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Her two gangster novels earned her Top Notable Indie Book awards. Author Betty Passick shared her passion for writing historical fiction in a very candid down-to-earth interview. Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of The Black Bag of Dr. Wiltse.

“Research comes first,” she said. “If you don’t like doing research, historical fiction is not for you.”

Unlike most authors of historical fiction, Passick does not change the names of people or places in her historical crime novels. She has always been fascinated by the story of the Italian American “mystery man” who first came to her Iowa hometown in the early 1920s, and the rest is history. No pun intended.

Now, it’s up to us to find out what was in The Black Bag of Dr. Wiltse, Murder on the Prairie her second historical crime novel that earned her the second Top Notable Indie Book Award in 2021 after Gangster in our Midst in 2019.

“This crime mystery novel captures its audience’s attention with the delicious historical detail from this time period in early America’s burgeoning settlements… Who knew there was such a criminal element lurking on our prairies?”

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger

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This historical fiction novel was inspired by the biggest natural disaster in Michigan-the fire of 1881. Author Carol Nickles kept the idea for the story along with notes in a box for close to 20 years.

Then she decided either she was going to write the story or burn the box, and that’s how Thumb Fire Desire was born with the help of a developmental editor.

“I’ve always wanted to tell this story,” she said.

Listen to this inspiring interview for a chance to win an autographed copy of Thumb Fire Desire.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, and Modern History Press.

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It was actually fashion that got T.J. London interested in the American Revolutionary War as a young author as simple as it may seem.

“I was getting into my persona,” she said. “The look got me interested in that time period. Now it draws attention to my books.”

Yes, it was the red coats and tricorne hats that sparked the imagination of a young mind, and later served well as a counseling tool during a period of grief. Rather, than writing a journal, T.J. London went the whole way and wrote ‘Man of War.’

T.J. London is an expert at digging out little-known facts in history and asking herself questions. She was referring to battles in upstate New York that T.J. London didn’t know about.

“Why don’t we learn this stuff,” she said.

What fascinated T.J. London were all the changes that were happening at the same time.

“It was this incredible cataclysmic moment in history,” she said. “But in fiction where were those stories? I felt like I needed to know more.”

And the prequel is not just about the revolution, but also about digging deep into the roots of what was going on T.J. London’s life after the loss of her father.

It took her four years to write ‘Man of War’ backed up by solid research about the Royal Navy.

Come along on a journey with ambitious captain Merrick and revengeful India for a chance to win a signed copy of ‘Man of War.’

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger.