All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.
When he and Erin track down the
artist, they discover the children’s family were migrant workers the next
county over. But when they travel there, their questions about the kids gets
their car shot up and Erin hospitalized. Torn between fear and rage, Darrell
must decide how far he will go to get justice for two young children he never
even knew.
In earlier interviews, readers had a
chance to hear from Darrell Henshaw and his new wife, Erin, the lead protagonists
in the Haunted Shores Mysteries. In the new release, number three in the
series, Scarlet at Crystal River, Overbeck introduces Luis Alverez, a
young man and recent immigrant, as one of the central characters in the tale.
We thought readers might be interested in learning Luis’ story, so we asked him
a few questions and gave him a chance to share a bit with our readers.
We
know English is not your native language, but our Spanish is rusty. Are you
okay if we do this in English? Si, er yes. I work on English and want to
practice.
Luis,
can you tell us a little about you and how you met Darrell and Erin? My family come to
this country to work the fields. Eight years ago now. I work fields till I
finish high school, then I move to Crystal River. Where I meet Darrell and
Erin.
When
did you learn to speak English? When my family come to this country, I
speak no English. No one in family speak English. I was in high school then.
Teachers help me learn at school and I keep working on it since. It not easy.
Still,
you’ve learned enough of our language to get by in the workplace. Can you tell
us about some of the jobs you do? I work three jobs. Life hard for migrants
like me, but I work to earn my place. Most like me only want to work. Besides
helping Miss Bonnie [the property manager where Darrell and Erin are honeymooning],
I work two restaurants, Charlie’s Fish House and Crackers.
Yes,
but your ability to know both English and Spanish proved important to helping
Darrell and Erin. Can you tell us how you came to be involved with Darrell‘s effort
to learn about the two Latino kids? Los Ninos. Darrell see me at Fish
House and say he need me to translate. He say he going to Settlement and need
me to help him ask about two ninos…children.
Settlement? Sorry, place
where some migrants live. Not a good place.
They no speak much English there. But Darrell thought someone there
might know something about the two ninos. So he ask me to translate.
Did
Darrell share with you that he’s a sensitive…that he can communicate with
ghosts? No.
Not first. He simply say he look for two kids in painting. After I ask why he
care about two kids, he, uh…he tell me about seeing ghosts of ninos.
Now
that it is all said and done, are you glad you helped Darrell and Erin? Would
you help again? Darrell
and Erin good people. They care about others…like me. They almost get
killed trying to help two Latino kids they not know. I help them and others
like them any time.
But some people not same as Darrell
and Erin. Even though we only come to this country to work, others say we no
belong. Say we should go back. They not know place where my family left is dangerous.
We only want chance to prove ourselves.
Anything
else you’d like our readers to know? Here’s your chance. Want people to
know migrants work hard on farms. My family still work farms. Hard work to pick
lettuce and strawberries and blueberries and lot more. Hard work and not much
money. Migrants people just like you. Work hard and even get hurt. Is that okay?
Of
course it is. Perhaps we could use some reminding about the benefits we all
reap from the work migrant workers do in this country. Thanks for sharing with
us today.
Gracias. I glad for chance but have to get back to work. Boss calling.
A bit about our feature author:
Dr.
Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an
educator, he served children for four decades in a range of roles captured in
his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent.
As a member of the Mystery Writers of
America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community,
contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging
writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer
Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.
When he’s not writing or researching his
next exciting novel or sharing his presentation, “Things Still Go Bump in the
Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children
(and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLhuf7RGtCs
To purchase Scarlet at
Crystal River, go to:
https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Crystal-Haunted-Shores-Mysteries/dp/1509237879/ref=sr_1_
https://www.bookbub.com/books/scarlet-at-crystal-river-by-randy-overbeck
What an intriguing plot--but you gotta love a couple who are willing to turn their honeymoon into a mission for others. All the best with your book, Randy.
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