KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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SHADOWS OF DISGUISE
Chance O’Brien Series Book 6
BY CHARLENE TESS & JUDI THOMPSON
BLURB
A chameleon serial killer lurks in the shadows of Houston, Texas. Chance and Macy O’Brien are hot on his trail, racing against time to catch the monster before he strikes again.
Determined to shed light on the murders of women across several states, they pool their investigative expertise to capture an elusive predator.
This monster marries lonely women, murders them for their life insurance, and then vanishes, morphing into a new identity before slipping into the night.
Dive into this heart-pounding thriller and enter the chilling mind of a serial killer. Can this skilled law enforcement team unravel the complex dues in time to prevent another murder?
Join the thrilling chase in Book 6 of the Chance O’Brien Mystery series.
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SHADOWS OF DISGUISE
Chance O’Brien Series Book 6
BY CHARLENE TESS & JUDI THOMPSON
AN INTERVIEW WITH SISTERS WRITING CRIME
What was your career before you became a writer?
Charlene: I taught English, journalism, creative writing, and history in public schools in El Paso, Texas, for over three decades. I loved my job, my colleagues, and my students. I am married to the love of my life and have two daughters and three grandsons who are my world.
What was your career before you became a writer?
Judi: I began my career in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist, and then became an educational diagnostician, and retired as a program director for special education. I have a wonderful supportive husband, three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandsons.
Is ePublishing a good place to start for an unpublished writer?
Charlene: Sure. Start wherever you can. Whether one’s work is self-published in hardback, in paperback, as an audiobook or an eBook, it is an accomplishment that requires hours of hard work and dedication.
What advice would you give to beginning writers?
Judi: I think the hardest thing you will ever do is write your first book. When you start you think it will be easy and that anyone can write a book. But the reality is that it is very hard to get that first one done, and when you do it is an amazing feeling. My best advice would be to never give up.
What advice would you give to beginning writers?
Charlene: Read extensively in the genre you want to write. Study many other writers’ techniques. Visit https://www.writermag.com and https://writersdigest.com. Both websites and magazines are filled with advice and “how to” articles that are valuable and instructive. Read everything you can find written by expert writing teachers such as Dwight Swain, Jack Bickham, and Nancy Kress. Pat Conroy’s My Writing Life is a fascinating view into what it takes to be a writer. On Writing by Stephen King is a classic.
And the most important advice of all is to read every day and keep writing. Never give up. Your best book may be your next one.
Do you write every day?
Judi: In my head, I do. I think I may be just a little bit off that way. Anytime I have some down time or go for a walk I am devising plots and scenes. Almost forever, I have been putting myself to sleep each night with future or current books running through my head. When I’m working on a book I try to put something on paper at least every other day.
How much do you rewrite? How many drafts do you typically have?
Charlene: I rewrite extensively. The rewriting is an extremely important part of the writing process. The initial draft is like a canvass. Each rewrite adds a layer of color and depth. Typically, the manuscript goes through several drafts, and I always give it to a few people I trust to be first readers.
What do you think of e-publishing?
Judi: I think it is a great opportunity for talented first-time authors to get their work out there for the general public to read. With only a few books being picked up by traditional publishers, it’s nearly impossible to get your work into a bookstore. When I read, it’s very rare that I don’t read an eBook. It is so much easier to download several books for a trip and just slip the reader in my purse.
What are you working on currently?
Charlene: Judi and I are working on the sixth book in our Chance O’Brian detective series. The title is Shadows of Disguise.
About Authors Charlene Tess and Judi Thompson…
Judi lives with her husband, Roger, in Houston, Texas. She is a retired supervisor for special education at a local school district. Charlene is a writing teacher and a novelist. She writes educational materials for TeachersPayTeachers.com. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Jerry.
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Links to Charlene and Judi’s websites, blogs, books, #ad etc.:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CUY9c3
You will find all their novels in the kindle store on Amazon.com. http://tinyurl.com/TessThompson
Visit their website. www.sisterswritingcrime.com
Follow their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/SistersWritingCrime
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Special Giveaway: Charlene and Judi will gift an eBook from the Chance O’Brien series to one lucky reader who comments on their Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Good Luck!
Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Charlene and Judi, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
nice interview
Thank you!
Good morning, wow, your book sounds and looks very intriguing, Thank you for sharing about it. I loved reading the interview. Have a great day and a great week.
Thanks so much, Alicia.
Welcome back to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, ladies. I love your books. I can’t wait to read this one. It’s got such an intriguing premise. I’m with you, Judi. I’m always “writing” in my head, 24/7. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m rewriting scenes or creating them or creating another book. It can be rather intimidating sometimes when I have too many books going in my head. LOL Thanks for sharing your book with us today!
Thank you, Karen, for featuring us on your blog.
book sounds and looks very intriguing looking forward to reading
We hope you like it. Thanks for your kind comment.
Nice interview, the book sounds exciting!
Thank you, Julie!
It says this is book 6 in a series. Does that mean you need to start with book 1, or is it a ‘stand-alone’ novel. It sounds like it would be very intense, either way.
Thanks for the question. All the books in the series are standalone, and you do not have to read them in sequence. Reading them in order gives you a chance to know the family as their lives evolve, but each book has its own mystery.
Enjoyed the interview.
We’re happy to hear that, Eileen. Thanks so much!