MYSTERY SHE WROTE

  As with 2019 so went 2023 - also a banner year seeing recognition for two more of my books. "Come Sit In My Kitchen" earned a Distinctive Favorites Award for adult suspense then two months later "MOSQUITO CREEK INN" was a selected 'Winner' for a Purple Dragonfly Award, YA mystery, from Story Monsters Ink magazine. For this MG/YA seven book mystery series, once again I tapped into my inner 12-year-old, which turned out to be quite close to the surface of my adult facade. I, my siblings and contemporaries were so fortunate. We grew up and went to school at a time well before reoccurring, living nightmares like Colombine or Sandy Hook. With this series I walked  a fine manageable line between the innocence of a small-town, rural community in Montana merged with the intrusion of some real-life threats anyone can face.  GOOD READS REVIEW: Mosquito Creek Inn  by   Sherrie Todd-Beshore 4.25 4 ratings 2 reviews Eleven-year-old Sonia Molosky's quiet summer a...

  Independently doing anything comes with greater risk. Joining an already established company [instead of opening a sole proprietorship] offers an immediate, regular paycheck and other benefits. Merging a talent for sales with an inventor becomes a dual asset, not otherwise possible. Something useful gets the attention of customers.  In the publishing world, over the last twelve years print-on-demand technology [via Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble Press etc.] allowed under-served and under-represented authors a means by which they could independently make their publishing goals a reality. After years of routine rejection by establishment literary agents, writers [working other jobs] by the thousands, reworked forgotten manuscripts then downloaded their prized possession that finally became their literary creation in print form. They had a book!  However, like an inventor, writers typically do not have marketing experience or publicity skills or any sales promotio...

  For anyone in any field of endeavor whether it's engineering, all of the sciences or the arts--creating and developing something useful or unique in this century can be daunting. The competition is an entire planet with 8 billion other people... We're well into the 21st Century and writing a distinctive story plot with clues 'and' surprises 'and' a logical twist to the ending makes for a credible challenge. Still in wonder from not just one but two book awards in 2019--I hadn't considered entering another book in another literary competition. I didn't want to break the 'spell', mainly because I worried my 2019 wins were flukes. Then I got a note from a reader via my website. She had read "Fine Points Malice and Payback" then found "THE COUNT OF BALDPATE" and she wondered why I hadn't entered it, since "Baldpate" was published before "Fine Points"? Good question, however, since there is typically a pub...

Much of my mystery-suspense plot efforts are targeted to an adult reading audience, but every now and then an idea for youth readers emerged and I went with that inspiration too. I was excited to explore another 'voice'... Also in 2019, from Story Monsters Ink, magazine I earned a first-place award for youth literature, that was so unexpected but equally gratifying. It was certainly a mystery, but with mystical elements. This recognition came two months after the New York Independent Press award, so 2019 was a banner year for me. Feeling brave again, I ventured to submit "THE CROW CHILD" to a number of Reviewers. Literary award judges don't typically share their reasons for selecting one book over another. Some writers might consider an award enough validation. However, I still wanted more detailed insight, that might also keep me stay-on-track for future books in the youth genre. Though tapping into my latent 12-year-old was helpful.  Quora Book Review: Sherrie T...

  Typically, an author takes a deep breath, crosses fingers, toes and everything else before submitting a book to a literary competition. This ceremony is also, often repeated prior to submitting a book to a literary Reviewer... And then, miracle of miracles when a book earns a literary award - and - not one, but a number of positive reviews, an author can not only exhale, they can, with far more confidence, dust off their keyboard to write another book. "FINE POINTS MALICE AND PAYBACK [2019 Gabby-Independent Press-New York - ' Distinguished Favorites Award '] Was one of those books for me.  With that award-from no one I share DNA, but complete strangers-I felt brave enough to seek book reviews... GOODREADS REVIEW Fine Points Malice And Payback Sherrie Todd-Beshore 4.67 3 ratings 1 review Rookie Tucson Detective Andrew Coates who spent months going through several cold-case files connects the investigation dots of three unsolved murders. With a fourth victim discover...