So my first blog tour begins today and runs through April 27 (Saturday)! Cliffhanger is in the spotlight at these blogs:
April 22: A Chick Who Reads
April 23: Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries & More
April 24: Musings and Ramblings
April 25: Melina the Reader
April 26: Books 4 Tomorrow
April 27: According to Squenn
Thanks to Bella at Cozy Mystery Book Tours for putting this together!
Thanks to everyone who entered! It was a great turnout this year!
The winner of the paperback copy of Cliffhanger is Cassandra L.! And the Kindle/Nook Grand Prize winner is Chris B.! Woohoo! Congrats to all the winners!
Welcome to the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop! The Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire or Nook! And each blogger is giving away her own prize. Because the second book in my Belinda & Bennett mystery series comes out in about a month, I’m giving away a paperback copy of the first book, Cliffhanger!
Here’s how to enter for the Grand Prize and my giveaway:
Enter to Win a Kindle Fire or Nook: By April 19, 2013 at 11:59pm EST, LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS on my blog (and any participating blogs) to be entered to win! The hosts of this blog hop will choose a winner from the comments via Rafflecopter. (Visit Dianne Venetta’s site and A Cozy Reader’s Corner for more info.)
Enter to win a paperback copy of Cliffhanger: My contest is International and also runs 
through April 19 at 11:59pm EST. Fill out the form below to enter. The winner will be chosen at random.org, notified by email, and announced here and on the hop host sites. Here’s how to earn extra entries:
+1 for leaving a comment (if you’re entering for the Kindle Fire/Nook, one comment counts for both)
+1 for subscribing to my email newsletter
+1 for following my blog (see sidebar for options)
+1 for following me on Twitter
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Now for my easy dessert recipe! My mom always made these when I was a kid and I still love making them today. If you make your own pie dough, it’s a good way to use up the scraps!
Sugar ‘n Cinnamon Stickies
Pie dough (rolled out into a rectangle)
2-3 tbsp sugar (add more or less depending on the amount of dough)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp butter
Roll out the pie dough into a rectangle. Blend the sugar and cinnamon together and spread over the dough. Roll the dough into a log, then slice the log into 1/4″ pieces. Melt the butter in a skillet and place slices face down. Cook until browned evenly on both sides. Best eaten right away!
That’s it for me! Use the list below to keep moving through the hop! Have fun!
Until March 9, download Cliffhanger and Biohazard free at Smashwords during Read an Ebook Week! My other two mystery books, Dead Locked and The Jester’s Apprentice, are half off for the week too.
Things may stay a little quiet around here while I hammer out Auf’d, book two in The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries. It comes out this spring, so I’ve got a lot of work to do! If you’d like to know as soon as it’s available, join my email newsletter.
Susan Kaye Quinn’s YA sci-fi Mindjack Trilogy is one of my fantabulous browsing finds. Hopping from
The third book in the trilogy is available today!
book to book, the word “mindjacker” kept grabbing my attention, and the description for Open Minds, the first book in the trilogy, intrigued me even more:
When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.
Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden underworld of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.
Free Souls, the final book in the series, drops today! Susan gives us the scoop on how she developed the whole mindjacker concept, what type of mage she would want to be, and she offers a preview of a new series akin to the Mindjack Trilogy.
The word “mindjack” is what initially caught my attention, and then the concept sealed the deal. Where did you get the idea?
Originally, there were no mindjackers in the story! My first concept was about a girl in a future world where everyone read minds except for her. The image of this very isolated girl came to me one night as I was trying to go to sleep (the brain never lets me rest), and I immediately had to get up and write the scene. After that, this character wouldn’t leave me alone, so I ended up using that as a starting point for a National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) novel a month later. About 20k words into the novel, I realized that she really was a mindjacker! The story evolved from there.
How did you develop the specialties of the mages?
The mages are jackers with extreme abilities, beyond the typical mindjacker that can just manipulate your every thought, emotion, sense, and memory. :) I saw the mages as either jackers that have enhanced “normal” abilities or jackers that can reach into the deeper levels of mind. An “enhanced” jacker would be able to reach mentally farther (a Viewer) or control many minds at once (a Puppeteer, although I never explicitly call Hinckley that in the story). Jackers that reach deeper would control the instinctual processes that lie below conscious thought (a Handler) or broadly be able to rewrite not just memories, but subconscious memories, learned skills, and the tiniest details that make up your personality (a Scribe).
I had a lot of fun making these up. I had to stop making so many different kinds, just because it would have been too complicated for the story. But I leave that door open, so to speak, in Free Souls. 
If you were a mage, what would be your gift?
I would definitely want to be a Handler. In Julian’s novella (The Handler), I explore what it feels like to be able to read people’s instincts (they’re mostly colors, but also temperatures), and how that affects Julian’s interactions with other people. What if you knew not just someone’s conscious thoughts, but the basic desires underlying them? They might say (or even think) one thing, but you would know what was driving them better than they knew themselves. Creepy. Also a lot of fun.
Who are your writing influences? What do like to read when you’re not writing?
I adore Scott Westerfeld and Holly Black. My influences stretch back to the classic SF of my youth (Heinlein, Bradbury) up to modern classics like Harry Potter and Hunger Games and Lightning Thief. I’ve broadened my reading in the last year: lots of indie works, short stories, SF, steampunk, even historical romance. Recent reads: The War of Art (nonfiction), The Queen’s Lady (medieval romance), Jars of Clay (Roman romance), The Ghost and the Graveyard (fantasy mature romance) and Wool (post-apocalyptic SF). If you can find the common element there, let me know! (BTW half of those are indie works.)
According to your bio, you have quite the resume in the sciences! What motivated you to get back to writing, and to take it all the way to publishing?
The writing bug bit after I started reading with my kids – I simply adored the middle grade stories they loved. Then I started reading YA, and I just found myself sitting down at the computer one day and writing a story of my own. I had written a lot as a child and teen myself, but had left it behind long ago to pursue “serious” adult work. :) When I became completely obsessed with the craft of writing and literally couldn’t stop, I decided I better try to turn this into something that might bring income one day, just so I could justify all the time I spent on it.
With Free Souls coming soon, do you have any plans beyond the Mindjack books?
I do!
The Faery Swap (MG Fantasy)
I started writing because I love middle grade stories, and I’ve been writing those all along (although not publishing them). In 2013, I plan to revise and submit The Faery Swap, a middle grade fantasy about a boy who is tricked into swapping places with a warrior faery from an alternate dimension. It’s Prince and the Pauper meets Artemis Fowl, and I love the story. We’ll see how far it can go in the traditional-publishing route; all else fails, I’ll self-publish, even though the market for middle grade still hasn’t really arrived in the indie world.
Third Daughter (steampunk fantasy romance)
For NaNo 2012, I drafted the first 50k of Third Daughter, an Indian-flavored steampunk novel that I’m having ridiculous amounts of fun writing (you can check out my Pinterest board to get some idea of what that world looks like). I hadn’t really planned on writing this book until later next year, but my mom was interested in NaNo, and since I’ve been trying to get her to pick up the pen for about 4 years now, I told her I would do NaNo, if she did too. So we completed NaNo together – I’m super proud of her for taking the leap! I’ll spend the rest of December finishing the first draft of Third Daughter before I let it rest.
Singularity (YA SF, for readers who enjoy Mindjack)
In the New Year, I’m crazy excited to start writing my new science fiction series, Singularity, which I think will appeal to the fans of Mindjack. It’s about a post-Singularity world (the Singularity is the event horizon when computers become more intelligent than humans), with plenty of cool technology and future world dreaming, all told through the viewpoint of a legacy human boy. You can see a sneak peek into this work in a tiny flash fiction I wrote for Christmas (it’s hidden on my blog, scroll down to the bottom). It will be a series, the as-yet unnamed first novel to be published in 2013.
So… big plans ahead! Thanks so much for having me today!
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Thanks for coming by, Susan! So if you’ve read books one and two, go get your copy of Free Souls today to find out how things work out for Kira! If you’re new to the trilogy, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Check out Open Minds and Closed Hearts, plus the three related novellas Susan’s released. Find out all about the Mindjack Trilogy and more at Susan’s website. Happy reading!
As a preview of Cliffhanger, the first book in The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, I’m posting part of the
first chapter. To see more and purchase, visit Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords!
~ * ~
Belinda could have turned left to go directly to the house, but she charged straight through the four-way stop. At the top of the road, before it dipped down and curved inland again, she could just make out the ocean between the blades of wheat-like sea grasses bowing toward her. Pure joy swelled in her chest and she pressed down on the accelerator.
Belinda skidded into the beach parking lot and flung open the door, her face hit by the sea breeze still clinging to winter. She jogged toward the water’s edge, jumping around on one bare foot, giggling as she nearly collapsed onto the sand wrenching her other shoe off. My, how that white, gravelly stuff was tougher to walk through than she remembered!
Belinda stopped at the water’s edge, the sand itself sending chills up her legs. But she had to do it. She had to dip her feet in the water just once. She secured her blonde hair in an elastic, taking a deep breath of salt air – and, ooh yeah, seaweed. Yuck. Belinda stood on the water mark and waited for the next surge. She closed her eyes as it rushed toward her, bunching up and suppressing a squeal as the Atlantic said hello.
“Hello!” she said back with her arms opened wide, but she dashed back to the safe zone before it could reply.
Shivering and wet and sand covered, Belinda leaned against the craggy rocks creating a natural barrier between the town beach and the rest of it. Belinda gazed out at the horizon, the silhouette of a sailboat moving along it. It had been too long since Kyle sailed. He always shot her down when she suggested it, but she would do her yearly thing and say something anyway. Her feet dried and Belinda finally trudged back to her car, brushing sand off of her feet in the parking lot. Kyle was supposed to leave work early to meet her, so it was time to go home.
She backtracked, cruising along until a familiar house peeked out from a gap in the conical topiary fence. Belinda slowed down, rounding the corner of the driveway, and passed through the open gate and down the brick drive. She parked next to her brother’s Jeep and dashed into the house.
“Kyle!” Belinda’s voice echoed in the foyer and she headed straight for the open glass door across the hall. She found him lazing in a wood lounger on the back deck with a beer, alt rock blaring out of his earbuds. “Kyle!” Belinda stepped around his legs, arching her eyebrows and waving.
Kyle jumped, ripping the buds out. “Hey, you’re early.” When his brown eyes lit up, she was practically looking into her own. The one clear sign of their twin-ness from her perspective.
“Actually, I’m late. I detoured to the beach for a minute.” Belinda grinned and they bear hugged after he stood up. “Is there anything to eat?” Kyle just offered a lopsided grin. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“I would have stocked up, but I figured-”
“You figured you would just wait and let me do it.”
“No, I was going to say I figured you’d want to get your own stuff.”
“And?”
“And that you would get some other things while you were there.”
Belinda put her hands on her hips. “Am I going to regret living with you?”
“Probably.” Kyle grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. “But look at that view, eh?”
Belinda meandered off the low-lying porch and toward the edge of the property where it dropped off into the sea. It was more protected than other parts of Portside where the houses were right on the open ocean. But the wind and the currents below still tasted wild. Kyle was right. Putting up with him again was worth that view everyday.
“All right,” she said, turning around, “I can do this. But you will help me with the housework, or I’m going to tell Mom that you killed her tomatoes and we’ll see just how fast they get back from Europe.”
“Total accident.”
“You ran over them with your dirt bike.”
“Accident.”
“Dirt bike. In the yard, destroying their finely tuned grass and tomato plants.”
Kyle hugged his chest. “They are not going to come back from Europe early for that.”
“No, but they might do something drastic like kick you out.”
“Hey, if I go, so do you.” He pointed at her nose. “I have some pretty sick stories I could tell them about you too.”
“From when? High school? Ancient history.”
“New York. Art gallery. Not so ancient.”
Belinda rolled her eyes to the blue sky, squinting in the light. “Fine. I will forget about the tomato ‘accident.’ For now.” Kyle grinned. “But don’t get comfortable. I was an adult for the whole New York thing.”
“And I was an adult for the whole running over the tomato plants thing.”
Belinda looked back out at the water. Kyle picked up on what was coming next and rolled his eyes. “Bels, don’t-”
“It’s great weather for sailing today. In fact, I saw someone out on their boat at the beach.”
Kyle sighed.
“What?”
“You know what. I don’t want to. Not anymore.”
Belinda’s eyes grew sad. “Mark would hate that you’ve given it up. He would absolutely hate it.”
“Well, he’s not here to care, is he?”
Belinda pursed her lips. From the flare of gold in his eyes, that was all she should say on that subject right then. “So what do we do for dinner then?”
Kyle loosened up. “We could crash Victoria’s.”
“We are not crashing Victoria’s.” Belinda thought about the other options and scrunched her nose. “Well, maybe this once. I’ll call and see if she minds a couple of extra diners.”
“I’m used to you being home already.”
Belinda wrinkled her nose, working up a retort, when someone called her from the front of the house. She turned to see a young man waving from the entrance. “Oh, no,” she mumbled.
Kyle grinned as a tall kid with bright blue eyes smiled broadly and came out to the backyard. “Belinda,” he said cheerfully, “you’re home! I’d heard talk but…you’re actually here.” His face beamed.
“Hi, Jarrett.” Belinda shifted awkwardly. She gripped Kyle’s shirt as he started to walk away, but he pulled free, making smoochy faces at her behind Jarrett’s back. Once Kyle was out of earshot, Jarrett stuffed his hands into his pockets and moved in closer. Belinda took a step back, glancing behind her to be sure of the cliff.
“I’m eighteen now,” he said.
Belinda blinked. “Oh, well, congratulations. Eighteen…it’s a good year.” For some people, she imagined.
Jarrett laughed nervously, pulling on his earlobe. “You said to, you know, try again when I was eighteen. So here I am.”
Belinda’s mouth fell open, but no sound came out.
“You wanna go get a coffee or something?”
Oh, dear, Belinda thought. Really? She just got into Portside and it was already looking like time to leave. “I just got-”
“It doesn’t have to be right now. Tomorrow, when you’re settled in and all.”
“It’s not that. I…I’m here to work. I’m overseeing our house renovation and I’ve got other plans-”
“You’re busy; I get it. But coffee, Belinda? I know you like coffee.” He flashed a smile, his blue eyes sparkling. She had to admit he was cute, and if she were his age or vice versa, well, maybe.
Belinda shook her head. “Of course I do, but Jarrett-”
“What?” His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Belinda wanted to just run into the house and lock the doors. Why wouldn’t he just move on already? “Maybe when you’re twenty-one.”
“Last time you said when I was eighteen.”
“Well, twenty-one is the new eighteen.”
“Belinda-”
“Jarrett, we’ve been over this. Several times. And my opinion that you are too young for me has not changed.” Belinda hooked her thumbs in her back pockets, trying to figure out how to end the conversation. “There are lots of girls your age.” There. That should pacify him.
“They’re all silly.”
Or not. And he was starting to whine.
“They’re not all silly. You just need to keep a wary eye open. Besides, you’re headed off to college. You’ll meet more girls there.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you would just go out with me.”
Belinda sighed, not mentally prepared for a debate.
“We get along.” Jarrett put his hands out toward her pleadingly. “We have great conversations. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“I know you don’t, but please try and see this from my perspective. You’re a smart guy, you can surely imagine.”
Jarrett didn’t look to Belinda like he was trying that hard, but his sour face slowly reverted back to a smile. “I don’t have that great of an imagination.”
Belinda crossed her arms. “I beg to differ.”
“Anyway,” Jarrett inched closer, “my band is practicing this Saturday afternoon. You should come. You like alt rock, right?”
How did he do that? After that whole conversation, he just glossed over it like nothing happened. No matter how mean she acted, he kept coming back for more.
“We’re not that bad either. We’ve been practicing really hard. Even played at a few parties.” Jarrett rocked on his heels.
“That’s terrific, Jarrett. But I…” Why did he refuse to be reasonable? And why did she have such a hard time telling him to get lost? “I’ll see.” Belinda slumped over.
Jarrett grinned. “You won’t be sorry.”
Oh, yes, I will, Belinda thought.
~ * ~
If you like what you’ve read so far, go to Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords to read on!
So now that I need to be surgically separated from my computer, the first book in The Belinda and
Bennett Mystery Series is finally available as an ebook! I’ve been so excited about this series and anxious to share. I got the idea last winter and it came together so perfectly. I’m madly in love with my characters and I hope you’ll love them too.
Here’s a short blurb to give you a preview of what to expect in Cliffhanger:
Making her grand re-entry into Portside, Rhode Island, Belinda Kittridge expected fun, sun, and sugar cookies.
Instead, she gets one jilted lover braced for round two, an old rival on the hunt, and the murder of a former classmate and friend. Even worse, Belinda must return to the events surrounding a tragic sailing accident to set things right.
But new possibilities emerge in the form of security expert Bennett Tate. Between her connections and his know-how, they’re bound to catch the killer – and kick the skeletons out of the closet for good.
You can download Cliffhanger for free via Smashwords until November 28.
1. Visit https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/257416
2. Go to checkout and enter code XV92Z
3. Choose your favorite format for popular e-readers (Kindle, Nook) and devices (iPad). PDF and RTF formats are also available.
4. Start reading!
This is an open giveaway, so feel free to share this link and coupon code on your blog and Twitter or just pass it on to fellow readers.
You can also buy Cliffhanger at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
So that’s all for this post. More to come soon!
Happy reading!
