time you visited, I asked you loads of questions. You can find Jessica's interview Here But first, here's Jessica's writing bio, which is followed by an extract from her book...
about the author … Jessica Thompson is the author of the Amazon best-selling mystery novels A Caterer’s Guide to Love and Murder and A Caterer’s Guide to Holidays and Homicide. Her second book was a Whitney Award nominee in the mystery category, and her first book was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards. She also curated an anthology called Beyond the Woods: A Supernatural Anthology. She is active in her local writing community and volunteers as the Assistant Communications Chair for the Storymakers Guild.
Whether she’s revving up chainsaws or wrangling charging bulls, she sees it all as plot-inspiring material for her next mystery.
SHOOT SHOVEL & SHUTUP
Bria’s
shoulders relaxed to finally be alone, despite being crowded and poked by
clinging hollow branches. She crept through the brush, crackling and snapping
with each step. She gripped her open pump 12 gauge at her hip with both hands.
Gunshot blasts tapped the distant air all around her with an emptiness. Unlike
yesterday, the wide-open field offered no echoes and the dogs barked freely as
they ran back and forth. With her eyes on the sky, watching for her prey, her
mind was free to daydream.
She grunted as she broke free of one of the more persistent branches and let her gun wave around in one hand as she struggled to push her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose and push Kenneth out of her mind.
Now her thoughts wandered to the things she could be stepping on. Pictures of the tiny biting mites called chiggers and the deadly rattlesnakes that lived here made her brain itch as the barking of the dogs grew closer and closer. Five doves sprang into the air and appeared in the window of sky available to Bria’s view. She pumped the shotgun’s action forward and raised it to barely hook the top of her shoulder. Nestling her cheekbone on the stock, Bria was about to take her shot when a strange cry and a nearby blast split the air.
Bria froze. Was that a dove? Or a dog? Doves around here gave the oddest gurgling crows, but it had not sounded like that.
When the sound came again, she took off running toward it. The same sound cracked in a desperate, gagging wail. It was nearby and somewhere in the direction of the fence that Bria knew was to the right of her. Luckily her father and brothers kept the fence lines mowed because when Bria reached the long, abrupt clearing and set her gun down, she was able to see the fence stile that she had used to cross this fence many times as a teenager and the crumpled body that lay on the other side of it.
Red. Two flowing red pools. The more orange of the two was a perfectly splayed wave of hair, and the other was a thick and exquisitely crimson fluid that looked like a red scarf draped on the ground.
Bria had no time to react before being struck from behind.
She grunted as she broke free of one of the more persistent branches and let her gun wave around in one hand as she struggled to push her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose and push Kenneth out of her mind.
Now her thoughts wandered to the things she could be stepping on. Pictures of the tiny biting mites called chiggers and the deadly rattlesnakes that lived here made her brain itch as the barking of the dogs grew closer and closer. Five doves sprang into the air and appeared in the window of sky available to Bria’s view. She pumped the shotgun’s action forward and raised it to barely hook the top of her shoulder. Nestling her cheekbone on the stock, Bria was about to take her shot when a strange cry and a nearby blast split the air.
Bria froze. Was that a dove? Or a dog? Doves around here gave the oddest gurgling crows, but it had not sounded like that.
When the sound came again, she took off running toward it. The same sound cracked in a desperate, gagging wail. It was nearby and somewhere in the direction of the fence that Bria knew was to the right of her. Luckily her father and brothers kept the fence lines mowed because when Bria reached the long, abrupt clearing and set her gun down, she was able to see the fence stile that she had used to cross this fence many times as a teenager and the crumpled body that lay on the other side of it.
Red. Two flowing red pools. The more orange of the two was a perfectly splayed wave of hair, and the other was a thick and exquisitely crimson fluid that looked like a red scarf draped on the ground.
Bria had no time to react before being struck from behind.
about the book … After a fight over the family ranch, Dad's young fiancée is found dead. Bria risks her family's disapproval to sneak around and investigate as the tragedies pile up. Luckily, she has help from her childhood crush and from the handsome new deputy.
When new love blooms in two directions and her suspect dies, she must face her grief and discover the family's secrets before she loses everyone she loves.
When new love blooms in two directions and her suspect dies, she must face her grief and discover the family's secrets before she loses everyone she loves.
You can get the book Here
You can follow Jessica on her Amazon Author Page or on her Website and on Facebook Instagram Goodreads and
Sounds like a winner for sure. Thanks for sharing Jessica's story.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and thanks for visiting.
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