Deadly Black Pearls

June 30, 2020

Today, author Jonni Rich released her new book, Deadly Black Pearls. The cover is intriguing. I preordered this book, and I can't wait to dig into it. A mystery by Jonni grabs the reader with a tight grip and doesn't let go until the end.

Book REview

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite (With Jonni Rich's permission. https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/deadly-black-pearls)

“What’s happening in Ville Nouvelle?" In Deadly Black Pearls by Jonni Rich, 54-year-old Emmaline Beard is surprised by the sudden appearance of Carol Powell, a young woman who came to the LeFevre House with an urgent request - to give a package containing black Tahitian pearls to her grandmother. The next day, Emmaline finds Carol dead at the foot of a LeFevre House staircase. Amidst the preparation for a theatrical production, a nuclear waste protest by the locals of Ville Nouvelle, a feud between neighbors, and much more, chaos is slowly descending in the peaceful community. Emmaline and her life-long friend, Byrd Jeffcoat, are determined to find out the truth before more troubles arise.

Deadly Black Pearls blends small-town eccentricity with whodunit crime, colored by the personalities of Ville Nouvelle's residents and a few unwelcome outsiders. Local charms are matched by unexpected danger, resulting in tension and drama. The characters, main and secondary, are rendered well. Emmaline Beard is a resilient woman, braving unexpected problems while trying to keep her historical house tour business afloat. Her relationship with Byrd is wonderful; their amateur sleuthing adding more dark fun and curiosity to the plot. I find Helen Condor, a famous psychic, gives another substantial layer to the mystery. Clues regarding the murders become more imperative as the clock ticks, making the reading more engaging as the story progresses. An enjoyable read, Jonni Rich's Deadly Black Pearls has a subtle classic sleuth style that I love coupled with a wonderful, engaging narrative.

DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON PAGE

The antebellum spring mansion tours are in full swing in the little South Louisiana town of Ville Nouvelle. Emmaline Beard, local leading citizen and theatrical producer, is tour hostess at LeFevre House, an ancestor’s former home. Emmaline is astonished when an old friend’s granddaughter, Carol Powell, arrives and thrusts a package into her hands and then flees as hastily as she arrived. Emmaline chases after her unsuccessfully. The package contains valuable black pearls.

The following evening, Emmaline discovers Carol’s crumpled body at the foot of a staircase at LeFevre House, obviously a homicide. Emmaline suspects the pearls were stolen, and they are the reason for Carol’s murder.

Emmaline enlists the help of her life-long friend, Byrd Jeffcoat, to catch the murderer and settle the question of the mysterious black pearls. While trying to solve Carol’s murder, another random murder occurs. A nuclear waste protest march led by a celebrity from the area has brought strangers into the small town.

Is a homicidal maniac at work, perhaps brought in by the protest march? Is there one killer, or two? The amateur sleuths hazard their way through tumults of theft, murder, arson, and even a theatrical production to unravel these grisly murders. 

~~~
Jonni, a north Louisiana native, is a retired retail store owner and librarian. She's a multi-published author of Gothic Suspense, Romantic Suspense, and Mystery.

Tammy Kirby--A Virtual Interview

Visiting with Louisiana author, Tammy Kirby...

What is your most recent book? 

Vengeance Is Mine Saith Mi' Lord  It is number 3 in my Haven House series set in Victorian England and Scotland

What is it about?

It is about sex trafficking in Victorian England and a group of people helping to save the women and children caught up in it. Haven House is a refuge for them that teaches them about Christ’s love and forgiveness. They also teach them different trades to help them survive in a life that would normally be considered bleak and hopeless.

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What inspired you to write it?

God used Francine River’s Redeeming Love to inspire the series. He told me to write beneath the surface. That is what I have done in this series. Forgiveness is so important in our lives, but it is a choice. My characters face the decision to forgive the unforgivable in each of these books.


When did you start writing?

In my early twenties, but I hid it in my cedar chest. Lol. I began writing seriously in my early thirties. That’s been twenty years or so ago now.

What inspired you to write?
I guess God used my love of reading to inspire me. I want my readers to walk away from my books and remember them fondly twenty plus years down the road like I do Redeeming Love. I want to show the world how God can take any sin and turn it around with His forgiveness and love.

Why did you select historical romance as your genre?

Because that is what I love to read about. I like escaping to times past. Life was simpler then and who doesn’t love a good romance?

Explain the times and places you write about.

I write Victorian England Inspirational romance and Medieval Scotland time-travel Inspirational romance. I also have a Medieval England Inspirational romance in the works.

What is your purpose as a writer?

To show the world how much our heavenly Father loves us even in our sin.

Besides writing, what else do you do?

I work in a rural Emergency Room as a Registered Nurse. I am also a licensed Cosmetologist and still dabble a bit in that.

What are two other novels in the series? 

His Grace Forgiven

God dropped the seed for His Grace Forgiven in my heart with these words, 'Can you forgive the unforgivable?' I pondered the question for a while, then realized, yes I already had. Maybe that's why He gave the job to me.

I faced a lot of opposition in writing His Grace Forgiven. Some people, from editors to critique partners, wanted me to change the accidental rape to her being a willing participant. Good people have been doing stupid things while under the influence for years. This book does not glorify rape. It's about forgiveness. Apparently this is pretty important to the Lord.

His Grace Forgiven is meant to be thought-provoking. (Not my idea, that was all God.) It's about going beneath the surface in your own life and facing the hard questions.  Why did it happen? Why would God expect me to forgive this? Why would He sacrifice His life for such as them? Hmmm.

I promised God that part of the proceeds from the sale of HGF would be donated to help women and children who are forced into sexual slavery. Yes it has been happening for hundreds of years and it is still happening today. If this book helps only one person, it was worth every drop I bled to bring it to print.
In His Grace, Tammy

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Joy to the Earl

Miss Abbigail Thorne has no use for the Earl of Waverly. It's his fault she's been carted off to London to learn how to be a lady. She didn't mean for him to be tossed into a mud puddle. Blissfully unaware that her life is about to change, and that maturity approaches with indescribable pain, she remains oblivious and carefree, she believes herself to be a strong godly woman, but when heartache arrives in waves that continue to knock her to her knees, will she trust in God and the love of her husband, or will she give it all up to hold onto her hurt? 

Chase Montclair, Earl of Waverly rides the fence spiritually. He goes to St. George's sporadically, but he imbibes in spirits a lot. And the lovely ladies need companionship. Who is he to deny them? That is, until he admits his love for the woman who exasperates him beyond belief. Before he makes the decision to surrender to God and Abbi, in a fit of anger he has one last fling. He didn't know it would bring him his worst pain and his greatest Joy.

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Crime against Humanity

One of the most shameful acts committed by United States citizens--lynching--cannot be ignored. More often than we would lie to admit, this brutal crime against humanity, veiled as vigilante law enforcement, has occurred throughout the nation, but mostly in the South. Men and women of various racial groups (mostly African American men) hung from trees, sometimes with bonfires beneath them and sometimes with hundreds of gunshots fired around them.

HOUSE OF SEVEN, which is fiction, includes an account of one man's attempt to escape this hideous crime. As you read it, you'll want to run with Trousdale as he works to escape. Here's a brief excerpt. It is the early 1900's. In this scene, Trousdale has been running to get away from the men who wanted to kill him back in Mississippi. He goes to north Louisiana. Now he's outrunning the flood of the Mississippi River. He encounters Theodore Roosevelt.

“Honored to meet you, Mr. President.” Trousdale rubbed his muddy hand on his pants and extended it.

Mr. Roosevelt gave Trousdale a hardy handshake.

Trousdale brushed back the tears. He tried not to smile too much. In his life, the first white man to shake his hand was the former President of the United States.

“Joe Smith.” The other man shook Trousdale’s hand too.

“You must be starving to death.” The President dished up bacon, eggs, and biscuits on a tin plate, while Joe Smith poured a cup of coffee.

“Cream and sugar?” Joe asked.

“Yes, please.” Trousdale took the plate and fork. He concentrated on his manners. He wanted to scarf the food down in one bite. “I walked all day yesterday and all night.”

“What are you running from?” Mr. Roosevelt asked.

“Lynching.”

“Oh.” The President, who must have been stunned into silence, stood a few feet from Trousdale. “I suppose you might tell us why.”

“My boss landlord claimed I poisoned his well because his cow died, but the cow never drank from the well, and none of the people that did died. Now ain’t that crazy?”

Mr. Roosevelt nodded. “So you ran...." 

Story of HOUSE OF SEVEN Book Cover

The HOUSE OF SEVEN book cover has a story behind it. Jamie Hill Robinson, my cousin by marriage from Taylorsville, Mississippi,  received a picture from her cousin Mary Jordan, who was my classmate for twelve years. The original picture that Jamie posted on Facebook was of a house in the town of Taylorsville. Mary had found it in a shoebox of snapshots. In front of the house were some unidentified women dressed as if they belonged in the early twentieth century.

With Mary's permission, I had the picture designed as the cover. My stepson, Dan Cooke, who has artistic ability, flipped the picture, removed the people, replaced the front fence with abstract plants, added a smoke stack from the chimney, and made front door steps. Since I wanted some color, I added the words, "Covington Chronicles, Book Six," in red.

NOTE: Even though HOUSE OF SEVEN is sixth in the series, it stands completely independent of the stories that precede it. 

The old picture of the house is fascinating. Some of my friends in Taylorsville have told me they recognized the house. It must have been a lovely home in its day. This old Mississippi home has a touch of elegance, as do the lovely ladies standing in front of it.

The characters in the novel, as well as all the Covington Chronicles people, and the events of the stories are not intended to be historical depictions or accounts of anything in Taylorsville, Mississippi, my hometown. (Actually I grew up between Taylorsville and Hot Coffee.) To keep readers from looking for historical clues, I changed the name of Taylorsville to Taylorsburg.

House of Seven  -- Paperback, Kindle, Audible  

No Matter What the Circumstances Are, Lena Hopes for a Better LIfe.

In the early 1900s, Lena Harvey, a bright-minded farm girl, wants to graduate from high school. She

Lena's Hope, Paperback

hopes to attend nursing school or become a midwife. Having no interest in complicating her life with intimate relationships, she plans to focus her efforts toward her calling. But in a country where people believe they can grow up to become anything they want to be, her dream is crushed. Discover how Lena resolves to make the best of what has been thrown at her, hoping that she can make a difference in the world. As she struggles through the frustrations of her life, can she ever find blessings that bring her joy? Will she ever know true love? Lena’s story is an inspiration for those of us whose lives have gotten in the way of the plans we made. For us all, there is hope….

Have you ever known such a woman? Do you have such an ancestor?
Lena never lost hope, and her hope is a legacy she has passed on to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The force of hope continues to drive her family through the generations.

Here's a link to the kindle version of Lena's Hope.

Jodi Hockinson in her recording of the novella has captured the emotion of the story.

Lena's Hope, Audible

Here's a preview of Lena's Hope:

Hope for a Future

From the Author

In the simplest of words, I'm trying in this little novella, Manuela Blayne, to evoke some thought about how other people feel inside. For example, I'm trying to paint pictures of how it feels to be African-American and how it feels to be saturated in white people's prejudices in the early 1900's.
Mary Lou Cheatham

A beautifully read audio book... 

Manuela Blayne as an Audible Book 

Same text in Kindle version...

Manuela Blayne as a Kindle Book

Again, the same text as a paperback book...

Manuela Blayne as a Paperback Book

The year is 1910.

Trudy Cameron, an 11-year-old girl introduced to listeners in The Dream Bucket, meets a 13-year-old neighbor, Manuela Blayne. Trudy and her seven-year-old stepsister, Bailey Benton, make friends with Manuela, while Trudy realizes she can never understand her new friend.

Yasmin, Manuela's mother, has given the girl to Nettie and Herschel Blayne, who were born into slavery. Manuela's grandmother, Nettie, is epileptic. Her grandfather, Herschel, an alcoholic, makes and sells all kinds of illegal spirits.

Manuela Blayne the fourth book in the Covington Chronicles. It is a complete story that stands alone. To understand some of the characters fully, however, it would be beneficial to listen to The Dream Bucket first. In first-person point of view, Trudy tells the story in her own words.

As Trudy and her siblings mature, they indulge in surprising mischief. The novella tells the struggles of young people to achieve what they hope for by overcoming various obstacles. Manuela Blayne is not primarily a romance, but it contains an unexpected romance.

Trudy sees how different her opportunities are from those afforded to Manuela. Trudy finds it impossible not to suffer some of what her friend endures. She hopes to help her friend make a difference in life, while Manuela exemplifies a beautiful new kind of hope.

Not the Pandemic Expected

Three years ago I started thinking that a pandemic was just around the corner. I was expecting a childhood disease, such as diphtheria, to return. As I talked to some nurses and doctors about the idea, they assured me that such a thing was impossible because everyone gets a tetanus vaccine, which also includes protection against diphtheria.
The subject occupied my thoughts as it challenged me to research the disease. I came to realize that a few scattered cases were showing up in different parts of the world. Because members of my family had suffered from the disease, I had a personal reason to be interested.

Courage Is a Redhead, a combination of two stories—one set in future times with a dystopian flair and an epidemic of diphtheria and the other in the early twentieth century when the epidemic of diphtheria that had been around for years continued to plague the South, even though a cure had been developed years earlier—is a book I released last year.
Since some of my readers expressed an interest in reading the historical part of the book without the futuristic section, I pulled out the history and submitted it to my publisher in a short book called Lena’s Hope.

Who could have imagined we’d be confined to our houses now to avoid the Covid-19 pandemic? I’m still not convinced that we are safe from diphtheria, and this year I plan to get my flu shot.

Both books are available on Amazon.com.

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