As 1958 nears an end San Francisco is being terrorized by a man who calls himself the “Fog City Strangler,” who preys on pretty young blonde women. The strangler announces each murder by sending a note and piece of cloth from the victim’s dresses to the local newspapers.
Private eye Sam Slater is worried that the Fog City Strangler may be eyeing his beautiful blonde wife, stewardess Amelia Ryan. Sam’s angst mounts as the strangler continues to claim more victims. His anxiety is further fueled when TWA launches an advertising campaign with Amelia’s picture on a series of billboards plastered all over the city. Sam fears the billboards may attract too much attention--the wrong kind of attention.
Meanwhile, Sam and Amelia are hired to try to find the missing daughter of a wealthy dowager who fears she has lost her only child. The missing woman went for a walk with her dog on Stinson Beach, near San Francisco, and seemingly vanished into thin air. The woman’s husband arrived at their beach house and found the dog running loose but there was no trace of his wife. The police are stumped in their investigation.
As Sam and Amelia look into the disappearance of the woman on the beach they discover that nothing is as it seems at first glance. On a stormy night a shadowy figure sets fire to the beach house where the couple is staying--hoping to stop their investigation.
Fog City Strangler is a stand-alone thriller but is part of the Sam Slater Mystery Series--Last of the Seals, Deadly Plunge and San Francisco Secrets.
Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE.
Greg Messel is giving away a 3 book set of his Sam Slater Mystery Series (Last of the Seals, Deadly Plunge and San Francisco Secrets AND a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive the 3 book set and $25 Amazon Gift Card.
This giveaway begins February 3 and ends on March 28.
Winner will be contacted via email on Monday, March 31, 2014.
Greg Messel grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Edmonds, Washington on the Puget Sound with his wife, Carol. Fog City Strangler is his seventh novel and is the fourth in a new series of Sam Slater mystery novels. Greg has lived in Oregon, Washington, California, Wyoming and Utah and has always loved writing, including stints as a reporter, columnist and news editor for a daily newspaper. Follow news about Messel’s writings and books at www.gregmessel.com.
Join a talented and diverse group of 38 authors who are touring with Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Tours during the month of June 2011.
Follow these authors as they travel the blogosphere from June 6th through June 30th to discuss their books. This month is filled with a variety of genres: thrillers, children’s books, fantasy novels, historicals, memoirs and more!
The month of June finds several authors continuing their virtual book tours. Returning are Buzz Bernard and “Eyewall,” Sandi Gelles-Cole and “The Memoir of Marilyn Monroe,” Emily Sue Harvey and “Homefires,” Douglas Jacobson and “The Katyn Order,” Tom McLaughlin and “Borneo Tom,” M.J. Rose and “The Hypnotist,” Alexandrea Weis and “Recovery,” Nzingha West and “Is My Kid Stupid?”and Lory Kaufman and “The Lens and the Looker.” Kaufman will also be touring with “The Bronze and the Brimstone,” the second book in his Verona Trilogy.
Short story collections come to you from Hank Aaron and Garasamo Maccagnone, while Michael Scott Miller talks about his contemporary novel, “Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers.” Thrillers are being promoted by Steve DeWinter, Julia Madeleine, bestselling author Aaron Patterson and Chris White, L.L. Reaper, and Dave Zeltserman.
Check out literary fiction offerings from Patty Friedmann, Lynda Simmons, and Carole Waterhouse. Mysteries come to you from Ray Ellis, Larry Jukofsky, and Wayne Zurl, while Paul Levine promotes his hardboiled crime novel, “Flesh and Bones.” Amazon bestselling author Mayra Calvani talks about her children’s picture book, “Frederico, the Mouse Violinist,” and award-winning author Renee Hand tours with the second book in her Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bill children’s mystery chapter book series, “Mineral Mischief.”
Also on tour in June are F.J. Dagg, P.J. Hoover, Leonora Pruner, and C.W. Gortner, who is promoting the paperback release of “The Confessions of Catherine de Medici.”
Memoirs come to you from Neil Cullen McKinlay, Jessamine Rose, and Jane Rowan. Other nonfiction authors on tour are Harriet Cammock, Barbara Conelli, and Dr. Frederick Lukash. Pump Up Your Book! is also running a one-day promotional event on June 14th for author Laurel Dewey and her crime thriller, “Revelations.”
Pump Up Your Book! is a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service at an affordable price. More information can be found on their website at http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/.
Contact Information:
Dorothy Thompson
Founder of Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Tours
P.O. Box 643
Chincoteague, Virginia 23336
Email: thewriterslife@yahoo.com
In case you hadn't heard, my first children's book, Little Shepherd is now available at the publisher's website and Amazon.com! Autographed copies can be ordered directly through me for a cost of $9.95 plus shipping. Please use the contact button and provide me with the following:
* Name * Mailing address * Quantity * How you would like the book(s) autographed
Payment can be made by PayPal or by bank check or money order.
Here's a video trailer I created today to share some of the lovely illustrations Eugene Ruble created for the book.
Thanks for your support. I hope you enjoy the trailer!
The discovery of a priceless artifact puts Julia’s life in great danger! From valuable artifacts to shady businessmen, the Yucatan Peninsula becomes a dangerous vacation spot for John and Julia Evans. While on assignment for the newspaper, the Evanses try to enjoy a romantic vacation among the Mayan ruins, but when Julia accidentally comes upon a couple suspicious men exchanging an item, she quickly turns and leaves but it is too late. The men have seen her. As a reporter, Julia does not easily give up and her curiosity gets them in a mess of trouble. Before John and Julia realize what is going on, they are both in danger and find themselves running for their lives through the jungles of the Yucatan.
Read an Excerpt!
Chapter 1
Julia strode down the well-traveled path. Her heart was beating rapidly and she had a feeling of urgency as she hurried along. She stopped and looked around. The trees on both sides of the trail were so thick that she couldn't see beyond them, and a canopy of branches overhead was hiding the sun from view. Thick vines and vegetation had crept up the trunks of many trees and were hanging over the limbs. She heard the chatter of monkeys and a few tropical birds communicating with each other, but other than that, it was peaceful and serene. So why had her pulse rate accelerated?
Julia continued on for a ways until she came to a fork in the path. The trail on the right was trimmed and well-worn but the one on the left was less traveled and narrow. Not only that, a large fat snake was hanging from a branch. The snake's head lifted and followed her every movement. This sent a chill up her spine and Julia shivered involuntarily. Snakes had never bothered her before but this one was much larger than an ordinary garden snake. Whether or not it was poisonous, she didn't know.
Julia bit her lip, wondering which path to take. The one on the right seemed more inviting, but she was curious about the other and where it led. After a few seconds, she headed down the well-trimmed path. For some reason, she felt a deep foreboding with each step she took. Had she chosen wisely?
It did not take long until she came upon an opening in the thick forest. Julia's eyes widened at the beauty, so green and lush. A magnificent aqua-colored lake stood out from this forest and peacefulness seemed to rein over this area. As her eyes scanned the beauty of this land, she heard crunching of debris from behind her.
Instinctively, she knew that her life was in danger. Why, she did not know. Julia's heart pounded furiously. Beads of sweat formed on her brow and her chest tightened. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned and found herself face to face with a large burly man that had an angular scar across his cheek. His piercing dark eyes were hard and cold as he glared at her. His contemptuous smile told her that he had been hunting her like prey.
Julia was helpless. She was in a remote area by herself. When the man saw her fear, he grinned, accentuating the scar along his cheekbone. As he slowly approached her, to her horror, she could not move an inch. She was frozen to the spot. So she did the only thing she could think of. She let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed in her ears.
Instantly, John bolted upright from his bed, his heart pounding erratically as he awoke from a deep sleep. He blinked his eyes a couple times, trying to come to his senses when he finally realized that Julia had awakened him, screaming at the top of her voice. He leaned toward the nightstand, switched on the light, and then turned toward his wife. When he saw how pale she was, John realized she had had a nightmare. Was it the same dream again? He took her hand and squeezed it lovingly as he watched her chest rise and fall in quick breaths. After a few moments, her eyes flickered open and met his. When he looked into her hazel eyes, he knew she was frightened.
"You had another one, didn't you?"
Julia nodded.
"The same one?"
She nodded again, her eyes wide with fear.
"It's been a month now and you've had this same dream once or twice a week. Does it ever vary or is every detail the same?"
"The same," she answered as she pushed her fingers through her rich auburn hair. "There's no variation."
John slid next to her and pulled her into his arms. How he loved this woman, his wife and companion! And it wrenched his heart that she had to endure such dreams. What had caused them in the first place? He wrapped his arms around her in a protective manner as she snuggled in his embrace. She gave a sigh of relief as he tightened his arms around her.
Julia was an investigative reporter for the Dixie Chronicle in St. George, Utah. She was a stubborn, determined woman but her pleasant smile was genuine, which warmed the soul of those she met. She, also, had a deep faith in God but she had her mischievous ways. For fun, she would introduce herself by using her first and middle name, just to see the surprised look on people's faces. What was her middle name? Roberts. That's right. Julia Roberts! In fact, she almost laughed out loud when someone actually asked for her autograph. She didn't even look like the movie star. Not wanting to embarrass the poor man, she gave him her autograph. Julia vowed that one day she would ask her father why she had been given such an unusual middle name.
She was stunningly beautiful, a farm girl at heart with a touch of grace and elegance, when needed. Her husband cherished everything about her, even her strong will and stubborn ways. She was completely opposite from John, which made his life with her even more intriguing. They had been married for twenty-one years. She was forty-one and he was forty-three.
Right now they were in a hotel in Merida on the Yucatan Peninsula on assignment for the Chronicle. Needless to say, they decided to make it a vacation and stay two weeks instead of one.
As Julia heard the deep breathing of her husband, she knew that he had fallen asleep again. She smiled. This vacation was a much-needed one for both of them. John had been working extra long hours lately and she had greatly missed his presence at home.
Julia had longed for his attention and loving ways, even his teasing, for the past six months. She longed for that affectionate kiss as he passed through the kitchen, holding hands during a movie, and words of communication while lying in bed. It sort of rekindled the fire that may have been forgotten from every day life in a busy world of responsibilities.
Julia knew how important it was to keep a romantic relationship with her husband. She liked a romantic evening best when it was spontaneous rather than planned. But who had time to even plan lately?
It had been quite a while since Julia felt her heart beat rapidly as she felt her husband's arms tighten around her waist and she desperately missed it. She felt a need to renew those special feelings as often as possible, to keep their love alive. So, here they were in Mexico, and finally taking time for one another.
The only thing that confused her was why she was having these dreams. They were the same exact dreams every time. As she lay staring at the ceiling, Julia knew that she could not fall back to sleep so she very quietly slid out of bed.
She walked to the dresser and slipped on some clothes, brushed her hair, and put on some makeup. Then she turned out the lamp beside the bed and slipped out the door to take a relaxing walk. It was six o'clock in the morning and not a soul was up and stirring on this Sabbath day. This was a perfect time to meditate and think of all her many blessings, for her husband and their three daughters.
Julia walked out into the cool morning air and breathed in the fresh fragrance. As she slowly strolled down the sidewalk, she thought about her assignment for the Dixie Chronicle. She was supposed to write about the ruins of the ancient people of Mesoamerica. What an exciting assignment! She was so thrilled when her boss had given her this important project, the first one he had ever given her since her promotion as an investigative reporter. She smiled with contentment as she walked toward a bunch of tall thick shrubs next to a park.
As Julia stepped around the shrubs, she saw a short pudgy man with wisps of grayish brown hair surrounding his balding head. He was smiling as he admired something in his hand. The man beside him was an unusually tall Latin. His short sleeves revealed his tanned arms and he had dark curly hair that touched the collar of his white shirt.
As the balding man pulled a large envelope from his jacket and handed it to his companion, he exclaimed, "Beautiful! It's simply..."
His words trailed off when his eyes met Julia's. As if startled by her presence, he froze, staring at her with widened eyes.
Instantly, his companion turned around and looked over his shoulder to see what he was staring at. But it did not take long for the Latin's dark eyes to quickly change from surprise to irritation. Julia noticed that his eyes were hard and cold and his jaw was rigid. A chill went down her spine as a feeling of apprehension crept inside her. Something told her to leave and to leave now. She was not about to question those feelings, so she instantly turned on her heels and strode toward the hotel.
Why had these men acted so strangely? If they had wanted privacy, why did they meet at a public park? But as she thought about it, it was only six o'clock on a Sunday morning. Why would they expect anyone to be wandering through the park at this time of day? What surprised her most was their attitude and the way the Latin had reacted to her presence, as if he were angry.
Feeling uneasy, Julia dared not turn around and see if she was followed but quickly picked up her pace. She quickly strode up the stairs of the hotel and ran head long into the chest of a man standing near the door.
"Whoa, there, Julia!" Paul said with surprise as he grabbed onto her shoulders. "Why are you in such a hurry? And where's John?"
Feeling startled, it took a few seconds to catch her breath before she could answer. Julia quickly turned around to see if she had been followed, and seeing no one, she sighed with relief.
Paul took her arm and led her to a sofa in the waiting room and sat across from her. "So, what's up? You look as if something's troubling you."
Julia tried to smile reassuringly, but it was more of a forced one instead. "Oh, I was just taking a walk. I couldn't sleep in. You know, the excitement of being here and all."
Paul smiled back, his eyes full of joy. "I know exactly how you feel, Julia. I couldn't sleep, either. I'm so excited to be here. I really want to thank you for allowing me to come along on this trip. When John told me about your assignment, I just had to invite myself along. This is like a dream come true for me. Man, to be able to see the ruins of Mesoamerica! That's every archaeologist's dream."
Paul was a dear friend who taught at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah. He not only taught American history and archaeology, but he was also a dyed-in-the-wool archaeologist and was constantly involved in restoring the past.
Paul was a serious sort of fellow. He was lean and tall with blond hair and large blue eyes. He had glasses that were set on his long, slender nose, giving him the distinguishing look of a professor. He was thirty-nine years old and still unmarried. As an archaeologist, digging in the dirt was the most exhilarating part of his life and he had not found a woman who could stand digging beside him all day long. Until then, he would remain single.
"So, where's John?" asked Paul with a raise of his eyebrow.
"Still sleeping. I was just headed back to the room to wake him and..." Julia's eyes widened in surprise.
The Latin whom she had seen at the park was standing beside the desk, talking nonchalantly to the clerk and staring straight at Julia. There was no mistake about it. He was the same man, all right. The tall Latin's eyes seemed to penetrate right through her as he smiled but Julia instantly averted her eyes and looked down at her hands lying in her lap. What was he doing here? Had he followed her?
After a moment, she berated herself for being so paranoid. The man probably had a room at the hotel and was just chatting with the clerk. The young boy was very friendly and he had talked with her for some time last night, asking where she was from and so forth.
When she felt Paul touch her hand, she jumped.
"Julia," he said with concern. "What's wrong?"
She leaned toward him and whispered, "I saw a couple men at the park this morning and something about their conduct gave me the willies."
"What do you mean?"
Julia bit her lip nervously and leaned closer to Paul. "I can't describe it exactly, but inside I have an anxious feeling and I don't know why."
"What are you talking about?"
"He's standing at the desk," she said, keeping her eyes glued on Paul.
He turned toward the front desk and asked with puzzlement, "Who? The desk clerk?" "No, the other one."
"There isn't anybody else, Julia."
She looked up toward the desk and saw the clerk busily working. "He's gone."
"Shall I ask the clerk about this man? If he's bothering you, we should report it."
Julia shook her head, feeling ridiculous. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just being paranoid in a strange land." She stood and gestured toward the dining room. "I'll see you in about an hour for breakfast."
Linda Weaver Clarke was raised on a farm surrounded by the rolling hills of southern Idaho and made her home in southern Utah among the beautiful red mountains and desert heat. She is happily married and the mother of six daughters and has five grandchildren. Linda travels the United States encouraging people to write their family history and autobiography. She is the author of A Family in Beak Lake, Idaho series, and The Adventures of John and Julia Evans mystery series. Her latest release is Mayan Intrigue.
Pump Up Your Book Promotion Announces February ‘10 Authors on Tour
Join a talented and diverse group of 21 authors who are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion during the month of February 2010!
Follow these authors as they travel the blogosphere from February 1st through February 26th to discuss their books. You’ll find everything from gritty memoirs to mystery novels, children’s books to legal thrillers, historical fiction to inspirational nonfiction, self-help and more! And for the month dedicated to love, we have several authors who have written books on relationships or romance.
Maria Andrade, Barbora Knobova, and Gary Morgenstein will be promoting titles about relationships, while Bill Walker is back for another tour with his soul searching romance novel, A Note from an Old Acquaintance. Life coach and motivational speaker, Judi Moreo, is just one of the contributing authors for the motivational book Life Choices: Navigating Difficult Paths, and Michele Paiva returns with her spiritual self-help book, Truth, Next Exit.
Susie Larson tours for another month with her inspirational devotional, Embracing Your Freedom, and Victor Pross tours with the humorous art book, Icons & Idols: Pop Goes the Culture. Alan Markovitz, Joy Slosar, and Kay Marshall Strom return with a gritty memoir, a psychological book, and book for baby boomers; and Pamela Samuels Young and Vincent Zandri tour their thrillers.
Also on tour with Pump Up your Book Promotion in February are historical novelist Ogo Ogbata, mystery authors Misa Ramirez and Angela Henry, women’s contemporary author Kaylin McFarren, and children’s author Chris Wardle. February shines the light on Carla Buckley’s apocalyptic novel, The Things That Keep Us Here, and the current affairs book The American Medical Money Machine by James Goldberg. Marnie Swedberg is also on tour with her book for writers, eBooks: Idea to Amazon in 14 Days.
Check out YouTube at to view a special Authors on February Virtual Book Tour video trailer featuring each author. To follow these authors during the month of February, visit the official Pump Up Your Book Promotion website at www.pumpupyourbook.com or our publicity blog found at http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com.
Pump Up Your Book Promotion is a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service at an affordable price. More information can be found on their website at www.pumpupyourbook.com.
I had the best news today! One of my former clients sent me an email letting me know that the book trailer I created for her book won the July-August 2009 Book Trailer Recognition Contest from Books In Sync.
Here is the latest trailer I created. This is for the romantic supsense novel, Beyond the Code of Conduct, Book 2 in the Sullivan Boys series by K.M. Daughters, which we reviewed here.
FBI Agency Brass and Sullivan family connections force Special Agent Bobbie Leighton into an undercover operation with inactive Homicide Detective Joe Sullivan.
Posing as a cattleman and his arm-candy wife the couple is assigned to infiltrate NY attorney Bradley Sterling’s illegal operation. Suspected of baby trafficking, Sterling maybe be connected with Joe’s brother, Jimmy Sullivan’s murder.
How do Bobbie and Joe adhere to their professional code of conduct living under the same roof? Can they forget their personal history, ignore their volatile feelings for each other and ensnare their target when they might be next on Sterling’s victims list?
The trailer I put together for F.M. Meredith's (Marilyn Meredith's) No Sanctuary is now up at The New Covey Video Trailer Awards. Voting is open until midnight on June 19th.
Someone recently drew my attention to a promotional video for Across the Pond by Storyheart. Across the Pond is a teen romance between Fred, a boy visiting the United States from England, and Brittany, whose parents are entrusted with Fred's care while he is in the States.
One of the things that can be most challenging about book promotion is to find a unique angle. Barry Eva, the writer known as Storyheart, did just that when he created this silent movie video trailer to promote Across the Pond. It looks like he got some help from his family.
Herbert Howard Jones is on a virtual book tour to promote his young adult fantasy novel, The Pyewiz and The Amazing Mobile Phone. Herbert stopped by The Book Connection recently to talk about his antagonist, the Pyewiz. You can find that post here.
Since his visit, a video trailer has been created by yours truly for The Pyewiz and The Amazing Mobile Phone. View the trailer below and feel free to leave your comments here.
today!
by K.M. Daughters, below.
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