Welcome to Day 4 of THE HAUNTED SHORES MYSTERIES BLOG TOUR FEATURING “SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER” @OverbeckRandy @4WillsPub @4WP11

Uncategorized 4 Minutes

Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card & 1 e-book or paperback copy of one book in the Haunted Shores series (Winner’s choice).  Simply leave a comment below for your chance to win!

Inspiration

In 2019, the Wild Rose Press launched the Haunted Shores Mysteries with my story about Darrell, the teacher and coach who sees ghosts and the ghost of a huge black student haunting a high school. BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE was so well received by readers and reviewers that it became a #1 Amazon best seller!

Then, last year, the publisher released CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY in the middle of the pandemic, a story featuring the specter of a bride murdered on her wedding night, who stalks Darrell, still bleeding in her white wedding dress. This second entry has won three national awards and, by now, the series has amassed more than a dozen 5-Star reviews from national and international reviewers. Then, this fall CRIMSON joined BLOOD in the best seller category, hitting #2 on Amazon.

 As I pondered the third installment, I realized I wanted to keep all the critical elements of the series—cold case murder, ghost, romance and resort—but I also wanted to give my readers something different. On a break from my brainstorming, I was thumbing through family pictures and came upon a photo of my grandkids playing on a playground.

Staring at the images of the smiling faces, it hit me. What if the mystery was about the death of two kids? Two kids whose ghosts haunt Darrell to find justice for them?

The rest, as they say, is history. Our last trip—pre-pandemic—was to the Florida Gulf coast to find a suitable location for my narrative and I found a great one.

Thus, SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER was born. Well, that and hundreds of hours of writing, revising, re-writing, editing, re-writing…well, you get the picture. I’m pretty happy with the end product and I hope readers are too.

“A ghost story with a twist, Scarlet at Crystal River is a bestseller in the making. Brilliant descriptive narration sucks the reader in and doesn’t let go until the end of the story. Paranormal and mystery readers will love Scarlet at Crystal River. If you’re looking for a spine-tingling mystery, pick up Scarlet at Crystal River. Highly recommend!” 5+ Stars—N N Light Bookheaven

Scarlet at Crystal River – A Haunted Shores Mystery

Blurb

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.

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.

Reviews

“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

“This is another masterpiece from Randy Overbeck. His excellent writing style has left me speechless for one more time. He writes in a way that makes you feel what the characters feel and you have no choice but to partake in the journey with them.” ★★★★★—Ioanna’s Reviews, Greece

Book trailer

Amazon US

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads

Bookbub

Author biography

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

https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy

https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck

https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KOC0LH2GQRSAjwxOFr5rg/featured

Tik Tok @authorrandyo

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the authors’ tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and his work!
 

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

69 thoughts on “Welcome to Day 4 of THE HAUNTED SHORES MYSTERIES BLOG TOUR FEATURING “SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER” @OverbeckRandy @4WillsPub @4WP11”

  4. Randy seems like a wonderful writer and person; happy to see that he has been successful with his books. It’s always enjoyable to learna a little bit about what was the motivation behind an author’s story. Thanks for sharing…

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Jim, Thanks for the kudos. I’m humbled and thrilled by the success of the first two entries. I’m hoping the third installment continues this success.

      Liked by 2 people

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  5. I do a lot of terrible things to my characters, but dead kids is a bold step. I don’t know if I have the heart to write that. (I think I’m just a big softy with a tough yet super-thin veneer.) Best wishes to Randy with his latest release. It sounds like a powerful story. Thanks for hosting, Robbie.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I spent a considerable amount of time deciding how to address the death of kids. I didn’t make this decision lightly. Let me know what you think of my treatment of their deaths. (Of course, it helps that the kids return as ghosts and help to catch those who murdered them.)

      Liked by 3 people

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      1. I have no doubt you handled it delicately. I’m the same way with animals. I had to sacrifice one once in a story and it nearly killed me. That’s how I know I’m best suited for killing adults. (What a strange conversation this is. lol)

        I agree; their return to seek justice probably did help soften the blow a bit.

        Liked by 1 person

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  6. Randy’s accomplishments are just amazing! I am so proud to be a fellow author of his at the Wild Rose Press! I have read Blood On the Chesapeake and have the other two waiting in the wings. I know I will enjoy them. Thank you for featuring him today, Robbie!

    Liked by 2 people

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  8. Congrats on your new release, Randy! I have the first book in the series working its way up through my TBR list. Thanks for hosting, Robbie 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. Hi Randy, Hi Robbie,
    Randy, isn’t it exciting how we receive inspiration for a story. Often it is a little thing like a picture we haven’t looked at for a long time, and sometimes it can be one or two words that sparks an opening sentence to the first chapter of the book. The creative process is something special that grows within us and light our way. Thank you for sharing just a little bit of yours.

    Robbie, thank you so much for hosting Randy.

    Wishing you both a great day or a lovely evening.
    Shalom aleichem

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. Thank you for the very interesting recommendation, Robbie! Another great read, i will have to take a note for. I am just a little bit busy these times. ;-/ I hope its better on your site, because here we are near another lockdown, they want not to name, but in real it will become just this. Have a beautiful Friday, and a beautiful weekend! xx Michael

    Liked by 1 person

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  20. Thanks for sharing your great review, Robbie, and Congratulations to Randy on his new release. His book sounds gripping and the trailer alone gave me goosebumps. 🙂 Have a good weekend!

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  23. Hi, Robbie! Thanks for sharing Randy’s blog post today! The creative process still amazes me, and I love hearing how inspiration comes to the authors of books I’ve read and enjoyed. Randy, the photo of your cute grandkids and that Florida vacation inspired a truly outstanding book! It should be on the bestseller’s list!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  24. Robbie, am so glad you hosted this. Randy, you provide some great material and background on your stories. I enjoy this posts so much. Thank you both

    Liked by 1 person

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