Black Friday - The Snowman - Free

 

Starting Black Friday, 

November 26th @ midnight

to November 30th @ midnight 

THE SNOWMAN

FREE!

EXCERPT:

Crowds had gathered for the annual Halloween party at The Office Bar on Sixth Avenue. The Channel 6 News anchors and their admirers swigged cocktail after cocktail, except Denise Cochran, who still nursed her first drink. A business-like motif of steel, wood and modern furniture inspired sterility, not party fun, but tonight, the place pulsated with life. Denise sipped her Cosmo as her foot tapped to the latest pop music tunes from the live band Heart Stop.

She checked her watch. "Dammit, Steven, where are you?" she muttered.

"What happened? He finally figure out you were only dating him for that juicy murder story?" Kylie asked, slurring her words.

"Nice friend you are. Isn’t that your fifth drink? You’re drunk—start ordering coffee before you embarrass yourself. Steven will be here. You’ll see."

"How long you gonna string this one along? And I’m not drunk, just pleasantly buzzed." She craned her neck and winked. Denise’s gaze followed.

"Sorry I’m late," Steven said and gave Denise a peck on the cheek. "What’d I miss?"

"Nothing." Denise glared at Kylie and quickly led Steven away from her loose-mouthed friend. "What took you so long?"

"Work. It’s been maddening trying to figure out this guy. Was that the friend you’ve been telling me about? Why didn’t you introduce us?"

"Come dance with me. I’ll introduce you later."

She rested her head on his shoulder as the music changed to a slow number. "It’s not snowing yet." She locked eyes with him. "I want your full attention. Later, the Snowman can have it. Much later." She touched his cheek and moved in closer. 

Steven stopped moving. "The Snowman? Please don’t tell me you’ve named him publicly."

"Sorry. It’s going to hit the airwaves tonight. First, the report on the snowstorm, and then speculation on whether another girl will disappear," Denise said.

"Shit! The press is turning this into a three-ring circus. You're giving the bastard just what he wants. The Snowman, really!"

*****

The other books in the series are:

Murder, Madness & Love

 Memories Of Murder

 Murder & Obsession

 Murder, Just Because

A Passion for Murder

         And not they are all selling for 

$1.99 

discounted just for Black Friday!

Own the entire series!

          Light is a fleeting moment in the frozen north that is Alaska. Although the sun shines brightly during the Summer Solstice, Detective Steven Quaid struggles to hold on to what he holds dear during life's darkest moments, his love for family, and professional achievement. Will a murderous stalker, a self-proclaimed Lucifer resurrected, or insidious obsession prove more powerful than this dedicated detective? Six separate life-threatening situations. One determined man.

enjoy!

Thank You, For Hosting Murder, Just Because!

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To all those who hosted Murder, Just Because.

I say ‘THANK YOU’ from the bottom of my heart!

Denise @ Denise Covey

CCAM @ Mythical Books

LuAnn Worley @ Rockin’ Book Reviews

Cathrina @ Constantine

Elizabeth Spann Craig @ Mystery Writing is Murder

L Diane Wolfe @ Spunk on A Stick

Lisa Haselton @ Reviews and Interviews

Shannon Lawrence @ The Warrior Muse

Bish Denham @ Random Thoughts

Ellen @ Ellen Jacobson Author

Susan Flett Swiderski @ I Think: Therefore, I Yam

Christine @ Christine Rains – Writer

Alex @ Alex J. Cavanaugh

Elizabeth @ Elizabeth Seckman, Author

Juneta Key @ Writer’s Gambit

Tara @ Tara Tyler Talks

H. R. @ H.R. Sinclair

Beverly Stowe McClure @ The Story of A Writer

Chrys Fey @ Write with Fey

Jemi Fraser @ Just Jemi

Mason Canyon @ Thoughts in Progress

Madhuri Palaji @ The Clipped Nightingale

Kathleen Kelly @ Celticlady’s Reviews

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Highlights & Book Tours

TOP TEN HIGHLIGHTS OF MY LIFE!

1.      The year I played Mary in the Christmas Play. I've never felt so humbled or honored.
2.      The day I stepped off a plane in Fairbanks, Alaska. I'd finally found a home.
3.       My first apartment and the purchase of my first car. After I found my first job in Alaska as a payroll clerk. I bought a used car and found a great apartment. Finally, total independence. It was the best of times!
4.       My first view of the aurora borealis. I would lie on my bed and watch them dance across the sky. So beautiful!
5.       Falling in love for the first time. It was everything every romance book ever said it would be. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. Unrequited is not one of my favorite words
6.       The birth of my two sons. The very best of my creative abilities! Handsome, smart, and independent! I'm very proud of them.
7        Graduating with High Honors and achieving my master's degree. Another goal marked done, but I still want my Ph.D.! I hoped my writing would fund that, but...
8.       The publication of my first novel. One of those naïve, impulsive, and totally in the dark experiences. Now I know everything I did wrong, but that day, that moment will always be special.
9.       Doing a Blog-Talk Radio Show. Getting out of my comfort zone to create the first book talk radio program. It was a blast, and I miss doing it.
10.     Buying a condo on the beach. I feel blessed to be able to isolate here.

Tell me a highlight or two of your life.

If you want to know more about Murder, Just Because just follow the links for reviews and guest posts.

Christine Rain's Review

Birthing Doesn't Have to be Murder

Interview With A Monster

Susan Flett-Swiderski Review

Reader's Favorite Review

How I Wrote My Mystery

My Top Ten Murder Mysteries

Heaven on Earth

How to Write a Thriller

Evil Exists

Mason Canyon Review


To learn more about me follow the links to the Q & A Sessions:

What Mythical Creature Am I?

What inspired Murder, Just Because?

What Makes Me Run Screaming?

Why do I Write Serial Killers?

What is the Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen?

Does My Writing Give Me Nightmares?


 

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Top Ten Literary Detectives

My Top Ten Literary Detectives

When I was younger, I read daily. My mother hated to find me with my nose in a book. She’d stand right over me and yell, and I wouldn’t hear a thing. I was lost in the story -- a new world. Reading was my escape.

I credit my fourth-grade teacher with my love for books because she introduced me to the library and the gift of a library card. Before that, though, I’d read newspapers and magazines: anything and everything I came across. My older brother had a collection of science fiction paperbacks, and Ray Bradbury was a favorite. In other words, I read everything in sight. Even now, I consume words at an amazing speed.

Today, my ability to escape to other worlds, other times, and other lives is still a gift of peace.

My top ten literary detectives are listed below in no particular order: Seriously, how do you choose a favorite? 

Please note - I did choose some by their TV/Movie persona. It matched perfectly to the character I saw. Even though the book came first.

1.       Nancy Drew --- Created by Carolyn Keene

2.       Judy Bolton --- Created by Margaret Sutton

3.       Mike Hammer --- Created by Mickey Spillane

4.       Hercule Poirot --- Created by Agatha Christie

5.       Nick & Nora Charles --- Created by Dashiell Hammett

6.       Miss Marple --- Created by Agatha Christie

7.       Sherlock Holmes & Watson --- Created by -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

8.       C. Auguste Dupin --- Created by Edgar Allan Poe

9.       Eve Dallas --- Created by J D Robb

10.     V. I. Warshawski --- Created by Sarah Paretsky

Do you have a favorite?

The Murder, Just Because Tour continues:

Today I'll be: 

April 13        Christine Rains – Writer – Review & Excerpt
                     Alex J. Cavanaugh – Guest Post -Top Ten Murder Movie List

And then:

April 15          Elizabeth Seckman, Author Guest Post - Heaven on Earth

April 17          Writer’s Gambit – Q & A & Excerpt

April 20          Tara Tyler Talks – Interview

                      H.R. Sinclair – Guest Post - How to Write a Thriller 

April 24          Write with Fey – Guest Post - Evil Exists

April 27          Just Jemi – Q & A 

April 29          Thoughts in Progress – Review

May 1             Celticlady’s Reviews – Feature

Creating a Serial Killer

Creating a Serial Killer

Who is Stowy Jenkins?

If you didn't know his killing background, you'd meet a handsome, charismatic man. Born in West Virginia, he's a transplant to Alaska, but he hates cold weather. Stowy owns his own computer design company and is an avid hunter and taxidermist. He lives with his mother but has a private cabin in the woods. He loves his toys, vehicles, hunting paraphernalia, and, especially, his killing tools.

In The Snowman, Stowy is convinced his killing is art, but once caught, the world imprisons him instead of appreciating him or his art. In Murder, Just Because, it’s ten years later, and Stowy Jenkins has escaped prison. His resentment has built, and his brutality has escalated. Revenge is his goal.

But why does he kill? Where did this man and his motives come from?

Obviously, from my imagination, but he's not wholly unique. His body count may be astronomical, and it is, but here in America, we had Henry Lee Lucas, the most prolific serial killer of all time with at least 350 deaths attributed to him and the possibility that the number could be as high as 600.

Stowy's charismatic persona helped him lure most of his victims to their death. Just as the handsome killer Ted Bundy did before his death by electric chair. However, Stowy took after Gary Ridgway in that he preferred a willing sexual partner, the prostitute, a person ready to climb into his truck.

Stowy's admiration and desire for blood were influenced by The Vampire of Sacramento, Richard Trenton Chase. Richard used to drink the blood of his victims and blend their body parts with soft drinks to make his favorite “milkshake” and was a known necrophiliac.

However, I set Stowy's underlying motivation for his desire to kill, at the feet of his abusive mother. A lifetime of sexual abuse by his own loving mother warped his sense of self and love.

If you're looking to create a notorious serial killer, do your research and know your antagonist from birth. I've found that whatever you can imagine, someone else already has, and the worst part of that statement--they exist and are ten times worse than anything you envisioned.

***

Photo by Reza Hasannia on Unsplash

Murder, Just Because - Tour Schedule

April 1            Denise Covey – Guest Post - Writing Your Real Life Experiences Into Your Novel
                        Mythical Books – Q & A with the Author & Excerpt

                              Rockin’ Book Reviews – Feature

April 2            Constantine – Feature

April 6            Mystery Writing is Murder – Guest Post How I Wrote My Mystery
                               Spunk on A Stick – Feature

April 7            Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews – Q & A
April 8            The Warrior Muse – Feature
                        Random Thoughts –  Feature

April 10          I Think Therefore I Yam - Susan Flett Swiderski - Interview With A Monster
                        Ellen Jacobson Author – Q & A 

April 13          Christine Rains – Writer – Review & Excerpt
                              Alex J. Cavanaugh – Guest Post -Top Ten Murder Movie List

April 15          Elizabeth Seckman, Author Guest Post - Heaven on Earth

April 17          Writer’s Gambit – Q & A & Excerpt

April 20          Tara Tyler Talks – Interview

                        H.R. Sinclair – Guest Post - How to Write a Thriller 

April 24          Write with Fey – Guest Post - Evil Exists

April 27          Just Jemi – Q & A 

April 29          Thoughts in Progress – Review

May 1             Celticlady’s Reviews – Feature

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