I want to thank Delilah for giving me the opportunity to share about my new release, The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait, the fourth case in my Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes series. It’s available for a special price ($2.99) for a limited time.
This series offers an origin story for Sherlock Holmes. The original tales had little about his past other than his father was named Siger, he had a brother named Mycroft, and his ancestors were country squires. He also tells Watson his grandmother was the sister of the French artist Vernet, which gave him “art in the blood.” As Sherlock matures through this series, he develops his skills as he solves mysteries at the family estate, London, and now France.
In The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait, the Holmes family travels to Paris to visit their French relatives along with some purpose known only to Sherlock’s mother. The true reason for the trip becomes apparent almost immediately when they witness a murder on their first night in the city. A carriage runs down the artist of a compromising sketch of Sherlock’s mother. The hunt to bring the killer to justice sends Sherlock into parts of the city off the beaten path and into danger.
In addition to a visit to the Louvre (after all, their ancestors had paintings hanging there), the evidence sends them to such sites as the Mont-de-Piété (now the Crédit Municipal de Paris), the state-run pawn shops; the Hôtel Drouot, an auction house; the headquarters of the Surete (the French equivalent of Scotland Yard); and Montmartre, a sleepy village on the outskirts of the city in 1868. As I completed my research for the book, I found myself longing to return to the city to actually visit the places I’d only read about in books or online. Even Montmartre, a place I’d visited before, now holds new meaning to me.
I’m giving away a $5 Apple or Amazon gift card (winner’s choice) to one randomly selected person leaving a comment. Let me know of your interest in Paris. Do you want to visit the City of Lights? What would be on your list of sites there? If you have visited the city, what did you enjoy the most?
The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait
A long-buried secret. A stolen portrait. The artist’s murder. Can Sherlock discover the connection between the three before he’s stopped permanently?
Sherlock can’t shake his apprehension about a family trip to Paris. His mother’s unflappable confidence vanished months ago, and her anxiety has set the whole family on edge. His greatest fears are realized when they witness the death of one of Mrs. Holmes’ former suitors.
As Sherlock seeks to unravel the reason behind the artist’s murder, he unearths a long-buried secret about his mother and survives several attempts to keep him from getting to the truth.
Can he bring a killer to justice before he’s buried with these hidden secrets forever?
Excerpt from The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait:
I stared over the ship’s railing and spoke to my brother Mycroft without glancing at him. “I feel this trip may be a mistake.”
I saw him turn toward me from the corner of my eye. “The crossing’s almost over. You’ll feel better when you get on dry land.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I glared at him. “Mother hasn’t been herself since Easter. Out of the blue, she announces we’re going to Paris while you’re still recovering from a gunshot wound. And she’d been distracted even before that.”
Mother had always been the family rock. I’d rarely seen her rattled, but even granite can break under pressure.
During our Easter holiday in London, she appeared preoccupied by matters she never explained to me or my brother. At the time, I’d put it down to concern over my father’s efforts to invest in a business venture with an old school chum as well as Mycroft’s wounding at the hands of our kidnappers. Both, however, were now behind us. The investment had produced a modest return, and I saw no lingering problems related to Mycroft’s injury. All the same, we’d barely arrived home from school before she’d packed our trunks and shuffled us all off to Newhaven for the steamship ride to Dieppe.
“I do believe bringing the entire family is a ruse,” he said after his own inspection of the sea.
“Including Uncle Ernest in the trip did surprise me.” Her brother rarely left the estate or his workshop. “Perhaps she thinks it will do him some good. They report being happy growing up there.”
He glanced at the smoke trailing the ship. “If she was so happy there, why doesn’t she show it?”
I ran through all the scenarios—from something as benign as a sudden bout of nostalgia to a fatal illness calling her back to see her French relatives one last time—and shook my head. “Without more information, I would only be speculating. You yourself have said that can be counterproductive. Whatever the reason, something has truly unnerved her.” I turned back to the ocean, seeking any indication of the coastline. “And whatever it is lies in Paris.”
Liese Sherwood-Fabre knew she was destined to write when she got an A+ in the second grade for her story about Dick, Jane, and Sally’s ruined picnic. After obtaining her PhD, she joined the federal government and worked and lived internationally for more than fifteen years. Returning to the states, she seriously pursued her writing career, garnering such awards as a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart contest and a Pushcart Prize nomination. A recognized Sherlockian scholar, her essays have appeared in scion newsletters, the Baker Street Journal, and Canadian Holmes. She has recently turned this passion into an origin story series on Sherlock Holmes. The first book, The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife, was the CIBA Mystery and Mayhem 2020 winner.
I’m popping in to let you know about a special sale at my online bookstore. For the month of April, all eBooks, including box sets, are just $.99. Browse the books and grab those missing from your collection! Some of these titles are only available here:
About fourteen years ago, I met Alexandra Riley, a woman who realized her entire life and identity was a lie. She discovers she’s not human but a half-breed werewolf, her father is a full-blooded werewolf, and she’s become a prize, sought after by male werewolves who want to mate her. Alexandra’s Legacy was the first werewolf book I ever wrote, and it began my love affair with these fascinating creatures.
Why do I love werewolves? They straddle a line between the human and wolf sides of their nature. They live by a different set of rules, are guided by primal instincts. They’re rough and tough and protective as hell toward those they consider theirs. It opens up so many possibilities for me as a writer. I’ve created several worlds for my werewolves, each different in terms of the lore surrounding them, but underlying all the books is the wildness of the wolf. No matter how many stories I write, they continue to surprise and delight me.
I went on to write 7 books in the Legacy series—Alexandra’s Legacy, Isaiah’s Haven, Legacy Found, Quinn’s Quest, Finding Chrissten, Damek’s Redemption, and Craig’s Heart. While it’s primarily a werewolf series, the final two books feature vampires.
From there, I continued to write paranormal series—Hades’ Carnival, Salvation Pack, Blood of the Drakon, Forgotten Brotherhood, Salvation Pack: The Next Generation, and more. I love my werewolves but have branched out and written about many other kinds of shifters.
When the original publisher of the Legacy series closed its doors, I was lucky enough to have another publisher republish the series. This gave this series—and others—a second chance. And now the publisher has issued new covers.
I’ve been blessed with amazing covers for my entire career, and this time is no exception. I love the vibrancy of these new ones and hope you do too.
And if you’ve never given the Legacy series a look, I hope these new covers will make pique your interest.
Alexandra’s Legacy
Legacy, Book 1
The truth could get her killed.
Alexandra Riley’s predictable world is turned upside down when she discovers she’s the half-breed daughter of a legendary alpha werewolf—a sought-after prize to some, an abomination to others. The tall, dark stranger who bursts into her father’s garage shatters any illusion that she can continue with her normal life.
From the second Joshua Striker, enforcer for the Wolf Creek pack, sees Alex, she becomes a distraction he can’t afford. He’s come to the city to bring Alex to the safety of the pack. That’s it. But who is going to keep her safe from him? Because the wolf inside him is demanding he claim her—now.
From city streets to the mountains of North Carolina, the pair must evade bounty hunters out to kill any werewolf they can, wolves who want to claim Alex, and purists bent on eradicating half breeds. And with all this going on, Alex still has learn what it means to be a wolf and deal with the overbearing male determined to keep her safe.
N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
The Salvation Pack came howling into my life more than a decade ago. I’d originally planned a five-book series but ended up writing nine. I fell in love with them so much, I didn’t want to let them go.
After the original series was done, readers kept writing and asking about the children of the pack. I couldn’t stop thinking about them either. Now, they’re all grown up and ready to find love. I’m thrilled to bring you the Salvation Pack: The Next Generation series.
WOLF CLAIMS HIS PACK is the third book. Nicholas LaForge is the son of the alpha of the Salvation Pack. Talk about having big shoes to fill. I always knew it would take a very special woman to capture his heart.
Wolf Claims His Pack
Wolf Claims His Pack Salvation Pack: The Next Generation, Book 3
Half-breed wolf and blacksmith, Bailey Smith’s life is complicated. She’s alpha of a small pack consisting of her teenage brother and three other kids. Her grandfather—a pure-blood wolf—wants her and her brother dead. And now a confrontation with two human males has brought Child Protective Services to her door. If that wasn’t enough, she’s caught the attention of an unknown, sexy-as-hell, male wolf.
Nicholas LaForge has found his mate and purpose. Being a full-blooded wolf is a strike against him, but she marries him to protect her kids. He’ll use whatever sneaky methods necessary—including sex—to convince her they belong together. First, he has to deal with the threats to his new pack. That’s the easy part. Winning her love and trust might be impossible.
Excerpt from Wolf Claims His Pack…
The hot guy from the parking lot was a wolf. And what a wolf. He was huge and deadly and dangerous, no matter how tame he tried to appear. Yeah, that wasn’t something he’d ever be able to pull off. It was like a police-trained German Shepherd trying to pretend to be a teacup poodle. Or a tiger attempting to masquerade as a kitten. Not going to happen.
When he’d stripped out of his shirt, she’d almost swallowed her tongue. He was about six-four. All of it tanned skin and ripped muscle. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. He didn’t have six-pack abs. He had an eight-pack.
Her cheeks were flushed. Her skin overly sensitized to the point the light breeze felt more like sandpaper against it.
Nicholas LaForge. The name was slightly exotic and suited him. His eyes were a deep golden brown that reminded her of a piece of precious amber she’d seen once in a museum. They were sharp and missed nothing. His shaggy brown hair fell to his shoulders, adding to his wild, untamed appearance. The multi-hued browns in his hair were reflected in his fur, with the addition of a few patches of black.
“You okay?” Emmett asked, concern deepening his voice.
“I’m fine.” Or she would be, as soon as she put Mr. Hot and Dangerous out of her mind. “We should go inside.” Standing outside, they were vulnerable. And their visitor was long gone.
N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Last summer I did some traveling to research the area where I set my forthcoming novel, Shattered Ice. This third book in the Melting Hearts series takes place near Aspen, Colorado. It’s a gorgeous area with majestic mountains and lush forests, and one I’d never been to. Road trip!
I’ve been a fan of car trips since I was a little kid and, like everyone else, I’ve been cooped up for far too long. But a road trip means packing up the writing companions I affectionately refer to as the Insane Pound Posse (IPP). Dora, the senior member by two weeks, is a sixty-pound German Shorthaired Pointer with the temperament of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. She’s the happiest dog I’ve ever known and greets each new day with leaps of joy.
Lulu—the younger, but significantly larger—is a ninety-pound red Doberman. Her idea of the best way to greet the day is to start her first nap. She likes to conserve her energy for barking at delivery drivers, dog walkers, and everything else that passes by. This requires loads of rest, preferably on a bed or couch, depending on how her royal highness is feeling that day.
I’ve become pretty skilled at road trips with the IPP, but we usually go to our favorite hotels where they know us. I had to find a place in Colorado that could accommodate one hundred and fifty pounds of spoiled-rotten canine.
Thank goodness for vacation rental sites like Vrbo and Airbnb.
I started searching, and quickly realized that rentals in Aspen are not like rentals anywhere else. We’re talking big huge dollars. I’m a little bitty writer. So I found a place in Carbondale, about 40 minutes west of Aspen, and it was still fabulous. It had a caviar view on a fish-and-chips budget. And the best part was that they allowed dogs. Perfect.
Still, my four-legged companions had to be on their best behavior—no scratching the furniture or breaking lamps. But unlike kids, dogs are completely impervious to threats. (Ask me how I know.)
So how was I going to manage the IPP in a tricked-out house with wood floors, floor to ceiling windows, and luxury linens?
The key to this, like most challenges, is to be prepared. With that in mind, the IPP and I put together this fabulous graphic should you decide to try a rental with your furry crew. FYI, they made me add the toys and the bowls. They still haven’t forgotten the time they had to use an unfamiliar water bowl.
“It was awful,” howls Lulu.
“But she remembered our blankets, and treats!” Dora is much more forgiving, although she still hates having her nails done on spa day before we go.
If you like reading books with dogs, check out Xmas Angel, the second book in the Melting Hearts series.
Shattered Ice, the third book in my series, will be released May 31, 2022, just in time for summer vacation reading. And, if you’d like to keep up with the occasional antics of the IPP, subscribe to my newsletter at jordynkross.com and get the free prequel to the series: Jack’s Frost.
UPDATE: The winner of the Amazon gift card is…Tara Leavitt!
*~*~*
We survived a week of Spring Break with the family sequestered during storms. We had a movie night (is it bad I can’t remember what we watched?). Mom had “sleepovers” with the youngest kids in the living room on the pullout sofa bed. They were thrilled! We had some lovely meals together (not that I got to eat them!). It’ll be back to school for all of them on Monday (I can’t wait!).
I hope you’re all doing well—healthy and happy. It’s small things, folks. Like today’s puzzle… 🙂
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle then tell me what your favorite beverage is!
Say the name Sojourner Truth and immediately I think of her iconic 1851 speech, “Ain’t I a Woman,” at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio (see below—it’s just 3 minutes long). But what never came to mind was the fact that she was the first Black woman to win a lawsuit against a white man. I didn’t know because her birth name is not as famous as her chosen name. When Sojourner Truth was born enslaved in Ulster County NY her name was Isabella Baumfree. By 1864 she was well-known for her abolitionist, suffrage, civil and women’s rights work. But it was in 1828 that she went to court to win the freedom of her five-year-old son, Peter, who had been illegally sold into slavery in Alabama.
In 1827 Baumfree ran away with her baby daughter, unfortunately having to leave her other three children behind. She found refuge with a nearby abolitionist family, the Van Wageners. They were able to buy her freedom from her enslaver by buying her services for $20. In 1828 New York State outlawed slavery but that didn’t mean the practice stopped. Her former master, John Dumont, had sold Peter to Southern slaveholder, Eleazar Gedney who then sold Peter to his brother Solomon.
As the children of slaves were born slaves, they were their owners’ property just as their parents were. However, in 1818 a state law had been passed that freed anyone born after July 4, 1799. Some sources cite Peter’s birth year as 1818, others as 1821. So having been born well after 1799, Peter was covered by this statute. Sources I found stated that he would have had to work as an indentured servant until he reached his twenties. Thus, Dumont had the right to sell his services but not sell him into slavery. That happened when Eleazar Gedney sold Peter to Solomon who made him his slave. With the help of the Van Wageners, Baumfree’s case went to the Albany Supreme Court. She won, and her son was set free. She was also awarded $500 in damages.
What I appreciate about commemoration months like Women’s History Month is the awareness and inspiration I receive from learning how people prevailed despite the odds and the circumstances of their times being against them.
For a chance at winning a $10 gift card, share in the comments about someone or some event that you can cite where the odds and the circumstances were against them, but justice was done in the end.
One Breath Away
Michal Scott
Sentenced to hand for a crime she didn’t commit, former slave Mary Hamilton was exonerated at literally the last gasp. She returns to Safe Haven, broken and resigned to live alone. Never having been courted, cuddled or spooned, Mary now fears any kind of physical intimacy when arousal forces her to relive the asphyxiation of her hanging. But then the handsome stranger who saved her shows up, stealing her breath from across the room and promising so much more.
Wealthy freeborn-Black Eban Thurman followed Mary to Safe Haven, believing a relationship with Mary was foretold by the stars. He must marry her to reclaim his family farm. But first he must help her heal, and to do that means revealing his own predilection for edgier sex.
Then just as Eban begins to win Mary’s trust, an enemy from the past threatens to keep them one breath away from love…
Excerpt from One Breath Away…
Home at last, she’d see if meeting Eban meant this night would be good.
Since her ordeal, her sex rivaled the Chihuahuan Desert in dryness. Yet Eban’s gaze had summoned the fragrant flow that even now moistened her core. Could it be her body had finally healed? She swayed, dizzy with expectation.
The squeak of the indoor pump provided no distraction from the lingering tingle where Eban’s fingers had rested against her spine, where his lips had kissed her hand. She focused on her task to temper her excitement.
Fill the bucket. Lift the bucket. Carry the bucket. Empty the bucket. Fill the bucket. Lift the bucket. Carry the bucket. Empty the bucket.
The pans she filled slowly simmered then steamed on her small, pot-bellied stove.
Her heart seized as she fingered the simple gingham curtains covering Harvest Home’s windows. Harvest Home’s humble kitchen contrasted sharply with the trappings that had graced Mary’s Manor, her Weston restaurant expansion.
She’d looked up the word manor and decided her place would imitate that kind of luxury as much as possible. Brocaded drapes and white, linen tablecloths had dressed up the Manor’s supper room. Slipcovers made from the same linen covered the cushioned chairs. White, bone china and delicate silverware completed the picture of elegant dining she hoped to draw.
A Franklin stove, indoor pump, double sink, polished counter tops and spacious storage cupboards made the Manor’s kitchen a dream made true. Nothing lacked for the grand opening. Picturing couples enjoying themselves in her simple but elegant setting had become her favorite pastime.
Then Judah Little and his lies thwarted her plans. Thwarted. A good word. A true word.
“But not for long,” she whispered. “That dream will come true just as this dream might come true tonight.”
I’ve been a fan of car trips since I was a little kid and, like everyone else, I’ve been cooped up for far too long. But a road trip means packing up the writing companions I affectionately refer to as the Insane Pound Posse (IPP). Dora, the senior member by two weeks, is a sixty-pound German Shorthaired Pointer with the temperament of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. She’s the happiest dog I’ve ever known and greets each new day with leaps of joy.
I started searching, and quickly realized that rentals in Aspen are not like rentals anywhere else. We’re talking big huge dollars. I’m a little bitty writer. So I found a place in Carbondale, about 40 minutes west of Aspen, and it was still fabulous. It had a caviar view on a fish-and-chips budget. And the best part was that they allowed dogs. Perfect.
