Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

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Nova Praetorian by NR Walker: New Release Review

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Quintus Furius Varus is one of the best lanistas in Rome. Tall and strong in build, fearsome in manner, and sharp of wit, he trains the best gladiators bound for the arenas of Rome. When Senator Servius Augendus seeks personal guards, he attends the Ludus Varus for purchase of the very best. He puts to Quintus an offer he cannot refuse, and Quintus finds himself in Neapolis, contracted as a trainer of guards instead of gladiators.

Kaeso Agorix was taken from his homelands of Iberia and delivered to Rome as a slave. Bought by a senator to be trained as a guard, his fate is handed to the man who would train him. Absent free will, Kaeso knows his life is no longer his own, though he soon realises the gods have favoured him when he learns his new master has a kind heart.

Quintus and Kaeso forge a bond that far exceeds the collar at Kaeso’s neck, and together they discover the senator’s move for promotion has an ulterior motive. Thrown into a world of politics and conspiracy, of keeping enemies close, they move against time to save Rome before traitors and the gods themselves see to their end.

And in doing so, see the dawn of the nova praetorian—the new guard—rise.

Tag Line:  A new guard. A new love. A new Rome.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I am a big fan of NR Walker. I’ve not read anything of hers I didn’t like. Most of her works contemporary, although Evolved was kinda sorta scifi-ish? I guess? Which I am not a fan of. And I still really liked it! I am also not a big fan of historical, but sometimes books surprise me. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. Because NR Walker.

This is set during the Roman empire. Gladiators and togas and all that. With that comes a very different way of speaking. And really, if the book was set during the Roman empire but the characters spoke with modern language, I would hate it. So it had to take a big mind shift to suddenly write like this.

And she never faltered. The plot line. the characters, the language, all stayed true to the time period. The politics involved in the story were a bit complex, but it made for some good intrigue.

Quintas, a gladiator trainer, is bribed/threatened into providing security for a senator. He is also given a slave to train. A slave who was stolen from his country after Romans killed his parents. He’s a bit pissed off and mouthy. But Quintas is nothing but respectful and fair and they fall for each other.

There is a lot of training and a lot of politicking. And while there were a lot of details that pertained to the time period, they weren’t overwhelming at all. And reading a book like this gives me lots of possible Jeopardy answers in the future.

Quintas and Kaeso are inseparable throughout. The insecurities are still there for each of them. Quintas thinking Kaeso is with him only because he is a slave and Kaeso thinking Quintas is taking advantage of having his own slave.

The plot never fell flat or veered off course, the romance and sex were plentiful but not overly so and the ending was fantastic.

4 pieces of eye candy

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

Contact N.R. Walker

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nrwalker@nrwalker.net

 

Embracing Fate by C.C. Dado: Release Day Review

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Sometimes you just have to embrace your fate.

Seth has a secret: he has a crush on the human next door. His brilliant plan to meet Jack, the man of his dreams who happens to be an animal trainer? Take wolf form and ask his best friend, Max, to take him next door for training. Seth is the only one surprised when things go horribly awry.

Still, can this shy wolf and a human meet their fate as mates?

Title: Embracing Fate
Series: A Series of Fate: Book 2
Author: C.C. Dado
Release Date: October 26, 2018
Category: Paranormal
Pages: 91

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Having not read the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure if I could pick this up and just read it, but thought I would give it a shot.

The first thing I will say, is I will be going back and reading book 1, because if I don’t get to see more of Max, my life will not be complete. 🙂 I absolutely loved Seth and Max “together”. I know that they weren’t the main couple, but what a great friendship these two have. I laughed so much during this novella! Max was so much fun, and with Seth, a sweetheart who seems to get himself in a little trouble, those two could create some trouble for themselves.

Seth broke my heart a bit, not knowing why he had such low self-esteem, other than having two different colored eyes. However, it was obvious that he had tons of love to give, not just to his best friend, and business partner, but also to Jack…and Jack’s dog! 🙂

Changing “Nancy’s name” was hilarious! As well as the pregnancy…poor Zeus! And if you want to know what all that is about, you really have to read this quick novella. I also can’t wait to go back and read book 1, and knowing there is a book 3, about Zeus, I’m super excited!

4 pieces of eye candy

Death of a Bachelor by M.A. Hinkle: RDB: Release Day Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

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Cathal Kinnery is an arrogant, overeducated jerk, and Damon Eglamore is not afraid to tell him so. But Damon married Cathal’s best friend, so they have an uneasy truce. Then she passes away. Now they’re stuck together in close quarters, trying to honor her memory without shouting at each other all the time.

At first, they have no idea how to move forward. Damon is a chef, but all his favorite recipes remind him of his late wife. Cathal would love to start tomcatting around town again, except for that annoying promise he made to his best friend about looking after Damon.

Then Damon’s son comes to them for help, convinced the only way to win over his first crush is a gender-bending Shakespeare production. After that, Cathal talks Damon into taking up baking as a new way to use his talents. Next thing they know, they’ve begun a new life working as a team instead of jumping at each other’s throats. But can they trust each other long enough to make it last, or will they fall into old bad habits again?

Title:  Death of a Bachelor

Author: M.A. Hinkle

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: October 29, 2018

Heat Level: 1 – No Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 75,200

Genre: Contemporary, contemporary, bisexual, enemies to lovers, grief/grieving, UST (unresolved sexual tension), teenage kids, family drama, humorous

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First Prologue: Cathal Crushes Olives and Damon’s Dreams.

December 31st, 1997

The man sitting at the end of the bar was older than Damon, maybe twenty-four. He had a thin, foxlike face and long, dark hair that he twirled around a finger as he wrote on a napkin, and he was wearing a Cherrywood College shirt under his suit jacket. A martini sat untouched in front of him, and his eyes were lost in thought. Definitely gay, but he wasn’t…intimidating. Unlike every other man who wasn’t on the dance floor or making out with someone else.

Damon sat next to him and gestured to the bartender for a beer. He was already a little drunk, but if he wanted to relax, he’d have to get a lot drunk. The other patron continued writing out a math problem. He finished his equation, considered it, and then scribbled the whole thing out, his brow furrowed. Scowling, he drank the martini at one go. Only then did he glance in Damon’s direction. “Fuck off,” he said, biting the olive from the swizzle stick. “I’m not looking for company tonight. I came here to get drunk.”

Damon colored, but he kept the embarrassment from his voice. “Why’d you think I came here for anything different?”

“There’s plenty of room, but you sat by me.” He looked at Damon, taking him all in, and his eyes narrowed further. The scowl fit his face too well, and Damon didn’t appreciate his scrutiny. “And guys like you don’t come here for the conversation.”

Damon didn’t care for the man’s tone. But he was the first to admit he didn’t know what he was doing—and, anyway, he was drunk enough not to care. “I wasn’t aware anyone came here for conversation.”

The man snorted. “It’s not the fucking sixties anymore. Gays can have meet-cutes as easily as everyone else.” He gestured to the bartender for another martini, rubbing his forehead.

Damon didn’t know what he meant, and he wanted to ask what kind of guy this man thought he was. But he had a feeling that would piss him off, and he was looking for a good time. Instead, he took another drink of his beer. “I’m Damon,” he said, without expecting much.

The man accepted another martini from the bartender and sipped it, looking at Damon over the top. “Cathal.”

Damon drummed his fingers on the bar, wondering if he ought to cut his losses and head to a straight bar after all. But he settled for finishing his beer in one long drink.

Cathal watched him. Not friendly watching. At this point, Damon didn’t know how to leave, so he signaled for another beer. “What were you working on?”

Cathal glanced at the napkin and made a face. “Bullshit. It doesn’t matter.”

Damon screwed the cap off his second beer and took a drink. “Who comes to a bar and does their homework?”

Cathal raised his eyebrows. His face was dangerous, but he couldn’t be that bad. Too scrawny. “Who comes to a bar already drunk?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled. Not a nice smile. Damon was starting to wonder if he had a nice smile, or if he always looked like someone had pissed in his drink. “Oh. I know. Guys like you.”

Damon frowned, feeling the first stirrings of anger. “You said that before. What do you mean?”

Cathal leaned toward Damon. His voice was calm, unhurried, but his eyes were full of fire, the sort that burns unnoticed and then flares up to take a tree down in seconds. “Guys like you. Guys who are maybe straight, maybe not, who come to one of our places for a little fucking fun and then go home to their wife or girlfriend or whatever. Never mind that it’s guys like you—guys with enough gay in them to be scared when they see one of us—who cause the goddamn trouble in the first place, because you’re not man enough to face down what’s inside you.” He drank the rest of his martini and bit off the olive again, viciously. “Don’t say you play for both teams if you’re only going to bat for one side.”

Damon blinked. It wasn’t only that he was surprised by the onslaught. He was hurt, too. “Are you this much of an asshole to everyone, or just me?” His temper was throbbing now, but he wasn’t drunk enough to punch Cathal. Even though he wanted to be, because he could never match him with words.

“Everyone,” said Cathal, like he was proud of it. He got up. “If you want a fuckbuddy for the night, that’s fine. So do plenty of guys here. But go find someone who doesn’t care if you’re throwing the rest of us under the bus, because I do.” He reached to tuck the napkin into his pocket; Damon grabbed his wrist, even though he had nothing to say. Cathal shot him a look that promised every possible bad thing in the known universe. And some unknown things.

Damon let go of him, scowling. “I’m not like that. I’m not.”

Cathal smiled that prim, insipid smile again. “Yes, you fucking are.” He walked off without another word.

Damon sat there, stunned. Then he turned around and finished his beer at a go.

I went into this book completely blind. I liked the cover, and the first sentence of the blurb, so I went with it, and I am so glad I did!!!! I loved this book!!!! I laughed through most of the first half of the book, and kept right on enjoying their banter to the end

How Cathal’s brain and snark worked was amazing. He said whatever he was thinking, and often things he should not have been thinking. His post-it notes were epic. And how he talked to his nephew made me giggle. Cathal was the person you want to hang out with when you just want to be catty and snarky, and just not give a sh*t what anyone thinks. 🙂

Meanwhile Damon, who’s heart was broken after his wife died (she was also Cathal’s best friend, and was equally devastated when she died) decided that cooking things he’d never made before for his wife was the way to work through each day as he grieved alongside his son, and his wife’s best friend. And the results were epic! Then you add Cathal’s snark of what was in the food? I couldn’t have enjoyed their banter more.

Felix’s teenage angst, I think, helped these two MC’s heal as well, simply because it allowed them to believe in love again, to have something and someone to focus outwardly on.

In the end, the “UST” as Felix called it was there, on a slow build, apparently for almost twenty years. I’ll admit, I would have liked to have a little bit of sexy times, rather than fade to black, but it absolutely did not ruin anything for me in this one. Great read!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

M.A. Hinkle swears a lot and makes jokes at inappropriate times, so she writes about characters who do the same thing. She’s also worked as an editor and proofreader for the last eight years, critiquing everything from graduate school applications to romance novels.

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The Rainbow Clause by Beth Bolden: Audio Book Tour with Excerpt

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Don’t like the athletes. Don’t sleep with the athletes. Don’t fall for the athletes. It had never been particularly difficult to follow the rules, but Nick had a feeling he was about to be tested.

Heisman winner. Member of the national championship team. NFL rookie of the year. Quarterback Colin O’Connor knows he’s become the ultimate romance novel cliché: all the success he’s ever dreamed of but nobody with whom to share it. Too bad it’s not as simple as asking out the next girl who intrigues him – because the next girl to intrigue him probably won’t be a girl at all.

Unexpectedly, the solution comes in one neat package: Nick Wheeler, lead journalist for a leading sports and pop culture blog. Hired by Colin’s team, Nick comes to Miami to shine a spotlight on the NFL’s most private quarterback.

The heat in Miami rises when Nick discovers Colin is nothing like the hollow personality he pretends to be in interviews and he’s even hotter in person than on his Sports Illustrated cover. Nick knows this is the story of his career, and it also hits close to home. What he needs is to help Colin share his story while keeping their growing relationship from boiling over in the press, but what he wants is to tell the world.

The Rainbow Clause

Beth Bolden

M/M Romance

Audio Release: 09.07.18

Narrator: Wyatt Baker

Listening Length: 7 hours and 45 minutes

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

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“Wow,” Colin breathed out, the sheet shifting down his torso as he propped himself up with an elbow. “What a view.”

Even though the ocean and sky and sand were hazy with the golden light of the rising sun, Nick still had trouble taking his eyes off the man next to him.

“Yeah,” Nick said, still staring at Colin. “Fucking fabulous view.”

Colin glanced over and flushed. He rolled over and slid out of bed, bare feet padding on the tile floor as he headed towards the bathroom. “When you look at me that way,” he said, his voice carrying back into the bedroom, “it’s easy to believe I really look as good as you say.”

“You should believe it,” Nick said as Colin returned to bed. Nick knew he needed to use the bathroom, too, at least to brush away his surely horrible morning breath so he could kiss this beautiful man next to him.

Just one problem. Nick glanced at the tile floor with dismay. “Is that as cold as it looks?”

Colin shot him a playful smile and gave him a little shove to the edge of the bed. “Your turn to find out,” he said, and Nick gave a half-hearted smile, expecting to freeze his balls off as he tiptoed to the bathroom. Instead, he found the floor to be shockingly warm against his bare feet.

“Teddy, that rich bastard,” Nick exclaimed as he walked to the bathroom. “Heated floors.”

Nick brushed his teeth and took a piss, returning to bed with warm feet and cold hands, which he proceeded to place right on Colin’s ribcage. But Colin didn’t flinch, only tugged Nick closer, until their limbs were tangled together. Nick shifted up a fraction and hesitated, their eyes locked together and their lips only an inch apart.

“You keep talking about me,” Colin murmured dreamily, his hand smoothing down a wayward tuft of Nick’s hair. “But you’re gorgeous. I stare at you all the damn time.”

It was hard not to notice and impossible not to feel smug that Colin O’Connor spent at least half his waking hours staring at his ass.

A large hand slid around his hip and cupped that ass – but not with the sort of tacky possession that sometimes gave Nick a bad taste in his mouth, but with reverence and a playful affection that made his heart ache.

“I know you notice,” Colin continued, the edge of his lips quirking into a smile. “You’re too nice to call me out on it.”

“What, and make you stop?” Nick asked.

Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn’t have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She’s a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published eight novels and two novellas, with Catch Me, the next novel in the Kitchen Gods series, releasing in May 2018.

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Teacher’s Pet Anthology: Exclusive Guest Post by Lee Welch and Giveaway

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Congrats to the all the authors on their new anthology, Teacher’s Pet. This looks like quite the forbidden fruit. 😉 Make sure you read author Lee Welch‘s exclusive guest post on sexy consent! And there is a great giveaway at the bottom, so read on, and pick this one up!

 

Featuring Eight Stories of Lessons Outside the Classroom

 

A Spell for Master Vervain by Lee Welch

Finding the Words by Elizabeth Coldwell

The Silent Treatment by Elna Holst

One Small Step by Riza Curtis

Shedding Doubt by Danielle Wayland

Academic Temptations by Karmen Lee

The Sidhe’s Apprentice by Morwen Navarre

Press “Copy” to Begin by Maryn Blackburn

 

 

A Spell for Master Vervain by Lee Welch

Apprentice magicians aren’t supposed to fall for their masters, but after a year of longing, Kit is desperate for Master Vervain. Kit casts a forbidden spell to raise an incubus doppelganger of his master—oh, the things he’ll do with that incubus! But Kit’s invoking forces he can’t control and anything can happen when love and magic are mixed.

Finding the Words by Elizabeth Coldwell

On a simple night out, Brendan’s life changed forever. He gave up college lecturing for the world of private tutoring. He may be a virtual recluse, but at least he’s safe. When student Zack approaches him for help with understanding poetry, he’s reluctant to take him on, afraid any connection to his old life might stir up the memories.

Being around Zack awakens long-buried desires in Brendan. He wants to act on his impulse to get closer, but he needs to find the words to say how he really feels.

The Silent Treatment by Elna Holst

Reverend Jane Sinclair has been preaching nothing but fire and brimstone lately. After being dumped by her long-term partner, her mood has been going from bad to worse, and it deteriorates further when her vicar strong-arms her into going off on a yoga retreat. Once she arrives at Serenity Farms, however, the sultry and playfully dominant yoga instructor soon has her singing quite a different tune. A very, very quiet one.

One Small Step by Riza Curtis

Student mage Ilya regrets not paying more attention in class when he teleports two hundred miles instead of the hundred yards he was supposed to go. Concussed, exhausted, and completely underdressed for the bitter winter weather, Ilya is rescued by the handsome Søren.

Sparks fly between the two mages while Ilya recovers, but Ilya must return home. Unable to use his magic and not skilled enough to attempt teleporting back, even if he could, Søren insists on making the journey with him. But train rides and bandits reveal something more between them.

Shedding Doubt by Danielle Wayland

Twenty-six-year-old Grayson is on a mission to get the most out of his gym membership, but when he goes at it too hard on his first day and slips off the treadmill, embarrassment makes him want to quit. Heath, a gym rat, rushes to his aid and offers to help. Initially suspicious of his motives, Grayson reluctantly accepts his help.

The more time they spend together, the more their friendship grows. They both have internal battles keeping them apart, but a Halloween party might just be the place to have a heart-to-heart.

Academic Temptations by Karmen Lee

Twenty-three-year-old Savannah Archer has kept her sexuality buried for years out of fear of being ostracized by her disapproving community. After getting pregnant in high school and putting off college for five years to raise her son, she is finally attending college—away from the prying eyes.

In her first class of the semester, she meets Anetta Springs, who is not only her professor, but also her academic advisor, and the attraction is immediate. Savannah and Anetta both know that the potential consequences of a teacher-student relationship are life-changing, but a book club and a meddling sister may not give them a choice.

The Sidhe’s Apprentice by Morwen Navarre

For anyone serious about magic, studying with a Sidhe Master is essential. Alistair Brady is very serious, and when he’s chosen at a Calling—a search by the Sidhe for new students—he’s elated. However, his assigned Master, Cianán, doesn’t want a new student and makes it painfully obvious.

Despite Cianán’s disdain, Alistair is determined to learn magic. But Alistair has difficulty finding the place inside where magic lives, and even the simplest spells continue to elude him. He just needs to figure out what’s missing, while trying not to let his growing attraction to the cold and aloof Cianán show. It takes a backfiring spell to show both Alistair and Cianán exactly what’s missing to make Alistair’s magic come alive.

Press “Copy” to Begin by Maryn Blackburn

Dr. Marissa Muniz worked hard to earn her Ph.D., so she is rightfully outraged when she detects plagiarism in the work of wealthy grad student. When Muniz confronts Libby Highsmith, the young woman begs for a second chance.

Ms. Highsmith must propose a new master’s thesis and design a project to serve as punitive measures. Muniz accepts the thesis proposal but balks at the project—a replica of the paddle used in private schools and a contract promising secrecy.

 

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TCO Exclusive – a post on sexy consent from Lee Welch

How do I write a sexy love story between a teacher and student that doesn’t come across a bit…icky?

That’s what I asked myself when I saw the call for stories for the new TEACHER’S PET 2 anthology. Because most of us wouldn’t want sexual advances from a teacher or a student. That’s not what the teaching relationship is about. We park that stuff at the door because we have boundaries.

In my story, A Spell for Master Vervain, I play with the very constraints that mean no decent teacher would ever make a move on a student—or vice versa. Those constraints are the meat of the story, as Kit pines for his master and falls deeper and deeper in love, knowing he can never, ever have him because he is the teacher.

(Of course, Kit gets him in the end, but I won’t pretend it’s an easy ride for either of them. Hint: there’s forbidden magic and eye-watering embarrassment.)

As I read this anthology myself, I was struck how all the authors have worked hard to ensure teachers and students never break the sacred bonds of the teacher/pupil relationship. All the students are well above the age of consent. All the teachers want the best for their pupils. So there’s no ick-factor in this book – just eight very different sweet and sexy stories of how students and teachers transform what they have into a new dynamic. Even if sometimes that means waiting until they’re nearly dying of lust and longing…

Thanks for having me and I hope you enjoy my story!

Lee

Lee Welch lives on a hill in the windiest city in the world – Wellington, New Zealand. She mainly writes stories about magicians falling in love; her most recent book was SALT MAGIC, SKIN MAGIC. She likes crumbling mansions, cavernous libraries and most things with tentacles. She studied ancient history at Auckland University and creative writing at Birkbeck, University of London.

Contact information

Email: leewelchwriter@gmail.com

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In the Pines by Laura Lascarso: Exclusive Guest Post and Excerpt

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Incredibly excited to have Laura Lascarso (whose When Everything is Blue was fantastic) with an exclusive guest post and excerpt from her new mystery book, In the Pines. I seriously can’t wait to read this one! 

 

When your high school crush is also your number one suspect, what’s a boy to do?

After the disappearance of Eastview High’s homecoming king, seventeen-year-old Charlie Schiffer must put his detective skills to work to help class heartthrob Dare Chalmers find his missing twin brother. From the gator-filled swamps of Paynes Prairie to the truck-stop strip club Café Risqué, there’s no situation too dicey for this amateur sleuth when he’s on the prowl for clues to this mystery.

Meanwhile, Dare is everything Charlie could want in a boyfriend—charismatic, handsome, polite—but as Charlie’s mother always says, the unlikeliest people can turn out to be criminals. When evidence surfaces revealing his suspects’ hidden motives, Charlie must dig deep to suss out who among them is innocent and who is guilty, even if it means betraying the man he cares for most.

Title: In the Pines
Series: Charlie Schiffer Mysteries
Author: Laura Lascarso
Release Date: October 23, 2018
Category: Mystery/Suspense, Bittersweet
Pages: 194

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

What are the key ingredients to a small-town murder mystery?

This is the question I asked myself at the outset of writing In the Pines, my newest M/M romance-slash-mystery novel. For me, I grew up reading Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew novels and watching Twin Peaks as an adolescent. I was obsessed with that show at the time it aired, and it was only in watching it as an adult that I realized how truly weird it was. (Also, my name is Laura and the murder victim’s name was Laura Palmer, which always kind of freaked me out but was also kind of cool.)

Through consuming my fair share of mysteries over the years, and trying my hand at writing one, there are a few elements that I’ve identified as key ingredients to pulling off a small-town murder mystery.

They are setting, senses, sidekick, and suspicion.

Setting is so critical to a small-town mystery, whether it be murder or something else. The author needs to know this town like the back of her hand—where the good restaurants are, who in town knows the gossip, where do the kids go to make-out. If your detective isn’t from your small town, then you’ve got to bring in a local yocal to give your story some character and flair. My story is set in Gainesville, Florida, so naturally I included a swamp, a strip club and a few raving environmentalists (my MC Charlie being one of them). These are all elements which you will most certainly find in and around Gainesville if you’re there for very long, and I tried to make them not just window dressing, but integral pieces to the plot.

Senses—all five of them must be present. One of the best things about reading mystery and suspense is the not knowing what’s just around the corner. To build suspense, the mystery writer has to really dial in on those key details—strange smells, creepy sounds, the curtain fluttering in the breeze. Every good detective is an observer at heart and the reader wants to know what our sleuth is sensing. My guy Charlie may not be the most friendly or outgoing, but he knows how to use all five of his senses to figure out what the heck is going on.

Sidekick. What’s a good mystery without one? In the case of In the Pines, Charlie has two—a sassy cheerleader named Tameka and his best friend of the canine-persuasion, Boots. The sidekick’s role can be adversarial or ally or both. In the case of Tameka, she serves as Charlie’s sounding board and has access to the gossip and rumors he does not. She also has the clarity of mind to remind Charlie when he’s letting his feelings get in the way of their investigation. Doh, Charlie!

Suspicion. Why, in mysteries, is everyone acting so shady all the time? Because people lie, in fiction and in real life. One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing In the Pines, was getting all of the characters to lie about something, even if it was small and seemingly inconsequential. Flawed characters are my favorite, and this story gave me an opportunity to give everyone a dark side.

And that’s what I’ve learned from writing about murder in a small town. I’ve included an excerpt below from In the Pines, where Charlie first meets Tameka. I wanted her to make an impression on both him and the reader. Hopefully she does. If you like it, I encourage you to check out more.

We assembled at the southernmost point of Newnans Lake, where Hawthorne Road met with 2082, just south of Kate’s Fish Camp. It was just before dawn as people shuffled out of their cars and trucks; several others biked there as well on the Hawthorne bike trail. Cups of coffee were distributed as folks mumbled greetings to each other in the violet wash of predawn. We watched the sun rise over the marsh like blood seeping from a wound and woke a flock of red-winged blackbirds that zigzagged away, chattering their complaints at the sky. If it weren’t for the somber mood, you’d almost think we’d gathered there for an early morning hike.

I thought we’d comb the swamps between 441 and I-75—the two most likely routes out of town—but Mom said this was where they’d determined the cell phone last communicated with the tower before the battery was removed or the phone died.

GPD told us we were looking for Mason’s phone; they probably didn’t want to say we were also potentially searching for a body.

Rangers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission passed out waders and snake boots for members of the search parties, but there were only enough for a fraction of the people who’d come out to help, especially since most of the upperclassmen of Eastview High were there. For those of us who didn’t have protection, FWC suggested we grab a big stick and knock the ground every couple of steps to “scare off the critters.” The word critters made it sound like soft, furry mammals, not venomous snakes or twenty-foot alligators with bone-crushing jaws. Literally half a gator’s length was its mouth.

My mother was with the operations unit, poring over aerial maps on a foldout table, so I joined the nearest group of classmates to form a search party. While we waited for supplies and further instruction from GPD, I overheard two girls talking about Mason’s disappearance.

“Bet he ran off with that stripper from Café Risqué,” one said. I recognized her as Tameka Thomas, a cheerleader from Daniela’s squad.

“Is that what the fight on Friday was about?” said the other girl. My ears perked up at the mention of a fight. According to my mom, Daniela claimed she hadn’t seen Mason since the pep rally, and she certainly didn’t mention an argument between them.

“Mmm-hmm,” Tameka continued. “Mason’s fine as hell, but you know he’s not faithful. Daniela just doesn’t know how to handle him. I’d keep that boy sat-is-fied.” Tameka made a slapping gesture and ground her hips in a motion that made my eyes go wide. The girls at my high school were more sex-crazed than the boys.

“When was the fight?” I asked the girls. They both turned my way and studied me like I was a bug and they were deciding whether to ignore me or squash me.

“Well, if it isn’t old Dick Tracy,” Tameka sneered. My SAT sting had burned a couple of the cheerleaders. They called me Dick for a while whenever they caught me in the halls. Hey, Dick. How’s it going, Dick? Screwed anyone over lately, Dick? One time a whole hive of them swarmed me outside the gymnasium. It was pretty terrifying. “Are you on the case then, Dick?” Tameka asked, hands on her hips, coppery brown eyes studying me acutely.

“If the fight really happened, it could help with the investigation,” I offered as my defense for being nosy. “I just want to help Dare find his brother.”

Tameka pursed her lips and glanced over at her friend, who only shrugged. “Well, not that it’s any of your business, but I saw them fighting outside the wrestling room after cheer practice. I didn’t hear what they were saying because I don’t put my nose where it doesn’t belong, like some people.”

I sincerely doubted that, but instead of arguing with her, I only sighed and waited for her to get in her digs.

“But, then again, a girl’s response to finding out her man’s been cheating is pretty universal, so if I had to take a guess….” Here Tameka paused for effect, curling her upper lip a little and bobbing her head. “I’d guess she was giving him the business for messing around.”

“What does that look like?” I needed more detail.

Tameka smiled at her friend. “Like this.” She stalked up to me and shoved me back by my shoulders so I stumbled a little. Then she stuck her index finger right up in my face and pointed at me accusingly. “You good-for-nothing, lying, cheating dog. You think I’m stupid? Do you think I’m stupid? I saw that text in your phone. I know you were with someone else last night. Who was she? Who the hell was she? Oh no, son, don’t you come at me now acting like you looooove me. You don’t love me. You love yourself, you selfish sonovabitch. I hope you get a disease from that ho Now, get out of my face before I beat you senseless, boy. I can’t even stand to look at you.”

She stuck her flattened palm in my face, spun on her heels, and walked back over to her friend.

“Wow,” I said, reeling from her very visceral performance. My heart was racing and my palms were sweating. “End scene. That was brilliant.” Where had I picked up that expression? Probably the drama department.

“Yeah.” She brushed her manicured nails against her shirt and blew on their tips. They were painted alternating green and white, our school colors, just like Daniela’s. I remembered the jacket Daniela was wearing during the pep rally—Mason’s letterman jacket.

“Was Daniela still wearing Mason’s jacket?” I asked Tameka.

She shook her head. “She took it off and shoved it at him, even though it was cold that day. That’s how I knew she was pissed. She loves that damn jacket.”

It was true. Now that Tameka mentioned it, I rarely saw Daniela without Mason’s jacket, even on warm days. It was like the skin from her kill—proof to all her rivals that Mason Chalmers had been claimed.

At that moment a sheriff’s deputy approached us and gave us all blue nurse’s gloves and several two-gallon Ziploc bags. “If you find anything—and I mean anything—put it in a bag, seal it, and radio in.” He glanced at the lot of us, seemed to have misgivings, and then shoved the walkie-talkie at me. “You’re the group leader,” he said.

I could tell from Tameka’s expression, she didn’t like that. “Because he’s a boy?” she asked, shoulders squared, head tilted like a parrot. I felt the need to correct her that I was a man, not a boy, but I didn’t wish to feed her ire. The deputy looked caught—he wasn’t much older than us. Likely this was his first experience with organizing a search party.

“No, it’s just because—” he started to say.

“You can be leader.” I cut him off and gave Tameka the radio. “You’ve got the biggest mouth anyway.”

Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened a little like she was about to retort. Then she smiled. “All right then, Dick. As team leader, I’m making you the gator getter. You walk ahead with that big stick of yours and scare off the critters.”

I chuckled at her impersonation of the ranger. “My name’s Charlie, by the way.”

She smirked and shoved my shoulder playfully. “Yeah, I know, but you look more like a Dick to me.”

Author Bio: Laura Lascarso wants you to stay up way past your bedtime reading her stories. She aims to inspire more questions than answers in her fiction and believes in the power of storytelling to heal and transform a society. When not writing, Laura can be found screaming “finish” on the soccer fields, rewatching Veronica Mars, and trying to convince politicians that climate change is real. She lives in North Florida with her darling husband and two kids. She loves hearing from readers, and she’d be delighted to hear from you.
Twitter: @lauralascarso