Blue Dog and Karen Hulene Bartell

 . . . Locals whisper of the bayou’s thin places, where boundaries blur, and the rift distorts between fact and folklore. . .

Wild Women Authors is pleased to feature Karen Hulene Bartell and Blue Dog, a contemporary novel of suspense and a touch of the paranormal, a current release out of the Wild Rose Press.

First up is Deirdre “Dare” Doyle, a budding PhD candidate and explorer of many facets of the Louisiana bayou.

Good morning, Dare. Thank you for joining us. Let’s begin with you telling us a bit about Blue Dog. It is the story of my summer from hell…the two—not three months I’d been promised—but two months to complete/defend my dissertation to keep my job as adjunct professor and nurse my aunt as she recovers from her rotator cuff operation. If my toxic ex isn’t sabotaging me, a Louisiana hurricane and a bayou shapeshifter are threatening me. As if that isn’t enough, a seductive ranger’s competing for the little time I do have.”

Sounds like the typical, well-rounded life of a busy grad student. Not. What made you choose being a professor of Environmental Geography for a profession/career? In a nutshell…I wanted to be just like my favorite aunt, who’s always been more than an aunt. Kim was a second mother. Growing up, I spent more time with her than my parents, who were always on the road conducting fieldwork. They believed providing was the same as parenting. They always thought they could postpone their time with me until a car accident kept them away permanently.

She was my role model. She was my anchor. In fact, her house was—is—the closest thing to a home I’ve ever known, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps…be an Environmental Geography professor just like her.

Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick with being an Environmental Geography professor or do something different? Funny you should ask. Recently, Kim paraphrased Marilyn Monroe, saying, ‘A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night. I want you to be happy, and to do that, your life needs a balance between goals and relationships.

When I asked if her life had been happy, a tear trickled down her cheek. ‘My life’s been good, fulfilling, but I wouldn’t call it complete, either. What I’m trying to say is, don’t be so single-minded that you don’t leave room for relationships…There’s more to life than work. Work to live, don’t live to work. Don’t confuse a career with your identity.’ And that conversation made me reassess my relationship with Clay.”

What is your biggest fear? My biggest fear depends on the day of the week. If I’m not worried about losing my job as adjunct professor or if my toxic ex isn’t sabotaging my dissertation with his sped-up timeline, I’m concerned about my aunt’s mood swings and side effects from her post-surgery pain meds. Other days, I’m terrified of the shapeshifter stalking me or whether I’m making the right choice regarding Clay. But my greatest fear is being in the direct path of the Category 5 hurricane making landfall.

With all that going on, who is your favorite fictional character and why? Scarlett O’Hara is my favorite fictional character because she always kept going, no matter what wrenches life threw at her.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Aunt Kim’s advice, ‘Work to live, don’t live to work. Don’t confuse a career with your identity.’

Thanks for taking the time out of a busy and fulfilling schedule, Dare. Now we’d like to chat with your creator, Karen Hulene Bartell.

Which writer or character[s], from either books or movies, [or both] have had a major impact on your writing? I have to agree with Dare’s choice: Scarlett O’Hara and, of course, Margaret Mitchell, her creator.

With regard to research for Blue Dog, where did you start? And, did that lead you down different paths, thereby changing the original concept? Many years ago, I became concerned with the ecological issues surrounding the Atchafalaya Basin. I started by researching the environmental impacts online, found references to rougarous, then attended the Rougarou Festival in Houma, Louisiana. Locals whom I chatted with in the Cajun country gave me far more insights than Googling. What evolved is (I hope) an entertaining story that highlights the plight of Louisiana’s bayous and its residents.

And it certainly did that! Tell us a bit about your publisher. How did you hear about them; what influenced you to submit to them? I first approached The Wild Rose Press in 2017 with my manuscript Wild Rose Pass. Honestly, it was the similarity of the names that caught my attention. But after nine years and six books with them, they’ve become my publishing home.

How is the submission process; what is the turn-around time from date of query to date of release? Largely dependent on the editor, the turn-around time has diverged quite a bit. I think Wild Rose Pass and my previous book Indigo took the longest—roughly two years each, but Blue Dog (editor Ally Robertson) has been the fastest turn-around from query/submission to release date—about four months, if that.”

What are you reading right now? I’m currently reading Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion and The Giver by Lois Lowry. Each is the recommendation for a separate book club—one environmental, and one social.

What's next for you? My [current] WIP is tentatively entitled Once in a Blue Moon. This suspense romance is the third in the Cryptid Charisma series and is set near Caddo Lake, along the North Texas/Louisiana border, where sightings of wood apes and bigfoot are regularly reported—and I kid you not!

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Blue Dog, we can’t wait for this one. Thank you, Karen, for your understanding and patience with getting this blog visit up and running. We appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. KHD/vl

To learn more about Blue Dog and the stories Karen Hulene Bartell creates go to:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell

MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/karenbartell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuleneKaren

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/   

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell  

Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/ 

Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/

AUTHORSdb: https://authorsdb.com/community/17847-karen-hulene-bartell

To purchase Blue Dog, go to:

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5X15M1P/thewildrosepr-20

Apple Books (iTunes) - https://books.apple.com/us/book/blue-dog/id6781672441

Universal Link - https://books2read.com/u/3yqjrZ

 

Greeting Cards for Exes

               “. . . a beautifully complex array of characters that touch your heart.” –A Bookish Escape

Today, Wild Women Authors focus on Greeting Cards for Exes, a contemporary women’s fiction, written by Rebekah L. Purdy, and recently released by Rowan Prose Publishing

About the Book: Piper Mishner has spent the last year trying to get over her ex, which is hard to do after he decides to move into the apartment next to hers with his new fiancé. As if she needs the reminder of how painful the breakup was. Not to mention, her job as a greeting card writer is now at risk due to her cynicism about love.

“I’m bored with you and need a change.”

The infamous words of Kerrie Holloway’s ex-husband, who doesn’t seem to understand the concept of being an “ex” since he wants her to pretend for their kids and family that they’re still together. While dating others and living in the same house. She gets a job in sales at a greeting card company, and is finally on the way to saving for her own place.

Maude Gilchrist has spent over fifty years married to the same man. A man who, one day, just leaves. No goodbye. No explanation. He was just gone. Bitter and alone, she decides to postpone retirement from the greeting card company. Although writing sappy cards about love is the last thing she wants to do.

Through lunch hour talks, weekend getaways, and drunken brawls, the ladies of All For You Greeting Cards Company help heal one another’s wounds and learn there are more important things in life than having a man. There may be a generational gap, but they all have the “ex-factor” in common.

What others are saying about this book: “. . .Fans of Ashley Poston, Colleen Hoover, Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, Mia Sheridan, and Kristin Hannah will enjoy "Greeting Cards For Exes" by Rebekah L. Purdy. . .”

Greeting Cards for Exes can be found at: https://books2read.com/u/bQlRpD

About our Focus Author: Rebekah L. Purdy is an army veteran, born and raised in Michigan. She works full time for the court system and, in her free time, she writes YA stories across many genres, with more than 15 titles to date. She has a large family, including furbabies.

"Greeting Cards for Exes" is her first women's fiction book. She can be found at: www.rebekahlpurdy.com

 

Someone Is Out There by Kaye George

 Four-Time Agatha Award Nominee Kaye George brings a new edge-of-your-seat suspense with Someone Is Out There. . .

About the Book:

Someone is stalking Darla.

She has a lot on her plate already. Dealing with a breakup. Her best friend shutting Darla out of her life. A handicapped mother. Her career as a hospital nurse. She doesn’t need slashed tires, threatening notes, or, least of all, a brick through her window.

She suspects her tormentor could either be her ex or her own father, who attacked and crippled her mother years ago. But she’s just not sure, and there’s no one but her dog to turn to.

Soon, she’s forced to rely on her own wits to protect her and her mother as the frightening threats become more and more frequent.

And are progressively more dangerous.

What others are saying: “. . . Fans of Mia Sheridan, Freida McFadden, Yasmin Angoe, Jeneva Rose, John Marrs, and Minka Kent will enjoy Kaye George. . .”

Some Is Out There can be found at: https://books2read.com/u/m27rkG

About our Focus Author: Kaye George has had a prolific career spanning many years in the mystery genre and also writes under the name Janet Cantrell.  She’s accrued four Agatha Award nominations, won a Silver Falchion, a Derringer short story nomination, as well as achieving national bestseller status. She reviews for Suspense Magazine and writes a column for Mysterical-E. She's also a violinist, arranger, and composer. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the online Guppies chapter (where she was president), as well as the Smoking Guns Knoxville TN chapter, which she helped organize.

Kaye can be found at: www.kayegeorge.com

 

Fractures of the Fallen by Ella Dupuie

 Thousands of years ago, seven gods rebelled against their own and attempted to seize the Crown, an artifact that gave its bearer the power to rule the Heavens.

     In punishment for their crimes, the souls of the seven gods were each divided into seven different fragments that were then scattered across the Earth. In place of each fragment, a being known as a Fracture was born.

     Fractures know nothing of their peculiar existence—that they were once part of a god and still bear residual powers which make them greater than most humans. And, most dangerously, that they can grow in power and return to their godly state if all seven Fractures of a god meet.

 Today, Wild Women Authors focus on Fractures of the Fallen, a contemporary paranormal thriller, recently released by Rowan Prose Publishing and written by Louisiana author, Ella Dupuie

More About This Book: Valen is an assassin of the Preservation Society, an organization dedicated to monitoring Fractures. Having been exposed to nothing but the Society, Valen knows only one thing with absolute certainty: Fractures were dangerous and must never realize their power.

     Unaware of the Preservation Society's existence, Cassandra lives in a psychiatric facility, locked away by her parents because she’s plagued by psychic visions. Visions that, unbeknownst to her, reveal her status as a Fracture. After having a particularly revealing vision, she’s taken by the Preservation Society and imprisoned in their headquarters.

     When Valen learns of Cassandra’s presence within the Society, she soon discovers the Society harbors deadly secrets about the Fractures to which they guard. Armed with a trove of forbidden knowledge, Valen and Cassandra flee from the Society, determined to outrun the organization before they can be killed for the information they hold.

     Luck nor time is on their side.

What others are saying about this book: “. . . Fans of “Lore” by Alexandra Bracken, “The Mortal Instruments” by Cassandra Clare, or “The Queen of Days” by Greta Kelly will enjoy “Fractures of the Fallen” by Ella Dupuie.”

FRACTURES OF THE FALLEN can be found at: https://books2read.com/u/bPdrnY

About our Focus Author: When Ella Dupuie is not watching old monster movies or bingeing Supernatural, she can be found at Northwestern State University’s Scholars’ College, where she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English. She loves heavy metal music, spending time with her cat, Rogue, and buying beautiful books. She resides in Louisiana.

 

Oenone by Leah Rochelle

 About the Book: When Oenone (eh-no-knee), a Princess of Troy, wakes up in modern day St. Louis, her last memories from ancient Troy are of dying. She's alone, confused, and reeling from her own death as well as the guilt at having refused to help her husband, Paris, who’d been shot by countless Greek arrows.

     Aphrodite, who caused the Trojan War and the downfall of Paris, arrives to explain why Oenone has been brought back to life. Aphrodite feels remorseful for Oenone, an unintended victim, and decides to offer a second chance at the happiness she was robbed of 3,000 years ago. But as always with the gods, there is a catch.

     While Paris has been reborn, he has no memories of his previous life, whilst Oenone remembers everything, but has no knowledge of the new and modern world she now exists in. Aphrodite instructs her to figure it out for herself, warning her not to waste the opportunity she has been given. She must somehow find her husband and make him love her again.

     The cultural disparities and the losses she’s faced are a struggle. Divine retribution may strike with failure. Newfound friends and a budding attraction help her learn more about herself, but as she gains independence and a sense of self, she begins to wonder if another relationship with Paris is what she truly wants.

     But how can she turn away from a mission given by a Goddess?

What Others Are Saying:  “. . . Fans of 'Love and Other Conspiracies’ by Mallory Marlowe and ‘A Touch of Darkness’ by Scarlett St. Clair will enjoy ‘Oenone’ by Leah Rochelle . . .”

OENONE can be found at: https://books2read.com/u/3Lq6kw

About Our Focus Author:  Leah Rochelle is a queer author living in Minnesota with her dog, Frodo, and often a foster dog or two. When not writing, she’s often volunteering at a local rescue, traveling, hiking, doing makeup, or drinking beer on a sunny patio. And, of course, reading. She has an Art History degree from the University of Minnesota, where she wrote her thesis about the sculpture Oenone by Harriet Hosmer, and was thus inspired to write her upcoming Paranormal Romance novel “OENONE.”

 

Murder At The Agency by Kylie Forsythe

               Who knew the marketing world could be so dangerous?

Today, Wild Women Authors focus on Murder At The Agency, a contemporary murder mystery, recently released by Rowan Prose Publishing, and written by Illinois author, Kylie Forsythe.

About the Book: Just when it seems like everything in twenty-eight-year-old Cassidy Blayne's life is falling apart, a thrilling coffee shop encounter leads to the opportunity of a lifetime. Landing her dream job as Creative Director with an elite advertising firm in a nearby lakeside town fills her with renewed purpose. She’s no longer going to allow herself to settle and resolves to rebuild her life on her own terms.

But from the moment she steps foot out of the elevator, she senses things may not be as they seem at Turner & Nash Advertising. Despite her wariness, Cassie puts all her energy into landing her first big account. Arriving early on the day of the presentation, she's shocked to find one of the owners dead and herself a suspect.

She embarks on a desperate search for answers, unknowingly putting her and the people she cares about in danger. As she pieces things together with some help from her spunky new roommate, twin childhood best friends, an uptight detective, and a gorgeous up-and-coming rock star, warnings and threats escalate. It's clear the killer will stop at nothing to keep her quiet.

Cassie must risk everything to unravel the murder before someone takes her off the market for good.

What others are saying about this book:

“An irresistible start to what’s sure to be a binge-worthy series.”, USA Today bestselling author Sarah Fox

Fans of “Olive You To Death” by Lynn Cahoon or “A Limited Edition Murder” by Lauren Elliott will enjoy “Murder At The Agency” by Kylie Forsythe.

Murder At The Agency can be found at: https://books2read.com/u/baXJVy

About our Focus Author: In addition to writing, Kylie Forsythe has been a 4th grade teacher for over twenty years. You will most likely find her reading, cooking, spending time with family and friends, or crafting her next book with her canine writing partner, Judah. She resides in Illinois with her husband and two daughters.

 

Willow Tree Tears

               Today, Wild Women Authors focus on Willow Tree Tears, a contemporary Western romance written by Mandy Eve Barnett and recently released by Rowan Prose Publishing

About Willow Tree Tears: For Madison, the quarter horse ranch life with her widowed father and the rodeo circuit are all she needs, apart from this year’s barrel racing championship. Romance is not on her radar. Her hurt heart needs protecting. But Colton, her foreman and good friend, has other plans.

Then, a chance encounter with a handsome Italian named Lucio ignites her long-buried passion. Madison finds herself in a love triangle where the choice of tradition and adventure clash with unexpected rivalry.

What others are saying about this book:  “Well-written and a fun read.” -Book Hoarder   and “. . . Fans of Elsie Silver, Kristen Proby, Devney Perry, Willow Aster, and Bailey Hannah will enjoy "Willow Tree Tears" by Mandy Eve-Barnett.

Willow Tree Tears can be found at: https://books2read.com/u/4Eakyg

About today’s focus author:  Mandy Eve-Barnett is a multi-genre author writing children’s, YA, and adult books. Every story has a basis of love, nature, magic, and mystery. Her passion for writing emerged later in life, and she’s making up for lost time. She regularly blogs at www.mandyevebarnett.com, where she encourages and supports the networking of writers and readers alike.

Mandy is currently the Secretary of her local writers’ group, the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County, and she hosts their monthly Writers Circle meetings. She’s past Secretary of the Alberta Authors Cooperative and past President of the Arts & Culture Council of Strathcona County Council.+ social media contacts