Tis the season to treat yourself and the book lover on your holiday shopping list, and what better way than with a book set during the holidays? Stop by frequently this month, because I'll be sharing books for the whole family.
Today's books are filled with mystery and suspense, plus each author answered a round of This or That.
Happy browsing!
Snow Kiss Cookies to Die For Series: Christmas Cookies by Wendy Kendall Genre: Romance suspense during Christmas holiday
Blurb:
First grade teacher Desiree Tucker is on the brink of winter holidays with her new, romantic boyfriend when danger encroaches on her joy. Ominous, untraceable texts buzz on her cell phone. Terrifying secret Santa gifts show up for her in the classroom. As the stalker moves closer to the prey, Desiree doesn't know who she can trust. Her charming new man is a prime suspect. Is he a deadly stalker? If not him, who? What can she learn from her grandmother's legend of the snow kiss cookie? Just when she's starting to believe in magic again, she finds herself fighting for her life.
Series: The Haunted Shores Mysteries by Randy Overbeck Genre: mystery/ghost story
Blurb:
All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida over the Christmas holidays. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.
I'm delighted to welcome D.V. Stone back to my blog for a guest post and a peek between the pages of her new book Jazz House.
Without further ado, please help me welcome D.V. Stone.
Standing The Gap
Several years ago, I took the NaNoWriMo challenge. November is National Novel Writing Month. Thirty days-fifty Thousand words. Long story short, I accomplished the task only because of writing what I knew. What did I know?
I’ve been surrounded by blue uniforms, okay, sometimes black, for forty years. Some with stripes, some without. Some have helmets, and some don’t. But all have one thing in common. They willingly give of themselves twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. Leave the family gatherings on holidays. Snow, ice, temperatures either too hot or too cold. They protect, rescue, and often pick up the pieces of someone’s life.
Early in the 1980s, I began my First Responder life as a professional and volunteer Emergency Medical Technician. One of my strongest memories is responding to a call in my coverage area. My partner and I were the only all-female crew at the time. The tones went off, and so did we. A short while later, a simple unconscious male became a potentially violent situation. The man woke, and people from all the housing around us came out and egged him on to strike out at us. My partner got rolled by him, but I was able to radio for help. Let me tell you, I was never so happy to see red lights and blue uniforms.
First Responders, from EMTs to Firefighters and Law Enforcement, have a special bond. When things go south as they often do, we count on each other to protect, minister, and save each other from tricky situations.
One of my long-term positions was as an EMT in an NJ State Prison. In 1994 I married a Correction Officer and volunteer Firefighter. Now we’re both retired. My first book Rock House Grill was the fifty-thousand-word novel I alluded to above. It’s considered romantic suspense and has, you guessed it, EMTs, paramedics, and police. The second book now under contract is titled Jazz House. Police Officer Michael Machau is the main character.
Michael is a composite of so many officers in my life. He’s honorable, compassionate, and kind. He loves friends and family. He goes above and beyond to help his community. In today’s climate, so many believe the opposite. One evening, in a chat with other authors, another writer stated she was researching in a county jail. She said she was more afraid of the cops than the inmates. I called her out on it because if we don’t as a society hold people accountable for their reckless vernacular, they can influence others.
You know, not every cop is great. Neither is any EMT, Firefighter, or citizen. The fraction of a percent who are, unfortunately, are the ones we hear about. That’s what makes the news, news. Because the other ninety-nine percent are a Michael Machau. Honorable, compassionate, and kind.
Shh, I’m going to tell a secret. I know you. Most of you anyway. You love, care, and run to danger every day despite the world’s ugliness. You make a difference even when others don’t or refuse to see it. Through my writing, sorry but I’m going to out you, tell the world you all are big teddy bears. Many are grizzlies on the outside, but inside, where it counts? Koala bears.
Though I no longer respond to calls (I gave it up quite a few years ago), the blue uniform continues to be a constant in my life. My son is now a correction officer as well. Many of our friends still suit up every day. Hubby is a Life Member of the fire department and, until last year, still taught fire prevention in the local schools. Me? I tell stories about superheroes. Ones who don’t wear capes but uniforms. Who don’t leap tall buildings but rush into those buildings. Who when others are running from danger, run to it.
Thank you to all those who stand the gap. Protecting, serving, consoling, and keeping the rest of us from harm.
About the book
Jazz House
Author: D. V. Stone
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat level (if over PG13): PG
Blurb
Jordan Vasilakis is on the run, living under an assumed name. After a disastrous marriage to a notorious Greek business tycoon, she flees to the States and starts rebuilding her life. But her ruthless husband is determined to destroy her…once he finds her.
Michael Machau is drawn to the new singer at Jazz House restaurant, but the guarded woman is harboring dangerous secrets. The dedicated police officer may have to risk more than just his heart to forge a connection with the woman he knows as Madeline Cielo, especially when he discovers she’s living a lie.
Worlds collide. Lies entangle. Survival, much less love, is in question. They must quickly distinguish friends from enemies or risk losing everything—including a future together.
“You sing good tonight.” He scrolled through his phone.
“Yes, Kyrios.”
Outside the window, massive cruise ships docked in the port. Happy older people made their way up the gangplanks toting bags filled with souvenirs, while the younger ones debarked dressed for the nightlife. Sparkly sequins flashed like diamonds as one young woman twirled on the pier.
God, how had she come to this life? She willed her hovering tears not to fall. Kyrios wouldn’t approve.
When she was offered a place in the touring group ten years ago, she thought it was the beginning of great things. Standing in the cabaret with the lights shining down was her dream come true. When she was the woman in the sparkly dress.
Until he showed up.
Each night, Kyrios Vasilakis, Greek business tycoon, sat at the front table watching her. Yes, he was older but so very handsome. Dark hair with silver at the temples, he cut a dashing figure in his black suits.
Jordan began to sing to him. It was the beginning of the end. After a whirlwind romance, she found herself a prisoner in marriage to a brute.
About the author:
D. V. Stone is an award-winning, multi-genre, traditionally and independently published author. She writes books people want to read. Whether romance or fantasy, her stories are about the importance of friends and family. About overcoming obstacles while doing it with humor.
Around the Fire is a popular weekly blog where she introduces both established and new authors giving an insider’s look into their lives and books as well as tidbits about her own life.
After retiring, she is now a full-time author and incorporates her life experiences into her books.
A former Emergency Medical Technician, she volunteered in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. At the same time, she worked as a professional EMT in a women’s state prison. She was the proprietor of a coffee shop and a small restaurant/ice cream stand in the years that followed. The years following were as a manager in an animal emergency hospital, while her last position was in a human medical office.
When not behind the wheel of 2Hoots—a 41 foot long 13.2 feet high 5th Wheel camper, she rambles around town in Northern New Jersey in a white Camaro. She also loves travel and history.
D.V. is wife to an amazing husband, mother to one son, and not your average grandma to three beautiful grands. A woman of faith, she believes and trusts in God.
“My greatest pleasures are spending time outside with friends and family, cooking over the open fire, sipping a glass of wine, and reading.”
Hali, her rescue dog, always reminds her to let readers know, “Woof, woof.” Which is loosely translated as support your local animal rescue.
You can find out more about D. V. by following her on Social Media.
C.B. Clark stopped by for a fun round of speed questions and to celebrate her newest romance, suspense novel, Forging Forgiveness. Enjoy!
Speed Questions:
Morning or Night? Morning
Favorite beverage? Definitely red wine!
Coffee or Tea? Tea
Plotter or Pantster? Pantster
Favorite season? Fall
Dogs or Cats? Love my pooch!
Favorite movie? The Longest Ride starring Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson
Stilettos, flipflops, or sneakers? Sneakers
Favorite junk food? Sunflower seeds (spits)
Favorite thing to do to relax? Hike or canoe
Hot or cold? Cold
Favorite vacation? Jordan
Beach or mountains? Mountains
About the book
Forging Forgiveness
byC.B. Clark
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Blurb:
When small-town college instructor Candace Cooper discovers bloody, bare footprints in the snow while running in a state park deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, it brings back the horrific nightmare of her past.
Detective Aiden Farrell is determined to redeem himself in his new position in Colorado, even if that means ignoring his growing feelings for the beautiful professor he meets during an investigation. His fear that the footprints she saw are connected to a recent spate of missing teens intensifies when Candace is assaulted on campus.
Aiden and Candace join forces, but as they start unraveling the truth, they get closer to each other—and to a killer who'll stop at nothing to achieve his nefarious goal.
Caught between duty and love, Aiden fights in a race against time to save the woman he loves.
Forging Forgiveness is award-winning author, C.B. Clark’s eighth novel published by The Wild Rose Press. When she’s not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting her next story.
I'm delighted to welcome D.V. Stone back to my blog. She has shared with us a little about her books, the characters, and her hobbies. Plus, there is a Two Truths and a Lie at the end of the interview. Can you guess which is the lie?
Welcome back D.V. Stone! Thanks for being here with us.
What inspired you to write this book? Jazz House is the second book of my Impact series about First Responders. As a former EMT, my goal is to present them as the heroes they are.
What are you working on now? I have several works in progress including a third Impact book about firefighters. As a multi-genre author, I’m also working on Shield-Mates of Dar a fantasy series.
How did you come up with the concept and/or characters for the book? Many readers of Rock House Grill fell in love with Michael Machau a police officer. Michael needed his own happily ever after. Jazz House is the second restaurant owned by the House family and Jordon, who had only been referred to in RHG fell in love with him too.
Tell us about your main character. Michael is a gentle soul. He rescues animals and people too. I know the readers are going to adore him. He loves greatly and protects those he loves.
Tell us about the antagonist. Kyrios is as Jordon tells Michael, “A very bad man.” He’s rich, entitled, and has ties with international crime syndicates. Tell us about the research you did before writing this book. I’m familiar with first responder things but I had a telephone interview with a local police sergeant (now retired) who helped me with showing a night in the life of a small-town beat cop. The scene with Michael patrolling the town and finding Jim Crawford and Mutt is one of my favorites.
Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your heroine’s bed? A book, specifically a cop romance, a sewing kit, and a go-bag.
How about the hero’s bed? A dog bone, a tumbleweed of dog hair, a box of pictures and memorabilia from his deceased mother.
Tell us about a book that stayed with you long after you finished reading it. My inspirations for writing are JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. Their writing continues to inspire and want to emulate. Then during my teen years, I found romance novels. Kathleen Woodiwiss, Victoria Holt, Rosemary Rogers, etc. Many of those novels wouldn't fly in today’s world but in my time they were the bomb.
What is your favorite genre and why?
A read across genres. Fantasy, Romance, and Young Adult are my favorites but Sci-Fi and bios also line my shelves.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m a glamper! I love to travel the country and meet people. Cooking over the open fire and sharing meals with those brings me great joy.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less. Persistent, empathetic, optimistic, wry humor.
Where were you born/grew up? I’m a Brooklyn NY native but have lived in many places. I’ve gone to 12 different schools and I’m not an army issue.
What are you passionate about? Animal Rescue. It’s one of the traits I wanted to give Michael.
Now for a fun game. Below DV Stone provided two truths and a lie. Can you guess which is the lie?
I met my husband while in a woman’s state prison.
I’ve been on the receiving end of the delivery of two babies.
My favorite foods are lima beans, coconut, and jello.
About the book
Jazz House
Author: D. V. Stone
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat level (if over PG13): PG
Blurb
Jordan Vasilakis is on the run, living under an assumed name. After a disastrous marriage to a notorious Greek business tycoon, she flees to the States and starts rebuilding her life. But her ruthless husband is determined to destroy her…once he finds her.
Michael Machau is drawn to the new singer at Jazz House restaurant, but the guarded woman is harboring dangerous secrets. The dedicated police officer may have to risk more than just his heart to forge a connection with the woman he knows as Madeline Cielo, especially when he discovers she’s living a lie.
Worlds collide. Lies entangle. Survival, much less love, is in question. They must quickly distinguish friends from enemies or risk losing everything—including a future together.
“You sing good tonight.” He scrolled through his phone.
“Yes, Kyrios.”
Outside the window, massive cruise ships docked in the port. Happy older people made their way up the gangplanks toting bags filled with souvenirs, while the younger ones debarked dressed for the nightlife. Sparkly sequins flashed like diamonds as one young woman twirled on the pier.
God, how had she come to this life? She willed her hovering tears not to fall. Kyrios wouldn’t approve.
When she was offered a place in the touring group ten years ago, she thought it was the beginning of great things. Standing in the cabaret with the lights shining down was her dream come true. When she was the woman in the sparkly dress.
Until he showed up.
Each night, Kyrios Vasilakis, Greek business tycoon, sat at the front table watching her. Yes, he was older but so very handsome. Dark hair with silver at the temples, he cut a dashing figure in his black suits.
Jordan began to sing to him. It was the beginning of the end. After a whirlwind romance, she found herself a prisoner in marriage to a brute.
About the author:
D. V. Stone is an award-winning, multi-genre, traditionally and independently published author. She writes books people want to read. Whether romance or fantasy, her stories are about the importance of friends and family. About overcoming obstacles while doing it with humor.
Around the Fire is a popular weekly blog where she introduces both established and new authors giving an insider’s look into their lives and books as well as tidbits about her own life.
After retiring, she is now a full-time author and incorporates her life experiences into her books.
A former Emergency Medical Technician, she volunteered in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. At the same time, she worked as a professional EMT in a women’s state prison. She was the proprietor of a coffee shop and a small restaurant/ice cream stand in the years that followed. The years following were as a manager in an animal emergency hospital, while her last position was in a human medical office.
When not behind the wheel of 2Hoots—a 41 foot long 13.2 feet high 5th Wheel camper, she rambles around town in Northern New Jersey in a white Camaro. She also loves travel and history.
D.V. is wife to an amazing husband, mother to one son, and not your average grandma to three beautiful grands. A woman of faith, she believes and trusts in God.
“My greatest pleasures are spending time outside with friends and family, cooking over the open fire, sipping a glass of wine, and reading.”
Hali, her rescue dog, always reminds her to let readers know, “Woof, woof.” Which is loosely translated as support your local animal rescue.
You can find out more about D. V. by following her on Social Media.
I'm delighted to have Lis Angus with me today. I love how NaNoWriMo and the question "What if" helped start her fiction writing journey. Please help me welcome Lis!
Can you tell us something about your writing?
I’ve been writing since I was a child. I always dreamed of writing a novel, but I hadn’t written any fiction since I was a teenager. As an adult, my writing was primarily business-related. Later I took some fiction writing courses, but I hadn’t really worked at it. Then in 2017 I heard about NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. I said to myself, “if not now, when?” I decided to grab that impulse, not let the moment pass me by.
I love suspense fiction, and knew that I wanted to write something in that genre. The central idea for the novel is one that came to me some years ago, in the form of a “what if” question. What if someone showed up and claimed that your child was in fact not your child?
To make that idea into a story, I had to figure out how such a development might happen: what characters might be involved, how would they react and what could develop from there? I ended up writing from three different points of view, showing events through the eyes of the three key characters.
I finished a first draft that November, but it was far from a finished product. I did a total of six rewrites and received 81 rejections (I kept count!) from agents and publishers before finally receiving an offer from The Wild Rose Press last summer. Since then the process has gone pretty quickly though, with the book about to be published next week.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on another novel now, and it started with another “what if” question: What if you learn that your deceased father had another family, with another wife and other children? And as I started writing it, a second “what if” occurred to me: what if you learn that your family is the second one, secret from the first?
I’ve written a first draft already, but it’s still sketchy. I’m working now to round out the characters and deepen the plot, feeling my way: how and why might that happen? How would the characters react?. And since it’s another suspense novel, what kind of peril do the main characters encounter?.
My first novel deals in part with the evolving relationship between a woman and her young teen daughter. In my second, my key characters are once again women at different stages of life. Though the circumstances they confront are unusual, the feelings and emotions they experience are ones we all share, and I try to portray those as vividly as I can.
I really love learning where authors get their ideas, and you have such intriguing what-if questions! What do you enjoy reading?
Though I read a wide variety of fiction, I mainly read crime fiction. Within that, I enjoy many sub-genres (police procedural, private eye, legal thriller) but I confess that it’s the suspense novels I come back to. There are too many terrific suspense authors to list here, but as just a few examples: Lisa Unger, Lisa Gardner, Gilly MacMillan, Ruth Ware—I am in awe of their writing.
There are a few writers whose writing puts me in even greater awe: I would read anything they write, regardless of genre. These include Emma Donoghue, Kate Atkinson, Ann Patchett.
Can you tell us something about you?
I grew up on a farm in Alberta till I was 16, when I finished high school. Then I went to Germany for two years; at first living with an aunt and uncle, and then attending university. I came home for the summer then and decided I wanted to stay in Canada. I ended up moving to Ottawa to attend Carleton University for journalism and social sciences. That’s also where I met my husband. After graduating, I spent several years working with children and families in crisis and completing a Masters degree (and most of the requirements for a PhD.) in psychology. That got me interested in research, leading to a second career as a market researcher and telecommunications policy advisor, writer and editor. Along the way we had two daughters, and I completed a second Masters degree, this one in Business. That second career included working with governments at several levels as well as with business clients in Canada and Europe. Since retiring , I’ve now launched into a third career as a fiction writer, which is taking me along another fascinating learning curve and introducing me to an amazing community of writers. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s important to be open to new experiences and challenges, and to never stop learning.
And the thrill of receiving a box of book!
Now for the speed round!
Coffee or tea? Coffee!
eBook, paperback, or audiobook? Paperback
Plotter or Pantster? Plotter AND Pantser
Dogs or cats? Cats, for sure
Night on the town or cozy evening in? Cozy evening in
Last book read? The Maid
Favorite thing to do to relax? Reading, of course
Favorite vacation? Loons, books, chef. OR London, walking.
Beach or mountains? Mountains. OR verandah, lake.
About the book
NOT YOUR CHILD
Author: Lis Angus
Genre: Suspense
Possible triggers: violence, there is an attempt to kill a child.
Blurb
Ottawa psychologist and single mother Susan Koss discovers that a strange man has been following her twelve-year-old daughter Maddy. She fears he’s a predator, but it’s worse than that. The man, Daniel Kazan, believes Maddy is his granddaughter, abducted as a baby, and he’s obsessed with getting her back.
Susan insists on a DNA test to disprove Daniel’s claim, but the result is one she can’t understand or explain: it says she’s not Maddy’s mother.
Then Maddy vanishes. Susan’s convinced Daniel has taken her, but he has an alibi, and two searches of his house turn up nothing. The hunt is on—police are on full mobilization, and Susan fears the worst.
As I was putting on my coat, the doorbell rang. I looked out the window.
What the hell?
Daniel Kazan stood on my doorstep.
I went cold. How dare he? I flung open the door. “What are you doing here?” I exploded.
Confronting him, I saw that he was a few inches taller than me, and exuded a tense energy that raised my hackles. He raised his hands, palms out, a placating expression on his face. As if he were trying to calm me down or reassure me.
“I just want to talk to Hannah. I came early to catch her, before she leaves for school.”
I squared my shoulders. “Get out of here! You've been told to stay away from us!”
His face was in shadow. “I think it’s fair to want to see Hannah. I’ve waited a long time.”
The guy is nuts. “She’s not Hannah—she’s my daughter. Maddy.”
“You’re keeping her from me.” He was leaning toward me, and I had to keep from falling back. I couldn’t let myself seem weak. If he thought he’d intimidated me, what would be his next move?
My heart pounded. My hands were curled tight, my nails biting into my palms. “Damn right I’m keeping her from you. Now get off my porch before I call the police!”
What if he wouldn’t leave? I should call for help—but my phone was inside, and I didn’t want to leave him on the porch unattended.
About the author:
Lis Angus is a Canadian suspense writer. Early in her career, she worked with children and families in crisis; later she worked as a policy advisor, business writer and editor while raising two daughters. She now lives south of Ottawa with her husband. In her spare time she can be found walking, reading, or watching too much Netflix. And, lately, trying to solve Wordle. Connect with Lis Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
I'm delighted to welcome author Roxanne Dunn to my blog and to tell you about her latest book Murder Undetected. Let's start with a speed round, which is always a fun way to get to know someone.
Speed round
Morning or night? Night owl, definitely
Favorite food? Chocolate croissants
Favorite movie? African Queen
Favorite book? Citizen Vince
Last book read? Hotel Pastis
Black or white? Black AND white
Stilettos or flipflops or sneakers? Flipflops in Maui
Favorite song? Unchained Melody
Cake, cookies, or pie? Chocolate chip cookies
Favorite thing to do to relax? Read
Roxanne shared a couple of photos with us. She took these photos while doing research in Provence. The hilltop town in Murder Undetected is fictional, but it resembles these photos. They are stunning! And I can already see Brittany Thornton looking out over the town and strolling through the cobblestone streets wearing that big floppy hat on the cover.
Gordes
St. Paul de Vance
About the Book
Murder Undetected
Author: Roxanne Dunn
Genre: Suspense
Blurb
This fast-paced mystery spans the globe with suspense, action, and thrills. Newly minted psychologist Brittany Thornton thinks she has her life all dialed in, but when her husband is arrested for fraud and the FBI seizes all her assets, she loses everything, including her confidence.
Troubles follow her from Seattle to a village in the south of France, where the town’s darling is getting away with murder, and only Brittany suspects her. Will she trust her instincts and put herself in danger to stop her?
“The rumor flying around Chevalier is that you tried to blackmail Viane. I know you’re a little crazy.” Arielle winked. “But not that nuts.”
“Actually, I did.”
Arielle’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. I hoped if I could get hush money from her it would be tantamount to an admission of guilt, something I could take to the gendarmes.”
“That’s brilliant. So, now the whole town thinks you pushed her down the stairs because she refused to pay you.”
“They’re wrong. I didn’t push her. I kicked her.”
“Brittany Ann Thornton, where are your manners?”
About the author :
The author of Murder Unrehearsed and Murder Undetected, Roxanne Dunn has studied writing in Paris and Seattle and writes the galley column for Pacific Yachting magazine.
She lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest where she volunteers as a writer for Wild Orca, https://www.wildorca.org/, an organization committed to saving the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, and leads weekly beach cleanups.
Roxanne is a retired physical therapist, a foodie, a fanatic about good chocolate, and a private pilot. She lived aboard an old wood motor yacht for seventeen years, and in her dreams, is a pianist of renown, an acceptable water color artist, and a globe-trotting yogini.
I'm delighted to welcome Darlene Fredette to my blog. She is the author of contemporary romance. Her newest book, Finding Home Again was released this month. Please help me welcome Darlene!
How did you come up with the concept and/or characters for the book?
Jordan McKenzie was a character mentioned in a previous book in my Redford Falls series. I wanted her to have her own story because she has connections to the town that she doesn’t know about. This book was also my first dip into romance suspense, which I have wanted to write for a while.
What are you reading?
I am a professional book reviewer, so I always have a book open. I just finished a military romance suspense, and I am currently reading a paranormal romance.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
My favourite way to unwind is walking my dog. We go for a thirty-minute walk (longer depending on the weather) every morning. I also love to read, paint, draw, watch movies, and mostly hang out with my family.
Now for a fun speed round!
Favorite food? Rice with chicken and mozzarella.
Favorite beverage? Hot chocolate.
Favorite season? Summer!
Dogs or cats? I love all animals, especially dogs.
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Favorite movie? The Notebook and Tombstone.
Ironman or Superman? Superman (Henry Cavill)
Cake, cookies, or pie? All of the above!
Favorite junk food? See above answer, lol!
Favorite TV show? Survivor
About the book
Finding Home Again
Release Date: February 7, 2022
Author: Darlene Fredette
Genre: Contemporary Romance Suspense
Heat level (if over PG13): Sweet
Blurb
A missing dog, a potential poisoning, and a suspicious death. Will Jordan and Logan find their happy-ever-after before another mysterious accident occurs?
Caretaker of a historical home, Jordan McKenzie, promised to keep a secret, but doing so gets harder by the minute, especially when an innocent kiss misses its intended target. Entangled in a web of mysterious mishaps, she discovers a surprising family connection. Is putting her trust in her boss' handsome nephew a risk worth taking?
Chef, Logan Crane, returns to Redford Falls hoping to claim an inheritance to open a restaurant, but he side-lines his plan after meeting Jordan. When past secrets intermingle with a present attraction, will Logan open his heart to the possibility of a future in Redford Falls…and with Jordan?
“That kiss was meant for your cheek. You moved.” Jordan pulled on her helmet then waved a hand for Miska to jump into his seat. She tossed Logan his helmet. “You weren’t supposed to kiss me.”
“A beautiful woman plants one on me and I’m not to respond?” He stepped beside her and ran a finger down her cheek. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell your boyfriend our outing was strictly platonic anymore. Because I kissed his girl, and I liked it.”
Blushing, Jordan nudged her shoulder against his before getting into her ATV and driving away.
Logan shouldn’t have kissed her—and he shouldn’t have flirted. But dang it, he truly enjoyed both—and given the opportunity, he would do both again.
About the author: Darlene resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. An avid reader since childhood, Darlene loved to develop the many stories coming to life in her head. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When not working on her next book, she can be found with her husband, her daughter, and her yellow Labrador.
I'm delighted to tell you about C.B. Clark's new book Twisted Lies and to share an excerpt.But first, she's agreed to answer a few speed-round questions. Shall we begin?
Favorite beverage? Red wine
Coffee or tea? Tea
Plotter or Pantster? Pantster
Dogs or cats? Dogs
Cake, cookies, or pie? Chocolate chip cookies
Favorite junk food? Poutine (I’m Canadian)
Favorite vacation? Jordan
Favorite book? Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Favorite season? Fall
Stilettos, flipflops, or sneakers? Sneakers
Now for more on her book. Enjoy!
Twisted Lies
by C.B. Clark
Blurb
Athena Cooper’s tragic past drives her to seek solace in a bottle. The addiction threatens her legal career, and she risks spiraling out of control. When her dog engineers a meeting with an all-too-handsome hunk, it’s lust at first sight…until she discovers his identity.
Businessman Russell Crawford is desperate to find the woman who cheated him out of his inheritance. His shock when she turns out to be the gorgeous red head he had a brief encounter with is only surpassed when she claims his father was a murderer.
Athena and Russ declare a truce and join forces to investigate the mystery of her parents’ disappearance from an isolated island off the rugged Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Russ promises to be her safe harbor as they uncover long-buried secrets that rock her very foundation. Can she overcome a lifelong distrust and open her heart to love?
How was it possible? After all these years? The past she’d been running from had found her. The nightmare was back. The envelope fell from her shaking hands. Her legs wobbled as she rose and stumbled out of the living room and down the short hall to the kitchen.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window above the sink. The cozy kitchen, with its walls painted a cheerful butter yellow, and the well-scrubbed laminate countertops, gleamed. The steady hum of the refrigerator and ticking of the antique clock on the wall were the only sounds in the silent house. The pungent smell of fried onions and roasted garlic from last night’s homemade spaghetti sauce hung in the air.
The efficient kitchen, with its breakfast nook and view of the tidy, fenced backyard and the rolling, grassy foothills and snow-crested Rocky Mountains beyond, was the reason she’d bought the small rancher. This was her favorite room—the place she sought refuge when life overwhelmed her. How many times had she sat there in the evenings after work, sipping a glass of chilled white wine, watching the birds at the feeder on the back porch, breathing in the sweet smells of flowering Saskatoon bushes, regrouping until she was ready to face the world?
These days, her drink of choice was a cup of herbal tea or unsweetened apple juice. Alcohol was off the table…had been for twenty-one unendurable days.
But today, all bets were off.
About the author: Twisted Lies is award-winning author, C.B. Clark’s seventh novel published by The Wild Rose Press. When she’s not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting the next story.
I hope you enjoyed the Crimson at Cape May trailer. I'm thrilled to welcome Randy Overback to my blog.
Who Needs Love Anyway?
A reader interested in the novels in my Haunted Shores Mysteries sent me a question via email. “I heard you say at the author talk say that these are ghost story and mysteries, but you said they are also love stories. Can you clue me in on that part of the stories?”
Technically, each of the titles is listed as a mystery and suspense with romantic elements, but the love story is far more than some afterthought. In fact, the romance strand is actually what drives both narratives.
Of course, being a guy, he can’t help but throw a few wrenches into this relationship, although, to be fair, he is dealing with a few complicating factors in his life—like ghosts that won’t stop haunting him, a mystery or two he needs to solve and some very powerful people who are trying to get him fired or worse, killed. You get the idea. He has a lot going on and the romance is smack dab in the middle of it all.
Here are few comments from readers about the romantic part of story.
·“There’s a great romance story weaved into all this. I loved Erin. She was no shrinking violet when it came to digging into the investigation by his side. She was the perfect partner for Darrell.”—an Amazon reviewer.
·“And then there is Erin. Darrell is not looking for love again, but she has caught his eye and just might be the one to thaw his heart.”—an Amazon reviewer
·“The romance was sweet and just added to the overall feel of the story.”—a Goodreads reader
So I’d like to suggest if you’re looking for a read with a love story between two very real and fallible people, but you’d also like a little suspense with your romance, enjoy solving an unusual whodunnit, and maybe even appreciate a chill running down your spine, then I’d humbly suggest you check out either of the two Haunted Shores Mysteries,Blood on the ChesapeakeandCrimson at Cape May. I don’t think you’re be disappointed.
Blood on the Chesapeake
Blurb: Wilshire, Maryland, a quaint shore town on the Chesapeake, promises Darrell Henshaw a new start in life and a second chance at love. That is, until he learns the town hides an ugly secret. A thirty-year-old murder in the high school. And a frightening ghost stalking his new office. Burned by an earlier encounter with the spirit world, Darrell doesn't want to get involved, but when the desperate ghost hounds him, he concedes. Assisted by his new love, he follows a trail that leads to the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and even the Klu Klux Klan. Then, when two locals who try to help are murdered, Darrell is forced to decide if he's willing to risk his life--and the life of the woman he loves--to expose the killers of a young man he never knew.
Crimson at Cape May (The Haunted Shores Mysteries #2)
No matter how far you run, you can neverreallyescape a haunted past.
Darrell Henshaw—teacher, coach, and paranormal sensitive—learned this lesson the hard way. With his job gone and few options, he heads for Cape May to coach a summer football camp. The resort town, with gorgeous beaches, rich history and famous Victorian mansions, might just be the getaway he needs. Only, no one told him Cape May is the most haunted seaport on the East Coast. One resident ghost, the Haunted Bride, stalks Darrell, begging for his help.
He can’t refuse.
Joining forces with Cassie, a street-wise teen and another sensitive, he investigates the bride’s death and discovers her murder is connected to a far greater horror. But can Darrell and Cassie expose those behind the crimes before they end up being the killer’s next victims?
Now a safe distance away, he studied her. She was thin, with a small, drawn face of pasty skin, and he would’ve guessed her to be about his age, mid-twenties. But there was something about her, something that made him shiver. Did she have a black eye? Were those cuts on her cheek? Why hadn’t he noticed those before, when he passed her on the Promenade?
He sped up, the street crowded, congested with tourists. Normally, the jostling bodies would’ve given him the creeps, but today he was grateful for the numbers so he could blend in.
Not sure where he was headed—except away from his boardinghouse—he kept up a brisk pace. He hurried past the legendary Inn of Cape May, with its ornate, white period architecture and four stories of ancient rooms facing the beach. Any other time, he’d be thinking about taking Erin there. The place had an interesting old-time vibe. That is, if she still wanted anything to do with him. But he didn’t have time for that now. He kept moving.
As he turned back onto Beach Avenue again, the sight of the beautiful blue ocean across the road struck him and he stopped for a moment, then chanced a peek back around the corner. No sign of his stalker.
He reduced his pace, easing past a beach shop, and saw his reflection in the store front. That gave him an idea. Ahead, he spied a coffee shop with two long windows facing the street, the panes so sparkling clean he could see the image of the sun hanging over the ocean in the glass. As he walked along, he turned his head to catch his image and, when he was far enough along, he glanced sideways at the window. Trailing behind him, he could make out, reflected in the glass, only two people, a gray-haired couple. No one else. He took a few more steps, watching and slowing a little, and exhaled. He’d lost her.
He turned and studied the man and woman, who’d paused to examine the restaurant menu posted next to the door. A few feet beyond the couple stood the woman. Darrell’s gaze darted. The couple. The woman. The coffee shop window. Back toher. The petite young woman in the tattered white dress stood hunched not more than ten feet away. Darrell searched for her reflection in the glass. There was not even a shimmer.
Oh no. Not again.
The side of the young woman’s face was beaten and bloodied. Her exposed neck bore a long, ugly purple bruise. The torn dress now had blood seeping across her torso and down her right leg. He looked back. Still nothing in the window. The hairs on his neck stood up.
“What do you want?”
In unison, the pair turned, peered behind and then back at Darrell. The man said, “Son, there’s no one there.”
Darrell kept staring and as he watched, the young woman walkedthroughthe older couple and stopped in front of him. This close up, her one deep blue eye—the one not blackened—seemed vacant and carried an emptiness that frightened Darrell. She again extended both pale hands, blood now covering them and dripping off her fingertips. Mesmerized, Darrell watched as fat crimson drops splattered red onto the gray sidewalk.
In her soft voice, she said again, “Please, help me. Help us.”
Darrell shook his head violently. “No. Hell, no. Not again.” Last time almost killed him.
About the author
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker, capturing state and national accolades for his work. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller,Leave No Child Behind(2012) and his recent mysteries,Blood on the Chesapeake (2019)andCrimson at Cape May(2020) have earned five star reviews and garnered top awards and recognition from sites such as Literary Titan, ReadersFavorite.com, ReaderViews.com and N. N. Lights Bookheaven. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation “Things That Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.
