Jennifer Chase - An Author Interview in the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Jennifer Chase. She is the award-winning Mystery writer of the Emily Stone Thriller Series.

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Author's Blog: Author Jennifer Chase
Blog: Book & Crime Talk
Twitter: @JChaseNovelist
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
The love that author Jennifer Chase has for books and writing began with the weekly trips that her mom would take with her to the local library. Jennifer would load up her arms with books and spend the week pouring over them until the next visit brought the opportunity to discover even more authors and stories. Before long, she was taking pen to paper and a lifelong connection with creating characters and plotlines was made.

Jennifer has found her niche in the writing world by integrating another passion, criminology, into her work. She holds a bachelors degree in police forensics and a masters in criminology, academic pursuits that developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. She also holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling and is a proud member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

This research background has assisted Jennifer in writing multiple crime thrillers, including Compulsion, Dead Game, Silent Partner, Dark Mind and Dead Burn, earning multiple readers' choice awards and other accolades along the way, including a recent gold medal awarded for Dead Burn by a panel of professionals in the publishing industry as part of the International Book Awards. She also has published a non-fiction book, How to Write a Screenplay, which offers a step-by-step guide to this special craft. In addition to her own writing work, Jennifer assists other authors with their own publishing efforts and does some consulting work in the criminology field.

Jennifer Chase was born and raised in California and still lives there with her husband, dogs and cats. In addition to writing and studying, Jennifer enjoys spending time outdoors, both at the beach and hiking, and engaging in some amateur photography.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Congratulations on your book: Dark Pursuit. Rumor has it that you have another book on the horizon called Body of Crime. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Thank you! I am very excited about my latest release Dark Pursuit. It is another installment to my award-winning Emily Stone Thriller Series. Emily Stone is pushed to her ultimate limit, physically and mentally, as she races against the clock to find a missing girl and ultimately faces a serial killer.

Yes, Body of the Crime is a debut thriller for my Chip Palmer Forensic Mysteries Series. Chip Palmer is a criminal profiler and expert witness for all types of homicide cases. The guilty and convicted hate him, so he must live a reclusive life in order to dodge constant death threats from psychopaths and prominent crime family members. Body of the Crime will be released this fall.

You have a great following on twitter. Since you started before the social media buzz, what impact has social media relationships had on your current success? How did you build your following in your niche? How much has it changed your book launch process?

The social media has no doubt improved my exposure and has helped me to gain readership. With all of the positive aspects, it can be a time drain and divert your focus. It is important to have a plan on how long to engage in social media every day and stick to it. In the beginning, I followed people who enjoy mysteries and thrillers and found sites that promoted these types of books. Social media has definitely played a big part in my book launch process. For example, virtual blog tours are quite effective as opposed to in person book signings.

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

Yes, I have done book signings - not as many as I would like. It is fun to have a face-to-face conversation with readers instead of a virtual one. Interview and speaking engagements are a part of my promotion, whether or not I have just released a new book. I will have some signings and speaking engagements in the near future. Announcements and dates can be found at my blog/website: www.authorjenniferchase.com.


You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

Thank you so much. I try not to think about the book covers too much or force the creativity as I write the story. Most of my Emily Stone book covers are actually two photos merged, which gives an overall theme of the story. By merging two photos, I feel that I create more of an original image. At this point, I have not involved readers in the process, but I will be writing other series in the future and that might be fun.

You have a great book trailer for the Emily Stone Series.
It looks very professional. Do you know how much impact it has had on your book’s success? Tell us about the process that you used to create your trailer?

It is difficult to tell how much of an impact the book series trailer has had on my sales. However, it does make my series stand out and it is a wonderful marketing tool. I had the awesome opportunity to meet a film director, Andy Palmer of Petri Entertainment, where I really liked one of his thriller trailers, and jokingly I said to him I would love a book trailer. Well, be careful for what you wish for because with some planning and vision, my trailer was made. I wanted the trailer (teaser) to reflect the feel and theme of the series instead of based on just one book. I wrote a five-six page script and we worked out the rest. I am so honored that such talented actors Kim Poirier and Carlos Alazraqui, along with an amazing movie crew, made my novel characters come to life. You can see the 5-minute trailer here: https://youtu.be/OCbpk4jwtZY
.

You have written several short stories. Can you tell us if they had an impact on the sales of your novels? Are shorty’s one of your styles of writing or are they created to give readers a sample of your work?

Short stories are an interesting aspect of writing. Some people say they are dead in the water as far as sales, while others claim that it is a wonderful way for readers to sample your work. I agree with the later. I have so many ideas that writing a short story is a wonderful project in between novels. I have received many requests that some of my supporting characters should have their own books. What better way to highlight some of these characters in short stories?

I like the idea of bundling a series of novels. You have put together a set of your novels for the Emily Stone Series. What was the impact on your other sales? What was your main objective in bundling your novels?

I thought long and hard as to whether or not to bundle the first three books. I think it is s a great idea only if you have enough in your series. I also included a free short story and the first three chapters of another book. It just made sense. I have found that most readers, who bought the bundle, then bought the next novels in the series. This type of bundle helps to add to your author store and continue to give you more exposure for the series.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

I do free book giveaways on Amazon when I release a new book and physical book giveaways on Goodreads during the same time. I think authors need to be careful when doing free giveaways. You need to have a purpose and not hope that a free book at any time will boost sales of the other books. It is a little bit of a balancing act to know when and how long to put a book up for free.

Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?

Yes, I do maintain a list and blog subscribers. I have to admit that I have not had enough time recently to really nurture it. I use social media, my blog, and my Facebook author page to keep in touch with readers about new books and any other announcements.

You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and providing useful information to other writers. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?

My blog is really written in two-parts. I use it to talk about my books, crime, and thrillers in general, and to inform the general readership about forensics and crime scene investigation. I have an academic background and degrees in forensics, criminology, and profiling. I love to share the real information about these subjects. At the same time, my background is also integrated into my crime fiction novels. I feel that both parts to my blog complement each other. And yes, it is a challenging balancing act to maintain everything and to find time to write. I think most authors today have the same challenge. I find that I reevaluate my schedule in order to fine-tune it.

Thank you so much for the interview opportunity and great questions.



Author's Book List
Dark Pursuit - Emily Stone Series Book 5
Vigilante detective Emily Stone has covertly hunted down killers and closed more serial cases than most seasoned homicide cops combined. Her exceptional profiling skills and forensic techniques, along with deductive crime scene investigations, have made her a compelling force that cannot be beat.

She has reached her ultimate breaking point and now must face her toughest opponent yet – her biggest fears.

With preciseness, the Tick-Tock Killer has taken his next child victim and promised to dump the body precisely four days later, mocking police and the community. Stone struggles to balance her inner demons and ghosts from the past, against the wits of a brutal and cunning serial killer in an all-out battle of psychological warfare.

Can Stone save the next child in time? Dark Pursuit is an action-packed cat and mouse game that will take you to dark places rarely explored.


Order the Book From:
Amazon


Dead Burn - Emily Stone Series Book 4
Terrified California residents face the shocking dilemma of yet another serial killer roaming freely in their neighborhoods. However, this time it is an evolving serial killer anomaly that relentlessly searches for, hunts down, and ingeniously traps his victims before unleashing his fiery rage. Always two steps ahead of the cops and fire investigators, the killer hones in on the next sinful target leaving a trail of bones and ashes behind as evidence. It rocks the criminal justice system to the core as a string of arson murders hits inside their turf.

Vigilante detective Emily Stone hunts serial killers and child abductors, covertly and under the law enforcement radar, with her intrinsic skills of criminal profiling and forensic investigation. With Stone’s toughest case yet, the arson serial killer immediately crosses her radar and sends her into the dark territory of a lethal pyromaniac’s mind – to the point of no return.

While following the clues of the relentless firebomber, Stone grabs the attention of a government anti-terrorist organization called GATE that oversees all law enforcement cases across the U.S., which now focuses their sights on her proven abilities. They have very specific plans for her, whether she likes it or not.

Everything teeters on the edge of reality, as Stone must battle for her life between a hired assassin and an arson serial killer. Lines are drawn on both sides of the law. Friendships and lovers are tested.

Everyone sins… Are you willing to pay for yours?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO


Dark Mind - Emily Stone Series Book 3
A Serial Killer Plagues an Island Paradise

Vigilante detective Emily Stone continues her covert pursuits to find serial killers and child abductors, all under the radar while shadowing police investigations.

Emily searches for an abducted nine-year-old girl taken by ruthless and enterprising slave brokers. Following the clues from California to the garden island of Kauai, she begins to piece together the evidence and ventures deep into the jungle.

It doesn’t take long before Emily is thrown into the middle of murder, mayhem, and conspiracy. Locals aren’t talking as a serial killer now stalks the island, taking women in a brutal frenzy of ancient superstitions and folklore. Local cops are unprepared for what lies ahead. In a race against the clock, Emily and her team must identify the killer before time runs out.


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO


Dead Game - Emily Stone Series Book 2
In her independent efforts to catch child killers, Emily Stone discovers the evidence that the cops can’t — or won’t — uncover. Now, this covert investigator is back on the hunt for the world’s most sick and twisted murderers. But even with help from ex-police detective Rick Lopez, this time she’s facing her most dangerous opponent yet.

The headlines in the San Jose Mercury News blare updates on a serial killer who seems able to slaughter with impunity. Men, women — it doesn’t matter; the victims serve only to satisfy a perverted need to kill. The killer watches the moment of death on multiple computer screens, over and over again. The only connection is that they’re all devotees of the latest video-game craze — a sophisticated brain-puzzler called EagleEye.

When the killer goes after Lopez’s law-enforcement mentor, Lopez and Stone decide to give the cops a little extra, unsolicited help. What follows takes them deep inside a shocking high-tech world, a kind of social-networking community for serial killers. But when they start getting too close to the truth, all hell’s going to break loose.

Now, Stone and Lopez become the killer’s next target as Stone must make a difficult decision to leave the ones she loves in an all-or-nothing effort for survival. Can they stay alive long enough to blow the whistle on this unlikely perpetrator?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO


Compulsion - Emily Stone Series Book 1
When Serial Killers Terrorize a California Beach Community, One Woman Stands in Their Way

Emily Stone doesn’t have a badge. But that hasn’t stopped her from tracking down some of the West’s most dangerous child-killers. Armed with a digital SLR camera, laptop computer and her trusty Beretta, Stone uses her innate gift for detective work to identify the perps — and then anonymously e-mail the evidence to the cops.

Now, the hunt for two brazen serial killers on the loose right in her own coastal California town threatens to expose Stone’s identity — unraveling her carefully constructed cover and jeopardizing her life’s work. But when she gets too close to the action, this razor-sharp hunter becomes the hunted. Cooperating with the handsome local police detective could be the only hope for stopping the rampage directed at unsuspecting young women — and saving herself. Can they piece together the clues in time?

Compulsion mixes CSI-style investigation with a ripped-from-the-headlines plot and a dose of romance for a keeps-you-guessing, fast-paced and savvy thriller, right up until the shocking finale.


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO


Silent Partner - One K9 Cop, One Serial Killer
One Cop, One Serial Killer, One Witness
Who Will Survive?

Northern California’s elite Police K9 Units arrive at an abandoned warehouse after a high-speed chase and apprehend two killers after they have fled a grisly murder scene. This barely scratches the surface of a bloody trail from a prolific serial killer that leads to unlocking the insidious secrets of one family’s history, while tearing a police department apart.

Jack Davis, a top K9 cop with an unprecedented integrity, finds himself falling for a beautiful murder suspect and struggling with departmental codes.

Megan O’Connell, suffering from agoraphobia, is the prime murder suspect in her sister’s brutal murder.

Darrell Brooks, a psychopath who loves to kill, is on a quest to drive Megan insane for profit.

Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. Someone else must die to keep the truth buried forever. Silent Partner is a suspense ride along that will keep you guessing until the bitter end.


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO


First Watch - A Short Story
What started as a routine traffic stop on a deserted country road, turned into a terrifying battle of life and death. Could all the horror stories be true?

The chase is on…


Order the Book From:
Amazon


Never Forgotten - An Emily Stone Short Story
Vigilante detective Emily Stone has proven her abilities, forensic knowledge, and criminal hunting aptitude in locating serial killers and child abductors. She solves these cases all under the law enforcement radar. Her relentless drive propels her to dedicate her life to this cause.

What was Emily Stone like as a teenager? What changed her life so drastically, which set in motion her fate as a phantom investigator? You might be surprised as Emily embarks on her first investigation that hit close to home. Find out her secrets in NEVER FORGOTTEN.


Order the Book From:
Amazon


How To Write a Screenplay - A Step By Step Process
A Simple Building Block Process to Write a Professional Screenplay from Beginning to End!

This complete instructional manual will give you a ten-step building block process to get you motivated, keep you on track, and will ultimately propel you to create the first draft of your screenplay. It is designed for beginners and intermediate writers. Each building block is divided into three categories of lessons and comprehension, testing, and assignments. Every assignment will build on the previous one to give you a solid, structured foundation that will ultimately become your screenplay. Watching movies and reading scripts are a fun part of the process. This book is designed to be interactive, enjoyable, and will give you results. Why not start writing your screenplay today?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble


Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
eBook Author’s Corner and
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

RP Dahlke - A Dead Red Miracle is featured in the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

The Showcase is a special feature of the Author's Spotlight. It is designed to highlight Spotlight author's NEW releases and their soon to be released novels.

The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES R.P. Dahlke's New Book: A DEAD RED MIRACLE.

Mystery Author R.P. Dahlke is the author of the Lalla Bains mystery series.

A DEAD RED MIRACLE

#5 in the Dead Red Mystery Series

Author: R.P. Dahlke


AVAILABLE
Amazon


Thinking to jump start their careers as private investigators in Wishbone, Arizona, cousins Lalla and Pearlie Bains buy into it with a local P.I. But their nifty plan starts circling the drain when his unscrupulous business practices end in his untimely death and they discover that he's been siphoning clients from their partnership.

With only a week before the state puts pulls the business license Lalla and Pearlie will have to corral a wall-climbing Apache ninja, pacify their former boss's greedy ex-wives and nail a killer. Sure Lalla and Pearlie are in a really tight spot, but all they need is a miracle or two.

Excerpt from A DEAD RED MIRACLE

Chapter One:

With summer monsoons gusting wind and rain on my head, I opted for our cranky elevator to the second floor, backed through the wedged open door to 202A, Ron Barbour Investigations, and laid the box of printer paper on the nearest desk.

Shaking water from my windbreaker, I tossed it over the skeleton hanging on its stand in the corner.

The skeleton was a prop meant to help us ascertain where the knife, bullet, or hammer could strike. Another one of Ron's jokes since cousin Pearlie and I had yet to see a murder case come through the door. We worked for divorce attorneys, and insurance companies who needed proof against those people who made scamming a career choice.

Pearlie was hunched over a styrofoam head on her desk. I flopped into the vacant chair next to her desk. "Studying wound entries again?"

She looked up, boredom dulling her normally bright blue contact enhanced eyes. "Huh?"

"Never mind. Where's Ron?"

She went back to examining the head. "Ron who?"

"Ron Barbour, our fearless leader?"

She glanced at her watch. "He said he was going to see about drumming up some business. But since it's almost noon, he's probably cozied up to a beer."

"You should be grateful," I said. "It could be worse, you know."

Pearlie snorted. "Yeah. He could be trying for a threesome again."

I was thinking more of the times he came reeling through the door, slamming into furniture and reeking of whiskey. Ron was not a happy drunk, and since surly, belligerent and argumentative was not something we enjoyed with our workday, Pearlie and I tended not to question his daily routine.

She held up the styrofoam head for my inspection. "What do you think?"

"That depends. What is it?"

"A cap. Rather stylish, don't you think? I made it out of paper clips."

"Looks more like a contraption for torture. Don't you have anything to do?"

She grunted something that sounded like an expletive.

Technically, Pearlie and I owned the business, but because the State of Arizona required at least three years of documented experience in either state, federal police or military police, or as interns to a licensed P.I., we chose door number three. But getting anyone to accept us as interns was harder than we thought. We were over thirty, we had none of the aforementioned experience, and we were blonde. That last strike was incredibly sexist and so very annoying, but we soon realized that the best way to crack this nut was to buy into an established business. That's when Pearlie found Ron Barbour's ad in a P.I. magazine.

Our first phone call ended with Ron hanging up on Pearlie. At her second call and before he hung up on her again, he asked which of his friends put her up to this nonsense. At her third and final phone call, he reluctantly agreed to meet with us. Pearlie, never one to be fooled by a sales job done to impress, had done her homework. She knew what his business was worth and how much we should pay for it. A checkbook, a contract, and a pen nudged the grin off Ron Barbour's face.

Pearlie's airtight contract gave Ron one half of his asking price at signing, splitting expenses and profit during our time as interns, and at the end of the contract, he would write up letters of recommendation on our behalf as private investigators to the State Licensing Board and he would retire to go fishing.

We got the nominal title of Associate printed on our business cards, but not on the door or in ads. We did the grunt work, wrote up and initialed reports, and with Ron's signature, an invoice went to the client and checks came in made out to Ron Barbour Investigations. There was no mention of his silent partners, Pearlie or Lalla Bains, but since we were now a Limited Liability Corporation, there were now three signatures at the bank. Ron remained as titular big cheese, Pearlie became the company accountant handling all bank transactions, deposits, expenses, and taxes, and I did what I always wanted to do, work all day, every day as an investigator.

But before the ink was dry, Ron showed us in his own inimitable way that he regretted selling out to a couple of dumb blondes.

When Pearlie asked what we should do for desks, Ron leered and waggled his eyebrows. "Babe, as long as I have a face, you have a place to sit."

Actually, Babe became our unofficial titles. But when Pearlie and I started calling him dickhead in front of his clients, he called a truce.

That lasted for a month until he stopped bathing, shaving, or changing clothes. By this time, we were on to his antics and simply cranked up the A/C.

Next, he proposed a three-way at his place after work. Pearlie and I burst out laughing, then laughed again as his face turned beet red with humiliation. When he shouted and stamped his foot in fury at our insubordination, we pointed and laughed at his silly behavior. When he turned on his heel and stomped out of the office, we collapsed onto our chairs, gleefully giggling, and high-fiving each other in triumph.

In revenge, he had us doing every dirty, disgusting dumpster dive, all-night surveillance, and every boring fact-finding mission he could throw at us. In the process, we learned how to squeeze free information out of public records, credit bureaus, title searches, and social media. Tightwad that he was, we had to buy our own digital cameras and long distant lenses. He did let us use the beater Fords he kept for surveillance, but only if we bought our own gas. He also taught us how to mark a cheating spouse's tire at a no-tell-motel so we could come back the next morning, photo the mark on the tire, time and date it to show that the car hadn't moved all night.

And he never, ever, quit reminding us that under no circumstances were we to tell anyone of our partnership. If the clients found out he was retiring anytime soon, he'd said, they'd desert like rats fleeing the plague.

Oddly, this year's business was sliding faster than a monkey on a stripper's pole. One insurance company moved its local office out of state, another decided to accept a cheaper offer, and yet another simply went out of business. Ron seemed to spend a lot of his lunches looking for more work, and I smelled a rat. Maybe now was a good time to bring my suspicions to Pearlie.

"Last week," I said, "I presented a report to one of our clients and he asked who he should make the check out to."

"You're tired of having checks made out to Ron Barbour Investigations? Me too."

"Pearlie, I'm beginning to think…"

"You think buying this guy's business wasn't such a good idea? You read my mind. And to think, only a few months ago, the phone was ringing off the hook."

"Yes," I said. "Odd that Ron's client list is drying up right when we're less than a month away from giving him his final twenty-thousand dollar check and getting our letter of recommendation to the state."

Pearlie blinked. Was she beginning to see the light?

"I was at the court this morning. A woman was arrested for shooting her husband looked promising. She got bail, but her brother elbowed me aside and announced he'd hired a man for the job. I don't know how she could accept a man when it was obvious the case needed me."

"Us," I said, reminding her that we were partners. I wasn't about to let her forget, since this deal was her idea.

"Yeah, us, but I'm easy to talk to, you know."

"Because you're short?" Now I was teasing. The difference in our heights always got a rise out of her.

"I think it's because I'm not a threat to women," she sniffed, "on account of being a normal-sized female."

Got to hand it to her, she never missed a chance to remind me that I’m the beanpole. I'm tall and blonde, and she's short, plump, and blonde; at least she is when she makes it to her hair appointments on time.

Pearlie looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. "Maybe Ron was right, maybe women P.I.'s don't do as well as men."

This was new. Of the two of us, Pearlie hung onto the dream of having our own P.I. firm with the clenched jaw of a pit bull. "You are depressed. You'll feel better after lunch," I said, knowing Pearlie could be easily distracted by food.

She smiled, pushed out of her fake leather executive chair and grabbed her purse. "I hope you're buying; I'm almost broke."

When it came to money, Pearlie Mae Bains would be the last person to be truly broke. Still, she hated the thought that her bank account had dipped below the water line with no prospects of a refill. Someone was going to have to hit Ron's list of old clients or we were going to be starting our new business with two dollars in our account.

"Of course I'm buying," I said, opening the door.

Pearlie's face lit up and I gathered that there was either a pizza delivery or a good looking man standing on the other side.

He wasn't wearing UPS brown or holding a pizza box, so maybe this was a potential client.

He was about five-nine, early twenties, with coppery muscled skin and the distinctive epicanthic fold of a Native American.

I smiled and motioned him inside.

With only a nod to acknowledge the two of us, he strode into the office taking in the shabby furniture, the dim overhead fluorescent lighting and the ancient file cabinets behind the WWII issue metal desk. "Where's Mr. Barbour?" he demanded.

"Pearl Mae Bains," she said, pumping his hand. "And this is Lalla Bains. We're Ron Barbour's associates. How can we help you?"

The young man pulled his hand out of hers and said, "If you don't mind, I'll take it up with Ron."

The kid wasn't exactly rude, but he sure was single minded.

Pearlie had that perplexed look. The one that meant that her clever mind had snagged on a thought. I could only hope it was the same one I'd been considering. I waited, studying a corner of the office while she worked it through to its ugly conclusion.

Her blue eyes darkened and her mouth went tight. Yep. She's seeing it now. Here was a real, live paying client, standing right in front of us. Just not one we knew about.

"I'm sorry," she said, her sweet sounding words belying the tight line of her mouth. "He retired and we bought his business."

The young man's eyes widened. "Retired! But he just called me."

"He called you today?" she asked, fluttering lashes that could cut glass. "He must've forgotten, on account of being in a hurry to leave. But we have all his files. If you'll just give me your name, Mister…?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at Pearlie. "Sorry, but I'm not talking to a couple of associates."

Pearlie lifted her chin and pulled herself up to her full five-foot three inches. "Well then I'm sorry for you, buster, 'cause if you want that information, you're gonna have to talk to us."

He shuffled from one foot to the other, and said, "I was training in the mountains and didn't get his message until today. He said he had a name and I have his check," he said, waving the check at us. "I called him back but it went to voice mail. If you're his associates, how come you didn't answer the phone?"

Pearlie and I looked at each other. Ron was giving out his cell phone for new business? We were going to have to talk to him about this.

Seeing Pearlie's hair trigger temper was about to let go, I pushed in front of her. "If you couldn't reach him, it's because you were calling his cell, not the office. He handed over the keys, and said he was going fishing."

"Did he say where?" the kid asked, desperation causing his voice to raise an octave.

"Sorry, no," Pearlie replied. "But like I told you, we own the business and we're certainly capable of handling your case."

"This is just wrong. Why would he call and then run off like that? A name?all I need is a name."

I thought it more likely that Ron Barbour had found a gullible client. Seeing that the kid was waffling, she tried nudging again. "You can help by telling us the case name, or your name."

We held our breath, waiting to see if he would bite.

The kid, however, wasn't interested in our explanations. "You tell him he'd better call me or the deal's off!"

And before Pearlie could make a grab for the check, he turned on his heel and left, the door slamming shut behind him.

"That went well," I said. "Lunch?"

"That lazy, good fer nothin', lyin'… that sleaze bag Ron." Pearlie's face was flushed and there were tears in her eyes. "He's been hidin' cases from us!"

"The thought had crossed my mind." I was tempted to say I-told-you-so, but if I waited, Dad, Caleb, and Aunt Mae would do it for me.

Pearlie wiped away a tear, and tossing her purse on the desk, went to the file cabinet. "I'm going to look for this guy's files."

"Pearlie," I said, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard to take, but if Ron's been siphoning off clients, he's got the file with him."

Pearlie rounded on me. "Then let's saddle up and go find that polecat."

She was right. It was time for a showdown with Ron. "As long as you promise to leave your Pearlie special in the car!" I called after her as she clattered down the wet metal stairs.

"Sure," she said. "Who needs a gun when I can strangle him with my bare hands!"

A nondescript beige sedan sat in her parking spot.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Tight-ass Ron wouldn't let me borrow one of his precious surveillance vehicles while Gypsy gets her oil changed, so I had to rent a car."

Pearlie saw her move to Arizona as an opportunity to tour around her adopted state. But since most of our work was in Tucson, the miles she would've spent touring in her nice new Jeep Grand Cherokee were racked up in miles on the job, and it was beginning to show.

"Get in," Pearlie said, through clenched teeth.

I got into the rental car and sniffed. "Is it just me, or does this car smell like cat piss?"

Instead of answering, she turned on the radio and started flipping channels. "Why is it that all we get is Country Western or Mexican stations?"

"In case you haven't noticed," I said, "Sierra Vista is spitting distance from the Mexican border. So, let me guess-the local agency heard about your reputation for breaking rental cars?"

"Now you're just picking on me."

"Admit it. Your track record has caught up with you."

"Fresno was not my fault. You were there. It was a hit and run."

"If the perp had stuck around, you might've had a case."

Pearlie gave me a satisfied nod. "That's one less killer the feds have to worry about. He's just lucky my aim was off that day or he'd be pushing up daisies instead of sitting in prison."

"I'm sure he thanks you in his prayers."

"Ha-ha. As for rental car companies, I'm sick and tired of them. Soon's I get some money, I'm going to buy me a nice big truck."

"You have the Jeep."

"I don't want to get it messed up," she said.

I laughed. "Of course not. Sure you don't want a Hummer? They can take a beating."

"They cost a fortune. Besides, we have to keep a low profile. Ron always says a vehicle common to the area, something neutral, like a white or grey sedan."

"You're going to have to stop talking about Ron Barbour or I'm going to vomit on your cat-piss smelling seat covers."

"I know," she said, her voice going soft. "He's a rotten bastard, but he does have some redeeming qualities."

"You mean besides stealing our clients? If he's stealing clients, he might as well skip out on writing that letter of recommendation to the state for us."

"Ohmygod. I think I must be depressed or sumpin'."

More than likely, she was hungry again, but food was going to have to wait. I did not envy Ron when my cousin finally got him by the throat.

Author Genre: Mystery, Romance, Humor

Website: R.P. Dahlke
Blog: eNovel Authors At Work
Twitter: @rpdahlke
E-Mail: rp@rpdahlke.com
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Author Description: I sort of fell into the job of running a crop-dusting business when my dad decided he'd rather go on a cruise than take another season of lazy pilots, missing flaggers, testy farmers and horrific hours. After two years at the helm, I handed him back the keys and fled to a city without any of the above. And no, I was never a crop-duster.

My Lalla Bains series is about a tall, blond and beautiful ex-model turned crop-duster who, to quote Lalla Bains, has "been married so many times they oughta revoke my license." Lalla is no Danielle Steele character & she's not afraid of chipping her manicure. Scratch that, the girl doesn't have time for a manicure what with herding a bunch of recalcitrant pilots and juggling work orders just to keep her father's flagging business alive.Note: Beginning with A Dead Red Alibi, Lalla and her family will reside in South East Arizona where she will divide her time between a fledgling P.I. business with cousin, Pearlie Bains, and volunteering as a team member with Cochise County Search and Rescue.

My romantic sailing Mystery Trilogy start with A Dangerous Harbor, and continues with Hurricane Hole. Both now up on Kindle and if you liked my Lalla Bains series, I know you'll love this book: More romance, more suspense, an exotic location with nastier bad guys and a bald parrot!



Author's Book List
A DEAD RED ALIBI - The Dead Red Mystery Series Book 4
A successful, but reclusive young artist with a secret life.
A wannabe lawman and his dotty gun-toting granddad.
An abandoned mine pit, a curious dad and the local police chief found with him.
When Lalla and her dad take a trip to Arizona to inspect her new property, Dad disappears. But when Lalla enlists the help of a local tracker she's relieved to find him unharmed, but in the bottom of a mine pit.

Unfortunately, he's got company--a local police chief, and it looks like he's been murdered. Then too, a young woman artist living nearby has also been murdered. What're the chances that these two murders are going to be related? Well, if you're Lalla Bains, you don't guess, you start looking for the killer!


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The Dead Red Mystery Series - Boxed Set
Over 198- 5 STAR reviews total for this humorous mystery series--A Dead Red Cadillac, A Dead Red Heart, and A Dead Red Oleander

Here's what reviewers are saying:
A Dead Red Cadillac:
"A Dead Red Cadillac may be Dahlke’s first published work, but it doesn’t read that way; the author is assured in her storytelling, crafting a witty, breezy, and thoroughly-entertaining lark peppered with interesting characters in a unique setting... and even tossing in some (much-appreciated) surprising twists along the way Wise-cracking detectives--from the rank amateurs who somehow stumble into the practice of investigating, to the licensed professionals with their fancy gizmos and snazzy Yellow Pages listings--are a dime a dozen in mystery novels... but a wise-cracking, ex-fashion-model, crop-dusting sleuth? That puts a quirky new spin on the genre, in R.P. Dahlke’s peppy debut, A Dead Red Cadillac".

KittyGlam (Diana)



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Hurricane Hole - #2 in Pilgrim's Progress-A Romantic Sailing Mystery Trilogy
While anxiously awaiting confirmation on the renewal of her TV contract, Leila Hunter Standiford, opts for a sail on the boat she and her sister co -own in Mexico. But when she impetuously invites a family friend, and fugitive from justice, Gabe Alexander, as crew, she has no idea of the trouble that will follow. Now, at the end of her vacation in Puerto Felice, all she wants is to get Gabe off her boat.

Then a beautiful vintage Alden sails into the anchorage, and though she admires the boat, and the handsome captain, she doesn't realize the lovely yacht will soon burn to the water line, or that a dead body will be found below, or that the captain, who may or may not be the killer, might also be the man of her dreams.


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A Dead Red Oleander - The Lalla Bains mystery series
"The main protagonists and all the supporting characters, have larger than life personalities, which lend themselves to some great dialogue exchanges and some pretty strange and esoteric action scenes. In preparation for the couple's forthcoming nuptuals, Lalla's relatives have arrived in California, from Texas and now the fun really starts!!"

When a late in the season emergency forces Lalla Bains to accept a greenhorn ag pilot for her dad's cropdusting business, she sighs in relief . After all, he comes highly recommended, his physical is spotless, and with a name like Dewey Treat, what could possibly go wrong?

Then her quirky relatives arrive from Texas and things go south in a hurry: Dewey Treat drops dead, his tearful widow claims he was murdered, clobbers Sherriff Caleb Stone with his own gun, and makes a run for it. Lalla, convinced the widow is innocent, sets out to prove it--against the express wishes of fiancé Caleb Stone.

Feds, local law, suspicious ag-pilots, nutso relatives, and her daddy's new sidekick, Bruce the goat, make life a living hell for Lalla. Will her nosey nature solve the crime and save the day? Or put them all in mortal danger?


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A DANGEROUS HARBOR - Pilgrim's Progress
"This is an engaging, well-written mystery with characters that took up residence in my imagination; moving in with all their baggage and quirks. I found them incredibly difficult to dislodge even several days after I had finished reading the book. I loved the setting; the beauty of the waters and the lovely hillsides existing alongside the abject poverty and ugliness of the slummy, sleazy habitats of those less fortunate. The day to day uncertainly of life is realistically portrayed in an area where powerful drug cartels operate from shadowy positions in almost all levels of government..." LauriJ's Reviews for Night Owl Reviews Reviewer Top Pick

"Take a San Francisco police officer who is on leave for shooting a man who threatened her sister, send her on a sailing trip into Mexican waters where she finds the body of a murdered teenage girl, and you've got the mix for an intriguing mystery. Add an irresistible Mexican-Italian man who happens to be the lead investigator on the case and the romance begins to sizzle. I loved the vivid descriptions of this coastal Mexican town, and the methodic way in which officer Katy Hunter helps with the investigation. A satisfying ending in which all the threads come together into a neatly plotted book." - Connie Shelton, author of the best-selling Charlie Parker mysteries and the new Samantha Sweet mysteries

Here's the set-up:
Bleary-eyed and sleep deprived after a long overnighter into Mexico, solo sailor and SFPD police detective, Katrina Hunter, thinks the mermaid twenty yards behind her thirty-two foot Westsail is nothing more than a sailor's hallucination But everything she knows about floaters convinces her to turn her boat around for another look.

Now, alone and isolated in the Mexican port's police station for six hours she's convinced that reporting a floater to authorities was a mistake. Even the arrival of a handsome, if somewhat dour, Mexican/Italian investigator does nothing to dispel her growing anxiety that she's about to be charged with the murder.

Chief Inspector, Raul Vignaroli, is as surprised by the attractive solo-sailor as he is to find that she's a respected member of the San Francisco police force, and after some well-placed phone calls he's sure that he's found the perfect partner to help him solve a murder, if not the cure for his broken heart. Released, she's free to go. But leaving the police station hits a snag when two policemen march in, dragging a listless prisoner between them. But before Katy can dodge them for the exit, the prisoner raises his head and a startling pair of aquamarine eyes meet hers.

He straightens his back, wincing at the angle of his cuffed wrists. "What the... Whisper?"

Suddenly, the sound of the ceiling fan is terribly loud. Blood pounds in her ears, her mouth goes dry, her palms are damp and her feet are nailed to the floor. In a knee jerk reaction, she hisses, "Don't call me that!"


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A DEAD RED HEART - The Lalla Bains Series
When a lovesick, homeless veteran litters her vintage red caddy with paper snowflakes, Lalla Bains, Aero Ag pilot figures it's time for a showdown. Unfortunately, someone else has the same idea leaving Lalla with a dying man at her feet, and only his strange last words, "The more there is, the less you see," as a clue to his killer.

Compounding her life her tightwad, widowed father becomes a born-again ladies man, a disreputable competitor tries to push her out of business, and last but not least, her antennae twitches that the sultry redhead in Modesto's police department may be vying for Sheriff Caleb Stone's affections.

It soon becomes crystal clear that the police are totally off base on this murder investigation and someone else is going to have to suit up to solve this case. Someone who is just exasperating, pushy, and tenacious enough to get the job done--and that person will be none other than:Ms. Lalla Bains.


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A DEAD RED CADILLAC
"I've been married so many times, they should revoke my license," says NY model, and reluctant pilot Lalla Bains.

Running her dad's Crop-Dusting business in Modesto, California she's hoping to dodge the inevitable fortieth birthday party. But when her trophy red '58 Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask why a widowed piano teacher, who couldn't possibly see beyond the hood ornament, was found strapped in the driver's seat.

Reeling from an interrogation with local homicide, Lalla is determined to extricate herself as a suspect in this strange murder case. Unfortunately, drug running pilots, a cross-dressing convict, a crazy Chihuahua, and the dead woman's hunky nephew throw enough road blocks to keep Lalla neck deep in an investigation that links her family to a twenty-year old murder only she can solve.


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