Jack Gets His Man by DE Haggerty (@denaehaggerty #NewRelease @BookEnthusiast1)

Book Title: Jack Gets His Man 

Author: D.E. Haggerty 

Genre: Romantic Comedy - M/M 

Release Date: July 1, 2015 

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Jack’s life is awesome. His store is making money hand over fist and his best friend has found love. So what if he’s feeling a bit restless and put out about his upcoming birthday and his ex is being a pain in his fabulous behind? That’s nothing he can’t handle. But then his smoking hot new bookkeeper discovers things at the store aren’t actually as they seem. Someone is playing fast and loose with the finances. Jack’s bestie and his gal pals, the gray-haired knitting detectives, jump at the chance to solve Jack’s problems. When they aren’t re-enacting scenes from spy thrillers, they’re setting Jack up on dates and generally insinuating themselves into his love life. They’re determined to find love for Jack as well as his missing money. Will Jack catch a thief or find love? Either way Jack’s going to get his man.

 

 The first candidate arrived promptly at 9:30 or at least his mom did. Danny ushered an elderly matron with a stern bun into Jack’s office and made a hasty retreat.

 Jack just stared at her until Izzy cleared her throat and poked him in the ribs. “I’m sorry,” she said when Jack kept staring. “We were expecting someone named Fred. Is that you?”

 The woman looked first at Jack and then at Izzy. “Of course that’s not me,” she snapped. “What kind of name is Fred for a woman?”

 “Er.. um,” Izzy stumbled. “Do you know where Fred is?”

 The woman rolled her eyes and harrumphed. “He’s in the bathroom. He always gets nervous at interviews.”

 “Um. Okay,” Izzy was quick to respond when she saw Jack opening his mouth. Knowing Jack nothing appropriate was coming out of his mouth at the moment. “Can you have a seat outside while we conduct the interview?” Izzy could do prim and proper when necessary.

 The woman gave Izzy the evil eye before turning on her heel and walking out. They never saw Fred.

 Jack was licking his fingers when Danny ushered in the next candidate.

“Hi!” the enthusiastic candidate nearly shouted. “I’m Tim!” That part was definitely shouted.

 Jack and Izzy stood to shake the man’s hand. He swayed a bit as he leaned forward. Jack took a sniff, but didn’t smell anything untoward. Tim collapsed in his seat while Jack stared at his hand in disgust. Tim’s hands were sweaty. Jack’s mouth pulled tight in a grimace and his nose scrunched in displeasure.

 “So Tim. Why do you want this job?” Izzy’s voice was overly enthusiastic in an attempt to bring Tim’s attention to her so he wouldn’t see Jack’s grimace. She need not have bothered. Tim had leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. When he didn’t respond, Izzy snapped her fingers. “Tim?”

 He started. “Huh? What?”

 “Have you been drinking?” Jack didn’t even bother to ask in a polite manner.

 Tim shrugged. “Just a tiny drink to settle my nerves.”

 Jack stood. “Okay. Thanks a lot for coming. We’ll be in touch.”

 Tim looked confused but managed to struggle to his feet and lurch out of the door. Izzy was giggling uncontrollably by the time Jack sat back down. He snorted. “At least this isn’t boring.”

 An hour later, Jack had changed his mind. Interviews #3 and #4 were tedious. Like he was going to hire someone wearing a gray, off-the-rack suit to work in his company. He laid his head on the table, careful not to mess up his hair, and turned pleading eyes to Izzy. “Can we please have lunch now?”

 Izzy shook her head. “Nope, another interview before lunch.”

 “I hate you,” Jack whispered as the door opened again. Danny ushered in a beautiful man and Jack perked up immediately. Izzy gave him a side-long glance but he ignored her. Things were looking up. 

“This is Damien,” Danny said before backing slowly out of the office, eyes glued to the man candy that was Damien.

 Izzy jumped up to shake his hand. Jack just stared until she kicked him in the shin. Then he stood up as well, but he looked like he was in a trance as he reached forward to shake Damien’s hand. Izzy had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling.

 “So,” Izzy began once everyone had sat down and Jack had inspected Damien from top to toe. “Why do you want to work here?”

 Damien turned his dazzling smile on Izzy and winked. “Seriously? This store is awesome.”

 “Are you a cross-dresser?” Jack asked before Izzy had a chance to kick him again.

 “No,” he shook his head. “But I think it’s great that someone is willing to have a store dedicated to cross-dressers in such a small town in Oklahoma of all places.”

 “You do realize that a significant portion of the store’s income comes from the big and beautiful women’s section,” Izzy pointed out.

 Damien waved his hand in dismissal of her objection. “But that’s great as well. Everyone should have good clothing options.” He looked at Jack for confirmation and Jack nearly took his head off nodding in agreement. Izzy had to stifle yet another laugh.

 Jack cradled his head in his hands with his elbows on the table staring at Damien. Obviously it was up to Izzy to conduct this interview. “Tell us about your work experience.”

 The interview lasted 30 minutes, but Jack couldn’t tell you one single thing that was said during that time. He was too busy trying to keep his drool from spilling out of his mouth. Izzy cleared her throat and Jack realized that everyone was standing. He quickly jumped to his feet and shook Damien’s hand, holding on for as long as possible. Damien gave him a megawatt smile before turning to leave. 

Izzy collapsed in the chair and turned squinted eyes on Jack. “No.”

 Jack flounced into his chair and decided to play innocent. “Whatever do you mean, my dear?” He might be overdoing the innocent thing.

“The five female seniors’ involvement in all of this, especially the investigation, is both hilarious and endearing.” ~ Amazon Reviewer  

“I would recommend this book (and am) to friend that read. It was light hearted, quick to read, and fun in all the best ways.” ~ Amazon Reviewer  

“The “gray haired detectives” are back, which I’m happy to say are in their usual rare form. There is nothing feeble about them and they use their skills to do recon missions, perform accounting audits, and get in a little bit of trouble with the local police. In their spare time they play matchmaker to the single people in their church, whether or not the poor souls want any help.” ~ Amazon Reviewer  

“D.E. Haggerty writes wonderfully funny mysteries that have lots of detail and chuckles throughout.” ~ Amazon Reviewer

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European. After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Ohio, Virginia, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. I’m leaning towards somewhere I can learn to surf even though the hubby thinks that’s a less than sound way to decide where to live. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between playing tennis, running much slower than I would like, trying to adopt every stray dog within a 5-mile radius, traveling to exotic new locales, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, addictively watching new movies and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my sixth book.

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Author Interview: Cathrina Constantine

A week or so ago, my friend Cathrina celebrated the release of her newest novel, Don't Forget to Breathe. It's a young adult thriller/mystery, with a clever premise and a gorgeous cover. I was intrigued by all this, and wanted to learn more, so I invited Cathrina for an interview...

BIO:

Cathrina Constantine resides in Western New York with her husband, five children, two Labrador Retrievers and two cats. When not with her family, reading, or stationed at the computer, you will find her walking in the backwoods with her dogs, conjuring up a new tale.

Cathrina’s published credits are Wickedly They Come, Wickedly They Dream, Tallas, and Don’t Forget to Breathe.

You can find Cathrina here: Amazon Page        Twitter        Facebook        Pinterest        TSU

INTERVIEW

LR: What’s the most compelling thing about Don’t Forget to Breathe, the thing that’s kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?

CC: I fell in love with the characters and the new genre. It was the fastest first draft I’ve written. 3 months. But then months and months of editing….

LR: Your bio says you took some time off to raise children (though I’d argue you were probably more ON during that time than ever before), then got back into writing. How’d you do it? If you had to recommend one writing resource, either a class or a book or a workshop, what would that be?

CC: Yes, I did write pre-kids and pre-computer age, but nothing became of it. I saved those stories and chuckle reading them. One day out of the blue an idea came into my head, I grabbed pencil and paper and began to write. Not until the pages started adding up when my son said, “Why don’t you use my computer?” That was my first manuscript, Wickedly They Come, which went into years of rewrites and editing.

I never studied creative writing or took any workshops, which I should do because my technical prose needs work. But I’m a reading carnivore. I’m self-taught and it shows in two drafts that will never see the light of day.

LR: Most of your work has a touch of the paranormal, which I think is cool. Does that reflect how you see the world?

CC: The mystical and inexplicable happenings I find intriguing. I truly believe there are dimensions all around us. Heaven and Hell. Good versus Evil.

LR I love the joint book reviews you and Nana Prah do – and not just because you said nice things about my book. J  How’d you get started doing them? Who chooses what to read next?

CC:  We loved BetweenThe Sheets! Nana and I connected after both becoming contracted with Black Opal Books. We were floundering authors, wondering how to make ourselves known. The Prah & Constantine Reviews were Nana’s brilliant idea. As far as how we choose what book to review, we sometimes take monthly turns or we discuss it.

LR: So, how’s the winter going up there in New York State? Are you getting any writing done between bouts of shoveling snow?

CC: Brrrr….frozen artic region. My favorite time to write is in the winter, especially during swirling snowflakes. Summer’s short, so I don’t like to spend my time behind a computer.

LR: What’s your favorite non-writing activity? Like, are you a closet marathon runner? Could you crochet a house-cozy if you had to? Maybe you secretly want to appear on Antiques Roadshow?

CC: Your questions are cracking me up! I do crochet and hand-quilt, but I never made a house-cozy. I recently started babysitting my first grandbaby. I love it. But my writing’s been tossed in the background. 

LR: What’s next on your horizon? Describe your current WIP(s) or other upcoming project.

CC: I just finished the first draft to the sequel, Tallas. Now the hair pulling edits. I’ve started two fantastical stories that I’m itching to sink my teeth into. And I have a short story in Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly’s Anthology called Mystical Bites coming this spring.

BLURB

Sixteen-year-old Leocadia arrives home from school to find her mom’s bloody body. Unaware that the killer still lingers, she rushes to her mother’s side, only to be grabbed from behind and then everything fades to black.

After a year of retrograde amnesia and battling personal demons, Leo’s dreams are getting worse—she’s starting to remember. More bodies are discovered and they seem to be oddly linked to her mom’s unsolved homicide.

When Leo allows her friend, Henry to drag her into the haunted Lucien Mansion, misty ghosts appear, ghosts that just might lead to her mother’s murderer.

Will Leo let her memories threaten her into a relapse or, will she fight to find her mother’s killer – only to become his next victim?

EXCERPT 

I trekked farther along the tracks. Using the heightened berm to observe the area, I could scarcely make out the tombstones that pocked the ground amidst the fog; it looked eerie and lonesome. Then spotting remote figures, I counted three. It could be kids looking for a place to party in private. I crouched and balanced on my heels to monitor the dark shapes and wondered if one might be Henry.

They traveled behind a large monument, losing sight of them. To the left a prowling cat distracted me when suddenly, a blood-curdling scream scraped into my bones, clutching my heart.

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My Favorite Books in 2014

This year I did something new. I started a Pinterest board to keep track of all the books I've read. Last January, I didn't truly expect to be pinning to the board in December, but here I am, still at it. (Jump HERE to take a look at my board.) There are 117 pins, and while last summer I didn't think I'd ever be able to come up with a list of ten favorites, it seems that having a little time and distance from the stories made it possible.

I'm not going to write full-on reviews here - just record a couple thoughts about why I liked the books. As you read through my choices, you'll likely notice a couple things. I'm not much into the literary fiction, and none of my favorites fell very far from the romance tree. Most of them are from the m/m (queer/lgbt) romance subgenre, and while the interwebs are full of opinions about middle aged straight women who read and write about gay men, it's what's working for me right now.

So here's my top ten list for 2014 - all books I loved, most of them I read at least a couple times, and all books I'd recommend in a heartbeat.



10. The Great Sex Olympics of 221B by Eli Easton.
This was a bit of a departure for me - first time reading Eli Easton and first time reading fanfic. It's about Sherlock & Watson, specifically the version of the characters created by the BBC, and lordy was it entertaining. This one was a free download, but I've got a couple other things by Ms. Easton on the kindle now.









9. This Rough Magic by Josh Lanyon
I love a good historical, and this one pretty much nailed it. It's a mystery with a sidecar of romance, and Mr. Lanyon totally sold me on the early 20th century San Francisco setting.












8. Glitterland by Alexis Hall
I think Alexis Hall is doing some of the most imaginative work of any writer, any genre, anywhere. He made me like Ash, who's really kind of a jerk. ;) Here's a link to my review from last February.










7. Love Hacked by Penny Reid
So...mea culpa...when I reviewed this book last April (HERE), I said I liked it, but it wouldn't make my top ten list.
Yeah.
Wrong about that.
Smart and funny and sexy, this one stayed with me. It's hard to do contemporary romance well - I mean, come on, how many reasons can you come up with that a couple of healthy heterosexuals WOULDN'T get together? - but the conflict felt real and the characters rang true.






6. The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles
I don't even know where to begin with this one. It's the first in a trilogy. It's romantic fantasy, the kind of re-imagined history I eat up with a spoon. It's a heckuva lot of fun, and I hope you skip on over to the ebook retailer of your choice and grab a copy!

5. Hold on Tight by Serena Bell
I'm not one for the angst, but a friend (ahem, Amanda) INSISTED I read this one, and I'm so glad she did. The raw honesty in this story of what happens when life tears a couple apart, then throws them back together made for a "stay up way late after a night shift because I can't put the book down" kind of read.










4. Hainted by Jordan L. Hawk
Ms. Hawk has a couple other very popular series, and while I've read parts of them (and liked them a lot), this is the book that grabbed me. I love the combination of mythology and setting and characters (Dan! and Leif!). I can't even tell you how many times I've re-read this one, and every time, I like it even more.









3. Enlightenment (trilogy) by Joanna Chambers
I'm counting these three (Provoked, Beguiled, and Enlightened) as a single entry because the endings of the first two are sort of cliffhangerish, or at least unresolved, so they really can be read as one. The sample of the first book absolutely gutted me, and I knew I had to read the rest. When I think of Ms. Chambers' writing, words like elegant and restrained come to mind (although her naughty bits are fun, too), and I'm absolutely in love with the way she handled the historical setting. Brilliant!






2. Prosperity by Alexis Hall
Yeah, Mr. Hall made my list twice, because he's really that good. HERE's my review of Prosperity, but just to recap, this is one of the boldest, most imaginative books I've read all year. It's a demanding book - all in dialect - but SO worth the effort. Even better, there are a bunch of stories set in the same world that'll be coming out soon!






1. Think of England by KJ Charles
The thing that set this book apart for me was the subtle, unapologetic understanding of it's period, as well as the connection to it's heritage. And yeah, since that heritage is Victorian pulp fiction, specifically King Solomon's Mines, you know you're in for a good time. In the interest of saving us both from embarrassment, I'm going to spare you the fangirl squeeing. Just read it. It's really, really good.
(Here's a link to my Goodreads review.)





Best Anthology - I read a number of anthologies this year - a couple of great holiday sets from Carina, another rather unfortunately called Butt Ninjas from Hell that was way better than it's title, but it was Another Place In Time that resonated most with me. The stories are consistently good, and confirmed my love of historical fiction, especially the m/m variety.









Apparently the only way I could come up with a top-ten list was to let myself go wild with the honorable mentions. Here they are (in no discernible order)...
Hot Head, The Quick, Special Delivery, Liesmith, Circus of the Damned, The Theory of Attraction, Dangerously Happy, Catch A Ghost/ Long Time Gone/ Daylight Again, Snowball in Hell, The Haunting of Maddie Clare, Bad Boys Do, A Companion to Wolves, Cold Copper

Thanks so much for hanging out with me this year, whether on Facebook or twitter, over here on blogspot or on my website blog. It's been an adventure, one I'm happy to have shared with you. Happy New Year!
Liv

What genre is it, anyway?

This week's guest blogger is the wonderful Ryder Islington. I took an on-line class with Ryder last year and  I have to confess that when I read her book, Ultimate Justice, I kept thinking about a really powerful scene she'd submitted for the class, and stressing over when this awful thing was going to happen to the characters. I shouldn't have worried. The scene  was from her next book. Meanwhile, I hope you'll all check out her post here, and click the link to the right to check out Ultimate Justice. It's an atmospheric, character-driven mystery that I know you'll enjoy.
Peace,
Liv

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a writer ask this question. “I’ve written this book, and it has suspense and romance and comedy in it. What genre is it?” And so many times I’ve heard this response: “Just write the book you want to write and then figure out what to call it. It’s probably the same kind of book you like to read.”

We do have to write the books that are in us. But honing the genre is important when it comes time to send out prepare a synopsis, send out queries and actually sell your story. Agents and editors represent certain genres, bookstores shelve according to genre, and readers choose books according to genre. There are blended genres, like historical romance, romantic mystery, romantic cozy, or women’s historical fiction.

Sometimes a new writer deliberately tries to create new combinations, to be unique, and sometimes it just turns out that when the first draft is completed, it has elements of mystery, romance and drama, or some other combination. Or it doesn’t seem to fit into any genre. I tried really hard to write an historical romance and ended up with a western. The subject of genre can be confusing even for experienced writers.

So how do we solve the problem of how to fit our wonderful stories into some category seemingly created to make our lives harder?

When I started writing my debut novel, Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery, the plan was for it to be a thriller. Then it took a turn as an element of romance was introduced. But wait, wasn’t it really about the main character, Trey Fontaine, the FBI agent, and two homicide cops, which would make it a police procedural. After twenty or so revisions, I realized that the most important element of this story was the mystery.  The mystery affects every character in the book.

I am now of the opinion that while we are writing our first draft, we need to just write the story that is in us. And then when that first creative burst is over and it has been stashed away for a week or two, it’s time to read it fresh, bearing in mind that if it is to be sold in the current market, it has to have a main category.  What is the major plot about? Who is the main character and what makes that character change throughout the story? What is the strongest element in the story?  Chances are that if you write fiction, you read fiction, so you know about genres.

Go to the bookstore, or to Amazon.com, (or in my case, to the five hundred or so books scattered about my home) and look at some categories. Are there any authors whose work reminds you of your own? Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your skill with another writers’. The question is not about the skill, but about the style, theme, pace, etc. Read some books in the genres you think your story fits into, and analyze it. Who is the major character, and what happens to him/her? What do you see as the most important part of the plot?

Read books by authors whose work feels like yours and just see if maybe your book fits into that genre. For me, the best example is Greg Iles. What feels similar between his writing and mine is the character development. We both like to delve into characters.  And we both write at a medium pace. Turns out he writes more in the thriller genre, but with a mystery. Whereas my book is a mystery, with a little thriller genre thrown in. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not professing to write as well as Greg Iles. But as I compared my story to the stories of my favorite authors, I found a familiar feel in his work.

So when writers ask me how to place their stories into genres, I try to give them some direction that actually helps solve the issue. What genre is it? That’s an important question for every writer. I found a way to answer the question for myself. I hope my methods help others too.

Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery is receiving rave reviews from readers. http://www.ll-publications.com/ultimatejustice.html

The small town of Raven Bayou, Louisiana explodes as old money meets racial tension, and tortured children turn the table on abusive men. FBI Special Agent Trey Fontaine returns home to find the town turned upside down with mutilated bodies. Working with local homicide detectives, Trey is determined to get to the  truth. A believer in empirical evidence, Trey ignores his instincts until he stares into the face of the impossible, and has to choose between what he wants to believe and the ugly truth.

A graduate of the University of California and former officer for a large sheriff’s department, RYDER ISLINGTON is now retired and doing what she loves: reading, writing, and gardening. She lives in Louisiana with her family, including a very large English Chocolate Lab, a very small Chinese pug, and a houseful of demanding cats. She can be contacted at RyderIslington@yahoo.com or visit her blog at http://ryderislington.wordpress.com