The Princess Diana Conspiracy Blog Tour

Join Alan Power, author of the true crime/royalty book, The Princess Diana Conspiracy, as he tours the blogosphere August 29 - September 27, 2013 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

ABOUT THE PRINCESS DIANA CONSPIRACY

The Princess Diana Conspiracy is primarily a detailed investigation into the brutal murder of Diana, Princess of Wales but British democracy is also questioned. Evidence is presented that MI6 perverted the course of justice and that they murder people but also that Diana was a target “within their code”. The police are proven to have conspired, “to get their stories straight” at the inquest and there is also further disturbing evidence of other peoples’ murders that were associated with this brutal crime. We begin with a review of the details surrounding Diana’s murder and illustrate many coincidental happenings both during Diana’s life and thereafter (the plane that Richard Tomlinson, SAS/MI6 whistle-blower, was due to return to Geneva on, Swissair Flight 111 from New York where he was booked to give evidence on US television, blew up mid-air killing 227 people; the CIA had returned him on an earlier flight. Princess Caroline of Brunswick, whom George IV was ordered to marry, was taken ill on the eve of George’s coronation and died three weeks later; she claimed she had been poisoned. Her body was sent quickly back to Germany; there is clear precedence of such family behaviour). We are shown what Diana was required to tolerate and see her royal world. We then migrate onto describing how this attack took place and show, again, the amazing coincidences that made the timing of this act serendipitous to the royals e.g. Diana was murdered the very day after her decree absolute came through when she would have been free to marry Dodi Fayed. We delve deeply into the workings and testimony of the major players but especially the authorities (police and MI6) then show an enormous amount of corruption, sidestepping, (I am required to say untruths, not lies) and ridiculous testimony that no sane person could possibly accept; the court did not see fit to criticise either MI6 or the police when these revelations occurred. Please also take note of the various points I have disclosed, not previously discovered, of major comments during evidence that prove these “untruths” and the wholesale corruption. The police did not investigate the abuse of Diana prior to Paris and evidence is produced that MI6 were watching and following her around for years before the murder took place; the police did nothing and the policeman responsible for this did nothing to protect Diana either although it was supposedly his job; he couldn’t explain why. James Andanson, who was the owner of a white Fiat Uno, was found murdered with two bullet holes in his head. He had been bragging that he was in the tunnel when Diana was murdered. His good friend and well known French crime writer Frederic Dard “died” five weeks after Andanson. It is proven that he and Andanson had been engaged in writing a book together about Diana’s murder. It goes on and on. Add to this evidence that the decision to embalm Diana was taken at a “Diplomatic level” and that the paparazzi, who were incarcerated and blamed for the whole event, were prevented from attending court through “Political intervention” and the soul heads further and further into the abyss. If the paparazzi had persuaded the jury that they were first to the tunnel (Which I show they were) then this alone was proof of murder. There really is too much to tell you all during such a brief overview but the comment from one literary agent who read the book before my current agent took over was that he often felt he needed to stop frequently and come up for air. I thought that is what I was supposed to achieve; reveal the truth and let you, the people decide whether you will permit this evil act to go unpunished.

ABOUT ALAN POWER

The author is married to Sally and has enjoyed a variety of interests including being a drama student, an official candidate of the Conservative party and owning his own company but this is his first journey into the world of writing. His hobbies are flying, pistol shooting, scuba diving and he is a past rugby football player. He has written another book about Diana that will be published later and has ideas for other subjects that will also follow. When his company suffered the ravages of internal fraud with no joy from the police due to lack of evidence and a degree of police indifference, his life changed irrevocably but now he had the time to write. When Diana was murdered Alan remembers feeling rage that such a beautiful and natural person as Diana could be used, abused and so cruelly discarded just to serve the monarchy’s needs. He considered the probability that this was a murder of convenience and monarchical survival so he began an extensive investigation into Diana’s death. Although initially unsure he would be up to this task, he persevered and now offers evidence that this murder was not conducted by rogue MI6 officers, considered as possible during the inquests, but by serving MI6 officers and with the use of military aid. This project began in 2003 and despite many attempts by others to prevent, or delay, the book’s release Alan now brings you his findings. There is first an overview of the background to this brutal act and a selection of relevant events prior to the inquests with lateral thought being applied to four million words of cross referenced inquest evidence. He delivers the most compelling and damming evidence and says that it’s important for justice to prevail if Britain still wishes to be considered a democracy.

The Princess Diana Conspiracy Book Publicity Tour Schedule

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Monday, September 2 - Book featured at splashesofjoy

Tuesday, September 3 - Author Interview at Bookingly Yours

Wednesday, September 4 - Book featured at Margay Leah Justice

Thursday, September 5 - Guest blogging at My Devotional Thoughts

Friday, September 6 - Book reviewed at Bookingly Yours

Friday, September 6 - Book featured at Freda's Voice

Monday, September 9 - Book reviewed at splashesofjoy

Tuesday, September 10 - 1st chapter reveal at Authors and Readers Book Corner

Wednesday, September 11 - Book reviewed at Hanging off the Wire

Thursday, September 12 - Book review and 1st chapter reveal at Why Not? Because I Said So

Friday, September 13 - 1st chapter reveal at Psychotic State

Friday, September 13 - Guest blogging at Hanging off the Wire

Monday, September 16- Book reviewed at Psychotic State

Wednesday, September 18 - Book reviewed at Self Taught Cook

Wednesday, September 18 - 1st chapter reveal at Sarah Ballance

Thursday, September 19 - Interviewed at Review From Here

Monday, September 23 - Review, Guest blogging, and 1st chapter reveal at Jersey Girl Book Reviews

Tuesday, September 24 -Book reviewed at My Cozie Corner

Wednesday, September 25 - Book review and Guest blogging at The True Book Addict

Wednesday, September 25 - 1st chapter reveal at Beth's Book Reviews

Thursday, September 26 - Interviewed at Literal Exposure

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The Princess Diana Conspiracy by Alan Power

Interview Questions & Answers

Could you please tell us a little about your book?
It is very difficult to tell people a little about this book because it comes as a complete horror story. You cannot remove the ghouls or evil from its periphery but only deal with it and pursue the truth.

It is essentially a story of corruption, betrayal, abuse and outstanding cruelty. When hopefully you read it I will be very interested to hear your verdict because that it what this is all about. You say murder and that is what it is; it is how the western world’s legal system works.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?
Yes, apart from a sense of rage and that this was the final straw, an event did take place. I have been advised not to discuss this at this stage but you asked the question and I shall not lie to you.

Who is your biggest supporter?
My wife Sally was my rock until she prematurely passed away in April this year from pulmonary fibrosis and a serious heart defect. This is now a much more lonely pursuit but I shall not waiver.

Your biggest critic?
Not enough space on the paper but you could start with all those who would see justice go unrequited. Intelligent people have told me that it is probably better the truth is never known. This of course means that some individuals may abuse and murder people to suit their own ends and that democracy can go hang; not on my watch.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?
Democracy for the people of Britain and the pursuit of justice for Diana are one and the same thing; with justice for her comes justice for the people.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?
Patience (But I don’t get an A)

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?
No, I just thank God I managed to complete the work.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?
I don’t wish to sound arrogant but primarily my own passion. I used the book written by Stephen King called, “On Writing” to assist me at the commencement; it helped a lot.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?
Justice for the Princess of Wales, the proper one, is my first priority and then to find a new path forward in life.

What are you currently working on?
This book still commands my attention, together with various appearances on US and Dutch television, but I have written another book about Diana where the facts from the Princess Diana Conspiracy are reverse engineered and describe what I postulate what happened to her. It must be considered fictional because the details are from known facts but cannot be assured for accuracy.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
Plan your work and scope your overall plan with a few characters, direction and ideas of events. Review it once a week and make any necessary changes; never, ever give up.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?
Hemmingway

What are some of your long term goals?
To find a new life, maybe have children and write some novels that won’t require years of torture.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?
Too soon to say but justice for Diana, or even bringing the truth to the people, will satisfy me enormously and make me feel that all the work hasn’t been in vain.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?
Resilience

Biggest weakness?
Impatience (Hence my previous answer)

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?
Nobody has written a book focusing on the evidence, abstracting and applying lateral thought to seek out all the available evidence and then cross relating it to ensure there is a seamless story.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?
I would need a book that would last me a long time so probably James Joyce because I can’t understand a word of it; especially Finnegan’s Wake. (I might, of course, be driven insane).

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?
If I could change them the disgusting attacks on Iraq or, of course, Diana.

Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what way/s?
I don’t think that I am any different but others may not share that view.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?
If you follow your ideals and intuition, you will not go far wrong.

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?
Many things but regrets are counterproductive so I feel it’s better to try and be the person you wish to be and, if you falter, then put it down to being human.

What is your favorite past-time?
I enjoy flying aeroplanes and engaging in the sport called practical pistol shooting.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I ask that all you good people read my book and do so as jurors in a murder trial; this is the essence of what I have done. Once you pronounce murder, the nations of the world will need to take notice when we may move to the next response level.

Author Interview: Krista Holle

Krista Holle, author of The Lure of Shapinsay. Read my book review here.

About The Lure of Shapinsay

Ever since Kait Swanney could remember, the old crones of the village have been warning her to stay away from the selkies. They claim that like sirens of old, the seal men creep from the inky waters, shed their skins, and entice women to their deaths beneath the North Sea. But avoiding an encounter becomes impossible when Kait is spotted at the water’s edge, moments after the murder of a half-selkie infant. 

Unexpectedly, Kait is awoken by a beautiful, selkie man seeking revenge. After she declares her innocence, the intruder darts into the night, but not before inadvertently bewitching her with an overpowering lure. 

Kait obsesses over a reunion deep beneath the bay and risks her own life to be reunited with her selkie. But when she lands the dangerous lover, the chaos that follows leaves Kait little time to wonder—is it love setting her on fire or has she simply been lured?

To know more about The Lure of Shapinsay, click here.

Hi Krista! Thank you for being on Bookingly Yours today. Can you please tell us something about yourself, your background, where you were born, live? Your work prior to becoming a writer.   I was born and raised in Midlothian, Virginia.  Midlothian is a slice of heaven on earth and I’ve recently returned.  I’m married to a wonderful husband with four feisty daughters who really keep me on my toes.  I work as a critical care nurse, but I dream of the day that I can write full time.

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?  I’ve written my whole life but I knew I wanted to tackle my first novel after the huge success of Twilight.  It occurred to me that there’s an insatiable audience of girls and women who crave not vampires but stories of true love.

Is this your first "published" book?  Yes, but there’s more on the horizon.

Was it easy to write something that is based on a myth?  I think it was easier writing a story based on a myth.  Though there’s not a lot of selkie tales out there, the basic premise of what a selkie can and can’t do has already been established for thousands of years.  For the selkie rookie, selkies are from Scottish folklore.  They are seal men and women who spend the bulk of their lives under the sea as seals but occasionally shed their skins and emerge on land as humans.  The men are notorious for luring human women to their deaths deep beneath the waves.

Can you tell us something more about the selkies? In the 1800’s on the Orcadian islands, selkies were a very real part of life.  Every drowning and mishap was blamed on them.  There are Orcadians today who swear they are descended from these mythical creatures and even tell of ancestors with webbed hands and feet.

Do you have any plans on writing another book about selkies or any other myths like mermen/mermaids?  I’m keeping my options open but no more nautical tales planned at this time.

Are you one of those writers who can write in a public place?  No, I’m the opposite. When the family is home, I type in silencing ear muffs.

Who are your favorite authors and why?  I love Tracy Chevalier, Shannon Hale, and Stephanie Meyers.  They are masters of escape and pulling the reader in as the main character.  Did anyone not enjoy being Bella as she experienced her first kiss with Edward?

What are you reading right now?  I just finished Monstrous Beauty.

What do you do when you are not writing and reading?  I enjoy collecting seashells, eating out, walking, and working on a sundry projects around the house.  I’m a do it your-selfer.


About Krista Holle

Krista has been writing since she was nine-years-old when she scribbled out her first adolescent work entitled Merish, the completely illogical but heartfelt story of a girl who was part mermaid, part fish. As a young mother, Krista added to her repertoire some middle grade readers and picture books she’s wary of mentioning.

In 2004, Krista began an intensive four year period working part-time as a critical care nurse while homeschooling her four children. During this hectic time, courses of writing were taught and learned, and rules of syntax were scolded to memory. Ironically this period of study equipped Krista with the tools she needed to enter the next phase of her writing experience. Now equipped with the mysteries of the comma, Krista was ready to tackle a much bigger project—a full fledged novel. 

After the kids were enrolled in public school in 2009, it occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love. Convinced that there was an unfulfilled audience waiting for what Krista loves to write—romance, she sat down in the family’s dungeon, a.k.a. the basement, and began to furiously type. In no time, her first novel was drying on crisp white paper.

Krista currently resides in Midlothian, Virginia with her husband, four daughters, and an eccentric cat with an attachment to the family’s socks. She continues to write obsessively every chance she can get.

To read more about Krista Holle, check out her website and blog.

Authors Interview: Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky

Few months ago, I've read the first book of the Grimm Chronicles, Prince Charming Must Die and shortly after that, I was able to read book two Happily Never After. Those two were fun to read and because I've enjoyed reading them, I'm interviewing Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky, authors of the Grimm Chronicles.  

Welcome Is and Ken! 


Tell us something about yourself, your background, where you were born/live?  

Ken was born in Milwaukee. He loves s'mores and received his MFA in writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Isabella was born in Delavan, a small town west of Milwaukee. She knows how to castrate pigs because she grew up on a farm!

What was your work prior to becoming a writer?

Starbucks. Both of us, actually! A strange coincidence. Ken still works there part-time and also teaches college English classes. But he doesn't drink coffee. He likes chai lattes.

When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?

Isabella has a hard time pinpointing it. For Ken, it happened years and years ago, around middle school. He'd been drawing comics up to that point, but then he picked up a graphic novel that had lots and lots of writing and only a few pictures. He ate it up and tried writing one himself. It turned into a crazy 300-page novel about dark creatures attacking a group of mercenaries who are stranded in a gas station and ... you know what? That really sounds like a cool story. Maybe he should re-write it.

Do you see writing as a career?

Maybe some day! For now, it's a means to an end. A way to get the stories out of our heads to give our sanity some relief. But then more stories pop up. And you have to get rid of those, too, or they crowd your mind until it's all you can think about.

Is "Grimm Chronicles" your first book series? How many books do you plan to write for this series?

Our first series. Our goal is 12 books, one coming out every two months. For every 3 books, we'll put out a print edition. We have a plan. In the next three books, Alice is going back to school. Then, she's going to compete in a big fencing competition. Then ... well, let's just say the last three books are going to be pretty scary.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in writing the Grimm Chronicles?

Finding the right fairy tales to incorporate into each story is the hardest part. We must have read Grimms' Fairy Tales a dozen times. You read them, and then you wait for an idea to pop up in your head ... and then you put that idea into one of the stories.

How long does it take for you to write one book?

That's a tough one. Well, since the books come out every two months ... we don't have much time! But we've planned ahead. We have an outline for each of the remaining books. We have the fairy tales picked out. We have the characters and the story plotted out. We know what's going to happen ... and we're really excited.

Do you ever experience writer's block?

There are moments where you try to get from one scene to another and just can't figure it out. It can drive you nuts! But you just have to push through it and remember you can always fix it up when you're revising the next draft. That's the best part about writing: knowing you can go back and change things. As long as you keep that in mind, you should be able to beat writer's block.

Can you write in a public place?

Isabella works on the books on her patio with her pets. Ken prefers to write at his desk, which he's sort of turned into a steampunk paradise. But he also occasionally writes at the local library.

What kind of books do you usually read?

Isabella is a big fan of Cormac McCarthy of all things! Ken especially enjoys short story collections, and he's also reading The Hunger Games on his Kindle. Ken also really, really likes the Encyclopedia Brown books for some reason.

What are you reading right now?

Isabella is reading House of Leaves. Ken is reading old Raymond Carver stories while his arm heals from repetitive stress. He's also reading textbooks on writing, which he plans to use for his English classes he's teaching this coming semester.

Amazon Link

On the eve of her 18th birthday, high school junior Alice Goodenough feels on top of the world. Classes are almost finished. She's about to start her summer job at the local library, where she'll be surrounded by all of her favorite books. And she has a wonderful boyfriend.

Then the rabbit shows up. The giant talking rabbit. He has a message:
200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.
Literally.

With the help of a magic pen and paper, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm brought all of their characters to life. The world was a more magical place ... for a time. Cinderella found her prince. Briar Rose's spell was broken. The dancing princesses spent their nights hidden away in a secret underground city. The old miller's boy found true love.

Then, slowly, the Grimms' characters began to change for the worse. They became Corrupted. Evil. They didn't belong in our world, but it was too late for the Brothers Grimm to destroy them.

Only a hero can save the day. Every generation for the past 200 years, a hero has been chosen to fight the Corrupted and rid the world of the Grimms' fairy tales. To her horror, Alice has been chosen as the next hero. As her 18th birthday nears, she begins to realize life is never going back to normal. School will never be the same.

As for her boyfriend, Edward ... well, he might be hiding a terrible secret.

This book also contains the following original Brothers Grimm fairy tales:
- Snow White
- The White Snake
- The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat
- The Godfather

Amazon Link

200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.

Literally.

Now the characters of the Grimms’ stories walk among us. With every day that passes, they grow more evil. They are the Corrupted, and only a hero can save them.

For 18-year-old Alice Goodenough, that means taking precious time off from her summer vacation. In addition to volunteering at the local library, Alice must stop the Corrupted who are now actively hunting her down. With the help of her magic pen and her trusty rabbit friend, the world has suddenly gotten a lot more complex. The Corrupted are everywhere, and only Alice can see them for what they truly are!

Author Interview: Renee James

Author Interview
Renee James, author of Coming Out Can Be Murder


Q. Tell us about yourself, your background, where you were born/live? Your work prior to becoming a writer.


I was born right after World War II in a very rural area in Washington State. We lived on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. When I was 10 we moved to Chicago which was a place I hated until sometime in my early adulthood, I realized it was a great place.


When I finished college and military service, I went to work as a magazine writer and editor, mostly in Chicago but with one career-changing stint as a staff writer for Time-Life Books in the mid-Seventies. I learned more about writing in my year on that staff than I have in all the years before or since. I worked in magazines for more than 40 years and still write articles on a free-lance basis.


Q. When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?


My father planted the idea in my head when I was a small child. He was a high school English teacher and loved Steinbeck and Hemmingway and the great American writers of the 20th Century—along with Shakespeare and Chaucer and the great classics. I always wanted to be a novelist, but it took a lifetime before I could put together the discipline and will to create a story line.


Q. Is Coming Out Can Be Murder your first book? If not, what were your previous writings?


Coming Out is my first novel. I co-authored a biography back in the Eighties, mainly to see if I could do it and to help pay for college expenses for my kids. And I've published hundreds of articles, editorials and columns along the way.


Q. How did you come up with the idea for the book?


I finally began confronting my transgender nature when I was in my fifties, after a lifetime of trying to ignore it or deny it. Part of the process was getting to know other trans people and contemplating whether or not to transition to the other gender. While I will never transition, the process got me thinking about the turning points in my own life. One came in my late thirties when I decided to re-marry and raise a family. I thought about what my life would have been like if I had decided to transition instead. That thought helped me establish real life priorities—I wouldn't trade anything for my wife and children and grandchildren—and it also got me thinking deeply about what it's really like to be a transsexual woman in today's America.

I was travelling a lot on business then and started writing a fictional journal based on what my life might have been like if I embraced Renee completely back when I was 38 and single. I wrote while waiting for airplanes, on long flights, and in hotel rooms at night.


It was captivating. I got to maybe forty thousand words and took a long look at it one day and I thought, you know? this is really interesting. I thought Bobbi was an interesting character, way different that any character I'd seen in fiction, and different than the trans women profiled in the various autobiographies that have been published in the past. And I was especially struck by what a profound coming-of-age story Bobbi's transition represented.


So I went back to the beginning a wrote a novel, using first-person, present tense so we could get a strong personal feeling of what it's like to be trans and to be transitioning. And I decided to add a murder/suspense elementto add structure and tension to the plot, and to create a background that brings Bobbi's character into a sharper focus.


You can't imagine how much fun it has been!


Q. How about the characters? Are they based on people you know?


I cursed Bobbi with a lot of my qualities—doubts, insecurities, a love of doing hair, a sensitivity to people and environment. It made it easier to develop her, but this is also an aspect of transgender people that seems to get understated in non-fiction. And it made for a more complex character and added complexity to the plot.


The other key people are inspired by people I know in the Chicago trans community. The two psychologists are painted from impressions I've gotten of several therapists serving the trans community, for example. Cecelia, my favorite character, is based on someone I know, but Cecelia is the potential for that person, not the person herself.


Another favorite character of mine based on a personal experienceis Jo-Jo, the air-head trans woman who comes to Bobbi for hair styling late one night. She's a minor character and my editor suggested I cut her out of the story. I kept her in for several reasons, one being, she helped define the spectrum of transgender personalities – we range from stupid to brilliant, just like every other sub group of society. Also, the scene conveys something heroic and true about the best hairdressers—they really can't say no to someone in need, even when they should.


Q. What does your family think of your writing? Your friends and co-workers?


My wife has been extremely supportive. She has read and edited all along the way. I've also had really wonderful support from a woman I knew through the magazine business, who has critiqued and praised and provided moral support. Of my friends in the transgender community, my long-time mentor and close friend, Katie, has been a valued consultant and confidante on this, from editing several different drafts to lending encouragement and support.


Q. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?


I'm not very disciplined, I'm afraid. Generally, I work in the mornings, until two or three in the afternoon. On workout days, I start at nine; on the other days, I start at seven. If I have article assignments due, they get priority. Now, with the book nearing release, I also spend a lot of time doing marketing stuff—soliciting reviews, writing copy for my press kit, creating material for the web site, writing my blog, posting promotional stuff on Facebook.


When I was still in the pure writing stage of the book, I wrote all day, until I stopped for dinner at night. In fact, I had to get an ergonomic keyboard and learn how to use it because I was developing chronic pain in my hands and wrists.


Q.  Are you one of those writers who can write in a public place?


Yes. And I love to. I don't very often—it would mean leaving my dog alone in the house, which I hate to do. In college, I used to read and even write papers in the campus coffee shop and I still love to combine work with an environment of hustle and bustle. But it doesn't matter where I am, once I get into writing, I'm focused. Most of my work is done in total silence at a desk in a corner of a small room. I think the silence would drive most people crazy, but I don't notice it.


Q. Who are your favorite authors and why?


John Steinbeck will always be my gold standard for writers because he was a great, great storyteller and a man of passion and courage. To me, The Grapes of Wrathis the American anthem. It shows our best and our worst, and it's as relevant today as it was when he wrote it. And the longer I live, the more I think of the Cannery Row trilogy as a brilliant insight into the human condition.

Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird are also at the top of my list, for the same reasons. I watch the brilliant movie version of the book sometimes and the final lines haunt me for weeks afterward. Still.


I'm also a fan of several of today's commercial fiction writers. John Grisham is a great story teller. I love the writing styles of John Sandford and Lee Child. I love Tony Hillerman's characters and the insights he brings to Navajo living and traditions.


Q. What are you reading right now?


I just finished a beautiful book, A Secret Woman by Rachel Pollack. It may have been the first mystery novel to feature a transsexual heroine (it published in 2002) and I think it's really brilliant. It has a very classic whodunit plot, with lots of twists and turns, and the main character is a very successful police detective who is trying to cope with a gender identity crisis. Rachel is a terrific writer and story teller, and very successful in the science fiction/fantasy genre and in non-fiction. This was her only mystery, but I'm hoping she does a sequel.


A Secret Woman didn't get much publicity,like many fine books that get overlooked when they came out. The book is out of print now, but you can still get copies through Amazon or B&N, or buy a signed copy from Rachel through her web site.


I've just started reading 8-Track Flashbacks by Tom Alt. Tom is a fellow Windy City Publishing author and I love his book concept—it's a collection of amusing stories from his adolescent years in the 1960s, each tied to the most popular rock-and-roll song of the year. Tom writes with great wit and charm, so I'm enjoying the read.


Thank you so muchhy Renee for being here today and also for sharing your book with me!! 

Book Review


Coming Out Can Be Murder is narrated by Bobbi Logan, a Chicago hairdresser who begins investigating the murder of a trans woman friend when neither the media nor the police seem to take notice of her brutal death.

Fighting the demons of her own gender transition, Bobbi navigates Chicago’s mysterious transgender underground to find the killer, only to become his next target.


Coming Out Can Be Murder combines a fast-moving plot with a unique character study, putting the reader in the mind and body of a sensitive, articulate transsexual woman as she begins living full time in her true gender. And Bobbi takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through Chicago’s vibrant transgender community and the city’s famous Boystown neighborhood, from its high-brow cafes to its pulsating dance clubs.


James, an active member of the Chicago transgender community, sketches a variety of characters in Coming Out, from a seductive transgender sex worker to a politically connected power broker whose smooth demeanor hides the vicious personality of a sexual predator.


Among the most memorable characters is Bobbi’s mentor, Cecelia, a brash, over-sized, larger-than-life trans woman who refuses to be intimidated by the disapproval of others.


“Cecelia is the trans woman people remember seeing in a restaurant or store,” says James. “She’s too tall and doesn’t look feminine, but she dresses well and has great composure. You don’t know anything about her because you don’t know how to start a conversation. In this book, you hear her talk and you get to know her.”


The other character most talked about by early reviewers is Betsy, Bobbi’s ex-wife. While many marriages involving transgender people end in hostility and acrimony, Betsy and Bobbi never quit loving each other after their divorce. Their love just takes a different form.


Bleue Benton, Manager of the Oak Park (IL) Public Library’s nationally acclaimed transgender literature collection, hails Coming Out Can Be Murder as “an important contribution to the field…a great story with beautiful self reflection.”


Adds Ms. Benton, “Renee James has written a groundbreaking mystery. Her smart, perceptive, and engaging heroine leads us through gender identity issues as she seeks understanding, acceptance, and justice. This page-turner is important and needs to be read.”


Coming Out Can Be Murder goes on sale June 1 in paper, Kindle and eBook formats. The book is available in book stores, through on-line services like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.

Author Interview: D.T. Dyllin

Author Interview:
D.T. Dyllin, author of Enemy Through The Gates (a P.J. Series). 

Tell us something about yourself, your background, (where you were born, live? Your work prior to becoming a writer). I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and now live in Nashville, TN. Because of that I have this weird hybrid accent that’s part Pittsburghese, part Southern, and also mixed with the influence of my Italian grandfather who came over from Calabria when he was 18 years old. I never realized how “Italian” I am until I moved to Nashville. It was quite a culture shock in the sense that things I thought everyone did (dipping bread in olive oil) were things associated with the Italian culture. Oh, and I thought I was going to starve to death with the lack of decent Italian food in Nashville! Seriously…what kind of place doesn’t have pasta shops??! Not to mention the severely lacking pasta section at local grocery stores…ugh. Okay, I’m going to move onto the next question before I type 20-page dissertation about Nashville’s need for better Italian food. 


When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? I’ve always been a writer of some sort, whether it was short stories, poetry, songs, or now novels. I made the jump to novels when songwriting no longer seemed to satisfy me creatively. When I write a song, it’s like creating a snap shot version of a character’s emotions at a particular point in their lives. In my head there was a before, and an after, but I didn’t get to share all that went into the creation of that character for the song. Eventually, the characters I created had too much to say, and not enough time to say it in a 3-4 minute platform. I was left feeling like my creations were unfinished and incomplete. That’s when it became clear to me that my characters needed to have their stories truly told, and that it was time to move on to a different medium. 


Is this your first "published" book? Yes. (Sweet, a one word answer question!) 


How did you come up with the idea for the book? All of my ideas come to me from my dreams. Sometimes it’s just a particular character, or sometimes it’s the backdrop for the story. But once I have the first little spark of creation, everything else always seems to just fall into place. In this case, I dreamt that I was P.J. in what is now the opening scene of my book. It was if I was in her head, and could hear her thoughts, but I was still me. When I woke up the next day, P.J.’s presence stuck with me, and by that evening I had already written the first couple chapters in ‘Enemy Through The Gates’. 


How about the characters? Are they based on people you know? P.J. has some of me in her, both emotionally and physically. When I dreamt her up, I didn’t really see what she looked like, so she ended up having a lot of my physical attributes. I’ve always hated being tall, and I’ve always felt too skinny and self-conscious about it. And now so does P.J. I like when heroines are flawed in stories, and I have enough insecurities and flaws to spare, so I gave some of mine to her. It was amazingly cathartic. The rest of the characters are sort of a hodgepodge of traits from friends and family mixed together. No one is really based on anyone I know in real life. Although Bryn’s physical description was definitely influenced by my life long love of everything ‘Superman’. When I dreamt him up it was clear where my psyche got its inspiration. 


Who are your favorite authors and why? I’ve read so many great authors over the years. Who I would consider my favorites would greatly depend on my state of mind and what sort of phase I’m going through when you ask me. Right now I’m kind of going through a “reliving my childhood phase” and re-reading a lot of books that I grew up on such as…The Anne of Green Gables series by L M Montgomery, and The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. Amazing authors write both series, and right now they are my current favorites…again. But like I said, ask me again in a couple of weeks and my answer could be completely different. 


Yay, Anne Rice's books are amazing!! Those were my first vampire books! What are you reading right now? I’m re-reading “The Vampire Lestat”. It’s been many years since I’ve read it, and I’m surprised how many little things I’ve forgotten about the story. Lestat holds a very special place in my heart, and is still one of my favorite vampires of all time. 


Oh liked Louis better than Lestat. Maybe because of that movie  - Interview with the Vampire. What do you do when you are not writing and reading? It can be a very bad thing when I’m not writing, or at least reading. I have a somewhat obsessive personality and if I don’t have a creative out let to channel my “crazy” into then I start all kinds of little projects to obsess about. Usually my Hubby tells me to go write before I drive him insane. He hates coming home to find me in tears because “our house will never be organized and I hate everything about it,” or me saying, “What do you think about me dying my hair black again?” or “We should take a pottery class together!” So really…when I’m not writing and reading…I’m driving everyone insane. Whoops. 



Thank you so much Dara for being here today! Can't wait to read the next installment of your book!

About the author's book:

P. J. Stone, like most eighteen-year-old girls, is a little boy crazy and somewhat obsessed with finding the perfect boyfriend. Some days she feels like she might be the last remaining virgin in her entire high school, and maybe even the entire tri-state area.


After a traumatic night at a friend’s party, P. J. realizes what she truly wants has been right under her nose all along. Bryn O’Bannon, her best friend and partner in crime since age five, is head over heels in love with her, and she feels the same about him.


But P. J.’s life isn’t that simple. She’s a member of a separate society that exists secretly among the rest of the world; the society raises gifted individuals to protect the world from interdimensional interlopers, and P. J. was taught to put duty before her heart. She is expected to choose a suitable mate in order to perpetuate the Seer line. Unfortunately, Bryn is a Guardian and is forbidden to date—let alone mate with—a Seer such as herself.


As if figuring out her love life isn’t complicated enough, P. J. begins having visions of a threat to her world only she is able to perceive. Now, she must concoct and execute a plan to avert world disaster while at the same time avoiding the dissolution of her love life.



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