#WednesdayWordswithFriends with Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger

Good Morning!

I'm LOVING this weather here in SW LA! Cool mornings, hot afternoons. Enjoy opening up the windows and letting fresh air in when possible. This is my idea of perfect weather and I wish it would stay this way. All. The. Time.

Alas, perfection in any area doesn't last long. Life is always moving, always changing, always evolving and hopefully we're growing right along with it. I know, change isn't always easy and sometimes we're dragged into it kicking and screaming LOL!

Today our guests speak to us about Ending a Novel Series so please welcome Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger!

Accomplishing the Final Book

My husband, Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Mysteries, a hardboiled detective series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our new book, GAME TOWN, is set in Hollywood and exposes a scandal that rocks the toy industry in Los Angeles. GAME TOWN is the fifth and final book of the series.

We knew that GAME TOWN was going to be the last book of the series. We also wanted to write this series as an episode series. That is, someone can pick up anyone of our books and enjoy the story instead of starting in the middle and getting confused. Also, we began writing the series keeping in mind what kind of endings we could use.

There were several things we wanted to accomplish with this final book. We wanted to:
- tie-up loose ends by taking care of the lingering questions throughout each book.
-re-orient our characters so the readers would know that they would be okay in their next phase of life.

Tying-up loose ends was easy since we kept notes on all our characters, their flaws and goals. However, after the joy ride of 1950s Hollywood, it was coming to an end. And re-orienting our characters was tough.

  Re-orienting our characters was difficult. We had been living with them for five years.  It was sad. Not because each character had sad endings, but because our relationship with them was coming to an end. It was like ending a relationship with dear friends or moving away.

We wanted to be sure our readers were happy that the  major question about the death of Skylar Drake's beautiful wife and sweet daughter was answered. And to be sure our characters did not have sad endings but that everything would work out okay, not necessarily happily ever after, but okay.

It was bittersweet  as we wrote the last chapter. Sadness swept over us when we held the finished manuscript in our hands for the first time. The realization that we would not be writing any more new adventures for them. And that we would not be moving the characters forward.

One of our readers asked,  "What about Fan Fiction?"

Sure, why not. Some of our fans have tried it and said it was fun. So it can be done. Remember,  just because we are not writing the story doesn't mean you need to stop the story.

Many have asked, "What are you going to do now?"

We will continue to write separately and together, more books and short stories as well as essays or articles as we come across them. And though we are not writing about Skylar Drake and his friends, the memory of the plots, sub plots and people in his life will be fond memories.


GAME TOWN is the fifth and final book in the series and yes...we are still married!

That's wonderful Janet & Will! Having written my Tempered Series, I can definitely identify! 

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Elizabeth Lynn write individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1956-57.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

The next Skylar Drake Mystery, GAME TOWN,  the fifth and final book in the series, will be available April 15, 2019 and yes...we are still married!

Find out  more about Janet and Will at the following locations...

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477 

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Get a sneak peek into Game Town on last month's Saturday Spotlight and check out Janet & Will's previous Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll check back weekly for more Saturday Spotlights and Wednesday Words with Friends!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Game Town

Hello from Meade, OK!

I've been here all week for a writing retreat and am happy to report I've actually made progress on one of my WIPs. Hopefully I'll get it finished and have more news to report later in the year on it.

Meanwhile, please welcome Janet Elizabeth Lynn back to our blog with a new release!

 Skylar Drake and his partner are hired as bodyguards for two young starlets. They deliver the actresses home after the Oscar Awards ceremony, but stumble onto the murder of Silver Brovor-Smith, the mother of one of their charges, actress Holly Becker.  Drake wonders why the FBI is on the scene when it looks like a simple case of murder.

Drake is now embroiled in the murder investigation of Silver Brovor-Smith. Suspicion shifts between her husband Peter Smith, and Silver’s three older brothers.

At every turn Drake and Dolan are lied to or misled. Kidnapping and mysterious deaths follow them as they weave their way through the maze of Hollywood’s movie and TV backroom deals. The FBI shows up to make sure Drake and Dolan keep the high-profile people involved from becoming front page news.

 Drake meets and falls in love with Miss Anne the perfect woman to help him move on with his life. But is she a suspect? Then there is Holly’s friend, the sexy, young starlet Theresa Lee who has her own plans for him.

The letters P-E-G-O seem to appear everywhere, and Drake wonders if they have anything to do with Silver’s murder or her husband’s kidnapping.

Follow the detective to Hollywood parties where the forbidden is accepted and the games played are for keeps.

Excerpt: Two o'clock in the morning. I'd just left the Emmy Awards ceremony at the NBC Television Studio in Burbank. All of Hollywood and its finest had shown up tonight to honor the best of television for 1956. The winners and losers were either at a party celebrating or hiding somewhere licking their wounds. I'd just left the event driving south on Cahuenga toward Hancock Park. My partner, Casey Dolan was in the passenger seat. It was pouring rain when we left Burbank. It seemed to be lessening as we headed away from the valley.

We'd been hired by Epic Studios to escort a couple of their up and coming starlets to and from the event. In truth, we were their bodyguards. The motion picture and TV studios weren't taking chances with their human investments.

The two young ladies in the back seat were passed out cold. I suspected they'd had a little too much Champagne before and during the ceremony.

I drove through the Wilshire Boulevard entry gate and onto Fremont Place, one of the most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Ahead we spotted a lot of activity on the street. Dolan sat up and stared at the mess ahead, “What the Hell?”

Several police cruisers and what looked like government cars were lined up in front of a house with their spotlights trained on it. As we got closer, I saw the address. 859 in brass letters, attached to the beam above the front door – the address where I was to deliver the girls.

Oh boy, sounds like another great Skylar Drake Mystery! Pick up a copy at Amazon in Print or for Kindle.

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Elizabeth Lynn write individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1956-57.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

The next Skylar Drake Mystery, GAME TOWN,  the fifth and final book in the series, will be available April 15, 2019 and yes...we are still married!

Find out  more about Janet and Will at the following locations...

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477 

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Check out Janet & Will's previous Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll check back weekly for more Saturday Spotlights and coming soon, Wednesday Words with Friends!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Janet Lynn & Slick Deal!

Good Morning!

I hope you enjoyed my vacation memories this week. I'll share more soon. We're leaving Maine today, will spend the night in MA and tomorrow on to NY where I'll get to visit with a long-time friend whom I haven't seen in 7 years! Anyway, enough about me....

Today's guest is no stranger to our blog. Janet has shared Treasures and Thoughts and been in our Spotlight on a pretty regular basis but today we get a sneak peek into her and co-writing husband's newest release, Slick Deal!

Take it away Janet....

On the eve of the New Year, 1956, oil tycoon, Oliver Wright dies suspiciously at a swanky Hollywood New Years Eve party. Some think it was suicide.

His death is soon followed by threats against the rest of his family.
Private Investigator Skylar Drake and his partner Casey Dolan are hired by an L.A. gangster to protect the family and solve Oliver’s mysterious death.

Clues lead them to Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, a Hollywood movie star playground.

A high profile scandal, mysterious women, treason and more deaths complicate matters, putting Drake and his partner in danger.
Twenty-three miles may not seem far away but false identity and corruption on this island could squash their efforts to answer the question—How in the world can a dead man commit suicide?

Excerpt: Almost midnight. I was working security for the New Year’s Eve bash at the posh Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with my partner Casey Dolan. The rented tuxedos we were wearing made us look like we belonged with the rich crowd down on the ballroom floor, but we were working. This was one of the most exclusive parties in the city. I’d been here before and I’ve never known any other hotel with the kind of history this place had. Our job tonight was to keep an eye out for trouble...and I suppose this was a much better way to greet the new year than sitting at home in front of the television with a bottle of whiskey. As a matter of principle, I didn’t take security work. But Dolan thought D&D Investigations would benefit from this job by keeping the lights on and paying our secretary. He was right.

I scanned the crowd and checked my watch—a minute before midnight. The noise level in the room escalated with anticipation. I spotted Dolan at his post under an archway on the other side of the room and smiled. He nodded. From my spot on the catwalk above the ballroom floor I watched as they counted down the last seconds—five, four, three, two…  Just as the clock on stage struck midnight, the room exploded with shouts, horns, balloons, and a snowstorm of confetti. The band played “Auld Lang Syne” while a banner unfurled above the bandstand that proclaimed: HAPPY NEW YEAR 1956.

It seemed as though everyone in the world was dancing, hugging, and kissing. My mind disappeared into the past. I remembered my late wife, Claire, and how we celebrated every New Year together. Even when she was big with our daughter, Ellie, Claire was stunning. I pulled out my wallet and gazed at her photo. I miss you honey, so very much.

A man’s voice boomed over the P.A., “Is there a doctor in the house?” My dream with Claire evaporated. I looked down at the stage where a man had grabbed the microphone from the band leader’s hands and shouted, “We need help in the main lobby.”

I motioned for Dolan to stay put while I ducked behind the heavy drapes and crossed the hall to the lobby mezzanine. Fourteen steps would take me down to the lobby floor. I think I only used five. My hand automatically went to my holster, just in case.  Pushing through the crowd, I found a portly man on his back in a pool of blood on the terracotta-tiled floor. A tuxedo-clad man loosened the tie of the victim but I knew he was gone. I'd seen that vacant look in his eyes a hundred times back when I worked LAPD homicide.

Somewhere in the crowd I heard “Make way please, we're nurses.” A couple of women in evening gowns appeared. I held the curious crowd back while the women knelt on the bloody floor and checked for a pulse. One shook her head and placed a lacy handkerchief over the dead man's face.

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Lynn write individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955. Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories.

Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Links for Janet:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Slick Deal can be purchased at Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed today's post and will check back weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures with Janet Lynn!

Good Morning Friends!

I pray your Memorial Day weekend was blessed, happy and safe.

Today's guest has visited before and shared Thoughts, Treasures and our Spotlight so we'll just jump right in and welcome Janet Lynn back to our blog! Take it away Janet.....

The Drive-Ins

My husband, Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series, a hardboiled detective series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. SLICK DEAL begins in L.A. with clues that lead to Avalon, on Catalina Island.
Partnering has been a wonderful way to work. Each of us are independently published authors  and now co-write.

As we research each book in the 1950s, memories of the era come flooding back. Unfortunately,  drive-in theatres are a thing of the past. I was the oldest of five children and going to walk-in theatre movies would have been expensive  for a young family. So many families opted for drive-ins.  I remember getting there early so we could  play on the swings provided for the young ones before the movie started. I also remember the gravel platforms we drove and parked on.
And one cannot think of drive-ins without the window speaker that hooked onto the driver's window so all in the car could hear. Finding one that didn't crackle was a feat in itself. The snack shops were full of goodies, I saw my first Coke in a huge paper cup there and the biggest box of Jordan Almonds I had ever seen. It rivaled some of the biggest boxes of theatre candy today.

I think I was nine or ten years old when my family went to see the movie Lady and the Tramp at a drive-in. We were close to the screen and the characters were bigger than life to me. The Bella Notte (spaghetti scene) so impressed me. It seems like yesterday I was sitting in the car, looking at the screen, enthralled with the two dogs eating a spaghetti dinner with a Concertina playing.
Those drive-ins, a thing of the past, will always be associated with growing up in the fifties, an American treasure that is just a memory now.

For a waltz down memory lane go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbzEOQLOAWw

What a cute post, Janet! Thanks for sharing.

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Lynn write individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955. Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories.

Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

The latest Skylar Drake Mystery, fourth in the series, SLICK DEAL was released April 16, 2018 and yes...we are still married!

Links for Janet:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Slick Deal can be purchased at Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll drop by weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#ThursdayThoughts Guest post by Janet Lynn

Good Morning!

Janet Lynn has visited us before, several times. She has shared treasures and thoughts in been in our spotlight on more than one occasion. It's been more than a year since her last visit so please welcome her back with some thoughts and a brand new book!

My husband, Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series, a hard-boiled  series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our new book, SLICK DEAL, begins News Year's Eve 1956 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, The first murder and clues lead to Avalon, The Island of  Santa Catalina.
To research 1956 Catalina, we spent a week on the island. At the public library we spent hours with old newspapers. Then on to the new Catalina museum, the historic Casino interviewing people and got a real good feel for the town at that time. We of course, as in all murder mysteries, had dead bodies we had to put somewhere. Several people recommended the pet cemetery, some mentioned the Chimes Tower and a couple of more places. So we rented a golf cart (there is a fourteen year waiting list to bring cars on the island) and spent three hours looking at the places they recommended.
The pet cemetery was first on our list. It's a sweet and somewhat eerie unofficial pet cemetery just outside of town (it's not on the maps). Little tombstones mourn and celebrate dogs, cats, birds etc. Some grave markers are simple, some quite elaborate, while others are touching (some are funny). The little cemetery starts at the road and goes back into the woods.

As we walked through the cemetery, I couldn't help but think back of my dog Randi. My mother walked to work every day and one day Randi, about one year old, followed her home and never left. She was a Golden Receiver possibly mixed with Collie. That's what at the Vet said. She became such an integral part of our lives it's hard to imagine what life would have been without her. We had Randi until she died at twelve. Though she has been gone over fifty years ago, her memories and thoughts, still remain. I still think about her from time to time especially when I see a dog that looks like Randi walking on a leash with an owner. This walk through the cemetery brought back feelings and thoughts of love, funny moments, and lots of hugs she received from the whole family.

How interesting, Janet! I know what you mean about missing a beloved pet. My German Shepherd crossed the rainbow bridge in January.

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Lynn write individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955. Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories.

Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

The latest Skylar Drake Mystery, fourth in the series, SLICK DEAL was released April 16, 2018 and yes...we are still married!

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Thanks Janet! We look forward to a sneak peek into Slick Deal soon! Meanwhile, folks, you can pick up a copy at Amazon. 

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll check back each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight. 

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

#ThursdayThoughts Guest Post by Janet Lyn

Good Morning Friends,

Well, Easter is just a week away (next Thursday is the beginning of the Holy Triduum) and with it, the eggcerpt exchange posts will be gone. I'm looking forward to sharing thoughts and treasures with you again myself.

Meanwhile, please welcome Janet Lyn back to our blog and let's see what she has to share with us...

Take it away Janet!


While writing our 1955, Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series each book's memories come back to the times I grew up. One memory that I think of often was how both my parents wore fashionable hats.
I grew up in New York and I remember my father always wore a hat when he took the train to work.

In the summer he wore a straw hat, in the winter a Fedora. I have clear visions of him leaving the in the  morning carrying his hat and putting it on outside as he left. I assume the Fedora was for warmth and the straw hat for shade.

My mother NEVER left the house without a hat, hats with straw brims for the summer and smaller wool hats in the winter.

Hats slowly fell out of favor, for men and women, as the 50s closed. My parents always followed the fashion trends and decreased the use of hats. Plus my father changed jobs, got a car and drivers license and drove to work. The top of the cars were lowered for style and getting his hat on and off was difficult. But...mother never went to church, weddings or social events without her hat and of course pure white gloves.


What an interesting topic and post Janet! I remember the ladies wearing mantilla's and Pillbox hats in church while we girls wore a smaller version of the lace covering on our heads.

 Published authors Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger had been writing individually until they got together and wrote the SKYLAR DRAKE MURDER MYSTERY Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus two short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Janet Elizabeth Lynn http://www.janetlynnauthor.com/
Will Zeilinger http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com/

Read an excerpt of their latest release, Desert Ice HERE and purchase at Amazon in PRINT or for KINDLE.

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures Guest post by Janet Lyn

Good Morning Friends!

Well we're into our first full week of Lent. My Lenten practice is de-cluttering and so far I've donated 2 boxes & 1 bag of clothes and 2 boxes of books. I still have a ways to go before my goal is accomplished, but hopefully by the time this 40 day period is up, I'll have a lot less stuff, making room for new growth.

Anyway, today's guest is not new to our blog. Janet Lyn has shared treasures, thoughts and the spotlight before, but let's give her a warm welcome back!

When we researched 1955 for our hard boiled, Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries, we make sure we are including the correct things on the page that P.I. Drake would encounter during his adventures.
While doing so, wonderful things come back to us. Treasures that have lasting memories are the movies. We all saw them growing up and some movies bring back feelings and lessons we will never forget.

In 1955 Lady and the Tramp was released and is still enjoyed today. The spaghetti scene with Bella Notte warms my heart. The time honored Love is a Many Splendored Thing will always bring back memories of unrequited love.  The song, Three Coins in the Fountain, never fails to evoke memories.

Our character Slylar Drake often goes to movies alone since he is a widower. He remembers when he had his wife and daughter to share them with. Many time he'll drive by the theatres and even stop to look at the schedules.

Whether we went to drive ins or indoor movies, we are lucky to have movies and archives that keep these treasures for us to see again and for the next generation to enjoy.

For a walk down memory lane here are the YouTube addresses. Enjoy!

Three Coins in the Fountain & Bella Notte

Published authors Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger had been writing individually until they got together and wrote the SKYLAR DRAKE MURDER MYSTERY Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus two short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Janet Elizabeth Lynn http://www.janetlynnauthor.com/

Will Zeilinger http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com/

Read an excerpt of their latest release, Desert Ice HERE and purchase at Amazon in PRINT or for KINDLE.

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll join us each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless!
PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Janet Lynn & Desert Ice!

Good Morning Friends, or should I say Good Afternoon!

I'm a bit late posting today so I'll apologize and get right to today's guest. Janet Lynn has been in our spotlight before. She's also shared thoughts and treasures with us. Today she returns with her latest book, Desert Ice.

In 1955, a missing Marine and stolen diamonds lead Private Eye Skylar Drake to Sin City, where the women are beautiful and almost everything is legal—except murder.
The FBI and a Las Vegas crime boss force him to choose between the right and wrong side of the law. All the while, government secrets, sordid lies and trickery block his efforts to solve the case.
Common sense tells him to go back to L.A. but is gut tells him to find his fellow Marine.

Excerpt
This was the first Veteran’s Day Parade I’d attended since I got back from Korea. Seems like a lifetime ago. Claire wanted to go every year, even offered to make it a family affair... I never took her up on it.

Standing at attention, I saluted as the color guard passed. Next came the tanks and trucks and I was transported back to my time in the Corps. A pretty young girl dressed in red, white, and blue approached me with a basket full of tin American flag lapel pins. She held one out to me. The paper tag attached to it read Veteran’s Day, November 1955, but my hands wouldn’t come out of my pockets.

“Here sir, take one, they’re free.”

I reluctantly pulled out my hand. She placed one in my palm, and smiled and turned away. The cadence of the drums sounded like artillery as a formation of jet fighters passed overhead. I was back in Korea on Jeju Island, snow, guns, bombs... I shut my eyes and clenched my fists.

A woman wearing a big hat bumped into me. “Oh, excuse me sir.”

Slowly I opened my hand. The sharp edges of the flag pin were stained with my blood but I didn’t feel a thing.

“You should get something for that hand,” she said.

I couldn’t move.

“Come.” She led me to a hot dog stand and handed me a couple of paper napkins.

I leaned against a chain link fence, wrapped the tin flag in a napkin and dropped it in my pocket. I looked down at my blood smeared hand, the one that took shrapnel at Jeju. My head spun. I leaned forward until my head rested on the fence. “Keep breathing,” I told myself.

“So you’re a vet,” the lady with the hat said. “Korea?”

 I nodded.

She lit a cigarette. “Here.”

I shook my head. “No thanks.”

“Suit yourself.” She hung the cigarette in her mouth and took my hand. After she wiped the blood, she wrapped another napkin around my palm.

“Just a minute.” She disappeared into the crowd. I stepped back and rested against the chain-link, staring at the tops of the trees. She returned and handed me a cup of coffee. I don’t know why, but my hand shook when I reached for the cup.

“It was pretty tough over there.” Her large hat covered most of her face.

I nodded, “How would you know?”

“47th M.A.S.H., Ouijonbu.” She joined me against the chain link fence and sipped her coffee. There wasn’t much more to say. After a few moments I looked at her. “Jeju Island, 1948. We got caught up in the rebellion.”

She held out her gloved hand. “I’m Nancy.” Still hidden under her hat she said,, “Pleasure to see you again, Mr. Drake.”

I studied her. “Have we met before?”

“We have a mutual association with an Officer Graves of the LAPD.”

I spit out the coffee and threw the cup in the trash. “Did that ass send you to...?”

Nancy shook her head. “No, he didn’t.” She took out a jeweled compact, held it at an angle and looked behind her with the mirror. “I didn’t say I knew him. I said you and I had a mutual association.”

Still checking behind her, she whispered, “Meet me at Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights."

***

Sounds intriguing!

Read a longer excerpt of Desert Ice Here. Purchase your copy at Amazon in print or for Kindle.

About the authors....

Published authors Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger had been writing individually until they got together and wrote the SKYLAR DRAKE MURDER MYSTERY Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus two short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Janet Elizabeth Lynn http://www.janetlynnauthor.com/

Will Zeilinger http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com/

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight! Check back weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God Bless.

PamT

#ThursdayThoughts: Guest Post by Janet Lynn!

Happy New Year!

I know it's only New Year's Eve, but I pray you are Blessed and Prosperous in 2016.

Today we welcome back to our blog, author Janet Lynn. You'll remember her from her Saturday Spotlight and Tuesday Treasure posts earlier this month, so without much further ado, let's see what she's thinking about....

Since the internet did not reveal much about Molokai'i in 1955, we took a trip to the Hawaiian Islands to research our novel, STRANGE MARKINGS.  The island is accessible by small planes like our Cessna 2088B which sat 9 people plus the two man crew. The turboprop plane hit air pockets and bounced around until we landed at a remote airport with a small terminal. Talk about Indiana Jones! We picked our luggage up off the tarmac and walked over to the car rental building. The small terminal seemed remote enough until we drove to Kaunakakai the largest town on the island with a population of 3,425.

Our rented waterfront Condo was beautiful and modern with full facilities. The three days of research on the island took us to uninhabited hills, tropical forests and abandoned shacks. Candid interviews with the locals revealed the island has not changed much since the 50's. In fact there was still no AC on the island except for the medical center, post office  and the library. This made our job easier to set our characters in a place where time stood still.

In other words, we walked the places our characters would have walked and saw the things they would've seen in 1955. This time capsule was amazingly surreal. So, when we wrote the novel, all I had to do was close my eyes to sense, smell and feel Molokai'i in 1955. 

The Pacific breezes blow many things in from the ocean, this time its power, greed, and murder. At the dawn of the television age in 1955, Skylar Drake is called to identify the remains of a fellow movie stuntman found buried in a shallow grave. While there, he is shown mysterious wounds and strange tattoos on two additional bodies.


A wealthy Bel Air matron sends her enticing niece to enlist Drake’s help in locating a missing nephew. The search takes him back to pre-statehood Hawaii where he stopped off on his way to the hell of the Korean War. Unexplained deaths, politics and superstitious locals turn the tropical paradise into a nightmare where nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.

Strange Markings can be purchased at Amazon

JANET ELIZABETH LYNN and Will Zeilinger are a husband and wife and authors in their own right. Janet has eight novels, Will has four novels. They decided to get together to write noir mysteries set in 1955. STRANGE MARKINGS is the second. The Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries series. They each bring separate talents to the writing team. Getting together to research, interview, and appearances, they complement each other. Traveling the world has given much insight, a long list of friends and a large basket of hotel shampoo and conditioner.

Contact info for Janet:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

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Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoyed Janet's visit again today! Saturday we'll begin 2016 with a brand new (to us) author and book. Hope to see you then!

Until next time...take care and God Bless.

PamT

#TuesdayTreasure: Guest post by Janet Elizabeth Lynn!

Good Morning!

Ready or not, Christmas is only a couple of days away so it is with great pleasure I bring you today's Treasure....a special post by returning guest Janet Elizabeth Lynn.

My husband, Will, and I joined forces to write a 1955 Noir series, The Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries.

            Married for 43 years, I wasn't sure if we could make it work since our writing styles were so different. I presented the idea to him and he loved it.        STRANGE MARKINGS, our second book in the series is now available, and we are starting our third DESERT ICE.

            I think we work well together because we understand that this venture is not a battle of egos, wills, or talent but a goal of telling a great story. And we each bring special talents, foresight and memories that make the stories work.

            I will always treasure the time we spend, researching, meetings, editing and sleepless nights working on the book. Then finally holding the book in our hands and high fiving each other. Partnering is a great idea - I'm glad I invented it!!

Wow...43 years together is certainly something to treasure! Congratulations on you and Will's success in marriage and writing.

JANET ELIZABETH LYNN and Will Zeilinger are a husband and wife and authors in their own right. Janet has eight novels, Will has four novels. They decided to get together to write noir mysteries set in 1955. STRANGE MARKINGS is the second. The Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries series. They each bring separate talents to the writing team. Getting together to research, interview, and appearances, they complement each other. Traveling the world has given much insight, a long list of friends and a large basket of hotel shampoo and conditioner.

Contact info for Janet:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

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Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Here's a peek at Janet and Will's latest book, Strange Markings which can be purchased at Amazon....

The Pacific breezes blow many things in from the ocean, this time its power, greed, and murder. At the dawn of the television age in 1955, Skylar Drake is called to identify the remains of a fellow movie stuntman found buried in a shallow grave. While there, he is shown mysterious wounds and strange tattoos on two additional bodies.

A wealthy Bel Air matron sends her enticing niece to enlist Drake’s help in locating a missing nephew. The search takes him back to pre-statehood Hawaii where he stopped off on his way to the hell of the Korean War. Unexplained deaths, politics and superstitious locals turn the tropical paradise into a nightmare where nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted. 

Hope you enjoyed today's Treasure! I have a very special post for you Thursday but Janet will be back on the 30th for Thursday Thoughts. Hope to see you then!

Until later...take care, God Bless and remember.... Jesus is the reason for EVERY season.

Something to think about....

"Inspirational with an Edge!" ™