Oklahoma
Winds
The
Sydney St. John Mysteries Book 1
by
Cary Osborne
Genre:
Mystery
In
Oklahoma, spring brings storms raging across the American prairie,
too often spawning tornadoes that lash the land. But this spring
Sydney St. John finds herself fighting for her life against another
danger, one from the past. When her intern's body is discovered in
the archives processing room, everyone wants to believe the girl's
death was an accident or a horrible mistake. But Sydney sets out to
discover whether the cruel murder of today resulted from another
crime committed nearly seventy years earlier, searching for clues as
only an archivist can. Her search leads her to another danger,
different, in the person of Ben Bartlett, grandson of the creator of
the very collection at the center of the mystery. Is he to be her
lover? Or her murderer?
OKLAHOMA
WINDS is an engrossing thriller that reveals the inexorable links
present-day events (and crimes) always have to the past. We are
forever connected to the history that brought us to where we are now,
and unraveling the tangled truths of that history can shed a
brilliant light on who we have become. Yes, OKLAHOMA WINDS is a
murder mystery, and a fascinating one. But it's also a testament to
the power of the past over our lives. Having had some experience with
research librarians and archivists, I've always known they were some
of the most brilliant (yet unsung) detectives among us . . . and the
protagonist of OKLAHOMA WINDS is long-overdue proof of that. Sydney
St. John does for archivists what Indiana Jones did for
archaeologists -- and I can't wait to see what mysteries she'll
tackle next!
--Brad
Denton, author of Blackburn and Sergeant Chip
Oklohoma
Winter: Black Ice
The Sydney St. John
Mysteries Book 2
Oklahoma,
the state that ranks second as most dangerous in the U.S. when it
comes to weather. Too often, the wind comes sweeping down the plain,
with a vengeance. In winter, black ice glides onto the roads, barely
seen, and when the wheels of a vehicle run onto it, a driver had best
beware.
It’s
winter in Oklahoma, and Sydney St. John finds murder among the papers
of the Filmore County Historical Archives. The collection is that of
Carl Blair, rancher, politician, father, and husband, who ruled his
land and his family without the need for compassion, or love.
Although gone these many years, his grandchildren and Lawrence, his
only surviving son, still suffer from his cruelty and heavy hand.
It's Sydney who must untangle the web that begins with racism and
murder. Ben Bartlett her lover, still living in California, is
helpless to save her from natural disasters and festering family
hatred.
Saving
Souls
The Sydney St. John
Mysteries Book 3
Sydney
St. John, still living and working in Gansel, Oklahoma, hopes to
never be involved in a murder investigation again. She plans on being
content with organizing the historical documents in the Filmore
County Historical Archives. But when Patrick O’Kelley, preaching to
no one on the corner opposite the archives in twenty-degree weather,
is found murdered, her curiosity once again gets the better of
her.
The
facts she discovers lead her to hidden gold, oil rights, and Edward
Capeheart O’Kelley, the man who shot Bob Ford, Jesse James’s
killer. What does the murder in the late 1800s have to do with
Patrick O’Kelley’s death in the 21st century?
Cary
Osborne has been writing for more than two decades, delving into
many genres including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, horror, and
romance. Having once been told that there aren't enough generalists
in the world, and having an interest in many worldly aspects, makes
it difficult to settle into a single mold. Ancient history, being one
of those interests, she uses her studies in the subjects and
backgrounds for her stories, both long and short.
GUEST POST
What inspired you to write this series?
For
several years, I worked as an archivist. That’s someone sort of
like a librarian – most people in the field have degrees in library
science – but an archivist processes collections of papers and
memorabilia created by people, companies, families, educational
entities, etc. I loved the work. I’m an organizer by nature and
working on a collection of papers so that researchers can access them
is perfect for me. It’s amazing what one finds in such
collections.
And
that’s what Sydney St. John does. She finds information that is
dangerous, something that the descendants or others involved in the
story want to keep hidden. They’ll do anything to keep even her
from reading it, much less the authorities.
What did you enjoy most about
writing these books?
One of
the fun things was, and still is, doing the research necessary for
the novels. Since the story actually begins in the past, and I want
an historical flavor to each story, I need to read Oklahoma history,
where the characters and stories occur. Each novel has some basis in
actual history. Then the story moves into the present where past
events present problems for descendants.
Can you tell us a little bit about
the characters in Sydney St. John mysteries?
Like
me, Sydney has lived in a lot of different places. She isn’t an
army brat; her father worked for a large, unspecified, international
company, like G.E. or IBM. She was married once; her husband died.
They were very much in love. She’s been a widow for twelve years.
Yes, she’s middle aged, the sort of woman character not much seen
in fiction. She’s driven by curiosity, the need to know, and a
strong sense of justice.
The man
she falls in love with, Ben Bartlett, is a tax accountant living in
the Los Angeles area. They met in the first book, Oklahoma
Winds, when she was
working on his grandfather’s papers. Sydney is satisfied with a
long-distance romance, but Ben wants them to live together, mostly in
L.A. She, however, loves her job and doesn’t want to leave the
archives. The situation may be resolved in the fourth book, but I
haven’t decided how that will happen.
Have you written any other books
that are not published?
Oh,
yes. There’s Cross Over
the River, a Civil War
alternate history. Remember,
a modern-day romance with a touch of magic realism. A science
fiction romance, titled The
Blue Man. Checkout,
a suspense, trapped-in-the-shopping-mall novel. And several fits and
starts.
Is there a writer whose brain you
would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
Although
I do talk with him every so often, one author whose work and attitude
I admire is Joe Lansdale. He is a prolific writer with the most
vivid prose. His stories come alive in a way I can only envy. He
writes all sorts of fiction, from young adult to gory horror. His
Hap and Leonard series has been made into a TV series.
Fun Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You
Know?-type tidbits about the book or the writing process of the book.
When I
was trying to decide where to place the archive and Sydney’s story,
I wanted a town name that wasn’t known. You know, the names of
streets, the directions they go in, etc., can’t be wrong since they
don’t actually exist. The history of the town I can make up. I
looked through a book of ghost towns and pulled up maps on the
computer. I came across a single mention of a town named Gansel. I
managed to zero in on north-central Oklahoma on Google Maps. There
was nothing there. I even got my husband to drive out there one
Saturday. It was a railroad crossing with a few houses to one side.
Nothing else. It was perfect. A name that once existed, that no one
had ever heard of, at least anyone I told about it. I could populate
it, give it a history, design the buildings and streets. It was
mine. Well, it was Sydney’s.
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