Bishop’s Crossing

Urban fantasy author Don Mewha is publishing his debut novel, and it will be available on February 23, 2021. Here is a synopsis:

The dark streets of New Orleans come to life in this riveting Urban Fantasy! Fans of Jim Butcher, Constantine, and Tales from the Nightside will adore Bishop’s Crossing!

A failed priest gets pulled back into the occult world that he left behind when his daughter shows signs of mystical ability. He reconnects with his former team to track down the missing daughter of the Voodoo King of New Orleans while he’s hunted by a fanatical member of the Church.

You can find out more about this urban fantasy author on his Don Mewha website or on Facebook. You may send him a Tweet, an Instagram, or ask him questions at Goodreads Author Don Mewha.

Don’s Interview

You prefer (1) to eat a home-cooked meal with family and friends OR (2) to eat in a big-name restaurant?

This is a really interesting question. A person’s preference here says a lot about how they view personal relationships (if we’re talking about the “before COVID times”. If we’re talking about now, it just highlights tendencies toward nihilism, I guess). For people who pick the latter answer, the event is the thing…the experience. Going to someplace new and fancy, experiencing the sights, smells, and sounds while you soak in the atmosphere…it can be a heady experience.

But not exactly one for me. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and there’s nothing that I like better than a warm house filled with family and friends, a comforting meal filling the air with odors intertwined with memories.

It’s a slice of heaven.

Heaven it is!

Do you find it (1) easy to give a witty retort OR (2) think of what you should have said after the conversation is over?

This question has been the bane of my life on more than one occasion. The question isn’t “Can you give a witty reply?”, the question is “Can you stop yourself from saying something you shouldn’t?”

Too often the answer has been no. When I was younger, I received a desk plaque that read “Be sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear.” It’s great advice. I should try it from time to time.

Open mouth, insert foot!

Your novel brought you fame and fortune. Do you spend approximately $2 million on (1) an expensive car OR (2) a Hollywood-style RV?

Fame, fortune, and expensive cars don’t really have a ton of appeal to me. Now, being able to wander around in a Hollywood style RV? That sounds really interesting. It’s like having “home” with you when you go on vacation, which opens up all sorts of interesting places to visit that I’d never be willing to try otherwise. As someone that’s not a huge fan of “roughing it”, places where I need to sleep on the ground without air conditioning have an appeal that eludes me. This would let my family experience the things they’d want to, while I still got to wake up in the morning and not be immobile from a stiff back. Win/win!

The only thing I’d need to overcome at that point is my fear of gravel and dirt roads (they’re not roads). But one step at a time.

Camping with all the comfort of home for you!

You prefer to watch (1) a sunrise OR (2) a sunset?

I love sunsets. There’s something magical about the transition when the night reaches back out and reclaims the sky. Night is the default for what the sky should look like, it holds secrets and whispers them quietly as it surrounds you.

The sun paints the sky in reds, oranges, and pinks while the twilight slowly spreads from the shadows, promising to reveal some of its secrets. Some of the most gorgeous sunsets I’ve ever seen were from a gazebo out on the water in North Side Park in Ocean City, Maryland. Watching the sun dip below the water in the bay, breathing in the salt in the air…it’s indelibly imprinted in my memories.

Plus I don’t need to be awake at “are you kidding” o’clock to watch a sunset, which is a big bonus.

You’ve painted a lovely scene!

What is your favorite (1) song OR (2) book?

This one’s gonna be a bit odd, but I LOVE Name by the Goo Goo Dolls. The overall melancholy feel of the song, lines like “Reruns all become our history”, the way the pace moves back and forth. Something about it resonates deep inside of me. I’ll turn it up and unabashedly sing along (badly) at every opportunity.

Oh! It was your off-key singing I just heard!

Thanks for being interviewed, Don!

Bishop's Crossing book cover
Bishop’s Crossing

Fear Begets Murder:

A Conspiracy Tale

Author Sam Diego self-published a crime fiction book in October 2020. Here’s a synopsis:

Our heroine, Annette, has long struggled to fit in as a black female, raised by a single white mom. When Annette marries Phil, a white cop and model husband, she’s ready to relish her beautiful partnership and live her happily-ever-after. But a deadly conspiracy stirs ghosts from her past and forces her to rethink her identity, even as she’s fighting for her life — and for that of Phil.

Find out more about his crime fiction novel on YouTube. You may ask Sam questions on the Goodreads Author Sam Diegopage.

Sam’s Interview

What is your (1) favorite book quote OR (2) favorite movie quote?

From the movie Frida (2002)  Frida’s friend and wedding hostess, Tina Modotti (performed by Ashley Judd), makes a toast at Diego and Frida’s wedding:

Tina Modotti: I don’t believe in marriage. [crowd laughs] No, I really don’t. Let me be clear about that. I think at worst it’s a hostile political act, a way for small-minded men to keep women in the house and out of the way, wrapped up in the guise of tradition and conservative religious nonsense. At best, it’s a happy delusion – these two people who truly love each other and have no idea how truly miserable they’re about to make each other. But; BUT… when two people know that, and they decide with eyes wide open to face each other and get married anyway, then I don’t think it’s conservative or delusional. I think it’s radical and courageous and very romantic. To Diego and Frida!

Why do I like this little monologue? I identify. I agree wholeheartedly. I look at strangers getting married and feel sorry for the trouble that they are setting themselves up for. Yet, I attend weddings or even see them in movies and I cry, seeing two romantic lovers who believe with no doubt in the happily ever after.

That reminds me of another favorite quote. From Charles Mee’s play Big Love: “This is why at weddings everybody cries; out of happiness and sorrow, regret and hope combined.”

What a quote!

You prefer to watch (1) a sunrise OR (2) a sunset?

I prefer to watch sunrises because I see them so much more rarely than sunsets. Also because I simply love mornings. I love the increasing light and warmth from the sun. I love the increasing activity as birds and humans start their day. I love waking to dawn’s early light, when I have had a restful night’s sleep.

Nice description!

Do you write (1) when the mood takes you OR (2) at a set time?

I write when the mood takes me. I can write at a set time and can allow myself to be creative on a schedule, but I rarely make myself write at a set time. I generate much better, more emotional, writing when the mood takes me. It’s the choice between emotion and discipline. I let emotion be in charge with writing and discipline when I need to work.

In the mood for you!

Are you a person who (1) makes and follows New Year resolutions OR (2) never bothers with resolutions?

I don’t bother with resolutions. Either I will do something or I won’t. Either I am interested or I’m not. Either I love myself and will do what’s good for me or I don’t and I won’t.

Interesting insight!

Do you (1) love shopping OR (2) hate shopping?

I mostly hate shopping, except when I don’t. Almost exclusively I shop when I need something and otherwise not. Nevertheless, I love walking old style markets and shopping districts (more common outside the US) for the people watching and for the sense of abundance.

Understandable!

Thanks for being interviewed, Sam!

Fear Begets Murder book cover
Fear Begets Murder