With a degree in Criminal Justice, and a fascination with the supernatural, Black combines experience and imagination to create dramatic stories that are believable, but don’t end quite the way you would expect.
Black is best known for her short story, MOUNTAIN JUSTICE, where a horse takes center stage in a story of violence and suspense. Her first novel, RACE INTO MURDER, is also equine related. The murder mystery is set at a racetrack, which is not surprising, since for years, she owned and loved thoroughbred racehorses. She still follows the racing circuits.
An animal and nature lover, this author does most of her writing in the fall and winter. In the spring and summer, there are hummingbirds to feed, baby critters to watch, gardens to plant, and herbs to nurture.
Black lives in the United States with her husband and two aliens disguised as cats. One of the critters is rumored to be ET’s second cousin, but that has not been confirmed.
I love New Year’s Eve! Looking back at the past year, I find a lot to be thankful for, including the opportunity to get older. And the older I get, the more I notice everyday miracles and the magic that surrounds us.
We know that much of nature is miraculous, like the individual design of each snowflake or the amazing migration of the hummingbirds, but magic can be subtle. You need to watch for it. Is it luck to find a parking space close to the entrance in a crowded lot, or to see a sale for an item you were planning to buy a full price? Could it be magic?
Best wishes for health, happiness, and a new year filled with everyday magic!
With many prices skyrocketing, a lot of budgets are tight. Here’s a little help. Deadly Repercussions will be free from December 24th through the 28th. You can download it for yourself and/or “buy it for others” and send a copy to a book-loving friend.
Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, with lots of positive repercussions!
Editorial Reviews:
“Quick and mysterious, Deadly Repercussions is sure to leave thriller fans feeling satisfied.” Independent Book Review
“Through its strong plot and adept characterizations, Deadly Repercussions shows humanity at its worst, replete with flaws and faults, while also highlighting that redemption is always waiting just around the corner, and there is always an opportunity to become a better version of ourselves.” The Book Review Directory
“…moves deftly between lives in a dance with death that keeps altering the characters in unexpected ways.” Midwest Book Review “…repercussions of murder resonate…a powerful saga of disparate special interests…and forces that clash as times change.” D.Donovan, Editor, Donovan’s Literary Services
Scroll down for a free short story and the link to enter a giveaway for my new release.
For Juan Velasquez, crime is a way of life. The law of justice, however, is sacred. This short story follows a teenager from the gang-controlled streets of Mexico in a new direction. Loyalty is a family trait for Juan, even though his life is a masquerade with deception woven throughout. An introduction to Deadly Repercussions, this short story is the beginning of Juan’s journey into the next generation.
From the streets of Mexico to mountains of Wyoming, Juan Velasquez does what is needed to survive and to prosper. His belief in the rule of law is trumped by his belief in the pursuit of justice, a trait that is passed down to his daughter, Elizabeth, and his granddaughter, Elaina.
Assassination within Juan’s family triggers a homicide investigation that sets off a chain of events leading to betrayal, kidnapping, and more death. Deception and devotion become confused and, while loyalty has benefits, it also has a cost. When Juan disappears during his unofficial search for the assassin, Elaina deciphers details that could lead her to him. Hesitant to share the information with authorities, she sets out on her own, aware that, in the undercover world, life is a masquerade and the path to the truth is complex.
***
“From the cantankerous and slightly paranoid patriarch to the strong female lead, all the way down to the people surrounding them, whose motives remain dubious and questionable all throughout and leading up to the plot twist—the strength of the characterizations gave the book the momentum it needed as it raced toward its climactic conclusion.” The Book Review Directory
“…its special brand of suspense paired with inspections of generations that grow and change under the influence of violence and bad choices…” D.Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Deadly Repercussions is an enjoyable mystery-thriller that explores the sanctity of justice and retribution. Quick and mysterious, Deadly Repercussions is sure to leave thriller fans feeling satisfied.” Independent Book Review.
Thank you to everyone who has continued to follow me, whether on Facebook, Twitter, my website, or an author page. After more than a decade of writing, I am still delighted when someone enjoys a story that I have written. With so many books to choose from, I am grateful to every one of you who chooses one of mine.
I’m thrilled with the early reviews for this novel. It is a book that I began writing a while ago, but set aside. Although committed to the plot, I wasn’t happy with the story’s beginning. Three beginnings later, DEADLY REPERCUSSIONS is complete and available for your consideration.
From the streets of Mexico to mountains of Wyoming, Juan Velasquez does what is needed to survive and to prosper. His belief in the rule of law is trumped by his belief in the pursuit of justice, a trait that is mirrored by his daughter and his granddaughter. And so it begins.
Deadly Repercussions
Chapter One
Short of breath from his quarter-mile run, Manuel pounded on the door. “Alejandro! Trouble is coming!”
“How long do we have?” Alejandro opened the door for Manuel and then barricaded it behind him.
“It is Jorge. He is not far behind me,” Manuel panted. “At the pub, I overheard two of his soldiers. They were waiting for Jorge and said your name. You know there is talk. Because of the following that has assembled behind you, he wants you gone. There is fear that you weld too much power and could challenge him.”
Like his brother, Alejandro, Manuel was a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico. Manuel, however, lived in Texas and worked for the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Alejandro lived in Mexico with his son, in the house where the brothers had been raised.
An accomplished gun smith, Alejandro occasionally spent his time as a runner for one of the larger street gangs in the area. Although the brothers had chosen different paths in life, their loyalty to each other overcame their philosophical differences and their ability to surreptitiously share information had helped them both more than once.
Fourteen-year-old Juan climbed down the ladder from the loft where he had been sleeping. “Hi, Uncle Manny. What’s going on, Papa?”
“Trouble might be coming.”
Manuel helped Juan’s father lift the kitchen table, move it three feet to the side and raise the trap door that was almost invisible in the center of the wooden floor. Alejandro dashed to his bed, grabbed the quilt, and shoved it into Juan’s arms.
“Down you go,” he directed. “Don’t make a sound. No matter what you hear, stay there until Uncle Manny or I come to get you.”
As Juan climbed down the steep steps to the small enclosure, Alejandro pulled a wedge of cheese and a container of orange juice from the refrigerator and grabbed the bread from the counter. He handed them down to his son, along with three bottles of water and a flashlight.
“Take this. It might be a day or even two before it is safe for you to come out.”
“I can fight.” Juan said.
“Not yet, my young warrior. There is no more time for talking.”
“Are they coming to kill you, Papa?”
***
“This mystery-thriller is jam-packed with loyalty, deception, betrayal, and unexpected twists and turns.” Independent Book Review.
“Through its strong plot and adept characterizations, Deadly Repercussions shows humanity at its worst, replete with flaws and faults, while also highlighting that redemption is always waiting just around the corner, and there is always an opportunity to become a better version of ourselves.” The Book Review Directory.
“… repercussions of murder resonate…a powerful saga of disparate special interests… and forces that clash as times change.” D.Donovan, Editor, Donovan’s Literary Services.
“… its special brand of suspense paired with inspections of generations that grow and change under the influence of violence and bad choices…” Midwest Book Review.
With summer at an end and fall upon us, Halloween is fast approaching, bringing ghosts and witches, vampires, spooks, and all things paranormal to the forefront. For those of you interested in curling up with a good book and a blanket on a cool October evening, here are some suggestions, along with short reviews and the links in case one of them grabs your attention. They are books that I enjoyed and all include aspects of the supernatural.
When the Rooster Crows at Midnight, TheMallory Shane Witch Detective Series by Hargrove Perth is a book that grabbed me from the outset. Written in the first person, the story is told by Detective Mallory Shane, who is employed by the City of Pittsburgh’s Immortal Detective Association of Witches, the IDAW. Detective Shane is a witch.
Meet Me in Maineby Susanne Leistis a story told through the eyes of Elizabeth, who is fleeing an oppressive relationship as fast as her feet will carry her. She and her best friend, Scarlet, move to Maine where they purchase a Bed and Breakfast. Immediately upon their arrival, the two ladies meet a couple of attractive, single, former military men who are infatuated with the Inn’s new residents and the girls get more than they bargained for.
Handprintsby Wanda Fischer is a well-done short story that realistically portrays the relationship of two women living in a mental institution. Both Edna and Anne are involuntarily committed by their husbands. While Anne has family contact, Edna has no one, until Anne. Whether mental health issues were actually present before her commitment is unclear, but Edna is determined to make the best of the life she had been forced into. The two women are inseparable until Anne passes away and Edna learns, or perhaps she always knew, that love lives forever. An excellent short story, it is worth every penny of $.99! https://www.amazon.com/Handprints-Wanda-Adams-Fischer-ebook/dp/B09GLC26NQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
I’ve never seen one but can’t help imagining how exciting it would be to discover a giant, elusive, highly intelligent being living deep within the forests.
With documented reports of sightings in the United States going back to the mid 1800s and Native American legends passed on for generations, the idea of the Sasquatch is not a new one. In North America, Bigfoot is referred to by a variety of names, Yeti, Abominable Snowman, and Skunk Ape are some of them. The Lakota people call him, Chiye-tanka, “Big Elder Brother.” And sightings aren’t limited to the United States and Canada. Reports have been documented in Siberia, Malaysia, and India among other countries.
The existence of Bigfoot is a subject that fascinates many and the experiences of the believers and the knowers, as some people call themselves, are discussed in great detail. There are also the skeptics, doubters who could be convinced, and the non-believers who, absent seeing one, will never consider the possibility. Discussions among the groups are often explosive!
Stories about Bigfoot can be thought provoking as well as entertaining. For example, a peaceful mountain getaway turns turbulent when Ellie’s secluded campsite is approached by a creature that isn’t supposed to exist. Not sure if her caller is dangerous, when he leaves abruptly, she hopes for another encounter and a chance to find out. When gunshots pierce the calm of the forest, her first fear is for the creature’s safety but she soon finds her own life threatened. Is anyone truly safe in the wilderness?
The release date for “Elusive Guardians” is September 15th but it is available for pre-order at an introductory price of $.99.
By the way, the impressive guy on the cover does exist. He isn’t a living and breathing Sasquatch but he is as close to “the real thing” as I’ve found. He is the Bigfoot I envisioned when I wrote “Elusive Guardians.” Big Bull Squatch lives with his creator, Dean Kestner, and occasionally travels with him for exhibitions around the country.
Rave Reviews Book Club is presenting its seventh annual virtual Writer’s Conference & Book Expo. It will be going on until the 14th and it is always a lot of fun. Here’s your invitation: https://rrbcwritersconferencebookexpo22.wordpress.com/ For those of you asking, “What is a virtual conference? How does it work?” Here’s the scoop!
Instead of going to a conference center or a hotel ballroom, you click on a computer link and you are there! Since the virtual conference is available twenty-four hours, you attend at your leisure, and you don’t need to get up early if you want breakfast before the day’s agenda.
You have the option to visit as many author booths, play as many games, and enter for as many door prizes as are available, and it is free! You can meet every author at the conference, and while you won’t get to shake their hands, you will be able to connect in a variety of other ways. There is also a raffle. Seven winners will each receive a $100 Amazon gift card. Tickets are $5.00 and available at the conference.
Stop by my booth, leave a comment, and you’ll automatically be entered for a door prize. I hope to “see” you there!
Torn between the rule of law & his belief in justice, a detective must decide which he values more. When the legal system fails, should justice be neglected? If a murderer is killed, is the executioner a criminal or a hero? https://amzn.to/3On6vcT
Abducted by a human trafficker, four-year-old Lily is taken to an interim location, where it is Marcy’s job to prepare her for sale to the highest bidder. But when the precocious child rebels, it puts the entire operation at risk. With the authorities getting too close, Marcy needs Lily to disappear. https://amzn.to/3xwhE4g
Mountain Justice is one of my favorites. From today through July 18th, it is free at Amazon.com. https://amzn.to/3OajkaS
Justice isn’t always fair and it isn’t always legal. But in the mountains, it is always available.
When Annie’s life is threatened and the legal system fails to protect her, she learns that she can count on MOUNTAIN JUSTICE. How far would you go to save a friend’s life?
A homicide has eerily similar circumstances to another murder that happened months prior. Indications point to a serial killer. Torn between his belief in the law and the demand for justice, lead investigator, Devon Mahoney, must decide which is of more value. When the legal system fails, should justice be neglected? If a murderer is killed, is the executioner a criminal or a hero?
VINDICTIVE ANGEL is on sale at Amazon.com and most other retailers.
Coming July 4th, LIFE’S HIGHWAY TO LOVE, a Novelette, available for pre-order now.
Dylan doesn’t want a permanent relationship and Jamie has sworn off romance. With an unspoken agreement that their friendship is platonic, the two become inseparable. But a kiss changes everything.
Their ecstasy is short-lived, however, when Jamie tells Dylan the truth about her past. Confusion, anger, and misunderstanding rock their world and send them in different directions. Will time apart bring them back together or cement their separation? Is it possible to ignore the past? Can anyone choose who they love? Is love enough?
Stories By Karen 