Terry Shepherd

TERRY S h EP h ERD

Terry Shepherd wrote his first short story at age eleven and was first published as a non-fiction author in 2008. He created Detective Jessica Ramirez in 2019, publishing his thriller “Chasing Vega” in 2020. The book earned 5-Star ratings on Amazon and is also available in audio book and Spanish language editions. The second installment in the trilogy, “Chasing The Captain” was released this fall When his grandchildren asked to star in their own stories, he created the “Waterford Detective” stories for his grandson and published the popular “Juliette and the Mystery Bug” series, co-authored with his wife, Colleen, when his granddaughter wondered how kids could protect themselves during a pandemic. His forthcoming books include “Students In Time,”(September, 2021) a time travel adventure that parallels the 4th grade public

Terry is also a prolific book narrator and audioartist, voicing 7 novels, along with dozens of commercials and promotional trailers. He hosts the popular Authors on the Air podcast, was a moderator and panelist at Bouchercon 2020 and is co-chair of the Sisters In Crime - Capitol Crimes Chapter’s 2021 Anthology project. He was an early social media adopter, authoring “Social Media and Your Personal Brand” in 2012.

He has written over 400 motivational essays since 2004, the best of which were aggregated into three popular self-help books.

Terry and Colleen live on the ocean in Jacksonville, Florida and are co-founders of “Down Syndrome Nation” a web resource for friends and families of persons with Down syndrome. Terry is a graduate of Michigan State University, has studied at both Harvard and Oxford and toured South America as a rock drummer in the summer of 1972.

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TerryShepherd.com

Uncaged welcomes Terry Shepherd

Welcome to Uncaged! Your recent release, Chasing the Captain is the second book in The Jessica Ramirez Thrillers series. Can you tell readers more about the book and the series?

Jess is based on a real-life Latina cop who had to navigate some significant challenges as a trailblazing female and minority in what was then a male domain. I was drawn to the series as an opportunity to showcase a diverse cast of heroes to inspire readers who lived similar lives to want to grow up to be like them. Chasing Vega introduces the core characters, Jess, Alexandra Clark and the ensemble of fascinating personalities that surround them. The response to Jessica’s pursuit of a serial killer with dark intentions encouraged me to pursue a trilogy. Chasing the Captain is the story of Jess’ pursuit of “the one that got away.” Readers told me after Captain that they wanted to see more of Jess working in her hometown, so the third book in the series, Chasing Karma takes place primarily in the fictional town of Paloma, Illinois.

What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?

I’m constantly gut checking myself when I write female characters. It’s very important to me to make them believable and authentic. Thankfully, almost all my support team are women, and they make sure I get it right.

Dialogue seems to be the easiest for me to write. I love being in the cast’s heads. They always take me to interesting places and sometimes the scene, and the plot go in directions I didn’t expect.

Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?

Ali is the most fun to write. She’s a computer forensics whiz and an adrenaline junky who could be making five times the income in the private sector. So, she’s fearless in dealing with the misogynists in her shop and is always running toward danger. Jess was hard to write at first, because her real-life counterpart compartmentalizes so well that I had trouble giving my protagonist the depth and complexity that makes a character interesting. During my research for Vega and Captain, I spent time with many amazing female cops. Police officers are people like the rest of us. They worry about their families and question their own judgement. Giving jess that humanity fleshed out her personality and

How do you come up with the title to your books?

I wanted to tag each with two memorable words that described both what the main appeal of the story is and introduces the antagonist instantly. Brief also Tweets well.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

I spent the summer of my junior year in high school touring with a band in South America. It taught me a lot about people and cured me of my desire to be a rock star.

Which comes first, the plot or the characters in the planning stages?

My books seem to emerge from a single scene. In Vega, the prologue at the rim of the Grand Canyon, where we meet the antagonist, came before I invented Jess. In Captain, Jessica’s witnessing of an execution was a short story at first, another attempt by her chief to demoralize her. It left a number of tantalizing questions I wanted to answer and became this world hoping popcorn thriller that was great fun to write.

What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

I have trouble slowing down. In addition to writing, I’m a book narrator, I host the Authors on the Air Vodcast and I do weekly guest shots as a disc jockey on two different radio stations. I have a technical background and still dabble in software and application design. I’ve learned multimedia production as part of promoting my books and that’s lead to a side hustle as a book trailer creator

Relaxing for me is spending time with my beautiful wife of 42 years and our kids and grandkids. Writing has given me the flexibility to fully engage whenever they need me. After 45 years as a corpo-

If you could have one all-year season, which would it be and why?

Fall. I grew up in Michigan and fall is when all a farmer’s hard work the rest of the year pays off. The scenery is ablaze with color and the abundant harvest reminds me that of the power of discipline and resilliance.

How many hours a day do you write? On average, how long does it take to write a full novel?

The research takes the longest time. I’m focused on getting it right and once I bring someone, a business, or an agency into the story, I want to understand as much as I can about them. I set a minimum goal of a chapter a day. Some are longer. Some are shorter, depending on what’s happening in the story. I follow that with at least an hour of narration. That takes up most of the morning. However, if the muse is singing, I heed her call and sometimes will write late into the night if things are flowing.

Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now?

I love all three. There’s always a book within reach wherever I am. I just finished Matt Coyle’s Last Deception and S. A. Cosby’ brilliant Blacktop Wasteland. I’m also a huge fan of Rachel Howzell Hall, Hallie Ephron and D.P. Lyle. Since I host an author interview program, I’ll consume between 75 and 100 books a year.

What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you?

Thank you for being my guiding light. I love engaging with readers and try to take Jess and crew in directions they suggest. I’m happiest in a collaborative relationship with an audience. When a young woman of color tells me she’s considering a law enforcement career after reading Jess and Ali, that makes my day. I’m on every major social platform. The best place to find everything is at TerryShepherd.com.

Enjoy an excerpt from chasing the captain

Chasing the Captain Terry Shepherd Technothriller

In Jessica Ramirez’s second outing, she’s once again a fish out of water, chasing the bad guy who got away. When forced to witness a questionable execution, Jess follows a tiny thread across the Atlantic, linking up with DI Liyanna Evans, a cop with London’s Metropolitan Police. The two quickly discover that their antagonist’s reach is both worldwide and deadly.

Another delectable tale that blends technothriller with suspense and police procedural adventure, Chasing the Captain picks up where Chasing Vega left off, giving Jess the chance to find the answers she seeks, even if it endangers her life and career in the process.

Excerpt

“Damn, that hurt,” Jess muttered to herself. “Remind me never to fire an RSH-12 revolver with one hand ever again.”

And what was wrong with her? Jumping onto a moving helicopter at the edge of a damn skyscraper? Jess’s mind was in full fear-of-heights terror. Dropping 557 feet with a rappelling rope felt like an elementary school playground compared to this insanity.

But the man who ordered her father’s murder and the man who contributed to Vincent Culpado’s death were inside that cabin.

Jess intended to make them pay. Her shooting hand was still numb but managed to slide the cannon back into her pants. She intertwined her arms and legs around the skid, holding on for dear life.

It occurred to Jess at this moment that putting a bullet into the engine of the only thing keeping her from falling to her death might not have been the wisest move. She didn’t like the sounds of shattering metal and the black smoke that vomited out of the back of the enclosure.

And what if the bad guys knew she was right below them? Jess was a sitting duck.

One poor decision after another, Jess. When you make it personal, you make mistakes.

As the terror swirled around Jess’s insides, the outside world snapped into focus and she beheld the sight below.

London at night was a picture postcard on its worst days. A carpet of stars painted a ceiling above the city lights. The full moon cast the dark concrete silhouettes below into stark relief. It was breathtaking. Whatever building Jess had been in was perched on the edge of the Thames. She didn’t know enough of the city yet to pick out landmarks, except one.

The London Eye was dead ahead.

“Don’t call it a ‘Ferris wheel,’” Lee had warned her. “You’ll make the locals think you’re a tourist for sure.”

The gargantuan trademark stopped taking passengers at 9pm. LED lighting covered its spokes in blinking dot matrix, painting pixilated scenes throughout the night that resolve into pictures at a distance.

Jess could see a colorful depiction of the Union Jack as the aircraft approached it.

Jess’s consciousness flipped back to survival mode. The distraction of the scenery vanished into what she tried to imagine were possible landing sights.

Jess didn’t like any of the options.

The uppermost gondola pods of the London Eye drew ever closer. There was some question in her mind if the chopper could clear them. Above the piercing whine of the turbines, she heard a door swinging open above her. Voices were yelling. “She’s here. She’s right below.”

A fist appeared with an AK47 in it. The prop wash caught the shower of bullets, throwing them back behind Jess as she clung to the skid below. She knew the shooter would adjust for the slipstream the next time.

An idea came to her, and Jess calculated the odds. They weren’t good, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do.

The hand with the rifle appeared again, and Jess made her decision.

A pod loomed large directly below. It was now or never.

Jess unhooked her legs. A single appendage was all that separated her from a five hundred foot plunge to the unforgiving concrete below. Jess’s right hand gripped the landing skid. The cannon was in her left.

The helio cleared the London Eye with ten feet to spare. Jess fired a single shot at one of the pod’s skylight windows. It shattered into a million safety glass shards that littered the floor of the gondola. Jess let go of the chopper and thought of her father.

Richard Sills

Christmas Story

Christmas Story

Richard Sills Holiday

“On the night before Christmas, there was not a sound, nothing moving or stirring, no noise all around.” So begins Christmas Story, a retelling of a well-known holiday narrative. While the children remain sleeping in their beds, it is the adult of this story who gets to witness the wonders of Christmas. Through sleigh rides and visits with Santa Claus himself, Christmas Story shows that holiday magic can be experienced by all ages.

About

A classic holiday favorite retold as author writes a charming a version of “The Night Before Christmas”.

Author Richard Sills draws from his experience as a former teacher of elementary classes in writing children’s books. In his book, “Christmas Story”, he retells the well-known holiday narrative “The Night Before Christmas” so both the young and adults can enjoy this classic tale. In this story, he lets the adults experience the Christmas magic. it is the adult who gets to witness the wonders of Christmas. He meets Santa Clause and goes on a ride on Santa’s sled while he delivers presents to children everywhere. He asks Santa about his presents and when he returns home, he wakes up his wife and joins his children. He finds his gift is that his wife is going to have a child.

Through sleigh rides and visits with Santa Clause himself, this story shows that the holiday magic can be experienced by all ages.

Richard Sills is an educator, computer scientist, author and philanthropist. He is the founding sponsor of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Learning Center and the Reagan Hologram in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. He holds five patents in computer science. His poem, “Our Flag”, is on display in the Library.