A NEW RELEASE! INTRODUCING DARK DESIGN!

Yesterday my newest novel, DARK DESIGN, released! I'm excited about this book and hope my readers will enjoy it. I'm sharing the first chapter with you. I'm also giving away three print copies (U.S. only). Leave a comment, along with your email address, for a chance to win

CHAPTER ONE

I was only nine years old when I knew I was destined to be a serial killer. My best friend and I watched a show on TV that talked about them. I’d never felt more excited about anything in my entire life. When I was ten, I almost changed my mind. I went to my friend’s church and the pastor talked about Jesus. I wondered if there was another way for me to go, but when the pastor told us that Jesus wanted us to love everyone, I knew I could never live that way. Hate filled my heart and my mind so strongly that there wasn’t room for anything else. The only thing I truly loved was my hate, and I had no desire to let it go. Not even my parents could steer me away from the path I knew was mine.

Now, that I’m older, I’m ready to fulfill my destiny.

And I know just where to start.

At the beginning.

                                                      ****

It was a cold and rainy night. Alex Caine stared at himself in the mirror. He looked as tired as he felt. His hazel eyes narrowed as he gazed at his chiseled features. His dark hair was beginning to gray and needed to be cut.

Erin Delaney stared at the words on her first page and laughed quietly. “Never open with weather,” she said under her breath. “Never describe a character by having him look in a mirror.” She sighed loudly. “How many other writerly taboos can I break?” She erased what she’d written out of frustration. She’d finished the book but left the opening in just for fun. She was ready to edit now – something she hated a lot more than writing. But it had to be done. It was amazing how many times she could repeat scenes without realizing it. Or change someone’s name. Or use the same name for different characters. She had a feeling that she had two women named Laura in the story. She liked the name because she loved the old movie with the same name.

She got up from the couch and headed into the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Chester, her border collie, jumped down and followed her, his nails clicking on the wooden floors. Wherever she went, he was right beside her. Since she’d moved from St. Louis, she’d noticed that he’d become a little clingy. He’d been with her almost five months now, but he still had trust issues. Just like she did. They really were a perfect match. In St. Louis, he’d watched her carefully whenever she had to leave him in the apartment, his large brown eyes echoing the fear that someone else had caused by abandoning him. Eventually, he’d begun to relax a bit, but they obviously had a way to go until the shadows of the past no longer held him in their grasp. Now that they’d left St. Louis for good and arrived back in Sanctuary, Erin hoped he would finally believe he was loved and that he would never be left behind again. She wasn’t certain what she would have done without him over the past several months. He was her best friend and her constant companion. Together, they were facing the ghosts of their former lives.

“It’s okay, boy,” she said, looking down at the anxious face staring up at her. “You’re family, and you’re home for good. You don’t have to ever worry about that again.” She walked over to his treat jar and took out a dried banana chip which he eagerly accepted.

Finishing this new book had really stressed her out. She’d waited almost two months after signing the contract to start writing which almost caused her new agent a stroke. He was a nice man, but her attitude toward publishing seemed to annoy him. She’d been passed off to him when her other agent dropped her. She’d become too frustrated with Erin’s lackadaisical attitude toward writing more books. “I’ve had to double my heart medication since I signed you,” she’d said. “Working with you isn’t worth my health. Brandon will take good care of you.”

Brandon West was a well-known agent and was much more patient with her. She was grateful for him. Being a best-selling author had its problems. Seemed like there was always something to deal with. Just recently, Brandon had been contacted by someone claiming she’d actually written “Dark Matters.”

“This happens more than you’d believe,” he’d told her. “Either an author supposedly copied something from another book, or like in this case, someone accuses you of stealing the entire book from them.”

“How could they prove something like that if it isn’t true?” Erin had asked.

“They can’t. Unfortunately, sometimes publishers will pay out money just to keep them quiet. Scammers have learned this and will throw out threats in hopes of getting free money. Believe it or not, it will happen again. Probably several times.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Erin had told him. “I certainly wouldn’t want my publisher to give anyone money for a scam like that.”

Brandon had laughed. “I don’t believe you have anything to worry about. You just write good books. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“What did you tell this woman?”

“I asked her for proof. Haven’t heard back. Probably won’t. Like I said, don’t concern yourself with it. Everything will be fine.”

Although he was reassuring and encouraging, unlike her previous agent, she still wasn’t certain just how far she could push him. The proposed plot for the new book had been her idea, but as she wrote, she ended up going in another direction. She was afraid to tell Brandon. Seems agents and publishers aren’t fans of unannounced changes in a book under contract. She sighed with frustration. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to write, she did. But she was aggravated. When she wrote Dark Matters, she was in charge. Now she had Brandon, as well as editors she had to please. Add threats from some nut who claimed Erin had stolen her work? What next? She was also reluctant to face other things that came with being a writer. The biggest thorn in her side was the promotion aspect that went with every release. Erin was a private person, and she had no intention of running around the country on a book tour or sitting down with interviewers on podcasts. She’d reluctantly done a few of those, and actually enjoyed a couple of them. But only because she liked the interviewers. During one interminable interview in particular, she’d toyed with the idea of pretending her laptop was acting up and logging off.

She got up and went to the pantry where she grabbed a new box of Mallomars. She’d hoped keeping them out of sight would stop her from eating too many. They were an obsession. She tried to limit herself to one a day before bed, but when she was stressed, like now, she found herself drawn to them. Graham cracker crust, marshmallow center, and chocolate on the outside. What was there not to love about them? She was embarrassed by the number of boxes in her pantry, but they were only available from March through September. She wasn’t sure why, but it seemed rather cruel to those who were addicted to them.

She took out a package, went back into the kitchen, opened it, and took out one of the treats. She pulled the cellophane wrapping apart and was soon munching on the sweet indulgence. She felt herself becoming calmer. Every time she ate one, she thought about the mother she’d lost when she was young. She used to come home from the store, put her bags on the kitchen counter, and take out a box of Mallomars for Erin and a package of Oreos for her sister. Erin leaned against the counter and swallowed the last delicious bite. Chester whined, wanting a bite, but she never gave him anything with chocolate.

“Sorry, dude,” she said. “But these aren’t good for doggies.”

She brushed off the crumbs that had fallen on her sweatshirt and grabbed another banana chip. He took it willingly but gave her a sideways glance to let her know he wasn’t the least bit fooled by her attempted subterfuge. Was he getting tired of the chips? She used them when training him. So far, he’d learned to sit and lie down on command. He was a work in progress, but he was smart and loved to learn almost as much as he enjoyed cuddling with her on the couch or at night in bed.

“How about a walk?” she asked him. She knew she should head back to her laptop, but it was even harder to work since spring had come to Sanctuary. Although winter was still her favorite season, she had to admit that watching nature spring back to life in the Smoky Mountains was enchanting. She and Chester had started taking daily treks through the woods near the cabin. She’d been warned that wild animals, especially bears, roamed the woods, but she hadn’t seen any. People in town had assured her that unless mother bears feared for their young, they pretty much left people alone. Most of them were used to human beings living in the area.

All in all, the move from St. Louis hadn’t been too difficult. Erin had gotten rid of all of her furniture and most of her personal belongings, not wanting any reminders of her life there. The former owner of the cabin where she lived now, Steve Tremont, had also sold her all the furniture, appliances, and décor. Some of it she liked, some of it wasn’t her taste, but little by little she’d update it. Right now, she was just enjoying her new surroundings, grateful for the chance to start over. A year ago, she wasn’t certain she even wanted to go on. She’d been afraid to even touch her gun, fearful that if she picked it up… She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that. Thankfully, things had changed. After meeting Kaely, she finally had hope. And then there was Chester. Every morning when she woke up, she’d reach over and pet him. She didn’t feel alone anymore. It didn’t matter that he was a dog. He loved her, and he needed her. And she needed to be needed. Life was slowly getting better. Hopefully, she would continue to get stronger. The dark pit of despair that had threatened to swallow her up was still there – just out of reach. She prayed she’d never fall into it again. If she did, this time, Erin had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to find her way out.

You can purchase DARK DESIGN here.