Friday, June 24, 2011

FIRST ON FRIDAY WITH KATE GEORGE AND CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN'

Kate George
What We Are Saying...
It is our pleasure to welcome Kate George to our blog to share her book California Schemin'. She is excited to offer an ebook of either of the books here as a prize for commenting. She will be available during the weekend to answer questions. A winner will be announced on Thursday June 30th. So leave a comment for a chance to win a book.

What Kate George Is Saying...

Kate George says she was discussing Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series with two of her friends when she had the audacity to say that “I could write that.” Called on her bluff, she had to follow through or eat her words. With two books published, and two more in the works Kate is indebted to her friends for making her put her money where her mouth is.

She is  the author of the Bree MacGowan Mysteries; Moonlighting in Vermont and California Schemin’. A third Bree novel is in progress, tentatively titled How Much is the Dead Guy in the Window. Kate  also writes light paranormal romance. According  to those in the know, she currently lives in Vermont with her husband, four children, three dogs and a mentally unstable cat.

Back Cover Copy...

It’s mystery with a side of laughter in this sequel to Moonlighting in Vermont. A Californian vacation sounds like a great idea to Vermonter Bree MacGowan, until a dead woman falls into her life, she’s abducted from her bed and her boyfriend disappears completely. It’s enough to make a girl wish she’d never heard of California.

A rugged undercover federal agent is determined to keep Bree from becoming a casualty in his latest case. Unfortunately Bree is less than cooperative. It could be it’s because she doesn’t know he’s on her side, or maybe she’s just plain hardheaded. Either way, it’s enough to make a guy wish he’d never heard of Bree MacGowan.


California Schemin’ Excerpt...

She was falling, plummeting toward the river. Her skirt billowed then wrapped around her as she tumbled. I watched her through the viewfinder. An unnaturally pink anomaly in sharp focus against the grey background of the bridge. I'd never be able to look at that color again without feeling the horror of seeing a woman plunging from the Foresthill Bridge. Half my brain followed her descent with my camera while the other half was in a blind screaming panic.

"No!" I tossed the camera into my camp chair and sprinted upriver.

The riverbank was rocky, stone ledge mixed with large rocks, boulders and pebble beaches. My heart pounded as I slipped and teetered, skidding over the smooth surfaces, tripping over loose stones. I scanned the river as I ran, watching for a splash of pink. Twice I stopped myself from falling by steadying myself on rocks and my hands were stinging. I sucked air and held the stitch that developed in my side as I made my way up stream. The fall appeared horrific, could she have survived? Please, let her be alive.

I was forcing down panic when I saw her floating toward me on the current. She was face down in the water, the pink skirt dark and clinging to her legs. I waded waist deep into the water and grabbed the back of her shirt as she floated by, towing her out of the rapids into a calm shallows at the shore. I needed to get her face out of the water but I knew I wasn’t strong enough to lift her. Blood mingled with the blonde hair feathering around her head in the slow water. A fresh adrenaline rush flooded my brain and I began to panic. I had to get her air and stop the bleeding.

Reaching across her body I grabbed the shoulder of her sleeveless blouse. I was able to pull her body part way out of the water but the fabric slipped from my grasp and she was face down again. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Use two hands, Bree, I told myself; you can do it if you use two hands. Then it hit me that I might have better luck if tried to roll her from underneath. I slid my hand under her, feeling for her arm. I caught what felt like her elbow and tugged. She floated into me. I pushed up on her near shoulder as I used her arm to pull her underside up. The movement of her shoulder started her rotating and she flipped.

I saw I needn’t have bothered. A hole in her temple oozed blood into her hair. Drowning had been the least of her problems and the best I could hope for now was to get her out of the water so she wouldn’t float away. I lurched from the river and lost my breakfast in the trees lining the riverbank.

My name is Bella Bree MacGowan. My friends call me Bree, and I’m not exactly a stranger to dead bodies. It hadn’t even been six months since I found my boss dead. I’d come to California to “recover” from the experience and here I was chasing down another emergency. I hoped I’d be able to pull her from the water when I did find her. I’m only five foot six and don’t have too much heft to me. Luckily I’m strong. With brown hair and eyes I like to tell people I look like Rachael Ray without the benefit of a stylist.

My last dead body had thrown me for a loop, but it hadn’t been nearly as bad as this. Maybe it was because I didn’t actually see Vera die, but discovered her afterward, that I was able to keep my stomach under control. Somehow this was different. The fall combined with the bullet hole was more than I wanted to deal with. I looked over to where her blonde hair drifted on the water. The blood was still mixing with the river water. Had she already been dead when she fell? I glanced up to where she’d fallen and saw the glint of reflection off glass. Someone was watching.

A chill went down my spine, but I waded back into the water anyway and pulled her to the shore. I hefted a couple of rocks onto the woman’s skirt. I didn’t want her floating away when I went to call for help. The sun was warm and I pulled off my soaking hoody as I scrambled back to where I’d left my stuff. I pulled the cell from my pack and punched 911. Unlike in Vermont, I always had cell service in California. Even out here at the bottom of a canyon, I could see the cell tower on the rise above the bridge.

I finished the call and made my way back up the river to the body. I sat on a fallen tree where I could see her, but didn’t have to look at her. Closing her eyes crossed my mind but the last time I’d touched a dead body I’d ended up as the only suspect in a murder investigation. Bree, you’ve already touched her, it wouldn’t hurt to close her eyes. Yes. Yes it would. My fingerprints would be on her eyelids. That’s just creepy. Besides, I don’t want to lose what’s left of my lunch.

It would’ve been peaceful by the river if it weren’t for the body. I turned so I wouldn’t see her staring at the sky, but I felt like she was staring at me. Feeling ghoulish and creeped out, I slid down the side of the fallen tree until I was sitting on the ground. I knew it was childish but there it was. Not even dead people could look through trees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit Amazon.com 's Kate George Page and shop for all Kate George books and other Kate George related products (DVD, CDs, Apparel).

 
Thanks for stopping by,  please leave Kate a comment and enjoy the movie trailer.

4 comments:

Ruby said...

Kate:
Thanks so much for spending time with us and sharing your book. It's such a pleasure to read a book with such an interesting heroine.

Anonymous said...

Kate:
Loved the excerpt. Do you have a formula for mystery novels (i.e Character development first, plot). Is there a secret to structuring a novel?
I am newbie at this.
Thalia

Anonymous said...

Kate:
I love intriquing characters. Just curious why did you choose California as a setting. Have you lived there in the past?
Anne

Ruby Johnson said...

THE WINNER IS ANNE. Anne, thanks for commenting.
Your book will be on its way as soon as you contact me with your email.

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