1. Mike has a military background and is a student of American history and the Old West.
2, His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, set in South Park, Colorado in 1868, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press. The sequel,
3.The Renewal, also in South Park, 1872, was released in 2018. His third western,
4. A Score To Settle, was released October 2020, also from The Wild Rose Press.
5. White Sands Gold is his latest western mystery and was just released by Wild Rose.
6. He has a coming-of-age novel, Fireflies At Dusk, set during the Civil War, and his short story, The Trade, a tale of the Yukon Gold Rush, was his first published work in 2014.
7.Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers for many years. An experienced editor, he’s taught University-level English and Journalism.
If you like to read Westerns, check out Mike’s latest book, ‘White Sands Gold’.
In a hidden cavern, a fortune in gold bars sits alongside an ancient relic.
To find her treasure-hunting brother, Lottie Durham enlists the help of an easygoing lawman who she can’t stand-at first. When a mysterious woman known only as Ma asks her to join the relic’s guardians, Lottie’s world spins. Why her, and should she take on this solemn obligation?
Twill, leader of the secretive guardians, has sworn a vow to protect the centuries-old religious relic. Regrets bedevil him and his dedication to his oath is repeatedly tested. If he breaks his promise, he’ll fail Ma, the one person he’s never wanted to let down.
Will a looming raid by a band of determined killers be the end of the guardians, the gold, and the relic?
Here’s a sample of what you’ll read in ‘White Sands Gold’.
‘Lottie lowered to the damp ground, which brought the deputy down as well. She fought the urge to look his way. She was alone in the desert wrapped in a semi-bear hug with a man she met yesterday. She eased a hand to her holster and picked the leather loop off her hammer. Probably didn’t need a gun to protect against someone who’d already saved her life, but…in case he tried something.
The deputy snugged his hat lower and shut his eyes.
“Hold on, cowboy. We can’t be sittin’ here just sleepin’. I mean…you oughta be talkin’ to me, reassurin’ me. How about it?”
He two-fingered his hat up a touch. “You seem to be able to take care of yourself fair, you should probably be reassurin’ me.” He glanced sideways at her, his face not more than a few inches away.
That same half-smile that had been so irritating somehow didn’t look so annoying anymore.”
“FAST FACTS” is a fun way to get to know some of my favorite (and some new-to-me) authors. Today, let’s get to know Author Iona Morrison! Here are Iona’s 10 fast facts:
1. I started writing later in life. I attended an online writing class through the University of Connecticut and discovered I like writing fiction.
2. The idea for my first book came from a custodian my first day on the job. She told me they had a church ghost, and my imagination took off.
3. I never read the genre I write, which is a romantic mystery with a touch of paranormal.
4. I have ten books published, with book eleven coming October 10, this year and two novellas.
5. I have seen a working bloodhound track while doing research for my books.
6. I love the process of watching a story come together from beginning to end. Especially the editing process where the story gets polished
.7. Three of my books were winners or finalists in the three award contests I entered. Each of my books have finished in the top ten in a reader’s poll.
8. Meeting and talking with the people who read my books is the best part of the job. I appreciate each of them. Marketing, on the other hand, is the hard part for me. It’s easier to author the book than market it. But I plug away at it.
9. I never know when a new idea will pop up and the next book will start. I am finishing my twelfth book now.
10. I still feel excitement when I hold one of my books in my hands. I find it hard to believe that I’ve written them. Truth is the feeling never gets old.
I’m a pantster. (I don’t know if pantster is even a word, but it describes me. I fly by the seat of my pants.) I can see in my mind all you wonderfully organized folks out their shaking your heads in dismay, and rightfully so. But may I just say in my defense I’ve been like this all my life, and it seems to work for me.
I’ve raised three boys and never lost one. Okay, there was one time in Phoenix that one of them got away from me into an elevator, but his cries soon led me to him. Every time the elevator doors opened i could hear him. I also managed to speak publicly for many years without totally embarrassing myself, and I even have a clean house with laundry folded right out of the dryer. I’ve traveled, managed an office, was a bookkeeper, (with books that balanced) and have written ten novels. Whatever you call my style it works for me.
Although, I’m impressed with and in awe of people who plan out every step of their project; those who know what they are going to create from the beginning all the way to the end; organized before they start. I’ve attempted to do the same, but oh how quickly I stray from the path. I don’t just stray, I color outside the lines, and go a completely different direction, I can’t tell you how many wonderful, amazing planners I’ve bought over the years and never used one of them past the first week. And yet, I somehow planned many social events including a major city- wide one. My claim to fame is the bright, neon sticky note.
I’m a pants-ter. Maybe I should have been a hippie because I tend go with the flow or it’s because I’m married to an old hippie. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Life can get a little chaotic at times, but hey I don’t need therapy for deviating from my lists. Yep, you’ve got it, I’m a pantster and a sticky note queen. The key is to stick them in places that make sense to me and that’s another story.
I am proof that it’s never too late to change course and find a new avenue for life. After circumstances changed in our lives during the last recession, I found myself scrambling to reinvent myself. I stumbled upon a writing class through the University of Connecticut where I lost myself in writing and found myself there too.
Even though my books are fantasy fiction I have a real method for why I write the stories I do. In my own strange way, I answer the question through my heroines what would happen if we were aware of what really is happening around us. In the process I touch upon subjects that are important to me in a hopefully entertaining way.
When I’m tempted to believe I haven’t accomplished anything I remember a few things and it brings a smile to my face. Today was a time for me to pause and reflect. I have eleven books and one novella published. Each one accomplished later in my life. All of them have finished in the top ten in the Critters Readers Poll. Key To The Past, and As The Page Turns were both finalists in the CAL Awards in 2021 and 2022 respectfully. Searching For Closure, won a Book Excellence Award, was a CAL Award Winner this year and received a Firebird Book Award. I’ve made the Amazon Best Seller List which is a short window in time.
I’m no diva when it comes to my work, I’m grateful for any recognition I get, but most of all I’m thankful for you the readers who read them and tell me what you think. I have enjoyed meeting you and talking to you in person and through social media.
I have lots of room to grow, especially in the area of commas and showing and not telling. I may have more to learn about my craft and about marketing, but when all is said and done, writing has allowed me to find another way to be who I am even after life threw me a curve.
I am incredibly excited to announce that I have been recognized as a Book Excellence Award Winner for my book, Searching for Closure in the Mystery Category.
Out of thousands of books that were entered into the Book Excellence Awards competition, my book was selected for its high quality writing, design and overall market appeal.
