Dave and Sarah are my guests today and it’s about their Book, Skeletons in my Closet
Hi Everyone it’s Valerie here, todays show is part 1 of 2 and sort-of from my archives, not that I’ve released this episode before BUT I did this interview late in 2019, and we my guest and I had BIG plans, like plans for a series and more…but alas covid hit and boom done with these plans (FOR NOW). This is a special interview, actually one of my first interviews with a writer, an author, from Calgary, and a Detective. This is his book we are going to be discussing today with him and his co-writer slash confident, Sarah Grahams.
The Book is Called Skeletons in my Closet, Life Lessons from a Homicide Detective. I should mention, the topics discussed in this book are not for children and some of the these might also be triggers as we review crime scenes and stories in some depth. However, it’s all around a basis of what he’s learn, Dave Sweet about being a homicide detective.
Also, this is back when, before covid, before social distancing and way before our lives changed in so many way. Like we share microphones, sat at the same table, hugged and drank tea and water for hours, in the same room without shields…ahhh the good ol days…I digress, you’re in for a real treat in the next few episodes so sit back and enjoy.
Questions Discussed in the InterView
Here’s the description…
Describe the Cover…
Actions don’t make headlines…
How did you two meet, Dave and Sarah?
What inspired you to write the book Dave and how did Sarah help?
Chapter 4, white picket fences…
Surveillance and how it effects Dave, and his family…
This was one of the hardest parts of the story for me…being a mom and knowing how innocent kids are and what they see, and love in their parents are one in the same, a scruffy dad is the world to this little boy. You’ll hear the rest of this story on the next episode tomorrow.
Throughout Dave and Sarahs book, there’s little anecdotes of lessons like this:
Find your passion and master it
People will say extraordinary things when given the space to be heard
Sometimes the easiest person to lie to is yourself
It is not hard to be a bit better than average
When I started this whole podcasting gig and trying to figure out why I wanted to do this, I actually used the word legacy to my hubby – leaving a legacy of me behind for my daughter. An audioblog, and audio scrapbook of my life in these verbal snapshots, hmm I guess I’m not the only parent who fills this way.
Tomorrow we delve in their partnership, cases that stuck with them and the people in these cases, how the stories and the lessons came to be and much more.
let’s discuss Skeletons in my Closet, Life Lessons from a Homicide Detective
“Crawdads”: are explained as the synonym of the words crawfish and crayfish that is used to mean the aquatic animal that looks like a small lobster and lives in rivers and streams, can also be called crawdaddies…”Search & Rescue SAR Dogs”: a domesticated carnivorous mammal that typically has a long snout, an acute sense of small, non retractable claws and a barking, howling or whining voice – in other words man’s best friend! They also, spring into action assisting humans during difficult times. They track people lost in the wilderness or those lost after a natural disaster. These Search and Rescue or SAR dogs can find Alzheimer’s patients who have wandered away from a care facility.
Recently I put a request out on my FB page in need of a book to read IMMEDIATELY. Don’t you get this feeling, when you are climbing into bed at night and you’re like UGH I forgot to download a book…or oh MAN I finished my book last night – I don’t feel like TV… this is where I was at sooo – what’s a girl to do but post on Social Media. here’s two books that I’ve read recently and I had to share these with you. Where the crawdad’s Sing was the first suggestion by Elaine, however many of the commented concurred that this was indeed a must read…The second was from one of my go to artists Nora Roberts, a quick easy read but with a twist that seemed like you could figure it out – but NOPE wrong…
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENON More than 6 million copies sold A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick A Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade
“I can’t even express how much I love this book! I didn’t want this story to end!”–Reese Witherspoon
“Painfully beautiful.”–The New York Times Book Review
Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens Book Description:
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
What people are saying
There’s quite a mixed bag of comments about this book on Amazon here’s a couple that stand out and have the same feeling I have – out of the more than 65,000 reviews wait that’s what it was when I looked at the time of preparing to read this book, there’s more than 100,000 review now. I’ll stick to the reviews that make this book even a more solid read:
1: Through the eyes of a scientist and the hand of a poet: Refreshing, if not remarkable to come across a work of fiction that sweeps one along from the first paragraph, speaking with the bold, brazen, and gentle voice of the poet, filtered through the keen and meticulous eyes of the scientist and nature-lover.
Owen delights and surprises in equal measure as her coming-of-age tale soars and plummets as briskly as the marsh grasses and the long-legged birds she so loves, celebrating the beauty and brutality of man and nature, interwoven with the intricacies of surviving a dysfunctional family, abandonment, and being cast aside by society.
2: EXCELLENT didn’t see that ending coming!! Really gripping novel. I read a lot usually five books a week on average. I’m pretty good at guessing the storyline- my family tells me I should write for tv. So when I say I didn’t expect that ending and I couldn’t put the book down, trust me, it’s a great read!!
3: Fantastic Book Truly loved this story. The writing itself is a work of art. At the hand of Delia Owens, the marsh and the marsh girl come to life in living colour. The story offers an assortment of loss, determination, integrity, prejudices, love, and heartache, woven together to create Kya’s life. This is a book I will likely read over again at some point in time. Give us more, Delia Owens.
And here’s my Review: This book is like non other. It’s lingered with me for weeks and weeks now, I even tried to convince my 9 yo to give it a read but alas she thought the ‘murder’ at the top of the description was far too much. Little does she know it’s about a girls’ mom leaving when she’s not even 9 and never coming back, it’s about the outrageously kind man who runs the gas station on the marsh, it’s about the intricate details she puts in her paintings, it’s about her love of seagulls, wildflowers, grass’, it’s about when she first booms into womanhood in-front of her best friend, Tate. It’s about a young girl never attending school but finds out she loves to read and write. It’s about friendship on the deepest level, loving and being hurt. And finally it’s about a cat “Sunday Justice” who shows affection with out prejudice, and lays in the sun during court proceedings…
If you want an incredible book to read or listen as an audiobook this is just one that I fell in love with lately. there’s a link in my show notes…
A canine Search and Rescue volunteer fights danger and finds love in the Pacific Northwest wilderness in this riveting #1 New York Times bestseller from Nora Roberts.
To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life—a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school and a challenging volunteer job performing Canine Search and Rescue. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare: an encounter with the Red Scarf Killer, who shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.
On Orcas Island, Fiona has found the peace and solitude necessary to rebuild her life with her three loyal Labs. But all that changes on the day intensely private wood artist Simon Doyle barrels up her drive with an out-of-control puppy, desperate for her help.
As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands…
Here’s what some of the readers have said:
1: Fantastic read! I don’t know how I missed this book before! I loved it! The Search swept me up in a fast moving captivating plot with strong, mature characters. The hero and heroine balance each other perfectly, and the suspenseful plot not only brought them together closer but kept me on edge also. I’d highly recommend The Search by Nora Roberts to any reader who enjoys strong, powerful romantic suspense.
2: I’m not a huge “dog person” (I like them well enough I’m not a huge “dog person” (I like them well enough, but I’m definitely a “cat person”) and even I have fallen in love with this story & how N.R. incorporated all of the dogs throughout it. Dogs aside, the plot is fantastic! Love the “murder mystery/thrill” aspect of it and the sexy parts interspersed throughout.
3: Great Book : Loved it, couldnt put it down, the perfect balance of suspence/drama and love story, my favorite kind of read, Nora Roberts is my favorite writer, I love knowing that at the end of the book the characters are going to be happy but I love the drama and mystery end of it as well, Nora always manages to have just enough of both
Reading this book is like slipping into a canine dog class, I recently shared this book with this same Facebook group – those lovers of the dog. As the knowledge that went into the training detail of a canine for search and rescue in the pages of this book was profoundly accurate to the nth degree, Listening to search and rescue dog experts in crime shows sound and give the same feel as Fiona in this book. Fiona is your best friend altho her past is more colourful with the passing of her late husband, her unusually organized and committed to exercise routines. She’s close with her mom and even closer with her step-mom. Oh and the wood carpentry in this book, are pieces we only dream to have in our bedrooms and kitchens. This is must read, a quick read, but again leaves you lingering for more of the romance the knowledge.
…became a women in-front of her only friend Tate … she shouldn’t have checked the mail
What have you read lately, and if you’re read either of these books let me know your thoughts and what you loved about them! Both of these books lingered – which is what I LOVE in a good book, don’t you? It’s letting your imagination soar to new heights learning words that you’ve never heard of before like cicadas, crawdogs, and words like ‘find’ that mean something so fierce when it comes to saving a child and not finding your keys.
Also I wanted to give you an update, since I posted this request on my Facebook I’ve received an abundance of books to add to my reading list and will no doubt devour these and of course keep you posted as I make my way through. You can check out this full list here on my blog if you feel so inclined. AND if you’ve read/listened to any of these drop me a note and let me know…
And inclosing I interviewed Liam Callanan (part 1 and part 2) a humbly famous author of a book a fell in love with the main character of, Paris by the Book, and in this show, I was going to do a giveaway with my copy to one listener/follower, however Liam graciously offered to send a hardcover to replace my giveaway and a another softcover to add to the pile…SO I thought I’d add the names of all the people who contributed to this amazing list on FB and do the giveaway this way – which I did and the two winners Jessica (my BF in grade 8) and Amanda a friend through a friend – won these two books and they were thrilled and surprised to be put into this draw…
Until next time, if you’re read a good book that lingered, please send it my way I’d love to read it and share your comment!
Todays show is a Review of the Book from yesterdays episode, Ghost of Me by Amanda Steel, this was my first fiction book with characters that I completed. I loved this book and I loved that I produced this for a women in the UK. We will explore some pieces of this book today to maybe enticee you to buy a paperback or an audio version of this book. We’ll share chapter 1 at the end of the show…
One thing that stands out about her writing for Ghost of Me, is that the books starts out with a poem.
Haunting my own life
I’m a ghost Haunting my own life Trying to remember How not to be forgotten
I’m a ghost But my heart still beats Now I’m slowly fading Soon there will be nothing left
I’m a ghost Watching, listening, wishing I was still part of something While everyone else gets to live
I’m a ghost Though I still have breath Everything plays out in front of me
But it’s all just out of reach
Doesn’t this just set the stage for the book, you get an idea of what you’re walking into but nothing on how it plays out.
As you heard in the interview with Amanda, she chose locations in her book that were sort of true but changed the street names and areas to disguise these just a little.
One Review says: This is a rare find. A great paranormal thriller. Spine-tingling and goosebumps throughout the book. Fast paced and action packed storyline. Keeps you from putting this book down.
Another Review says: This is the 1st book I’ve read written by Amanda Steel; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book. I loved the chemistry between the characters.
Another Reviewer says: She was killed and she is now a ghost. She finds out there is a chance she had been murdered. Being a ghost is not going to stop looking for her killer. Who killed her? How will she do it? See if she can
My Review: If you like a good crime story, and paranormal bits added in, this is a great read – who wouldn’t want to solve their own murder? But as a ghost it makes things a lot more difficult like talking or writing or transporting to another location. Amanda has thought of all kinds of angles in this book keeping you guessing and pondering. I also like that the book is written in first person which makes it more personal, especially as a female reader and narrator.
Thanks Amanda for trusting me with your book and liking my voice!
Here’s chapter one of Ghost of me!
What did you think of this sneak peak, please visit the show notes to purchase a copy of Ghost of Me Audio Book or check out Amanda Steel Writer website and her other books that are more in the zombie line up.
