By Jake Dowling, Icon intern
Pandora resident Judy Clemens is at it again with a release of another one of her mystery books title "Dying Echo." "Dying Echo," a Grim Reaper mystery, is the fourth series following her previous work, "Embrace the Grim Reaper, The Grim Reaper's Dance and Flowers for Her Grave."
"I worked on this book for most of 2011," Clemens said. "For this series, I wanted someone who would be in different places and leading a transient life, so I created Casey Maldonado, who is running from her past. The second big part of these books, of course, is that the Grim Reaper is her 'Watson."'
Clemens continued to elaborate.
"It felt to me as though Death was our constant companion during those days, almost like it was an actual person in my life," she said. "I decided to write that 'sidekick' into the book, as Casey deals with her own losses."
This particular book takes place in Casey's home; in each previous book she has been in a new place.
"It just felt like it was time to get her back to familiar ground, where she would need to deal more honestly with the deaths of her husband and son," Clemens said.
Though this is her fourth installment of her Grim Reaper series, writing books is not always a walk in the park, Clemens says.
"I try to put in writing time each day, but of course that does not always happen because life gets in the way," Clemens said. "So rather than go by time, I go by word count, which makes it easier some days and harder on others.
However, Clemens sets a goal for herself when life gives her enough time to type up enough words.
"I have a goal of 250,000 words for the year, which breaks down to 685 words a day," Clemens said. "Sometimes I'm ahead, other times; like during the summer when kids are home and I have other fun things to do, I'm behind, way behind."
Besides dealing with the lack of time, or the number of words typed in a year, there are other obstacles that writers such as Clemens faces often when writing stories.
"There are countless number of ideas," Clemens says. "There are always more ideas than we will ever have the time or energy to write and that can be overwhelming at times."
Clemens says she has five books at various stages of the writing process, plus tons of others that are either ready for editing or are just in the beginning stages.
"And that doesn't count the ones my agents has, which are supposedly '"finished,"' she said.
To cope with the challenges of writing with limited time and various ideas flying at her constantly, Clemens says she relies on her computer to help her get stories completed.
"When I'm in 'the mode,' my brain works faster than I could write longhand," she said. "Plus, it is great to have it on the computer where it is easily edited and saved.
As for the time of day, when her kids were little, she wrote late at night because that was the only time she had to write her stories.
"Now, mornings are best for me, and I try to get as much in then as I can," Clemens says.
Now that the story is done, it is time for a little celebration among her fans. Clemens will hold a book launch party on Sunday, Aug. 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Grace Mennonite Church, 502 E Main St., Pandora.
The book lunch party is open to the public, and Clemens is hoping for a good turnout.
"The more the merrier," Clemens said. "We're having a cookout, and there is a playground for kids, and if it rains, we have a nice place indoors."
"Dying Echo," along with her other three stories, will be sold in hardback, trade paper, large print and audiobook.
"All of this series is on Kindle too, but the last book is not available quite yet," she said.
A hardcover costs $24.95, trade paper costs $14.95 and a large print book costs $22.95, but all prices may vary, Clemens said.
Here are the ISBN of each copy. Hardcover: 978-1-4642-0021-2, trade paper: 978-1-4642-0023-6, large print: 978-1-4642-0022-9 and audiobook: 978-1455159482.
Official publisher synopsis for Dying Echo:
It has been years since Casey Maldonado visited her hometown, and the only reason she is returning now is to get her brother Ricky out of jail, where he sits after being arrested for the brutal murder of Alicia McManus, his girlfriend of several months.
Casey believes in her brother's innocence, but proving that to the cops is a different thing altogether, especially since she has her own murder warrant to worry about. Perhaps even more frightening than the law is Casey's confrontation with her personal demons, the home she shared with her late husband and son, the resentment of her mother, and even the presence of Eric (Embrace the Grim Reaper), who wants to be more than just a friend.
As Casey and her ever-present companion, Death, investigate Alicia's murder, it becomes clear she was not who she claimed to be, from her name to her non-existent past. Instead of a solid history, she left only questions when she died. Where did she come from? What secrets did she know? And, most importantly, who were the three people she spoke of when Death carried her away?
Casey must sort the truth from the elaborate fiction of Alicia's life in order to clear Ricky's name, but as she reveals the woman's secrets Casey begins to see just how alike their lives appear. Is Casey destined to an existence as empty and dark as Alicia's, or can she overcome the tragedy of her past and move forward into a life worth living?
To follow Clemens and her work, click on these links below.
http://judyclemens.com/
http://www.facebook.com/events/446020182086230/
http://www.facebook.com/judyclemensauthor