Monday, June 30, 2014

I'm A Guest Blogger


Just a quick note, I'm blogging on Leanne Tyler's blog today.
I'm talking about my latest book out, A Murder To Forget.
Drop by and check it out at http://leannetyler.com/2014/06/30/guest-author-monday-70/

Friday, June 27, 2014

FIREWORKS


Our topic this week is your best explosive (literally or figuratively, physically or emotionally) scene from your writing. Tell about your reaction to writing it, background  information, etc.

Wow - what a great topic but I couldn't think what scene would work. After a lot of consideration I thought a beginning scene form a new work in progress was perfect. So here is a beginning scene from a book I've titled 'The Anniversary'. 


It was a good day for murder.

He strode into the diner, rifle in each hand and opened fire.

A smile curled his lips as people fell to the floor and blood spattered across tables and walls.

Mary Lou Hennessey heard the shots as she walked out of the woman’s restroom, two-year old Travis clutching her hand.

Her husband Clint came out of the men’s room at the same time, with their older son, five year old Clint Junior.

“It sounds like shots in the diner.” Mary Lou whispered.

Clint nodded and held his finger to his lips. “Take Clint and sneak out of the exit door.

He pointed to the door at the end of the hall and handed Mary Lou Clint Junior’s hand.

She opened her mouth.

Clint shook his head. “Do what I ask. I’m going to check it out. I might be able to help.” He pulled his 45 automatic from his belt at the back of his jeans.

“Clint, don’t go, please.” She whispered.

“Go, quick and get as far away as possible, then call the sheriff.  Now go. I’ll be fine.”

Mary Lou hesitated. The shots had stopped.

She took Clint Junior’s hand and hurried toward the exit door, praying it wasn’t alarmed. She pushed it open.

No alarm sounded.

She glanced over her shoulder as Clint crept up to the door of the diner, his gun out in front.

“Well, well, look who’s here. Come on in boy and join the party.”

She raced outside, into the warm Alabama evening, dragging both her boys with her.

“Mom...”

“Quiet, both of you keep running beside me.” She raced across the unused parking lot, past a rusted out nineteen ninety coupe, through an overgrowth of weeds and up a short slope into the carwash next door. It had closed at five o’clock. She ran inside and hid behind the brushes.

With one boy on each side, she clutched them against her. It was quiet. No shots. No sounds of anyone leaving the diner. No cars driving away. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

“What is your emergency, please?”

“I need to talk to the sheriff. I don’t have his number.” Mary Lou whispered into the phone.

“I can pass the information on to the sheriff for you. What is your name?”

Mary Lou hesitated. “There’s been a shooting at Dave’s diner on Montgomery and Sixth Street. Tell the sheriff to get their fast, but be careful. He should bring paramedics too.”

She closed the phone. “Come on, boys, let’s get out of here.”

She walked out the back of the car wash and down a short alley. At the corner of the street she stopped and checked in both directions. There wasn’t a soul in sight.

From where she stood she didn’t see any movement in the diner.

Was Clint okay? Please, Lord, keep him safe. He’s a good man.

She stepped out on to the street and hurried to the corner. As she turned down Ninth Street she heard the sirens.

When I wrote this scene I had a hard time. I was in Mary Lou's POV and heard the shots and ran. It was a hard scene to write. Why would anyone kill innocent people? 

I'm interested in what the other's in my group have written about. Check out the next one at http://kaysisk.blogspot.com
And the other group members are listed below.
 
Margaret Fieland at http://margaretfieland.com/my_blog
Heidi M. http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com
Anne Stenhouse at http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com
Connie Vines at http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Ginger Simpson at http://mizging.blogspot.com
Geeta Kakade at http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/
Fiona McGier at http://www.fionamcgier.com
Lynn Crain at http://lynncrain.blogspot.co.at/
Rhobin Courtright at http://rhobinleecourtright.com

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

5 SECRETS (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is Krista Ames, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

My name is Krista Ames and I am from Northern Lower Michigan where I live with the love of my life and our 4 children.  We also have 2 female chocolate labs which we adore and a beautiful playful cat.
I can now say I am officially an author thanks to Turquoise Morning Press for my start. I would tell you a little history about myself and my writing but to tell you the truth, I can't remember when I became interested in writing.  I know that sounds funny but I never liked to read in school and I don't remember liking to write any better.  I do remember having an active imagination and creating my own games as my siblings are older than I am. 

I have 2 ideas of the perfect day......
1)  Spending the day with my family doing an activity we all enjoy, probably roller skating.  Kids grow up so fast and i don't want to miss a thing!
 2)  Having a whole day to hide away and write.  Now that doesn't hardly ever happen because I usually opt for #1.
I do love to write though and it's funny, but with very little free time, somehow it just finds a way to happen.  Things pop into my head when I least expect it and a story is born or a thousand words are written or I found a happy ending.  Whatever the case may be, I'm always prepared.  I'm a pencil and paper kinda gal so I have pencils everywhere.  My oldest child thought I was nuts until she started the same habit lol :)  Most times, I carry the pencils on me, stuck in a bun in my hair!


SECOND NATURE
5 Secrets About Second Nature (We don't have them yet)
Blurb from Second Nature

If a second chance presented itself, would you take it?

When the love of Dana's life leaves without a word, moving on is the last thing she wants to do.  Despite loving him, she believes she will never see him again but, little does she know, she's being set up for a night that will change her life forever.
Nicholas, A Navy man, did the only thing he could to save the woman he loved.  Driven by a secret, he disappeared and now returns, years later, with hope for love.  With one opportunity, will he be able to make things right, or is it just too late? 
Will she resist the desire she has for a second chance or will it be Second Nature?
 
To Buy Second Chance go to:    The Wild Rose Press    B&N    Amazon
You can find Krista on these links:

http://www.kristaames.com/ 
http://www.apassionforromance.blogspot.ca/ 
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon Author Pag
Roane Publishing Author Page
My Cowboy Kisses Author Page
Manic Readers

http://www.fallintoreadingreviews.blogspot.com
http://www.bridgingthegappromotions.blogspot.com


Thanks for checking out Krista and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions Krista will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

TWO REVIEWS

A few weeks late, but the last week I've been on the trip I posted about and the wifi was worse than I'd thought.
Anyway, here we go. I managed to read and review two books I thoroughly enjoyed. The first one is Purgatory.

PURGATORY is by Denise Moncrief
It's about amnesia, with a hot, sexy hero and a great, well-described setting.

Set in the mountains of Colorado, our heroine has amnesia. Five years ago she had a serious accident and landed in Purgatory. Now our hero has arrived looking for a wife he lost five years ago. She’s been pronounced dead but our hero doesn’t believe it. And now he’s found the heroine who looks exactly like his wife.
Have they found each other? The heroine has no recollection of him.
The author takes the reader through twists and turns, adds in threats and unknown villains, and keeps us guessing to the last possible second. When it looks like all is lost she manages to pull together the mystery, characters from five years ago and the reason our heroine hasn’t managed to overcome her amnesia until now. Great tension keeps you reading to the last page. I'd recommend it. It's available at Amazon and good reads, and I'm sure other e-reader stores.
 
The second book I read is Dream Doctor. 
 
 
DREAM DOCTOR BY JJ DiBenedetto
This one is about psychic dreams, a possible murderer to identify and stop and a few other friends to help through the dreams along the way.
 
I haven’t read the first book in this series. It didn’t take much away from the story but I would suggest reading them in sequence.  Dream Doctor is a complex story of love, murder, medical school and interesting characters. It is written in first person but the author has found a unique way of seeing the other people involved in the book and their feelings, through Sara’s psychic dreams. DiBenedetto does an excellent job of sprinkling clues about a possible murder and the killer through the dreams and then expanding on them as Sara researches the information to find an answer and solve a crime. The framework of the story is a young married couple attending university and living in residence. Sara is in her first year as a medical student and there’s lots of information on the life of a medical student. It’s an interesting and well written book and I’d recommend it. It's also available on Amazon and Goodreads and I'm sure other e-readers stores.
 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

5 SECRETS (WHAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT MY BOOK)


Our guest author today is J. S. Wayne, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of his book that no one knows--until today.

Born in Amarillo, Texas, J.S. Wayne has lived, worked, and traveled in approximately three quarters of the North American continent, and has amassed a résumé that could kindly be described as “eclectic.” He currently resides in Southern Utah, where he attends Southern Utah University as an undergraduate English major with a creative writing emphasis. He is actively involved with the Kolob Canyon Review, SUU’s literary journal, is an Honors student and member of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honors society, and is the founder and CEO of Writing Out Child Abuse, a charitable initiative to raise funds and awareness for survivors of child abuse worldwide.

J.S. Wayne describes himself as “a male romance writer, without apologies!”
 
DUSK: TIDES OF ASTAROTH
 
5 Secrets About DUSK: TIDES OF ASTAROTH
You would not believe how hard I had to rack my noodle to come up with something to say for today. I’d thought I’d already said everything I could say about Dusk, short of reading you the story verbatim! (And with my voice? No. Just…no.) Thankfully the writer’s best friend, eleventh-hour inspiration, kicked in, and I realized there are still a few secrets lurking in the pages of my latest novel that I can divulge. So, here we go! I hope y’all enjoy it…

1. Merrick and Olivia are apparently common romance character names. When I was first thinking up names for the characters in Dusk, I thought Olivia (after Olivia Newton-John—somewhere one of my professors is gnashing their teeth in agony) and Merrick were reasonably uncommon names. Without a second thought I slotted them in and patted myself on the back for my cleverness and working in a nod to old-school Star Trek to boot. Imagine my discomfiture when I was told at a recent book signing in Las Vegas that they are becoming very common in romance, much like “Stone” and “Elizabeth” back in the ‘90s. D’oh!

2. “Raebteews” contains a hidden meaning. (Apologies if you already spotted it…) Everyone likes something little and fuzzy. How do you think teddy bears, puppies, and kittens became so popular? So, I decided I needed something little and fuzzy in Dusk. The problem is, George Lucas already threw out the Ewoks. (Damn you, George Lucas!!!) So I thought a little bit and came up with an unholy cross between Mogwai for cuteness and Wolverine for “We want no part of that!” The result was the Raebteews, whose name is actually “sweet bear” backwards. It works, leaving aside the half-meter-long claws our furry little friends wield. These bad boys can cut through diamonds!

3. Dish alert: My favorite scene! Every writer wants to deny having a “favorite” anything, be it a scene, a character, or a whole story. But…c’mon. You know somehow, somewhere, writers always play favorites, whether they mean to or not. My favorite scene to write in Dusk actually had nothing to do with the main characters and, perhaps shockingly, wasn’t a love scene! It was a snark-off between two of the villains, who were trying to out-bluff each other on an elevator ride down into a diamond mine. The only thing that could have made it better was a third villain of equal sarcasm. Luckily I saw this…and delivered!

4. I missed something. After I finished Dusk, my girlfriend was reading it over. At one point, she looked at me and said, “Was this supposed to be in Earth weeks or Dusk weeks?” I frowned. The page said “41 weeks,” and she pointed out that a Dusk week would be longer than a Terran week. So…what kinds of things happen at 41 Terran weeks, hmm? (For the record, 41 Terran weeks would be roughly 25 Dusk weeks.)

5. Someone didn’t get a happy ending… Okay, that doesn’t really capture the situation. After all, I’m well-known to have an extra-specially violent hard-on toward many of the characters I create. However, one vitally important character in Dusk survived (in fact, they couldn’t have done it without here) but kinda got left out in the cold at the end of the story. But would your favorite spork-wielding maniac leave such a cool character in limbo? Nay, I say, nay! In fact, I’m currently hard at work on the sequel to Dusk, tentatively titled Mindblade. I’m hoping to have it done by the end of next month, assuming various things like, oh, yanno…LIFE…cooperate!

So there you have it. Five things you would never have known about Dusk if I hadn’t opened my big yap! *grin*
 
Before I leave, here’s a snippet from Dusk: Tides of Astaroth for your reading pleasure!

It began with a single cloud.

The high, thin cirrus cloud wafted over the northern horizon, easily mistaken for a wisp of smoke in the perpetual gloom. Studying the cloud through his binoculars, Pete hummed a snippet of a song that had been popular on Rigel II during his childhood. His eyes roamed over the holos that gave the cloud’s airspeed, direction, and other information.

The skies over Galacia had been perfectly clear since he’d first arrived with the Terran diplomatic embassy. The stars were clearly visible anytime, except over the vast swath of deep purple sky where Astaroth, Dusk’s satellite, blotted them out. Now that lone cloud hung high over the ocean as if in suspended animation, an ethereal harbinger.

Pete shivered despite the thirty-four-degree wind from the south-southwest. The moist smell of briny water nibbled at his nostrils, borne on the air. Moment by moment the wind gained momentum, going from a playful zephyr to a stiff breeze. If the trend continued, the gusts would become a full-on gale before another hour had passed.

He handed off the binocs to Olivia. “Look.”

She peered through the eyepieces and muttered darkly to herself. The wind carried her words away, but the snarling tone was unmistakable. Then she passed the binocs to Merrick, on her right, and he repeated the process.

“That’s going to be a problem,” he called over the wind. “Looks like the meteorologists were right.”

“Right now we just have wind. I won’t really get concerned until the waves reach thirty meters. Until then, this is just another winter storm.”

Pete raised an eyebrow. “How can you tell it’s winter?”

Olivia smiled. “By the constellations. It’s really an arbitrary designation, but the first settlers assumed it was planetary summer when they arrived and mapped the sky accordingly. We’ve stuck with it because of tradition, not scientific fact.”

Pete looked down as Olivia and Merrick talked back and forth. The balcony was ringed with a sturdy titanium balustrade and supported by gleaming metal plinths on either side. The dizzying drop to the bottom of the Aerie’s smooth sides twinkled with lights in random flickers of red, white, blue, yellow, and even green here and there. Past the jagged teeth of the black spires, he could just make out the beach and the ocean beyond. From up here the waves looked like friendly, lapping breakers, but he mentally adjusted for the elevation of his vantage point and realized the waves must be topping twelve meters.

He swallowed as his stomach writhed uneasily. Despite the intensity of his drop capsule training, he’d never really liked heights very much. Even standing on a three-meter ladder sometimes made his guts twinge. The only time he never really noticed heights was when he was either going into an active combat zone or performing aerial recon. In such situations, his chief interest lay in getting himself and the people under his command home alive.

“Looks like the waves are getting bigger.”

Olivia took back the binocs and peered down. After a long moment, she nodded.

“I’m starting to see fourteen-meter waves coming in at regular intervals. We need to organize the evacuation and the defenses.”

She turned to him, and her violet eyes washed indigo in the uncertain light. The fey feeling she had struck him with on first meeting welled up again. Just like before, his breathing froze at the sight of her beauty. Unlike before, his heart twinged in time with his lungs. He loved this woman and the prickly man standing beside her in different ways, but there was no denying the intensity of the emotion.

He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, wanting to burn his taste onto her tongue and ensure she would not taste anything but him. Even knowing Merrick would do the same only seconds from now, he could not resist the chance to take her entirely for his own. She pulled back, breathless and flushed. Pete smiled at her.

“I need to get down to the mines and see about organizing the refugees. You two are going to be up here, right?”

Merrick wrapped his arm around Olivia’s waist as he nodded affirmation. Without making an issue of it, the placement of his arm claimed her just as effectively as Pete’s kiss did. He smiled to show there were no hard feelings.

“So, when do you want to regroup?”

A flash of something pale and vertical in the ocean drew Pete’s attention. He brought up the binocs again and zeroed in on the anomaly. As the image resolved into painful clarity, he gasped.

He had never seen anything to compare to the monstrous, vaguely horse-headed creature rearing up out of the deep. Its eyes gleamed huge and opalescent over a pronounced snout, much like that of a Terran alligator. Large, frilled gills flared on either side of the base of its skull. It opened its mouth, revealing fangs so huge and jagged that the rock spires ashore appeared positively dull by comparison. Along its underbelly, immense, pale scales reared up in ridges, sparkling with moisture.

“What the hell is that?” Pete demanded.

Olivia had obviously followed the direction of his stare. “We call it a kraken, after the ancient Terran myth. It’s somewhat like a sea serpent, but it has tentacles.”

“What does it eat?”

Olivia shivered. “As far as we’ve been able to determine, anything. It’s extremely rare to see one this close in to shore. They usually prefer deeper water. When they do come in close to shore, we tend to steer clear until we’re certain they’re gone.”

“Uh-huh,” Pete grunted.

Merrick smiled, showing a gratuitous amount of teeth. “Don’t worry, Quick. We’ll keep the big, bad monster from eating you.”

Pete made a friendly suggestion that had more to do with Merrick’s genitals than his digestive apparatus.

To Buy DUSK: TIDES OF ASTAROTH go to:


 
J.S. can be found on Twitter @Author_JSWayne, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/js.wayne.5 and can be contacted via email at jswayne702@gmail.com. He enjoys talking with and hearing from his readers, and he invites you to drop him a line!

Thanks for checking out J.S. and his secrets. If you have any comments or questions, J. S. will be around to answer them today.
And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Beautiful BC

I'm traveling across southern BC right now, in our little motorhome, staying at campgrounds. We're just a few miles north of the US/Canadian border. The country is very rural, lots of farms and ranches and small towns. Few, if any, big box stores. Our first night we stayed at Christina Lake (above).

Last night we stayed at Fort Steele, just north of Cranbrook, a town of about 19,000.

Today we drive across the border into Alberta - cheap gas - yeah! And pass through a cool spot called Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump (above)and through the Frank slide where half the mountain came down in  1903.

I'll be back with 5 Secrets Thursday.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

A Murder To Forget Just Released


Okay, I`m blatantly self-promoting. A Murder to Forget, the second in my Holly Devine, Assistant PI series has just been released. It’s available on most e-book sites.
Here are the links to Amazon, Kobo and Nook if you want to check it out.




And here`s an excerpt.

Holly perched on the edge of the chair to prevent herself from rocking. “I see. Maybe you can tell me what makes you think your sister is missing.”

“I haven’t heard from her in over a week. Can I get you a cup of tea?”

“That would be lovely.” Holly dug out her notepad and pencil.

“Is chamomile all right?”

“That sounds perfect. A week isn’t long. She might be busy and forgot to call.”

“I know it doesn’t sound like it’s a long time, but my sister and I are very close. When our parents died, I looked after Mitzi. I’m five years older. We talk every day or every other day at the latest. Even if she’s away somewhere, she always calls me.”

Millie returned with a small tray and placed it on the coffee table. She poured Holly a cup and passed it over carefully. “Help yourself to the cream and sugar.”

“No, I’m good.”

“Would you like lemon? I think I have some.”

“No, clear is fine. Thank you.” Holly took a sip and burned the tip of her tongue. She put the cup down.

“When I talked to her last week, she told me Victor was angry. She said she was frightened. She didn’t know what he might do to her. She planned to tell me why when she saw me because Victor often listened in on her phone calls.

“When I didn’t hear from her for two days, I called and talked to Victor, her wonderful husband. He was abrupt and told me Mitzi had gone and hung up on me. I was frustrated. I went out to see him. He was furious that I’d come and wouldn’t let me in the house. When I pressured him, he said she’d run off with the golf pro and good riddance to both of them.”

“I see.” Holly scribbled furiously.

“I know she didn’t run off with the golf pro. She would have told me if that was her plan, or dropped by here before they left town. She’d never even told me she was interested in the golf pro. I know Victor is a liar. He’s done something to my sister. I know he has. I don’t know what, but I have to find out, whatever it is. Can you help me?” Millie asked.

“Look, I didn’t know you or your sister, but are you sure there’s no way she would have run off with a man without telling you? It might have been a spur of the moment thing and once they’re settled in Mexico, or wherever, she’ll call and let you know where she is.”

“No, she’d never do that. I know Mitzi.”

“I’ll talk to the golf pro and see what he says.”

“I understand what you’re saying. I know I sound a little over protective. Some people considered our dependence on each other abnormal. I know Victor hated it. It’s just we were all we had, for so long. When our parents died, we sort of looked after each other, even though I was older. Mitzi brightened up my life. We never go more than a day or two without keeping in touch. It’s who we are.” Millie shrugged.

“Her husband says she’s run off with the golf pro and isn’t too worried. Did he sound angry or upset?”

“Victor? No. Victor would never sound upset. I think he was angry because I phoned to check on Mitzi. He was mad at me, but basically Victor is cold and calculating. He married Mitzi because she is gorgeous. She won the Miss Miami Orange contest. She’s talented, too. He wanted her for an adornment when he entertained. Other than that he didn’t have much use for her. For that matter, I don’t think he has much use for any woman. He didn’t love her.”

“Did Mitzi love him?”

“I think she did when she first met him. He showered her with gifts and expensive trips. She was young and easily impressed. He turned her head. It didn’t last long.”

“I see. Why didn’t she leave him?”

“He would have killed her. She was his property.” Millie replied.

“But even if he didn’t love her, if someone’s run off with his property, wouldn’t he be upset?”

Millie sighed. “No. He’d be furious; the same as if you walked into your home and found a thief had violated it. He’d kill them both if it happened. Then find another ornament to decorate his arm.”

“So, you think he’s killed your sister?” Holly asked.

“Yes. I’m afraid that’s what he’s done. There’s no other reason she wouldn’t have called me. And it wouldn’t be because she ran off with someone. There has to be another reason.”

“Oh God, you didn’t say anything about a murder.” A shiver twisted snake-like down Holly’s spine. “If you think she’s been killed, you should talk to the police. They’re the ones who should look into this, not a private investigator.”

“I talked to the police. They’re not interested. She hasn’t been missing that long and Victor says she’s run off with the golf pro.”

“But did you tell them what you suspected?”

“Yes, and they laughed. Victor Santiago has money and power and is an important man. I’m nobody. The police say it’s a domestic issue. Even when husbands say they plan to kill their wives, they usually don’t. They did talk to Victor. He was very convincing about her disappearance.”

“So you want me to find out if Victor murdered your sister.”

“Yes. A part of me hopes that she has run off with the golf pro, or that Victor has locked her in her room, to teach her a lesson, but I’m sure he’s killed her. I have to know the truth.” Tears spilled over and trickled down Millie’s cheek. She swiped at them with the back of her hand.

 “I’m sorry. I’m probably being a nuisance, but honestly, I don’t know what else to do.”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re doing the right thing. Do you have a picture of Mitzi?”

“Of course, I’ll get it for you.” Millie swiped at her eyes and left the room.

“Do you know any of her friends?”

“She didn’t have any. Victor made sure of that. He kept her isolated from friends and family. She went to the country club to play golf and she went shopping. That’s about it. And she had a chauffeur for those activities. There were a couple of girls at the country club that she played golf with. I’ll write their names down for you.” Millie came back into the room and handed a photograph to Holly.

Holly looked at the photo of a young woman, maybe in her late twenties, with long blonde hair and soulful blue eyes. “She is beautiful.”

“Yes. That’s what got her into this mess. She was young and naïve. Victor overwhelmed her with his money. She expected to live the life of Cinderella. It turned out to be more like Rapunzel, but Rapunzel escaped. I don’t think Mitzi did.”

Holly dropped the photo into her purse. “I’ll do what I can. I don’t have a lot to go on.”

“I understand. Anything you can find out, anything at all, I’ll appreciate it. The fact you listened to me and will try to find her makes me feel a little better. I don’t know what I’ll do without her, but I don’t think I can live if I don’t know where she is or what happened to her.” Millie dabbed at the corner of her eye.

“It will probably be a couple of days before I get back to you.”

“If you think of anything else, or your sister calls, you can get a message to me through the office. You have the number?”

“Yes, but she won’t call.” Millie said. A tear caught in her throat. “She

can’t.”
 
Have a great weekend everyone.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

5 SECRETS (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is Alexa Verde, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Alexa Verde fell in love with writing at age eight when she penned her first poem. After publishing 200 short stories, poems, and articles in the five languages she speaks, Alexa has turned her creative passion to writing novels. Her 2014 debut inspirational romantic suspense, COLOR OF DANGER, is the first in her Secrets of Rios Azules series—set in a fictional small Texas town where rivers and emotions run deep and the richest family in town has a fine taste for food, jewelry, and murder. For news, recipes, giveaways, and more, please visit www.alexaverde.com.

Color of Danger

5 Things You Don't Know about Color of Danger 
1. The heroine Mari Del Lobo is inspired by my soul-mate I met when I was seven. Just like Mari, she has a black belt in karate, raced motorcycles since she was fifteen, and used to be a rock-band singer. Really, how could I NOT make her a heroine of the book?
2. Color of Danger wasn't supposed to be the first book in the Secrets of Rios Azules Series. I wanted to start with the book about a reporter heroine investigating murders committed by the Smiling Killer. I've written most of that book.
3. The idea about a serial killer's sister heroine came to me when I was watching a show about a real life serial killer. Apparently, he seemed to genuinely care about his family. The people closest to him had no clue about who he really was. I wondered, how would it feel to find out that your brother is a murderer? And what would make that situation worse? And then worse again? It's interesting how the writer's mind works, isn't it?
4. I used to cook most of the dishes mentioned in the book (pie "Grafskiye Razvalini", salad "Olivier"). Now, like Mari, I don't even own a skillet.
5. Each book in the series features one of the childhood friends who grew up together in a small town of Rios Azules, TX. But I love traveling and want for my characters to travel more in the next book. Maybe to the places I've been to, like caverns in the heart of Texas, the Rhine river in Germany or a castle in Eastern Europe. Or maybe to the places I'd love to visit. Any destination is a fair game!

Blurb for Color of Danger:
 Former runaway Mari Del Lobo works hard to save her struggling restaurant and to trust people again. Dallas surgeon Dr. Luke Goodman turns her world upside down with terrifying news. A recent murder has her late brother's - aka the Smiling Killer - signature and MO. When attacks on her escalate, Mari fights her growing attraction to the good doctor as fiercely as she fights for her life. To rescue herself and those she loves, will she be able to stop the murderer before he strikes again? 

Luke couldn't save his fiancée from the Smiling Killer, but he'll do anything to prevent more murders, even ask help from the serial killer's sister. Finding a kindred tortured soul and the perpetrator's next target in Mari, Luke is determined to protect the stubborn ex-rebel. But Mari would rather face danger than risk the safety of the man she comes to love.

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