Old-Fashioned Christmas Cards

The contents of my snail mail box has changed a lot over the years. Gone are the mountains of junk mail I used to receive as they've all morphed into online spam, and thankfully it means that most of my mail consists of things I actually look forward to receiving. And at this time of year, I especially look forward to the holiday cards.


I used to wonder what to do with all the cards; I wanted them displayed through the season but wasn't quite sure of the best way to do it. Then I came across an old cork board. I wrapped the board in Christmas paper and picked up a box of push-pins.

As the cards are received, I begin at the bottom and work my way up until the board is filled.

I can easily move it to any location. I enjoy having it in the great room where I can enjoy them throughout the season.


The first year I tried this, I assumed that at the end of the season when the cards are removed, I would have to discard the holiday paper and wrap it again the following year. But to my surprise, the holes created by the push pins are so small that I have now used the same wrapping paper for 10 years and it stills looks good as new when I retrieve it each year.

In my latest book (to be released next year) Dylan Maguire and Vicki Boyd are married in Ireland at Christmastime. It has been a wonderful experience to incorporate the beauty of Ireland during the holidays. (Shown above: Belfast City Hall, about 45 miles from the village where my ancestral home is located in Ballygalley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.)

What holiday traditions do you have?


p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books in a variety of genres, including two award-winning series, Black Swamp Mysteries and Ryan O'Clery Mysteries, the award-winning saga about her ancestors' journey at the height of the Chickamauga Indian Wars in River Passage, and her bestselling book, Songbirds are Free, the true story of her ancestor, Mary Neely, and her capture by Shawnee warriors in 1780. Visit www.pmterrell.com for the book trailers, read free excerpts from her books, and much more.

An Irish Christmas Wedding

Everyone loves a wedding and what could be more idyllic than combining one with Ireland and Christmas?


In the sixth book of the Black Swamp Mysteries Series (to be released in 2017) Vicki Boyd and Dylan Maguire head to his native Ireland for their wedding and honeymoon. Researching traditional Irish weddings was a lot of fun; the hard part was not overdoing the ceremony and selecting which traditions would remain and which to discard.

Christmas is not the most ideal time to visit Ireland. The sun sleeps later, eventually rising at 9:00 am over Donegal in northwestern Ireland. It also sets around 4:00 pm, leaving a mere seven hours of daylight. They make up for it in July and August, when the Emerald Isle receives about 18 hours of daylight and the sun doesn't set until after 11:00 pm.


The Irish like to say their weather is always mild, averaging between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit year round. But this doesn't take into account the winds and I've learned firsthand that the air currents off the North Sea can be frigid. In December, however, when the next parish over - Boston - can encounter snow and ice, Ireland remains in the upper 40's and lower 50's and rarely receives appreciable snow accumulation.

The nicest thing about visiting Ireland during the Christmas holidays (which end on the Day of Epiphany, January 6) is the combination of the magic of Ireland and the magic of Christmas. It's an unbeatable combination.


Vicki and Dylan are wed by Dylan's childhood friend, Thomas Rowan, who is now Father Rowan, in the village where they both grew up. The church is similar to the one in this blog. It sits atop a hill where it overlooks the village below.


One tradition is to place a tiny statue called The Child of Prague at the church on the morning of the wedding to ensure picture-perfect weather.


Another involves the use of the Magic Hanky. This is a handkerchief - often with lace trim - that is worn on the wedding day. When a baby is born to the couple, it only takes a couple of stitches to turn it into a cap for christening. Vicki wears the one that Dylan's mother and grandmother wore at their weddings.

Vicki carries her bouquet by a handle called a Porcelain Horseshoe. When the couple moves into their new home, the horseshoe is mounted above the door, the opening at the top so their luck doesn't run out.


She uses a traditional saying during her vows: “There are four things that you must never do: lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, then lie in my arms. And if you must steal, steal away my heart. If you must cheat, then cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.”


One thing I found particularly interesting was this vow: "Through all our lives together, in all our lives, may we be reborn that we may meet and know and love again, and remember."

Sam gives away Vicki's hand in marriage. They spend their first night at the cottage they first visited in Dylan's Song before heading to a manor house in County Donegal.


There is a tiny matter for them to take care of during their honeymoon. Sam needs for Dylan to cross paths with a Russian spy, who will slip him a microchip detailing Russia's newest stealth technology. It's a simple assignment - except when the operative Dylan is supposed to pass it on to is abducted off the streets of Donegal. It pulls Dylan and Vicki into a whirlwind adventure - and brings Dylan face-to-face with a man he thought he would never see again.

p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed author of more than 20 books in several genres, including two award-winning series: Black Swamp Mysteries and Ryan O'Clery Mystery Series, as well as the award-winning River Passage and her bestselling book, Songbirds are Free. Visit www.pmterrell.com to read free excerpts from all her books, view video trailers, and lots more.

WIP Wednesday - The Pendulum Files

With The Tempest Murders out of my hands and heading into the book stores, I have turned my attention to the final editing of the next book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, The Pendulum Files.

Ironically, I discovered my last two books both have nautical-themed covers: in the case of The Tempest Murders, it depicts a scene out of the book when Ryan O'Clery has stolen a boat to reach the Outer Banks of North Carolina before a serial killer reaches his lover, Cathleen Reilly.

In The Pendulum Files, the cover depicts something quite different: an international plot to stop goods from reaching the United States. Ships are being bombed in the open seas and no one seems able to stop the attacks. Vicki Boyd and Dylan Maguire team up again in another CIA assignment: to find who is responsible for the bombings - and stop them.

Vicki is expecting a child with Dylan Maguire, and the old, rambling house they live in has come alive once more. But this time, each time apparitions make their appearance, Vicki hears the constant, rhythmic ticking of a pendulum...

This book is the fifth in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, and is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2014.

Tuesday Teaser - Dylan Maguire

Last Tuesday, I gave some background on Vicki Boyd, one of the main characters in the Black Swamp Mysteries series. Another main character is Dylan Maguire, the Irishman who becomes Vicki's love interest and whose past unravels in Dylan's Song, the fourth book in the series. (Though he is also a main character in Vicki's Key and Secrets of a Dangerous Woman.)

Dylan Maguire never had a normal childhood. Though his parents were from Ireland, he was born in New York. Unfortunately, he never met his father—he’d abandoned his pregnant wife and simply disappeared. Unable to provide for her son and herself in a strange country, his mother packed them up and brought Dylan back to Ireland when he was just three years old. In and out of bars and with dubious pastimes, his mother wasn’t a mother to him at all.

Dylan was raised by his grandmother, a woman he called Mam. She was the only family he’d ever known—that and the home of his neighbor and best friend, Thomas Rowan.

Dylan has a mysterious past when he arrives on Laurel Maguire’s doorstep the summer that Vicki also arrives to help Laurel with her freshwater angelfish business. He seems to be a jack-of-all-trades, from teaching Vicki the angelfish business to remodeling the old, rambling—and haunted—house, to cooking up traditional Irish meals and looking after Vicki.

He is a hopeless romantic who makes CD’s with all his favorite romantic songs… To taking Vicki on an intimate boat ride down the natural and secluded Lumber River… To picnics in the park and romantic, candlelight dinners.

He is also capable of violence—of defending what is his and of killing when the need arises. He is an opportunist; a former kickboxing champion, a man known as “The Butcher” who channels his anger into his fists and feet.

If the Black Swamp Mysteries series was made into a movie, who would I want to play Dylan Maguire? Assuming he could play the role with an Irish accent, Eduardo Verastegui is a dead ringer.

Next Tuesday: Brenda Carnegie.

Tuesday Teaser - Irish Bogs

In Dylan's Song, Dylan Maguire returns to his native Ireland to locate and extract a missing CIA operative who is imprisoned in ancient castle dungeons below the surface of the bogs. Below is an excerpt as Dylan and two other operatives ride on horseback through the bogs:

Lightning flashed across the sky and a few seconds later, a low rumble of thunder shook the ground beneath their feet. The horses whinnied and turned completely around.


“What’s that?” Perry asked as all three men fought to control their horses.

Dylan followed his gaze to the distant horizon. “Blue flames.”

“Fire?”

“It’s caused by the bog gasses. Methane. It’s common durin’ storms. When I was a tyke, the old-timers used to say they were faeries, cookin’ their supper.”

It felt as though it was taking far longer for them to reach their destination than it had in broad daylight with Brenda and Vicki. But that’s the way it was at night, Dylan reminded himself. During the witching hour and in the pre-dawn hours that followed, the terrain took on the feel of a vast, empty space in which compasses no longer functioned properly. It was said there were little folk who lived in the bogs, mischievous creatures who watched every movement and waited for the perfect opportunity to play havoc—or worse. Fooling with their compasses was just one of their tricks.

They were known as ballybogs or bog-a-boos, depending on who was telling the story. Some said they were the remains of the dead rising out of the bogs. Others said they were nasty creatures that were not related to humans at all.

“You’re sure you know where this place is?” Perry asked uneasily.

He looked toward the horizon. “Aye.”

The thunder and lightning grew and intensified and the mist began to turn to more solid precipitation, though it stopped short of becoming a rainstorm. It was well known that one had no business being in a bog when it rained. It often came fast and furious and often the peat was buried beneath ponds that could suck men into them in mere seconds. Dylan found himself wondering whether the water would pour into the castle remains. It would be a horrific way to die.

He turned in his saddle and peered behind him.

“What is it?” Rich asked.

Dylan shook his head. “Just feel eyes on me, tis all.”

Purchase the book on amazon in Kindle or in trade paperback. It is also available on the Nook, iPad, and other eBook formats.

Thursday Thoughts - How Real Is It?

I've been mulling this one around in my head for a few weeks.

You see, a few weeks back the proprietor of a restaurant told me that one of his patrons is convinced that he and I are having an affair because I mentioned his restaurant in some of my books. She went even further, stating that she thought the romantic interest in the Black Swamp Mysteries series is actually this restaurant proprietor.

Never mind that Dylan Maguire of the series is Irish and the restaurant owner is American;

Or that Dylan has thick black hair and hazel eyes and the restaurant owner doesn't;

Or that Dylan is 29 years old and the restaurant owner is close to 20 years older than that;

Or the fact that, actually, come to think of it, they bear no resemblance to each other at all.

Fiction is actually just fiction. The people are unique. I may take characteristics from one person or another but just as you might have the same mannerism as your parent, you are still uniquely different individuals. So are the characters in my books.

There are things I like about a lot of different people, that eventually made up the character of Dylan Maguire.

I like Pierce Brosnan's eyes when he smiles. (And he's Irish.)

I like Joe Manganeillo's physique and height.

I like Eduardo Verastegui's thick black hair and his occasional five o'clock shadow.

These men were the basis for Dylan Maguire's character. From Pierce Brosnan, he got the positive outlook and charm of the Irish; from Joe Manganeillo, the ability to fight when it's called for; from Eduardo Verastegui, a sexual appeal that would help to make him irresistible to Vicki Boyd. 

Plus little characteristics and personality traits that would seem to fit his character and the scenes he's in.

He is uniquely Dylan Maguire and no one else.

Thursday Thoughts, a Muse and a Full Moon

I hope you'll join me today at The Muse, where I am being interviewed by Claire Ashgrove. Then please hop over to Full Moon Dreaming for a different interview. Leave a comment at both blogs and you could win this beautiful Celtic necklace.

A muse is anything that helps to inspire an author, though it's often thought of as a person or spiritual assistance.

My muse is Ireland. I can't think of my mother, who is now deceased, without thinking of the Irish sense of humor and how much she loved to laugh and how she coveted a good joke. She often looked for her "Laugh of the Day" and long before the Internet and email, I used to mail her funny jokes or cartoons cut from the newspaper.

She was drawn to people with sincere smiles and a gleam in their eye. She also had a soft spot for the downtrodden, the poor and the unfortunate, and was generous to a fault.

I imagine those characteristics came from a long line of Irish ancestry. Two of her sisters had red hair and all had green or hazel eyes. Her mother had a striking resemblance to Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones) and had piercing blue eyes that didn't miss a thing.

If you are a writer, what inspires you to write?

Tuesday Teaser - Dylan's Song

As I continue the launch of Dylan's Song, I'm visiting Andi's Book Reviews today. I hope you'll drop by and leave a comment; one lucky winner will win a beautiful Celtic necklace at the end of the tour. Andi interviews me, provides an excerpt from the book and some more information you should find interesting.

Irish jewelry has a lot of tradition. Last Friday, I gave the inside story of the Celtic Key Necklace that Dylan gives to Vicki in Dylan's Song. Something else he has for Vicki - but hasn't given to her yet - is an Irish Claddagh ring.

The ring has many variations; sometimes the heart is a green gem, such as an emerald. Sometimes it includes diamonds. It's found in gold and silver and a combination. But it always means the same thing.

The heart represents true love. When the heart is facing toward the wearer, it means her heart has been captured. When it is facing outward toward the fingertips, it means she is looking for her true love. Both of these are when the ring is worn on the right hand.

But when it's worn on the left hand with the heart facing the wearer, it means the woman is married. On the left hand facing outward means she is engaged.

The hands symbolize friendship because every relationship needs both true love and true friendship.

The crown represents loyalty. There is a variation of the ring without the crown - supposedly because of the Republic of Ireland's separation from England and the King and/or Queen.

The Significance of the Necklace

Some folks who have seen me in person have asked about the necklace that I always wear. It is a key like the necklace Dylan Maguire gives to Vicki Boyd in Dylan's Song in the Irish village where he grew up. There is significance to the necklace and for this one day only, you could win one just like it.

It is a Celtic key. It is an Irish tradition to give the Celtic key necklace to the woman who has the key to your heart. As long as the woman wears the necklace, her lover is always near and close to her heart, no matter where his travels take him.

In honor of the release of Dylan's Song, my 15th release and the 4th in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, I am giving away this necklace to one lucky winner. All you have to do is go to as many of the following blogs today as you can and leave a message on the post about Dylan's Song. One winner will be drawn from those who comment and the necklace will be mailed so the winner receives it next week.

1. Bunny's Review
2. Sarah Ballance
3. Andi's Book Reviews
4. Out of the Bags
5. Loose the Hounds
6. JM Stewart, Contemporary Romance Author
7. Kate Patrick...unlock your fantasies
8. Margay Leah Justice
9. Nickie's Views and Interviews
10. Let Romance Light Your Way
11. You Gotta Read Reviews
12. J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
13. Celticlady's Reviews
14. Flirting With Romance
15. Queen of All She Reads
16. The Write to Read
17. BadBarbsPlace
18. Donna's Blog Home
19. Rogue's Angels
20. Fantasy Pages
21. Dawn's Reading Nook Blog
22. On the Broomstick
23. My Devotional Thoughts
24. Once Upon A Book
25. Long and Short Reviews
26. Straight from the Library
27. Cathie Dunn writes
28. Wickedly Wanton Tales
29. Realmantic Moments
30. Desiree Holt Tells All
31. Storm Goddess Book Reviews and More
32. My Odd Little World
33. fundinmental
34. Book Girl Knitting Blog

Good luck!

Thursday at the Carolina Civic Center

Tonight is the official launch of Dylan's Song, my 15th release and the 4th book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series.

I will be appearing at the Carolina Civic Center's Historic Theatre in beautiful downtown Lumberton, North Carolina. My talk begins at 7:00 pm, and I'll be providing an inside look at the writing of Dylan's Song as well as a sneak preview into what comes next. Afterward, I'll be selling and signing all my books.

I hope if you're in the Lumberton, NC area, you'll make plans to join me. It's FREE and it's open to the public. You'll love the Historic Theatre and I will do my best to entertain and enlighten you!

The book is available in both trade paperback and in Kindle, Nook, iPad and other eBook formats. Visit my website at www.pmterrell.com for all the information and to read an excerpt.

Tuesday Teaser - Launch of Dylan's Song

I hope you'll join me today at the Book 'Em North Carolina blogspot, where you'll get a sneak preview of my newest book, Dylan's Song.

Over the next two months, I will be participating in a long string of guest appearances on the Internet, reaching from North Carolina to India, France, England and Ireland. I hope you'll follow the tour and leave comments. I will be awarding three Celtic necklaces to three lucky, randomly drawn winners. Visit www.pmterrell.com for all the tour dates or sign up to receive this blog by email to follow the tour.

Monday Musings - Launching a Book

No sooner had I finished organizing the huge Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair than I was plunged neck-deep into the launch of my 15th book, Dylan's Song. It's a lot of work to launch a new book as publishers depend more and more on authors to actively market and promote their own works.  But it is also an exhilarating time.

This book has a special significance to me because it takes us to Ireland. We see a side of Dylan Maguire, the CIA operative, that we haven't experienced before, as he confronts his past and the real reason he left his native country for America. We are also transported to the village in which he grew up, to meeting the grandmother he calls "Mam" who raised him, and to meeting Thomas Rowan, his childhood friend who is now a Catholic priest.

I was asked recently if I could borrow a page from any author's life, who would it be and what would I borrow. I immediately answered: Carla Neggers. What would I borrow? It wouldn't be her status of New York Times bestselling author, though I do hope to achieve something close to that in my lifetime. Rather, it would be her ability to fly to Ireland, rent a cottage and simply write. I picture a pond outside the cottage, a leisurely walk into town, a romantic dinner, and writing in front of an open window as I admire the Irish countryside.

If you could borrow a page from any author's life, who would it be and what would you borrow?

Tuesday Teaser

My 15th book, Dylan's Song, won't officially be released in paperback until St Patrick's Day, March 17, but the manuscript has already been read by a half dozen reviewers and the first reviews are coming in. It is also now available for Kindle, Nook, iPad and other eReaders a full month before the printed edition is released.

I loved writing this book because it took me to Ireland, which happens to be the land of my ancestors. And as the initial reviews come in, it's clear that the backdrop of Ireland and more specifically the Bogs of Allen, added a layer of mystery and intrigue to the plot.

The bogs in Ireland are centuries old. Once lake beds, vegetation formed along the banks and slowly, over millenia, stretched inward until the lake beds were filled with forest land. But over time, the bogs sucked the forest inward like quicksand, the swampy land swallowing up whole forests and even homes. In Dylan's Song, it's the dungeons of a castle that are found beneath the surface -- and in one of those dungeons is where they will find the missing CIA operative.

Their mission: to get into those dungeons and rescue the agent.

Of course, there's a personal aspect to the book as well... Vicki has accompanied Dylan to Ireland to provide a front for their CIA mission. With her along, he can take her into various regions under the pretext of showing her Ireland - while they are really searching for the missing operative.

WIP Wednesday and The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

So today is the Next Big Thing Blog Hop!

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them.  I hope you'll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy.  On this stop on the blog hop, you'll find a bit of information on me and one of the books I am working on plus links to other authors you can explore.

My gratitude to my literary agent and fellow author Barbara Casey for inviting me to participate in this event.  You can click the following link to learn more about Barbara and her work.  Website:   http://www.barbaracaseyagency.com/

In this blog hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our book or work-in--progress (giving you a sneak peek).  We've also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write--the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book? 

 

The Pendulum Files

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

During the last presidential election, one party claimed the other party was orchestrating international crises in order to advance their platform. As desperate as it sounded on the news at the time, I began thinking through the concept of what would be involved in actually going down that road to make the candidate look better to the general population.

3. What genre does your book come under?

Suspense/thriller. This one is part of the Black Swamp Mysteries series. It’s the fifth one in the series and definitely has an international flavor.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Amy Adams would be terrific as Vicki Boyd, Lindsay Lohan as bad-girl Brenda Carnegie and Eduardo Verastegui has the appearance of Dylan Maguire; I wonder if he can do an Irish accent?

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Psychic spy Vicki Boyd joins forces with CIA operative Dylan Maguire to investigate a series of bombings targeting Americans, but what they find will shake the United States Government to its core and threaten its future.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

This book will be published by Drake Valley Press and I’m very proud to have Barbara Casey of the Barbara Casey Literary Agency as my literary agent.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

This is a work in progress so it isn’t quite finished but I have scheduled about four months to write the book from the first concept to the final edited manuscript. The time I set aside is based on how long it’s taken me to write my last four books.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

This is a unique plot and a varied cast of characters so it really doesn’t bear any resemblance to any other story of which I am aware.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

This is the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series so I knew it would bring the same cast of characters forward into a new adventure. I like international intrigue and a James Bond or Jason Bourne type of adventure/suspense, and this book provides that.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The Black Swamp Mysteries series has been doing quite well. The second book in the series, Vicki’s Key, was a finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and also the 2012 USA Best Book Awards. The third book, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, is an IPPY Award nominee, and there’s buzz about the fourth book, Dylan’s Song.

11: Why are you so much better-looking in person than in your photo?

Because you weren’t wearing your glasses when you saw me in person?

Who’s next on the NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP?

So glad you asked!

Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on Works in Progress and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

Abyrne Mostyn: http://abyrnemostyn.com/

Christie Silvers’ blog: http://christiesilvers.blogspot.com 
Bonnie Watson’s blog: http://wisdomnovels.blogspot.com/

WIP Wednesday

I am between books right now. I completed Dylan's Song late last year and it's in production now, scheduled to be released on St Patrick's Day of this year. The next book in the series is The Pendulum Files, which is scheduled to be released in 2014 and which is due to the editor late this summer.

I also finished the first book in a new series, the Ryan O'Clery series, entitled The Tempest Murders. I am scheduled to complete the sequel, After the Tempest, this spring.

In the meantime, I am balancing my writing with work on the Book 'Em North Carolina event, scheduled in Lumberton on Saturday, February 23, 2013. It's a huge event that is taking the bulk of my time to organize.

Here is an excerpt from Dylan's Song. I will have advance copies at Book 'Em so attendees have the opportunity to buy the book weeks before it's even in book stores:

Dylan stopped at a crossroads while he observed the sky. Of course it would rain during his mission. It was always raining in Ireland. The fact that it hadn’t thus far was an oddity. These were the skies he was accustomed to. He could feel the mist on his cheeks; could taste it on his lips.

He turned and gazed at the cottage he’d just left. His heart felt full for a moment as he thought of Vicki in his arms in a nice, warm bed. The cottage glowed from the lights within, casting radiant fingers across the lawn leading to the pond. There would be no full moon tonight, he thought. No skinny-dipping. Ah, well. He had his memories from the previous night and there would be other nights.

He turned again, facing the village. It was off in the distance, only perceptible by a faint glow on the horizon. Those would be the lights from the pubs as all the shops were closed by now. And he knew each of those pubs as well as he knew himself. He’d spent many a night there. Too many. And he regretted most of them.

He had a lot of regrets in his life, he realized. Looking back at the years behind him, it was nothing if not a long string of mistakes, bad decisions and stupid moves.

A quarter turn and he was facing Mam’s house over the next knoll. It was quiet now and dark. Tomorrow afternoon he would have no choice but to go over there once more and clear things out. The landlord had Bonnie O’Sullivan as a tenant for at least sixty years but he’d be chomping at the bit to get another paying renter in there as quickly as possible.

It wouldn’t take long; Mam didn’t own that much. He’d go in with Father Rowan and his mum; they’d box up the photographs and scrapbooks and get them ready for the post, where they’d be mailed to him in America. And when he received them, he’d most likely stash them away in the attic somewhere. Maybe someday, ten or twenty years down the road—or more—he would haul them out and look at them.

Everything else would go to the auctioneer. It would be Old Mister Kilduff, a man he suspected was older than the village itself, who would come in and determine the starting bid on each object. People would come from miles around to buy off what they could and Dylan would be long gone by then. Mister Kilduff would get his take and send the rest by cheque to him in America. It was the way things worked. The way they always worked.

Tuesday Teaser

So many people loved Brenda Carnegie and Chris Sandige in Exit 22 that it spawned the Black Swamp Mysteries series. In Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, they are reunited--along with Dylan and Vicki. Here's the scene in which Chris sees Brenda again:

Chris strode purposefully across the kitchen and grasped Brenda in his arms, pulling her to him like she weighed no more than a rag doll. One hand gripped her hair, his fingers ensnared in the thick tresses as they moved upward to her head, drawing her face up to his as his lips found hers.

Then they are spinning to the side as Chris backed Brenda against the side of the refrigerator, driving her against the hard surface with unbridled passion. She met his efforts with a husky moan and as he began to pull back, she grabbed his head and pulled him back to her, her eyes opening momentarily to reveal a fire burning from within.

The knowledge that he should not be gawking began to wash over Dylan and he forced himself to draw his eyes away from them. As he moved past them to the doorway they continued their reunion as if they were oblivious of his presence.

As he stepped into the hallway, Vicki moved toward the kitchen but he caught her and pulled her away.

"No, darlin'," he said gently as he pulled the door closed behind them, "they need to be alone."

Tuesday Teaser

Dylan's Song will be released this March. It's the fourth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series and according to the initial reviews coming in, it's the best. I loved writing this book because Vicki and Dylan journey to Ireland and the backdrop is nothing short of breathtaking.

Here is an excerpt from the book as Vicki gets the phone call that beckons him home:

Dylan's cell phone rang and Vicki leaned across the bed to answer it. She was aware of only two people who had his number—Sam and herself. But as she grabbed the phone from the nightstand, the caller identification seemed strange; there were too many numbers.


“Sam?” she answered.

“I’ll be beggin’ your pardon,” came a lilting male voice, “it appears I’ve dialed a wrong number.”

“Wait,” Vicki said hastily, “Were you looking for Dylan Maguire?”

There was a hesitation on the other end of the line. “Dylan—I suppose that’s what he’s goin’ by now, ‘eh? I know him as Mick. Mick Maguire.”

It was odd to hear the Irish voice on the phone; stranger still was the reference to the man she loved as Mick.

“He’s in the shower,” she said. “I’m Vicki. I’m his girlfriend. Can I take a message?”

“His girlfriend.” The voice was softer. It was obvious she’d surprised him and now she could almost feel the wheels turning. “M’ name’s Father Rowan.”

“Father Rowan.”

“I’ll not be knowin’ if Mick ever mentioned me to you?”

Vicki glanced toward the bathroom as the shower was turned off. “I’m afraid not.”

“I’m a friend o’ the family. He gave me this number in the event o’ an emergency.”

Vicki sat up straighter and began to rummage for something to write with. “Yes?”

“Would you get a message to him, please?”

“Of course.” She found a pad of paper and hunted for a pen.

“Would you be informin’ him—his grandmother, his m’am, she’s—well, her days are numbered.”

“Excuse me?” She stopped searching for the pen and stared toward the bathroom door. It was slightly ajar and she glimpsed Dylan as he moved.

“She’s soon to leave this world,” he said. His voice was deep and a bit raspy. “She wants to see him one last time. I’ve called to beckon him home.”

“His grandmother—”

“His mum’s mum. She raised him since he was a tyke. And it’s her dyin’ wish to see him once more. I know he’s not likely to be wantin’ to return—but please, ask him to telephone me. He’ll be regrettin’ it if he doesn’t come home.”

“Of course I’ll tell him,” she said. Her own voice had grown softer.

“You ‘ave m’ gratitude, Miss Vicki.” With that, the phone clicked off.

You will soon be able to pre-order Dylan's Song on my website at www.pmterrell.com. The eBook will be available by late February and the official release date for the printed book is St Patrick's Day.   And yes, for all those asking: I WILL have advance copies at Book 'Em North Carolina!

Tuesday Teaser

The most popular character of all my books turns out to be an Irishman and Dylan Maguire has completely transformed the Black Swamp Mysteries series. He originally made his debut in Vicki's Key, released in the spring of 2012. Below is an excerpt from the book as Dylan and CIA psychic spy Vicki Boyd are getting to know each other.

“What was your life like in Ireland?” Vicki asked. “What did you do there?”


Dylan's eyes turned dark and he averted his gaze. “What did I do there?” he repeated as if he was deeply contemplating the question. “I lived. Just like everybody else. I felt happiness and sorrow. Failure and success.”

“And you’re here now.”

“That I am.”

She watched him take a hefty bite out of the chicken. “It was a woman, wasn’t it?” she asked softly.

He half-turned and watched a couple strolling around the lake hand-in-hand. “Must it always be a woman?”

“What else could make you leave a home you’d known all your life?”

“I don’t know,” he said, turning back to look at her again. “Why don’t you tell me?” His voice was soft and almost silky. “What prompted you to come here, to a town where you didn’t know a soul, to work for an old woman you’d met only through the Internet?”

“Touché.”

“No, I’m quite serious. What made you come here?”

“I wanted to start over. And I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”

“But you must have some skills.”

“Are you saying I’m a poor fish breeder?”

He laughed. It came from deep inside him; she could picture him in an Irish pub, surrounded by friends, raising a pint high and laughing that same laugh. “Not at all. You make a very good fish breeder.” Then he narrowed his eyes. “You’re an educated woman.”

“Home schooled.”

“Are you, now?”

“And you’re not.”

“No. Typical school. They’re a bit like a prison, they are.”

“You’d prefer to be outdoors.”

“I’m an open book to you, aren’t I? Aye, the outdoors beckon to me. Give me sunshine, fresh air and laughter. And a bit of ale never hurt.”

“So you know why I came here. To start over,” Vicki said. “Why did you come here?”

He paused for such a long time that she was coming to the conclusion that he did not intend to answer when he said, “To start over.”

“And you chose Lumberton because Aunt Laurel is here.”

He nodded. “Same as you, actually. She summoned us both, didn’t she?”

In the fourth book of the Black Swamp Mysteries series, Dylan's Song, Dylan is summoned back to Ireland when his grandmother is dying. It is there that Vicki unravels the mystery behind the real reason Dylan left his homeland and came to America--while harboring a secret of her own.

WIP Wednesday

In a few short weeks, the fourth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series will be released. Dylan's Song takes Dylan Maguire and Vicki Boyd to Ireland, where Vicki comes face-to-face with the village where Dylan grew up and the past he thought he'd left behind.

The book also introduces another character, Father Thomas Rowan, the priest at the Catholic Church where Dylan once lived. Below is an excerpt from Dylan's Song, in which Vicki sees Father Rowan for the first time.

Vicki was still backing up when the door abruptly opened and she ran into someone entering the pub. She gasped instinctively and hurled around, coming face to face with a priest's collar. Stunned, she looked upward. The door was still held ajar with the priest stranded between it and Vicki, the waning light illuminating part of his face.

He was young; perhaps the same age as Dylan. His hair was light brown with golden highlights and it was long, brushing past his collar. It might have covered his ears but he had it combed behind them, revealing long sideburns that might have looked like a style from the past - but on him, it looked perfectly natural. He sported a mustache under a chiseled nose but his strong jaw was clean-shaven. His eyes were blue and sharp, taking in the scene unfolding in front of him and the pistols held in Vicki's and Brenda's hands.

"Ladies," Dylan said, "this is Father Rowan."

"A Catholic priest," Brenda breathed. "What a waste of a good man."

WIP Wednesday

As the end of each year approaches, I enjoy looking back over the previous twelve months and comparing my goals and resolutions to what I've actually been able to accomplish.

I began 2012 with two books on my schedule and by spring, a third was added. It was the first time in my career that I had to write three books - around 1,000 pages and roughly 300,000 words - in one twelve month period.

And I made it.

I completed Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, the third book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, in the spring. It was released in September 2012.

I then wrote The Tempest Murders over the summer. This book is being marketed by my agent and I hope to have some good news concerning its publication in 2013.

I just completed the third book, Dylan's Song, the fourth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series. It is due for release by Drake Valley Press in the spring of 2013 - the official release date is St Patrick's Day, which is appropriate for a book that takes place in Ireland.

I have two books to write in 2013 (so far):

After the Tempest is the sequel to The Tempest Murders. It is due by the summer of 2013.

And The Pendulum Files, the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, is due on the editor's desk by December 2013. It will be released in 2014.