Her beauty once opened doors, but the felony conviction slams them shut.
Harper
Cloud used to love the gilded glamour of Las Vegas, but on the far side
of prison, she sees the cracks in the veneer. These days, she keeps her
head down and focuses on the elderly patients in her care. Even her new
wealthy east-coast boyfriend, Derrick, can’t entice her away. She’s
trusted men before, and look where that got her.
She
tries to brush off the feeling that she’s being watched. But when she’s
followed home one night and her pursuer gets within a hair’s breadth of
grabbing her, she knows it’s time to get away from Las Vegas.
Maybe
Derrick can be trusted. Maybe his job offer—to care for his aging
grandfather in Maryland—will be the second chance she needs.
But Derrick has secrets of his own, secrets that could take him down–and take Harper with him.
Can there be a second chance for someone like her?
This month’s featured new release was Deadly Doll by ACFW Mystery/Thriller/Suspense author Brooke Cox. Today’s feature is the story behind the story.
I am an old tomboy who loves mystery and adventure stories. I started making up stories before I learned to write. My first published writings were children short stories, skits and poetry. Now I am venturing into Mystery. I have always enjoyed reading Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark. I thought if they can do it; I can too.
It’s not easy being the little odd ball. Brooksie, the main character, is different from the rest of her family. Even though they love her, she still doesn’t ever fit in completely. That was me growing up. I realized at an early age that I was different from my family. Do you remember the old cartoons where the stork would bring the baby to the parents? I used to joke my stork crashed landed at the wrong hospital.
That was the initial inspiration behind my book. I wanted to reach out to others who didn’t always fit in either. I wanted Brooksie to use her uniqueness to solve a mystery that nobody else in her family could. You don’t have to conform to please other people; just be the person Jesus created you to be.
Even though “Deadly Doll” is fiction, there is some reality in it. The doll on the cover is real. It’s my mother’s doll that my great grandfather sent back to her from Alaska while he was working there. It was hand made by Eskimos.
There was a small room off my grandparent’s attic that I would sneak into quite often. I would move old furniture out of the way as quietly as I could. Then I had to lift an old wooden plank from the doorway. And I had a flashlight hidden in my shirt. It was so exciting to turn it on and peer in at all the old stuff that was put away and forgotten about. I used to imagine all kinds of adventures there.
While writing “Deadly Doll,” it took on a life of its own. The more I worked on it, the more complicated it became. And I loved it. That’s when I realized how much I enjoy plotting out and writing mysteries.
Deadly Doll was released by Mantle Rock Publishing and is available on Amazon. To get your copy of this hot new release click here!
To connect with the author Brooke Cox or to find out more about her and her other writings click here. She can also be found on Facebook.
Kara writes supernatural suspense thrillers and is an ACFW Genesis 2013 Finalist in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category.
She’ll also keep you updated on upcoming writing contests and some of the best reads in Christian suspense.
To contact Kara, email her at fictionwithfaith@gmail.com or by clicking the below link:
Miranda Woodruff, star of the homebuilding show From the Ground Up, will do anything to keep the job she loves. Due to a painful broken engagement and a faith she’s mostly forgotten, she’s let her entire identity become wrapped up in the Miranda everyone sees onscreen. So when she receives news that the network might cancel her program, she must do the very thing she fears most: let the spotlight shine on her closely guarded personal life. The only problem? She’s been living a lie — letting viewers believe she’s married — and now she’s called upon to play wife to a sweet, if a bit goofy, pretend husband to boost ratings.
Desperate to help his family and prove he’s not a total failure, reporter Matthew Knox is looking for a breakout story. When he’s offered the opportunity to do an online serial feature on Miranda Woodruff, he jumps at the chance, even if celebrity reporting isn’t really his thing. But as soon as he meets Miranda, he knows she’s keeping secrets. When Miranda’s former fiance suddenly appears on the scene again, she doubts her life could get more complicated. Juggling three guys, an on-the-rocks television show, and the potential exposure of her deception is way more than she bargained for.
Can the woman who makes things look so good onscreen admit it’s time to tell the truth about who she is? And if she does, will the life Miranda’s built come crashing down just as she’s finally found a love to last?
About the Author:
Melissa Tagg – Genre: Romance
Melissa Tagg is a former reporter turned author who loves all things funny and romancey. In addition to her nonprofit day job, she is also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy, a craft and coaching community for writers founded by award-winning author Susan May Warren. She’s passionate about humor, grace and happy endings.
