Check it out! My friend took this picture of Murder on Mt. McKinley at a bookstore in Skagway, Alaska!
To order my new book Murder on Kilimanjaro, CLICK HERE
For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE
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On Friday, May 17th, I am very excited to be participating in a racing event with Project C.U.R.E. Come on out and watch me drive a racing go kart! These aren't your kids' Go Karts!
I will be joining Project C.U.R.E. and sponsor K2 Adventures Foundation at Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving for the Fast and the C.U.R.E.ious Racing Challenge.
Twenty-five teams will compete for the coveted Fast and the C.U.R.E.ious Racing Challenge Team Trophy.
Each member of my team will drive one of Bondurant's 10hp Briggs and Stratton powered ProKarts which are capable of speeds over 50mph and easy to drive fast right from the start.
The individual with the fastest time will win a 13-day community based adventure, a climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro and a one day safari. This trip is graciously donated by K2 Adventures Foundation and is to be redeemed in the summer of 2014 as an already established K2 trip (does not include airfare). For more information please visit www.k2adventures.org.
Sounds like fun, huh?
If you want to join in on the fun as a racer yourself or as a member of the pit crew, click HERE for more information!
Wish me luck!!
To order my new book Murder on Kilimanjaro, CLICK HERE
For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE
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Last week I was thrilled to do a Skype interview with Triway High School in Ohio! The students asked me all kinds of questions about being a published author. I enjoyed talking to them about book publishing, mountain climbing, the importance of going to college and even - how to get that prom date to say yes!
Our session was written up in the paper! Take a look at the great article!
Climbing to the top: Charles Irion Skypes with Triway students
Author gives students advice on writing, enthusiasm, life
By LINDA HALLStaff Writer
Published:
TRIWAY DISTRICT -- Before the sun came up in
Phoenix on Friday morning, author, entrepreneur and philanthropist
Charles Irion grabbed a cup of coffee and connected with students
gathered in the auditorium at Triway High School.
In his give-and-take conversation with students, he gave tips on
everything from going to college to getting a date for the prom.
Irion brought his tales of adventure -- climbing mountains from
Everest to Kilamanjaro, writing murder mysteries associated with
reaching their summits, and taking medical supplies and equipment to
developing countries -- right to their door.
Roxanne Hammer, Triway High School's media specialist and district
coordinator who met Irion on a Rhine River cruise, arranged a Skype
interview with him for Jennifer Stutzman's senior and enriched English
classes.
Irion graduated from the University of California in Santa Barbara
with degrees in biology and economics. Without sufficient funds to go to
medical school, he redirected his goal to earning a master's degree in
business, then began selling pharmaceuticals, quickly switching to
selling real estate.
But headaches from working with a contractor remodeling Irion's own
home triggered a different direction for him. The notes he took on his
difficulties led to his writing a book called "Remodeling Hell."
"The publisher knew I had climbed Mount Everest in 1987 and said no one had ever written a murder mystery (in that setting)."
Although he didn't know he would be writing a book about it, he had
kept a journal of the "sights, sounds, feelings ... and struggle," he
told the students.
Using those notes, he wrote "Murder on Everest" (A Summit Murder Mystery).
Following were seven murder mysteries linked to seven different
mountain climbs, he said, because "I know what it takes to get to the
top and the steps it takes. Write about things you are interested in and
know about."
Irion reached a "crescendo" and "interesting twist" in his book on
Kilamanjaro, he said, noting "people who don't get murdered get carried
into other books."
During a question and answer period, Irion let students in on a
little secret when he answered one student's question about whether his
fictional characters are based on people in real life.
His wife, Rose, is a teacher, Irion said, admitting a principal she
didn't like became a victim, hit by an avalanche, in one of his novels.
Hammer and students took advantage of Irion's candor with questions
about training for mountain climbs, the creative process and the rigor
of writing a book.
Whenever possible, Irion matched art with life.
One of the ways he got in shape for a mountain climb was "run(ning) up and down the Grand Canyon on weekends," he said.
"Like any journey, it starts with one step," he said. "It's not about
how fast (you do it), it's about getting up there, (by putting) one
foot in front of the other.
"It's a slow process to get up there," said Irion, who turned 60 years old the day he reached the summit of Kilamanjaro.
Writing uses the same process, he said. "First, you've got to get
started." Then, "keep persevering; if you get stuck, take a break, just
like in hiking."
Asked about his volunteerism and philanthropy, Irion said, he looks for causes "where money and energy go the longest distance."
His primary mission at this time is Project C.U.R.E., which bills
itself as "the largest provider of donated medical supplies and
equipment to developing countries around the world."
"They send me to developing countries to get needs assessments," said Irion, who traveled to five countries last year.
"We won the lottery because we were born in the United States," Irion said. "I tell kids in America, you're so lucky."
He also encouraged Triway students to go to college.
"Go to school as long as you can," he urged. "School is like a
gymnasium for the brain," teaching a person to "think better ... adapt
better. You can never lose that diploma."
As for getting a date for the prom, just as in life, he said, don't
take no for an answer; find a different way to ask the question.
Irion's "visit" gave students the kind of experience they can't get
solely through books, according to Hammer. "With no library budget, it's
hard to get kids excited about reading. You want to find creative ways
to get them interested."
Hammer wanted students "to get to know a real author," senior Spencer
O'Neal said, after asking Irion what would be one word he would use to
describe the view from Mount Everest.
"We've been doing a lot this year with fiction and non-fiction,"
Stutzman said, calling Irion "a perfect example" of each of them.
Interacting with Irion took her students from a lesson "flat on a page to dynamic."
Thanks again to the great students at Triway for having me! It was a blast!
To order my new book Murder on Kilimanjaro, CLICK HERE
For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE
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I was thrilled to get an email to let me know that my book Murder on Everest was a finalist for The Eric Hoffer Award for Short Prose and Independent Books. Murder on Everest was recognized for its amazing cover art! Below is the complete list of finalists, congratulations to all!
The da Vinci Eye Finalists
As the annual judging draws to a close, the da Vinci Eye
finalists are announced prior to the Eric Hoffer Award for Books. This
small list of finalists is an honored distinction of its own and is
announced publicly during the spring of each award year. Below are the
current and previous finalists in alphabetical order by book:
2013 * 3 Off the Tee, Lorii Myers, Leda Publishing Corp.
* A Palette of Leaves, Edythe Haendel Schwartz, Mayapple Press
* A Slither of Air, Alison Lock, Indigo Dreams Publishing
* A Spirituality of Service, Jerry Aaker, Pfeifer-Hamilton
* Answering the Call, Janean Zwiefel Bierstedt, Schulhaus Publishing
* Border Crossings, Charles Novacek, 1021 Press
* But By Chance War, Richard C. Lyons, Lylea Creative Resources
* Code of the Forest, Jon Buchan, Joggling Board Press
* Congress of Strange People, Stephanie Lenox, Airlie Press
* Do You See Him Now?, Elizabeth L. Young, self
* Equity of Evil, Rudy A. Mazzocchi, Paladin Timeless Books
* Essentially Yours, Aaron P. Lazar, Twilight Times Books
* Greening Vermont, Elizabeth Courtney and Eric Zencey, Vermont Natural Resource Council and Thistle Hill Publications
* Internal Conflicts, Flint Whitlock, Cable Publishing
* Lily A Gray Whale's Odyssey, Capt. Dave Anderson, Lucid Dreamer Productions
* Long Division, Alan Michael Parker, Tupelo Press
* Love Letter to the Milky Way, Drew Dellinger, White Cloud Press
* Mail-Order Kid, Marilyn Coffey, "out West" Press
* Marginalia on Casanova, Miklos Szentkuthy, Contra Mundum Press
* Matt Monroe and The Secret Society, Edward Torba, All Points Press
* Measuring the Distance, Robert Scotellaro, Blue Light Press * Murder on Everest, Charles G. Irion, Irion Books
* No One Else to Kill, Bob Doerr, TotalRecall Publications
* One Last Dance, Mardo Williams, Calliope Press
* Raggedy Man, Clyde Curley, Cedar Forge Press
* Robinson Alone, Kathleen Rooney, Gold Wake Press
* Same Same, Doug Smith, Xlibris
* Severed Threads, Kaylin McFarren, Creative Edge Publishing
* The Burlesque of Graceless Acting, Mark Van Aken Williams, Tyler's Field
* The Girl Who Gave Her Wish Away, Sharon Babineau, Bettie Youngs Book Publishers
* The Humanist Approach to Happiness, Jennifer Hancock, CreateSpace
* The Lhasa Trilogy, Gary D. Conrad, Rainbow Books
* The Light Behind Blue Circles, Robert Louis DeMayo, Wayward Publishing
* The Middle of Nowhere, Paula Duncan McDonaold, Booklocker
* The Secret Life of Objects, Dawn Raffel, Jaded Ibis
* The Turning Point, Balasa Prasad & Preethaun Grandhi, Cedar Fort
* Through Stained Glass, Teri Bays, self
* To Inhabit the Felt World, Susan Gardner, Red Mountain Press
* Tucumcari, Geoff Peterson & Megan Collins, AuthorHouse
* Unbroken Horses, D.B.Jackson, Goldminds Publishing
To order my new book Murder on Kilimanjaro, CLICK HERE
For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE
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In case you missed it, the sixth book in my Summit Murder Mystery series, Murder on Vinson Massif is available now via audio at Audible.com!
Take a look at the press release and then please click the link to order below!
Irion
Books, LLC is pleased to announce that Murder
on Vinson Massif, a Summit Murder Mystery, the sixth in the series, is now
available via audio book.Already
available via audio are the titles, Murder
on Everest, Murder on Elbrus, Murder
on Mt. McKinley, Murder on Puncak Jaya and Murder on Aconcagua.Author
Charles G. Irion says, “As promised, we are well on our way to making all the
books in the Summit Murder Mystery series available to our readers in audio
format.Our readers asked and we are
delivering!I’m pleased to offer these
adventurous climbing thrillers in all reading and listening formats.”
The Summit Murder Mystery Series features
seven climbing murder mysteries that are each set atop one of the world’s seven
continental summits; the highest and most dangerous mountains in the
world.In a clever twist, author Charles
G. Irion has added to the mix murder, suspense, and an enviable hero working
for the U.S. Defense Intelligence agency, making for a truly original
series.
Murder
on Vinson Massif and the other
exciting Summit Murder Mystery novels are available at www.Audible.com
The Summit Murder Mystery series can also be
found at these additional retailers - iTunes, Amazon, Amazon kindle, Sony, The
Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Books on Board, KOBO
About Irion Books:
Irion Books launched in 2007 with the release of the Hell Series.Irion began working on the Summit Murder
Mystery series after climbing Mt. Everest and Mt. Kilimanjaro.An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Irion is
involved with several organizations including being an advisory board member
for Project C.U.R.E. and a founding principal for Phoenix Social Venture
Partners. Irion has also participated in a number of medical missions abroad
including Mexico, Peru, Burkina Faso (West Africa), Belize, Ecuador, Tanzania,
the Philippines and Nicaragua.For more
information about Irion Books, please visit www.IrionBooks.com
and for more information about author Charles G. Irion, please visit www.charlesirion.com
To order my new book Murder on Kilimanjaro, CLICK HERE
For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE
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I'm very excited to feature author Jennifer Minar-Jaynes on my blog today! Jennifer is the author of Never Smile at Strangers.
Here is the synopsis - WHEN TEENAGE GIRLS
VANISH in what was once considered a safe, Louisiana bayou town, the
lives of four desperate young locals take unexpected turns, begging the
crucial question: Do you every truly know those closest to you?
When
nineteen-year-old Tiffany Perron vanishes from rural Grand Trespass,
Louisiana, best friend HALEY LANDRY's relationship with her boyfriend
becomes increasingly strained. To make matters worse, her impressionable
younger sister BECKY has begun idolizing an impetuous, seductive 15
year old who's encouraging her to do dangerous things.
Meanwhile,
ERICA DUVALL, a reclusive 19-year-old aspiring writer, befriends Haley.
Ten years earlier, Erica’s mother abandoned her, leaving her with the
womanizing used car salesman father she loathes. She’s decided to write a
novel based on Tiffany’s disappearance; a novel that she hopes will
lead to a reunion with her estranged novelist mother.
RACHEL
ANDERSON, a 36-year-old mother of two, is having trouble coming to terms
with her husband, TOM’s, affair with the missing girl—a relationship
that supposedly ended shortly before Tiffany’s disappearance. What’s
more, she comes to the blood curdling realization that someone is
watching her through the large back windows of her house.
A
DISTURBED MAN also lives in the area. Ever since his mother’s murder
four years earlier, he’s been raising his insolent teenage sister,
ALLIE, who sleeps with truck drivers for money. He considers women to be
dangerous—and his world revolves around his fear and hatred for them.
He’s terrified of his sister, knowing she’s intent on pushing him over
the edge.
I saw on your website that you previously had a
job in publishing and editing. Did your job inspire you to write a book of your
own? Actually the opposite is true. I wanted to get into publishing and editing
because I loved to write--but didn't think I could make a living at it. I was in
publishing and editing for well over a decade before finally taking the plunge
to write full-time.
Was it hard putting yourself in the killer's shoes
in your book to write from his point of view? No, it felt very natural. It was
easy to get inside his head and see the world from his perspective. I'm not sure
what this says about me. :) Also, despite all of the horrible things he's done,
I have a soft spot for him because I understand that he never really had a
chance.
Any more books on the horizon? What's next for
you? The second thriller in the Grand Trespass series, "Ugly Young Thing," will
be out in paperback and e-book at the end of May 2013.
Your boys are adorable! What do you love about
parenthood the most? Thank you! I love EVERYTHING about parenthood. There's
absolutely nothing like being a mother. The boys are 2 years old right now and
are learning something new every day. They're bright, funny, curious,
mischievous and often confusing--and such unbelievable joys. Seeing the world
from their eyes is so interesting. It's almost like reliving my childhood.
Running project Jennifer, work, your children,
being a wife and managing writersbreak.com - you are wearing so many hats! How do you
balance it all? I'm not sure I'm balancing it all as well as I would like to
be, but as soon as "Ugly Young Thing" launches, I'm going to put the brakes on
the writing for a little while and catch up on everything that's been placed on
the back burner. The kids always come first, so I'm pleased with the way I've
balanced the kids and my writing, but there are so many projects that I've left
unfinished that need to be completed. I will say, though, that when I have to
fit eight hours of work into a two-hour slot (which happens a lot!), my $5 egg
timer is my best friend. I pull together a to-do list, give each task a certain
amount of minutes, turn off the phone and close browsers, tune out every
non-emergency, post a sign on my office door, then knock everything out as
efficiently as possible. It keeps me very focused and productive.
To order Jennifer's book Never Smile at Strangers, please click HERE
To visit Jennifer's website please click HERE
To visit Jennifer's Facebook page click HERE To order my new book Murder on Kilimanjaro, CLICK HERE
For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE
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