Interview M.S. Spencer Author of Orion’s Foot
Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to M.S. Spenser, author of Orion’s Foot. Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets find out a little about M.S. Spenser and see what Orion’s Foot is all about. Thanks for joining us!
Mystery lurks deep in the Amazon—a tale of monsters, passion, and obsession.
Thank you so much for giving me a chance to talk about my new mystery romance Orion’s Foot: Myth, Mystery, and Romance in the Amazon. I hope your readers enjoy the new excerpt and a little background on one of the weirder denizens of the Amazon, the hoatzin or stinkbird.
Among the many exotic creatures that Petra encounters in her adventures in my mystery romance Orion’s Foot: Myth, Mystery, and Romance in the Amazon, few are odder than the hoatzin. It is a squat bird about the size of a turkey, with a round body, long, squared tail, and a small head. Its face is bare and blue, and it sports a dinky little crest. It eats only leaves, which means it spends about 80% of its time digesting—literally chewing its cud like a cow. And like a cow, it stinks. They are so unique they’ve been given their own family: Opisthocomidae. Worse, there is no fossil record of them, so scientists still have no clue how they evolved.
So it’s with much excitement that the scientists at Pacaya greet one of their team’s announcement that he’s found a fossil hoatzin. Little did they know the discovery would lead them down dangerous paths.
Tell us a little about Orion’s Foot.
Petra Steele is wallowing in self-pity after being dumped at the altar, when her brother Nick invites her to come to the Peruvian Amazon. Before she even sets her suitcase down, she’s confronted with a murder victim. In a research station peopled with a quirky assortment of scientists, she is drawn to Emory Andrews, a gruff, big man with a secret past. That is, until his beautiful ex-wife shows up. More murders, more secrets, more mysteries ensue, all in the deeply romantic, sizzling jungle.
Sneak peek between the pages of Orion’s Foot – Living Fossil
She looked to her left. “What’s through there? Something’s shimmering.”
Hector answered. “It’s an oxbow lake. Hoatzin usually congregate around them.” As if to confirm, they heard a loud crashing and grunting. “That must be a flock of them now. They do not fly well, and so tend to thrash around on the ground when flushed.”
Winston muttered, “Stupid birds.”
4 day trip to La Selva Lodge on the Napo River in the Amazon jungle of E. Ecuador…Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)…
That’s what he said about Molly the toucan. Petra wondered if he thought all birds were stupid. Before she could ask, they broke out of the undergrowth onto the shore of a small body of black water. A kingfisher keened and swooped over the surface just as a fish jumped. The sun burned heavy. Petra shielded her eyes and surveyed the expanse of water. A flock of birds huddled in a clump on the far side. She took out her binoculars and trained them on one—a large, lumpy peacock-like bird. It was quite showy, with chestnut primaries and a square black-and-yellow tail. When it turned, she noted a bright blue face and a floppy reddish crest. Just then the breeze picked up from the west, rippling the water. Both Alex and Petra covered their mouths. “Oh, my God, what a stench.”
“Like I said, they smell just like cattle.”
Petra couldn’t help it. “Some people claim cows cause global warming. Now we know the real culprit.”
Nick guffawed.
Aguirre had been sweeping the opposite shore with his glasses when he stopped. “Look! There! To the right of the hoatzin!”
Everyone swung around, but only a wall of green met their eyes. “What?”
“It’s…oh, damn. It’s gone.” His eyes lit up. “If it’s what I think it is, we are in for a helluva ride.”
“What did you see?”
“A living fossil.”
Buy Links:
Amazon Barnes and Noble, ITunes, KOBO, Google Play, Indigo, Indie-bound
About the Author:
Librarian, anthropologist, Congressional aide, speechwriter—M. S. Spencer has traveled the globe. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a diploma in Arabic Studies from the American University in Cairo, and Masters in Anthropology and in Library Science from the University of Chicago. All of this tends to insinuate itself into her works.
Ms. Spencer has published thirteen romantic suspense or murder mystery novels, with two more on the way. She has two fabulous grown children and an incredible granddaughter. She divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.
Social Media Links:
Blog: https://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msspencerromance
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msspencerauthor/
Linked in: www.linkedin.com/in/msspencerauthor
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-s-spencer
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Orion’s Foot!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Amazon; Cozy mystery; Legendary creatures; Librarians; Mystery/Suspense; Romantic Suspense; Jungle adventure; Amazonia; Peru; Second Chance at Love; Amateur Sleuth by Tena Stetler with 7 comments.
Thanks so much for having me at your lovely blog, Tena! I hope your readers enjoy learning about the “stinkbird” the wildly weird hoatzin bird of the Amazon, and the excerpt.
My Pleasure Meredith! What an intriguing book and excerpt!
Great interview. Best of luck with your books.
D. V. 🦉
Thanks for stopping by DV!
I did enjoy learning about the stinkbird! Lovely interview. Best wishes.
DK, me too I never heard of a stink bird before this book. LOL
Thanks for stopping by everybody. There’s lots more about the hoatzin (the stinkbird) in Orion’s Foot. Not just that bird, but many monsters and myths!