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Thursday, July 27, 2017

SNEAK PREVIEW: THE WAKE, CHAPTER ONE

THE WAKE available for pre-order on Amazon
Tuesday, July 2, 1996
Louisville, Kentucky

JESSICA WYETH’S FEET hadn’t touched the tarmac before she knew returning to the States was a mistake. The twin engine Gulfstream V made her an easy target as she paused before descending the jet’s airstairs. Arriving at the private corporate terminal didn’t stop reporters from finding her. Questions pelted her from the group gathered at the edge of the chain link fence. Dark stains under their arms appeared each time they raised their cameras, proving the hot and humid Kentucky summer could be as oppressive as they were. They strained to grab their piece of her — the fugitive who had stopped running because she had no place to hide.
Someone must have leaked that Northern Ireland had kicked her out and questioned if the U.S. would take her in.
She was news.
Strike that.
She was their meal ticket.
“Why did you flee the United States?”
“Are you worried about other charges being pressed against you?”
“If you’re innocent, why hide?”
The cool air of the Irelands faded to memory as if it had been years since she roamed its hills rather than hours. She closed her eyes and imagined erasing the tabloid hacks with a wave of her hand while finger-snapping herself back to a normal life. Instead, thick air, laden with the stench of jet fuel, hot tar, and sweat, pushed against her as she stood in the passageway. Each click of a shutter was an electric jolt pushing her dream farther away.
Two police cars flanking a large black SUV, with blue lights flashing beneath their grill, pulled up and blocked the jet’s path. The gold seal of U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service proclaimed their purpose. A man with shorn hair opened the SUV’s passenger-side door and leaned his heft against its frame. His head angled toward the jet as he spoke into a radio mic pressed to his mouth. Aviator sunglasses shielded his eyes. Self-importance oozed out of him.
Uncertain and afraid, Jessica backed into the cocoon of the jet.
A man in his late twenties, dressed in a crisp uniform with “MMC, Ltd.” embroidered on the chest pocket, held her suitcase. Cabin Steward Devins avoided her eyes as he spoke. “I’m sorry, Miss Jessica. There’s an issue with your re-entry. I’m afraid that beefy lad doesn’t want your dainty toes on his soil,” he said, soft brogue keeping his inflection light. “May I suggest you wait here ‘til you’ve got clearance.”
 “Wait. You’re telling me that as soon as my feet hit the tarmac, they’ll handcuff me?” Her back thumped against the hatch frame in disbelief.
“Not so much handcuff you as provide an escort, but an armed one at that. I’ve not seen the inside of the terminal, but it’s a fair guess you’ll be more comfortable with us. We’ve been told the authorities’ presence is all quite routine.”
“Routine enough to send three police cars?” She dared another peek out to the tarmac. The staccato ticks of camera shutters trilled. “No. Something’s up.”
Devins’ expression darkened long enough to trigger acid to pool in the pit of her stomach.
She grappled with her thoughts and pinched the bridge of her nose. Don’t show fear. No one knows. Everything will be fine. “How long will this take?”
 “Could be days, Miss Wyeth.” Jessica turned to see the pilot standing inside the open cockpit. A pin of gold wings with “Capt. Lisbeth Laramie” engraved in block letters rested on her uniform’s navy blue lapel. The salt and pepper bun at the nape of her neck sat as neatly as it had at the beginning of their nine-hour trip from Belfast.
Captain Laramie drew in a short breath and squared her shoulders. “The only information I have is that officials in Northern Ireland contacted their counterparts in the States to inform them of their findings while we traveled.”
“What findings? Those guys are from immigration, but I’m returning to the States.” What was happening? Immigration? Oh, God.
“When one country expels a person, no other country must take them in until they’ve completed an investigation. As long as you don’t deplane, we’re cleared to take off.”
Jessica shrank into the shadow of the door as she looked at cruisers, agents, and reporters. The theater was all too perfect. Images of the inevitable headlines of the evening news tracked across her vision, marquee style — Murdering Heiress: Resurrected to a Life on the Run. She began to feel very small against the forces at work. “But, if I can’t leave, you can’t either.”
“You can leave the U.S., you just can’t enter. You’re welcome to stay aboard while the craft is serviced.” The lilt of the captain’s words did not soften their message. “We will remain on the ground for as long as it takes. I’m told legal teams in Belfast and Boston are working on your situation now.”
“Is that what this is? My situation?” Jessica laughed at the ridiculousness of her circumstance. Her situation, as the captain deftly stated, required nothing less than legal teams in two countries trying to talk logic to bureaucrats.
They’d have more luck making pigs fly.

~

You don't HAVE to read either The Charity or The Troubles to know the backstory of The Wake, but, hey, it's summer, the beach is there, and why not?

Read the award-winning THE TROUBLES

Start the trilogy from the beginning? Read THE CHARITY




Monday, July 24, 2017

SISTERS IN CRIME NEW ENGLAND AUTHORS AT BOOKSTOCK!


Sisters in Crime New England at Bookstock Literary Festival
Date: Friday, July 28 to Sunday July 30
Time: 10 am to 4 pm, Friday and Saturday, 10 am - 2 pm Sunday
Place: Woodstock, Vermont

Authors from the New England chapter of Sisters in Crime will be available to talk mystery and membership!


On Friday, July 28, author Connie Johnson Hambley will moderate a panel entitled, “We’re Not Making This Up,” a discussion of how authors use threads of real life to weave better stories. Authors Kate George and Robbie Harold from the New England chapter of Sisters in Crime, a national organization of mystery and thriller authors, will talk about how great fiction starts in the real world.

Sisters in Crime Panel: Friday 12:00 pm at the Norman Williams Library

Friday, July 7, 2017

THE WAKE: AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

Each baby step taken leads to a journey coming to a close.

THE WAKE, the third book in The Jessica Trilogy, is available for pre-order on Amazon!






But seriously? You have too much beach time on your hands. Read THE CHARITY and THE TROUBLES. Oh, and put on sunscreen before you start reading. I may be responsible for sleepless nights and burned dinners, but I will not be blamed for burned readers.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

SISTERS IN CRIME AUTHORS AT BOOKSTOCK LITERARY FESTIVAL

Bookstock Literary Festival


Bookstock Literary Festival
Date: Friday, July 28 to Sunday July 30
Time: 9 am to 5 pm
Place: Woodstock, Vermont


Sisters in Crime Panel: 12:00 pm

On Friday, July 28, author Connie Johnson Hambley will moderate a panel entitled, “We’re Not Making This Up,” a discussion of how authors use threads of real life to weave better stories. Authors Kate George and Robbie Harold from the New England chapter of Sisters in Crime, a national organization of mystery and thriller authors, will talk about how great fiction starts in the real world.


The panel will be held at noon on Friday in the Norman Williams Library Mezzanine. Sisters in Crime authors will be available all weekend to meet readers, sign books, and talk murder and mystery!

Bookstock supports the cultural richness and diversity of the Upper Valley and celebrates authors and poets, both established and emerging, from our region. New England is home to many talented writers representing diverse genres, from national Poet Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners to emerging young writers and those who have found their compelling voice at midlife. Bookstock encourages appreciation for good writing and other artistic endeavors by introducing residents and visitors of all ages to writers, musicians and artists in an intimate setting.

Most events take place in historic buildings around Woodstock’s lovely Green, within three minutes’ walk to the center of Woodstock village, with its unique shops and superb dining.  In addition, ArtisTree Gallery in South Pomfret, hosts the opening reception, as well as the UnBound exhibition of book art. Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park hosts a writing workshop and presentation. Bentley’s Restaurant holds a brunch reading Sunday morning.