“Oh, sh*t!” she exclaimed, only to groan when she realized she’d just cursed in front of me and about me.

I leaned back and crossed my arms. I waited for them all to turn, muttering to themselves when they spotted me. A particularly nervous fellow took off around the corner, but the rest stayed put, shuffling from one foot to the other.

“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked.

There were a few responses. Denials, mostly. One brave soul commented that I’d caught them, and he started to tell me what bad choice they’d been about to make. I cut him off.

“Don’t,” I said. “Don’t tell me. I’m just here to give you some advice.”

This piqued their curiosity. The shuffling slowed down.

“You’re all about to go to high school,” I told them, “so you need to learn how not to attract
unwanted attention. Do you know why you caught my eye?”

“Because we were standing together?” a girl replied.

“Exactly!” I told her. “And not just that, but you were standing together in a circle, whispering. It’s very suspicious behaviour. What do you think you should do instead?”

One boy put up his hand, then pointed to the building. “Stand there, not in a circle.”

“Exactly,” I repeated. “Spread out. Take a casual pose. Come on, gang. Show me your casual pose.”

They all complied, arranging themselves in various states of repose. Leaning. Crouching.
Folding arms. One even sat down.

“Perfect,” I said. “Now, when you’re talking about whatever you’re planning, use your normal voices. Quiet, but not a whisper. If anyone approaches–especially a grown-up–don’t stop talking. Don’t jump. But don’t ignore them, either. Greet them like you’re happy to see them.”

“Why are you helping us?” a boy asked.

And I just smiled.

Never ask a suspense writer for advice (unless you need a place to bury a body…)

Congratulations on your release! The Choice is available today!

About the Author

Melinda is an Amazon bestselling author, whose additional work includes titles for The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Encore, and Harlequin. She writes in a range of romance genres, from heart pounding heat, to nail biting suspense, to gutsy adventure.

Melinda lives on the beautiful coast of British Columbia, Canada, with her amazing and quirky daughters and her handsome hero of a husband. When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with (someone else’s) good book, on the running trail, or at the soccer pitch.

1. Reputation – Ready For It? (Taylor’s Version)  ~ The Choice by: Melinda Di Lorenzo 

“But if he’s a ghost, then I can be a phantom”

Sadie Haller-Bent has already taken the first steps to putting her divorce and her father’s death behind her. She has a new apartment, a new job, and a new life ahead of her. And things are going okay. Maybe not perfectly, but at least she’s on the right road. She can see some light at the end of her dark tunnel.

That is, until tonight. Because tonight, she woke up to find a killer at her door and a strange woman on her balcony, promising help.

In a split second, Sadie makes the only decision she can and puts her faith in a stranger. Now she’s on the run, caught in the middle of deadly a chase that she can’t even begin to understand. She can’t trust anyone, not even the police. But if she wants to survive, she needs to answer three very important questions: Who could possibly want to kill her? Why? And most importantly, can she stop them before it’s too late?

2. Speak Now – Haunted (Taylor’s Version) ~ Black Cat Comes Back by: Emmie Lyn

“Can’t turn back now, I’m Haunted.”

I’m Audrey Fernsby, just a ghost of my former self floating around Moonlight Mansion in Frog Hollow, Georgia. My death was ruled accidental… but nothing is farther from the truth.

When my precious black cat, Mocha, returns on the same night that two friends, Tilly and Sunny arrive from Maine, I plan to out my ghostly self and enlist their clever sleuthing capabilities.

Mocha knows the truth but can she help catch the killer before someone else ends up dead in my rose bushes?

 Black Cat Comes Back can be read as a stand-alone. Chronologically it fits as the PREQUEL before Scents and a Suspect in the Accidental Ghost Detective series.

Black Cat Comes Back has characters from the Mint Chocolate Chip Series. Get started with Book 1 Claws of Justice or catch up with the full series.

3. Evermore – No Body, No Crime (Taylor’s Version) ~ Panic in the Panhandle by: J.C. Kenney

“I think he did it but I just can’t prove it. No body, no crime.”

In the sleepy panhandle of Florida, Benjamin “Elmo” Simpson has carved out a comfortable niche as the go-to wild animal removal specialist. Life is sweet until a peculiar service request takes him to a local condo and an unexpected scene. Retired lawyer Fran Cohen is missing and in his apartment is a well-fed alligator that appears to have enjoyed a nice breakfast with…or rather, of…Fran.

All evidence points toward murder, and local alligator farmer, Waldo “Rambo” Quigley has the motive and the means. When Rambo pleads for help to clear his name, old debts and a history of friendship leave Elmo no choice but to investigate. With his girlfriend, Nicola, by his side, and Rambo’s freedom on the line, Elmo’s on the hunt for the real killer, but don’t panic…Elmo’s got a plan…sort of. Maybe.

Reptilian clues lead to unexpected allies, and the call of danger is addictive. Can Elmo uncover the identity of Fran’s killer before becoming the next victim, removed from the scene like an unwanted pest?

Don’t think these quite fit? Send us your suggestions!