Sunday, April 7, 2019

First Kiss: Simon & Ellie at Tale Spinner



Pirates, smugglers, or patriots—who’s littering Amelia Island with corpses?



Today we have another lovely excerpt from Flotsam & Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair, my cozy mystery/romantic suspense from The Wild Rose Press.

  
Three corpses strewn across the sand. Who are they and how did they get to Amelia Island?  State Park rangers Simon Ribault and Ellie Ironstone must find the answers while contending with a secretive group called the League of the Green Cross. Are the deaths linked to it? Or could they be tied to the colorful history of the island, which was won and lost eight times?  Mucking up the investigation is the crucial question—who will Ellie choose: Thad, the handsome local idol, and Simon, the clever, quirky bookworm?

 
Thad's Porsche


Excerpt: First Kiss

“Simon…”
The magic word. He walked the finger up her arm, circled her neck, and brought her lips to his. The kiss lingered, but not enough to satisfy him. He had adored this little creature for so long—since she arrived at the fort in fact, in a crisp new uniform, her campaign hat still unfaded, her expression a mix of terror and determination. He had fallen like a shooting star and could still feel the burn marks. But he had never in his wildest dreams thought she might feel the same way. He sat back, letting his hand fall.
She pulled him toward her and kissed him again. As the kiss wound down, they heard a tapping on the window. Georgia stood on the sidewalk grinning. “There’s a hotel around the corner, you know.”
Simon swiveled to look at Ellie and found himself the butt of a furious, hissing face. “You.”
“Me? What are you talking about?”
“Two-faced, two-timing, two-dollar bill. Or should I say multiple timing. How many other women do you have hidden in island nooks and crannies—this island which you know so well?”
“Huh?” This isn’t going as swimmingly as I thought. “I…uh.”
“Take me home. Now.”
“Ellie…”
Now.”
When they rolled up in front of Ellie’s house, a cheery yellow bungalow on Fletcher Avenue with a wide porch and hanging geraniums, a silver sports car sat at the curb. Oh great, the mighty Thad.
Simon’s nemesis disentangled himself from the wheel. Slowly, as if for maximum effect, he unfurled his powerful body, planting his size fourteen shoes solidly on the ground. A beefy hand languidly brushed the sandy hair from his forehead. Strapping shoulders squared, he loped over.
 
Simon's Mustang

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Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Blood in the Boat: An Excerpt from Flotsam & Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair



An Intriguing Excerpt from my new cozy mystery Flotsam & Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair:


Three corpses strewn across the sand. Who are they and how did they get to the shore of Amelia Island? Two State Park rangers must find the answers, while contending with a mysterious cabal and mutual affection.


Excerpt: Cocaine

She clambered over the side and started examining the bow. “Nothing here.”
“Check the stern. I’m going below.”
Ellie systematically searched the stern, lifting up seat cushions soaked from the rain and opening storage lockers. A rope sat in a jumbled heap by the cockpit wall. Under a small fold-out table, she noticed a red stain and bent down. It was dry. She scraped her fingernail in it and brought it to her nose. “Blood. I found blood, Simon!”
“A lot?”
“Puddle about six inches in diameter.”
“That’s nothing. I found a lot of blood. Oh, and a body.”
Before Ellie could make it to the gangway, Simon came up, his phone to his ear. “Yes, we’re at the Panther Point Marina. Boat named…” He raised an eyebrow at Ellie who dutifully looked over the side.
Mercy Louise.”
Mercy Louise. What? Oh, I’d say quite a while. Yes, we’ll wait here.”
Ellie tried to peer past him. “Who is it?”
“I’m guessing it’s Captain Goodwine.”
“How did he die?”
“Can’t tell. Don’t want to disturb the crime scene. Better wait.”
Two hours later, Virgil and Iggy carried a stretcher out to an ambulance. A detective came up from the cabin.
Simon held up a hand. “So? What does the forensics guy say, Zack?”
“He died from loss of blood.”
“And how did he lose this blood?”
“When a sharp object, maybe a Bowie knife, passed through his right side. Bled out.”
“Any sign of the knife?” When Zack shook his head, he asked, “Did he die right away?”
“Don’t think so. From the trail of blood stains, he was probably stabbed up on deck, then stumbled down into the galley.”
“But…” Ellie seemed puzzled. “If he was at sea when he died, how did he manage to get back here?”
Zack gave her an odd look. “What makes you think he was at sea?”
Before she could answer, a chubby man in a T-shirt marked Nassau County CSI rounded the wheelhouse, stuffing a small brown envelope into his tote bag.
“Any trace of the murder weapon?”
“Not yet.” He yelled down the gangway. “Steve? Find anything below?”
A disembodied voice called, “Blood. Looks like several sets of fingerprints…”
“What about the hold?”
“Opening it now…Wait a minute. Oh, yum.” A head topped by fiery red hair and freckles that clashed with his grim expression popped up in the hatch. He lifted a fist, in it a square package wrapped in cloth and tied with string. Simon could make out the words Cane Sugar, Product of Costa Rica.
“That the only one?”
“I’ll wager we had a bumper crop of sugar cane recently.”
Ellie pushed past Simon. “What is it?”
“Cocaine, ma’am. Lots and lots of it.”


The Mercy Louise

Mainstream Cozy Mystery; Romantic Suspense; Humorous/Romantic Comedy

Keywords: Amelia Island, Cozy mystery, Florida romance, Humorous romance, Romantic comedy, Romantic suspense, Mystery/Suspense
Rating: Spicy (PG13) 
Paper 430 p.; Ebook 97,578 words 


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Monday, April 1, 2019

Lapses of Memory Audio Coming Soon!



Coming Soon!

Lapses of Memory in Audio

It's spring in Old Town Alexandria, and Sydney Bellek is dictating her memoir to her daughter Olivia. Every few years from the age of five she meets her true love Elian Davies, but while he remembers her, she doesn’t recognize him. Only after surviving wars, revolutions, and years of separation will she realize they are meant to be, but this time it is Elian who has lost his memory of her. Will he remember her before she loses heart or will their new love be enough to replace the old one?

Meanwhile, her daughter Olivia has her own dilemma—how to choose between the rich and dashing Rémy de Beaumec, who wants to take her around the world, and the steady, quiet, American-to-the-core, Benjamin Knox, who only wants to make her happy.

Contemporary romantic suspense/Action Adventure
Ebook: 70,560; Print: 296 pp.

Look for it from Wild Rose Press this month!

Monday, March 18, 2019

Liv Arnold's Law and Disorder Front and Center Today

Please welcome Liv Arnold to tell us about her new release, Law and Disorder, a delightful erotic romantic comedy.



Thank you! I’ve watched the TV show Neighbors since I was a child. I used to come home from school, get changed, have a snack then sit down and watch. I love the community behind the storylines and the more lighthearted moments. So, I thought it would be a fun idea to have the heroine and hero as neighbors, but spice things up a little.

Blurb
Lawyer Juliet Jackson has come head to head with Sergeant Jesse Burns on numerous occasions in court. He is provoking. Pigheaded. Punch-worthy. They don't get along. Not one little bit. The unfortunate fact he's also her next-door neighbor brings her loathing off the charts. But when Juliet's caught locked outside her home in nothing but a skimpy towel, she must swallow her pride and turn to Jesse for help. She doesn't expect the explosive chemistry between them and can't help but wonder if Jesse's as demanding in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom.

Wild Rose Press, 18 March 2019.
Genre: Erotic romantic comedy
30pp.

Excerpt
His handsome face smirked before he averted his eyes and turned his head, but she could still see the profile of his face. His police uniform stretched across his chest. Wonder if that chest is chiseled underneath all those clothes.

Her ears burned hotter than chili sauce, spreading to her neck and chest. No point in putting on a mask this time, because there was no escaping this. Her fingers found the ends of the towel to cover her naked body, but her legs froze on the spot. “I got locked out of my house.”
“You got locked out of your house…naked?” A grin spread across his face, revealing the dimple on the bottom lip. She wanted to bite it but didn’t know if it was to hurt him or because of the temperature between her legs.

Scowling at his sarcasm, her fingers gripped the bricks of her house and she pulled herself up. “Yes. Why are you even here? Didn’t you have enough of me this morning?
“Never enough.”

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About the Author
Liv Arnold has worked as a copywriter for several global companies and now runs her own freelance business. She grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and lives with her husband and their spoiled dog, who only eats freshly cooked meals. When she’s not writing, Liv’s avoiding the gym, devouring a cheese platter, or marathoning way too much TV. And of course, she’s a massive book addict and often reads until all hours of the night.










Contacts:
I would love to hear from you! 



Tuesday, March 12, 2019

A Widow's Walk: Finding the Write Words Cover Wars

Wow--A Widow's Walk: Catherine's Dilemma is in 
Finding the Right Words Cover Wars!


Vote March 12-17 at Darlene Fredette's great site for your favorite cover. Have fun!

Finding The Write Words

http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com/2019/03/march-2019-cover-wars.html

Isn't the whole cover gorgeous?