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Who’s That Indie Author? John Howell

January 24, 2026 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 12 Comments

Name: John W. Howell

Book Title: Detour on the Eternal Road

Genre: Suspense Action Fiction

Tell us about yourself: I began my career in business, where I pursued a marketing path in Consumer Healthcare, retiring after 22 years. I spent a five-year stint in consulting and then transitioned to a role in the telecommunications industry at a client company. I eventually retired from organized commerce in 2012 and began writing. I am married to a very patient person and have two rescue dogs.

Tell us about your writing career. When did you first start writing? I was 70 ½ when I started writing. Before then, I had finished a book that was approximately 120,000 words long. I printed it off to proofread, and after thirty pages, put it to work as a doorstop. I found that working and trying to write didn’t work for me.

Do you write full-time? If not, do you have an outside job or other responsibilities? I write full-time, and my only other responsibilities are household duties. I love to cook so most of the meals are done by me.

How much time per day do you dedicate to writing? If I count my blog, I spend about four hours writing each day.

Are you a pantser or a planner? I am a dyed-in-the-wool pantser. I tried planning one time and it was totally unsuccessful. As a pantser I love how a story develops as I am writing it. To set down and develop the plot is way too organized for me.

Do you have a website or blog? If so, tell us about it: I have two. My Blog is posted six days a week and has humor and entertainment as its mission. My author’s website is static, and its purpose is to provide information and serve as a means of communication with my novel readers.

Do you promote your books on social media? If so, what platforms do you use? I use Twitter, BookBub, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and WordPress.

What’s your favorite social media platform? Why? I think WordPress since it gives me an opportunity to interact with readers.

Describe your editing and publishing process. What has worked for you and what hasn’t? I publish my books. I do all the formatting and setups. I have hired a professional editor to edit the manuscript and a professional cover artist. What works for me is hiring great talent in the editing and cover design aspects of publishing. What didn’t work was hiring someone to format my books. I found that I was more qualified, and therefore it didn’t make sense. What also didn’t work for me was a traditional publisher. My first book was traditionally published, and I felt very constrained.

What events have influenced you as a writer? I think the biggest events have been those life-changing things that most people go through. My dad died when I was ten, which altered my experience from a traditional family to one parent. The responsibility for my successes or failures was now on my shoulders. Work, marriage, children, divorces, life-threatening accidents, and disease all played a part in influencing my writing.

What is the most difficult thing about being a writer? For me, the marketing part is the most difficult. That is a strange situation, considering I made my living as a marketing professional. The big difference is that back then, I had millions to spend on campaigns. Currently, such funds are not available.

What advice would you give to a new writer? My advice is simple. Write because you love it. Don’t write to try to become a famous best-selling author. The first reason is achievable. The second is very doubtful.

What are you reading right now? Currently, I am reading The Seasons Weaver by D. Wallace Peach

Please share your website and social media links:

Author Website – https://johnhowellauthor.com
Blog – https://johnwhowell.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/john.howell.98229241
Twitter –https://www.twitter.com/HowellWave
Goodreads –https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7751796.John_W_Howell
Amazon Author’s page –https://www.amazon.com/author/johnwhowell
BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/john-w-howell
BlueSky – @johnhowellauthor.bsky.social

Would you like to be featured on Who’s That Indie Author? Email Book Club Mom at bvitelli2009@gmail.com for interview questions.

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Watch me open my prize from The Ultimate READING Challenge!

January 22, 2026 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 29 Comments

Hi Everyone,

A couple months ago, I made a video about how I won our library’s summer reading raffle. One of the prizes was a big book called The Ultimate Reading Challenge. Inside the book is a bunch of envelopes with rewards for reading a particular genre or doing a book related activity. Today, I’m opening the first envelope. See what’s inside!

To win one of the challenges, I read a book currently on the Bestseller List. The book I read was The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. Check out my review here.

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Book Club Mom’s More Great Reads of 2025

January 2, 2026 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 44 Comments

Hi Everyone,

Today I’m sharing more great reads of 2025. Check them out!

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl by Marian Longenecker Beaman
Held by Anne Michaels
The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
A. Rodin by Eddy Simon and Joël Allessandra

Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
Bear by Julia Philips
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Table for Two by Amor Towles
I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

Now it’s time to get into some new books. What are you reading right now? Leave a comment!

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Book Club Mom’s 5-Star Reads of 2025

January 1, 2026 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 44 Comments

Happy New Year Everyone!

I read a lot of great books in 2025. In case you missed them, here are my 5-star reads for the year.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast
Drawn Testimony by Jane Rosenberg
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker
Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

What were your great reads in 2025? Leave a comment!

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Last review of the year! The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

December 31, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 32 Comments

The Glass Castle
by
Jeannette Walls

I read The Glass Castle when it was first published in 2005 and recently re-read it for a book club discussion. I tore through it the first time and the same thing happened to me the second time. Even though I remembered a lot about the book, I was just as engrossed in the author’s memoir and how she and her siblings were (for the most part) able to break out of the unhealthy dynamic in which their parents raised them.

The book begins in New York City, where Jeannette, now an adult, spots her mother, who lives on the street, rooting through the trash. She must decide whether to talk to her or turn the other way. Readers then learn about Jeannette, at three years old, cooking hot dogs on the stove and suffering severe burns when her dress catches fire.

Jeannette and her siblings grew up in the 1960s and 70s in a chaotic household, living in squalor and suffering from neglect. The family moved a lot, through Arizona, California, Nevada, and eventually showed up at their father, Rex’s parents’ house in a destitute coal-mining town West Virginia. Throughout their childhoods, their father, although smart and talented, could not hold a job due to his distrust of authority and his battle with alcoholism. They often had to “do the skedaddle” to avoid bill collectors and sometimes the law. He was a dreamer who promised his family he would make it big with his plans to design and build a solar-powered glass castle—if he could just get the right materials and the right break to make it happen. Their mother, Rose Mary, a teacher, refused to work, choosing instead to write and paint. At times, when the family was desperate for money, their mother got short-lived jobs teaching. But the children had to force her to get up and go. At night, they graded papers for her, just so she could keep the jobs, even if it was just for a little while.

The kids were smart. And so were the parents. They would often all sit around and read for hours at a time. The difference was the kids knew they had to get out to survive. Rex and Rose Mary started their lives young and hopeful, but they fed off each other in destructive ways, falling victim to their own weaknesses.

The children eventually left their parents and moved to New York where they worked hard to build their own lives. Some struggled more than others, including the youngest sibling, Maureen.

What struck me most was how the children and their parents still thought of themselves as a family and maintained contact with each other throughout their lives, even if it was sometimes sporadic. There were times when, as adults, the children took their parents in, but in the end, Rex and Rose Mary preferred to live as squatters, on the fringe.

Despite the depressing and hopeless nature of much of the book, I finished feeling okay about it because the children’s fortitude was inspiring. I recommend The Glass Castle to readers who like stories about perseverance and overcoming difficult times.

You might also like Educated by Tara Westover. I did!

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Book Review: The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

December 30, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 9 Comments

The Other Mrs.
by
Mary Kubica

If you’re looking for a good domestic thriller with a lot of twists, you might like this story set on an isolated island off the Maine coast. The story begins as Dr. Sadie Foust and her family move from Chicago to the island. After his sister Alice’s suicide, Sadie’s husband, Will has inherited her house and taken guardianship of Alice’s teenage daughter, Imogen. They’re hoping to make a fresh start after Sadie’s unexplained departure from her medical practice. In addition, their fourteen-year-old son, Otto had his own troubles with bullies at school. So although the place is isolated, especially in the winter months, the family is glad to get away from their former life.

A few days after they move to the island, their neighbor Morgan Baines is brutally murdered. Up until this point, the story has been narrated by Sadie, but now we have a new narrator, Camille, someone from Will and Sadie’s past. Readers also learn about Sadie’s jealous feelings towards Will’s former fiancée who died twenty years earlier. The story becomes even more muddled when the author introduces a third narrator, Mouse, a young girl. We’re not sure who she is or how she fits into the plot, but her story is compelling.

Soon Sadie becomes a person of interest in Morgan’s murder. She can’t explain how people saw her talking to Morgan when she swears she never met her. And her alibi has suddenly come under scrutiny. At the same time, Sadie’s mental health begins to decline. Can she clear her head enough to save herself?

I was impressed with the author’s imagination in this story, and her ability to tie it all together at the end. She starts with a simple plot line to draw you in and introduces new characters and subplots that make you suspect others. I never would have guessed the outcome!

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Tonight on YouTube: Read React Decide Holiday Episode!

December 29, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 23 Comments

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re all having a good holiday week! I’m doing a Read React Decide Holiday Episode on YouTube. I grabbed three books at the library with my eyes closed and tonight I’m deciding which one I will read. Check it out!

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Book Review: The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

December 29, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 21 Comments

The Younger Wife
by
Sally Hepworth

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller about a man who shocks his family when he announces his engagement to a much younger woman. The news puts Stephen Aston’s adult daughters, Rachel and Tully in a tailspin because Stephen is still married to their mother, Pamela. Not only that, they are older than Heather Wisher, the fiancée! How will they cope with these big changes? When tragedy strikes on Stephen’s wedding day, the Aston family must take a closer look at their past—nothing will make sense until they uncover painful family truths.

Stephen, a highly-respected heart surgeon, loves his daughters and shows nothing but support and affection for their mother, Pamela, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Tully has it all, a loving and successful husband and two great little boys. Rachel, a beauty that turns heads wherever she goes, runs a thriving wedding cake business. But both daughters fight unspoken demons. Heather, an interior designer, has impeccable taste and plenty of clients. She, too, has a secret.

I liked this book because it wasn’t just a thriller. The author creates likable characters with real problems and the story is a great combination of humor and serious subjects. The plot twists were fun and intriguing and force you to take a second look at people and understand their circumstances.

This is the second book I’ve read by the author. The Mother-in-Law was just as good!

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Book Review: Say Everything by Ione Skye

December 21, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 22 Comments

Say Everything
by
Ione Skye

Over the next few days I’ll be wrapping up 2025 with some short book reviews. Say Everything is first on my list. If you’re looking for a quick read over the holidays, here’s a good one.

The book is a reference to the movie Say Anything, one of my favorite teen romantic comedies. Released in 1989, the film stars John Cusack and Ione Skye and is written and directed by Cameron Crowe. The film features the romance between Lloyd (Cusack), an average student, but very cute and sincere, and Diane (Skye), an innocent and shy student (and class valedictorian). You can find out more about the film here.

As soon as I learned about Say Everything, Ione Skye’s tell-all memoir, I knew I had to read it to catch up with this lesser-known actor. I didn’t know that Skye’s father was Donovan, the famous sixties Scottish folk singer known for the song Mellow Yellow. Donovan had already moved on in his life when Skye was born and she spent her childhood wondering about her non-present father. Her mother, Enid Karl was a model and was in and out of marriages and relationships. Skye grew up and hung out with River Phoenix, Karis Jagger and the Zappa kids and readers can expect a lot of juicy details about her unconventional and less-than-stable childhood. We learn about mistakes she made as an adult and how she ultimately landed in a good place.

Skye looks back at her childhood and young adults and, like everyone, has regrets. She notes, “Writing this book has been my way of surrendering my past, as well as an act of self-forgiveness.”

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Book Review: Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James

December 20, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 23 Comments

Death in Holy Orders
by
P. D. James

You may know that I run a mystery book club at my library job. More recently, we have redirected our reading list to books that have the more traditional mystery structure. Among newer books, they are sometimes hard to find because the lines have blurred between the mysteries and thrillers. And the marketing of a large number of books makes it seem like everything is a mystery!

This month we picked Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James. I always think it’s a risk to read a book in the middle of a series because of the back stories. Not so with this one! Although it’s Book 11 in the Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, I had no trouble with the characters or their histories. In fact, rather than feeling left out, it has intrigued me to read more!

What’s it about? The story takes place at St. Anselm’s a small and historied theological college overseen by the Church of England, located on a remote and eroding cliff in Suffolk. When a student’s body is discovered buried in the sand, his wealthy father calls on Scotland Yard to investigate. In comes Commander Dalgliesh and his team. When others die, Dalgliesh has a hunch that the murders are connected. Because the college is so remote, the killer must be on the campus. In this “locked room” myster, readers begin to learn about church politics and ambitions among the priests, as well as the dynamics between the small student body and an assortment of caretakers. In true classic mystery style, much like Agatha Christie’s books, James casts doubt on many of the players.

I’ve always liked atmospheric books and Death in Holy Orders fits that bill too. A night storm with high winds serves as a great backdrop for deception and rogue decisions. Also at play is the worry that the college will be shut down and what will happen to the invaluable religious artwork and ceremonial challis, as well as a secret document dating back to Pontius Pilate. What will happen to the priests, caretakers, and students, including the illegitimate son of the last living relative of St. Anselm’s founder?

Our entire mystery group thought Death in Holy Orders was fantastic and if you’re a mystery reader and haven’t read any of this series, I highly recommend it.

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