This is the last day of the Murder We Write
Blog Tour except for the wrap up post tomorrow with the winners of the books so
make sure you leave a comment today! Today I, Mitch Malone, reporter
extraordinaire, am going to do the interview a bit differently. I usually don’t
write features for the Grand River Journal but this one could be a great one.
Might even keep some kids from taking their first drink. A public service
piece. It may get a bit confusing because my guest today is from the Malone
Mystery Series, not to be confused with the Mitch Malone Mystery Series which I
am a main character in. David Kern from UNFINISHED
BUSINESS by Patricia Gligor joins us
to talk about his priorities. David, may I call you Dave?
Dave: That’s fine, Wendy. Most people call me
David but some of the guys in the office call me Dave so you can too.
You have had your battles with alcohol but have
turned them around. Can you tell us how you have done that?
Dave: Sorry to disappoint you but my battle
with alcohol is far from over. Yes, I’ve been sober now since the end of
October when my drinking almost cost me my family. But I struggle with the
desire to drink every single day. I don’t know what I’d do without AA.
Alcoholic Anonymous is a great organization
that has helped millions of alcoholics. How often do you attend meetings?
Dave: I go to a meeting at least once a day. AA
recommends ninety meetings in ninety days and I’m getting close to that. As my
recovery progresses, I’ll adjust the number of meetings I attend accordingly.
My sponsor will help me with that. I can’t ever stop going though. I never want to go back to being the
person I was before I got sober.
You have a wife and kids right? Isn’t it hard
to make time for those meetings with a job and family responsibilities?
Dave: Actually, Mitch, I have to make time. My sobriety has to be my number one priority.
Next, comes Ann and our children and my job is third. The reason? If I don’t
maintain my sobriety, I will lose my family and my job. I’ve come so close to
that; it gives me the chills just thinking about it.
In MIXED MESSAGES (Book 1 of the series), you
ran into some trouble. Can you tell us about it and how that shaped your
recovery?
Dave: Yes. On Halloween night, when a man
forced his way into our apartment and attacked Ann, I was sitting in a jail
cell, powerless to help her. Why was I in jail? Because I was picked up for
driving under the influence. By the grace of God, I’ve been given a second
chance and I’m doing my best to make sure I’m there for Ann and the kids.
Without them, I have nothing.
I hear there is a bit of mystery that surrounds
your father. Maybe an investigative reporter like Mitch Malone could help you
uncover some information. What do you know so far?
Dave: My father left my mother and me when I
was seven years old. One day he was there and the next day he wasn’t. For years,
I asked my mother why Dad left but all she would ever say was, “Your father
chose to leave us.” She would never tell me why. In AA, we have something
called The Twelve Steps to Recovery. Step four is “Made a searching and
fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” There’s a lot involved. One of things I
need to do is to deal with any unfinished business. That’s all about revisiting
the past long enough to discover any unresolved issues so I can deal with them
and then let them go. That’s the only way I can move forward. I’m going to find
the answers I need one way or the other. I thank you for the offer. I’d love to
hire you Mitch but I’m afraid money is an issue and I seriously doubt that you
work for free. J
Thanks Dave for being honest about your disease that affects many. Maybe if your luck improves and you win the
lottery, you will remember my offer. For more information on Dave and his
recovery check out this website: http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/
A note
from Pat: Wendy, thank you for letting Dave talk! You know, alcoholism is a
cunning and baffling disease. People need to learn about it and also about AA
and Alanon, which is a wonderful organization for the friends and families of
alcoholics, the people who have been affected by someone they love who suffers
from the disease.
At the end of the blog tour,
I will be giving away one copy of Unfinished
Business, the second novel in my Malone mystery series. Leave a comment and
you’re automatically entered to win. Please include your email address with
your comment so that, if your name is selected, I may contact you to get your
mailing address. The winner will be announced on my blog: http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/ on December 11. Best of luck!
Links:
Patricia Gligor’s Amazon page: http://tinyurl.com/8sd2cz4
Blurb:
The Westwood Strangler is dead. Or so everyone
believes. Ann Kern is busy preparing for her favorite
holiday. She’s especially looking forward to her sister’s annual Christmas
visit. But, several things threaten to ruin her festive mood. The National Weather Service
issues a severe winter storm warning for the Cincinnati area, predicting
blizzard conditions, and Ann worries that her sister and her new boyfriend
won’t be able to make the drive from South Carolina.Then, a woman is found strangled in Ann’s
neighborhood and everyone, including the police, assumes it’s the work of a
copycat killer. However, when two more women are murdered in their homes, the
police announce their conviction that the Westwood Strangler is responsible.
When Ann hears the news, the sense of safety
and security she’s worked so hard to recapture since her attack on Halloween
night, shatters. If the intruder who died in her apartment wasn’t the Westwood
Strangler, who is? And, who will be the next victim?
Patricia Gligor is a Cincinnati native. She enjoys reading mystery/suspense novels, touring and photographing old houses and traveling, especially to the ocean. Mixed Messages, the first novel in her Malone Mystery Series, was published in April 2012 by Post Mortem Press. Unfinished Business is the second novel in the series.
