Good day, my bookish divas and divos. I have vivid childhood memories of spending every Saturday morning in the children’s department at my local library, choosing the six or seven books I wanted to read for the upcoming week. I’m forever grateful to my mother for instilling the love of reading in me, as well as one of my aunts for bringing me boxes of books to read during the school year. (My aunt worked for the state board of education and they often received print review copies and, even as a child, I got to experience books prior to their release.) Although I grew up loving to read, I’m somewhat of an anomaly amongst my siblings. My eldest brother was definitely a reader (I still miss being able to discuss books with him), but my younger brothers only have moments when they’re willing to grab a book and read (not an issue for me because they both have incredibly hectic jobs and lives). Today’s guest, TG Wolff, author of Razing Stakes, will be sharing her experiences on becoming a reader. Thank you for joining us and sharing this story, Ms. Wolff. The blog is all yours.
On Becoming a Reader
by TG Wolff
Hello Book Diva’s Readers. I am TG Wolff, mystery diva, here to entertain you. Why? Because that’s what books are to me, the happy place I go to catch a break from real life. This is true for both reading books and about 15 years ago, I discovered the same was true for writing them.
Confession: I wasn’t a reader as a child.
I HATED reading. It was all so boring. I don’t think I ever finished an assigned book in school (I was lucky that I was smart enough to still pass the tests.) As an adult, I realized I hated reading because every book assigned was BORING or worse. Go ahead, English teachers, light me up (Tina@tgwolff.com). I have had this conversation several times with my English major, literature teaching husband. I am standing on solid ground!
Teachers (or at least those who set curriculums) feel that the books used in schools must first and foremost teach lessons. And that is where they fail to cultivate readers. The ONLY genre I can remember reading from was literature. No mystery. No suspense. No humor (God forbid we laugh while we read). No sports. No science fiction. No – well, you get the point.
In short, I hated reading…until Nero Wolfe.
My grandfather loved cowboy stories and Nero Wolfe mysteries. I reluctantly borrowed one from his bookshelf and didn’t stop until I had finished his small collection. Here, to my delighted surprise, were puzzles wrapped in a book. Who knew such a thing existed?
Fast forward twenty years. I lived in Cleveland, Ohio, working as a Civil Engineer, and had a client in Northern Kentucky. The five-hour drive between the two was mind-numbingly boring. Long before the age of podcasts, there was little to keep me attentive. And so, I began imagining. Little vignettes entertained me as the miles passed. Then at the hotel that night, I would write the final version. After several months of driving and imagining, I had a book.
Last year, I re-read that first story and it was pretty bad. I didn’t know the rules. Heck, I didn’t know there were rules and maybe that was why it was fun. When I submitted the first of my De La Cruz series to Down & Out Books for consideration, I had over a dozen books fully written, never intending to publish any of them. I wrote them to entertain myself, to play in someone else’s sandbox, to make myself laugh.
Consider giving Detective Jesus De La Cruz and me a try. I hope you laugh and wonder and beat him to the solution.
Happy Hunting, Detective. ♦
Razing Stakes
by TG Wolff
April 1-30, 2022 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
The first day of summer is the last day of a young accountant’s life. Colin McHenry is out for his regular run when an SUV crosses into his path, crushing him. Within hours of the hit-skip, Cleveland Homicide Detective Jesus De La Cruz finds the vehicle in the owner’s garage, who’s on vacation three time zones away. The setup is obvious, but not the hand behind it. The suspects read like a list out of a textbook: the jilted fiancée, the jealous coworker, the overlooked subordinate, the dirty client.
His plate already full, Cruz is assigned to a “special project,” a case needing to be solved quickly and quietly. Cleveland Water technicians are the targets of focused attacks. The crimes range from intimidation to assault. The locations swing between the east, west, and south sides of the city. This is definitely madness, but there is a method behind it.
The two cases are different and yet the same. Motives, opportunities, and alibis don’t point in a single direction. In these mysteries, Cruz has to think laterally, yanking down the curtain to expose the masterminding of the strings.
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Down & Out Books
Publication Date: February 14, 2022
Number of Pages: 294
ISBN: 978-1-64396-245-0
Series: The De La Cruz Case Files, 3rd in series
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Down & Out Books
Author Bio:
TG Wolff writes thrillers and mysteries that play within the gray area between good and bad, right and wrong. Cause and effect drive the stories, drawing from 20+ years’ experience in Civil Engineering, where “cause” is more often a symptom of a bigger, more challenging problem. Diverse characters mirror the complexities of real life and real people, balanced with a healthy dose of entertainment. TG Wolff holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
Catch Up With TG Wolff:
TGWolffCom.wordpress.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @TG_Wolff
Instagram – @tg_wolff
Twitter – @tg_wolff
Facebook
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The Book Diva's Reads 
Great guest post!
Now see, I was a reader as a kid! I couldn’t get enough!
I even liked the assigned books in school. I know, I know!!
We even went to Virginia beach when I was a teen and I wanted to stay in our room so I could finish my book! LOL
My grandmother finally convinced me to bring the book to the beach.
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Such different experiences!
My mom is a voracious reader. I’m sure it killed her that none of us kids picked it up. As a mom now myself, it is hard to see why my kids have drifted away from reading. They loved it when they were little ones. Maybe, like me, they’ll come back to it in ways I can’t imagine.
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