Fiction Works
Tough Blood: Skylark, PI Book 1 (Print and Kindle)
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Volume #1of a New Series: Skylark, a private investigation with psychic abilities she keeps a deep dark secret, specializes in corporate cases that mostly revolve around computer searches. When a mutilated body is discovered, she becomes the target of a Neanderthal throwback detective who is convinced she is guilty, despite the lack of clear evidence. His focus on her brings her to the attention of the actual murderer. As young women begin to disappear from California’s Central Coast, Skylark is drawn deeper and deeper into the case. When the killer goes after her, will Skylark’s psychic abilities help or hinder her in saving both herself and those she loves? If you like your stories dark and gritty, and your heroines smart, strong and snarky, you’ll love Skylark and Tough Blood.
Proof of Identity (Print, Kindle and Audio)
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Proof of Identity
Danae Holloway, who suffers from strange debilitating headaches, is arrested for the stabbing murder of a man she’s neither heard of nor met. But the police have eyewitnesses who saw her leave the scene covered in blood, and her fingerprints are on the murder weapon. When legal-aid lawyer Collin Montgomery succeeds in getting Danae released on bail, another murder occurs. Again her fingerprints are found at the scene and she has no alibi. Collin researches her background in a race to prove her innocence. But will the truth he uncovers only cement her guilt? Are the headaches making Danae do unspeakable things she cannot remember doing? Is the court-appointed psychiatrist working to help Danae, or does he have his own agenda? Most important of all, what happens when the facts and the truth don’t agree? Just what constitutes proof of identity in a digital age?
Tangled Webs (Print and Kindle)
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Tangled Webs
Lia Willett, daughter of a serial killer, left town under a cloud of suspicion and animosity, leaving behind a dead classmate and unanswered questions. Seventeen years later bizarre circumstances bring her back to Mercerville, where the hatred directed toward her in the past slowly escalates in the present into ever-more-lethal vandalism and threats. Wanting only to live a quiet life, Lia finds herself stalked and menaced by the town, and plagued by nightmares of a frightening past she only half remembers. As events spiral out of control, to save both her sanity and her life Lia must unearth the terrifying, long-buried memories of what happened before she left Mercerville, and in the process answer the most important question of all: Is Lia Willett, like her father, a murderer?
Sins of the Past (Print, Kindle and Audio)
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Sins of the Past
Sabrina Compton’s sheltered life is shattered when her beloved husband is brutally murdered. And though their home has been ransacked, nothing appears to be missing. Unable to face the memories the house holds, Sabrina flees to her great-grandmother’s cottage on Gaffe Island, off the coast of South Carolina. But the peace she tries to recover is crushed by the revelations of an intrusive FBI agent, and her life is forever altered by the weight of her husband’s devastating betrayal. As a hurricane bears down on Gaffe Island, she discovers the killer is now after her. Will Sabrina survive both the storm and the killer’s rage? Will the presence of the F.B.I. agent be enough to protect her? Or are the sins of her husband’s past destined to destroy her, too?
Piece By Piece (Print and Kindle)
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When high school teacher Ken Reed meets a woman a woman suffering from total amnesia, who is terrified of getting help, he feels compelled to bring her into his home. He names her Julie and wants nothing more than to keep her protected and safe. But soon her troubling past begins to return in disjointed flashes of horrific memories. And people around Julie start to die. Is Julie simply the victim of a tragic accident, or did she have a hand in the terrifying events her memories uncover? Who wants Julie dead? And why is she so afraid of the police? Most importantly, what is left for Julie and Ken to hold onto when the past intrudes on the present, piece by terrifying piece?
A Matter of Identity (Print and Kindle)
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American Marina Weston, just turned 20, is left orphaned and penniless in London, England. Saddled with her father’s debt and tainted by the stigma of his suicide, Marina has only three options open to her in 1866: hire out for service; become a prostitute, or starve. With the help of caring friends, Marina is offered a unique opportunity and begins to build a productive life. But fate intervenes when she runs afoul of some very powerful and unscrupulous men. Marina finds herself at their mercy, thrust unknowingly into a diabolical plot that will put her sanity, and her very life, at risk. She must find the strength to overcome the evil conspiracy, but when one’s very identity has been undermined, what is left to hold onto? Will Marina emerge with her sanity—and her identity—intact, or will she end as a pawn in someone else’s game? (See For Book Clubs under the What’s New tab for Book Club Discussion Questions)
Death in the Valley (Print and Kindle)
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A small collection of three award-winning short stories, this little volume takes the reader on a ride through the Central Valley of California. Each story was written expressly for the Dead Bird Competition of the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of Sisters in Crime (SinC). Each contest had a specific theme: An object around which the story revolved (“The Telltale Death”); the evocation of the valley setting (“Beef Killington”); water rights and wrongs (“Hydro-Synth”). Each story either won first or second place; two won extra awards (best use of setting, most murderous use of water), and two tied for first place in the Central Valley Writer’s Workshop competition. From a ringing telephone to a cooking competition to dehydrated bodies in the desert, these eerie Central Valley stories are sure to keep you awake at night. Enjoy, but keep the lights on!
Tiny Tales, Flash Fiction: 5-Minute or Less Reads for Busy People (Print and Kindle)
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The perfect collection for busy people who love to read but only have a few minutes to spare. In these pages you’ll find a deadly meal, a singing competition, interesting next door neighbors, a high-rise fire, an eavesdropping episode, modern day chemistry, an Irish Bar, and much more. Read one standing in line at the grocery store, while in the doctor’s waiting room, in line at the Post Office, on lunch break… wherever you have a minute or two, or three. From one page to no more than six, Tiny Tales: Flash Fiction fits perfectly into your reading schedule. “Tiny Tales is the perfect book for when you have only a few minutes to lose yourself in another person’s life.” author Barbara M. Hodges
Tiny Tales, Mystery/Suspense: 5-Minute or Less Reads for Busy People (Print and Kindle)
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The perfect collection for busy people who love to read but only have a few minutes to spare. In these pages you’ll read about revenge served cold, deadly tea, a church confession, stalkers, killing rats, a football field encounter, mistaken identity, revenge served red hot, and much more. Read one standing in line at the grocery store, while in the doctor’s waiting room, in line at the Post Office, on lunch break… wherever you have a minute or two, or three. From one page to no more than six, Tiny Tales: Mystery/Suspense fits perfectly into your reading schedule. “Reminiscent of “Twilight Zone” or “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” only shorter, I found these tales just as amusing, suspenseful, and yes, “twisted.” Perfect especially for those who enjoy a quick read…” author Tony Piazza
Tiny Tales, Scifi/Fantasy: 5-Minute or Less Reads for Busy People (Print and Kindle)
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The perfect collection for busy people who love to read but only have a few minutes to spare. In these pages you’ll read about special foods, a strange club, ghosts, alien creatures, a creepy camera, the kergum cube, laboratory experiments, the GAB, eerie portraits, uncanny cats, AIFs, other dimensions, the Terra-Stone, and much more. Read one standing in line at the grocery store, while in the doctor’s waiting room, in line at the Post Office, on lunch break… wherever you have a minute or two, or three. From two pages to no more than six, Tiny Tales: Sci-fi/Fantasy fits perfectly into your reading schedule. “These little stories depend upon a twist… Five minutes of effort and worth it.” author MR Arnold
Tiny Tales, Skylark, PI Series: 5-Minute or Less Reads for Busy People (Print and Kindle)
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The perfect collection for busy people who love to read but only have a few minutes to spare. Here you’ll read about the characters in the upcoming Skylark, PI series: Skylark, a snarky female PI who has paranormal abilities; Detectives Dunwitty and Kase; attorney Maureen Overton; Mackenzie Straite; ectoplasmic Bass Ehrler; even some of the bad guys we so love to hate. Read a story standing in line at the grocery store, while in the doctor’s waiting room, in line at the Post Office, on lunch break… wherever you have a minute or two, or three. From three pages to no more than six, Tiny Tales: Skylark, P.I. fits perfectly into your reading schedule. “Richly entertaining, these little gems are like pieces of find chocolate.” author Sue McGinty
Tiny Tales, Romancing the Muse: 5-Minute or Less Reads for Busy People (Print and Kindle)
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The perfect collection for busy people who love to read but only have a few minutes to spare. This is a fascinating look at what happens when a writer Romances the Muse: multiple stories from one idea; exploring personality changes; different viewpoints from different characters… see just how a writer’s mind works and how much work writing really is. Read a story standing in line at the grocery store, while in the doctor’s waiting room, in line at the Post Office, on lunch break… wherever you have a minute or two, or three. From only two pages to six, Tiny Tales: Romancing the Muse fits perfectly into your reading schedule.