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Like I have doing before. Here is the complete TwitterTale for November 2018. I post part of this tale every Thursday and Friday in November.

I brought the ax above my head and swiftly down, letting gravity split a log in half. The pieces fell to the side. I stuck a new one in place. I had a little more than a hundred to go. When I lifted the ax the second time smoke wafted into my nose.

My heart pounded, and my mouth ran dry. A forest fire would be dangerous. A trail of smoke lifted into the air, not enough for a blaze. Someone had to be using the cabin a few miles away. Bobby wasn’t going to like that. I’d rather deal with a fire.

I contemplated continuing my work with splitting the logs in half and ignoring the neighbors. I could distract Bobby for a few hours, but he’d eventually find out. If I was careful, he wouldn’t try and visit anyone tonight.

“Bobby?” I called when I entered the cabin.

“Jolene is the wood done? Do you want any help? I was putting our clothes away. He came to my side and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

“Before I tell you something, you have to promise me you won’t hurt anyone.”

“I haven’t killed anyone in five years. What’s going on?” His eyebrows furrowed together.

“You didn’t murder anybody because I did.” I feared if he did again, he wouldn’t stop. I shuddered at the memory of killing the cop to steal a boat. A few more people who recognized us died too because of me. Bobby would have dropped more bodies if I let him.

“Just tell me,” he said.

“We have neighbors,” I said.

“I’ll grab our guns.” Bobby turned away from me and headed into the kitchen.

“Can’t we wait to see what they do?” I placed my hand on his arm, stopping him from pulling a weapon out of a box.

“What if they recognize us? Do you want them to disturb our peace?” We’d been here for little over a year, our longest time in one spot.

“What if they don’t know us? We haven’t been on the news for months now. You killing them will get the cops involved. Someone will miss them. I don’t want—” I stopped myself from saying more and pressed my lips into a tight line. I hadn’t told him something yet.

“Don’t want what?”

“Never mind. Not important.”

“Why are other people in our woods?” Bobby ran a hand through his black hair.

“This weekend is opening season. I heard when I went to town last,” I answered.

“What’s the big deal? It isn’t a holiday.” He swept my hair away from my neck and gave me a kiss at the base there.

“Opening season is a holiday to hunters.” I had grown up with them. My dad tried to take me several times, but I had no interest in hurting animals that couldn’t defend themselves. He gave up after a while. We both knew he wished to have a son and not me. I was an only child.

“How long will they stay?”

“Through the weekend. They’ll keep on coming back though if they don’t fill their tags.”

“What do we do?” Bobby asked. He wrapped his arms around my waist.

“We wait until tomorrow and go talk to them. If they recognize us or we suspect they do, we can kill them. We’ll have to leave right after they die,” I said after taking a minute to decide.

“What should we do now? I need a distraction or I’m killing our neighbors.”

“I have an idea.” I pressed my lips against his. I wouldn’t let anything disturb him and me. We deserved happiness like any normal couple.

As I always do, here is a teaser for next months:

The sound of hoofbeats echoed in the field, coming from behind me. I turned to find nothing there, no rider, no horse. I must be hearing things.

My car had broken down, and I was in the middle of nowhere with zippo cell reception.

Come back next month to check out the post or search for #TwitterTales @kamengauthor on Twitter if you can't wait. I post part of the story every Thursday and Friday, and to make them easier, I have numbered them #Part1, #Part2, and etc. You can also find many more authors participating from my publisher. It's lots of fun.

 
 
 

Another month of TwitterTales has gone by just in case you missed my October 2018 posts every Thursday and Friday on Twitter. Here they are.

Gisela hated working the late shift, but the money was better. She needed it to pay for her shoes, her apartment, her school, her shoes. Someday she’d find a rich man or graduate and find a better job. Until then, she'd walk home fast.

Only bad people stayed out this late. Gisela locked the door to the diner and tugged on the handle to make sure it was secured. Her boss would blame her if it wasn't locked. After she walked two blocks, four figures appeared down the street.

The four figures were nothing but a blur. They were tall and were most likely men. Gisela hesitated before continuing. This was the fastest way home. The men were eight blocks away. They could turn and head in another direction.

Gisela walked the next block and so did the four figures. They were now six blocks away. They could still turn. She walked another and so did they. Four blocks. One more block and she'd turn and go another way if they were still coming.

Gisela glanced to the right and to the left for traffic before crossing the street. Her heart pounded loud enough she could hear it. One more block. She'd go one more. If the four figures didn't turn she would. She'd be safe.

Gisela's mouth went dry. She could cut through the dark alley, but someone could be waiting there. Why did everything but one bar have to close early?

"You'd better get home, miss," the old man outside his shop on a rocker said.

The men were still coming. Gisela turned and took the long way home. She’d quicken her pace. She’d be safe.

The four friends stopped at the corner. They glanced both ways before crossing the street. “Man, that lady turned,” one of them said.

“Like you'd get a date with her anyway,” the leader said. He laughed and most of his friends joined him.

“Shut the hell up.”

“Don’t use that language in front of my sis. Come on, Marnie. Let’s finish trick-or-treating. It’s getting late.”

As always I will show you a sneak peek of the next month.

I brought the ax above my head and swiftly down, letting gravity split a log in half. The pieces fell to the side. I stuck a new one in place. I had a little more than a hundred to go. When I lifted the ax the second time smoke wafted into my nose.

Come back next month to check out the post or search for #TwitterTales @kamengauthor on Twitter. I post part of the story every Thursday and Friday. You can also find many more authors participating from my publisher. It's lots of fun.

 
 
 

I'm proud to announce the release of the 4th book of my Cobble Cove Mystery series, Love on the Rocks.

It’s February in the small town of Cobble Cove. Love is in the air . . . but so is murder!

When Alicia helps plan a Valentine’s Day Party at the Cobble Cove library that also includes a surprise for her newlywed friend, Gilly, things go wrong when a mysterious box of chocolates addressed to the director turns out laced with poison.

Clues Lead to A Dead Suspect

Although Alicia promised John she’ll no longer meddle in crime investigations, she and Gilly set out to find the person threatening Sheila who murdered the courier of the deadly candy. The three people they suspect include the professor from California who’s been romancing Sheila while she assists him with research for his book; the obnoxious patron Rhonda Kleisman who threw coffee at the director after refusing to pay for a damaged book; and a visiting widow staying at Gilly’s inn who’s unnaturally curious about Sheila and earns the nickname of Madame DeFarge for her interest in knitting.

New Cat in Town

While Alicia and Gilly are trying to solve this new Cobble Cove mystery, Sneaky is introduced to Gilly’s new kitten, Kittykai, a calico she brought home from her honeymoon in Hawaii. It’s not like at first sight, but the two cats eventually become friends. They also both play a part in foiling the killer’s murder attempts, but will Alicia and Sheila survive unscathed?

Excerpt:

“Alicia, come with me to the Reference Desk. I left a few more decorations there and can use a hand putting them up.”

Alicia followed Sheila back to the desk admiring the paper hearts and flowers hanging from the library’s ceilings and the red streamers that lay across the stacks. Two huge red hearts graced a banner strung across the entranceway over the turnstiles. In the center of each, handwritten in glittery purple script were the names of her best friend and new husband – Gilly and Ron. She knew Gilly would be glad they used her nickname but wasn’t sure the sheriff would approve of the use of his first name. Most of the town resident’s knew him as Ramsay.

Sheila ran around the desk pulling out drawers. She reminded Alicia of a hen tending her chickens. “Gilly and Ramsay are going to be so surprised.”

Alicia agreed. The idea for a combination wedding and Valentine’s Day party was hatched up by Sheila, and it was a great thought. The rest of the staff was busy upstairs where the party would be held arranging more decorations there and putting out all the home-cooked dishes they’d prepared along with the red, pink, and white sheet cake that would be served for dessert.

“What’s this?” Sheila paused in her tossing of decorations atop the desk.

Alicia came over to see what had grabbed the director’s attention. A velvet shaped heart box sat by one of the computer stations. As Alicia came closer, she could see a post-it attached to it with the words, “To Sheila from your secret admirer.”

Sheila smiled. “That Ryan. He knows I have a sweet tooth and am particularly fond of chocolates.” She opened the lid. “My favorites. I know I should wait for the party, but these are just too appealing.”

Alicia watched as Sheila took a few pieces and bit into them. Only a few seconds after she swallowed, her smile faded. She began to choke and clutched her throat.

“Sheila, are you okay?” Alicia rushed over afraid she wouldn’t recall how to do the Heimlich maneuver, but Sheila had already passed out on the floor. “Help!” Alicia called racing to the stairs. The romantic music playing above her drowned out her voice. Just as she grabbed her cell phone to dial 911, Ryan Anderson walked through the door, a huge bouquet of roses in his arms. He stopped short seeing Sheila on the ground. “What happened. Oh, My God!”

“I’m dialing 911 right now,” Alicia said. “She ate some of your chocolates and then passed out. I’m not sure if she choked on a piece.”

“My chocolates? I didn’t get her any chocolates. I was bringing her these flowers.” He dropped them on the desk and then knelt down and started administering CPR to Sheila’s unmoving body.

Author Bio

Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters-in-Crime, the Long Island Authors Group, and the Cat Writer’s Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University. Her novels include the three books of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series published by Solstice Publishing: A Stone's Throw, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and Written in Stone. Debbie has also published a romantic comedy novella featuring a jewel heist caper, When Jack Trumps Ace, a paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow, and has written articles and short stories for several anthologies of various genres. She lives on Long Island with her husband Anthony, daughter Holly, and Cat Stripey.

Social Media Links

Amazon Author Page: Author.to/DebbieDeLouise

Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up: https://debbiedelouise.wordpress.com

Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog: https://sneakylibrarycat.wordpress.com

Debbie's Characters Chat Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/748912598599469/

The second book of my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series is free on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26. You can get it here on those days: mybook.to/CobbleCove2

If you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, all my eBooks are free. Check them out on my author page: Author.to/DebbieDeLouise

Librarian Alicia McKinney has put the past behind her…

Two years ago, Alicia discovered both a terrible truth and lasting love with John McKinney in the small town of Cobble Cove, New York. Now a busy mother of twin babies and co-author of a mystery series, Alicia couldn’t be happier.

Alicia’s contentment and safety are challenged…

Walking home alone from the library, Alicia senses someone following her, and on more than one occasion, she believes she is being watched. Does she have a stalker? When the local gift shop is burglarized, the troubling event causes unrest among Alicia and the residents of the quiet town.

John and Alicia receive an offer they can’t refuse…

When John’s sister offers to babysit while she and John take a much-needed vacation in New York City, Alicia is reluctant to leave her children because of the disturbances in Cobble Cove. John assures her the town is safe in the hands of Sheriff-elect Ramsay. Although Alicia’s experience with and dislike of the former Long Island detective don’t alleviate her concern, she and John take their trip.

Alicia faces her worst nightmare…

The McKinneys’ vacation is cut short when they learn their babies have been kidnapped and John’s sister shot. Alicia and John’s situation puts them between a rock and a hard place when the main suspect is found dead before the ransom is paid. In order to save their children, the McKinneys race against the clock to solve a mystery more puzzling than those found in their own books. Can they do it before time runs out?

 
 
 

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