Today I would like to welcome author, Viola Russell to Carly's View. Viola is that author of BUCKANEER BEAUTY, FAIRGROUND MYSTERY, AND THE DOCTOR AND THE WAR WIDOW.
· What
made you decide to become a writer?—I wanted to write since I was a
child. The first book that really
ignited my imagination was “Black Beauty,” but “Little Women” really set me on
fire. My mother read the book with me,
encouraging me to read before we discussed a scene. I thought I was Jo. I totally identified with her and loved the
way she followed her dream.
·
Who
are some of your favorite authors and why?—I love mystery writers James Lee
Burke and C. S. Harris, but I also love many classical authors like Charlotte
Bronte and Thomas Hardy. Jane Eyre is
one of my all time favorite characters, and Hardy’s setting sets me on
fire. Rugged England ignites something
primal in me. I also love “1916” by Morgan Llywelyn. The Irish struggle
intrigues me.
·
If
you could be any character in any book, who would it be and why?—If I could
be a character in any literary work, I would be Beatrice in “Much Ado About Nothing.”
I love her fire and wit.
·
Do
you have any hobbies you would like to share?—I belong to a German heritage
organization, and I’m involved in studying German culture—movies, language,
etc. I also study a lot about my Irish heritage as well.
·
Tell
me about your first kiss? Was it magical or not so magical?—I don’t even
remember my first kiss, but the first time my husband Ben and I kissed, it was
magic.
·
Do
you have another career besides writing? If so, what is it?—I am an English
teacher, and my students have inspired me in more ways then I can count.
·
What’s
an item on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?—I want to travel to
Germany and Italy. I also don’t want to
die before I write all of the books in my head.
·
Tell
us the best vacation you have ever been on.—Being in Liverpool and seeing
all of the musical and historical sites was amazing. Galway, Ireland is inspiring. More recently,
the trip my husband and I took to Alaska was amazing. Alaska truly is the last
frontier.
·
Where
do you find the inspiration for your books?—My historical fiction is very
close to my heart. For example, “Buccaneer Beauty” was the story of a real
Irish heroine, Grace O’Malley. I wanted
to give her story justice. I wrote “Love
at War” (which will soon be re-issued) after my mother’s death. I read the letters my uncles had written home
during WWII, and I became fascinated with the period. I began writing, and the characters took on a
life of their own.
Is there anything else you would like to share with your fans?—I
love writing mysteries, romance, and historically-based novels. The written word holds amazing power.
AUTHOR
BIO
·
Viola Russell is the pen name for Susan Weaver
Eble. A teacher by day, Viola Russell
pens her novels at night and on holidays. She adopted a pseudonym (her
grandmother’s name) so that her students would not find her, but they, ever
tech savvy, discovered her identity. She lives in New Orleans with her amazing
husband Ben and sweet dog.
·
·
AUTHOR
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Blurb for “A Fair Grounds Mystery”:
·
·
When a body is found in a New Orleans cemetery,
homicide detective Lt. Etienne Baptiste and his partner, Sgt. Duane Morrow, are
called to investigate. They discover
that the dead man is Jimmy Landry, a former NOPD officer who was then working
as a private investigator. This murder
is personal; Landry was family. The
detectives soon learn that Landry may have died because of a cold case he
agreed to investigate. The trail of
clues then takes them to a long ago death involving a race horse trainer,
Seamus O’Flannery, as well as a dangerous but more recent case involving
suspected murders committed by NOPD officers during Hurricane Katrina. O’Flannery’s lovely and determined daughter
believes someone murdered her father, and as the body count rises, Baptiste and
Morrow suspect she may be right. Becoming involved in the Katrina deaths could
place their careers in jeopardy since the federal government is still
investigating those murders; however, a contract killer may put Baptiste and
Morrow in even more danger. How are the murders—separated by years—connected?
Who will survive? “A Fair Grounds Mystery” is a tale of thrilling suspense and
mystery.
EXCERPT
FROM BOOK
When a body is found in a New Orleans cemetery, Homicide
Detective Lt. Etienne Baptiste and his partner, Sgt. Duane Morrow, are called
to investigate. They discover that the dead man is Jimmy Landry, a former NOPD
officer who was then working as a private investigator. This murder is
personal; Landry was family. The detectives soon learn that Landry may have
died because of a cold case he agreed to investigate. The trail of clues then
takes them to a long ago death involving a race horse trainer, Seamus
O’Flannery, as well as a dangerous but more recent case involving suspected
murders committed by NOPD officers during Hurricane Katrina. O’Flannery’s
lovely and determined daughter believes someone murdered her father, and as the
body count rises, Baptiste and Morrow suspect she may be right. Becoming
involved in the Katrina deaths could place their careers in jeopardy since the
federal government is still investigating those murders; however, a contract
killer may put Baptiste and Morrow in even more danger. How are the
murders—separated by years—connected? Who will survive? A Fair Grounds
Mystery is a tale of thrilling suspense and mystery.
BUY
LINK FOR BOOK
For A Fair Grounds Mystery:
For Buccaneer Beauty:
BUCCANEER BEAUTY
is the story of Grace, Graínne, O’Malley, the beautiful daughter of a powerful
Irish chieftain and a conventional mother. At the age of eleven, Graínne cuts
her hair and sneaks aboard her father’s galley ship, determined to follow a
life at sea and to seek the company of a handsome Scottish gallowglass, Bruce
Donnel. Graínne proves herself a budding warrior when Spanish marauders invade
her father’s vessel, but her parents have other plans for her. Though she
proves an able sailor, Graínne is forced to marry Donal O’Flaherty, another
powerful chieftain. Though enamored of Bruce Donnel, she nonetheless obeys her
parents and proves an able helpmate to her violent and rash husband, continuing
her own adventures at sea while raising children and supervising her husband’s
home. Her heart, however, still belongs to a handsome Scot who she can never
have.
For The Doctor
and the War Widow:
http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-War-Widow-Viola-Russell-ebook/dp/B014V72XHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456541436&sr=8-1&keywords=viola+russell
Harley
Michel is a war widow and high school teacher, still mourning the death of her
husband in Iraq ten years previously. Her mother has recently died, which leaves a gaping hole in Harley’s life. She finds herself
directionless and lonely. When her colleagues goad her into entering the world
of Internet dating, Harley reluctantly accepts the challenge; however, a series
of disastrous dates leaves her disillusioned until she meets Abisi Sharif, a
handsome and widowed doctor of Egyptian origin.
The attraction
between them is immediate, but ghosts from the past threaten their happiness,
their stability, and their future. The memory of her husband haunts Harley, and
a vengeful woman from Abisi’s past resurfaces, intent upon creating havoc in
their lives. Can their love survive the past and survive into the future?
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