Rings of Fire and Ice By Tom Chmielewski Interview!

Rings of Fire and Ice

By Tom Chmielewski

Genre: Science Fiction

Ed Ferald prepares to fly the Cydonia Zach on the fastest trip ever from Mars to Saturn, revolutionizing interplanetary travel time from months and weeks into days. So why are so many corporate execs, lawyers, politicians and thugs determined to stop the Zach from getting there?

Even if the Zach reaches Saturn Science Station safely, Ed doesn’t expect the Titan staff to welcome him and his crew with open arms. Open rebellion seems more likely, for the mission of Zach's is to evict the staff and close the station.

But what haunts the captain most are his own memories of what occurred at Saturn. Worse is his fear of repercussions should a reporter on board finally unravel the 15-year mystery behind the wreck of a legendary ship, a mystery buried among the dark reaches of Saturn’s frigid moons.

There are some secrets that best stay buried.

The story is set in a plausible science fiction setting of the early 22nd century, yet the plot doesn’t delve into the nuts, bolts, and protons of the technology involved. The author, after all, is an English major, not a physicist. Instead, the story focuses on the people who live and work on Mars and elsewhere off Earth, interjected with humor, and sharpened by the dangers they face. Ed and his uncle’s “business consultant,” Faizah, an expert in corporate intelligence and who knows what else, struggle to keep one step ahead of forces trying to stop them. They face the threat through wit and guile, and a few sparks between them, along with help from unexpected sources.

Rings of Fire and Ice is a complete story in itself, yet continues the arc that began with Lunar Dust, Martian Sands, and will continue in a third novel. 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartianSands

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomchmski

Website: http://martiansands.com

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Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2KxMZsX

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2OgOQo8

IndieBound.org: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780981533858

About the Author

Tom Chmielewski is a writer and editor who has worked on newspapers, magazines, websites, books, and ebooks. He has nurtured a longtime interest in space travel and science fiction stories that peer into the future of our exploration of the Solar System and beyond. Tom grew up with the space race and was on a Florida Beach to watch Apollo 11 launch for the moon.

He started his journalism career as a cop reporter at a small daily along the Lake Michigan shoreline, but his interest in Science Fiction prompted him to take a break in 1982 so he could attend the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop. Tom, however, wasn’t ready to leave journalism behind and continued to gather experience covering a variety of beats including higher education, the arts and theater.

His more recent freelance work has him writing features for regional magazines and science articles for The Atlantic Magazine’s website.

In the past few years, Tom has written two novels in the Martian Sands Series, beginning with Lunar Dust, Martian Sands. The second, Rings of Fire and Ice, was released in the spring of 2018. Tom has also written and produced a short story audio drama, Shalbatana Solstice, in the same setting as the Martian Sands Series but independent of the plot in the two novels.

In late 2016, tom joined the board of The Clarion Foundation as treasurer. The Foundation is celebrating the Clarion Workshop’s 50th  year in 2018.

Tom grew up in Detroit and currently lives in Kalamazoo, MI.

Interview with the Author

What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?

The opening, or if I’m doing a freelance article, my lead. It’s not that I stare at a blank page and let it intimidate me. I don’t put up with a blank page staring at me while I find that perfect introductory sentence, my “Call Me Ishmael” moment. I just start writing, banishing that blank page. Not that the first line I do write is any good. It may be, if I’m lucky. But one of the things I learned in journalism is that a reporter doesn’t have the luxury of staring at a blank page when on deadline. I just start writing, and eventually I’d stumble across the lead two or three paragraphs down. I move it to the top, brush the line up a little, and finish the story with five minutes to spare.

It takes more time in fiction. I may be a few chapters in before it dawns on me. I’ve started my next novel in the Martian Sands series, and I’m into my third chapter. But I don’t know if I like where it begins. At some point, it’ll come to me.

When and where do you do your writing?

Two places. First in my apartment’s living room, looking out a patio window onto bushes, trees and a lawn set on a small rise above a busy street. I type at a custom computer desk I built with my dad years ago. It holds a large display screen, and a sliding shelf below the display for the keyboard. Both are plugged into my MacBook set on a small side table. For the morning session, I listen to eclectic folk music online from a Boston public radio station, WUMB. I start anywhere from 7-9:30 a.m. Sometimes earlier.

When I take a lunch break, anywhere from 11:30 to after 1 p.m., I sync what I wrote to my iPad via the writing program Scrivener. I stuff the iPad in a worn cloth satchel I bought from the original Banana Republic back in the’80s when it was still cool. Then I walk down the street to Big Burrito where I’m an unofficial writer in residence (except on Tostada Tuesday’s when it gets too crowded. It’s a small place.) I don’t write a lot there, but often what I write in the Mexican restaurant is golden. Maybe the hot sauce stirs up my creative neurons.

What have you learned about promoting your books?

That it’s tough and I have a lot more to learn.

What are you most proud of as a writer?

Since I began writing in the 1970s, that’s a lot of ground to cover. Perhaps I should be most proud that I’m still writing, but I don’t see how I could stop writing. There is one story, however, that always comes to mind. I interviewed a National Public Radio correspondent who received an alumni award from a local college. We were both reporters, but she was reporting out of Colombia at the height of the drug wars in the ‘80s. She was doing what I was doing, but she risked her life as did all the journalists in that country reporting on the strife there. It was humbling to hear her story, but perhaps I came closest to my own “Call Me Ishmael” moment when I wrote the lead to that story: “It’s not that life is cheap in Colombia. It’s that the price of truth is so dear.”

The price of truth is dear in more places than Colombia, and closer to home than many think.

If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?

Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain if you prefer, as long as the dinner was on a Mississippi River boat of his time. We’d talk about what he wanted to write before he wrote Tom Sawyer, and maybe what he didn’t want to write but had to pay his bills or keep his name before the public. I’d ask him what writers inspired him, and what writers he despised. Then I’d ask him about the River and how it drove his epic American Novel “Huckleberry Finn.” I’d hope he would ask me about my writing, and I’d hope I had something to say.

Or maybe after a few drinks we’d start telling each other tall tales. Yeah, that would be great.

Rings of Fire Ice, Excerpt

Prologue

“Rings of Fire, Saturn Station. Telemetry shows you below the altitude limit for Enceladus.” The communications officer spoke in a calm monotone, but no one could mistake his urgency. “We need you to regain altitude immediately.”

The control room’s main speaker spat out only static in response. A silent, barely perceptible wave of tension swept through Saturn Science Station’s small, darkened operations center on Titan, the stale smell of discarded lunches and sweat from controllers at the end of their long shifts hanging in the air. Most of the morning the controllers leaned back and casually kept an eye on their screens. Now as one they hunched over their controls, scrutinizing the ship’s telemetry and hoping to find a minor glitch, afraid they would find much worse. The operations director cut off a scientist’s droning recitation of early data from the Rings of Fire, turning instead to the center’s main screen for any hint of what was going wrong.

The Rings made several passes over Enceladus, deploying a new sensor array to probe geysers in the small moon’s south polar region. Those geysers fed Saturn’s thin E-ring, orbiting beyond the rings visible from Earth. Everything had gone as planned until this last pass. Treaty regulations prohibited a crewed ship from approaching closer than 15 kilometers to avoid any risk of contaminating life thought to exist in the moon’s subsurface ocean. The ship’s crew and the station could face hefty fines if the Rings didn’t regain altitude fast.

The flight director leaned over the com officer’s shoulders, his hands gripping the back of the officer’s seat. “Keep trying to raise them.”

“Rings of Fire, Saturn,” Com called again. “You’re still dropping below altitude restrictions. We need you to correct your course now.”

Again, the only response was static. The operations director scanned the telemetry, confirming the problem was getting worse.

“Flight,” Ops called out, “what’s going on?”

“Everything looked fine, then suddenly the ship began drifting under the altitude limit.”

“A ship doesn’t suddenly drift. Com, keep trying to raise them.” The Operations Director hastened to the front row of computer screens “Flight, you said its trajectory was right on target.”

Flight, baffled, looked up from his screen. “The ship was on track. But it’s under power now and should be gaining…. Check that. The ship’s thrusting downward.”

“What!?” Ops realized the situation just went from a bureaucratic mess to a looming disaster. “Com, tell them to abort.”

“Rings of Fire. Abort, Abort, Abort. Gain altitude now!”

“Do we have a radar image yet from the Aquarius probe?”

“The probe’s coming into line of sight now, Ops,” another controller answered. “Putting it on the main screen.”

The screen flickered, replacing the data stream with a detailed black-and-white image of the Rings of Fire turning in a herky-jerky fashion.

“Flight,” Ops called out, but kept her eyes on the screen. “What’s happening?”

“I’m now showing multiple thruster firings. They may be trying to get the ship back under control.”

“Altitude?”

“Still dropping, approaching 10 kilometers.”

The radio speaker suddenly sparked alive with sounds of commotion and voices, angry or scared, barely breaking through the static. Only a few desperate words got through — “Stop … get main eng…. still fi…. no good” — before the signal faded. The radar image showed the exploration ship cartwheeling over the horizon. A band of interference briefly streaked across the screen, followed by a bright flash and a cloud of debris rising from the surface.

The official investigation lasted two years, and unofficial investigations much longer. In the end, all that was left of the Rings of Fire was an ugly scar on the surface of Enceladus, a 15-year mystery on what caused the crash, and a scrap of its charred, shattered hull hanging on a Martian barroom wall.

Death on a Winter Stroll by Francine Mathews Review!

 

No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.

Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
 
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
 
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
 
This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’s Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.

Francine Mathews was born in Binghamton, NY in 1963, the last of six girls. Her father was a retired general in the Air Force, her mother a beautiful woman who loved to dance. The family spent their summers on Cape Cod, where two of the Barron girls now live with their families; Francine's passion for Nantucket and the New England shoreline dates from her earliest memories. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a two hundred year-old Catholic school for girls that shares a wall with Georgetown University. Her father died of a heart attack during her freshman year.

In 1981, she started college at Princeton – one of the most formative experiences of her life. There she fenced for the club varsity team and learned to write news stories for The Daily Princetonian – a hobby that led to two part-time jobs as a journalist for The Miami Herald and The San Jose Mercury News. Francine majored in European History, studying Napoleonic France, and won an Arthur W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities in her senior year. But the course she remembers most vividly from her time at Princeton is "The Literature of Fact," taught by John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. John influenced Francine's writing more than even she knows and certainly more than she is able to say.

Francine spent three years at Stanford pursuing a doctorate in history; she failed to write her dissertation (on the Brazilian Bar Association under authoritarianism; can you blame her?) and left with a Masters. She applied to the CIA, spent a year temping in Northern Virginia while the FBI asked inconvenient questions of everyone she had ever known, passed a polygraph test on her twenty-sixth birthday, and was immediately thrown into the Career Trainee program: Boot Camp for the Agency's Best and Brightest. Four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA were profoundly fulfilling, the highlights being Francine's work on the Counter terrorism Center's investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and sleeping on a horsehair mattress in a Spectre-era casino in the middle of Bratislava.

Another peak moment was her chance to debrief ex-President George Bush in Houston in 1993. But what she remembers most about the place are the extraordinary intelligence and dedication of most of the staff – many of them women – many of whom cannot be named.

She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Fifteen books have followed, along with sundry children, dogs, and houses. When she's not writing, she likes to ski, garden, needlepoint, and buy art.

My Thoughts

Death on a Winter Stroll by Francine Mathews has all the ingredients for a great mystery. This is the seventh book in A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery Book Series. The book contains politics, Hollywood and of course murder.

The main protagonists are Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger and her sidekick Detective Howie Seitz. The plot is of course a murder mystery involving a woman, artist Blyth Fitzpatrick, who has come back to Nantucket, no one knows she is there except her estranged son, Ansel, finds her. She is an artist who because she is dying has come back just to be defiant against her ex-husband, The house she came back to had actually been in her family, but her ex decided to take it from her in their divorce and let it go into ruin. When she is murdered, the suspects include her ex and son.

A lead actress who along with her fellow actors are on Nantucket to film a tv show. Lots of people could want her dead and it is up to Chief Merry and Howie to find the murderer. There are a lot of tourists there as it is the time of year for the Winter Stroll, a time before the holidays that is very popular on Nantucket where the streets are festive in preparation for the holidays. 

When the husband of the producer of the tv series goes missing and found murdered, Merry and Howie now have to figure out the connection of the three dead people. Two of them were killed in the same manner, shot with a shotgun. It becomes apparent that the people involved are good at keeping secrets.

This is a character driven novel, in that the reader learns about all the Hollywood people, the US Secretary of State, who is the wife of the ex-husband of one of the victims. They each have their own story to tell. Some readers may object to the language in the book, I did not think it was enough to deter me from reading the book. It is a part of life, people swear. There are a few triggers that may offend or upset some readers. Those being drug abuse, eating disorders, suicide. 

That said, I really enjoyed this book. I had had trouble getting the book on my Kindle but once I did, I had to read it. I love a good murder mystery, I liked most of the characters and it was a pretty fast read. I think if you are a fan of Francine Mathews, then you really need to read this installment. This is the first I have actually read by this author so I will definitely be reading more.

I give it 5 stars!

I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

The Oath by A.M. Linden Blog Tour and Giveaway! #TheOath #TheValley #AMLinden #HFVBTBlogTours @shewritespress @hfvbt

 

The Oath by A.M. Linden

Publication Date: June 15, 2021 

She Writes Press Paperback & eBook; 336 pages 

 Series: The Druid Chronicles, #1 Genre: Historical Fiction

      

 In the wake of a betrayal that threatens an end to their way of life, the last members of a secluded pagan cult send the youngest of their remaining priests in search of Annwr, their chief priestess's sister, who was abducted by a Saxon war band fifteen years ago. With only a rudimentary grasp of English and the ambiguous guidance of an oracle's prophecy, Caelym manages to find Annwr living in a hut on the grounds of a Christian convent. Annwr has spent her years of captivity caring for the timid Aleswina, an orphaned Saxon princess who was consigned to the cloistered convent by her cousin, King Gilberth, after he assumed her father's throne. Just as Caelym and Annwr are about leave together, Aleswina learns that Gilberth, a tyrant known for his cruelty and vicious temper, means to take her out of the convent and marry her. Terrified, she flees with the two Druids--beginning a heart-pounding adventure that unfolds in ways none of them could have anticipated.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Praise

“Linden’s well-researched tale eloquently brings to life a lesser-known period of transition in Britain...The author has created a strong foundation for her series with well-developed characters whom readers can embrace...[a] layered, gripping historical fiction...” --Kirkus Reviews

"A fantastic well-crafted, well-written historical novel, about early medieval Anglo-Saxon Britain and with great characters! 5 stars" --Readers’ Favorite

“Linden uses a fairy tale-like style almost as though this story has been passed down orally over the centuries. Though the kingdoms are fictional, Linden's tale draws on meticulous historical research, especially in her dramatization of the Christian persecution of the druids.” --Booklist

"The story rolls along at a lively pace, rich with details of the times and a wide cast of characters....Those interested in goddess-worshipping religions will be drawn to the novel. Any reader curious about 8th-century Britain will enjoy Linden’s innovative focus on the little-known Druids as well as early medieval Christians. Her plotting, shifting points of view of the three engaging protagonists, and evocative writing style make The Oath a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!" --Historical Novels Review

"The Oath urges readers along on a richly textured quest among the Saxons and Celts of 8th-century Britain. Young and rather humorously naïve Druid priest-healer Caelym swears to 'rescue' a damsel in distress who turns out to be neither a young damsel nor in distress. With a feminist slant, this engaging tale brings the conflict between Druids and early Christians to vivid life through sympathetic and well-rounded characters. I particularly enjoyed the ironic voice of the aging midwife Annwr. Brava!" --Sara Stamey, author of The Ariadne Connection

"Thrilling historical fiction with heart and soul." --Tim Pears, author of The West Country trilogy

"The Oath will appeal to a wide-ranging readership, reflecting Linden's rich imagination and gift for weaving tales within tales evoking the romance of medieval Britain. Vibrant, determined, and relatable characters with disparate ethnic and religious identities discover their own strengths, and each other's, as the intricate and engaging plot unfolds." --Anne Marie Tietjen, PhD, clinical psychologist and instructor at Western Washington University

"Linden's knowledge and passion for history is soaked into every word of The Oath, combined with an obvious skill at storytelling. Linden succeeds at every level, but the world building is truly spectacular. Historical fantasy is hard to do well, but Linden makes it look easy. What could be dry details are presented so effectively that the world is elevated to almost being a character of its own. And in a cast of characters as well drawn as these, that's saying something. I can't wait to see what else this skilled author comes up with!" --Bishop O'Connell, author of the American Faerie Tale series

The Valley by A.M. Linden

Publication Date: June 28, 2022 

She Writes Press Paperback & eBook; 464 pages 

 Series: The Druid Chronicles, #2 Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval

    

   Llwddawanden is a hidden sanctuary where remnants of a once-powerful pagan cult carry on their ancient ritual practices, supported by a small but faithful following of servants, craftsmen, and laborers. Cut off from the outside world by both geography and conviction, the Druids of Llwddawanden continue to venerate the Great Mother Goddess and to view themselves as the first-born and favorite of Her mortal children. While the belief that the most important of all divine beings gave birth to their ancestors and that Her spirit inhabits the body of their highest priestess is a tenuous conclusion in view of their reduced lot in life, the Druids of Llwddawanden believe it and are, for the most part, committed to carrying on the traditions handed down to them by their forbears. Herrwn, the shrine’s chief priest and master bard, has the responsibility of overseeing the education of Caelym, the orphaned son of the cult’s previous chief priestess, as well as keeping the peace within the upper ranks of their order—two tasks that grow more difficult as the rivalry over which of the three highest priests will claim Caelym as his disciple grows, and as mounting conflicts between the current chief priestess and her only living daughter threaten to rend the fabric of a society that has endured for more than a millennium.

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Advance Praise

“A. M. Linden brings her imagined druid community to life with a skillful combination of research and informed guesswork. The Valley provides an intriguing glimpse into an 8th century Britain that might have been.” --Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters and Warrior Bards series

“With the attention to detail, explanation of ancient rituals, and the mythology within the clan's legends, this novel builds a community, exploring a people about which little is actually known. It's an extraordinary portrayal, breathing life into a long-dead civilization….Highly recommended!" --Chanticleer Book Reviews

Ann Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up on the East Coast before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special health care needs where her responsibilities included writing clinical reports, parent educational materials, provider newsletters, grant submissions and other program related materials. The Oath is the first installment of The Druid Chronicles, a five-volume series that began as a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun and ended up becoming a lengthy journey that involved Linden taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales. Retired from nursing, she lives with her husband, dogs, and cat in Bellingham, WA.

 Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, June 28
Review at Jessica Belmont
Excerpt at Jathan & Heather

Wednesday, June 29
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Thursday, June 30
Excerpt at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Friday, July 1
Review at The Page Ladies

Monday, July 4
Review at Jorie Loves a Story (The Oath)

Tuesday, July 5
Interview at Books and Benches

Wednesday, July 6
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Friday, July 8
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Monday, July 11
Review at Bookworlder
Review at Novels Alive

Tuesday, July 12
Review at Potpourri of Opinions

Wednesday, July 13
Guest Post at Jorie Loves a Story

Thursday, July 14
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Friday, July 15
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective

Monday, July 18
Review at Jorie Loves a Story  (The Valley)

Wednesday, July 20
Review at The Book Junkie Reads

Friday, July 22
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink

Giveaway

Two readers will win copies of The Oath & The Valley by A.M. Linden! The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on July 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter. The Oath

Back 2 School

Concrete Evidence by DiAnn Mills Book Tour! @DiAnnMills

October 31 - November 25, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

On the family’s Brazos River Ranch in Texas, Avery Elliott helps run her grandfather’s commercial construction business. Raised by Senator Elliott, Avery has never doubted her grandfather is the man of integrity and faith she’s always believed him to be . . . until the day she finds him standing with a gun over the body of a dead man. To make matters worse, Avery’s just discovered a billing discrepancy for materials supposedly purchased for construction of the Lago de Cobre Dam.

Desperate for answers, Avery contacts FBI Special Agent Marc Wilkins for help. As Marc works to identify the dead man Avery saw, threats toward Avery create a fresh sense of urgency to pinpoint why someone wants to silence her. With a hurricane approaching the Texas coast and the structural integrity of the Lago de Cobre Dam called into question, time is running out to get to the bottom of a sinister plot that could be endangering the lives of not only Avery and her loved ones but the entire community.

Praise for Concrete Evidence:

"VERDICT Mills ... delivers another action-packed novel that offers intrigue and an adventurous ride. Recommend to fans of Dani Pettrey, Lynette Eason, and Carrie Stuart Parks."

Shondra Brown for Library Journal

"The confident plotting keeps the mysteries coming, and red herrings will have readers guessing the culprit through to the satisfying conclusion. Fans of Colleen Coble and Susan Sleeman will savor this thrilling standalone."

Publisher's Weekly

Concrete Evidence Trailer:

Book Details:

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Tyndale House Publishers
Publication Date: October 2022
Number of Pages: 416
ISBN: 9781496451897 (ISBN10: 1496451899)
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Tyndale

Chapter 1

Texas Hill Country

AVERY ELLIOTT SPURRED HER HORSE across one of the thirty-five thousand rolling acres of the Brazos River Ranch in the blazing heat. The sultry August wind blew through her hair, bathing her damp face and shoving aside her pensive mood. Granddad had told her once that if he could lasso the wind, he’d ride that bronc to eternity. She’d framed the saying and placed it in the reception area of their office.

Granddad had left at dawn to ride fence and enjoy some solitude and think time. His work habits overruled his stomach, which meant he wouldn’t stop to eat until he’d inspected a recently repaired stretch. Then the Internet had gone down ending her morning’s work. A good excuse for her to get away from the office and spend special time with him.

She lightly grasped the reins of the most wonderful quarter horse on the planet and the perfect cure-all for the morning’s frustration. Closing her eyes, Avery allowed Darcy’s rhythmic gallop to soothe her.

Avery slowed the mare to a walk and twisted her phone from her jeans pocket. Pressing on Granddad’s name in Favorites, she breathed in the sweltering heat and envisioned him fumbling for his phone.

“Mornin’, sweet girl.”

“Can I treat you to a five-star restaurant for lunch?” He chuckled. “You’ll have to fly in the prime rib.”

“I’ve packed us a picnic, and I’m on my way to meet you. Just say where.”

“Drivin’ or ridin’?”

“You’ve hurt Darcy’s feelings.”

“Give her my apologies. I’m west of the river about a mile from the family cemetery. Should be a nice breeze there this morning. We could talk and have lunch with your grandma.”

“Good. I’d planned to stop at her grave while I was out.” The oaks bordering the family plots would offer relief from the hundred-degree temps. With the abundance of summer rain, the area brimmed with green and vibrant wildflowers. “I’ll make sure she has flowers on her grave.”

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. Guess I’m a sentimental old man who never got over his first love.”

Someday Avery wanted the same kind of love. She remembered the woman with warm brown eyes and a loving touch who fell prey to a stroke nearly fifteen years ago and never recovered. “You’re not a sentimental old man but one who misses his wife and best friend.”

“I see her in you.” He sighed. “You have a spirit of strength deep in your heart. Others think you’re quiet—until you’re riled. Then you’d give the devil a run for his money.”

“I hope I can always live up to that strength.”

“You already have. One day you’ll make the right man proud.” “Haven’t found him yet.”

“Time’s just not right. So when will you get here?”

Avery studied the familiar landmarks—thoroughbred horses grazing to the south and cattle taking advantage of the Brazos River. Why anyone would choose to live away from nature’s beauty made little sense to her. “About thirty minutes.”

“You didn’t bring tofu and carrot sticks? Mia’s new diet is killing me. The doctor doesn’t need to worry about my cholesterol or weight because she’s starving me.”

Avery laughed. “No. I packed ham and cheese, jalapeño-bacon potato salad, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and apple pie. You can eat light this evening.”

“I have a political dinner at six o’clock and a deacon meeting at seven thirty. Hey, how did you get the forbidden food past Mia?”

“She was upstairs while I hurried in the kitchen.” Their housekeeper and cook had entered the back side of her sixties and refused to slow down, but Granddad and Avery kept trying. Both knew better than to tell Mia to cut back on her pace unless they were looking to be chased down the road with buckshot in their rears. Granddad had no room to talk. He faced the big seven-oh in October, and he’d made no plans to ease back.

She slipped the phone back into her jeans pocket and hurried Darcy on. Avery wanted to arrive at the picnic site well before Granddad and have lunch set out for him.

Her thoughts crept back to the accounting issue from this morning. A work problem had made another moment at the ranch office torture, and getting away from the computer served as the perfect antidote. In examining Elliott Commercial Construction’s records before the auditors arrived next week, she’d found a discrepancy. A paid bill for materials was much lower than it should have been. Why hadn’t she seen this weeks ago at the completion of the Lago de Cobre Dam? The original bid for the project included the cost to supply additional rock and expand the footprint, footers, and other foundational elements to compensate for the soft ground. Those materials were ordered, canceled, and still the specs showed the work had been completed per the contract.

She’d contacted the material’s supply company, and the accounting manager confirmed they’d invoiced what they supplied. Yet Avery’s files didn’t reflect a different supplier for the required foundation, as though Granddad had substituted inferior materials or hadn’t followed the specs. He’d never sacrifice safety. Even the idea scraped raw against her conscience.

A call had gone to Craig, the foreman, but only voice mail greeted her. The accounting mess would drive her nuts until she resolved it, but she’d have to wait. Granddad would laugh at her fears about the dam’s potentially faulty construction and explain the discrepancy. Accurate details ruled her thoughts, and perfectionism had a way of eating at her logic. A lot of good her Ivy League education accomplished when the numbers didn’t add up.

Granddad said Avery shared his insight and discernment. The ability took practice, prayer, and purpose—his favorite three p’s as though he’d outlined a sermon. But Granddad was wrong. She must have made a mistake, and the error warred within her.

Avery rode the path to the family cemetery. Elliotts had owned this property and been buried there before Texas became a state. Irish, English, and Scottish heritage—hard workers and fighters for faith, family, and freedom. Which had a lot to do with Granddad’s name, Dad’s, and hers—Avery Quinn Elliott, respectively Senior, Junior, and whatever that made her. Fortunately, Granddad went by Quinn or Senator, Dad went by Buddy, and she was simply Avery. Proud family and heritage, although Dad and Mom slipped in applying all three traits of being an Elliott.

Not going there today. After spending time with Granddad and finding out the source of her accounting problem, she—

A shot rang out from the direction of the cemetery.

She dug her heels into Darcy’s side and bolted ahead. Had Granddad met up with a wild pig, a rattler, or even a two-legged varmint? The latter caused her to slow the mare and circle a grove of trees. If she needed her Sig, the firearm rested in a saddlebag beside the packed lunch. Granddad wasn’t in sight. Only his stallion.

She dismounted and grabbed her gun. Tying Darcy to a slender oak, Avery moved closer to the iron gate of the cemetery entrance and prayed he hadn’t been hurt. How had he been a mile west of here when she called him?

Hesitant to call out for him and draw the shooter’s attention to her, she hid behind an oak. A riderless motorcycle—a shiny, blue Yamaha Tracer 9 GT—had parked in the shadow of more trees outside the far edge of the iron fence, a few yards from a worn path leading to the main road.

On the opposite side of the cemetery, Granddad bent over a man, whose blood stained his chest and pooled on the ground. He felt for a pulse and lifted his head to the cloudless sky. In Granddad’s gloved right hand rested a gun. He shoved the weapon into his front belt and lifted his phone to his ear.

“He’s dead. This has to end.” Granddad scanned the area, no doubt searching for someone. “I want Avery kept out of this, but I’m expecting her in the next twenty minutes.” He kicked the dirt with the toe of his boot. “He parked on the road and walked back. She isn’t to know about any of it. I’ll handle the situation on my end. . . . Yes, I’ll be careful and not let the authorities know what happened. Look, I need to move his body out of sight. He was a friend, one of the best. I despise where this has gone.” Granddad waved his hand. “I told you Avery won’t be a problem.”

***

Excerpt from Concrete Evidence by DiAnn Mills. Copyright 2022 by DiAnn Mills. Reproduced with permission from DiAnn Mills. All rights reserved.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure? Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, the Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, an active member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on:
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My Thoughts

Concrete Evidence by DiAnn Mills is a Christian oriented story about a young woman, Avery Elliot who was taken in by her grandfather, Senator Elliot. One day Avery finds her father standing over a dead man with a gun. She has a hard time believing that her grandfather killed the man.

FBI Special Agent Marc Wilkins thinks his estranged father's death was not a heart attack, he thinks that his father was murdered. He finds that there is a connection between his father and the Senator.

Avery begins receiving threats and she finds a discrepancy in an invoice for materials that were used to build the Lago de Cobre Dam. With a major storm coming Avery and Marc find that the dam may not hold which causes many people to be evacuated.

Marc along with his mother and newly found sister, Tessa, shelter at the ranch with Avery to keep everyone safe. A ranch hand goes missing and the worst is feared, he could be dead. Marc along with his partner Roden and Avery, they seek to find the truth or will they run out of time?

I usually don't read a lot of Christian fiction, but I found that I did enjoy this book. Suspenseful, believable characters and a plot that kept the story going. Plus, the love interest between Avery and Marc was refreshing.

I give the book 4 stars.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.

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