Fiddler's Lament

Title: FIDDLER’S LAMENT
Author: D. H. Parker
Publisher: Wings E-Press
November 2009
ISBN (ebook) 978-1-59705-370-9
(paperback) 978-1-59705-670-0
Genre: cozy mystery

Constancy Stafford seems to be able to find mysteries without even trying. Just enjoying her morning coffee and sorting through the mail, Constancy finds a brief letter, assumedly written by one of her old classmates, asking for help. But who? A look through the school yearbooks don’t yield any help.

When Constancy’s boyfriend, Danny Egan comes over, he’s wants to talk about the fiddlers that are coming to town. When they need help, Danny often offers to help fiddle. Constancy looks at the group’s picture and recognizes one of the players as a former classmate. But, if it is who Constancy thinks he is, he goes by an assumed name.

On the night of the concert, Danny is able to get Constancy back to meet the band. There Constancy is convinced that her old schoolmate is in fact there. But why is he acting so strangely? Constancy doesn’t have a chance to find out before the performance, but shortly into the first set, her classmate is dead. Who killed him…and why?

D. H. Parker has written another spine-tingling page-turner with her newest book, FIDDLER’S LAMENT. If you like mysteries, you will not want to miss any of D. H. Parker’s thrilling stories. She is a very talented author, and I am looking forward to reading many more books authored by her.

FIDDLER’S LAMENT is the continuation of D. H. Parker’s first two stories, but it easily stands alone. I was instantly engaged in the story line and I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. An expert in dialog, the story completely comes to life. Don’t miss FIDDLER’S LAMENT or any of D. H. Parker’s books. $11.95 for paperback, $6.00 for e-book download.

Available from:
http://www.wingsepress.com/
(My author's page there is: http://www.wingsepress.com/Author%20Pages/Author%20-%20D.%20H.%20Parker.htm

Formats: e-book (html, pdf, microsoft reader, mobipocket) and trade paperback

Can you tell me about your newest book?

FIDDLER'S LAMENT is the third story in my "Fiddling With Murder" cozy mystery series. Constancy Grace Stafford, fed up with murder, dreams of living a normal, peaceful life. But death at a music show, the clammy darkness of an unmapped Ozarks cave system, and a desperate fiddler's lament threaten to destroy that dream--and the two most precious people in her life.


What are you working on now?

I'm working on the fourth "Fiddling With Murder" book, JIG OF BONES, but it seems to be awfully slow in coming. I also am beginning to play with an idea for the fifth, which, for now, I'm calling "Danny's Tune".


What are some of your hobbies, besides writing?

Reading is about all I have time for now. In past years, I've made some quilts. I like quilt-making, but not so much in this Alabama climate.


Who are your favorite authors?

The ones I find myself re-reading most are Agatha Christie, D. E. Stevenson, Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and the early Margery Allingham works. I've recently found a new author I love. Dorothy Bodoin writes the Foxglove Corners cozy mysteries. Good stuff!


What is your favorite genre to read?

mystery with a touch of fantasy, or fantasy that contains great mysteries.


What sparked the idea for your last story?

a forsaken rail line, the Ozarks village where I was born, a defunct and deserted resort near it, and those good, old Missouri caves.


Who or what inspired you to write?

Back in the Ozarks when I was five, public kindergartens didn't exist. Before I started first grade my mother put a pencil in my hand and showed me how to write my name. I became fascinated by the idea that I could put marks on paper and others could read them and know what they meant. Then my Aunt Edna gave me a big fairy tale book with a shiny green cover. After that, how could I resist making up my own stories?


What is your favorite verse, and why?

My favorite Bible verse changes from day to day as my needs change. Probably the words that I find most sustaining are from Deuteronomy 33:27a. "The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms." If we have that assurance, we can face whatever we need to face on this earth.


How can reading your books have an impact on the reader’s life?

My writing isn't classified as "inspirational", but I hope people will come away from it uplifted, as well as entertained. I hope the stories can help remind them

1. that God and His word are essential to our lives.

2. that there are still good people on this earth.

3. that justice will be done--if not in this life, then in the next.

4. that you can have a good story without profanity and/or the kind of "romance" that only a few years ago would have been x-rated.


How have your books been received from its readers?

The feedback I get is so positive. It's reinforced my belief that there is a market for CL-rated books. CL=clean--which to me means no profanities or obscenities from the mouths of the characters and no "romance" that isn't suitable for all ages. (I don't believe God intended sex to be a spectator sport.)


How did you become a Christian?

My answer to this doesn't fit the commonly held popular religious belief, but it is, as far as I have been able to find from extensive study, Biblical. You might agree with me, or not. I don't know. I do know most people believe that saying what is sometimes called "the sinner's prayer" or any variation of it will put them in a saved relationship with God, but I can find no Biblical verses that say praying alone or faith alone puts us in contact with Christ's shed blood, washes away our sins, and makes us acceptable to God who can not be in fellowship with sin (Isaiah 59:2). When Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Saul most certainly became a believer, then he spent three days fasting and praying, and still the Lord, through Ananias, told him to be baptized to wash away his sins. I don't know how else that could be interpreted except to conclude that Saul, even after believing and praying, still had those sins marring his soul and standing between him and God. Only in baptism could he be spiritually cleansed, forgiven and saved. So, I feel blessed for the opportunity to give my answer here, but I did want to warn you. I don't mean this to offend anybody or malign anybody's sincere beliefs, but you did ask. :) My mom and dad became Christians when I was about six, so I grew up learning to live by the Bible. By the time I was fourteen, I believed very strongly that Jesus was God's son, and the way to reconciliation with God. I wanted to live my life for Him. Salvation is free, but it must be accepted on God's terms (John 8:31-32, John 14:23; 15:14). As is taught in scriptures such as Romans 6, Mark 16:16 (a command of Jesus), 1Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38, and other places, I chose to be immersed into Christ. As my physical body was buried in and raised from the water, I spiritually took part in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-7). At that point, God washed my soul clean from its sins with the atoning blood of Jesus (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16), hid my life with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), gave me the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), added me to His church (Acts 2:41, 47; 1 Corinthians 12:13), and since I am now "in Christ" (Galatians 3:27), made all spiritual blessings available to me (Ephesians 1:3). The Christian life is a wonderful life to live!


Can you tell us a little bit about your personal life?

I was born in and grew up in the Missouri Ozarks, then went to college in Oklahoma, where I majored in a subject that has nothing to do with writing. I've been married to my original husband (the best and most patient Christian man in the world) for going on thirty-nine years. We have two adult sons.


What is your current ring tone?

Our cell phones aren't in daily use, so it doesn't much matter.


What is your favorite vending machine item?

I rarely ever buy anything from a vending machine, and can't remember the last thing I got.


What is your earliest memory?

The birth of my twin brothers when I was almost three. I thought they were toy dolls for me to play with when I first saw them--a misconception they quickly corrected.


How can our readers purchase your books?

The best way is through the Wing Press site. This link will take you directly to my book page: http://www.wingsepress.com/Author%20Pages/Author%20-%20D.%20H.%20Parker.htm

All of my books are available in both trade paperback and various e-book formats. FIDDLER'S LAMENT will be available November 1.

If readers would like to learn more about my books or philosophies, my website, http://donnaparker.w4aw.org, has book excerpts posted. I share some of my random thoughts on my "Mystery Hollow" blog at http://dhparker.wordpress.com.


Thank you, Laura, for this interview!







--Laura V. Hilton, book reviewer, and author of Hot Chocolate