S5 EP227 | Award-Winning Author Sheila Lowe Talks The Lies Between the Lines

Bleeped Words: K!llers, Ad!ict!ve, S3xual, Murd3r, K!lled

Hello My Happy People,

Award-winning author Sheila Lowe returns to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt to discuss The Lies Between the Lines, the tenth installment in her beloved Claudia Rose mystery series.

A Certified Forensic Document Examiner and current president of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation, Sheila has spent decades working with handwriting, questioned documents, and legal cases. She brings that real-world expertise to her fiction, creating mysteries that are both authentic and impossible to put down.

In this episode, we discuss The Lies Between the Lines, the Claudia Rose series, handwriting analysis, her writing career, and the fascinating connection between forensic science and storytelling.

Sheila previously joined us in Season 3, Episode 132 to discuss her memoir, Growing From the Ashes. If you missed that conversation, be sure to check it out as well.

Pick up your copy of The Lies Between the Lines today using the link below, and for a complete list of Sheila Lowe's mystery, memoir, and nonfiction books, visit today's blog post. 

Our Blog About Sheila

Sheila in S3 EP 132

Sheila's Fiction Website

Sheila's Handwriting Examiner Website

Sheila on LinkedIn

Sheila on Facebook

Sheila on Instagram

Sheila on YouTube

Transcript

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Dianne Burckhardt 0:01

You're listening to BookBanter with Diane Burkhart, your Book Talk podcast. Join me every Wednesday for real conversations with authors and publishing insiders, where you get to connect with the humans behind the books you love. Let's get on with our show today. Well, hello, my happy people. Today is June 17th, 2026, and have I got an amazing guest for you today. Today's author is not only an outstanding mystery writer, but her day job is just as fascinating as the book she creates. She is a certified forensic document examiner and the current president of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation. For decades, she has worked with handwriting, question documents, and legal cases where the smallest detail can make all the difference. What makes her fiction so compelling is that she brings that real world expertise directly to the page. Her mystery series features a forensic handwriting expert at the center of the action. And there is something special about reading a story written by someone who actually does the job. When an expert writes fiction about their own field, you know the details are going to be authentic, and that is certainly the case with today's guest. Some of you may remember this author from season three, episode 132, when we discussed her powerful memoir, Growing from the Ashes. In that interview, we talked about her writing journey and the heartbreaking loss of her daughter. During today's conversation, she also speaks about her daughter being unalived by her boyfriend and how that tragedy shaped both her life and her writing. If you would like to hear more about her memoir and how she got started as an author, I encourage you to go back and listen to episode 132 in season three after you listen to today's episode. You can find a link to that in the description of today's podcast. Today, however, we are celebrating the release of her tenth book in her Claudia Rose mystery series, The Lies Between the Lines. This series follows forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose as she becomes involved in dangerous investigations, where hidden clues, altered documents, and deceptive handwriting can reveal the truth behind the crime. One of the things that I love most about this series is that every book works as a standalone. While longtime readers will enjoy the continuing character development, new readers can jump in with any title and immediately understand the characters, their relationships, and the mystery at hand. I actually pre-ordered my copy a while ago, and as soon as I get a little work done on my own writing tonight, I plan to curl up with the newest installment of the Claudia Rose series. But that's enough blather for me for right now. Let's get right to today's interview. Please welcome to Book Bancher with Diane Burkhardt award-winning author, Sheila Lowe. The way that we always like to start all of our shows out is to have my guest tell everyone who you are and what you do.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

I am Sheila Lowe, and I'm a forensic handwriting expert, but I am also a mystery writer, trying to do more of the latter.

Dianne Burckhardt 3:15

And of course, you have been on our show before. You were actually part of season three. It was episode 132, I believe. I'll have that in the description of today's podcast so people can go and check out your earlier show. So that way, if they want to find out more of your background about how you got into being a handwriting expert and transitioned into fiction writing, they can find that there. But right now, I want to talk more about you becoming the president of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation again.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Uh yes, again. Um yeah, I've been a member of we'll call it AHAF for short. So that's a long name. I joined in 1977, so I have been a member for a long time. And in 2012, I decided it was time for me to step up and do something. So I became elected president. But what I didn't expect was I would be president for 10 years. It's supposed to be two two-year terms. So finally, at the end of that 10 years, we found somebody who was qualified and willing to take over. And she did a two-year term, but then she wasn't able to serve longer. And they asked me to come back. And so since nobody else was doing it, I agreed to do that. And I have been in a position since uh you know two years ago. But that's coming to a close. Oh, really? You're going to pass the baton again? Yeah, I'm not taking the second term. I want to spend more time on my books. So we have found a member who is willing to step up and to run for the presidency, but she's running unopposed, so she will be the president, uh, Kim Woodward, and she is a former CIA analyst.

Dianne Burckhardt 5:08

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Yes, and a therapist. And she's trained by a very good organization. So I know she'll do a great job and bring new blood to the organization, and I'll still be a part of the cabinet. I published the newsletter and I'm currently certification chair. So I'll still be involved. I just won't be responsible for everything.

Dianne Burckhardt 5:30

That's always a good thing. You can just sit back and enjoy being part of the group. Yes. I will enjoy that very much. How has it actually been for you this second time around? Was it as much work as you remembered, or was it a little bit more relaxed than you knew what to expect?

SPEAKER_02 5:47

It's really not that much work, actual work, but I feel like I've been relaxing too much just because I have so many other things going on. So that's why I didn't want to run again because I feel like I can't give it my all right now. And I don't do things unless I can give it my all.

Dianne Burckhardt 6:05

And speaking of all the other things that you're doing, you have for a long time been writing books on handwriting analysis. Then you got into writing fiction books, but now you've added something new to the mix. You actually compile a cookbook.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

I did compile it, yes. I asked for volunteers from the see, originally the cookbook was supposed to be my idea was to have a fundraiser for AF. That didn't work out because I was gonna publish it through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and they tell you what your minimum price is, and it was ridiculously high, and the royalties that they were gonna pay the organization were like pennies. Yeah. So it just so I just did it myself. But I asked anybody, they didn't have to be members, anybody around the world if they would like to contribute a recipe or more than one. Some people sent a whole bunch, and also I asked them to submit a handwritten recipe and maybe a little story about it. Some of them did, some of them didn't. But uh, it ended up being about a 300-page cookbook, and it has some really great recipes in it.

Dianne Burckhardt 7:14

That's amazing. Yeah, I I love the idea of handwriting experts doing a cookbook with handwritten recipes.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Yes, yeah, and there was some very different handwriting, some of mine from when I was early 20s, probably, or maybe even younger than my handwriting back then, because I still have those recipe cards that I wrote out. And it had the name came from one of the members. I had done an anthology for the organization that I edited. I got, I think, 14 of the top handwriting analysts around the world to submit an essay for this book, and we called it The Power of the Pen. And it's from the subconscious to the conscious, I think is the subtitle. So this time somebody suggested since it was a cookbook, we call it the power of the penne. So we have a little pasta. Yeah, I love that. I love the word play. Yeah, well, it was interesting to do. And now people keep saying, Am I too late?

Dianne Burckhardt 8:17

Can I still put one in? So where did the idea of doing a cookbook even come from? I don't know. It just popped into my head.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

I I don't even I really don't remember what it was.

Dianne Burckhardt 8:30

I love the whole idea because I know one of my most cherished possessions from my grandmother is I have her recipe book or her recipe box with all of the handwritten recipe cards in it. And it's so much different having the handwritten ones than just having the recipes saved, like on the computer or something. There's something about that handwriting that makes it so much more personal. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:56

Yeah. Well, I did type out all of the recipes as well. So if you can't read the handwriting, still get the recipe. But yes, absolutely. It's it's a part of the person. It is absolutely personal.

Dianne Burckhardt 9:10

Now, one of the things that our listeners would not know it was that you actually analyzed my handwriting after our last interview. I did. I sent you a sample of my handwriting from before I had all of my brain surgeries, and then another sample after I had my brain surgeries. And I don't really remember specifically things that you told me about my handwriting, but I do remember that I agreed with it.

SPEAKER_02 9:41

Right. Yeah, I published the analysis and your story in the newsletter that I edit for the magazine, which is called The Vanguard. And we had talked about some of the physiological challenges that you have faced and how that showed up in your handwriting. And I've I enlarged the handwriting and I've got some little arrows pointing to where the physiological markers show up. Now, as a handwriting analyst, I can't diagnose illness, but handwriting does show where there's stress in various parts of the body, and those corresponded to the issues you were facing. So let me see, I'm looking at the article now. And one of the things that I wrote was that in the before surgery, you were friendly, outgoing, with a strong need to be validated in order to feel worthy. And so you would work hard and pursue success despite all the challenges that you that you face. And as the handwriting, this was in a before surgery, brain surgery, which is of course very significant. The slant in the diary, I was using diary pages of handwriting. So the slant changed as it went down the page and it got more rightward, slanted more to the right. So in that case, it was an indication of what you were writing about, which was emotional content. It was a strong emotions that you were expressing. And then it was also there was simplification in the writing, which is the ability to kind of adapt and roll with the punches and stuff like that.

Dianne Burckhardt 11:17

I remember thinking it was almost like having somebody watch you through your bedroom window because it's like you were actually describing things that I did not talk about to people. But you were so right. It was absolutely amazing. It really took my breath away whenever I was reading all of that. I was so shocked how accurate it all was.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

You know, what the very first time I heard about handwriting analysis was when I was in high school, and my boyfriend's mother had read a book and she analyzed mine, and that was the way I felt about what she said about me. She wasn't even a professional, she just read a book. But yes, I know. I I felt like, wow, for the first time, somebody really knows me.

Dianne Burckhardt 11:58

Oh, yeah. Amazing. That's the one thing that I thought was just so fascinating about the whole subject was how just a little bit of pen on paper shows your personality. It's amazing how much it actually does show you.

SPEAKER_02 12:12

It really does. And then, like I always say, after more than 50 years of analyzing handwriting, I was ready to kill someone. But only on paper.

Dianne Burckhardt 12:23

Yeah. Which is a perfect segue for your next fiction book that you have coming out because you have book number 10 in your Claudia Rose mystery series coming.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

It only took me four months instead of nine. Wow. But I really like it a lot and I hope. And then beta, the beta readers who have looked at it have really liked it a lot too. It's um Claudia Rose is my forensic handwriting expert who does the same kind of work that I do. She's not me, she's a lot braver than me, whatever she is, you know, foolhardy. But she we do the same kind of thing. So in this book, she has two cases that she's working on. And one is a case of a big tech CEO is receiving anonymous notes that are vaguely threatening and they're escalating. And so he's trying to figure out who's sending him these notes. And so he has her looking at well, his niece believes that one of the family members is behind it. So she's looking at all their handwritings. The other case, which seems to be completely unrelated, emphasis on the word scenes, is a case of a young man who has been arrested for grand theft for stealing one of those Tesla trucks. And it has a sign on the back window that says, I bought it before we knew Elon was crazy. And so the title to the car is the signature is forged. And they're accusing him of doing it, and he's adamant that he didn't. But what's different about this book that people have commented on is that they didn't realize it came out in the very first book, Poison Pen, that Claudia was divorced for a few years from her husband Alan. And that's all you ever hear about him. Alan shows up in this book as a public defender. Yeah. He's a public defender of this young man. So get to know Claudia's ex-husband, and he's he wants her to work with him on this case.

Dianne Burckhardt 14:33

Oh, that's amazing. Because I remember whenever I read that first book, I was kind of wondering, it's like, hmm, there's got to be a story to an ex-husband. And I kind of wondered if he would ever show up. And I've only read the first two books in the series. I hate to admit that. But I'm glad to know that he's going to be in this one.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

He reminds me of Ryan Gosling. That's who I had in my head when I was writing it. Just kind of really nice and casual. But he's a public defender. And I work with a lot of public defenders in my practice. So I contacted one of them that I'm working with on a very interesting case. And she read over one of the courtroom scenes and gave me a couple of hints and several comments from beta readers saying Claudia's husband, Joel, who's a LAPD homicide detective, should be jealous of her working with him. And I said, Well, you know, he's really mature and they have this great relationship. So I just added a little bit of tension. I thought, okay.

Dianne Burckhardt 15:35

That's one of those things where it really kind of depends. Yeah. It just depends on what you're kind of invoke in the story.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Well, in another one of my body of books, I think it was book eight, no, six, outside the lines, and she goes to England after suffering an assault in the courtroom. And she has PTSD, she goes to England, and then there she gets involved in an eco-terrorism plot. And there's a guy, you know, the head of it is very charismatic. And so I think Joel has, I think that was the one they all kind of meld together after a while. But there was some jealousy there. And I don't want to do that again.

Dianne Burckhardt 16:16

Yeah. For those people who are new to the Claudia Rose mystery series, what do you think makes Claudia Rose such a compelling character?

SPEAKER_02 16:28

Oh, um, good question. She's a modern woman in her early 40s. Well, when the series starts, she's just turning 40. And she has a lot of the challenges that we face today, obviously. And she's trying to make a living, and she gets involved in all these cases. She's got a very soft heart for people who are suffering. Like in this in the second book, she becomes involved with a 14-year-old troubled girl. And that seems to be a theme through the books. An interviewer pointed out to me once that there's a lot about mothers and daughters, which makes sense for me because you know, issues I had with my mother and my late daughter. And maybe I'm trying to resolve them. But I hope that Claudia's compassion is one of the things that makes her a compelling person. Because I mean, she's not a pushover, but she really cares about the people she's involved with.

Dianne Burckhardt 17:26

Yeah, and I think she's a very well-rounded character.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Oh, good. I'm glad to hear it.

Dianne Burckhardt 17:34

Considering that you're a forensic handwriting analyst, and that is also the job that your main character has. Do you ever have trouble balancing forensic authenticity with storytelling?

SPEAKER_02 17:48

I don't think so. In fact, people have said that they've learned a lot from reading the books, but they don't feel like they're being lectured to.

Dianne Burckhardt 17:58

They're not reading a textbook.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

Exactly. So I have to be careful what I pick. But because I'm a gestalt analyst and not which means that I'm looking at the whole picture, and it's really hard to pick out this means that, because I'm looking at the space, form, and movement of the handwriting. But there's another method of analysis where they do say this means that, that I don't I don't use that. I don't find it as effective for myself. But it's easier. It's like if you're learning the piano and it's the difference between learning the theory and just learning how to play a few chords. You know, I don't want it to look, I don't want handwriting analysis to look simple because it's not, it's highly complex. But I don't want it to be a textbook. I've written textbooks, at least uh think about seven of them.

Dianne Burckhardt 18:48

That's one thing for anybody who is actually interested in learning more about how to do handwriting analysis. You have several books available on Amazon currently that can help get them into the basics at least of that field.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

The the basic book is called Reading Between the Lines, Decoding Handwriting. So that is like a mini course, introductory course. The textbook for my gestalt course, my more advanced course, is also available.

Dianne Burckhardt 19:18

Oh, is that one online now on Amazon?

SPEAKER_02 19:21

Yes. I I put it online. Uh because when people take my it's a self-study course, I send them the textbook, you know, by email. But some people prefer to have it in their hands. So rather than printing out, you know, 300 pages, now they can buy it in a bound book.

Dianne Burckhardt 19:40

Yeah, I'm still one of those people. I like a physical textbook in my hand when I'm studying something. I want to be able to highlight, I want to be able to put little tabs in there. I need the physical books.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

Yeah, for stuff like that, absolutely. And that's why I did it. And then I have some other more advanced studies and handwriting psychology has topics like serial killers, handwriting, uh, addictive personalities, sexual abuse from childhood seen in adult handwriting and stuff like that. And I have one on personality disorders. So there are like seven, I think six or seven of those books.

Dianne Burckhardt 20:20

It's amazing the catalog that you have of published works across so many different genres. I mean, you have fiction, you have nonfiction, you have educational, you have your cookbook. Is there anything that you haven't done that you're wanting to do still? You forgot my memoir.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

Oh, and yeah, and your memoir too. I did that a couple years ago, yeah, which is about the spiritual journey from the murder of my daughter by her boyfriend in 2000, and what I learned from that. And what I learned is basically there is no death, there's only life after earth. And so, and then you know, I write another series, a paranormal series about a young woman who talks to dead people, and also that I can use all of the things that I've learned over the past 26 years and put them into fiction. That's gonna be my next book after the one that comes out, the Claudia book.

Dianne Burckhardt 21:16

Is there anything that you have wanted to do that you haven't done yet? I don't think so. I think it would be kind of hard pressed to find something that you haven't delved into at least a little bit. Well, I I can't think of anything.

SPEAKER_02 21:33

I yeah, if there's something I want to do, I generally do it if I possibly can. And that's a good practice. Yeah, it doesn't always get done right away, but yeah, I put it on my list so I don't forget, and then I work my way down. I'm one of those people, you know, it's like in in writing, there are two kinds of authors there's the plotters who have to go step by step, and the pantsers who go by the seat of their pants. I'm a plotter.

unknown 21:59

It's a

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Loose outline and it'll change, but I have to know where I'm going. So I keep a list of things I want to do.

Dianne Burckhardt 22:06

I was laughing because I am so not a plotter. I have tried so many times, it just did not work for me.

SPEAKER_02 22:13

Well, I tried not doing it and it didn't work for me.

Dianne Burckhardt 22:17

You know, everybody has their own process. Mm-hmm. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Yeah. Well, I found when I when I didn't plot, I was when I was writing books for Penguin, and I wrote, this was like the third Claudia book, and I wrote five chapters, and then I sort of knew where I was going. But I all of a sudden I realized my deadline was like three months away. So I had to go back then and outline. And what I found was what I had planned for the end of the book, the big surprise, needed to come in the middle. Which meant I needed a different ending.

Dianne Burckhardt 22:54

Oh wow. Okay, yeah. So for me, I need to know. That would be such a huge reorganization to have that kind of a change in there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Yeah, it was uh not easy. But you know, we we can create whatever we want. That's the fun of writing. Like Lawrence Bloch's book, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit.

unknown 23:19

Yeah.

Dianne Burckhardt 23:20

Considering that this is the tenth book in the Claudia Rose series, do you ever find that you have trouble coming up with a plot for your new ones?

SPEAKER_02 23:29

Yes, definitely. This one was now supposed to be a book. I had I wanted to do an author magnet, which means something to give away to attract people to my series. So I thought, um, a short story. Well, I don't read short stories generally, and I don't write them. So I start I wrote what I thought was a short story of about 4,000 words, I think. And I sent it to a few people and they go, No, this is not a this is a book. You have to finish it. So I, you know, and then of course with the Claudia series, they're all the titles are all puns on handwriting. So I finally ended up, and I put this on my Facebook and got feedback and all it's called The Lies Between the Lines. That one's gonna come out on June 17th.

Dianne Burckhardt 24:21

I love the puns that you do with these. I think some of the titles just absolutely amazing. Uh, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 24:28

It's it's hard to keep coming up with them. The last one I really liked was maximum pressure because it really was very symbolic of what was going on in the story and very hard pressure, maximum pressure on a pen, on the page. The harder you press on the pen, it's symbolic of the degree of aggression that you're acting out on the world. So if you have extremely heavy pressure that feels like braille on the back of the paper, you know, be careful. That's a lot of intensity. And people who write like that tend to blow up easily. But on the other hand, some people write with extremely light pressure, and they're they may be just as frustrated and angry, but they turn it inward until it's like a pressure cooker. It suddenly explodes outward. That's like the man who killed my daughter. His handwriting was extremely light. You could barely see it on the page. Oh, wow. All of that stuff inside him until it exploded. So anyway, so I'm still always looking for new good titles that don't sound cozy.

Dianne Burckhardt 25:38

Do you ever have people confusing your book series for a cozy mystery?

SPEAKER_02 25:43

Yes, and that's so frustrating because the problem is people who like cozy and read my books may not like them because there is a little not a lot, not gratuitous violence, but there's some. There's profanity and very little sex, but you know, it's they're they're modern people. And then so those people might not like my books. And then, well, here, back when I was a penguin, my editor left who really loved my series, and the new editor who came in really didn't care at all. And she, I feel that she sabotaged me in several ways, but one being the cover of that book was a cozy, it really looks like a cozy. So people who like cozy would read it and not like it, and people who are looking for psychological suspense wouldn't read it because they see a cozy cover.

Dianne Burckhardt 26:37

Yeah. Yours falls more into mystery thriller. I call them psychological suspense. Because I don't think that it would ever hit the cozy category.

SPEAKER_02 26:49

No. No, but I have seen it on some cozy lists. You know, just because the characters know each other or she lives in a small beach town doesn't make it cozy.

Dianne Burckhardt 27:00

Yeah. Now seems like the perfect time to do our five quick questions that never turn out to be quick. I just refuse to give up.

unknown 27:09

Okay.

Dianne Burckhardt 27:09

Are you ready? I hope so. Question one. Since our last discussion, you have been doing quite a bit of traveling. What's been the most pleasant place that you have visited?

SPEAKER_02 27:22

Gosh, where have I been? Because I hate travel. All of my travel in the last few years has been pretty local. A couple of months ago, last month was it? Gosh, I went to Orange County where I grew up. After I came here from England, I lived in Orange County. So I got to see my high school classmates again. Oh nice. It was for I was invited to speak to um a group of women who wanted to hear about handwriting analysis and like to buy my books. So that was very pleasant. I really can't remember where I've been. Oh, I went to San Francisco a couple of months ago for for the left post crime mystery writers conference. So that was fun. That's the furthest I've been in since I went to Germany six years ago to see my granddaughter uh after she was born.

Dianne Burckhardt 28:12

I know in your newsletter a lot of them have been like the local things doing the crime writers and all of those kinds of things.

SPEAKER_02 28:20

Yes. I've done four. Last month I did four events. Some at libraries and uh art festivals. And uh I'm I'm planning a launch party for the Lies Between the Lines. Oh nice. Yeah, probably on June 25th. Next the book is coming out in June. So those are the kinds of things I've been doing.

Dianne Burckhardt 28:45

You're still keeping so busy.

unknown 28:47

Yes.

Dianne Burckhardt 28:47

I don't I have a hard time keeping up with you.

SPEAKER_02 28:50

Me too. But I'm unhappiest when I'm sitting right here at my keyboard.

Dianne Burckhardt 28:57

Question two. Of all of the author events that you attend, since we've been talking about that, for your various projects, which one stands out the most to you?

SPEAKER_02 29:09

Oh gosh. I do so many. Um, I was just, I think in the in this year I've done 25 already. Wow. I was counting on my calendar. I kinda tired just thinking about that. Well, some of them are on Zoom. I'm about to do a recording for I'm doing um an event that's gonna be in Poland. And they're gonna, and instead of making me get up in the middle of the night this this time, they said I can record it. Um I don't know, I guess things like the one that I I mentioned in Orange County where 150 women, I get to speak to them, and and they're buying my books, and we're talking about books, and those are really fun. You know, getting to meet the readers, really enjoy those.

Dianne Burckhardt 30:00

Question three. When thinking about the recipes from The Power of the Pinnae, what recipe stood out the most to you? And was it the handwriting or the recipe?

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Oh, you know, I didn't really pay attention to the handwriting. Um, but I the recipe that it was very simple too. It was for like a corn pudding. I I made it for uh Thanksgiving, and it was it was the best corn pudding I think I ever had. But there were there were a bunch in there. There like people, several people sent me recipes for chocolate cake, and I included them all because they were all a little bit different. And those looked good. There's so many in there that look good. 300 pages. I mean, probably 150 recipes, but yeah.

Dianne Burckhardt 30:49

I may have to give that cookbook to my husband because every year for my birthday I just want him to make me a plain chocolate cake. That's all I ever want. But he's getting tired of doing the same recipe. So I can give him your cookbook and it would have several chocolate recipes. It would. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 31:09

So we can both get what we want. Yes, you should try all of them. He would love that. It's been like six months since I put it together, so it's kind of hard to remember all of them, but uh there, you know, there's a there's a few drinks in there, drink mixes and there's there's pies, pie crusts, and just things that people thought they they enjoyed doing that were useful. A lot of friends and then friends of friends, and I got some from my colleagues in Poland and uh oh several other countries.

Dianne Burckhardt 31:44

That's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 31:46

Yeah, it's a real good variety of stuff.

Dianne Burckhardt 31:50

Yeah, I need to get that for him. He likes having cookbooks on the shelf in the kitchen.

SPEAKER_02 31:56

Yeah, it's a it's a small, it's a six by nine.

Dianne Burckhardt 31:59

It's nice. Question four. If you could have any of your books, it doesn't have to even be just fiction, but if any of your books could be turned into a movie, which one would it be?

SPEAKER_02 32:12

Um, probably Dead Letters. Because it takes place, you know, in Egypt and Gibraltar and England, and and and in the US, they go to Tucson because Claudia's brother gets arrested for murder. And so when his daughter, who's 19 and on a dig in Egypt, she disappears from the dig. So her dad can't go, so Auntie Claudia has to go.

Dianne Burckhardt 32:38

That would be a sweeping epic going to all of those places. That would be amazing.

SPEAKER_02 32:43

Yeah, but I'll give you a second choice. One of my favorites of my books is Inkslinger's Ball. And one of my sons, my older son, is a tattoo artist. And years ago he he asked me to order him something, some supplies. And as I was looking, I found that there was this convention, a tattoo convention called Inkslinger's Ball. And I said, I have to use that as a title. So I did. And that book is about Annabelle, the 14-year-old that Claudia met in the second book, and she gets uh a secret sugar skull tattoo that could get her killed. And that book is partly from Claudia's point of view, partly from Joel, her boyfriend at the time, and partly from Annabelle. I think Annabelle. Gosh, should I go back and look at it? But it's it's multiple points of view, like in Dead Letters is also and and most of the time I just write from Claudia's point of view. So it's different. But it was a it was a it's I think it's a good story because Joel is investigating three major crimes that don't seem to be connected but that come together, and Annabelle is at the root of a lot of this stuff.

Dianne Burckhardt 33:56

Oof, yeah, see, I have to catch up on my reading.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

You know, I've been approached in the past by two really good producers, but nothing has come of it so far. So you never know.

Dianne Burckhardt 34:08

Well, and it's crazy how often people actually buy rights for something and then it never goes into production. So even if you do sell the rights to something, it still doesn't mean it's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 34:19

I know, and and uh I'd like to be like JK Rowling and say, you know, I need I need to have the the last word because I don't want Claudia to end up being a young, skinny blonde.

Dianne Burckhardt 34:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

In my head, she's Amy Adams, and Joel is Gerard Butler. That's who I see.

Dianne Burckhardt 34:41

And I've seen that happen too, where there was a book series that I was just so caught up in, and the main character had like wild curly hair, she was chubby, and they turned it into a TV series, and she was tall and thin and blonde.

SPEAKER_02 34:58

Yeah, it's just and you you just lose all control over it. Yeah, they don't like that. Yeah. So I don't care if they do or not, but and it takes a long time. My friend who has optioned his series six years ago, every c every year or every two years, they send him a check to renew the option. Wow. But nothing has happened yet.

Dianne Burckhardt 35:24

So they're still interested though, that's a good thing. Yes, and yeah, it's a really good production company. Hopefully, something will happen for that soon.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

Hopefully.

Dianne Burckhardt 35:34

But speaking of books to movies, we are asking everyone the same question five, and we're going to be putting a list of the answers into our year-in book buying guide this year. So for question five, what book to movie adaptation do you think is the best that you have seen so far?

SPEAKER_02 35:54

Give me some names.

Dianne Burckhardt 35:56

Well, some of the things we've heard so far, of course, are like Harry Potter and The Hobbit and Dune. My personal one was The Outsiders by Essie Hinton. I loved that book and they did a fabulous job of the movie.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Uh well, not being well read, I read in a very narrow circle. I I guess Harry Potter would have to be it because, you know, that was just amazing. I'm looking forward to the kids' series coming up.

Dianne Burckhardt 36:29

Now there's still so much being done with that series, it's like it's just amazing how much it has proliferated society.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

Yes. Well, if I can think of any others, I'll let you know because you know, I I can't off the top of my head, I don't know. I just don't know. I need to read wider, I guess.

Dianne Burckhardt 36:53

So now what is coming up next for you? Do you have anything for planned after you have the launch of Lies Between the Lines?

SPEAKER_02 37:00

Yes, I am because what I was gonna do before that, when I started writing the the reader magnet and got sidetracked, I was outlining uh the next book in the Beyond the Veil series. So that's the one I'll be working on next. Do you have a title for that one yet? I do. An unkindness of Ravens. Oh, that sounds interesting. Well, we'll see. I belong to a writer's group called the Blackbird Writers. And of course, Raven is a blackbird. Not the same as a blackbird.

Dianne Burckhardt 37:33

That seems very fitting.

SPEAKER_02 37:36

Yeah, so that got me in in thinking in that direction. Anyway, I have the I have the plot in mind and and uh we'll see. Jessica Mack will be back talking to the dead.

Dianne Burckhardt 37:50

Are you hoping for a 2027 publication or maybe later?

SPEAKER_02 37:55

Well, I have been publishing under my own imprint for the last four years, but I am now I'm transferring all my books to a publisher in the UK. So it depends on them. But I think they like if I can get it to them by the end of the year, it will take them about three months to publish it. Wow, that's pretty quick for a publishing house. It really is. But um, they're a little different from all the other publishers.

Dianne Burckhardt 38:23

So well, whenever that one's ready to go, do you want to come back and talk about that one too? I would love to anytime. That would be amazing. So now let's remind everybody who you are and where they can buy your books.

SPEAKER_02 38:36

Okay, I'm Sheila Lowe, and that's S-H-E-I-L-A, L-O-W-E, because people always spell that wrong. Um, and you should be able to get my books anywhere you get books.

Dianne Burckhardt 38:48

And we will have links to all of your social media and places to buy your books in the description of today's podcast. So everyone can just click and go and find everything about you, or at least the things you want them to know.

SPEAKER_02 39:01

Yeah, thank you. Yeah, SheilaBooks.com is is my book site, and then SheilaLo.com is handwriting analysis site. So they're they're separate but equal.

Dianne Burckhardt 39:13

And we want people to be able to find all of them and buy all of your books.

SPEAKER_02 39:17

But I appreciate that so much. I love I love to hear from people, and you know, for all authors, not just me, if you like a book, please post a brief review because it really, really helps us.

Dianne Burckhardt 39:29

Oh my gosh, yes. I mean, even it doesn't matter where you post it. You can put it on Facebook, you can put it on Amazon, you can put it on Goodreads. Just put it somewhere. Yeah, book bub, yes.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

Yeah. Yeah, anywhere that you review books. Or just tell your friends.

Dianne Burckhardt 39:46

Yes. I mean, all of it helps. It's amazing how much it helps. It really does. Thank you so much for coming back and doing this with me today. It's been so long since we've gotten a chat. I'm glad we got to do this. Me too. And thank you for asking me. I always love talking to you. Well, I'll always have you come back because you're just too much fun to talk to. Thank you. Well, there you have it, folks. My fascinating interview with Sheila Lowe. One of my favorite things about hosting this podcast is getting the opportunity to meet incredible people like Sheila and so many other wonderful authors over the years. There is something special about talking with people who are deeply dedicated to their craft. Whether we're discussing writing, publishing, forensic science, history, marketing, or any number of other topics, I always come away having learned something new. What I especially enjoy is the opportunity to exchange ideas, encourage one another, and occasionally make a few new friends along the way. And I'm very happy to say that that happened with Sheila. She is every bit as kind and knowledgeable and interesting off-microphone as she is during an interview. And I'm grateful our paths crossed through the book world. If today's conversation sparked your curiosity about handwriting analysis, be sure to check out her nonfiction books as well. Sheila has written several books on handwriting analysis and occasionally teaches classes on the subject when her schedule allows. As she mentioned during our conversation, understanding handwriting can provide insights into people and situations in ways most of us never even think about. And while you're at it, be sure to pick up a copy of The Lies Between the Lines, available now everywhere. Books are sold. If you'd like to make it easier on yourself, just check the link in today's podcast description and click and go and buy her books as soon as we're done here. I highly recommend this latest installment. The entire Claudia Rose mystery series and every other book this author has written is so well done and just incredibly entertaining. I highly recommend everything that she has written. Whether you're interested in mysteries, forensic science, handwriting analysis, or memoir, she consistently delivers thoughtful, engaging, and well-crafted books. There's a reason she's built such a loyal following over the years, and if you haven't discovered her work yet, now is the perfect time to start now. Next week we welcome Lucy Wilson Taego to discuss her latest book, To Catch a Sinner. Now, that name may not sound familiar to some of you, but there's a good chance you already know her work. Lucy Wilson Tago is also Wall Street Journal best-selling author, Dylan Allen, writing under a new name, and she shares the fascinating story behind the decision during our conversation next week to why she changed her name. We also discuss her latest book and where her career is headed next, and what readers can expect from this exciting new chapter in her writing journey. You don't want to miss that. Now, before I let you go, I want to remind you to remember to go and sign up for our newsletter at Burkhartbooks.com slash subscribe. When you do, you can receive the first two free chapters of the Langston Watch Hotel. The first book in our new Haunted Hearts Paranormal Romance series that's coming later this year. It's absolutely free to our subscribers, and after you read the chapters, you can always unsubscribe. So why not go and give it a chance? You have nothing to lose. And two free chapters of a new paranormal romance that you get to read for free. These two chapters are really important to our Haunted Hearts series. They introduce you to the characters who will form the foundation of the entire book series. Right now, seven books are planned with the first installment arriving later this year. The free preview will disappear at the end of June, so you need to hurry. If you've been curious about this new series, now is the time to go check it out while it's free. And don't forget you can follow us on Facebook at BookBanter Productions to stay up to date on all of our upcoming guests, new books, cover reveals, and all the other fun things that we have planned. And right now we're doing Spectre Sundays. In our Haunted Hearts series, there is a reality TV show called Spectre. And we're using that on Sundays to introduce you to our growing world of Haunted Hearts. Well, I don't know about you, but I think that is more than enough for today, so I'm going to let you go. So you know what that means, folks. It's time for you all to go forth and be really happy. We have so many great authors for you. Thank you for joining us today. Be sure to subscribe to BookBanter with Diane Burkhart on your favorite podcast streaming service. Because if you love books like we do, you do not want to miss a single episode of this podcast.