Straight From the Mouth of Memoirist Mary Lawlor

 

5 Things You Should Know About Fighter Pilot's Daughter 

By Mary Lawlor

1. It’s a true story—an account of my life as one of four daughters in an Irish-American, Catholic, military family.

2. The plot of the book follows the moves we made at the behest of the Marine Corps and Army. And we moved a lot –on average once every two years.

3. Fighter Pilot’s Daughter is my first book of non-academic writing. I spent many years as an English professor and published a couple of academic books. This was my first venture into making a story about my own, personal experience. It was a very exciting and very frightening thing to do. I had no idea if I could pull it off but was thrilled to see that I could.

4. Some readers have wondered how my sisters, who have a central role in Fighter Pilot’s Daughter, reacted to the book. Well before publication, I gave them the manuscript to read. I wanted to know if there was anything they objected to so we could talk about it and work out potential issues. But they were very supportive and didn’t complain about anything—none of the complicated pictures of our family the book conveys, including our father’s alcoholism. I’ve been very grateful for that support and wouldn’t feel right about the book if they hadn’t seen it before it came out.

5. Fighter Pilot’s Daughter is one of the few works of non-fiction about a specific military family and one of even fewer that situates the experience of military family life on base and all the moving within the larger picture of the late Cold War. 

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Mary Lawlor is author of a memoir, Fighter Pilot’s Daughter: Growing Up in the Sixties and the Cold War (Bloomsbury 2015) and two books of cultural criticism, Recalling the Wild: Naturalism and the Closing of the American West (Rutgers UP 2000) and Public Native America (Rutgers UP 2006). She studied at the American University in Paris, the University of Maryland, and New York University. She divides her time between Easton, Pennsylvania and Gaucin, Spain. Her novel, The Translators, is set in 12th century Spain and fictionalizes the experiences of Robert of Ketton, first translator of the Koran into Latin. She hopes to see it out next year. In the meantime, she has started a second novel, The Women’s Hospital, set in 18th century Spain and inspired by the life story of an Irish woman whose family moved to Cádiz, escaping English oppression in their own country.

╰┈➤ You can visit her website at https://www.marylawlor.net/.

Connect with her on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mary.lawlor.186/ 

 

Straight From the Mouth of 'The Faithful, The Fearful & The Foolish' Luke Uebelher

In 2012, Luke Uebelher began serving and supporting the needs of sex-trafficking and domestic violence survivors by working in partnership with ministries that are led by trafficking and abuse survivors. Under the guidance and leadership of his pastors, his ministry expanded to also serving and supporting the needs of homeless Military Veterans, and ministries in the Philippines. Luke and his wife Maggie were married in 2018 and have a home in the Philippines. Luke travels between the United States and the Philippines for business and ministry services. 

Luke’s latest book is The Faithful, The Fearful & The Foolish: Living for God in Troubled Times.

Connect with him on social media at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Luke-UebelherDiamond-Fire-Transport-Missions-100077395525353/ 

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For readers who don’t know you yet, who is Luke Uebelher?

Luke Uebelher is a follower of Jesus Christ, having dedicated his life to the Lord while serving in the U.S. Marines during his tour of duty in the Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm. Following his service in the Marine

Corps, Luke worked in various professions to include public safety, construction and sales before establishing his own business in the trucking industry as an independent contractor.

In 2012, Luke responded to God’s Call and Kingdom Purposes to begin serving the needs of sex-trafficking and domestic violence survivors by working with ministries led by trafficking and abuse survivors. His work in the Lord expanded to serving the needs of homeless Military Veterans in 2015 through 2017, working in partnership with a ministry in Southern California.

In 2018, Luke’s work for God’s Kingdom expanded internationally when he married his Wife, Maggie, and he travels between the United States and the Philippines for business and ministry. He and Maggie have devoted themselves to supporting and serving the needs of Pastors and Ministry Leaders in the Philippines, in addition to the ministries that Luke serves and supports in the United States.

In 2023, Luke and his book, “The Faithful, The Fearful & The Foolish: Living for God in Troubled Times” were featured and interviewed at the Hong Kong Book Conference with Readers Magnet.” Following this, Luke’s work for God’s Kingdom expanded into Hong Kong and Macau, China, serving in partnership with Philippine Pastors, to serve the needs of Filipinos who live and work in Hong Kong and Macau, China, teaching and empowering them in financial stewardship, managing a long distance marriage, discipleship and setting boundaries to protect themselves from abuse at the hands of their foreign employers. All the work that Luke and Maggie do for God’s Kingdom is funded by his business in the trucking industry.

Can you tell us a little about your book, The Faithful, The Fearful & The Foolish: Living for God in Troubled Times?

“The Faithful, the Fearful & The Foolish: Living for God in Troubled Times” was published in December 2022 (NCC Publishing, Inc), and is a result of a message of the Holy Spirit to God’s people to overcome the fear of man, learn to be effective in the Business of God, and prepare ourselves to Rule and Reign with Christ. The Holy Spirit began ministering to Luke about this message in 2019, with the conclusion of the writing of the book in the late summer of 2022, and submitting it for publication.

The focus of the message of the book is taken from the Parable of the Talents in Luke 19:12–27, with Scripture from both the Old and New Testaments to guide and empower each reader to overcome the fear of man, learn to effectively do the Business of God, and prepare themselves to Rule and Reign with Christ in order to advance God’s Kingdom in a world that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ, and empower others to do the same. The message of the book does not “tickle people’s ears,” but rather teaches and guides each reader to cultivate a genuine hunger and thirst for Righteousness, grow in their Faith and submission to the Authority of God’s Word, and to esteem the Kingdom of God over our culture of selfishness that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ.

Who will benefit from the book? And, how is this book different from other books?

Everyone who has an interest in overcoming fear, particularly the fear of man, to pursue God’s Kingdom Purposes for their lives will find this book to be very helpful. Additionally, the message of the book will stir readers to a hunger and thirst for Righteousness, arise out of complacency and cowardice, and grow in the confidence of Christ. A significant aspect of the message of the book is in guiding readers to learn the importance of bringing our lives into agreement and submission to God’s Word by Faith through Jesus Christ, so that we may walk in the favor and authority of God, to restrain and overcome the works of darkness, and live a life that Honors and Glorifies God, and empowers others to do the same. Each chapter concludes with questions that call each reader to self reflection, personal growth, and a call to action to be Faithful and Fruitful in the Business of God. This book is an excellent resource to help readers grow in Discipleship, Christian Leadership, Spiritual Transformation, and developing mental and emotional stability in these troubled times.

What’s next for you?

While Luke did not previously see himself as an author, nor did he aspire to be an author, he did recognize the call of God to write the book, “The Faithful, The Fearful & The Foolish: Living for God in Troubled Times,” and the importance of living and teaching the message of the book to empower and disciple others to become effective in the Business of God. Luke understands this is a Calling from God, not a career, and it requires that he continually grows in his own effectiveness for God’s Kingdom so he may inspire, empower, and lead others in Godliness. It is Luke’s desire to see God Glorified in the lives of others, as he helps them abound in their Faith. Luke is a small business owner, who’s passion is to advance God’s Kingdom by empowering others to grow in the Greatness of God, as he works toward his goal of being with his wife, Maggie, full-time and pursuing God’s Kingdom Purposes together.

 

 

Straight From the Mouth of Mystery Author Mike Martin

 

What's the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series All About?

By Mike Martin

The award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series is about solving crimes and putting the bad guys is jail. But underneath all of the police

procedures is a story about the power of community, kindness, and the small decisions that shape a life. The characters are not perfect, but they try their best and as they sometimes stumble towards success, they often have to overcome obstacles and challenges.

It is also about food and always, family. The food is almost a central character in itself and as a food-loving Mountie, Sgt. Windflower can dig in with the best of them. There are stews and casseroles and lots and lots of barbequed and grilled meat and seafood. And dessert. Oh, my goodness, the desserts are fabulous. Home-made cookies, cakes and pies and of course Windflower’s favorite: chocolate peanut butter cheesecake.

His family is paramount and always part of the action in a Windflower mystery. Sheila Hillier, his wife and anchor in life keeps him grounded and content. His daughters, Amelia Louise and Stella teach him more about life then he could ever learn on his own. His collie, Lady, is his perfect companion, trusting and loyal to the end. Molly, the cat, remains a bit of a mystery herself. Windflower is still trying to figure out if she likes him or just tolerates his presence.

Food, family, friends and a few dead bodies. That’s what the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series is all about. The latest book in the series is A Change in Plans.

 __________  

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 17 books in this light mystery series with the publication of A Change in Plans. 

A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. All That Glitters was shortlisted for the LOLA 2024 Must Read Book of the year award.

Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest Darkest Before the Dawn was released as an audiobook in 2024. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

Visit Mike’s website at https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com. 

Connect with him on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore 

╰┈➤ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mike54martin 

Straight From the Mouth of Memoirist Mary Lawlor

 

The Inspiration Behind 'Fighter Pilot's Daughter'

By Mary Lawlor

Fighter Pilot’s Daughter was one of the most difficult projects I’ve ever undertaken.  It was also probably the most important thing I’ve ever done for myself.  Putting the book together was like a process of self-therapy: it had a powerful stabilizing effect that stays with me now.  Part of this came with the clear account the research and the writing made of my family’s zigzagging past.

Like most military families, we moved a lot (fourteen times before I graduated from high school).  And like other Army fathers, my Dad was away often.  My mother and sisters and I would worry about his safety, especially when he was flying in war zones.  He would write my mother fairly regularly for a while, then his communications would dwindle off under the weight of more pressing matters close at hand.  This would leave us wondering how he was, and I often had nightmares of him being captured, imprisoned…

In spite of the fact that we missed him fiercely, Dad’s homecomings weren’t as easy as we expected them to be.  Familiar as he was, his tall frame in the doorway and his blaring blue eyes with that far-away look were strange and frightening.  After a while, we’d get used to him; but I wonder how long it would take him to get used to being home.  He’d been in such a different, all-male world where violence reigned.  At home, there were only women.  My mother and sisters and I knew little about what he’d been through, not just because we were too young to know but because a lot of what he’d been up to was secret.

We never talked about any of this, so our house was a tense, uneasy place when Dad came home.  Indigenous people in many parts of the world have rituals for bringing warriors home—practices aimed at diminishing the potency of trauma and other effects of prolonged exposure to violence.  I guess we’re starting to see something like this in the debriefings and psychological attention given to soldiers and marines returning from war.  But in the sixties there wasn’t anything like it.  Dads just came home, still warriors, and now being asked not to be.

The story of Fighter Pilot’s Daughter had to have a plot—not just the order of our moves but the dramas that accompanied them.  It was difficult enough getting all my father’s military records so I could see the the crazy chain of our moves from one place to another.  It was even harder to go back into memories that reawakened painful feelings of confusion and anxiety that came with being new all the time.  All those scenes where I was a stranger and everybody else belonged still stung.

Making a story out my family life meant describing my parents, sisters, and myself as if we were characters.  I had to give physical portraits, convey personalities and make us say things.  The truth had to be the first priority, but the truth can be messy.  These portraits had to be shaped so readers could make sense of who I was talking about.  I think human character is, in the end, more complex than any literary character.  Picturing human beings in their ordinary rawness is very difficult.  A reader needs a writer to give their literary characters more specific shape and continuity than most of us usually have—features that allow a reader to recognize a person from one page to the next.  In memoirs and biographies, those shapes and continuities have to be made from real materials—the habits and speech styles and surprising ticks of real human beings.  So my family members and me ended up appearing in the book in more definitive shape than we actually had.  Still, these descriptions adhered to the truth of my memory as much as I could make them.

Writing Fighter Pilot’s Daughter gave me a chance to air the ragged feelings still running in my brain and heart from those days long ago.  Some of these feelings had to do with the work my father did.   As a teenager, I had a hard time understanding how I felt or should feel about the things he did as a warrior.  When I went away to college, I drifted from my parents and made friends with people in left political groups and the anti-Vietnam War movement.  In Paris, in May of 1968, I participated in demonstrations against, among other things, the war my father was fighting At the time, he was posted outside Saigon.  When I saw him again, the tension between us was almost too much.  We had heated arguments, and then for a long we didn’t speak.  Much later my parents and I got to be very close, and I’m deeply grateful for that.  Being retired from military life, Dad had changed dramatically.

I wanted to write about all this so I could sort out those powerful emotions that were still with me.  I hope Fighter Pilot’s Daughter strikes a chord with other military kids.  And I hope it gives readers in general a better understanding of what military kids go through.  When I tell people I grew up in an Army family, they often say Was it like “The Great Santini”?  It’s surprising how often people ask that.  The answer is no.  Santini was an abusive father, and while many soldier fathers are professionally familiar with violence, they don’t necessarily bring it home with them.  Pat Conroy, author of The Great Santini tells a great story, but as he says himself it’s his story, not a representative account of military family life.  His book is is one of the few that features a Marine Corps pilot, his wife and children as the central characters, so it often gets taken as a model of  military family life.

I hope readers of Fighter Pilot’s Daughter see that there are other ways of describing domestic life for service families.  Many of the biggest difficulties for spouses and children are built into the structures of everyday life in military environments.  I hope readers take from my book a sense of how complicated it is to maintain a healthy, optimistic family life when you’re  having to move all the time and when a parent has to spend long months away from home on deployments.  For all the good or ill the armed services might do for America, they can bear down hard on the lives of soldiers’ wives as kids.  And they can make make their lives wildly interesting, as I hope Fighter Pilot’s Daughter shows.

 __________  

Mary Lawlor is author of a memoir, Fighter Pilot’s Daughter: Growing Up in the Sixties and the Cold War (Bloomsbury 2015) and two books of cultural criticism, Recalling the Wild: Naturalism and the Closing of the American West (Rutgers UP 2000) and Public Native America (Rutgers UP 2006). She studied at the American University in Paris, the University of Maryland, and New York University. She divides her time between Easton, Pennsylvania and Gaucin, Spain. Her novel, The Translators, is set in 12th century Spain and fictionalizes the experiences of Robert of Ketton, first translator of the Koran into Latin. She hopes to see it out next year. In the meantime, she has started a second novel, The Women’s Hospital, set in 18th century Spain and inspired by the life story of an Irish woman whose family moved to Cádiz, escaping English oppression in their own country.

╰┈➤ You can visit her website at https://www.marylawlor.net/.

Connect with her on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mary.lawlor.186/ 

Straight From the Mouth of Mystery Author Tucker May

The Inspiration Behind 'The Lemon House Murders'

By Tucker May

The Lemon House Murders was born from a mixture of real-world experience and a lifelong love of mystery tales. It is set in a live-in drug rehab center. In 2022, I spent time in a rehabilitation facility to seek treatment for alcoholism. That facility ultimately became the setting for this book.

While the story in the novel is entirely fictional, nearly everything about the house where the plot unfolds is based on my own experience. Many of the characters are loosely inspired by individuals I met while undergoing treatment. I am beyond pleased to report that I am now over four years sober and chasing my dream of being a novelist.

This novel is a gripping thrill ride that will keep readers guessing as to the identity of the culprit. There are clues, misdirections and shocking reveals like you'll find in any well-structured whodunit. What makes The Lemon House Murders truly special, though, is the thought-provoking social commentary, the challenges to long-accepted lines of thinking and the calls to deeply consider the ways our society treats the downtrodden that are baked into the narrative. 

I wanted to craft a story that can help people realize the true nature of addiction. It is not something that only happens to stupid people. It is not a personal or moral failure. It is an instance of the natural feedback processes baked into every human's brain going awry. It can happen to anyone who does not properly deal with their emotions and past traumas. Almost everyone knows someone who has struggled with addiction in some way. 

I hope that anyone who reads The Lemon House Murders comes away realizing one simple fact: people who have struggled with addiction are still people. We have skills and talents that can contribute to bettering the world. We have dreams and aspirations just like anyone else. We have value. Any time that someone recovers from addiction and gets their life back on track, everybody wins. And any time an addict dies, the world loses a precious life that brims with potential.

I am thrilled to share this book and its messages with the world at large. I hope you enjoy the ride. 

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Tucker May is a writer of mystery novels, whodunit short stories and all kinds of fun, puzzling tales. Murders, crimes, and mysteries abound. He grew up in Missouri then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He’s a diehard fan of the Los Angeles Rams and Geelong Cats. He lives in Pasadena, CA with his wife Barbara and their cat Principal Spittle. He is the author of The Lemon House Murders and Death of a Billionaire. 

╰┈➤ Visit Tucker’s website at www.tuckermay.com. 

Connect with him on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Tucker-May-Mysteries 

╰┈➤ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/TuckerMayMysteries 

╰┈➤ BlueSky: http://www.bluesky.com/TuckerMayMysteries

╰┈➤ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/58926295.Tucker_May 

 

Straight From the Mouth of Children's Book Author Karen Charles

 

The Inspiration Behind Evan's Gift

By Karen Charles

I didn’t start out thinking I want to be an author. I started as a teacher and a listener. For years, I worked with children during moments of real upheaval, social unrest, trauma, fear, and uncertainty. I saw how deeply children absorb what’s happening around them, even when they don’t have the words to express it.

Writing became a way for me to make sense of those experiences and to offer stories that could help others do the same. Whether I’m writing for adults or children, my goal has always been to tell stories that heal, that open conversations, and that remind us of our shared humanity. Evan’s Gift came from that same place, wanting to reach children early, before the world hardens them.

Evan’s Gift is based on my experience as a kid earning my own bike, growing up in Africa. The idea came from watching how children respond to kindness, both when they receive it and when they give it. I’ve seen classrooms change because of one child’s gentle act or quiet courage. Evan’s Gift grew out of the belief that kindness is not small or passive; it’s powerful. I wanted to create a story that shows children that they already have something meaningful to offer the world, simply by noticing others and choosing compassion. Evan doesn’t have superpowers; his “gift” is something every child can access, and that was very important to me.

Evan is a thoughtful, observant child. He’s not the loudest or the most outgoing, but he pays attention. He notices when others are hurting or left out. Evan represents so many children who feel deeply but don’t always know how to express it. What makes Evan special is that he learns his kindness matters, that even small actions can ripple outward and change how people feel about themselves and each other.

The other characters are the people in Evan’s world, friends, classmates, roommates, and adults, who are affected by his kindness. They’re intentionally relatable so children can see themselves and their communities in the story. Each character reflects a different emotional experience, helping young readers recognize feelings like loneliness, gratitude, and connection in a gentle, age-appropriate way.

Kindness and empathy are skills we have to nurture, especially in children. Evan’s Gift opens the door to meaningful conversations at home, in classrooms, and in counseling spaces about how our actions affect others. It’s a story that reassures children that they matter and empowers them to make a difference simply by being who they are. In today’s world, that message feels more important than ever.

__________ 

 

Karen Charles grew up in West Africa and traveled to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Her rich background and lifetime experiences are reflected in the depth of her writing. In her stories, she transforms real-life narratives into gripping fiction thrillers. Her novels intricately weave the threads of truth into a tapestry of suspense, intrigue, and riveting storytelling. She is the author of two children’s books, “Freeman Earns a Bike” and “Evan’s Gifts,” and three thrillers based on true stories. “Fateful Connections” takes place in the aftermath of 9/11, and “Blazing Upheaval” takes place during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and the Northridge earthquake. “A Glimpse Too Far” offers all the mystery and heart-pounding suspense of a psychological thriller and is based on a true story.

Karen Charles has two businesses—a global company that trains international teachers to teach American English and an Airbnb on a beautiful bay in Washington State, where she currently resides with her husband. 

Visit her website at www.weaveofsuspense.com. 

Connect with her on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.

 

Straight From the Mouth of YA Fantasy Author Barbara Jean Weber

 

The Inspiration Behind The Welcome Sign

By Barbara Jean Weber

The inspiration for The Welcome Sign began when I received a beautiful metal Welcome Sign as a gift. I love and collect mermaids and my parents had found the beautiful sign with a mermaid on it. The store was going out of business so they purchased the sign for me. I have always loved stories that were full of magic, magical beings, intrigue and good vs. evil so I was familiar with fun adventure stories that included these elements. After I received the sign, I had a series of incredible dreams involving the origins of the sign. The dreams became the inspiration and basis for the book.  As it evolved, it became a fun adventure story that I was eager to share with my family and others as I felt they would also enjoy reading it.  This book allowed me to create magical worlds, interesting characters, intrigue and battles between good and evil. The Welcome Sign was written as the first book in a series of three. The second book is written but not edited or published yet and the third book is still being developed and is in outline form.  It's fun to believe that my metal mermaid welcome sign might actually have a magical origin story. You just never know.

How I got published: Initially I was going to go with a traditional publisher but didn't have much luck. I had started to make inquiries with publishers when a dear friend suggested I try Book Baby self publishing. I had never heard of that company before and did some research on it. My friend had a sister-in-law who had gotten her a booklet that talked all about BookBaby-self publishing. My friend shared a copy of the booklet with me. It was easy to follow and read. Once I contacted the company it was amazing and easy. I was assigned a BookBaby Publishing Specialist who answered my questions, guided me step by step throughout the process, kept me on track for time lines. She was amazing and super helpful. I was able to get suggestions and help from her whenever I needed it. We had consistent email contact and some phone calls. I am very happy with my decision to go with BookBaby self publishing.

_____________________

Barbara Jean Weber lives in Skagit County with her husband and two daughters, where she works as a speech and language therapist. Her novel, The Welcome Sign, was inspired when she was gifted a mermaid welcome sign. The more she studied the sign, the more her story evolved. She is currently an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Visit her website at https://www.barbarajeanweber.com/.