Barbara M. Hodges's Page

Cold Coffee Press Spotlight Interview With Author Barbara M. Hodges

Barbara M. Hodges lives on the central coast of CA. She shares her life with her husband Jeff, two basset hounds (Hamlet and Heidi) and a ginger-striped tabby cat, Wallace.

Barbara is the author or co-author of nine novels. When she is not writing she enjoys going to and watching NASCAR on television as well as decorative painting.

Interview:

What, or who, inspired you to become a writer? My mom, Jean Stites

When did you begin writing with the intention of being published? I was a late bloomer, not until my early 40's.

Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and why? I am the oldest of four children. My mom read to us all, when I learned to read, I took care of the story sharing. It began my love for words and led to becoming an author.

Do you come up with your title(s) before or after you write the manuscript(s)? It's worked both ways. I knew the title for ‘Ice’, before the first word was written. The same with ‘The Blue Flame’. ‘The Emerald Dagger’ and ‘The Silver Angel’. With the others the book titles were not apparent until the story was told.

Why do you write in the genre(s) that you’ve chosen? I write in genres I love to read, mystery, suspense, fantasy, and a little science fiction.

What has been your most rewarding experience while in the writing process? Having people say 1 they love my books and question as to when the next one will be out.

What has been your most negative experience while in the writing process? Promoting and marketing is difficult. I've set in book stores for hours and not signed one book.

What has been your most rewarding experience in your publishing journey? Recently I’ve entered the arena of Indi-publishing. Since I’m a control freak I love designing my own book covers and having a bigger return of value for time is nice too.

What has been your most negative experience in your publishing journey? I love writing, so it's hard to find a negative. I guess it would be when a publisher I’m with has to cease publishing. By then they've become friends and it is sad to say goodbye.

What one positive piece of advice would you give to other authors? Don't let the rejection slips get you down.

Who is your favorite author and why? Oh that is so hard. My favorite author can change week to week. I love discovering new ones. Right now it is Pamela Beason and Shannon Mayer. Love them, and highly recommend.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us? I do a once a month internet radio broadcast on Blog Talk Radio. It is the third Tuesday of the month at 3:00 PM Pacific Time. The show’s name is No Limits. I talk with those involved in the field of writing. I also do interviews for Mysterical-E, which is an online mystery magazine.

Barbara M. Hodges Published Titles (Some of her books are written with co-authors):
A Spiral Of Echoes
Aftermath
Ice
One Last Sin
Return Of The Ancients
Scattered Hearts
Shadow Worlds
The Blue Flame
The Emerald Dagger
The Silver Angel

************************

One Last Sin by Barbara M. Hodges and Randolph Tower

The fiery crash of a private jet leaves a mystery in its wreckage. Alone in the devastation is a man, unhurt who has no memory of the crash, himself or his past. It is up to FBI Agent Gail Crane, Santa Maria Police Detective Darcie Devonshire and Ex-CIA Operative Morgan Garrett to solve the puzzle. Not an easy task, because for each question answered, two surface to take its place.

Cold Coffee Press Book Review For One Last Sin
by Barbara M. Hodges and Randolph Tower

One Last Sin by Barbara M. Hodges and Randolph Tower is a suspense mystery that begins with a fiery Lear Jet crash. First impressions from the emergency responders indicates that one pilot, one co-pilot and two passengers are dead and burned beyond recognition. Within minutes the crash scene becomes an active investigation as a man with no visible signs of injury is found on the ground outside the cockpit.

Soon it becomes apparent to the first responders that this suspected survivor has no memory of the crash or even his own identity. A well trained team comes together including Special FBI Agent Gail Crane, Detective Darcie Carmichael of the Santa Maria Police Department and ex-CIA Operative Morgan Garrett to solve the mystery of this unidentified man and the circumstances surrounding the crash.

A mystery plot with well-developed characters and easy to follow dialog moves the investigation forward with writing that puts the reader in the present and quickly turns to action that grabs the reader’s attention. “I strolled past the entrance of the Luxor, walked away from the noise and hubbub of the busy casino. I stopped to watch the busy traffic, shook my head. Everyone rushed around like there was no tomorrow, and I’d bet they’d all come here to relax and have fun. We Americans could learn a lot from the African natives live easy and take it one day at a time. Now where did that come from? I don’t suppose I’ll ever get used to these random thoughts that seem to sprout from nowhere. God, will I ever remember my entire past? The splat sound came from behind me. Concrete chips splattered on my pants leg from the wall a few feet away. I turned toward the street. Damn, someone’s shooting. Hell, they’re shooting at me, and they’re using a silencer.”

Twists and turns will keep the reader engaged as more questions arise as some influential people might be involved in this multi-mystery drama. Barbara M. Hodges and Randolph Tower has also authored ‘Ice’, another suspense filled mystery.

Barbara M. Hodges has published titles of her own which include ‘Aftermath’, ‘Return Of The Ancients: A Story Of Daradawn’, ‘The Blue Flame’ (Daradawn Book 1), ‘The Emerald Dagger’ (Daradawn Book 2) and ‘The Silver Angel’ (Daradawn Book 3). In addition to ‘Ice’ and ‘One Last Sin’ Barbara has co-authored ‘A Spiral Of Echoes’, ‘Shadow Worlds’ and she is included in one anthology titled ‘Scattered Hearts’.

Cold Coffee Press endorses ‘One Last Sin’ by Barbara M. Hodges and Randolph Tower as a suspense mystery that will engage sleuth appetites. We received this book in a PDF format for review. The review was completed on April 1, 2015. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press. http://www.coldcoffeepress.com

Amazon Customer Reviews
Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link
Barnes and Noble Print Purchase Link

*************************

A Spiral Of Echoes by Barbara Hodges and Masggie Pucillo

Six months after Isabelle Allen's husband dies in bed with his latest lover, she is bombarded by her well-meaning friends attempt to hook her up with any eligible male. They just can't accept that she doesn't want another man in her life. As far as Isabelle is concerned love was for fools. In exasperation Isabelle packs her car, loads up her basset hound Sammi-Sue, her cat Longfellow and all three escape to Baja, Mexico. Baja, on the Sea of Cortez, beautiful beaches, long walks, vermillion sunsets and hours of time for Isabelle to re-discover her love of weaving. It's a good plan, except for two things. An stubborn ghost who has fixated on Isabelle as a answer to her loneliness and Cristiano Casamiro. A fifteen-years-younger, Latino geologist specializing in volcanoes who has his own biases against Americanos. Cristiano is a man who makes her temper flare, her emotions flame and her heart sing.

Amazon Customer Reviews
Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link
Barnes and Noble Print Purchase Link

*************************

Aftermath by Barbara M. Hodges

Three pieces of short fantasy fiction. Each story involves storms that leave behind life altering aftermaths.

Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link
Barnes and Noble Print Purchase Link

*************************

Ice by Barbara M Hodges and Randolph Tower

Want to generate some heat? Try some ICE. Sherice Solomon, the serial killer known as Ice, is moving west, and Santa Maria California seems an enticing new hunting ground. Ex-CIA agent Morgan Garrett has also chosen Santa Maria as his new home. When a chance meeting brings them together, Sherice realizes how lonely she has become. She needs a partner and Morgan is her choice. Now the only thing left to do is to convince him and she won’t let anyone stand in her way, especially an old flame.

Amazon Customer Reviews
Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link

*************************

Return Of The Ancients: A Story Of Daradawn by Barbara M. Hodges

Daradawn's peace is shattered when three Valkyrie warriors, fleeing their blood enemy, the Followers of the Sun, call upon their magic in a circle of stones as old as time.

The wild magic rips open two rifts into Daradawn. One for the desperate Valkyrie, the other for the Dubv'Llewelyn, dark elves, banished a thousand years go into the world of humans.

Into Daradawn they come, the Valkyrie, the Followers of the Sun and the Dubv'Llewelyn.

War rages, the lightest magic against the darkest. There is no middle ground. It is rule or be enslaved, and no matter the outcome, for those of Daradawn, their lives will never be the same.

Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link
Barnes and Noble Print Purchase Link

*************************

Scattered Hearts by Santa Maria Word Wizards (Barbara M. Hodges)

Scattered Hearts is an anthology created by the Santa Maria, California Word Wizards.

All stories, poems and articles involve Valentine's Day in some way.

Scattered Hearts shows the many faces of love.

Kindle Purchase Link

*************************

Shadow Worlds by Barbara M. Hodges and Darrell Bain

Genetic duplicates of people start dropping out of thin air right beside the originals. The duplicates are complete except for one little detail: they're dead. Frank Winston begins an investigation that widens to include the mystery of a vanished airliner that had his parents on board, as well as those of the first person who found a dead twin on her doorstep, Linda Vesprie. Together, they discover that quantum physics is even stranger than scientists had believed, and that their world and an infinite series of alternate earths are in dire peril. Neither Frank nor Linda realize they are being misled when a woman from an alternate earth asks for their help. When they discover the duplicity, it is already far too late to do anything about it. Shadowy monsters, conniving federal agents, alternate worlds and a lonely scientist racing against time to save both his world and earth make this latest offering from best-selling author Darrell Bain and collaborator Barbara Hodges a page-turning adventure that strings the suspense out to the last page.

Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link
Barnes and Noble Print Purchase Link
Nook Purchase Link

*************************

The Blue Flame (Daradawn Book 1) by Barbara Hodges

Kelsey Cafferty has been missing for seven years. To all but her sister Regan, Kelsey is dead.

On the night Regan finally accepts her sister's death a man knocks on her front door. The man's strange choice of clothing baffles her, but it is the blue flame upon his cheek that seals her breath: a blue flame that is a twin to the one she bears on her shoulder.

The man, Peter Canterville, tells Regan a fantastical tale -- Kelsey is not dead. She is in his world of Daradawn, helping a queen battle a dark mage. Kelsey has sent him for Regan, whose power is needed to defeat their enemy. Regan thinks the man is crazy, but he has their grandmother's locket. Kelsey never went anywhere without it.

Accompanied by her friend Ben and his basset hound Maggie, Regan goes with Peter. In Daradawn Regan has no choice but to believe, for magic surrounds her and the small blue flame she thought of as nothing but a birthmark has become much more.

Amazon Customer Reviews
Kindle Purchase Link

*************************

The Emerald Dagger (Daradawn Book 2) by Barbara Hodges

The Power, granted to the Chosen, is all that stands between the dark mage Dirkk and the ravage of Daradawn.

Dirkk has not been idle for the seven years the rift has been closed. With the help of Daraodh, the demon who lives inside the emerald dagger, he is again ready to challenge Queen Tessa for all. To this end he has conjured new dark beings to aid him: fenris'ena, once mountain wolves, now large beasts who listen to only him, and etain'daman, fairie demons with razor-sharp wing edges and poisoned talons.

It will take the coming together of man, elf, fairie, dwarf, unicorn, and dragon to defeat the dark mage for good. Can differences be put aside between those of the air and those of the ground? Can Regan Canterville, even though a chosen of the Power, reason with a rage-filled dragon?

If not, all will be lost.

Amazon Customer Reviews
Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link

*************************

The Silver Angel (Daradawn Book 3) by Barbara Hodges

The rift is again open.

In six short years, half elf and half human, Angel Silverthorne has grown to adulthood. To save her own life she must return to Daradawn, but feels only resentment at being forced to travel into another world.

In the elven lands of Vilsathor, her royal grandparents wait, but there is more to experience than family; for in Daradawn there is also Patrick Bannion.

Now Dirkk's dark disciple, Patrick has at last found a way to return his mater to life, and Angel is the key.

Amazon Customer Reviews
Amazon Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link

*************************

Barbara M. Hodges Amazon Author’s Page
Barbara M. Hodges’ Website

Cold Coffee Café Author Barbara M. Hodges
Cold Coffee Press Author Barbara M. Hodges

************************

Book Cover Design Contact Information:
Author/Artist: Barbara M. Hodges
Email: bassetbarb@aol.com