The Rev. Dr. John Toles
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview with the Tornado Alley Mystery Writers and discuss writing and life. You can listen to the interview (about thirty minutes long) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Buzzsprout.
The book we discussed is the first in the Father Anthony Savel Mysteries series, titled The Golden Fistula. Click the image or link to view it on Amazon.
Other books available are:
I am currently working on the third Father Anthony Mystery: The Forty-Second Wife.
Tonight is Enid Writers Club critique group. I’m debuting the first 337 words of Solomon’s Many Wives: the third Father Anthony Savel Mystery. Don’t get too excited, this is all that’s on paper so far, but… it has begun. Actually, it began a couple of months ago, but I’m just now getting back to it.
A Walk in the Snow
A foot of snow had fallen overnight, and the temperature had dipped into the low twenties, yet the day was glorious. The sun rising over the mountains illumined a crystalline blue sky, and the snowflakes that clung to branches and other growth cast the sun’s rays in all directions—a cathedral of light and ice.
For the past half hour, Thomas Stavlo had been walking a path many had traversed over the past one hundred years—the Stations of the Cross on the grounds of St. Mark’s Seminary. He now stands at the eighth station—Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem—and spends a moment looking out over the Great Salt Lake Basin, the city below, still covered in low-hanging clouds.
As he walked alone, his mind had been at peace and prayer. Could this really be what I’m supposed to be doing? He had asked himself—and God. Was he being called to become a priest? Father Anthony and Janine thought so, but his life as a police detective never seemed to leave him. Each time he appeared close to making a decision, something broke in and shattered his progress. Today was no different.
He had at first thought a piece of one of the figures in the life-size scene had broken, but when he got closer, what he saw protruding from the snow was a frozen and bloodied hand, the nails having been recently manicured and painted a soft pink. The emerald and diamond wedding ring made Janine’s engagement ring look like something out of a gumball machine.
“Hail Mary, full of grace,” he said quietly, the steam of his breath swirling about his head. Then, he retrieved his cell phone from a coat pocket, powered it up, and dialed 911.
Having made the call, he stepped back and gazed upon the purity of the snow. “Is it all just whitewash?” He asked. Turning from the body, he placed another call. After several rings, a groggy voice answered. “Padre,” he said, “what’s your alibi this time?”
Join me tomorrow night (Thursday, July 27, 2023) at 8 p.m. CST for an interview about the Fr. Anthony Savel Mysteries and other things writing.
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/latalkradio
If you don’t do Facebook, I’ll be providing other links following the show.
The Second Father Anthony Savel Mystery is now available on Amazon. Click on the cover image to be directed to the Amazon page.
Wannabe junior detective Father Anthony Savel and the congregation of St. Matthew’s Cathedral have recovered from the shocking murder of the Dean of the Cathedral that occurred a year ago. All is returning to normal except for the upcoming election of a new Bishop for the Diocese. Father Anthony, Miss Avery, Detective Stavlo, and Zekey the wonder poodle could have all remained in peace had it not been for a crash of thunder, a tripped-up acolyte, and another dead body in the cathedral. Church can be murder, and when the pointy hat, purple jeweled ring, and big stick (all signs of the bishop) are up for grabs, no one is safe.
A must-read for fans of the Fr. Brown, Mitford, and Cadfael series.
A few months back I joined the Enid Writers’ Club. It has really provided some motivation and encouragement for the writing of the next Fr. Anthony novel. As part of each meeting, there is a Roll Call where each member reads a piece of 150 words or less based on a given topic prompt. The prompt for this month: Have one of your characters or poems give you writing advice. Everyone reads and everyone votes. This month I tied for the prize and I’m beaming like a little kid who won the hot dog eating contest.
Father Anthony climbed the stairs to the top of the bell tower, more than a hundred feet up. The wall surrounding the uppermost landing was only eighteen inches, so he always stood at a safe distance.
“Hey, what are we doing up here?”
Unbeknownst to Father Anthony, Elvis, the custodian had eaten his lunch on the landing and had accidentally left a banana peel lying directly in Father Anthony’s path. Had Father Anthony been more observant, he would have seen it and been more careful.
“What do you mean, ‘More observant’? I see it. It’s right there.”
Father Anthony took the last step of his life.
“Wait! What do you mean the last step of my life?! Look! Is this about the plot hole in the last chapter? I can fix that. I’m your main character! You can’t kill me.”
He slipped. He fell.
“You son of aaaaaaaa…..”
He died.
Fear not. Fr. Anthony is a bit fluffy these days and simply bounced around, eventually landing on his feet.
As the header states, this is a shameless plug for The Golden Fistula. The price has been lowered to $.99 for the eBook and will eventually go to free (just in case you’re holding out for the real bargain.) Trying to do one more sales run before the second book in the series, The Marble Finger, comes out, which will hopefully be by the end of the year. That said, click the image below to order your copy today!
Candle in a Cave 