I’d like to welcome Norton Upson to Layered Pages to talk with me about his book. Norton, tell me about your book, The Case of the Boarding House Murder.

The easiest way to talk about the book is for you to read at the back-cover blurb-

Proving someone innocent of killing a boarding house tenant was easy. Case solved. Time to move onto the next one. Or so we thought.

What Maggie and I didn’t count on, digging into a four-year-old federal trial. What made this one so interesting, for me at least, my father had been the lead prosecutor. When all his personal papers disappeared, we had to rely on the trial transcript. Except, we aren’t the only ones who wanted the testimony.

During the course of our investigation, Maggie and I discover the witnesses had been murdered even though the police reports had said otherwise. But, that’s not the worst. The body count will continue to rise if certain individuals aren’t stopped. But how? That we didn’t know.

Then, we uncover the secret these people are keeping. If they succeed their plan will have worldwide implications. Finally, the break we’d been looking for.

Where the money is coming from?

Can Maggie and I stop this global disaster from happening before we are murdered?

What was the inspiration behind writing this story?

One of of my all-time favorite movies is Casablanca. I watch it every chance I get. Another is Public Enemy. Then of course The Maltese Falcon and the book of the same name.

When I first came up with the idea for The Case of the Boarding House Murder I had originally planned to set the story in contemporary Los Angeles, CA. The more I talked and thought about this I came to realize that wouldn’t work. Look at all the technology there is out there for even a private investigator to use or have access to. That would take all the fun out of story.

So, I decided to go back in time. This book, therefore the series, starts in 1940. And talk about going down the research rabbit hole. The clothes worn in that period. Jewelry. Music. Cars. Even how coffee was made. (In a real percolator on a stove.) Sports teams. Between 1940 and now team name has changed. Then we have, what’s going on in the world. Radio shows. Don’t forget TV didn’t come along until much later. What restaurants were popular in LA. Hotels. Even food. The political climate.

One concession I did make, I wasn’t going to use the vernacular of the period but keep narrative and dialogue current.

Tell me about Maggie.

What’s there to say about her. She’s beautiful and very intelligent. Some, not all, of her I patterned after my mother. Sorry but to learn more about Maggie you’ll have to get the book.

Why did you choose to write this story?

Now I had the year I wanted the series to start along with my two main characters, Maggie and me, Norton Upson. (Yes, you read that correctly. The entire series is being written in the first person. You, the reader will see everything through my eyes. I felt the series called for this point of view.) Now I needed a

story. Here’s where my, as I call it, “What if…” came into play. A client, at this point potential, walked into the Upson Detective Agency claiming an employee of his was being framed for a murder. He even brought proof with him that the police rejected outright. I took him on as a client only to find out that even from the very beginning nothing was as it seemed.

If anything can be learned from your story, what would it be?

If the events I wrote about were real, and not fiction, and they had come true the world we know would be a totally different place than it is now.

What I do like about writing historical fiction is that I can and will on occasion bring in real historical event.

Where in your home do you like to write and what is your process?

I work in my bedroom, dining room, living room, TV room. In short, I live in a boarding house.

As a general rule I don’t start writing until sometime between 1:30 and 2pm. By then I’ve returned home from town with my requisite Starbucks ® coffee and had lunch. That doesn’t mean I’m not figuring out what scene(s) I’ll be writing that day. That way when I do sit down, for the most part, the writing flows smoothly. I’ll take an hour dinner break then finish the chapter. If I get that done early enough I might even start on the next one. I repeat this cycle seven days a week.

The only actual down time I have is when I’m sleeping.

What are you working on next?

Book 2 in the series is The Case of the Missing Jewelry. I’m planning to release it in the early fall. This book will have even more twists, turns, and false leads than The Case of the Boarding House Murder.

Where can readers buy your book?

All of the books will be in eBook format and in the future print. They are only available at Amazon.

US: Amazon

UK: Amazon

CA: Amazon

AU: Amazon

About Author:

Life’s full of hiccups on the road of life and I had my fair share.

Growing up I also knew what I wanted to be. A Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. To start accomplishing my goal, while at UCLA besides my regular classes and ROTC I took several prelaw classes. My plan had been to do my military service then go to law school.

Then, the first hiccup came along. I was assigned to an Army intelligence group. From the very beginning I became hooked on the detailed work involved. Guess I must have gotten that from my dad who had been a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles. Anyways, instead of serving four years then go into the reserves I decided to stay in the Army.

Then, my second hiccup. July 7, 1937. I had been assigned to the embassy in China. When I was walking near the Marco Polo Bridge fighting broke out between Chinese and Japanese soldiers. I was shot in the leg and ended up getting discharged. With my injury becoming an FBI agent was out so I took what I learned in the Army and opened Upson Detective Agency.

Finally, a great hiccup. I was walking down Rodeo Drive when I saw a familiar face. Maggie Neilson, my girlfriend from high school, walked back into my life.

To find out more about Maggie and myself you’ll have to read the Upson PI Mystery books as we solve some of the most baffling cases ever to cross a private detective’s blotter.

In conclusion, everything I’ve written about me is fiction. Or is it? You decide.

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About the book:

Print Length: 248 pages

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (March 19, 2018)

Publication Date: March 19, 2018

Ike McAlister has finally put the ghosts of his past to rest. He’s found new joy with a spirited wife, a young daughter, and a mountain valley ranch where a man can make something of himself. But a coming railroad through the South Park valley threatens to take his land and tear his hard-won peace apart.

Discovering that the railroad could easily bypass his ranch, he organizes opposition and earns the animus of the formidable foreman. When Ike’s brother Rob, the sheriff, is bushwhacked, Ike sets out on a high stakes quest to get the killer before the killer gets him.

Available on Amazon for Pre-Order.

About the Author:

Mike Torreano has a military background and is a student of history and the American West.

His western mystery, The Reckoning, was released September 2016 by The Wild Rose Press and the sequel, The Renewal, is due to be released soon. He’s working on the next western now and he also has a coming-of-age Civil War novel looking for a publisher.

Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers. An experienced editor, he’s taught University English and Journalism. He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other western writing groups. He brings his readers back in time with him as he recreates life in 19^th century America.

Author Website

Layered Pages interview with Mike will be posted here on march 5th! Don’t miss it!

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I have found Alfred Woollacott’s article Mary Rowlandson’s Rescue to be fascinating because much of this history relates to Alfred’s ancestry.  Not only that but the time period Al writes about in the article below, marks King Philip’s War as the last major effort by the Indians to force out English settlers in the Southern New England part of the Americas. Many people and towns suffered greatly during this war and many were surrendered and were sold into slavery.

Furthermore, what interest me about this post is Mary Rowlandson and the lengths John Hoare went to for her release. The ordeal she experienced is undoubtedly traumatic and how she endured it is extraordinary.

I have many thoughts and questions about King Philip’s War, the people captured and having read the blog post below I am starting to have a deeper understanding of its history and look forward to learning more.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Mary Rowlandson’s Rescue

At sunrise on 10 February 1676 during King Philips’s War. Native Americans attacked the remote town of Lancaster, killing thirteen and taking over twenty-four captives, among them Mary Rowlandson and her three children. Her six-year-old daughter succumbed from her wounds after a week of captivity. For eleven weeks, Mary and her children were forced to accompany their captors as they raided other settlements and eluded the English militia. On 2 May, Concord’s John Hoare paid a £20 ransom while at Redemption Rock  in Princeton, and Mary’s ordeal ended…read more of the article HERE

About Author:

Alfred Woollacott, III retired from KPMG after a career spanning 34 years, choosing to reside full time at his summer residence on Martha’s Vineyard. Being “45 minutes from America” and with a 50 – 60 hour per week void to fill, he began dabbling into his family history. His dabbling grew into an obsession, and he published several genealogical summaries of his ancestors. But certain ones absorbed him such that he could not leave them. So he researched their lives and times further while evolving his writing skills from “just the facts ma’am” to a fascinating narrative style. Thus with imagination, anchored in fact and tempered with plausibility, a remote ancestor can achieve a robust life as envisioned by a writer with a few drops of his ancestor’s blood in his veins.

When not writing, Al serves on several Boards, and keeps physically active with golf, tennis, and hockey. He and his wife of 44 years, Jill, have four children and ten grandchildren.

Author Website

L.A.P. it is a social media platform that applies to a variety of professions-such as-Literature, Art and Photography. The practicalities of Internet life can be tricky for many, not everyone is computer savvy and would prefer to solely focus on their craft or they have a tight budget but need help in this arena. There are so many entities out there charging fees that are not doable for most or they promise what they cannot deliver. L.A.P. it has created a new concept of social media marketing and provides a unique service to showcase writers, artists and photographers work. L.A.P. it will also work with publishers, independent presses, artists/photographers galleries and other entities that involve the three areas mentioned.

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I am not a cover designer but I can agree that cover layouts play an important role in the overall presentation of stories and I must admit, often times I first judge a book by its cover.

Cover Crush is a weekly series that originated with Erin at Flashlight Commentary.

Hearts of Resistance by Soraya M. Lane

At the height of World War II, three women must come together to fight for freedom, for the men they love—and for each other.

When Hazel is given the chance to parachute into Nazi-occupied France, she seizes the opportunity to do more for the British war effort than file paperwork. Alongside her childhood friend, French-born Rose, she quickly rises up the ranks of the freedom fighters. For Rose, the Resistance is a link to her late husband, and a way to move forward without him. What starts out as helping downed airmen becomes a bigger cause when they meet Sophia, a German escapee and fierce critic of Hitler who is wanted by the Gestapo. Together the three women form a bond that will last a lifetime.

But amid the turmoil and tragedy of warfare, all three-risk losing everything—and everyone—they hold dear. Will their united front be strong enough to see them through?

My thoughts:

This is a clean and simple layout really but nonetheless it appeals to me. Probably for the reasons. The premise is interesting as well.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Other great cover crushes from my fellow book bloggers: 

Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Colleen at A Literary Vacation
Heather at The Maiden’s Court
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum

Previously published on L.A.P. it Marketing

Writers breathe life into characters with words and their book is their canvas. A writer’s art is to gather elements of life, places, time and situations and weave them into stories. To design a story that draws a reader in and leaves an impression that has the reader emotionally invested is an art.

An Artist creates art through a canvas or sculpture to express mood, emotion and self-expression. Often times there is chaos in those mediums that expresses what many relate to in life or they trigger memories. When artists do this, they bring the essence of the human condition and their surroundings to life expressed through the different styles of their work and bring a powerful reality into their creations.

A Photographer is an artist who captures a moment in an instant and holds it without change. The picture captures an existence of different mediums such as landscape, portraits, buildings, and any other form you can think of. We see these images through a photographer’s eye. Like an artist who captures these things on canvas or a writer who captures this with words, a photographer’s picture is the same concept.

Each medium l’ve presented here is an expression and in its simplest form, each medium tells a story.  My passion is to capture their essence in L.A.P. it Marketing and to give understanding to the craft so many will have a deeper understanding of the three and their importance. Not only that, I want to give these artists a fresh and creative way to share their interpretations through social media.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Photo by WSM Photography

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