| How do you survive a season of fear? October is a hard month for Rae Riley’s family. Her dad, Sheriff Walter “Mal” Malinowski lost his wife and father then. He also has to manage the trouble Halloween brings to rural Marlin County, Ohio. But this year, Rae’s uncle fights for his life after a riding accident, and a family feud over a lost inheritance erupts at a local Halloween attraction. As Rae tries to support her family, she and her cousin Amber work to unravel the 70-year-old riddle that will reveal the location of the inheritance so their great aunt Lily and her kids can gain a fortune. And Rae must deal with the secretive behavior of the deputy she’s fallen for. When a bogus medium conducts a séance to contact Cyrus Morley, the man who devised the riddle, the results stun everyone, and the aftermath is even more shocking. There’s only one way to survive a season of so much fear–and only one way to unmask a killer. Genre: YA Christian cozy mystery Release Date: October 1, 2025 Click here to get your copy! |  |
Interview with JPC
#1. What was the inspiration for this book?
For most of my stories, I usually think of the climax first, and I thought of the climax for this novel years ago when working on earlier novels in the series. So I was very excited when I finally got to the book that would use it. And even more excited when the climax worked on paper. Sometimes, when a scene that works great in my head gets on paper, it doesn't work at all.
For most of my stories, I usually think of the climax first, and I thought of the climax for this novel years ago when working on earlier novels in the series. So I was very excited when I finally got to the book that would use it. And even more excited when the climax worked on paper. Sometimes, when a scene that works great in my head gets on paper, it doesn't work at all.
#2. How long did it take to finish writing this book?
About a year. I write four or five chapters by hand, then type them up, editing while I type, and then I handwrite the next four or five chapters. So I don't reach then end for about ten months. But when the whole thing is written, and I'm only editing, the first half of the book is pretty well polished, so I can focus on improving the second half.
About a year. I write four or five chapters by hand, then type them up, editing while I type, and then I handwrite the next four or five chapters. So I don't reach then end for about ten months. But when the whole thing is written, and I'm only editing, the first half of the book is pretty well polished, so I can focus on improving the second half.
#3. Do you have favorite character(s) in this book?
I like all my characters in some way, even my villains, when they behave and carry the story the way they are supposed to. But I have a particular joy in writing one-on-one scenes with Rae and her dad, Mal, and with Rae and her great-grandfather, Walter. Mal's and Walter's voice are so clear, and their relationship with Rae so special, that enjoy working with them in their scenes.
I like all my characters in some way, even my villains, when they behave and carry the story the way they are supposed to. But I have a particular joy in writing one-on-one scenes with Rae and her dad, Mal, and with Rae and her great-grandfather, Walter. Mal's and Walter's voice are so clear, and their relationship with Rae so special, that enjoy working with them in their scenes.
#4. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read this book?
First, I hope they take away a feeling of satisfaction, like they've finished a great meal. They've enjoyed following Rae through the twists and turns of the mystery and feel like they're time was well spend. Second, I hope they take away some of the faith questions that are raised in the book and think over the answers provided by the characters.
First, I hope they take away a feeling of satisfaction, like they've finished a great meal. They've enjoyed following Rae through the twists and turns of the mystery and feel like they're time was well spend. Second, I hope they take away some of the faith questions that are raised in the book and think over the answers provided by the characters.
#5. What one piece of advice would you like to give readers?
Sit down with this novel as if you're sitting down with Rae in a coffee shop and she's bringing you up to date with her family's latest adventure.
Sit down with this novel as if you're sitting down with Rae in a coffee shop and she's bringing you up to date with her family's latest adventure.
More from JPC
Writing a Historical Mystery … Sort Of
I had a great time concocting the elaborate mystery for A Riddle in the Lonesome October. What made this novel unusual for me was the importance of history in figuring out the riddle to the hidden inheritance. In my other mysteries, the suspects were living people my amateur sleuth Rae Riley knew. She could speak to them and evaluate who was telling the truth, who was lying, and who was hiding something.
But for this mystery, Rae has to dig into the past. She decides in order to crack the riddle that was left to the heirs, she has to understand what kind of man was Cyrus Morley, the man who created the riddle. Since he died over seventy years ago, she has to use historical resources.
I had a lot of fun coming up with the documents Rae uncovers. Since Cyrus Morley was wealthy and owned coal mines in Marlin County, Ohio, where Rae lives, he was a prominent citizen, often featured in stories in the local newspaper. But official sources like that only revealed part of Cyrus Morley’s complicated life.
As a former librarian, I knew that local libraries can have books or documents that you can’t find anywhere online. Those materials were printed decades or even centuries ago and only have local interest, so no one has bothered to put them online. So I created a memoir, written by a local pastor’s wife. It’s the kind of book a church and its members would have but no one else.
I loved writing in a different style from Rae’s narration. The pastor’s wife, Rebecca, had help to write her memoir in the 1980s. But I thought the style would be older since Rebecca was born in 1900. I grew up on Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, so I enjoyed writing excerpts from the memoir in a more old-fashioned style, so readers would feel like they were reading a genuine, historical document.
What was even better was figuring out a way for Rae’s eighty-one-year-old great-grandfather Walter to provide clues. Coming up with a family history that intersects with Cyrus’s life was an absolute joy to create. I loved writing the chapter in which Walter tells Rae this unknown chapter in the Malinowski family’s history.
So if you like your mysteries with a touch of history, I’m sure you’ll love Rae’s investigation into a mystery seventy years in the making.
But for this mystery, Rae has to dig into the past. She decides in order to crack the riddle that was left to the heirs, she has to understand what kind of man was Cyrus Morley, the man who created the riddle. Since he died over seventy years ago, she has to use historical resources.
I had a lot of fun coming up with the documents Rae uncovers. Since Cyrus Morley was wealthy and owned coal mines in Marlin County, Ohio, where Rae lives, he was a prominent citizen, often featured in stories in the local newspaper. But official sources like that only revealed part of Cyrus Morley’s complicated life.
As a former librarian, I knew that local libraries can have books or documents that you can’t find anywhere online. Those materials were printed decades or even centuries ago and only have local interest, so no one has bothered to put them online. So I created a memoir, written by a local pastor’s wife. It’s the kind of book a church and its members would have but no one else.
I loved writing in a different style from Rae’s narration. The pastor’s wife, Rebecca, had help to write her memoir in the 1980s. But I thought the style would be older since Rebecca was born in 1900. I grew up on Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, so I enjoyed writing excerpts from the memoir in a more old-fashioned style, so readers would feel like they were reading a genuine, historical document.
What was even better was figuring out a way for Rae’s eighty-one-year-old great-grandfather Walter to provide clues. Coming up with a family history that intersects with Cyrus’s life was an absolute joy to create. I loved writing the chapter in which Walter tells Rae this unknown chapter in the Malinowski family’s history.
So if you like your mysteries with a touch of history, I’m sure you’ll love Rae’s investigation into a mystery seventy years in the making.
 JPC Allen | JPC Allen started her writing career in second grade with a homage to Scooby Doo, and she’s been track down mysteries ever since. A Shadow on the Snow, the first novel in the Rae Riley Mysteries series, won first place for published YA fiction in the ACFW KidLit Contest. A Storm of Doubts, her second novel, came in second for YA fiction at the Selah Awards. Online, she offers writing tips and prompts to ignite the creative spark in every kind of writer. She also leads writing workshops for adults and teens. Coming from a long line of Mountaineers, she’s a life-long Buckeye, a wife of one for twenty years, and mother of two for sixteen. |
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, JPC is giving away a signed copy of A
Riddle in the Lonesome October and Christmas fiction off the
beaten path, an $25 Amazon gift card, mug, tea, and chocolates!!
Riddle in the Lonesome October and Christmas fiction off the
beaten path, an $25 Amazon gift card, mug, tea, and chocolates!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
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Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 3
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Guild Master, October 8 (Author Interview)
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For the Love of Literature, October 10 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, October 11
Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 12 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 13
Blossoms and Blessings, October 14 (Author Interview)
Stories By Gina, October 2 (Author Interview)
Holly’s Book Corner, October 2
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 3
Simple Harvest Reads, October 4 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 5
Artistic Nobody, October 6 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, October 7
Guild Master, October 8 (Author Interview)
Fiction Book Lover, October 9 (Author Interview)
Hannahbandanarama, October 9
For the Love of Literature, October 10 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, October 11
Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 12 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 13
Blossoms and Blessings, October 14 (Author Interview)
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