I love meeting my characters for the first time. They introduce me to their fears and childhood traumas, lovers, phobias, triumphs, and all the bone-rattling potholes of their lives. I call it the pre-writing process. It’s the massive iceberg of work and discovery created before page one of the manuscript and holds up the shiny new story for the world to see. The submerged portion of my world that gives the plot its buoyancy. And answers those pesky questions like, “Why would they do that?”
Have you ever had a flashback that immediately redirected your focus and shifted your energy in a good way? I recently had one of those. My writing instructor suggested that I take my favorite novel, flip it open to the center pages, and read the scene at the midpoint. He taught me that from those pages I could peek into the mind of the author and learn the most revealing components in the story because the action at the midpoint tells it all. Ask yourself a few basic questions, he said. What is the setting? How are the characters interacting? And what is at stake?
Have you ever had a conversation stuck in your head? That’s what it’s like as an author. Some characters are very chatty when you creating the plot and building worlds. Amira Cooper is the main character in my new book, The Taste of Rain, The Clover City Files Book 1. I had the wonderful opportunity to reveal what it’s like to ‘hear’ Amira in a blog post at Dru’s Musings. I hope you’ll check out A Day In My Life – Amira Cooper and leave a comment.
The Taste of Rain by Barbara Howard
College student and part-time health aide, Amira Connors, wants nothing more than to graduate and successfully launch a non-profit with her latest crush, Attorney Darius Browne. But when a nursing home patient (Claire Stewart) shares shocking details surrounding her husband’s death, Amira pieces together the fractured memories and helps law enforcement identify the actual killer. But is he? Or have Claire’s ramblings entangled Amira into becoming the next target?
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Are you a savvy sleuth?
Do you enjoy collecting clues, identifying villains, and solving crimes? Are you drawn to shorter mysteries that are light on gore and language, and high on humor, entertainment, and happy endings? Then don’t miss out on Malice, Matrimony, and Murder, a limited-edition cozy mystery and cozy crime fiction anthology!
My short story, The Bride Wore Death is included along with so many others.
Twenty-six cozy mystery and cozy crime fiction authors have teamed up to create Malice, Matrimony, and Murder, a collection of brand-new, wedding-themed short stories that will keep you wondering whodunit and what’s next from the first page to the last. Between bad bridesmaids, conniving caterers, greedy guests, ill-mannered in-laws, savvy sleuths, and vengeful villains, this anthology has it all!
Our authors include Derringer and Daphne Award finalists, Agatha and Anthony Award nominees, Gold Seal of Excellence recipients, and members of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers’ Association, Crime Writers of Color, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. There’s no shortage of talent here!
The Taste of Rain by Barbara Howard
Release Date: June 6, 2023
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
College student and part-time health aide, Amira Connors, wants nothing more than to graduate and successfully launch a non-profit with her latest crush, Attorney Darius Browne. But when a nursing home patient (Claire Stewart) shares shocking details surrounding her husband’s death, Amira pieces together the fractured memories and helps law enforcement identify the actual killer. But is he? Or have Claire’s ramblings entangled Amira into becoming the next target?
LONG DESCRIPTION:
In “The Taste of Rain”, we follow the story of Amira, a college student who works part-time as a health aide at a local nursing home. One day, she meets an elderly resident, Claire Stewart, who confides in her that her husband was killed years ago, but nobody believed her.
Amira is hesitant to believe Claire at first, but as she gets to know her better, she realizes that there might be some truth to her story. Amira decides to investigate the case and help Claire find the killer.
She must navigate through the complexities of the past and present to find the truth and bring justice for Claire.
Along the way, Amira faces challenges both personally and professionally. She must balance her college studies with her part-time job and her investigation. She also learns to confront her own biases and assumptions about aging and the elderly.
“The Taste of Rain” is a mystery that explores the themes of trust, aging, and justice. It is a heartwarming tale of the unlikely friendship between a young college student and an elderly resident, as they work together to uncover the truth, and solve a decades-old murder.
I’m thrilled to announce that I have a new short story coming out this year. It will be included with the Malice, Matrimony, and Murder anthology along with a bunch of other brand-new cozy mystery and cozy crime fiction stories written by my author friends.
The anthology will be starting off as a Kickstarter campaign, and I’d love to invite you to back it. Why would you want to? First, you will have early access to the anthology, which won’t publish until late this year. But Kickstarter backers will receive the ebook version at least two months prior to its public release. These are all brand-new stories, so you won’t be able to find them this early anywhere else.
Second, the Kickstarter gives you access to a bunch of extras, like a chance to have your name included in the book’s Acknowledgments section, and an exclusive guide to help you solve the overarching Wedding Whodunit woven throughout the anthology. You could also choose to have one of the Wedding Whodunit characters named after you or a loved one! These rewards won’t be available to anyone besides our Kickstarter backers.
Third, you’ll get to be a part of our publishing process. The Kickstarter not only comes with rewards for you, but for me and my fellow authors as well. A successful campaign will make it possible for us to publish a paperback version of the anthology and to pursue some advertising opportunities to help connect us with new readers.
So how do you support the campaign? It’s easy! Visit our Kickstarter page and click “Notify me on launch” so you’ll be informed when our campaign goes live in May. You may need to set up a free Kickstarter account if you don’t have one already, and clicking that “Notify” button in no way obligates you to anything. All it means is you’ll receive an email when our campaign launches. Since this opportunity will only be available for a limited time and once the Kickstarter is over so is access to all of the campaign extras, this will just help to make sure you don’t miss out. You can decide whether you’re truly interested in backing the campaign once it’s live and you can see all of the details for yourself.
Thank you for your interest and support! I’m excited for you to be a part of this journey with me.
Anastasia Pollack’s blog, Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, featured us on Book Club Friday! It’s an interview with the main character of my latest book, The Taste of Rain. Stop by and read what Amira Cooper had to say about me and all the shenanigans we got into together.
The Taste of Rain is available for pre-order here and on Amazon.
Synopsis: College student and part-time health aide, Amira Connors, wants nothing more than to graduate and successfully launch a non-profit with her latest crush, Attorney Darius Browne. But when a nursing home patient (Claire Stewart) shares shocking details surrounding her husband’s death, Amira pieces together the fractured memories and helps law enforcement identify the actual killer. But is he? Or have Claire’s ramblings entangled Amira into becoming the next target?
Barbara Howard - Author 