Celebration!

An Error in Judgment is launched! 

Lots of celebration is going on, among which is thanking everyone who participated in the title contest. Those of you whose email addresses I have will hear from me right away with a free coupon for the e-book copy from Smashwords. If you entered the contest, but haven't heard from me, drop me a note at susan@susanschreyer.com and I'll get that coupon to you right away.

Smashwords is incredibly easy to use and has the books available in formats for virtually every type of electronic reader. They're a great company, too, treat the authors like kings and queens and are leaders in the e-book revolution. I sometimes think of them as the Ben & Jerry's of e-books (small, innovative company with big influence, lots of flavors & share the wealth)

And now, without further ado, here's how the adventure begins....

Chapter One

Guilt tapped me on the shoulder for the hundredth time since my morning coffee --although plaguing me for another, more immediate, reason. Paul, my boyfriend of six months, stood directly in front of me, hand on his hip, tux jacket pushed back, and eyes narrowed to the point of hiding their luminous blue.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me? Something in particular you've been sitting on since, I don't know, all day?"

I shifted on my three-inch stilettos, clamped down on my lower lip, then turned it loose. I'd only chew off my lipstick. "It's Andrea, and …" I trailed off. The excuse of our families and friends waiting for us to join them in one of the several huge banquet halls on the second level of the Seattle Convention Center seemed … lame. Sure, the annual awards dinner for the Puget Sound Dressage Society would be starting soon. Because of my foot-dragging we were tardy. Now, because of Paul's insistence we talk, we'd be later still. The problem essentially came back to Andrea. I scanned the elegantly dressed people streaming past us in the massive glass, brass and granite foyer.

"Thea …"

I returned my gaze to him and he circled my shoulders with an arm. At first I thought he intended to hug me. Instead, he gently steered me across the flow of pedestrian traffic to the protection of one of the numerous shoulder-high stone planters. Packed with large ferns and other greenery, they softened the cold, hard lines and gave the Convention Center's gleaming interior a Pacific Northwest feel. The main advantage -- and obviously Paul's intent -- was that the planter kept people from bumping into us. However, it did nothing to block the cold October breeze gusting in each time a door opened and raising goose bumps under the lightweight fabric of my long gown and tiny jacket. I should have worn a coat. What was I thinking? At least Paul's arm was warm.

"'It's Andrea and' what?" he asked, turning me loose and facing me. I shivered with the returning chill.

"And … and we're going to be late, because I couldn't find my evening bag, ran over to Aunt Vi's to borrow one, messed up my hair and had to redo it, ripped a perfectly good pair of panty hose getting into this dress and had to go out again to buy more."

"That's all?"

"What? That's not enough?"

"So you're telling me all this stress has been about seeing Andrea?"

I swallowed and darted another look at the crowd. Not everyone was headed to our banquet, unless we had a bridal party joining us. I returned my attention to Paul. "Yes."

Celebrating a mistake?

Party? Did Someone say PARTY?

Nope! Just kicking off the month long party for 

An Error In Judgment

To celebrate, I've reduced the price on Levels of Deception to .99! 

Whoo Hoo!!!

You can find it on Amazon, Smashwords, (where you can download the format of choice for the e-reader of choice), and as soon as the electronics grind it all out the e-book will be available all over the place for .99.

I LOVE celebrating the release of a new book! Mine or anyone else's. It's a new adventure waiting, an invitation to laugh, cry, gasp, shiver and love -- and it's a new friend who, once read, will wait patiently for you to return, or be satisfied with a cozy spot in your memory.

If you haven't had a look at Levels Of Deception yet, here's a brief synopsis -- I should probably warn you … the heat turns up between Thea and Paul. Like one reader mentioned, "it's nail-biting romantic drama" added to a mystery that twist, turns and ultimately surprises!

Levels of Deception

The second in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series

The murder of a professor in the basement of the Seattle's Burke Museum is haunting Thea, and not just because the man was her absent boy friend Paul's colleague. Both men have been implicated in the theft of valuable fossils from the museum and Paul not only refuses to discuss any of it with Thea, but warns her to butt out.

Unwilling to see him framed for crimes he didn't commit, Thea launches her own investigation. When an attempt on her life lands her in the hospital. Everyone, including Paul, insists she run to his protection at his dig site in Montana.

But what she finds there is far from a refuge.

The levels of deception are more personal and extend farther than she could have imagined.

The price of her pursuit of truth will be blood.

And Now......

Is she reading the new Thea Campbell Mystery?

An Error in Judgment

The third in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series

During the awards ceremony at the Puget Sound Dressage Society's annual banquet dressage judge Sig Paalmann collapses and dies. The wealthy man leaves his bride of two months -- Thea's estranged friend, Andrea -- and enigmatic last words.

Thea's initial plan to reestablish her friendship with Andrea, despite the arrogant man she married, grows into resolve to support her through the crisis. But Andrea needs more than support when her husband's death is deemed murder and she is arrested.

With boyfriend Paul Hudson's help, Thea's digs in to investigate only to discover complications far worse than either had anticipated. Andrea is pregnant and in fragile health, warring business partners jockey for control, slighted family members turn ruthless, and Thea and Paul become pawns in a desperate struggle for money and power. But, the situation, already critical, takes an even more personal twist with the arrival of an old nemesis -- a man capable of orchestrating not only Sig's death but the grave danger stalking Andrea, Thea and Paul.

He's not dead, but...

Artist/writer Tracy Hayes and I have been tossing around ideas for a cover for An Error in Judgment. She decided she wanted to do more of a scene from the book this time.

"Fine," I said. "Go for it."

She emailed me links to a bunch of cover styles and we narrowed it down to one we both liked. Then she asked me to help her look for some images. 

"We'd make a good cover!"

You may find this hard to believe, but artists don't work from memory.

Cats do the best job at keeping paper under control

Yeah, I know, surprised me too. (All of the above)

Anyway, she told me she was having trouble finding an image of a middle-aged dead guy, so I went to work and Googled images of sleeping men. Hey, sleeping men often look dead. Tell me I'm wrong.

[there's no picture here because, well, come on -- not cute!]

However, it soon became apparent that photographers don't go for realism. Most of the pictures I found were somewhat evenly divided between men who were horizontal and had their eyes closed, but were smiling, and nearly naked men curled up in bed with nearly naked women.

None of them looked very dead.

In fact, quite a number of them looked pretty lively. I sincerely doubt any of them were sleeping.

Then I hit the jackpot. Students asleep in a lecture hall.

Those guys looked dead.

I owe a debt of gratitude to boring professors. I think Tracy's going to use a couple of those snoring students to help concoct the cover. If not, I know how to look for images of dead guys now: Google "bored men."

The New Baby Has A Name!

We have a winner!! Yay!!

Sally Matteson, who emailed me off-blog, suggested….(drum roll)…..

>>>  An Error In Judgment  <<<

The title fits the story well. I'll admit, it was a tough contest. I couldn't give away too many hints without giving away the story line and all the twist and turns that make the reading of it so much fun. So….to reward everyone who contributed their creative brain cells to naming the baby, EVERYONE WINS! Okay, so Sally gets her name in the acknowledgments, but everybody gets a coupon for a free copy of An Error In Judgment when it is released. I've got The List and will do my best to contact everyone. If I miss you, let me know. If you'd rather have a coupon for a free copy of Death By A Dark Horse or Levels Of Deception, that can be arranged -- again, all you have to do is let me know!

We're closing in on the final edits and then the cover will get underway. Once that's complete you'll see it here first -- and you know the book will be following in short order.

Thanks once again for all your ideas.

What to do When a Book Lacks a Ttitle

In case you've been wondering where I've been lately, allow me to clear that up for you. I've been slaving away on the third book in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series. It's getting close to done -- as in final edits -- BUT I'm stuck. The book has no title. This isn't unusual for me. I'm terrible at titles. Very soon here, I'm going to have a finished, polished manuscript and no title. Which means no book cover, which also means no way to make it available to readers.

This is where you come in. This is my call for help!

Put on your thinking caps, folks, and send your suggestions. Send lots! Whosever suggestion is chosen will get a free copy of the book, and their name in the acknowledgments. If several of you offer up the same suggestions, then you all get the same prize. If I use a combination of suggestions, then all those who helped get the  prize, too.

So…in the spirit of getting you on the right track, here's the set up and the blurb:

The story takes place in and around Snohomish, Seattle, and nearby Issaquah, and involves the sudden death of a dressage judge at the annual awards banquet for the Puget Sound Dressage Society.

Blackie, Thea's alleged psychic horse, is involved to a small degree, as is a valuable fossil collection (to a larger degree).

The back-cover blurb will go something like this:

Wealthy dressage judge Sig Paalmann keels over at the annual Puget Sound Dressage Society awards banquet, leaving enigmatic last words and a bride of two months -- Thea's long-time friend, Andrea. Sig's reputation for arrogance and scathing criticism leaves no one sorry he's gone, much less Thea, but she is determined to support her friend through the crisis. When Andrea is arrested for her husband's murder, Thea's support turns to investigation. Secrets, lies, greed, and dangerous passions challenge Thea and Paul to put their personal relationship struggles aside in order to clear Andrea. But when an old nemesis appears on the scene they have more to worry about than either of them anticipated. This unforeseen player could provided the necessary assistance for solving the crime -- or he could be the one orchestrating the grave danger waiting for Andrea, Thea and Paul.

The contest will continue until a winner is chosen, and the winner announced here…and pretty much everywhere else. If you have questions about the plot (other than whodunit), ask away and I'll give you the best answers I can. If you'd rather send me your suggestions or questions via email, that's good, too. Get in touch with me at susan@susanschreyer.com

Thanks for all your help! Have at it, everyone!!

Susan

Here some more info on the story -- hopefully without giving too much away. The victim is a wealthy dressage judge who collects many things: art, cars, fossils, people -- the people he collects puts  in positions where they are dependent upon him in any of a variety of ways, mostly financial. The fossil collection is uber-private and reported to be the most extensive private collection in the country (this appeals to Paul, the paleontologist). The cause of death is an insulin overdose -- he is diabetic. Diabetes plays an important role throughout the story. Passion is a theme -- both the romantic kind and the kind that drives someone's ambition in a professional sense

A Conversation with Paul Hudson

It has been pointed out to me (thank you, Juliet) that I haven't interviewed any of the men from Death By A Dark Horse or Levels Of Deception except Jonathan. While entertaining, he's not as admirable as some of us (Juliet) would like. To correct the skewed interview archive I've asked Paul Hudson, leading man of the Thea Campbell Mystery Series, to be here today and give us some of the intimate details of his sexy self.

Susan Schreyer: Welcome Paul, glad you could stop by.

Paul Hudson: Susan, you said this wasn't going to be too personal.

SS: Oh! Well, (laughs) don't worry. [aside to readers] much. [to Paul]  So, let's get started.

PH: Fire away.

SS: In Death By A Dark Horse we are shown contrasting glimpses of you. You're an intellectual, but you get your hands dirty working on farm equipment. You dress conservatively, yet you sport an earring. You're pretty tuned in to other people's feelings, yet you can (rather loudly) lose your temper. In Levels of Deception we also see your ability to keep your cool and be passionate as well. You're a pretty complex guy.

PH: Not really. I've just learned to adapt, thanks to a little sister who wouldn't let me be a jerk, and an older brother who continues to be one. I wouldn't call myself an intellectual --

SS: But you've got a PhD.

PH: It was a means to an end. Paleontology and geology fascinate me. Earning a PhD was a way to stay immersed in it.

SS: What is it about dinosaurs and rocks that fascinate you?

PH: (laughs) Honestly? There's a certain, oh, romantic appeal to it. Looking at a mountain range, or desert, or old river bed grabs my imagination. What was this spot like millions of years ago? What forces caused it to change? Was it gradual, or catastrophic? What animals roamed here, how did they live, what did they look like? Sound like? Smell like? Finding bits of answers, bits of new information, is like putting a puzzle together without knowing the picture you're going for. There are always surprises and more questions.

SS: Like a detective story!

PH: (laughs again) Right.

SS: Do you ride horses like Thea?

PH: I can. 

SS: No kidding! I didn't know that. Are you good?

PH: Just good enough to borrow Henry's horse and go trail riding with Thea and maybe jump a log or two.

SS: Did she teach you?

PH: No, Miguel taught me the basics when I was a teenager.

SS: Miguel? You keep surprising me!

PH: Yeah. Miguel did rodeos when he was a kid -- up until he came to Snohomish to manage Copper Creek for my aunt Delores -- so he knows how to handle a horse. My folks sent me out here in the summers from Minneapolis to clean stalls. They hoped hard labor would straighten me out, and I just wanted to get out of the house. The first week I was here Miguel had a word or two to say about my attitude toward the horses and clients. He figured if I had a taste of what the people who came here to ride experienced in order to do what they loved I'd show more respect. 

SS: Sounds like you were a bit difficult. So, did it work? Did learning to ride straighten you out?

PH: Well, I don't know about that, but I gained some respect. In fact, Thea taught me a thing or two about handling a horse when she was ten and a student here.

SS: I thought you two met just last year?

PH: We did, for all intents and purposes. She doesn't remember me from back then.

SS: Too interested in the horses to notice the cute barn help, huh? So, what happened when she was ten?

PH: I was having some problems leading a horse into his stall. Thea thought I was sending mixed signals and being too rough. She marched over and read me the riot act, then showed me how to do it right. She was a pretty gutsy little kid -- not exactly what I was thinking at the time, though. Embarrassed me enough to stick in my memory.

SS: A little hard on a fifteen-year-old ego to have a little girl show him up, huh?

PH: Oh, yeah. I still remember her lecture. (Smiles) She's still pretty sure of herself.

SS: I think you like that about her.

PH: True enough.

SS: Now, this wasn't so bad -- or horribly personal -- was it?

PH: No. You were right.

SS: Let's finish up with some rapid-fire questions with quick, off the cuff one-word answers.

PH: Shoot.

SS: Favorite color?

PH: Uh...blue?

SS: Favorite food?

PH: Barbecue anything.

SS: Middle name?

PH: Anthony.

SS: Sport?

PH: Soccer.

SS: Lights on or off?

PH: On ... uh...hang on a sec.

SS: Boxers or brief?

PH: Uh, Susan --

SS: Oh, commando! Dress left or right?

PH: Okay, we're done. Juliet put you up to this, didn't she?

SS: There had to be some concessions. You know how she is!

Goals Update for Levels Of Deception -- We're cookin'!

Levels Of Deception has been out for a couple of weeks now, and WOW! Sales are going well! Thank you, everyone! Thea's second adventure is (at this moment. The list changes hourly) number 64 on Amazon Kindle's Hot New Releases List for Women Sleuths.

Click here: Amazon Hot New Releases to see where LOD is now! 

There's apparently a number of things that influence the position of a book on the Amazon lists. Sales, of course, but also reviews -- the more good ones, and the more stars the better -- and clicking on the "Like" button. There's "Like" buttons on the author page above the author picture, and on the trade paperback page, too. None on the Kindle version page. I have no idea why. However, you don't have to buy to click the Like button, and you don't have to write anything. Just go to the page and click. Easy. Here's some links (and thanks ahead of time for your Liking).

Author page 

Death By A Dark Horse 

Levels of Deception 

Now here's something really interesting; Sales of Death By A Dark Horse have rocketed. No kidding. DBADH is outselling Levels by 3 to 1. That thrills me, too!

We're on our way to getting into the top 10 on the Amazon lists, not to mention the 50 sales a day goal! Way to go, team!