As seen in the June issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.
Amy Shannon was a Feature Author in December 2016. Today she is back to tell us about her sequel to Smashed: A Savvy Macavoy Story.
Uncaged: You were a Feature Author in Uncaged in December 2016. How was your experience with Uncaged?
I enjoy my experience with Uncaged, as I am a Book Reviewer contributor. I believe that Uncaged is great exposure not just for authors and their work, but also the book reviewers. As both an author and book reviewer, I know the importance of reviews, and sharing our work with others, putting it out there to be critiqued, criticized, and even praised can be daunting.
Uncaged: What have you been up to since you were a Feature Author? You are soon releasing the sequel to Smashed: A Savvy Macavoy Story. Can you tell readers more about this series?
Since I was a featured authored, I have released my books “Fettering Shadows” (June 2017) and I rereleased my book “Contrary Measures” (October 2017). I continue to market the work I have already published, and future work. I am in the process of rebranding my entire Sars Springs Saga (now called the MOD Life Epic Saga, which has more than 65 volumes).
I am proud to announce that the sequel to “Smashed: A Savvy Macavoy Story” will be released on June 9 (My birthday). It’s called “The Relic: A Savvy Macavoy Story.” The series (and I hope to bring more stories to it) is about Savvy Macavoy, a hippie-ish female private detective. She has a unique style, red hair with purple streaks with pigtail braids, colorful corduroys and linen shirts, and her brown sandals. In the first book, she meets Strick, a homeless veteran, who she takes in, feeds, and gives a job and home. They become fast friends and later, a couple. Leonard is Savvy’s best friend and office manager. He could be a lawyer, if he took the bar. The first case was “The case of the Missing Harold” where they were hired to find a wealthy woman’s dead (but preserved) husband.
In the next story, they are hired by Mr. Stein to find his prized collectible, a skull, which he has to show that evil can truly be killed. It’s the case of “The Missing Dictator”, but there’s more to Mr. Stein than just being a client, and more to Savvy’s relationship with her brothers.
Uncaged: You are also a heavy book reader and reviewer, how did you get started reviewing, and does it inspire your own writing?
I started doing book reviews in 2014, when I met another author online, and she wanted to share her work with me. I shared mine with her and she enjoyed what she read, so she wrote a review. The two of us were planning on creating a blog to do our reviews, and expanding what we read. Unfortunately, she passed away and to honor her and the love we both had for reading and writing, I created a simple blog posting my reviews. Eventually I moved the blog, along with all the reviews I wrote, and created “Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews.” It was at first just reading work that I loved, and then as I got involved in writing the reviews, I realized I could expand by accepting requests. So, I continued on, posting my reviews on book buying sites, and my blog and Facebook. I have rules and requirements, but I review books of ANY genre, and from ANY author, though I specialize in Indie Authors, and support them whenever and however I can. The only way I can maintain and keep track of what I do, is to have my policies and rules followed. I also do not give any book under 3 stars, so if a book may not be a 3 star or above, I send it back to the author with an explanation.
Uncaged: Tell us something unique about you.
Besides being a writer and reviewer, I am also a single mother of (now) four adult boys (they probably want me to call them men, but they’ll always be my boys). I am pursuing my MBA, but have a BA in English and MA in Adult Education. I homeschooled my youngest (twins) since 2015 and they will be graduating in June. When I write, I like to listen to vinyl records, and depending on what I’m writing depends on who I listen to, as I like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Led Zeppelin, and sometimes, when I need to be reminded of my childhood, The Beatles, Patsy Cline or Knuckles O’Toole (He’s a Honky Tonk piano player). I like music as it inspires me, whether I’m reading or writing, the music is always in the background.
[symple_box color=”black” fade_in=”false” float=”center” text_align=”left” width=””]Amy Shannon is a storyteller, writer, poet, and blogger. Amy Shannon runs the book review blog “Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews,” which has become extremely popular for Indie authors and their books. She runs her own “author blog.” Amy Shannon is the author of over 100 stories, with more than half as part of different series or sagas. Once she falls in love with her characters, it’s hard to let go of them.[/symple_box]
http://writeramyshannon.wixsite.com/stories
The Relic: A Savvy Macavoy Story
Amy Shannon
Mystery/Suspense
Savvy Macavoy isn’t a typical private investigator, but she’s one of the best. Known for solving unique cases, she works alongside her partner and lover, Deklin Strickland “Strick” and her best friend, Leonard. Savvy is well-known, maybe too well-known to the NYPD, especially since she has what they refer to as an attitude, where she thinks it’s protecting her client’s privacy.
With her red hair with purple streaks and pig-tail braids, she tries to stay true to her hippie roots, and herself. Savvy and Strick get closer as they try to help Leonard, all while dealing with Savvy’s large band of brothers. And that’s just the beginning, especially when Mr. Stein hires Savvy to find something of great value to him, and so begins The Case of the Missing Dictator.
Excerpt
[Mr. Stein] waited for Savvy to sit and then he sat down. “I thought your name was Sunshine. That’s what Friend referred to you as.”
“My full given name is Sunshine Rainbow Savvy Macavoy. I go by Savvy, but all my brothers still call me Sunshine. Do you know any of my other brothers?”
“I do have a few paintings from your late brother, Cloud Dancer.”
“I have one and it’s my prized possession,” she pointed to the painting on the far wall of the Agency.
He turned his head slightly and nodded. “It’s very beautiful. I don’t know what Friend told you about me.”
“Just that you two were close friends and that you were a collector. That’s all. The rest should come from you. He mentioned you needed my services. Let’s start from there. What do you need me to do for you?”
He cleared his throat and focused on Savvy. “Ms. Macavoy, Friend was right. I am a collector. Sometimes I lend my collection to be on display at National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington D.C.”
“I never heard of it,” she flicked her eyes over to Strick.
Strick instantly stood up and walked over to Savvy’s desk. He pulled up a chair to the side of her desk, where he could face both Mr. Stein and Savvy. “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been,” he sighed and looked at Savvy. “Sorry, but this sounds interesting. May I sit in? I guess I should have asked before.”
“No, that’s fine. Mr. Stein, this is my partner, Mr. Strickland.”
“Oh, yes, Friend has mentioned you as well. An Army vet, correct?”
“Yessir. I was a sergeant in the Army, more like a company clerk slash MP, I’m sorry. It’s nice to meet you,” Strick shook his hand.
“Strick, what do you know about this museum?” Savvy asked.
“That it was created as a civil war Army Medical Museum and that there are interesting and unique collections, such as President Garfield’s vertebrae where the assassin’s bullet passed through. I really like American Presidential history. I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I know that some of the displays can be listed as morbid. I think it’s interesting and intriguing.”
“Mr. Stein, why do you need me?” Savvy asked.
“I, like the museum, have a unique collection. A few of my pieces are missing, but, one of my most treasured pieces has been stolen.”
Savvy wrote down some notes, including Mr. Stein’s name on the top of the yellow legal pad. “What piece is it?”
“The skull of Adolph Hitler,” he looked around the room to see if there was any type of reaction, but Savvy just nodded as she wrote it down.
