making it up

I travel every opportunity I get, and my destinations often end up as settings in my novels. With Portrait of Deception, I did something different. For the first time, I made up an entire country, Tiranistan.

 

Why? Well, if you've read the novel, the dictator who runs Tiranistan is a particularly nasty guy, and he's planning a war against his neighbors. I didn't want to burden an actual country with the results of my imagination - not that there aren't shards of truth from many of the globe's evil regimes.

I've had people ask me where Tiranistan is on the map. I envisioned it at the intersection of Europe and Asia. A professor of mine at Clemson was from South Ossetia in the country of Georgia, and, while I've never been there, it sounds like a place of mystery.

The castle I describe is based on the Likani Villa (above) in Georgia. Like many haunted places in stories, it looks benign, even beautiful in some lights, but one can picture how frightening it might be on a moonless night. As for the creepiness of the dictator's personal quarters, that's 100% my imagination.

reviews help!

I hope you've had a chance to read Portrait of Deception and enjoyed it. I'd appreciate it if you would leave a review on Amazon, as this will help others find the novel.

The purchase link below is for Amazon, but you can find the paperback online at your favorite retailer. Thanks for your support.

Buy Portrait of Deception
Review Portrait of Deception

book recommendations

There are lots of great books coming out this year. I've had fun working on a marketing program with other authors who write strong women characters. These novels come out in early 2024 and have main characters who grow and change over the course of the novel.

Click on a title or author below for more information.

 

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kenedy (historical gothic)

A Girl, Stuck by Kelly Elizabeth Huston (romantic crime noir)

Portrait of Deception by Kathryn Dodson (suspense)

Divinely Dramatic by Sandra L. Young (romance with paranormal mystery)

Letters for Lucien: A Novel by Susy England (romance)

The Last Con by Caitlin Avery (women's adventure fiction)

What Eyes Can't See by Paulette Stout (contemporary women's fiction)

Happy Travels: California

Driving the California coast is a spectacular road trip.

Haven't received your copy of the novella La Paloma, Tequila Midnight's prequel? Download it by clicking here.

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