Rionna Morgan with Earl Staggs

Mystery author Earl Staggs recently received his second Derringer Award for Best Short Story of the Year. His novel MEMORY OF A MURDER earned a long list of Five Star reviews. SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS, a collection of 16 Mystery tales, is available in print and ebook. He served as Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Magazine and as President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. He’s a contributing blog member of Murderous Musings and Make Mine Mystery and a frequent speaker at conferences.

 Hi, Rionna.  Thanks for providing this stop on the Mystery We Write Blog Tour. You asked some interesting questions, and I hope my answers are acceptable.

Where are you from?

 I was born in a tiny town in Kentucky and lived a few early years across the river in Ohio before my mother heard there were jobs in Maryland and moved my two brothers and me there.  I grew up in the Baltimore area , married there and with the help of a wife, raised two daughters.  Once that was done, said wife and I decided we had suffered enough cold, snow and ice for two lifetimes and moved south. After three years in Florida, we settled in Fort Worth, Texas, about twelve years ago.

Tell us your latest news?

 I’ve recently finished a new book!  I’m calling this one an Action Mystery.  The background for the story is a secret agency that tracks terrorists groups.  If they determine innocent lives are in danger, the agency puts the terrorists out of business.  Permanently.  While doing that, my protagonist, Tall Chambers, loses someone very dear to him. After that, his quest becomes finding who was responsible and making them pay.  Along the way, he uncovers a conspiracy to put the wrong person in the White House.

The title is TALL CHAMBERS: JUSTIFIED ACTION and it will be available soon in print and ebook form. Watch for announcements on my website. 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

 Yes. The message is that no matter how much human beings progress, some of them will always justify killing others as a way to achieve their own goals.  Someone has to stop them.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it?

 Title: A GOOD STORYTELLER.  Subtitle:  “A Man Who Wrote What He Liked to Read”

What is the ultimate dream vacation?

 That would be an ocean cruise.  The ship would drift aimlessly, time would stand still, and I would be surrounded by nothing but the free glories of nature - air, wind, sky and water – for as long as I wanted. Naturally,  I would need my computer and an Internet connection so I could keep up with my writing and email.

What person in history would you most like to meet?

 I’d love to shake the hand of the man who invented Cut, Copy, and Paste.  He made rewriting so much easier.

Thanks, Rionna, for letting me stop by.  Thanks also to everyone dropped in.  Now that you’ve read all the way to here, you’re invited to visit my website where you can read Chapter One of my Mystery novel, MEMORY OF A MURDER.

Buy Link!

You can also read a short story called “The Day I Almost Became a Great Writer.” Some say it’s the funniest story I’ve ever written.

There’s another story there called “White Hats and Happy Trails,” about the day I spent with my boyhood idol, Roy Rogers.  There’s even a picture of my wife and me with Roy to prove it’s all true.

You can even check out SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS, a collection of 16 of my published tales of mystery, ranging from hardboiled to humorous, available in print and ebook form.

Please leave a comment before you go and you may win a free book.

Buy Link!

At the end of the tour, I’ll draw two names from those who left comments.  The first name drawn will receive a signed print copy of MEMORY OF A MURDER, a mystery novel with a long list of Five Star Reviews.  The second name drawn will receive their choice of a signed print copy or an ebook of SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS, a collection of 16 tales of mystery from hardboiled to humorous.

Thanks again, Rionna, and best regards to all.

Earl Staggs

Email: earlstaggs@sbcglobal.net

Website: http://earlwstaggs.wordpress.com