Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. We have another word prompt this week. There aren’t too many different ways to use the word BROWN. It can be a surname, it can describe the way one sears meat,but most often it’s used as a color, which is how I used it.

I’m continuing with The White Dahlia, Book Four of the Harvester Files.

Beth Reynolds indicated the body and the woman beside it.

“This is Dr. Michele Smith, one of the city’s new coroners who’s been getting more business from this side of town than anyone likes. Show him what we have, Mitch.”

The coroner stood, shoved her brown hair off her face, and moved out of the way, giving him his first clear look at the body.

“Mother of God, what the hell happened to her?”

No wonder Reynolds and the rookie had lost it. He was just about ready to join them. He’d seen floaters pulled out of the Hudson in better shape and less pungent than this one.

Naked, the white girl, an anomaly in this primarily black neighborhood, lay on her back, her eye sockets empty. Beneath the blistering corpse was a pale blue sheet like those he’d seen used in hospitals. No doubt she’d been wrapped in it. Her long blond hair was matted with blood, but given the gaping hole where her internal organs should’ve been and the relatively small amount of blood present, he doubted she’d been killed here.

“She’s been gutted like a fish and then frozen. I can’t tell you for how long yet,” Mitch began. “Whoever did this meant to toss the poor thing into the dumpster now that he no longer needed her, but something stopped him from doing so. The accelerated decomposition is thanks to Mother Nature’s quick thaw method. We’re losing evidence by the second. The sooner I get her back to the morgue, the better.”

Shit!

Without evidence, they would never catch the bastard who’d done this. Al swallowed. Thank God he wasn’t the one looking for it. Why anyone would choose to be a coroner was beyond him. This wasn’t going to be an easy autopsy, not with her insides missing.

Al turned back to the sergeant. She’d resumed her earlier position against the wall. The sooner they both got this wrapped up, the better. Heat or no heat, people living around here wouldn’t be opening their windows for days. There wasn’t enough air freshener in the world to cover this up. Sweat slipped down his back, adding to his discomfort as his own funky odor mixed with the fetid air. He would need a dozen showers to feel clean again.

“What makes you think she’s one of mine?”

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

Well, 2020 has been full of surprises, most of them bad, but here’s one that is absolutely fantastic! I was lucky enough to have one of my books chosen to be part of this outstanding box set.

This is a premier collection of eight wonderful and exceptional stories. Each one is a unique and unusual love story that tackles the tough issues we face every day – racial acceptance or intolerance, whether black, brown, red or yellow, differing religious views, sexuality, family and social values, and so much more. But whatever struggle our heroes and heroines face, whether it’s alone or aided by friends and family, they’re each INVINCIBLE in their diversity, staying strong and pushing through.

Have a look at what’s offered!

BONUS STORY: MIXED: A SHORT STORY by Suzanne Jenkins, USA Today Bestselling Author: A chance encounter brings two people together in a quest for safety, freedom, and love.

This is a great opportunity to read something different. You can preorder your copy today and start reading on Tuesday!

Congratulations Suzanne Jenkins on your new release!

RELEASE BLITZ
Title: Bayou Cottage
Series: Cypress Cove #1
Author: Suzanne Jenkins
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 1, 2020
BLURB

Maggie Angel accepts a chance of a lifetime when her aunt offers her the family’s dilapidated Bayou Cottage in the swamp at Cypress Cove. It’s the perfect place to run away to after her heart was broken.

The first night while she’s down at the road to lock the gate, a hunky guy on horseback steps out of the woods, but Maggie doesn’t recognize him. Turns out they were childhood playmates long ago during winter visits to her grandparents’ cottage.

Justin Chastain, local vet and wild horse advocate, heard through the grapevine that Maggie had returned to Cypress Cove and wanted to see her for himself. But he didn’t know that she was hiding from a failed marriage, leaving her with a big chip on her shoulder. It remains to be seen if she can ever trust again.

The chemistry Maggie senses fluctuates between lukewarm and molten, but for Justin, it’s constant and he’s falling in love, hard.

Then he unintentionally commits a blunder that Maggie will struggle to forgive, and they have to start all over again.

Is there another chance at love for Maggie Angel?


GOODREADS LINK:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54458933-bayou-cottage


PURCHASE LINKS – 99c for a limited time!

US: https://amzn.to/3kSJuQ3
UK: https://amzn.to/2S26MXz
CA: https://amzn.to/331AYbu
AU: https://amzn.to/3mPSSpv

Free in Kindle Unlimited


COMING SOON

#2 Bayou Christmas – Releasing December 11

99c for a limited time!

US: https://amzn.to/3i5E826
UK: https://amzn.to/3cw4Gsl
CA: https://amzn.to/3i5EbLk
AU: https://amzn.to/2HupFjL


AUTHOR BIO

USA Today Bestselling Author Suzanne Jenkins writes page-turning contemporary romance, mystery, and women’s fiction with passionately gripping characters that stay with readers long after they turn the last page. The Detroit Detective Stories, beginning with The Greeks of Beaubien Street are truly American with a touch of fantasy. Award winning Pam of Babylon books consistently rank in the Top 100 Best Sellers in American Drama with over 1 million downloads.

A retired operating room nurse, Jenkins lives in Southern California.


AUTHOR LINKS

Website: https://suzannejenkins.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-Jenkins/e/B005CRQC5I
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzannejenkinswriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/suzannejenkins3
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/suzanne-jenkins
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5058200.Suzanne_Jenkins


GIVEAWAY

There is a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card (1 winner, US only)

Rafflecopter Embed Code:

<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba3ffd552714/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”ba3ffd552714″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_bempumqq”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
http://a%20href=

Direct Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba3ffd552714

Well, September is slipping away one day at a time. It’s officially autumn. The leaves have started to turn, the flowers are dying off, and it’s time to prepare for whatever winter Mother Nature tosses at us this year.

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales, the ongoing blog where a select group of authors share their works in progress with you. This week, our 400 word scenes are based on the word BATTERY. I continue to post from The White Dahlia, Book Four of the Harvester Files.

“Al Foster.” He held up his badge to the uniformed officer, the Asian-American woman’s pale complexion testifying to the fact that she’d most likely lost her late night snack. Bodies found near dumpsters were rarely easy on the eyes. “I’m looking for Sergeant Reynolds.”

“She’s over there with the coroner.” The aroma of vomit on the woman’s breath confirmed Al’s suspicions. Hell of a way to end a shift.

“Thanks.”

Bending under the crime tape, Al headed toward the alley, his nose crinkling at the more pungent but anticipated stench of body odor, urine, and plain, old-fashioned garbage.

As he approached, the unmistakable putrid stench of decomposing tissue wafted over to him. His stomach roiled. No wonder the woman had been sick. Yanking his handkerchief out of his pocket, he held it up to his nose, covering his mouth—not that it helped much.

Thirty feet away, a woman, arms crossed in front of her, dark hair pulled into one of those messy topknots Sylvia had often worn, leaned against the stone wall, while another knelt beside the body. Was that a dolly? This close, the odor was overwhelming. How long had the damn corpse been here?

“Sergeant Reynolds?” He held out his hand, wishing he’d kept his jacket on. “Al Foster. We spoke earlier. You said this was one of mine? What makes you think so?”

He gazed into her face, the freckles standing out against her pale cheeks, her golden brown, almond-shaped eyes, unlike any he’d ever seen, red-rimmed. Had she been crying? Stains on her pants indicated the officer out there hadn’t been the only one to upchuck. Not surprising. This close, the stench was enough to make anyone puke.

The woman peeled away from the wall, her spine straightening as she pulled the vestiges of her professionalism around herself like a cloak. She was young for a detective sergeant—or maybe she was just one of those women who hid their age well. Reaching for his outstretched hand, she shook it and released it.

Unexpected energy raced along his nerves at the slight touch. When had shaking a woman’s hand produced a sensation like that?

“I did.” She aimed a battery-powered mini-light at the corpse. “Sorry to drag you out near the end of your shift like this, but I’m pretty sure I’m right. I figured that, despite the shape of the body, you could still ID her for me.”

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

It’s been almost a year since my father passed away. He had a wonderful imagination. As a child, I would sit rapt as he told stories of jungle adventures where a combined Indiana Jones/Tarzan hero climbed mountains, escaped quicksand and crocodile infested waters, or others who fought dragons, dinosaurs, and assorted monsters. He was also quite willing to tell ghost stories, too.

In 2019, before the fall that led to his untimely passing, Dad and I had discussed a different kind of book series. He loved all of my suspense novels, On His Watch, and the Harvester Files his favorites, but he also had a keen interest in the paranormal. Given the number of such series taking the television world by storm, I decided I should try my hand at writing something like that. I’d just fleshed out the idea when he fell.

While he was lucid, which happened less and less given the pain he was in, we began fleshing out a novel, tossing out ideas, trying to figure out how to connect them and make them work. There were so many novels out there in this genre, how could I create something unique?

As I always did, I brainstormed and researched. My grandchildren were great fans of the Marvel universe heroes, and I knew the Norse mythology was as full of colorful characters as the Greek one, but I wanted the main character of the first book in the series to be a kick-ass shapeshifter, but not your run-of-the-mill werewolf. As I delved into different mythologies, I found what I wanted.

Rakshasa are the shapeshifter vampires found in some of the Eastern religions. Considered evil creatures, just as werewolves and vampires used to be, I thought I could spin her into a creature of the light and make her a defender of the righteous, a punisher of those who pursue evil.  Since I love Norse mythology, I sought my source of evil there, and while I was at it, I found the perfect hero for my heroine. Thus was born the Punishers series, with The Tigress as the first book.

Melinda De Ross outdid herself on this cover and Dad would’ve loved it.

Here is the book blurb:

Paranormal Detective Ellie Taggart, a rakshasa capable of assuming the shape of a tigress, has always worked alone, searching for those responsible for her mother’s murder. When an investigation results in the death of a close friend and vampire, she’s forced to partner with handsome and mysterious peredhil, Steve Cassidy.
Like her, the half-human, half-elf uses his special talents to fight evil wherever it exists. Rogue vampires, shapeshifters, zombies, practitioners of black magic, poltergeists, ghosts—none of them can beat him. That is until someone or something no longer plays by the rules. There’s a new villain in New Orleans, one who threatens both the humans and non-humans who make the city home.
Is the enemy Draug, the wizard who murdered Ellie’s mother centuries ago? Is it someone from Steve’s shrouded past intent on revenge? Or are they facing a new enemy with an agenda all his or her own? As the tigress and her partner search for answers, trying to prevent the bodies from piling up, they have to manage conflicting emotions and desires that threaten to overwhelm them. Can two such different creatures of the light join forces to defeat the darkness, or will the powers of evil triumph?

The Tigress was released on October 30, 2019 as an e-book, free to read on KU. You can pre-order your copy today from all Amazon outlets. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z5F4VNZ.

Now, I’m hard at work on Book Two of the Punishers, The Guardian.

Ellie and Steve thwarted the enemy last time, but the cost was high. Now, barely recovered from the encounter, they and the rest of The Punishers face a new enemy.

Eight coeds from Tulane University have gone missing. The sorority sisters were out on a day cruise, but the boat was found adrift with nothing on it but heads of the captain and two crewmen. Where are the others?

Normally, a case like this would belong to one New Orleans’s regular police units, but when the list of missing includes five humans, a vampire, a shapeshifter, and a Dark half-elf entrusted to his protection, it becomes a job for the Punishers. Is someone trying to settle a score with Steve, or do they have something even more devious in mind–something that could ruin any chance at happiness for the Peredhil and his Tigress?

Where are the girls? It’s up to the Guardian to find out before this leads to a war that may well destroy Earth along with one of the Nine Realms.

What for The Guardian’s cover soon.

This was me in the spring of 1970. The man with me is John. I was in my first year of university; he was in his third. He was then and still is the most important person on my life.

This is us now, although I’ve cut my hair. All things considered, life has been good to us. We have three wonderful children, five grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren. While we aren’t in perfect health, we’re still alive and kicking. We own our home, drive nice if not new cars, and work fulltime, both from home.

COVID 19 has been a huge change for us. We weren’t able to travel last summer the way we had in the past, and there will be no winter getaway this coming winter. We’ll find something to do, some way to fill the hours, but I will miss my tropical vacation.

Another change I despise is the one that cost me the beautiful website I’d built. https://mhsusannematthews.wordpress.com/ 26, 736 people visited the site over the years. It’s still there, but I can’t access it to post new things. Why? Because I can’t prove to WordPress’s satisfaction that the blog is mine. I didn’t purchase anything, and whatever credentials I had when I set it up have long since vanished. Privacy concerns are one thing, but when they destroy something you so lovingly built, they are a pain!

So now I have a new blog site with very few followers. I’m hoping to increase the numbers, bit by bit, but now I have to get used to a new format, a new design, and I hate it. Do you see that little down notch in the banner? If you click on it, you can see my books. Not as lovely as the other was.

Another thing that has changed is the Facebook platform. It’s much harder to navigate and it’s incredibly difficult with groups.

Finally, my last change recently is a positive one–a new laptop, necessitated by an “Operating system missing ” message one morning. Repeated shut downs, reboots, followed by an incredible amount of cursing somehow fixed it, but I haven’t shut it down since. The laptop is great–a Cadillac HP with a Core i5 processor. I’ve even managed to install everything I want on it, but I do like my desktop.

So, I return to the question from earlier. Do you like change? There are times when I’m just not a fan!

Ronnie, the heroine in my newest release, What Dottie Wants isn’t a fan of change either, but she has to embrace it this Christmas. Pick up your copy of Dear Santa : A Christmas Wish to find out why. The box set filled with 18 incredible Christmas novella’s is available now for only 99 cents. Get yours today.

Universal link with all vendors https://books2read.com/DearSanta 

Individual links:

 Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N / Apple / Kobo /

Christmas is a magical time of the year. Despite COVID 19, or maybe because of it, we need a heavy dose of that magic this year!

2020 has been filled with pitfalls. We’ve had the virus to end all things, vicious racial riots, horrific fires destroying thousands of acres, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, both inland and along the coasts, explosions, infestations of insects, dangerous seeds, have I missed anything? If anyone needs a break, it’s we human beings.

So, with three quarters of the dismal year behind us, we need to look to the future. Dear Santa, is a compilation of 18 brand new stories from USA Today and NY times bestselling authors. There stories, all between 20-25K words, are meant to lift your spirits and restore your faith in humanity.

Each book is based on a specific Christmas Wish and is dedicated to one of the Author’s Billboards’ loyal readers. Have a look at these!

The Authors’ Billboard’s 2020 fabulous Christmas Box Collection, DEAR SANTA, is filled with 18 brand new stories about characters who have special wishes to ask the big guy during this season.

Most of us have had experiences when something we’ve desperately wanted is so close that Santa seems the perfect person to ask for the miracle.

When one believes, it’s amazing the conflicts that are overcome and the surprises that can follow.

You’ll be amazed by each of these fantastic holiday books full of Christmas cheer and thrilling romance we’ve written for your entertainment.

So how can you get a copy of these wonderful books? You can pre-order your copy today for only 99 cents USD from all major e-book vendors.

Here is the universal link for Dear Santa. https://books2read.com/DearSanta

Order yours today and make my Christmas wish–a shot at the elusive USA Today, NY Times bestseller list a reality!

Universal link with all vendors https://books2read.com/DearSanta 

Individual links:

 Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N / Apple / Kobo /