Release Giveaway for Black Cat Blues by Jo-Ann Carson

 

Black Cat Blues
by Jo-Ann Carson
Series: Vancouver Blues Suspense, #1
Genre: Mainstream Suspense, Strong Romantic Elements
Cover Designer: Steven Novak
Release Date: January 15, 2016

 

 

A nightmare waits in the alley…
Stabbed in an alley behind the Black Cat Blues bar, private investigator Jimmy Daniels clings to life just long enough to tell Maggy Malone a secret.
Maggy, a curvy, Blues singer with a sultry voice and a razor sharp mind is starting her life over after a lousy marriage. Reluctant at first to get involved with a murder, she tells no one the secret.
But when the murderer stalks her, she changes her mind.
Maggy teams up with Jimmy’s brother, Logan, a handsome suit with a tidy view of life. They figure out the killer is looking for gold buried on Gabriola Island by the notorious, cult-leader Brother XII.
As the murderer tracks down the gold, the body count rises. Will Maggy catch him? Or will she be his next victim?

And the lady sings the blues…
Black Cat Blues
An Award Winning  Suspense set in the Pacific Northwest.
Vancouver Blues Suspense Series, Book 1

 

 

When the going gets tough… the tough go sailing

“Silence filled the room for a minute, companionable silence; the kind married couples live in. Each lost in their own thoughts and yet together. Married… couples? Did she really just think that?  Her shoulders relaxed. Being with Hunter felt like sliding into a warm bath, but then he’d look at her and the water would boil.

“The wind’s good,” he said walking over to the window.

That was his way of saying it was time to go sailing. “Uh, Hunter, I don’t think so.”

“I’m guessing Peterson isn’t letting you look at Edgar’s things. He’ll want to go through them with a certified, Mountie, magnifying glass. You’re obviously not doing your day jobs today, so let’s go sailing.” He turned towards her and raised his hands like a lawyer about to rest his case. “It’s the best way, I know of, to clear your head. Get the big picture.”

“You’re crazy.” Three murders, creepy psychic feelings, and a bad guy on the loose. She couldn’t sail off and play on the ocean. Could she?

“Not so much,” he said. He gave her one of those killer looks that made her mind stop working.”

 

 

 

Jo-Ann Carson has lived most of her life on islands off the west coast of Canada, surrounded by snow covered mountains, lush rain forests and pristine beaches.

Growing up, she dreamed of traveling the world like James Bond, searching for relics like Indiana Jones, and finding true love, so it’s no surprise that in her Mata Hari Series she combines elements of adventure, danger and steamy romance.

In her Vancouver Blues Series she slides into the realm of Urban Noir and explores the dark side of the city. These  books are mainstream suspense with strong romantic elements and are very-Vancouver.

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

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~~~~~~~~~~~~

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PRE-ORDER BLITZ for BLACK CAT BLUES by JO-ANN CARSON

 

by Jo-Ann Carson
Series: Vancouver Blues Suspense, #1
Genre: Mainstream Suspense, Strong Romantic Elements
Cover Designer: Steven Novak
Release Date: January 15, 2016

 

 

A nightmare waits in the alley…
Stabbed in an alley behind the Black Cat Blues bar, private investigator Jimmy Daniels clings to life just long enough to tell Maggy Malone a secret.
Maggy, a curvy, Blues singer with a sultry voice and a razor sharp mind is starting her life over after a lousy marriage. Reluctant at first to get involved with a murder, she tells no one the secret.
But when the murderer stalks her, she changes her mind.
Maggy teams up with Jimmy’s brother, Logan, a handsome suit with a tidy view of life. They figure out the killer is looking for gold buried on Gabriola Island by the notorious, cult-leader Brother XII.
As the murderer tracks down the gold, the body count rises. Will Maggy catch him? Or will she be his next victim?

And the lady sings the blues…
Black Cat Blues
An Award Winning  Suspense set in the Pacific Northwest.
Vancouver Blues Suspense Series, Book 1

 

 

 

The opening…Walking through a dark alley at three-thirty in the morning wasn’t smart, but Maggy Malone didn’t have a choice, or at least not one she liked. A bone-numbing, cold wind off the Salish Sea hit her face as she opened the back door of the Black Cat Blues bar. Pulling her jacket close to her body with one hand, and holding her guitar case in the other, she descended the stairs into the inky darkness of the night. But her first step, she checked over her shoulder.

Vancouver in November—endless grey skies and drizzle. The waning moon slipped behind layers of dark clouds leaving her little light to help her on her way. She quickened her pace. A warm glow beckoned from the street lamp, just a hundred yards away. Her scalp tingled as if a dozen spiders slipped across it. She took a deep breath of the salty night air.

What the hell. She could handle a few minutes of fear. Singing in the best blues bar on the coast had been her life dream. If it meant getting up close and personal with the creepy, back alley on occasion, then so be it. Her shoulders tightened.

Stepping over dirty needles, used condoms and Micky D wrappers left behind by the people who shared the alley, the prostitutes, the addicts and the homeless, she tried not to let the sadness of their lives reach inside her. But the stagnant stench of rotting garbage and urine turned her stomach. If only it would really rain, then the city would be washed clean.

Where are the street people? Usually there’d be one or two around at this time of night, huddled against the cold brick walls with only a blanket to keep out the cold and misfortunes of the night. Something felt wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on it… but something. She looked over her shoulder again. No one.

A chill crawled slowly up her spine. She adjusted the weight of her canvas guitar case into her other hand, and prepared herself to run. She wasn’t sure what she would be running from, but just in case. A woman in an alley has to be ready.

It had been a long night. She should never have descended into this God forsaken alley. Friggen Frank. It was his fault. She took a deep breath, as her eyes darting in every direction. The feeling of darkness, much darker than the night around her kept picking at her senses. Her throat tightened and she couldn’t swallow.

I’m just scaring myself. The lights of the street were only a few yards away. Everything will be fine.

Then she saw the body lying still in a pool of blood. A silvery spike protruded from his chest. Her breath stopped. It was the handsome stranger she had seen in the bar an hour ago. Maggy ran to him.

She checked his breathing. It was shallow, but he was still alive.

She punched 911 into her cell phone.

Waiting for the connection, she yelled into the dark night, “Help.” But no one came running.

Alone with a dying man. Was his murderer close by? No one gets a spike in their chest by accident. Was the murderer watching her? Tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose.

“911. State your emergency.” The operator’s toneless voice cut into the night.

“There’s a man. He’s been stabbed…” Maggy took her scarf off and pressed it on top of his wound around the spike. Could she stop the flow of blood? “Hurry.”

“Where are you ma’am?”

“In the alley behind the…” Her own voice sounded dry and robotic. She needed to get the words out. “The Black Cat Blues bar on Fifth.”

“An ambulance is on the way.”

Maggy looked at the man. Would they make it in time?

“You need to apply pressure to the wound…”

I’m friggen doing that. Bright red blood oozed through the scarf and onto her hand. The man’s face paled as his life force drained out of him. She put down the phone, swallowed hard, and used both hands to apply steady pressure on her scarf. “Hang in there, buddy. Don’t die on me.”

His eyelids moved just a fraction. But they moved.

Swollen and cut, his face looked like it had taken a beaten. She leaned down to listen at his mouth. His breathing was faint and ragged. Seconds ticked by slowly.

Then his lips moved. Maggy leaned in.

“Tell Logan,” he rasped. She waited for him to say more. Pain flooded his eyes. His lips trembled, but no sound came out.

She could barely breathe herself. The man’s life was sliding away in front of her, and there was nothing she could damn well do to stop it. She pressed down anyway, and his blood seeped through her fingers.

“Tell Logan,” he repeated. She bent closer. “The Emer…old…”

He made a horrid gurgling sound and a gush of blood flowed from his mouth. His muscles jerked and quivered. He was fighting to live, as his organs shut down.

As the sound of sirens pierced the night, Maggy sat up and met his dead eyes. Shivers ran through her body. Tears streamed down her face.

“May you find peace,” she said. She closed his eyes and waited.

 

 

 

 

Jo-Ann Carson has lived most of her life on islands off the west coast of Canada, surrounded by snow covered mountains, lush rain forests and pristine beaches.

Growing up, she dreamed of traveling the world like James Bond, searching for relics like Indiana Jones, and finding true love, so it’s no surprise that in her Mata Hari Series she combines elements of adventure, danger and steamy romance.

In her Vancouver Blues Series she slides into the realm of Urban Noir and explores the dark side of the city. These  books are mainstream suspense with strong romantic elements and are very-Vancouver.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.
To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

#Giveaway, Top 5, Character Interviews ~ Ancient Danger by Jo Ann Carson

 

Ancient Danger
by Jo-Ann Carson
Series: Mata Hari, #3
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Cover Designer: Nina French

Release Date: April 1, 2015

 

 

A single woman — A complicated life

International, super-model Sadie Stewart meets her Dutch lover, Sebastian Wilde, in Venice to celebrate their six month anniversary. But having lived a double life as a CIA operative for ten years, her life is never simple.

During a costume ball in an ancient Venetian palace, an assassin tries to kill her. As a result Sebastian gets ridiculously, over-protective, which drives her crazy. Her old boss offers to help her, but wants something in return.

Bakari al-Sharif, an arms-dealer with an insatiable thirst for power, is planning to steal King Tutankhamen’s scarab from Highclere castle near London. Sadie is the only person who has ever gotten close to al-Sharif and lived. The CIA wants her to stop him.

Or at least that’s what they say. When it comes to the world of espionage, the true motivation of the players is never clear.

Can Sadie return to the life of a spook and maintain a relationship with Sebastian? Can she nail the arms-dealer? And why did the masked man try to kill her?

Life is complicated for Sadie Stewart.

A cross between Indiana Jones and Covert Affairs

 

Sadie is a model by day and a spy by night. Today she’s talking about modeling.

The top five things about my modelling career? I get to:

  1. Travel all over the world.
  2. Wear great clothes.
  3. Meet interesting people.
  4. Make some good money, which I’ve mostly spent, but that’s another story.
  5. All of these things make a great cover for a spy.

But being a model isn’t easy. My Top 5 Pet Peeves are:

1. Stilettoes

…kill my feet. I know, they look sexy, and give me a special kind of control over men, but I’ll be honest standing for hours in them while I pout gives me blisters and an aching back. Having to run in them is pure hell. I’d like to see James Bond try an escape in a four inch heel.

2. People think I’m stupid

Okay folks. Let’s get this straight. Having a symmetrical face does not mean I’ve had a lobotomy. Sheesh. Some people think my IQ is in the range of my shoe size. Of course that does come in handy…

3. I feel like I’m  never “enough”

In the modelling business I’m never young enough, skinny enough, stylish enough…  You get the idea. I hear the whispers and feel, I’m not enough. Many models self-medicate to deal with the negative side of the beauty industry. I say to hell with that, and carry a gun.

4.  It’s a ruthless profession

One day you’re in the top five, the next morning you wake up and no one knows your name. Modelling is a highly competitive, short-term gig. You need to have a strong sense of self to survive. And a good lover helps.

5. It takes me away from Sebastian

He is the love of my life and I don’t like to be away from him.

 

 

Interview with Casanova, Sadie’s Labradoodle 

1. What’s it like living with a model/spy?

Weird man. Sadie comes and goes at all hours of the day and night and she’s often hyper-excited. She really needs to chill. I try to let her know that. I lick her face whenever I get the chance. She’s a hard lady to slow down.

I wish she would take me on her adventures. When she flies out of town, she leaves me with her neighbour or her best friend. But that’s not all bad. Beatrice, the neighbour, feeds me cat food on crackers, and lets me sleep in her bed. Mitch, her guy friend, throws sticks for me and lets me sleep on his couch which is really comfy and has the  smells of hundreds of people.

But I miss Sadie. There is no one in the world like Sadie.

2. What do you think of Sebastian?

Competition. Major competition. When he’s around I get less… But he loves Sadie, so I let him stay in the apartment. Sooner or later they’ll notice I’m here too.

3. If you could talk to Sadie what would you say?

What do you mean talk? I talk to her, dog talk you know. I give her meaningful looks. My tail wags. I let her know how I feel every minute of every day. But I sorta get what you’re asking. If I could use words I would say: “Let someone else save the world, baby. Hang with me.”

Introduction to the heroine:

Stifling the desire to scream, Sadie stood on top of the fourteenth-century Venetian palazzo looking out over the lagoon and its islands. No point risking the lives of others. She took a deep breath of the salty air blowing in off the Adriatic Sea. The red-tiled rooftops, round domes and cathedral spires of the ancient city spread to the west. For hundreds of years noblemen had used this perch to watch the arrival of merchant ships from the Orient with their exotic wares. Now it had become her trap.

Below, an opera singer in the bow of a gondola serenaded young lovers nestled inside, while the gondolier at the stern in his blue and white striped shirt navigated the still night waters. Venice, a city steeped in history and secrets, a place where anything could happen in a heartbeat and did; a sanctuary for people like her who wanted to disappear…

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Introduction  to the two bad guys:Bakari assessed people with speed and precision. In his business an accurate understanding of people was a matter of life and death. Khalid had a Frankenstein look about him, like a man not fully grown into himself, a man who could be dangerous, a shell waiting for its heart. Daring, possibly unstable, but surely not as dangerous as Djeserit had claimed.

Suspicion played across the light in the young man’s eyes and he leaned his lanky body back in his chair. “My name is Khalid Badru. Do I know you?”

The words hit Bakari like a thousand grenades, unleashing a toxic mixture of regret and anger within. “Not yet.”

Maybe he should have just had him killed, as his brother had suggested. No. That wouldn’t be right. If anyone killed this man, it would have to be him. But the man was barely more than a boy. A boy with his blood. Bakari wanted to give him a chance.

 

 

 

 

Book 1 :Covert Danger

 

Book 2: Born of Magic

 

Jo-Ann Carson has lived most of her life on islands off the west coast of Canada, surrounded by snow covered mountains, lush rain forests and pristine beaches.

Growing up, she dreamed of traveling the world like James Bond, finding archeological treasures like Indiana Jones, and finding true love. In her Mata Hari Series she combines elements of adventure, danger and steamy romance.

 

 

 

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!