M.K. Turner's Blog: M K Turner, page 10

It’s here . . . and this is how it begins

Family Matters is now available!

I’m delighted to say,  book 8 in the Meredith & Hodge series, is done, dusted, and ready for a kindle near you! (Paperback to follow shortly) For those of you who didn’t get the sneak preview, you can read the first few pages below. Meredith is about to have his day ruined.

Chapter One

Alan Jenkins loosened his tie. Leaning back in his chair, he checked his watch again. Increasingly irritated, he drummed his fingers on the box in front of him. How long did it take to get rid of a bag of clothing?  As he pondered whether to make a call, he heard movement outside the door and sat upright.

“About bloody time. What took you so long?” He pointed to the chair in front of the desk. “Sit.”

Jenkins’ nephew Max Deegan shrugged as he dropped his heavy frame into the chair opposite. “It was covered in blood. I couldn’t just dump it. I had to burn it, needed to make sure it was done properly. Took ages, that was my favourite T-shirt too.”

“Well then you shouldn’t have let yourself get carried away. A slap would have done. I’ve bloody warned you about your temper.”

“Yeah, well, he pissed me off. It was my favourite—”

“Yes, you said. Because of your handiwork with that knife, you’ll have to take care of Meredith. I was hoping to drag that out.” Sliding the box across the desk, Jenkins shook his head. “I’d not finished with him, but I’ve got another load coming in and the house needs sorting.” Rubbing his brow in an attempt to disperse the headache he knew was coming, Jenkins tried not to think about it. He pointed at the box. “That’s got a silencer. Use it, I don’t want to draw any more attention.”

“Why?” Frowning, Deegan tried to remember the minimum sentence for killing a police officer, bent or otherwise.

“Why don’t I want attention? Fuck me, Max, I know you’re not the brightest spark, but please!”

“No. Why kill Meredith? I thought that was the whole point of getting him roped in.” His frown deepened. “I thought you had big plans for Meredith.” Trying to imitate Jenkins’ voice and failing miserably, he tried again. “What I’m trying to say is, killing him might be the wrong move. After all, he can hardly run to the police himself, can he? And, that’s if he finds out what happened to his mate.”

“Who knows? I’m not prepared to wait and see. As things stand he doesn’t know who we are or that we were involved, and I want to keep it that way.” Jenkins glanced at the screen of the laptop to his left. “Shame, I wanted to play with him a bit, they’re pretty girls. I wanted to see his face when he watched the tape.”

Remembering why this wouldn’t be possible, his face contorted, and he saw Deegan flinch. “And that’s your fault. You’ve denied me” He slammed his hands on the desk. “Now do as you’re told and get it done.” He nudged the box closer for good measure. “Don’t cock it up. You’re sure you’re up to this, aren’t you?” Jenkins hadn’t missed Deegan’s reluctance to take the box.

“Of course.” Deegan was anything but confident, but he didn’t want his uncle to know that. Jerking his thumb to the screen of the laptop, Deegan smirked. “You can still have fun with those two, can’t you?”

“Possibly. Won’t be as much fun now Meredith won’t get to see it. Go on, fuck off. I can’t look at your stupid mug a minute longer.”

Pushing back the chair, Deegan got to his feet and lifted the box. “How do I find him though?”

“We know where his mother lives, and I’m tracking his phone. Take this.” Lifting a mobile phone from the top drawer he tossed it to Deegan.

“It’s all set up. He’s nearly in Bristol. Before you set off, two things. First, drop my car off to Alex, tell him I want it spotless and to make sure there’s not a trace of blood left. If it stains I’ll need to get both the front seats recovered, and you’ll be paying. When you’ve done that, go to Bristol, and torch the car in the layby on your way. Don’t want the police picking up your prints and coming back to me.”

He waited until the door shut behind Deegan and pulled the laptop closer. Meredith’s woman was a looker, but his daughter was the one he wanted. She looked like him, seeing her fear, her agony, would give him great pleasure.

********

Hope that whetted your whistle, you can get your copy HERE.

Before I  go, a smidgen of other business: Misplaced Loyalty will remain free until 16th February. The Making of Meredith: Amazon had drastically reduced the price of the ebook for The Making of Meredith, and in the UK they have also reduced the paperback to £1.10. So, if you want to grab a bargain, pop over there. WARNING This promotion is not controlled by me, so if you are interested, please double check the price before you order, I have no idea how long this will last.

That’s it. Have a great weekend,

Happy reading!

Help………..Covers and other news!

Hello from Bristol, where the sun is trying to put in an appearance after a miserable drizzly morning.

It’s all go here. Family Matters #8 in the Meredith & Hodge series, has been through the mill with the editor, proof-reader, and beta readers. It has been tweaked and polished and is ready to go. It will be published on 15th February 2019, and is available for pre-order HERE.  I’m delighted to say that everyone who has read it likes it. Meredith is back, and he’s on form! A few of the comments so far:

“. . .  bang on the money.  Meredith back into the old routine, just about back to health, and finally ….”

“All in all I would highly recommend to all book lovers whatever their favourite genre they should enjoy this one”

“I’ve just finished the latest Meredith & Hodge book, and wow it was a great story and I kept guessing the wrong person all the way through”

“I can honestly say another thoroughly enjoyable and gripping book right to the end”

“Liked the new characters, well described, I didn’t work it out which I normally do, so you had me on this one.”

While all the final editing was going on for Family Matters, I was also busy working away on the #3, in the Bearing Witness series, Terms of Affection.  The story seems to be telling itself. This is how it opens:

Popular, seventeen-year-old, Henry Cooksey went missing in 1977.  An athletic boy and talented ruby player, it was rumoured he would be selected for the England junior squad. Lorna Rogers, his teacher’s daughter had caught his eye, and the two were smitten with each other. If Henry wasn’t thinking about rugby, Lorna filled his thoughts.  On the evening he disappeared he was due to meet Lorna on the bus but he never arrived. When the search for him began the only trace that Henry had been on the bus stop was his scarf. Happier than he’d ever been, Henry had no reason to disappear, but despite an extensive police operation no trace of him has ever been found.

The Bearing women take on the case, and Angie discovers that a car picked Henry up from the bus stop, and within the hour he was being buried alive. The Bearing Witness team need to discover the Who, and the Why.  I need to choose a cover, and after a mini poll, it’s down to these two, which one do you prefer – Scarf or Face?

In other news, Misplaced Loyalty is free from the 12th – 16th February, so grab a copy if you’ve not yet read it, alternatively tell a friend

The trouble with dates. . . .

Happy New Year!

First the big news. I didn’t get to see in the New Year, I was in bed by 10.30 having seen the first photographs of my new grandson, Frankie.  He arrived at 9.30pm on New Years Eve, eight days late and even then he took two days to find his way into the world. Edie stayed with Nanny and Grumpy for the duration of mum’s labour, and looking after a toddler and worrying about her mummy saw me virtually pass out once I knew all was well.  He’s a lovely, handsome little chap, if a tad nocturnal. Sleeps all day and is awake most of the night! The photograph is of our first meeting, Edie wasn’t sure she wanted to share her Nanny.

Something else that was late, partly as a consequence of the above, was getting my final draft of Family Matters off to the editor, I got there in the end and only a few days late. I’m sure Sharon is chopping and changing it as I write. Once she’s finished it’s off to the proof-reader Jill, and it will be published on 15th February. Pre- order available here.

Would you like a sneak preview? Thought you might. An unedited version of Chapter One is available for download HERE.

I’ve already made a start on Terms of Affection, the next in the Bearing Witness series, but I’m not going to promise a date for delivery on this one . . . yet. The trouble with giving a date, is that you really should be on time, yes, even babies!

Before I go, something that might interest you – I’m a member of a Mystery readers group on Goodreads, and next month we will be reading a mystery written pre-1900. I’ve downloaded three of them because I simply couldn’t choose, and what bargains, all priced at either 0.49 or 0.99 – can’t wait to get started. These are the three I’ve chosen, simply click on the covers if you fancy a classic read.

    

Happy reading,

Don’t forget if you follow me on BookBub you may choose a free ebook from my list of novels. (Not boxed sets)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

A wedding, long lost relatives and …

Hello and Seasons Greetings,

It’s nearly Christmas! How did that happen? I know it’s said that time flies as you get older, but really, this year has disappeared in a whirl! The tree is up, the halls have been decked, but how and where we spend Christmas is up in the air. With my second grandchild due imminently, it is quite literally a movable feast this year.  Here’s hoping we have an extra special reason for celebration, to add to the arrival of gorgeous great-nephew Harry earlier this week.

Thank you to all those kind enough to have read and reviewed Quite by Chance, it was  a little different to the usual Meredith & Hodge set up, and it was certainly a marmite novel  for Meredith & Hodge fans. Some of you loved it, some said, “Nah, let’s get back to normal.”

Whichever side of the fence you sit on this, they are back to a more familiar routine in Family Matters, which is almost ready for its first edit. To keep me focused and on schedule, it’s up for pre-order HERE. I think you’ll like this one. A twisted ex-con is stalking Patsy and Amanda, there’s a wedding, and Meredith’s half brother turns up with trouble not far behind, and the body of an old friend in his car! Which colour cover do you prefer? I can’t decide.

Pardon? What do you mean, whose wedding? I’m not telling, that would ruin the fun!

Once Family Matters has been put to bed, I’ll be getting on with the next in the Bearing Witness series, Terms of Affection. I’m really looking forward to getting back to those wonderful Bearing women. If you have yet to venture into the Bearing Witness series, Witness for Wendy is on offer at 0.99 until December 26th, if you want a bargain read for the holidays, pick up a copy now.

Don’t forget if you follow me on BookBub you may choose a free ebook from my list of novels. Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

I’m happy to report all my reviews are up to date for 2018, somehow I don’t think I’ll be finishing another before the New Year.  I’ve read some crackers recently, you can see my reviews here.

That’s it for now, I’m off to wrap some presents and put the sprouts on – just kidding, the presents are wrapped. Wherever and whatever is happening with your Christmas this year, I hope you have a jolly good one. Here’s to a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

 

Couldn’t leave you with out an ahhh moment, so here he is, our lovely, little Harry. Simply perfect!

 

 

The Final Countdown

Hello and welcome new subscribers,

And finally, after what seems like an age, Quite by Chance goes live tomorrow.

I’ve had some wonderful comments from the advanced readers team.  Below are some excerpts from comments received.

“Brilliantly funny book. I was engrossed from the beginning”

“ I first thought it was a cross between Agatha Christie and Midsommer Murders but as I got further into it it has a humour and flair not seen in either of the two above.”

“Meredith & Hodge are back! Had absolutely no idea who the guilty party was!”

There are still a few hours to send in your screenshot of your pre-order to be entered into the draw for a $/£10.00 amazon voucher. I’ll be doing the draw tomorrow afternoon 2.00pm UK time. If you have yet to order, and would like to, please click here. Send me a screenshot of your order, and you’ll be entered into the draw.

A big thank you to all those who have followed me on Bookbub. I’ve managed to work out who most of you are, but there are still a few where it’s not possible, including: April, Mark, John L, to name a few. I’m sure you’d like your free book, so please let me know who you are.  If you would like to follow me on Bookbub, and claim a free copy of one of my novels, click the red button above.

By the way, if any of you are still getting duplicate newsletters, please let me know. I know how to solve that once I know who is getting them, and as always my apologies for my total lack of technical ability.

Better dash, I’m now working on the next Meredith & Hodge, but promise (to those who have asked) the one after that is a Bearing Witness story, I already have the title: Terms of Affection – and was fleshing out the plot on this morning’s dog walk!

I’ll be back on Saturday with the draw results. Keep those fingers crossed.

Happy reading,

Apologies and a Prize draw – the celebrations continue….

Hello one and all,

I did it again! I am so sorry, but I think you probably received the last newsletter earlier! Please accept my sincere apologies, this was your intended email – yet again I am reminded that me and technology don’t mix!

Only ten days to go! Quite by Chance will be whizzing through the invisible magic cloud that no one understands, (do they?), and landing on an e-reader near you on the 19th October.

I’ve had some great feedback through from the advanced reader team, a couple have actually asked when the next one is out – give me time to catch my breath – but the answer is, hopefully, with a fair wind, December/January time.

To continue the celebration, and as ten is a nice round number, I thought some £/$10.00 Amazon vouchers would be appropriate prizes for our celebratory pre-order draw. If you have yet to order, click here: Quite by Chance

To take part all you need to do is send me a screenshot of your pre-order of Quite by Chance. Five winners will be drawn at random on the 19th October, and winners will be announced on the 20th.  If you have already sent your screenshot for a different reason, no worries, simply send it again for your chance to win. Oh yes, if you fancy joining the advanced reader team for my next novel, please note that on your response and I’ll gladly add you to the team.

I am sure you have heard of BookBub, (if not you really should check it out. Loads of bargain and free books emailed to you on a frequency of your choice. I picked up a great John Grisham for 99p last month). If you have already, or decide to subscribe, I would be very grateful if you would follow me as an author. Nothing bad will happen ;), you will simply be told when I have a new release coming out, however it might just help me get a promotional slot with them, which are like gold dust now the big names are in on the act. I will be checking at regular intervals, but if you do follow me, let me know in case I don’t associate your user name, and I’ll send you a link to a free ebook.  Simply click the button above to get to my author page, and thank you in anticipation.

Happy reading,

A Celebratory Giveaway

Hello again,

I’m back, and bearing gifts as promised.

First, thank you so much to those of you who have already ordered, Quite by Chance. For those yet to do so, click HERE to order yours.

To celebrate this latest novel in the Meredith & Hodge story, I have a free copy of The Making of Meredith for you. Love him or hate him, most readers find Meredith a compelling character, so I thought it would be a good idea to share his young life with you.

When a writer creates a character, there is always a back story, that you, the reader, isn’t told about, and most of the time you don’t need that information as it would simply get in the way of the story. Of course, there may be a vague reference here or there to the character’s past, and sometimes it will form part of the story. For instance, I loved introducing Ben Jacobs in The Wrong Shoes, but for the best part, although the back story helps shape the character, and how they respond to different situations, it doesn’t need to be explained.

My character’s backgrounds, likes, dislikes, foibles etc., are always bubbling around in my head, it is, after all, what helps make them tick. When there is a lot of information, as with a complex character like Meredith, I actually write it down – somewhere – unfortunately it’s not always in the same place. I have been known to search a stack of filled notebooks simply to find out something like how old Meredith was when . . .

For instance, do you know what Meredith was doing when he first met best friend, Ben Jacobs? Or where he was when he found out he was going to be a father? No? I did, and I had a wonderful time sharing all that with you. So, if you would like to know what made Meredith the man he became, please let me know by commenting below or messaging me via the contact page.

You have to do nothing to get your free copy of the Making of Meredith, other than promise to leave an honest review once you’ve read it.

That’s it for now, other than to say, yes, my reviews are now up to date, you can see them HERE. Take a peep, I read some gems over the summer. Don’t forget to get your order in for Quite by Chance.

Happy reading,

You will never believe it, but . . .

Hello, and welcome new subscribers,

I have news! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer, we actually sizzled here in the UK this year.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a newsletter, just to let you know the progress on the long-promised Quite by Chance, (Meredith & Hodge #7) over the past few months, but something always seemed to get in the way.

It was a hot and hectic summer to say the least. A holiday in Zakynthos, (can’t resist a Greek island), more birthday celebrations than I can remember, including my Dad’s 80th, two beautiful weddings, the loss and funeral of my wonderful and dear Uncle Harry, and the announcement that a new grandson and great-nephew will be arriving between Christmas and the New Year. Double trouble on the way!

And that’s not forgetting the day job, babysitting my granddaughter, walking the dogs, and the usual household stuff that needs to be sorted. I’m almost ready for another holiday!

I did manage to read lots of good books, to include: Every Single Secret, Sycamore Row, Her Last Day, Ice Cold Death, The Things you find in Rockpools, Deception Wears Many Faces, Another Mother & The Pick, the Spade and the Crow. I didn’t do much sightseeing on holiday! Reviewing them is on my list for this week, and I’ll also update my reviews & recommendations page.

Oh yes, and I did some writing.

But, I’m wittering on. Quite by Chance is done, (Did I hear a shout of finally?), and will be published on 19th October! I’m delighted to say that I’ve had the thumbs up from those who have read it. One reader said: “Loved it. Meredith & Hodge are back!”   They are trapped up a mountain with a couple of dead bodies, and you can guess how chuffed Meredith is.

Quite by Chance is currently going through the final edits, but it is available for pre-order here. 

I’m planning some offers and giveaways in the run up to publication, the first being a choice of any one my ebook novels free to the first ten readers to email me a copy of their Quite by Chance pre-order confirmation.

I’m off now, as I’ve already started the next Meredith & Hodge, I’d better get on with it.

 

Happy reading,

A Message from Linda Callow

Hello Wonderful Readers,

As the author, MKT, is tied up with other stuff at the moment, I thought it was about time someone made contact with you, and when I say someone, I mean me, Linda, we met in Misplaced Loyalty. Remember? I can feel some hesitation . . . I think that a formal introduction might be necessary.

I’m Linda Callow, IT whiz kid, and almost a fully-fledged detective. I met Patsy Hodge in Misplaced Loyalty, in fact I was instrumental in cracking the case as I’m sure you’ll remember. No? Perhaps if I tell you that the Skipper, Meredith, calls me Loopy it will help? “Skipper?” I hear some of you ask. Well that’s a long story depending on how far you are in the series, and all is revealed in Mistaken Beliefs, but that’s not why I’m here. The picture on the right is pretty much what MKT has been doing for the last few weeks, that and a lot of reading, and the latest Meredith & Hodge novel – Quite by Chance – has not progressed much, nor has she written a newsletter. So, here I am, to talk about Ill Conceived, the second in the Meredith & Hodge series.

All the books in the Meredith & Hodge series can be read as stand-alone novels, but if you want to read Misplaced Loyalty first, drop her an email, or comment below and we’ll get a link off to you so you can download the ebook free.

Anyway, back to Ill Conceived. The Skipp . . . okay, I’ll call him Meredith, I don’t want to confuse you, Meredith arrests a gorgeous suspect for a seemingly motiveless murder. All the evidence says she did it, but Meredith doesn’t think so. He turns his normal working practice on its head and tries to prove her innocence. He’s also keeping secrets from Patsy, (and what a secret!), and ignoring her advice. Men can be quite stupid sometimes, because despite knowing she’s getting miffed, he ploughs on regardless, and look what happened! If you don’t know, I won’t tell you, it’ll ruin the surprise – although shock is probably a better word.

Meanwhile, Patsy is hired to solve a paternity case by successful local business woman, and it’s not straightforward. Well, it wouldn’t be would it? That wouldn’t make for good reading. It’s messy and it’s dangerous.

During their investigations, their paths cross, not that Meredith told Patsy that – he’ll never learn – and once again, I’m working away in the background, and turning up clues, but even I didn’t realise how much attention they had drawn to themselves, and that their lives were in danger from an unexpected quarter. Then of course there’s that knock at the door at the end. Wow.

Phew, I’m getting quite worked up remembering all this. There must be a cup of coffee and a cake somewhere with my name on it.  If you haven’t already read Ill Conceived, you should, you won’t be disappointed. You can download it by clicking here or on the cover, and all MKT’s books are free on KU.

I think I’d better go and get MKT out of her granddaughter’s tent and put her in front of the laptop to get on with Quite by Chance. If you liked hearing from me let MKT know, and I’ll pop back over for a chat sometime. Oh, and if you have any questions, ask away. Oops, I almost forgot, if you want to know what MKT has been reading, she’s updated her reviews here, she has read some crackers including her book of the year to date, so I suppose she has been doing something!

Until the next time, happy reading,

Linda

Nothing like the real thing…

Hello, and Welcome New Subscribers,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, I did. Look what arrived. I have to confess that I am a Kindle convert, as they are so much more practical than paperbacks, particularly when you need a stock to take on holiday. But there really is nothing quite like holding the real thing in your hands, and the cover for An Unexpected Gift looks stunning in real life, unfortunately my phone photography skills leave a lot to be desired.

An Unexpected Gift has been as popular as Witness for Wendy, and I’m already being asked when the next one is due! I’m working on that. Here are the links to the reviews that have come in so far:

Amazon.com                     Amazon.uk                         Goodreads

Thank you once again to the Beta readers who downloaded, read and left a review on the advance copy as promised. It really does mean so much to me and other readers. Those who got their reports in before publication have been included in the acknowledgements in both ebook and paperback.

In other news, the next Meredith & Hodge story now has a name – Quite by Chance – and I’m working with the designer on ideas for a cover. Yes, I know I need to get my finger out and finish it. Although, I have to say I was pondering the next section of the story, and quite by chance (see what I did there?) a totally different twist came to me. I thought I had ‘whodunit’ narrowed down to one of two characters, but it turns out it wasn’t either of them, which is quite often the way when I write, the characters seem to have minds of their own. My tardiness in getting on with it has actually saved a huge re-write. I’ve been working with my editor and proofreader and improving both The Recruitment of Lucy James, and have a new cover. What do you think? We’re now getting started on Murderous Mishaps, but I really love that cover so doubt I’ll update it.

A quick query to those of you who signed up to my mailing list via the website and not Facebook, are you are receiving duplicate newsletters? If you are please let me know and I will find out how to amend that.

Finally, I’ve read some great books recently, my reviews are up to date and you can read them here: My Reviews. Now, I have to dash, as I was on overnight babysitting duty last night, and now she’s gone I might get a few more words down. Edie’s almost walking now, and it feels like she crawls faster than I can run, so it will be staying awake today that’s my challenge!

Happy reading,