Spoken interview

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Here’s some background information for starters:

Don Bodey: I  live near where I was born, in  rural Indiana, in places I keep saying I am “fixing up,” like I’ve been saying about places in Florida for awhile, Oregon for nine years, Chicago for another nine. I’m a carpenter, and for most of my life I’ve been making my living by “fixing” houses while  I live there amongst the fixings, then get another one, fix it up.

Somehow I’ve also been a writer and sometimes a teacher of writing. I’ve taught at colleges and universities as a part timer. I got my Bachelor’s degree in 1968 and was immediately drafted into the Army, trained to be a mortar man, sent to Vietnam for 405 days, discharged. I earned  my MFA at Oregon, and came away with the beginning of  what would become F.N.G. 

I spent some years building houses on the coast, then ended up in Chicago, teaching and writing. Within six months, in 1985, my book came out, then won the Midland Award, and my house burned down. That tragedy overwhelmed the book. With two old friends–one was  81 years old–I bought a bar in a rather “tough” Chicago neighborhood and that lasted 3 years, during which I became a father. Full circle:20 years after I left, I came back to Indiana, with my wife and son, and went to work as a carpenter again, for the ensuing 20 years.

Without the mental wherewithal to be a writer and a fixer-upper, I assumed the pragmatic role of a carpenter again, and writing all but disappeared from my life. But it’s a strong pull to want to write, so when a publisher, Victor Volkman, offered to re-publish the book, and suggested I write something to tie it into today, I jumped at the chance. It took about 18 months to put it together, but the happy result is this new edition, which ultimately, consequently, brings me here.

Gift Horse: A Kat Wilde U.P. Mystery [PB]

SKU 978-1-61599-839-5
$24.95
1
Product Details
UPC: 978-1-61599-839-5
Brand: Modern History Press
Binding: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Author: Terri Martin
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 09/01/2024

Tucked away in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the village of Peshekee has more to worry about than the long winters and steelhead fishing. Scandal and a suspicious death or two visit the rural village, setting speculation and gossip into motion. After her post-college career collapses, Kat Wilde finds herself living with the family cat in her parents' basement. With no other prospects on the horizon, Kat is offered a gift she can't refuse: inheriting her late uncle's failed equine venture, Wildwood Stables. There, she sees hope for regaining independence from a pity job at Dad's accounting firm. Attracting the attention of Nikko Olsen, a local woods cop, leads to unconventional romance and adventure. The discovery of a corpse, along with disturbing encounters at the old horse campground, launches a spate of entanglements that unravel as Kat stumbles onto family sins and secrets.

"I want to be Terri Martin's Kat Wilde in Gift Horse: the reluctant recipient of a run-down horse boarding stable whose spirit is exceeded only by her heart! Thrown by the discovery of a dead body in her barn, Kat is determined to solve the mystery, aided and abetted by a host of endearingly wacky characters. Martin's Gift Horse is a pleasure ride, with enough bumps, turns and twists in the trail to keep the reader glued to the saddle -- right up until a very satisfying ending." -- Nancy Besonen, author of Off the Hook

"Kat Wilde, a Gen Z woman trying to find a life in the rugged wilderness of the U.P., stumbles into an unlikely inheritance that reignites the fire of her forgotten youthful passion for horses. She is a down-to-earth heroine I rooted for at every turn, as she and new beau, Nikko Olsen, unravel the schemes of a murderer and impostor." -- Victor Volkman, Marquette Monthly

"I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Kat Wilde, our guide through the landscape of Gift Horse. Her humorous choice of language comes through - even during the most desperate events, of which there are many. Things start with a few signs of danger and soon grow into dead bodies and blackmail." -- Bob Rich, author of Hit and Run

"Gift Horse is a first-class mystery story using engaging characters. The story flows masterfully with Martin's signature undertone of humor. She uses it well. Things start to move fast after Kat Wildeinherits her uncle's failed equine venture, Wildwood Stables Twists and turns occur and romance develops when Kat pairs up with Niko, the handsome son of the local sheriff. Unexplained murders and family secrets run in tandem to Kat and Niko's growing romance. I loved this book and can't wait to read more of Kat's adventures." -- Ann Dallman, award-winning author of Cady Whirlwind Thunder Mysteries

Learn more at www.TerriLynnMartin.com

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Gift Horse: A Kat Wilde U.P. Mystery [PB]

 

 

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