My spiritual journey

My spiritual journey began in 2000, when my daughter Jennifer became the victim in a murder-suicide. Her brutal death sparked my need to know what happened next. I was raised in a fundamentalist religion that did not believe in life after earth. Experiences I believed were evidence to the contrary led me to investigate further.

Delving into the world of spirit, I read books and attended meetings on the subject. I meditated to make my own connection with the other side. Astonishing contacts with Jennifer came through spirit mediums John Edward, and James Van Praagh (who even taped a show at my house). I continued interested but my studies dropped off.

Life intervened until last year. Several events made me believe I was being led on a new spiritual path. One of those was the discovery of the calcite rock you see here. The rock was in my home for ten years before I saw the face. One day, I moved it from one place to another in my living room. When I looked down, I thought I was hallucinating! People in the spiritual arena who I’ve showed it to have been just as stunned as I was. Could it be an apport (a gift from spirit)?

Proof of Life

I decided to write a novel with the afterlife as a theme. Imagine my surprise when the idea “dropped into my head” to make it a sequel to my earlier standalone, What She Saw. I’ve been working on Proof of Life for nearly a year and just finished it. My publisher, Suspense, plans for a spring 2019 release (sign up on the contact page to be notified). And guess what–I’ve been told that my daughter worked with me on this book!

Proof of Life picks up Jessica Mack’s story five years after her recovery from amnesia. When FBI agent Zach Smith needs help locating an abducted four-year-old, Jessica is forced to confront the spirit voices she’s been trying to ignore and use her unexplored “gift” for good.

My spiritual journey, though it started twenty years ago, has barely begun. I’m now hosting a bi-monthly group on zoom of likeminded people. Email me for info: sheila@sheilalowe.com

Proof of Life is here

Proof of Life

My new book, Proof of Life, was released

on May 7th, with more than eighty people celebrating with me at Orozco’s de Ventura Mexican restaurant. With dishes from his mother’s own recipes and excellent service, not to mention the ambiance, I have a feeling that our wonderful host, Guillermo Orozco, is going to be serving many new diners.

It was a perfect event for a hermit like me. I got to sit at my table and sign books, hand out mini Ouija boards, angel wings, and crystal necklaces, while everyone else chatted up a storm and enjoyed the food.

Four delicious flavors of Bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes made a perfect dessert. But I can’t help thinking there’s something wrong with calling yourself “nothing” even if it is a good pun. Still, if you’re in the mood for a couple of bites of something sweet, my favorite is always white chocolate raspberry.

Fellow authors, Peter Sexton and James Frances Gray were there, too, with thei

r books. Both were generous sponsors of the event. Check out their websites!

The prizes

I went a little crazy at one of the local New Age shops and gave away all kinds of cool stuff. Plus,
Amy Herron and Dianne Maggio won character names in the next Beyond the Veil mystery, The Third Door.

Several people donated prizes and had an opportunity to introduce themselves at the mic. Authors AJ Llewelyn, Mike Kennedy, and Connie Hood gave away copies of their books, plus Connie gave me a gorgeous

double moonstone ring (my goal is to lose enough weight for it to fit my fourth finger).

Stephen Joyce gave away a trip (not a timeshare!), Anna Crowe, who narrates some of my audiobooks, gave a month of free audiobooks. Tracey Bolton gave away a bag of goodies. Mary Gabriels, who helped make this party work, gave a jacket embroidered with “Claudia Rose” and one with “Proof of Life.” Linda McCarthy of BNI–and though she couldn’t be there in person, my friend Suzanne Bank sent a certificate for an energy clearing. There were so many prizes, I have forgotten some. So, if you brought a prize and I’ve left you out, please forgive my bad memory. Remind me and I’ll add you in here.

I have an embarrassment of riches in supporters. Friends came from all over to help me celebrate. As always, big thanks to Debbie Mitsch of Mystery Ink for being my bookseller and schlepping all those boo

ks up from Orange County. More thanks are due to Mary Gabriels, who does a fabulous job of making things look great (check out the purple “veil” behind my table). She also stood by the door and got everyone to sign in. I hope the read makes it all worthwhile.

The photos

Finally, I love the cool miniature library from Nina Nelson. She sent me a

kit that contained at least 9 million parts. For about thirty seconds as I gazed at that box of wood and paper, she was not my friend. But once it was done and it was so adorable–including teeny-tiny copies of my books (the covers, anyway), it was worth getting all that glue on my fingers. Thank you, Nina
:-).

And if these aren’t enough, big thanks to Amy Herron, who is a terrific photographer, here are some more.

Interviewed by Suzanne Giesemann

Suzanne Giesemann

Being interviewed by Suzanne Giesemann, and then getting a reading from her is astounding. Suzanne is a spiritual medium whose list is two years long! I first heard her speak at the Afterlife Education Research Institute Symposium in 2017, where I was impressed to learn that earlier in her life, she was a naval commander–an assistant to the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After a tragic loss, she began looking into what happens when we leave the physical body.

Within a few years, Suzanne had become a highly-skilled medium who studied with some of the best in the field. She now writes wonderful books about spirituality (I recently read and loved Droplets of God, the biography of Mavis Pitilla), and with her husband, Ty, and their dogs, travels around the country, speaking to all sorts of groups, bringing comfort to those whose loved ones have crossed to the other side. She hosts a monthly mentoring session online and a weekly radio show on Unity Online Radio

My request

When I emailed Suzanne to ask if she would consider reading Proof of Life, I truly never expected her to agree. As busy as she is, I would have understood if she had politely declined. But apparently, Spirit was behind my unlikely chutzpah. She read the book immediately, and gave it this lovely cover blurb: “A delicious glimpse at what happens when the veil between the two worlds unexpectedly parts. I dare you to put this book down!”

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, she invited me to be a guest on her radio show and talk about all kinds of things, and being interviewed by her was icing on the cake. But wait, there’s more…

Before the show, Suzanne gifted me with a Zoom session that brought through both my daughter, Jennifer, and Arnie, my late partner. It was a true and comforting connection. With her years long waiting list, I certainly never expected her to do this for me. But when Spirit wants something to happen, it happens. I cannot begin to express my gratitude. In return, I was delighted to analyze Suzanne’s handwriting, which showed her to be as beautiful inside as she is outside.

The Interview

Here’s a link to the interview from last week’s Messages of Hope radio show. Listen here!

Barnes & Noble Signing

On May 18th, I had the distinct pleasure of signing Proof of Life and my other books at my Barnes & Noble signing in Ventura, CA. Arriving 30 minutes early, I found a customer waiting for me to sign two books. I cannot think of a better way to begin a signing event.

Soon, friends started showing up. Some had been unable to attend the launch party last week. I was delighted to sign books for them. In the photo above, from left-right are Ventura County Professional Women’s Network sisters and mister, author James F. Gray, kick-ass coach Kathy Murphy, me, financial adviser extraordinaire Sue Osborn. Thanks also to Diane Myers, Rita Peterson and Randy Jewell, and everyone else who came and bought books. Barnes & Noble signings are always fun because I get to meet new readers. 

One customer bought PoL for his 13-year-old son, who he said is mature for his age. These days kids are exposed to so much, I doubt the themes in the book will scare him. Video games are scarier than a seance!

Gift with purchase

Celebrating the release of Proof of LifeThe “gift with purchase” proved a popular feature. Mini Ouija boards for those who wanted them, stone necklaces to those who were afraid (okay, some people got both). There were numerous comment on the miniature, which you can see on the corner of the table. I brought it along because in Proof of Life, Jessica Mack is a miniaturist. I freely admit, her work is much finer and tinier than mine.

Next signing will be at the California Crime Writers Conference June 8/9. Then on June 29th in Orange County, California, at 2:00 I will be with fellow author Rachel Howzell Hall at Book Carnival and at 4:30 at Mystery Ink. For details check my calendar.

Left: James Gray, Kathy Murphy, Sheila Lowe, Sue Osborn, members of Ventura County Professional Women’s Network.

Staying Motivated

Staying motivated was the theme today as I joined authors Mike Kennedy and Maryann Ridini Spencer in our first official Writers Table Faceook Live panel. We discussed some of the ways writers are staying motivated. More to the point, how the three of us stay motivated.

From our discussion it was clear that every author has his or her own process and none is right or wrong. Maryann is an early morning writer who ignores her emails while she’s working. Mike works late into the night. As for me, I’m all over the place and I answer loads of emails as they come in. This can have a big impact on productivity. Since I waste so much time during the day, I catch up later in the evening.

Click on the link above or here and listen/watch for yourself. I’ll just recap some of my opening remarks.

What needs motivate you?

Staying Motivated

Maslow’s Pyramid – hierarchy of needs

In my work as a handwriting analyst I often use information from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It’s all about the levels of needs that motivates all humans: basic stuff like food, air, water. Safety and security needs; love and affection from family, friends, society. Self-esteem. The need for creativity and self-expression–what are considered “transcendent needs.”

I wasn’t giving a lecture, so didn’t go into a lot of detail. Our needs can change from time to time as situations change. However, it’s my belief that if we know which of these basic needs motivate us most at any given time, it can help one stay motivated or get re-motivated.

Examining and re-examining what motivates us offers a new perspective. If you need to write in order to pay the bills, that’s one big motivator. If your writing makes the people you care about express their love and admiration for you, it can be a motivator. Achievement builds self-esteem, so there’s another. And writing for the sheer pleasure of creating is a really big one.

Egyptian God of Writing

Thoth, Egyptian God of Writing

One of my small motivators is to put a physical symbol on my desk related to my plot. Part of my current work in process, DEAD LETTERS, takes place in Egypt. I have a small figurine of the Ibis-headed god, Thoth, god of writing.

Even those of us who are fine with staying home for long periods may be suffering from quarantine-fatigue. Zoom, which I have used and loved since 2012, gets to be old after two or three meetings a day! For some people, staying motivated without regular face-to-face interaction is a challenge. Knowing we’re in it together and that we can learn from each other can help.

What’s next at the Writers Table?

At our next Writers Table Facebook Live, June 26 at 1:00 PST, we’ll be talking about traditional vs self-publishing and marketing. Between the three of us, we have a ton of experience. We’d love your questions and your comments, too.

Meanwhile, I still have free codes for some of my audiobooks. If you’d like one or some email me: sheila@sheilalowe.com

Blatant self-promotion

Blatant self-promotion – Outside the Lines

“Congratulations! Your book will be highlighted on Book Club Central’s Sisters in Crime: Very British Murder list!” 

“Book Club Central is an initiative of the American Library Association. Book Club Central is a new online resource for book clubs and readers featuring book reviews, author interviews, discussion questions and more. Award-winning actor, producer, and avid reader Sarah Jessica Parker is the Honorary Chair of Book Club Central and a passionate advocate for libraries and literacy.”

Outside the Lines is the book Book Club Central plans to highlight. Published a few years ago, much of the story takes place in Great Britain, which is good timing. Outside the Lines is on sale next week on Amazon. February 10-17 it’s only .99. Please help me spread the word.

I’ve lived in the US since I was 14, but am always excited to lecture in my home country. I received an invitation to speak at the British Institute of Graphology and jumped on the opportunity. Being back in London reminds me of my roots, though the memories are bittersweet. My grandmother (“nanny”) and the aunts and uncles are gone now. My old primary school on Ecclesbourne Road is gone, too. But not the flats in Islington (N1) where I lived as a child. That old block still rises across the road from the old church. Islington is being gentrified now. Back in the 1950s we played on an old bomb site between the flats and a newer playground. Bits of broken furniture littered the area. I have a clear memory of finding a jawbone–animal, I hope. Do you think that’s where my interest in mystery got started?

Blatant self-promotion is the uncomfortable part of being an author; a necessary evil.

New Audiobooks

Happy New Year, everyone! Early this morning (Jan. 1, 2019), I emailed everyone in my contact list about my two new audiobooks (Inkslingers Ball and Outside the Lines). If you were on that list, you should have received the newsletter. If you think you’re on the list but didn’t get it, please check your spam folder or contact me: sheila@sheilalowe.com. Or just sign up on the contact page here. You’ll be automatically added.

Audible provides authors with a bunch of free promo codes to give away in exchange for fair reviews, and I wanted to spread the word.

Why are reviews important? 1) They let other readers know whether a book is worth reading, or in this case, listening to. 2) Amazon (who owns Audible) uses them in their algorithms to determine which authors should get free advertising. You know–those emails Amazon sends out with recommendations.

So, on this, the first day of my little campaign for my new audiobooks, I received about 50 requests for promo codes. I think it’s pretty cool that the offer generated so much interest. I’ve now given out all the codes I had (luckily, they were advertised as “limited quantities.”), but am trying to get a few more. For those who asked for a code but don’t receive one, I’m offering a free copy of the e-book.

Coming up next

I love meeting my readers. Have you checked my schedule lately? There might be an event where we can meet in person. On January 24th I’ll be doing a Facebook Live with three other authors: James F. Gray, Maryann Ridini Spencer, and Mike Kennedy. Stay tuned for the exact time, but I think it will be at 7:00 PM Pacific Time. We’ll answer questions and talk about our process. Hope to “see” you there. At least, have you see us!

Cover Reveal!

I love cover reveal blog posts. Yes, the new book cover is here, and I love it! When I start writing a new book, I always begin with the title. It gives me a framework within which to build the story. Then, over the next year (It takes that long because my career in handwriting forensics takes precedence), I write it.

Working with Ellen Larson, the independent editor who has been with me since Poison Pen, the story slowly takes shape. I send Ellen chunks of material, she provides feedback and offers suggestions for improvement, or argues against some scene or character. I also read it aloud to my friend, Bob Joseph, a longtime published author himself. Most of the time he is wildly enthusiastic, but he has no qualms about telling me when what I’ve written is bad.

So, by the time the manuscript goes to my publisher at Suspense Magazine, it has been well worked over. Even then, though, I’ll keep tweaking it. By the time editor Shannon Raab sends back comments, there will have been countless small changes, additions, and hundreds of deletions.

Deletions?

Once I’ve written “The End,” I run the manuscript through software called SmartEdit. I adore SmartEdit. It saves me from using too many dreaded adverbs (those “ly” words that weaken writing), and from redundancies. In my manuscript, I discovered over 300 uses of the word “know,” 215 “when,” dozens of “always,” etc., etc. Believe it or not, there were more than 50 exclamation points!!! (that’s a big no-no in mystery writing). Going back over those places gives me an opportunity to find alternate words, rewrite, and improve the story.

So, after addressing any comments Shannon has made, I run SmartEdit again and send the manuscript back. She sends it to another staffer for a final round of edits and when it comes back to me, I’ll make my final SmartEdit run-through. That’s the very last opportunity I’ll have to tweak. This process reminds me of what Dashiell Hammett said. Paraphrasing (or maybe correctly quoting) the famed author of the Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man (Nick and Nora Charles) series: “I could edit a book down to one line if given the chance.” Yep. I know the feeling.

But at this point, we’ve reached an exciting moment (I had written “really exciting moment,” but that useless adverb does nothing for the sentence so I ruthlessly lopped it) . . .

The new cover

When I used to write for Penguin, they would send me an email, always with the same message: “Here’s your new cover. We hope you love it as much as we do.” They wanted no input from me, the author, and no changes were allowed. Sometimes I did not love that new cover at all.

I’m thrilled to report that the situation could not be more different with Suspense. They welcome input. If there’s something I don’t like (which is rare), their wonderful cover designer works with me until I do. Which brings me back to where we started–the new book cover is here, and I love it!!!

Proof of Life occurs five years after What She Saw, reintroducing Jessica Mack, and taking us with her on her reluctant journey into the realm of spirit. Sage Boles is back, too, from the more recent Claudia Rose book, Written Off.

Proof of Life is scheduled for release on May 7, 2019 and will be available for pre-order on Amazon in the next week.

Launch Party

If you’re in the Ventura area and would like to attend the book launch party (date TBA), sign up here. There will be food, prizes, networking opportunities, and, of course, BOOKS!!!

What readers say

Reviews are vital to the success of a mystery-suspense author. Besides, I deeply care what my readers think of my books and read all reviews, good or bad. Most of them make me glow. The other kind either complain about profanity or a formatting problem. In the first case, well, I don’t pretend to write cozies, and that’s how modern people speak. In the second, formatting is between the publisher and Amazon. No fair penalizing an author for something beyond their control.

Reader comments

  • I woke up in the night worrying about how Claudia was doing so I guess that’s a testimony on the quality of your work. – Rick
  • You really know how to write an emotional thriller. With all the feeling you put into it, I can imagine you felt quite drained at the end of each scene. – Molly
  • I started reading Inkslingers Ball yesterday afternoon. WOW! I can’t wait to read more. – Michelle
  • I’m working my way through the Claudia Rose series and so far every book deserved five stars. – Ann
  • This fast-paced tale will keep you glued to the pages ’til the exciting end. – James.
  • I couldn’t put it down & finished it last night, really liking how it unfolded. – Cindy
  • I found the story to be so suspenseful and it really kept me going. You did such a wonderful job with the forensic part. – Gayna
  • Sheila Lowe is a friend who can write one mean story. If you’re not already reading her you should slap yourself in the forehead. Then go get your hands on her books!” – (fellow author) Peg Brantley
  • One of the best mystery books I’ve ever read. – Diane
  • I was not disappointed! An afternoon well spent! – Andrea
  • I stayed up all night reading your book. I was enthralled. My only regret is that I’m so sleepy I may not finish the review until tomorrow. – Larry

Signing books at Book Carnival & Mystery Ink

Signing books at Book Carnival and Mystery Ink is always fun. Orange County, where both signings took place, is my old stomping grounds. After moving to the US from England, I grew up in Anaheim and graduated Anaheim High School in 1967. Last year we held our 50-year reunion. How on earth did that happen? Where did 50-years go?!

Last November I had a new book out–Written Off–so I bit the bullet and made the 100-mile drive. It took about four hours, but seeing some old friends and making new ones made battling the traffic worthwhile. I had the great pleasure of welcoming several high school classmates to the two book signings.

Anaheim High Class of 1967 Classmates

Dan Howard (aka Earl Javorsky), Patty Smiley, Anne Saller (owner of Book Carnival)

At both events, I shared the podium with fellow mystery author, Patty Smiley, who was promoting her book, Outside the Wire. At first I was a teeny bit confused. The year before, my release was titled Outside the Lines. The penny finally dropped and I understood we were talking about two different books.

High school classmate John Parsons and Sheila

 

The two independent bookstore owners, Anne Saller at Book Carnival and Debbie Mitsch at Mystery Ink are unfailingly welcoming and ready for the signing. You might think that goes without saying, but in my experience, the big box stores aren’t always as well prepared. Debbie drives wherever I need her to act as my bookseller at book launch parties and other large events. She’s always efficient and on time. I know I can count on her.

If you want to know when I’m going to be signing at a bookstore in your area or giving a lecture, etc., please check my calendar often–I frequently add new events or sign up for notifications.

Whenever you can, please support your local independent bookseller.