Friday, March 15, 2013

Amy Metz - Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction is featured in HBS Mystery Reader's Circle

Amy Metz is in the HBS Mystery Book Reader's Circle.


Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Humor, Romance

Website: Amy Metz, author
Author's Blog: A Blue Million Books
Twitter: @authoramymetz
E-Mail: amy@amymetz.com.
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
LinkedIn: Check Out LinkedIn
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
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Author Description:
Amy Metz is the mother of two sons and is a former first grade teacher. When not actively engaged in writing, enjoying her family, or spoiling her dog and two granddogs, Amy can usually be found with a mixing spoon, camera, or book in her hands. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky.


Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction

Author: Amy Metz

Amazon
Barnes and Noble


An Old Mystery In 1932, John Hobb, father of four, is a witness to a bank robbery. He identifies the robbers and testifies against them. They are later pardoned by the governor. In 1935, Hobb is found in his idling car by the side of the road, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The circumstances surrounding his death are a mystery, and the killer is unknown. In 2010, John Hobb's murder is still unsolved when Tess Tremaine moves into his former house. She finds a job at the local bookstore, which is owned by Lou Stafford, the youngest daughter of John Hobb. During renovations to the old house, Tess finds a mysterious old key, labeled "trunk." Mayhem ensues when she attempts to find the owner of the key: Her house is broken into twice, but nothing is taken; she finds cigarette butts and footprints outside a bedroom window; she gets threatening phone calls and ominous messages in the mail; she and a friend are attacked on the street. All of this has the opposite reaction than was intended--it doesn't scare her away, it strengthens her resolve to find John Hobb's murderer.


"Very rarely do you find an author who can respectively capture the essence of the south and that quaint southern charm, but Amy Metz has done just that. Jennifer of Southern Belle"This book is pure southern charm and had me longing for a glass of sweet tea and the friendship of these wonderful characters. So excited this is the first in a series...just fantastic!"
Melissa Lapierre, Mochas, Mysteries and More

"Well, gracious me! This book made my week! Excellent plot. This is a murder mystery (with romance and humor) I wouldn't mind reading over and over again. It's that good!"
Ara of My Book And My Coffee

The author has created a cast of characters that are quirky and lovable, their southern charm, crazy antics and hysterical dialogue will keep you in stitches.
Kathleen of Jersey Girls Book Reviews

"What a treasure...Enticed by a mystery, riveted to the swoon-worthy romance, and tickled by the 'countrified' life, I was thoroughly entertained on all levels."
--Carmen Pacheco, The Reading Café


Excerpt:

If brains were dynamite, Willy couldn’t blow his nose. Could a murderer be that stupid? Jack can charm the dew right off the honeysuckle. Could a murderer be a fine southern gentleman? Told with southern humor, Murder And Mayhem In Goose Pimple Junction is a murder mystery that will keep you guessing and laughing until the very end.

Starting a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, Tess Tremaine tries to learn the foreign language of southern speak and to resist her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, while dealing with the strange things that happen to her when she begins looking into a seventy-five-year-old murder. A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy are the background of the mystery which Tess and Jack attempt to solve. As Tess gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, and a lot of southern charm. Her quest to find answers brings her friends, enemies, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.

Combining mystery, a little romance, and a lot of southern humor, Murder And Mayhem In Goose Pimple Junction is the first in a series set in the zany fictional town of Goose Pimple Junction
To see a complete Author Profile on the HBS Author's Spotlight, CLICK HERE.

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

Stacy Eaton - Garda – Welcome to The Realm is featured on HBS Mystery Reader's Circle

Stacy Eaton is in the HBS Mystery Book Reader's Circle.


Author Genre: Crime, Thriller and Mystery

Website: Stacy Eaton
Author's Blog: Stacy Eaton, Author
Twitter: @StacySEaton
E-Mail: Mybloodrunsblue@aol.com
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
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Author Description:
Stacy is a full-time Police Officer who enjoys crime scene investigation above all else. She also owns a business that deals with helping people get the awareness out for the causes they care most about. She is a mother of two and her husband is also in law enforcement. She is very much into photography and carries her Nikon Digital SLR with her almost everywhere, just in case. She also has two Shiloh Shepherd dogs and loves to play catch with them.

Stacy uses her experience at work to make the stories more believable. Weaving bits of crime solving knowledge into her stories of fiction to make them more lifelike. She writes using a unique style that keeps you in the minds of all the important characters.

Switching back and forth from mind to mind to keep the readers aware of what each character is feeling and why they do the things they do.

Her first book, My Blood Runs Blue was the start of her writing career. It brings the world of law enforcement into the paranormal world of vampires. It is a suspenseful adult series that will keep you guessing from chapter to chapter.

Garda – Welcome to The Realm

Author: Stacy Eaton
Book Trailer: Garda – Welcome to The Realm
Amazon


“He is my destiny." There is a place that lies between heaven and Earth, it is called The Realm. Within this place, the Guards of Peace, known as Garda Síochána, learn to guide and protect the ones that live below until they are called home. Officer Corey Hamilton is dedicated to being the best that she can be, in uniform and out. Her loving nature, compassionate thoughts, and warrior strength make her the perfect candidate to join the Garda Síochána and spend her eternity protecting and guiding others. Just before Corey dies in a line-of-duty accident, she meets Officer Mitchell O’Reilly. Her feelings for him may change her destiny, but not for the better, as she falls in love with this married man. Brock, Corey’s personal Garda, will bring her home to The Realm and attempt to train her for her future, even while she still fights for her past. Will Brock be able to direct Corey down the right path, or will she cross the line and fall from grace? Join Corey, Mitchell, and Brock for an emotional and heart-pounding adventure that is sure to make you wonder if angels are really guiding us in our everyday lives.


Stacy Eaton's first novel in the new Guardian Angel Series "Garda - Welcome to the Realm" is told in a first person narrative that makes the story more personalized. It is an exciting read that grabbed my attention from the get-go. Told in "sections" instead of chapters, there is, at times, a bit of overlap in each person's story. You would think that this might make for a repetitive story, but, in reality, it only helps to express each emotion, each situation, with more clarity and more feeling. It enhances the book in a way that is very difficult to pull off. Kudo's to Stacy for that.

Police Officer Coralenna Hamilton (Corey) is well known for her angelic face and body. She is a very strong woman, not only in her field, but also as a person. Falling in love with an unavailable Mitch, her loyalty and strength of character are tested one way after another. When Corey passes away due to an accident in the line of duty, she learns of a whole new level of living, as a Guardian Angel.

Mitchell O'Reily (Mitch) is a fellow officer who hides his own secrets, secrets that lead to his falling in love with Corey. Also a loyal and fair person, Mitch must fight his own demons. After blaming himself for Corey's death, will he make the right choices?

Brock is Corey's Garda. He has watched over her for many years and must continue to do so after Corey's passing. Brock too holds his own secrets, ones that could tear the love of his life away from him as he watches over her to help her make the right decisions, ones that could change her afterlife, and his.

Chase (Mitchell's son), Beth (Mitchell's wife), Montgomery (Brock's Garda) and David (fellow Garda) may not be main characters, but their interactions make sure you will never regard them as bit players either. These characters help give the story more depth and show you a whole new level of loyalty, love and friendship.

Joey is another fellow officer of Mitchell and Corey. He is more than he seems, but in what way?

I can't forget to give a mention to The Maker and the Os Malos. The Maker is a vague but commanding presence that alludes to the creator, but never lets you see beyond what you may have imagined. The Os Malos are the evil ones. They try everything possible to drag the good people over to their side, willingly or not! If you can think of a trick, they will probably already have tried it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was set at a good pace, never boring, but never rushed. I wanted to keep reading long after I was done. It is an action filled book with much emotion. I laughed, I cried and I yelled (although other than my hubby, I don't think anyone else heard me *Grin*). This book has a romance in it that I can't wait to read more about. The next book in this series can't come fast enough. I highly recommend it.

Simply amazed.

This story is one of the best I have read in a long time. From the opening scene I was drawn in and completely intrigued by the concept. The characters are strong and realistic in both worlds. I have to say it's the read of the year and whether you enjoy love stories or celstial stories or a good cop story, you will enjoy this. Stacy is an amazing author and has a knack of touching your heart and soul in this book. My heart stopped several times, literally. Cannot wait to see if there will be another, because I would love to see more of Coraline and Brock, but especially David.


Excerpt:

Mitchell ~

The smell of rotten garbage tickled my nose, I exhaled to clear it. Walking lightly in the dark shadows of the alley, I peered around the corner of the large commercial dumpster, my gun drawn, heavy in my hands and pointed low. A rat scurried away. I moved on. The target I wanted could be classified as vermin, but he was larger, much larger.

I had been directed to stay put at the end of the alley near the road in case he came that way, but after debating with myself, I left my post in search of the suspect. A nagging voice inside my head told me I should have stayed where I was, but I continued to ignore it.

Sirens in the distance and the just-audible chatter over the radio kept me in tune with where everyone else was. The suspect, who was wanted for aggravated assault, had fled from police after a brief struggle. Now he hid among the dark alleys of the small city.

The sound of footsteps pummeling the ground reached me, and I moved towards the sound. A second set could be heard moving just as fast, if not faster, behind it. Static from a radio echoed around the corner, moving closer. The pounding on the pavement grew louder, and I peeked around the brick wall, the back of my shirt snagging on the rough brick behind me.

The suspect was heading this way, his arms pumping hard, close to his body, his feet beating the trash-strewn alleyway while he tried to outrun the person behind him.

The size of his body blocked most of my view, but I heard the telltale sounds of a radio and the clapping of metal on metal as cuffs banged against each other with each downward motion. I knew the sounds of one of my own.

I braced myself to step out and intercept the subject. My timing was crucial: If I went too soon, he could avoid me, too late, and he could ram right into me before he saw the barrel of my forty-caliber Glock pointed at him.

I glanced around the corner one last time, sucking in a quick breath. I pushed off the wall and pivoted into the path of the oncoming fugitive, my gun pointed straight out in front of me as he closed the gap between us.

Surprise registered on his face. He straightened, trying to halt his forward movement, his feet skidded on the damp asphalt. The knowledge that he was now trapped between two cops crossed the features of his sweaty face, and the whites of his eyes grew large. My mouth opened to speak just as his body pitched forward, a pair of small arms wrapped around his broad chest from behind. He slammed to the ground, hard.

A grunt of pain was expelled into the air. I was not sure if it came from him or the person on his back. My gun now pointed down at the subject, I blinked at the sight, twice.

Now on her knees over the suspect, the pursuing officer grabbed one of his hands from above his head, yanking it hard to the center of his back. The guy’s face came off the ground, wincing in pain from the quick movement.

“Give me your cuffs,” she called out.

I holstered my gun, grabbed my cuffs from the pouch on my duty belt, and handed them down to her. Quite mesmerized by the scene playing out in front of me, I did nothing more than continue to watch her.
This woman dressed in a police uniform, probably half the weight of the guy on the ground, had not only chased him down, but had tackled him face first to the ground. Okay, that was kind of hot. No, that was smoking hot!

“I didn’t do anything!” the apprehended subject screamed.

I watched as she pulled his other arm behind his back just as roughly as she had the first, her chest still heaving from her foot pursuit.

She looked up at me, her face covered in shadows, “You mind?”

Broken out of my admiration by her words, I moved to her side while she climbed off the suspect’s back. Together we pulled him to his feet.
“Man, you made me hit my head! I’m bleeding!”

“Sucks to be you, huh?” Her face lifted to the suspect, then she glanced at me before she looked down at her radio microphone clipped to the front of her shirt.

Twenty-nine Paul Six, one in custody, alleyway south of Ridge Avenue.”

As she yanked the guy forward, he stumbled, and I realized she only came up to his shoulder.

“Copy Twenty-nine Paul Six, do you need a car for transport?” the radio crackled to life.

“Paul Six, yeah, and the suspect will also need EMS attention, laceration to the head from a fall.”

“Twenty-nine Paul Six, copy EMS.” The dispatcher paused and then continued. “Twenty- nine Paul Six, also, when you are clear, you have a domestic pending.”

“Paul Six, I copy, I’ll be clear soon.” She pulled the guy’s arm harder which forced him to walk faster. With my hand wrapped around his other elbow, I peeked around the suspect’s body to her. She was almost as tall as my five foot seven stature, not petite, but not wide. From what I had just observed, she was in damned good shape. A section of long light-blond hair that had pulled out of the neat knot at the back of her neck lay along the side of her face, hiding her features from me.

Tires screeched to a halt at the end of the alley. Flashing lights from a patrol car bounced off the brick walls. I turned to her again. She pushed the hair behind her ear, her jaw was locked, and a muscle twitched in the side of her cheek while red and blue lights reflected off her clear skin.

“You guys alright?” a voice I recognized called out from the street.

“Hey, Joe, can you take it from here? I need to get going, got another call,” she yelled down the alley.

“Sure, I got it. Good job, thanks for your help.” My partner, Joe Corby, jogged over to us, taking the guy’s arm as she stepped away.

“No problem, you need anything else from me?”

We stepped out of the alleyway. Under bright street lights, other police cars were pulling up to our location. I couldn’t pull my intent survey from her as she backed away, the hair she had pushed behind her ear fell forward as she turned. The urge to reach out and tuck the shiny lock back itched my hand.

“Just a supplement from you. Who took him into custody?” Joe asked her as he pulled open the rear door, prodding the suspect into the back. I let go, never looking away from her.

“Get my report to you later. Ask your partner, he was there.” She smiled and for the first time made direct eye contact with me. Her step faltered and her eyebrows came down just the smallest amount. Her smile faded, and her mouth opened just the tiniest bit into an O shape.

Two very dark eyes bore into mine for three brief seconds. A bolt of electricity zipped through my body, straight to my heart. She stopped moving backwards, cocked her head, and slowly smiled again.

With a quick turn, she spun on her heel and started jogging down the street in search of her patrol car that she’d ditched to pursue the subject on foot.

I watched her until she turned the corner a block away.

“So, what happened?” Joe asked after he closed the back door.

“Who was that?” I countered his question with one of my own.

“Who, the bozo you just arrested?” He started making his way to the driver’s door.

I rolled my eyes at his back, “No, I know who he is. The woman—who was that woman?”

Joe smiled at me over the roof of the car, “Ah, yes, amazing isn’t she?” He climbed into the driver’s seat, putting down the passenger window. “You getting in, Mitch? Or do you plan on walking back to the station?”

I pulled open the door, sliding my wide frame into the tight passenger seat.

“She tackled him.” I laughed, for the first time replaying the scene in my mind of her diving onto his back and going down to the ground fast.

Blue Blood For Life

Book Two of the My Blood Runs Blue Series


Author: Stacy Eaton
Book Trailer: Blue Blood For Life

Amazon


“You belong to me… for life…”

After a month off, Kristin comes back to work happier then she’s been in a long time. Her new status in life has her solving crimes faster and better than she ever could before. When Alex goes missing, Kristin finds she finally has to reveal the secrets of her life to her friends. Will they be able to stand beside her after they learn all that she has hidden from them?

Julian and Gabe stand beside her faithfully as they try to locate Alex. They are surprised to find Trent already in Fawn Hollow, but know that Trent may be the only one to do what Alex has asked them to do. As one more choice is taken away from Kristin, she attempts to make the best of it, but finds herself drawn to Trent in a way Julian and Alexander could never compare to. Trent goes to work with Kristin to keep her safe but will he be able to handle all that her police world entails?

Can he handle the side of her that she reveals, the one that Alex and Julian know nothing about? When Kristin and Trent uncover the connection between her job and the kidnapping, they are finally able to put the pieces together, but can they get to Alex fast enough? Will Kristin be able to handle rescuing Alex and all that she learns in the process? Join Kristin, Julian, Trent and Alexander as they dive into a new mystery that will have you turning the pages quickly to find out who is responsible and how Kristin’s life is forever changed once again.


Chapter 19 – Kristin’s Shift

I pulled my vest out of my locker and put it over my head just as he finally spoke.

“Why are you wearing that?”

I glanced at him quickly then turned my back to pull my shirt out of my locker.

“Everyone knows I am religious about wearing my vest. It saves lives, and it would seem kind of strange if all of a sudden I stop wearing it now.”
“Makes sense,” was all he said in return.

John walked into the station then and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Trent.

Trent stood up straight and looked John over from head to toe. I almost laughed as I felt the male testosterone filling up the room.

“Hey, John, this is Trent. He works for Alex and wanted to see how the big boys do it.” I smiled at him, and John seemed to relax and walked forward to shake Trent’s hand.

I heard Trent make a gruff sound at my explanation of his being here. I’m sure he loved my use of “big boys.” I bit back a smile.

John filled me in on his day. Not much going on; some alarms and ambulance calls, nothing major. Trent followed me out of the station as I walked out to the garage to pull out my patrol vehicle. He was lucky that I drove an Expedition as his large frame would have been a tight squeeze in the Charger or Crown Vic patrol cars that we had.

As I was logging on to the computer a car pulled up into the driveway. I looked up and saw that it was an elderly woman, and she pulled up next to me and rolled down her window. I smiled. I knew who she was and what this was going to be about. Perfect.

“Officer Greene, I’m so glad you are on duty. Buffy has taken off again. Do you mind?”

I knew exactly what she wanted me to do. Her little dog had taken off into the park woods again and with her bad hip, she couldn’t venture out to bring her in.

“Mrs. Valero, I would be more than happy to bring Buffy home.” I smiled back at her.

“Oh, thanks, dear. She’s getting restless again. I think they are back,” she said quietly in an awe-filled expression.

I laughed. If she only knew. “No problem. I’ll bring her home in a little while.” I drove off toward the park, typing a message to my dispatcher over the MDC that we had in the car. Our Mobile Dispatch Computers connected us with a lot of information, from our direct connection with our dispatchers and other officers to information on stolen items and car and driver information.

“Who is back again?” Trent asked me as I pulled off the roadway to drive through the grass along the tree line. I couldn’t help but laugh, “Oh, just wait.”

I pulled up along the tree line and hit my air horn twice. Then I climbed out of the truck and whistled loudly in the air. “Buffy, come here!” I shouted and could hear fast little feet tramping over brush and sticks back in the woods. Buffy always came to me.

The little dog wasn’t more than twelve pounds soaking wet and she came bounding out of the brush and right into my waiting arms. She was always happy to see me. I walked around the truck and opened the passenger door. Trent looked at me funny as I handed over the fuzzy little dog.

“Trent, meet Buffy. Buffy, the vampire slayer.” His eyes opened wide as he stared down at the little dog in his lap.

Buffy, in turn, growled at him and pulled her front lip up, baring her sharp canine teeth.

Her entire body vibrated with the growl as she stared him down. The look on Trent’s face was so priceless that I could do nothing but laugh.

“Are you kidding me?” he asked as I closed the door and started back for the driver’s side of the truck. I was still laughing when I got into the seat, and Buffy was still staring Trent down and growling low at him.

“Nope. Buffy knows when the vampires are here.” I put the car in drive and started heading out of the park to take the dog home. Trent sat very stiffly holding the dog as she continued to growl at him. I just kept laughing. This was just a perfect call.
To see a complete Author Profile on the HBS Author's Spotlight, CLICK HERE.

Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the HBS Author's Spotlight
plus the industry blog: eBook Author's Corner.
Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Jake Needham - THE UMBRELLA MAN is featured on HBS Mystery Reader's Circle



Jake Needham is in the HBS Mystery Book Reader's Circle.


Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers Author

Website: Jake Needham
Author's Blog: Jake Needham blog
Twitter: @jakeneedham
E-Mail: JakeNeedham@jakeneedham.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
LinkedIn: Check Out LinkedIn
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Post with Profile + Q/A: HBS Author's Spotlight

Author Description:
JAKE NEEDHAM is an American screen and television writer who began writing crime novels when he realized he didn't really like movies and television very much. He is a lawyer by education. Prior to becoming a screenwriter through a series of accidents too ridiculous to be believed, he held a number of significant positions in both the pubic and private sectors where he took part in a lengthy list of international operations he has no intention of telling you about. Mr. Needham has lived and worked in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand for over twenty years. He, his wife, and their two sons divide their time between homes in Bangkok and New York. You can read excerpts from Jake Needham's other books as well as his weekly column, 'Letters from Asia,' at his web site: www.JakeNeedham.com.

THE UMBRELLA MAN

An Inspector Samuel Tay Novel


Author: Jake Needham

Amazon
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The first bomb cracked the Hilton like an egg; the second gutted the lobby of the Marriott; and the third peeled the front off the Grand Hyatt. Three massive explosions, all at American hotels in the heart of the city, and all within a few horrifying seconds. Hundreds are dead and thousands are injured. Singapore is bleeding. Inspector Samuel Tay is a senior inspector in the Special Investigation Section of Singapore CID, but he is frozen out of this investigation from the beginning. He's made serious enemies in Singapore's Internal Security Department, and he has even more enemies at the American embassy, so Tay is assigned routine cases while his colleagues join with the CIA and the FBI in a feverish search for the bombers. Three days after the explosions, the smell of death still sticky in the city's air, Tay is sent to a run-down apartment near the Malaysian border where two children have found the body of a Caucasian male with a broken neck. Tay feels an immediate connection with the dead man, although he doesn't think he has ever seen him before. As Tay searches the dead man's past for clues to who he was and who his killer might have been, Tay's own past begins to give up its secrets. A long-dead father he can barely remember reaches out of the grave to point to the truth about both the murdered man and the bombings. And the horror of Singapore's destruction becomes a personal horror for Samuel Tay.
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“One of the distinctive strengths of Needham’s novels is that he has the urban landscape of Asia down cold. In his power to bring the street-level flavor of contemporary Asian cities to life, Needham is Michael Connelly with steamed rice.” – The Bangkok Post
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The opening chapter of THE UMBRELLA MAN is available as a PDF for browsing online. Here is the link: THE UMBRELLA MAN


A WORLD OF TROUBLE

(A Jack Shepherd crime thriller)


Author: Jake Needham

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
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Jack Shepherd was sick of Washington politics, sick of corporate law, and even a little sick of himself. So he hit the road looking for a new start, made a couple of wrong turns, and somehow wound up in Hong Kong. Now he needs a job, and being General Chalerm Kitnarock's lawyer is a job, so he takes it. Shepherd could certainly have done a lot worse for himself. Charlie Kitnarok is the world's ninety-eighth richest man. But he's also a former prime minister of Thailand now living in exile in Dubai. When he's not making money, he's plotting his return to political power. For Shepherd, that could be a real problem. Thailand already has a prime minister, and she's a woman with whom Shepherd once had a brief relationship. It will get particularly messy if, as Shepherd suspects, Charlie is smuggling arms to his supporters and intends to use the Thai army to seize control of the country. Can Shepherd keep his two friends from destroying each other and prevent Thailand from sliding into chaos? Thailand is hurtling closer and closer to a bloody civil war. And as unlikely as it may sound, Jack Shepherd is probably the only person on earth who can stop it.
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The opening chapter of the A WORLD OF TROUBLE - is available as a PDF for browsingonline. Here is the link: A WORLD OF TROUBLE
To see a complete Author Profile on the HBS Author's Spotlight, CLICK HERE.

Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the HBS Author's Spotlight
plus the industry blog: eBook Author's Corner.
Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Melissa Foster - Traces of Kara is featured on HBS Mystery Reader's Circle



Melissa Foster is in the HBS Mystery Book Reader's Circle.


Author Genre: Literature & Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Melissa Foster
Author's Blog: Melissa Foster Blog
Blog: The Womens Nest
Twitter: @Melissa_Foster
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Post with Profile + Q/A: HBS Author's Spotlight

Author Description:
Award-winning, bestselling author Melissa Foster is a touchstone for the indie publishing community and a tireless advocate for women. She is the founder of the World Literary Café, Fostering Success, and The Women’s Nest , as well as a Community Builder for the Alliance of Independent Authors . Melissa writes emotionally-driven contemporary fiction and suspense with passionate characters that remain with the reader long after they’ve read the last words. Melissa is a friend, mentor, brownie connoisseur, and book fiend.

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children, she's written for Calgary's Child Magazine and Women Business Owners Magazine, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family. Melissa's interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping women see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Traces of Kara

Author: Melissa Foster
Book Trailer: Traces of Kara
Amazon
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From International bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster comes her newest pulse-pounding thriller and Kindle Bestseller (Amazon US & UK)

Kara Knight can't wait to leave her hometown for the promise of nursing school and a fresh start on her future--leaving behind an over protective mother, a broken heart and painful memories. However, twenty-five miles away, the twin she doesn't know exists is determined to be reunited with the sister he cannot forget.

Kara is abducted and thrown into her obsessive captor's delusional world. As the past she thought she knew unravels around her, Kara struggles to make sense of the memories that come creeping back, threatening her sanity and her safety. Meanwhile, Kara's mother races against time to save the daughter she fears she will lose when a long-held secret is revealed. The hours tick away as her captor plays out his plan--to take Kara with him into death at the exact moment of their birth, never to be separated again.

TRACES OF KARA is an action packed, pulse pounding psychological thriller/suspense novel that features a determined killer who slowly loses his grip on reality as his carefully detailed plan starts to fall apart and a heroine determined to move forward with her life who now must reconcile everything she believed to be true about her family with the reality of their tragic past.
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Reviews

"What sets Melissa Foster apart are her compelling characters who you care about... desperately. This is psychological suspense at its most chilling. I dare you to read the first chapter and not be hooked."
International bestseller, M.J. Rose

"Psychological suspense at its best, weaving a tight-knit plot, unrelenting action, and tense moments that don't let up, ending in a fiery, unpredictable revelation." Midwest Book Review

"TRACES OF KARA is a twisted, eerily atmospheric tale with an ending that will shock you." Author Barbara Taylor Sissel

"Hannibal Lector, Freddie Kruger and the Tami Hoag villains combined with the emotional bond of Jody Picoult, Jane Fitch, and Steel Magnolia." Author Clare Ayala

"TRACES OF KARA is a minute by minute thriller...[it] will test your bravery, loyalty and make you want to hug your own family." Stephanie, Beauty Brite Blog
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Chapter One

He sat on the edge of his queen-sized bed, the morning light streaming across his knees as it crept between the slats of the metal blinds. His dirty t-shirt hung loose over his protruding stomach. His thick, hulking shoulders rounded forward, lifting and falling with each heavy breath. He could feel the photographs on the wall opposite the bed calling out to him, taunting him. He clenched his fingers until his gnawed-off nails dug into his palms. He leaned forward, the streaks of sun shooting across the room and bouncing off the mirror with blinding heat.

He pushed himself off the bed with a groan, arching his chest forward in an awkward stretch. Each day the waiting became more difficult, weighing on him, suffocating his thoughts. His greasy brown hair stuck to his forehead in thin strands as he turned to face the wall opposite the bed. The edges of his lips curled upward in a sinister grin. He lumbered forward and leaned his enormous palms against the wooden dresser. His eyes, riveted to the photographs that surrounded the tall mirror, narrowed and widened as they shifted from one photograph to the next. His heartbeat quickened. He reached one sausage-like finger up and ran it over the beautiful blonde woman’s hair.

“Marissa,” he whispered.

He dropped his finger to the map he’d spent weeks poring over, memorizing, scrutinizing. He knew every inch of the town where she lived, the route she took to work.

He clenched his teeth, thinking about the bastard who’d been taunting her. Roland’s chest tightened and his hands fisted. It would be so easy to snap his wormy little neck, or to introduce him to the riverbed, face first, until his body went limp. Sweat beaded down the back of Roland’s neck. He reached for a particular picture, worn and gray with age, the veins in his massive forearms bursting with adrenaline. In the picture his child-self beamed. His arm was around Marissa, the newly formed scars and disfigurement on the right side of his face angry and pink. He hated the way Marissa looked, as if she were pulling away from him. Roland rubbed the photo of Marissa with his calloused thumb. The paper beneath was crinkled, faded, from this habit. He was careful never to rub over her face. He closed his eyes, slowing his breathing to an even pace. He had to bide his time, or his plan would fall apart. It had taken him eight years to track down Marissa, and eight months to develop his plan—a plan to keep them from ever being separated again.

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It was another rainy, gray afternoon, the kind that drained the energy right out of most people—but not Kara Knight. Kara had a smile on her lips and a thin white envelope in her hands. She bit her lower lip, running her finger across the return address: University of North Carolina. She’d waited weeks to see if she’d been accepted to nursing school, and if she opened the envelope now, she’d have her answer. Her nerves were afire. What if she didn’t get in? She’d be stuck in this Podunk town forever. Her dreams were bigger than the small industrial town of Williamsport, Maryland, and she hoped to break free from the heartbreak that surrounded her like an inescapable fog. The edges of her smile drew south. She flipped the letter over in her hands, playing with the edge of the seal. She couldn’t bear the thought of not getting accepted. Kara pulled open a kitchen drawer, dropped the letter in, and slammed it closed. She turned away with a loud sigh, then turned back, reaching for the drawer. Even if she was rejected, she’d be damned if she’d be stuck in this crappy little place for another twelve months. A rejection would be a minor setback, not a deal breaker.

Kara took a deep breath, pulled the drawer open, and picked up the letter with shaking hands. “Here goes,” she whispered, and tore open the envelope. Her eyes slipped over the contents, her heartbeat quickening with each word. “Yes!” She pumped her fist, jumping up and down. “Shit!” She laughed, and reread the acceptance letter. “I did it. I freaking did it.”

Excitement danced in her chest. This was just the beginning. Soon she would submit her resignation at the power plant and start her new life. The job at the plant was a stopgap, a means to an end. She had begun working there shortly after she and Daryl were married, pushing her desire to complete school aside for the need to generate an income. She’d tried to do it all—work, go to school, and maintain her relationship with Daryl—but Daryl had felt neglected, and something had to give. School was that something. Now, she wished she’d had the foresight to see that Daryl hadn’t been ready for a monogamous commitment any more than she’d been ready to give up her dreams.

Kara felt her face glow. She was on her way. Now there was nothing standing between her and a real future. She set the open letter on the counter, grabbed her light blue windbreaker, and headed for the door of her second-story apartment.

Kara reached for the doorknob just as the phone rang. Mom. Her hand hovered over the knob. Her mother had taken to calling her three times each day since she and Daryl had separated. The last thing she needed today was her mother prodding her to fall back into Daryl’s arms. Kara didn’t have the heart not to answer. Sighing, she walked back to the phone that hung on the wall by the stove.

“Hi, Mom.” Her mother hadn’t been supportive of her applying to a nursing school that was so far away. Kara wasn’t sure if her lack of support was driven by her crazy notion that one day Kara might actually take Daryl back, or by her desire for her only child to remain nearby. Whatever the reason, Kara had a plan and she was sticking with it. Nothing Mimi said would dissuade her from moving on with her life.

“Oh, good, I caught you. Ted wanted to know if you could come get those boxes from the recreation room. He wants to set up a dart game with—”

“Yeah, sure. Tomorrow, when my car gets out of the garage.” She tapped her foot, anxious to tell her mother her news.

“Kara, it’s been two months.”

After two years of marriage, Kara’s worst fear had come true—Daryl had been having an affair. He’d lied to her about Kelly Parnell, and though her mother didn’t want to believe that he would be unfaithful, her marriage was over. Kara was well aware that it was taking her longer to pull her life together than Ted, her stepfather, might have liked.

Ted had not been happy about her moving back in with them after he’d finally had her mother all to himself, and the tension had been thick between them. Then, when she’d finally moved out, he’d made no bones about his displeasure at her leaving items behind, though she’d had no other choice.

Megan's Way

Author: Melissa Foster
Book Trailer: Megan's Way

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What would you give up for the people you love?

When Megan Taylor, a single mother and artist, receives the shocking news that her cancer has returned, she'll be faced with the most difficult decision she's ever had to make. She'll endure an emotional journey, questioning her own moral and ethical values, and the decisions she'd made long ago. The love she has for her daughter, Olivia, and her closest friends, will be stretched and frayed.

Meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Olivia's world is falling apart right before her eyes, and there's nothing she can do about it. She finds herself acting in ways she cannot even begin to understand. When her internal struggles turn to dangerous behavior, her life will hang in the balance.

Megan's closest friends are caught in a tangled web of deceit. Each must figure out how, and if, they can expose their secrets, or forever be haunted by their pasts.

"[Foster] drew me into this amazing tale easily, with masterful yet not overly complex language that flows beautifully into a story one will remember always...Though clearly creatures of fiction, the characters in Megan's Way are wonderfully three-dimensional, brought vividly to life by Foster's careful details, from their unique back stories to the idiosyncrasies that make each person believable and real. To put it succinctly, Foster knows her stuff.

Whether conveying Megan's soulful struggle over continuing her treatment, or delving into the fears of a teenager forced to deal with situations beyond her tender years, Foster does so skillfully and poignantly." --Barnestable Patriot
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Prologue

Summer 1988

Megan and Holly ran, weaving their way through the crowds of the carnival and hollering to hear over the thick cheer that permeated the festive evening. Two teenage boys looked them up and down as they passed. Megan yanked Holly by her arm and pulled her into a long shadow cast by the colorful lights that illuminated a rickety roller coaster. They huddled together, giggling. A moment later, the roller coaster whooshed by, sending them scampering through the mass of carnival-goers, engulfed in uncontrollable shrieks of laughter.

A small red tent with a psychedelic sign that read “Psychic Readings! See Your Future! $3!” caught Megan’s attention. She dragged Holly to the entrance, and they peered into the smoky gloom as they parted the curtain of stringed glass beads, which clinked and jingled as they were pushed to the side.

Holly pulled at Megan’s sleeve, “Let’s get out of here.”

Megan distractedly shrugged off Holly’s hand. She was mesmerized by the rush of the unknown, spellbound by the eccentric woman sitting within the darkened tent. A chill ran up Megan’s spine. The woman looked into her eyes and beckoned her forward. Megan reached behind her and grasped Holly’s hand, pulling her into the tent against her will. She reached into her pocket and, barely able to take her eyes from the old woman’s, fumbled to count her money and then shoved six crumpled dollar bills into a glass jar that sat on a pedestal by the entrance.

The cacophony of the rides and the crowds seemed to fall away as a hushed stillness closed in around them, save for the crackle of the flickering flames dancing on their wicks. The girls’ hands trembled. They were equally scared and excited by the mystical old woman shrouded in veils. Several bracelets clanked and dangled from her thick wrist as she motioned for them to sit around the small round table. They startled when the old woman grabbed their hands with her rough, plump fingers, then she slowly and dramatically closed her eyes.

Her hands tightened around theirs. The woman gasped a deep breath, and her body rose up and back, as if she were being pushed against the back of her chair. She held her breath, then let it out in a rush of air. Her hands fell open, releasing theirs. Her shoulders slumped forward, and her head followed.

Holly snapped her head in Megan’s direction and mouthed, “What the hell?”

The woman opened her heavily-painted eyes, which grew wide and laden with concern, and stared into Megan’s eyes. Megan felt riveted to her chair. The woman reached across the table and touched her hand, sending a jolt of energy up Megan’s arm. Megan pulled her hand away, frightened. The woman whispered to her, “Ah, High Priestess, my teen querent. She will need you, and you will know.”

Megan’s legs trembled, her heart pounded in her chest. Her breaths came in short, clipped bursts. She and Holly turned wide, scared eyes toward each other. The woman moved her vision to the space between Megan and Holly. “Three of Swords pierce a heart. Against the background of a storm, it bleeds.” She closed her eyes again, and whispered, “I see death.” Her eyes slowly opened and she squinted, as if she were watching a scene unfold of a different time and place, her eyes darting without focus. Then seeming to recite, she intoned, “Blood or poison will come: Transformation—passage—truth.”

The girls reached for each other’s shaking hands. Holly’s eyes welled with tears, her head visibly shook. Megan remained focused on each word the old woman said, unable to turn away.

The psychic turned those same concerned eyes to Holly. They glazed over with a look the girls could not read. Fear? Hatred? Understanding? She pointed a long, painted fingernail at Holly and hissed, “Judgment asks for the resurrection to summon the past, forgive it, and let it go.” She lowered her hand and said, “One will be released,” then quietly, under her breath, “and returned after death.”

After a moment of panicked silence, the girls stood, sending their chairs flying askew. Then they fled, running fast and hard into the chaos of the carnival, caught in a frenzy of fear and hysterical laughter.

The psychic screamed into the night behind them. Her words trailed in their wake and echoed in Megan’s ears for days, “With this spell, I empower thee. I empower thee!”
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Saturday, March 2, 2013

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle features R. P. Dahlke


R.P. Dahlke is in the HBS Mystery Book Reader's Circle.


Author Genre: Mystery, Romance, Humor

Website: R.P. Dahlke
Author's Blog: R.P. Dahlke - Infrequent Blog
Blog: All Mystery E-newsletter
Twitter: @rpdahlke
E-Mail: rp@rpdahlke.com
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Author Description:

R.P. (Rebecca) Dahlke was raised on her father’s 80 acres of Almonds & crop dusting ranch south of Modesto, California. She’s been writing since 1994, first with a writing group in the East Bay Area and then when she and her husband went sailing, via the Guppies of Sisters in Crime, National.

When they settled in Southern Arizona, Rebecca started a chapter of Sisters in Crime and A Dead Red Cadillac was published by Treble Heart Publishing.

She was doing the rewrite on her second Lalla Baines Novel, A Dead Red Heart when her son, John Shanahan, died in a tragic crop dusting accident in California. Writing about anything, much less crop-dusting became too painful and she stopped writing until 2010.

I sort of fell into the job of running a crop-dusting business when my dad decided he'd rather go on a cruise than take another season of lazy pilots, missing flaggers, testy farmers and horrific hours. After two years at the helm, I handed him back the keys and fled to a city without any of the above. And no, I was never a crop-duster.

A Dead Red Oleander

The Lalla Bains mystery series


Author: R.P. Dahlke

Amazon
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"The main protagonists and all the supporting characters, have larger than life personalities, which lend themselves to some great dialogue exchanges and some pretty strange and esoteric action scenes. In preparation for the couple's forthcoming nuptuals, Lalla's relatives have arrived in California, from Texas and now the fun really starts!!"

When a late in the season emergency forces Lalla Bains to accept a greenhorn ag pilot for her dad's cropdusting business, she sighs in relief . After all, he comes highly recommended, his physical is spotless, and with a name like Dewey Treat, what could possibly go wrong?

Then her quirky relatives arrive from Texas and things go south in a hurry: Dewey Treat drops dead, his tearful widow claims he was murdered, clobbers Sherriff Caleb Stone with his own gun, and makes a run for it. Lalla, convinced the widow is innocent, sets out to prove it--against the express wishes of fiancé Caleb Stone.

Feds, local law, suspicious ag-pilots, nutso relatives, and her daddy's new sidekick, Bruce the goat, make life a living hell for Lalla. Will her nosey nature solve the crime and save the day? Or put them all in mortal danger?
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Chapter One: Six weeks earlier:

Summer progressed as it always does: tires go flat, trucks break down, oil lines in the big Lycoming engines split—in which case, I’m on it—not about to let another split oil line trigger a forced landing, not mine or anyone else’s. I still can’t tolerate the smell of tomatoes, too close to the snootful I got a couple of years back when I was forced down into a field of them. That led to a whole lot of trouble I couldn’t have avoided, but tomatoes and I are still not on speaking terms.

We were in our final season as Bains Aero Ag Service and my dad and I agreed that with my upcoming wedding to Caleb Stone, it was finally time to sell the business. Unfortunately, my second pilot’s bum knee decreed he wasn’t going to make it through this last season. Short-handed and neck deep in work, I was desperate to find a replacement. So naturally I was happy to hear from my dad’s best buddy, Burdell Smith, who was calling to tell me he had just the man for the job.

“The guy may only have one season under his belt,” Burdell said, “but Dewey’s a hard worker, a self-starter, smart as a whip, and won’t be back-sassing just because a woman’s running the show.”

“Done,” I said. “How fast do you think he can get here?”

<><><><>

With a name like Dewey Treat, I was thinking cowboy, broad shoulders, plaid shirt, and too much facial hair. I would have to talk to him about the facial hair. Chemicals cling to beards, get absorbed into the skin, even with the showers and a scrub brush. Flight suits and helmets can’t keep it all out, and I’d be damned if I was going to have a sick pilot to deal with before the end of this season. I’d have to insist he shave. Okay, he can keep it as long as it’s just a mustache, or that little comma thingy on the chin; that’s doable.

So when I heard a motorcycle rumble into the driveway, I knew our new pilot had arrived. Booted footsteps approached and I stood, expecting the big man to duck under the door, filling the office with too much testosterone and sucking up all the oxygen.

What I got was, a short, thin-shouldered man with the uncertain near-sighted squint of someone who’s just had laser eye surgery. Maybe there was some extra swagger in his walk, since he must’ve known I was desperate for the help, but his handshake was firm, dry, and on closer inspection, the gaze was steady, intelligent and sure.

“Ms. Bains,” he said, pumping my hand, “I sure appreciate you taking me on this late in the season.” He squinted, looking to see how I was taking it so far, and added, “Burdell Smith said to say ‘hi’ to your dad.”

That’s right, bucko, tip the scales why don’t you, since Burdell and my dad were old buddies in a dying industry. “No worries in that department, Dewey. I may run the show, but if Burdell vouched for you, you’re in. That way, if you crash and burn, he has no one to blame but himself.”

Dewey’s face blanched and I had to remind myself to back up on the humor. “Just kidding, okay?”

“Oh, sure. You do know Mr. Smith retired soon after I left.”

“I heard that too. Have a seat?”

I passed over the medical information and didn’t add that he was leaving one sinking ship for another. Then I explained our percentage numbers, medical insurance, and handed him the W-2 form and a pen.

“Sounds fair enough to me,” he said, filling in the W-2 and then sliding it back to me across the dusty surface of my desk.

That finished, we stood and shook hands. “Your e-mail said you can start this week. Got a place to stay?”

“Yes’m. Wife and I found a nice rental in a fairly new subdivision between here and Modesto. I hear house sales are suffering from the recession, so if the job works out, that is, if you like my work, we’ll buy it.”

I cringed. Sometime soon, before he heard it from our other pilot, I’d have to tell him he should start looking for next year’s job. “Then let’s get you a look see at your aircraft. Burdell said you knew your way around an Ag-Cat, right?”

“Yes’m. Easy, peasy.”

“First names only here, boss lady included. So, call me Lalla, okay?” I wasn’t going to ask if he and the missus had kids. I have my own merry-go-around with my dad on that subject.

We stepped outside as Mad-Dog Schwartz rounded the corner and saw us. His ginger brows went up a notch when I introduced Dewey as the new pilot. When the two men shook hands, Mad-Dog nodded at us and turned to leave, but not before I noticed the tweak of smug satisfaction on his face. I think the name, Dewey Treat, got the same reaction from Mad-Dog as it did with me, and for once he was pleased to have gotten it wrong.

We were both wrong on that score.

A DANGEROUS HARBOR

Pilgrim's Progress


Author: R.P. Dahlke


Amazon
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"This is an engaging, well-written mystery with characters that took up residence in my imagination; moving in with all their baggage and quirks. I found them incredibly difficult to dislodge even several days after I had finished reading the book. I loved the setting; the beauty of the waters and the lovely hillsides existing alongside the abject poverty and ugliness of the slummy, sleazy habitats of those less fortunate. The day to day uncertainly of life is realistically portrayed in an area where powerful drug cartels operate from shadowy positions in almost all levels of government..." LauriJ's Reviews for Night Owl Reviews Reviewer Top Pick

"Take a San Francisco police officer who is on leave for shooting a man who threatened her sister, send her on a sailing trip into Mexican waters where she finds the body of a murdered teenage girl, and you've got the mix for an intriguing mystery. Add an irresistible Mexican-Italian man who happens to be the lead investigator on the case and the romance begins to sizzle. I loved the vivid descriptions of this coastal Mexican town, and the methodic way in which officer Katy Hunter helps with the investigation. A satisfying ending in which all the threads come together into a neatly plotted book." - Connie Shelton, author of the best-selling Charlie Parker mysteries and the new Samantha Sweet mysteries

Here's the set-up:
Bleary-eyed and sleep deprived after a long overnighter into Mexico, solo sailor and SFPD police detective, Katrina Hunter, thinks the mermaid twenty yards behind her thirty-two foot Westsail is nothing more than a sailor's hallucination But everything she knows about floaters convinces her to turn her boat around for another look.

Now, alone and isolated in the Mexican port's police station for six hours she's convinced that reporting a floater to authorities was a mistake. Even the arrival of a handsome, if somewhat dour, Mexican/Italian investigator does nothing to dispel her growing anxiety that she's about to be charged with the murder.

Chief Inspector, Raul Vignaroli, is as surprised by the attractive solo-sailor as he is to find that she's a respected member of the San Francisco police force, and after some well-placed phone calls he's sure that he's found the perfect partner to help him solve a murder, if not the cure for his broken heart. Released, she's free to go. But leaving the police station hits a snag when two policemen march in, dragging a listless prisoner between them. But before Katy can dodge them for the exit, the prisoner raises his head and a startling pair of aquamarine eyes meet hers.

He straightens his back, wincing at the angle of his cuffed wrists. "What the... Whisper?"

Suddenly, the sound of the ceiling fan is terribly loud. Blood pounds in her ears, her mouth goes dry, her palms are damp and her feet are nailed to the floor. In a knee jerk reaction, she hisses, "Don't call me that!"
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Synopsis:

Bleary-eyed and sleep deprived after a long overnighter into Mexico, solo sailor and SFPD police detective, Katrina Hunter, thinks the mermaid twenty yards behind her thirty-two foot Westsail is nothing more than a sailor’s hallucination But everything she knows about floaters convinces her to turn her boat around for another look.

Now, alone and isolated in the Mexican port’s police station for six hours she’s convinced that reporting the body of a floater to authorities was a mistake. Even the arrival of a handsome, if somewhat dour, Mexican/Italian investigator does nothing to dispel her growing anxiety that she’s about to be charged with the murder.

Chief Inspector, Raul Vignaroli, is as surprised by the attractive solo-sailor as he is to find that she’s a respected member of the San Francisco police force, and after some well-placed phone calls he’s sure that he’s found the perfect partner to help him solve a murder, if not the cure for his broken heart.

Released, she’s free to go. But leaving the police station hits a snag when two policemen march in, dragging a listless prisoner between them. But before Katy can dodge them for the exit, the prisoner raises his head and a startling pair of aquamarine eyes meet hers.

He straightens his back, wincing at the angle of his cuffed wrists. “What the… Whisper?”

Suddenly, the sound of the ceiling fan is terribly loud. Blood pounds in her ears, her mouth goes dry, her palms are damp and her feet are nailed to the floor. In a knee jerk reaction, she hisses, “Don’t call me that!”
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To see a complete Author Profile on the HBS Author's Spotlight, CLICK HERE.

Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the HBS Author's Spotlight
plus the industry blog: eBook Author's Corner.
Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.