AUTHOR ONE SCENE ONE:

A lifelong plague of paranoia is no easy plight. Especially as it pertains to Julie Wilkinson, or JuJu Bean, as her older and more carefree sister called her. The sisters were born to a young couple at an U.S. Air Force base in North Charleston, South Carolina. One right after another, their mother, Tina hardly had time to breathe, let alone heal from the birth of Anna before she found herself pregnant with Julie. Their father, Bradley was an airplane engineer, always working hand-in-hand with Air Force mechanics, pilots, and Base leadership. They moved often, and took the girls along for the ride. 

As young kids, the Wilkinson sisters were used to a life on the road, home-hopping from one base to another, making pint sized friendships that they could indulge in, and then leave behind for a new flavor at their next location. Their homes were usually plain, unkempt, with old appliances and used furniture. There was never any point in putting too much work into their home set up, only to pack up and leave it behind. Anna was the very description of a typical ‘army brat’, as many people called these traveling kids, really feeding into the very cliche that Julie hated so dearly.

Anna always made up stories about her life, she was keen on that unreadable poker face. Her new friends  always fall for her far fetched stories. When their father was called to a new location, she was able to wipe her slate clean, and start fresh. It was a fun game for Anna, to be able to live her life as if she was a descendant of a royal family, or to have spent time living in a tent in some far away country. She was the queen of accent mastery, and the kids in their neighborhoods always believed her bullshit.

For Julie, was different. There were no magical tales that fed the variety of children they came in contact with. For Julie there was only fear. She walked around with her head down, and a book in her hand. She was mostly silent, and full of anxiety because every time she turned around, she foresaw mishap. Car crashes, plane crashes, illnesses, slips down flights of stairs. Julie even went as far as to develop a fear of cellophane, or ‘saran wrap’ as her mother called it. She was convinced at the age of age six that, if a murderer ever broke into their home — wherever it may be at the time — cellophane would surely be the weapon of choice. She saw it in a movie once, and never got past it.

That night, young Julie was supposed to be in bed asleep, while her parents watched a horror movie down the hall. Julie couldn’t rest her eyes, so she snuck out of her room to investigate the terrible sounds that were coming from the television in the living room. She peeked her head around the dirty beige painted corner, just in time to witness the masked killer on T.V. During the young victim’s struggle to get away from this villain, as they wrestled around in the kitchen. The killer reached into a drawer and pulled out a roll of the deadly plastic wrap. With lightning speed his gloved hands wrapped it around his victim’s head several times, and he held her there until the very life drained from her body.

This horror movie scene really struck a chord with Julie. She tiptoed back to her bedroom and lay awake all night, only to get up the next morning and rid their kitchen of such a deadly weapon. She’d be damned if a random killer were able to grab some on a whim in her home. At the mere age of six, Julie had her first feeling of accomplishment, she was suddenly on a lifelong quest to rid her surroundings from inevitable disaster.

From there it only spiraled. Julie spent less and less time outdoors, and more time isolating herself from disaster. She didn’t like socializing, because people carried diseases. Therefore, by avoiding human contact, she also avoided the possibility of death by influenza or any other airborne pathogens that surround the human race, just waiting to sink their claws into an unexpected host.

By the time Julie was ten, Tina Wilkinson caved into Julie’s consistent and extremely emotional requests to be strictly home-schooled. She gave up fighting the good fight, to force Julie into having any sort of a social life.  As Tina watched Julie’s inner turmoil with this growing paranoia of pretty much anything, and everything, would have been a hard burden to bear for any mother. It was especially hard for Tina. Bradley was rarely home, so she clung to motherhood as if her life depended on it. The girls were all she had, so she always did what she felt best for them. Homeschooling was no exception.

Tina was torn between feelings of enablement and protection. Julie was such an odd child, and quite honestly Tina didn’t know what was best. She consulted her family back home in Indiana on a regular basis. Ultimately, Tina followed her heart, she allowed her to be home-school, but at the same time, Julie continued to spiral down a path of isolation and fear.

Anna didn’t help matters. She was mean to Julie, calling her names like ‘JuJu Bean the Joke’, and ‘JuJu Bean the Scaredy Machine.’ Anna even got her friends to tease her little sister every chance they got. When Tina was around, everything was usually calm and kind, as that was her motto in life. Naturally the girls followed suit when she was present. But, whenever Tina turned her back, the nasty comments inevitably flew in Julie’s direction. This behavior was ugly, and Julie’s anxiety continued to grow because of it.

On Julie’s fourteenth birthday Anna told her something that she’d never forget.

She said, “You know JuJu Bean, shitty things are more likely to happen once you’ve dreamed them up first.”

“How so?” Julie asked, as her heart pumped at the speed of a freight train.

“People are more likely to get crushed by a car, if they believe they will.” Anna said. “Their families are more likely to die in accidents, if they’re already convinced it’ll happen.”

“You’re lying,” Julie whispered as she slowly melted into her chair.

“No,” Anna insisted with a face as flat and serious as a blank sheet of paper. “Murders are attracted to people who are already scared of being victims. And life claiming illnesses almost always infect the people who already believe they’ll get them.”

Of course Anna soaked up every word, feeling the truth of it in every ounce of her being. Nightmares were a common thing for Julie, so it was no surprise that she dreamed of their father dying in a plane crash that night. Be it a coincidence or not, when the girls woke up the next morning to find their mom with her knees curled up to her chest in the fetal position, on the worn-down living room carpet, as the  dial tone blared from the phone in her hands, Julie instinctively knew that her dream had come true.

Sure enough it had. Bradley Wilkinson had jumped into a fighter jet that morning, sometime around five a.m. The plane never returned to its landing strip as expected, because it’s engine failed. Instead, it spiraled downward, speed unknown, and it crashed into a mountain peak somewhere in Guam. The force was great, it caused an explosion large enough for the mountain itself to look like its top was sliced off by a planet sized machete. Bradley, along with the jet’s pilot, were completely disintegrated in the blast. No parts were to be found, not even bone or teeth.

Tina Wilkinson accepted a medal on behalf of Bradley during his funeral, and packed up the girls for one last move. She took them to her hometown, and after staying with the grandparents that they’d only met a handful of times for nearly a year, Tina was able to get the girls into a decent apartment.

Here, Julie spent the last few years of her childhood basically pent up in her room, only coming out on special occasions. Anna was forced to put the lies and fantasy lives of her younger years behind. She graduated from a local public highschool, and was accepted into a community college. Their relationship as sisters was patched up a little. They learned to lean on one another. Anna came to Julie for help in her studies, and kept her new friends away from the apartment. Julie finished her homeschooling, and acquired her highschool diploma, and eventually  it was mailed to her by the state of Indiana. Tina did the best she could with the girls despite her ongoing depression.

It wasn’t until the summer of 1995 that Tina received a call from the Tyndall Airforce Base in Florida, asking her and the girls to attend a ball in Bradley’s honor. It was here that yet another foreseen and very deadly mishap came into play for Julie. Her nightmares had been at an all time high. Something different every night, but always a murder by accident in one way or another, and it always involved strangers.

Anna had moved out, and was living in the dorms at her new school, but Julie chose to stay with their mother. Tina needed the company to keep her sane, and Julie needed her mother to take care of all the shopping and cooking, as she couldn’t seem to find the courage to do it all herself on a day- to-day basis. Being an adult by age made no difference to Julie, she needed to be cared for just the same as she did in her childhood.

Anna and Tina convinced Julie that the trip to Florida was just what they all needed. They told her to pack plenty of anxiety medication, and to carry loads of antibacterial necessities everywhere they went. They’d be with her every step of the way. They even convinced her that perhaps she’d meet someone at the ball that was equally as paranoid as herself, to grow a friendship with. Julie chuckled at the notion, and reluctantly agreed.

On the flight to Tyndall, and once settled into their hotel, Julie had many more dreams. Maybe it was the medication, and maybe one or another of the dreams was an actual a premonition of sorts, but Julie was plagued during the entire trip with murderous visions. She dreamed of a waitress slipping with a steak knife in her hand, it’s blade plunged into an unknowing guest. She vividly saw a couple on the dance floor. The heel of the woman’s right stiletto busted causing her to fumble and trip her mate. He fell hard, snapping his neck in the process. These two scenarios were only the tip of her lengthy and very in depth dreams.

She convinced herself that it was only nerves from the trip, and continued to move along the journey with her mother and sister in tow. The night of the ball is when it happened. One of her dreams came to play out in the very same foreshadowing detail as her own father’s death. It was a beautiful night. The moon was full, and her dress was perfect. As was Tina and Anna’s. The three of them were really a sight to behold, all silk and lace.

The valet man tipped his hat at them and watched their hips sway as they entered the massive archway, into the main entrance of the Grande Hotel. The event was held in the Grande Ballroom on the first floor. The lighting was dim, and they were seated perfectly between the dance floor and the oversized french doors that exited into a tropical garden.

Julie sucked in a breath as she looked into the faces of all the guests around her, as well as the staff catering the event. So many of the strangers looked familiar, as if she’d seen each and every one of them in her nightmares.

SCENE TWO, AUTHOR TWO:

From their table, as she sat between her mother and Anna, Julie glanced around her. Her nervous state worked itself into overdrive, she felt an energy shift within the room. Her senses peaked, as her vision moved over the guests. A lady a few tables away caught her  eye, she was covered in hives. As Julie narrowed her eyes to take a closer look, she saw that they were not simple lumps or insect bites, they were bright red patches of blood-clots. Underneath the surface of the woman’s pale skin, a virus was attacking her system. 

“Oh, shit.” Julie whispered as she closed her eyes, behind her sockets a vision played out  vividly, she cringed at the amount of men the woman had slept with over the last few months. One man in particular, sadly, was HIV positive. The lady had no idea that the blood-borne virus lurked in her immune system. This was sadly one of the other ‘quirks’ Julie discovered with her visions of death or murder. She had the ability to see and smell death on people. She kept  this to herself over the years. In fear that her mother and Anna would think she was even crazier than they already did, and her anxious behavior had gone too far. 

Slowly, Julie shifted her eyes away from the brunette, dead-woman-walking, swallowed the lump  in her throat, and forced back the tears that threatened to spring from her eyes.

“It’s okay… you can do this.” Anna breathed deep and slow, as she reassured herself.

“I’ll be right back.” Julie  announced as she stood up abruptly, her eyes darted around the room, which felt like it was closing in on her. “I’m just going to the ladies.” 

“Are you okay, Julie?”  Her mother questioned with a confused look on her face.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Do you want me to–”

“No it’s okay.”

Julie dashed away from the table as fast as her feet would carry her,  as she crossed the open plan room, a few guests turned her way in shock at her abrupt exit. She kept her eyes low, avoiding the words she saw written across the faces and bodies of the other guests. “Suicide”, “gunshot wound”, “cancer”, “car accident” were just a handful of warnings that she saw scrawled across them. Confirming exactly how they’d eventually end up passing away. She struggled to breathe, her lungs gasped for air as she approached the  bathroom door, and practically fell into the ladies room. Once there, she headed to the last cubicle of the empty room then locked the door behind her. As she lowered herself down onto the cold lid of the toilet seat, shaking, her temples pulsed, and her blood ran cold. The feeling of death came over her, it was near, but how near, and who would be the victim. Julie clenched her eyes closed and focused her mind, as she gripped onto the lid of the toilet seat. She felt icy cold, in her mind’s eye she saw a man in a cooler room. He worked quickly as he placed items  in to store. The surrounding felt familiar to her, as she focused she realized it was the very hotel she was at.

“The kitchen, oh my God.”

Julie shot her eyes open as she tried to remove the image. It never worked, the image played out of the man as he unloaded cut meats and items to chill. Unknown to him, a trolley wheeled its way towards the open door, behind it a dark-haired women with a chef’s uniform on. The trolley loaded with items banged to door closed, and the dark-haired woman thought nothing of it she kept going.

“Oh no… he’s going to die!” Julie whispered.

Julie got to her feet and gripped onto the wall, as she steadied herself  she had a flashback of the man inside the cooler as he yelled for help. No one came, in fact he was frozen to death. As clear as day she saw the man buried deep within the freezer, slumped behind a large rack of unloaded meat on the floor, rigamortis had set into his body.

Sobs left Julie, she wept her heart out, as her visions fast-forwarded. The dark-haired woman went into the freezer herself a day later and found his body. 

“Noooooo!” Julie let out a blood curdling cry and covered her eyes. Of course, it was no good the visions played out as she saw the lady frantically cover up his body, as she struggled to move him farther into the freezer, then  pile boxes up in front of him. Once done, she locked the door and never replaced the key to the freezer in its rightful place. She placed it in her pocket. Julie covered her mouth in shock. The dark-haired woman she had seen scurrying around seeing to guests as she, her mother and Anna entered the The Grande Hotel.

“You killed him…you, you left him! Covered him up… murderer!!”

Julie unlocked the door and raced out of the cubicle, the small enclosed space started to increase her anxiety. The walls felt as if they were closing in on her. She moved slowly over to the sink, ran some cool water, then splashed her face.

“Shit.”

As she slowly moved her gaze from the running water to the mirror in front of her, the vision of the dark-haired woman tucking the key into her coat pocket, as she changed out of her work  uniform into her clothes ready to leave work ran through her mind’s eye.

As Julie looked herself in the eye in the mirror, the scene fast-forwarded to a month after the incident.  She recalled the search that took place for the key by her co-workers. The lady even helped them look for it,  when she was in possession of it all the time, and they all turned up with nothing. The missing man, the news reports, his family pleading for help to locate him. Armed with the information on the man’s fate, Julie started to pace the small space of the ladies room. Should I confront her, no… I can’t. The Police! I need to tell them. Julie sighed as she weighed up the chances of them believing her, and her visions of the man’s death.

“Julie, Julie are you okay?” Her mother’s voice echoed as she made her way into the bathroom, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Julie’s tear stained face and red-eyes.

 “What happened, Julie?”

“Mom, you’re not going to believe this.” Julie took a deep breath and started to pace around the small space again, “There’s a man…upstairs… buried in the freezer.”

“Julie, don’t talk silly how can there–”

“Mom, I’m not kidding. I saw it, all of it. One of the hotel’s staff she locked him in… but I don’t know what she was thinking, if she even was thinking at the time! He’s  been dead for months. The police search, pleas for help all of it I saw it, and that woman’s known where he’s been for months! Mom we’ve gotta–”

“Okay, okay calm down, Julie. Let me think for a minute.” Tina chewed on the corner of her lip as her yes roamed over her frantic daughter. 

“Julie, if you’re sure about this–”

“Yes! I am.” Julie  screamed out as she flung open the bathroom door and  ran back into the hotel’s main seated area. Once there, she scanned the room, the guests were busy enjoying their meal and the dark-haired woman was serving them. “ I can’t believe you.” Julie  whispered under her breath. On a mission, she made her way over to the dark-haired woman, she never took her eyes off her as she followed her every move, as she wheeled her trolley and a handful of plates towards the kitchen. She hung back slightly  as she timed her approach, when the woman was out of earshot of the guests.

As she approached her from behind, she placed a hand on her shoulder and spun her around, “You… you need to give back that key and allow the family to mourn his death properly.”

The dark-haired woman’s eyes widened, Julie watched her swallow hard and shift her eyes around the room. 

“Excuse me, what key?” The  dark-haired woman bite back through gritted teeth.

“Don’t play dumb, the one for the freezer, with your co-worker hidden inside behind all the boxes you placed in.”

The dark-haired woman dropped her plates on the floor,  a handful of guests spun around and glanced in their direction. As the woman dropped down to the ground to pick up the serving plates, Julie played along as she dipped down to her knees to help her. As she did, she closed the gap between them. Julie looked her dead in the eye, as she purposely picked up the same plate as the woman to get her attention.

“I know what you did, you locked him in the freezer. He’s been dead for months. How could you?”Julie demanded then watched the color drain from the woman’s face, and her eyes become cold.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really? I don’t think so.”

“Who the hell are you?!”

Julie and the dark-haired woman stood up, then placed the plates on the trolley, the same trolley used to close the freezer door.

“That doesn’t matter. I know you, you need to put the key back, and allow his body to be found and own up to what you did.” Julie placed a hand on the woman’s trolley preventing her from moving forward.

“Look bitch,  get off! “ The dark-haired woman spat at Julie as she removed her hand from the trolley with force, then turned to look Julie dead in the eye. “I didn’t do shit! It was a mistake! There’s no way I’m risking–”

“A mistake? You’re unbelievable… yeah… right. Murder, by mistake?” Julie questioned with sarcasm.

“Yeah, now get outta  the way!” The dark-haired woman pushed passed Julie, then  moved through the swinging doors leading to the kitchen area. Julie watched the doors swing back and forth, refusing to buy her story. As she stood she felt overwhelmed, and her intuition  knew there was more to this than what meets the eye. “ Hmm, murder by mistake?…  who the fuck she kiddin’.”

To Be Continued.

Thank you for voting in this writing prompt! ‘Murder By Mistake’. We hope you enjoyed the story…. Sit tight, more to come, and The Suspenseful Collection #2 – Blurred Lines will be released April 2020!! Volume #1 is out now and available on Kindle Unlimited just Click here to check it out!

And, the poll is officially closed! Thank you everyone who weighed in with a vote! As per Didi and I’s final bonus story on a whim to plug into The Suspenseful Collection Vol.2 post, we’ll be doing this one last impromptu bonus story as an interactive one. Exciting, I know! I can’t wait to finish up and release this second set of suspenseful short stories. The genres are across the board and there’s diversity aplenty, we’re so proud to be presenting these stories so very soon! We’ll also be giving away review copies, and running promotions for the first set of stories before you know it, so stay tuned for that! Not to toot our own horn, but this anthology is awesome, and I just love writing these stories!!

Now, before I get too carried away, let’s take a look at the winning prompt that we’ll be writing a short story for next week:

That’s right, you decided on this as a writing prompt ‘ murder by mistake’… so here goes….

One of us will dream up the start of a story using the prompt and when we feel like it’s good and built up to something spectacular we pass it off to the other. From there, which ever one of us is the final writer will take it as is, and finish it up it with something full of shock, wonder, and that warm fuzzy feeling of completion.

So, thanks again voters! We’ll be back at you by the end of next week(ish) with a story that will most certainly blow your socks off. I hope you’re ready.

Here’s a little taste of Volume 1 if you’re curious, it’s always only $2.99 AND/OR available for Kindle Unlimited subscribers for free.

https://www.amazon.com/Suspenseful-Collection-One-Stories-Multiple-ebook/dp/B073TQ9ZG1/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=didi+oviatt&qid=1579285875&sr=8-7

DESCRIPTION:

For Mature Readers Only:

A suspenseful novel with a twist. Eight short stories, by two suspense authors, from diverse backgrounds. From opposite sides of the Atlantic these stories have been created. One author started the tale and the other ended it. No discussion, no pre-planning, but yet their stories are seamless. With just creativity and the use of writing prompts, to craft one tale, with two different writers. This anthology of suspenseful, fast paced and engaging tales covers multiple genres. From heart felt romance, crime, fantasy, and steamy historical fiction. There is a story for everyone!

Steamy Historical Crime Fiction: It was The First Time I Killed A Man.

It’s 1972 and New York’s first female serial killer Lisa Vanacilli is in the hot seat again, ten years after her conviction of murder to the first degree and innocent plea. The ruthless but sexy reporter Tiffany Low cracks Lisa for a confession… at a price. Lisa is strong, courageous and says it how it is. This story has been extended due to reader’s demand. And is only for adult readers.

Psychological Fiction: Every Time I Hear That Voice From The Basement.

George appears to be harmless. The local neighbourhood geek on the outside, married to Jolene. In reality, he’s a very disturbed man. His path crosses with Dana, the local check out girl. This is a psychological suspense story with a twist.

Crime Fiction: The Entrance To The Tunnel Is His Only Way Out.

Juan is a wanted man, and an ex-gang member on the run from Atlanta to Mexico. With a hundred grand in cash stolen from his ex-boss, he meets an unlikely fate in Mexico. A fast-paced crime fiction story.

Contemporary Romance: When His Hands Run Up My Thighs I…

Love has no time limit, age limit or use by date. Sarah now in her fifties is reunited with her long-lost love Joshua. They last had contact in 1961. In the present day, thanks to the advancement of technology their paths cross. A heart-warming and modern tale, about long distance love, that will leave you warm inside.

Suspense: We Only Said Goodbye With Words, I Died A Hundred Times:

In 1963 Russian Femme Fatale Mila Petrov is London’s top Madam. Her entertainment house is booming, she has a team of London’s strongest women behind her. Unfinished business from her past creeps up and haunts her. It’s nothing she can’t handle. A suspenseful historical tale, with a strong femme fatale.

Fantasy: The Ones Who Live At The Bottom Of The Ocean, Come To The Surface.

A beautiful coming of age story, featuring sixteen year old Zoe and her mother May-Li. Myth becomes reality, as Zoe finds out who and what she really is. Her mixed descent reveals more than what meets the eye. This fantasy story is set against the backdrop of a Greek island and Hong Kong, China.

Suspenseful Crime Fiction: Guilty As Charged, In Self-Defence

California’s sassy, tough, and likeable defence lawyer Catherine has taken on a case so high profile, if she wins she’ll become a partner of Martin Law Firm. Defending forty six year old Mrs. Chevelle. An ex Las Vegas show girl, now a Hollywood wife, on trial for the murder of her high-profile husband. She claims she’s innocent. Readers are taken on a fast -paced journey on a mission to seek the truth.

Contemporary Fiction: It’s A Man’s Man’s World:

A beautiful modern tale showing the love and appreciation of a woman. James Brown said it right when he said, “it’s a man’s man’s world, but it would mean nothing without a woman or a girl.”

As some of you may remember, Didi Oviatt and I have been working on the second set of short stories to publish in The Suspenseful Collection Vol. 2. (See Vol. 1 here)  We worked on many of these short stories as sort of interaction blog posts last year and the year before. We’d throw a bunch of prompts and ideas out there at the beginning of every week, and then let the readers decide which ones we’d write by the following week’s poll post. This activity was so much fun for us!

What started as a challenge between the both of us to improve our writing skills, actually wound up being so much more than either of us anticipated!  It worked out so well, and we grew an amazing friendship in the process. I’ve enjoyed working with Didi so very much, and look forward to the release of Vol 2. Hopefully by spring it’ll be within the grasp of readers everywhere. The final touches are underway!

In the  meantime, as we finish up the final brushes of fate for all these insanely original characters of the bonus stories that we’ve yet to share anywhere, we kind of thought ‘what the hell, let’s do another poll and let the readers decide on one last topic for short story to share on our blogs for old time sake!’ 

So kindly, pick something that really shouts at you, and then press that lovely submit button at the bottom!! Chose us a story, and in a couple of days we’ll close the poll and let you know the winning prompt!! The same options will also be posted on twitter polls, and possibly even FB if we’re feeling particularly pushy, so feel free to cast more than one vote if something really tickles your fancy. From there, one of us will start the story and hand it off to the other to finish. No pre-discussions, no deciding the characters or their fate together, everything we write is 100% impromptu … like I said, a fun challenge, right?!

HERE’s THE OPTIONS WE’VE COME UP WITH FOR A FINAL BLOG STORY CHALLENGE:

Thank you so much for weighing in!  We’ll close the poll in a couple of days, and let you know the winner before diving into telling it’s tale!

Happy new year all! Can you believe we’re eleven days in already? I’ve been busy, last year I mentioned that a small publisher approached me about joining their team in 2020. I took up the offer, the one book I’ve outlined for them I am writing, but they’re also releasing an anthology of short stories on the 28th February, some how I found the time to write one to include.  Free review copies up for grabs…

About the anthology…

What happens when a group of authors are given a writing prompt, by Author King Nikalos? An anthology of short stories by diverse authors! Free review copies are up for request for readers, in exchange for an honest review. Drop an email address on the link below for your free review copy, sent during the week of release.
👇👇👇
http://bit.ly/2FGARWc
Blinded By Love is an anthology of short stories by Solakin Publications’ authors. Each writer’s creative spin on the writing prompt “when love goes wrong”, gives readers a range of short stories across genres, and locations in the world from each author. Who are the authors? That’s the surprise, 😎 discover a new author and request your copy!

Merry  Christmas from me to all readers!  Free for three days only on Amazon.

Click here to head to Amazon

From enemies to lovers two lonely hearts become one with a heart warming twist…

Not Just For Christmas is book #2 of the Romance in The City series of stand-alone, novella length, romantic, steamy stories set in fast paced cities all around the world. Readers are taken on a romantic journey set in London, during the festive season following two characters originally opposed to each other fall in love. There’s enough warmth and sensuality to keep readers warm at any time of year.

As Christmas draws near thirty five year old social worker Ava Green, finds herself desperate to not be alone at her favourite time of year. Following the break up of her engagement earlier in the year, Ava has spent ten months on a mission to get over her ex. With the support of her two closest girlfriends Tasha and Marie, Ava makes a bold move that surprises her girlfriends in order to find a companion for the festive season. Ava’s path crosses with tall dark and handsome Detective Jerome Samuels, an older man and a divorcee in search of love, the sad thing is Ava can’t stand him. Once their paths cross after a few bumps along the way there’s no turning back, these two characters are caught up in a whirlwind of sensual and heart warming romance, once they settle their differences. A love affair that Detective

Merry Christmas bookworms… head to book reading heaven below. Some authors are giving away freebies, some on Kindle Unlimited to read, all kinds of bookish stuff to end 2019.

A lovely bundle of authors check them out on  this link.

Gotta love some free romance this Christmas. Check out this group of authors here.

A fresh group of naughty authors for you here!

Lovely mixed group, lot’s to choose from here.

Snuggle up this Winter and Christmas, lots of authors to discover here.

Oh la la! Racy reads to discover here on your Kindle.

Steam up your Kindle here!

Jump in KU members, a great group of authors here to discover.something a little different in this group of authors, check them out here.

It’s time to meet another author, let’s get to know Samantha’s style… She answered all my questions, grab a drink!

Hello nice to meet you! Tell us a bit about you where are you from and other than writing what else do you enjoy?

My name is Samantha, I was born and raised in San Diego I have an associates degree in both Psychology and Liberal Arts with a focus on Social and Behavioral Sciences. My next step is to get my bachelors in film because other than writing, I love movies. I don’t really go out much so I find enjoyment either watching a movie or tv series at home in bed or in the movie theater. I also enjoy theater.

How did you start writing? What was your inspiration to create?

I started writing when I was really young, I wanna say 12 years old maybe 13. My mom says I was 10. I grew up an only child and had a really active imagination so I was already talented in creating stories but at 12 was the first time I remember putting my imagination on paper. We were reading some short story in class and as our homework assignment we had to write a different ending to the story. So I did and it was great and I wanted to keep writing stuff so I bought a composition book and started putting my ideas down.

Who is your favourite author, is there anyone out there that inspires you?

I don’t really have a favorite author. I have books that I like and they’re by different authors and different genres. There is one particular one that I favor because every book of hers I’ve read of hers is so captivating and real. That author is Sista Souljah. Her books kinda gave me the idea that real life like drama isn’t just for TV and movies. That there is a market for it.

Kim- Agreed, I have read two of her works, The Coldest Winter which I just could not believe I read it so fast. Also Midnight, I have had on my Kindle for a good few years the second part to Midnight, it was such a great love story.

What genre do you enjoy reading?

Oddly, The genres I read, aside from sista souljah, is not what I write. I’m in love with historical fiction. Mostly based around English Monarch’s of old. I started with the Tudor era when I was 15. I read “Mary, Bloody Mary.” by Carolyn Meyer and I related to Mary’s struggle a little bit and was captivated and have been stuck ever since.

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I don’t think it has changed my process. I’ve never really had a specific process. I get an idea, I write it down and maybe I can use it, build from it or maybe I can’t. I never know until I know.

So you’ve published a series, what is the series about?

Well I haven’t yet. Prodigal is the first book in a planned trilogy with potential for spin offs.

What was it like creating back to back stories that link?

It’s a little harder now that the first one is done and out there because I can’t go back. I have to build with what I already set up and get creative with the new information as it relates to events that already happened. It’s continuing the same story but making sure that the characters are growing and not the same people but still keep it interesting. It’s a lot of fun.

Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre? If you could what genre would you like to dabble in?

I don’t know. If I had to choose maybe horror. I have an idea for a murder mystery. A “guess the killer” type of thing with a twist ending.

Kim– ‘Guess the killer’ sounds like a who-dun-it to me, not bad!

What has been your most proud moment as an author?

Finally finishing the book and then actually publishing it. It’s something I’ve said I was gonna do for years but I was always too scared to put myself out there.

Was there ever a time you wanted to pick up your laptop, and then launch it out the window with frustration?

No. I have gotten a little aggressive with my journals though. I’ve ripped out pages and littered my floor with rejected storylines and dialogues and scenarios.

Are you a “plotter” or a fly by the seat of your pants “pantster” as a writer?

Both really. I became more of a plotter when I started the process of rewriting this story. It’s going to be multiple books but it’s still one long story/journey that the protagonist and those surrounding her go through in their lives. So while I prefer to just fly by the seat of my pants, free write and see where it goes and go with it. I have to plot what needs to happen to the protagonist in order for her to make the decisions she needs to make and get where she needs to go in life no matter how difficult.

Am I the only one who gets hung up on commas? Do they make you go blah! when you’re writing?

I hate commas. I know throughout this book there are commas in places they shouldn’t be and missing in places where they should be. I think I was absent the day they taught commas in school. To me, in my mind it’s like I can’t hear commas when someone is speaking and I don’t speak with commas when I talk so why do I need to write them? It’s not important to the story. lol

Kim- Yeah, I hear that. I was taught to place them where you would naturally pause or breathe, but everyone talks at a different speed….so…..

via GIPHY

Every writer has a word(s) that they always slip up on when they write, then slap their forehead when they notice their typo. For me it’s further and farther exit or exists-  but hey I’m over it now.  Do you have a word (s) that make you go blah! Go away not another damn typo.

I always mess up with loose and lose. I think that typo even made it into the published book. I don’t know how to explain it in too much detail without confusing even myself, but the spelling of “lose” like “You’re gonna lose” feels like it should have the double “O” as well but it doesn’t and it drives me NUTS!

Kim- LMFAO… okay I-ma break it down, lose= you need lose the O. Loose, you need two O. I have messed up with this word too. That’s how I try to remember.

What three tips would you give any aspiring writer?

1)Keep every draft of everything you write. Even if you can’t fit certain ideas into the story you’re currently working on you may find room for it in another book down the road.

2)Don’t let anyone rush you. Storytelling is an art and you can’t rush your art. It’s done when it’s done no matter how long or how short. It’s your story, take your time flush out everything until you’re happy with what you have.

3)Stay true to your vision. Everyone may not understand your vision but you do, others out there will too. Assert yourself and don’t allow other’s vision or “expert” opinions eclipse your own. From your style of writing, the content you’re writing,to the book cover. You know what you want to say, speak. Don’t apologize for it. Don’t compromise your vision.

Kim- I back points two and three wholeheartedly!

What are you working on now? What will you release next?

I am working on two stories right now. The first one is the Follow up to Prodigal, titled Lyrical Chaos. Lyrical Chaos is the continuation of Lyric’s journey in the public eye and the mental and emotional toll trying to defend who she is in life and how she’s trying to grow as an individual against what people see on TV or read on the internet.

The second one is titled Sister to Sister.It’s too soon to tell if Sister to Sister is going to be a stand alone or a series and this one is about the psychosocial effects colorism has on the relationship between two biological sisters, one dark skinned, one light skinned.

I don’t know which one I’m releasing next to be honest. I have so many versions of Lyrical Chaos written and I just started working on Sister to Sister, it’s a toss up.

So…. where can we get your books?

My books are for sale on Amazon.

What does “success” look like to you? When would you say “damn, I’ve made it baby!”

My first success was publishing the book in the first place. I was able to say I wrote a book and show it to people. That was success to me. The ULTIMATE dream of success and making it is when I can quit my regular 9-5 job and live comfortably off of my book sales. I’ll be over the moon when I have nothing to do but sit with my family in front of a TV and watch a Netflix or Amazon Original Adaptation of one of my books. Then I’ll have left a permanent mark on the world. That’s the Final “I did it”

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I don’t research too much before the book. I usually research while writing the book. For example, My lead character in prodigal is pregnant and I myself have never been pregnant. I happened to be studying life cycles that semester so I got the stages of development from my lectures and textbooks, I asked some family members and friends who had been pregnant certain things and the rest from google.

With book 2 Lyrical Chaos, a couple of the characters struggle with drug addiction. Something I again have never been through in life, so with that I research by asking people that have struggled with addiction any questions I might have about drugs and I also refer back to my textbooks for some stuff as well. Same with Sister to Sister, I’m asking people about their experiences so that, combined with my own, I can make my characters and their struggles as real and authentic as possible.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

As Of now, I’ve not had my book formally reviewed by anyone. I’ve had friends and family tell me what they think, and it’s usually all really good. My cousin told me it made him think of his wife and wonder if she’s ever felt the way the character feels and asks himself if he’s doing enough and if not, what can he do better to support her emotionally? That made me feel really good because I hadn’t expected that kind of response. I also had another cousin criticize my lead character and I took as a personal attack because I modeled her so closely to myself that it felt like a criticism of me. I had to remind myself that it’s fiction first and foremost and that he, like everyone else, is entitled to their own perceptions. I’m bracing myself for more negative opinions as I move forward. I hope there’s more positive than negative but I’m preparing myself

Do you Google yourself?

I did once. Nothing really came up except a link to my facebook page. This was years ago though. When Prodigal was still sitting in my drawer collecting dust.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

I hope it doesn’t take me as long to write the next books as it did this first one. The first draft which is nothing like what I published was started in 2010 and ended in 2011. I left it alone for two years. In 2013 I brought it back out and rewrote it from beginning to end that took about a year. Then I put it in my drawer for another 3 years pulled it out, made some changes and retyped it in a few months then started the publishing process.

I want to say a year average but I’ve been working on Lyrical Chaos since before I rewrote Prodigal into the published version it is now and I’m not close to finishing that yet.

What would you like readers to know?

I would like my readers to know that their actions have consequences directly and indirectly and be careful about whose life you chose to insert yourself in and who you allow to be inserted into your life. I heard a Pastor say one time “that friends are for a reason, sometimes for a season not always for a lifetime.” If your situation is seasonal with seasonal people, even if it ends badly or just fizzles out, as long as you have grown from it and learned from it then you have a lifetime of experiences that can be used for something good. That’s how this book came about for me.

What’s your favourite movie?

The Little Mermaid. I always saw Ariel as brave, she left her home, her family, the only life she knew and followed her heart. It’s been argued that she did it because of a guy but it was also because she wanted to have new experiences and adventures that she would never have experienced had she not left her world behind. The fact that a handsome prince was there to show her his world was a bonus as well as the motivating factor.

Gone With The Wind. Scarlett O’hara was the post civil war era version of a self made woman. She did what she had to do in order to ensure that she would never go hungry again who was too stubborn and headstrong for her own good sometimes and unfortunately it led to her losing someone who truly loved her for her and not who she pretends to be but there’s a lesson in that too.

The Rage Carrie 2:It’s my go to angry movie.

 Where would you like to travel to and why?

I’d like to travel to the European countryside because it’s so different than what I’m used to everyday and I imagine that it would be beautiful and peaceful like in every childhood movie I’ve ever seen that takes place in the European countryside. I feel like I could think more clearly there.

Tell us about how you develop your characters?

My characters are rooted in people I know in real life. Some are a mash up of a couple of other people into one but mostly, based off real life. If they didn’t actually say it or do it then they could have. I used my studies in psychology to make up a plausible reason as to why they are who they are, what could have happened to develop this kind of attitude or behavior good or bad and then I can combine the real present with the fake backstory and figure out where they would go from here.How they grow IF they grow.

Which one of your characters is your favourite and why?

James. Because he’s based off of my own cousin and the relationship between James and Lyric is my favorite relationship. In real life and in the book. He always makes me smile.

If you could do it all again would you change anything?

I wish I could say yes. I really do. But no. If I hadn’t had the experiences that I’ve had in life, no matter how much it hurt. As of this moment, If I were to get in a time machine and go back 10/11 years with the opportunity to change it, I wouldn’t. Because If I hadn’t had the experiences I’ve had, I wouldn’t have the book I have now. Even the process of writing it and how long it took me, I wouldn’t change it because it’s made me a better writer. I’m still growing as a writer as well so in 10 years I’ll be a stronger storyteller than I am now. Everything is a learning experience.

Kim- That makes so much sense, I agree. I would not redo anything either. I’m actually glad to hear this!

Pick one a one time “Bestselling author” or an author with longevity what would you rather?

I’d pick being an author with longevity. I want to be one that sticks.

Kim- Amen to that! I agree.

Thank you for stopping by today! I wish you all the best with your future.

About the Book

Lyric is 21 years old and bored with the inhibited lifestyle of endless church activities she’s been forced to participate in since childhood. When she is offered the opportunity to be on a reality show, she jumps at the chance to move in with five strangers under the premise of pursuing further education. However, a surprise pregnancy causes her life to take an unexpected turn. Being overlooked and pushed to the side by her child’s father coupled with his lack of consideration cause her insecurities to deepen, while her pains and humiliation are documented for everyone to see. The show becomes a hit and she a star but now she has to find a way not to let the pain she feels destroy her heart and poison her soul.

Out Now On Amazon and Kindle Unlimited