Author: patyjag

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 50 + novels, novellas, and short stories of murder mystery, western romance, and action adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

Guest Blogger ~ Susie Black

~ patyjag ~ 4 Comments

                                                                The Philatelist

Since the publication of my debut humorous cozy mystery, Death by Sample Size, I have been asked by many readers how events, interests, and people in my life have influenced my writing. Since my stories all take place in the Los Angeles garment center, my career as a sales exec in the ladies’ apparel industry certainly had a significant influence on my writing. Customers, colleagues, bosses, family, and friends have all played a part. But the question deserved a look beneath the surface to the collateral events, interests, and people that came into and out of my life but played a much bigger role in defining who I am and how I write than one would ever think. 

I have been an avid philatelist since I was twelve years old. What, you may ask, is a philatelist? It’s a fancy word for a stamp collector. My introduction to stamp collecting came with a birthday gift of an album filled with stamps from one of my mother’s cousins. The pictures, colors, and shapes of the stamps fascinated me, but other than licking one and attaching it to an envelope to mail, I didn’t know much else about stamps. There was a coin-and-stamp store next to the take-out pizza place my mother frequented, a few miles from our house. I took the album to that shop to see if the proprietor could teach me what stamp collecting was all about. The first time I walked into that store, a magical world opened up to me, one that would impact my life in more ways than I could ever have imagined.

 I credit my lifelong love affair with stamps and the influence it has had on how I write to Mr. Milton Albin. Generous, knowledgeable, and patient, Mr. Albin was a bespectacled, wiry, balding, wonderful middle-aged man who was the proprietor of that stamp and coin shop. Every Friday after school, I went home to collect my weekly allowance and my stamp album and then rode my bicycle to Mr. Albin’s store.

Always wearing a jeweler’s loupe and a magnifying glass on a lanyard around his neck, Mr. Albin was so willing to answer all your questions, teach you everything you wanted to learn, and exuded so much enthusiasm about his chosen field that even the most skeptical customer couldn’t help but become a fan. He was a wonderful teacher who taught me the proper way to handle the stamps and evaluate their quality. Mr. Albin suggested that for a novice collector like me, the best way to start learning about stamps was to buy canceled ones instead of more expensive mint-condition copies. Good thing too; canceled stamps were all a pre-teen’s allowance could afford. That said, my visits to Mr. Albin’s store always began at the huge wall on the right behind the entry, which was covered with envelopes containing canceled stamps clipped onto it.

After making my selections, I’d bring my envelopes to Mr. Albin to ring up. He would open the envelopes and carefully take the stamps out with a pair of tongs, and that’s when the magic began. He had a story for every stamp, and his vivid descriptions brought the stamps to life. With one commemorating the casualties of our Civil War, his eyes filled as he whispered, as though praying in a Chapel. With another commemorative that celebrated the end of slavery, his eyes lit, and he spoke with the fervor of a preacher.  No matter what the Stamp’s story was, he told it like a novel with a beginning, a middle, an ending, and a point of view. He told each story his special way, taking his time, slowly building up to the cliffhanger, and dramatically pausing right before the climax. Talk about pacing and how to build tension up to the finale. Mr. Albin had it down pat. He was my tour director on weekly adventures around the world and through every era of history, with stamps in every color and shape imaginable serving as the tickets for the ride.   

How I look at the world, and the people in it, plays a major role in the writing style I learned with help from a diminutive, unassuming, marvelous man every Friday afternoon, who led me by the hand on the continuing adventure of a lifetime through stamps. I honored Mr. Albin in the most appropriate way that an author can by including him as a character in Death by Jelly Beans, my award-winning cozy mystery.

Mr. Albin is long gone to that great celestial collectors’ corner up above, but if I piqued your interest in stamp collecting, check out the website of the American Philatelic Society to learn more about this fascinating hobby that can take you everywhere and anywhere, while never leaving your living room.

Death by Jelly Beans

Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik discovers the Bainbridge Department Store Easter Bunny slumped over dead, and obnoxious swimwear buyer Sue Ellen Magee is arrested for the crime. Despite her differences with the nasty buyer, Holly is convinced the Queen of Mean didn’t do it. The wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to nail the real killer. But the trail has more twists than a pretzel and more turns than a rollercoaster. And nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge.  

Buy Links:

https://books2read.com/u/bWx9jY

Amazon.com : Death by Jelly Beans

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-by-jelly-beans-susie-black/1145804565

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212700868-death-by-jelly-beans

https://www.bookbub.com/books/death-by-jelly-beans-holly-swimsuit-mystery-book-5-by-susie-black

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector and ardent sailor. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

Looking for more? Contact Susie at:

E-mail: mysteries.authorsusieblack@gmail.com

Blue Sky: @hollysusiewrites.bsky.social

Facebook: Susie Black, author of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series | Facebook

Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheHollySwimsuitMysterySeries

Instagram: Susie Black (@hollyswimsuit) • Instagram photos and videos

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorsusieblack-61941011

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hollysusie1/

Substack: Substack Home -Susie Black

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@author_susie_black_

X: Susie Black (@hollyswimsuit) / X

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/susieblackwritescozies

Susie Black Books – BookBub

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21437641.Susie_Black

Website: Susie Black | Substack

Finding or Making Time To Write

~ patyjag ~ 6 Comments

As we head into the busy time of year, meaning the holidays and shorter days, I am feeling a bit frazzled. My goal was to have one more book out before the end of the year. Preferably in November where, it being a story set around Christmas, would be in demand.

At this time I have only 13k words written in said book, and feeling the pinch to get it done having just spent 6 days on the road selling books at the State Fair, came home with a cold, then headed 2 hours away to attend an event for research that will be in my next Gabriel Hawke book, then home for two days and I’m headed to another book selling event 7 hours away for 6 days.

When am I going to find time to write?

After talking to half a dozen writers at the last event I attended, I’m glad I am a persistent person who likes to hit my goals. Those writers either can’t find the time to write, or have written but weren’t sure of the next step, or they have ideas and don’t know what to do with them.

Finding time to write: I took my laptop with me with my WIP on it. I managed to write 5000+ words on it while sitting in the Fair Building waiting for the doors to open and people to arrive every morning. I plan to take it with me when I go to the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, and when there are enough authors in the booth, I’ll leave and go write. I don’t believe it’s about finding time to write, it’s about making time to write.

If a writer truly wants to write, they will sit down and do it, if it means getting up at 4 a.m. or staying up past midnight, if they have day jobs or a family to attend. It’s kind of like the people who say, I do like to read but I don’t have the time. I read when I’m eating my lunch and right before I go to bed. I read paperback books, so the screen doesn’t keep my brain racing. If they truly wanted to read, they would make the time to relax and read.

Those writers I spoke to who have books, poems, or stories written that don’t know what to do next, I suggested they connect with a couple of writer’s organizations that I am a part of in Oregon. I told them to reach out to me if they have any questions. There were people, writers and authors, along the way who helped me out with writing, publishing, and promoting. I’m all about paying it forward.

And the people who had ideas. I told them to get a notebook and write down their ideas for when they do have time to explore them and begin writing. I have ideas hit me a couple times a day. If it’s something that keeps coming back and won’t leave me alone then, I take it seriously and figure out how to work it into a book, or in the case of the Cuddle Farm Mysteries, a new series, I didn’t really need to start.

Which segues me into, book 2 in the Cuddle Farm Mysteries is now on pre-order with a release date of 10/10/26.

Monologued To Death

When Andi Clark and her therapy dogs are invited to audition for a play at the historic Auburn Opera House, she expects a fun evening of helping local children build confidence. Instead, she meets a director whose razor-sharp tongue leaves a trail of hurt feelings wherever she goes.

Then, during a rehearsal, the director plunges from the theater’s balcony.

While Sheriff Skala follows the evidence, Andi and her best friend, Betty, trust Cocoa’s instincts. The gentle therapy dog had witnessed someone on the theater balcony before the fatal fall and caught the scent of something behind a locked door no one else thinks to question.

Between therapy animal visits to the local retirement home and hospital, Andi, Betty, and Cocoa discover a second body, proving the killer isn’t finished yet. As the suspects multiply and the danger grows, Andi realizes someone is determined to silence anyone who gets too close to the truth.

Can Cocoa sniff out the truth before the final curtain falls on another victim?

Pre-order Link: https://books2read.com/u/49zJyJ

Guest Blogger ~ Suzanne Baginskie

~ patyjag ~ 3 Comments

Crafting the Fifth Novel in my FBI Affairs Series

After setting three of my four standalone novels in Florida towns, I decided to set the fifth book, Dangerous Triangle in Tampa, Florida. About forty minutes from my home, Tampa is a rapidly growing Gulf Coast city known for its sunny climate, diverse economy, and rich cultural history, including the historic Ybor City district. Visitors are drawn to attractions like the scenic Riverwalk along the Hillsborough River, as well as its vibrant nightlife and iconic Cuban sandwich, which dates back to the cigar factory era of the late 1800’s.

While Tampa continues to thrive, certain violent crimes remained a concern, which provided me with the premise for my next novel. My characters are FBI Special Agents that work in the Cybercrime, Human Trafficking, and Violent Death Unit. The story was about a gripping, high-stakes investigation that spanned a decade, weaving together a serial killer case, A.I. cybercrime, and a looming terrorist plot, forming a chilling three-sided web of danger.

I’ve always been drawn to strong FBI characters, particularly female agents and their dynamic partnerships with their male counterparts. FBI agents operate on a national level, often tackling complex, high-risk cases that naturally lend themselves to suspenseful storytelling. What makes them especially compelling to me is the balance between their professional duties and personal lives. My characters face intense, life-threatening situations, and yet they also deal with relatable family and emotional challenges. Before each mission, they are required to sign an agreement prohibiting romantic involvement as it could compromise their case. Of course, emotions aren’t so easily controlled. That tension adds another layer of conflict, as they strive to remain professional while navigating their feelings. Ultimately, their mission comes first, and they find ways to reconcile their personal lives once the case is resolved.

When I created character names for this novel, I looked for combinations that felt strong, memorable, and fitting for federal agents. Since my series features both a female and male lead, I like their names to complement each other in a way that readers will remember. In Dangerous Triangle, for example, I chose the last names London and Monroe because they felt distinctive and worked well together.

Once my book was written and published, the real challenge began, “marketing.” Many authors struggle with how to get their work noticed beyond social media, which can only take you so far. One strategy that worked well for me was tying my books to a specific location, such as my home state of Florida. I discovered that “location equals marketing.” Readers are naturally drawn to stories set in places they recognize or feel connected to.

At times, I participate in local craft shows and farmers markets to increase my sales. As a traditionally published author, I set up a table and engaged directly with potential readers. At first, simply describing my books as mystery and suspense didn’t always spark interest. But when I mentioned that my stories were set in Florida cities, people became more curious. They would browse more carefully, read the back cover blurb and often purchase one book or even the entire series. Offering autographed copies also made a difference. The in-person events created a personal connection, and I found there are many readers that genuinely enjoy supporting local authors. By the way, in 2025, Dangerous Triangle won a Silver Presidential Medalist Book Award from the FAPA (Florida Authors and Publishers Association.)

Dangerous Triangle

FBI Special Agent Olive London and her partner, Special Agent Jason Monroe, are thrust into a high-stakes investigation that spans decades in Suzanne Baginskie’s latest romance thriller, Dangerous Triangle. As they delve into the chilling case of a potential serial killer, new clues surface about the most recent victim, a young college student who may have met her fate through an online chat room. With the pressure mounting, London and Monroe turn to the Bureau’s cutting-edge A.I. program, Atlas One, and its brilliant controller, Professor Steve Dalton. But just as they begin to unravel the dark web of the serial killer’s activities, a terrorist threat against Tampa, Florida emerges, forcing the agents to pivot and confront a danger that could result in mass casualties. Amidst the relentless action and rising tension, another kind of excitement ignites between London and Monroe. Several close calls awaken a romantic attraction they can’t ignore, yet both are painfully aware that acting on their feelings could jeopardize their careers. Dangerous Triangle masterfully weaves together action, romance, and intrigue, making it an unmissable installment in Suzanne Baginskie’s gripping FBI Affair series. Will London and Monroe catch the killer and thwart the terrorist plot in time? And will they risk everything for a chance at love?

Buy Link: FBI AFFAIRS:  http://amazon.com/dp/B09JPCX2CX

Suzanne Baginskie is an award-winning author of the “FBI Affair Series.” Five books of mystery, suspense and romance set across her home state of Florida. A retired office manager/paralegal, with 30 years of legal experience, she brings authenticity to her crime stories. She loves traveling, especially on cruise ships. Most sea days on board, you’ll find her plotting stories outside on the deck while gazing at the beautiful blue ocean. Every time she sails a ship, she donates autographed copies of her books and bookmarks to their library.

Links:

Website:       www.suzannebaginskie.com

Facebook:     www.facebook.com.sbaginskie

Instagram:    www.instagragram.com.sbaginskie

X:                 Https://twitter.com/sbaginskie

Link Tree:    Https://linktr.ee/SBaginskie

Guest Blogger ~ T.L. Bequette

~ patyjag ~ 2 Comments

Venturing Out

I am the author of the five mysteries that comprise the Joe Turner Mystery series. Like Joe, I am a criminal defense attorney practicing in Oakland, and my thirty years in the courtroom have provided a trove of stories. Write what you know, I suppose.

Joe is a more interesting version of me—younger, better looking, drinks more, quicker on his feet, and more daring in the courtroom. Most of my stories find Joe Turner defending young black men in Oakland. They resonate, in part, because of their authenticity, as my real-world experiences make their way into the courtroom. Sometimes, the inspiration for my characters is even recognizable to my colleagues. This became a problem once when fellow attorneys began placing bets on the inspiration for a particularly incompetent judge.

However, in my latest book, Holler Whispers, I decided that it was time for Joe to get out of town. He ventured to a small town in Georgia to defend an autistic teenager accused of murdering the local high school football hero. I knew there would be research but mainly thought of the project as an enjoyable adventure. When writing about a particular jail or courtroom, I’d felt constrained by their reality. Now, I would be free to let my imagination create its own reality. While this did come to pass, the greater benefit came from researching two vital aspects of the story—autism and the Deep South—and from considering how inadequately the criminal justice system serves those in the neurodivergent community.

In many ways, writing Holler Whispers was a lesson in its own subject matter, a story of education, inclusivity, and acceptance. While someone close to me is autistic, to be fair to the neurodivergent community, I researched the autism spectrum and did my best to put myself in the shoes of one of the story’s main characters and his family members. Writing in Carl’s voice helped me to appreciate his profound daily challenges, and I strove to do so with respect and dignity.

Likewise, while my father grew up in the South and I’ve enjoyed my time there, I am not a Southerner. I enjoyed researching the area of my fictitious small town of Barton, Georgia, on the edge of the Oconee National Forest. With the help of my father’s memories of childhood adventures, I hope I accurately described not only the native plants of the region but also the hollers’ unique feel.

I hope I did justice to those who inhabit both places—the autism spectrum and the South.

Writing the story also brought into focus a problem I knew existed. As a criminal defense attorney, I have seen firsthand how poorly our criminal justice systems deal with people along the mental health continuum. Almost by definition, the rigidity of the law prevents it from considering the nuances necessary to ascribe culpability to those in the neurodivergent community accused of crime.

Writing Hollers Whispers was both cathartic and educational in this regard. If you read the book, I hope you enjoy some of these same lessons.

Holler Whispers

Oakland defense attorney Joe Turner ventures to a small town in the deep south to defend an autistic teenager accused of murdering the local high school football hero. Joe must overcome a biased jury pool, an ornery judge, and a seemingly airtight case. The roller-coaster trial is seen through the eyes of the jury—a diverse group that struggles with their own preconceptions about autism and nearly crumble under the weight of their decision. But is there a plant on the jury and whose side are they on?

Desperate to shield his vulnerable and endearing client from prison, Joe is assisted by his girlfriend, Eddy, and Chuck, his colorful investigator. Together, the three urbanites navigate a world of southern charm and hillbilly legend where secrets whisper through the hollers, just out of reach.  

Written by a trial attorney, Holler Whispers captures the raw emotion of the courtroom and depicts a criminal justice system fraught with human frailty. Enjoy unravelling this twisty whodunit that tugs at your heartstrings.

Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Holler-Whispers-Turner-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0G5L3D6VK

Todd Lewis Bequette is a criminal defense attorney turned writer from Lafayette, California. His latest Joe Turner Mystery, Good Lookin’, was just named a Kirkus Indie Award Finalist. Much of Bequette’s law practice involves defending young men from Oakland accused of murder, so his day job provides a trove of plotlines waiting to be written. A Georgetown Law Graduate, he serves on the faculty of the Stanford Law School Trial Advocacy Clinic. He enjoys playing with a tireless border Collie mix, Russet, and will remain a lifelong fan of the Oakland A’s.

https://www.instagram.com/tlbequette

Finding Ideas in Odd Places

~ patyjag ~ 8 Comments

It always amazes me when I’m listening to something or see something, and it triggers a book idea.

I just finished book 2 in the Cuddle Farm Mysteries, Monologued to Death. It’s with my beta readers, and I’m gathering the information and doing the research for the next Spotted Pony Casino Mystery book. I’m on the fence with the title. I decided to make it a holiday-time-frame book because it will release in November. If it wasn’t a holiday book, then I’d need to wait until January to release it, or it would get lost in the holiday reads.

So, I’ve been tossing around titles with gambling terms and holiday words. Because the Spotted Pony Casino books all have gambling terms in the titles. Right now, the frontrunner is Santa’s Beard– beard being a term for someone placing a bet for someone else. The premise is I have a person who is high up in the tribe and is known as a “Santa” type of person having someone else buying up allotments on the reservation for him.

Another author I was talking to thought the title sounded like something readers couldn’t figure out. But I’m betting, pun intended, that most readers will get it by the end of the book, and I will make sure the victim is referred to by the title at the end of the book when it is all solved.

The premise for the story came about from an online class I’m taking from a Nez Perce Professor who is teaching us the history of the Nez Perce. It’s a non-credit class I sit in on every Thursday night. It started 6 weeks ago, and we have about 2 more weeks to go.

I’ve learned things I didn’t know, and I’ve had things I’ve read reinforced. I found the information about the allotments given to tribal members on the Lapwai reservation informative. Learning how only 18% of the reservation is actually owned by tribal members because when the Whites wanted more land in the reservation, they bought allotments from tribal members for far less than they were worth. Or the Indian Agents sold to the White people they liked. When the Nez Perce couldn’t get the hang of farming, they leased the land to their White neighbors who eventually purchased it. And through the generations, it isn’t always handed down to the tribal members in the family.

Learning all of this, I started researching the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, where my Spotted Pony Casino books are set. They also had allotments assigned to families through the Slater Act of 1885. They have some similar situations that have made the tribe and tribal members land holdings at 52% of the reservation land. They are better off than the Nez Perce, but there is always ongoing animosity and people who are non-tribal who want the land.

There have been a couple of other points and reactions of the person teaching the class that will end up in either more of the Spotted Pony Casino books or the Gabriel Hawke novels. Because while I enjoy writing murder mysteries, it is the characters and how they live and what they think that I am the most interested in enlightening the reader about. As the professor said at the last class, “I am 60 years old, have multiple BAs and my PHD, I still respond fearfully to law enforcement, even though I have never been in trouble with the law, but they will pull me over because they see I’m Indigenous.”

This class has been helping me learn more about how my Native American characters should feel. It is also giving me more inspiration for stories that I can use to enlighten readers about the culture.

That is why I write indigenous characters and try to shed light on the MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). For me it is a passion to show the culture and the people who were here before anyone else and treated so poorly.