#SaturdaySpotlight: Maris Soule with Eat Crows & Die

Happy 4th of July!

Today's Saturday Spotlight is with a returning guest, Maris Soule who has shared the other books in this series with us already!

Today's feature is book 3 in her PJ Benson mysteries!

P.J. Benson knows Sheriff’s Detective Wade Kingsley wouldn’t blowup his own boat to kill his ex-wife and her new husband; nevertheless, the investigating detectives consider Wade their prime suspect, and so do Wade’s ex-in-laws. Under the circumstances, it’s not the right time to tell Wade she’s pregnant, but P.J.’s bouts of morning sickness give her away. Wade definitely doesn’t want P.J. “playing detective,” but she feels she must; otherwise, the father of her baby is going to end up in prison.

Excerpt:

“Were you going to go swimming?”

“Huh?” He looked at me as if I were crazy. “We were going fishing, not swimming. I would have taken the boat down to the dunes if we were going swimming.”

“Maybe so, but it sure looked like the two of you were about to dive off the boat.”

Wade sat back on the couch, and I could tell he was trying to remember. I felt sorry for him. How terrible to have a period in your life where you didn’t remember anything.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “I don’t know what we were doing or how we even got there.”

Baraka must have heard the sadness in Wade’s voice. My dog got up from where he’d been sleeping and ambled over to put his head on Wade’s knees. Without even looking down, Wade began stroking Baraka’s head.

“He’s feeling sorry for you,” I said.

“I’m feeling sorry for myself. I just wish I could remember what happened after everyone got on the boat.”

“You need to talk to Jason.” Wade’s son might be only six, but he was a smart kid. Being tossed in the water didn’t seem to have affected him. “He can tell you what happened. Do you want me to call your sister?”

“No.” Wade’s response was immediate and forceful. “I don’t want him thinking about what happened. Not tonight. If he thinks about it, he’s going to realize his mother's dead.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

Wade gave me a withering look. “Come on, P.J., you saw those pictures. Do you really think she could have survived that explosion?”

Call me an optimist, but I hoped she had . . . for Jason’s sake. “I’m just saying, you don’t know for sure that she's dead. After all, you and Jason survived that explosion.”

“Because we happened to be on the bow of the boat. I didn’t see Linda or Brewster anywhere on deck. Not in any of those pictures. If they had been, if they’d been thrown into the water like Jason and I were, I’m sure someone would have noticed. Would have picked them up.”

I hated to admit he was probably right. “Sometimes miracles do happen.”

“The miracle is Jason and I are alive. P.J., you heard the reporter. They’re sending dive teams to look for the bodies.” Wade looked back at the TV. “I wish they’d show that clip again.”

The news, however, had moved on to the weather.

EAT CROW AND DIE is available at: Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/oku554e

Maris Soule is a two time RITA finalist, and has won and placed in many other contests. This is her 4th published mystery. She's also had 25 category romances, and 2 short stories published. 

Eat Crow and Die is her third book in the P.J. Benson series. The Rhodesian Ridgeback, who helped her find ways to involve a Ridgeback puppy in a mystery, has now passed over the rainbow bridge after giving her almost twelve and a half years of happiness. He is missed. 

Web site: http://marissoule.com
Blog. http://marissoule.com/blog/
Facebook: http://Facebook.com/marissouleauthor
Twitter @marisSouthHaven,
Also on: Google+, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest

Well Friends, hope you enjoyed this spotlight!

Whatever you do to celebrate this weekend, do it with love .... be safe & have fun!

Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)

#SaturdaySpotlight: Maris Soule & A Killer Past

Good Morning Friends and Welcome!

Today we welcome back to our spotlight, Maris Soule with her novel, A Killer Past.

Most people in the town of Rivershore, Michigan view Mary Harrington as a quiet widow whose only oddity is she spends a lot of time at the gym. Her son thinks it’s time for her to move into a retirement home. Two gang members think she’ll be an easy target. No one in Rivershore knows what Mary did in her younger years—really did—but the two gang members discover they’ve underestimated their victim, and Mary fear reverting to old habits may have jeopardized her future.

Excerpt*:

Sergeant Jack Rossini studied her for a moment, trying to figure out why she would hide the truth, finally, he decided it was fear. ‘You're not going to get into trouble, you know. Even if they did press charges, no judge would believe you went out of your way to attack those boys. And, as of this morning, they're not pressing charges. But if we could get them off the street....’

He let the idea hang out there.

‘I'd like to help you,’ she said, oh so sincerely, ‘but I'm afraid I can't.’

He pointed at her right hand. ‘I think that's where you got those bruises, why you're limping this morning.’

‘Oh, come on.’ She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest in a protective – or maybe defensive – manner. ‘I'm seventy four years old. I have arthritis. Do I look like someone who could beat up two boys in their prime?’

He had to admit, the woman seated in front of him looked more like a grandmother than a fighter, but he knew things weren't always as they appeared. ‘Have you ever studied the martial arts, Mrs Harrington?’

‘I've done a little tai chi at the gym,’ she said. ‘They say it's good for your balance.’

‘I'm not talking about tai chi. The way the boys said it went down, you were delivering kicks and Karate chops like a pro.’

‘Well, I can assure you, I've lived in this town for forty-four years and not once have I taken a class in martial arts.’ She pushed her chair back. ‘Is there anything else, Sergeant? If not, I need to call my son and see if he can come over and get my car running.’

‘I told you the boys aren't pressing charges,’ Jack said and stood, ‘but that doesn't mean they don't plan on retaliating.’ He reached into his inside pocket and pulled out his business card. ‘Keep your doors and windows locked and give me a call if you see anything unusual.’

*By the way, A KILLER PAST is being published by Robert Hale Ltd., a UK publishing house. They use the single quote around dialogue.

A KILLER PAST will be available in the UK in March but won’t be available in the US or Canada until June 2015.

Pre-Order NOW at Amazon OR IPG!

Maris Soule and her husband live in Michigan from May to the end of November and Florida from December to the end of April. She started out writing romances, but she also loves reading mystery and suspense novels, so it’s not surprising that some of her romances also involved a mystery or suspense. Finally she decided to switch the order and for the last twelve years has been writing suspense novels that also have some romance. (After all, we all need a little romance in our lives. Right?) So far she’s had 27 books published. A KILLER PAST will be number 28. This story came about after watching an episode of Nikita (on TV) and wondering what Nikita would be like in her 70s.

Web site: http://marissoule.com
Blog. http://marissoule.com/blog/
Facebook: http://Facebook.com/marissouleauthor
Twitter @marisSouthHaven,
Also on: Google+, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest

Check out Maris's other two books, As the Crow Flies and The Crows which were spotlighted earlier this year!

Hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Saturday Spotlight. Stay tuned weekly for Tuesday Treasures and Thursday Thoughts also!

#SaturdaySpotlight: Maris Soule & As the Crow Flies

Good Morning!

Been a lovely couple of days here in SW Louisiana. I hope you're getting your share of nice weather too.

Today we welcome back to our blog, author Maris Soule with her title, As the Crow Flies.

P.J. Benson receives a briefcase from an elderly woman, and within twenty-four hours the briefcase is stolen, a man is dead, and P.J. is receiving death-threats. Once again, P.J. and her Rhodesian Ridgeback, Baraka, must deal with her unpredictable rural Michigan neighbors, her quirky mother, and Homicide Detective Deputy Wade Kingsley, who won't answer her calls.


Excerpt:

“Here.” A silver-haired woman about my height but three times my width shoved a battered, black briefcase into my arms. “You take this.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, shifting the cumbersome piece of luggage to a more comfortable position. “What’s in here?”

She gave a quick, furtive glance around the library meeting room, then stepped closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Something they want.”

Something heavy, I decided, and set the briefcase on the carpeting. “Who wants it?”

“Them.” Her pale blue eyes held a feverish glow that reminded me of the look my schizophrenic mother got when she was sure aliens had landed. “The ones he talked to. He told them if they want what he has in this briefcase, they’ll have to pay for it.”

My internal alert alarm went off, and I stepped back and glanced at the nametag on the woman’s cotton blouse. Ida Delaney. “Ida, that sounds like blackmail.”

“I know. And that’s why you have to help him. Help me.” Her chin began to quiver. “I know what happens to blackmailers. I’ve seen it on my afternoon shows. They get arrested or they get killed. I don’t know what I’ll do if they kill him.”

Just the idea of getting involved in another murder sent a shiver down my spine. “I can’t help you, Ida,” I said. “You need to go to the police.”

“No.” She shook her head, the loose-skinned wattle under her chin swinging back and forth. “No, I can’t do that. Donald said if I bothered them again, they’d make me go into a nursing home. I came here because the sign outside said you’d tell us how to protect ourselves.”

“From scams.” I thought I’d explained that during my talk. “Not from . . .”

I was going to say stupidity, but stopped myself and looked around, hoping to see either Emily Anderson, the librarian who had introduced me, or my grandmother, who had convinced me to talk to her senior citizens’ group.

At least two dozen gray-haired seniors had stayed after my talk, most of them now gathered around the refreshment table. I didn’t spot either the librarian or Grandma Carter in the group. My grandmother’s absence didn’t surprise me. My bet was she’d stepped outside for a cigarette. She hates all the No Smoking regulations Michigan’s lawmakers have come up with.

Well, I felt no pity for her today. Although summer wouldn’t officially start for another nine days, today’s weather was perfect—temps in the mid-seventies and not a cloud in the sky.

“The police think I’m crazy,” Ida whispered, bringing my attention back to her.

I knew from experience how that felt, but I had to agree with them in this case.

“Sometimes I get things a little mixed up,” Ida said. “But I really thought it was my house. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have crawled through that window. I mean, my gosh, I almost got stuck.”

“You crawled through a window into someone else’s house?” I tried not to smile, but picturing Ida Delaney squeezing her broad rear-end through an open window was more than I could suppress.

She frowned at me. “It wasn’t funny, and I really don’t see why they had to call the police. Donald told them it did look like the house I used to live in.”

“And who’s Donald?”

“My nephew.” She looked down at the briefcase by our feet. “I think he’s sorry he threatened them. He asked for way too much money.”

AS THE CROW FLIES is available at:

Kindle: http://goo.gl/Gw995o

BarnesandNoble/hardcover: http://goo.gl/ickcWA

BarnesandNoble/nook: http://goo.gl/XkyfEs

Smashwords: http://goo.gl/l9F1tx

Maris Soule has had 2 mysteries, 25 category romances, and 2 short stories published. 2 more mystery/suspense novels will be released in 2015. She is a two time RITA finalist, and has won and placed in many other contests. Born and raised in California, Soule now lives in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter.

Web site: http://marissoule.com
Blog. http://marissoule.com/blog/
Facebook: http://Facebook.com/marissouleauthor
Twitter @marisSouthHaven,
Also on: Google+, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest

AS THE CROW FLIES (Another P.J. Benson Mystery)

Sounds like a good book to curl up with if you're not having great weather, but if you are you can always save it for a rainy day!

Until later...take care & God Bless!

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight: Maris Soule & The Crows

Good Morning and Welcome!

Well it's nice and C-O-L-D here...UGH (I am definitely NOT a winter person)..but never fear, if you're looking to curl up in front of the fire, on the couch or in the bed with a good book, I've got one for you in this week's Saturday Spotlight!

A relaxing afternoon walk in the woods with her Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy turns into a harrowing experience for accountant P.J. Benson; one that ends with a man dying in her dining room. P.J. has a stack of taxes to finish before April 15th; she doesn't have time to deal with people being murdered, her house being broken into, a biogenetic experiment that doesn't seem to exist, or an attractive homicide detective. Forced to question her sanity, she fears she's developing the same debilitating schizophrenia that claimed her mother's mind...that or someone really is trying to kill her.

Excerpt from THE CROWS

“You say the body’s in the dining room? Where’s this door lead?”

“My kitchen.”

He nodded. “I think we can let you inside where it’s warmer, but you’ll have to stay where I tell you. This is now a crime scene.”

“No, it’s a where-he-died scene. That’s where the crime occurred.” I pointed toward the woods.

He looked that direction, and that’s when I noticed his eye lashes. Why is it men always get the beautiful blue eyes and the long, thick lashes? It’s just not fair. I did notice a few crow’s-feet at the edges of his eyes, but they only added a rugged quality to his features.

His gaze came back to the door. “Did you go in this way when you found the body?”

“Yes, but I was careful. I only touched the end of the handle, below the blood.”

“Good.” He pulled a latex glove out of his jacket pocket and slipped it on. I noticed he wore no rings. Neither hand. Not that it meant he wasn’t married or had a significant other . . . or that I should care.

The Crows can be purchased at Amazon (Kindle); B&N (Nook); and Smashwords

Maris Soule has had 2 mysteries, 25 category romances, and 2 short stories published. 2 more mystery/suspense novels will be released in 2015. She is a two time RITA finalist, and has won and placed in many other contests. Born and raised in California, Soule now lives in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter.

Web site: http://marissoule.com
Blog. http://marissoule.com/blog/
Facebook: http://Facebook.com/marissouleauthor
Twitter @marisSouthHaven,
Also on: Google+, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest

Hope you enjoyed this Saturday Spotlight! Stay tuned next week for new Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and another Saturday Spotlight.

Until later...stay warm, take care & God Bless!

PamT