New COTT Champion: A Familiar Evil by Anne Patrick

 *guest post by Jennifer Slattery

The next Clash of the Titles literary champion is Anne Patrick! Her her novel A Familiar Evil won the vote for Author’s Choice.

Here’s a blip of her COTT winning excerpt (excerpt B):

“Excuse me. I’m looking for Chief Russell.”

Jordan’s stomach did a nosedive at the familiar voice of her soon-to-be-ex-husband.
“You found her,” Frank answered.
Jordan looked up just as Sam smiled. “Indeed I have.” He started toward her desk.
Colleen barged through the opened door. “Chief, there’s an Agent Russell here to see…oh, I guess you found her.”
“Agent Russell,” Frank repeated. He turned back to Jordan, “Isn’t Russell your married name?” He then shifted his gaze back to Sam, “That must mean you’re her husband.”
“Not for much longer.” Jordan hurried around her desk and ushered Frank out the door. “You’ll be hearing from me.” She closed the door and looked at Sam. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here at your request.”

Read the full excerpt here.

A few reader comments: 

• I'm hooked! Loved the tension between Jordan and Sam.
• Both were really good! I Liked Excerpt B because of the rather humorous exchange between husband and wife. :-) Definitely a book I'd want to get and read!
• Love tension in Excerpt B. And there's promise of lots more!! 

After reading Anne’s tension-filled excerpt, we wanted to know how she came up with such great stories. Her answer? She writes on the fly.
“I’m a Pantser,” Anne said. “I never plan anything. As a matter of fact I didn’t know who the killer was in A Familiar Evil until toward the end of the book when he sprang out at me and said, ‘I’m your man.’ Of course I had suspected he was the one but I wasn’t for sure. There are several possibilities.”

Her plot ideas come to her just as unexpectedly. “Often times when I'm researching one book, ideas for another start to sprout,” Anne said. “Reading the paper is another good source for me. Life is truly stranger than fiction.

Read the full interview here.

What Anne had to say about her time on Clash:

"Thanks for having me here at COTT. You ladies are awesome!"

Want to join the fun? Hop on over to Clash of the Titles now to vote for our next literary champion and be entered into our drawing for a free book! And don’t forget to stop by Clash of the Titles Book Club to join our cyber-chat. We’re devouring Delia Latham’s Destiny’s Dream.

*Jennifer Slattery is the marketing manager for Clash of the Titles. She writes for Christ to the World Ministries, the Christian Pulse, and Samie Sisters. She’s also written for numerous other publications and websites including the Breakthrough Intercessor, Bloom!, Afictionado, the Christian Fiction Online Magazine, and Granola Bar Devotions. She has a short piece in Bethany House’s Love is a Flame (under a pen name) forwarded by Gary Chapman, another piece in Cathy Messecar’s A Still and Quiet Soul, and a third piece scheduled to appear in Majesty House’s Popcorn Miracles. You can find out more about her and her writing at Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud and you can catch some great writing tips at her writing blog, Words That Keep.

Saturday Spotlight - Anne Patrick!

Hi Friends,

Please welcome Anne Patrick aka Kinzie Monroe once again to Saturday Spotlight with her latest book, Out of the Darkness....

Anne Patrick, author of ‘Sweet’ Edge of Your Seat Romantic Suspense, has penned more than a dozen novels. She’s a confessed suspense junkie with a bad habit of mixing chocolate and diet colas when writing which can, and often does, lead to mayhem. Anne has an alter ego by the name of Kinzie Monroe, who writes Inspirational Romance. Anne, you might say, is the dark side of Kinzie. Anne’s books may be darker in subject matter, but they all carry messages of hope and faith.


When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling to other countries to experience new cultures. She loves hearing from her readers and can be contacted through her website: http://www.annepatrick.weebly.com/

When former FBI profiler, Alex Michaels, is forced into hiding by the serial killer who murdered her twin sister and left her with a career ending injury, she begins to take stock of her life. Meeting up with an ex-pro football player who is also facing an uncertain future, Alex makes Royce McIntire an offer he can’t refuse. He needs a secretary for his failing trucking business and she needs a place where she can hide out for awhile.
Settling into her new life, far from the FBI, Alex is unaware that the serial killer is hot on her tracks, leaving a trail of death behind him. Weeks later, realizing that the man who haunts her dreams is still out there and that he won’t stop until he finds her, she has no choice but to come out of hiding.



Excerpt
The house was dark as Alex drove her car onto the lawn. She slammed the gearshift into park, pulled her gun from its holster, and jumped from the car. She swiped frantically at the tears in her eyes as she stepped cautiously to the front door and grasped the doorknob. ‘Please God…Please don’t let me be too late’. She grasped the doorknob. Her grip tightened on the 9mm as beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. Inside the entryway she reached out with her left hand to the light switch.

The knife came out of nowhere.

A sharp pain, followed by a burning sensation, seared up her right forearm. Her fingers immediately went numb and the gun dropped to the floor. She jabbed with her left arm, her clenched fist coming in contact with the jaw hidden behind a black ski mask.

The intruder retaliated with a punch to her right cheek that slammed her body back against the door. The room began to swirl, her knees grew weak. She struggled to stand on solid ground. With a fist full of hair, her head was jerked back as the attacker’s knee rammed her rib cage, forcing a gush of air from her lungs.

She cried out as her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor. Another blow to her rib cage knocked her back onto the floor. Her left arm pinned beneath her, she raised a bloody right arm toward the intruder and stared in horror at her hand dangling lifelessly.

With the full weight of his body pinning her to the floor she writhed beneath him trying to free her left arm.

“Fight me, Alex. Show me you’re not as weak as the rest.”

“I swear I’m going to kill you.” Using her feet as leverage, she tried to roll against him but she was no match for his strength.

He laughed. “Come on, Alex. Your sister put up a better fight than this.”

A sob escaped her lips. She could still hear her cries for help and the blood curdling screams of terror.

“Sorry you didn’t make it in time to say goodbye. But you’ll be with her soon enough.”


 Oh boy...gives me goosebumps!
 
Out of the Darkness is available now! Visig Anne's website for details.
 
Well friends, that's about all for now. Will see you again soon....IMW...take care & be blessed!
PamT

Saturday Spotlight - Anne Patrick

Good Morning and welcome to our first Saturday Spotlight from Bandera, Texas!

Today's spotlight is author Anne Patrick with her book, Ties That Bind

Anne Patrick, author of ‘Sweet’ Edge of Your Seat Romantic Suspense, has penned more than a dozen novels. She’s a confessed suspense junkie with a bad habit of mixing chocolate and diet colas when writing which can, and often does, lead to mayhem. Anne has an alter ego by the name of Kinzie Monroe, who writes Inspirational Romance. Anne, you might say, is the dark side of Kinzie. Anne’s books may be darker in subject matter, but they all carry messages of hope and faith.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling to other countries to experience new cultures. She loves hearing from her readers and can be contacted through her website: http://www.annepatrick.weebly.com/ or blog: http://www.suspensebyanne.blogspot.com/ 

Sheriff Austin Garrett enlists the help of FBI profiler, Jo McDaniels, to help him solve a string of murders plaguing his community. Unlike most profilers Jo has an unusual gift that allows her to get to know the victims better than anyone else. She not only feels their emotions; she feels their pain. But the last time she relied on her physic ability it almost cost her career as well as her sanity. As the case progresses and the body count rises they soon realize that Jo’s sanity isn’t all that is at risk. She has become the killer’s ultimate kill.

Excerpt:
Austin watched as the beautiful young agent examined the body. He waited for her to flinch or to show some facial reaction to the horrific sight, but none came. How could she not be affected by what she saw? More than half a dozen men so far had lost a meal at one time or another over the course of the last two weeks, including him, yet she knelt there, her eyes fixed on the body as if it were someone merely sleeping. Curious as to what she found so fascinating, he crept further down the incline, using the cover of the trees to obscure his location. Judging from the puzzled expression on the face of the ME.s assistant, he seemed just as intrigued by the woman’s behavior as he stood quietly to one side, his eyes leveled on her.

After several seconds, the agent slid the sheet back to reveal the length of the victim.

Then leaning over the body she appeared to be checking the ankles for any signs of ligature marks. Had she asked, he could have told her there weren’t any on either the ankles or the wrists. Decapitation was the only visible sign of injury on all of the victims. He watched as she moved to the feet and toes, taking note of how careful she was not to touch the body. Not that it mattered, he suspected, like the others, the body would reveal no trace evidence or finger prints that would lead them to the killer.

“Sheriff, could I see you a minute,” Jo asked.

He stepped out into the open just as she turned, still squatting next to the body. “Find something?”

“Actually it’s something you’d already found.” She carefully lifted the woman’s hand.

“The finger nails. You mentioned in your report that you suspected they’d been clipped to eliminate trace evidence.”

“Yeah. So?”

“So what if he did it so as to obscure their identities as well?”

“How’s getting rid of their nails going to hinder the identity process?”

“Not so much their physical identity, but the lifestyle they led,” she answered. Taking the

Woman’s hand, Jo held it so that he could view the tips of the fingers. “When I first reviewed the file you sent, I suspected these women were prostitutes and that’s why they hadn’t been reported missing. But what if they aren’t? Notice how the cuticles are trimmed but the polish has been removed. This woman has had regular manicures.”

“If these women are likely to be missed, then why haven’t they been reported missing?”

“I’ve been giving that some thought,” Jo said and carefully replaced the woman’s hand.

She then turned, her elbows resting on her knees, and gazed up at him, “What if they aren’t missing yet?”

“A vacation or a business trip?”

She shrugged her shoulder. “Could be.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Jo.” The corner of her mouth came up, as did one eyebrow, and he realized what he’d just done. “Or would you rather I call you Special Agent McDaniels? I’d hate to get my ass kicked by a girl.”

The smile that followed was like a ray of sunshine after a day’s downpour. “Jo is fine.” Then just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, as her gaze returned to the headless corpse.
~~~~~~~~
Whew! Sounds like an intriguing read!

Ties That Bind is available in Ebook from Awe-Struck Publishing and will be available in print
come July!

Well Friends, that wraps up another edition of Saturday Spotlight. I have a wagon load of stuff to tell you about my experiences here in Bandera so check back often!

Until later....take care & Be BLESSED!
PamT