Sloane Monroe's Fashion Sense -- Sinnerman

I had so much fun creating this set as part of Sloane Monroe's wardrobe in Sinnerman.  This is what she wore when she went to the restaurant to meet her friends at her birthday dinner.  I hope you like it too!

Sinnerman: Chapter One Sneak Peek

Murder in Mind
Sloane Monroe Series Book 2

Chapter One Sneak Peek

Sam Reids reclined back into the seat of his black 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and examined the women that shuffled in and out of the supermarket like predictable herds of cattle. It had been three long years since he felt the steady churn of butterflies in his stomach, but the anticipation of the nights soon to be events made it all worthwhile. The wait hadn’t been easy, and whenever he felt he couldn’t control his urges any longer he walked down the steep series of steps that led to the basement and gazed at the trinkets he’d collected. They were all spaced two inches apart in single-file formation on a shelf. In total, there were fifteen glass bottles. Each container had a white label about the size of a post-it note affixed to the front with the date and a name written in thick black marker.

Over the past few years Sam visited them often and took special care to dust and polish their exteriors, but he never opened them once they’d been sealed. He didn’t want to take a chance that one of his precious mementos could get spoiled. Sometimes he took one to his room and deposited it on the stand next to him while he slept. When he woke during the night to the illuminated glow that shone through the glass from the lamp above, he felt a sensation of peace, like a child that watched the constant spin of the mobile over their crib. It wasn’t the same thrill he’d experienced when he secured the object within the bottle, but it helped him pass the time.

Through his binoculars, Sam observed two women walk out of the store together; one carried a brown paper sack in her hand and the other, a gallon of milk. The one with the sack showed promise. Her long espresso-colored hair flickered in the wind. It reminded him of flames from a forest fire fighting its way across acres of trees. He waited for her to say goodbye to her friend and then placed his binoculars on the seat next to him. His palms expelled an oily substance that spread until they were both drenched with sweat. The time had come.

Sam grabbed an unused diaper from the passenger seat and pushed his car door open. At the same time, the woman unlocked her passenger side door and bent down and placed the sack of groceries on the seat of her car. She was too preoccupied to hear him approach.

“Excuse me,” he said.

The woman retracted out of the car and turned and faced him.

“Do I know you?”

“I’m sorry to bother you,” he said with a crooked smile, “but do you know how to change a diaper?”

She looked at the diaper in his hand and then back at him.

“Who do you ask?”

“My sister asked me to watch my nephew for a few hours, and I can’t seem to get the darn thing on right.”

He angled the diaper in the direction of his car.

“My car’s right over there,” he said. “Do you think you could help me?”

The woman hesitated and studied the man’s car for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders.

“I really need to get home.”

The man smiled, but not just any smile. It was one he’d practiced in the mirror over and over again until it conveyed what he needed it to—trust me.

“It will only take a minute,” he said.

They walked over to Sam’s car, and he was careful to remain a few paces behind her. He glanced over his left shoulder and then his right. All was still, and since the store closed in five minutes, he was certain it would remain that way.

He watched the woman peek through the window of his car and relished the startled look on her face when she didn’t see a baby. With a perplexed look, she turned and faced him.

“Where’s the­–”

The man reached into the front pocket of his hoodie with all the calmness of a drug addict who’d just smoked a bag of weed and pulled out a needle and inserted it into her shoulder. In an instant her body went limp and she sagged into him.

Happy anniversary, he thought to himself.

BUY LINKS

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HOLIDAY HOP CONTEST -- ENTER TO WIN BELOW!!!

Welcome Holiday Hoppers to my blog! 

I am offering two prizes.  See below for details.

Prize #1: One autographed copy of either Black Diamond Death or Sinnerman

(your choice)

Prize #2: A surprise gift from Santa! 
(And believe me when I say...it's worth entering!)

Here's how to WIN...

Just for stopping by my blog and "blog hopping", you are eligible for one entry in prize #1.  All  you need to do is EMAIL ME with your name.

To be eligible for prize #2, purchase a copy of Sinnerman (which is priced at .99 this month or FREE if you are on Amazon Prime) and then EMAIL ME the answer to the following question:

In Sinnerman, Chapter 47, First Page, Who is Maddie going to dinner with?

***

WANT TO EARN EXTRA ENTRIES???

1. Sign up for my blog (one entry for a free book)

2. Purchase Black Diamond Death on Kindle 
(FIVE entries, both contests)

3. Purchase Sinnerman on Kindle 
(FIVE entries, both contests) 
***Just don't forget to email me and let me know you did***

And don't forget to return back to the BLOG HOP once you're done here and keep on hoppin!  I will announce the winners on my blog on December 26th.

And be sure to check the HOLIDAY BLOG HOP on January 1st to see the winner of the grand prize, a Kindle Fire!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!

Sinnerman Nominated for a Whitney!

Well, paint my toenails black and dye my hair...Sinnerman, the second novel in my Sloane Monroe series, was just nominated for a Whitney Award in the category of mystery/suspense. 

I am thrilled about this!  Just to be nominated is such a huge honor, and I appreciate whoever those people are out there who nominated me.  Cheers to you all, and may the best man or ummm...woman, as it were, win ;) Fingers crossed!

Useful Tip #1: Priority Mail Doesn't Always Mean Priority Mail

So last night I had a book signing at the new library in my town. 

A litlte over a week before the signing, I was really looking forward to it.  I ordered my books via priority mail with the USPS and set up an alert on their site so I would get a text on my phone the moment they came in.  The stars aligned with my organizational OCD, and I felt confident all was in order.  Day after day I waited for my books, but no text came, so I checked the site two days before my book signing only to realize the books never left the post office they were shipped from. 

YIKES!

I might want to mention right about now that I'm an alpha, type A personality, so not having my books arrive when I clearly ordered them in plenty of advance made me want to break down in some kind of childish fit of anxiety topped with a nice helping of rage.  If I had hair, I'm sure I would have pulled it.  But the truth is, I'm a mellow person by nature--most of the time--so I suppressed those feelings and instead went down to my local post office and begged for them to magic up my box of books out of thin air which of course, they couldn't do...no matter how much they sympathized with my situation.

In the end, I tried to look at the positives of the situation.  I had another box of books at home that I could use, I had cute little bagged candy with my business card attached already prepared, and I live in a small town full of understanding people who hopefully would not be too upset if I sold out. 

And I did. 

And I took written orders.

And I breathed, and everything was just fine. 

No one accused me of being unorganized, ill prepared or things of that nature, and I left with an empty box and a wad of cash. 

Merry early Christmas to me :)

Note to self: Just because you get something shipped priority mail doesn't mean it will always get there in that glorious 2-3 days window, and therefore, I must order earlier in the future...lesson learned. 

And by the way...you'll never guess what came in the mail today.  Yep, my books.  Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase--A day late and a dollar short.  Sheesh!

See YOUR name in Cheryl Bradshaw's Next Novel

Amazon best-selling author Cheryl Bradshaw is offering one reader the chance to see their name (first AND last) in her new novel, I Have a Secret, which will be released Spring 2011. 

CONTEST DATES: NOVEMBER 9TH TO NOVEMBER 18TH

HOW TO ENTER: PURCHASE CHERYL BRADSHAW'S NOVEL(S)

Black Diamond Death $1.49 Amazon Kindle, B & N Nook

Sinnerman .99 Amazon Kindle, B & N Nook  

And then, email Cheryl by clicking HERE with the answer to one or both of these questions (depending on the book you purchase).

BLACK DIAMOND DEATH (CHAPTER 51, FIRST SENTENCE)

Question: Name the person who followed Sloane back to her place.

SINNERMAN (CHAPTER 52, FIRST SENTENCE)

Question: Name the corner streets Agent Luciana is on.

For one answer, you will receive one entry into the contest.  For both answers, you receive two.  The winner will be announced November 19th on Cheryl's blog.

GOOD LUCK!

WELCOME COFFIN HOPPERS! ENTER TO WIN BELOW!

I am sooo excited to be part of the Coffin Hop this year!  There are 100 authors participating which means YOU have a chance to win some really cool prizes like a Nook, gift cards, books, t-shirts, and even a chance to have your name in a novel!

Although I'm not a horror writer...YET, I am a mystery/thriller writer.  I write the Sloane Monroe series and currently have two books published: Black Diamond Death and Sinnerman.  Both are .99 as a promotion for this contest (book three in the series, I Have a Secret, will be released Spring 2012). 

My first novel, Black Diamond Death, entered the top #100 in two mystery categories six weeks after its release and has been a bestseller for over six months, and my second, Sinnerman, entered the top #100 sixteen days after its release and is doing well.    

Enough about my books for now...let's get to the contest!  I am giving away two prizes:

Prize #1: One autographed copy of either Black Diamond Death or Sinnerman (your choice)

Prize #2: One $20 gift card to Amazon.com

Here's how to win...

Just for stopping by and "blog hopping" you are eligible for one entry in prize #1.  All you need to do is EMAIL ME with your name. 

To be eligible for prize #2, purchase a copy of Sinnerman (which is priced at .99 for the rest of this month) and EMAIL ME the answer to these two questions:

1. In chapter 29, where does Giovanni take Sloane?

2. In chapter 42, what part of Park City does Decklan Reids live in?

These chapters are short, and it should only take about five minutes to find the answers.  Once you have them, EMAIL ME.  You will be entered to win prize #1 AND #2, AND you will be entered five times for the $20 gift card.

As an added bonus, anyone who signs up to follow my blog will receive two additional entries in the contest.

And don't forget to return back to the BLOG HOP once you're done here and keep on hoppin!  I will announce the winners on my site and contact them by email on November 1st.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

This Week Enter to Win a Free Autographed Copy of my Novel!

This week on Free Book Friday, my novel, Sinnerman is featured, and I will be giving away three personally autographed copies.  You can enter to win by clicking HERE.  And good luck to everyone!

Sinnerman Description:

What if you’d been given a second chance to catch your sister’s killer—would you take it? And if you did, would a maximum sentence behind bars be justice enough, or would he have to pay…with his life?

MEET SLOANE

Private Investigator Sloane Monroe has solved every case that’s come across her desk with the exception of one—the brutal murder of her sister Gabrielle.

Three years ago the killer slipped into the shadows, but today he’ll reappear again in the form of a female victim. 

MEET SAM

Park City, Utah was a peaceful place until Sinnerman came to town.
Who is he, and why does he prey on innocent women?

Author Cheryl Bradshaw Debuts Serial Killer Novel, Sinnerman, on Amazon Kindle

Here's my press release for Sinnerman, Book #2 in the Sloane Monroe Series.

WYOMING—October 13, 2011—Mystery and thriller writer Cheryl Bradshaw has just released a new .99 cent novel, “Sinnerman”, for Kindle and Nook.  The paperback version was also released this month.  “Sinnerman” is the second novel in Bradshaw’s Sloane Monroe series and is set in Park City, Utah.

Description for Sinnerman, Sloane Monroe Series #2:
What if you’d been given a second chance to catch your sister’s killer—would you take it? And if you did, would a maximum sentence behind bars be justice enough, or would he have to pay…with his life?

MEET SLOANE

Private Investigator Sloane Monroe has solved every case that’s come across her desk with the exception of one—the brutal murder of her sister Gabrielle. Three years ago the killer slipped into the shadows, but today he’ll reappear again in the form of a female victim.

MEET SAM

Park City, Utah was a peaceful place until Sinnerman came to town. Who is he, and why does he prey on innocent women?

--Sinnerman entered Amazon Kindle’s top #100 in the mystery hard boiled and police procedural categories within sixteen days of its launch.  Bradshaw’s other novel, “Black Diamond Death”, the first novel in the Sloane Monroe series, has been in the top #100 in the same categories for the past six months. 

“Writing mysteries has always been my dream, and I wanted to give Kindle and Nook readers and my fans an affordable way to read the first couple books in the series,” said Bradshaw. In addition to her novels, Bradshaw also hosts a blog for aspiring mystery writers and has a Facebook group for writers with over 600 members.

For more about Cheryl Bradshaw’s books or to request an interview:
Media Contact:

Website: Cherylbradshaw.com
Blog: cherylbradshawbooks.blogspot.com
Email: misspoirotatymail.com

Sinnerman - Book Two in the Sloane Monroe Series is OUT!!!

A couple weeks ago Sinnerman, the second novel in my Sloane Monroe series, went live--which is so exciting!  And right now it's on promotion for .99 during the first month of sale for the Kindle and Nook.  The print version will be out in the next week or so; I'm just waiting for the final word from the publisher on that.

To learn more about it, here's the skinny on what it's all about:

What if you’d been given a second chance to catch your sister’s killer—would you take it? And if you did, would a maximum sentence behind bars be justice enough, or would he have to pay…with his life?

MEET SLOANE

Private Investigator Sloane Monroe has solved every case that’s come across her desk with the exception of one—the brutal murder of her sister Gabrielle. Three years ago the killer slipped into the shadows, but today he’ll reappear again in the form of a female victim.

MEET SAM

Park City, Utah was a peaceful place until Sinnerman came to town. Who is he, and why does he prey on innocent women?
And you can read chapter one in its entirety HERE.

Coming in the next week...I will be announcing a contest and will be giving away Amazon.com gift cards to the winners, so check back for that. 

Happy reading!