This is a completed manuscript that I haven't sent out yet. Thought I'd share the first part of Chapter One with you 

Chapter One (Part 1)
  
"A tornado warning is now in effect for Charleston County, Berkeley County, and parts of Dorchester County. At approximately 6:45 p.m...."

Nicole switched off the television and gathered her purse and coat from the top of her desk in the back room of her antique shop. She didn’t want to be alone here during a storm. It didn’t feel safe. Few places did. A twenty minute drive would take her home with its tall wrought-iron gates and solid brick structure.

Her cell phone rang. Probably Katya calling to check on her. Her best friend for the past eight years, the woman knew close to everything about her, including the phobias that rendered her semi-functional.

"Hi, Kat. I'm heading out now."

"It doesn't look too bad on this side of town. Want to come hang out there?" Happily married with two small children, Kat had opened her doors more than once to Nicole when one of her fears had kicked in.

"No, I think it'll pass." As she clicked the lock into place securing her antique shop, a chill ran down her spin. A sense of deja vu passed over her.

A severe storm had taken away her security nine years ago, giving her best friend's boyfriend the distraction he'd needed to get close to her. To trap her inside the small office building which held her law practice.  And…

"Are you sure?" Worry coated Kat's voice. "Jim doesn't mind. He's draped over the sofa watching baseball. An occasional curse word gets thrown in when the satellite fades out from the wind."

"I thought you said it wasn't bad over there." Nicole made it to her car in record time, the swish of the palm trees rubbing her nerves. She climbed behind the wheel of her comfortable sedan with every bell and whistle she could get for security purposes and punched the ignition button. The doors locked automatically.

"I said it didn't look too bad, and I wasn't lying. A burst of wind every now and then isn't bad." Kat huffed out a breath. "Come on over. I've got stroganoff ready, and the little ones will be in bed within the hour. We could have a glass of wine, chat, and try to tune out Jim's salty language together."

Nicole smiled at the picture her friend painted. She did love spending time with Kat's family. They'd become her own, providing her that familial tie she didn't have through any blood relatives. Caving in, she turned her car in the opposite direction of home. "Okay, but once the storm dies down, I need to get home. I have to be at the shop early tomorrow to get ready for Saturday's sale."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll set out another plate."

Her hands white-knuckling the steering wheel, Nicole said goodbye to her friend and focused on the road. Overhead, the sky had darkened to an ominous gray with streaks of green. Palms slickened with sweat, she tried to remain focused on the road, to ignore the warning signs.

Heart thundering in her chest, she pressed the accelerator and, using her thumb, turned on the radio, expecting the soothing sounds of classical music. Instead, an ominous voice shared the unwelcome news that a funnel cloud had been spotted near Kat's neighborhood.

Panic threatening to choke her, Nicole punched another button to direct dial Kat from her car's Bluetooth. "Kat, a funnel cloud's just been spotted right around the corner from you."

"I know. The warning just interrupted the baseball game. We're taking precautions. Maybe it's best if you do go home and batten down the hatches. I'll call you as soon as this passes." Kat paused before adding in a firm tone. "And it will pass."

With her friend's reassurances ringing in her ears, Nicole took the first exit to backtrack toward home, her body shaking with each mile.

By the time she reached her house, tears coursed down her cheeks, and her hands shook so badly she could barely press the button on the garage opener.

"Get a hold of yourself, Nicole. Nothing is going to happen. You're safe."

The self-talk helped a little, but it was only when she was inside and had bolted all the locks in place that she managed to draw a deep breath. But she couldn't stop herself from turning on the TV to watch the path of the storm.

Storms paralyzed her. And years of therapy hadn't eased any of the crushing anxiety that overwhelmed her with each weather warning.

​Hours later, after the storm had moved on, Nicole she pushed herself up off the couch and stumbled down the hallway to her bedroom, one hand covering the scar that bisected her abdominal cavity.  Though the night had fallen quiet, she wouldn’t sleep. The bad weather could return, and she had to stay on guard even though her attacker had died nine years ago.  

I've been interviewed by Lisa Haselton's Reviews, and with it, I included a special excerpt from my latest release, Last Showing. You can't get this excerpt anywhere else so check it out here. 

And please let me know your thoughts in the comments on Lisa's blog. 

When I started looking to buy a house in December 2012, I met my wonderful real estate agent who led me to my house within a month. Along the way, though, we got to know one another, and through our talks and my interest in her career, a story idea was born. Jennifer Young, the young real estate agent in Last Showing, is my agent. She graciously allowed herself to be written into the novel, and I got a kick out of writing her! The book debuts on November 30th! In the meantime, here's a peek at what you can expect! 
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I rarely watch TV, and when I do, I set my DVR so I can watch at my leisure. Stalker has changed all of that. The writers of this show know how to up the ante and leave viewers on the edge of their seats. 

All season long, one story line has been building to a climax, and Wednesday night, it happened. And I was left staring at the TV screen with my mouth hanging open. It ending on two HUGE cliffhangers. The problem with that is no one seems to know when or if the show is returning. Gah!

As you can tell from my website, I write suspense so shows like Stalker are right up my alley. They have just the right amount of creepiness but not enough to send me scurrying from the room. (Had to stop watching Criminal Minds because of that!) And Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q work amazingly well together. 

In Wednesday night's episode called "Reckoning", a gripping cat and mouse game played out on screen with every life in danger. No one was immune to the sick killer's twisted mind games. And just when I thought "Oh, good, everyone's safe", two lives ended up hanging in the balance. 

Now all I can do is sit and wait for the hoped for renewal or the dreaded cancellation. In the meantime, you can watch several episodes for free at CBS.com. I'll be surprised if you don't get addicted, too!


  


 

I've been writing romantic suspense since 2006, but recently I've been focusing more on straight suspense with some romantic elements thrown in. Now here's the weird reason. My brain keeps coming up with killers even creepier than the last one I wrote, and I find it necessary to partly tell the story from the killer's point of view so readers can see how really unstable he is. Sooooo...should it worry me that my mind conjures lethal, maniacal killers?

While all of my books, mostly, have a happy ending, I spend a lot of time making that killer into someone no one would want to meet in a dark alley. I know their pathological process, what sets them on edge, and what triggers their need to kill on a minute by minute basis. And I enjoy writing from their points of view. 

When I wrote my first killer in Burning Reflections, which was published by Samhain Publishing in 2007, I thought I'd never write another unhinged character quite like that one. Oh, how wrong I was. 

So if you're reading one of my suspense books, don't be surprised if you find yourself asking what was I thinking. As you can see, I wonder that myself.