Rue Elliott and her book, Guilt Before Innocence, and Michelle Johnson and her book, The Footloose Killer, will be joined at the launching party by John Koehler and Timothy Choquette, co-authors of the first book in the series, The Case of the Russians Maids.

The idea for the series came from John Koehler, founder and publisher of the book company.

“Russian Maids was a complete change of direction for me,” said Koehler. “I had always wanted to try my hand at a murder mystery, and figured it would make sense to keep it local. I found Tim and we knocked the book into shape and published it in the fall of 2011.”

Koehler created the website for the series, www.beachmurdermysteries.com, figuring it would allow him to expand into other beach communities down the coast and might eventually attract other writers. That happened much faster than expected. Within two months of launching Russian Maids, Koehler had three others who wanted in. Bascom Wilson wrote Misguided Justice, a murder mystery that takes place on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, while Johnson and Eilliott’s books, The Footloose Killer and Guilt Before Innocence respectively, are based in Virginia Beach, each with places and scenes that will be very familiar to area residents and tourists.

“Michelle Johnson is a well-known writer on the literary scene,” said Koehler. “She was editing some of our books and I was familiar with her work. So when she called me and said she and her friend Rue Elliott had books they wanted to submit for the VBMM series, I said, ‘yes ma’am!’”

Köehler Books has published nearly 30 books, including  novels, history books, tabletop books and memoirs. One of Koehler’s best known titles is Tree, a memoir about Bill “Tree” Rountree, civic leader and the beloved founder of Monarch Bank. The company is a an independent book publisher that pays proven and experienced writers and helps new authors by providing editing, book design and other publishing services for a fee.

Several professional writers have signed with Köehler Books, including Paul Clancy, a book author and columnist with The Virginian-Pilot, and historian John Quarstein, who has published 14 history books. Quarstein has signed with Koehler Books to write a three-novel series to be called Pyrates of the Chesapeake, the first of which is expected to be released in the fall.

“There’s a lot of excitement and energy in the community about the work we’re doing,’’ said Joe Coccaro, executive editor for Koehler Books. “We’re hearing from lots of talented writers with promising manuscripts trying to get published. We have some big names in the pipeline that will surprise some folks. We’re picky about what we accept because we’re a small shop, but once we sign writers they receive top-notch editing, layout and cover designs. It’s totally a professional experience.’’

To attend the event or to inquire about Koehler Books please contact John Koehler at john@koehlerbooks.com or 757-289-6006. You can sign up to attend the event on Facebook by going here.

]]> http://www.koehlerbooks.com/2012/02/beach-murder-mysteries-launches-march-10/feed/ 0 http://www.koehlerbooks.com/2012/01/new-romance-novel-by-sherry-a-burton-launches/ http://www.koehlerbooks.com/2012/01/new-romance-novel-by-sherry-a-burton-launches/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:05:42 +0000 johlenkoh http://www.koehlerbooks.com/?p=3437
Köehler Books is pleased to announce the launch of The Scars Between Us. It is the second Romance novel by Sherry A. Burton, and follows soon on the heels of Tears of Betrayal, which has consistently been at the top of the sales chart for Köehler Books.

“Sherry takes her writing and being an author very seriously,” says Köehler Books publisher John Köehler. “She is extremely creative and intuitive, but she matches this with the ability to think like a businesswoman about promoting her books. Her books are selling well mainly because they are really fine books. But Sherry helps convince folks to crack open the cover and get inside. That’s a smart author, the kind we love!”

Scars was edited by Michelle Johnson, who was also the editor of Tears. “Sherry and Michelle work very well together,” says Köehler. “Theirs is an extremely collaborative process. Michelle helps Sherry push the manuscript from good to great.”

The book is currently available on Kindle and Nook, and will soon be available on iBooks. Print copies will be available in early February on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Synopsis

Haunted by dreams of her dead husband, Elizabeth spends five years of her life beside his grave with the blind hope that he would return to her. She eventually alienates every one of her friends before slowly rebuilding her life.

When Joseph crosses her path with his piercing eyes and electric touch, the flame of passion is ignited. But Joseph has a painful secret buried within the scar on his wrist – one he must protect in order keep his new life, and new love.

Will Elizabeth ever be able to truly let go and stop seeing her dead husband everywhere she turns? And can Joseph risk exposing his past in order to be with her?

About the Author

Born in Louisville, Sherry A. Burton was raised in the small town of Fairdale, Kentucky. Eloping December of 1980 with a Navy man while still in her teens, she has spent all of her adult life moving from state to state counting over thirty-two moves in her thirty-one years of marriage. Sherry can attest first-hand to the fact that a whirlwind marriage can indeed last. Sherry credits her frequent moves and long separations to her ability to feel her characters’ desire to find true happiness.

Sherry has worked as a private nanny and is a certified dog trainer. She is the mother of three adult children and has four wonderful grandchildren. Her hobbies include reading, walking, Pilates, and spending time with her “friends” which is how she refers to the characters she creates. She believes in daily affirmations, positive energy and feels that karma will have the final say.

Sherry A. Burton currently resides in Chesapeake, Virginia, and has several other books in the works. This is her second novel, after Tears of Betrayal.

Chapter One

Elizabeth pulled up in front of the cemetery hedges, turned off the car, and opened the door. She stepped out, then reached behind the seat for the plastic water container. She walked over to the flowers that she had planted near Anthony’s grave the first year he had died, and watched the liquid disappear into the soil. She frowned. It did not escape her that while the flowers returned to life each year, Anthony never did. She doused the flowers with the remaining water and threw the jug at the nearby bench.

“You promised!” she hissed at the headstone as the jug clattered to the ground.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it,” called a friendly voice from the other side of the hedge.

Elizabeth shot a feeble smile toward the caretaker as he stepped out from behind the bushes. He was tall and in great shape for a man of his advanced years. He wore faded jeans and sported a blue ball cap that rested on a hairless scalp. His mustache was neatly trimmed, and white had replaced whatever color it once held. She had seen him in passing many times over the past four and a half years but had never spoken to him more than a casual hello.

“I swear if I didn’t know better I’d think you were after my job.” He peered at the freshly watered flowers then leaned down to retrieve the discarded jug.

Elizabeth glanced at the flowers, then at the plastic container in the old man’s hand.

“I… I’m sorry,” she said, and then shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh, the jug? No, I don’t mind that, people water their own flowers quite often,” he said with a dismissive wave. He extended a well-calloused hand. “What I meant was that, other than me, I don’t think anyone spends as much time in this place as you do. Zachariah Odell Davidson at your service. I’m the caretaker, have been now for going on ten years.”

Shaking his hand, Elizabeth tried to make eye contact with the kindly man, but her attention kept drawing back to the headstone.

He released her hand, then glanced at the grave and nodded toward it. “Your husband?”

“Yes, he passed away nearly five years ago,” she said, not caring that the etching on the stone had already given him that information. “A snowmobile accident.”

Elizabeth paused, closing her eyes. Opening them again, she tucked her short, honey blond hair behind her ears. Pondering whether to continue, she stared at the Pawcatuck River, which lay at the bottom of the hill, its blue water glistening in the morning sunlight. She turned her attention back to the man beside her.

“He was out with some friends having a guy’s weekend when it happened.” Lifting her foot, she brushed absently at some dirt on the toe of her shoe. “The thing is, when it first happened people assumed that they had been drinking and being stupid. But that wasn’t the case. Anthony did not have a hint of alcohol in his system when it happened.”

She bit at her bottom lip and took a deep breath to control her voice before continuing.

“Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the kid who hit him. His alcohol level was twice the legal limit.” She laughed bitterly. “Of course, that would mean he would have had to have been legal in the first place. He was sixteen years old!”

She glanced over at Zachariah, who was listening intently. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and motioned for her to continue.

“It was ten in the morning,” she said bitterly. “He was drunk at ten in the morning.”

Zachariah shook his head again. Elizabeth brought her hands to her face and wiped at the tears that pooled in her crystal blue eyes.

“The day before had been the boy’s birthday and he was still out celebrating,” she continued. “Anthony and his friends had stopped to decide which path to take. Apparently, Anthony had removed his helmet in order to hear better when out of nowhere this kid slammed right into him.”

“For crying out loud!” Zachariah finally burst out. “A kid that young drinking and driving?”

“Apparently it was his birthday. He had been celebrating all night.” Elizabeth shook her head sadly. “It was the shortest year of his life! He and Anthony are dead because he was drunk and showing off.”

“That’s a darn shame!” The kindly caretaker’s face looked pained as his eyes lingered on the headstone. “I can’t say I didn’t pull crazy stunts when I was young, but still I didn’t do any harm. Kids nowadays don’t seem to have enough sense to think about the consequences. That really is a darn shame.”

She took a seat on the bench, which overlooked Anthony’s headstone.

“I love this bench.” She shook her head. “It seems funny, doesn’t it? I should hate the bench and all it represents.”

Zachariah sat beside her and tilted his head. “Oh?”

“It is cold and gray, just like his headstone,” she explained. She turned her head toward the stone. “But so many times it has given me solace. It was my strength when I had none.”

He smiled and patted her knee. “People grieve in many ways. There is no right way or wrong way. It’s what gives you comfort.”

She returned his smile. “There were so many days, at least in the beginning, when I knew all I had to do was make it to the bench and it would hold me up. The second I woke up in the morning, my only thought was to get dressed and get to my bench. Does that sound crazy to you?”

“Little lady, I’ve heard crazy and that doesn’t even come close.” He looked at her and winked. “I was in the Navy. I have heard a lot of things over the years.”

Elizabeth wondered if he would say the same thing if he knew that bench was the only friend she had left – that she had no living relatives and had pushed everyone else away. She decided that revelation might be pushing things during a first meeting, so she cast a glance toward the sparkling blue water in the river below instead.

Zachariah opened his mouth as if to speak then closed it again.

He really does think I’m crazy, doesn’t he? Elizabeth mused. All of my friends do too. Did… I don’t have any friends, remember? They all gave up on me.

Taking a deep breath in an effort to quiet her mind, she prodded the man to continue. “Go ahead and say what is on your mind. I’ve probably heard it all before.”

“I was just wondering why, after all these years, you still come to the cemetery every single day?”

Elizabeth felt the tears well up in her eyes. Her mouth quivered.

The fellow beside her once again rested his weathered hand upon her knee. There was no feeling of impropriety in his action; it was a simple act of comfort. If he realized she was withholding the real reason she came, he did not show it. Elizabeth leaned against him, gaining comfort in this simple act of friendship.

“I come because I want to be near my husband. It doesn’t matter as long as I’m near him, even if it is only near where he lays.”

That was a lie and she knew it. She came back because she still waited for him, going to the graveyard every day to see if he had fulfilled his promise – the one where he swore he’d come back.

The author, Bascom Wilson

Detective Jack Sinclair left the big city police politics to enjoy the quiet life of his home town, Onancock, VA, as their Major Crime Unit Detective.   He was enjoying his calm life style until it was turned upside-down one Sunday morning.  A young woman was found murdered, just a couple of blocks from his own home, on a northwest beach of the Chesapeake Bay.  What he thought would be a simple murder investigation, quickly turned into one that would involve interstate and international interests.

After discovering the victim was a ruthless and well known attorney from New York City, he reached out for assistance from a hot-shot major crime unit detective, who thought she was leaving on a well-deserved vacation.  Once Detective Maggie Williams canceled her vacation plans and joined Jack Sinclair, she soon realized that a current case in New York, as well as a seven year old cold case that she had once investigated, would become very much intertwined with this new murder on the beach of the Chesapeake Bay.

Along the road to find their killer, these two detectives found themselves becoming entangled in their own social life as well.  As they were making plans for a final arrest, a twist is thrown their way again.  This twist caused Jack and Maggie to scramble and re-evaluate their cases.

Was it too late to start over? Did they get played or did they indeed have their killer?

The books are available in print on Amazon and Barne’s & Noble, and in epub on Kindle, Nook and iBooks. The list price is $14.95 for print and $5.99 for epub. For further information about the author and excerpts from the book, go here.

To order the book, click one of the logos below.

The characters served up in Knights, Castles and Kings by prize-winning author Mark Bland test the human spirit in a pursuit of purpose on earth and beyond.

In the first of the three stories, The Four Chessmen, retirees take a road trip to compete in a chess tournament. Bland shows us how life strategies mimic those played out on a chess board.

In the second story, Phil Becker’s Journal, Bland chronicles one man’s rebound from a lifetime of setbacks, ultimately finding joy and purpose on the streets of Chicago. Phil’s adventures cover the complexities of the human condition: from love, joy, despair and beyond.

Finally, Bland takes notions of faith through a fantasy-like stroll through Heaven in The Last Baptist. Larry Bateman escorts the reader through the stages and experiences of eternal life.

In each of these novellas, Bland entices readers with imagination, honesty and surprise.

Köehler Books is pleased to announce the appearance of author Sherry A. Burton for a book signing event at 1 pm on February 4, at Greenbrier Barnes & Noble in Chesapeake Virginia.

Ms. Burton will be signing both of her books at the event: Tears of Betrayal and her new book, The Scars Between Us.

Burton has had numerous book signing events around the U.S., including at other Barnes & Noble book stores.

Sherry A. Burton, The Author

Born in Louisville, Sherry A. Burton was raised in the small town of Fairdale, Kentucky. Eloping December of 1980 with a Navy man while still in her teens, she has spent all of her adult life moving from state to state counting over thirty-two moves in her thirty years of marriage. Sherry can attest first-hand to the fact that a whirlwind marriage can indeed last. Sherry credits her frequent moves and long separations to her ability to feel her characters’ desire to find true happiness.

Sherry has worked as a private nanny and is a certified dog trainer. She is the mother of three adult children and has four wonderful grandchildren. Her hobbies include reading, walking, Pilates, and spending time with her “friends” which is how she refers to the characters she creates. She believes in daily affirmations, positive energy and feels that karma will have the final say.

Sherry A. Burton currently resides in Chesapeake, Virginia, and has several other books in the works, including a sequel to Tears of Betrayal.

Read Sherry’s blog at Sherry A. Burton Author.

This action is based primarily to two reasons:

1) Lack of sufficient submissions to sustain the contest, according to the rules.

2) Being forced to change the name from America’s Got Stories to another name.

“We had successfully completed the first contest,” says publisher John Koehler. “The America’s Got Stories brand was working, and we received over 130 entries from which we published a book, America’s Got Stories, Volume One. We had a head of steam and were achieving critical mass.”

Things went so well in fact, that Koehler planned on developing a separate contest for kids and young adults, called Young America’s Got Stories. Then he received a cease and desist letter from the law firm for Fremantle North America, which produces the well-known TV show, America’s Got Talent.

“It was a trademark infringement claim,” says Koehler. “The rule is that if the public is confused by the similar name or mark, they have a claim. So even though our name is different, the fact that it begins with “America’s Got” can lead to confusion. We aren’t even related to TV and no one ever asked if we were related to the TV show, but we had to back down.They are huge and we’re small. They have deep pockets and we don’t.”

While his publishing company is shutting down this contest, Koehler expects and hopes they will continue to work with the writing community in various new and unusual ways in the future.

“Our goal was to give writers a chance to be read and published. To count. We did that. We will continue to do that.”

Danielle Koehler is shown carrying her older sister Kimmi.

Köehler Books has just rolled out a new video produced by Danielle Koehler, through her new company, Dalitopia.

Eleven years ago John Koehler bought a new video camera. He gave his old one to his daughter, Danielle, and showed her how to use it and edit it using iMovie. The result was that Danielle, her sister Kimmi, and cousin Annelise would write, produce, script, direct and edit spoof movies about Lord of the Rings, music videos and more.

“By the time she was in high school her videos were really quite good,” says John Koehler, proud father of Danielle and Kimmi. “The production values were such that the church and other groups started asking her to do videos for them. Naturally they were free, essentially child slave labor. She never did that for me!”

Danielle attended James Madison University, majoring in Spanish and videography. She has school and international awards for her work. She studied in Argentina during her senior year at JMU, and met a Chilean student named Gustavo Latorre, which means “crazy wild man” in Spanish. Upon graduation, Danielle moved to Santiago, Chile and started her business.

She produced the video as a surprise for her father.

“Wow, I was so surprised,” said the proud papa. “It was great to get this as a gift. Of course she’s a very smart woman, and she knows that the exposure will be good for her company. Now we are planning on working together on book trailers and websites. I’m really proud of her.”

To see more examples of Danielle’s work and to inquire regarding videos and websites, go to Dalitopia.com

Quarstein is already a familiar name in coastal Virginia and among Civil War buffs nationally. He has published 14 books that include historical accounts of Ironclad fighting ships and of pivotal Civil War battles and personalities.  He has also written about NASA’s Mercury moon project, shipbuilding during the Cold War and the New Deal Work Progress Administration program.  He has written documentaries for public television stations and appears on Hampton Roads’ PBS-affiliate, WHRO, presenting  historical snippets about the region. Quarstein is a lecturer, adjunct college professor and historical consultant. He served as director of the Virginia War Museum and an advisor to The Mariners’ Museum on Virginia’s Peninsula.

“We are proud and extremely fortunate to have such an accomplished author joining our stable of writers,’’ says John Koehler, founder and publisher of the independent book company based in Virginia Beach.  “John wanted to try his hand at writing fiction and had formulated some very exciting ideas that, no doubt, will excite history buffs and fans of great storytelling.’’

Quarstein’s first book with Koehler publishing will be about Civil War pirates who roamed the Chesapeake Bay region and the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. The setting and events will be historically accurate and enlivened with some fun and interesting fictional characters.

“This is going to be a fun read on a great topic of interest,’’ said Koehler. “We hope that this will be the first in a series of projects with John.’’

Release of the pirates novel is tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2012.

_________________

JOHN V. QUARSTEIN BIO

John V. Quarstein is an award-winning historian, preservationist, lecturer, and author. He served as historian for the city of Hampton’s 400^th anniversary. He previously worked for thirty years as the director of the Virginia War Museum and as consultant to The Mariners’ Museum’s MONITOR Center.

  Quarstein has been involved in a wide variety of historic preservation initiatives including the creation of Civil War battlefield parks like Redoubt Park in Williamsburg or Lee’s Mill Park in Newport News as well as historic house museums such as Lee Hall Mansion and Endview Plantation. His current preservation endeavors feature the Rebecca Vaughan House, Lee Hall Depot, Causey’s Mill, Big Bethel Battlefield and Fort Monroe. John Quarstein also serves on several boards and commissions such as Virginia Civil War Trails, Virginia War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission Advisory Council and the Newport News Sesquicentennial Commission.

  John Quarstein is the author of fourteen books, including FORT MONROE:  THE KEY TO THE SOUTH,  A HISTORY OF IRONCLADS:  THE POWER OF IRON OVER WOOD, BIG BETHEL:  THE FIRST BATTLE, and THE MONITOR BOYS:  THE CREW OF THE UNION’S FIRST IRONCLAD. His newest book is SINK BEFORE SURRENDER: THE CSS VIRGINIA. He also has produced, narrated and written several PBS documentaries, such as JAMESTOWN: FOUNDATIONS OF FREEDOM and the film series CIVIL WAR IN HAMPTON ROADS, which was awarded a 2007 Silver Telly. His latest film, HAMPTON: FROM THE SEA TO THE STARS,  is a Bronze Telly winner. His current film projects are PYRATES OF THE CHESAPEAKE and TREAD OF THE TYRANTS HEEL:  VIRGINIA’S WAR OF 1812 EXPEREINCE.

 Quarstein is the recipient of the national Trust for Historic Preservation’s 1993 President’s Award for Historic Preservation; the Civil War Society’s Preservation Award in 1996;  the United Daughters of the Confederacy’s Jefferson Davis Gold Medal in 1999; and the Daughters of the American Revolution Gold Historians Medal in 2009. Besides his lifelong interest in Tidewater Virginia’s Civil War experience, Quarstein is an avid duck hunter and decoy hunter and decoy collector. He lives on Old Point Comfort in Hampton, Virginia, and on his family’s Eastern Shore farm near Chestertown, Maryland.

JOHN V. QUARSTEIN BOOKS & FILMS

BOOKS

NEWPORT NEWS:  A CENTENNIAL HISTORY, 1996

CIVIL WAR ON THE VIRGINIA PENINSULA, 1997

FORT MONROE:  THE KEY TO THE SOUTH, 1998

HAMPTON AND NEWPORT NEWS IN THE CIVIL WAR, 1998

WORLD WAR I ON THE VIRGINIA PENINSULA, 1999

BATTLE OF THE IRONCLADS, 1999

CSS VIRGINIA:  MISTRESS OF HAMPTON ROADS, 2001

A HISTORY OF IRONCLADS, 2006

OLD PPOINT COMFORT RESORT, 2008

THE MONITOR BOYS:  THE CREW OF THE UNION’S FIRST IRONCLAD, 2011

BIG BETHEL:  THE FIRST BATTLE, 2011

FILMS

THE CIVIL WAR IN HAMPTON ROADS:  1861, 2003

THE CIVIL WAR IN HAMPTON ROADS:  THE BATTLE OF THE IRONCLADS, 2004

THE CIVIL WAR IN HAMPTON ROADS:  THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN, 2006

THE CIVIL WAR IN HAMPTON ROADS:  A NEW BEGINNING, 2008

JAMESTOWN:  FOUNDATIONS OF FREEDOM, 2005

HAMPTON:  FROM THE SEA TO THE STARS, 2011

FILMS AND BOOKS IN PROCESS

TREAD OF THE TYRANT’S HEEL:  VIRGINIA’S WAR OF 1812 EXPERIENCE (film and book)

PYRATES OF THE CHESAPEAKE (film and book)

DRUMS ALONG THE WARWICK:  THE SECOND SIEGE OF YORKTOWN

“Sherry is fantastic,” said publisher John Köehler. “She proved herself with her first book, Tears of Betrayal. She is one of the most energetic promoters I have ever seen. That combined with the quality of her work make for one of our top selling authors.”

“When I saw my first book in print,” said Burton, “I didn’t think it could get any better. But I soon learned that being in print was only the beginning. Then I did a book signing and I was like ‘okay this is what it is about.’ Again I was wrong. For me, without question, my favorite part is when someone who has paid their hard earned money to purchase my book comes back and tells me how much they enjoyed reading it.”

Burton has been writing for some time, but it was not until recently that she dedicated herself to her craft.

“A year ago,” she said, “I was still hoping that someday I would be published, yet today, just five months after the release of my first novel, I signed the contract for my second manuscript, The Scars Between Us.

“People often wonder about their legacy, of what will be left when they are no longer here. My words will live on. That is something that can never be taken away from me or my family. I have gone from writer to author. Sometimes life turns out better than imagined.”

The book is scheduled for release in February of 2012.

The Scars Between Us Synopsis

Haunted by dreams of her dead husband, Elizabeth spends five years of her life beside his grave with the blind hope that he would return to her. She eventually alienates every one of her friends before slowly rebuilding her life.

When Joseph crosses her path with his piercing eyes and electric touch, the flame of passion is ignited. But Joseph has a painful secret buried within the scar on his wrist – one he must protect in order keep his new life, and new love.

Will Elizabeth ever be able to truly let go and stop seeing her dead husband everywhere she turns? And can Joseph risk exposing his past in order to be with her?

Burton’s first novel, Tears of Betrayal, is a top seller for Köehler Books, both in print and epub.

About the Author

The author's first novel

Born in Louisville, Sherry A. Burton was raised in the small town of Fairdale, Kentucky. Eloping December of 1980 with a Navy man while still in her teens, she has spent all of her adult life moving from state to state counting over thirty-two moves in her thirty-one years of marriage. Sherry can attest first-hand to the fact that a whirlwind marriage can indeed last. Sherry credits her frequent moves and long separations to her ability to feel her characters’ desire to find true happiness.

Sherry has worked as a private nanny and is a certified dog trainer. She is the mother of three adult children and has four wonderful grandchildren. Her hobbies include reading, walking, Pilates, and spending time with her “friends” which is how she refers to the characters she creates. She believes in daily affirmations, positive energy and feels that karma will have the final say.

Sherry A. Burton currently resides in Chesapeake, Virginia, and has several other books in the works, including a sequel to Tears of Betrayal.

]]> http://www.koehlerbooks.com/2012/01/sherry-a-burton-signs-second-book-the-scars-between-us/feed/ 0 http://www.koehlerbooks.com/2012/01/michelle-johnson-tammie-rue-eliott-sign-with-koehler-books/ http://www.koehlerbooks.com/2012/01/michelle-johnson-tammie-rue-eliott-sign-with-koehler-books/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:48:22 +0000 johlenkoh http://www.koehlerbooks.com/?p=3250

John Koehler

Köehler Books is very pleased to announce the signing of Michelle Johnson and Tammie Rue Elliott for their novels to be added to the Virginia Beach Murder Mysteries series. This series was begun by John Koehler in 2011 with the release of his book, The Case of the Russian Maids, with Timothy Choquette as a co-writer.

“This was my fourth book,” said Koehler. “I decided to write a murder mystery right here where I live. I wasn’t aware of many that had been done and I knew the area, so why not? The plan was to leave open the possibility of writing murder mysteries at Daytona Beach, or Myrtle Beach or any other beach in the U.S.”

“I thought I might eventually bring on some other writers, but I never thought such excellent writers as Tammie and Michelle would want to join in the fun. Who knew that murder and mayhem could live in the minds of amazing writers in the area! The cool thing was that they approached me and told me they were writing books for the series. I read some chapters and said ‘Yes Ma’am!’ Truth is that the quality of their work made it very easy for me to agree. They are both professional writers and they will make the project much better than it was.”

Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson is the author of The Footloose Killer, the story of Detectives Lexi Sawyer and Morgan Pryce trying to solve an eight-year-old case that is grotesque and seemingly unsolvable.

“When I moved to Virginia Beach,” said Johnson, “I spent the better part of two years walking the boardwalk along the ocean every day. I think it is the perfect setting for many things, and when I heard that Koehler Books had the Virginia Beach Murder Mystery line, I couldn’t resist.”

Johnson is an author, editor, event organizer and entrepreneur. She is currently revising a novel, writing a  memoir, and is co-writing a play with award-winning playwright Michael Stephen Myers. She has been a columnist and book reviewer for Tidewater Women Magazine and occasionally reviews books on her blog. For a complete bio on Johnson, go here.

Rue Elliot is the author of Guilt Before Innocence, the story of Caitlin Connor, a local artist accused of a vicious murder by a man she hoped to never see again.

Rue Elliott

“I’ve always loved mysteries and what better place to use as a setting than our own beautiful Virginia Beach. People enjoy the familiar.  Whether you live here or vacation here, it’s cool to read something that you recognize the landmarks.  And good mysteries always work.”

Elliott has studied under authors Tim Farrington and Janine Latus, and belongs to the Writer’s Unleashed critique group. Her work has also appeared in the magazine The Quotable. In addition to her work as a writer, Rue is a glass artist.  When she is not spinning tales, she can be found in her workshop with either kiln or torch. For a complete bio on Elliott, go here.

Both novels will launch in May of 2012 and will be offered with Russian Maids at many Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads locations. They will also be available, along with Russian Maids, in print from Amazon and Barnes & Noble and in epub from Kindle, Nook and iBooks.

For more information about these books, please visit beachmurdermysteries.com

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