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Focus on Books Series |
Hello and welcome to FOCUS on BOOKS, a series sparked by my love of reading. We explore fascinating, familiar, and new worlds created by authors.
Every third Wednesday of the month, join us for a celebration of storytelling—spotlighting books, conversing with guest authors, and sharing my reading recommendations. Giveaways, surprises, and games will add to the fun.
Please welcome accomplished author Reed Stirling. He said,"Intrigue is my primary interest, with romantic entanglement an integral part of the action."
Reed, thank you for being my guest this month on the Focused on Books series. I love the premise of your mystery novel. What sparked this book filled with intrigue and romance?
Thank you, Janet. The reason I wrote a Bouquet of Darts is because travel inspires. Put a group of people with common interests into a
confined space, for instance, a tourist boat plying the canals in the
Netherlands, introduce conflicting points of view, and what results is potential
for an interesting plot. Add Eros, the mischievous mythological god of love
with his gold and lead-tipped arrows, and the plot thickens. Insights into the
nature of love from different perspectives could develop thematically. A year
ago, I entertained these thoughts over a beer on the outer deck as our boat
sailed out of Amsterdam.
I agree, travel does inspire an interesting plot! This one sounds like a fun, entertaining read.
BACK OF THE BOOK--A Bouquet of Darts
Leaving
Amsterdam, twenty engaging personalities begin a seven-day bike and barge
excursion through the Netherlands. Allegiances form, love interests develop,
conflicts arise, and a cyclist’s lifeless body mars their arrival in
Maastricht.
Who is responsible? The insulted chef? An angry deckhand? The
most antagonized among the guests? Everyone onboard, the result of a
well-wrought plot?
Eros? Could the
culprit be the god of love whose arrows never miss their mark and whose
intentions never falter?
Click the link to download A Bouquet of Darts at major online booksellers.
Also available in Paperback.
Buy link
ABOUT AUTHOR REED STIRLING
Reed Stirling lives in Cowichan Bay, BC, and writes when not painting
landscapes, or travelling, or taking coffee at The Drumroaster, a local café
where physics and metaphysics clash daily. Before
retiring and taking up writing fiction as a past time, he taught English
Literature. Several talented students of his have gone on to become successful
writers. He is a member of the Cowichan
Writers Association and the B.C. Federation of Writers. Book We Love Inc. has
published his novels.
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Author Reed Stirling |
Shades
Of Persephone, published
in 2019, is a literary mystery set in Greece.Lighting
The Lamp, a fictional memoir, was
published in March 2020.
Séjour
Saint-Louis (2021) is set in Montreal and dramatizes family conflicts.
The Palimpsest Murders (2023) is a European travel mystery set in the
Lowlands.
A Bouquet of Darts, featuring Eros the god of love, was published in
2024.
Reed Stirling’s shorter work has appeared over the years in a variety of
publications including Hackwriters Magazine, Dis(s)ent, The Danforth Review, Fickle Muses, The
Fieldstone Review, Humanist Perspectives, StepAway Magazine, and Mediterranean Poetry.
Click here to read Reed's guest blog post in 2020
To all who celebrate, Happy Easter and Joyous Passover from J.Q. Rose!!