Cathy Cash Spellman Interview - A Murder on Jane Street

Photo Credit: Dakota Cash

Multiple New York Times and International Bestsellers, a Paramount Movie, book sales in 22 countries, Cathy Cash Spellman writes stories about love, friendship, adventure, and history. Known for her big sprawling sagas and memorable characters, Cathy writes the kind of stories women like to lose themselves in, and then remember long after the book is done.

Her books range through several genres: contemporary, historical, mystery, mystic and romance. Several take place in two time-frames, both current and historical.

Bless the Child was a Paramount movie in 2000, starring Kim Basinger and Jimmy Smits, and Paint The Wind has been optioned for film and TV.

Cathy is an Astrologer, Martial Artist (Black Belt Goju Ryu Karate) and has expertise in Chinese Medicine, several alternative healing modalities and many metaphysical disciplines.

She has written for Self, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Mademoiselle, Cosmo, Penthouse, Mode, Kung Fu and many other magazines about women, health, empowerment, sexuality, spiritual philosophy and Astrology. She blogs for The Huffington Post and The New York Times.

        

  

Print Length: 410 pages
Publisher: The Wild Harp & Company, Inc. (July 16, 2019)
Publication Date: July 16, 2019
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07QSC84TF

Praise for A MURDER ON JANE STREET

"Family ties tighten and bonds of affection grow stronger as a family is trapped between ruthless forces struggling for the highest stakes: control of a world to be subjected to unimaginable evil. As.parents, children and loved ones risk all to protect one another, events accelerate towards a conclusion that is in doubt until the last page is turned. A terrific read!" ―Richard Gid Powers author of The Mystery of the Trinity

"A MURDER ON JANE STREET is a gripping summer thriller filled with history, adventure, and an intriguing mystery. Cathy Cash Spellman will keep readers on the edge of their seat" ―Charles Brokaw, New York Times Bestselling author of The Atlantis Code

Cathy paints a picture with the most radiant phrasing and colorful words! I’m a fan of her books and have read every one of them, always wishing that she’ll write more! That hope was answered with A MURDER ON JANE STREET. This compelling gem of a mystery is also a history, a conspiracy, and a modern-day morality tale rolled into one. Yes there is a murder, deadly secrets and treachery, but at its heart, it’s also about family, friendship and having the courage to do the right thing in the face of nearly insurmountable odds. This brilliant author has created yet another home run! Her narrative, coupled with an edge-of-your-seat contemporary mystery thriller, have characters that warmed my heart and an unexpected ending that I absolutely LOVED! ―Adria de Haume, author of Cross Purpose

"Do NOT read this book unless you are willing to be seduced by a dozen incredibly keen people without whom the world as we know it might cease to exist." ―K.T. Maclay author of Beginners Guide to Death and Dying in Oaxaca

Where were you born and where do you call home?
I was born in New Jersey and am currently in Florida, but I think of home as Manhattan and Connecticut!

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life in writing?
Write, write, write! Even if it’s 15 minutes a day! Be consistent. Eke out your time and stick to it. I wrote So Many Partings from 4:30 to 6:30 every morning for 4 years before it got to the New York Times Bestseller list. I got up with the chickens because that was the only time of day that belonged only to me alone (I had a business to run and young daughters. Was the lost sleep worth it? You bet it was!

And don’t edit yourself! Leave that for later, after you’ve gotten your best and freshest ideas onto paper.

Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that writing was not just a hobby?
I knew from the time I could first hold a book in my hands that a life as a storyteller was all I desired.

What was your unforgettable moment while writing A MURDER ON JANE STREET?
The moment I realized I’d woven the character of FitzHugh Donovan from my memories of my wonderful father and grandfather. I was so happy to think I’d be spending time with those I love while writing this series, I sat down at my desk and cried happy tears. My beloved daughter and sister are tucked in there, too!

What part of Fitz did you enjoy writing the most?
My father had the gift of laughter and uncommon common sense. I really admired both! No matter what life threw at him, he would accept it and make the best of it, loving life, all the while. I’ve tried to imbue Fitz with these lovely character traits. “This too shall pass…” my dad would say about adversity and I know Fitz would say the same!

Fitz also echoes my father in his love of poetry, his unfailing code of honor and his immense heart.

In your new book; A MURDER ON JANE STREET, can you tell my Book Nerd community all about it?
I’d love to! Here’s the bare bones version of the story:

A brutal murder.
A heinous secret.
A deadly conspiracy.
An adversary who’s above the law.

The brutal murder of the little old lady next door puts retired New York City Police Chief FitzHugh Donovan on the case. Fitz knows a cover-up when he sees one and he’s on the hunt for answers.

What he doesn’t yet know is that conspiracy, power and corruption at the highest levels of government stand in the way of justice for this cipher of a woman, who was so much more than she appeared.

When Fitz gathers his beloved family and friends to tell the story, they dub themselves The Bleecker Street Irregulars and volunteer to help him ferret out the truth. But family, friendship, courage and conscience will be tested to the limits as they all are propelled into the bizarre life of a heroic female spy in WWII, and a current day conspiracy that could kill them all.

I’m hoping the shocking secret she died to protect, the current day willingness of ordinary people to do the right thing, and two intertwined love stories will clutch at my readers hearts as Fitz races to find a way to keep the ones he loves alive in the fact of the odds.

What book would you recommend for others to read?
I’m currently crazy about Mind to Matter by Dawson Church. It uses new scientific evidence found in brain-mapping technologies to show how our brains rewire themselves depending on our thoughts, so thoughts become things and can actually alter the realities of health, prosperity and well-being.

I’m also excited about Mika Brzezinsky’s Know Your Value. It’s full of very helpful info about how we women have difficulty asking for the recognition and salaries we deserve, and what to do about that.

On the novel front, I’ve just finished the Deborah Harkness trilogy, A Discovery of Witches. I loved every minute of it!

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your characters?
I learned this long ago and it’s my favorite thing about writing stories! I start out putting meticulous and emotional thought into the creation of each character, imagining all I can about their lives. Then I start to write. Magically, the characters begin to show their own identities! It’s as if they reach out and lead me by the hand to their stories and their evolution as they grow with every page.

I’ve had characters fall in love, get sick or die, change horses in midstream – sometimes much against my will – but miraculously the characters are always right in the context of the story.

What are some of your current future projects that you can share with us?
My reader friends have really embraced Lark’s Labyrinth and are clamoring for a sequel. I’m more than halfway done. After that, comes the sequel to A Murder on Jane Street and after that, I hope, a sequel to all three of my historical novels, Paint the Wind, So Many Partings and An Excess of Love. I envision a book in which the next generation of all three stories are intertwined. I can’t wait to see what happens to my old friends and their children.

If you could introduce one of the characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
That’s a tough one. I’d really like to introduce the whole next generation of characters from my three historic stories to each other! I can easily see love stories (and great enmities) being generated. Their time would be the 20th century and the scope of their lives would be worldwide, which would give me an exciting broad palette to paint on!

Choose a unique item from your wallet and explain why you carry it around.
I carry an amulet given to me by Guruji the head of the Jain Monks. He told me always to keep it with me, so I do. He was believed by his 15 million followers (and by me!) to be a saint.

Last Halloween Costume you wore and when?
I usually dress as a wizard of some kind, going back to my magical roots. I come from a long line of mystic Celtic women and my daughter Dakota says I have the best wizard wardrobe in town!

How would you like to spend a Sunday morning?
Reading, reading, reading… and maybe writing, too. Leisure is something I currently have little of, so my book pile (and newspapers, too) is massive!

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
I’ve lost two daughters and my parents to terrible illnesses. I’d go back to any time spent on a summer back porch with them, or in front of the Christmas tree and hearth, or in Kennebunkport, Maine, my favorite place. To be with them all again and with my daughter Dakota and my sister Conny… that would be perfect happiness.

FAVORITE GUY CHARACTERS FROM YOUR BOOKS, INCLUDING RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THEM.

• · I adore Fitz because he reminds me so much of my father.
• · In Paint the Wind, I was madly in love with Hart – sadly I never met a man like him. …honorably complex, brimming over with strength and heart.
• · In So Many Partings, Tom Dalton’s life touched my heart with his tribulations and courage.
• · In So Many Partings, I admired brave Andrew Furuseth, a character who really lived and changed the fate of Seamen forever. I was also very fond of Jack.
• · In An Excess of Love, I loved several of the men: Tierney, Seaneen, Tahg, Derek and of course, the heroes of the 1916 Rising, starting with Mick Collins.

A MURDER ON JANE STREET BY CATHY CASH SPELLMAN EXCERPT
That’s weird, no lights. Rory navigated her phone app to confirm she’d completed the ride, then stood staring at her pitch-black house, which was more than a little ominous-looking in the snow. Or maybe it was just the idea of being alone on a deserted 119th Street at this hour in an only half-gentrified neighborhood that was spooky. Besides, Carlos was inside. He’d said he was calling from inside the house, hadn’t he?

Rory fitted her key in the lock and pushed the heavy old door open, calling the man’s name. Nothing. No sound but the wind and the creaking noises old houses excelled at. Light switch, she told herself. Flip the light switch. She thought This is the part in the horror flick when the heroine is blithely traipsing down the darkened basement steps where the axe murderer is lying in wait and the audience is screaming “turn on the fucking lights, you idiot!” She laughed out loud at herself and fumbled for the light switch—which produced nothing at all. Shit!

Rory stood stock-still. Maybe Carlos had to turn off the electrical because of the water problem. That could make sense. She took the heavy-duty flashlight out of the tool bag she’d grabbed on her way out of her apartment and switched it on.

“Carlos!” she shouted again, as she flashed the light around the room and moved tentatively forward. “Carlos! Where the hell are you and why aren’t the lights working?” There wasn’t time for more than that before the world fell in on her.

Copyright © 2019 by Cathy Cash Spellman

A brutal murder.
A heinous secret
A deadly conspiracy.

The brutal murder of the little old lady next door puts FitzHugh Donovan on the case. A retired New York City Police Chief, he knows a cover-up when he sees one and his Irish Cop conscience can’t let that happen.

  
Now, Fitz, his family and his quirky band of Bleecker Street Irregulars are ensnared in the bizarre secret the woman died to protect.

Is this a 75-year-old cold case turned hot again, or an unspeakable crime-in-progress that could alter the course of the world?

Fitz doesn’t yet know how high the stakes are, that failure isn’t an option, and that the little old lady was so much more than she appeared. But he’s trying to keep everyone alive long enough to find out.

Characters you’ll care about, dark shocking secrets, and disturbing similarities to today’s political scene, will keep you turning pages to an ending you won’t see coming.

You can purchase A Murder on Jane Street at the following Retailers:

  

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you CATHY CASH SPELLMAN for making this giveaway possible.

4 Winners will receive a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. 

WEEK ONE
JULY 15th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
JULY 16th TUESDAY BookHounds INTERVIEW
JULY 17th WEDNESDAY Casia's Corner EXCERPT
JULY 18th THURSDAY TTC Books and More GUEST POST
JULY 19th FRIDAY Movies, Shows, & Books EXCERPT 

WEEK TWO
JULY 22nd MONDAY On My Bookshelf REVIEW & GUEST POST
JULY 22nd MONDAY Stephanie's Life of Determination REVIEW & GUEST POST
JULY 23rd TUESDAY J.R.'s Book Reviews REVIEW
JULY 24th WEDNESDAY Book Referees REVIEW & GUEST POST
JULY 24th WEDNESDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW
JULY 25th THURSDAY For the Love of Fictional Worlds REVIEW
JULY 26th FRIDAY Gwendalyn's Books REVIEW & EXCERPT

WEEK THREE
JULY 29th MONDAY Book Queen Reviews REVIEW & GUEST POST
JULY 29th MONDAY Sabrina's Paranormal Palace GUEST POST
JULY 30th TUESDAY Wishful Endings FILL IN THE BLANKS
JULY 30th TUESDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW & EXCERPT
JULY 31st WEDNESDAY A Bookish Dream REVIEW
AUGUST 1st THURSDAY Insane About Books REVIEW & EXCERPT
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