Nine days from today, my third installment of the Agent Sam Carter Mysteries releases. I had no idea that what began as a request from my then nine-year-old nephew would turn into a three-book series. 
How it all began.
My family and I were attending a Christmas concert at church in December of 2016. During the mid-concert break, my nephew Carter crawled over several laps to get next to me. He plopped down and, with his face in his hands, said, "I hear you write books." Being quite precocious, this statement could go anywhere. I paused a moment and then responded, "Yes, I do. How may I help you?" He sat up straight. "I want you to write a book about me. I want to ride a motorcycle and have a long mustache." The music came back, and our conversation ended. That young man planted a seed, though.
At the time, I was working on other books and getting ready to publish my first, Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar. As the year progressed, I didn't forget what he'd asked.  What began as a lark, never thinking I would publish it, just make a booklet for Carter, became an actual book. I took liberties with family members and situations (the names were changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent).
Though the book takes place in the Pacific Northwest, most of the scenes are based on the town of Branchville, NJ. The pictures I used for chapter headings were mostly ones I took or created and then edited and digitized. 
By December, the first Agent Sam Carter book, The Mystery at Branch Lake, was released, and now the third. 
I'm not sure where or when the next mystery will happen. Oh, look, it's a mystery. 
Below are some of the pictures from The Mystery at Branch Lake. 
The second book, The Mystery at High Pointe Tower, actually takes place in New Jersey. I've used local areas that many from Sussex County will be familiar with. Things like Volcano Road, High Point Monument, and the Lusscroft Trail.
Join me next week, and I'll fill you in on The Mystery at Starling Mine

This is me in 20 degree weather with a wind chill of 5 below at the highest point in NJ, The High Point Monument. Yes, I was only wearing a sweatshirt. What an author will do for a photo op, sigh.
If you're interested in any of my Agent Sam Carter Mysteries head on over to 
www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4CBD46Q
The first two are available and Starling Mine releases next week digitally. But here's a big secret you can order the paperback today!
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0785LCHWH
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About D. V. Stone
D. V. Stone is known for her engaging and captivating storytelling, often weaving elements of romance, fantasy, and adventure into her novels. Her official website, dvstoneauthor.com, serves as a central hub for fans and new readers alike to explore her literary works, learn about upcoming book releases, and gain insights into her creative process. The site typically features detailed book descriptions, author blogs, and exclusive content such as interviews and behind-the-scenes looks at her writing journey. Additionally, visitors can find information on where to purchase her books, sign up for newsletters, and connect with DV Stone on social media. Whether you’re a long-time follower or new to her stories, dvstoneauthor.com offers a comprehensive and inviting space to immerse yourself in the world of DV Stone’s imagination.

Summer is winding down. Some kids have already returned to school and soon others will follow. Many of you know the story behind my Agent Sam Carter series. Well, guess what? The real Agent Carter left for college yesterday. It's hard to believe he's so grown from the time he crawled across laps at a Christmas concert and said, "I want you to write a book about me. I want to ride a motorcycle and have a long mustache." The 3rd installment of Agent Sam Carter releases on September 4, 2024. Here's the pre-order link ​
www.amazon.com/dp/B0D38B4G6G
​And I' d appreciate it if you'd mark it on Goodreads as "want to read' 
www.goodreads.com/book/show/212693850-the-mystery-at-starling-mine
Now on to today's guest and her newest mystery.

Cruel Intentions
by
Alana Lorens
Mystery
Released July 10, 2024

Miami attorney Bet Lenard has had a rough year. She's battling an unknown illness that drives her to drink to cope with her pain. Her lawyer husband has divorced her and taken the best part of their business, their home and their children. On the night of May 16, 1996, Bet finds herself in the Everglades in the middle of the night, drugged, lost and next to a burned car with a dead body in it. Hoping she's hit bottom, Bet must drag herself out of her living hell and discover who tried to kill her. Was it her ex-husband, not satisfied with stealing everything that mattered? An angry client, unhappy with the outcome of their case? Her best friend's husband, livid that Bet's restraining order kicked him out of her life forever? Police officers fuming that Bet helped a client convict a dirty cop who was their friend? She has no idea. As she tries to sort out the motives behind her would-be killer, even more suspects come to light. The only thing keeping Bet sane is her relationship with her therapist, who encourages her to struggle and survive, despite everything that's gone wrong. How will Bet discover the truth and bring her enemy to justice before they strike again and, this time, succeed?
​Amazon
Walmart
Target
BooksAMillion
IndieBound
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Google Books
ITunes

The Story behind the Story.
As a former attorney practicing in Miami and south Dade County, I lived in these neighborhoods and dealt with dangerous situations, both natural and manmade. Many scenes in this book are based on situations I experienced personally–unfortunately not where I made millions of dollars as a criminal defense attorney !The going into labor scene–100% true. 🙂 I still feel badly for that judge.
This book is dedicated to women with chronic illness, who often go years without proper diagnosis, seeing doctors who don’t believe them, and their ongoing fight to educate themselves and those around them. May they have their best lives in the end.

About the author.
Alana Lorens (aka Barbara Mountjoy) has been a published writer for over 45 years, including seven years as a reporter and editor at the South Dade News Leader in Homestead, Florida. Her list of publications includes the non-fiction book 101 Little Instructions for Surviving Your Divorce, published by Impact Publishers in 1999, stories in A Cup of Comfort for Divorced Women, in December 2008, and A Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Parents, in June 2009.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens
https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alana-lorens
@AlexanderLyndi
https://www.instagram.com/alexander_lyndi/

​Hi Birdie! Thank you for joining me today. It's been hot hot hot here in New Jersey so I'm going to pour us a nice cold glass of water to keep hydrated. While I do, please introduce yourself to my other guests by telling us something about you. Who are you other than your bio?
I’m the proverbial duck whose feet are frantic underwater, but you only see smooth sailing on the surface. Someone once called me organised, but they’ve never seen my living room. I’ll swim if the water’s warm, eat ice-cream in winter, and cuddle my cat at every opportunity.
I've had others think the same of me. At some things I'm very organized but as you know I can drop the ball occasionally by paddling too fast. FYI to the others, Birdie was supposed to be here last month. So my friend, what interests besides writing do you enjoy?
I love my garden. It’s only a small garden bed, but just the right size. I don’t actually spend a lot of time working on it, but prefer to live amongst it, nudging things every so often and seeing how it grows. I’d love to write a romance set in a garden one day, but for now, I’m working on final touches for The Guy from the Wedding.
Who is your network or support system?
There’s a special quality of connection you can only get from sitting in a room with someone, hearing their unfiltered voice, and observing the quirks of your shared space. Last time I visited you, almost all my support network was online and scattered across timezones. I appreciate them dearly, but still felt lonely and easily distracted from my work. These days, I’m part of a book club, a writing group, and a tiny pod of friends who publish their own books – all local, and all stoking my fire for reading and writing.
You are so correct. I tend to hideaway but when I get to be around authors and readers it sparks so much. Who or what books or authors are your inspiration?
There’s way too many to name, DV! But I can list a few lovely books that I’ve thought about often since first reading them: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, a cosy fantasy with a dusting of romance. Remember Me by Vida Li Sik, a sweet second chance romance set in Johannesburg, South Africa. And the Sloan Krause cosy mystery series by Ellie Alexander.
How did publishing your first book change your writing process?
Honestly? All it did was signal that I might start thinking about taking this job seriously one day. It wasn’t until The Guy from the Library came out (my third book, currently available for free with my newsletter) that I realised I needed to overhaul my writing process if I wanted to keep doing this. I used to have very unhealthy habits around writing that flip-flopped between anxiously avoidant and workaholic. It meant I’d spend a lot of energy getting in my own head about it, then burning out quickly.
“Library” made me realise that yes, I am capable of writing consistently and sticking to my vision of an enjoyable romance story. From there, I began the gradual process of trial and error, finding the right balance of structure and freedom. The Guy from the Wedding, through its various incarnations during the writing process, gave me many opportunities to put my new habits into practice.
I'm trying to get back into that consistancy mode. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I expect to do a lot of research once a draft is underway. There are just too many things you can’t foresee until you’re immersed in the story and characters, you know? The most recent research I did was going to play mini-golf (I think you guys call it putt-putt?) for a scene in The Guy from the Wedding. I just couldn’t picture my characters being there until I’d dined at the café and played through 18 holes with a brightly coloured miniature golf club.
We call it both. And I love cheating when playing against my husband. What was your hardest scene to write?
I hope it’s not crass to say the entirety of The Guy from the Wedding was hard to write.
This book started very differently to how it ended up, despite it being plotted from the start. It’s an enemies to lovers romance, where much of the conflict stems from the characters’ insecurities. This forced me to confront many of my own insecurities in order to write true.
I love the idea that every project should push a writer to up-skill their craft and connect more deeply with their inner selves but, mate, tell ya what … It’s been a wild ride, and I’ll be absolutely elated when the book comes out later this year!
Thank you for sharing that vulnerable side of being an author. What subjects should be taught in school but aren’t?
This could be controversial, but I think financial literacy (aka. how to understand and manage your money) should be a mandatory subject in school. It was an optional class in my high school, despite the subject matter affecting everyone. This issue actually makes a cameo in The Guy from the Wedding: one of the characters doesn’t realise something going awry in their business, and is left with a monstrous debt, which then dovetails into the story.
You can be a very capable and smart person, and still not know what you’re looking at in terms of managing your money, because financial products can be so complex (The Big Short is an excellent film that covers this). So many of us have hidden emotional wounds around money too, and I wonder if better financial literacy can help us work through that kind of trauma, because we’d find ourselves with effective tools for dealing with the triggers.
I think often we are afraid of finances so we tend to ignore them like an ostrich burying its head and then bam, It's too late and we're over our head. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
My writing group splits the cost of hiring a co-working space once a week. This is a new thing for me. I used to be afraid of spending money on my pursuits until I realised it was because key people in my past convinced me not to, that stuff that was important to me wasn’t worth investing in. That was one of my hidden emotional wounds around money: the feeling that no matter how hard I worked for something, I still didn’t deserve to be valued. That was a lightbulb moment for sure.
So much has come from spending time with creative and encouraging people. They’ve helped me approach my writing more professionally and objectively, stopped me from falling into anxiety and depression when drafts weren’t working, and shown me so many different perspectives from which to view the world. What I’m paying isn’t expensive, but it’s not a negligible amount either, but it really has been worth it.
The Guy from the Wedding by Birdie Song is coming out in Q4. Sign up for Birdie Song’s Newsletter for updates, and for a gift copy of The Guy from the Library, a short and sweet “sudden puppy” romance.

1. The Guy from the Library by Birdie Song

She’s ready for a new chapter.
Andrea trusts books more than boys. After all, they don’t embarrass you or make mean jokes, and they’re certainly clear about their intentions. But Jackson from the library seems genuinely friendly amidst this sudden puppy situation. Is it possible he could be her next chapter?
Sample the world of Somerville Downs with this sweet 'sudden puppy' short story. Available for free with Birdie Song's Newsletter. Get it today.

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​About Birdie Song
Birdie Song is an Asian-Australian writer from Perth, Western Australia on Whadjuk-Noongar country. She pens sweet stories featuring hopeful characters and optimistic endings (spoiler alert!). She believes love is more important than labels, integrity is a person's most attractive quality, and that no one should be judged for putting pineapple on a pizza. When not writing, she tends to a veggie garden and reads a variety of books, hoping to one day understand the meaning of life.
Website: birdiesongauthor.com
Newsletter: birdiesongauthor.com/newsletter
Blog: birdiesongauthor.com/blog
BookBub: bookbub.com/profile/birdie-song