And the winner is...

Six Pack of Murder winners are...


Jake
Mary Preston
Dana Wilkerson Spille





Dark Descent winners are...

Rosalee Richland
JQ Rose
Marja McGraw


Congratulations and I hope you enjoy.  If you don't hear from me soon, please get in contact with me.

MWW Tour Stops

In case you missed any stops along the tour, here they are in order. 

Day One  The Romance of Mystery
Day Two   Mysterious Writers
Day Three   Marilyn Musings
Day Four  Rionna Morgan's Chanting of Muses
Day Five  The ExPat Returneth
Day Six  Earl Stagg's Blog
Day Seven  Anne K. Albert's Blog
Day Eight   Feeling the Fiction
Day Nine  Evelyn Cullet's Blog
Day Ten  Rest Stop
Day Eleven   W. S. Gager on Writing
Day Twelve   Patricia Gligor's Writers Forum
Day Thirteen  M. M. Gormell's Blog
Day Fourteen  Madison Johns' Blog
Day Fifteen   Modern Confessional

The Next Big Thing

 That's right, today's the day.  The "Next Big Thing" Blog Hop. Which is a really cool way to get to know other writers and their work. Such as...Evelyn Byrne who tagged me and is writing paranormal books you'll really love.

This "hop" consists of 10 questions.  

And away we go.....

1. What is the working title of your book?
 Now that is a loaded question. I have several things going right now.  Dark Descent and Dragons of Jade are both in the editorial phase. I'm hoping to have release dates on them soon.  I'm also working on two serials, I Wish... and Where the Heart is.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
Dark Descent began as a prompt idea for a writer's group newsletter but it had to be short. Only thing, there was so much more to the story so it became a novel.  Dragons of Jade...I'm not sure where the idea came from. I just like dragons and wanted to do them differently.  I challenged myself to write a different genre and that's how I started on Where the Heart is.  I Wish... my brother challenged me to write. It started as a short story, just enough to win the bet with him but has grown also.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
Dark Descent - mystery/suspense
Dragons of Jade - fantasy
I Wish... western fantasy
Where the Heart is - contemporary romance 

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
There's no way I could even begin to figure this out. I watch so little televison I don't keep up with the actors.
 
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Dark Descent - Hannibal Lector meets Mayberry - There's a serial killer living among them, can Cande figure out who it is before it's too late for his next victim?

Dragons of Jade - Who's killing the dragons and what can a girl from Earth do about it? 

Where the Heart is - Can Marcus prove to Samantha they were meant to be together before she leaves again?

I Wish... - Wes gets his wish to live in the old west but will it be what he expected and will he be able to get back home in one piece or at all?

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
They will be published through White Bird Publications. It's a small press and I'm really enjoying working with them.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Dark Descent took probably 3 months to write, but those 3 months were spread over quite a long time.  Dragons of Jade was written as a NaNoWriMo project so only took 1 month. Naturally, revising has taken longer.  Where the Heart is and I Wish... have taken several months also.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Gee...another loaded question. I think anyone who enjoys Sue Grafton or Janet Evanovich will like Dark Descent when it comes out.  Those who like dragons should enjoy Dragons of Jade. Romance lovers will enjoy them all since each book has a thread of romance.

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I really like playing in different genres. It's a way to learn new writing techniques and challenging oneself.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
 I think the characters. I sometimes have to remind myself they aren't real people and I believe the reader will love them as much as I do. Plus, I like to add an unexpected twist or two whenever I can.


Well, that was fun. I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my WIPs.  Next week, check out these great authors and their blogs for more answers.

Mitch Haynes

Dawn Demarco 

Ken Farmer

Jaleta Clegg  

Simon Lang

You can download episodes(.99 each) of Where the Heart is and I Wish...  from Amazon.  Also, my short story collection, Six Pack of Murder has the first chapter of Dark Descent included.  

Mystery Monday - Midnight Snack

A while back, I was given a prompt to write a story using only dialogue. This is the result. Hope you enjoy.

Midnight Snack

            “Finally, it‘s about time you got here. What’d you tell Bill?”

            “Just that you and Dave had a fight, that you were upset and needed someone to talk to. I told him not to wait up for me, that I might stay over. Of course, he was practically asleep on the couch before I left so that’s where he’ll probably be in the morning. He’s such  a bore lately. Where'd Dave go?”

            “He didn’t go anywhere. Come on. I’ll show you. “

            “Oh god! Is he dead?”

            “Yeah, he’s dead. But I warned him. I told him what would happen if he ever cheated on me.  He asked for it. You know, he didn’t even lie about it. Said she made him feel like a real man. Well, she won’t be making him feel anything ever again,I can tell you that.”

            “Did he tell you who she is? I mean, do you know who he was seeing?”

            “I didn’t even ask. Right now though, we got to get rid of him. I saw a couple gators when I jogged over Possum Creek yesterday. We can dump him there. It’ll be days before they find him, if they ever do. Wrap the shower curtain around him.I’ve got the truck backed up to the deck. We can just slide him right in.”

            “What are you going to tell everyone? Sooner or later someone will come looking for him.”

            “Yeah, all his buddies down at Joe’s.I’ll just say we had a fight, he left and didn‘t come home. It’s almost the truth. The Johnson‘s will confirm the fight and that he left.”

            “But he did come home. What about that?”

            “They were asleep by then. A 747 could  land in their yard and not wake them. Besides, he parked in the back when he came home. Thanks to the privacy fence Dave insisted on building, they can’t see back there. Now, let’s take out the trash.”

            “God, he’s heavy. How are we going ever going to get him over the bridge?”

            “I’ve got a plan. Don’t worry. Follow me in your car.”

            “Alright, I’ll meet you there.”

            “Don’t wimp out on me. I need you. You don’t want me going to jail do you?”

            “Of course not. You’re my best friend. I won’t let you down.”

*

            “Hold onto the shower curtain. I’ll ease the truck away and he’ll slide right out. Ready?”

            “Go real slow. Oh god, oh god, oh god. He’s out.”

            “Now to get him over the bridge. Here gator, gator. Time for a midnight snack. Grab his feet, pull him up and over the rail. Leave the shower curtain, I’ll get rid of that later.There’s a construction site not far from here. They won’t notice it in the dumpster. Good, now help me shove him over.”

            “I’m going to have nightmares for weeks.”

            “No, you won’t. I mean, you only helped a friend. It’s not like it’s your fault. Oh wait, it is partly your fault.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Did you really think you’d get away with it? That I wouldn’t figure it out? You’ve been wearing that same cheap perfume since sixth grade.  When Dave came home from his business trip last month, his clothes reeked of it.”

            “Come on, I’m not the only person who wears Temptation.”

            “True, but you were gone the same weekend. I called. Thought a girl’s night out would be fun. Bill told me about your business trip.”

            “I was in meetings all weekend. Honest. It really was a business trip.”

            “Maybe. I couldn’t prove it one way or the other so I started following Dave. The Blue Moon hotel on Tuesday and Thursdays at lunch. Then there was the day y’all didn’t even make it to the hotel. Last Wednesday wasn’t it? I always hated doing it in the front seat but you seemed to be enjoying it.”

            “I didn’t mean to…  I couldn’t help it. And he said it was over, that he was filing for divorce.”
            “It doesn’t matter. You were my best friend. There’s no excuse. No matter what he said.”

            “What are you going to tell Bill? He knows I went to your place. He’ll expect me back in the morning.”

            “You never made it to my place. Just cause you said I called, doesn’t mean I did.  Besides, once he finds out about you and Dave, he’ll be more angry than concerned.”

            “Please…  You don’t have to do this.”

            “Yeah I do. You were a good friend but it‘s too late. Now, you’re dessert for the gators. Bye Pam.”

            “I’m sor…”

            “Look out below. Open up boys, this one will make you feel like a real gator.”

 End

If you like this, you'll probably enjoy Six Pack of Murder. It's six short stories along with the opening of my soon to be released novel, Dark Descent. 

T is for... Samson

That's right, Samson. 

Samson is a Siberian tiger in my short story Tyger, Tyger.  Did you know tiger footprints are just as individual as fingerprints? I learned a lot about tigers while doing the research for this story.  More than I'll ever need to know but I really enjoyed writing this one.

You can read Tyger, Tyger in my short story collection, Six Pack of Murder and find out if Samson is the bad guy or innocent victim. The electronic download (Kindle & Nook) is only .99 and includes 5 other short stories along with the first chapter of my upcoming novel Dark Descent, which is due to be released in June. Here's the Amazon link.

Happy reading...