Undercover Baby Moon - Guest Post

Undercover Babymoon (Unde(a)Feated Detective)
by Karina Bartow

About Undercover Babymoon

Undercover Babymoon (Unde(a)Feated Detective)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Orlando FL/Caribbean Cruise
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wild Rose Press (September 11, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 246 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1509257616
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509257614
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D8L6GQ98

Most mothers-to-be spend their pregnancy leafing through baby names and shopping for nursery furniture. Minka Avery spends hers trying to hunt down a murderer on the open seas.

Minka’s promotion to Orlando PD’s homicide department has some bumps at first, including her growing baby bump. Just as she and her partner begin to hit their stride, Logan Baris’s suspicious death baffles them. The investigation leads the detectives to believe he had a hand in a shady operation, but the cruise ship worker’s troubles seem to voyage into the ocean blues with him.

After they meet up with some dead ends on land, Minka convinces her partner and his wife to join her and her husband to embark on a covert investigation on the ship. Will they be able to uncover whatever scheme is underway on the vessel? Or will the choppy waves of personal drama make it run ashore?

Guest Post

A True Fable about Labels

By Karina Bartow

Before I even turned a year old, I’ve had a label attached to me: Cerebral Palsy. For as long as I can remember, then, the subject has usually been one of the first things people ask about me, sometimes before they even want to know my name. I’ve adjusted to the fact of life and understand it, but if it were up to me, my disability would be the last concern I’d address. My parents didn’t raise me see myself as a handicapped person but always focused on my strengths.

Thus, my mission in life has remained to give people other adjectives with which to associate me, such as faithful, caring, smart, and funny. Even if my Cerebral Palsy is what people initially know about me, I hope those other labels become how they view me in time.

When I set out to be an author, I didn’t plan to base all or even some of my writing on my disability. In fact, I treasured the escape it gave me to be whoever I wanted to in the fictitious settings my imagination could contrive. One of the elements I relished in during my early years was having a character run away, since I wished I could do that at certain times. In the first draft I ever composed, I think I had at least three melodramatic scenes like that!

A few years in, however, my perception changed. In some of the feedback I received from my writing coach, I realized that a lot of my perspectives on the world are altered by my disability. The way I’m treated differs from the way regular people are, and my experiences likewise differ. Hence, as much as I’ve wanted to ignore my differences, I had to admit them and how they may impact the stories I told.

That brought up the question of how I would choose to tackle this reality. Would I give up, concluding that I could never compose a plot able-bodied people would relate to? Or would I somehow lean into my unique circumstances and bring a new perspective that’s shaped in part by my challenges, which other authors may not have?

Around that same time, I ventured into another new territory I hadn’t considered attempting before—writing a mystery. Not being an avid reader of the genre, I was intimidated by the endeavor and decided to pack it with as many elements as I could that would make me more comfortable. With love stories being my preference back then, I anchored the premise with a romance and plenty of emotional drama. After some contemplation, I opted to put a disabled character at the helm, namely a deaf detective.

From the moment the notion hit me, I loved the possibilities this unique heroine would open up. In line with the way I strive to live my life, I wanted to put her accomplishments at the forefront, rather than her limitations. Although she and I have different handicaps, I could still channel a lot of my experiences and feelings through her, and they would fit. More than that, she could offer a glimpse into the trials and triumphs that accompany a physical disability, in hopes of teaching readers along with entertaining them.

That book, Husband in Hiding, ended up being my debut novel in the publishing world. The fact that it was accepted for publication gave me such validation, not only in my writing abilities, but also in the story itself. I appreciated that others found her and her story compelling, and I was blown away further when the publisher suggested I base a whole series around her.

When he asked me to title the series, though, I ran into a predicament. For one thing, I hadn’t considered the prospect,much less have a name for it! We batted around a few ideas, one of which was the deaf detective series. Desperate, I reluctantly agreed to it, until my own standards stopped me in my tracks. In light of all years I’d endeavored to be known for more than my diagnosis, how could I plaster hers right on the cover?

At a loss, I retreated into my room to listen to some music, which has always played a significant part in my creative process. One of my favorite bands had just released a new album, and it featured a song about being undefeated. When it came on, the lyrics and melody resonated with me, and I thought of how it suited my novel. Despite the challenges the protagonist, Minka, faced in the plot, she came out victorious every time, undefeated.

Then, it struck me: The UnDEAFeted Detective Series.

To convince the publisher to have a deliberate misspelling in the name, I mocked up a logo, which he spiffed up with his graphics designer. Nine years later, the fourth installment of the series, Undercover Babymoon, was released this month by The Wild Rose Press. In it, Minka continues to battle through various obstacles, both related and unrelated to her deafness, to try to remain undefeated, like she has in the three forerunners.

The entire process has taught me so much about accepting my labels. I realize now that everybody has them, regardless of abilities, social standing, or the like. While there’s nothing wrong in trying to overcome obstacles and prove your worth, you can still use your differences to your advantage. Even if you didn’t necessarily desire an expertise in that area of life, you ought to embrace the one you’ve acquired and shine a light to illuminate others’ paths.

About Karina Bartow

Karina Bartow grew up and still lives in Northern Ohio. Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her. Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want. Her works include Husband in Hiding, Forgetting My Way Back to You, Brother of Interest, Wrong Line, Right Connection, and Accidental Allies. She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart!

Author Links

Website https://www.karinabartow.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/karinabartowauthor

Blog https://www.karinabartow.com/behind-the-pages-blog/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karina.bartow/

Twitter/X https://www.twitter.com/KarinaBartow

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15045283.Karina_Bartow

Purchase Links – Amazon

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