C.E. Chessher's Blog, page 3
October 9, 2012
Cover Art Released
Check out this cool cover design just released for Murder Off Shadow Lane, book two of the South Texas Mystery series. Publisher MuseItUp Publishing has scheduled a November release date for the Kindle eBook. The book will also be available in other popular eBook formats, including Nook and Kindle IPhone.
September 18, 2012
Mrs. Robinson–Texas style
As the investigation continues, acid-tongued oil baroness Janet Strickland makes mincemeat of Deputy Sheriff Jake Briggs in a verbal spar at the mansion. Read this except:
Janet seemed to relax when he asked for a beer. “What brings you out this way today?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
They both knew why he was there, but it was easier to play along with Janet Strickland’s game. He’d learned last time he interviewed her that although she was not above game-playing, she expected forthrightness from him. It was best not to beat around the bush. “Two things: one, as you know, we have another murder on our hands, and two, we want to get your take on the racial unrest in the community.”
“We?”
“The sheriff’s department. My colleagues.”
“And that Dunning woman, I presume?”
“Well…yes.”
“I hear you two have become quite…chummy.”
Jake shrugged.
“Lucky girl.”
Jake felt himself flush.
“Oh, don’t be so uptight,” she chortled. “If you weren’t involved with some woman, I’d think something was wrong.” Her gaze skittered to his crotch area before darting in another direction. “And you think I might know something about either of these…issues?”
“We’ll never know, if we don’t ask.” He cleared his throat. “Did you see anything of interest the day of the murder?”
Felipe came back into the room carrying a tray. He delivered a glass of wine to Janet, and the beer to Jake.
Janet waited until Felipe was out of the room to respond. “You mean, did I kill Glenn
Sanger?”
He paused and took a drink. “Did you?”
“Why would I,” she asked, taking a drink of wine.
“Maybe you were angry.”
“At what?”
“Angry you couldn’t have Glenn Sanger.”
She tossed her head back and laughed again. “Your presumptions are erroneous, Deputy.”
“That you were angry?”
“That I couldn’t have Glenn Sanger.”
“But you said the last time I interviewed you that Glenn Sanger rebuffed your advances.”
“Rebuffed? That’s a rather strong word, don’t you think?” She took another drink and sat back in the chair. “A lot has happened since the last time we chatted.”
A jumble of thoughts rammed through Jake’s mind. If he understood Janet correctly, she and Glenn Sanger had consummated an affair. That idea raised a lot more questions.
Did Peggi Sanger know? Did Janet feel compelled to cover her tracks? Did someone else see them together? It could mean a lot of things.
“Any idea who might have killed Sanger?”
“Who the hell knows,” she shot back in her characteristic acerbic style. “We don’t have a shortage of idiots in this town. You ought to know that by now. How many pickups do you see without a gun rack in the back window? Hardly any. Not to mention all the people who drive around in cars with guns tucked under the seat.”
“Can you account for your whereabouts the day of the killing?”
She laughed again and lit a cigarette. “Do I need to call my lawyer?”
“Up to you.”
“I didn’t kill Glenn Sanger, okay?” she said in an exasperated tone. “If I wanted Glenn dead, I would have hired someone to do it.” She glared at him. “But before you ask, no, I didn’t do that, either.”
“I had to ask.”
“I know.” She took another sip of wine. “No hard feelings.” She met his gaze again. “I hope you’ll reconsider my offer.”
“The job offer?”
She tossed her head back and laughed throatily. “I don’t believe I made any other offers; at least not verbally.”
He felt his face flush again. “I might reconsider…the job offer.”
“Oh, I see. You want more money. How much? Three times your present salary?”
His heart raced. “That would help. I’ll think about it.”
“Wait a minute,” Janet said after a brief pause. “I thought they had already charged the Sandoval boy with the murder.”
“That’s true. But the Mexican-American community thinks he’s innocent.”
“Innocent? My God, he was driving Sanger’s car. How much more proof do they need?”
“It’s all circumstantial evidence at this point. The murder weapon has not been found.”
She glanced at him again. “You know, if you and that Dunning woman are hell-bent on finding another suspect, I’d suggest you take a look at Glenn’s widow. That mousy woman’s middle name is trouble, if you ask me.”
“Trouble? Why do you say that? She seems genuinely distraught over her husband’s murder.”
“And you believe that crap? Have you forgotten everything you learned in those criminal justice classes? Peggi was one of those damn hippies the University of Texas has been spitting out the last few years.”
Jake took another drink of beer and soaked in everything Janet had said. At least he’d gotten in to see her. And she had revealed an important key fact that might impact the case.
August 7, 2012
July 11, 2012
A mysterious call
Ken, my barber, was kind enough to let me post a flier on his shop bulletin board. The Highway Shooter flier includes a QR code that when scanned links SmartPhone users to the ebook’s Amazon page.
Every time I get a haircut, I ask about the flier. Have any customers looked at the flier? Scanned the QR code?
“Several,” he stated. “Some acted interested in it.”
The next time I came in, he reported an interesting phenomenon. Someone had left a strange message on his answering machine. The caller stated:
Glennis is still at the scene. She got together with Ruby and some of the others, but they still don’t know much. They’re going back tomorrow to look for more clues. Glennis and Jake don’t have much time left.
The male caller hung up without indentifying himself. Ken could not place the voice. He asked the few customers who showed an interest in the book, but no one admitted to knowing anything.
Some events have no rational explanation and are best left to the realm of mystery. This seems to be one of those.
Another satisfied reader
brr offered this pithy review on Amazon:
Glennis Dunning and Jake Briggs make a great sleuthing pair! I hope the author writes a sequel (or prequel) with the same main characters. Who says small towns are boring?
So far, all reviews have been five-star. It’s always nice to hear from satisfied readers.
April 30, 2012
Another 5-star review
A reader who goes by the screen name of GRITS has posted the second five-star review of The Highway Shooter: A South Texas mystery on Amazon.
Thank you, readers, for your encouragement and support. Watch for Murder Off Shadow Lane, due out in the fall of this year. In book two of the South Texas Mystery series, Glennis Dunning encounters many new adventures.
Exonerated of the murder of the town’s Methodist minister, vengeful Pettrolius oil tycoon J.D. Strickland launches a ruthless campaign to break a newly formed petroleum workers’ union and divert oil production tax revenues to county rival Mayvale.
As the plot unfolds, union-busting sympathizer Elias Bryden is murdered, and a power-hungry district attorney indicts a school janitor for the murder.
In the ensuing investigation, newspaper reporter Glennis Dunning and Deputy Sheriff Jake Briggs uncover a high-level plot to change state oil production law to punish Pettrolius residents for voting in the union.
Short-tempered Pettrolius restaurateur Ruthanne Heggeman plays a leading role in Murder Off Shadow Lane, organizing a boycott against Mayvale merchants.The Pettrolius mayhem continues in a third book, Time Out, now underway.
If Glennis can ever get Pettrolius straightened out–and that’s a big if–she may just take KTCC Channel 6′s offer of a TV anchor job. Marilyn, her oldest, will be in college by then, and that would make it easier to relocate, although she will still have three teenagers at home.
On the other hand, if another murder occurs in Pettrolius . . . well, a TV career may have to wait. No telling what might happen next in Pettrolius, because things remain volatile. OIl tycoon J.D. Strickland is encouraging other oil firms to relocate to Mayvale to punish petroleum workers for unionizing. Pettrolius Latinos, buoyed by their new-found political power, have summoned community organizer Paul Ruiz to town to help organize a Good Government League to force a vote on creating a town government.
No telling what will happen.
April 22, 2012
Novel gets Amazon review
The Highway Shooter: A South Texas Mystery got its first review on amazon.com.
okieanne wrote:
Great mystery set in south Texas. Glennis Dunning,local newspaperwoman, gets involved in solving a case that may be a setup of a local young man to cover for the murder of a local minister. Can’t wait for the sequel. Glennis Dunning is sure to put her detective nose in other places where people will think she doesn’t belong.
Set in the fictional Coastal Bend oil town of Pettrolius, The Highway Shooter eBook is also available through MuseItUp Publishing. My publisher might not like this, but the truth is it’s easier to download the book through Amazon. Don’t have a Kindle? Amazon offers a free eReader for all your devices. Download one of the free apps and save to your PC, SmartPhone, iPad, or eReader. The publisher provides all formats when customers purchase the book so that it can be viewed from different devices. I have a Kindle Fire, but the same download also allows me to view the book from my iPhone.
It’s handy that the eReader bookmarks where you stop reading. So, if I stop reading on my Kindle and then open the book on my iPhone, the eReader opens up to the proper page.
April 18, 2012
First review
The first review of The Highway Shooter: A South Texas Mysery has been published on MuseItUp.com, the publisher website. jpaulday wrote:
A story that held my interest through colorful characters and settings and made me curious to discover any further adventures.
Several readers have stated that the story would make a good TV series. The second book in the series, Murder Off Shadow Lane, is due out this fall.
Some have had difficulty downloading the book from the publisher website. It is much easier to download the Kindle eReader app from Amazon and then use that app to download the book. Once the book is downloaded on that app, you can send it to your other devices. You can install the Kindle eReader app on your PC, laptop, SmartPhone or tablet, download the book, and then forward the book to your other devices.
March 29, 2012
Ruby Daily’s afternoon rendezvous
NOTE: The Highway Shooter is now available in all eBook formats through MuseItUp publishers. Beginning April 1, it will also be available through Amazon.
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Another of my favorite scenes in The Highway Shooter occurs when Pettrolius telephone operator Ruby Daily, Glennnis’ best friend, and handsome Nordheim banker Norm Heinz, enjoy a secret afternoon rendezvous at the San Antonio River falls outside Pettrolius. Read what happens:
“Have you ever been here, Norm?” Ruby called out as she hoisted the picnic basket onto the table. The calming noise from the falls provided a relaxing backdrop to their afternoon of freedom.
Norm opened the back door of his new Buick Skylark and pulled out a basket of chilled champagne, cheese, and crackers. He padded over and set the basket on the table next to Ruby’s.
“Years ago,” he said. “I guess everyone in this part of the country has been here one time or another.”
“Did you go skinny dippin’?” Ruby asked as she began unloading the basket.
“Didn’t you?” he asked, feeling himself flush.
“A few times,” she said coyly. “I’ve got potato salad, fresh tomatoes, and apple pie.”
“A feast.” He pulled two glasses out of the basket and popped the cork. “Champagne, my dear?”
“Why not?” Ruby said with a smile.
After they had finished eating and had drunk half the champagne, Ruby cuddled in Norm’s arms as they sat facing the waterfall. “It’s so relaxing being here with you,” Ruby cooed.
“It is,” he said, glancing down at her. “I can’t think of a better place to be.”
They sat for a long time watching and listening to the waterfall, at peace with the world, comfortable in the silence, cuddling.
Finally, Norm spoke up, softly. “This must be so different for you.”
“What do you mean, sweetie?”
“The peacefulness. Pettrolius is such a wild little town.”
“It’s strained, for sure,” she said with a sigh. “With the shootings and now the racial unrest.”
“Funny, this was supposed to be Pettrolius’ year.”
She looked at him quizzically. “You mean football?”
“Yes. A lot of people were banking on Pettrolius to win the state championship.”
“Well, to be honest, I don’t keep up with it, anymore. Once my daughter graduated, I lost interest.”
“You have a daughter?”
“Yes.” She glanced up at him again. “You? Any kids?”
“We couldn’t have any.” He sighed and met her gaze. “I guess we need to talk about some things, don’t we?”
“Sooner or later.”
He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I was hoping later.”
“Me, too. I didn’t want to spoil anything.” She gazed silently at the waterfall. “How long have you been married?”
“Almost twenty years. You?”
“Close to the same.”
“Do you think less of me?” he asked, as if bracing for rejection.
“I already knew.” They locked gazes again. “What about you? Do you think less of me?”
“No,” he said, kissing her again. “Not at all.”
“What are we going to do about it?” she asked in a small voice as they broke apart.
His gaze darted toward the waterfall. “Do we have to do anything? Can’t we just enjoy, for a while, at least?”
“Fine with me,” she said, nuzzling up to him again.
March 11, 2012
Publisher Contracts Book Two
MuseItUp Publishing has announced it will contract book two in the South Texas Mystery series, Murder Off Shadow Lane. No news yet on the release date.
The Highway Shooter, the first book in the series, will be available March 23 through Amazon, museituppublishing.com, and other eBook vendors.
