Update: The GARDEN OF SORRY winner is…Zita R! Congrats!
Happy Tuesday, everyone!! I am currently lost in the land of copy-edits (for AVENGING ANGEL) and page proofs (DIE FOR ME), so the talented and kind DALE MAYER agreed to take over my blog for me. Thanks, Dale! Dale has a great post in store for you, and I sure hope you enjoy it!
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How do you like your suspense?
With a little romance, a lot of nail biting, a touch of the paranormal or all of the above?
I love mine with romance, edge of the seat tension and either with or without the paranormal. Why because as long as the reader makes it believable, as long as I’m sucked into the story, I don’t care where the writer takes me.
Sometimes I’ve woken up in complete new worlds and loved it!
When I started writing Tuesdays’ Child many years ago, I had no idea of the yellow brick road I’d set out on. Now with the release of Garden of Sorrow, book 4 of the Psychic Vision series, I have to admit to feeling a bit like Dorothy!
I’m not in Kansas anymore.
It’s a whole new world out there. I don’t recognize my surroundings, and can barely remember the many stops I took to get here. Not only has the publishing landscape changed, but so has my professional landscape. But like Dorothy the journey has been incredible. And rewarding.
And suspenseful.
There are very few days where I can relax and know that everything is taken care of. Most of my days are page turners themselves so it’s no wonder that’s what I write. When I do have down days, I tend to create funny stories like It’s a Dog’s Life. Although I had to add in some suspense to that one too. 🙂
Some things are just ingrained into my style.
In my 17 month journey from Tuesday’s Child to Garden of Sorrow (Hide’n Go Seek, Maddy’s Floor are in the middle). I’ve published a dozen books along the way. It’s okay that I’m not in Kansas anymore. I’m excited to see where my journey takes m and what characters (fictional and real) I’ll get to meet along the way.
I hope you enjoy reading about Alexis and Kevin as much as I had fun writing their stories.
Garden of Sorrow
Her world is in chaos. His world is in order. She wants to help the innocent. He wants to catch the guilty. But someone is trying to make sure that neither get what they want.
Alexis Gordon has spent the last year trying to get over the loss of her sister. Then she goes to work on a normal day…and reality as she knows it…disappears.
Detective Kevin Sutherland, armed with his own psychic abilities, recognizes her gift and calls in his friend Stefan Kronos, a psychic artist and law enforcement consultant, to help her develop her skills. But Kevin has never seen anything like this case – a killer with a personal vendetta to stop Alexis from finding out more about him…and his long dead victims.
The killer can be stopped. He must be stopped. But he’s planning on surviving…even after death.
So– how do you like your suspense? With a little romance, a lot of nail biting, a touch of the paranormal or all of the above? Or maybe you like your suspense straight! I’m giving away a free digital copy of Garden of Sorrow to one commenter.
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And here’s a sneak peek at GARDEN OF SORROW for you:
It was late when Alexis headed to bed that night. She dropped into dream sleep immediately.
In her dream state, she walked through a beautiful wildflower meadow with sunshine and yellow finches. Lissa walked beside her. It felt wonderful. The two of them were full of bubbling girl talk. Alexis couldn’t tell her dream from her memories. They seemed the same.
She loved it.
Alexis ignored the subtle changes going on around her. The joy at spending time with her sister overrode any other worries. Then Lissa froze, staring into the growing blackness moving over them.
Where had that dark wall come from? The sun had been shining only seconds ago. Lissa? What’s wrong?
Alexis spun around looking for answers. She could find nothing. Literally nothing. There was only a smoky black fog surrounding the two of them. Lissa never answered. Alexis swiveled, searching Lissa’s starkly pale face. Alexis placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders and shook gently. Talk to me. What’s going on.
Go! Get back. That’s why I’m here. To warn you if it became dangerous. Lissa pushed Alexis’s hands away and tried to turn Alexis around, shoving her forward. You have to go back.’
Go back where? What are you talking about?
The sun went out as if on a switch, leaving the two of them in total darkness. A terrible sense of foreboding washed through Alexis. Lissa, what’s going on?
He’s here. Alexis, wake up. You’re not safe. Wake up. Wake up!
Alexis woke up.
Her heart raced, trying to escape her rib cage. Her lungs gasped for air while her mind pleaded to know what had just happened.
Only her nightmare wasn’t over.
Someone was in her room.
Fear and sweat poured off her skin. Huddled under her covers, she shivered. Excruciatingly quiet, terrified of moving and attracting attention, Alexis desperately tried to calm her ragged breathing.
He hadn’t moved. Why? What was he doing? Who was he? Fear shut down her ability to think.
Macabre laughter filled the tiny room – or was that in her mind?
You can’t fool me. I know you’re awake. I can smell your fear. That’s very smart of you. Be afraid. But you’re not so wise to talk with my Daisy. She’s mine and don’t you dare forget it.
The disembodied voice faded, taking with it the horrific sense of an intimate brush with evil.
Alexis waited several long minutes. When she was sure he wasn’t coming back, she tried to sit up and turn on her light.
Only to find out she couldn’t.
She wrestled uselessly inside her body, trying to force it to shift. Alarms sounded, until she relaxed back, gasping at the nasty twist. She could breathe and blink, but she couldn’t move her arms or legs. Panic ripped through her.
Dear God. She was paralyzed.
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Dale Mayer is a prolific multi-published writer. She’s best known for her Psychic Visions series. Besides her romantic suspense/thrillers, Dale also writes paranormal romance and crossover young adult books in several different genres. To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series . All her books are available in print format as well.
To find out more about Dale and her books, visit her at http://www.dalemayer.com. Or connect with her online with Twitter at www.twitter.com/dalemayer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dalemayer.author
