FEATURED AUTHOR: ASTORIA WRIGHT

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the small town of Moss Hill, customers of all kinds visit Carissa Shea's Seelie Tree Apothecary Shop. That includes tall and short, young and old, human and faerie. Being half-elf/half-human herself, Carissa personally knows and cares for them all. So, when a grumpy brownie, a type of house faerie, named Miss Morgan dies in her shop, Carissa is devastated. As she learns more about her customer's death, she realizes Miss Morgan might have been the only thing standing between the Seelie, faeries of light and goodness, and the Unseelie, faeries of darkness and evil. On top of it all, the Sidhe guard, protector of all fae residents, rule it a murder and name Carissa as a suspect! Now she must prove her innocence and find the real culprit before it's too late - not just for her but for all of Moss Hill.




Book Details:


Title: Herbs and Homicide


Author: Astoria Wright

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Cozy Fantasy
Series: The Faerie Apothecary Mysteries, book 1

Publisher: Novelwright Press (September 27, 2018)

Print length: 219 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

INTERVIEW WITH ASTORIA WRIGHT

Q: Astoria, tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
A: The books can be read in any order because each has its own story and conclusion. I tried not to give any spoilers to the previous endings in later books. There is an overall storyline that is better understood if read in order and is best enjoyed starting with the prequel to the last book. I’m currently on book 4 of 7 planned for the series.

Q: Where’s home for you? 
A: Arizona. So, it might seem weird that I’m writing about an island in the UK, but I am fascinated by mythology from around the world. I hope I have a chance to write about many other places and to travel as well.

Q: If you had an extra $100 a week to spend on yourself, what would you buy?
A: I can’t even imagine this, how great would that be? I’d love to save up for a big trip and go somewhere like a writers’ retreat.


Q: What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made? 
A: My worst purchase was a pair of shoes I knew didn’t fit right, but I thought I would break them in. I’m lucky I didn’t break a toe, but I learned my lesson. Blisters hurt.

Q: What is the most daring thing you've done?
A: Is it terrible that I don’t think I’ve ever done anything daring? Oh, publishing! That was daring, I think.


Q: What makes you bored?
A: When I used to complain about being bored as a child, my father used to always say, “If you have a good imagination, you’ll never be bored.” So, I learned to use my imagination by reading, writing, and wondering about anything and everything. I credit that statement for my sometimes overactive imagination.

Q: What are your most cherished mementoes?
A: My most treasured items are Christmas tree ornaments from students, friends, and family. It makes the tree more meaningful to me, and I get to reminisce every year when it comes time to decorate the tree. By the time I’m an old woman, I hope every ornament is a story – even if those stories only matter to me.

Q: If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
A: In terms of objects, I’d save my computer. My whole life and my manuscripts are on there!

Q: What brings you sheer delight?
A: Chocolate. But then, it’s usually followed by a migraine, so is it really worth it? Honestly, it depends on the chocolate. 

Q: What’s your favorite line from a book?
A: “I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.” – Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game
That line stuck with me because it reminds me not to judge others. We don’t know what others are going through, and we don’t really know each other inside and out. If we did, I believe this quote would be true.

Q: Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
A: No, I try never to do that in any books. The author might mean it in the best way possible, only for the person to read it and say, “This is how you see me?”

Q: Is your book based on real events?
A: I wish! Well, no, I don’t wish any faeries would be murdered. I do wish there was a town of elves, leprechauns, brownies, sidhe, etc. I would so live there! Unfortunately, Moss Hill doesn’t exist. Then again there are myths and legends about faeries all through history and in several countries. Who knows? Maybe there is such a town.

Q: One of your characters has just found out you’re about to kill him off. He/she decides to beat you to the punch. How would he kill you?
A: Any of the characters in my book would probably do it with a spell directly at me or sneakily slip a potion into my tea.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: Orson Scott Card, J.K. Rowling, and JRR Tolkein all make the shortlist. These are writers who are capable of creating worlds and/or characters unlike what we see in everyday life. Kate DiCamillo is one of my favorite children’s book authors. I was introduced to her books as an adult when I started teaching at an elementary school, and the books were as impactful to me as they were to my students – if not more! Last, but not least, I also admire Agatha Christie, who is, of course, the best mystery writer of all time.

Q: What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)?
A: I’m usually listening to an audiobook and reading an ebook at the same time. For the last few days I’ve been listening to Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and reading The Curious Kilt by Jemima Wallace as an ebook.

Q: Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
A: I write anywhere in the house, but I have an office room with a desk and a drawing board on the wall. I prefer that or outside in the back yard.

Q: Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
A: It’s in Connecticut and it’s called The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination. I’ve never seen it in person, it’s privately owned, but how awesome does it look? I first saw it on a TED Talk and thought it looked remarkable.

Q: You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
A: Either Donna Noble from Doctor Who in the episode “Midnight,” where she spends the day at a spa on a planet made of diamonds or Guinan from Star Trek spending the day in Ten Forward talking to all the different people of the future.

Q: What would your dream office look like? 
A: It would be a library of rare books and artifacts much like The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination.  

Q: Why did you decide to self-publish?
A: My parents owned their own business (a restaurant). From them I learned that making a living can be in your own hands. I’m trying to learn everything about publishing, writing, etc. so that I can start a business and work for myself – even if it’s not as an author but in some other aspect of the publishing industry. 

Q: Are you happy with your decision to self-publish?
A: Yes! I’ve learned a lot and entertained people with my stories. It’s been amazing so far!

Q: What steps to publication did you personally do, and what did you hire someone to do? Is there anyone you’d recommend for a particular service?
A: I did the writing, of course. I also published on KDP and through Smashwords myself.
I hired an amazing artist for the cover art. She also did my logo.
I also hired a map designer recently to make a map of Moss Hill.
I had a wonderful editor for the line editing, Tiffany Shand. I just started working with a company called 529 Books for developmental and line editing. I recommend any and all of them since they’ve all been wonderful! 

Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am continuing on with the series The Faerie Apothecary Mysteries. I also write some science fiction and hope to get a few sci-fi novels out this year.




OTHER BOOKS BY ASTORIA WRIGHT

Chaos in the Countryside
Remedy and Ruins 
Elixirs and Elves  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Astoria Wright is a cozy mystery author and a poet who is inspired by rainy days, good books, and positive people. Often found sitting by a window or in her backyard sipping tea or coffee and writing or reading cozy mysteries, Astoria tends to be a bit reclusive. Still, when the topic is stories, she's more than happy to join the conversation. 

Join her mailing list at www.astoriawright.com to see stories, poems, and thoughts that she only shares there.

Connect with Astoria:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads


Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

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FEATURED AUTHOR: L.M. BROWN

ABOUT THE BOOK


The stories in this linked collection are set in a small village in the Northwest of Ireland in the early 1980’s and 90’s. A by-pass around the village has rid them of their once busy traffic. The residents feel forgotten by the world. The need to reach out and be heard is explored in every story, from the young woman who starts to have phone conversations with her husband’s gay lover, to the dyslexic man who confronts his cruel teacher years later.

The collection is not only about the characters need for salvation but it is about a society that is unraveling. In "Amends," we hear about the Bishop who has fathered a child. A priest is beckoned by a dying man to be mocked. The world inside and outside the village is changing. In every story the characters need to make a choice on how they might carry on.

Book Details:


Title: Treading The Uneven Road


Author: L.M Brown

Genre: Linked short story collection

Publisher: Fomite (March 2019)

Print length: 206 pages

INTERVIEW WITH L.M. BROWN

Q: Lorna, what’s the story behind the title of your book?

A: I got the title from a William Butler Yeats poem.
An old man cocked his car upon a bridge; He and his friend, their faces to the South, Had trod the uneven road.
I love poetry. Most of my titles come from poetry, since in poems feelings and atmosphere can be conveyed with so little words. Debris was taken from a Lola Ridge poem of the same title where she conveyed exactly the atmosphere of the book. As to the collection, the title is from a Yeats poem ‘Phases of The Poem,’ and the line is from of nostalgia and a sense of overcoming hardship.

Q: Do you have another job outside of writing?

A: Yes, I teach the Pre-Master’s program in Merrimack College.

Q: Who are you?

A: I am an Irish mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend to some, a teacher, and a writer. Also a bit of a traveler, and a dreamer, though I take some things seriously like raising three girls to be the best they can be.

Q: Where’s home for you? 

A: When I hear the word home, I think of Ireland straight away and especially Sligo, though it’s been many years since I lived there. Before coming to Massachusetts, we lived in Galway for ten years. Our girls were born there, and I love Cloughanover in Co, Galway where there is music and art and a lot of good people. I’d consider that home too. It’s funny because some of the members in my family are more Irish at heart, while others, like my oldest daughter, love it here, and I couldn’t picture her living in Ireland. We bought the house in North Andover three years ago, and I really like it here. We are really lucky with the people we’ve met here too, but I don’t think we will be here forever. I guess it’s hard for me to stay put for too long and forever is a very long time.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: We moved around Ireland a fair bit, but arrived in Sligo when I was ten.

Q: What’s your favorite memory?

A: That is a really hard question. There are too many different parts of life, the innocence of childhood, living in the country and running through the fields with dogs, then traveling for years, then meeting my husband, the girls' being born, my first publication, getting accepted into Emerson- to pick one memory is impossible. And I’m aware I kind of cheated there.


Q: What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?

A: A camper van when I couldn’t even drive. My friend, Ruari, was with me, and he drove the test drive. We bought the van, and it broke down within minutes of us driving away.


Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?

A: Nothing beats persistence and hard work, and if you have a dream, follow it. I tell my daughters that all the time.

Q: Who would you pick to write your biography?

A: My friends Sharon Lynch of Sarah, because they are never judgmental. 

Q: What do you love about where you live?

A: I love Weir Hill where I take my dog to hike often, and I love the people I live beside, and that it’s close enough to Maine so we can go there every summer.


Q: Have you been in any natural disasters?

A: I experienced a small earthquake in Japan. I didn’t experience the tsunami in Indonesia, but I was in Bande Ache months before the tsunami hit, and it’s very sad to know that place was destroyed.

Q: What is the most daring thing you've done?

A: I traveled Southeast Asia for three months alone. And I flew from Australia to New Zealand with $300, alone, with no idea what I was going to do. I knew no one there. I ended up hitching around the country and working on farms for three months. It was the one of the best times of my life. New Zealand is amazing. 


Q: What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?

A: The stupidest thing I’ve ever done is probably not something I would admit to here, to be honest.  Recently I was going through Dunkin Donuts drive thru, and I actually got out of the car to give my order. The attendant wasn’t too happy with me. And my friend came over for St. Patrick’s Day. We went to Boston, and she had a headache, and I bought her Advil PM. She was so tired all night (and grumpy), and it wasn’t until the next day that I saw that Advil PM was to aid sleep. It was ridiculous because she’d come over all the way from Ireland to celebrate Paddy’s day.

Q: What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now? 

A: I wish I read more as a teenager, but I don’t know if I wish I had known anything different. That suggests that I would like to go back and change something, and I’ve gone past that kind of regret.

Q: What’s one thing you wish your younger writer self knew?

A: The answer to the previous question holds true to this. I can’t think of anything I should have known.  When I was younger, I needed to travel to gain some experience and feel I had something to write about. I didn’t start writing until I came back home to Ireland after five years, and then I took it seriously. I wrote any chance I had and read loads, so I don’t think I’d wish my  younger self knew anything in particular, especially not that it would take fifteen years before my first book got published. My younger self was way too impatient to deal with something like that, though I know now that it just took that long for me to hone my art.


Q: What makes you bored?

A: I don’t get bored usually, but anything to do with technology, usually, or gadgets. I’m really not a gadget person. 


Q: What is your most embarrassing moment?
A: My husband laughed when I asked him this. He said I had to have a boat load, but we can’t think of anything now. I cry at everything: movies, America’s Got Talent, my daughter’s last day at elementary school, so that can be embarrassing, but I know I’ve done some embarrassing things that escape me now. 


Q: What makes you nervous?

A: It’s nerve-wrecking when my books are being read for the first time. Reviewers have the collection now, and its awful waiting for the verdict. 


Q: What makes you happy?

A: Spending time with family and friends, my sisters and mom, cousins, writing, camping, good food and wine, a pint of Guinness at home, swimming, beaches, Coffee pond with friends, campfires, good books, readers, poetry, music, fires on snowy days, hikes with my dog.

Q: What makes you scared?
A: Not doing the right thing as a mother.

Q: What makes you excited?

A: Finishing a book, getting it out there, and starting a book after the weeks of planning.

Q: How did you meet your husband?

A: We met in Japan. We taught English in the same school and arrived a week apart from each other. Matias was supposed to go to Kyoto, but they called him days before he left Massachusetts and asked him to go to Mito, and he said yes.

Q: What are your most cherished mementoes?

A: A postcard I found when we were moving to this house with my brother’s handwriting. He passed away 18 years ago, and my daughter found the postcard when we were packing books. I’d never seen it before, not in Galway or when we moved two times in Massachusetts, so I feel it was a message from him.

Q: If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?

A: That postcard, the photos are saved on my computer.

Q: What brings you delight?

A: Dinner time with the family.

Q: What’s one of your favorite quotes? 

A: I don’t have a favorite quote. There are too many great lines out there.
But I like this one from the poem ‘Our Wandering.’ I titled my newest novel after it:
 “Look what I am holding! Not desire, but infinite multiplicity, the mouth of existence.” -Dawn Lundy Martin

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?

A: I have no idea, maybe Ireland, but there is a lot I haven’t seen.

Q: What would you like people to say about you after you die?

A: Ha, it all depends on who says it.

Q: What’s your favorite line from a book?

A: I recently read Beloved. There are so many wonderful lines in that book. Today I will pick: “The threads of malice creeping toward him from Beloved's side of the table were held harmless in the warmth of Sethe's smile.”

Q: What would your main character say about you?

A: Dick would say that I was a good one to have a pint with.

Q: How did you create the plot for this book?

A: This book took many years to form. I started writing the stories when I first arrived here around eight years ago. At first they were set in USA and Ireland. While I was working with an editor at Emerson, I started thinking of having the characters from the same place, and then it hit me that they should live in the village I grew up in. Each story started as its own, but they became entwined, so the characters weave in and out of each other’s lives, and the collection has the feel of a novel.

Q: Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
A: No, though some of the action is inspired by my life.  In ‘The Sacred Heart’, the brothers print out a book with a list of shops and services that offer a 10% discount for anyone who buys the book. My father did that, and my sister and I went door-to-door trying to sell the book for five pounds. As in the story, it was the 80’s, and there was very little money in Ireland.

Q: Are you like any of your characters? 

A: I don’t think so. Dick is one of my favorite characters because he is such a dreamer, and I suppose I’ve always been a dreamer, but I am more realistic than he is.

Q: One of your characters has just found out you’re about to kill him off. He/she decides to beat you to the punch. How would he kill you?

A: Fun one. Let’s see, Hagan, the school teacher would have, years ago, run me down by a car, but she’s not as cruel as she used to be, so she might balk at the last minute.
Dick might push me off the bridge, but he’d try to grab me then. He’s too soft.

Q: With what five real people would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?

A: Toni Morrison, Glen Hansard, George RR Martin, if they don’t have to be alive, Leonard Cohen, and Maya Angelou.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?

A: Toni Morrison, Michael Odjante, Margaret Atwood, Flannery O’Connor, William Trevor, George RR Martin, Most Latin American writers, Anne Enright.

Q: What book are you currently reading and in what format? 

A: Philip Roth-The Plot against America, paperback. I don’t read e-books.

Q: What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?

A: Bad books/ characters that sound too alike.


Q: Do you have a routine for writing? 

A: Yes, I have a routine for when I start a book as well as when I am writing. When I start to think of my next project, I read at least five books that are similar, and I take a good many weeks to think about what I want to write. I won’t write a word without having a clear outline and plan. Then I start. and I like to write in the morning more than anything, and edit and revise later.

Q: Where do you prefer to do your writing?

A: In my study.

Q: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?

A: I just got a wonderful review for the collection from US review of Books. They wrote: "Brown is an author who understands that what is implied is often more impactful than what is detailed. The white space between her words and lines speak volumes. They ignite the reader's imagination and create involvement that additional words would not."
I really believe in the subtlety for writing, so it was wonderful to read this.



Q: What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?

A: That it was confusing, and they had no idea what was going on, I kept writing and practicing and did a masters. But I wouldn’t think of it as the worst thing someone said. Criticism is important to improve. The more you write the more you understand this. Writers starting off always hate it.


Q: You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be? 

A: For today, I’ll say queen of dragons.


Q: What would your dream office look like?

A: Not much different to the one I have, large windows and space, but I’d have the sea outside.


Q: Why did you decide to publish with Fomite?

A: I really liked their list of publications.

Q: Are you happy with your decision to publish with them? 

A: Yes, I am really delighted that I did. They were fantastic to work with.
Debris was published with an Indie publisher too. It was a hard book to market as the main characters were fourteen and fifteen. I wrote it with adults in mind, but Ink Smith read it and liked it, and it has been getting good reviews. 
I sent this collection to Marc Estrin because of their interest in short stories, and he replied quickly. The whole journey has been a wonderful collaboration between me and Marc and Donna. They really listen to the authors, while also giving great feedback and advice.

Q: What are you working on now?
A: I just finished a novel titled Our Wandering, which is about an older sister who is looking for her missing sister while remembering things that happened when they were younger. It’s a book about memory and how we choose to remember.

At the moment, I am reading a lot of non-fiction about the current political climate in the US, and I want to write something about what is happening here, but it’s very early days. I also want to write another collection using Irish folklore and magical realism.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

L.M Brown grew up in Ireland but now resides in Massachusetts with her husband and three daughters. She has a master’s in Creative Writing from Emerson College and is the author of the novel Debris. Her stories have been published in over a dozen literary magazines.


Connect with the author:
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Buy the book:
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FEATURED AUTHOR: V.M. BURNS

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lilly Echosby and her toy poodle Aggie find a fresh start in Chattanooga, Tennessee, spoiled by the scent of murder . . . 



Having solved the shooting death of her cheating husband, Lilly’s left behind the drama of Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, to start over in the hometown of her best friend, Scarlett “Dixie” Jefferson. As she gets settled in her new rented house, Lilly gives Aggie, short for Agatha Christie, her own fresh start by enrolling her in the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club, where Dixie is a trainer.

But drama seems to hound Lilly like a persistent stray. Her cranky new neighbor appears unfamiliar with Southern hospitality and complains that Aggie barks too much and digs up his prized tulips. But what the poodle actually unearths is the buried body of a mysterious man who claimed ownership of the lost golden retriever Lilly recently rescued. Now it’s up to Lilly and Dixie to try to muzzle another murderer . . .



Book Details:


Title: The Puppy Who Knew Too Much

Author: V.M. Burns

Genre: Cozy mystery

Series: A Dog Club Mystery, book 2

Publisher: Lyrical (February 12, 2019)

Print length: 242 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours


INTERVIEW WITH V.M. BURNS

Q: What’s the story behind the title of your book?
A: To be completely honest, I am terrible at coming up with book titles. My editor came up with this title based on the book summary I submitted.


Q: Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
A: The Puppy Who Knew Too Much is the second book in the Dog Club Mystery Series. I don’t feel that the books must be read in order to follow along.


Q: Where’s home for you?
A: Chattanooga, Tennessee.


Q: Where did you grow up?
A: South Bend, Indiana.


Q: What’s your favorite memory?

A: My favorite memory is taking a trip to North Carolina with my mom. We went to Asheville, Raleigh, and Wilmington.


Q: If you had an extra $100 a week to spend on yourself, what would you buy?
A: Books, books, and then a few more bookshelves.



Q: What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?
A: I have made a lot of dumb purchases, especially at shoe stores. A good many of my dumbest purchases stem from the fact that I hate to pass up a good sale. In fact, if the sale price for a shoe is low enough, my foot will actually shrink in size so that while I’m in the store, I can fit comfortably inside shoes that are at least 2 sizes too small. Unfortunately, my foot will expand back to its normal size once the purchase has been made. I have a lot of really cute shoes that I can’t fit, but I swear on my life they fit when I was in the store.



Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
A: Life is too short not to be happy.


Q: Who would you pick to write your biography?
A: Dr. Seuss. I think it would be an amazing read.


Q: What do you love about where you live?

A: The weather is fantastic (especially compared to the Midwest). When it snows, the city shuts down and waits until it melts. 


Q: What is the most daring thing you've done?

A: I quit a job where I was getting six-weeks of paid time off and sold my house to take a job where I made less money, had an hour commute and only got two weeks of vacation. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.


Q: What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
A: When I lived in the Midwest, I decided to embrace the snow and went cross-country skiing. I still have the marks on my arm from the metal pins when I broke my arm.


Q: What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
A: Don’t worry about what other people think of you. Take risks and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.


Q: What’s one thing you wish your younger writer self knew?
A: Follow your heart and do what makes you happy.



Q: What is your most embarrassing moment? 

A: When I first started competing in canine agility and obedience with my dog, Coco, she used to get, what I called “the zoomie.” She had a lot of energy and would run in circles as fast as she could. I have some very embarrassing memories of me, chasing Coco around both the obedience and agility rings. To combat this, my instructor suggested I take her outside prior to our competition and let her burn off some energy. So, before our next trial, I decided to give it a try. There was a large field near the venue, so I took her outside, removed her leash, and allowed her to run. Unfortunately, Coco’s favorite scent was deer poop, and she found a pile of it and rolled in it before I could get to her. She reeked. I took her into the bathroom and tried to clean her up, but I must not have done a very good job because when I sat down near my friends, their first words were, “What’s that smell?” We had to take Coco back to the bathroom and put her under the faucet (she was only 8 pounds, so thankfully she fit). When we finished, she looked like a drenched rat. We tried to dry her off with paper towels, but it didn’t help much, but it got the majority of the odor off. When it was our turn to compete, we still didn’t qualify, but I was thankful the judge hadn’t disqualified us for stinking up the ring.


Q: What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
A: If I could go back and redo my undergrad, I wouldn’t have wasted two years as an engineering major. I would have studied English. I don’t think you need a degree in English to be a successful writer, but I do think it helps with edits.


Q: If someone gave you $5,000 and said you must solve a problem, what would you do with the money?

A: If I had $5,000 to solve a problem, I’d donate it to a no-kill animal shelter to help them continue the excellent work that they do.



Q: What makes you nervous?

A: Deadlines. I hate deadlines and prefer to finish things earlier rather than waiting until the last minute.


Q: What makes you happy?
A: Reading and writing books.


Q: What makes you scared?
A: Snakes, rodents and reptiles.


Q: What makes you excited?
A: I love when my favorite authors release new books or when I find a new cozy author with lots of books in their series.


Q: Do you have another job outside of writing?
A: Yes, I’m an operations manager for a call center.


Q: If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
A: My house is full of things. Most things can be replaced. However, I have a few pictures which were made before everything became digitized. Pictures of my mom who is no longer here exist in no other form than a 4x6 piece of paper in a frame on my bookshelf and in my memory. As I age, my memory can’t be relied on, but those 4x6 pieces of paper help me stay connected.


Q: What brings you sheer delight?

A: Reading a good book. I love reading a book and going on a journey without leaving the comfort of my chair. Through books I can experience the world. I love that words can generate emotions which make me cry, laugh, smile and feel angry. Through words on paper arranged in the right way, it can touch the soul. I don’t know anything more powerful than words.

Q: What’s one of your favorite quotes?
A: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
A: I would love to live in England. There’s such a long history in England, and I would love to spend time and immerse myself in that culture and history.


Q: What’s your favorite line from a book? 

A: “It is a truth universally acknowledge that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

Q: Are any of your characters inspired by real people? 
A: Most of my characters are a combination of bits and pieces from a lot of different places. Rarely are there any characters based completely on real people, with one exception. In my RJ Franklin Mystery Series, the character of Mama B is based on my godmother, Mrs. Ella Bethany. She was a wonderful woman, and I have a lot of very wonderful memories of sitting on her front porch, drinking tea during the summer. I wanted to honor her memory by including her in my book.


Q: Is your book based on real events?
A: I wouldn’t say my books are based on real events, but I like to incorporate real events into my books. In The Puppy Who Knew Too Much, Lilly Echosby goes in search of her “happy place” and moves to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Similar to Lilly, I came to the conclusion that “life is short.” Life is too short not to be happy. That’s when I decided to follow my dreams. I sold my house. I took a new job, and I moved. All of those things led to my eventual move to Chattanooga, Tennessee, which has turned out to be my happy place.


Q: Are you like any of your characters?
A: I put myself in several of my characters. In my Mystery Bookshop Mystery series, the protagonist, Samantha Washington dreams of quitting her job opening a mystery bookstore and writing British historic cozy mysteries. That’s my dream too. In the Dog Club Mystery Series, Lilly Echosby decides to move away from the Midwest and go in search of her “happy place” in Eastern Tennessee, which is something that I did also.


Q: One of your characters has just found out you’re about to kill him off. He/she decides to beat you to the punch. How would he kill you?
A: I suspect a killer would topple a bookshelf on me. No one who knows me would find that unusual and he (or she) would likely get off scot free.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?

A: I love Victoria Thompson, Emily Brightwell, Susan Elia MacNeal, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Dorothy Gilman, and Patricia Wentworth.

Q: What book are you currently reading and in what format?
A: I prefer hardcover books but will take books in whatever format I can get them. I am currently reading, City of Secrets by Victoria Thompson.

Q: What would your dream office look like?

A: My dream office would be a wood-paneled library. There would be floor to ceiling bookshelves with a large window and a cozy fireplace. I love being surrounded by books and would love lots of places to sit down and read when I wasn’t writing.

Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on the third book in my RJ Franklin Mystery Series at the moment.

OTHER BOOKS BY V.M. BURNS

DOG CLUB MYSTERY SERIES
In the Dog House

MYSTERY BOOKSHOP MYSTERY SERIES
The Plot is Murder
Read Herring Hunt
The Novel Art of Murder

RJ FRANKLIN MYSTERY SERIES
Travellin’ Shoes



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime.

Connect with the author:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

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FEATURED AUTHOR: KEN MALOVOS



ABOUT THE BOOK 


This is a legal mystery of murder and vengeance. A retired judge, Robert Tilson, has been murdered in his office at night. At first, the police look for a prior client or someone who had appeared before the judge, who is now a private mediator and arbitrator. They interview some suspects, but the police are stumped and they have no real clues. The judge's daughter, Kathy Lamb, refuses to accept this state of affairs and begins to search for the killer on her own. She meets with several possible suspects. Meanwhile, Judge Robert Hansen has been shunned by the other judges after he was tried for murder and the jury was unable to reach a verdict. The case involved the murder of a woman who had been blackmailing Judge Hansen over an incident that occurred thirty years ago. The police turn their attention to the woman's husband. Mike Zorich is on the job to find who killed Judge Tilson and who killed the woman that Judge Hansen was charged with killing. Mike is at the center of some sensational trials. Along with Kathy Lamb's help, Mike finally gets tot he bottom of things but not before a killer strikes again.

Book Details:

Title: Sweet Justice

Author: Ken Malovos   

Genre: Legal mystery
Series: Mike Zorich, book 4

Publisher: Kindle Direct Publishing, (November 6, 2018)

Print length: 461 pages

On tour with: Pump Up Your Book Tours

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH KEN MALOVOS


A few of your favorite things: Sports, professional teams such as 49ers and Giants, running, reading, traveling, exploring Northern California, dining out, live theater.
Things you need to throw out: Clothes, for starters. The contents of my garage.


Things you need in order to write: A good idea and some quiet time in consecutive days.
Things that hamper your writing: Interruptions, lack of consecutive free days.

Things you love about writing: Everything. When I write, I feel like I am transported to a different place. Time flies by. Before I know it, the clock says 5 p.m.
Things you hate about writing: Editing and missing mistakes or inconsistencies.


Easiest thing about being a writer: The pure act of writing, when I am on fire.
Hardest thing about being a writer: Keeping all of the facts together when writing in the long form.

Words that describe you: Average, strong work ethic, persistent.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Stubborn, testy at times.

Favorite foods: Petrale Sole, scallops, salmon.
Things that make you want to throw up: Corned beef, oysters.

Favorite music: Rock and Roll.
Music that make your ears bleed: Heavy metal.

Favorite beverage: Wine
.
Something that gives you a pickle face: Most sugary drinks.

People you consider as heroes: Robert F. Kennedy
.
People with a big L on their foreheads: Current occupant of the White House.



Things you always put in your books: Descriptions of local historical places.

Things you never put in your books: Graphic sex.

Things to say to an author: Positive stuff.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I hate your book.

Favorite places you’ve been: China, most of Europe.

Places you never want to go to again: Florida.

Favorite genre: Legal mysteries.

Books you would ban: Science Fiction does not do a lot for me, but I wouldn’t ban it.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris
.
People you’d cancel dinner on: The current occupant of the White House.

Favorite things to do: Writing and walking.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Going to a party where there are only undesirable people.

Things that make you happy: Dinner with my family.

Things that drive you crazy: Constant arguments in a group setting.

Proudest moment: My own marriage and seeing my children get married to good spouses.
Most embarrassing moment: Forgetting someone’s name that I know very well.


Best thing you’ve ever done: Marrying my wife
.
Biggest mistake: Some investments in apartment houses in Phoenix.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Walking across a rope bridge over a deep gulf in Northern Ireland.

Something you chickened out from doing: Skydiving.

OTHER BOOKS BY KEN MALOVOS

Contempt of Court
Fatal Reunion
One Night In Amboise

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ken Malovos has been practicing law in Sacramento for over forty years. He spent twelve years with the Public Defender’s Office and twenty-five years as a business litigator. He now serves full-time as a mediator and arbitrator. He has written three previous Mike Zorich novels and has been recognized by Chanticleer Book Reviews as a First Prize Category winner in the legal genre of the Mystery and Mayhem competition and as a finalist in the Thriller and Suspense competition.




Connect with Ken:
Website  |  Goodreads


Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

FEATURED NOVEL: TRIGGER

ABOUT THE BOOK



Frank Marr was a good cop, until his burgeoning addictions to alcohol and cocaine forced him into retirement from the D.C. Metro police. Now, he’s barely eking out a living as a private investigator for a defense attorney–also Frank’s ex-girlfriend.

Ostracized by his family after a botched case that led to the death of his baby cousin, Jeffrey, Frank was on a collision course with rock bottom. Now clean and clinging hard to sobriety, Frank passes the time–and tests himself–by robbing the houses of local dealers, taking their cash and flushing their drugs down the toilet. When an old friend from his police days needs Frank’s help to prove he didn’t shoot an unarmed civilian, Frank is drawn back into the world of dirty cops and suspicious drug busts, running in the same circles that enabled his addiction those years ago.

Never one to play by the rules, Frank recruits a young man he nearly executed years before. Together–a good man trying not to go bad and a bad man trying to do good–detective and criminal charge headfirst into the D.C. drug wars. Neither may make it out.


Book Details:

Title: Trigger

Author: David Swinson

Genre: Suspense, thriller

Series: A Frank Marr novel, book 3

Publisher: Mulholland Books, (February 12, 2019)

Print length: 352 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

EXCERPT FROM TRIGGER


One



I never count the days. Why would I want to know how long it’s been since I quit? It’s only a reminder of what it is I’m trying to let go of. I loved the fucking lifestyle. I loved cocaine. Didn’t want to let it go. I still have cravings. Pops in my head like it’s a good thing, visit from an old friend, but all I got to do is remind myself of why it is I quit—because of all the people I hurt, even got killed. And yes, it is something I did for me, too, but not for the reasons you might think.

Sometimes what gets me through the day is doing what I’m best at.

It still gives me a rush, even more so without the cocaine high. You realize how reckless it is. Just how dangerous.

I slip on my tactical gloves, grab my suit jacket from the front seat, step out of the car. I put the suit jacket on, reach back in to take my backpack. I shoulder it and lock the car door. The house I’m going to is up the street, second from the corner, an unattached, paint-peeled, light-blue two-story with a large patio.

I ring the doorbell. Wait. Ring again. Open the storm door and knock on the door a few times.

When enough time passes so I feel comfortable, I take the tactical pry bar out of my backpack, wedge it in between the door and the frame, about half an inch below the dead bolt. I smack the heavy flattop of the handle hard with the palm of my hand, and with one solid push inward, I pry the door open, bending the dead bolt out with the door. I scan the area, slip the pry bar back in my pack, and enter. Once inside I stand and listen, then secure the backpack over my shoulders and quietly shut the door. There’s a fold-up chair leaning against the wall beside a filthy sofa. I take the chair and prop it against the door to keep it closed.

My stun gun is clipped to my belt at the small of my back. My Glock 19 is in a holster on my right side, but I don’t want to have to use it unless I find myself facing another gun. I’d figure out a good story after. That’s why the stun gun is preferable. Saves me having to think up a good story.

I’ve known about the occupants of this house since I was a detective working narcotics. It’s low-level. Detective Al Luna, my former partner at Narcotics Branch, and I hit it a couple of times. Sent a CI in to make a buy, then drafted an affidavit in support of a search warrant and rammed the door in the next day. A good quick hit, and we always got enough to make us look good when other work was slow. Luna’s still on the job. Me? Well, that’s another story.

Nothing has changed with how the boys in this house operate, except a couple of new faces that replaced the two who are doing a bit of time. They’re working the same park area a couple blocks north of here, where some of the local drunks and junkies still hang, but not near as many as back in the day. Gentrification has seen to that, pretty much cleaned everything up. Lot of the dealers had to change up their game. These guys didn’t have enough sense to. From what I’ve been able to learn, they haven’t been hit by the police in a while. That can be good for me.

What has changed is who the boys cater to and all the homes in this neighborhood, once vacant shells, now worth a million bucks. They’re dealing mostly to young clean-cut men and women who drive nice cars with Virginia tags and consider themselves social users, pulling up and making their deals without stepping out of the cars. Times change. Old street junkies die or go to jail for getting caught up in something bad. The boys gotta move up if they wanna make a living.

My cell phone vibrates inside my blazer’s inner pocket. Nearly sends me through the roof. I don’t pull it out. Instead I just let it go to voice mail.



Excerpt from by Trigger.  Copyright © 2018 by David Swinson. Reproduced with permission from . David Swinson. All rights reserved.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Swinson is a retired police detective, having served 16 years with the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He is the author of two previous novels featuring Frank Marr: The Second Girl and Crime Song. Swinson currently lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, daughter, bull mastiff, and bearded dragon.

Connect with David:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads 

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

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COVER REVEAL: STRANGE BLOOD

ABOUT THE BOOK

Strange Blood is an overview of the most offbeat and underrated vampire movies spanning nine decades and 23 countries.

Strange Blood encompasses well-known hits as well as obscurities that differ from your standard fang fare by turning genre conventions on their head. Here, vampires come in the form of cars, pets, aliens, mechanical objects, gorillas, or floating heads. And when they do look like a demonic monster or an aristocratic Count or Countess, they break the mold in terms of imagery, style, or setting.

Leading horror writers, filmmakers, actors, distributors, academics, and programmers present their favorite vampire films through in-depth essays, providing background information, analysis, and trivia regarding the various films. Some of these stories are hilarious, some are terrifying, some are touching, and some are just plain weird. Not all of these movies line up with the critical consensus, yet they have one thing in common: they are unlike anything you've ever seen in the world of vampires.

Just when you thought that the children of the night had become a tired trope, it turns out they have quite a diverse inventory after all.

Book Details:

Title: Strange Blood

Author: Vanessa Morgan

Genre: Horror

Published: Moonlight Creek Publishing (April 2019)

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH VANESSA MORGAN

Vanessa, what will readers love about this book?
More than 30 contributors wrote about their favorite vampire movie(s) for Strange Blood, and readers will love the variety of writing styles associated with this – it's an extremely entertaining and informative mix of essays. They'll also love that several film directors wrote about their own vampire films. Most of all, though, readers will discover many films to add to their to-watch list, and they'll be surprised to see how diverse and original the genre is.


What age group is this book for?
You need teeth to sink into a book about vampire movies. So if you're too young or too old to have teeth, Strange Blood is not for you.


Who is this book targeted to?
Strange Blood is for anyone who wants to discover new horror movies or likes to read about their favorites. And it's especially aimed at those people who think vampires are boring; this book will change that opinion for sure.


Did you do any research for this book?
I did a lot of research for my own film essays, because I wanted readers to learn something, even when they already know the film. This not only included reading every possible article and book written about the film, but also interviewing the filmmakers.


Where did you get your ideas for Strange Blood? Why vampires?
I got the idea for Strange Blood  in the beginning of 2018. I am a programmer for the Offscreen Film Festival in Belgium, and my boss suggested a theme around unusual vampire movies. Vampires were my least favorite monsters, or so I thought, so at first, I wasn't convinced. But as soon as I started looking into it, I realized how offbeat and original the genre was and that some of my favorite horror movies are, in fact, about vampires. It's just that the gems get buried under the large number of cliché stories. Strange Blood is a book about those gems.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vanessa Morgan is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books in the horror genre. Three of her stories (The Strangers Outside, Next to Her and A Good Man), have become movies. When she's not working on her latest book, you can find her reading, watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats.


Connect with Vanessa:
Newsletter  |  Twitter  |  Amazon  | Bookbub

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FEATURED AUTHOR: SUSAN HUNTER

ABOUT THE BOOK

True crime writer Leah Nash is stunned when police investigating the murder of a beautiful young college professor focus on her ex-husband Nick. Leah has no illusions about her ex, but despite his flaws, she just can’t see him as a killer. Reluctantly, she agrees to help Nick’s attorney prove that he isn’t.

But Nick’s lies make it hard to find the truth, and when a damning piece of evidence surfaces, Leah plunges into doubt. Is she defending an innocent man or helping a murderer escape? She pushes on to find out, uncovering hidden motives and getting hit by twists she never saw coming. Leah’s own flaws impede her search for the truth. When she finds it, will it be too late to prevent a devastating confrontation?

Dangerous Flaws is the fifth standalone book in the Leah Nash Mysteries series of complex, fast-paced murder mysteries. 




Book Details:


Title: Dangerous Flaws

Author: Susan Hunter   

Genre: Mystery

Series: Leah Nash Mysteries, book 5

Publisher: Himmel River Press (December 11, 2018)

Print length: 347 pages
On tour with: Partners in Crime Book Tours

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN HUNTER

Things you need in order to write: A pot of tea, a notebook next to my computer to jot notes on, a 25”x30” pad of sticky post-it paper on the wall to track plot points.
Things that hamper your writing: A sunny day that leads me to stare out the window at the river, instead of focusing on my writing.


Things you love about writing: Creating and populating a world with people I find interesting and that readers enjoy engaging with .
Things you hate about writing: Working out a tricky plot point, looming deadlines.

Things you love about where you live: Watching the river flow by, seeing eagles, egrets, herons and hawks swooping through the sky, storm clouds gathering and the normally placid river roiled up in white-cap waves, the peace and calm of an isolated setting that is actually inside the city limits.
Things that make you want to move: Hundreds and hundreds of migrating geese choosing to spend the night on the river for weeks in the fall and honking loudly and constantly all night long. 


Things you never want to run out of: Chocolate, books to read, music to stream.
Things you wish you’d never bought: A van, a telescope I never figured out how to use, an ebook reader that is very clumsy to use.


Words that describe you: Introvert, funny, soft-hearted.
Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Quick to judge, procrastinator, bossy.

Favorite beverage: Unsweetened iced tea.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Snowshoe shots (peppermint shots w/bourbon).

Favorite smell: Cinnamon.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Cabbage cooking.

Something you’re really good at: Writing.

Something you’re really bad at: Singing.


Something you wish you could do: Sing.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: How to make perfect popcorn, because the task now always falls to me.

Last best thing you ate: Butternut squash bisque.

Last thing you regret eating: Too many Christmas cookies.

Things you always put in your books: Favorite foods and hometown landmarks.

Things you never put in your books: Explicit sex, graphic violence.

Favorite places you’ve been: North Carolina—the Outer Banks; Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Places you never want to go to again: A cold, dank casita in Boulder City, Nevada.

Favorite genre: Any mysteries, but especially British mysteries and hard-boiled detective stories.

Books you would ban: None—every book isn’t for everybody, but every book should have a chance to find its audience.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: All of my family and friends, plus Sara Paretsky, Ann Cleeves, Michael Connelly, John Grisham . . . though not all on the same night.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Almost anyone—nothing personal, just that a card-carrying introvert like me almost always regrets agreeing to a social event. Even though we usually enjoy it when conscience guilts us into following through on our commitments. 

Favorite things to do: Reading, watching classic movies, spending time with family and friends.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Sitting in a badly chaired meeting where discussion is meandering, people talk just to hear themselves speak and nothing comes to closure. Also, going shopping for clothes. Or anything, really. Just shopping.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Hitchhiked to Nova Scotia.

Something you chickened out from doing: Riding a roller coaster on the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.

EXCERPT FROM DANGEROUS FLAWS

How did everything go so wrong? But then again, why did she ever think that this could come to anything but disaster? She knows now there are only a few ways this can end and none of them are good.

She sighs, then bends down to put the leash on Tenny, her crazy little mixed-breed dog, looking up at her with big brown eyes. He’s so happy and so oblivious. Despite her sense of coming catastrophe, she can’t help smiling at him. He begins wagging his tail, then dancing around eagerly in anticipation of his nightly run. She can barely get the leash hooked.

“Come on, then, you heartless beast. I’m in the worst situation of my life, and all you can think about is getting out and having fun. Tell me again why I bother with you?”

They leave and walk down the road—no sidewalks here—toward the county fairgrounds, an expanse of 80 acres just a short distance away. She loves the odd mix of town on one side of her home and country on the other.

She shivers a little. Her exhaled breath leaves a small trace of vapor in the air. Under the silvery light of the full moon, everything stands out in crystalline splendor: the piles of snow left by the plow, untouched yet by the dirt and grime of passing cars; bare branches of trees shimmering with frost; the stars themselves, flashing and glittering like sparkling beads sewn on the black night sky. It is incredibly beautiful. But she barely notices. She is too lost in thought.

Should she do as she threatened, confess and bring everything to a head? If she does, there’s no going back. And she isn’t the only one who will suffer—or be saved. Because isn’t it possible that freedom, not tragedy, will be the outcome? Things do, sometimes, turn out better than we expect. She feels a momentary spark of optimism, but it fades. This is too important for wishful thinking. She must be realistic. Once the truth is out, the consequences will be devastating. But this—the way she’s living now, lying, denying, pretending that everything is fine—is crushing her. So intent is she on her thoughts that she doesn’t hear the crunch of footsteps behind her.

Doesn’t notice the increasing agitation of her little dog. Doesn’t recognize the impending danger.

“I finally caught up with you.”

Startled, but not alarmed—she recognizes the voice—she turns.

“What are you doing here?”

“We didn’t finish. I need to know you understand.”

She doesn’t want to have this conversation. Not tonight. Not when her mind is so filled with jumbled and conflicting thoughts. Her reluctance shows on her face.

“You said you want to do the right thing. I do too, but you’re wrong about what it is. Please, let’s talk.”

“Tomorrow would be better. I—”

“No! It wouldn’t be!”

The words are said with such force that she takes an involuntary step backward. Tenny growls softly at her side.

“I’m sorry. But we’re talking about my life! Don’t I deserve a few minutes at least? I’ll walk with you. Please?”

She sighs. But now Tenny is pulling at his leash, eager to run free on the frozen surface of the pond.

“All right.” She slips off her gloves and bends down to release the dog. Her cold fingers fumble and his eager jumping makes it hard work. He spies something on the ice and springs forward with excitement. Both the collar and the leash come loose in her hands, and he dashes away.

She tucks them into her pocket as she stands. It’s then that she notices the barricades around a large hole in the frozen pond.

“I forgot about the Polar Plunge tomorrow. Let’s go that way, in case Tenny gets too close. The barriers should keep him out, but he’s a wily little devil.”

They walk around the edge of the pond. She is silent; she doesn’t interrupt. But she isn’t persuaded. Her focus turns inward, as she searches for the right words to explain. All the while she knows they will be unwelcome. As she struggles for a way to be both truthful and kind, she misses the rising tension in her companion’s voice. She doesn’t register the transition from desperation to danger.

A loud series of barks causes her to look up. Tenny is chasing a muskrat across the ice. Both of them are heading toward the barrier-shielded hole in the frozen pond. For the muskrat, it will mean escape. For Tenny, it will mean calamity.

“Tenny, no! Come here!” She runs out on the ice, calling him, moving as fast as she can on the slippery surface, trying to distract the dog. But intent on his prey, he ignores her. He dashes under the barricade just as the muskrat slips into the water to safety. Tenny slides to a stop, gives a few frustrated yips, then turns toward her. His expression clearly says, “Thanks a lot. I almost had him.”

She reaches the edge of the barricade and pushes it aside, holding out the leash and collar.

“Tennyson, come here right now.”

He makes as if to obey, but when she leans to get him, he scampers away. She calls him again.

He comes tantalizingly close, then eludes her grasp and retreats with a cocky grin on his face.

He likes this game.

She sets the collar and leash down on the ice. She gets on one knee and reaches in her pocket.

When her hand emerges, it’s holding a dog treat. In a honeyed, coaxing voice, she says, “Hey, Tenny. Look, sweetie! Your favorite, cheesy bacon.”

She stays very still as he approaches. When he gets within range, she intends to scoop him up, scold him, and never let him off the leash again. He moves slowly, maintaining eye contact with the treat, not her. She stretches her hand out ever so slightly. He streaks forward, snatches it from her open palm, and runs away across the pond. Then his attention is caught by a deer just reaching the middle of the ice. He gives chase.

She sighs with relief. At least he’s away from the open water. She starts to rise. Without warning, a strong shove from behind sends her sprawling. Her head hits the ice. She’s dazed for a second. Then terrified as another shove pushes her forward and into the hole cut in the pond.

The shock of hitting the water takes her breath away. The weight of her clothes pulls her down.

She struggles back to the surface, disoriented and confused. Her breathing is shallow and quick—too quick.

She swallows a mouthful of water and starts to choke. Panic rises. Her arms flail.

One hits something hard. The edge of the ice. Her fright lessens as she can see a way out.

She works her body around so she can grab the icy lip of the opening in the pond. She begins to move her legs, stretching out as though she were floating on her stomach. As she transitions from vertical to horizontal, she’s able to get one forearm on the ice. She tries to lift her knee. If she can get it on the ice—she’s too weak. The weight of her water-logged clothes pulls her back into the water. She feels the panic rising again. She pushes back against it with her desperate determination to survive.

She tries again, kicks her legs again, stretches out again, gets her forearms on the ice again.

But this time, she doesn’t try to lift herself. Instead, she begins to inch forward with a writhing motion, like a very slow snake crawling on the ground. She fights for every awkward, painful inch of progress. How long has it been? Five minutes? Ten? Twenty? It feels like forever.

Her arms are numb. Tiny icicles in her hair slap gently against her face as she twists and turns her body out of the water. Tenny is nearby. He’s barking, and then he’s by her left arm, tugging at her sleeve.

“No, no, Tenny, get back.” She thinks she is shouting, but the words are a whisper. She has to rest, just for a minute. She stops. She closes her eyes. But as her cheek touches the ice, Tenny’s bark calls her back to life. She will not give up. She will not die this way, this night.

Again, she begins her hesitating progress forward. She can do this. She will do this. Almost her entire upper body is on the ice now. Just a little longer, just a few more inches, just another—hands grab her shoulders. Someone has come. Someone is pulling her to safety. As she turns her head to look up, she realizes the hands aren’t pulling, they’re pushing, pushing, pushing her back.

No, no, no, no! She tries to fight, but she has nothing left. She’s in the water.

The hands lock onto her shoulders like talons. They push her down, down, down. Water enters her mouth; her throat closes over. She can’t breathe. The last sound she hears from far, far away is Tenny’s mournful bark. Then darkness closes in.

*** Excerpt from Dangerous Flaws by Susan Hunter. Copyright © 2018 by Susan Hunter. Reproduced with permission from Susan Hunter. All rights reserved.

OTHER BOOKS BY SUSAN HUNTER

Dangerous Habits – Leah Nash Mysteries, Book 1
Dangerous Mistakes – Leah Nash Mysteries, Book 2
Dangerous Places – Leah Nash Mysteries, Book 3
Dangerous Secrets – Leah Nash Mysteries, Book 4

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Hunter is a charter member of Introverts International (which meets the 12th of Never at an undisclosed location). She spent five years as an award-winning journalist, earning first place recognition for investigative reporting and enterprise/feature reporting. 

Susan has also taught composition at the university level, written advertising copy, newsletters, press releases, speeches, web copy, academic papers, and memos. Lots and lots of memos. She lives in rural Michigan with her husband Gary, who is a man of action, not words. 

During certain times of the day, she can be found wandering the mean streets of small-town Himmel, Wisconsin, looking for clues, stopping for a meal at the Elite Cafe, dropping off a story lead at the Himmel Times Weekly, or meeting friends for a drink at McClain's Bar and Grill.

Connect with Susan:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

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