Igor Thorsen from Deadly Legacy

I usually leave this blog up to Nighthawk, but I thought you might be interested in knowing a bit about Igor Thorsen's origins. He was inspired by the picture of a viking on a gift bag from York, UK. I visited the newly found viking digs with my parents in 1976. Getting that close to an active archeological site was amazing. And that viking on the bag... well I developed quite a crush on the guy. 

Someday I'd like to go the Jorvik Viking Centre and see how the place has changed over the years... but mostly I need to replace my bag.

I'm Nighthawk and this is no place for authors. Instead, I have a real character: Igor Thorsen, Chief of Detectives, City Police Services, brought back from the future. 


Welcome Chief. You're a close friend of Joe Garrett, our previous guest, right?

I’ve known Joseph most of my adult life. He was a community cop back when I was partnered with him as a rookie. Even then, everyone knew Joe and Joe knew everyone. He wasn’t so much older than me, but it took me a while to figure it out. He seemed like he’d been a cop forever.

You also know Joe's daughter Kate.

I’ve known Kathleen all her life. I drove Joseph to the hospital so he could be there when she was born. He was so proud and he wanted her to be proud of him. She was the reason he took the detective’s exam. I don’t think he was all that ambitious for himself. He preferred dealing with people over collecting evidence.

Is it true that Joe pushed Kate to follow in his footsteps?

He was pleased when she chose to become a police officer. I think he wanted her to become a detective. He never came out and said it, but he was always setting her puzzles to solve and playing observation games with her when she was growing up. I know that’s what she thinks he wanted.

Kate didn't get a lot of time to process her father's death.


Life doesn’t stop just because you lose someone you love. You know about the murder of Delano Gage, but my detectives had another dozen or so violent crimes to investigate at the same time. Even so, I gave Kate time off.

I soon saw that wasn’t what she needed. She needed distraction and I needed the manpower. Having her babysit one of the potential targets of our killer seemed like a good idea at the time. To be honest, I didn’t take the threats against him seriously. He was like the boy crying wolf to get attention. But there’s always a real wolf eventually.

In your future, police sometime use consulting detectives. How do you feel about that?

Funnily enough, Joe was one of the biggest opponents of the consulting detective idea. He embraced community policing – not all our colleagues were on board with it – and like I said, he didn’t originally want to be a detective. The hours stink. You’re always on call, even when you’re not supposed to be. You’re always having to upgrade your skills... and it’s nowhere near as glamorous as say Tactical. Sorry. I didn’t mean to go on a rant. The point is that Joe didn’t like the idea of consulting detectives until he became one.



That's not what I asked, Chief. What do you think about consulting detectives working with the police?

The reality is, we don’t have the budget a big city has to have all the detectives we need all the time. Even the OPP is stretched with the cutbacks we’ve had over the years. Like the idea of consulting detectives or not, there are times when I need to engage them. Most of them are former cops, which takes the sting out. Joe’s the only one I’ve brought in on violent crimes though.

You must really miss your friend.
<grunt> I’m really pissed off at Joseph. Not only have I lost my best friend, but because of his death, I’ve had to give up one of my most promising detectives... temporarily. Kathleen Margaret Garrett will be back in my department, legacy or no legacy. You can count on it.

Will she? Maybe we'll ask Kate Garrett that question. Later.

Deadly Legacy, by Alison Bruce, is available in Kindle format and paperback.

Alison Bruce is on a virtual mystery tour of blogs for the coming week. Check out links here. 

Nighthawk is seeking interesting new characters to interview. Direct message @alisonebruce on Twitter if interested.

Joe Garrett - Deadly Legacy

Welcome back! It's been a while, I know, but I had to go beyond the veil to get our next guest. Joe Garrett, formerly of the City Police Services, more recently the principle of Garrett Investigation, is dead but far from forgotten. His shade is felt throughout Deadly Legacy. Now it's here with us in the studio.

Hi Nighthawk. Thanks for inviting me.

Perhaps you could start by telling us how you died.

Well, er... that's a bit embarrassing. I was tailing a client at his request. He thought someone was after him and it was my job to spot the perp. I spotted the guy - it was someone I knew. In my surprise, I wasn't paying attention. Neither was the driver of the HSUV who hit me. Evidently I died in hospital, but I don't remember much. Maybe I don't want to.

HSUV?
Hybrid Sports Utility Vehicle. I think they were around now - maybe we didn't call them than then.

That's right, we didn't just bring you back from the dead, we brought you back from the future.
Ah, Back to the Future - I loved those movies. Yeah, your present is my past. Right about now I'm getting shot in the hip defending an abused wife. Or maybe I'm in rehab already.

That's the wound that led to your retirement from the police and you becoming a private eye.
<laughs> Not that I mind, but the PC term is "private investigator". I'm also a consulting detective.

What's the difference?
A thousand dollar bond and second license that qualifies me to be hired by law enforcement agencies. It wasn't a big deal for me because I had twenty plus years in service before I went private. It was a bit more difficult for my partner Jake. He was a detective with the military police, but that doesn't have as much sway. Kate might have trouble getting the license. She's only been a cop for five years and she's a rookie detective,


What do you think about your daughter Kate following in your footsteps?
Couldn't be prouder or more worried.


Worried for her safety?
No! Well maybe a little. I'm a father after all. I'm more worried about living in my shadow. I've lived in my own shadow long enough, I know it isn't easy. I guess I haven't helped things by leaving her half my business. In fairness, though, I wasn't planning to die so soon.

So what's it like in the future?
You'll have to wait and see... or read the book. I'm outta here.

You can find Deadly Legacy on Amazon.com. Guess I better go get my copy now.

In 2018, rookie detective Kate Garrett lives in the shadow of her near-legendary father Joe. When Joe dies unexpectedly, he leaves Kate half interest in Garrett Investigations, his last case that ties to three murders, a partner she can't stand and a legacy to live up to.

Please join Alison Bruce on Twitter and Facebook - she's trying to get as many friends as Joe.

Elk Runner From Yellowstone Heart Song

When nurse and avid backpacker Aimee Donovan encounters a patient who tells her he can send her two hundred years into the past, it's a challenge she can't refuse. She'll get to spend three months in the rugged Yellowstone wilderness at the dawn of the mountain man era. The only requirement: she cannot tell anyone that she’s from the future.

Aimee is transported back in time to the Yellowstone wilderness of 1810, a time when very few white men have ever seen the area. A local Indian, Elk Runner, sees her wandering in the wilderness, apparently lost, and reports back to his white adopted brother. Together, they return to find her clinging to life on a ledge. 


Welcome Elk Runner. You are a Shoshone, right?
I am a hunter of the Tukudeka clan of mountain Shoshone. To the white man, we are known as the Sheepeaters, but our name means "eaters of meat."We are known for our skills at hunting the bighorn sheep, and making fine hides and bows. My people have lived in the sacred Yellowstone Mountains for thousands of years, becoming one with the spirits of the sky, earth, and water.

Tell us about Daniel.
My adoptive white brother - we call him White Wolf - is my best friend and his own worst enemy. He never knows what is good for him, even when she falls out of the sky. He has always been much too serious about life. Even growing up as children, he would get mad at the practical jokes I played on him. To this day, he blames me for a mishap with a skunk.

Skunk?
<laughter>

Maybe you better tell us about Aimee Donovan instead.
One day, while on a hunt with several other members of my clan, I saw the strangest thing. A white woman was wandering through the forest. She wore odd clothes, and chanted strange words. We all thought she was crazy in the head, but we knew nothing of white women. Perhaps they all act the way she did. I saw it as an omen. I went to White Wolf's cabin to tell him of this woman. He didn't believe me, even calling me the crazy one. He relented and went with me to find her again. I told him the spirits must have brought her to him, since he obviously could not find a woman on his own.

What did you make of her?
She is the strangest woman I have ever met. No meat on her bones, and disrespectful to a hunter. White Wolf will certainly have his hands full with her. She does not understand our ways, but she is brave and has the gifts of healing. We all suspect she is a puhagant, a person endowed by the spirits with magical powers. Once she learns to be respectful, she will make a good wife.

Dosa Haiwi - that is the name we have given Aimee Donovan. It means white dove, because she is like a dove that flew from the sky to rescue my brother from a lifetime of loneliness. She saved my life when some dirty Blackfoot warriors ambushed me. An arrow to the gut is fatal, but she used her magical healing powers to save my life. I will always be in her debt. The hungry look on my brother's face when she examined my healed wounds with her hands will always stay in my mind. <chuckle>

Hey, it was his own fault. He refused to claim her as his wife. Her hands could have been all over him, too, if he wasn't so stubborn.

So, Aimee caused some friction between you two.
The more I told him he needed to take Aimee as his wife, the more he seemed to fight the idea. I don't think this will affect our relationship. I know she will make my brother a better person, which will be a good thing for all of us. If only the stubborn fool realized this sooner.

Are you glad she "fell out of the sky"?
Well, I am alive because of Aimee, so yes. The best women sometimes fall from the sky. <chuckle> Little Bird, my wife, can't read, so I'm safe to say this.

Where do you see yourself in the future?
The future? Some say Aimee came from the future. I prefer to stay right where I am.

Fair enough. Do you have any final words for our audience?
The advice I gave my brother - a man cannot live without a woman. The spirits have brought this woman to him, and only they know the ultimate reason.


To find out more about Elk Runner, White Wolf and Dosa Haiwi, pick up Yellowstone Heart Song by Peggy L Henderson.


Find Peggy and other fine western romance authors on Cowboy Kisses.

Arvid Nielson - Logger in Petticoats

When Hank Halsey follows through on his dream of logging the family mountain he employs a family run logging outfit headed by Arvid Nielsen, whose crew includes three strapping sons and daughter.

Hank Halsey believes he’s found the perfect logging crew—complete with cooks—until he discovers Kelda Nielson would rather swing an axe than flip eggs. As he sets out to prove women belong in the kitchen, he’s the one in danger of getting burned.

To find out more about this Logger in Petticoats, we have her father, Arvid Nielson.

Arvid, your name and accept tell me you aren’t originally from these parts.
My wife Ingrid and I rode a boat from our home in Norway to find a place to raise our children where there would be room to grow. We began a logging outfit when the children were small. Ingrid cooked for the crew and as the children grew they became skilled at various logging jobs. Kelda, our daughter also helped her mother in the cookhouse. Now they are wood bosses and help take the load off my sagging shoulders.

Tell us about Kelda.
Kelda is my daughter. She is skatten min, my treasure. I wished her happiness as I have found with her mother. To help her along I found a man who would love and cherish her. Only I didn’t realize he wanted her on a pedestal and she refused to be anything other than herself.


How do you feel about Hank Halsey?
He is a rare man. I was honored he treated my Kelda so well. Treating like a lady. No one ever had because of her stubborn determination to best all men in the woods. But when they started butting heads, I was beginning to think I’d made a wrong choice.

When did things start to go wrong?
When Hank threatened my boys after they’d given their sister a playful spanking. Then, my Kelda, she hires a cook so she can sneak out and work in the woods. I tried to help them work it out but...

What happened?
I learned you can’t make people love one another  – but things work out in the long run if you leave them alone.

What do you see for the future?
Visiting relatives in Norway before my wife can no longer remember them.

I mean about the romance between your daughter and Hank?
Always listen to your wife and let your daughter pick the man who steals her heart.

Hmm. I wonder if Mr Nielson deliberately misunderstood my question. We’ll have to find the answers in Logger in Petticoats, available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

Find out more about author Paty Jager at patyjager.blogspot.com

Also find Paty and other fine western romance authors on Cowboy Kisses.

Kea Alwang-Treehugger

As Monty Python used to say, "And now for something completely different." We have a young woman with us who... Who are you again?
Who am I? I am Star of Earth. I am a Jacondorian sentinel, an agent of a super-micro organism called the Ethimarrow. My purpose is to assist the Ethimarrow and the leader of Jacondor in tipping the scales of good and evil in favour of the good. I do so with just over 1,000 other sentinels who represent their own homeworlds.

Star of Earth?
My name is Chloe, but I prefer to be known by my nickname, Star. I'm fourteen, starting high school and my home planet is Earth. See, I lead a double life between Earth and Jacondor thanks to a near-infinite network of time lines, shifting dimensions, and folding sheets of space stuff that Earthen scientists haven't come close to picking at. I'm strong, bright, courageous, quick, and...  well, at least I was all those things until my best friends disappeared. For someone supposedly so smart, I've done some pretty stupid things lately.And some pretty stupid things have happened to me too!

Like?
This guy, Sal Rodoso, stole my underwear and wore it on his head. It was a stupid prank meant to embarrass me and make him look like the life of the party. He was right on both counts. For me, the whole situation was a wicked-blatant statement that nobody cares that I'm a loving, do-anything-for-you type of person who busts my butt trying to promote peace. Truthfully, they know nothing about me, so why should they know any of that? Still, the whole act caused my fear of being around them to morph into something close to hate. And that was before my bra went slingshotting across the room.


I'm confused. This happened because your friends were missing?
My best friends. CK and Leada, my soul mates, disappeared about a year ago. Somehow my confidence, strengths, and usually cheerful nature went with them. Tarthimum, my Jacondorian guardian, refused to tell me what happened to them. Somehow between the bullying on Earth and feeling two-thirds short of whole on Jacondor, I guess I became a bit unglued.

Anyone would guess that being kidnapped at age 7 by an insane genius and experimented on would have been the end of me or anyone else. Nope. That wasn't it. Despite years of nightmares, I lived through that time thanks to the unconditional love of CK and Leada who lived through it with me. They "got me" in every way. Never had to pre-plan my words around them, hide anything from them. No, their disappearance was my undoing. Apparently, they knew me way better than I knew myself.

So what are you doing about it?
I always assumed that friendship was the most important part of life. When people that love you have your back, what can't you do? I was so busy marveling at how CK, Lea and I were three parts that made an incredible whole that I forgot how to work alone. I forgot how to strengthen myself from within. I intend to learn how to do that.

And after that?

I'm not sure. The mad scientist who kidnapped us when we were kids might be back. If that monster has raised his ugly head again, I'm going after him.

That girl is as good as her word. Which means if we want to find out more, we'll have to read Treehugger by Kea Alwang.

From Ginger Simpson's Odessa

1886: The wagon carrying Odessa Clay and her father overturns, killing him.  Odessa is near death when Zach Johnson, a reluctant outlaw, finds her. Miss Clay has joined us today to tell us about her ordeal.

Why don't you start by telling us a bit about yourself, Miss Clay.
Well, I suppose you could consider me an orphan, since my Ma died some time ago, and my father recently passed in the wagon accident that started my story.  Pa wanted to move me to Phoenix so I could be around a better class of people, and after a whole lotta trials and tribulations, I finally made his dream come true.


Why Phoenix?
Pa wanted to move us to Phoenix to be closer to his sister, my aunt, Susan.  Ever since Ma died, I really haven't had a woman's influence in my life, and I reckon he thought I'd have a better chance at being courted by a good man.

Someone like Zach Johnson? 
Oh, Lordy.  The man is truly handsome and he makes my stomach feel kinda funny, but he's so bossy.  I keep haven' to remind him he ain't my Pa.

Tell us about the journey. 
Well, things were going fine.  It was hotter than Hades out there in the desert, and if it had been a tad cooler, perhaps Pa wouldn't have cracked the reins to get the horses moving enough to stir a breeze.  If the wagon wheel…<choked sob>  the wagon wheel hadn't struck a rut in the trail and caused the wagon to turn over, Pa never would have gotten pinned.

<silence>

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Do you think that applies to you?
You bet.  I never expected to be left alone in the middle of the desert.  I had two choices: Die with Pa or try to find my way to Phoenix.  I figured I'd just follow the trail, but I didn't get very far.  Thank the Lord, Zach came along when he did.

I expect the experience was educational to say the least. 
I've learned I can survive just about anything.  I went from being lost in the desert to watching a man die right before my eyes in a saloon.  Then I got kidnapped, saved by a couple travelling to Phoenix in a wagon, and I found my Aunt Susan.  I'd say that was a pretty decent lesson.  Wouldn't you?

Tell us a bit more about Zach. Was it love at first sight?
<soft chuckle> Hardly.  He might be a tall good-lookin’ drink of water, but I thirsted for the real thing when I first saw him. I had collapsed from heat exhaustion and thirst in the middle of the trail.

What now? 
I'm pretty sure Zach and I have a future together.  You know, when he found me, he was on his way to join a pretty famous outlaw's gang in order to get enough money from robbing a stage coach to save his Pa's ranch.  He took the time to get me to safety, and you'll find out when you read my story, neither of us are very good at listening to advice.  He's about as bullheaded as they come, and I can be pretty darn stubborn, too.

<Off-side> Dessie?

Looks like it’s time for you to go, Miss Clay. Folks will have to read about your adventures in Odessa, by Ginger Simpson, published by Eternal Press and available in eBook and paperback.



While you're online, mosey on over to Ginger's blog Cowboy Kisses.

From Kate Hill's Frenzied

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Nighthawk here and my New Year's resolution is to interview as many new characters as I can get my claws into. Any suggestions? I'll wing it and swoop down on them.

Speaking of wings, I have Michael here from Kate Hill's Frenzied. Michael is an Angel-raised Demon. If that doesn't mess with a man's head, I don't what would.

Loren, my foster father, took me from Hell soon after I was born. He believes every new soul deserves a chance and regardless of our physical bodies, our spirits are neither good nor evil until we choose one way or the other.

Still, it must have been a challenge.

Living up to an angel’s expectations hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve learned that he never asked for anything I couldn’t give. He took a lot of risks to give me the chance for a better life.

I'd say. But Frenzied isn't a story about your childhood, is it? You take your daemonic skills and go on a manhunt for the killer of your favourite girl from an "escort service". You don't look like a man who needs an escort service. You look like a guy who could get a date on a desert island. Meanwhile, you've made the suspect list of the victim's sister. How did you get into this mess?

<Laughs>Which mess? Fighting evil or blamed for Marla’s murder? I’ll answer both. Though Loren taught me to get in touch with my “good” side, that means admitting that as a demon I also have an evil side. I decided to use my violent streak to do battle with my own kind. In a way that also answers the second question. One of my demonic cravings was a need for rough sex. I was never rough with my partners, but I needed them to be rough with me. It’s too complicated to explain here and now, but let’s just say Marla gave me what I needed. Her sister misinterpreted our relationship and assumed I killed her. 

Tell us about Marla's sister.

Wow. There’s so much I feel about Britt. Most of it is too personal to talk about. She’s the only lover who truly knew me. She saw my demon side and she wasn’t afraid, at least not so afraid that she couldn’t accept me as I was. I consider Britt my “first” time, not because I never had sex before but because it was the first time I had sex without pain. She allowed me to be who I am. I didn’t need to hide anything from her and I never imagined that could happen.

This is hard to talk about. Just thinking about it makes me. . .<sighs deeply> When Marla’s killer, another demon, killed Loren and nearly killed Britt too—actually she was dead for a brief time—that’s when things went wrong. I felt it was my fault. I wasn’t there to protect them. Yet at the same time it was when things went right. They were no longer there to guide me, but they had changed me for the better. What I learned from them will always be with me. Because of them I learned that nothing in Hell can ever lure me back there.

So, what does a good looking demon do for a living?

My career is security and keeping the world safe from demons. I can’t go into detail about my new relationship with the angels, but I’ll say this much. I’m forever on their side and I think this time they know it. 

And your love life?

It’s better than I ever imagined it could be. No words can describe my love for Britt. It’s a joining of hearts and souls. Yeah. That’s about the best way I know to explain it. As for my relationship with Loren, in so many ways talking about that hurts the most. I know he’ll always be with me. Like Britt is my soul mate, so is Loren, only in a different way. He’s on a higher plane now and still fighting the good fight. Loren is my friend, my father and my teacher. Always an angel.

Bottom line, despite the hell you went through, are you a better person?

I think so. I hope I can continue living up to the expectations of angels.

I learned that parents love you no matter what, even when you’re not so nice, and that there’s more to being a real parent than physically creating a child. I’ve also learned that true love is unconditional. Oh and I learned that if you give your girlfriend access to your car collection, make sure you teach her how to drive a standard. <Chuckles>

Where do you see yourself in the future?

In the future I see myself fighting demons, learning from my new boss, the warrior angel Rutendo, and having a happy life with Britt.

Any final words before you fly off to battle evil?

Listen to the people who love you. You know who they are. Don’t place limits on yourself and always believe in yourself.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind a little rough love with that guy. To find out more about Michael, read Frenzied by Kate Hill.