I am excited to announce that—after several drafts, revisions, rejections, and more revisions—my first murder mystery novel, Death on Stoneridge, will be published this summer.
Imagine, if you will, a balmy night. A soft breeze blows in through the open window, as you settle down to go to sleep…
All of sudden, you hear raised voices outside, coming from down the street. Are they yelling? Then you hear a car backfiring. A car door slams. The engine roars, and the car races up the street past your window. Too late you pull back the curtain to peer outside. On a whim, you note the time on the digital clock by your bed.
In the end, what you heard was really nothing out of the ordinary. Just a mundane occurrence on an average suburban street. But what if…
This innocuous incident and the “what if” that followed became the basis for Death on Stoneridge. After a Neighborhood Watch meeting held to address a string of burglaries, Edith Baxter is settling down to sleep when…
“Moments later, she was jolted awake by the sudden slamming of a car door. She heard an anguished cry for help. Then two loud pops sounded. Startled, Edith sat bolt upright in bed.
Somewhere, a car door slammed, and an engine roared to life. As the car sped up the small incline of Stoneridge Drive, the sound of the engine whirred in her ears. Then it died away, followed by silence. Too late, Edith pulled back the curtains and looked out the window. She saw nothing.
As she set her novel on the nightstand, she automatically looked at the digital alarm clock. The clock displayed the time—11:20—in a deep red color. She scratched her head. What had just happened? What had she heard exactly? Perhaps if she slept on it an answer or explanation would come to her. Edith turned off the small lamp on the nightstand and lay down. Sleep, though, came fitfully.”
Some might think Edith Baxter dozed off while reading and her imagination went into overdrive. However, the troubles on Stoneridge Drive have just escalated. Murder has struck.
Death on Stoneridge, the first book in The Syracuse Mysteries, is scheduled to be released this summer by Soul Mate Publishing. Soul Mate Publishing, where two become one, publishes romance and mystery novels for readers around the world. Visit their site here.
Stay tuned for more details and tidbits about The Syracuse Mysteries and Death on Stoneridge. In the meantime, check out this page for a brief synopsis and link to the novel’s prologue.
The Poisoned Martini 