Christmas Christian Fiction Round Robin

Merry Christmas! Welcome to the Christmas Christian Fiction Round-Robin!

Here’s how it works: At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer at this form. Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round -robin to be considered to win the $350 first place, $250 second place or $150 third place Amazon gift cards. These prizes are USD values. If you are not a U.S. resident, you will get a gift card from the Amazon store for your country; however, it will be valued at these USD amounts.)

At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end, creating a circle (a round-robin) visit through all of the authors’ blogs.

Photo by SILVI ARANDA from Pexels

Now, on to the blog —

I’m super-excited to share about this book. While on the surface it may not look like a book about Christmas, it is set in the winter, and there is a huge snowstorm that multiplies my heroine’s problems.

Carly Turnquist is a forensic accountant who lives in a small town on the East Coast. Think Cabot Cove small. This town, Bear Cove, Maine, has a population of 400 souls at the height of lobster season. Living in a small town doesn’t mean life is boring, however. Carly finds lots of mysteries—both at home and when she travels—to keep her busy.

I originally wrote the first book in the series because I wondered if I had at least one book in me. I’d written lots of stuff before that, including poetry, devotionals, greeting cards, children’s stories—you name it, if it was short, I probably did it. Because shorter is easier, right?

Not!

By the time I got to the end of the first book, No Accounting for Murder, I’d fallen in love with Carly and her computer programmer hubby, Mike. With her accounting background and his in computers, they are actually a little autobiographical for myself and my own husband. But that’s another story.

The series spans twelve books, then segues into another series featuring Carly’s now-adult granddaughter. Mysterious Ink Bookstore series, beginning with The Game is Afoot and ending with the fourth installment releasing December 31st, will now end, and I will be off on other adventures.

Excerpt:

If not for all the turbulence in Carly Turnquist’s life, she might have enjoyed the flight.

All she really wanted was to stand on solid ground again. Air travel had never been her favorite mode of transportation, and the last couple of bumps had only served to confirm her previous opinion — flying was dangerous.

Still, there was no way she would have passed up this chance at a working vacation. Working for her husband Mike. Vacation for her. Not to mention getting to spend some quality time with her step-son—son of her heart—Tom. And, of course, getting to meet Sarah, the woman Tom said he hoped to spend the rest of his life with. Carly settled back in the high-backed jet liner seat and sighed. After two hectic weeks of preparing for this trip, she was more than ready to relax. Fingers still gripping the armrest tightly, just in case another sudden drop came, she closed her eyes, envisioning the vacation part—sleeping, eating, reading.

She opened her eyes again, and smiled at the man seated next to her. Mike’s eyes were closed as he took another of his famous catnaps. Somehow, he could recharge his energy for hours with a five-minute nap. She squeezed his hand and was delighted when he returned the gesture.

He turned to face her. “Are you okay?”

Carly readjusted the small flight pillow behind her neck. “If you mean am I scared, I am.”

“Nothing to be scared of, you know.”

“I know. It’s all in my mind.”  She looked out the window beside her. “Still, the ground is a long ways down.”

“I guess I shouldn’t have asked you to come. I know how you feel about flying.”

Carly sat up abruptly, folding her arms across her chest. “Like you would have just come here without me?”

Mike chuckled as he pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Not if I valued my life, right?”

“Right.”  She started to pull away. “Not if you want to see your grandkids finish school.”

He tightened his grip and whispered into her ear. “Lean into me, and you’ll be safe.” 

Carly snuggled closer. She loved this man dearly, and even after ten years, still felt like they were on their honeymoon. “I’m so excited about this trip. Although. . . ” She turned her face to his, touching her nose to his. “I do feel just a tad bit guilty that you’ll be doing all the working, and I’ll be doing all the relaxing.”

“It won’t be all work” Mike kissed her on the cheek. “We’ll spend some time together. And you’ll get to spend some time with Sarah. Get to know her better. After all, before long she may be a part of this family, too.”

“I hope they set a date really soon.” She paused. “But not too soon.” 

Mike laughed.

“I want them to have a nice wedding.”

“You mean, you want to plan a nice wedding for them.”

“That’s what I said.”  Carly drew back from Mike, touching his strong jawline with an index finger. “Get another nap. You’re going to need it.”

A commotion arose from across the aisle. Carly peered past Mike and the man in the aisle seat to the younger woman in the window seat. The platinum blonde called for the flight attendant in a voice saturated with urgency.

Unable to get a clear view of the situation, Carly leaned forward, using the armrests to raise herself up slightly for a better view. She watched as the flight attendant hurried to the seat, bent over, and spoke in clipped tones.  

Something was going on, but what?

About There Was a Crooked Man:

Carly Turnquist, forensic accountant, is joining husband Mike on a working vacation–working for him, vacation for her–at a dude ranch in New Mexico.

First she learns of missing stock and unpaid invoices, then veiled threats and a dead foreman threaten to ruin her trip.

Can Carly figure out who wants to put this family-owned ranch out of business, or will she die trying?

Let’s continue this scavenger hunt! Go to the book on Amazon at this link. You will be taken to There Was a Crooked Man where you will find the answer to the following question:

Why were Carly and Mike going to the dude ranch?

When you have the answer, FILL OUT THIS FORM and head on to the next blog!

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Katy Lee, who is featuring her book, Holiday Suspect Pursuit. You can check out her blog post here.

Remember that you must answer every question from all 25 authors in this collection and that the round-robin will end on December 12th at 11:59 PM EST!

About Leeann:

Leeann Betts writes contemporary suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical suspense. Together she and Donna have been published more than 50 times. They actively participate in several writing groups, giving back through contest judging and critique groups. www.LeeannBetts.com

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