Alison Bruce's Blog: Alison Bruce... author on the loose - Posts Tagged "murder"

Deadly Legacy

When I was growing up, I was Jo Bruce's daughter. My mother was first a Girl Guide Captain, then commissioner. More importantly, she organized the distribution of the cookies. Everyone knew her.

I was also Joanne Bruce's sister. She was the outgoing one - the darling of her teachers. It's tough being overshadowed by your little sister.

At high school, I felt like the sidekick. I was the goofy BFF that gave great advice to the star of the show. It was years later, talking to an old teacher, that I found out I was leading character material. No one else thought I was languishing in the shadows. Far from it. I had a rep!

Still, I remember that feeling and I used it when I developed Kate Garrett. Taking her father's place in his private investigation agency, she has big boots to fill. Joe Garrett was practically a legend. Compared to living up to that legacy, finding a poisoner is just another day at the office.

It's enough to make an author go crazy. Bad enough that I haven't got time to read except in bits and pieces, but neither does anyone else. If you can't finish a book (through no fault of its own), you can't review it.

So, I'm putting a call out to readers who love a good mystery and have the time to actually read one. Read Deadly Legacy! I'll send a copy (ARC or Kindle) to three readers who will swear on a copy of John Carter of Mars, Vol. 1 that they will read and review Deadly Legacy for Goodreads and Amazon.com.

Mystery lovers wanted. Haters need not apply. A sense of humour is helpful.

I almost hate to admit it, but as much as I love my Kindle, I'm really excited when I see my books in print. There is just something a little bit more "real" about holding a book in your hands.

Maybe it's because I work on a computer and therefore am used to seeing my work on a screen. Or maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

Regardless, Deadly Legacy hit the virtual stands on Amazon.com yesterday and, in less than a week, I'll be be holding the book in my hot little hands.

Deadly Legacy FREE TODAY!

It's the last day to get Deadly Legacy free.

Excerpt:

Kate was seven years old the first time her father took her to work. Back then, the detectives' room was a large open area filled with grey steel desks. Vacuum tube computer monitors and hard-wired keyboards took up most of the available surface area. The rest was covered in stacks of paper, personal items and coffee cups.

As Joe Garrett showed his daughter around, he painted another picture of a squad room, the one he'd visited as a child. Policing ran in the family.

Desks were made of wood. No computers, at least none generally available to the detectives. Officers entered information in their Occurrence Books. Reports were produced on temperamental electric typewriters.

Now, the Occurrence Book had been replaced by eComs that could do everything but make coffee. Workstations with composite oak-like desks were equipped with flip-up flat-screen monitors, keyboards and docking ports so detectives could plug in, upload or download files and generate reports which could be read on other screens. The stations were like hotel rooms. Officers moved in for the duration of an investigation, spreading their personal property out—or not—according their personality. Detectives carried their 'offices' with them in a briefcase, backpack, or in some cases their pockets. One thing that hadn't changed was the coffee cups. There were always coffee cups...

Deadly Legacy by Alison Bruce is available in Kindle eBook and paperback.