Author Spotlight: Mystery Author Carol Light Is Back with a New Book and a Giveaway!

We have a winner! Latesha B, you are Carol’s giveaway recipient! She will be in touch with you. Thanks to you and everyone who stopped by to chat! We love talking to our readers!

What a treat to welcome back my friend and fellow Tule author, Carol Light! Carol and I were roomies at the 2023 Tule Author Retreat in San Juan Capistrano, California, and I knew immediately we were kindred spirits and would be good friends.

Carol Light is an avid reader and writer of mysteries. She loves creating amateur sleuths and complicating their normal lives with a crime that they must use their talents and wits to solve. She’s traveled worldwide and lived in Australia for eight years, teaching high school English and learning to speak “Strine.” Florida is now her home. If she’s not at the beach or writing, you can find her tackling quilting in much the same way that she figures out her mysteries—piece by piece, clue by clue. You can also follow me on BlueSky

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Thank you so much, Nan, for inviting me back into your spotlight. Most of you probably don’t know that Nan continues to be a very special mentor for me as I navigate through the writing and publishing worlds. She helped me set up my first Kindle and showed me how to purchase my first ebook—one of hers, of course. Later, when I had completed my third novel, she encouraged me to submit it to Tule Publishing, and much to my surprise and joy, they accepted it. Since then, she’s been a wealth of information about promoting my books and a wonderful friend in every way.

Today I’m visiting to talk about my newest book, Deadly Inheritance. After publishing four Cluttered Crime mysteries, I’m writing a new series called Southern Secrets. Each of these mysteries will feature a different female protagonist who becomes involved with crimes in the small Arkansas town of Crossroads. Merritt Quinn, a young professor from Indiana, comes to Crossroads to fulfill a requirement in her aunt’s will. In order to inherit her aunt’s estate, she must discover the truth about her birth mother’s death. However, the attorney who knows about the past has been murdered. Merritt’s skill at researching will help her, but new friends also come to her assistance while educating her on small-town life and relationships.

I’m writing this series from multiple viewpoints. In Deadly Inheritance, police chief Tim Birch will also be tracking down clues with his team as he tries to prove that he’s worthy of his promotion. Reporter Jack Huddleston, sensing a bigger story in Merritt’s visit to Crossroads, shares his newspaper archives while piecing together more than Merritt wants him to know. Two feuding families who can’t overcome a past grievance buried in time, an ambitious preacher with a growing national congregation, a toxic pond still being used as a dumping ground, and a killer trying to hide a dark secret keep all three characters—and my readers, I hope—busy trying to figure out what is going on.

Sometimes, I think I’m crazy as I tie myself in knots plotting mystery novels. Doing a series is even more complicated than a standalone book as I have to have an ongoing story that will continue into the next novel. With three viewpoint characters, I also have to have them evolve or grow in each book. It’s called a character arc. You will see Merritt change as she learns more about herself. Tim’s and Jack’s stories and personal growth will continue into the next two books of the series. You’ll also come to know the townspeople who will reappear, along with Merritt and the guys, in the novels that follow. By the way, the second one in the series, Death Watch, will be released on July 10, 2025.

On a more personal note, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about courage. It’s something my characters have to deal with, both when something happens to force them to change and when faced with danger. For example, there’s a scene when Merritt suspects that Jack’s been kidnapped. She has to decide whether to call 911 for the police to deal with it or jump into her car to follow the vehicle taking Jack away. I’m not going to tell you what choice she makes, but either way, her decision will have consequences. Often it’s safer to do nothing other than let someone else handle it, but can you live with yourself if things don’t turn out well and you could have acted? The old saying “Better safe than sorry,” makes sense in terms of being prepared or careful before disaster strikes, such as insuring your house or locking your car when you park somewhere. But sometimes there’s a lot at stake that might justify taking risks on behalf of others or something you value.

As for me, I’ve decided it’s time to join the marchers to object to what’s happening to our beloved country. I don’t like crowds. It would be more comfortable staying at home, making calls and sending emails, which also help to raise our voices. However, I believe the increasingly large crowds showing concern are pictures worth a thousand words. I’ve summoned my courage to take more action. So, I’ll be writing signs in the weeks ahead as well as the third Southern Secrets book.

Thank you for visiting with me today, and thanks again to Nan for this spotlight and her friendship. I hope you’ll enjoy Deadly Inheritance and come along for more southern secrets!

**Giveaway!** For a chance to win an e-book copy of Deadly Inheritance and a $10 Amazon gift card, please tell me who you consider to be a mentor in your life and why.

Deadly Inheritance

The secrets in this south Arkansas town run deep and dangerous…

Merritt Quinn is stunned to learn that, to inherit a sizeable estate, she must discover the truth about her own mother’s death. Aunt Mary left a single clue: Ernie knows.

But Merritt arrives in Crossroads to discover local attorney Ernie Crowell bludgeoned in his office.

The murder is the first test for new police chief Tim Birch, and he’s determined to prove himself worthy of the promotion. His prime suspects are members of two feuding families who covet Merritt’s land. But Ernie had an active caseload that included several dissatisfied clients, and Tim must also deal with fallout from a newspaper article exposing possible criminal actions by the company that employs most of the townspeople. The mayor wants answers—now.

As Merritt researches her family’s past, she uncovers dangerous secrets. The truth will change her life—and Crossroads— forever, but first she must survive a killer intent on keeping past crimes buried.

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