Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Over My Dead Body
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.jamesrcallan.com/
CITY:
STATE: TX
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://jamesrcallan.com/jrcbio.htm
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 95108337
Personal name heading:
Callan, James R.
Found in: Computer literacy made easy-- and fun, c1995: t.p. (James
R. Callan)
================================================================================
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540
Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
PERSONAL
Married Earlene; children: Kelly, Jamie.
EDUCATION:Attended St. Mary’s University (TX) and the University of Oklahoma.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Aerospace Research Laboratory, Dayton, OH, consultant; Water Resources Authority, OK, consultant; researcher in oil and gas industry; cofounder and vice president of technology for a database company. Director of Northeast Texas Writers’ Organization annual writer’s conference; cofounder and former president of Winnsboro Center for the Arts (previously called Trails Country Center for the Arts).
MEMBER:Northeast Texas Writers’ Organization, Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc., Ozarks Writers League, Puerto Vallarta Writers’ Group.
AWARDS:Grants from organizations, including NASA, National Science Foundation, and Data Processing Managers Association.
WRITINGS
Editor of an anthology; contributor of stories to anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
James R. Callan is an author of mystery novels and a former consultant and researcher in the natural resources industry. He also cofounded and served as vice president of technology for a database company.
Cleansed by Fire and Over My Dead Body
Callan tells the story of small-town-priest-turned-detective in Cleansed by Fire. Father Frank, a handsome former basketball star, spends his free time facilitating basketball games for young members of his parish. He is concerned when an arsonist begins burning down local churches. One of the young men who plays basketball reveals in confession that he may know who the arsonist is, but Frank cannot break the seal of confession to tell the police. Meanwhile, a threatening figure is seen driving by the church and the basketball court. A critic on the Fictionophile Web site commented: “The characters were well-developed, the pacing slow but steady.” Referring to the book, the same critic suggested: “It espoused the Christian virtues of forgiveness and doing good unto others, while it opposed violence of any kind. If Christian Cozy is what you like to read, then I assure you, you’ll love it.”
In Over My Dead Body, Father Frank begins looking into the supposed suicide of Syd Cranzler, an elderly man who attended his church. Syd had been resisting claims of eminent domain on his property and would not have simply given up. Frank works together with a local woman, Georgia, to find out who Syd’s killer was. They wonder if people affiliated with the company that wanted to take Syd’s property were responsible for his death. In an interview with a contributor to the Barn Door Book Loft Web site, Callan discussed the inspiration behind the story. He stated: “The use of eminent domain for private companies has long been an irritant for me. … Eminent domain is still granted to further the economic interests of private companies. I decided I could not do justice to such a topic, so I used it to get the story started. But I do not delve into it as deeply as I would have liked, and as it deserves. So, it becomes simply a murder mystery novel.” A writer in Publishers Weekly offered a favorable review of Over My Dead Body. The writer asserted: “This is a solid, entertaining whodunit with believable characters, twists, and complications.”
A Ton of Gold and A Silver Medallion
In A Ton of Gold, a computer scientist named Crystal Moore is shocked when someone attempts to kill her beloved grandmother, the woman who raised her. Crystal seeks help from the authorities, but when their response is insufficient, she takes matters into her own hands. She discovers that the violence is connected to a folktale nearly 200 years old. A reviewer for Small Press Bookwatch described A Ton of Gold as “one of those riveting novels that grabs the reader’s total attention” and “a deftly woven story.”
Callan described the plot of his 2016 book, A Silver Medallion, in an interview with Sandra Robbins on Robbins’s self-titled Web site. Callan stated: “A Silver Medallion highlights, in a gripping story, the problem of slavery in the U.S. today, greater than in 1865, slaves held not by chains but by threats to harm their family left behind in another country.” Crystal Moore, the protagonist of A Ton of Gold, returns in this volume. Crystal meets a young mother whose two daughters have been abducted and are being held in a Mexican jungle. In order to keep her daughters alive, she has become a slave. Crystal hopes to help the woman and her daughters, so she travels to Mexico and enlists the help of a man called Juan Grande. Crystal’s mission leads her into danger. Meanwhile, a manipulative man from her past returns, complicating Crystal’s life even more.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, September 12, 2016, review of Over My Dead Body, p. 42.
Small Press Bookwatch, October, 2013, review of A Ton Of Gold.
ONLINE
Barn Door Book Loft, http://www.barndoorbookloft.net/ (April 26, 2015), author interview.
Borrowed Book, http://theborrowedbook.blogspot.com/ (July 18, 2017), article by author.
Fictionophile, https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/ (December 27, 2016), review of Cleansed by Fire.
Hallee Bridgeman Web log, http://www.halleebridgeman.com/ (May 14, 2014), Hallee Bridgeman, author interview.
James R. Callan Home Page, http://www.jamesrcallan.com (July 18, 2017).
Sandra Robbins Web log, http://www.sandrarobbins.net/ (September 23, 2015), author interview.*
About James Callan
Work
Mystery writer
Professional Skills
Writer
Education
St. Mary's Univ, Texas; Oklahoma U.
Class of 1968
jesuit high school, dallas texas
Dallas, Texas
Current City and Hometown
Winnsboro, Texas
Current city
Dallas, Texas
Hometown
Other Places Lived
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Moved in 1990
About James
I write mystery and suspense books. I also write books on writing. www.jamesrcallan.com
Favorite Quotes
No favorite quotes to show
Favorites
Music
[Dime Box High School]
Dime Box High School
Books
[Woodie's Book Addiction]
Woodie's Book Addiction
Movies
[NOT THAT FUNNY]
NOT THAT FUNNY
Games
[Tennis]
Tennis
Sports
[Table Tennis]
Table Tennis
Other
PV Pulse, Heartland Realtor Organization, Wayside Press, Suzanne Hartmann - Author, James R. Callan, Banderas News, Marlo Schalesky, Intel, Lynn Hobbs Author Page, Michael Morris Author, Jay Digital Services LLP, RJ Parker Publishing, Inc., Margaret Brownley Books, Bonnie Engstrom, Patrick Hayden, WordWeavers Bartlesville, Conservatives Today, Joe Hunt, The Serious Reader, John Lindermuth, Sewing Seeds International, B.J. Taylor, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Mic, Whispering Prairie Press, Author Terry Odell, Vickie Phelps, Stephen Woodfin, GalleyCat, Pam Kumpe - Author Page / Speaker Page, Richard Mabry books, Lira Brannon Author, Sandra Derringer Chronicles, Cara Putman, Sandy Nadeau, Author, Arlene Kay, Caryl McAdoo, Sarah Cortez, Robin Caroll, Faith and Freedom Coalition, North East Texas Writers' Organization, Sadie and Sophie Cuffe, William Doonan's Author Page, Pen-L Publishing, Marta Chausée, Janet K. Brown, Author, High Hill Press, Janalyn Voigt, Cheryl Wyatt, ABC30 Action News, Lisa Buffaloe, Erin Staley - Freelance Writer, Deramee Professional Bartending, Jordan Dane, Lisa Orr, Mitt Romney, Oak Tree Press
Interview with Author James R. Callan — With a Giveaway!
Posted on May 14, 2014 by Hallee
Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance. Many people don’t know this about me, but I LOVE MATH. I was President of the Math Club in high school and on the competitive math team. My idea of a relaxing break is to do Sudoko or a math logic problem. I’m extremely analytical and am shocked at how much I enjoy the creative side of my mind that’s needed to write books. That said, I’m THRILLED to introduce to you today mystery/suspense author James Callan. He had a 40-year career in mathematics before turning to writing. Please welcome him and enjoy his interview as much as I did.
Also, check out the giveaway below! James is giving away a paperback of his book, Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel ! There are several ways to enter.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I took a degree in English. When I found I could not support a family, I returned to graduate school in mathematics. That started a forty year detour in mathematics. I received grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, was listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans. When I retired, I returned to my first love, writing. I’ve had four non-fiction books and five mystery/suspense books published.
Tell us about your current release.
Cover-A Ton of GoldMy latest suspense book is A Ton of Gold, a contemporary book but inspired by an old Texas folk tale. I asked the question, how could a folk tale affect the lives of people today. This legend had a dramatic effect on the lives of several people, as the bad guys resorted to murder, kidnapping, and arson in the search for a ton of gold.
But, technically, my latest book is a non-fiction book. My publisher liked my use of dialog and asked me to write a book on the subject. That resulted in How to Write Great Dialog.
With all those characters in your head screaming to get out how do you write fast enough to get it all down?
First, I spend time getting to know my major characters very well. Then, I write my first draft as fast as I can. I try not to do any editing as I get the story down. Then, I go back and make it better. I spend as much time polishing the story as I do in writing the first draft.
What is your personal, most effective way to get past writer’s block?
Start writing. Anything. Just make myself type words. It doesn’t have to be the book I currently working on. It could be a blog, even an e-mail. But start writing. Usually, the story bubbles up to take over. Also, I try to stop for the day in the middle of a scene. Then the next day, I know exactly where to start and that running start usually leads right into the next part of the story.
Do you have your plotline and character development already laid out before you begin writing a book, or do they develop as you write?
Before I start, I have a loose plot and a resolution. I know my major characters. I know what they sound like, how they talk. But, as the story progresses, I’m willing to listen to the characters and change the direction of the story, and change the ending. But I like to have something in mind before I start, even though it may not end that way.
jim - 6What is your preferred method of writing? (computer, pen & paper, etc.)
I cannot imagine trying to write a 90,000 word book long hand. When I revise and polish, I add things in, cut things out, change a lot. That would be beyond my patience without the ability to cut and paste quickly and easily on a computer. If I don’t have a computer handy and scenes or dialog come to me, I will write that with pen and paper. But as soon as I’m near a computer, it gets transcribed to the computer.
I’m always intrigued by how writers get started…did you always have these books inside you and knew that you wanted to write them or did the idea just pop into your head one day and you decided to put pen to paper?
I knew I wanted to write. I love to read and I wanted to produce a book that other people would enjoy reading. But my ideas come to me from everything around me. A four paragraph story in the L.A. Times spawned the 94,000 word novel The Silver Medallion. A series of church fires spawned Cleansed by Fire. And an old folk tale led to A Ton of Gold. Other have come the same way.
What is one thing that you “never saw yourself doing” and either do it now or have done?
cover-characterI never thought I’d write a book for writers on how to write. But when a publisher asked me to write one on character development because she really liked my characters, I agreed. And Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel resulted. A year later, she asked me to write one on dialog, and that became How to Write Great Dialog. I found I enjoyed it, and was surprised when other writers said they went back and revised their books because of what they read in my books.
Thank you, Hallee, for inviting me to your site. I hope I have given a little insight as to how and why I write and have not bored your readers.
QUOTED: "A Silver Medallion highlights, in a gripping story, the problem of slavery in the U.S. today, greater than in 1865, slaves held not be chains but by threats to harm their family left behind in another country."
James R. Callan Visits Today to Chat about A Silver Medallion
jim-color-formalJames R. Callan visits today to talk about his latest book. After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James turned to his first love—writing. He has had four non-fiction books published. He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense. His eleventh book is scheduled to release in June, 2016.
Let’s welcome James!
Q: When did you first discover that you loved writing?
Jim: I knew I wanted to write in high school. I took a degree in English. But I soon found out I could not support a family writing fiction. So I went to graduate school in mathematics and pursued a career in mathematics and computer science. Some thirty years later I realized the kids were all out of school and self-supporting. So, I left the technology field and started writing.
Q: Why do you write the types of books you do?
Jim: I write the kind of books I like to read–cozy mysteries and cozy suspense books. The first novel I submitted got a full read by a New York Publisher. He sent me a note and said, “It’s not gritty enough.” I said I don’t write gritty and we parted company.
Q: What is the greatest obstacle you face in writing and how do you overcome it?
Jim: Distractions. And in truth, I haven’t figured out how to overcome that.
Q: Has writing changed your life in any way?
Jim: I read books differently now than I did before I began to write. And I almost always have a story line running through my head, or perhaps a character.
Q: What’s the quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?
Jim: I’m sure there were plenty in college. But once, while I was working at a research center, I was at a conference. There was a large amusement park next to the convention Center. On a whim, I dragged two others from a lecture and we went over and rode one of those loopty loop rides. The man running it looked at us, shook his head, and said, “I’ve never had people in suits and ties take this ride.” But we did. And then went back for the next lecture.
Q: If you could time travel in a time machine would you go back in the past of into the future?
Jim: Oh, I’d go into the future. I was in the technology field for thirty years. The progress was absolutely astounding. It’s hard to imagine that it will keep up at the same pace in the future. In actuality, the pace will most likely increase. Things we can’t even imagine today will be reality. I’d love to see it, to see how we got from here to there. No doubt, the future.
Q: If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you want with you?
Jim: You said things, not people. Too bad. But for things, a good short-wave radio and an instruction book; a survival book covering how to find food and water, and a Kindle with five hundred good books on it.
Cover - A Silver MedallionQ: Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
Jim: A Silver Medallion highlights, in a gripping story, the problem of slavery in the U.S. today, greater than in 1865, slaves held not be chains but by threats to harm their family left behind in another country.
Q: Please tell us about the featured book.
Jim: In 2015, young, unadventurous, naive Crystal Moore encounters a slave in Dallas, Texas — a slave held not by chains, but by threats her two girls held hostage in the jungles of Mexico will be killed if she escapes.
It becomes clear that the children must be rescued first for only if the children are free will the mother dare to escape.
Crystal would like to forget it, but her conscience won’t let her. She goes to Mexico and meets the mysterious Juan Grande who agrees to help her. If she succeeds, mother and children will be free. But, Crystal will have two powerful and ruthless men, one in Texas and one in Mexico, who want Crystal dead.
And in the midst of this, the man who almost destroyed Crystal emotionally is coming back. This time he can ruin her career. She’ll need help from a former bull rider, her street-wise friend, and her seventy-six year-old grandmother.
QUOTED: "The use of eminent domain for private companies has long been an irritant for me. ... Eminent domain is still granted to further the economic interests of private companies. I decided I could not do justice to such a topic, so I used it to get the story started. But I do not delve into it as deeply as I would have liked, and as it deserves. So, it becomes simply a murder mystery novel."
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Interview with Christian Author James R. Callan
Welcome to the Barn Door Book Loft, Mr. Callan.
Question:Is there a story behind Over My Dead Body?
James: To some extent, yes. The use of eminent domain for private companies has long been an irritant for me. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limited eminent domain to “public use.” President George W. Bush issued an executive order limiting eminent domain to “public use” with “just compensation” and for the “purpose of benefiting the general public.” The order states it should not be used “for the purpose of advancing the economic interest of private parties…”
However, eminent domain is still granted to further the economic interests of private companies.
I decided I could not do justice to such a topic, so I used it to get the story started. But I do not delve into it as deeply as I would have liked, and as it deserves. So, it becomes simply a murder mystery novel.
That is certainly a topic that deserves to be examined more closely.
Question:What’s your favorite genre of writing?
James: That’s an easy one. Mystery and Suspense books. I have always liked to read those two areas. I enjoy weaving clues and red herrings into the story in an effort to keep the “real” answers hidden until the end.
What a coincidence! Mystery and Suspense are my most interesting genre to read.
Question: What’s one genre you’ve never written and probably never will?
James: Another easy one. I won’t write erotica. I just wouldn’t be comfortable writing such.
Um, thats good. I don't read it either!
Question:Who is the most fun character you ever created?
James: That’s a tough one. I have two, very different characters that have been and are fun to work with. Neither is a protagonist and both are in the same series. Brandy is a streetwise young woman who now shares a house with Crystal, a near Ph.D. research computer scientist. Brandy says she barely made it out of high school, but she has the street smarts that frequently let her teach her very smart house mate. Then there’s Eula, Crystal’s seventy-six year old grandmother, who raised Crystal after her parents were killed in a car accident when Crystal was just seven. Eula lives alone in the middle of a forest and sees things very clearly with seldom a doubt. She’s a no-nonsense, straight talking woman who will dress-down a man holding a gun on her as quickly as she will the local sheriff. These both show up in my Crystal Moore suspense series, starting with A Ton of Gold, and following up with The Silver Medallion.
Since you enjoy these characters so much it's great that they show up in your other books. That way you get to visit with them often.
Question: Do you believe in writer’s block? If so how often do you get it? How do you fix it?
James: Writer’s block is not usually a problem for me. When I stop a session, I always know what the next paragraph or scene will be. When I come back, I can hit the ground running and move right on to the next scene. On the rare occasion I face writer’s block, my solution is to write. Anything. E-mails, a blog, something not connected with the book. Just write. Usually, before very long, I’m thinking about the book and what I want to write in it. So I just drop the e-mail or blog and get on with the book.
Thank you for the good advice.
Question: What’s your favorite thing that you’ve written? What are you most proud of?
James: I’d have to say The Silver Medallion. Not because it is the last book I’ve completed, but because it deals with some people who are in a hopeless situation. And then, a woman who does not know them, who is ill equipped to help them, decides to take on their cause at great personal risk. There are scenes that, after reading them thirty times, are still emotional for me.
I'll have to look for that one.
Question:When is your next book due out and can you tell us about it?
James: Over My Dead Body released in April this year. Next up is The Silver Medallion. It is complete and going through beta readers before sending it off to the publisher. I expect it out early in 2016.
I'll be waiting for it!
Readers: You can purchase James's latest book, Over My Dead Body in Paperback or the Kindle version on Amazon
Or ask your local library to order it in for you!
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James Callan With a degree in English, James intended to write. But writing would not support a family. So, he entered a Ph.D. program in the field of mathematics. This led him on a thirty-five year detour which included serving as a consultant at the Aerospace Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio and the Water Resources Authority for the State of Oklahoma. He worked at a research center prominent in the search for oil and gas on projects such as mapping salt domes, determining formation porosity, and interpreting data. He co-founded a database company and served as VP of technology.
family
Daughter Kelly, wife Earlene, James with youngest grandson James Joseph, son Jamie, daughters Diane and Kristi.
Along the way, he received grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Aviation and Space Administration (NASA), and the Data Processing Managers Association. He has been listed in Who's Who in Computer Science, and Two Thousand Notable Americans.
Then one day, he said, "All the kids are out of college and self-supporting. I no longer have to support a family." So, he returned to his first love, writing. For two years, he wrote a monthly column for a national magazine and for six months wrote a weekly column that appeared in newspapers in four states.
He has four published non-fiction books and five published mystery/suspense novels. All of his mystery/suspense novels have been released in both print and e-pub editions. Two of those have also been released as audio books. One of the audio books reached number seven on the Books in Motion list. Two of his novels took first place honors in contests.
He has edited one anthology, and had his work published in three other anthologies.
James also presents workshops in the U.S. and in Mexico on various aspects of the writing craft.
James is active in several writers' organizations, including The Northeast Texas Writers' Organization (NETWO), the Ozarks Writers League (OWL), the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. (OWFI), and the Puerto Vallarta Writers' Group. For fourteen years, he served as director of the NETWO annual writers' conference, a highly respected conference held in northeast Texas each spring. He helped establish the Trails Country Center for the Arts - now called The Winnsboro Center for the Arts - and served as its president for a year.
James and his wife, Earlene, split their time between their home in the middle of a forest in east Texas, and their condo on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Books
Over My Dead Body - paperback A Ton of Gold
Over My Dead Body Cleansed by Fire
Murder a Cappella
Click covers of A Silver Medallion, Over My Dead Body, A Ton of Gold, Murder a Cappela, or Cleansed by Fire. All five novels are available in both paperback and Kindle editions.
NOW, Cleansed by Fire and Over My Dead Body are available as Audio books, with five-time Emmy Award winner Jonathan Mumm narrating each book. To hear a sample of Cleansed by Fire just click here, and click on "Play Audio Sample". To hear a sample of Over My Dead Body just click here, and then click on "Play Audio Sample"
For a new trailer for Cleansed by Fire on YouTube just click here.
Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel How to Write Great Dialog
Click on the covers of Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel and How to Write Great Dialog. Both are available on Amazon.
Y2K in paperback or Kindle Y2K in Audio Y2K and You
Mystery paperback
Audio Version
Paperback Collection of Newspaper Columns
Bits, Bytes, Apples & Mice
Paperback and Audio Editions
A Treasure Box Texas Writers Anthology Echoes of the Ozarks
James Callan edited this & contributed
One of Callan's books appeared in this collection of award winning novels
Callan's work appeared in this anthology
Author James R. Callan Talks About Life's Challenges
One of the greatest challenges in life is raising kids. You walk the fine line between trying to make everything right for them and letting them find their own way. When they are young, you want to protect them from everything. Yet, you want them to learn how to take care of themselves.
While I was at the University of Oklahoma, our two older children started to school. By their second year, they were walking to school by themselves. It was only a few blocks in a nice university town. They liked the independence and we fretted. But it got easier on us as the months went on.
One day, shortly after they left and I was about to leave for campus, the phone rang. I was giving a seminar on information value theory. Probably a student asking about an assignment. I answered the call.
“They have taken your son to the hospital. We do not know the extent of the injuries. Your daughter is not hurt.”
Crushing news first stops all rational thought and makes you unable to move. Then you are propelled into a frenzy of activity. Minutes later we enter the hospital at full speed, only to be brought to a standstill by the steady, slow pace of the admitting personnel. Eventually we are allowed to talk to the doctors. They are calm, grave, reserved. It isn’t their child. Our son has suffered a severe concussion but they believe it is “not serious.” To us, severe and not serious don’t seem to go together. They will keep him in the hospital for a day or two for observation. For us, that seems to eliminate the “not serious” part of the description.
We are allowed to see our son. He is sleeping. I think. Or maybe he’s in a coma. I can’t tell. I choose to believe he is sleeping.
I stay the night in an uncomfortable chair. He sleeps. I do not.
But early in the morning, he wakes up. He doesn’t know where he is and I tell him he in the hospital.
“Why am I in the hospital?”
I explain that a car hit him. “The driver was turning and the morning sun blinded him and he didn’t see you.”
He is satisfied with that and seems to ease back into sleep.
An hour later, he wakes and asks, “Why am I in the hospital?”
I explain about the accident and he nods.
For the next twenty-four hours, this same scene is played out a half-dozen times. Each time, I am getting more concerned.
On the third day, the doctors tell me we might as well take him home. He needs rest and he can get that at home as well as in the hospital. I ask about his continual questions about why he is in the hospital. They are unconcerned. Short term memory, they assure me, will return. When? I ask. When it returns, they answer.
At home, he eats very little - small amounts of Jello, a little milk, little else. This is from a boy who is generally a big eater. After his second day at home, I finally get to campus and give the seminar that had been scheduled five days earlier. It is not a great presentation.
That night, I am sitting in the living room and in walks my son. It is the first time he had been up without being coaxed out of bed. “I’m hungry,” he says. I get a small bowl of pudding and bring it in. “No. I’m really hungry. Can I have a hamburger and some potato chips?”
Wow. I am eager to fix him a meal. After he finished, he asks for his books. “I need to do my homework. I’m going to school tomorrow.”
He is fine. And a few days later, so am I.
That was in my days as a mathematician. Now that son is a college professor and I write mystery and suspense books. The second in my Father Frank mysteries, Over My Dead Body, will be out in May. The first, Cleansed by Fire, is available as a paperback, a Kindle edition, an e-pub, and an audio book, narrated by five-time Emmy Award Winner Jonathan Mumm. You can find more at: http://amzn.to/1fqgWee.
After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years. He has had four non-fiction books published. He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense, with his sixth book releasing in 2014.
QUOTED: "This is a solid, entertaining whodunit with believable characters, twists, and complications."
Over My Dead Body
263.37 (Sept. 12, 2016): p42.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Over My Dead Body
James R. Callan. Pennant, $11.95 (316p) ISBN 978-0-9646850-8-6
When a friendly, inquisitive parish priest starts exploring the details of a parishioner's unusual death in a small town in east Texas, tensions rise and accidents begin to happen. Father Frank can't quite believe that crotchety old Syd Cranzler would actually commit suicide, no matter what the medical examiner and police say. Syd was too busy fighting recent corporate attempts to buy him out of his property. Frank and Syd's mutual friend Georgia agrees, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend, police detective Mike Oakley. Despite Mike's opposition, Frank and Georgia team up to sleuth out the peculiar circumstances of Syd's death, not realizing the danger they face. Callan (Cleansed by Fire), after using a weak plot device to kick-start the investigation, rebounds to keep the pace lively and the dialogue interesting. Easygoing, insightful Frank anchors a colorful cast of characters who are the highlight of the book. Even though a priest is at the center of the story, matters of faith are touched on lightly, but with a positive spin. This is a solid, entertaining whodunit with believable characters, twists, and complications. (BookLife)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Over My Dead Body." Publishers Weekly, 12 Sept. 2016, p. 42. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA464046272&it=r&asid=4e4843d94e17356b939ca37793f246cb. Accessed 28 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A464046272
QUOTED: "one of those riveting novels that grabs the reader's total attention" "a deftly woven story."
A Ton Of Gold
(Oct. 2013):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
A Ton Of Gold
James R. Callan
Oak Tree Press
140 East Palmer Street, Taylorville, IL 62568
www.oaktreebooks.com
9781610091183, $16.95, 274 pp., www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Crystal Moore stands on the brink of losing everything - her only family, her self esteem and her career. Because of a long-forgotten folktale, murders, arson, kidnapping, and firebombs besiege Crystal. And while she struggles to sort out the mystery, the man who nearly destroyed her emotionally reappears. This time, he can end her career. Crystal will need all the help she can get from a former bull rider, her street-wise housemate and Crystal's feisty grandmother.
Critique: "A Ton Of Gold" is one of those riveting novels that grabs the reader's total attention from beginning to end. A deftly woven story populated with memorable characters, "A Ton Of Gold" is a superbly crafted and entertaining mystery and documents author James R. Callan as a gifted writer of the first rank. "A Ton Of Gold" is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"A Ton Of Gold." Small Press Bookwatch, Oct. 2013. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA346929204&it=r&asid=8f3972b881be2a2c0223ff878e64f123. Accessed 28 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A346929204
QUOTED: "The characters were well-developed, the pacing slow but steady."
"It espoused the Christian virtues of forgiveness, and doing good unto others while it opposed violence of any kind. If Christian Cozy is what you like to read, then I assure you, you’ll love it."
“Cleansed by fire” by James R. Callan
Posted on December 27, 2016 by Fictionophile
In my last reading ‘road trip’, I visited a rural, East Texas town. Pine Tree, Texas boasts myriad churches, many of them Baptist. There is however one Catholic Church – and it is here that we meet Father Frank DeLuca, our protagonist.cleansed-by-fire
Father Frank is six feet tall and a very fit 175 pounds. In his youth he played basketball and his love of the game has played a part in his organizing a youth basketball group for his younger parishioners. He is devout, and takes his vows VERY seriously.holy_bible
He is put into a difficult position when he is told something in the confessional that should be reported to the police. His vows surrounding the ‘seal of confession’ forbid his revealing what he has learned. His new knowledge concerns the burning of churches. A nearby Baptist church was burned to the ground and he learns that one of his young parishioners might know who did it. When yet another Baptist church is razed, Father Frank is desperate to find out who did it without compromising his sacred vows.
His young ‘flock’ is threatened by the increasing use of illegal drugs. Father Frank lost a dear friend to drugs whilst he was in college, so he has a special and personal reason for being against drug use. When Father Frank spies a black Trans-Am with tinted windows, he becomes very suspicious. Not only is the car hovering around the basketball court, it is also at the scene of the church fires…1482497993472-1916696937
Also featured in the novel is Georgia. She is a staunch Roman Catholic and a young war widow. Active in the Church, she has a natural gift for organizing. Father Frank introduces her to a local policeman, and they begin dating.
“Cleansed by fire” marks the beginning of the Father Frank mystery series. I guess you could term this novel as a ‘Christian Cozy Mystery’. Not my usual sub-genre of mystery, and thus not a personal favorite. The characters were well-developed, the pacing slow but steady. It reminded me a bit of the Grantchester mysteries, only I actually like the Grantchester mysteries more… It did have some requisite ‘red herrings’, but for the most part I felt it dwelt more on the Christian aspects than it did on the mystery aspects. It espoused the Christian virtues of forgiveness, and doing good unto others while it opposed violence of any kind. If Christian Cozy is what you like to read, then I assure you, you’ll love it.f-3-star
I was provided a complimentary digital copy of this novel by the author via his publicist.
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After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He has had four non-fiction books published. He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense. James and his wife, Earlene, split their time between their home in the middle of a forest in east Texas, and their condo on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.