Hey lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Russell and his new book, “Derrick”! For other stops on his 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 $10
Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also,
come back daily to interact with Russell and to increase your chances of
winning!
Thanks for stopping by!
Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!
Derrick
by Russell
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GENRE: Horror, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery, LGBT
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BLURB:
In Hyde Park, a movie
theater erupts in flames on a bitterly cold November evening.
It
seems like a job for the fire department, but under Captain Creighton’s direct
orders, Detective Gavin Nolan and his partner, Derrick Williamson, must
investigate. Arriving on the chaotic scene, they find multiple fatalities —but
one of the victims is most peculiar…
Gavin
soon discovers that this fire wasn’t the first of its kind. The arsonist has
set ablaze other buildings around Chicago, and more female victims left in the
same gruesome state have been discovered.
Gavin and Derrick
determine that the arsonist is not an arsonist at all—but a sinister serial
killer with an agenda.
Juggling
the unexpected events in his personal life, Gavin digs into the locations of
the explosions. At the same time, Derrick probes into the victims’ lives,
searching for any possible connection.
However,
when the next explosion occurs, the killer leaves behind a significant object,
and Derrick becomes noticeably reserved. Gavin soon uncovers an enigmatic link,
one that points to Derrick’s military past. A time that his partner had wished
to forget. Yet, to catch the vicious maniac, Derrick must tell Gavin
everything.
In a suspenseful,
gripping ride to the end, it is up to Gavin to rescue his partner from the
clutches of a killer. But will he make it in time?
WARNING: This book contains graphic scenes, explicit language, and
violent sexual situations.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Alarmed,
the woman’s eyes opened. Her nerves twitched slightly, as if an electric shock
rattled her body.
Instantly,
an eerie darkness consumed her, and an unusual stillness blanketed her
surroundings.
Where
am I?
the woman wondered.
With
her instinctual medical training, she began immediately diagnosing her own
condition: blurry vision, raspy breath, citrus acidic taste at the back of her
throat, and weak muscles. The signs were a tell-all. She had been drugged. Most
likely either clonazepam or estazolam.
As
her thick braids fell in front of her eyes, she realized that her body was
hanging in midair. Above her, a rope bound her hands. The burning strain in her
deltoids ached deep into her lower back.
The
air was unusually frigid. Her entire body was trembling. She looked down and
realized she was completely naked.
Who
took off my clothes?
she thought, her mind racing with a fresh wave of panic.
All
she could remember was getting home from a run in the cold rain of a late
November day that had chilled her to the core. Since the presentation of her
dissertation was only days away, she relieved the building stress with those
exhilarating runs. They were especially liberating knowing that she had to head
back to the university lab. Entering the darkened house, she had sworn she’d
left the light on. She recalled a quick shadow slipping just behind her in her
peripheral vision. She’d felt a sudden blow to head, had fallen against the
wooden banister—
What
day is it? The presentation was on Saturday. Did she miss it? A sense of dread
engulfed her, then fear. All the seemingly endless months and years of planning
her project, all the meetings with that arrogant, dimwitted professor, all
those countless hours in the lab…it would all be for nothing. Most importantly,
all the sacrifices she’d made with her family, spending so much time away from
her daughter—and well, her husband too— would be just a waste.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
Who Inspired Your Love for Books?
Really who doesn’t
enjoy reading a great book and be utterly swept away?
My
appetite for reading can be rather ferocious, and I can digest between two to
three books a week. To me, reading and writing certainly go hand in hand.
Reading different genres of books cultivates and allows me to admire the power
of a good story and imagination. Discovering new authors and tearing into their
books is an absolutely exhilarating feeling. Naturally, they inspire me to
create, think and produce more of my own work.
In my
youth though, I had not been such an avid reader, and reading was quite a
challenge. However, I kept at it and persisted until I was no longer
academically behind. While I read the required English literature (The Scarlet Letter, The Old Man and The Sea, and so on), I had appreciated how the
classic authors described the scene, while bringing out the story from the
characters and dialogue in order to convey important powerful meanings. When I began reading the likes of Peter
Straub, Clive Barker and Anne Rice, I discovered the nuance of
contemporary/modern writing in the graphic, yet cryptic details, strong sexual
situations and of course explicit language. I couldn’t get enough! Soon, my
life took a series of different paths: Unfortunately, reading sat on the back
burner. For over two decades, I was an Executive Chef, created various dishes
and ran kitchens with various staff levels. Eventually, the demand of the job
wore down me. Perhaps, the long hours in the restaurant industry highly
distracted me. As my career became less exciting, the love for reading
circumvented back, and then I devoured books once again. About ten years ago, I
decided to get my Master’s degree. Thus, the discipline of reading dense,
critical-thinking materials redefined how I absorbed books.
What
does all this have to do with writing?
You ask. In midst of my hectic life, I always wrote things: Short
descriptions here and there, some stories or just thoughts. In my early phase
of writing, I did complete writing a novel—all handwritten, yikes! Was it great
writing? The Great Classic? Will it be published? Absolutely not! Knowing I
could produce a complete work from beginning to end fueled my desire to write
more. As a result, I wrote another piece: The
Tale of Old Man Fischer. Being a chef and too much confidence, I just
decided to publish it—without anybody really reading it. Call me a gambler! So
many lessons I had learned (i.e. editors are BFFs, marketing, social reach,
etc.). No one in my family even knew I was writing: They were completely
flabbergasted! Despite this, I keep on writing. While in Graduate School,
between the dry dense books, endless papers and grinding out my thesis, I wrote
my next novel, GAVIN, as a mental
break. After graduating, I wrote DERRICK.
Over the last several years, I have written several other pieces which are
coming down the pike. In fact, as we ‘speak’, I’m editing the final part, QUINN. I attempt to create books which
allow the reader to slip into another reality. Because of my inner love for Shakespeare, my work is truly
like an onion: As you slice it down the middle, you see the many layers of
juicy flesh. My works are very much like that…so please pick up one of my books
and enjoy the ride.
Always Read to Escape!
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AUTHOR BIO:
Russell has
been writing for the majority of his life. Slipping into alternative universes
allows him to enjoy the process of creativity from the novel’s conception to
its final draft. Currently, he lives in South Texas with his wife, two kids and
several cats.
DERRICK
is a 2018 Winner in the New Apple Literary Awards, receiving Official Selection
in Psychological Suspense.
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CONNECT WITH RUSSELL:
Email:
russell.tomf.2014@gmail.com
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
The Book Depository Paperback:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Russell will be awarding a $10 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 is 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.
Russell ~ Welcome! It is so great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteWhat writers inspired your style? Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteSounds really great.
ReplyDeleteDo you think you will you will write a sequel to the book? Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteWhat book would you like to see a sequel to? Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDelete