Redemption (Diversion 5) Now Available at Audible

Not long ago, it seems, I wanted to add audio to the Diversion series format. At least nine books. My first step was to find a narrator with the right voice and attitude to bring Lucky, Bo, Walter, and the remaining cast of this series alive.

It took eight months to find the right voice, right attitude, willing to tackle a series, is amazing to work with, and could complete each book in a few months' time.

And, dang, what a right voice he is.

Darcy Stark gave an amazing performance with books 1-4, but I have to tell you, he totally nailed book five.

Don't take my word for it; listen to the sample at Audible.

Redemption (Diversion 5)

Living is the easy part.

Agent Lucky Lucklighter and his partner escaped Mexico alive, only to plunge into bureaucratic fallout from their mission. Hell, maybe Lucky should have stayed south of the border. Especially when the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau places Bo into rehab, and Lucky’s facing both therapy and an inquiry into a fatal shooting.

Watching over his shoulder for a vengeful drug lord or a cartel don calling in favors leaves his scarcely able to imagine a future for them as agents, or as lovers.

Bo Schollenberger once had a vision for their life together, but he’s bowed by the weight of his undercover work. Lucky’s hanging on by his deeply chewed fingernails, clinging to hope by making Bo’s dream of a home into reality. The last thing he needs is a phone call from a dangerous man who knows too much, summoning him back to Mexico for “An early Christmas present”.

Not when the SNB brass asks tough questions like “How well do you really know your partner?"

Where the Frogs Bark

I'm not sure all the areas in the US they populate, but there is a little-known critter in the Southern US frog world called the barking frog. That's right, folks. A barking frog. While I'd never seen or heard one until recently, now they seem to be everywhere.

Especially sitting in the bedroom window sill in the middle of the night.

Barking.

All. Night. Long.

They are a form of tree frog, way too small to make so much noise, but there you go. Yes, they sound like a dog barking, or more precisely, a puppy. We call them puppy frogs. I even knew a woman once who went outside looking for the puppy.

The ones outside my house sound more like puppies, but this are the best video I could find:

Good Old Boys (and Girls!) in Pickup Trucs

I'm an independent woman, I do things for myself, and I'm proud to be that way, especially having been raised in a "young ladies don't do that" kind of world. It took me way too long to start replying, "This one does!" As independent as I am, however, there is a basic task that I've never performed:

I've never changed a tire on my car.

Don't get me wrong, I'm willing and I've tried, but one thing kept stopping me.

For all that the South has it's bad points, there is one shiny pinnacle of rightness: the good old boy or girl in a pickup truck.

Within moments of parking on the roadside, throwing open the trunk and digging out the necessary (if unfamiliar) equipment, help has always arrived. We're talking people who live to assist others, and who greatly restore my faith in humanity.

Today my 22-year-old daughter called, stranded with a flat tire. I made her sister a bet: that by the time we got there, the tire would be changed. I wasn't wrong. Thankfully, it was broad daylight and she found a safe place to park in a church parking lot, that more than likely was monitored by cameras.

It was a woman who saw my daughter, a mere wisp of a thing who could jump up and down on the tire tool and still not be able to loosen the lug nuts. This woman called her husband and said, "Go help this girl." He did.

There's a lot of bad in the world, but there's a lot of good too. Like people who go out of their way to help strangers.

May they forever be.

Eden Winters and the Bath Bomb of Doom!

I'm a simple woman at heart, and like simple things. Whenever my family members tell me I'm hard to buy presents for, I merely remind them of these four things that make my world so much better:

1) Decaf dark roast coffee
2) Audible codes
3) Dark chocolate (bonus if it has peppers or ginger)
4) Bath bombs

I grew up with the occasional bubble bath, graduated to bath oil, dabbled in making my own for a while, then ordered exotic soaps online. Finally, a few years ago, I discovered bath bombs. Oh, happy day!

About that time I married and moved into my husband's house, complete with ginormous garden tub. (No, I didn't marry him for the tub, that's just a rumor.)

Anyway, nothing relaxes me more at the end of the day than a nice, long soak while listening to an audio book. Last week a new shipment of bath bombs arrived (I buy them in the 42-pack), and this time there were some new ones I hadn't seen before.

Like the green one, labeled "Balance." Now, I've had a few bad bath bomb experiences, like the glitter bomb from Hell, and the one loaded with lavender. Actual lavender. Nothing floating in the bathwater, please. But the moment I saw this innocent-looking green sphere, I should have been on my guard.

Now this wasn't just any old green. It was dark green, almost black. Okay, well, they wouldn't have put in in a bath bomb to contact skin if it wasn't safe, right?

Right?

I unwrapped it, tossed it into the tub, started my audio book and prepared to soak. Dark plumes of what looked like smoke snaked through the water, the embodiment of evil (okay, I'm a writer and might be prone to exaggeration).

It had to be safe, right? I mean, if it was as dangerous as it appeared buyers would be screaming to the company, wouldn't they?

I relaxed, listening to my book. Then lifted my arm. Oh, damn. What was that? And on my leg! And, and...

On the sides of the tub. Basically everywhere. Hell, how'd it get on the floor? I soaked for thirty minutes, scrubbed the tub for forty, and hope the stain fades from my skin by the time I return to work on Tuesday.

I look like Abe Sapien from Hell Boy!

At least it smelled nice.

When Stories Attack! Or, Why There's Gonna Be a Diversion 7.1 and 7.2

If you've been following the Diversion series, then you know how book 7 ended. For everyone else I won't give spoilers. A funny thing happened on the way to Diversion 8, however: Story lines needed to happen to get from where 7 ended and 8 begins, but that additional information doesn't belong in book 8. I know, I tried to put it there.

The solution I came up with is two novellas, each between 15,000 and 20,000 words. The first introduces Bo's family and reveals a little more about him. The second? Well, Lucky and Bo finally, FINALLY get to spend Christmas together.

Maybe.

The first is tentatively called Relation, and the second, Tradition, as two very different people from very different backgrounds try to establish what their shared holiday traditions will be.

These two pieces also set the stage for some of the happenings in Decision (Diversion 8), which begins in March. Book 7 ended in September.

Both novellas are with my beta now and I hope to announce their publication dates soon.

The plan is still for 9 Diversion novels, but there might be an ending epilogue, Diversion 9.1, to firmly tie up the series. These guys have been a part of my life for so long I hate to say goodbye, but for now, it's full speed ahead on Bo and Lucky's adventures.

Also, Diversion 1-4 is now out in audio at Audible, as is a box set of the first three books: Diversion, Collusion, and Corruption.

The box set is also available in e-book format at Amazon.com and other online bookstores.

Diversion Box Set Vol. 1, Now Available at Audible

I devour audio books, going through several each week, so I love a good audio book sale. That's just what you'll get with the Diversion Box Set Vol. 1, Diversion, Collusion, and Corruption all in a package deal for one credit or $20.96.

Diversion:

There are good guys, bad guys, and then there’s Lucky. 

Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter flaunts his past like a badge of honor. He speaks his mind, doesn’t play nice, and flirts with disaster while working off his sentence with the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. If he can keep out of trouble a while longer he’ll be a free man - after he trains his replacement.

Two men. Close quarters. Friction results in heat. But Lucky scoffs at partnerships, no matter how thrilling the roller-coaster. Bo has two months to break down Lucky’s defenses...and seconds are ticking by. 

Collusion: 

Dead men can’t love. 

Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter “died” in the line of duty while working off a ten-year sentence in service to the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau, only to be reborn as Simon “Lucky” Harrison. The newbie he trained, former Marine Bo Schollenberger, is now his partner on (and maybe off) the job. It’s hard to tell when Lucky doesn’t understand relationships or have a clue what any sane human is doing in his bed. Bo’s nice to have around, sure, but there’s none of that picking-out-china-together crap for Lucky.

When a prescription drug shortage jeopardizes the patients at Rosario Children’s Cancer Center, it not only pits Bo and Lucky against predatory opportunists, but also each other. How can they tell who the villains are? The bad guys don’t wear black hats, but they might wear white coats. 

Corruption: 

Renegade biker. Drug runner. Recovering addict. Wanted by the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. But he isn’t a crook, he’s the law. 

SNB Agent Bo Schollenberger’s solved his cases using his brains and not a gun, and with his partner, not alone. Now he’s handed a tough new case involving designer drugs that turn users violent. One false move could end his life as he immerses himself into a motorcycle gang to locate the source. His fate depends on how well he can impersonate someone else. Someone named Cyrus Cooper. 

Cyrus is everything Bo Schollenberger isn’t, including the badass enforcer for a smuggling ring. He establishes pecking order with his fists and doesn’t take shit from anybody, not even the undercover agent who comes to help his case.

When survival depends on a web of tangled lies, lines blur, worlds collide, and a high stakes game turns friend to foe. Lucky knows the difference between Bo the agent and Cyrus the outlaw, but does Bo?

Get your copy today at Audible. 

What I'm Reading: Bone to Pick by T.A. Moore

Although I don't personally know T.A. Moore (I think we might have met briefly at a convention once), she has crafted a book that could have been taken from my perfect book wish list: Bone to Pick

Well written? Check
Well researched? Check
Gritty story? Check
Lots of action? Check
Complex characters? Check
Moments of comedy mixed in to ease the "twisting the knife*" factor? Check
Great secondary characters? Check
Character with average looks and not an Adonis? Check (non-GQ models need love too).
Realism? Check
Case wrapped up in a way that didn't require whiskey therapy? Check
Great, understandable tension between two main characters? Check, check, check

Bourneville the dog was pure bonus.

While I like romance, it's not a necessity to a story for my enjoyment. Not every relationship starts with hearts and flowers. That the two men care about each other is enough for me. I'm hoping that aspect continues into the next book, and grows there.

In that way this book reminds me of the Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon. Fantastic story, lots of believable action, and two protagonists who have their own issues to deal with before they can grow close. (Hmmm... Did I read the last book in the series? I can't remember how that all worked out *runs to check* Nope. Gotta get on that.)

Anyway, I digress. Sorry. Those who know me know to expect that. Oh! Squirrel! Bone to Pick is packed with action and I may have alienated my family while listening to this audio book.

Family outing: me in headphones.
Anyone trying to speak to me at home: me in headphones.
In my car: story playing through speakers.
Any moment I could get, no matter how brief:: me in headphones.

Sadly, I don't have time to read, so rely on audio books to get my fiction fix. Does anyone know when the second installment is due to hit Audible? Despite my recent bad behavior by devoting every waking moment to listening to this book, my loving family still gave me Audible credits for Mother's Day.

Highly recommended. I'd never read anything by Moore two months ago, now I'm a huge fan.

If your reading wish list resembles mine, read this book.  Loved it, loved it, loved it.

*Twisting the knife factor: When the angst begins and escalates on every page, twisting the knife tighter and tighter without a single moment of relief.