Monday Motivation
Monday's motivation starts with a writing prompt: The rain. . .
Let the creativity flow and write a hooky (if you can use that word) paragraph or page. Have fun and share what you write.
More motivation: This week's Book-A-Week Challenge is MALICE by Lisa Jackson.
Read this page-turner and next Sunday, June 21, return here to see an interview with Lisa Jackson. Stop by and leave a comment about the book or ask Lisa a question. Rick Bentz is one of my favorite characters and I hope he'll become one of yours. Enjoy!
ISBN: 0758211848
Publisher: Zebra Books
Publish Date:April 2009
Genre: Romantic Suspense
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delivers a gripping, edge-of-your-seat tale of deception and betrayal as New Orleans detective Rick Bentz is forced to confront the ghosts of his past—and a killer’s twisted vengeance…
The scent is unmistakable—gardenias, sweet and delicate, the same perfume that his beautiful first wife, Jennifer, always wore. Opening his eyes in the hospital room where he’s recovering from an accident, New Orleans detective Rick Bentz sees her standing in the doorway. Then Jennifer blows him a kiss and disappears. But it couldn’t have been Jennifer. She died twelve years ago…
Once out of the hospital, Bentz begins to see Jennifer everywhere, haunting and taunting him, then vanishing without a trace. Could she still be alive? But it was Bentz who identified Jennifer’s body after her horrible car wreck, and there had been no question in his mind that it was her crumpled form behind the wheel, her clothes, her wedding ring. He’s never doubted it—until now. He can’t tell his new wife, Olivia, about the sightings or his secret fear that he’s losing his mind, even though he knows she suspects something is wrong. But Olivia is also hiding a secret…
When a copy of Jennifer’s death certificate arrives in the mail, emblazoned with a red question mark, Bentz follows the postmark trail to Los Angeles, returning to the painful memories he’s tried so hard to forget, and straight into a killer’s web. Reconnecting with his former LAPD colleagues, Bentz begins to piece together Jennifer’s last days, but each new discovery only serves as a chilling reminder of how little he really knew about his first wife. Then the murders begin, each victim a part of Jennifer’s past, each grisly corpse pointing to Bentz as the prime suspect.
Someone’s been waiting patiently, silently. Someone who knows exactly what happened that night twelve years ago and has been anticipating Bentz’s every move. Soon it will be Bentz’s turn to suffer for his sins. But he won’t be the only one made to pay the ultimate price. For a diabolical killer has now made Olivia the prime target...
Where to buy the book?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0758211848/taragreen-20
B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Lisa-Jackson/e/0758211848/?itm=1
3 comments:
Sorry I missed Friday's prompt, but here's one for today..
Well, in my next post since it's kind of long.
The rain made it the kind of fall day that gave people a reminder of November. An old maple that leaned over Calhoun Hall had taken on the look of fire. It always changed sooner than the other trees. Everything was washed out in the steady drizzle that fell.
Perri sunk into her raincoat and trudged across the grass, leaving The Spot behind. She thought the reunion would be a way to put old ghosts to rest, but as soon as she arrived she felt Stu right there with her, a stronger presence ever.
The fact the reunion was three days shy of the anniversary of Stu’s death seemed like a cruel little jab to her well-being. But here she was, slinking away from the old friends she thrust away after Stu died.
Calhoun looked empty. Dark windows stared back at her like a vacant stare. It was just an illusion. It was the weekend, but that didn’t mean every student jumped ship and Perri put her thoughts down to the fact that THIS is where IT happened. Perri walked towards the dorm. Around to where the fiery maple stood, its branches reaching toward the second floor window.
She stopped and stared at the window, leaned back against the smooth tree trunk. Her legs slid out from beneath her and she sat in the wet grass, staring up at the window that used to be Stu’s.
“Idiot,” she gritted out, as if he were there to hear. But wasn’t he? “Friggin’ moron!”
“I hope whoever lives in that room can't hear.”
The voice caught her by surprise. but when she looked up and saw Erik she turned away. “Aren’t they all morons?”
Erik chuckled. “I’d like to think some of us had more brains than others. Of course I was the exception to the rule.”
If he was hoping to make her smile he was going to be disappointed. Perri couldn’t smile, not know, not when she felt so angry and sad at the same time.
“What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you’re okay.”
She looked back up at his face. “Do I look okay?”
Erik shook his head. “Can I sit down?”
“Can you leave me alone?”
Again he shook his head and, uninvited, settled down in the grass next to her. “You know, he was my friend too.”
Perri forced herself not to look at him. “Do you think about him every day? Do you remember every moment of knowing him? I do.”
“You don’t still blame yourself, do you?”
“Of course I do. I could’ve stopped him from being such an idiot, but I was too busy. I failed him.”
Erik sighed and leaned his forehead against his arm. They’d been through the argument before and hadn’t come to any conclusion either of them liked.
“You’ve got to let him go, Per. It’s been five years. Move on. There’s a room full of old friends on the other side of the Green who want to help you.”
“I tried, but I can’t. I let them down too.” Tears mixed with the rain that took on a harder beat.
“You didn’t let anyone down,” Erik denied vehemently.
“He was my little brother. My parents trusted me to take care of him. I didn’t. I let him fall in with that crowd. They had to do their crappy little initiation tricks.” She looked up.The branches looked like blood and fire. They reached a closer than they had then. Five years ago, under the influence of a great deal of alcohol, Stu had taken the “Leap of Faith” as it was called.
Jumping from his dorm window to the branches of the maple just outside. Guys had done it for years before him. For all Perri know they still did. Stu hadn’t been very lucky.
That night had been like this one, rainy and raw. Egged on by the frat boys, under the false courage, he had made the Leap.
And missed.
He died immediately. Broke his neck, hadn't suffered. Small comfort. He left all the suffering to those he left behind.
“Let it go,” Erik repeated, reaching for her hand. She let him take it. She didn’t have the energy to argue.
“He was my brother.”
“And I was your fiancé. And I’m still alive.”
okay, loved that ending.
now go write something for friday's prompt. :-)
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