A New Release Peek with Randy Overbeck

Who- Hi, I’m Dr. O. Randolph Overbeck, but my friends mostly call me Randy. I served children for four decades as a teacher, a college prof, and a school leader. Not surprisingly, this wealth of experience has provided a rich resource of real-life stories to draw on to craft my fiction, all featuring teachers as heroes. I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart for 50 years—wow, where has the time gone?—and have a wonderful extended family of three adult children and loving spouses, and most important, seven incredible grandchildren. Unfortunately, they are scattered across the country.

Interests- I have several varied interests, not really connected. I’m a pretty decent cook—I do almost all the cooking in our house—and I love to explore new recipes, as long as they’re not too spicy. (One of my favorite sayings is “If God wanted you to eat it, it wouldn’t hurt going down.”) I’m serious about my exercise, committing to at least five active hour-long sessions per week, with my favorites being water aerobics and golf. I’m really into activities with the grandkids, you know, putt-putt, bowling, and mostly, riding roller coasters. My wife and I enjoy traveling and seeing new places, and we’ve been to most of the 50 states and a half dozen foreign countries. Lately, these travels have inspired the Haunted Shores Mysteries. Our last trip (pre-pandemic) was to a small town on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
 
Network. I’ve always been a “connector” and learned early in my educational career the power of collaboration. As far as writing, I’m a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the Midwest Chapter. When I can, I participate in writing conferences such as Killer Nashville and Sleuthfest and work to connect with writers there as well. In addition to connecting with the fine authors at the Wild Rose Press, I belong to the Rare Reviews Book Club and try to learn from all these dedicated writers. Since I’ve received help and support through these venues, I try to use them to mentor other writers. I also belong to two local writers groups. I’ve worked to maintain networks in other areas as well. I’m a member of local, state, and national retired teachers groups, even serving the Ohio Retired Teachers Association as president and board member for seven years. I’m a Senior Active member of Xenia (OH) Rotary and have been an active Rotarian for almost 25 years. I’ve found all these networks provide me with avenues to market my work.
 
Desk description. I’m very fortunate here. My wife and I recently designed and built a new house, and within the plans, I was able to specify a spacious, comfortable office, complete with desk, chair, bookcase, wall space with bulletin board and trundle bed—for when I tire—all with an expansive window on one side. My working space is a large, L-shaped executive desk with more than twenty square feet of surface. If you’d pop in when I’m creating, you’d likely find the surface covered with my laptop, keyboard, 24-inch monitor, and Bluetooth speaker, as well as post-its, piles of notes, and lists of research details. Not much of the rich wood surface would be evident. Beside the desk sits my printer atop a small matching file cabinet and, of course, a tall bookcase. As I glance around, I remind myself how fortunate I am—and then I get back to work. Oh, and when I break for the day, I do tend to tidy up a bit, though I’m not the OCD freak like my hero of my novels, Darrell.

Outrageous talent or something fun like that. I don’t think this is an outrageous talent, and I’m not sure others would consider this fun, but here goes. I know many writers enjoy, prefer, and are happiest as hermits, just them and their computers, pecking away to make their stories come alive. While I like my alone time—and need hours of it to create—I also love being out among “the people.” I’m fortunate to be a comfortable—and pretty good—speaker, and I’ve had the privilege of giving more than 175 “author talks” to all kinds of groups and organizations, large and small, over the past several years. I love the challenge to hook the participants, and I thrive on the chance to engage everyone in the audience. Now that the pandemic is easing—we hope and pray—I have twenty more scheduled in the next few months, and I can’t wait to get back out there.

Window What’s outside yours? Since we were able to draw up the design for our new place, we placed the window in my office with a great view. When I glance up from my manuscript, I look out on a small pond filled with coy and beyond, a full stand of trees that edge the woods that surrounds our sub. This view is inspiring most days and explodes with riotous color during our Midwest autumn. During the Christmas season, the window becomes a display of our favorite holiday decorations. While I sometimes take solace in the tranquility of the view, I try not to let it draw me away too much from the reason I’m sitting there—to create my next masterpiece.

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Peek until your hearts content

Scarlet at Crystal River ​A Haunted Shores Mystery
by
Randy Overbeck

​Darrell and Erin thought they were heading to Florida for a carefree honeymoon, but the ghosts of two immigrants children haunt them, pleading for help.
​(Paranormal mystery, mild Release by Wild Rose Press—September 13, 2021)

A Peek Inside
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All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.
 
When he and Erin track down the artist, they discover the children’s family were migrant workers the next county over. But when they travel there, their questions about the kids gets their car shot up and Erin hospitalized. Torn between fear and rage, Darrell must decide how far he will go to get justice for two young children he never even knew.
         
 
A Peek at what others think
“Scarlet at Crystal River is an eerie paranormal mystery I couldn't stop reading. Randy Overbeck is a masterful writer of the paranormal, drawing the reader in before instilling shivers down the spine. 5+ stars." –N. N. Light's Book Heaven
 
“A rollercoaster of a mystery, hurtling up and down hills and sharp corners until the very end, when the reader is left slightly breathless, waiting for their hearts to beat back to a normal rhythm. ★★★★★—ReadersView
 
“Scarlet at Crystal River is a suspenseful paranormal novel with compelling characters and an enigmatic mystery that drives the story to a riveting conclusion. Overbeck is a master at building tension–-this is easily a one-sitting read.” ★★★★★—Literary Titan
 
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Crystal-Haunted-Shores-Mysteries/dp/1509237879/ref=sr_1_ 
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scarlet-at-crystal-river-randy-overbeck/1139873947?ean=9781509237876
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A more in-depth Peek
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for four decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake, Crimson at Cape May and Scarlet at Crystal River have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year--ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.
 
Social Media Handles
https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy/media 
https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck 
https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/ 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KOC0LH2GQRSAjwxOFr5rg 
Tik Tok @authorrandyo

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