In Mangano’s debut mystery, a writer [sic] returns to her hometown to investigate the death of her grandfather and ends up uncovering wicked family secrets. Linden St. Clair returns to her hometown of Somerville, Calif., after the death of her beloved grandfather, who raised her after the deaths of her parents. The mystery surrounding his death only intensifies when Linden realizes her grandfather left…
Braha
Braha Given 4 Stars by Foreword Reviews
We are celebrating my 4-star review from Foreword Reviews! I posted a snippet on my home page, and the full review is shown below. Two narrators bring two tones to this mystery and weave together a strong whole Alternating between a present-day mystery in America and a glimpse of a Russia gone by, Braha: A Tale of Innocence & Intrigue is…
Mood Music
Music has always been one of my true loves. When I was younger, I thought I perhaps would become a songwriter one day, maybe even a singer, but the world had different plans for me. Despite a different artistic calling, music still deeply influences me. When I was writing Braha, I listened to songs that helped me feel the mood of…
Braha’s Name Secrets
One of the hardest things for me to do as an author is naming people and places in my work. Sometimes I become so obsessed with names that I can’t focus on writing my story until the names are perfect. A perfect name sounds right and has the appropriate connotations when spoken aloud or read silently. Believe it or not,…
Finding Leena
Mumu spoke the language of children. Accompanied with a smile and a hug, it has no verbal barriers. After writing about my childhood friend Leena, I became very curious about tracking her down. I’ve never done something like that, so I was feeling rather Nancy Drew-ish. Thanks to my raging insomnia, I had the opportunity to do a little searching…
Finnish Dreams
When I was growing up, one of my favorite friends was a Finnish girl named Leena (pronounced Lay-neh). Actually she was half German, but that side of her family might as well have been non-existent because that family lived and breathed Finland. Her one hundred percent Deutsche father was some kind of salesman and traveled regularly. I saw him perhaps…