More about Iron Spur from John Paulits

Conversations with my daughter about the difficulties of being a woman out in the world set me to thinking.

I prefer couching my writing in a genre story and I like Westerns so… What might it be like for a young lady trying to find herself, along with a slice of love and happiness, out West in the 1870s?

It couldn’t have been easy, and it’s not easy for Carla Brandon as she passes from teenager into her early twenties. But Carla does what she has to do, and it will be for the reader to determine whether she comes out of her experience with Blake Devlin a better person or not.

To quote the title of an Anthony Trollope novel, “Can You Forgive Her?”

More about Turning Points from Art Williams

What do you do if you’re a boy and grow up playing cowboys and Indians, watching heroes on Western TV shows, and wanting to be a writer? Well, you create a story about a young man seeking his destiny through all the trials, tribulations, and challenges of becoming an adult in the early nineteenth century.

As an elementary-grade student, I wrote a play about the Wild West, but it never saw the light of day. When I was an English major at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, I tried to write a novel but realized I didn’t have enough life experience, so I didn’t get very far. After a long career in business and being a husband and father, I started a short story that blossomed into a full-fledged novel.

Like everyone else, I have experienced ups and downs, wins and losses, and had to turn in new directions more than once to pursue love, work, and a future of opportunity.

Fortunately, I have accomplished much, but becoming a published author is a new experience. Writing Turning Points allowed me to research history as part of my fact-finding effort to be accurate. It also gave me the fun of being absorbed in a story built from my imagination and the experience of being surrounded by fascinating characters who are now friends inside my head.

The journey within the book is all part of the twists and turns of life for the brave and adventurous pioneers who traveled across the U.S. to settle the Oregon Territory.

I hope you enjoy it.

Q & A with C. L. Shore

C.L. Shore began reading mysteries in the second grade and has been a fan of the genre ever since. Maiden Murders (2018), a prequel to A Murder in May (2017), is her most recent mystery release.

Her short stories have appeared in Speed City Sisters in Crime anthologies, Kings River Life Magazine, and Mysterical-E.  Ef You Don't Watch Out, her latest short story, appeared in Tricks or Treats: Tales of All Hallows' Eve (2021).

Shore has been a member of Sisters in Crime for over a decade, serving as a local board member for several years. A nurse practitioner and researcher, she’s published numerous articles on family coping with epilepsy as Cheryl P. Shore.

Shore enjoys travel and entertains a fantasy of living in Ireland for a year.

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How long have you been writing novels? Which is your favorite?

I’ve been writing novels for over 15 years. Maiden Murders, my most recently published mystery, is my favorite. It is my most recent novel published by Wings. If you don’t count my current work-in-progress, I've written four novels, three of which are mysteries.

How did you research the historical and factual aspects of your story?

With the internet, there are myriad ways to research the facts of a story. I sometimes find the research so fascinating, I have to make myself get back to writing the novel. With Maiden Murders, I also purchased some texts on archaeology related to one of the novel’s settings.

How do you approach editing and revising your work?

I find editing to be enjoyable, but getting out the first draft is much harder for me. I print out and read my novels at intervals. I find a three-ring binder, punch holes in the copy, and make it look as much as a book as possible. Reading these versions helps me find places to revise.

Do you play music while you write?

I do listen to music at times. I have an instrumental CD that reminds me of ideas bubbling to the surface. When I’m writing the grittier scenes of a mystery, I might play Phantom of the Opera.  

What are you working on next?

I’m currently writing a novel set in Israel around 30 A.D. The story is told from a 28- 28-year-old woman’s point of view. I’m about three-quarters done with the rough draft.

Wings ePress novels:

A Murder in May

Maiden Murders