Spotlight on The Reporter’s Story by Joyce Strand + Tour-wide Giveaway!

Publisher: McCloughan and Schmeltz
Pub Date: June 16th, 2016
Pages: 270

A house burglary in 1912 San Francisco that the victim denies happening piques Emma Matheson’s reporter instincts. Why would a not-so-wealthy businessman deny that recovered loot was his and forego collecting his $8,000 worth of stolen jewelry? Why did he fire his maid and butler who originally reported the theft? The more she pursues the burglary that wasn’t a burglary, the more she sees it as a major story, involving murder, intrigue, and smuggling. Can she solve it and write the story that could project her to become the world-famous reporter she so covets? Or will she become one of its victims?

Additional info about Emma: Emma Matheson is a young woman determined to be a star front-page reporter despite the bias against women in her day. Her mother died when she was born. She was reared by her father who runs a newspaper in Sacramento. She grew up learning about the newspaper business. Her father valued education and insisted she attend university before starting her career. She is bright, determined, a great writer — but a bit naive.

Buy the Book

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback)

 

 

About the Author

 

Joyce T. Strand is the author of who-done-it contemporary and historical mysteries set in California. All of her published six novels are inspired by actual events and/or real people, although they are definitely fictionalized.

Her first three contemporary mysteries feature protagonist Jillian Hillcrest, a public relations executive who encounters murder and mayhem at her Silicon Valley company. Jillian’s boss, Brynn Bancroft, solves the next two mysteries when she leaves her position as Chief Financial Officer to run a winery in Sonoma.

In Strand’s first historical mystery, a Superior Court Judge strives to discover the truth behind the mystery of a robbery-murder in a small California town in 1939. In her newest mystery, THE REPORTER’S STORY, a house burglary in 1912 San Francisco piques a young reporter’s instincts that leads to intrigue and murder.

Strand headed corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in California's Silicon Valley for more than 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder in her career. Strand lives with her two cats and collection of cow statuary in Southern California, and enjoys exploring and writing about the growing wine region in the Ramona Valley near San Diego.

  

You can find out more about Joyce and her books on her website, blog, and Goodreads and can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Giveaway Time!!

 

1st Prize: Kindle Fire 7” WiFi 8GB Black plus ebook or paperback copy of The Reporters Story

2nd Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and ebook or paperback copy of The Reporters Story

3rd Prize: ebook or paperback copy of The Reporters Story

 

Enter the tour-wide giveaway HERE

 

Good Luck!!

 

 

 

 

 



Guest Post: Joyce Strand, Author of Landscape for Murder: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery

I am so happy to welcome back author Joyce Strand to A Literary Vacation! Today she has for us a delightful guest post on how important the setting is to a mystery story. Please enjoy her post and continue on after for more information about Landscape for Murder, the author herself and how to enter the tour-wide giveaway!

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The “Where and When” of a Whodunit
By Joyce T. Strand, Author
Landscape for Murder: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery



"I know what kind of things I myself have been irritated by in detective stories. They are often about one or two persons, but they don't describe anything in the society outside."-Stieg Larsson

A whodunit can benefit significantly by using the setting as an opportunity to help tell a story. The “where and when” of a plot can offer meaningful contributions to create the puzzle of a mystery, deepen the understanding and engagement of villains and heroes, and supply more intricate clues for the reader.


Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller come alive as citizens of Los Angeles and solve crimes that frequently could only arise in Hollywood or on unique sites such as the concrete Los Angels River. Sherlock Holmes explores crime in the fogs of London. Or if we turn to TV shows, so many of the police procedurals exploit specific attributes of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or New Orleans to create their drama.


I have always pursued the traits of setting to create my mysteries. Before starting my whodunits I first identify my characters and the plot, but not far behind is my consideration of the setting. Jillian Hillcrest thrives best in Silicon Valley; Brynn Bancroft in the wine country north of San Francisco; and Judge Drapeau in a small California town in 1939.


In my current mystery, Landscape for Murder, my protagonist, Brynn Bancroft has quit her job as the Chief Financial Officer of a Silicon Valley biotech company to help her ex-husband manage his new winery in Sonoma Valley. The book opens in a a village called Point Reyes west of Sonoma that I visited on an artisan cheese tour. I found it intriguing. It is located near the ocean with dramatic views, but the village itself boasts a Marin County Sheriff’s office –a unique shingled building next to the fire department. I knew immediately that I would set a murder there, because it was so unlikely a locale in which one might occur.


In the meantime, the opportunity to involve wine and its production in the plot helps to draw in Brynn and her friends as they get ready to release a new cabernet. I don’t want to say too much more about the backdrop of wine production beyond suggesting that it offered a platform to present the mystery. Several scenes revolve around Brynn’s winery and her marketing of her new cabernet that also attract some negative characters. In addition, I was able to incorporate elements of several real California cases into the story.


Setting also offers the ability to create red herrings. As part of her participation in the wine industry, Brynn encounters a variety of personalities, some pleasant and some not so. Neither she nor the reader is certain about these characters and their relationship to the murder of Brynn’s artist friend. We also experience crimes and meet law enforcement specific to Marin and Sonoma Counties. We are no longer in San Francisco or Silicon Valley. But the growing of grapes, the production of wine, and its distribution relate to Brynn’s efforts to solve the case.


I know that setting may not always offer readers insight into the story or the characters of a novel. However, I find it helps enrich my whodunits by increasing the complexity that helps readers engage more with the characters and become part of solving the mystery.

 

 

 

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Publisher: McCloughan and Schmeltz 

Publication Date: November 5th, 2015

Pages: 279

 

A friend's murder. An unconnected cast of suspects, including the victim's missing adult daughter. As if that wasn t enough, Brynn Bancroft s winery has been broken into. Can she deal with her co-owner ex and help the police find her friend's murder so she can finally overcome her own troubled past and enjoy family life with her teenage ward?

 

 

 

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon

 

 

About the Author

 

Mystery author Joyce T. Strand, much like her fictional character, Jillian Hillcrest, served as head of corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in Silicon Valley for more
than 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder. Rather, she focused on publicizing her companies and their products. She is the author of the Jillian Hillcrest mysteries ON MESSAGE, OPEN MEETINGS, and FAIR DISCLOSURE, the Brynn Bancroft mystery HILLTOP SUNSET and the historical mystery, THE JUDGE’S STORY. Strand received her Ph.D. from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. and her B.A. from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. She currently lives in Southern California with her two cats, a collection of cow statuary and art, and her muse, the roadrunner.

Find out more about Joyce T. Strand on her website and blog, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

 

Giveaway Time!!!

 

 

 

There is a tour-wide giveaway of the following:

 1st Prize: Kindle Fire 7” WiFi 8GB Black plus ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder
2nd Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder
3rd Prize: ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder

 

 

Go HERE to enter the giveaway.

 

Good Luck!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 



Guest Post: Joyce Strand, Author of The Judge's Story

I am so excited to have Joyce Strand, author of The Judge's Story, on the blog today! She has written a wonderful guest post dealing with how an author can not only make a fictional character "real" but, on the other hand, can transform a real person into a fictional character. So please welcome Joyce and enjoy her guest post, and be sure to continue after for more information about Joyce, The Judge's Story and a wonderful tour wide giveaway!

From Real to Fictional-Real Person

By Joyce T. Strand, Mystery Author

 

 

“When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.” -Ernest Hemingway

 

 

Agreed. I want real people in my mysteries—not two-dimensional caricatures who stiffly move from red herring to red herring in pursuit of a solution to the puzzle.

 

We readers can’t get involved in a story if we don’t care about the people.

 

I have used multiple methods to develop characters, including drafting detailed biographies from which to draw.  However, for my newest novel, The Judge’s Story, a historical mystery set in 1939 in a small town in California, I based my protagonist on a real person – a California Superior Court Judge.  I faced the challenge of re-creating a fictional judge based on a real one.

 

It’s not as easy as you might think!

 

Fortunately, my real judge wrote a memoir (Louis C. Drapeau, Senior; Autobiography of a Country Lawyer; 1941; available at the Museum of Ventura County/Library, 100 E. Main St., Ventura CA 93001). From it, I gleaned insight into his beliefs, temperament, and personality as well as details about his daily life.

 

Using the Memoir, I applied the values of the real judge to my fictional judge, which offered a rich source of options. I could guide his actions in the fictional story based on these values. For example, given that he was a judge, I could pull from his belief system to reach a verdict and hand out punishment in a fictional case. Given that he cared about social justice, I made him quick to respond to signs of bigotry and helpful to those who were mistreated. By drawing on these values, I could portray a man who stood for something without being preachy.

 

Of course, a person is more than just values and beliefs. What about emotions and feelings? The real judge in his memoir talked about his grief upon his first wife’s death, his respect for an acquaintance’s stoicism, and his regret at losing a specific case for a deserving client. I developed these feelings for my fictional judge. I made him a widower who still grieved over the loss of his wife and thought of her often. As a judge, he reflects on his cases as a lawyer—remorseful for those he lost.

 

For credibility, I turned to events of the time period to comprehend how my fictional judge fit in. This required additional research beyond the Memoir. The most valuable source to create this part of his persona came from reading the daily newspaper in 1939. For example, dominant in the news was the war in Europe, which meant that characters in this time would be concerned about the U.S. entering it.  Actual court cases, legal trends, and local economics also contributed.

 

To accommodate the plot, I did assign some original traits to my Judge—mostly in reaction to the fictional characters around him. He mentors a 16-year-old girl, although we learn that he shares the viewpoint of many in the 1930s about the role of women to get married and keep a home—a narrow perspective which the teenager and the Judge’s female assistant point out to him.

 

By blending the real judge’s values, beliefs, and feelings with events of the time I created my fictional judge and the micro-world around him. I could feel what it might have been like living then. My Judge and his fellow characters became real people. Yes, the story itself provides a huge bonus to pull us into their lives. But in the end, I believe it’s the characters, aka, the people, we’ll remember.

 

 

 

A Superior Court Judge with a passion for social justice as well as the law strives to discover the truth behind the mystery of a robbery-murder in a small California town in 1939.


When the Judge hears testimony against a 14-year-old teenager, he realizes that the boy participated in a robbery-murder. However, the accused did not actually pull the trigger. But unless the boy identifies his partner, the Judge must sentence him as a murderer, which would result in prolonged jail time. The Judge’s investigator, along with the precocious 16-year-old girl who identified the boy as one of the thieves, explore different approaches to uncover the murderer. In the backdrop of escalating war in Europe, the financial scarcities of the Great Depression, and the Judge’s caseload, their attempts to find justice for the accused boy and unmask the killer lure the Judge and his friends into sordid criminal activities.


 

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon (Kindle and Paperback)

 

 

About the  Author

 

Mystery author Joyce T. Strand, much like her fictional character, Jillian Hillcrest, served as head of corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in Silicon Valley for more than 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder. Rather, she focused on publicizing her

companies and their products. She is the author of the Jillian Hillcrest mysteries ON MESSAGE, OPEN MEETINGS, and FAIR DISCLOSURE and the Brynn Bancroft mystery HILLTOP SUNSET. Strand received her Ph.D. from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. and her B.A. from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. She currently lives in Southern California with her two cats, a collection of cow statuary and art, and her muse, the roadrunner.

You can find out more about Joyce on her website or blog, and can connect with her on her Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter social media sites.

 

Giveaway!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce will be doing a giveaway throughout her book tour!

 

1st Prize: Kindle Fire HD 7 or Kindle Paperwhite

2nd Prize: $50 Amazon gift card and an ebook or paperback copy of The Judge's Story

3rd Prize: $25 Amazon gift card and an ebook or paperback copy of The Judge's Story

 

To enter the giveaway fill complete the Rafflecopter form HERE.

 

 

Good Luck!!