Made in the USA - Do You Care?

Last week, I mentioned the athletic shoes I recently purchased were made in the USA. It opened a flood of emails from folks asking about other products made in the United States, and how imports from other countries have negatively impacted jobs here in the USA. It's a theme I used in my recent political thriller, The Pendulum Files.

Over the past ten years, I've looked for furniture made in the USA. It tends to be better made, lasts longer and looks better than some of the furniture made overseas.

And it has the added benefit of putting our neighbors and friends to work right here in our country.

North Carolina was once known for their quality furniture. Many manufacturers moved their factories to Mexico, Central or South America, or to Asian countries. But a few have remained here, and some are coming back. One owner said when he looked at the demise of his town here in North Carolina, he realized he was partially to blame for it; he'd put around 400 Americans out of work so he could pocket more money himself. But his furniture sales declined because the quality was no longer there, and out-of-work Americans could no longer afford to buy it - or anything other than the basic necessities.

Does Made in the USA matter to you?

Or if you're not an American and you're reading this from elsewhere in the world, does it matter that you purchase goods made in your own country? Or do you believe that globalization benefits us all?

I was curious about furniture still made in North Carolina, and found this link with a list of companies: http://www.manufacturednc.com/directory/NC-Furniture-Related-Wood-Product-Manufacturing.cfm

What is your opinion about importing goods that could be made in your own region?

Does American Made Matter?

In two of my books, The China Conspiracy and The Pendulum Files, I've had themes that included the importation of goods from other countries, particularly China. It's caused me to research imports and exports and how trade has evolved over the past few decades.

As a consumer, it's also caused me to look closely at where things are manufactured.

When I look through my closet, I find that the quality clothing I've owned for probably far too long was made in the United States and I still receive compliments every time I wear them. The more recent clothing I know will be unfit to wear after just one season; they are more likely to have been made in China, Thailand, Bangladesh, or other countries halfway around the world from me.

Lately, I've been noticing that more goods are being made in the United States and the quality I knew years ago was beginning to reemerge. And some brands never left the USA - you just have to dig to find them.

For example, when I've mentioned to friends that the New Balance athletic shoes and apparel I bought recently were made in the United States, they expressed surprise. They thought all athletic shoes were made in China or another Asian country. Today only 25% of New Balance shoes are made in the USA. Those that are have been clearly labeled with "Made in the USA". But this doesn't mean that they all are made here. You have to look at the shoe to determine its origins.

Are they better than those made overseas? You betcha. There is an amazing difference, in quality, in workmanship and in materials. Even when some of the material is imported, when American workers are stitching them together or finishing them, they have the opportunity to inspect them. Many times when 100% of goods are made overseas and simply distributed by a company within the USA, no more than a handful of people within that company may ever see the quality - or lack of quality - in their own products.

If you're an American, does it matter to you whether the clothes you wear were made in the USA?

Do you detect a difference in the quality?

Congratulations to Book Tour Winners!

Congratulations to two lucky winners of a beautiful Celtic butterfly necklace!

I just completed a virtual book tour with Girls Heart Books that took me around the world in thirty days as I promoted my latest release, The Pendulum Files. Upon its conclusion, the host with the most number of comments won this necklace, and that host was Ginny from Gin's Book Notes (http://ginsbooknotes.com/).

Also, one random commenter was awarded a necklace, and that went to C.J. Schindler of Ohio.

Congratulations to you both!

Many, many thanks to all the people who tweeted and left messages on Facebook about my appearances. It was so much fun to connect with readers from all over the world.

The Pendulum Files is the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, featuring psychic spy Vicki Boyd, CIA operative Dylan Maguire, computer hacker Brenda Carnegie and political strategist Christopher Sandige - and of course, CIA department head Sam Mazoli, who tries to keep this team together!

In The Pendulum Files, Vicki and Dylan are tasked with discovering who is behind the bombings of merchant vessels en route from China to the United States. Their work will take them into Black Sites, the high seas and international espionage. And when Brenda Carnegie's old archrival escapes from prison determined to finish the job he started in Exit 22, they all find themselves in the crosshairs of an assassin.

Top ten things I love about being an author...

In case you missed it on Saturday, fellow author Maggie Thom hosted me on her blog. She asked me what I like best about being an author. I hope you'll pop in and read my answer (follow this link) and then let me know - if you are a writer, what do you like best about writing? If you're a reader, what do you think a writer should love about their job?

Maggie also reviewed The Pendulum Files, the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mystery Series. In her comment, she said she enjoyed this one more than any of the others (though she liked them all). That is what an author always loves to hear - that each book is better than the last. When readers begin liking the earlier works the best, it might be time to take a break and assess where the writer is moving in his or her career.

I have to admit that I love this cover. There's something about the sunset, the colors, and the pendulum that pull me in - and hopefully pulls in the reader.

Do you judge a book by its cover?

Can you think of a cover that wasn't up to par but the writing was superb? Or a cover that drew you in but the writing left something to be desired?

What keeps you turning the pages?

This week, my latest suspense has been released. The Pendulum Files is the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series. It is a political thriller, and as part of the book's launch I am on a virtual book tour around the world.

At one of my first stops, I was asked what the Top Ten Most Important Characteristics of a Romantic Suspense are. I'd love to you to drop in (follow this link) and weigh in on what keeps you turning the pages!

And as part of the book's promotion, I will be giving away a beautiful Celtic Butterfly Necklace so be sure to register to win! The link is on this page.

Proof of the Golden Age of Science and Technology

I've often said this is the Golden Age of Science and Technology. It is so exciting to me to see the two come together to discover entirely new worlds. With the invention of an amazing new telescope that can magnify to an incredible degree, whole new galaxies are being discovered at a rate never before experienced. Watch the video below for more information.



Black Swamp Mysteries: The Movie

I am often asked who I'd want to play the lead roles in my Black Swamp Mysteries series if they were made into a series of movies.

I've always had the same characters in mind as I've been writing my books:

My choice for Vicki Boyd would be Amy Adams.



My choice for Vicki's sister Brenda, who is always on the wrong side of the law, would be Lindsay Lohan.



Vicki's boss, Sam, could be played by none other than Robert De Niro.



Eduardo Verastegui is a dead ringer for Dylan Maguire:



And Christopher Sandige would be terrific if played by Tom Weston-Jones.



Who would you like to see play in the Black Swamp Mysteries series?

The latest book in the series, The Pendulum Files, is now available! Visit http://www.amazon.com/Pendulum-Files-Black-Swamp-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00INC34Z0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1393880280

or ask for it in your local book store! It is sold at all fine book stores, worldwide!

Discovery of New Worlds

I've often said that this is the Golden Age of Science and Technology, and I get excited when I learn of new discoveries - especially those that rock our world.

NASA announced last week that they have discovered more than 700 new planets. Some of them are very Earth-like, with water and atmospheres that sustain life.



Why is this so exciting?

In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before this planet runs out of resources. The stuff of science fiction - leaving a home planet in search of others - is actually coming true right before our eyes. There are plans to send people to Mars in the near future to colonize it, and with the discovery of other planets that can sustain life, it means that perhaps our grandchildren or their grandchildren will someday be able to travel to another world as easily as we hop a plane and fly around the world.

Is this too far-fetched to believe?

I am reminded of my grandfather's saying every time he thought someone wanted to accomplish the impossible. He'd say, "You can no more do that than send a man to the moon!"

Hhmm...

Two Weeks from Book 'Em North Carolina

It's just over two weeks until the third annual Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, the event I founded and which I continue to chair. For most of the year, I will spend at least twenty hours each and every week on organizing the event.

But on the day of the event, I will try as much as possible to be an author, though I will be answering questions all day from a variety of volunteers and organizers.

This year, I will have two additional books for sale that I didn't have last year:

The Tempest Murders is the first in a new series featuring Detective Ryan O'Clery, an Irish immigrant who finds himself working a serial murder case as Hurricane Irene is barreling toward the North Carolina coastline. The book placed as one of four finalists in the cross-genre category of the 2013 USA Best Book Awards, and it is also nominated for the 2014 International Book Awards.

The Pendulum Files will not officially be released until March 17, 2014, but I will have advance copies of the book for sale at Book 'Em. This book is the fifth in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, featuring CIA operative Dylan Maguire, psychic spy Vicki Boyd and computer hacker Brenda Carnegie. Their mission: to find out who is bombing merchant ships en route from China to the United States. But when an assassin breaks out of prison to finish the job he started years earlier, the trio find their personal lives and their professional assignment are about to collide.

I hope you'll join me at Book 'Em North Carolina on Saturday, February 22, 2014 at Robeson Community College in Lumberton, North Carolina. The doors open to the public at 9:30 AM, and both attendance and parking is completely free. More than 75 authors, publishers, musicians and Hollywood moviemakers will be featured. For more information, visit www.bookemnc.org.

Work in Progress - Book Events

I've been asked many times by authors participating in a Book 'Em event, how they can do the same thing in their community. The Book 'Em Foundation was set up to allow only one event per state, and we try to space them far enough apart so they don't compete against one another.

It takes me an entire year to prepare for a Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair. Sometimes when I look at my writing commitments, my volunteer commitments and my editorial commitments, it boggles my mind how I manage to do it all. But then, I don't have children at home and I long ago sacrificed my private life to my commitments.

If you're curious what I do all year long to prepare for Book 'Em, check out this post that ran last Friday on Book 'Em's blogspot: http://bookemnc.blogspot.com/2014/01/book-em-north-carolina-how-it-happened.html

Meanwhile, I am trying to get the final edits done on The Pendulum Files so I can possibly have some advance copies available for the Book 'Em event. The official release date is March 17!

WIP Wednesday - On Political Thrillers

I am putting the finishing touches on The Pendulum Files, the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, before it leaves my hands for the editor's. The book is a political thriller and as I've seen events play out with the government shut-down in America, I am reminded once more of how polarized our country has become and how important it is to resist the temptation to convert fans to a particular point of view.

For the record, I am an Independent. I thoroughly research each candidate I vote for, whether they are local or national. I look at their past voting record, the bills they've sponsored or blocked, and I look for candidates who I believe will place America on the best track. I often vote for both Republicans and Democrats in the same election (for different posts, of course) and I do not believe in partisan politics.

When I write my political thrillers, I am very much aware of the divide in this country. I know if I made the bad guy either Republican or Democrat, I would lose half my fans in either case. I don't believe readers have come to my books to learn of my political leanings or affiliations, so I check them at the door. What I believe does not matter within the pages of my books.

When writing political thrillers, I am careful not to mention party affiliations for either the good or the bad characters. I stay away from polarizing topics in which readers can guess which party the characters follow. I look at democracy as a whole and those things we as Americans hold dear - and also those things we fear.

But I have to admit, I long for the old days when politicians would reach across the aisle and compromise for the good of the nation. We need to stop identifying ourselves as this party or the other. We just need to be Americans and learn to work together.

WIP Wednesday - Haunted Houses

I love haunted houses. So I am having a lot of fun writing about the old, rambling home that Vicki Boyd shares with Dylan Maguire - and occasionally with her sister, Brenda Carnegie - in the Black Swamp Mysteries series. In The Pendulum Files, set for release next spring, the house comes alive again with ghostly activities.

I am often asked if I believe in ghosts. The answer is yes. And I guarantee that you will, too, once you've seen one.

I do believe there are times when a soul has unfinished business on Earth. It could be because their life was cut short due to an accident...or a murder. It could be that the threads that bind them to another are so strong, the soul can't let go. Perhaps there is a child left behind or a spouse, and the deceased feels the need to watch over them to make sure they're okay.

Just as living beings can be good or evil or anything in between, I believe ghosts are the same way. Some times they are benevolent... sometimes malevolent... sometimes they are compassionate and protective... sometimes they are satanic.

You'll have to read The Pendulum Files to find out which type of ghost haunts the old home now that Aunt Laurel Maguire is no longer walking the halls late at night...

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.

WIP Wednesday - The Pendulum Files

I've been working on two books simultaneously - The Pendulum Files, which will be the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series (following Exit 22, Vicki's Key, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman and Dylan's Song) and The Tempest Murders, a stand-alone to be released this fall.

At the end of Dylan's Song, Dylan discovers in his native Ireland that Vicki is expecting his child. In The Pendulum Files, they are back in America and Dylan proposes to Vicki at a local restaurant, The Village Station. The restaurant is real and if you're ever in the Lumberton, North Carolina area where the series takes place, I highly recommend it.

Meanwhile, Brenda Carnegie is on house arrest when they discover that Joseph Gabucci, the hired assassin who killed Brenda's partner-in-crime in Exit 22 and tried to murder her and Christopher Sandige, has escaped from prison - and is after her again. Her ordeal includes escaping a bomb only to be captured by Gabucci. It also includes a high speed chase across Fort Bragg, the military installation about 30 miles northwest of Lumberton.

Christopher Sandige is out of a job since he testified before Congress about his boss' involvement in illegal activities. It's an election year and he's having to sit things out on Dylan's couch while others strategize and plot to have their person elected. He won't be on the couch for long, though. With Brenda around, there is never a dull moment - and Chris finds himself pulled into her flight from Gabucci once again.

If you've read the series, what would you like to see happen to the characters in future books?

Thursday Thoughts on Research

My blog posts are eclectic, as anyone who follows me can attest.

My target market for my blogs are not really other authors, as there are scores of authors out there writing how-to tips on marketing, promotion, writing, editing, finding agents and publishers... and everything in between.

I've been told some people follow me for my Freaky Friday posts because they like science and technology. Others enjoy my Tuesday Teasers where I provide an excerpt from one of my books... And others like to know what I'm working on next, which I reveal in Work-in-Progress Wednesdays.

My Monday Musings and Thursday Thoughts are often based on research I've performed. I love learning and when I am not actively learning something new, I feel as though I'm not growing.

My latest book, The Pendulum Files (to be released in March 2014) required a lot of research into cargo ships, exporting goods from China to the United States, military technology... and even the control room of an American submarine.

It's easy to be misled on the Internet. So I look for sites I know I can trust: libraries, government agencies, universities, historical societies, and museums, to name a few. If I want to know what new technology is being developed for the military, I go to the websites of agencies and contractors that are developing them. We've all seen the drone technology - but have you heard yet of exoskeletons for the military? Or robotic soldiers?

Yes, I write fiction. But my readers count on me to have checked the technical accuracy of my books. I know writers who simply use their imagination; that might have worked at one time, but in this golden age of knowledge, readers expect more.

What do you think about a writer's research? Do you like their books to be so close to the truth that the plot is totally believable? Or do you overlook the details in a book?

Tuesday Teaser

Dylan's Song is my latest suspense and the fourth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries Series. The Irishman everyone has fallen in love with - Dylan Maguire - returns to Ireland with Vicki Boyd and her sister Brenda Carnegie. Their purpose s two-fold: to find and extract a missing CIA operative who is held captive in an underground cell in the bogs; and to see Dylan's grandmother before she passes away.

The book is one of my favorites because I loved the backdrop of Ireland and the tiny village the three travel to. The myths of Ireland come alive in the book, especially as Dylan tries to escape with the CIA operative through the bogs at midnight.

Below is a video that will give you a feel for Ireland...



Of course, Dylan and Vicki will have to return to the Emerald Isle. Now that Dylan has confronted his demons there, he is beckoned back... In a book scheduled for release in 2015, they return to face new challenges... and their growing love. I know that's a long time to wait, but two more books will keep you occupied until then! The Tempest Murders might be released soon, and The Pendulum Files is scheduled for release in the spring of 2014.

WIP Wednesday - Political Thrillers

I am currently working on the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series. Entitled The Pendulum Files, it is scheduled for release in the spring of 2014.

The book is a political thriller that combines the expertise of Christopher Sandige, a political strategist, and Brenda Carnegie, a computer hacker, with CIA agents Dylan Maguire and Vicki Boyd. It will take them from their home in Lumberton, North Carolina... to the high seas in search of the perpetrators of maritime bombings... to the halls of power in Washington, DC.

Very early in my career I made the commitment to myself and my fans that I would never allow partisan politics to enter my books' plots. I am keeping this commitment in this political thriller by providing information on political platforms - such as the fictional President's reaction to the bombings and Chris' own search for politicians with whom he can work - but without labeling them as one party or another.

In many instances, they share views common to most Americans, regardless of political affiliation. It also provides the backdrop of our current status as the only recognized superpower in the world. At the time of this writing, there are three others poised to become superpowers within the next decade: China, India and the European Union.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, that region also sustained a dramatic fall from its once powerful superpower status.

WIP Wednesday - The Pendulum Files

I am currently writing the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, The Pendulum Files. It is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2014.

The Pendulum Files begins with the bombing of cargo ships heading to the United States from China. Tasked with tracking the terrorist activities back to their source, Dylan and Vicki are plunged into the world of espionage, deceit and counter-intelligence. When they discover the source of the bombings as supply shortages become increasingly more acute throughout America, they must confront their own political ideologies - and make a decision that could affect the country's future.

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/