Fridays Featured Author

FINAL CHECKPOINT

By

Will Zeilinger

Summary

Photographer Ben DeCastro drives in sports car rallies on weekends.  He discovers an abandoned rally car in the California desert with a headless corpse in the trunk.

As a volunteer firefighter, he joins in the search for the missing drivers.  His life veers off course when their fingerprints are found on his garage door.  The FBI looks at Ben as a suspect. This hurts his professional reputation, and cramps his dating efforts with the women in his building.  An assortment of friends and neighbors try to help him with his circumstances, but cause more problems in the process.  How does he get out of this mess?

PURCHASE LINK:  

http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

EXCERPT

“You are such a party pooper Ben DeCastro.” slurred out of her mouth as I sat her down in the passenger seat and buckled her belt. I was hoping the ride back with the top down would provide enough fresh cool air to clear her head. But as we headed down the hill toward the long stretch of road at Bolsa Chica State Beach she started singing the theme from “Green Acres” - an old TV show on the retro channel and waving her arms above her head in the slipstream.

Suddenly she leaned over and wrapped her arms around my neck, “I love you Ben.” followed by three more choruses of the theme song. Then she started to cry.

“Are you okay?” I asked as she wept on my shoulder.

“No.” she mumbled, “You didn’t say you love me too.” and started to cry on my shoulder again. I thought maybe I should drive a little further up PCH. Maybe she needed more air and because I couldn’t imagine myself getting her up to her apartment in this condition. I reached over to smooth her skirt back down because the wind had bunched it up on her thighs.

“Ben, Ben,” she shook her finger at me while at the same time parting her legs slightly. “Just what do you thing we are doing?” slid out of her now smiling mouth.

“I’m just trying to put your clothes back in place. What are you doing?”

“Who me?” she pointed at her chest, “I was just helping you.”

“Just sit still, Jessica.” I got her skirt back where it should have been so anyone in a vehicle taller than mine wouldn’t get a free show. “I think you have too many Mojitos in you.”

“You think so? I’ll fix that.” With that statement, she turned away from me and threw up over her side of the car. “Sorry Ben... but I don’t feel very well,” and did it again.

I know it sounds selfish but that put the lid on anything further with Jessica tonight and I could just imagine what the outside of my car looked like. I turned around when I got near the roundabout in Santa Serena and headed back to Seagull Beach. Jessica put her head back on the seat and closed her eyes for the rest of the ride back home.

She was fast asleep as I pulled up to the garage. Her side of my car looked and smelled like I’d imagined so I took her keys out of her purse. Luckily she was light for someone around five-foot six. I picked her up and carried her to the elevator. Her shoes were missing and probably still in my car. This woman sleeps like a log but while waiting for the elevator I looked at her face. It was very pretty - even with the little bit of drool on her cheek. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. There was Molly. Her eyes grew wide as her mouth dropped open.

“Hi Molly.” I tried to act like everything was normal.

“Hello Ben?” She backed around us and stood by the open door staring while I turned sideways and slipped into the elevator with Jessica, who’d stopped singing, in my arms.

“She’s asleep - not feeling very well.”

Molly fanned her hand in front of her scrunched-up face, “Yeah, I can tell. Whew!”

As the doors closed, I said, “Well, I’ll see you around... G’night.” Jessica stirred in my arms a little and snuggled her face into my shoulder. I managed not to hit her head on the wall when I carried her down the hall to her door. Juggling her keys I opened her apartment door and took her inside.

I hadn’t been inside her apartment since she talked to me at the door when we met. It was very neat and clean. Her bedroom door was open so I took her in and laid her on the bed. Her eyes were still closed when her arms came up around my neck and she moaned, “Oh Ben, don’t go.” I didn’t say a word as I carefully peeled her arms from my neck and quietly slipped out of her apartment, locking the door behind me. As I turned around Molly was standing right behind me in the hallway.

“Did you follow me up here?”

Bio
I’ve been writing for over twelve years. During that time, I took novel writing classes and joined writer’s groups, but what has helps me most are published authors who mentor, encourage, critique  and listen to me while I continue to learn my craft.  I live in Southern California with my wife and we are currently working on a crime novel together. Finding time to write while life happens is a challenge.

You can find Will at the following:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Books I have read

Gone Tomorrow

By

Lee Child

Summary:

Suicide bombers are easy to spot. They give out all kinds of tell-tale signs. Mostly because they're nervous. By definition they're all first-timers.

There are twelve things to look for: No one who has worked in law enforcement will ever forget them.

New York City. The subway, two o'clock in the morning. Jack Reacher studies his fellow passengers. Four are OK. The fifth isn't.

The train brakes for Grand Central Station. Will Reacher intervene, and save lives? Or is he wrong? Will his intervention cost lives - including his own?

BIO

Lee Child was born October 29th, 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV's "golden age." During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars' worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4494917-gone-tomorrow?ac=1

Friday's Featured Authors

Shadows of the Past

by

Carmen Stefanescu

       Summary             

Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.

The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?

A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

Buy Link:

Wild Child Publishing

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=410

  Excerpt

"Come, we should leave at once," she said and glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Something terrible happened after you left for town. I think the Abbess found out about us. Our meeting in Uncle Ryan's cabin is no longer a secret. We have been overheard. For all I know someone spies on us even as we speak. I think the Abbess, or one of her 'friends,' is hovering somewhere nearby and listening to every word."

Andrew pulled Genevieve to his chest. "Do you regret you've come with me?"

Passion smothered Genevieve's doubt and guilt. "Never," she answered, aware of her body's response to his touch, and she succumbed to his embrace.

Calming the gnawing unease in her mind and the thought of Sister Dominica guessing she was the dough of a sinner, Genevieve repeated, "Never."

With her eyes closed and their bodies touching she became, for the very first time, simply a woman. She melted in his embrace in spite of the invisible vicious threat breathing around them. Aware they might never be alone again, she fought hard to silence the voice of conscience berating her.

"Oh, God. Please forgive me," Andrew muttered under his breath when he bowed his head to kiss her. Their lips met in a passionate first kiss.

Genevieve's spirits fell and her heart skipped a beat when, a couple of seconds later, she opened her eyes and her gaze fell on a knot strangers.

                             … . . .

          Tears welled in Anne's eyes, blurring her vision. She couldn’t explain them, or the sudden sadness seeping into her heart. This should’ve been a moment of happiness or, at least, contentment. She was with Neil again, and the outcome of their trip together should, very likely, bring their reconciliation. Why then did she seem detached from where she stood?

Anne shivered. Why the deep feeling of having seen this place, this forest before? And why the eerie sensation of being present here only in the body, while her mind was far away?

Away from the forest.

Away from Neil, the man who'd betrayed her trust and her love.

          An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her.

Anne edged cautiously closer to the rim of the bare cliff. Her foot tapped the edge. It seemed solid. She stared into the darkness of the abyss at her feet. It echoed the shadows in her heart.  An unusual curiosity took hold of her. Should she step ahead? What was down there? Other human bones? Another mystery? The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. The vines of fog folded around her, dragging her to the depth. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.

Megan's face contorted, the voice no longer pleasant. A hoarse gurgle, spluttering distorted words, "Yes, come... I'm waiting... I've been waiting for you for such a long time..."

BIO

Carmen was born in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula.

She graduated the Bucharest University, the Germanic Languages Faculty.Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of communist oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books.

Places to find Carmen:

https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books

http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

http://bookblogs.ning.com/profile/CarmenStefanescu

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

@Carmen_Books
 

http://youtu.be/6LmY-9yDl5s

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/paranormal-c-84/shadows-of-the-past-p-410.html

 Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-of-the-Past-ebook/dp/B00AK2D9I8/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354874514&sr=1-15&keywords=shadows+of+the+past

Barnes & Noble

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-the-past-carmen-stefanescu/1113910162?ean=2940015715026

All Romance Books

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadowsofthepast-1013184-140.html

Books I have read

Murder in Retribution

By

Anne Cleeland

Summary

Doyle is assisting Acton in investigating a turf war between the Russian mafia and a Sinn Fein splinter group, with the warring sides in a fight to the death over who will control a money-laundering operation at the local race course. The London CID is racking up a body count and Doyle can dredge up little sympathy for the victims—that is, until she notices there is very little forensic evidence at any of the scenes.

In the second book of the Murder series, Doyle and Acton find themselves trying to outwit enemies foreign and domestic as they work to untangle the reason that the underworld war has spun out of control.

Buy Link:

http://tinyurl.com/m42kpc5

Exerpt:

Relieved that Acton wouldn’t be a witness if she were indeed to be sick, Doyle crouched down again to study the conduit where the body had been found while the SOCO examiners began to systematically scrutinize the area in ever-widening circles. She could guess what they would find; absolutely nothing. For a turf war, there was remarkably little evidence.

The scent of decomposition still lingered on the ground because the body had been there for a time, and she took deep breaths to steady her midsection, annoyed with herself because decomp had never bothered her before. Acton had already known she was pregnant, of course. She should have said something before this, but she was hoping her symptoms were built upon nerves and not upon the presence of the Honorable whomever who had been conceived the night his or her mother had killed a man and then accidentally shot herself for good measure. Nothin’ for it, she thought in resignation; this is exactly why the nuns warned you about sex.

Struggling to hide her irritation, she called to the SOCO photographer so as to double-check that the woman had taken some close-ups of the maggot activity on the corpse.  Doyle was irritated because the photographer had been emanating equal parts amazement and derision when introduced to Doyle earlier, even though her outward manner had been all that was correct.  The general consensus—which Doyle could sense in resounding waves—was that Acton had lost his mind.  Nothin’ for that, either, and this was exactly what she deserved for stepping into the center ring at the circus—not that she would change a thing; best get on with it, the circus was soon to have another act.

Bio

Anne Cleeland holds a degree in English from UCLA as well as a degree in law from Pepperdine University, and is a member of the California State Bar. She writes a historical series set in the Regency period as well as a contemporary mystery series set in New Scotland Yard. A member of Romance Writers of America, The Historical Novel Society and Mystery Writers of America, she lives in California and has four children. www.annecleeland.com; @annecleeland

You can reach Anne at:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18723596-murder-in-retribution?ac=1

Friday's Featured Author

Her Man

By

Ashley Ladd

Summary

Forty-four year old Julie Weston has loved Timmy and James since her college days twenty something years ago. She's fantasized about both all these long years, never able to choose between them.

          Hoping Tim and James will attend, she attends their college marching band reunion. When both men show up her dreams are answered. They're sexier than she imagined and she hopes they won't be disappointed by her older self.

          It turns out both men came just to see her again and neither is happy about the other’s presence. They fight over her, confusing her more than ever. It takes a hot night…or two…for her heart to decide which one she’s in love with.

EXCERPT

The gulf breeze and sea spray tickled Julie’s face and she loved the smell of shrimp and sea salt. The view of Biloxi-Gulfport was breathtaking and she wished she’d visited more over the years. It had been such a big, important part of her life she had never gone more than a couple days without longing to be back. Then again, it would have been lackluster without her men and her friends. This was her Biloxi with her gang here.

Soon they arrived at Ship Island, rented beach chairs, then grabbed ice-cold drinks. They found a vacant part of the beach and grouped together. Then Julie shrugged out of her outer wraps so that she was only wearing her bathing suit. Unlike twenty years ago, she wore a one piece with a cute little skirt that covered her thighs. She wasn’t brave enough to wear a bikini these days. None of the women in their group wore a bikini so she didn’t feel bad until a couple twenty-year-olds, stunning in their bikinis, ran past chasing a ball.

She veiled her eyes and sneaked peeks at James and Tim from beneath her lashes to see if they were noticing the other women. To her delight, they were looking at her and heat crawled up her chest.

Tim grabbed the sun screen, poured a generous amount onto his hands and, without asking, started slathering it on her back.

When Tim dropped the bottle, James took it and poured some onto her arm closest to him. Then he rubbed it in.

Their fingers tickled and she laughed. “This is the life. I don’t ever want to go home.”

“Where’s home?” Tim asked. “I’d like to visit.”

“Don’t tell that moron. He might be a serial killer.” James sounded serious.

Julie looked askance at James and shook her head. “You jest.”

“How do we know? He’s been MIA for twenty years.”

She shrugged off James’ ridiculous notion. To Tim, she said, “I was in the FBI and we moved around a lot. After I retired, we went home to Indiana. I live in a little town not far from Chicago. Where do you live?”

“Oregon.” After a long pause, Tim asked with a raised brow, “You were in the FBI? Like James Bond? Or his secretary.”

Trying not to take offense, she screwed up her lips. “I was an agent. I was recruited because I speak Russian and several other languages.”

Connie piped up. “I thought you were going to be a language professor. Boy, was I ever wrong.”

James scrubbed his chin with his hand. “I always wondered what you do with a degree in Russian literature. I never dreamed it would be that.”

“I’ve imagined you doing a lot of things over the years, but never that.” Tim chuckled.

“That’s our Jules,” Eric said, twining his fingers through Connie’s.

Tim pierced her with a hard stare. “Aren’t you curious to know where James lives?”

James put his arm around her waist and drew her near. In a low, suggestive voice, he said, “She already knows I’m in Texas.”

Tim scowled.

Remembering again how he ignored her Facebook friendship request, she glared at Tim. “He knows because we’re Facebook friends.”

James whispered in her ear, his breath ticklish. “You didn’t have to tell him.”

 Bio

Ashley Ladd lives in South Florida with her husband, five children, and beloved pets. She loves the water, animals (especially cats), and playing on the computer.

She's been told she has a wicked sense of humor and often incorporates humor and adventure into her books. She also adores very spicy romance, which she weaves into her stories.

How you can contact Ashley:

chinara@aol.com

http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/ashleyladdauthor

http://www.twitter.com/ashleyladd

https://www.goodreads.com/AshleyLadd

http://www.shelfari.com/search/books?Keywords=Ashley%20Ladd

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ashley%20ladd&sprefix=ashle%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aashley%20ladd

BUY LINK:

https://www.totallybound.com/her-men

*Unfortunately, my publisher hasn’t given me the links to Amazon or any of the other booksellers yet. I’ll send them as soon as I receive them.

Books I have enjoyed

Deep Water

By

Paul Bishop

Summary

Calico Jack Walker and Tina Tamiko are back. 

1978. Now retired from the L.A.P.D. and captain of his own fishing charter business, Calico Jack Walker pays for ignoring his instincts when he hires out to two shady characters who try to hijack his boat and almost murder his son.

Walker’s ex-partner and lover, Tina Tamiko, has promoted to detective. She’s deep into an investigation leading to a plot to hijack an L.A.P.D. property barge loaded with confiscated drugs and weapons slated for ocean dumping.

About the Author

A thirty-five year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, Paul Bishop’s career has included a three year tour with his department's Anti-Terrorist Division and over twenty-five years’ experience in the investigation of sex crimes. His Special Assaults Units regularly produced the highest number of detective initiated arrests and highest crime clearance rates in the city. Twice honored as Detective of the Year, Paul also received the Quality and Productivity Commission Award from the City of Los Angeles.

As a nationally recognized interrogator, Paul starred as the lead interrogator and driving force behind the ABC TV reality show Take The Money And Run from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Based on his expertise in deception detection, he currently conducts interrogation seminars for law enforcement, military, and human resource organizations. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12368368-deep-water

Books I Have Enjoyed

Bad Policy

By

James M. Jackson

Summary

When private financial investigator Seamus McCree returns to Cincinnati after a routine business trip, he discovers that his home has become a crime scene for a brutal murder. The victim in his basement is an acquaintance from a previous corporate investigation-and endured bullets to both of his ankles, knees and elbows before the final shot to his forehead put him out of his misery. No one has seen an "IRA six pack" victim since the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Now the primary "person of interest" in the murder, Seamus must use his talent for logic and hard work to prove his innocence. Soon he uncovers a trail that leads back to his Boston roots-and a poisonous family feud dating from the divorce of Boston's Irish mafia and the Provisional IRA in the 1970s. Driven by the chilling realization that there was more behind the death of his policeman father than he ever knew.

Author Bio.

JAMES M JACKSON authors the Seamus McCree mysteries, BAD POLICY (March 2013) and CABIN FEVER (April 2014), published by Barking Rain Press. BAD POLICY won the Evan Marshall Fiction Makeover Contest whose criteria were the freshness and commerciality of the story and quality of the writing. Known as James Montgomery Jackson on his tax return and to his mother whenever she was really mad at him, he splits his time between the Upper Peninsula of Michigan woods and Georgia’s low country. Jim has also published an acclaimed book on contract bridge, ONE TRICK AT A TIME: How to start winning at bridge (Master Point Press 2012).

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6989254.James_M_Jackson