Cindy Blackburn – Unexpected is featured in the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

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The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Cindy Blackburn's New Book: Unexpected.

Author Cindy Blackburn is the author of Cue Ball Mysteries, the Cassie Baxter Mysteries and some poetry.

Unexpected

Cassie Baxter Mysteries Book 2

Author: Cindy Blackburn


AVAILABLE
Amazon


Small sleuth, tiny town, unfailing fun.

Welcome to Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, where the water’s growing colder, the leaves are turning orange, and Cassie Baxter is going nuts. Who wouldn’t go a little nuts with this latest unexpected development? Meet five-year-old Truman Tripp. Cassie, who is most definitely not a kid person, can’t understand why his mother left the child with her. But some even more perplexing problems soon present themselves, and Cassie’s already Looney Tunes life gets even loonier. Expect the unexpected when Lake Elizabeth’s most unlikely duo, Cassie and Truman, team up to catch a killer. Even more important—expect to laugh.

Excerpt from Unexpected

Chapter 1

“Poof! The intergalactic tracker gasket’s gone completely kaput, girl.”

“The what?” I looked up to see my father and his dog standing in the doorway. “Say what?”

“The intergalactic tracker gasket,” Dad repeated as if that would clear it up. And here’s a scary thought. It did.

I set aside the midterm exams I was grading and asked if the tracker thingamajig was some big important piece of the Spaceship Destiny. “Like the GPS?”

“It’s teeny-tiny, but yes. The tracker gasket is the crucial component of the Destiny’s navigation system.” Dad shook his head. “This latest mishap leaves Chance Dooley in quite a pickle.”

I glanced at Charlie, and the dog and I both tried not to laugh. Let’s just say, we’re used to this kind of thing. Chance Dooley, the absurd hero of my father’s absurd science fiction stories, is almost always in a pickle, almost always because his Spaceship Destiny is almost always on the blink. Also typical—my father was upstairs on my turf seeking help with his latest plot twist.

I promised I’d ponder the pickle and pointed to the phone he held. “Who’s that?”

“Not who. What. Without the intergalactic tracker gasket, the Destiny is grounded until further notice.” Dad grimaced. “This could put Chance out of business.”

“I’ll put you out of business, Bobby!” I heard from the phone.

“Is that really Sarah Bliss?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s really Sarah Bliss!” Sarah screamed.

“She wants to talk to you,” Dad said as I jumped up.

I snatched the phone. “You drive me nuts, old man.”

“You are nuts,” Sarah informed me. “Remember me, babe?”

How could I forget?

“Listen up,” she continued. “Get your skinny little butt down here. Like, now. And when you get here, go along with anything I say. Any. Thing. You got it?”

Not really, but I owed Sarah. I told her I was on my way, pushed my father aside, and started down the stairs.

“To the sheriff’s office?” I asked. “Are you at work?”

“Earth to Cassie Baxter.” She banged her phone on something, and I flinched. “Where else would I be? And be sure to change out of your pajamas this time. You got it?” She hung up, and I stopped mid-step to stare at the phone.

Dad and Charlie bumped into me. “Is she at the sheriff’s?” Dad asked.

“Where else?” I handed him the receiver and raced down the rest of the stairs.

Oh, and for the record, I was not in my pajamas. It was one o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, and I was fully clothed, thank you very much. But Sarah did have a point—a long story which I will have to explain later.

I threw a jacket over the moth-eaten sweater I was wearing, grabbed my purse, and told my father I had an errand to run.

“With Sarah?” Dad and Charlie followed me to the porch. “Oh, no!”

“Oh, yes,” I said and headed for my Honda.

***

Evidently a major crime wave had hit Hanahan County, Vermont.

I scanned the parking lot at the sheriff’s office looking for a spot somewhere among their two patrol cars, Sarah’s SUV, a couple other civilian cars, a State Trooper vehicle, and two patrol cars from the Hilleville Police Department.

Just my luck, the only available space was smack between those two cars. FYI, when the Hilleville cops aren’t busy tripping over their own feet, they’re busy getting into fender benders. Parking anywhere near their cars was asking for trouble, but Sarah Bliss was waiting. I threw caution to the wind, parked in the hot spot, and hustled toward the front door.

But the Hilleville cops weren’t about to make that easy either. Two of them had stationed themselves smack in the doorway and were arguing with a woman who looked a lot like me. She was small with curly blond hair, and she was having the same problem I often have—no one was taking her seriously.

“But where will he go? Who’s going to take care of him?” she asked.

“Everyone at the office is very concerned.”

“It’s under control.” Cop A said, and Cop B took her by the elbow and escorted her down the three steps to the parking lot just as I was climbing those steps. So of course clumsy Cop B collided into me and fell.

I hopped over him and kept on going, only to be blocked by clumsy Cop A, who was threatening to help me through the doorway. I shrugged her off and cleared the threshold unscathed.

Oh, yeah. A crime wave must have hit.

The tiny reception area was jammed full of people—Sheriff Hawthorn, Deputy Dent, a few state troopers, a couple civilians—

“Cassie Baxter!” Sarah Bliss stepped out from the crowd and shot me a glance that said, and I quote, “Pay attention, do as I say, and don’t argue.”

I was expecting that. Officially, Sarah’s the sheriff’s administrative assistant, but unofficially, she’s the boss. If you value your life, you obey Sarah. But what was up with that weird voice?

“I’m so glad to see you!” she chirped and gave me a hug.

Sarah Bliss chirping? And hugging?

“What have you done with the real Sarah?” I whispered. “Who are all these people?”

“Everyone is so glad to see you!” She let go and fluttered a few fingertips at the crowd.

Sarah Bliss fluttering?

“You know Truman, of course!” the Sarah-imposter continued. “Truman here is especially glad to see you.” She fluttered a few fingers at the little boy hiding behind one of the state troopers, and I glanced at Truman there. “Truman’s been especially anxious to see his Auntie Cassie.”

Truman seemed especially anxious to see his sneakers. I decided staring at footwear was as good a tactic as any and took a look at my own sneakers. My Keds had seen better days—

“Look, Truman!” Sarah kept chirping. “It’s your Auntie Cassie!” Auntie Cassie?

Maybe I needed to pay closer attention.

Author Genre: Mystery

Website: Cindy Blackburn - The Cue Ball Mysteries
Author's Blog: Cindy Blackburn
Twitter: @cbmysteries
E-Mail: cindyblackburn@cbmysteries.com
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Author Description: Cindy Blackburn is living the dream! She spends her days sitting around in her pajamas, thinking up unlikely plot twists and ironing out the quirks and kinks of lovable characters. In other words, Cindy's a writer.

When she's not typing on her laptop or feeding her fat cat Betty, Cindy enjoys taking long walks with her cute hubby John. A native Vermonter who hates snow, Cindy divides her time between the south and the north. Most of the year you'll find her in South Carolina. But come summer she'll be on the porch of her lakeside shack in Vermont. Yep, it's a place very similar to Lake Elizabeth.

Cindy's favorite travel destinations are all in Europe, her favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory, her favorite movie is Moonstruck, and her favorite color is orange. Cindy dislikes vacuuming, traffic, and lima beans.





Author's Book List
Five Spot - Cue Ball Mysteries
At long last! Jessie Hewitt is about to take her rightful spot in the Hall of Fame. No, not the one for pool sharks. This is the Romance Writers Hall of Fame. Jessie's so excited she's even convinced über-hunky cop Wilson Rye to tag along for the induction festivities. But things don't go exactly as planned. How could a conference called Happily Ever After take such a wrong turn? Take a guess.


Order the Book From:
Amazon



Unbelievable - Humorous and Romantic Cozy (Cassie Baxter Mysteries Book 1
Small sleuth, tiny town, unfailing fun.

Welcome to Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, where the water is blue, the mountains are green, and Cassie Baxter is going nuts. Who wouldn’t go nuts in a town this size? What possessed Cassie to move in with her father? And why do they have to live next door to a mad scientist? A sexy mad scientist. Does such a thing even exist? And speaking of existing, what happened to the dead redhead? You know, the one Cassie found, and then lost? What’s up with that? Cassie Baxter intends to find out. Read Unbelievable and you will, too.

The Cassie Baxter Mysteries: They’re not Cue Balls, but they are screw balls.


Order the Book From:
Amazon



Four Play - A Humorous and Romantic Cozy (Book 4 The Cue Ball Mysteries Series
Bad news comes in . . . fours? For romance author and former pool shark Jessie Hewitt it does. She hasn't written a decent sex scene in months, she hasn't shot a decent game of eight ball all year, and don't even ask about her supposed love life. And just when Jessie thinks things can't get any worse, a body lands on her car. Uber-hunky and altogether infuriating cop Wilson Rye suggests she concentrate on solving her other problems and leave the murder investigation to the experts. But does Jessie agree? Take a guess.


Order the Book From:
Amazon



Three Odd Balls - A Humorous and Romantic Cozy (Book 3 The Cue Ball Mysteries Series
A romantic vacation for...five? This wasn't exactly what Jessie and Wilson had in mind when they planned their trip to the tropics. But when Jessie's delightfully spry mother, Wilson's surfer dude son, and Jessie's rabidly hyperactive New York agent decide to tag along the fun begins. What kind of trouble can these three oddest of odd balls possibly get into? Take a guess.


Order the Book From:
Amazon



Double Shot - A Humorous and Romantic Cozy (Book 2 The Cue Ball Mysteries Series
Jessie Hewitt thought her pool-hustling days were long gone. But when uber-hunky cop Wilson Rye asks her to go undercover to catch a killer, she jumps at the chance to return to a sleazy poolroom. Jessie is confident she can handle a double homicide, but the doubly-annoying Wilson Rye is another matter altogether. What's he doing flirting with a woman half his age? Will Jessie have what it takes to deal with Tiffany La-Dee-Doo-Da Sass and solve the murders? Take a guess.


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Amazon



Playing with Poison - Book 1 The Cue Ball Mysteries Series
Pool shark Jessie Hewitt usually knows where the balls will fall and how the game will end. But when a body lands on her couch, and the cute cop in her kitchen accuses her of murder, even Jessie isn't sure what will happen next. Playing With Poison is a cozy mystery with a lot of humor, a little romance, and far too much champagne.


Order the Book From:
Amazon



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