Donn Taylor and Free Books!

Among intrigues at a state university, Professor Preston Barclay proves that a supposed suicide was actually murder.

Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of What Hope Remembers, by Johnnie Alexander, is:

aspella@...

Congratulations! I'll email you for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Donn Taylor, author of the (nearly cozy) mystery, Murder in Disguise (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, October 2017).

Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterwards, he completed a PhD at The University of Texas and taught English literature at two liberal arts colleges.

Now retired from college teaching, Donn writes suspense and mystery fiction as well as literary poetry designed for the ordinary reader. His historical novel Lightning on a Quiet Night was a finalist for the Selah Awards in 2015, and his mystery Murder Mezzo Forte was a finalist there in 2017.

Donn is a frequent speaker at writers' conferences and study groups. He lives near Houston, TX, where he continues to write fiction, poetry, and essays on ethics and U.S. foreign policy.

And I'll add that I had the pleasure of sitting with Donn at lunch years ago at a conference, and a kinder gentleman I've never met. 

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

When Mildred and I were stationed in France, we rented a Piper Pacer from the Aero Club at Toule Rosiere AFB in France and flew it to Copenhagen for a vacation. She proved to be an excellent navigator. We watched a Danish-language movie, and for two hours we didn't understand anything but the shooting and kissing.

Ah, yes, shooting and kissing--the two universal languages. That's a lovely memory, Donn.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Murder in Disguise.

Official verdict: Suicide. But why would that vigorous department chairman commit suicide? Did he kill himself to avoid disgrace from exposure of his rumored activities on the dark side?

When visiting professor Preston Barclay questions his long-time friend's suicide, he receives threats. Press has enough problems already in proving his competence to students and faculty in the newly hostile environment of the state university. That task is made more difficult because the new department chairman does all he can to undermine him. And the sexy siren assigned as his student assistant creates problems with Press's courtship of his colleague Mara Thorn.

The more things don't add up, the more dangerous the threats become, and the more determined Press becomes to clear his friend's name.

But can he and Mara prevail against the well-organized forces of police, campus radicals, and an unseen but powerful criminal organization that increasingly puts their lives in danger…?

What is it about Press that will make your readers care about him?

Press maintains his personal and academic integrity despite all pressures of campus politics. He cannot stand pretentiousness, and he is determined to find the truth, regardless of the consequences: A life built on comfortable falsehoods is not worth living.

How much prep work do you usually do before you start writing a novel?

My preparatory work varies greatly. I did extensive research on Colombian society, history, politics, and geography before writing The Lazarus File. Although Mildred and I both grew up in Northeast Mississippi in the time setting of Lightning on a Quiet Night, we both did a lot of miscellaneous research. In the state archives we even tracked down an automobile license tag from the period. However, much less research was required in the campus settings for my mysteries because my academic experience and membership in the National Association of Scholars made me already familiar with the environment and its problems. The new research required was limited to details of the crimes.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I've been privileged to read Mary Hamilton's novel Pendant. It is a well-crafted suspense novel with interesting and believable characters and an intriguing situation. It will keep you glued to your chair until you finish it.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on one more in the Preston Barclay Mystery series. After that, I'm not sure. For several decades I've been fascinated by an idea. Would it be possible to write a contemporary novel generally imitative (or adaptive) of Renaissance epic romances like Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, Tasso's Jerusalem Liberated, and Spenser's The Faerie Queene? It would be quite a task, and I doubt that I'll ever try it. I also doubt that it would be publishable as commercial fiction. But still, it's a fascinating idea . . .

I do love the retelling of classic stories in modern form, although going as far back as the Renaissance sounds rather daunting! If you decide to take that on, I'd love to hear about it. 

Where else can readers find you online?

My page on Amazon is tinyurl.com/y7mpsskd.
My Web site is www.donntaylor.com.
My Facebook page, where I post something every day (mostly funnies), is Facebook.
My Twitter page is Twitter.

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers? 

What happens to you when you read fiction? Can you describe the total experience?

I love that question! I'm looking forward to your answers, readers.

Thanks, Donn, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Donn has offered to give away a free e-copy of his novel. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to Donn's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com. Many commenters are left out of the drawing because they forget to include a way for me to notify them of their win (their email).

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Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, as well as my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE