About the book:
A pair of pink, silk underwear...The quiet world of Melody and Jack Dickinson is about to be turned upside down. Twenty years of marriage hangs in the balance when Melody finds out about Jack’s infidelity. The betrayal is made worse when Melody discovers his lover is Serena Rowland, a young woman who works at Melody’s law firm.
A receipt from an overpriced hote...
Harsh words are exchanged before Melody storms off to work, determined to have Serena fired. But when Melody hears Serena was murdered over the weekend, everything changes. Serena’s body is found beaten and strangled with a pair of pink, silk panties, in the same hotel that Jack had admitted staying at over the weekend. Within seconds of hearing the news, Melody’s life spins out of control when Jack calls in a panic. The police are at their home to arrest him for Serena’s murder.
Pictures of a young woman’s scantily clad torso on a cell phone...
Was she married to a monster? One who beat and strangled the young woman to death, or was Jack set up? Did Melody’s own dark secret, hidden inside her heart for years, have something to do with the nightmare they suddenly find themselves in?
Melody and Jack are about to discover that one fateful mistake will destroy many.
Other books by Ashley Fontainne:
The LieNumber Seventy-Five
Eviscerating the Snake trilogy:
Accountable to None (Book One)
Zero Balance (Book Two)
Adjusting Journal Entries (Book Three)
Interview with Ashley Fontainne:
Ashley, what’s the story behind the title Empty Shell?The main character, Melody Dickinson, experiences a series of tragic events that leave her mentally broken, her world turned upside down, and her heart and soul empty. Though the world sees her as a whole, complete person, Melody feels hollow, like an empty shell.
Do you have another job outside of writing?
Yes. I still work a full-time job, though writing is my passion.
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“But the biggest catalyst of all was grief. It changed people. The overwhelming loss of a loved one caused all of us to do things completely against our personalities. Our internal moral compasses had been skewed by a heavy cloud of sorrow.”
How do you get to know your characters?
Oh, they take over my mind until I give in to their pleadings and unleash their stories on the page!
I hear you! Are you like any of your characters?
I have a few similarities with Melody. We both love to drive fast cars, adore history, classic rock, and have a strong Christian faith.
If you could be one of your characters, which one would you choose?
When I am older, I believe I will be like Jerlene Preston. An outspoken, aging southern belle who speaks her mind but still has a heart of gold.
Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
In Chapter 18, Melody recalls her first experience with death when, at the age of six, her grandmother dies. After the funeral, her mother explains the passing of a loved one in a very sweet, loving way using the life of a butterfly. After her mother shows Melody the empty chrysalis, she tells her: “So, don’t fret for what was inside the empty shell, darlin’ Melody. Rejoice in the glory of the new life and new beginnings that emerged from it.”
You get to decide who would read your audiobook. Who would you choose?
Yes, I did and I picked actress Sara Morsey. She narrated my trilogy, and I love her voice! The audio version of Empty Shell will be available shortly, and I can’t wait to hear Sara bring her sweet, southern accent to the characters!
Where’s home for you?
I live in a small town in Arkansas with my husband. Between us, we have 4 children (all adults) and three pets, so my life is full!
If you could only keep one book, what would it be?
The Bible.
Would you rather work in a library or a bookstore?
Bookstore.
What would your dream office look like?
A quiet room with a comfortable desk and computer chair, an enormous monitor, and a view of the ocean. Oh, and a Keurig fully stocked!
That sounds perfect! What’s your favorite candy bar? And don’t tell me you don’t have one!
Reese’s!
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Tahiti. Hands down!
What are you working on now?
A paranormal thriller entitled Growl. It is finished and in the editing stages. Here is the opening scene:
My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are S.I.N. The initials were a funny little piece of whimsical humor my glam-eighties parents found amusing when I came into this world. Mom and Dad were just two high school sweethearts who adored their guns, their beer and their self-appointed titles of King and Queen of the Rebellious Rednecks. The day I was born, they didn’t think anyone in the town would have the mental acuity to put two and two together and discover their little inside joke. Shame on the pathetic excuses who called themselves teachers in this dreary city because Mom and Dad had been right: no one caught on to their little attempt at humor.
That is, until it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes now, my family and I came to the conclusion that the events that led up to my transformation started one night when I was around nine years old. But the day we realized there was a problem, and no turning back, was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City High. The day the fangs and claws appeared and the monster inside of me emerged. That day, my friends Barbara Ransford and Tami Roger’s bodies were found ripped to pieces, their mutilated corpses near a pile of brush down by Caney Creek.
And that day, I changed, forever. Because evil woke up and began to growl, its ominous rumblings heard by every living thing in Locasia County, Mississippi.
Book Trailer
About the author:
Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley's love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film (http://www.number75themovie.com)
Her latest novel, a paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense.
Look for the suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, in the Fall of 2014.
Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.
Connect with Ashley:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |
Buy the book:
Amazon
