Most of my stories come to me by disturbing news reports or nightmarish dreams (of which I have many). But this one all started with the title. I was lou...

This is the first legal thriller I’ve read by Freya Atwood, and I found her style captivating. The story revolves around a deranged killer, a determined lawyer fighting to save her client from prison, and a key witness who lives off the grid.  Meet Sam Spencer, a lawyer who has recently inherited her father’s law firm after his passing. Longing to return to her early days of tackling criminal cases, Sam comes across an intriguing newspaper article titled Reluctant Murderer . It details the Golden Lake killer case, where Angie Rose, a 25-year-old woman, was discovered dead on the lake's shore. Though her left wrist was cut open, her actual cause of death was a broken neck.  The prime suspect, Mark Mason, has a violent past and is alleged to have confessed. However, his brother Brett insists that someone else committed the crime. Brett’s certainty comes from a witness, Eve Bryant, who places another individual at the scene. But Eve is threatened with a chilling note, warning he...

This is the first contemporary romance I’ve read by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent, and I found her style to be engaging. This story is a prequel to her new Love You, Maine series. Let’s meet Kellan "Kell" Luview, an environmental policy fellow with an international NGO, the EEC, in Washington, D.C. Kell hails from a quirky small town in Maine called "Love You," where every day feels like Valentine's Day. He's romantically involved with Alissa, his confident and driven supervisor, who is also the head fellow. Recently, though, Alissa has been distant, ignoring his calls and skipping their dates.  Things unravel further when Kell’s friend Rachel—who has a bit of a crush on him—reveals that Alissa has accepted a position with MonDex, a big oil company she refers to as the "Evil Empire." Kell feels blindsided, wondering if Alissa was only dating him to connect with his Uncle Ted, Maine’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Fo...

Author’s Bio: Jeff Elkins is the author of 12 novels, 4 books on the craft of writing, and over 100 short stories. He prides himself in writing engaging stories with dynamic and interesting characters. Almost all of his stories take place in Baltimore. He podcasts and coaches writers as “The Dialogue Doctor.” Currently, he lives north of Baltimore with his wife and 5 children.   Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your books? Jeff Elkins: All of my books have started with a scene. I’ll see in my imagination characters having a conversation or experiencing something emotional. Sometimes these scenes come in a dream, other times they come when I’m wide awake and working. They always carry big emotions. These scenes tend to stick in my brain for days and I can’t let go of them. First, I’ll write them as a short story. Then, if I think there is more to uncover, I’ll turn the short story into a novel.   For example, my most recent novel NRDS: National Recently De...

This is the first multicultural romance I've read by C.L. Donley, and I found her style to be simple, realistic, and engaging. The novel is more character-driven than plot-driven, which makes for an intriguing read. Meet Anita Parker, a 38-year-old personal assistant to eccentric CEO Jonathan Jantzen. After six years of navigating his demanding personality and efficiently managing his business, Anita is surprised when, just as she's offered her dream job as a forensic investigator, Jonathan counters with a marriage proposal. The catch? It’s a six-month arrangement. Anita throws herself into planning a “big ass” wedding, complete with all the bells and whistles—venue, dress, cake, and more. She and Jonathan begin their staged romance, practicing affection in public while only a select few of Jonathan’s friends know the truth. However, things shift when a date and a candid discussion about their past relationships reveal the emotional baggage, they both carry. They’re afraid to b...

Author Bio: Debbi Mack is the NY Times bestselling author of the Sam McRae and the Erica Jensen mystery series and other novels, a screenwriter, and producer of two podcasts: the Crime Cafe and Dark and Twisted Alleys: A Film Noir Podcast, co-hosted with crime writer F.R. Jameson. She loves books, movies, travel, cats, espresso, and Doctor Who —not necessarily in that order. You can find her online at debbimack.com.   Deliah Lawrence: What is your writing process?   Debbi Mack:   I tend to outline after I get the germ of an idea. I usually write from the first person, so I try to plan out the key moments of the story in terms of the main character’s feelings in that moment, how revelatory they should feel. I also start with a type of ending in mind. All of this is subject to change, based largely on where the characters lead me. So, I start with a bare outline and improvise from there.   One nice thing about writing a series is that you get to know you...