Welcome Marilyn Meredith!
Posted: March 5, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: CJ West, deputy tempe crabtree series, Marilyn Meredith, rocky bluff 5 Comments »INTRODUCING DANGEROUS IMPULSES LATEST IN THE RBPD CRIME SERIES
First you might ask, what does RBPD stand for? It’s Rocky Bluff Police Department.
Rocky Bluff is a small, fictional beach community located on the California coast between Ventura and Santa Barbara. The police department is also small and inadequately staffed. They lack the latest technology and anything requiring lab or forensic work must be sent to the Ventura Police Department. Because of this, most of the RBPD work is done the old fashioned way, collecting clues, questioning by-standers, suspects and anyone connected to the victim(s).
My goal when I began this series was to show how what’s happening on the job affects the family, and how what is happening with the family affects the job.
The series has a large cast of characters, some of whom are featured in one book and not the next, but will probably make an appearance.
In the latest, Dangerous Impulses, you’ll find the following ongoing characters:
Detective Doug Milligan, his new wife, Stacey, and her little boy, Davey.
Detective Frank Marshall, Doug’s partner and nearing retirement.
Officer Gordon Butler, a “by the book” policeman who doesn’t have it easy.
Officer Felix Zachary, his wife Wendy, and their newborn, Ruby.
Sergeant Abel Navarro, his wife, Maria, a nurse at the local hospital, and their daughter, Lupe.
Ryan Strickland, RBPD’s Public Relations Officer, who also fills in when needed. His wife, Barbara, and her three sons.
Officer Vince Aragon who is on limited duty.
And making her debut in this book, the new hire, Lizette Gibbs.
Though this is a police procedural and the solving of the crimes is important, what is going on with the characters in their private lives is equally as important.
When I wrote the first book, Final Respects, I had no idea it would be a series. However, once I finished I knew I wanted to know what happened to all these people and the only way for that to happen was write another book. And I’ve kept on, right up to Dangerous Impulses which is #9. And yes, I’ve started another one.
Now a bit about Dangerous Impulses:
An attractive new-hire captivates Officer Gordon Butler, Officer Felix Zachary’s wife Wendy is befuddled by her new baby, Ryan and Barbara Strickland receive unsettling news about her pregnancy, while the bloody murder of a mother and her son and an unidentified drug that sickens teenaged partiers jolts the Rocky Bluff P.D.
Contest:
The person who comments on the most blog posts on this tour may have a character named after him or her in the next Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel or choose a book from the previous titles in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series in either paper or for Kindle.
Rocky Bluff P.D. Series:
Though each book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series is written as a stand-alone, I know there are people who like to read a series in order. From the beginning to the end:
Final Respects
Bad Tidings
Fringe Benefits
Smell of Death
No Sanctuary
An Axe to Grind
Angel Lost
No Bells
Dangerous Impulses
F. M. Meredith’s Bio:
F.M. is also known as Marilyn Meredith, the author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. She first became interested in writing about law enforcement when she lived in a neighborhood filled with police officers and their families. The interest was fanned when her daughter married a police officer and the tradition has continued with a grandson and grandson-in-law who are deputies. She’s also serves on the board of the Public Safety Writers Association, and has many friends in different law enforcement fields. For twenty plus years, she and her husband lived in a small beach community located in Southern California much like the fictional Rocky Bluff. She is a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Epic, and Mystery Writers of America.
Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com/
Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/
And I’m on Facebook and Twitter as MarilynMeredith
Tomorrow you can find me here: http://bloggingwebbb.blogspot.com/
Criminal Cupid: A Thriller Threesome
Posted: February 13, 2013 Filed under: games and puzzles | Tags: august mclaughlin, CJ West, Kristine Cayne, thriller threesome, Valentine's Day Gifts Leave a comment »What woman wouldn’t want a threesome for Valentine’s Day?
Guys don’t get too excited. Put your clothes back on and put your little black book away, because we’re talking books.
My friends August McLaughlin, Kristine Cayne, and I have a sweet treat for the ladies. For two days only, February 13th and 14th, we’re offering three thrillers for 99 cents each. Purchase three books for a chance to win an I Survived A Thriller Threesome t-shirt (a $20 value).
How to play:
Purchase the following for yourself and/or others via Amazon. You must purchase three e-books for a chance to win a threesome tee. Though it’d tickle our frisky fancies if you purchased all three, any combination works. In other words, if you’ve read August’s book and loved it, you’re welcome to gift it to three friends. Or you could gift two of Kristine’s book to friends and nab mine for yourself. You get the idea. Then in the comments below, let me know that you’ve made three purchases. (How often do you get to say things like, “I ordered my thriller threesome!” ???) If your name is drawn, I’ll request proof of purchase. We’re giving away six shirts, so your chances are good!
The playmates:
Addicted to Love, by CJ West:
Wes Holiday sells his landscaping business and retreats to a quaint mountain town to heal after ending a ten year relationship with a woman he couldn’t bring himself to marry. In three weeks he is so captivated by a hair stylist that he deprives himself of food and sleep to be near her. When the local sheriff is murdered, Wes is recruited to keep the peace in the town his parents built, but he knows nothing about law enforcement and he’s struggling to understand how a woman he just met can dominate his every waking thought. Soon the idyllic town with a penchant for romance is rocked by a bizarre series of murders that defy explanation and it is up to Wes to stop a raging epidemic of violence. Purchase via Amazon
Deadly Addiction, by Kristine Cayne:
When beautiful police sergeant Alyssa Morgan enters his life, Rémi Whitedeer never expects her to upend it. Not only does she have his hormones in an uproar, she’s also threatening to take the position he wants–Chief of Police for the Iroquois Blackriver Reservation. But Alyssa is more than a Barbie cop. Her ends-justifies-the-means philosophy, so different from his own, challenges Rémi on every level. With her sharp investigative skills and her fearlessness, she leads Rémi to confront bitter truths about his family and his standing as a man of mixed race within his tribe.
Tall hunky Rémi Whitedeer, of the panty-melting grin and the smoldering green eyes, flips Alyssa’s world ass over teakettle. She’s always had a laser-like focus on the job, but Rémi proves a constant distraction. His inner strength and sense of purpose strip away the winner-take-all attitude Alyssa wears like armor. Soon she’s longing for more–a more that terrifies and intrigues her. If he finds out the fine line she’d walked while undercover, will he still want her? And will she ever find the courage to let him–or anyone–that far in?
When Alyssa and Rémi uncover a drug-fueled scheme involving a biker gang from Alyssa’s past and a militant sovereigntist group led by Rémi’s cousin, they are forced to choose between their growing love for each other and the lives they’ve worked so hard to build. Will Rémi and Alyssa have to leave everything behind–even their identities–for the chance of a future together? Purchase via Amazon
In Her Shadow, by August McLaughlin:
One woman locked in a basement, nearing death and longing for escape. Another baffled by the inexplicable symptoms wreaking havoc on her life. Both are lost and alone, yet somehow connected. And time is running out…
Near the tenth anniversary of her parents’ unexpected death, Claire Fiksen, a lovely young Harvard-grad and gifted psychologist in Minnesota, develops bizarre symptoms of an eating disorder that threaten her fledgling career, her relationship with a handsome young medical student, her grasp on reality and, soon, her life.
When her beloved grandfather reveals that there may be more to her parents’ death than she’s realized, Claire’s pursuit of healing becomes a desperate search for answers as she delves into her family’s sordid past. Meanwhile, someone is watching her every move, plotting to draw her into her own twisted web of misery. Claire has something he needs, and he’ll stop at nothing to obtain it. Every step Claire takes brings her closer to the truth and danger. And her life, she discovers, isn’t the only one at stake. Purchase via Amazon
For more threesome fun and more chances to win, visit Blogging with Kristine Cayne and Savor the Storm with August McLaughlin
Wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day and, if you choose to play, a very thrilling threesome. 
August, Kristine and C.J.
Have you ordered your Thriller Threesome? Do tell! Spicy details and creativity welcome!
Dinner At Deadman’s Is Free!
Posted: February 7, 2013 Filed under: Deadly Junk, embarrassing stories | Tags: CJ West, dinner at deadmans, ebay, estate sales, free ebooks, substance abuse, yard sales 2 Comments »
Dinner At Deadman’s is free today and tomorrow. In that spirit, I thought I’d share a guest post from my recent blog tour to get you in the mood. Enjoy!
Would You Eat A Dead Lady’s Food?
Lorado Martin, star of my new novel Dinner At Deadman’s, loves to rummage around estates of the newly-deceased and prepare them for sale. He’s attracted to all sorts of collectibles, antiques, about anything lying around someone’s house that proves interesting.
The title Dinner At Deadman’s comes from a night Lorado is working in a woman’s home and decides to eat some cereal from her kitchen. I have been surprised by how revolting people find the idea of eating something from a dead lady’s home, so I thought I’d explore that idea with you a bit today.
One of my most surprising food finds was a can of peaches at the bottom of a set of cellar stairs. The can had rusted through. The peaches had seeped out and all that remained of them was a dark-colored spot on the wooden shelf underneath the can. The can must have been sitting there for several years and I wonder if anyone considered eating those peaches in the few years before I found them.
I think we can all agree we wouldn’t eat peaches from a rusty old can, but what about a can of soup in the pantry that was shiny and new? Could there really be anything wrong with soup that’s been lying around a while? If it was free, would you take it home? Would you check the expiration date first?
For me it would be an easy call. If it was canned food that I would buy anyway, I’d take any can that was in good condition. I’m not sure exactly what makes eating food from a dead person’s house weird. Is it the idea that whatever killed them might be infectious? Or is it a superstition that the food could be haunted? Or maybe the ghost of the previous owner would torment you for taking it home?
Let’s go to the kitchen next.
I remember eating cereal at my grandmother’s house. It was always stale. And she always filled bowls by hand, reaching in, grabbing a handful, and dropping it in a bowl like an excavator. That always seemed a little gross to me as a kid. The idea of a strange old lady’s hand on my cereal is enough for me to forgo an open box.
How about you? If you found an unopened box of your favorite cereal would you take it?
It’s a slippery slope once you get started. You open the freezer and see frozen steaks. The food starts to have value and in these tough economic times I think a lot of us would be tempted to take some of that free food home, especially if it was in a sealed container.
Whether this sounds like a great idea or a crazy one, I hope you’ll check out Dinner At Deadman’s and explore a sweet little old lady’s kitchen alongside Lorado.
Getting Over The Hump – J. Carson Black
Posted: January 2, 2013 Filed under: Inspiration | Tags: CJ West, dominatrix, j. carson black, overcoming writer's block, recalcitrant racehorces Leave a comment »Please welcome J. Carson Black to Getting Over The Hump Day. J. is the author of 13 novels and has lived in the traditional publishing and indie publishing worlds.
THOUGHTS ON BOOKS, FILLIES, AND THE OCCASIONAL DOMINATRIX
by J. Carson Black
As I come to the end of my fourteenth novel, it has become clear to me that all my books have something in common.
They are exactly like recalcitrant racehorses.
I think they’re fillies. Fillies are known for making their own rules.
Every one of my books has been hard to load in the gate. They break slow and loaf along far behind the field, no matter how much I scrub on them, kiss at them, or shake the reins. No matter what I do, I’m just the jockey, and I can’t exactly pick the damn thing up and carry it on my shoulders to the wire.
They put on occasional capricious spurts of speed just to confound me, before dropping back to take in the view.
Finally, though, when it’s almost too late–the pace quickens. We start to pick up horses, but the wire is coming up fast. There’s a deadline looming. Still, after thirteen previous books, I’m pretty sure we’ll get there.
Although it’s never pretty.
A few things that have helped me:
Writing every day. (Or trying to.)
Writing a certain number of words every day.
Getting up early and starting while still sleepy.
Going for a walk.
Not thinking about the book while going for the walk.
Jigsaw puzzles.
Not thinking about the book while I’m doing jigsaw puzzles.
“Written? Kitten!”
“Written? Kitten!” has become my best ally. The little online app shows me a picture of a kitten for every hundred words I write. Best of all, when I’m in Written? Kitten! I’m not writing in Word.
When I’m writing in Word, I goof off. I change font colors or go back to look at Page 2, or Chapter Seven, or I write down my word count and calculate how much further I have to go today–constantly.
I understand there’s a mean-spirited dominatrix-type app called “Write or Die” which is popular with masochists. You can choose a strict punishment for not writing, or a lenient one. I think somebody wears a hood, although I’m not sure. Maybe you end up with a rubber ball in your mouth. If you don’t write enough, your precious words disappear.
I don’t respond to that kind of encouragement. I would just roll up in a little ball and cry like a baby.
You can find J. at her website or on Facebook.
Cruising in your Eighties!
Posted: December 28, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: CJ West, geezer-lit, mike befeler, mystery, novel release Leave a comment »Please welcome Mike Befeler. Mike was a tennis prodigy in his teens, but that was a very long time ago. Now Mike writes Geezer-lit, books about old folks with a touch of mystery and humor. He’s a riot in person. The last time we were on a panel he made a joke about geezer sex and I offered to meet everyone in the bar afterward so we could rinse the idea out of our minds.
Here is Mike talking about his latest book, Cruising in Your Eighties is Murder.
The best part of writing my most recent Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery, Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder, was doing the research. Since the novel takes place on an Alaskan cruise, I forced myself to take a cruise in preparation for writing the book. Reluctantly, my wife and daughter agreed to accompany me so I wouldn’t be lonely.
Our cruise started in Seattle with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria before returning to Seattle. We also spent most of a day sailing through Glacier Bay.
And what a coincidence—my protagonist, Paul Jacobson, happens to take the same route. The main difference is that I didn’t encounter any murders along the way. But because Paul is a dead body magnet, he comes across several as well as becoming enmeshed in international intrigue.
Paul is in his mid-eighties and has short-term memory loss. I’m younger and can remember things most of the time.
The morning before I got on the cruise ship, I walked around Seattle. Nothing happened. The morning before Paul embarks, he takes a walk around Seattle, gets into an argument with a street person and later finds the same man dead in a garden. Go figure.
In Juneau, we visited a fish hatchery and saw the Mendenhall Glacier. A calm tour. Paul accidently knocks a woman into the fish hatchery and is chased by a bear near Mendenhall Glacier. He leads a more exciting life than I do.
The rest of my cruise was enjoyable and calm. Paul’s cruise goes downhill from there, ending with an encounter in Victoria’s Butchart Gardens with a Latvia mob boss and a cast of supporting characters who decimate a section of the gardens. I enjoyed my cruise more than Paul does, but his trip is certainly more entertaining.
Mike Befeler writes the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series including CRUISING IN YOUR EIGHTIES IS MURDER, SENIOR MOMENTS ARE MURDER, RETIREMENT HOMES ARE MURDER and LIVING WITH YOUR KIDS IS MURDER, which was nominated for the Lefty Award for best humorous mystery of 2009. Mike is vice-president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. http://www.mikebefeler.com
99 Authors 99 Books 99 Cents
Posted: December 21, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 99 books 99 authors 99 cents, Amazon, CJ West, kindle daily deal Leave a comment »
Great suspense authors including Allan Leverone, Jen Talty, Gary Ponzo, and Diane Capri!
Check out all the $.99 books here!
Win one of these great prizes here!
$500 Amazon Gift Card
Kindle Fire HD 7″ ($200 value)
Kindle Paperwhite ($120 value)
$75 Amazon Gift Card
$50 Amazon Gift Card
$25 Amazon Gift Card
$20 Amazon Gift Card
And don’t forget to pick up
THE END OF MARKING TIME
for just $.99!
The Twelve Days of (Christmas) the Mayan Apocalypse (12)
Posted: December 21, 2012 Filed under: games and puzzles | Tags: apocalypse, CJ West, December 21 2012, end of the world, Mayan Calendar, meteor shower, the twelve days of the mayan apocalypse, zombie herd 2 Comments »The world is ending soon. We don’t have much time. If you’re new to the Twelve Days of the Mayan Apocalypse, you might want to start here.
Day 12: This is the Big One
The meteors are raining down. The end is just minutes away. The sun is setting and the end of the world will be spectacular light show or orange sky, streaking balls of flame, and explosions hitting the earth.
You can be anywhere in the world to watch the spectacle.
Where do you go to watch?
Who do you bring with you?
Feel free to post pictures on my facebook fan page.
Thanks for playing along. I hope you enjoyed the Mayan Apocalypse.
See you tomorrow. Maybe!
You’ll need something to do in the post-civilized world, so order one of my books while Amazon’s servers are still up and UPS is still delivering! Your money won’t be worth anything on December 22nd, so spend it while you can.
If you’ve never read me try: The End of Marking Time, Sin & Vengeance, or Dinner At Deadman’s. Or get a signed book and help needy kids at www.22wb.com.
The Twelve Days of (Christmas) the Mayan Apocalypse (11)
Posted: December 20, 2012 Filed under: games and puzzles | Tags: apocalypse, CJ West, December 21 2012, last meal, Mayan Calendar, rich chocolate dessert, the twelve days of the mayan apocalypse, zombie herd 7 Comments »The world is ending soon. We don’t have much time. If you’re new to the Twelve Days of the Mayan Apocalypse, you might want to start here.
Day 11: I’ll Have What He’s Having
Life was good for about ten hours. Your new lover arrived and you spent a blissful night together. In the early morning hours the two of you slipped outside to view the stars. You held hands, looked up into the sky and far to the south, streaks of light rocketed down from the heavens.
At first the white-hot streaks could have been shooting stars, but they continued for ten minutes then twenty. They kept coming by the dozens all morning long.
When the sun rose, other couples came out and gaped as you all watched the streaking balls of stone crash to earth in little fireballs all along the horizon.
By breakfast it was clear the strikes were coming closer, raining down, destroying everything in a slow march of burning rock headed toward the army base. The good news was that the zombies were being wiped out en masse. The bad news was that there was nowhere to hide from the relentless meteor shower.
The team decides that driving north is futile. You have a full day to enjoy before the meteors start hitting.
What do you choose for you last meal? Don’t forget dessert!
Feel free to post pictures on my facebook fan page.
You’ll need something to do in the post-civilized world, so order one of my books while Amazon’s servers are still up and UPS is still delivering! Your money won’t be worth anything on December 22nd, so spend it while you can.
If you’ve never read me try: The End of Marking Time, Sin & Vengeance, or Dinner At Deadman’s. Or get a signed book and help needy kids at www.22wb.com.
The Twelve Days of (Christmas) the Mayan Apocalypse (10)
Posted: December 19, 2012 Filed under: games and puzzles | Tags: abandoned military base, apocalypse, apocalypse matchmaker, CJ West, December 21 2012, Mayan Calendar, noah, the twelve days of the mayan apocalypse, zombie herd 2 Comments »The world is ending soon. We don’t have much time. If you’re new to the Twelve Days of the Mayan Apocalypse, you might want to start here.
Day 10: It’s Your Turn
First thing in the morning on day 10 you fly in your twelve couples and turn them loose on the base. None of them complained about your lousy flying because they were so grateful to be safe of the zombies and have plenty of food and water, they’d follow you anywhere.
Your zombie-killing friends took the liberty of finding mates of their own. The group elects you mayor. Everything is great. You are in charge. You’re safe. Everyone is happy. You just need someone to spend your quality time with.
In your position, you can have any person on earth you choose.
Who will it be?
You’ll need something to do in the post-civilized world, so order one of my books while Amazon’s servers are still up and UPS is still delivering! Your money won’t be worth anything on December 22nd, so spend it while you can.
If you’ve never read me try: The End of Marking Time, Sin & Vengeance, or Dinner At Deadman’s. Or get a signed book and help needy kids at www.22wb.com.
The Twelve Days of (Christmas) the Mayan Apocalypse (9)
Posted: December 18, 2012 Filed under: games and puzzles | Tags: abandoned military base, apocalypse, apocalypse matchmaker, CJ West, December 21 2012, Mayan Calendar, noah, the twelve days of the mayan apocalypse, zombie herd 3 Comments »The world is ending soon. We don’t have much time. If you’re new to the Twelve Days of the Mayan Apocalypse, you might want to start here.
Day 9: A Matchmaker for all Time
It only took one day for the survivors to get restless inside the military base. Whether it was bravado or boredom, they all ventured outside the gate in search of something to help the camp.
You decided to play it safe, stay behind the fence with your friends from the jeep, and practice flying one of the three remaining helicopters. After a few hours you learned to get ten feet off the ground and hold steady. You didn’t dare go any higher until you saw a huge dust cloud a mile away.
You flew up one hundred feet saw your new friends surrounded by a dazed horde numbering in the hundreds. You wobbled and fluttered back down as fast as you could and crashed to the deck so hard it felt like the landing gear was going to fall off as soon as you got airborne again.
You sucked so badly at flying, your zombie-killing friends refused to get in the helicopter, so you all hopped into a Hummer and sped out of the camp. By the time you reached the wreckage it was too late. The fifty caliber on top of the roof screamed out rounds into the horde, but the zombies had already cornered the band of wandering survivors and devoured them.
All you could do was turn back and get inside the fence before you were overrun.
When the horde finished feeding and moved along you were left with the realization that you needed to start repopulating the world with new survivors.
Choose 12 couples to begin the process. They need to be young and healthy enough to have lots of kids. They don’t have to like or even know each other yet.
Who will you choose?
You’ll need something to do in the post-civilized world, so order one of my books while Amazon’s servers are still up and UPS is still delivering! Your money won’t be worth anything on December 22nd, so spend it while you can.
If you’ve never read me try: The End of Marking Time, Sin & Vengeance, or Dinner At Deadman’s. Or get a signed book and help needy kids at www.22wb.com.
Amazon US
Amazon US
