Excerpt from paranormal romantic suspense novel The Second Lie by Anna Richland

I’m shining the spotlight on the paranormal romantic suspense novel, The Second Lie (The Immortal Vikings #2) by Anna Richland today.

During her virtual book tour, Anna will be awarding a set of En Route notecards, gorgeously illustrated by Kate Pocrass (because falling in love with an Immortal Viking is a wild journey!) to a randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit Anna’s other tour stops and enter there, too.  

Author bio:

Anna lives with her quietly funny Canadian husband and two less quiet children in a century-old house in Seattle. The perpetual drizzle is a good excuse to drink more coffee. She’s a former US Army officer who now writes The Immortal Vikings series from Carina Press and also the author of His Road Home, a novella which Publishers Weekly called “Tantalizing … a raw, emotional story” and the website SmartB*tchesTrashyBooks gave an A rating.

She donates a portion of her book proceeds to two charities: the Fisher House Foundation, which provides housing for families of wounded soldiers in the US and Great Britain, and Doctors Without Borders, which delivers emergency medical care in more than sixty crisis zones world-wide.

A little bit about The Second Lie:

A woman desperate to achieve her dreams.

To reassure wealthy clients, Christina Alvarez Mancini invented a jet-setting British owner for her Napa Valley wine collection service. Success has brought her close to buying her own winery, when irregularities at a London wine auction threaten her business.

A man in love with a good plan.

Stig, an immortal Viking thief, knows he’s found the perfect role. The California woman who created his character won’t discover what he’s up to in England until after he’s pocketed the money he needs. Then Christina walks into the auction preview, ready to ruin his plans, and he knows his boredom has ended.

Secrets that turn deadly.

By the end of the night, these two rivals must cooperate to escape kidnappers, British authorities, media and a pair of mysterious watchers. That’s when a game Stig’s played for a thousand years puts Christina’s life at risk.

Can two people whose identities are based on lies trust each other enough to survive?

Exclusive excerpt from The Second Lie:

[In this excerpt from The Second Lie (The Immortal Vikings #2), the man claiming to be Christina’s employer is many things, including attractive, but he definitely isn’t her boss.]

Alone with this cheat, she could finally speak her mind.

“That bottle looks almost authentic.” As she probed with a comment intended to make him wince, she focused on his face.

“It is.”

She snorted. Nature hadn’t blessed her with more than sixty-two natural inches, and even with three artificial ones from her heels, she was stuck looking up at almost every man in the world. Her nemesis was probably a fraction below six feet, although his cat-burglar physique made him appear taller.

“Here. For you.” Wrapped around the stem of the crystal glass, his fingers didn’t look like her banker or venture capitalist clients’ hands. He had the strongly developed knuckles of a field worker. As he offered the wine, the play of light on the edges of the ruby liquid captivated her, the subtle glow from the wall sconces deepening the original red almost to purple-black at the meniscus. It was magic, liquid magic, and she reached for the offering.

She was too tired and on edge to enjoy this properly, too preoccupied with the challenge of this man pretending to be her boss and scared to death of six or twenty or fifty worst-case scenarios, but she was unable to resist the lure. She’d tasted this vintage twice and remembered its tantalizing aroma of plums, earthiness and licorice, a blend that defied description with concrete terms.

Before she brought the glass to her nose, she caught something else. Cinnamon? Musk? Not this wine—him. He stood close enough, and she was so tuned to him, that his scent intruded. Her nose twitched.

His eyes dropped a fraction. Not low enough to be staring at her breasts, which weren’t particularly revealed by her conservatively cut dress.

“Have you caught a scent?” He’d seen the twitch.

She felt like a small animal trapped in a predator’s lair. She raised the glass and swirled too quickly.

The corner of his mouth quirked when he reconnected with her eyes. He recognized her fluster and didn’t bother to conceal that he thought he had the upper hand.

His hubris had the opposite effect and concentrated her on one goal—winning. If he thought he could toy with her, she’d play his game. Staring back, she lowered the glass until the rounded bowl hovered a few inches in front of her well-covered chest. To look at the wine would require him to gaze ten inches below her face. A slow exhale curved her body into a deliberate softness that she knew signaled surrender.

His nostrils flared very slightly, but it was enough to prod her further.

“Delicious,” she said without taking a full breath. Her voice sounded soft on the shush sounds and she tilted her chin down, using her face to lead his gaze to the place she held her wineglass. One deep inhale at the same time she swirled her glass, slowly this time, and she caught the widening of his eyes. Yes, he was a man who liked breasts. “It’s unforgettable.”

Connecting with Anna:

To sign up for Anna's newsletter, find out more about her books, and read longer excerpts, please visit her Website, her Facebook page, or her Goodreads.

Retail links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads | Chapters/Indigo

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Interview with mystery author Rosie Claverton

Mystery author Rosie Claverton is here today as part of a virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. She’s touring her new novel Binary Witness.

Rosie will be awarding to randomly drawn winners during the tour one of the following items: a "@" pendant, an engraved Floppy Disk Keyring, a Cardiff City Typographic Mug, a £10 Amazon voucher, and 3 Binary Witness e-books. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To be entered for more chances to win, feel free to visit other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:

Rosie Claverton grew up in Devon, daughter to a Sri Lankan father and a Norfolk mother, surrounded by folk mythology and surly sheep. She moved to Cardiff to study Medicine and adopted Wales as her home. Her short film "Dragon Chasers" aired on BBC Wales in Autumn 2012. Binary Witness is her debut novel from Carina Press. Currently exiled to London, she lives with her journalist husband and their pet hedgehog.

Welcome, Rosie. Please tell us about your current release.

Binary Witness is about agoraphobic hacker Amy Lane and her reluctant cleaner ex-con Jason Carr hunting down a serial killer in Cardiff. It is the first book in The Amy Lane Mysteries.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was keen to turn my hand to crime fiction, as it's one of my favourite dramas, and I love crime-fighting partners. When thinking of unlikely double acts, I struck upon the idea of a gifted hacker who is unable to leave her apartment relying on a streetwise partially-reformed criminal to gather evidence for a police investigation. And what better first case than serial murder? I also wanted to set a book in Cardiff, because I love Wales and I wanted my work to reflect that passion.

Excerpt:

(Amy hacks the forum)

Bryn flipped open his notebook over his fingers, worn wedding ring outside the shield of soft black leather. His ex-wife must be speaking to him this week. He read out the web address as she typed, and it loaded in seconds.

“Band fan forum. Nu metal.” Generic BB template, basic customisation—poor effort. She could’ve knocked together a better site in fifteen minutes.

She could feel Jason leaning over her shoulder and tried to control her urge to tense, to move. He was a big guy, intimidating, a skinhead with old-fashioned tattoos wound around both his arms. But he could’ve been any guy, really. It didn’t take much to spook her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him scan the text, tongue slightly protruding from between pink lips. He scratched absently at a smattering of light brown stubble on his chin—he was probably one of those guys who had a five o’clock shadow at midday. His dark brown eyes flickered across the screen faster than she expected. The educational attainment of the prison population wasn’t exactly renowned.

“Crash and Yearn? They’re more punk pop.”

Bryn looked at him with amusement. “This is what you bring to the table, boy?”

Jason scowled at him. Amy felt like the referee on some bizarre American wrestling show.

“The original post is down,” Amy said, scanning the forum. “Not the ‘dead naked girl’ types. I’ll find the archive—you got that before it went dark?”

Her simple yet thorough methodology for profiling and password trawling involved a lot of social networks and a bit of hacker’s intuition. The old science fiction trope of advanced technology seeming very like magic unfolded before her audience.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I've just finished editing the second book in the series, Code Runner. Jason is framed for murder and Amy must work to prove his innocence. But when Jason is broken out of a prison van, the guards murdered, he goes on the run from the police, the gangs, and the criminal mastermind who orchestrated his downfall.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I've always written stories - from nursery school, my supposed "news" was full of crocodiles on the beach and burning buildings. But I've been working on my professional writing career for about eight years now. I started out in novels, gave them up as useless, concentrated on my screenwriting efforts, and then drifted back to novels. I'm a bit of a writing gadfly!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I have a full-time day job as a psychiatrist, so I work a 9-5 with some evenings, weekends and night shifts for variety. I have to be very disciplined with my remaining free time, trying to write a little every day. I have to make the most of my train commutes and the hour or two in the evening before my husband gets home. My family will always come first, and it can be a difficult balance when I'm on a deadline.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Folks suffer a lot in my work. I love a bit of rough and tumble, particularly if it results in stitches and plaster casts, and I had to keep a record of all Jason's injuries throughout the novel to ensure the continuity! It's nice to patch them up later with some TLC and a cup of tea.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I consistently wanted to be a doctor from a young age, with a brief phase in my teenage years when I wanted to be an anthropologist or linguist (for which I blame Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1). Writing for a living always seemed like a dream too distant to consider but having two careers was never something I anticipated!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

One of my most valued causes is the accurate and sensitive portrayal of people with mental health problems. By writing a character with agoraphobia and depression who is also a complex human being with strengths and weaknesses, I hope to shed some light on these debilitating diseases - and combat the stigma of having a mental health problem.

Facebook Page | Series website | Blog | Twitter

Buy links

Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Google Books | iBooks

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Interview with cozy mystery author Julie Anne Lindsey

I'm happy to introduce today's guest, cozy mystery author Julie Anne Lindsey who's here to give us a glimpse into her writing world. The focus is her newest mystery, Murder Comes Ashore.

Bio:

Julie Anne Lindsey is a multi-genre author who writes the stories that keep her up at night. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for words and proclivity for fun. Julie lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three small children. Today, she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world.

Welcome, Julie. Please tell us about your current release.

Murder by the Seaside is the sequel to Murder Comes Ashore, the debut in my cozy mystery series from Carina Press. It’s a quick paced murder mystery, complete with laughs, love, and a gorgeous island setting.

Book blurb:

Patience Price is just settling into her new life as resident counselor on Chincoteague Island when things take a sudden turn for the worse. A collection of body parts have washed up on shore and suddenly nothing feels safe on the quaint island.

Patience instinctively turns to current crush and FBI special agent Sebastian for help, but former flame Adrian is also on the case, hoping that solving the grisly crime will land him a win in the upcoming mayoral election.

When the body count rises and Patience's parents are brought in as suspects, Patience is spurred to begin her own investigation. It's not long before she starts receiving terrifying threats from the killer, and though she's determined to clear her family's name, it seems the closer Patience gets to finding answers, the closer she comes to being the killer's next victim.

What inspired you to write this book?

This series was inspired by a combination of three things. It started (years before I knew I could write anything longer than a grocery list) when I visited Chincoteague, Virginia with my family.

The island got under my skin and played a role in my daydreams long afterward. It still does. My heroine was inspired by my real life bestie who actually does work at the FBI in human resources as a recruiter and she is hilarious. Finally, the Katy Perry song, The One That Got Away, played a part in the fact I included two possible heroes for my heroine. I couldn’t stop wondering about those lost high school loves and heartbreaks. What if he came back? Worse, what if you couldn’t decide whether to kiss him or shove an ice cream in his nose? The novel concept already included a secret agent love interest, but that One That Got Away character needed a place too, so I kept them both. I mean, more men vying for her attention meant more confliction and chaos. I like chaos (as long as it’s not MY chaos LOL) So, I kept him. Them.

Put those three inspirations together and Boom! The Patience Price, Counselor at Large series was born.

Excerpt:

In this scene, my heroin, Patience, is warned away from the beach (a crime scene where a crew is seeking evidence of a murder – hair, fingernails, body parts…). Patience isn’t interested in leaving until she helps.

“Look.” I smacked Sebastian’s arm.

Sebastian turned to look and I darted past him. His footfalls kept pace with mine, allowing me to maintain the lead when he could easily have passed me. I waded into the grasses, waving my arms overhead to keep the gulls at bay.

“Told you I could help.” In a moment of gloating, I lost sight of the evidence. A seagull honked and dove at me. I jumped back on instinct and fell into the sand. A wilted reed of grass rammed up my nose and I screamed. Sneezing bug eggs and cooties, I scrambled to my feet and chased the offending bird across the sand. Two more birds joined him in the air and attacked. Whatever they all wanted, it was flesh colored and I wanted it too.

Sebastian shoved two fingers in his lips and whistled. Fargas jogged toward me, a look of shock on his face. Yeah, yeah. How’d I get here? I pointed to the sky. “They’ve got something.”

The birds circled in the air, stretching the thing in their beaks and flapping with vigor.

“Should I shoot them?” Fargas called to Sebastian.

A mob of birders appeared from the trees like magic. “No!”

“What the hell?” Sebastian frowned.

“They were probably here all night looking for owls or something.” I rolled my eyes.

Fargas unholstered his side arm and the birders started closing in, cell phones at arm’s length, digitally capturing the chaos.

“Do not shoot that bird!” A wild scream broke out above the other voices. A woman in hip waders and a dirty shirt charged Fargas.

I tossed shells at the birds circling overhead. “I can’t hit them!” Frustration burst from my chest in a growl. “Stop!” I screamed at the birds.

Fargas toppled into the sand beside me, crushed beneath the rampaging woman. Her giant binoculars bounced off his forehead and he went limp.

“Aw, hell.” Sebastian groaned. He scooped a handful of rocks from the sand and pulled his arm back.

A shower of feathers burst above me and a bird fell from the sky. The others squawked complaints, but headed out to sea. I ran for the grounded bird and yanked the skin from his beak. He flapped his wings and waddled in a daze across the sand.

“You monster! You hit that bird with a rock! Murderer!” The woman climbed off Fargas and headed for Sebastian, who dropped his remaining rocks in favor of cuffs and badge. She raised her fists and Sebastian spun her around, cuffing her and reciting her rights.

I flipped the fleshy prize in my hands, struggling to make sense of what the birds had worked so hard to keep. I tugged and squeezed the thing, looking past the damage done from multiple bird beaks. Realization dawned. My tummy lurched.

“Ahh!” The scream that ripped loose from my chest was Oscar-worthy. I dropped the thing and ran in a tiny circle, unsure which way to go for bleach and a fast hand-removal surgery. I rubbed my palms over the seat of my pants until they hurt.

Sebastian finished reading Waders her rights.

A line of EMTs-turned-beachcombers surrounded Fargas. One checked his vitals. One followed the waddling bird and radioed the park ranger for assistance. We had two head injuries, six EMTs and no ambulance. I marched in big, knee-to-my-chest steps, trying not to think of the thing I would never forget. Ever. Ever. Ever.

I covered my eyes with one hand. The one without lifelong cooties. With the other hand, I pointed to the item saved from the seagulls. “The victim is not a woman!”

What exciting story are you working on next?

Right now I’m finishing edits on book three in this series. I’m 25K words into a contemporary YA romance with gypsies and murder. I have a YA fantasy ready for submissions. And I’m working up a new cozy series with a modern-day geek-chic heroine. Busy. Busy. Busy. My mind is never quiet.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I started thinking of myself as a writer after my first novella was published in 2012. That was the moment the light bulb came on and I realized…maybe I can really do this!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I’m a stay at home wife and mom to an awesome husband and three small kids ages 10, 8 and 5. The older kids are competitive swimmers so we spend roughly 2-3 hours a night at the pool, more when the youngest has a lesson before or after the older kids’ practice. I do a lot of writing and plotting at the pool. When I started writing, my kids were 5, 2 ½ and newborn. Life was much different then! LOL

This is the first year since I started writing 5 years ago that all three kids are in school all day, so I try to write as much as possible during school hours. My goal is to be available to my family when they’re home. Sometimes events or deadlines make that impossible, but it’s a goal I shoot for and I lose sleep as needed to keep the balance. I want my kids to see me working hard to chase my dream and be inspired by the effort. I don’t want them to remember I was never available to them because writing consumed me. Which it would if I let it.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m not sure. I think most writers are quirky and we probably all do the same things. I’ve said before “Writer” should be included on the DSM-IV (manual of mental disorders). I drink copious amounts of coffee, sleep very little and stare unabashedly at people I find interesting (which is most). I talk to strangers and ask lots of questions. I’ve had my kids tie me up and gag me to try out escape plans for my heroines and for the sake of authenticity as I describe related sensations. Are those quirks or standard author behaviors?

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A mom. I always wanted to be a mom. Stay home and plan parties, shuffle kids to events, volunteer in the community. I wanted to live in a cozy home with bright colors on the walls and family photos all around. I am blessed to have all those things today. Writing is kind of the surprise icing on my cake because I’d never considered becoming an author until baby number three came into my life.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

If you’re a writer feeling discouraged. Don’t fret. Keep writing. I think writing is more a calling than a career choice. If you’re a writer, don’t stop. The world needs more amazing books. Yours could be the one to change the world. We need you!

Readers, I’m humbled you’re still reading this interview! If you’re looking for a fun new read, I hope you’ll give Murder Comes Ashore a try.

Ways to connect:

Website | Twitter | Blog

Thank you for being my guest today, Lindsey!