How do you like the new graphic for
my mystery romance The Pit and the Passion: Murder at the Ghost Hotel? I love
it!
She held her gaze steady,
mainly so she could delve deep, deep into those chocolate eyes. Together with
his sharp, angular nose and intense, almost predatory, expression, he reminded
her of a peregrine falcon on the hunt.
At midnight, in the darkness of
a deserted hotel, comes a scream and a splash. Eighty-five years later, workmen
uncover a skeleton in an old elevator shaft. Who is it, and how did it get
there? To find out, Charity Snow, ace reporter for the Longboat Key Planet,
teams up with Rancor Bass, best-selling author. A college ring they find at the
dig site may prove to be their best clue.
Although his
arrogance nearly exceeds his talent, Charity soon discovers a warm heart
beating under Rancor’s handsome exterior. While dealing with a drop-dead
gorgeous editor who may or may not be a villain, a publisher with a dark
secret, and an irascible forensic specialist, Charity and Rancor unearth an
unexpected link to the most famous circus family in the world.
Charity, despairing
of unearthing any charm in her prince charming, has an unexpected suitor.
Excerpt (G): The Frog Prince
As she trudged up the stairs, rain began to
fall, sparking a chorus of cheeps from the tiny native treefrogs. It seemed to
grow louder and louder. When she reached her door, she found out why. A huge
green bullfrog sat in a small wooden cage on the mat. A tag attached to it
said, “Kiss Me.” When she picked up the cage, a guttural voice croaked, “If you
don’t kiss me, you won’t get your present.” She looked around but couldn’t see
anyone. The voice came again. “Down here.”
The frog regarded her solemnly, its large eyes
unblinking. She spoke to the air. “I am not going to kiss a frog.”
“Ah, but I’m a special frog. A prince of a
frog. Kiss me.”
She had to admit she was tempted. “If I let
you out, you’ll hop away.” Why the hell
am I talking to an amphibian?
“Then you’d better kiss me quick.”
She shrugged. The rain turned into a downpour,
and she moved under the shelter of the overhang. With hesitant fingers, she
opened the little door. The frog hopped out. Quick as a flash, she bent down
and touched her lips to its back. Surprisingly, it was neither slimy nor wet.
She resisted the urge to wipe her mouth. The frog croaked once but remained
crouched on its haunches, gazing at her. She shook her head. “No sense in
asking. I’m only doing it once.”
“Wait.”
“Wait for what?” “Wait for it…” There was a
flash of purple smoke. When it cleared, the frog was gone, and Rancor sat on
the step. “Your prince. As ordered.”
“How did you do that?”
“A magician never divulges his secrets.” He
opened his palms to reveal a bouquet of gardenias. “For you. Will you be my
valentine?”
She held the flowers and inhaled deeply.
“They’re my favorite—how did you know?”
“I made inquiries. Jane is delightful by the
way. Didn’t care much for Darryl.”
“Find
out why he only sees her once a month, and she’ll be your slave for life.”
“That
would make a refreshing change.”
“More
than you deserve. Coming in?”
“Yes. I have to watch you change into
something more suitable for Michael’s on East.”
“Rancor! I can’t afford that.”
“You don’t have to—I have secured a source of
funding.”
“I don’t want to know.”
“No. You don’t.” He closed the door behind
him. “Now, you haven’t answered my question.”
Busy with the flowers, Charity didn’t reply.
He took the vase from her and set it down. Then he took her in his arms. “Will
you be my valentine?”
At that, something broke inside her, and the
tears flowed.
He dried them. “Should I take that as a ‘yes,’
or a ‘get out of my sight, you ogre’?” She kissed him, unable to talk.
“Go then. Put on that pearly white dress you
wore in Paris. And leave your hair down this once.”
She obeyed, savoring the prospect of a
Valentine’s Day that just might turn out to be the best ever.
The
Pit and the Passion: Murder at the Ghost Hotel
The Wild Rose
Press, January 22, 2018 (Crimson Rose)
Mystery,
Humorous/Romantic Comedy
Rating: PG13
418 p.; 97370 words
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