Journey to Writing and the Creative Process by Russell, author of Derrick

DERRICK by Russell

THANK YOU for Having Me!

I must share some exciting news with all of you!

My new book, DERRICK, just won in 2018 New Apple Literary Awards Contest as Official Selection in Psychological Suspense. I am completely surprised, flattered and humbled by the honor!

Also to add, GAVIN (Part 1 of The Gavin Nolan Trilogy) won 2017 New Apple Literary Summer E-book Awards as Official Selection in Horror.

Journey to Writing and the Creative Process

In my youth, I had a knack for spinning a tale. Because my family moved around quite a bit, my talent grew more while the new set of friends got to know me. Soon, they enjoyed my stories. I would describe malevolent stories about missing people captured in the basement of nearby houses, specters or ghouls haunting the school or even crawling malformed creatures in the shadows that grab children in order to bring them back into the depths of sewers. Seriously, I always had a dark imagination! Truly, it wasn’t until I read my first ‘grown-up’ book--Cujo by Stephen King--which I grasped the concept of being a writer, and desired to conjure an equally terrifying story. Plus, it’d be awesome to have my name on the cover! Even then, I realized I had to drop my last name: My god, it’d take up too much space…;)

As an adolescent, I attempted writing: Really premature renderings of dialogue, descriptions and scenes paved my wave into larger pieces. In college, I did take creative writing, but I found it to be too structured for me. Then again, I did just about majored in everything. In my twenties, I wrote my first manuscript—not exactly a great piece of literature—and then buried it. Will it ever come to the surface one day? Perhaps. Anyway, the sense of accomplishment catapulted me into writing The Tale of Old Man Fischer, which took me a long time to write and edit. Frankly, I never really told anyone in my family (and even my friends) that I wrote books. When Old Man Fischer hit the shelves, they were absolutely flabbergasted! Attending Graduate School and completing my thesis further ignited the writer in me. In essence, I wrote GAVIN as a study break. Soon after, DERRICK was conceived.

Where am I going with this? As I alluded to earlier, I had really taken only one creative writing class. The other students lapped up the professor’s lectures on structuring and organizing story boards before the actual writing: It seemed too contrived to me. Needless to say, it almost squashed my aspirations to be a writer. Purging that process, I reset my writing process and wrote by the seat of my pants. Truly, I begin a new writing project with the blank screen. I don’t have outlines, don’t draw up character descriptions and don’t even do research! Seriously nothing…I just begin writing. A visualization of a possible beginning appears in my head and a cool main character’s name pops up. From there, my fingers do the rest. As the story progresses, I allow the characters point me in the direction. In fact, I really don’t know the outcome until about mid-way through. Then it becomes really exciting how it all winds up. If I’m surprised how the books turns out, then my reader will be equally as astonished. In a nutshell, my writing is truly organic.

Essentially, I am one of those delusional, peculiar guy in back of bar with a laptop, guzzling martinis, coyly watching the crowd and typing away. One of those patrons might become my next inspiration. Or you, if you walk into that bar…

So many thanks! Please follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

Remember…Read to Escape!

Russell

Derrick

In Hyde Park, a movie theater erupts in flames on a bitterly cold November evening.

It seems like a job for the fire department, but under Captain Creighton’s direct orders, Detective Gavin Nolan and his partner, Derrick Williamson, must investigate. Arriving on the chaotic scene, they find multiple fatalities —but one of the victims is most peculiar…

Gavin soon discovers that this fire wasn’t the first of its kind. The arsonist has set ablaze other buildings around Chicago, and more female victims left in the same gruesome state have been discovered.

Gavin and Derrick determine that the arsonist is not an arsonist at all—but a sinister serial killer with an agenda.

Juggling the unexpected events in his personal life, Gavin digs into the locations of the explosions. At the same time, Derrick probes into the victims’ lives, searching for any possible connection.

However, when the next explosion occurs, the killer leaves behind a significant object, and Derrick becomes noticeably reserved. Gavin soon uncovers an enigmatic link, one that points to Derrick’s military past. A time that his partner had wished to forget. Yet, to catch the vicious maniac, Derrick must tell Gavin everything.

In a suspenseful, gripping ride to the end, it is up to Gavin to rescue his partner from the clutches of a killer. But will he make it in time?

WARNING: This book contains graphic scenes, explicit language, and violent sexual situations.

Available on Amazon

Read an excerpt:

The Opus Theater was a gouged-out smoldering shell of a building, resembling a nefarious beast defeated at the hands of a mob of local villagers. Its massive first-floor entrance breathed out the last of the smoke, the toothy marquee scarred with black soot. Above, its blackened window-eyes stared down upon the people menacingly. As Gavin ambled closer, avoiding the other officers, a gripping scent of chemicals, fabric, and noxious gas filtered into his nostrils, then wafted away with the wind. Next to the theater, a pair of smaller sibling buildings, a shoe business and a comic magazine shop, were scarred and smoldering as well. Even from here, Gavin could make out the shattered glass sparkling grimly against the siren lights.

As he had seen on the news, the fire trucks clustered near the front of the buildings. The crews were already wrapping up their gear, and one was lowering its long ladder. Firemen dashed from the trucks into the dark façade of the building, being swallowed up by the dying beast. Other men tugged on the thick gray hoses that were haphazardly tossed around on the street. Already, pockets of ice were forming on the standing water and small icicles began to grow from the edges of the building. Gavin carefully stepped over the hoses, which reminded him of ripped-out intestines from the gut of the savage beast, and tried to get out of the firemen’s way.

Hastily, a fireman rushed past him and knocked him slightly. Grunting an apology, the man kept talking into his radio and rounded one of the trucks. The smell of smoke invaded Gavin’s nostrils once again.

From behind him, Derrick shouted, “About time you fucking got here.”

About Russell

Russell has been writing for the majority of his life. Slipping into alternative universes allows him to enjoy the process of creativity from the novel’s conception to its final draft. Currently, he lives in South Texas with his wife, two kids and several cats.

DERRICK is a 2018 Winner in the New Apple Literary Awards, receiving Official Selection in Psychological Suspense.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Russell.The.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Russell_Writer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Russell_Writer/

Russell will be awarding $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Remember to leave comments and questions for Russell along the way!

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Vanished (A Beautiful Mess Series) by T.K. Leigh

Title: Vanished

Author: T.K. Leigh

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Release Date: February 7, 2017

Blurb

Recommended for mature readers due to strong language and graphic violence.

Rayne Kilpatrick has everything. A job she’s dreamed of since a little girl. The perfect house. And a man she loves and is about to marry… Until he never returns from a humanitarian mission.

Gone. Disappeared. Vanished.

When footage of his gruesome murder by a Muslim extremist group is shown across the country and around the globe, she wants the person responsible for the disappearance of the man she loves to pay. She wants him to lose the one person who means the world to him, too, and she won’t stop until he does.

Alexander Burnham has everything… Finally. A job he enjoys where he can actually make a difference in the world. The perfect woman who he’s loved his entire life. And the most beautiful daughter a father could ask for… Until he walks into her bedroom one morning to find it empty.

Gone. Disappeared. Vanished.

It’s a race against the clock for Alexander to put the pieces together and find out who has taken his daughter and what they want from him. As information comes to light, he is forced to bury the guilt he feels after losing his fellow team member and focus instead on finding and saving his daughter…

Before it’s too late.

Vanished can be read in conjunction with or separate from the Beautiful Mess series.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase Links

99c for release day only

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

Excerpt

This was no longer home to a fearless girl who had more love for Olivia than she deserved. This would now become a place of nightmares for her daughter. Would she ever be able to sleep in this room again? Would she ever want to sleep alone? Would she ever feel safe?

Olivia struggled to come to terms with what Melanie’s life would be like if she survived this. She hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Alexander wasn’t without his faults, and neither was Olivia, but Melanie was so young, so pure, so innocent. Now, at far too young an age, she would be jaded by the cruelties of the world.

Would she ever see her smile again?

Would she ever hear her carefree laugh?

Would she ever feel her unconditional love as she flung her arms around her?

Bleakness invaded Olivia right down to her core as she fell onto Melanie’s unmade bed. Sheets that were once warm from her presence had grown cold, and Olivia could no longer keep it in. She wasn’t just watching a made-for-TV movie about a successful, semi-famous family losing their daughter. She was living the nightmare. wishing with everything she had that this would all be over soon, that it wasn’t real.

“Wake up!” Olivia screamed, slapping her face as relentless tears streamed down her cheeks. She curled into a ball, the torment growing inside her becoming unbearable. It felt like someone was ripping her open with sadistic apathy, the pace languid and sluggish, taking pleasure from each strained breath she struggled to capture. Her skin prickled with the heat of a thousand branding irons. No matter how loud she screamed, it wouldn’t dull the pain.

“Wake up, Olivia!” she bellowed again, louder and more desperate. Nothing worked. No matter what she did, no matter how loud her cries, nothing would wake her from this nightmare.

Sobs wracked through her body as she fought for air. She tried to gain control over her body and tears, but it was useless. She was no longer in command of her own destiny. Even the seemingly innate task of inhaling and exhaling had become arduous and complicated. Melanie was her lifeline, her reason for living. Without her, Olivia’s heart gave out, her lungs refused to work, her body shut down.

Suddenly, a pair of familiar, strong arms cradled her, lifting her off the torturous bed, cocooning her in a shelter only they could provide. They comforted her sobs, giving her exactly what she needed. She cried into her husband’s chest, a hundred tears falling for every regret. No words were spoken. Lowering himself to the floor, he simply held her in his lap, wiping her tears, providing her with warmth in this cold, hateful world.

She didn’t know how many minutes ticked by as he remained there, silently assuring her with his presence that they would get through this, that everything would work out. Still, she knew they would never be the same. This had shaken their family to its core. There was no returning to the way things were before.

Olivia cried harder.

She cried for all the time she should have spent with her daughter instead of working tirelessly for one charity or another. She cried for all the times she told her no when she should have said yes. Yes, we can have pancakes for dinner. Yes, we can go feed the ducks at the pond. Yes, we can make Christmas cookies in July. 

Exhaustion set in as her cries subsided and she closed her eyes. The last thing she saw before drifting off was Melanie standing alone in a dark room, a blank expression on her pale face.

Beautiful Mess Series

CURRENTLY FREE

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

Author Bio

T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is a USA Today Bestselling author of the Beautiful Mess series, in addition to several other works. Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog, and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). In late 2015, she gave birth to her first (and only) baby. When she’s not planted in front of her computer, writing away, she can be found training for her next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to recall) or chasing her daughter around the house.

T.K. Leigh is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. All publishing inquiries, including audio, foreign, and film rights, should be directed to her.

Author Links

FACEBOOK
TWITTER

GOOGLE PLUS

PINTEREST

WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM

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#CoverReveal Vanished (A Beautiful Mess Series Novel) by T.K. Leigh

Title: Vanished

Author: T.K. Leigh

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Cover Design: Tracy Kellam, Cat Head Biscuit, Inc.

Release Date: February 7, 2017

Blurb

Recommended for mature readers due to strong language and graphic violence.

Rayne Kilpatrick has everything. A job she’s dreamed of since a little girl. The perfect house. And a man she loves and is about to marry… Until he never returns from a humanitarian mission.

Gone. Disappeared. Vanished.

When footage of his gruesome murder by a Muslim extremist group is shown across the country and around the globe, she wants the person responsible for the disappearance of the man she loves to pay. She wants him to lose the one person who means the world to him, too, and she won’t stop until he does.

Alexander Burnham has everything… Finally. A job he enjoys where he can actually make a difference in the world. The perfect woman who he’s loved his entire life. And the most beautiful daughter a father could ask for… Until he walks into her bedroom one morning to find it empty.

Gone. Disappeared. Vanished.

It’s a race against the clock for Alexander to put the pieces together and find out who has taken his daughter and what they want from him. As information comes to light, he is forced to bury the guilt he feels after losing his fellow team member and focus instead on finding and saving his daughter…

Before it’s too late.

Vanished can be read in conjunction with or separate from the Beautiful Mess series.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Excerpt

This was no longer home to a fearless girl who had more love for Olivia than she deserved. This would now become a place of nightmares for her daughter. Would she ever be able to sleep in this room again? Would she ever want to sleep alone? Would she ever feel safe?

Olivia struggled to come to terms with what Melanie’s life would be like if she survived this. She hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Alexander wasn’t without his faults, and neither was Olivia, but Melanie was so young, so pure, so innocent. Now, at far too young an age, she would be jaded by the cruelties of the world.

Would she ever see her smile again?

Would she ever hear her carefree laugh?

Would she ever feel her unconditional love as she flung her arms around her?

Bleakness invaded Olivia right down to her core as she fell onto Melanie’s unmade bed. Sheets that were once warm from her presence had grown cold, and Olivia could no longer keep it in. She wasn’t just watching a made-for-TV movie about a successful, semi-famous family losing their daughter. She was living the nightmare. wishing with everything she had that this would all be over soon, that it wasn’t real.

“Wake up!” Olivia screamed, slapping her face as relentless tears streamed down her cheeks. She curled into a ball, the torment growing inside her becoming unbearable. It felt like someone was ripping her open with sadistic apathy, the pace languid and sluggish, taking pleasure from each strained breath she struggled to capture. Her skin prickled with the heat of a thousand branding irons. No matter how loud she screamed, it wouldn’t dull the pain.

“Wake up, Olivia!” she bellowed again, louder and more desperate. Nothing worked. No matter what she did, no matter how loud her cries, nothing would wake her from this nightmare.

Sobs wracked through her body as she fought for air. She tried to gain control over her body and tears, but it was useless. She was no longer in command of her own destiny. Even the seemingly innate task of inhaling and exhaling had become arduous and complicated. Melanie was her lifeline, her reason for living. Without her, Olivia’s heart gave out, her lungs refused to work, her body shut down.

Suddenly, a pair of familiar, strong arms cradled her, lifting her off the torturous bed, cocooning her in a shelter only they could provide. They comforted her sobs, giving her exactly what she needed. She cried into her husband’s chest, a hundred tears falling for every regret. No words were spoken. Lowering himself to the floor, he simply held her in his lap, wiping her tears, providing her with warmth in this cold, hateful world.

She didn’t know how many minutes ticked by as he remained there, silently assuring her with his presence that they would get through this, that everything would work out. Still, she knew they would never be the same. This had shaken their family to its core. There was no returning to the way things were before.

Olivia cried harder.

She cried for all the time she should have spent with her daughter instead of working tirelessly for one charity or another. She cried for all the times she told her no when she should have said yes. Yes, we can have pancakes for dinner. Yes, we can go feed the ducks at the pond. Yes, we can make Christmas cookies in July. 

Exhaustion set in as her cries subsided and she closed her eyes. The last thing she saw before drifting off was Melanie standing alone in a dark room, a blank expression on her pale face.

Beautiful Mess Series

CURRENTLY FREE

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

Author Bio

T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is a USA Today Bestselling author of the Beautiful Mess series, in addition to several other works. Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog, and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). In late 2015, she gave birth to her first (and only) baby. When she’s not planted in front of her computer, writing away, she can be found training for her next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to recall) or chasing her daughter around the house.

T.K. Leigh is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. All publishing inquiries, including audio, foreign, and film rights, should be directed to her.

Author Links

FACEBOOK
TWITTER

GOOGLE PLUS

Pandora's Box by Kasi Blake

Pandora's Box

This romance suspense thriller was written by former Harlequin author Kasi Blake, author of books such as Would-Be Wife and Borrowed Identity. Get ready for a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Caught between two powerful men.

Madison Grey has to choose, but now is not the time to work out her love life. Her duty-to-country father tried to assassinate the president, and Madison needs to know why, especially since everyone is looking at her like she's a traitor. Her father's final words take her on a dangerous, twisted path to the truth. Some secrets are better left buried.

Along with Navy SEAL Tyler Law and her ex boyfriend who also happens to be her boss, she will risk it all to find out the truth. And in the end she will have to risk her heart or lose everything.

This book has it all: mystery, suspense, romance, and a hot alpha male.

Read an excerpt:

“Kiss me,” Tyler said. 

“What?” Had she heard him right? 

“Kiss me like you haven’t seen me in months.” 

Tyler’s mouth covered hers, parting her lips with ease. His hands continued to cover both sides of her face. In a strategic move he insinuated himself between her and the wall and turned her head in his direction. If the men glanced their way, they would only see a redhead kissing her lover. 

She forgot why they were kissing. 

He deepened the kiss until she couldn’t breathe or think. He wiped her mind clean with his skill. Their bodies turned to molten desire, fusing them together. It wouldn’t be possible for them to get closer, not with clothes on. His hands roughly moved down the arch of her back, molding every curve and his tongue darted between her parted lips, sending a shockwave of emotion throughout her entire body. 

Oh she wanted more. 

An electric current pulsed from head to toe, tingling, transforming her idea of what a kiss could be. She pushed against him with her mouth and tugged at him with her hands, craving harder, deeper, longer. The men in suits were forgotten in a blissful moment of shared heat.

If this was the way he kissed a woman after a short separation, his future wife would need to travel frequently. 

Tyler tore his mouth free. They both gasped for needed oxygen. Her hands continued to cling to his powerful arms. She couldn’t let go if her life depended on it. Her legs felt weak and her head spun in dizzy, crazy circles. This couldn’t be happening to her. Madison Grey did not shiver or shake for any man.

“There’s another one headed this way,” he said. “We can’t fool them forever. We need disguises quick.” 

Madison bit the inside of her lower lip, still numb from the kiss, and forced her mind back into professional mode. Her father had almost killed the president and there were people who believed that meant she was a traitor, too. Only cold hard evidence would change their minds.

Available on Amazon

About Kasi Blake

When Kasi Blake was in the third grade, she found out that a good story could get her out of trouble. Okay, some people call it a lie, but she didn't see anything wrong with using every skill available to her to avoid being grounded. Over the years, that didn't change. Her stories just grew more elaborate. When she was 12, she began to write them down, starting with a six-page tale about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the good girl that secretly wanted him. Kasi went on to write for Harlequin for a few years. Then, she published a vampire series on her own, and now she is publishing with Clean Teen.

Get ready for an exciting series on witches using their powers to play dangerous games at school. The first is Crushed. You can find her on Twitter @kasiblake, on FB, and she has a website under her name.

Kasi lives on a farm in the Midwest with tons of animals including cows, ducks, chickens, a dog, and cats.

Tips for Dealing With Rejection - Guest Post by Joan C. Curtis, author of 'e-Murderer'

Tips for Dealing with Rejection—My Personal Advice

Rejection. With trembling hands we open the email only to find the familiar words, "So sorry, but this isn't for us."

What do you do next?

When I began putting my words on paper, I was a young English student. I expected rejection and ridicule. I had no lofty belief that my English teacher would read what I wrote and rave about my brilliance. Instead, I expected (and rightly so) criticism. At that point in my life, I realized that writing is fraught with the prospect of rejection.

Never did I realize then what I know now--that rejection is a part of a writer's life. Each time a perfectly crafted query goes unnoticed or worse still in the slush pile, I cringe and hide my head. More than once, I've given up on the project and allowed it to disappear among my long list of documents, unread and forgotten.

Withstanding rejection is one of the hardest things any artist has to learn to do. Whether you're a painter, artisan of jewelry, writer or performer, there are people out there who will not love your work. Those people tend to drive us nuts.

As a stand-up trainer I face audiences all the time, and I've learned a thing or two about rejection.

1) For every person out there who frowns at you, there are fifteen who are smiling.

2) If we focus on the frowns, we will not only become paralyzed, but we will also fail those smiling faces.

3) Sometimes the frowns are misinterpreted. Sometimes even they are smiling underneath the frown.

4) Those who persist win.

I'm trying to adapt these insights to my writing endeavors. When someone rejects my work, I remind myself that agent or publisher or reader is not rejecting me. If I persist, maybe someone will look up from the page and smile.

My best personal advice for handling rejection? Keep writing, keep submitting and set up a rejection file.

********************

e-Murderer

On this anything but typical Monday morning Jenna Scali, who works part-time for a shrink, opens an email that depicts the brutal death of a young girl. On that same day the police uncover a dead coed two blocks from Jenna’s house. The e-murderer’s description creepily echos the death described in the newspapers.

When Jenna receives other emails, she takes what she knows to the police and thus begins her journey in the path of the e-murderer. Her curious nature impels her from e-messages to dead coeds to a ring of prostitutes. With the help of her quirky friends, Jenna learns that she’s more than a conduit for the killer. She’s his target. New secrets unfold, and finally her love life takes a tumble when the true killer emerges.

THE E-MURDERER is a race to find a psychotic killer before he kills again.

This new mystery series with a young female sleuth promises to keep you glued to your seat until the last page.

Buy on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Kobo Books / MuseItUp Publishing

The author is giving away two prizes: One, a $15 Amazon or BN Gift card (their choice) and Two, a signed copy of the award-winning book, The Clock Strikes Midnight.

About the author:

Joan is an award-winning writer who has published 6 books and numerous stories. Readers compare her to the great Southern writer, Fanny Flagg. “She writes characters and a story that will stay with you.”

Her debut mystery/suspense novel, The Clock Strikes Midnight, won the silver medal for fiction/suspense in the Global eBook Awards for 2015 and is a finalist for the Royal Palm Literary Award. The e-Murderer won first place in the Malice Domestic Grants competition for new writers.



Joan has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She reads all kinds of books, including women’s fiction, mysteries, biography, and nonfiction. Mystery/suspense with a psychological twist is exactly the kind of book Joan loves to read.

"I write about characters who remind me of myself at times and my sister at times, but never fully so. My stories are told from a woman's point of view with a destiny. Characters drive my writing and my reading."

Having grown up in the South with a mother from Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique take on blending the Southern traditions with the eye of a Northerner. She spent most of her childhood in North Carolina and now resides in Athens, Georgia.

Author website: http://www.joancurtis.com | Author’s blog: http://www.joancurtis.com/blog

Facebook Author page: http://www.facebook.com/joanccurtisauthor | Twitter page: @joancurtis http://www.twitter.com/joancurtis

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'Billionaire Romance Collection' by Power Desires Editions

Blurb:

BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE

Don't miss out on these 4 stories about powerful, rich, sexy and dominating Billionaires.

Warning: this ebook containts mature themes and languages intended for 18+ readers only.

-Taken by the Billionaire
-Saved by the Mercenary Billionaire
-Highlander Bear Love
-The Writer's Money : Wolf Ending

+ another bonus book at the end. But we cannot tell anything about it here :)

Available on Amazon

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'Key to Love' by Judy Ann Davis

Key to Love

by Judy Ann Davis

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

When architect Elise Springer’s father is injured, she immediately leaves San Francisco to care for him. The last person she expects to encounter in her Pennsylvania hometown is her childhood friend Lucas Fisher. Lucas is investigating his brother’s death, and Elise can’t resist lending a hand.

Lucas longs for the close family ties he never had. He’s back in Scranton to set up a classic car restoration business and build a future. The torch he carries for Elise burns brighter than ever, but before he can declare his love, he must obtain the legal rights to adopt his nephew—and prove his brother’s death was no accident.

As they unearth clues pointing to find a murderer and a missing stash of money, Elise faces a dilemma. Is her career on the West Coast the key to her happiness, or is it an animal-cracker-eating four-year-old and his handsome uncle instead?

Read an excerpt:

Never in her entire harried life did Elise Springer think she’d ever be sitting at the kitchen table with a four-year-old, sorting animal crackers into Zip lock bags as if they were gathering essential supplies for a hike up Montage Mountain. Four boxes of Barnum’s Animal Crackers were spilled out into a heap before them. Juice boxes stood on the counter, waiting to be packed with a bag of toys and the crackers.

“Tell me again, Todd, why can’t we take all the animals in one box of crackers to the cottage?” she asked and watched in fascination as he patiently and carefully separated the kangaroos, elephants, and polar bears and put them into individual piles.

“Because only certain ones can come,” he said, “and some of them don’t get along. The monkeys and sheep don’t like the mean lions and tigers, you know.”

“But we’re not taking the monkeys, sheep, lions or tigers.”

The little boy looked at her with exasperated gray Fisher eyes. “But we can’t leave them here all mixed up if they’re not friends, Eee-lise.”

“Todd, if we don’t get started soon there won’t be enough daylight to play outside. How about we leave a note for Lucas and Cindy and tell them to finish sorting these?”

Beside them, Bess whined. Elise looked down at the bored canine and commiserated with her. She secretly popped a mean tiger into her mouth and then slipped a couple of lions and tigers into the dog’s awaiting mouth.

There is nothing more rewarding than destroying your enemies with a couple of chews and a swallow. If only life could be so easy.

Buy links

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Judy Ann Davis began her career in writing as a copy and continuity writer for radio and television in Scranton, PA. Throughout her career, she has written for both industry and education.

Over a dozen of her short stories have appeared in anthologies, and literary and small magazines, and have received numerous awards. Nineteen of them are now collected in UP ON THE ROOF AND OTHER STORIES.

Her first novel, RED FOX WOMAN, published in 2010, is a western, mystery, and romance and was a finalist in the International Book Awards and USA Book News Best Book Awards. Its stand-alone sequel, UNDER STARRY SKIES, was released earlier this year.

When Judy Ann is not behind her computer, you can find her looking for anything humorous to make her laugh or swinging a golf club where the chuckles are few. She is a member of Pennwriters, Inc. and Romance Writers of America. She lives in Central Pennsylvania.

Visit her on the web at these locations:

Website: www.judyanndavis.com

Blog: www.judyanndavis.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Judy-Ann-Davis/561285450554606?ref=hl

Twitter: @JudyAnnDavis4

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4353662.Judy_Ann_Davis

Judy Ann will be awarding a $25 Amazon Email Gift Certificate to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway