Terry Shames grew up in Texas. She has abiding affection for
the small town where her grandparents lived, the model for the fictional town
of Jarrett Creek. A resident of Berkeley, California, Terry lives with her
husband, two rowdy terriers and a semi-tolerant cat. She is a member of Sisters
in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Her second Samuel Craddock novel, THE
LAST DEATH OF JACK HARBIN will be out in January 2014. Find out more about
Terry and her books at www.Terryshames.com.
What Terry Has to Say:
Thank you to the Spunky Seniors for having me as a guest. This
has been a whirlwind time for me with the debut of my first novel, A KILLING AT COTTON HILL. I hope readers enjoy the connection between the book and the
sailing life.
*****
The Best Days and the Second Best Days by Terry Shames
Leaving out days like marriages and births, they say the
best day of your life is the day you buy your boat and the second best day is
the day you sell it. And they are right—at least for sailors.
I’d argue that the best day of my life was last week when my
debut novel, A KILLING AT COTTON HILL, came out, but then I’m not an avid
sailor; I’m a reluctant sailor who has had some days on a boat.
I thought my husband
and I had had all the best and second-best days we were going to have with
respect to boats. But two weeks ago we signed papers to buy another one.
Another best day for my husband. And, oddly, for someone like me who doesn’t
really love sailing, a happy day for me as well. For one particular reason.
Our last boat was a 45-foot catamaran, a big boat.
Last fall we sold her
after we decided sailing and maintaining her had gotten to be too much for
us—physically as well as financially. “Good riddance!” my husband said. Finally
completely retired from both working and boating, he then made a valiant effort
to turn his attention elsewhere. He took classes; tried kite boarding; and
insisted that we double our pet population, promising he would take on all the
responsibility for caring for them. But after a few months both of us realized
that he was not making a success of being retired from sailing. He was restless
and unfulfilled. He wanted another boat. “Couldn’t you take up something like
golf?” I whined. No, he wanted to be on the water.
I have to admit, that although I wasn’t as enthusiastic as
he was, there were things I missed about our boat: lovely evenings sitting on
deck watching the sunset; jumping off into the water in the heat of the day;
sailing when the wind was just right. So we decided to get another boat. We
looked at a few, kicking tires, so to speak, and then we went to Los Angeles to
examine a promising prospect. We walked onto the Catalina and I immediately felt
good about her. But there was one thing I needed to test out before I gave my
wholehearted love. While my husband was talking to the sales rep, I went below to
do my “test.” Eventually my husband came downstairs and found me in the master
cabin, sitting propped up on the pillows. “What are doing?” he asked.
I grinned. “Checking out whether I can write here. And it
will be just fine,” I said. Sold.
Happy Sailing!
About Terry's New Release:
“…if you’re as fond of good writing as I am, it will be the
characters in Cotton Hill that will keep the pages turning until late in the
evening…” - Mysteryfile
About Terry's New Release:
In A KILLING AT COTTON HILL the chief of police of Jarrett
Creek, Texas, doubles as the town drunk. So when Dora Lee Parjeter is murdered,
her old friend and former police chief Samuel Craddock steps in to investigate.
He discovers that a lot of people may have wanted Dora Lee dead—the conniving
rascals on a neighboring farm, her estranged daughter and her surly live-in
grandson. And then there’s the stranger Dora Lee claimed was spying on her.
During the course of the investigation the human foibles of the small-town
residents—their pettiness and generosity, their secret vices and true
virtues—are revealed.
Reviews:
“Shames’ novel is an amazing read. The poetic, literary
quality of the writing draws you in…” - RT Book Reviews
“Readers will want to see more of the likable main character, who compassionately but relentlessly sifts the evidence. Convincing small town atmosphere and a vivid support cast are a plus.” - Publisher's Weekly
“Terry
Shames offers readers a wonderfully-told tale that kept me turning pages… what
kept my interest more than anything was the writing. It was absolutely
superb.” - Lee Lofland, The Graveyard Shift
Please welcome Terry Shames to Spunky Senior Authors and Talents by leaving a comment.
