Hello lovelies! It gives me
great pleasure today to host Anita Dickason and her new book, “Sentinels of the
Night”! For other stops on her Goddess
Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the
images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end
of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Anita
and to increase your chances of winning!
This book is on SALE during
the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!! See
below for more details.
Sentinels of the Night
by Anita Dickason
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GENRE: Suspense/Thriller/Paranormal
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BLURB:
FBI
Tracker Cat Morgan has an unusual talent, one she has successfully concealed,
even from her fellow agents. That is—until she finds a body with a strange
symbol carved on the forehead during a stop in Clinton, Mississippi and crosses
paths with the town’s rugged police chief, Kevin Hunter. Despite his instant
attraction to the sexy agent, Kevin is suspicious of her presence at the crime
scene and isn’t buying her dubious explanations. He wants her out of the
investigation and out of his town.
The
discovery of another mutilated body with the same symbol sends Cat back to
Clinton, and this time she isn’t leaving. To stop the killer, Cat must find a
way to overcome Kevin’s distrust and will face an impossible impasse—truth or
lies. But will either one matter, when the killer fixates on her for his next
sacrifice?
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EXCERPT ONE:
Overhead,
a deep hoot echoed, followed by the flap of wings. Two owls settled on top of
the railroad car. Perched side by side, the formidable talons that could crush
the spine of their quarry in an instant clung to the edge. Tufts of hair that
protruded like horns and the glow of huge golden eyes gave the birds a fearsome
appearance.
Motionless,
she eyed the large raptors while she pondered their intervention. A bewildering
deviation from their normal behavior.
“Hmm
… that was a rather … dramatic entrance, even for you.”
They
blinked, and their bills clacked, as if in protest.
“Not
that I am complaining, of course.”
Heads
swiveled in unison as their intense gaze shifted to the body on the ground. A
few seconds later, they refocused on Cat. The magnetic tug twitched in her
mind, and an odd sense of approval mixed with fear flowed into her thoughts.
Jeez, this is getting even more weird.
“I’m
wondering, though, how do I explain this one to Ben? He couldn’t miss seeing
you, and he’s already suspicious.”
Another
blink, then their wings spread as they lifted off. No help there, not that she
expected any.
Her
gaze returned to the body. Without their warning—well, she didn’t want to think
about what might have happened. As for Ben, she’d come up with some excuse to
fob off his questions. She always did.
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BOOK TRAILER:
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GUEST POST:
Evolution of My
Writing Habits and How I’ve Grown into a Better/More Experienced Writer
When
I retired from the Dallas Police Department, my retirement didn’t exactly go as
planned. What I didn’t realize was the problem with all the free time on my
hands. I decided to start my own business in accident reconstruction.
I
received a call from a film company in California who had found my website.
They were filming for a new reality TV series that dealt with unsolved
mysteries. In the first show, an episode would be about the death of a key
witness, Lee Bowers, Jr., to the Kennedy assassination. Bowers was killed in a
motor vehicle crash in 1966. Over the years, the conspiracy theorists have
claimed he was killed because of what he saw the day Kennedy was shot.
A
date was set for the filming and the film company had obtained permits from the
Texas Department of Transportation to shut down a section of the freeway
outside of Midlothian, Texas, a small community about thirty miles south of
Dallas. At first, I was not receptive to their offer. I did not want to appear
on camera to talk about an accident that I knew nothing about and had little
time to research. They asked if I would at least look at the material, and I
agreed.
The
packet I received included a video of a Geraldo Rivera episode that was filmed
in the middle 90’s on the same topic, Bowers death. A man stood on the
southbound lane of the divided highway pointing to a bridge where Bowers was killed.
This location was the same one the film company intended to use. It didn’t take
but a few seconds to realize that everyone had the wrong bridge. It didn’t even
exist in 1966. In fact, documents I located at the local courthouse revealed
the land wasn’t purchased by the state for the highway expansion until after
Bowers was killed.
I was
fortunate to find the actual accident location and the film company switched to
the new site. I became so intrigued with the project, I decided to attempt a
reconstruction of the accident. Talk about the ultimate cold case, this was it.
Every single detail had to be evaluated by the standards and procedures in
effect in 1966. I wrote a book, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to
Conspiracy that details my results and conclusions.
While
I enjoyed the process of writing the book, I had no intention of continuing as
a writer until I spotted a website that ran a contest for short stories. Each
month a picture would be posted. The story had to relate to the picture and was
limited to 500 words. The picture was fascinating. A doll, tattered and torn,
stood in the middle of this dilapidated barren room. I thought, what the heck
and wrote a story, Not Dead, Not Dead. To my shock and amazement, I won third
place. And that’s all it took, I was hooked.
My
first fiction book was Sentinels of the Night, and it took two years to
complete. I took online courses in writing and submitted chapters for critique
and evaluation. I joined a local writing group. The title even changed. The
original was Blood Moon. I wrote, rewrote, and rewrote again. I lost track of
the number of drafts. With each change, though, the book improved. The day I
sent off another chapter for evaluation and it came back with no changes
recommended, I knew I had a finished manuscript. The trials, tribulations, and
growing pains paid off when I wrote the next book, Going Gone! It took about
ten months to complete.
One
tip I would pass on to anyone who wants to write. Start with the challenge of a
short story. It is a fun way to learn the dynamics of writing. When limited to
500 or 1000 words, you can’t ramble. Once the story is complete, submit it to a
short story contest or magazine.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Anita Dickason is a
retired police officer with twenty-seven years of experience, twenty-two with
the Dallas Police Department. She served in patrol, undercover narcotics,
accident investigation and was on a sniper on the Dallas SWAT team.
Anita
is the recipient of the prestigious Law Enforcement Professional Achievement
Award from the State of Texas House of Representatives. Other awards include
Officer of the Year—Texas Women in Law Enforcement, Officer of the
Year—International Association of Women in Police, Runner-up Officer of the
Year—Dallas Police Department, Officer of the Month—Dallas Police Department
and multiple Police Commendations, Certificates of Merit and Citizen/Business
commendations from the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas community.
Anita
was a certified instructor with Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, and the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Her instructor certifications
include Defensive Tactics, Batons, Spontaneous Knife Defense, Field Sobriety
Procedures, Drug Recognition Expert program, and Accident Investigation.
She
is a Past President of Texas Women in Law Enforcement, and Past Treasurer for
the International Association of Women in Police.
Her
first book, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy, is non-fiction
and details the reconstruction of a 1966 vehicle accident near Midlothian,
Texas that killed a key witness to the Kennedy assassination. The project
opened the door to a new career, Author and Publisher. She owns Mystic Circle
Books & Designs, LLC and provides manuscript and design services, helping
other authors turn their manuscripts into a published book.
Her
fictional works are suspense/thrillers and her plots are drawn from her
extensive law enforcement knowledge and experience. Characters with unexpected
skills, that extra edge for overcoming danger and adversity, have always
intrigued her. Her infatuation with ancient myths and legends of Native
American Indians, and Scottish and Irish folklore adds a touch of paranormal
for the backdrop of her characters.
The
experience of writing led to developing a knowledge of self-publishing and
graphic design and a new business endeavor: Mystic Circle Books & Designs,
LLC. It is a tossup of what Anita enjoys more, working on her books or helping
another author publish their works. She has found an unexpected enjoyment in
designing book covers, bookmarks, bookplates, etc. Email her for an autographed
custom bookplate -- anita@anitadickason.com.
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CONNECT WITH
ANITA:
Website:
Email:
anita@anitadickason.com
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads Author
Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS
& BOOK SALE INFO:
**Sentinels of the Night is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY
$0.99!!!**
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Amazon Hardcover:
Barnes and Noble:
Kobo:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Anita will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to
a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
