Body Snatched by Ana Diamond – Spotlight and Giveaway

November 17, 2022 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ana Diamond will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What’s worse than losing a body from a funeral home? Losing two. But mortician and amatuer sleuth, Lily Reynolds has a hunch. The new visitor in town, Rick Drakon, may have charmed his way into her life but she’s not fooled by his smooth talking ways. Problem is, Rick is a long-time friend of Lily’s new husband, Detective James Rivers. While James is busy convincing her to look elsewhere, Lily embarks on a dangerous path toward uncovering the truth. Will this case come between the couple or will Lily find herself closer to evil than ever before?

Enjoy an Excerpt

She sprinted toward the ambulance with James inside. Her heart leaped into her throat. She didn’t want to alarm the others, but she didn’t really know if he was going to make it. Antonio had not. And what would she do if he didn’t? Images of her life with James flashed before her eyes.

From the moment when she’d first laid eyes on his silky black hair and tattooed biceps in the basement of her funeral home to their wedding day when he told her they would be together forever, this could not be the end. She would not want to go on. Tears flooded her eyes, clouding her vision as she ran toward the ambulance James had been loaded into. Yanking the back door open wide, she propelled herself inside.

His eyes were closed but his body had been hooked up to monitors that beeped incessantly. Intravenous fluids ran down the tubing and into James’s arms. And there was blood—lots of blood on the floor of the truck and on the linens of the stretcher. She willed herself into tunnel vision to avoid seeing nothing but red. The paramedics sat on opposite sides of the ambulance monitoring the machines hooked up to him.

She stood at the foot of the stretcher watching for any movement. Was he unconscious? Had he slipped into a coma? Was he only minutes from death? She’d stopped breathing altogether until she touched his leg and his eyes popped open.

“You know, this is the first time I’ve ever been shot.” His eyes sparkled with mischief.

She released the air from her lungs and chuckled at him. Her heart could beat again. “Congratulations. I’ll tell you what you’ve won later. Now work on not dying.”

He smiled and laid his head back on the pillow. “Yes, ma’am.”

About the Author:When Ana Diamond isn’t writing about tough gals finding love in unexpected places, she’s at work by day in the medical field. She writes romantic cozy mystery novels with feisty strong women and alluring men who can’t resist them. Her books are fast paced, entertaining and heartfelt all at once.

Ana is a 2020 Tara Contest Finalist for Body Conscious and 2015 Melody of Love contest finalist. She lives in New York with her husband, two children and two needy but wildly entertaining kitty cats.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | BookBub | TikTok

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,

Raven Remix by Sarah Hualde – Spotlight and Giveaway

November 15, 2022 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sarah Hualde will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Most people run from death,
But not Penny.
She chases it down.

Penny’s premonitions put her friends in peril. Join her as she stalks the bird of death by following the musical clues he leaves behind.

Will she and her cheeky cat, Spades save the day?
Or will the Raven be one step ahead?

This Paranormal Penny Boxset features books 1, 1.5, and 2 in the Paranormal Penny Mystery Series.

Join Penny and Spades as they thwart murderers before they strike.

Enjoy an Excerpt

It wasn’t life that flashed before my eyes as Betty Fae thwacked me between the shoulder blades. It was death and disaster—replays of all the faces of shock and sadness worn by acquaintances of my past. Death of one sort or the other followed that stupid Raven.

I remembered them all. Vividly. The writer, the homeschool mom, the surfer, the politician. They were among the near-strangers I’d encountered and endangered.

Following their faces came the really painful pictures. The friendly child advocate, the sweet boy next door, and losing my aunt and uncle. After them, but always above them, followed the loss of my sister and father.

All because of the same intolerable bird. Gracious enough to give me a glimpse of their perils before nudging them to the brink. Impending doom sat, staring at me, from the cup of the only friend I had in town- Janice Rockland. It lingered there amid the froth bubbles, telling me Janice Rockland had twenty-four hours, at most, left to live.

My eyes watered. My throat closed all the tighter. Even after it dislodged my Belgian waffle. Air battled past my suffocating emotions. I gulped it down, despising myself and fearing for my boss.

Janice and Betty Fae offered me a glass of water and napkins, thinking they’d saved the day. Little did they know. Trouble had just landed in their small town.

Janice watched me through the rest of the meal. If I told her she was about to die, would she be able to eat? I sipped my coffee and avoided conversation.

About the Author:Sarah lives in California, in a home that brings her happiness and hay fever. She loves God, loves her family, and loves freshly brewed coffee. She has a husband who cooks, a son who stop animates, a daughter who loves animals, a dog that follows her everywhere, and a turtle who scowls at her condescendingly.

Her mother raised her on Mary Higgins Clark, Diane Mott Davidson, and Remington Steele. Her grandmother shared True Crime stories with her as they plotted how to get away with the perfect murder. It’s no surprise that Sarah became an award-winning spinner of suspenseful tales brimming with quirky characters. Mysteries are in her blood. Not that she could survive one of her own stories. She confesses, “I’d be snuffed out by chapter two.”

Website | Sarah’s Super Sleuth Squad | Super Squad Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon for only $0.99.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , ,

Ten Things Most People Don’t Know About Jennifer Juvenelle – Guest Blog and Giveaway

November 9, 2022 By 6 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jennifer will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

10 Things Most People Don’t Know About Me
Here is a fun list of things most people don’t know about me. Even my closest friends might be surprised about a few on the list!

1. I’ve had lots of odd jobs but the one that makes most people who meet me go, “Huh???” is the fact that I became a Medical Assistant and worked in a urology clinic for over a year!

2. I’m a Reiki Master. I discovered energy healing in my early twenties and quickly became a Reiki practitioner.

3. I’m bilingual and a half! I’m fluent in English and French, and thanks to living in Mexico for the last two years, I now speak conversational Spanish.

4. In middle school, instead of walking, I used to skip down the hallways at school. So much energy!

5. I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I started writing a book at the age of 32. The very one featured in this giveaway!

6. At 23, I dropped out of college to move to Paris. Bonjour!

7. When I was little I wanted to play in the dirt with worms but I didn’t want to get dirty so I would don a pair of latex gloves and play til my heart’s content!

8. I love the smell of coffee but rarely, if ever, drink it. I’ve never been much of a beverage drinker outside of water until recently. My husband has gotten me into drinking tea (he’s Australian), and living in the tropics has me drinking TONS of coconut water.

9. As an only child growing up, I spoke to cats in their own language. As an adult, I still commune with them whenever possible. Meow!

10. I rejected my husband when we first met! Thanks to years of earnest persistence and genuine friendship, I eventually grew to see what an amazing catch he is! Not to mention doing oodles of work on myself to stop going for the wrong kinds of men. (Can I get an amen!)

Some Family Trees Should Be Burned. . .

Greer Girls are special. Greer Girls are rare. Greer Girls are central to the secret Order of Belial.

Sophie Greer knows none of this. All she knows is that her now ex-boyfriend cheated on her, she’s alone working in Paris, and her mysterious billionaire boss, Edward Hughes, is way too interested in her life.

But when Sophie is kidnapped in Moscow while on a business trip, she’s plunged into the dark underbelly of the global elite and a sinister secret society with deep ties to her family; ties that lead to revelations darker than anything Sophie could have imagined.

Betrayed by the man who raised her, and targeted by the illustrious Hughes family, only one thing is certain—family history can be deadly. If Sophie is to survive, she must decide who to trust and what to believe, or risk being crushed beneath the weight of the all-powerful secret Order of Belial.

Enjoy an Except

Smoke from the other vehicle’s engine fills the back seat. Coughing, I cover my nose and mouth as I desperately search for a solution. The whole right side of the vehicle is smashed in. There’s no getting out that way. I’m considering trying to break the back left window when I spy the dividing curtain swinging in the cool fall breeze.

Tugging the makeshift divider aside, I peek into the front to see the driver hunched over the steering wheel, unconscious. If I move carefully, I might be able to climb around him to get out the driver’s side. I’m about to make my move when the back door squawks open. A large gust of fresh air rushes into the banged-up vehicle. My head swivels to assess the new arrival.

No. It can’t be. A trillion queries rise and fall as I look upon my assailant—my savior? It’s too much. Between the plane ride, the abduction, and being left alone to rot for a week in a gaudy prison then carted out like a virgin for sacrifice, I’m spent. Where does it end?

There’s a popping sound as my mouth forms a tiny O in stunned surprise. Edward, looking like James Bond in a classic European-cut suit (probably Armani) and a light-grey dress shirt, unbuttoned at the top, is standing in the open doorway, hand outstretched in a gesture of chivalry as if these were the most natural circumstances under the Russian moon. I give him a blank stare.

“I told you I’d find you.” His silky voice floats past my ears, rattles around in my brain and down to my chest, where it nuzzles itself snugly into my heart.

About the Author: JENNIFER JUVENELLE is a Native American/French author born in Hollywood, raised in Detroit, and fashioned in France. Formerly an actress and model, Jennifer now splits her time between crafting psychological thrillers and the magic of motherhood. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Jennifer made healing from trauma a priority when her life became untenable. Daughter of Belial is the unexpected product of her journey from trauma to triumph. An eager explorer, she currently lives in a remote Mexican seaside-jungle village with her debonair Aussie author husband and their young son.

Facebook | Instagram | Website
Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,

A room of one’s own, with extras by Jinny Alexander – Guest Blog and Giveaway

October 25, 2022 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jinny Alexander will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A room of one’s own, with extras

In my daydreams I write in a tidy, warm, quiet room, on a cliff-top, overlooking the sea. On bad-weather days, the windows are shut tight and the raging volume of lashing water – rain or sea – can’t get in. On calm days, or gentle-breeze days, the windows are flung wide open, and I sit industriously at an intricately-carved, cast-iron table, tapping away at an old-fashioned typewriter…

If I spent less time daydreaming and more time writing, maybe this would become my reality. Reality is a small, converted bedroom, painted a warm egg-yolk yellow, filled with my day-job paraphernalia – cuddly toys, flashcards, puppets, files and papers, pens and diaries. I’m an online ESL teacher when I’m not a writer. Much of this ESL clutter spills over into ‘things I use for writing’. You can never have enough pens and notebooks, right? The view from my window is not over the sea, although I can’t complain. I live in the country and am surrounded by mature trees and rolling fields.

From my window, I get to watch the ever-changing seasons, although, to be honest, I would see them better if I got up and cleaned the glass – another thing for the Procrastination from Writing List. Today is sunny, and windy and the view from the window is all about the orange glow of autumn and dancing shadows as the trees rustle in the wind. Unfortunately, my windows are old, and draughty, so inside the room, things also rustle in the wind. Mainly the screwed-up papers of novel ideas and plans I wrote and then changed as soon as I began to transfer them to the laptop, or the heap of discarded tissues in the bin; proof that at this time of year (autumn through to spring) the coldness of this old house will seep into my bones and leak out again in sniffs and sneezes.

Also in this room is a laundry airer, usually full of wet washing, and artfully placed to be out of webcam view. I prefer not to air my clean washing in public – my dirty washing, of course, is the stuff my books are made from! My webcam focuses on the bookshelves behind me, with its carefully selected writerly books, books I’ve written, and educational books for teaching. Not like the teetering stack of mixed novels beside by bed, which includes anything from chicklit to psychological thriller to the latest 2022 debut to research to mystery and back again. When one of my online students told me he thinks I live in a library, my heart swelled and the backache I get from sitting slightly askew to ensure ‘best background view with no dripping socks or knickers’ was instantly worth it.

Add to this yellow-walled room at least one dog; maybe two. Sometimes a cat, sometimes two. Sometimes all four animals at the same time, fighting over the chair, scratching at the door to come in, or to go out. Add also, a large and hairy spider who has lived in the sash of the window for so long I miss him when he doesn’t come out, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that my room is most certainly not my own.

You’d be mistaken. This, for now, is a room of my own, in which I will write the next novel, and the next, and the next. The cats and dogs remind me I must get up and leave it from time to time, but, for the time being, it is the room where I will work and write and stare out the window daydreaming for as long as it takes to get that other room; the one on the clifftop with the sea raging below.

Ballyfortnum Get Slim group–putting the die in diet.

In the close-knit Irish Village of Ballyfortnum, getting slim might just get you dead. Mystery-lover Jess O’Malley is distraught when her elderly friend dies, but that’s not all–he’s the third of the local slimming group to die this year and it’s only February. Is something amiss in the Get Slim group?

Jess, aided by her sidekick Fletcher, her boisterous Labrador, must convince local policeman Marcus that there may be a murderer at large in the village. If she doesn’t solve the mystery, will another of the dieters end up dead? Or worse–if she doesn’t stop asking awkward questions, will Jess become the next victim?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Jess shuddered, remembering how, on the Wednesday of that week, she had bumped into Breda in the refrigerator aisle of one of the supermarkets in Lambskillen. They chatted for a while in front of the fish section, each clasping a warming bag of prawns while discussing the merits of various shellfish. Breda had never had mussels before, she’d said, peering dubiously into the fridge.

“Nor any shellfish, sure I haven’t,” she’d told Jess, brimming over with the enthusiasm of one discovering new tastes. She gestured back towards the fridge. “Nor octopus … sounds suckery—however would you cook it?”

There was a whole section of seafood recipes in the newest Get Slim magazine that she was going to try out, Breda said, managing to sound both wary and excited. Adding a jar of tartare sauce to her basket, Breda moved on.

Jess returned her own lukewarm bag of prawns to the fridge, and selected instead a bag of battered onion rings from the freezer below, tossed them into her trolley, and wheeled off into the wine aisle. She waved at Breda across the car park as they loaded their shopping into their respective car boots.

Three days later, as she’d considered the news Mrs Dunne had shared, wondered if Angela had been trying out the same recipe. Food poisoning, Mrs Dunne had reckoned. Dodgy prawns? Jess shudder as she relived the moment she’d decided to choose unhealthy—but delicious—battered onion rings instead of the nakedness of wrinkled prawns, put off by the thought of accidentally purchasing something healthy that Kate might construe as a sign to try to persuade Jess to join Get Slim.

About the Author:Jinny was first published in Horse and Pony magazine at the age of ten. She’s striving to achieve equal accolade now she’s (allegedly) a grown up. Jinny has had some publishing success with short story and flash competitions and secured a publishing deal in December 2020 for her first three novels. The first of these, Dear Isobel, was released in March 2022. A Diet of Death is Jinny’s second novel and the first in her Cosy Mystery series. Jinny is currently studying an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Hull, UK.

Jinny also teaches English as a foreign language to people all over the world. Her home for now is in rural Ireland, which she shares with her husband and far too many animals. Her two children have grown and flown, but return across the Irish Sea when they can. She quite likes to shut the door on them all and write.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,

Daughter of Belial by Jennifer Juvenelle – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 12, 2022 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jennifer will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Some Family Trees Should Be Burned. . .

Greer Girls are special. Greer Girls are rare. Greer Girls are central to the secret Order of Belial.

Sophie Greer knows none of this. All she knows is that her now ex-boyfriend cheated on her, she’s alone working in Paris, and her mysterious billionaire boss, Edward Hughes, is way too interested in her life.

But when Sophie is kidnapped in Moscow while on a business trip, she’s plunged into the dark underbelly of the global elite and a sinister secret society with deep ties to her family; ties that lead to revelations darker than anything Sophie could have imagined.

Betrayed by the man who raised her, and targeted by the illustrious Hughes family, only one thing is certain—family history can be deadly. If Sophie is to survive, she must decide who to trust and what to believe, or risk being crushed beneath the weight of the all-powerful secret Order of Belial.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Smoke from the other vehicle’s engine fills the back seat. Coughing, I cover my nose and mouth as I desperately search for a solution. The whole right side of the vehicle is smashed in. There’s no getting out that way. I’m considering trying to break the back left window when I spy the dividing curtain swinging in the cool fall breeze.

Tugging the makeshift divider aside, I peek into the front to see the driver hunched over the steering wheel, unconscious. If I move carefully, I might be able to climb around him to get out the driver’s side. I’m about to make my move when the back door squawks open. A large gust of fresh air rushes into the banged-up vehicle. My head swivels to assess the new arrival.

No. It can’t be. A trillion queries rise and fall as I look upon my assailant—my savior? It’s too much. Between the plane ride, the abduction, and being left alone to rot for a week in a gaudy prison then carted out like a virgin for sacrifice, I’m spent. Where does it end?

There’s a popping sound as my mouth forms a tiny O in stunned surprise. Edward, looking like James Bond in a classic European-cut suit (probably Armani) and a light-grey dress shirt, unbuttoned at the top, is standing in the open doorway, hand outstretched in a gesture of chivalry as if these were the most natural circumstances under the Russian moon. I give him a blank stare.

“I told you I’d find you.” His silky voice floats past my ears, rattles around in my brain and down to my chest, where it nuzzles itself snugly into my heart.

About the Author

JENNIFER JUVENELLE is a Native American/French author born in Hollywood, raised in Detroit, and fashioned in France. Formerly an actress and model, Jennifer now splits her time between crafting psychological thrillers and the magic of motherhood. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Jennifer made healing from trauma a priority when her life became untenable. Daughter of Belial is the unexpected product of her journey from trauma to triumph. An eager explorer, she currently lives in a remote Mexican seaside-jungle village with her debonair Aussie author husband and their young son.

Facebook | Instagram | Website

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,

Advice for Writers by Harry Duffin – Guest Blog and Giveaway

October 12, 2022 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Harry Duffin will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Advice for Writers

There are several things you need if you are going to be a writer.

There first is dealing with rejection. Because it happens to every one of us. Remember J.K. Rowling was rejected by twelve publishers before she was accepted. If she had given up after the twelfth, the world would never have heard of Harry Potter. Carrie by Stephen King was rejected thirty times! So, the first thing to accept is that you will be rejected, a lot of times. Accept that, feel sad for a moment, have a drink maybe, then move on.

Secondly you need a lot of persistence. It took me twenty years of submitting my work before I made a living as a writer. Over those years several friends told me to give up, and I nearly did, a few times. But if writing is the thing you want to do more than anything else, carry on. You might never make it to the top of the best-seller list, not many people do, but with self-publishing anyone with a few hundred quid can produce a book; your book, which you can put on your shelf. Even if it doesn’t sell all that well, maybe you can give it as a birthday or a Christmas present? It’s a unique gift.

Remember rejections are not about you, though it generally feels like it at the time. After a few rejections you realise that it’s your writing that is rejected. And there are many reasons for that. Maybe it’s not very good. Maybe you didn’t find the right agent for that type of book. Maybe you didn’t market it well enough.

When your work is rejected, look at it again. Maybe you could do better? If someone is good enough to tell you what they think is wrong don’t just dismiss their comments. They may have a point. Or they may not. You have to decide which, because it is your work after all. You have the ultimate choice.

You also need a bit of luck. Put yourself around so you know what’s going on. You have to be in the right place at the right time. I had nearly given up the idea of being a writer when I got a three-month contract reading scripts at the BBC. I learned about a new soap being developed and I rang the script-editor every day for two months, before he asked me in at asked me to write a dozen storylines. He and the producer loved them, and I became a member of the first writing team on EASTENDERS.

So put yourself about. Meet other writers, go to conferences, book fairs, anywhere where you might meet that one person who can help you make the next step.

In May 1939, when Professor Carl Mueller, his wife, Esther, and their three children flee Nazi Germany, and find refuge on the paradise island of Cuba, they are all full of hopes and dreams for a safe and happy future. But those dreams are shattered when Carl and Esther are confronted by a ghost from their past, and old betrayals return to haunt them.

The turbulent years of political corruption leading to Batista’s dictatorship, forces the older children to take very different paths to pursue their own dangerous dreams.

And – among the chaos and the conflict that finally leads to Castro’s revolution and victory in 1959, an unlikely love begins to grow – a love that threatens the whole family.

Having escaped a war-torn Europe, their Island of Dreams is to tear them apart forever.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The deck was already full of passengers, mostly standing in silence. Like Anna, taking their last look at the island. She found a space at the rail facing the shore, as the rising sun turned the grand buildings of the Presidential Plaza to gold.

The ship was divided between wailing and deep silence. Somewhere Anna could hear a rhythmic chant –

‘We cannot sail. We must not die -’

Anna choked back tears. How she longed to set foot on the island. To walk under the palms, to be lost in the bustle, the sounds, the music of these vibrant people. She stood silently, the tears hot on her cheeks. She looked past the line of police boats to the shore and remembered her first sight of the island. It had looked so welcoming, so free. She could make out the line of tall palm trees beyond the harbour, their long fronds waving in the gentle breeze. She had never stood beneath a palm tree. Were there coconuts clustered at the top? She’d never know, now.

‘We cannot sail. We must not die -’ continued the chant.

But they were to sail. Were they also to die?

The ship’s klaxon startled them all. A long, mournful moan. A deeper silence followed the deafening noise. Then the panic and the prayers rose again, louder, from deep inside the ship. Suddenly, the note of the engines changed, higher, louder, more insistent. Anna knew it couldn’t be long now.

About the Author: Harry is an award-winning UK screenwriter, who won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best TV serial, while writing for Granada Television’s ‘CORONATION STREET’. Before that, in 1985, he was on the first writing team for the BBC’s ‘EASTENDERS’.

Before beginning his career writing drama for television, Harry spent a dozen years working in British theatre, as stage manager, writer, designer and director, working with actors such as Nigel Hawthorne, Anne Reid and Lesley Manville.

After script-editing the BBC’s HOWARDS’ WAY, he freelanced for series like DISTRICT NURSE, THE BILL, BOON, THE BRETTS, EMMERDALE.

In 1994 he became Head of Development at the UK independent company, Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment. As the script executive he was responsible for seven major television series, included ‘SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON’ starring RICHARD ‘JOHN BOY’ THOMAS, and ‘TWIST IN THE TALE’, featuring WILLIAM SHATNER. He also wrote the film, RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND.

In 1998 he was the co-creator of the UK Channel Five teen-cult drama series ‘THE TRIBE’, which ran for five series, numbering 260 episodes. ‘THE TRIBE’ has been sold world-wide, and all series is on YouTube.

His first novel, CHICAGO MAY, is the first book of a two-part series. He has also written JAIL TALES, about his wife’s 20 year career in the prison service, and the novel BIRTH OF THE MALL RATS, the prequel to THE TRIBE.

He has just finished his third novel, ISLAND OF DREAMS, to be published on December 1st 2022.

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Amazon Author Page

The book will be free.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,

Cause for Elimination by Marla A. White – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 10, 2022 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marla A. White will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Reclaiming her life after a devastating riding accident, equestrian Emily Conners’ world shatters again when she discovers her friend and boss laying in a stall with a smashed skull. Now jobless and with a handsome cop underfoot investigating the case, she’s torn between wanting the killer found and keeping her own secrets safe.

Detective Justin Butler always gets his killer, but this victim has a stampede of enemies and few leads to go on. Stonewalled by the tight-knit equestrian world, he looks to Emily for help, but she’s strangely reluctant. Is she hiding something, or is she afraid of their growing attraction?

As the search for the murderer heats up, their hearts become entangled and their lives at risk, forcing Emily and Justin to work together to find the killer before they strike again.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Dennis snapped on his own set of gloves and gestured toward the woman standing just outside the stall-cum-office. “Nice coat she’s got on. Didn’t you used to have one like it?”

“That’s Emily Conners. She found the body.”

“And so what, it’s a new gimmick? Everyone who reports a murder wins a free Blueberry coat?”

“It’s a Bu—never mind, you philistine. What was I supposed to do? We took her coat and shoes as evidence.”

Dennis wanted to say, you mind your own business and solve the crime, not take every hard-luck case you see under your wing. Nobody, not even Justin, had big enough wings to take in all the strays they met in this line of work. Instead, he left it alone. It was a lesson every cop had to learn for themselves.

Justin ignored his unspoken disapproval and took a sip of coffee. Instantly, his face scrunched up in an expression of pure horror.

“Don’t blame me. It was the only coffee I could find around here,” Dennis said while he checked out the office. “Hey, you take the horse out of the stall, add a ceiling fan, crappy furniture from the local office supply store, and a phone and you’ve got—a stall minus a horse.”

“People who live in glass cubicles,” his partner countered. “I kind of like the Feng Shui, it’s very grounding, especially with the window—”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s facing south and angled toward the moon, whatever,” he scoffed.

About the Author:

Marla White is a story analysis instructor at UCLA and writing coach who lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Kentucky (go Wildcats!), where she took her first horseback riding lesson. After dabbling in hunters, barrel racing, and weekly trail rides, she fell hopelessly in love with the sport of eventing. She conquered Novice level before taking a break to pursue novel writing but hopes to return to the saddle someday soon. Her first novel, “The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder,” was published in 2021 followed by the first two books in her Keeper Chronicles series. When she’s not writing, she’s out in the garden, hiking, or putting together impossibly difficult puzzles.

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Buy the book at , Amazon, Book Bub, or All Author.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,

In the Mood by MW Arnold – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 4, 2022 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M W Arnold will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

During a hectic couple of weeks in February 1944, the girls of the Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club must face devastating personal loss amongst their number. A member of an illegal faction blackmails Betty, whilst a mystery at Mary’s ancestral home threatens to cause more trouble than anyone thought possible. In the midst of what should be the happiest of times, the portents seem to be catching up and little is what it seems to be. Can the girls find the strength to battle forces both internal and external, yet still maintain their dignity and friendship?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Jane slumped back into her seat, tore the headset off, and threw it onto the desk next to the radio she’d been about to attack. “I suppose you’re right. It only makes sense if she can’t receive what we’re sending. If I didn’t know her voice so well, I’d think someone was playing a trick on me.”

“Plus,” Betty added, “it’s on our frequency.”

Jane nodded in agreement. “Still, remind me to tear her off a stripe when she gets back…calling Hamble. This is Aston.” She ended with a nervous chuckle.

Betty joined in, eventually saying, “Still, you’ll have to give her points for originality, if nothing else.”

“I’ll give her something, all right,” Jane replied. “I’ll give her…”

“Mayday! Mayday! This is First Officer Aston. Am under attack by two Me109s!”

Jane and Betty stared at each other with open mouths, as the shocking statement blared out of the radio’s tiny speaker in Thelma’s unmistakable voice. When she’d simply been trying to get through earlier it had been in her normal, albeit frustrated, tone. Now unmistakable panic coursed through it.

The radio came to life again, only the first thing they heard this time was the chilling staccato chatter of gunfire! “I repeat, this is First Officer Aston of the ATA! I’m under attack. Rudder control is gone! My port engine’s on fire! Am going down, roughly northeast of Oxford…”

White as a ghost, Jane automatically made a grab for the microphone, “Thelma! This is Jane Howell. Do you receive? Over.”

After a few seconds, a voice came out of the speaker, barely audible, yet clearly that of their desperate friend, “Jane? Is that…”

And then, deathly silence…

About the Author:

M W Arnold lives near Northampton, UK and is known to his family and friends as, Mick. He was in the Royal Air Force for 16 years, visiting many different countries and very much enjoying himself. If he ever meets the Queen, he will have to thank her. He began writing as these characters needed their own voices. For a few years now, he’s been a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, a wonderful group of writers who’ve welcomed this bloke into their fold with open arms.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Buy the book at Amazon, iBooks, or
Barnes and Noble.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Lessons Katie MacLeod Taught Me by Frank Zafiro – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 30, 2022 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Frank Zafiro will be awarding Winner #1 a box set of River City series 1-3 (Kindle version) AND Winner #2 a surprise package of out-of-print versions of Zafiro titles (paperbacks) – US Only. International readers may substitute digital version of any title in the author’s back catalog to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Lessons Katie MacLeod Taught Me

Katie MacLeod is the core character in my River City series of police procedurals. I’ve learned a few things from her that I’d like to share, but fair warning—I can’t completely avoid spoilers. If that’s something you want to be careful about, stop here. Bookmark this post, get the first River City novel, Under a Raging Moon, and come back when you’re finished with the newest one, The Worst Kind of Truth (#11).

Still here? Let’s go, then.

Life Doesn’t Always Go The Way You Plan

When I wrote Under a Raging Moon in 1995, I envisioned a four-book arc featuring Stefan Kopriva. Kopriva was a brash, young patrol officer who could handle anything thrown his way, whether it came from criminals or his own bosses. Looking back, I can see now that he was my unintentional avatar, an idealized version of who I thought I wanted to be.

Kopriva as hero was the plan I started with, but by the time Under a Raging Moon was published in 2006, things had changed. There were still four books and Kopriva was still the hero. But Katie MacLeod had become a strong secondary character. I didn’t plan that. Originally, her storyline was shared by two separate women. But I realized neither one was fully developed and so I combined them into one. Quite honestly, that might have been the smartest thing—albeit, unplanned—I ever did with this series.

When the second book rolled around, Katie’s role expanded beyond plans. Her first “big” event happened as a counterpoint to Kopriva’s. I thought they’d both overcome their challenges. But that didn’t happen. Katie prevailed; Kopriva failed.

And left the department.

I didn’t plan that.

I also didn’t plan that the books would continue beyond four, or that Katie would become the core of the series. But you know what? Those unplanned outcomes has been a good thing.

It’s Okay To Be Vulnerable

From the beginning, Katie has been willing to admit her own fears and doubts, at least to herself. Unlike the brash Kopriva, she recognized when she was afraid or when she was unsure of herself. When I first wrote those aspects of her character, I was twenty-seven years old. Now I’m fifty-four. I don’t remember but I have no doubt that back then, I saw those traits as okay to write into a female character precisely because they were feminine.

Only they aren’t.

They’re human.

It didn’t take long for me to recognize this. Maybe I wasn’t quite as willing as Katie to admit it, or as open about it with others, but I still learned from her that it was okay to feel those fears and doubts. They don’t make you weak.

They make you human.

Courage Is Doing It Anyway

One of Katie’s traits I’ve often heralded in interviews about River City is her grit. She’s tough, I’d say. But her courage doesn’t come from not being afraid. Her courage—which I would argue is true courage—comes from being afraid and doing what must be done anyway.

Katie does this, time and again. She doesn’t overcome her fears so much as she strides forward in spite of them. And she gets results. Isn’t that something we can all aspire to?

Sometimes You Have To Change Things Up… Because Things Change

This is akin to the first point about plans, except that it is more of a conscious decision and/or recognition. When the River City series begins in 1994, Katie is a three-year officer on graveyard patrol who loves her job. Her aspirations are simple—catch bad guys every night. She idolizes, and is mentored by, the veteran Thomas Chisolm. If you were to ask her during those first few books, Katie would tell you that she had every intent to be a career patrol officer, working “graveyard to graveyard”—in other words, staying on graveyard shift until retirement.

But police work has a grinding nature to it. As time passes, Katie realizes that she needs a change. First she goes to day shift, where one of her former platoon mates is now a sergeant. Then she promotes to detective, all in an effort to do what is best for her psyche.

Along the way, Chisolm retires. This, and other changes, help her recognize that not only is she making changes, things are changing all by themselves. By the time we get to The Worst Kind of Truth, the world she inhabits is a very different place. To punctuate this, a new recruit named Hattie Mayer idolizes Katie in much the same way she admired Chisolm.

And all of this is okay. That things are different today doesn’t change how good (or bad) it used to be. Things change. That’s just life.

People Matter

Katie MacLeod is an idealist. She is also a realist and, at times, borders on cynicism. But one constant throughout her career (fourteen years in-universe for her, twenty-seven for me in real time) has been that she cares for people. This includes the cops at her side and the people she serves in her job. Understanding that people matter is a fundamental aspect to being good at policing, and it is a baseline belief that drives every interaction and decision you make. Katie gets that. She is always there for her partners, and she does her absolute best to serve the civilians she meets.

Okay, truth time—I already knew this one. I saw it on display around me every day while I was on the job, and I believed in it myself, too. I strove to live up the standard every moment I wore the uniform. I wasn’t perfect (who is?) but I can say without reservation that I did my best, and I cared.

So it’s possible that I taught this one to Katie instead of the other way around.

Maybe. But she is still teaching me how true it is.

 

Detective Katie MacLeod has her hands full.

It has been four years since her promotion to detective, and after paying her dues in property crimes investigations, she has made it to the Major Crimes unit. This is where the highest profile cases land—homicides, robberies, serious assaults, and sexual assaults.

Katie catches two rape cases almost back-to-back. One victim is a prostitute with an unknown suspect… who Katie fears may be gearing up for more assaults. The other victim is a college student who has accused her boyfriend, a popular baseball player, of raping her at a party.

Both cases have their own set of perils. Katie juggles her time investigating each one, encountering many obstacles—a lack of evidence in one, and wondering how to parse conflicting statements in the other.

As she battles past these difficulties, Katie faces another fact… that both cases hit home with her in very different ways. Solving them becomes more than just a job for her, but something deep-seated and personal… something that may exorcise some of her own demons from the past.

Or will they consume her?

 

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Thanks,” Nicole said.

Katie looked at her. “This wasn’t your fault, Nicole. I wish I could change that it happened to you but I can’t. But I am going to do my best to catch the man that did this to you.”

“You’ll catch him,” Nicole said.

“I’ll do my best,” Katie repeated. She knew better than to make promises to victims, no matter how tempting it was.

“You’ll catch him,” Nicole repeated. “I know it. You’ve done it before.”

Katie cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

Nicole looked at her intensely. “I know who you are. I recognized your name as soon as you came in.”

That didn’t surprise Katie. She’d been involved in a number of high-profile incidents during her career. The media coverage wasn’t always favorable, either. But Nicole’s stare didn’t have the anger or blame that came with that sort of attitude. Instead, it resonated with belief.

“This happened to my mom,” Nicole said. She looked away to pluck more tissues and wipe her eyes. “A long time ago. I was fifteen at the time.”

Katie did some quick math. That meant her mother was assaulted in 1996 or 1997. And ninety-six was the year of—

“What’s your mother’s name?” Katie asked. Her heart-rate quickened as she waited for the response. Her mind flashed back to that case, back when she was a patrol officer. She ran through the names of the victims of that man, all of them indelibly imprinted upon her memory… and then she knew what Nicole would say.

“Maureen Hite,” said Nicole, just as Katie expected. “She was attacked by him. The Rainy Day Rapist.”

“I remember,” Katie said, quietly. Images of her and Thomas Chisolm searching a parking lot on the north side flashed through her mind. Of her finding Maureen Hite huddled near the front wheel well of a Chevy Blazer. She could still see the stark blue and white stripes of the quarter-panel and the door beside the woman. Maureen’s baffled expression, lost and fearful. “How is she now?”

Nicole shook her head. “She died six years ago. Pills.”

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“She never really got over it,” Nicole said.

Katie nodded. “I don’t think it’s something you get over. It’s not a cold. You just learn to live with it.”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t really learn how. Or only for a while.”

“I’m sorry, Nicole.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault. You caught him. You caught him and you killed him.” Nicole’s jaw was set and her eyes burned brightly. “I know you’ll do the same for me.”

Katie Macleod stared back at her, unable to answer.

About the Author:

Frank Zafiro writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge. He was a police officer from 1993 to 2013, holding many different positions and ranks. He retired as a captain.

Frank is the award-winning author of over three dozen novels, most of them crime fiction. These include his River City series of police procedurals, Stefan Kopriva mysteries (PI), SpoCompton series (hardboiled), Jack McCrae mysteries (PI), and Sandy Banks thrillers. He has also co-authored multiple series with other authors, including the Charlie-316 series (procedurals with Colin Conway), Bricks and Cam Jobs (action, dark comedy with Eric Beetner), and the Ania series (hardboiled with Jim Wilsky).

In addition to writing, Frank hosted the crime fiction podcast Wrong Place, Write Crime. He has written a textbook on police report writing and taught police leadership all over the US and Canada. He is an avid hockey fan and a tortured guitarist. He currently lives in the high desert of Redmond, Oregon.

Website | Newsletter | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub
Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,

As an author, what scares me the most is… by Leah Cupps – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 19, 2022 By 14 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Leah Cupps will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

As an author, what scares me the most is…

As an author, what scares me the most is that my readers will be disappointed in my story! When I am writing I try to not only sit in the story and absorb what’s going on in the scene, but I also think about pacing. What is going to keep the reader engaged in the story. What’s going to hold them in their seat until the next chapter.

The hardest part about writing for me is developing the characters while keeping the pace of the story moving forward. In Never Play Fair, I tried to reveal who the cast of characters are by how they reacted to certain events in the story. What is Sydney willing to do to help her boyfriend Alex? How does Ethan react when he encounters his brother once again?

For me, a story with terrific characters and exciting action is a home run. I love to see the person next door, put under intense pressure because it often prompts our own self awakening. If my boyfriend went missing in Costa Rica, would I fly down south to help the FBI find him? Even if my own life was at risk?

By asking these questions and revealing the answers through the story, my hope is that we can find a little bit of Sydney Evans in all of us!

Can Sydney find her boyfriend in time, or will they both sink to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea?

Instagram Influencer Sydney Evans finds herself entangled in a criminal operation, orchestrated by the Department of Defense in order to bring down an online casino crime ring.

But she only has one motivation: find her FBI boyfriend Alex before he becomes collateral damage.

Sydney must navigate her way through an exclusive Casino yacht party in the middle of the Caribbean sea put on by none other than the notorious Costa Rican gangster, Vincente Estavez.

Never Play Fair is a fast-paced standalone thriller. If you like real-world issues, lavish socialite parties, and electrifying twists and turns, then you’ll love Leah Cupps’ provocative cozy mystery.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Just two boats were left now, one already sidled up to the side of the ship, guests boarding one by one. Another waited about fifty feet away, giving the ship wide berth.

A woman with long blonde hair and a tight-fitting black cocktail waited anxiously with the others.

A few moments ago, she had noticed a drop in temperature, a few darker clouds and a rumbling in the distance.

There was a storm coming.

She moved closer to the man who was standing beside her. His cell phone had been taken from him at some point, as had hers. So, they both had little to do but stand and wait. Talking about what had just happened might give them away. And they were so close.

The last passenger boarded the boat in front of them. She was an older woman with white hair that was slicked back against her skull. The last lights from the yacht reflected on her sequined gown, the sparkles glimmering in the dark. Sydney watched her as if hypnotized.

After she had landed clumsily in her seat, the boat pulled away, and the last idling boat took its place. Sydney gripped the hand of the broad shouldered man next to her. Despite his size, his grip was weak.

They exchanged a quick look. His eyes were clouded, but she could see the relief softening his features.

Almost there.

As they moved forward to board, she noticed the sudden silence in the air. The fire alarm had stopped. A jolt of fear ripped through her stomach.

They must have put out the fire down below. Sydney looked around wildly.

Will the evacuation stop?

She pulled his hand towards the idling boat. They would be the first to board. The crew member on the boat gave her companion an odd look when he noticed his bloodied, swollen face.

“He fell on the steps,” she said, trying to assuage his alarm. The man simply nodded and gestured for him to move forward. The waves had gained strength in the last few minutes and the ropes from the boat stretched to their full length. The crew struggled to keep the smaller boat under control.

Another rope was tethered to the cleat alongside the massive yacht. A crew member reached for Sydney’s hand.

About the Author:Leah Cupps is an entrepreneur and author. She writes Middle Grade Mystery Adventure Books as well as Thriller, Mystery, Suspense for Adults.

Leah’s novels are fast-paced mysteries that will keep you up at night as you can’t wait to see what happens in the next chapter.

Leah lives in Indiana with her husband, three young children and three dogs. When she isn’t losing sleep writing her next novel or scaling her next business, she enjoys reading, golfing working out and spending time with her family.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Sign up for Leah’s VIP email list on her website, and you’ll automatically be notified as soon as her next book is released.

Buy the book at Amazon for only $0.99.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »