Thank YOU! And A Sneak Peek of MARRED

Because I’m a bit of a nonconformist I’m not going to write a Thanksgiving post. There are plenty out there for you to enjoy. I will say, however, that I am thankful for my blogging community, in other words YOU, my followers on Twitter, tribe mates on Triberr, friends on Facebook, Goodreads and all the other sites I’m on. The writing community is a force to be reckoned with. The solidarity still amazes me. I am also thankful for my family, friends, and that my dog, Gideon (you met him in a previous post: My Sweet Boys), is finally feeling better today. For a while it was looking like we might lose him. But today, I woke up to a shiny new version of him. Prayer is so powerful. And I’m thankful for winning a spot in another pitch contest. More on that later in the post.

UPDATE: I just found out I’m going to be a grandmother again! This day cannot get any better!

What I also wanted to share with you is the pitch for my new book, MARRED. I am so excited about this project. I can’t wait to get it out there! MARRED is a psychological suspense mystery, with alternating POVs and page-turning prose. I hope you all will agree with me once it’s out in the world for everyone to enjoy.

I’m sharing this pitch with you before anyone else. Following the same formula as in my post Nightmare on Query Street: Query Tips: HOOK, BOOK, COOK, and a little help from my awesome NoQS mentor– the mentor who keeps on giving– here is the pitch for MARRED…

When Sage and her husband, Detective Niko Quintano, flee Boston after Sage is brutally attacked, they both cling to hope that the fresh start in a rural New Hampshire town will finally let them begin to heal their marriage and forget the pain. Three years later, a grisly murder case on Niko’s desk and a strange call about Sage’s missing twin sister remind them no matter how much time goes by you can’t outrun your past.

For the last three years, the only way Sage has been able to salvage any remnant of her marriage is by burying the secrets of that horrible night in Boston. As clues to her twin’s disappearance begin to appear, Sage realizes the only road back to her missing sister runs through the night she has desperately tried to forget. As she begins to untangle the threads, she’s drawn closer into the grim serial murder case now plaguing their small town and haunting her husband. The closer Niko gets to solving his case, the more secrets he uncovers from Sage’s past and the further he and Sage drift apart.

With her sister’s life in the balance and a killer sure to claim another victim, Sage and Niko have to decide if they’re strong enough to face the past. If they can’t find their way to forgiveness and back to each other, it’s more than just their marriage that will die.

What do you think?

MARRED is in the final editing phase. Here’s your sneak peek: I’ve posted the first chapter under the title in the sidebar, or click here. The novel begins in 1st POV, then switches back and forth from 1st to 3rd limited, depending on who is doing the narrating, obviously. I wrote TIMBER POINT similarly. I had the protagonist in 1st and the antagonist and detective in 3rd. In MARRED, however, I get into a lot more police procedure than I did with TIMBER POINT and have more POVs, excluding the antagonist. It was a challenging but fun story to write.

Here is the great news I was telling you about earlier. TIMBER POINT won a spot in The Baker’s Dozen Auction, where 21 agents will fight over pitches by trying to outbid each other. If an agent gets outbid, however, we still don’t lose that request. The winner of the bid gets a one-week exclusive before the other requests get sent to the losers, sort of speak. It’s nice when the tables turn. And it kicks off tomorrow! If you’d like to join in the fun there’s a Twitter party under the hashtag #BakersDozen2014, or you can watch the auction live on the blog here, or by clicking the link above.

TIMBER POINT has won every contest I’ve entered it into. I guess people love cat burglars. Go figure. I’ve had so many requests from readers asking where they can buy TIMBER POINT. If only it was out now. But of course I had to choose the hard way into publishing, going traditional. Otherwise all those requests would have been sales. *sighs*  I’m nearing the finish line, though, folks. I truly believe Timber Point will be picked up by the end of this year/beginning of next. Either that or MARRED will beat it to the punch. Either way, I will be victorious very soon. I feel it in my bones.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday, for those who celebrate.

Tell me, what exciting thing has happened in your life recently? I’d love to help you celebrate! And help spread the word, if need be.

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