Uncaged welcomes C.S. Kjar
Welcome to Uncaged! Your latest book is Walkers on the Run: Oldsters Love Adventure. Can you tell us more about this book?
Walkers on the Run follows Leona Walker who is determined to uncover who broke into her home in Red Creek, South Dakota, and stole her most cherished belongings. With the help of her older sister Betty and their walker-toting neighbor Clarence, Leona sets off on a mission to recover her late husband’s wedding ring. Her search quickly spirals into a dangerous game, landing Leona in more trouble than she bargained for, including the possibility of facing murder charges. As her relentless pursuit puts her friends, her, and others at risk, Leona must decide if holding on to the past is worth endangering the present. Filled with humor, heart, and suspense, Walkers on the Run is the spirited first installment in the Oldsters Love Adventure cozy mystery series.
Other books in the series, Walkers on Water and Walkers on Thin Ice, will be released on a future date.
You also have a series called Daughters of Time, with three books out now. Are you planning on writing more in this mystery series?
This series came into being during a workshop I attended where our table plotted Book 1, the story of the three daughters of Father Time who don’t like each other and haven’t been in the same place for 15 years. Since the characters wouldn’t leave my head so I had to write it with the permission of my tablemates. I wrote three books with the characters and released them in the contemporary fantasy/mystery series: The Secrets of the Clock (solving the mystery of the magic clock), The Secrets of the Cottage (finding the ghost of a pirate’s long-lost love), and The Secrets of the Storm (Mother Nature is mad at Father Time and vows to destroy the cottage). All three are about sister relationships and how to maintain them with husbands, children, and holiday characters involved.
My readers are begging for a prequel to the series to describe the black wedding and its showdown that initially tore the sisters’ relationships apart. I’ve written it, but it’s not ready for release. Some of the side characters in the book and sequel have very interesting stories to explore, so there’s a possibility of more books about the daughters of Father Time and Mrs. Hagg.
How do you use social media as an author?
Most of my readers are middle-aged to older women who spend time on Facebook and Instagram, so my focus is mostly on those two platforms. I spent years on Facebook with friends, so it was easy to expand it to my books. It provides a great place to see and get acquainted with other authors and readers and discover book signing opportunities. I’ve boosted posts and run ads on Facebook with fair success in book sales. This year, I opened an Instagram account to which my assistant posts my memes and information for me. I’ve enjoyed interacting with other writers, editors, and readers on that platform, so much so I wish I’d joined earlier. I recently set up a Pinterest account for my books and am still working on getting it going. So far, TikTok is not on my list because I’m still waiting to see if it’s going to be banned in the U.S. or stay in place. I’m on X but have had no success with being on there as a writer.
Read the rest of the interview in the issue below
C.S. Kjar is an award-winning author living in the West, where bison, deer, and antelope play. She writes wholesome stories set in small towns, where ordinary people are faced with tough choices that ultimately make them stronger. Her books of sweet romance, cozy mystery, and women’s fiction offer lighthearted fun with touches of humor and wisdom. Pronounced “care,” her last name reflects her care and passion for creating good books for readers to enjoy and as a reminder that in life, as in her books, caring for one another makes all the difference. cskjar.com
Enjoy an excerpt from Walkers on the Run
Walkers on the Run
C.S. Kjar
Cozy Mystery
How did she get herself into this mess?
Elderly Leona Walker is determined to uncover who burglarized her home in Red Creek, South Dakota, and absconded with her treasured belongings. She enlists the help of her older sister Betty and their squeaky-walker-toting neighbor Clarence. Their investigative escapades land them in hot water at every corner, and Leona might even face murder charges. Her relentless quest to retrieve her late husband’s wedding ring raises questions: Is she endangering herself and her companions? Does the end justify the risks? And is her sister Betty genuinely eccentric, or is it all an act? Dive into the humorous and spirited Book 1 of the ‘Oldsters Love Adventure’ cozy mystery series for the revelations.
Excerpt:
Chapter 3
Leona and the others sidled into the ruined living room. Betty let out a cry of despair. Prissy squirmed free of Betty’s embrace and shot out the open door.
Leona had trouble keeping her emotions under control and trying not to choke on bleach fumes. This place didn’t feel like her home anymore. The serenity it once provided lay shredded and broken like all the contents.
After taking stock of the damage in the living room and kitchen, Leona crept down the hallway, peering into Betty’s bedroom and the bath along the way. Betty’s normally spotless room had been ransacked. Her clothes were scattered everywhere, and the drawers of her wooden chest were thrown on the bed. Betty stood in the doorway, too stunned to enter farther. Clarence remained with her as Irene and George followed Leona down the hallway to her own bedroom.
With Irene’s hand on her shoulder, Leona swung her bedroom door open. Her heart nearly quit beating, her body trembled, and her throat constricted. The bureau drawers had been emptied onto the bed and flung aside. She saw the edge of her jewelry box underneath clothes and unmentionables. She clawed through the pile, hoping she might find her most precious pieces left behind.
Jerking upright, she covered her mouth to keep the cry of anguish from escaping. All her jewelry was gone. The pearl necklace Joe gave her for their fortieth anniversary. The diamond bracelet for their forty-fifth anniversary only three years ago. But what hurt the most was the two things Leona most wanted to be there were gone. Her late mother’s ruby necklace and Joe’s wedding ring. She let out a distraught howl and began to cry. “Oh, my word! No!” she cried as she pawed through the clutter and mess on her bed.
“What is it, dear?” Irene pushed Leona’s hair away from her face.
“They’re gone!” Leona covered her face with her hands. “My most treasured possessions are gone!” She picked up one of her blouses off the bed and sobbed into it. Unwilling to believe it, she wiped her eyes and shuffled through the pile again, sorting clothes from underclothes as she went. She dropped to the floor and felt the carpet along the bedside and under the bed while George and Irene urged her to tell them what she was looking for.
Read the rest of the excerpt in the issue below:
