#WeWriWa NUMBERS NEVER LIE - Jack Is Dead

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing snippets from my new release NUMBERS NEVER LIE, a romantic suspense. This snippet comes after last week's when Maggie answered the call from the sheriff.

“I-I can’t believe he’s—”

Drew helped Maggie into a kitchen chair and forced her head between her knees. Talking to the deputy sheriff created such pain in his chest Drew feared it might be a heart attack—a tremendous heartache, instead. No wonder Maggie slid to the floor, ready to pass out, she who always appeared so confident, strong, capable, now she looked . . . vulnerable.

Maggie sat up, her expression haunted.

“Take deep breaths, c’mon, Maggie May.”

He deliberately used her full name, the way he did when they were kids, knowing she hated to be reminded that she’d been named after a song. His own breath hitched, he tightened his jaw and swallowed past the thickening in his throat—his best friend was dead, killed in a single-car accident near Muskegon in the early hours of Saturday morning--while he groused about the inconveniences of primitive camping, Jack lay dead. Thrown from his SUV that had rolled down a river embankment, undiscovered until late morning, after the fog burned off.

Blurb:

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie. 

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that--an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack do that puts Maggie in danger?

NUMBERS NEVER LIE is available at Amazon  It's free for KU subscribers.

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

NUMBERS NEVER LIE #ReleaseDay! #Giveaway

Release Day!

NUMBERS NEVER LIE

a romantic suspense

Available at Amazon

free on Kindle Unlimited

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie.

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Upon returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother Jack’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that--an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack do that puts Maggie in danger?

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Blog Tour & Giveaway

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Monday, July 9

Lea Kirk

Tyrean A Martinson

Tuesday, July 10

Lisa Buie-Collard

Veronica Scott

Linda Carroll-Brad

Wednesday, July 11

Constance Bretes

Diana Rubino

Nancy Gideon

Melissa Keir

Thursday, July 12

Jessica E. Subject

Alina Field

Friday, July 13

Julie Flanders

Marie Tuhart

Tylor Paige

Saturday, July 14

Daryl Devore

Alyssa Alexander

Darcy Flynn

Alicia Dean

#WeWriWa - NUMBERS NEVER LIE: The Sheriff Calls

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing snippets from my soon-to-be-released (MONDAY!!!) NUMBERS NEVER LIE, a romantic suspense. Thank you all who offered me a guest spot on your blogs. I think I've contacted everyone. If not, please drop me a note at dmburton72 @ gmail.com

Thanks to your comments last week, I edited that section to explain why she doesn't answer the machine right away. Friends and family always use her cell. And she refuses to jump and run to the phone like her mother did, even leaving the dinner table or in the middle of a conversation. Besides, it was probably a robo-call.

Maggie and Drew are in her kitchen. Last week's snippet ended with: Drew slanted his gaze at the answering machine, “I can’t believe you’re not curious enough to listen to your message—I’d never not check.”

An uncomfortable (for Drew) conversation followed that he took out on the blinking machine.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines.

Drew glared at her answering machine, “I can’t stand this,” he punched the Play button.

“You have a lot of nerve—”

“Saturday, one-fifty-three pm. This message is for Maggie May Sinclair—please call the Muskegon County Sheriff immediately,” A phone number followed.

Maggie stared at Drew, her heart thudded in her chest, alarm plummeted into her stomach like an icy weight.

“Jack?” Drew voiced her worst fear.

She grabbed the receiver and dialed the number, “This is Maggie Sinclair, I’m returning a call I received.”

The deputy said, “Ms. Sinclair, I called about your brother, Jack Sinclair.”

Alarm shot through her veins. She heard bits and pieces through the roar in her ears. “Regret to inform you . . . accident . . . early yesterday morning—”

She slid, the kitchen cupboard at her back, the phone clattered on the white vinyl floor.

Blurb:

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie. 

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that--an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack do that puts Maggie in danger?

NUMBERS NEVER LIE is available for pre-order at Amazon  Release Day is Monday. I can't tell you how excited I am. But then, you all know because of your own releases. It never gets old, does it?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#IWSG - Independence Day!

It's July, already. Can you believe that? Where has the year gone? Anyway, Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. 

Thanks to this month's awesome hosts:  Nicki Elson, Juneta Key, Tamara Narayan, and Patricia Lynne!

Happy Independence Day, America! Happy Canada Day!

What does independence mean as a writer? How free are we to write and get published? As an independent author (aka self-published), I have a LOT of freedom. Traditional publishers have to watch trends (or set them), and they have to be aware of the bottom line. When the economy takes a plunge, everyone tightens their belts. Publishers have to go with a known quantity. If it’s a choice between BIG NAME author and UNKNOWN, it’s good business sense to throw money at BIG NAME. The (as yet) unknown author is rejected.

As an independent author, I can choose to publish the genre I want (whether it's in fashion or not). I choose when my book will be published. No waiting for two years from the time the manuscript is accepted until publication. Email or print versions? My decision. Granted, there are some downsides to independent publishing. Traditional publishers pay for editing and cover design. Independent authors have to pay for that upfront. If you’re good at design, that’s something you can do yourself. I have a degree in English, and I’m a good grammarian. Errors in grammar, spelling, word usage jump off the page at me. With one exception—my own work. As often as I read the manuscript, these eagle eyes glaze over mistakes. Enter my freelance editor. Yes, she costs money. But, that’s money well spent as she catches my errors. Thank goodness. Formatting can be another expense for an independent writer. I have the patience (and can read and follow directions LOL), so I save a little money and do it myself.

The ease with which I can put my books out there is phenomenal. Because it’s so easy, everybody and their brother are doing it. And that’s the rub. How do I get my book noticed among thousands? I’ve tried many free things. And I’ve tried paid promotion. What works best? It’s hard to tell. Does organizing (or paying for) a blog hop sell books? I don’t know, but since I like doing them, I’m setting one up for my new release. I’d appreciate your help. Below is the link to sign up for hosting the celebration of my romantic suspense, Numbers Never Lie, to be released on July 9. 

Here’s the blurb for Numbers Never Lie.

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie. 

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that—an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack leave behind? And what did he do that puts Maggie in danger?

Sign Up To Host

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtq0uq2nARRiSy1Gb85U0MgUhoACL-7HA5oaM23wY9zkqEjQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thanks so much for all your support! A special thank you to all who signed up already. I'll be in touch this week.

A reminder: I'm always happy to help you celebrate a new release. Just drop me a note at dmburton72 (at) gmail (dot) com

This month’s optional question: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

My ultimate goal is hitting a best-seller list (for example: NYT or USA Today). That has never changed. What has is the method. There are independent authors who’ve hit the best seller lists. So it’s not beyond my reach. Getting my book noticed is the hard part. If anyone has a tried-and-true method, please share.

Until next month, enjoy the summer 

or winter, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

#WeWriWa: Numbers Never Lie - A Blinking Answering Machine

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing snippets from my soon to be released romantic suspense, NUMBERS NEVER LIE. Maggie and Drew are in her kitchen. This snippet continues right after last week's, which ended with: Drew laughed, “That’s Jack—he never leaves anything to chance.”

This week's snippet. Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines.

  

He looked at her blinking answering machine in the corner of the peninsula counter that divided the kitchen from the eating area, “You have a message.”

“I’ll get it later,” she said over the running water as she rinsed the lettuce.

“What if it’s important?” He looked at the machine again with its flashing red light.

“The only person I need to hear from is Jack, and he knew I was going on the camping trip so if it was important he would’ve called my cell.”

Drew prowled the kitchen, making her trips from the refrigerator to the sink worse than dodging an obstacle course, “I can’t get over Jack wanting to listen to a CD in the middle of a workday.”

“I don’t understand that either since he’s putting in a lot of hours making up for Ben being out,” she explained about Jack’s business partner’s motorcycle accident, “Jack’s doing an audit over in Muskegon, and I gather it isn’t going well.”

“Muskegon? Seriously? I’m working with a client over there—in fact, I was there all day Friday,” Drew slanted his gaze at the answering machine, “I can’t believe you’re not curious enough to listen to your message—I’d never not check.”

Here's the blurb:

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie. 

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that--an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack do that puts Maggie in danger?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

Numbers Never Lie will be released on July 9. I’m organizing a blog tour, so if you're interested in hosting me, here's a form to fill out.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtq0uq2nARRiSy1Gb85U0MgUhoACL-7HA5oaM23wY9zkqEjQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thanks so much for your support!

A reminder: I'm always happy to help you celebrate a new release. Just drop me a note at dmburton72 (at) gmail (dot) com

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

Guest Ellen Jacobson #NewRelease MURDER AT THE MARINA @ellen_Jacobson

I'm happy to have Ellen Jacobson join us today. I met her through the fabulous Insecure Writers Support Group. Because she lives on a boat, when I had a question about sailing, I asked her. Not only did she answer my questions, she even contacted other sailors. That was a great help. 

Ellen's blogs are hilarious, so I was sure her book would be, too. It is. Cozy mysteries are great reads, and Ellen's is no exception. Loved her character Mollie whose droll observations made me laugh. Here she is to tell us about her new release.

Thanks for hosting me on your site today to celebrate the release of my cozy mystery, Murder at the Marina. This is the first book in the lighthearted and humorous Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery series, featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth.

My own sailing adventures and misadventures inspired me to write this series. My husband and I bought our first sailboat in New Zealand in 2012. After a couple of years cruising in those beautiful waters, we returned to the States and bought a bigger boat which we moved onto in 2015. We've since cruised in Florida and the Bahamas, labored over endless boat projects, and worked to keep our cruising kitty (savings) topped up.

I wanted to reflect my experiences learning to sail, cruising and living aboard a boat, and being part of the boating community in my cozy mysteries. You could say that there's a little bit of me in my main character, Mollie.

I thought I'd share one of the boating tidbits which I wrote about in Murder at the Marina—namely, buying a boat. Mollie wasn't actually involved in the boat buying process. Instead, her husband worked with a boat broker (kind of like a marine real estate agent) on the deal and “surprised” Mollie with it later. If she had been involved upfront, things might have turned out differently.

Buying a new-to-you boat can be stressful. First, you figure out what type of boat you want, how much you can afford to spend, pore over a zillion listings, and finally identify a few prospects. Then you go check them out in person. Sometimes, you find that the boat you're looking at bears no resemblance to the photos and description online. Eventually, you find your dream boat and arrange for a survey and sea trial. The surveyor presents you with a list of everything that's wrong and you either walk away or start negotiations with the seller. If you do close the deal, inevitably you discover more issues with the boat later. It will be interesting to see how Mollie copes with the long project list that they'll have to tackle to get their boat ship-shape.

If you'd like to learn more about Mollie and her sailing adventures, you can find details about Murder at the Marina below.

Blurb

A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse.

Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to.

When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea.

Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigates an alien abduction, eats way too many chocolate bars, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.

Can Mollie discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?

Buy Links

Murder at the Marina—A Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery #1

Print ISBN 978-1-7321602-1-7
eBook ISBN 978-1-7321602-0-0
Mystery

Amazon (US) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CHXQ29Y

Amazon (CA) - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CHXQ29Y

Amazon (UK) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CHXQ29Y

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/murder-at-the-marina

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-at-the-marina-ellen-jacobson/1128516692

Apple iBooks - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1373848719

Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ellen_Jacobson_Murder_at_the_Marina

Author Bio

Ellen Jacobson writes mystery and scifi/fantasy stories. She is the author of the “Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery” series. She lives on a sailboat with her husband, exploring the world from the water. When she isn't working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she blogs about their adventures at The Cynical Sailor.

You can connect with Ellen on:

Author Website - https://ellenjacobsonauthor.com/

Author Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/EllenJacobsonAuthor/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17395138.Ellen_Jacobson

The Cynical Sailor Blog - http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/

The Cynical Sailor Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/TheCynicalSailor/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Ellen__Jacobson

Newsletter Sign-up - http://eepurl.com/dpy5sv

#WeWriWa - NUMBERS NEVER LIE: Jack Leaves Nothing to Chance

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing snippets from my wip, NUMBERS NEVER LIE, a romantic suspense. Maggie and Drew returned from the camping trip to her house. This snippet continues right after last week's, which ended with: She gave him a pointed look. “The man who was too busy to come to a meeting for his daughter.”

“You’ve made your point as tactfully as ever.” He returned her pointed look, “I thought we were discussing Jack.”

.
Please ignore the errant commas that kept this snippet to the required length.

Maggie regretted her remark nearly destroyed their relaxed attitude, “Jack surprised me, too, not being at work. I couldn’t believe it when he said he wanted to try out a new CD.”

“I saw your sound system in the living room—sweet.”

Relieved Drew had put his irritation aside, she pulled salad fixings out of the fridge. “That was his Christmas gift a couple of years ago. You know Jack, always the latest in technology.”

“Did he give you written directions on how to use it?”

She gave him a droll look, “What do you think?”

Drew laughed, “That’s Jack—he never leaves anything to chance.”

Here's the blurb:

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie. 

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that--an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack do that puts Maggie in danger?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

Numbers Never Lie will be released next month, so I’m organizing a blog tour. If you're interested in hosting me, here's a form to fill out.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtq0uq2nARRiSy1Gb85U0MgUhoACL-7HA5oaM23wY9zkqEjQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thanks so much for your support!

A reminder: I'm always happy to help you celebrate a new release. Just drop me a note at dmburton72 (at) gmail (dot) com