Escape Into Fiction

The Curious Mind

I think there’s a pretty good chance that it’s more than just writers who have curious minds, but it’s the writer’s mind that I’m most familiar with. We’re constantly asking “what if.” What if what looked like a normal conveyance of goods in a semi turned out to be something else? What would happen if a football fan snuck into the opposing team’s locker room and confronted the star quarterback? (The Bronco’s beat the Super Bowl champions, the now 4-1 Philapdelphia Eagles Sunday and I’m still stoked.) Or what if some teenagers playing a game of Follow That Car tailed the wrong one? (Stay tuned on that what if—I’m writing a new short story.)

And writer’s minds also wander-wonder. Last night while I was trying to go to sleep, I started to wonder if there was such a thing as autism in dogs. I thought about a dog’s acute sense of smell and hearing. Could it ever be so acute they couldn’t bear it? Not something I’d ever considered before.

The answer turned out to be mostly no, but kind of yes. Rather than ASD (autism spectrum disorder) dogs can be diagnosed with CDB (Canine Dysfunctional Behavior). Symptoms include things like constant tail chasing or spinning; odd sensitivity to noise, touch, or smells. It’s rare; it’s treatable; and you should know I’m not a vet. If you think your furry friend might be effected, please see one.

G.P. Gottlieb

I’m pleased to have my not-furry friend, G.P. Gottlieb, as the very first writer I’ve highlighted here (other than in the What I’m Reading/Listening To section). She’s high-energy and relentlessly and beautifully interested in everything.

I love the title of Peg’s newsletter; “Escape Into Fiction,” because that’s how I’ve always viewed reading. I’m transported by books that carry me into another world, and as an author, I try to write books that do the same for others.

My books are centered in a Chicago café filled with friends, neighbors, and community members. Someone might get killed, because I write mysteries, but everyone else is stopping by for coffee and vegan pastries, going about their days, striving to reach their dreams. There might be a character in each book who is unbalanced and willing to destroy others’ lives, but most of my characters are like the rest of us – just trying to get by, get their kids fed, clothed, and schooled.

Peg’s books add the element of societal decay; serial killers, psychotic drug dealers, and plain old evil villains who cause horrifying damage before they can be stopped. I read Trafficked, Peg’s fourth suspense thriller, several years ago, and though I’ve read hundreds of books since then, I haven’t forgotten either its premise or her young, victimized characters.

Just last month, as part of the “Giving Circle” we’re organizing in our condo building, one of my neighbors pitched the idea of giving our collective money to an organization that helps rehabilitate young people who’ve been trafficked. In researching that and other organizations, I came across the 2022 Denver/FBI task force that rescued more trafficked minors than any other field office in the country. It was a positive step, but new traffickers have popped up since then and Peg’s book continues to resonate.

Reading isn’t just escaping real life for me, although who doesn’t love trying to unveil an18^th century British crime or following the exciting exploits of a faraway heroine who’s about to cross swords with an exceptionally evil mastermind?

I relish reading about the real struggle between good and evil. Several of Peg Brantley’s novels center on horrible people who terrorize their victims. Her books remind me of those who battle the criminals, those who tirelessly seek justice. If Evil didn’t exist, I ask myself, how would Good prevail?

We won’t vote on where to make our combined contribution until all the neighbors have a chance to present their worthiest charities. The need is greater than ever; homelessness, drug addiction, struggling immigrants, etc. But, thanks to Peg, I’m already leaning towards the organization that focuses on the problem of trafficking. That’s the power of a good book!

GP Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series (Battered was re-released 9/2025 and is available at Bookshop.Org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords). She’s a member of the Blackbird Writers, on the Sisters in Crime Chicagoland Board, and active in SinC Colorado. She likes posting on Facebook, reads voraciously, and has interviewed over 250 authors for New Books in Literature, a podcast channel on the New Books Network. Her stories have been published in Pure Slush, Another Chicago Magazine, Grande Dame Literary, and other journals and anthologies.

Quinn’s Corner

There’s no dysfunction here. No, siree. No function either, but that’s another story.

What I’m Reading

I’m reading the polar-opposite of G.P. Gottlieb’s more gentle books. I recently finished one by Benjamin Percy that had been recommended by my friend, author Barbara Nickless. I’d read Percy’s craft book, Thrill Me, which was excellent so Barbara’s recommendation of The Dark Net was an easy choice.

There’s a hidden part of the internet that requires special software to access. It’s truly a dark place where, with proper introductions, you can find drugs and weapons and killers for hire. Anything illegal and/or vile that you want to be kept secret is available with enough bitcoin. Imagine the evil vibrations flowing through those computer lines constantly, 24/7. What if creatures from the underworld figured out how to use that space to gain access to our world? It’s a new kind of war; one that traditional soldiers are unable to fight.

Now I’m reading Marie Sutro’s Dark Obsessions. It’s the second book in her Kate Barnes series.

After the devastating trauma of her last case, Kate leaves San Francisco and rents a cottage on the Olympic Peninsula to heal—by taking back some power through confronting her mother. But then (and you know what’s coming) she finds herself assisting local authorities on a case involving a gruesome murder of a young girl. Even though Kate is fractured and emotionally wounded, she’s still kickass, and one of my favorite female protagonists. I’ve only read about 20%, but I think I know what’s coming. It’ll be fun to see if I’m right.

What I’m Listening To

Have you ever heard of Twisted Passages? Marie Sutro (yes, one and the same) hosts a weekly podcast where she interviews writers (many of them big names) to discuss their latest books. That’s where I first learned of L. S. Stratton. I enjoyed the interview, and immediately searched for an earlier book by Stratton.

This morning I finished Not So Perfect Strangers, narrated by Gaelika Brown and Sid Kroach. It’s a unique update of the classic, Strangers on a Train: Tasha Jenkins and Madison Gingell come from different worlds, but when Tasha impulsively comes to Madison’s aid, the two learn they have something in common: they are both in marriages they need to get out of. What isn’t understood is that they have very different ideas as to how that should happen.

Now I’ve plugged into another Dean Koontz, Shadowfires, narrated by Jane Oppenheimer.

From the publisher: Rachel’s request for a quick and clean divorce enraged her husband. She’d never seen Eric so angry, so consumed by pure and terrifying hatred. Then, in the heat of the moment, Eric was killed in a traffic accident. Shocked and relieved, Rachel had nothing left to fear. Until Eric’s body disappeared from the morgue—and suddenly, Rachel is being stalked by someone who looks just like her dead husband.

What I’m Streaming

Based on the recommendation of an onscreen personality who I don’t have much in common with at all, I’ve started streaming Black Rabbit, starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman.

From Rotten Tomatoes: When the owner of the hottest restaurant in New York allows his troubled brother to return to the family business, he opens the door to old traumas and new dangers that threaten to bring down everything they’ve built.

From the little I’ve watched, I think I might have found something in common with that onscreen personality.

A Little Humor

Sent to me by a friend who has obviously never seen my obsessively organized work area:

Thank you for letting me take up a little space in your day. I hope you found something interesting.

**Please feel free to share this.**

It’s all better with friends.