"It
was the hour of prowling bears, circling nightowls, vengeful spirits, and
savage hearts. It was the hour of predators."
Two
murders have shocked and divided the community of Bella Coola, a small,
isolated village in a remote river valley on the coast of British Columbia. The
evidence points to a teenaged Nuxalk boy, and the simmering tension between whites
and tribe members heats up. To find the truth RCMP Inspector Marcus Chao must
sort through misleading clues, cultural conflicts, tangled relationships,
sexual scandals, and even indications that the crimes might have been committed
by a sorcerer.
Marcus is a man whose life has skidded into remorse and misery. His own
infidelity has ended his marriage to the woman he still loves, and now he finds
himself with only two things to keep his sinking spirits afloat: the need to
serve justice and his eternal fascination with solving the mystery of the
crime. This latest puzzle, however, is proving to be a maze of intrigue and
suspense, and his mettle as a detective as well as his principles will be
tested.
Lane Stark has had three enduring passions through her life: travel, art, and the
written word. She has traveled the world, lived abroad in both Europe and Asia,
and experienced many cultures. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in linguistics, has
studied eight languages, and recently ended a career as a graphic artist. She
has now turned her creative attentions to full-time writing and leisure-time
photography. Travel provides a wealth of inspiration for books, and she finds
herself weaving tales around the people she meets and the places she explores.
She and her husband have indulged their love of the vagabond life by moving
into an RV full-time and following the roadways to new adventures. She is
currently working on a second novel featuring RCMP Inspector Marcus Chao, A Premature Death.
A. I’m a traveler, by nature,
so I find more than enough inspiration in the people I meet, the places I go,
and the things I see. Sometimes, for example, when I’m spinning a tale in my
head, a place emerges from my memories as the perfect setting. Or the reverse.
When I visited Bella Coola, my first impression was that it would be the ideal
setting for a mystery. grew from that.
Q. What is your favorite thing
about being an author?
A. I was an only child and a
bit of an introvert, so I spent a lot of time in my imagination, making up
stories and people. It’s always been my first love, creating whole worlds out
of nothing but my ideas.
Q. What is the toughest part of
being an author?
A. Stealing time from “real
life” to write. I’m hoping to sell enough books to make writing my real life.
Q.
If you could not be author, what would you do/be?
A. I was, for many years, an artist.
I have a natural talent for it, but not much passion. I earned a living as a
graphic artist, a scientific illustrator, and a portrait artist. I suppose I
could do it again, if necessary.
Q. What would the story of your
life be entitled?
A. The Adventures of a Rolling Stone
Q. What is your favorite book
of all time?
A. John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. If there were
ever a true Great American Novel, that is it.
Q. Which character from ANY
book are you most like?
A. I always loved and
identified with Helen, the wife of Thomas Lynley, in Elizabeth George’s
mysteries. Stubborn, opinionated, but trying always to be loyal and kind. I
mourned when George killed her off.
Q. What character from
all of your book are you most like?
A. I’m currently working on a rewrite of a paranormal book I
wrote several years ago when that genre consisted of Anne Rice, Stephen King,
and not much else. I’ve decided to bring it to light now that such books are so
popular. The heroine, Hannah, is me. She and I are easily bored by the status
quo, adventurous, always seeking that unknown around the corner, and curious
about everything.
Q. What is your favorite
season?
A. Spring. My husband and I have been
living in our RV for over a year, and our goal is to follow spring weather
around the country.
Q.
What inspired your book cover(s)?
Or what is your favorite book cover and why?
A. The cover of The Hour of Predators is a photograph of the Coast Mountains, which
surround and isolate Bella Coola and shape the culture of the place. The cover
of A Toll to the Devil is a publicity
photo of my father taken in Mexico City when he and his band were playing there
in the thirties. It’s a bow to him. His experiences as a musician inspired the
book, and he helped immensely with the details of an era I have only read
about.
Q. Tell me something funny that
happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.
A. Several people have been
surprised I’m a woman. Apparently Lane is also a man’s name, although I haven’t
met one.
Q. Are you working on something
new?
A. The aforementioned rewrite
of the paranormal novel, the second Marcus Chao mystery, A Premature Death, and, on the back burner for now, a novel set in
Texas, which has been my home for thirty years.
Q. Anything you want to say to
followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?
A. If you read and enjoy an
Indie novel, please accept Amazon’s invitation to rate and review the book (the
last page of every Kindle book) or post a review on Barnes and Noble,
Goodreads, or Smashwords. Honest reader reviews help authors hone their skills
and become better writers. We rely on you for feedback.
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Emily, AKA Mrs. Mommy Booknerd