Hi everybody. I’m Joyce Proell, and I write historical romantic mysteries.
Ever since I was a kid, I loved mysteries. Trixie Beldon, Nancy Drew, the Boxcar Kids, I devoured every one of their books. If the mystery included a ghost, it was all the better. To this day, I still enjoy being scared by a creepy, gothic novel.
So what is it about a mystery that hooks a person? For me, it’s the Big Question. Who’s committing the crime and why? A mystery is a puzzle. When confronted with one, I want to solve it, without delay. A good mystery is an intellectual process with a hearty dose of emotion thrown in to keep things lively.
Mysteries are fraught with danger, the stakes high and the tension great. Unlike suspense where the threat is already known, the culprit of a classic murder mystery isn’t revealed until the end. The reader is strung along, willing to follow the thread that leads to the surprising conclusion. When I crafted the three Cady Delafield books, A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth, I wanted to make sure the reader would be left guessing until the very end. I hope I’ve succeeded.
In plotting a mystery, I start with the criminal. Like Agatha Christie, I ask the five basic questions. Who, what, when, where and, perhaps the most important, why. I need to know what motivates the criminal. What’s so important that someone is willing to kill for it?
Moral complexity in a criminal adds another layer of interest to the story. In A Wicked Truth, I felt a degree of sympathy for the criminal. It was understandable how he came to be the sort of man he was. He worked hard to better himself. Yet a burst of uncontrolled anger put all his aspirations into jeopardy. In the end, he deserved to get caught.
A Wicked Truth is as much a mystery as a romance, so I didn’t forget to include lots of trouble and passion for the two lovers, Doyle and Cady.
Romance and mystery. The best of both worlds.
Thanks to Fang-tastic blog for hosting and thanks for stopping by today. Your interest means a lot, and if you have any authors you particularly like reading, please share.
Joyce
Ever since I was a kid, I loved mysteries. Trixie Beldon, Nancy Drew, the Boxcar Kids, I devoured every one of their books. If the mystery included a ghost, it was all the better. To this day, I still enjoy being scared by a creepy, gothic novel.
So what is it about a mystery that hooks a person? For me, it’s the Big Question. Who’s committing the crime and why? A mystery is a puzzle. When confronted with one, I want to solve it, without delay. A good mystery is an intellectual process with a hearty dose of emotion thrown in to keep things lively.
Mysteries are fraught with danger, the stakes high and the tension great. Unlike suspense where the threat is already known, the culprit of a classic murder mystery isn’t revealed until the end. The reader is strung along, willing to follow the thread that leads to the surprising conclusion. When I crafted the three Cady Delafield books, A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth, I wanted to make sure the reader would be left guessing until the very end. I hope I’ve succeeded.
In plotting a mystery, I start with the criminal. Like Agatha Christie, I ask the five basic questions. Who, what, when, where and, perhaps the most important, why. I need to know what motivates the criminal. What’s so important that someone is willing to kill for it?
Moral complexity in a criminal adds another layer of interest to the story. In A Wicked Truth, I felt a degree of sympathy for the criminal. It was understandable how he came to be the sort of man he was. He worked hard to better himself. Yet a burst of uncontrolled anger put all his aspirations into jeopardy. In the end, he deserved to get caught.
A Wicked Truth is as much a mystery as a romance, so I didn’t forget to include lots of trouble and passion for the two lovers, Doyle and Cady.
Romance and mystery. The best of both worlds.
Thanks to Fang-tastic blog for hosting and thanks for stopping by today. Your interest means a lot, and if you have any authors you particularly like reading, please share.
Joyce
A Wicked Truth
Cady Delafield Series
Book Three
Joyce Proell
Genre: Mystery/romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: September 7, 2015
ISBN 978-1-77155-034-5
Number of pages: 284
Word Count: 93254
Cover Artist: Ellie Smith
Book Description:
The wedding date is set, and life is magical for Doyle Flanagan and Cady Delafield. Yet trouble has a way of finding these two. Honor bound to repay an old debt, Doyle agrees to help a friend find her sister. As he searches for the girl, painful memories surface, stunning Cady when she discovers facts about Doyle’s hidden past.
In spite of incredible odds, Cady and Doyle’s love has flourished. Now mired in tragedy and secrets, their happiness is in jeopardy. Their wits are put to the test when catastrophe strikes close to home threatening those Cady loves the most. Can they overcome the turmoil with a fateful decision that will change their future forever?
Champagne
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Excerpt:
Face set in stone, Doyle stared
after his father’s retreating form. Beneath Cady’s fingertips, his arm muscle
vibrated with tension. “It’s all right,” she said, giving it a comforting
squeeze.
He turned and searched her face,
seeking further reassurance. When she smiled, his face relaxed.
“I’m not so naïve the mention of
cat houses throws me into a dither.”
“Yes, but the mention of it is
tawdry,” he replied. “It’s not the sort of polite topic one discusses in a
social setting much less an occasion of solemnity such as a funeral. Not a good
impression for his soon to be daughter-in-law.”
“I pushed the issue, so I can
hardly place blame. Besides, I like your father, at least what I know of him.”
A secret desire she might bond with
Brendan in the future looped in her head. While he couldn’t replace Papa, she
hoped he might become a positive addition to her life and for their children
should she and Doyle be so blessed.
Doyle snorted.
“What? Don’t you believe me?”
“I believe you fine, darling.” He
tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. “Quite frankly, my father’s behavior at
times, well, it isn’t likeable.”
“Goodness.” She bit back a laugh.
“The description fits about anyone. Dare I mention my undesirable traits?” A
fiery temper, impetuous, too direct and outspoken got her in more than enough
trouble.
Smiling, he tapped the end of her
nose with a finger. “Your heart’s always been in the right place.”
It warmed her to know.
About the Author:
Joyce grew up in Minnesota and attended college and grad school in Chicago. After working in mental health, she retired at a young age to write full-time. Her first book, Eliza, was published in 2012. A Wicked Truth is the third book in the Cady Delafield series. When she isn’t writing mysteries or historical romances, she loves to swim, walk and is a crossword puzzle fanatic. She and her husband live in Florida and Minnesota, in her very own little house on the prairie.
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