#WeWriWa - The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé: Vet Your Fiancé?

 Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors 

I'm sharing a snippet from the 2nd Alex O'Hara mystery novel, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé. Alex is a P.I. in the small Lake Michigan resort town near Grand Rapids. This continues from last week. Some changes were made to the original.

Snippet:   

A flush of embarrassment flashed across her fine features. “Oh.” She recovered quickly but didn’t rise. “Maura Finley.”

Without further ado, I retreated behind my desk to Pop’s only splurge, a high-back, leather office chair. On days when I worked late, I appreciated the comfort. The Pops—mine and Nick’s—were the original O’Hara and Palzetti. Before they retired to Arizona, they’d sold the business to me, the only offspring who wanted it.

Before leaving work at night, I always left a pad of paper and a pen on top of my desk, just in case someone came early. First time it had been necessary. I picked up the pen before looking at Maura Finley. Even though I was in the middle of a major case and had another one waiting, I never turned down a prospective client. At least, not right away. I’d hear her out and then decide.

 For the rest of the scene:  

“What can I do for you?”

Her expression completely changed. The high-powered exec disappeared. In its place, caution and . . . vulnerability. “Ellen VanderVeen said I could trust you.”

I smiled. Ellen and I had been friends since college. The girl who had more fashion sense in her baby finger than I did in my entire body.

“Yes, I know Ellen.”

“She said you helped her investigate her fiancé.” When I nodded, she hesitated and appeared to rethink what she was doing in a private investigator’s office. Just as fast, she came to a conclusion. “I’d like you to do the same.”

“You want me to vet your fiancé?”

“He’s not my fiancé. Yet.”

When she didn’t explain any further, I asked, “Why? Do you suspect something?”

“No. Oh, goodness, no.” She pursed her lips before continuing. “My father left me a prosperous financial firm plus a sizeable inheritance. I am not saying that to brag but to explain my concerns. In my younger days, I was, uhm, taken advantage of. I need to be sure this man truly loves me—me, not my money.”

 Blurb:

She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti? 

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week!

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé: Where is your boss?

 Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors 

I'm sharing a snippet from the 2nd Alex O'Hara mystery novel, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé. Alex is a P.I. in the small Lake Michigan resort town near Grand Rapids. This continues from last week. Some changes were made to the original.

Snippet:   

 

After I unlocked my office, I heard her on her cell phone, “I will be late this morning, Isaac. Postpone my ten o’clock. I know, I know, tell them . . .”

I didn’t need to hear the rest of her instructions to her personal assistant to get the point that she was not only busy but important. After closing the door to my office, I did a fast repair. The small mirror in my desk revealed that a tornado had done its damage to my hair. I tried to tame it then wrapped a scrunchie around the mass.

She’d have to take me as I was.

 

 And a little more:

When I opened my door, she was still on her phone. As soon as she looked up, she held up one finger in the traditional “one minute” gesture. Normally, I’d give a client privacy. But after her pointed remarks about my being “late,” I stood in my open door and waited.

Finally, she disconnected and came toward me. As she passed me into my office, I realized how small she was. Dainty, even. If I hadn’t heard her giving orders on the phone, I would’ve thought fragile. Nobody would call me dainty or fragile. I stood five-ten in my stocking feet, and I’m what they call “big-boned.” Back in the old country, I’d be good for digging potatoes or throwing hay around for the animals.

In keeping with her elegant clothes, she wore her dark brown hair in a classic twist. Her jewelry, revealed after she sat and shrugged off her coat, was tasteful and expensive—like the watch. Wide gold necklace, gold with diamonds studs in her ears. No wedding or engagement rings, but a discreet gold and sapphire ring graced her right hand.

She stared pointedly at the big desk. “Where is your boss?”

“Let’s start over.” I held out my hand. “Alex O’Hara, and you are?”

 

Blurb:

She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti? 

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week!

Guest: Jessica E. Subject #NewRelease DEMON ON JACKSON STREET #PNR @jsubject

 I'm so happy to have Jessica Subject here again. I've know Jess for years, yet we've never met in person. That's one of the wonderful things about the internet. We both participate in Weekend Writing Warriors, a weekly blog hop sharing snippets from our work, published or unpublished. So, I've read snippets from each of the Shifter Towers books and found them fascinating. Here's Jessica to tell you about the characters.

Thank you so much, Diane, for inviting me back on your blog! It’s always great to be here!

Earlier this week, the fifth book in my Shifter Towers series, DEMON ON JACKSON STREET, released. It is an MPreg MLM Paranormal Romance. And today, I thought I’d share one wish from each of the main characters throughout the series. This wish would be from a time period at the end of the fifth book.

BUNNY OMEGA ON THE RUN

TK: I wish that everyone had a mate as fabulous as mine.

Kish: I wish that our kids would stop fighting.

MINK OMEGA IN HIDING

Hansol: I wish for world peace.

Roan: I wish for equality between alphas and omegas, shifters and non-shifters.

PIKA OMEGA PLUS ONE

Milo: I wish news stories were submitted earlier, so I could get them edited sooner to spend more time with my family.

Yoni: I wish my brother and his family hadn’t moved away for a job. I miss them.

HIS OMEGA ON STAGE

Jun: I hope that Ash never gets tired of me, since we spend almost all of our time together. I want him to keep looking at me the way he did the evening of his first signing.

Ash: While my husband is being mushy, I’d wish to grant one wish to each and every one of my fans.

DEMON ON JACKSON STREET

Jet: My wish would be that humans in general were more like Toby. If they weren’t so greedy, there would be less souls for us demons to take. Though, I don’t do that anymore.

Toby: I just hope that my grandmother is at peace, and no longer in pain. And that she knows I’m really happy now.

So, if you had one wish, what would it be?

FYI, to celebrate the release of DEMON ON JACKSON STREET, the first book in the series, BUNNY OMEGA ON THE RUN, is on sale for 99¢ for a limited time. And the second book in the series, MINK OMEGA IN HIDING, is FREE from January 18 to January 22, 2021.

Bunny Omega: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PVF8YKV

Mink Omega: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V6LJP32

DEMON ON JACKSON STREET

 

Shifter Towers book five

 by Jessica E. Subject

 

Release date: January 18, 2021

 

Genres: Romance, Paranormal (demon), LGBTQ, MPreg

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68361-479-1

Published with Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

Cover artist: Fantasia Frog Designs

 # of words: 25,000

 

BLURB:

 Jet

Once upon a time there was a demon who was the best at convincing people to sell their souls. That was me. Is me. And now I have a new assignment, one Father told me would be difficult. I didn’t know what “difficult” meant until I met the young man, someone who has barely anything. Collecting his soul should be easy, right? There are so many things I can give him. Except, he doesn’t believe he deserves a better life. I have to find something he desires before the assignment is given to my brother. Because Crow uses the most villainous means to obtain souls. Lines I don’t cross. And I don’t want to see Toby hurt. There has to be another way.

 

Toby

I’m not like them. I can’t shift into a predator to defend myself, or even into a small rodent to run and hide. The wolf shifters know that every time they rough me up and steal my food. I always wish for a guardian angel to protect me from them. Then one day Jet appears, looking nothing like the angel I’d imagined. But I don’t know if I should trust him. He makes me feel things no other alpha ever has. Dangerous things. Not good when I have to stay focused on my grandmother. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have her around.

 

EBOOK BUY LINKS:

 Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Jackson-Street-Shifter-Romance-ebook/dp/B08RSDG1B6/

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/b/demon-jackson-street

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Jackson-Street-Shifter-Romance/dp/168361481X/

 

GOODREADS:

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56494727-demon-on-jackson-street

 

PG EXCERPT:

 My phone went off with a new notification. Father was the only being who knew my number, so it meant I had a new assignment. Another soul to take. Usually I got a couple nights off in between each one to enjoy my success, or find my own souls, but not this time. It must be an important assignment.

 I left the three humans to find pleasure with each other, gathered my clothes then left the room to find a shadow in the penthouse to use for travel.

 Back in my two-story log cabin on the edge of the human realm, I flopped on my couch and researched the next soul I was assigned to take. Oddly, I couldn’t find any information about him. He had no social media accounts, and there was no mention of him anywhere on the web. The message from Father said this mission would be my toughest so far, but I rolled my eyes. There were so many humans who would sell their first-born child for a better life. Selling their souls meant absolutely nothing to those humans. I was sure this next assignment would be no different from all of my previous ones.

 I sat down and closed my eyes. If I concentrated enough, I could get a glimpse of my next soul to take. And once I made contact, I’d be able to get into his mind. All the more reason I would not fail this mission. Once I figured out my target’s desires, I couldn’t lose.

 The vision was blurry at first, but when it cleared, I was back in Saramto. Though definitely not the part of town I’d just visited. The faces of everyone in the neighborhood looked bleak. Hopeless. I could offer them all so much. It was the territory my brother liked to claim his souls. And, looking at the desperation, I wondered why his claim count wasn’t so much higher than mine.

 I focused in more, trying to locate my target. And when I did, I gasped. He was a tall young man, but far too thin, with hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes. I wasn’t sure how he was still alive. He looked so frail as he spooned soup into an older woman’s mouth. She didn’t appear nearly as sickly as him even though the older woman seemed to be confined to her bed for some reason. What was wrong with this young man? And why was he my target? He looked like he was on the brink of death already. I wondered why his soul was so important. Why not let him finally find some happiness when he passed?

 I opened my eyes, confused. I needed answers, and the only way I would get them would be to go find this guy myself. Hopefully while he was still alive so I could up my soul count once again.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction and paranormal romances, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy alien or a pop star tiger shifter, but also unsuspecting clones and feisty omegas. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to an alternate reality where shifters live among humans.

When Jessica is not reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to go to fitness class, listen to BTS, and walk her Great Pyrenees/Retriever her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two not-so-little children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com.

 

AUTHOR LINKS:

 

Website - https://jessicasubject.com

Newsletter - https://eepurl.com/eX1Zw

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jsubject

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-E-Subject-author/205759796126370

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jessicaesubject/

BookBub Page - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jessica-e-subject

Amazon Author Page - https://amazon.com/author/jessicasubject

Goodreads Page - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4959083.Jessica_E_Subject

Authorgraph - https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/jsubject

#WeWriWa - The Case of The Fabulous Fiancé: Play nice, Alex

Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors 

I'm sharing a snippet from the 2nd Alex O'Hara mystery novel, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé. Alex is a P.I. in the small Lake Michigan resort town near Grand Rapids.

Blurb:

She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti? 

Snippet:   

Normally after a run, I’d go in the back door of my business, O’Hara & Palzetti, Confidential Investigations since 1965, according to the sign on my building, not that I’ve been around since 1965. As I unlocked the front door, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. A petite woman stepped out of a black Mercedes.

“It is about time you showed up,” she called out.

Say what?

“I certainly hope your boss is prompter than you. Where is she? I have been knocking on the door since eight thirty-three.”

 

 Now the rest of the scene:

That was precise. Not eight thirty. Eight thirty-three. I silently groaned. A client. And she thought I was the receptionist.

Since I had no appointments that morning, I hadn’t been watching the time. Currently without a receptionist, I’d hoped for no walk-ins until I’d changed into professional attire. In my navy vest with orange fluorescent stripes I looked like an advertisement for Hope College. I’d even smushed my hair into an orange watch cap and wore orange mittens. While it beat getting hit by a car that didn’t see me, I felt more conspicuous than normal. Especially next to the fashion plate approaching.

Her black wool coat cost more than my entire clothes budget for the year. Same with her black leather gloves. And those boots? Ay-yi-yi. Who wore fine Italian leather in the winter? I may be a small-town girl, but I can recognize fine apparel thanks to my friend Ellen who owned a high-end boutique in Grand Rapids where the female movers and shakers hung out.

Biting back a retort about assumptions, I held the door open for her. “Please come in.”

After she entered, I quickly shut off the alarm system.

“What time do you open?” She pointedly looked at her watch—OMG was that a $16,000 Omega Constellation? “I have been waiting for twenty-nine minutes.”

Oh, my. She was going to be one of those. I could almost hear The Pops saying, “Play nice, Alex.”

“Please make yourself comfortable.” I indicated the two chairs in an alcove where visitors couldn’t be seen from the street. As a matter of privacy, I didn’t open the blinds covering the street-side windows. “I’ll just be a moment.”

“Call your boss. I’m in a hurry.”

Then you should have made an appointment. Of course, I didn’t say that out loud Wanted to, though.

I raised my eyebrow. I can do haughty when necessary. I’d learned from people like her.

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week!

Guest: CHRYS FEY #NewRelease A FIGHTING CHANCE

 My friend CHRYS FEY is back with her latest release. I've read all of Chrys'  books and was so happy that a secondary character finally gets his story. Thorn's the police officer who is essential to saving Donovan and Beth in the other Disaster Crimes stories.

 

Diane Asked: What inspired you to write A Fighting Chance?

 

Chrys Fey’s Answer: Thorn did. When a character shows up more and more, demanding attention, you have to do it, you have to give it to him. When that same character reveals new things about himself, you have to follow through and uncover even more. When that character meets another character, and it’s as though cupid struck him in his heart, you gotta give him a romance. When that character melts you, you have to see if he’ll melt readers. When that character is so sweet and funny and adorable and strong and dependable, you have no choice but to make him a hero of his own book so he can continue to reveal more things about him, fall in love, and melt everyone around. When that character has struggles, you must help him through it. And when that character could have a happy ending, but first you have to write, damn it, you gotta write it! There’s no other choice.

So, yeah…Thorn inspired me to write A Fighting Chance. He demanded it, and I had no other choice. But I was happy about that. 😊

 

 

Pages: 154

Genre: Romantic-Suspense

Heat Rating: Hot

 

BLURB:

*A FIGHTING CHANCE is Book 6 in the Disaster Crimes series, but it’s a spin-off featuring a new couple, so it can be read as a standalone.*

Thorn has loved Amanda from afar, giving her whatever she needs as a survivor of abuse—space, protection, and stability. He yearns to give her more, though, to share his feelings, kiss her, love her, but he's worried the truth will frighten her away.

And Amanda is afraid. She’s scared of her attraction for Thorn. Most of all, she’s terrified of her ex-boyfriend, who is lurking nearby where no one can find him. When she grows closer to Thorn, Damon retaliates, jeopardizing their happy ending.

Up against an abusive ex and Mother Nature, do Thorn and Amanda have a fighting chance?

 

Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

 

EXCERPT:

Amanda looked up from the current list of up-to-date payments for classes. A movement outside the glass storefront caught her eye. She tilted her head to see a man coming up the sidewalk from the side where the picnic bench sat. Through the vertical blinds, she glimpsed a square face—a short, rugged beard and long, dark hair pulled into a man bun. Her breath fled from her lungs. Her body went from icy cold to flaming hot in the span of a millisecond. She dropped to the floor and slid under the counter, beneath the ledge where they put their purses and cell phones.

“What—” Beth peeked at the windows. Then she snapped her fingers at April and pointed at the stools.

April jumped into action. She pushed the stools in so they blocked Amanda. The bell attached to the door jingled as April removed the jacket she wore and draped it across the stools, creating a curtain to shield Amanda.

From a crack, Amanda watched Beth move to stand in front of the twins, who were in their walkers playing peacefully. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to be closing.”

“I don’t give a shit. I’m here for Amanda.”

The sound of Damon’s voice had her heart beating even harder. That voice had haunted her nightmares, had come back to life in her memories.

Beth cocked her head to the side. “Who? There’s no one by that name here.”

“Don’t bullshit me. I know she works here.”

His voice was closer now.

 

 

***FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME***

THE DISASTER CURSE

 

 

Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

Author’s Note: I wrote The Disaster Curse to answer a few lingering questions readers may have after reading A Fighting Chance, and to tie the whole series together with a neat, shiny, perfect little bow. Plus, there was one disaster that I hadn’t written about yet. *wink*

 

 

The Disaster Crimes Series:

*The Crime Before the Storm (prequel)

Hurricane Crimes (novella, #1)

Seismic Crimes (#2)

Lightning Crimes (free short, #2.5)

Tsunami Crimes (#3)

Flaming Crimes (#4)

Frozen Crimes (#5)

A Fighting Chance (spin-off, #6)

The Disaster Curse (short story, #7)

*Free exclusive story to newsletter subscribers.

 

 

***LAUNCHING A WEBSITE***

TheFightingChance.org is a website dedicated to domestic violence and sexual assault awareness. Inspired by the Disaster Crimes series.

 

 

***GIVEAWAY***

Prizes: Hurricane Crimes (Disaster Crimes 1) and Seismic Crimes (Disaster Crimes 2) eBooks (mobi or epub), Hurricane Crimes Playing Cards, Girl Boss Sign, and a Volcanic Blast Scented Candle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press. https://www.chrysfey.com

Author Links:

 Newsletter / Website / Facebook Group /Blog / BookBub

Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon

 

 

 

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé: Good Riddance to Nick

 Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors 

I'm sharing a snippet from the 2nd Alex O'Hara mystery novel, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé. Alex is a P.I. in the small Lake Michigan resort town. She's not as financially desperate as she was in the first novel, thanks to the Feds who rewarded her for capturing an assassin.

Blurb:

She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti? 

Snippet:  

Dottie shut up for as long as it took to jog across the drawbridge over the Red Oak River that led out to Lake Michigan. As we headed down to the windswept beach, we angled between the orange snowfences.

“Let’s get back to Nick,” she said.

“No. He’s gone, and good riddance to him.”

As we passed Bonnie Bernacki’s Bed and Breakfast, she blew a raspberry.

“What was that for?”

Blabbermouth Bonnie—the bane of our existence since middle school—hadn’t done anything lately . . . that I knew of.

“She stopped me at Meijer’s and asked me about you and Nick. Right there in the produce aisle, and she made sure her voice carried.”

 

And the rest of the scene:

I groaned. So far, only three people knew for sure he’d left—Dottie, her husband Jim, since she couldn’t keep anything from him, and Dan Hoesen, Far Haven’s police chief. I’d managed to put off the nosy parkers who didn’t need to know the details of my love life. My former love life.

“Are you going antiquing tomorrow?” I asked.

Dottie loved to hit the antique shops on Saturdays. Me, I’d rather sleep in. Maybe if I got her talking about her weekend plans, she’d stop the questions about Nick.

“Of course, wanna come?”

“I have to work.”

At the Point, where the summer cottages began, we turned around. I was thankful she’d gotten off the subject of Nick the Rat.

“He loves you, Lexie.”

“I told you not to talk about him. That subject is verboten.”

“C’mon, Lex. I know he loves you. I saw it in his face when he—”

“That’s it. You’re on your own.”

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week!

 

#IWSG: A New Year

 

Happy Insecure Writer's 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. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue!

January 6 question - Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books?

Bad grammar, spelling errors, typos. A few here and there are understandable. As often as I (and others) proof my stories, I'll still find a mistake after the book is published. But frequent errors tell me the book wasn't proofed well. That yanks me out of the story.

So, how is 2021 shaping up for you? After a year of little writing, I decided I had to get back to it. I set my goal for January, to start with, to write a paragraph a day. Baby steps. Even if I only have ten minutes before bed and haven't written yet, I can open the file and write one paragraph. 

I just gave you my key--open the file. Once the file is open, I have to read the previous page to get back into the story. Writing one paragraph is no pressure. What's happened in the past 5 days of 2021? I've written more than a paragraph each day. Actually, I've averaged over 200 words/day. The lack of expectation makes it easy. Takes away the pressure. Hopefully, I can keep up my pace or at least one paragraph a day.

Hope. That's my key word for 2021. I wrote about hope in my post on Paranormal Romantics. Hope is what's keeping me going. Hope for a better year.

I hope you have a good month.

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.