So excited to see my book and my face in my local paper, TownLift News!!! Here’s the link if you want to know a little more about me and Follow Her Down! TownLift.com
FOLLOW HER DOWN featured in TownLift News!
books
First Trade Review!
So excited to report that the first trade review for FOLLOW HER DOWN is in!
Midwest Book Review says, “A simply riveting novel of suspense… a complex and deftly crafted story built upon decades of doubt, fear, and suspicion that will not allow a woman overcome her trauma at the unexplained loss of her sister and the mysterious and possibly linked death of her ex-husband. Original and fascinating from start to finish, Follow Her Down is a strongly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library conspiracy suspense/thriller fiction collections.”
Follow Her Down is out on June 4! If you pre-order today, I’ll show up at your house bright and early on 6/4/24! Only in book form, I promise.
Follow Her Down in The Nerd Daily!
Follow Her Down is featured in “Seven Hot Domestic Suspense Books for Summer” by Elka Ray in The Nerd Daily!
Elka says, “When Elise’s wildly wealthy former lover is found murdered, Kyle’s convinced his death is linked to their sister’s. Not only is Elise a suspect in her ex’s killing, but she finds herself forced to ask questions she’d rather keep avoiding. Like Elise, I never knew where things were heading. If you like strong and complex female leads and tales of unsettling power dynamics, FOLLOW HER DOWN is great summer-cabin-reading.”
Follow Her Down is out on June 4 and you can pre-order here! And be sure to check out Elka Ray’s debut suspense, Friend Indeed.
Follow Her Down out June 4!
My latest suspense has a cover and a pre-order link, and June 4 is inching closer!
Reviewers, FOLLOW HER DOWN is now available for request on NetGalley. I’m thrilled to be working with both @thrillerbookloverspromotions and @kayepublicity this time around.
This book has it all: a 25-year-old murder, a complicated & cussing heroine, older brother’s best friend 😏, Bigfoot, deadly conspiracies, dysfunctional families, a creepy billionaire, and a tiny-home resort in the mountains. Hey, summer will be here before you know it! (She says while looking out her window at a snow squall.)
“The murder of Elise Rockwood’s sister shattered her family. Their mother’s anxiety kept her housebound. Elise’s paranoid brother, Kyle, saw conspiracies everywhere. Elise numbed her grief in an aimless lifestyle that left her emotionally broken. All of them victims. A local boy eventually confessed, but the damage was already done.
Years later, Elise is reinventing herself. She’s bought a mountain lodge to be close to home again and to find stability. Not even an email from her ex tempts her into revisiting the past. But Kyle won’t let it go. He still believes there’s more to their sister’s murder—and the confession—than meets the eye. When Elise’s ex is found dead in the same forest where her sister went missing decades before, Elise is finally willing to listen.
The traumas of the past are reemerging. So is the truth. Elise’s greatest fear now is who will survive it…”
Book Discussion with Linda Keir
Last week I had the opportunity to celebrate the release of THE THREE MRS. WRIGHTS, the brand new thriller from the writing duo Linda Keir! Linda Joffe Hull and Keir Graff have teamed up for their third fantastic book together, and we had an absolute blast discussing writing style, sociopaths, bigamy, and the sexy bits of thrillers!
You can watch the whole party here:
Books mentioned in the discussion:
The Three Mrs. Wrights by Linda Keir
The Swing of Things by Linda Keir
Solitude in Big Sur: Research for Half Past
Half Past takes place in two main locations: a small town in rural Iowa and the coast of Big Sur.
I didn’t have to do any research on the first location. My family is from a tiny farming community in southern Minnesota. I only had to look up a couple of details to get that part right. My biggest disappointment was discovering that Red Owl grocery stores had gone out of business. Our local Red Owl played a big part in my childhood summers. I can still smell the maple doughnuts, and my grandma used to buy me these (now horrifying) drinks. Does this picture trigger nostalgia for anyone else?
But California was a whole other story. I’ve been to developed parts of California (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco) and even a few secluded beaches (Half Moon Bay), but I’d never been anywhere wild. I knew the wild coasts of California were a whole other world, so I decided to do something I’ve always dreamed of. I decided to rent a cabin and explore someplace new all by myself. After all, this is my decade of trying new things.
Big Sur was everything I wanted. As described in the book, it really was a sudden shift from expensive seaside communities to a completely untamed land. It was peaceful and beautiful and picture-perfect, but I had a deep sense of my own frailty while there. Humans haven’t conquered this place. We’ve barely managed to develop small strips of it.
The bed and breakfast I described in the book doesn’t exist (nor do the people who lived there in the 70’s) but the cabin is as real as I could make it. I stayed at a beautiful roadside resort called Glen Oaks. I can’t recommend it enough. Despite the other nearby cabins and rooms, I felt utterly alone in the best way as I sat next to my fire for hours, writing and drinking wine.
I spent five days in Big Sur, exploring redwood forests and rocky coasts. I waded into the cold water on a deserted beach and hiked up a hillside stream to see abandoned lime kilns. I slipped through a long tunnel through the cliffs to emerge directly above the surf where ships used to load freight. I stared into that deep water for nearly an hour.
Everything you’ve heard about the highway is true. Gorgeous and absolutely terrifying. And when I was alone in the trees, I felt truly alone, strong and centered and vulnerable.
I loved every minute of my research in Big Sur. I hope you enjoy the results in Half Past!
p.s. Since my visit, Big Sur has suffered flooding and mudslides that cut off huge parts of the coast. Though most areas are now reachable, the people who live and work there have suffered tremendously. To find out how to help, please visit Big Sur Relief Fund.