Blurb:
Welcome to Ravens Cove, Alaska, a
tiny town nestled in a small hollow on the majestic Cook Inlet. A town familiar
with storytelling—after all, Alaska abounds in rich legends. In Ravens Cove,
though, legends have a tendency to come to life.
Meet Josiah Williams, the peculiar stranger whose warning to lifetime residents
Kat Tovslosky and her cousin, Sheriff Bart Andersen, raises more questions than
answers; a man whose dark past and knowledge of the murders make him a suspect
more than an ally. Join Kat and Bart as an unlikely troop forms (including a
very unwelcome FBI agent) to discover the identity of a killer. The unearthing
of which will throw the reluctant warriors into a battle for their very lives
and the lives of all who call Ravens Cove home.
Excerpt:
“This is Agent Melbourne again. If you hang
up, I will call back as many times as it takes. This is urgent. Tell your boss
to pick up the phone, and do it now!”
Kat-fight mode sounded the first
bell in the back of her brain. She knew her orders, and she would enforce them.
“With all due respect, Agent,
no.” She dropped the phone into the cradle.
Ten minutes and several Melbourne
calls later, Kat stomped to Bart’s office, angry at being ordered by the
know-it-all FBI agent to get her “boss.”
Bart looked up to blazing eyes
and a flushed face. He leaned back in his chair, linking his hands behind his
head, and hoping his body language would diffuse the onslaught of emotion. It
didn’t.
“There is an Agent Melbourne who
keeps calling. He insists on talking to you.”
“Told you my policy on nosy
outsiders.”
Being reprimanded brought the
stew of frustration, weariness and hunger to a boil.
“Yes,” her voice rose, “yes you
have. And, I told him, too. And I hung up. And he called back again, and again,
and again. I hung up again, and again and AGAIN. He is now ordering me, under
threat of interfering with FBI business, to put my ‘boss’ on the phone. He is
on hold.”
Bart knew Kat. No matter who paid
her, she did not have a “boss.” She had been, and always would be, a
freethinker and free spirit. He could not control the grin creeping across his
mouth.
On Coincidences
There
is one thing to be said for coincidences. There aren’t any. Before you think I’m crazy or just ‘narrow
minded’ consider the following story of how I became a published author.
A
day came when I was confronted with an indisputable fact: My eternal soul lives
in nothing more than crockery. That day
came in May 1998.
I
awoke for another day of work. Hands reaching toward the ceiling in that
wonderful morning stretch were stopped instantly by sharp, tear-producing
pain. As the initial pain subsided, I
downed a pain reliever and was at my desk by 9 am. The pain returned with a vengeance by noon. At 1 pm I found myself in the emergency
room. A disc had herniated in my neck,
and I faced surgery with a long recovery.
As
they say, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” Indeed, He does. Because if a
disc in my neck had not herniated, if I hadn’t read 100 books in ninety days
because I could do nothing else while I healed, and if I had not listened to a
good friend who suggested I write a novel, I would not be an author.
My
first book in what is now the Iconoclast series took many years before
it saw the black and white of printing. The journey was full of trips down
other paths – going back to work time and again to make the almighty dollar and
avoid the emotions and mental weariness of writing. I took courses, joined
online chat groups and talked about writing until I was blue in the face. I finally
accepted the desire to writie a book was not going away. It took twelve years
to summon the courage to write a novel.
In
all of the trips down other pathways, one helped me. I discovered National
Novel Writing Month. This is a yearly event where over 300,000 writers come
together and grind out a novel in 30 days. I committed to the project. Low and
behold, Ravens Cove was born.
Once
written, I was faced with the frightening and somewhat overwhelming question
every writer has: “What now?” My answer for several months was, “nothing!” This
was when I first discovered that writing a book is akin to giving birth. I
wasn’t putting my ‘baby’ out into the world for criticism and rejection.
I
let the book sit in the dark for several months. It stayed in the rawest of
formats. I think I was actually in denial. I didn’t have (or make) the time to
edit it because I had no clue where to go and who to trust with my ‘baby.’
My
husband read the prologue and told me it was great. Of course he did. He wanted
dinner and to sleep in his own bed – what else would he say? I knew he meant
it. I also knew he loved me so I dismissed his compliment.
It
just so happened that my father-in-law came to visit the summer after I wrote Ravens
Cove. He asked if I might allow him to read it. His reading it was not such
a frightening thought and, to be honest, I wanted his opinion. And, I trusted
his view because he has a PhD in education and had published works of his own.
He also happened to be the most avid reader I had ever met.
He
and my husband left that weekend for our RV in Anchor Point. He read it there.
He came back and told me he really liked it. He said he had read authors he
thought should have never been published. And, he thought mine should be.
My
husband, with the I-told-you-so-look, agreed. Then, he took it a step further
and emailed links to several publishers and publishing houses with information
on what it took to get the book to press. Here’s where providence is again
disguised as coincidence. One of those names was Publication Consultants.
I
debated sending out query letters to the ‘big houses.’ I heard stories of books
that were tied up for months, even a year or more, by those ‘big houses’ who initially
accepted the author’s work and left them hanging forever. I debated the
self-publishing houses and again read and heard of the horror stories of
authors that were taken financially to the point it wasn’t worthwhile to pursue
marketing their books. I decided I wanted to be able to look a publisher in the
eye. So, I met with Evan Swensen of Publication Consultants.
Before
I did, I reviewed the website and the different contracts available to an
author. They all seemed above board and fair. I reviewed what authors said
about them and it sounded good. I called.
Evan
reviewed the first few pages of what was to be Ravens Cove. There were some
problems but said the story was good and he would publish it—after I took it to
an editor to fix the ‘boulders.’ The rest is history. Since 2010, I have been
privileged to call Publication Consultants my publishing house.
Publication
Consultants was and still is invaluable to this me. They have taught, and are
still teaching me, the ins and outs of the road to becoming a successful
author. There have been numerous mountains to climb and valleys to traverse.
They have stuck with me throughout the process and have opened doors that
self-publishing could not. Without Evan Swensen and his staff, I would not have
reached the goal of becoming a published author.
As
I stated when I began this article, there are no coincidences. Each occurrence
that seemed so small in and of theirselves led me to Publication Consultants
and the adventure of being a published author. To date, the journey continues. The
Iconoclast Thriller series is complete. And, when ready and God willing, my
fifth book will be published within a year with the assistance of Publication
Consultants.
Author Bio and Links:
I’m Mary Ann Poll, America’s Lady
of Supernatural Thrillers and charter member of Author Masterminds. The first
question most people ask is, “What is an Iconoclast?” Iconoclast means, “The
destroyer of religious beliefs or symbols.” I took this definition and applied
it to the supernatural realm, which is how the Iconoclast Thriller series was
born. My books revolve around the battle between good and evil. They also
revolve around the heroic acts of ordinary people who must face extraordinary,
even unbelievable, circumstances.
I draw from real-life
experiences, as well as my imagination, to create these supernatural thrillers.
My love for a creepy, goosebump-creating ghost story and my love for Christ
come together in these books.
I am a proud pet lover, which is
also reflected in my writing. In my off time, I enjoy gardening, swimming and
spending time with beloved family.
I pray you enjoy reading Ravens
Cove as much as I enjoyed writing it. Blessings in Christ!
“Mr. Bodine, I’m Hamilton Fiske, deputy district attorney. I’ll be prosecuting this case.”
