# #97 in Top 100 Paid - Kindle Bestsellers Mystery/Suspense



## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery is my Deal of the Day for $.99

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U4WVQ4/

Good morning. I've been on Kindleboards a little less than a month now, and learned some wonderful things from the participants here, both authors and readers. I've asked the moderators to lock my former posts and I will be using this as my sort of home site for interaction with readers and other authors letting you know what's up with the Jacody Ives Mysteries and me.
Currently I have two books available on Kindle, The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery and Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery.
The Gifts was originally published by Echelon Press in 2006 and was runner up in the International Preditor's and Editor's Contest for best novel of 2006. It was also nominated for The David Award.

Sacred Secrets was published through Amazon Kindle on 7/1/2010 and is the prequel to The Gifts, telling the story behind the creation of Jacody Ives. I'll post reviews and reader comments in later posts, and welcome any comments by readers, both good and critical. It is my hope to improve my craft with every book I write.

A little about me.

My bio is listed on my author page, and will tell you a little about me. But I thought I'd share a little more related to my characters and how they relate to the real me.

When I was touring with The Gifts, one of the most often asked questions was: Are any of my characters a part of my own persona. Well, yes, many of them are. Let's take a look at Sacred Secrets, the prequel to The Gifts.

I believe we all have a dark and a light side. Thus Gavin McAllister a/ka/ Jacody Ives. Gavin, the "good" personality, and Jacody the "not quite so good" personality. The deeper, darker, more angry personality. In Sacred Secrets, I explore the trauma behind the split and the creation of Jacody Ives. So, yes, I feel a definite connection with both Gavin and Jacody. Thankfully, I've never felt the third "evil" persona of Gavin and Jacody.

Clover is a young girl who reads tarot cards, auras and believes everyone is psychic. I too believe everyone is psychic, and many of my own characteristics are a part of Clover's personality.

Katie has lived the majority of her life on "death row". Knowing that without a heart transplant she would die. I too was told early in life that without a pancreas transplant my days were numbered. After being placed on the transplant list my doctors discovered that I was allergic to the medications I would need for the operation. The surgery itself would kill me. So I know what it's like to "be on death row". And my short time on the transplant list is responsible for my interest in cellular memory.

Billy Dawson, the Dream Weaver. An interesting character. Torn between what he believes to be right, and his obligations. Don't we all feel that same soul searching crisis throughout life?

Miss Charity, my own deep scars and wounds. Which, I hope you'll forgive me, I prefer not to share.

Those are just a few of my favorite characters in Sacred Secrets, which I believe are pieces of me.
As Sacred Secrets is the prequel to The Gifts, I did sort of a Star Wars on myself. In The Gifts Gavin and Jacody are no longer totally separate. They function as one, although not totally one.

Sarah, the town Sheriff, like Gavin has what her grandmother called "The Gift". To Sarah it has always been more of a curse. Like Gavin, she dreams things. Things that happen. There's no way she can ever know if what she dreamed is real until it happens, and then it's too late to do anything about it. What kind of gift is that?

Nikki, Sarah's five year old daughter reminds me of myself at her age. Yes, even then I was a little weird in the fact that I sometimes saw things or dreamed things that later I found out really happened.

I would love to believe that I have many of Millie's charming characteristics. I know I have her propensity to feel that trust is essential in a relationship, and that without that trust nothing else matters.

When I started writing The Jacody Ives Mysteries I knew I wanted to write traditional mysteries to keep the reader guessing until the very end. I've been told many times that I accomplished this with The Gifts. The jury is still out on Sacred Secrets and I'll have to wait for reader's reviews to know if the twist at the end was enough. I will have to say it shocked me, as many times my characters go off in directions I had no idea they were going to take.

So now you know a little more about me, and my characters. Have a question you'd like me to answer? Feel free to post it below.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Just posted my first author interview. Kipp Poe Speicher, Author of "Closing My Eyes Helps Me To See Clearly."

Check it out at www.jacodypress.blogspot.com or visit my myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/giftofdreams.

If any other authors would like interviews, just let me know.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Final Review of Sacred Secrets:

Sacred Secrets:
A Jacody Ives Mystery
By Linda S. Prather
Manuscript
365 Pages


I thoroughly enjoyed having a very small part in being a reviewer for a manuscript, especially for the exciting, supernatural suspense novel, Sacred Secrets: A Jacody Ives Mystery, written by Linda S. Prather! This is a prequel to her first novel, The Gifts, which I earlier reviewed; this prequel certainly sets the stage for future Jacody Ives mysteries.

Lydia called to anybody who would listen. She had been planning on going home to her father, had already written him to tell him she was coming, and bringing, Ginger. Even when she was murdered and buried, she still needed, wanted to go home, “Please . . .” she whispered.

Gavin McAllister heard her in his dreams. “Please,” she whispered. Gavin knew that evil had claimed another victim.

Jacody Ives is, of course, the primary character and is a private investigator. Some call him Gavin. Gavin’s brother, Rob, and his partner, Carl, both FBI agents, often aid him in his work.  

Father Michael heard Lydia’s whispers as well; but he knew more than that, and he couldn’t face it, couldn’t live with it. He tried to talk to Father Peter, lamenting that he no longer felt God was with him. Could he find absolution? Could he send Lydia home . . . and still save . . . her? Praying, he finally knew what he must do!

Katie O’Connor had been given a second-chance in life. She had been very ill since she was 12 and knew that, if she didn’t receive a heart transplant, her life expectancy was less than a year. But, out of the blue, she was called to come to the hospital. They had a heart for her! After verification that it would work, she was rushed into surgery and the transplant was successfully completed! But when she woke up, drowsy, she heard “Dig the hole, dig it deep...I like the liver and the hearts. The worms...” and she screamed! “Please . . .get the doctor . . .take it out!” (p.61)

Destiny...this book is about destiny and what it takes to actually have destiny “happen.” Katie O’Connor was caught in a series of events that had started 25 years ago. When she tried to find people with whom she had talked, she learned that they had died years ago. When she tried to find the individual who had given her the new heart, she learned that it was a beloved friend from her past.  

So many things were happening, if one person did not follow what steps fate laid out, then a whole new set of events had to be created. For Katie O’Connor and for Jacody Ives, they were caught within a struggle against an evil that would continue to kill unless they followed the paths of destiny that were placed before them. 

Prather has a rare skill in incorporating aspects of the supernatural into her stories. There is rarely a mention of who has those skills—readers just know it by coming to know the various characters.

A supporting activity of placing poetry between chapters, including beautiful, complementary words written by her son, Charles W. Prather, Jr., adds greatly to readers’ enjoyment.

Truthfully? I was hooked with the Prologue! Except for personal breaks, I read straight through, turning page after page, wonderfully surprised by each new step of fate and how each was mystically woven into one of the best novels I’ve had the pleasure to read! Be assured I’ll be keeping track and letting you know when Sacred Secrets is available! It’s a MUST-READ!

G. A. Bixler
IP Book Reviewer


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Excerpt - Sacred Secrets 

Your plangent cries permeate my dreams
Lest I forget
That which I have become
Slipping into the verisimiltude
I have created
A myrmidon of evil
Panoply of secrets
Pulling me down
Into the brackish water of my dreams
‘Tis but a simple deed
To expiate my sins
Simple as life
Or death
I chose this cup
Now I must drink.

8

Father Michael felt the chasm widen. A vast wasteland of emptiness. Nothingness. He had nothing. He was nothing.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Father Michael?”

Father Peter’s words were a mere whisper, his hands longing to caress the parchment stored beneath the thick glass.

“Where . . .”

Father Peter turned to him excitedly. “A gift from your sister, Claire.”
Father Michael nodded. He’d recognized the painting immediately as one of John’s beautiful fakes. The Revelations of St. Bridget of Sweden. Two beams of light shone down from the hands of the Virgin and Christ, enthroned on the heavenly plane, joining into one single stream entering the eyes of the seated saint. Images were powerful in medieval times.

Father Michael lowered his head, closed his eyes. “Please . . .,” she whispered.
Images were still powerful.

Father Peter gushed on, his excitement uncontainable. “Of course, I know it’s a reproduction, but its beauty, its message is invaluable.”

A beautiful fake, just like me, Father Michael thought, the riving pain opening, surging. A raging river in which he was going to drown.

The words came from the midst of the chasm. Words he’d not intended to say. “I’ve lost all hope, Father.”

The words echoed in the small study, coming from all four corners, dowsing the sun streaming from the window, fading the colors of the parchment. Gripping the heart of Father Peter with pain.

He turned, excitement of the gift still etched upon his wrinkled face. Gasping as he gazed into open wounds, vivid pools reflecting suffering. Never before had he seen such agony. His hands fluttered in front of him, mind sifting through eighty years of life, searching for words to breach the chasm. Words of comfort.

“There is always hope, Father Michael. God is our hope.”

“I no long hear His voice, Father.” He glanced at the painting. “No longer feel His light.”

“We must pray, my son.” Father Peter walked around the desk, placing his hand on the young priest’s shoulder. “We must pray that God will guide you in your hour of need.”

Father Michael sighed, placing his hand over the knotted arthritic joints of Father Peter’s fingers. “I have prayed, Father. I pray daily that God will take this cup from me.”

Father Peter felt the trembling in the hand covering his. Felt the despair. His words came unbidden. Words he knew not the source. Words he would ponder and regret in the days to come.

“Perhaps you must take the cup and drink from it.”

Father Michael embraced him. He had the forlorn feeling of being alone in the world. And that loneliness threatened to crush him. He whispered the words that sealed his fate. “Perhaps, Father. Perhaps I must.”


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

First reader review on Sacred Secrets--Diane Waters on facebook--"It's a real page turner!"

Make me feel good all day.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Linda--

congratulations on the good reviews!

I posted a welcome letter in your initial thread, but since this is now your official thread, I'm going to post one below so we know that we gave you the official KB welcome! By the way, we request that reviews not be posted here in their entirety, but that a short excerpt be posted and a link to the entire review be provided. (Amazon reviews should not be posted at all, not that you've done that.) All that "stuff" is in the welcome letter. 

Betsy

Welcome to KindleBoards and congratulations on your book now on Kindle!

We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

You'll want to bookmark your thread so you can find it again--we ask that authors have only one thread per book and update it when they have news. We ask that you not "bump" the thread more than once every seven days, although you may respond to member posts as they happen. (The Bump clock is reset at that point. ) Please read the fine print below and the Forum Decorum. (Note for the future that we ask that reviews not be posted in their entirety here, but that a blurb and a link to the original review be provided. This and more is in the Forum Decorum.  )

Thanks for being part of KindleBoards! Feel free to PM us if you have any questions.

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators


The fine print: 
_Please add to your existing book thread when you have news about your book rather than start a new one, it helps the members who are trying to follow you. You may have a separate thread for each of your books. We recommend you bookmark your post so that you can find it in the future.  You may respond to all posts, but if there have been no member posts, we ask that you wait a week before "bumping" the thread by posting back-to-back posts of your own. And we ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum. From time to time our site rules may change; be sure to check Forum Decorum for the current guidelines and rules. _ 
[/quote]


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

August Contest - Sample some great authors' work and win a copy of The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery - your choice of MobiPocket ebook or the original paperback published in 2006. For contest details visit: http://www.jacodypress.blogspot.com or join the authors on facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=143875585640569&ref=ts


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

For one day only, through 8/30/10 you can download a free copy of The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery from Smashwords as follows:
http://www.smashwords.com/b/21398

Checkout - enter coupon code KL69B

All I would ask is if you would please write at least a one line review.

Thank you, and Happy Reading!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks for the freebie!  Got it!

I'll write a review for sure...

Betsy


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2010)

Hello..........  Nice looking book you have there!


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Got my first five star review on Sacred Secrets.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Happy Friday, everyone.  I haven't run a contest in about a month now and was wondering what everyone would like.  A gift card?  Free book?  Okay, I know we all want the lottery numbers (me especially), but I'm looking for something we can do and perhaps continue to do in the coming months leading up to Christmas.

Authors, your ideas are welcome also.

Have a great weekend.

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

When I read on Amazon Kindle that Mr. Fay was reading my book, frankly I was terrified.  He's known pretty much to say what he thinks and isn't a great fan of authors promotions on there.  Finding his review of Sacred Secrets last night  pretty much was a wonderful ending to a long, emotional intense bad day.  Although I truly must confess that I wish he had found no editorial mistakes in the book, I'm glad he pointed them out giving me a chance to correct them in both my kindle version as well as prior to having the book printed.

Four Star Review


This supernatural thriller mystery grabbed my interest in the first few pages. The suspense kept me going, turning pages as fast as I could, right up through the end. 

The story revolves around Jacody and Katie, two characters that you'll care about as you learn their secrets. There is a pretty wide variety of characters, and we get to know a little something about all of them and in some cases, wonder about them - why they did what they did or why they are the way they are. 

It's interesting that this story could have worked as a straight mystery, with no supernatural elements, with one possible exception - the dreams. With a foundation of real characters going through real events, the supernatural elements seem all the more realistic. 

The only criticism I have was that it could have used better editing. I found a total of seven errors, things like: 

"It a suitable donor wasn't found . . ." 
"Opening the door she let go of him, laughing as he stumbled to the nearest chair, held on for a second and then sat down in the floor." 
"Sally puttered around the room, plumping pillows, refilling the water picture." 

I'm not an editor. I don't intentionally look for errors. With a total of seven, there weren't so many errors that it started to get annoying. I've read others that were much worse with two to three times as many. 

I'd recommend Sacred Secrets as a fun, fast-paced read that will keep you guessing right up until the end.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

For the remainder of October both the Jacody Ives Mysteries are now only 99 cents.  A savings of $2.00 for mystery lovers.



Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

My friendly weekly bump, not that we stay on the front page long.

Just had my 100th sale for the month, so I'm celebrating.  Have a wonderful day filled with love, light and laughter.

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanking all my readers for a wonderful October month, and hoping everyone's November is filled with Love, Light and Laughter.



Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

My weekly one second of front page fame bump. 

If you're interested in writing, my blogs are currently on - Body Language - show don't tell. Stop by: http://jacodypress.blogspot.com/

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

It's Tuesday again and truthfully, I get tired of the same old "buy my book" promo. Mary glanced around her husband's study with a sigh of satisfaction. Everything was almost perfect. Robert had even called, just as she knew he would. He had to gloat. Twist the knife just a little.

Reaching into her purse she pulled out the wad of hundreds and handed them to her brother-in-law. "Make it real."
Stuffing the money into his pocket, Blake Torro pulled on the second set of gloves. "You sure about this, Mary?"

_"I'm sorry, Mary, there's simply no way out of this."_ Her lawyer's words echoed inside her mind.

"I'm sure," she whispered.

The first strike cut her lip, loosening a tooth. _"Robert has built an iron clad case against you."_

Mary staggered backwards as the second strike caught her just under the left eye. A moan escaped her lips. _"The judge is going to award him full custody of the girls."_ A blow to the stomach took her breath. Blood splattered the wall behind her.

_"No way out."_

Her knees buckled as she crashed into the credenza. "Enough," she gasped clutching her side. She knew he'd broken at least one rib, maybe more. She didn't want to die.

Taking the second pair of bloody gloves from Blake, she did her best to smile. "Go, he'll be here soon."

"Don't forget the gun." Blake pointed to the .22 laying next to the overturned credenza.

Mary picked up the gun, stretched out on the floor praying she wouldn't pass out. She was almost there. But the easy part was over. Robert would pull up, see her car, the light in his office. He would be angry. And Robert was dangerous when he was angry. He might not pick her up. Instead he might decide to finish her off.

Minutes ticked by like hours until she heard the door open, his footsteps as he stomped toward the study. He was on the phone. "If that bitch has touched a thing in my house I'm gonna kill her."

"Mary, what the . . . "

He stopped just inside the door taking in the disarray, her beaten and bloody body. He crossed quickly to her, pulling her up, shaking her. Her blood splattered his face, shirt, tie. "Who did this, and what the hell are you doing in my house?"
Mary opened her right eye, staring straight into the black depths of hell she'd lived with for years. Placing the gun against his heart she pulled the trigger. "You did, Robert. You did this."

Mary could hear the sirens in the distance. She had only minutes. Pulling the bloody gloves from underneath her she place them on his hands, pulled the cell phone from his pocket and placed it inside the bloody gloves. Pulling his body back on top of hers she breathed a sigh of relief as she allowed the pain to take her into the darkness.

"Mrs. Johnson?"

Mary struggled through the pain, opening her one good eye. "Yes," she croaked.

"I'm Officer Bridgestone. I'm really sorry to bother you ma'am, but we need to get your statement. Do you feel up to answering a few questions."

Mary nodded, immediately regretting the movement as a fresh wave of pain washed over her.

"It's pretty cut and dry from the evidence. The only unanswered question we have is what you were doing there?"

Mary swallowed hard. "Robert called me, said he wanted to talk about the girls. Asked me to meet him at the house at seven."

The officer nodded, scribbling notes in a pad. "Figured it was something like that." Closing the pad he smiled at her. "You're lucky to be alive, ma'am. And you can thank his business partner for that. He called us after Mr. Johnson called him threatening to kill you."

"Robert's dead?"

The officer squeezed her hand, a small gesture of comfort. "You did what you had to do, ma'am. And self-defense is not a crime. You just get better."

Mary swallowed again, closing her good eye. "Thank you," she whispered.

_"I'm sorry, Mary. There's simply no way out of this."_

There was always a way out. She would heal and then she'd take the girls on a long vacation. Somewhere on the beach. Somewhere they could forget and start over again.This week I decided I would share my first attempt at flash fiction with you. I didn't quite make my goal of 500 words, but I did keep it under 1,000, topping out at 708. Perhaps if I edited I could weed out some words, but my understanding was that you had to write a complete story as quick as you could with no editing. I enjoyed the endeavor, and my admiration for those who can accomplish this easily rose way up the scale. I hope you enjoy it. Surprisingly enough, even in short fiction I had to "kill somebody".


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Had a blast with my something old, something new promotion on Amazon Kindle's Facebook on Saturday.  10 lucky people won a $5.00 gift certificate to buy the book of their choice.  Hope to do it again before Christmas, so stay on the lookout for -- something old, something new.

Have a fantastic week.  I'm off to clean and start cooking for Thanksgiving. 


Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Sales for The Jacody Ives Mysteries have been steadily on the rise, so a big thank you to my readers.  May your holiday season be blessed with love, light and laughter--as well as great books to read.


Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. A group of Indie authors are having an ebook sale through the end of the year. Multiple Authors/Multiple Genres. The Link is here:

 [URL=http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl]http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2F2wogl4g&h=69c87[/url]

I hope you'll all stop by by a quick peek. Most of the ebooks are now 99 cents.

And if you're looking for a great mystery for the snowy days:

Haunted by dreams he couldn't control of murders he couldn't stop. Jacody Ives

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U4WVQ4/


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

As part of our Indie Holiday Sale/Gifts - The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery will be free at Smashwords today - Freebie Code - EA26A

If you enjoy The Gifts, I hope you'll check out Sacred Secrets - 99 cents on Amazon Kindle or B & N - www.amazon.com/dp/B003UHVS9C/

And check out out Holiday Ebook Sale:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2F2wogl4g&h=69c87

Happy Holidays!


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Well, Happy New Year everyone.  Didn't realize it had been so long since I'd been here.  On a positive note Sacred Secrets is now available on Smashwords, and I had my first Smashwords sale of The Gifts, along with a few B & N and Sony.  So 2010 ended on a really positive note.  

A short excerpt from The Gifts - still $.99 on Kindle and Smashwords.



            Sarah swore softly as the overflowing cup sent scalding coffee over her hand. Ignoring the pain, she focused on the TV, ears straining to catch every word of the morning news. “Richmond Police say there are still no clues in the execution-style murder of Corrine Larson. Larson, whose body was discovered in a dumpster outside her apartment complex early Monday morning was a three-time award winning journalist for the Richmond Herald.
The story continued, but Sarah stopped listening as the erratic beat of her heart pounded inside her head. Monday. She’d tried to put the dream out of her mind. Rationalized it. Just a dream brought on by the death of Johanna Nelson.
Rubbing her temples, Sarah brought her attention to the screen just in time to see a pretty young brunette with deep brown eyes smiling at her. “No,” she whispered.


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

Hi Linda--

I am intrigued by your character descriptions--I'll have to give your books a look!

Dana Taylor


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Dana, thank you.  I look forward to hearing from you as to what you thought about the book.  

Linda


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## Valerie Maarten (Jan 14, 2011)

Hello Linda,
Everyone loves a good mystery.  Will have to add to my TBR list.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

We have about 3 inches of snow this morning.  Not too bad.  Thought I'd say my latest flash fiction this week.  The challenge was to use the words - whiskey, rock, bats in a flash fiction of no more than 200 words.  Let me know what you think.

Bobby Joe Cameron, the star quarterback had been pestering daddy to let me go out with him for months. Today Daddy said yes.
"Where we going?" I asked buckling ...my seatbelt.
Taking a swig from a whiskey bottle he handed it to me and grinned. "It's a surprise."
I took a sip, grimacing as it burned its way down to my navel. Not wanting to act all prudish on my first date I took a bigger swig.
By the time we got to Shell Cave we were both giggling and stumbled just a little when we got out of the car. Bobby Joe grabbed a flashlight and pulled me inside the cave.
Seemed like we went a long way before Bobby Joe giggled again and said, "watch this". Picking up a rock he threw it at the ceiling.
Now Bobby Joe probably didn't know about that hole in the floor. And he probably didn't figure on them bats being so riled up over one little rock. He sure didn't know I had a deathly fear of bats.
Today's my sixteenth birthday and I died because of a bottle of whiskey, a rock and a bunch of bats.


Looking for some entertaining reading for a snowy weekend?  The Jacody Ives Mysteries are still $.99 on Amazon Kindle.


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

I love it! You should consider making this a hook for a novel. I'd certainly be hooked! Good stuff, Linda. Thanks for sharing.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Elizabeth.  I'm thinking I may do this weekly as a blog called Friday's Flash Fiction.  It's truly taught me a lot about cutting things that can be cut without taking away from the story itself.  

Linda


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## Samantha Fury (Jan 20, 2011)

Good job. you even got some romance in there my favorite genre.  Couldn't he have a least 
kissed her before he woke up the bats.. lol!!

Thanks for sharing.

Samantha Fury


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Samantha for your comment.  Yeah, it was a little romance.  I had one comment that he should have been pushed into the hole as she rushed out to get away from the bats.  Next time I'll try to work in a kiss or two before I kill off the characters.

Linda


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

Hi Linda--

I just read the excerpt with the priests.  Very powerful.  I especially like the pacing.

Dana Taylor


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## Joleene Naylor (Jan 11, 2011)

Congrats, Linda!


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## Joleene Naylor (Jan 11, 2011)

Linda S. Prather Author said:


> Thank you, Samantha for your comment. Yeah, it was a little romance. I had one comment that he should have been pushed into the hole as she rushed out to get away from the bats. Next time I'll try to work in a kiss or two before I kill off the characters.
> 
> Linda


LOL! I don't know if you could have in only 200 words. The kiss is implied... 

This was fun, by the way!


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Yesterday was a milestone for me as I reached my first 1,000 ebook sales.  That made my day.  As a reader I know I get tired of the same old promo every day or every week so I decided this week I would share and excerpt from my current work in progress.  It's a psychic thriller and I'm hoping to hit 30,000 words today.  Hope you enjoy.

Setup:  Catherine Mans' parents have been murdered; part of a streak of serial killings.  Ten years ago Catherine had run away, changed her name and never looked back.  Now she has to face the demons of her past if she has any hope of catching the killer before they kill again.



Taking a deep breath, Catherine entered her parents' bedroom.  At least the police had taken the bloody mattress and the mirror.
It took them only minutes to go through the closet and drawers, pulling them out to check for hiding places.  "It's not here either.  It was a long time ago.  Maybe I imagined the whole thing."

"I doubt that."  Rosetta stated, looking around the room for anything they might have missed.  "Catherine, where was your room?"

Catherine crossed to the window, opening the curtains and looking into the back yard.  The building was still there.  Weathered by time.  The padlock still on the door.  "There," she whispered.

Rosetta glanced out the window.  She wished for just a moment she hadn't asked.  And then she wished she hadn't splurged when she made the funeral arrangements.  These people didn't deserve a nice funeral.  "I've got bolt cutters in the car."

Rosetta cut the lock with one easy clamp of the cutter, her anger threatening to boil over.

Catherine placed a hand on her arm.  "It wasn't that bad, Rosetta.  I survived, and it made me a stronger person."

"My father was a mean drunk.  He normally left me alone and just beat my mother.  Then he set me on fire.  That made me a stronger person too.  We're just a couple of Tonka toys.  You can beat us and stomp us, burn us, but you can't break us, right?"  Rosetta spat the words out, jerking the lock from the door.

Catherine reached for the door handle.  She'd hoped they wouldn't have to go here.  She didn't want to face the demons of her past.  Taking a deep breath she pulled the door open.

"Holy, Mother of God."  Rosetta exclaimed, crossing herself.  "Don't touch anything.  I need pictures of this."


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## CaitLondon (Oct 12, 2010)

That's amazing. Congratulations and just keep on going. You're doing a good job.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Congratulations on your milestone, Linda!  Now stay focused on that next book so you can sell another 1,000.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Cait and Gemini.  I have a very harsh army sergeant editor that keeps me on course.  I know many of our fellow authors are hitting milestones of 10,000 or more a month, and maybe soon I can set a goal for that too. But for now, I'm writing.


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

I love being inspired! Congrats! 10,000 a month is just around the corner. Believe!


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## Joleene Naylor (Jan 11, 2011)

Whoo-hoo! Congrats, Linda! 

And love the new excerpt


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## CaitLondon (Oct 12, 2010)

OT: Joleene, you do a super job on your covers. Nice fresh look.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

Congratulations, Linda! That is wonderful news.


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## Samantha Fury (Jan 20, 2011)

Hey be sure and tell us all your secrets.. Happy for you I hope I can come close to that.. 

Samantha


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Elizabeth--I believe; Joleene--thank you, I'm really liking this story so far.  Karen--thank you.  Samantha--there's no secret except to keep plugging every day.  

Thank you all and have a great weekend.

Linda


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

Linda--

Congrats on hitting the 1,000 milestone.  Won't it be great when ebooks are so widely read you sell at 1,000 every month?

Dana


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks, Dana.  That would be a nice new goal to set.


Linda


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## Samantha Fury (Jan 20, 2011)

Do you think that reviews is an important tool to get more readers.. thanks.

Samantha


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Something old--The Jacody Ives Mysteries at still 99 cents on Amazon Kindle.  If you love a great mystery, download a sample and check them out.

Something New--thought I'd say another excerpt from my work-in-progess.  Hope you enjoy.  It is a draft so if you want to critique or you spot a typo I missed please let me know.

Catherine pulled into the driveway parking the car.  She'd broken every speed limit law between Lexington and Sweetport, praying there were no cops on the road.  Still it had taken her four hours to get here.  The house was dark and Catherine knew it shouldn't be.  Her parents were early risers.  Up by five to start the chores.  Maybe age had slowed them down.
Opening the car door Catherine stepped out, still hesitant to approach the house.  She couldn't really see, but she had a feeling the front door was slightly ajar, just like in her dream.  Closing her eyes she reached out to the house with her mind.  She didn't have to go inside.  At least not physically inside.
A light throbbing started in the back of her head, working its way forward.  The scar on her chest began to burn.  "No," she whispered.  She struggled to fight off the sensation, but once again found her feet moving against her will.  Trudging toward the porch, climbing the steps, and her hand reaching out to push the front door open.
She stopped just inside the door, her eyes growing accustomed to the darkness.  Nothing had changed.  The furniture was the same ratty furniture her parents had owned when she lived here.  She felt like screaming as her feet started moving again, but whatever had control of her body also had control of her voice.  She trudged slowly through the kitchen into the hallway.  Everything was the same as her dream, except the hallway light was on and the bedroom light was off.  The door slightly ajar.
The silence of the house was absolute except for the pounding of her heart.  It throbbed and pounded in cadence with the pounding inside her head, the burning of the scar.  "Don't go in there," she screamed silently, but her feet kept moving.  Her hand reached for the door, pushing it open wider.
Light from the hallway streamed in, outlining the bloody figures on the bed.  Still she kept moving until she stood over her mother looking down at the bloody knife buried to the hilt in her chest.  Her hand moved, reaching for the knife, closing around it, pulling until it dislodged.
She had no idea how long she stood there simply staring down at her mother.  She heard the click of a gun being cocked, the sound of the light switch click.
"Drop the knife and put your hands on your head!"
She moved her hand, dropping the knife.  Whatever had possessed her was gone.
"I said put your hands on your head.  Do it now!"
Catherine raised her hands turning to face the police officer standing in the doorway.  Her gaze fell on the mirror and suddenly it all fell into place.  What she'd missed.  What the voice had really said.  "I bet you can't. . . .FIND ME."
"Oh, my God," she cried, "I killed them."


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## Samantha Fury (Jan 20, 2011)

Linda I think you missed my question, last week.  Do you think reviews are important and what can a 
writer do to make sure someone leaves you an interview. 

Samantha


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

oooh I like it, Linda. Is this the beginning? The hook definitely works for me! Can't wait to read more.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Eli, thank you.  Not the beginning of the book, but the beginning of the main story in the book.  Like most of my mysteries there are usually several plots or subplots running.

Sam, I think I must have missed your question last week.  Yes, I do think reviews are important.  There is, however, absolutely no way you can get a reader to do a review unless they want to.  Sometimes when I receive private emails from people who have read my book and loved it I will email them back and ask them if they would mind writing a review on Amazon or B & N or Smashwords or wherever they published the book from.  Or if they got it from the library then just write a review anywhere they can, even if it's a personal blog.  Still some people are uncomfortable about writing reviews.  They feel like they don't know what to say and just saying "I love it" isn't a helpful review to other readers.  

I realize that didn't help you a great deal with your question, but if I ever find a better answer I'll post it.  Have a good weekend.

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

I've found that just bumping my thread every week is quite boring for me.  The same old, here's my book - buy it.  In fact I missed last week.  So this week I thought I'd delve into the mind of authors and readers and ask a question.  If you were a character what would you be?  Hero?  Heroine?  Lover? Killer? What mask would you like to wear for a day?

I thought about this for me.  I write murder mysteries, so you would naturally presume that I have two distinct personalities.  The good savior who wants to find the bad guy/gal and put them away.  And the bad guy/gal that wants to hurt someone or wreak havoc.  But a pure analysis of myself tells me that there's more.  I could be the sexy call girl that falls in love with the detective.  I could be the loving mother.  I could be the thief that takes from the rich and gives to the poor.  I would probably pick the heroine for myself.  A beautiful, loving, sexy heroine of course.  I mean what's the use of writing myself into a book if I'm not going to have it all.

So here's the question of the week.  "If you were a book character who and what would you be?"  And if you want--share why.

Have a great Thursday.


Linda


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## Middlekens (Feb 16, 2011)

Well . . . I can't think of any character that anyone would write me into a book as, so will skip that and admit that my favorite character, at this moment, is Ford Prefect, from the Hitchhiker trilogy (all five books), although most of the time I feel more like Arthur Dent.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Middlekins.  Readers are always welcome here, and I should have added that to my question.  If you don't want to be a character, then post your favorite character.  My oldest son loved those books--I have to admit (hanging head in shame) I have not read them yet.


Linda


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## Samantha Fury (Jan 20, 2011)

I think It would be fun to be my character Charlie Anderson from My book Street Justice Charlie's Angel. 

She's tough, and can take a beating and fight back.  She never gives up.  She manages to find the good in everyone, and keeps her head high even when things are not looking good.  Then there's Angel, her kind of boyfriend. who wouldn't want to hang out with him.    His picture is down there at the bottom on the first book cover.. 

Samantha 
Thanks Linda cool question.


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

"If You were a book character, who would you be?" I've long held a fantasy of being a big, black strong man who can absolutely anywhere because no one would mess with him.  A sort of Mr. T.  As a small woman, I learned early to watch my surroundings and be careful of danngerous areas (I live in LA!) I've wondered what it would feel like to be really physically strong and be able to use phrases like "sucka" and "Go ahead, make my day..."

Dana Taylor


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Dana, I love that.  So totally different than what you really are.  Okay, you know what I expect in the future--I expect to see that character in one of your books and when i read that book I can say--"This is so Dana!"

Thanks for commenting.

Linda


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## Joleene Naylor (Jan 11, 2011)

Middlekens said:


> Well . . . I can't think of any character that anyone would write me into a book as, so will skip that and admit that my favorite character, at this moment, is Ford Prefect, from the Hitchhiker trilogy (all five books), although most of the time I feel more like Arthur Dent.


That's a great series! My brother is very Arthur Dent, too. In fact, I once made an Arthur paper doll for an artist group I used to be in and used him as my model. 

I'm too boring to be a decent character, I think, especially in the books I write! Though I wouldn't mind being Katelina (the heroine in my Amaranthine series) once in awhile, surrounded by all that vampire yumminess! Especially in the book I'm working on now. It could soooo easily be a love triangle, that's all I'm saying.

If I could be any character though, I'm going to have to go with Middlekens and pick someone from another book series, and that would be Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. She's strong enough to kick Nazgul butt, but at the same time she's feminine enough to float around in dresses and bat her eyes at Aragorn (though he's not my ideal hero. Legolas is better.) It's a perfect balance. Plus, she's just cool.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Joleene, you picked a perfect character as far as I'm concerned.  I would only disagree that Aragon is my type of hero.  I fell in love with his character.  Ah, to dream. . .


Linda


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## Valerie Maarten (Jan 14, 2011)

Oh thank you Linda for posing that question.  I actually had to look inward to learn more about myself...and not just the image that most people see me.  With my type of writing, there always have to be some sort of "down trodden" victim that eventually is lifted up and has their much deserved HEA.  But I found that I'm nothing like that...I think if I were a character in a book, I would be the demon slayer that kicks butt...or maybe *how many characters can I be?*


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Decided this week I'd post a couple of teasers. I love teasers. I love cliff-hanging ends to chapters (not books though, makes me antsy until the next one comes out). And decided for those of you who like short stories I'd post a link to my rough draft short story that hopefully I'll rewrite this week sometime. Have a great day!

*THE GIFTS, A JACODY IVES MYSTERY*
Setup: Sheriff Sarah Burns was born with what her grandmother calls "The Gift". In the final throes of death, souls reached out to her with dying messages. Only this time the message was for Sarah.

_"He's coming, Sarah. He wants to destroy you."_

*SACRED SECRETS, A JACODY IVES MYSTERY*
Setup: Charity Froste is one of three women missing. A prostitute, a nurse and a voodoo woman (Charity). Two of them are already dead.

Charity looked around her, her heart fluttering as reality closed in. She was in an old farm cellar. From the looks of it no one had been here for years. Tears formed, she bit her lip, steadied the candle. Her whispered words stirring fear into full blown terror. "Yous' in trouble now, sugah. Yous' done been buried alive."

An Untitled WIP

Julie Titus threw out a challenge on Twitter that if anyone wanted a short story idea she had one she wasn't going to write. I decided to bite and Julie sent me her story idea and I whipped up a rough draft using her idea. I haven't titled it yet, so if anyone has a title you'd like to suggest I'm wide open for ideas. I wrote this in first person, because that was a challenge for me. It's a rough draft and critiques are welcome. I also hope to write a draft in third person. Let me know what you think.

"Oh, crap!" Jumping out of bed, I grabbed my frayed rob, rushing out of the bedroom. "David Michael, Cassandra Lynn, get up. I overslept and we're all going to be late."

I could hear their mumbled groans as I rushed back to the bedroom for a quick tooth brush, face wash and into my nurse's uniform.

"Mom, Corey wet the bed again. I need a shower."

"So-wee." Corey sobbed at the top of his lung.

"You don't have time for a shower, David, just wash off. Cassandra, get Corey changed while I see what I can throw together for breakfast."

Of all the mornings for David to forget to reset the alarm. But then that was classic these days. He couldn't even take the time to give me a quick peck on the cheek, let alone pay attention to anything I said the night before--like don't forget to set the alarm, I have to be back at work at nine.

"Okay, Sierra, pull it together," I muttered. It's seven forty-five. Twenty minutes to the school; thirty minutes to the baby-sitters and thirty minutes back to the hospital. I'd be a little late, but that was better than now showing up at all. And with the flu running rampant we were so short-handed the hospital probably wouldn't even notice.

"Hurry up kids." I could hear them arguing upstairs, Corey still screaming at the top of his lungs. "Cassandra, what's wrong with Corey?"

"David called him a baby."

"David Michael, you apologize to your brother." As if that would help.

"He is a baby." David yelled down the stairs. "A bed-wetting, cry-baby."

Rummaging through the cabinets I looked for something quick and simple. No time for cereal, and I certainly didn't have time to cook. Pop tarts it was. Pulling the box from the cabinet I tossed it on the table glancing again at the clock. Eight a.m. Where had the last fifteen minutes gone? "Last call, get down here now!" I yelled up the stairs reaching for my purse, coat and keys.

"I can't find my math book," David yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Mom, Corey threw up on my shoes." Cassandra screamed to be heard over David's yelling.

Taking a deep breath I counted to ten and headed upstairs. Minutes were ticking by quickly. Stopping by David's room I picked up his book bag and coat and tossed them to him. "Downstairs, now." I proceeded to Cassandra's room went straight to the closet and pulled out a pair of shoes, tossing them to her along with her coat. "Downstairs, now!" Picking Up Corey, I headed for the bathroom and washed his face.

"I not a baby," he whined sniffling against the washcloth.

"Then stop acting like one," I barked before sitting down and landing a quick swat on his backside. "Downstairs, now." Picking up Corey's coat I breathed deeply again before heading downstairs.

"Mom, David ate the last pop tart," Cassandra whined as I entered the kitchen.

"Enough," I yelled, glancing again at the clock. Eight-thirty. How had that happened? Grabbing my purse and keys I herded them toward the door. "Move, we're late."

"I've got a math test and if I'm late the teacher won't let me take it," David whined.

Fastening Corey's seatbelt around him, I slammed the door to the van. "You should have thought of that before you wasted the last half hour."

Okay, 20 minutes to school, thirty minutes to the babysitters and thirty minutes back to work. I could still make it by ten if I hurried.

My sour mood had rubbed off on the kids who now sulked in the backseat. At least they had shut up. I screeched to a halt in front of the Windsor Elementary. I saw Principal Birnman approaching. "Hurry up, kids, get out before he gets here."

"We need lunch money," David piped up.

Grabbing my purse I rummaged around coming up with three dollars and some change. "Here, give divide it with your sister," I muttered shoving the money into his. "Get out."

The knock on my side window shouldn't have surprised me, but still I started, jerking around. Rolling down the window I smiled in a way I hoped wasn't too unpleasant. "Good morning, Mr. Birnman. I'm sorry the kids are late. I overslept. Too many hours at work I'm afraid. The flu has really wiped us out there." I stopped talking, noting the stern jaw, beady eyes and scrunched up forehead.

"Mrs. Holloway, it's imperative I speak with you about David. His grades are near failing, and his attitude has become both disrespectful and antagonistic."

"I hun-gwee!" Cory screamed from the backseat before bursting into crocodile tears.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Holloway, I'll speak with him."

Pulling my own rather crumpled pop tart from my purse I handed it to Corey as Mr. Birnman continued to drone on and on about the importance of parental support.
Starting the car I hit the window button and smiled at Mr. Birnman. "Sorry, sir, I really have to go."

Glancing in the rearview mirror I saw Mr. Birnman shaking his fist at me. That was just great. Could this day get any worse?

No sooner had the thought processed than I noticed the yellow light signaling I was low on fuel. "Thir-stee!" Cory screamed from the back seat with more crocodile tears.

Okay, no need to panic, there was a Shell station just ahead. Quick fill-up, grab a juice and I could be on my way. Pulling in next to the pumps I grabbed my debit card and hopped out. "I'll get you a juice, Corey, just stop crying, please."

Inserting the card into the slot I typed in my pin number and waited. "Sorry, ma'am, you need to call your bank," blurted out over the income for the entire world to hear.

Opening the door I grabbed my cell phone, dialed the number and went through the normal routine of card number, birthdate, last four of social.

"Overdrawn? But that's impossible." The voice on the other end wasn't sympathetic as she extolled the virtues of keeping a close eye on my balance, and this was the third time I'd been overdrawn in the last two months. One more and my card would be revoked. David.

"Okay. Could I just transfer a hundred dollars from savings to my checking account, please."

I listened to the voice as it asked another barrage of questions.

"No, I don't have the number with me. You've got it right there in front of you!"

The voice continued to drone and informed me if I didn't have the number I would have to come into the bank. Slamming the phone shut I got back into the car, once again confronted with Corey's screams for juice. Ignoring him I started the van, praying I had enough gas to make it to the bank. Thirty minutes later I pulled into the Chevron station next to the bank and filled up. It was now ten a.m. and I was an hour late for work. It would take at least fifteen minutes to get to Marybeth's and drop off Corey, and then another thirty minutes to the hospital.
Driving as fast as I dared I cut the time to Marybeth's to ten minutes, jumping from the van and grabbing Corey I raced to the door.

"Mrs. Holloway, I thought maybe you weren't coming today."

Pushing Corey into her arms, I shook my head. "Running late."

Turning I started back toward the van. "Oh, Mrs. Holloway, I forgot to tell you, I can't babysit anymore after today. I got a job."

Great. Just freakin' great. Now on top of everything else I had to find another babysitter before morning.

Pulling out of the subdivision I headed toward Man-O-War. I still have a 30 minute drive ahead of me. I was over an hour late, and if traffic was any indication I would be almost two hours late by the time I finally got there. Unless. . .

I knew what David would say. But Dennison Lane would cut fifteen minutes off my commute time. It was dangerous due to the construction, and the fact it probably hadn't been cleared like the main streets. Still fifteen minutes was fifteen minutes. Turning left on Beaver, I took the Dennison turn-off, trying hard not to read the warning signs. My gaze drifted to the rearview mirror and I caught sight of my reflection. Oh, my God, do I really look that bad? I'd probably scare the patients to death. Little wisps of hair stood on edge, deep dark circles surrounded both eyes, and my lips were drawn into a perpetual frown. No wonder David no longer kissed me goodbye. "Oh, God, if I just didn't have to deal with people today. No patients, no doctors, no babysitters or principals, no kids and especially no David. No screaming, crying or arguing. In fact, no noise at all. Just one day. All I needed was one day to pull myself together."

Pulling into the parking lot I parked and glanced at the clock. Eleven a.m. That couldn't be right--not unless time stood still. Maybe Dennison was a short shortcut than I'd thought. Stepping out I noticed the quiet. An unearthly, unnatural quiet. Where was everyone?  Even the guard was missing from the shack.

Grabbing my purse I headed in, running a hand through my messed up hair. Carol Ann was going to be furious I was so late, but she'd get over it. Pushing open the door I entered the hospital, stopping just inside. "What the. . .," I mumbled. There was no one there. No patients, no nurses. The hospital appeared to be deserted. I spent the next hour going from floor to floor, room to room, but it was the same everywhere. Not a single soul. Had there been an emergency evacuation? All the phones were dead and my cell wasn't getting a signal. Everything was sort of gray, like the electricity was functioning on low.

"Dammit, they could have called me." Everyone knows not to come in but me. Thanks a lot, Carol Ann.

Leaving the hospital I head back to the car and turn on the radio. Nothing. What if there had been some sort of terrorist attack and everyone had been evacuated? 
Where would they take them? And why was it so freakin' quiet?

"Calm down, Sierra. There's a perfectly logical explanation for this. I'll just go back to Marybeth's. She's a news fanatic and she'll know what's going on."

It was a little freaky driving down the empty streets. No cars and all the lights on green. It took me less than fifteen minutes to get back to Marybeth's. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw her van still in the driveway. I knocked on the door and waited. "Marybeth? It's me Sierra." No answer.

Walking around the house I knocked on windows, trying to peer in. She was home. She had to be home. Kicking out a basement window I climbed in and made my way upstairs and through the house. Empty.

Okay, I'm just tired. That's it. This is all a dream. A bad dream, but still a dream. I just need a short nap and when I wake up everything will be back to normal. Sitting down in the recliner I close my eyes and in no time I'm fast asleep.

I have no clue how long I slept, but when I woke the house was still empty, and the world was still quiet. It appeared to be close to dawn. I had to find David and the kids.

I kept my eyes on the road, looking neither left nor right, and I didn't worry about stopping for lights and stop signs. There wasn't another single person anywhere.
Pulling up in front of the house I fought back tears of fear and frustration. David's car was gone and the house was dark and lonely. Still I had to know. 
Unlocking the door I went inside, calling out. "David, kids, I'm home."

Going from room to room I picked up pieces of my life. David's shirt where he'd dropped it the night before. Cassandra's hair berets. David Lynn's comics and finally Corey's stuffed "gobie". Tears came in earnest then as I remembered my prayer. No, people. No David. No kids." I hadn't wanted them so God had taken them away from me. How could I do that? How could I even think that? "I want them back. Please, I want my family back." I cried out, hugging the small stuffed dog to my chest. "Please, God, give me my family back."

* * *

I don't know how long I cried. Long enough to cause my body to hurt inside and out. Suddenly there were voices above me. "David?"

I felt his hand wrapped tightly around mine.

"I'm here, honey. Everything's gonna be okay."

"What happened?" I croaked, my throat dry, voice raspy.

"You were in an accident. God, Sierra, I thought I'd lost you. You've been in a coma."

"How long?" I asked opening my eyes, blinking in the bright light.

"A whole day. The longest day of my life."

There hadn't been an evacuation. No magical disappearance. No bad dream. A coma. Twenty-four hours of nothing. I wanted to laugh, but it hurt too bad. I honed in on David's voice, whispering to me.

"It's gonna be all right, honey. I promise things are going to be different. I'm gonna spend more time at home, help you with the kids. I love you, Sierra."

Closing my eyes, I drifted back into the darkness, this time into a deep natural sleep. Everything was going to be okay. David loved me. He was going to help with the kids. I had his promise. A promise of a better life. "Please, God, don't let this be a dream."


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## Samantha Fury (Jan 20, 2011)

That's great it's always good to get one of those from someone that doesn't know us.. LOL!! My cousin gave me one and that kind of counts.. he was a guy so I was glad to have a guy say my work was good.


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

This was great! You did a really good job of building the tension. I'm sure MOST women will be able to relate to this. Most of us have had a morning or two just like this.  

Thanks for sharing!

Eli


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks Sam and Eli.  I actually enjoyed writing that short story, although it was rather strange not to kill someone or have a dead body in a story written by me.

Have a great night!

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Wow, a week rolls around kind of fast sometimes.  I shared this sample on Twitter for Sample Sunday, but thought I'd share it again.  It was a lot of fun to write.  I called it Soul Retrieval, although perhaps there might be a more appropriate name.  Hope you enjoy.  And just as a side note--The Jacody Ives Mysteries will remain $.99 through the end of March.

Soul Retrieval

Prophetic.  The things we say.  The things we do.  They all move us in a general direction, pushing us toward our final destination.

At ten a.m. this morning, Hon. Jeremiah Sed Mason had opened his mouth and sealed his fate. 

Now here I was, standing on a street corner.  Waiting for fate to intervene.  Destiny to arrive.  

The cigarette tasted kind of strange.  Not at all like I'd remembered them.  The body was nice though. A real traffic stopper.  Not like the last one.  Seniority had its benefits.

"Hey, sweetheart, I've got a hundred bucks, if you know what I mean."

Tossing the cigarette I turned toward the voice.  I knew exactly what he meant.  I even knew who he was.  George Chatman.  By day a floundering accountant.  Tonight a pawn in destiny's plans.  He'd been standing across the street for over an hour trying to get up the courage to make this move.  Problem was poor Gina had officially retired about ten minutes ago.  Letting my gaze move slowly down the oversized, unattractive, virtually repulsive frame, I smiled slowly, coming back to the nondescript beady eyes.  "Sorry, I'm busy."

Nice voice.  Deep and rather sultry.  Gina probably had a lot of repeat clientele.  Undoubtedly she would be missed.

"Oh, I see, my money's not good enough for you." 

Lighting another cigarette I took a deep drag, blowing the smoke in his direction.  The taste might have changed, but the world hadn't.  Still full of pompous jerks who believed that money was God, and bought all things.  I'd like to believe that even Gina would have turned this one down. 

"That's right, sweetheart, your money isn't good enough, and neither are you."

I could feel the rage growing inside him. One too many rejections in a world  full of rejections.  And this time by a woman he considered low on the scale of humanity.  Someone so beneath him that the mere possibility of rejection had never entered his mind.  The beady eyes twitched, hands clenching and unclenching just as the red convertible pulled up to the corner and parked.  Right on time.

"Hey gorgeous, you ready?"

Without even a glance at my would-be suitor I let those long, luscious legs carry me towards the car.  Throwing in a little extra swing of the hips.  After all, Gina had the package, might as well work it.

I wasn't surprised when the bullets struck, but Jeremiah was.  I liked the look of shock and pain that crossed his face right before his soul exited his body.  Pain was something he would need to get used to.
  
Things happened rather fast.  People screaming, rushing for safety.  The police officer screaming at George to drop his gun.  Which of course he did.  Putz.

Pushing out of Gina's lifeless body I waltzed over to Jeremiah.  Another benefit of seniority.  I got to keep Gina's image until the next time.

"Let's go, Jeremiah, " I stated in that deep sultry voice taking him by the arm.

"Where are we going?  What happened?  Are we dead?"

Always the same.  "Don't you remember what you said this morning, Jeremiah?"

"What I said this morning?" 

Some jerks were worse than others.  "Yes, Jeremiah, this morning.  When you signed those documents to let an innocent man take the fall for your good friend Judge Lehman.  Don't you remember how the two of you laughed, and Judge Lehman asked you where you were going?"

I loved the look on his face as realization slowly dawned.  I smiled.  Gina's warm, sexy smile.

"You said, 'To hell if I don't change my ways'. " 

Have a great day!

Linda


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## Joleene Naylor (Jan 11, 2011)

I LOVED the end of that!  ha ha! nice! 

I need to get the second Jacody Ives book soon! I just finished the first one. I need to leave you a review (I am so slow about those!) But really enjoyed it. Am trying to talk my mom into reading an ebook as I know she'd like it, too!


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks, Jo.  The fact that you would recommend me to your mother means more to me than a review--wow!  I really had fun with this piece, and last night I started thinking about this werewolf story--me?  Werewolves?  I immediately erased it from my mind.

Have a great day!


Linda


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

Good stuff, Linda. Every time I read more of your work I'm more impressed. Will have to take time off of my writing to read your books. I'm sure I'd get sucked right in! 

Thanks for sharing!

Eli


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks, Eli.  I love writing--now if I just didn't have to work for a living (ha, ha).


Linda


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm pleased to welcome Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery as our KB Book of the Day!


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

In my attempt to share different things, instead of the same old - Buy My Book - each week, today I'm posting my first Character Interview.  I think every author has critical decisions to make during the writing of their material.  In the original draft of The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery Carl died.  However, in my rewrite I found I had become so attached to him that I just couldn't kill him off.  As Carl's language is not exactly appropriate at all times, certain words have been redacted.

L:  Mr. Jackson, it’s such a pleasure to have you here with us today.  Of all the characters in the Jacody Ives Mysteries, you actually became one of my favorites.

C:  H***, I could have told you that.  Where’s the ashtray?

L:  We don’t smoke in the house.

C:  No smoking, no coffee, no interview.

L:  *sigh*.  Well, let me see what I can do about that.

C:  *grin*  And put some of that good Kentucky Bourbon in the coffee.

L:  Here you go.  Sorry, we don’t drink.

C:  “sniffing the coffee”.  You ain’t American, and you sure as h*** ain’t no Kentuckian.

L:  Well, I assure you not all Kentuckians drink bourbon.  But we’re here to talk about you.

C:  Better hurry it up then.  I got a date with a fishing pole and a worm.

L:  Oh, yes, I remember.  You didn’t get to do much fishing.

C:  Yeah, and I’m still mad at you about that.

L:  Me?

C:  All I wanted was just a half hour.  One half hour.  And could you give it to me?  No, you had to have the Chief call and chew my a** out.

L:  Well, Jacody had just been shot.

C:  And whose fault was that?

L:  *sigh*  

C:  And you better not ask me how that makes me feel.

L:  Oh, no, I’d never do that.  I totally understand you’re not a big fan of psychologists or psychiatrists.

C:  Fan?  *******, psycho-social babbling fools.  Ain’t got nothing better to do than **** up young kids

L:  Language, Mr. Jackson.  Please.

C:  And who writes my language?

L:  And you’re not a big fan of profiling either, are you?

C:  College educated idiots. I was catching killers when he was wearing diapers. And I didn’t need no ******* ********** computer printout to tell me who to look for.

L:  Well, maybe we need to move on.

C:  *cell phone rings*  Yeah, I’m on my way.

L:  Are you going somewhere?

C:  Yep.  Got me a date with an old voodoo woman and a worm.

L:  How are things with you and Ms. Charity?

C:  Be a lot better if you’d get off your *** and write the next chapter.

L:  *shuffling notes*.  I do have a few more questions.

C:  *standing up walking to door*  Times up.  And little Nikki is running out of time too.  You better get to writing.  *opening door*  Don’t make me have to come back here.

L:  *grin*

C:  *door opening—picking up forgotten cigarettes*  And another thing.  The next time you let some old codger clobber me I’m gonna kick your ***.

L:  *grin*  You were sneaking around Millie’s house with a gun in hand.

C:  Yeah, and whose fault was that?  *slamming door*.  Next time get some **** bourbon.

So, ladies and gentlemen there you have it.  Don’t worry, although he smokes like a freight train, and cusses worse than a sailor, his bark is worse than his bite.  He’s really just a big old teddy bear that’s deadly when those he loves are in danger.

Carl makes a regular appearance in all Jacody Ives Mysteries.


Have a Wonderful Wednesday!


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## Michele Scott (Jan 28, 2011)

Wow! That was really cool to read. I am happy to have found you here. I just started on Kindle Boards last week and it seems like such a great place to keep in contact with other writers and readers.

I am going to get both of your books right now! After reading what you wrote, they sound like books I would enjoy and because you can relate so closely to the characters I am certain they are well rounded and interesting. I think the best books come from the heart and taking time to excavate within ourselves--our emotions. If we can get to the root of the way we feel about things we can transfer that onto the page. It isn't always easy, but it sounds like you have done a wonderful job. Thank You for sharing.

Cheers,
Michele


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Michele--you have made my day!  Thank you, and please let me know how you enjoy The Jacody Ives Mysteries.  


Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

In an effort to not post just the simple--read my sample, buy my book--although I hope you'll read samples of The Jacody Ives Mysteries and buy my books--I'm posting an excerpt from my current WIP - Find Me.  I'm truly enjoying this, although with my vivid imagination and the fact that Coby and I were planning a trip to New Orleans and the Bayou for a real close-up research thingy, I woke this morning dreaming I was being chomped on by a huge alligator.  Perhaps I'll take my vacation somewhere else.  Hope you enjoy the excerpt.

Setup:  Catherine is about to be initiated into the Voodoo religion where she will take her rightful place as a a "manbo" or Voudou priestess.  


Catherine balked at the entrance, and only the gentle prodding of Aureole's hand moved her past the doorway. The altar was now aflame with the light of hundreds of candles. A makeshift cot had been placed in front of it.

"Aureole, are you sure about this?" Catherine whispered, watching Grandpa as he stirred something into a steaming cup of liquid.

Aureole nodded and led her to the cot. Removing a pot from the altar she set it down beside Catherine and picked up the nail clippers. "This is called a pot et. Pieces of the nails and hair of the initiates are placed inside." Picking up the clippers she took Catherine's hand. "Normally we would have made you a necklace to drape over the pot, but we don't have time." Aureole clipped several nails, dropping the clippings into the pot before picking up the scissors and snipping off a short piece of hair adding it to the pot and placing it back on the altar.

"Why nails and hair?"

"Shhh. We will discuss this later." Aureole took the cup of liquid from her grandfather and handed it to Catherine. "Drink it quickly. It's easier that way."
Catherine gagged as the smell reached her nostrils. "What is it?"
Aureole grinned at her. "The knowing won't make it taste any better, and the not knowing may make it easier to swallow."

Catherine gazed into the deep brown eyes above her, seeing something she'd missed for a lifetime. Concern for her well-being, but also something else--Aureole's eyes mirrored the fear in her own. Closing her eyes Catherine lifted the cup and downed it quickly. She gagged, bile rising in her throat.

"Bend over and breathe deeply," Aureole instructed her. "It will pass."
Catherine did as she was told, a fleeting thought in the back of her mind that this was much like the sleep walking when the devil took over. Fear seized her as her heartbeat increased, and her body broke out in a cold sweat. A deep throbbing drumbeat echoed inside her head, spreading outward. Aureole spoke to her, pressing gently until she was lying flat on the cot. Her words seemed to come from a long way off, and the room shimmered in bolts of beautiful glassy colors. 

Catherine fought to bring her mind and body under control, glancing around the room. The colored bottles around the room vibrated and shimmered in glorious color. Grandpa was sitting a few feet away, eyes glazed, drumming on a strange looking drum. "What's he doing?" She asked, her words sounding elongated and strange.

Aureole knelt beside her, picking up one of the gourds and rattling, as her voice rose in song and prayer.

Catherine felt her body numbing, growing cold. She groped for Aureole's hands. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The room began to spin. Aureole dropped the rattle grabbing her arms and holding her down as spasms ripped through her muscles, jerking her in all directions.

"Don't fight it, Catherine. Please don't fight it." Aureole whispered in her ear.
Catherine closed her eyes, willing the spasms to stop. The colors still swirled inside her head spinning her down a tunnel. She saw them then, waiting at the end of the tunnel. Their faces twisted and torn in the agony of death, blood dripping from their wounds. They reached for her as she sped past them, screams echoing inside her head.

Aureole rung out the wash cloth and gently wiped Catherine's face. At least the screaming had stopped. All they could do now was wait. Rising she emptied the water and joined her grandfather outside.

"Li dòmi."

"She has passed through the outer sanctum. Stay with her."

Her grandfather reached for a bucket. "If she lives she will need food when she wakes."

Aureole hugged her arms close around her body watching as he faded into the darkness. Fear started in the region of her bowels, rising up like bitter bile. Her grandfather had spoken English only a few times in the past 22 years since Abigail Blanchard had disappeared. He spoke it only when the spirits were angry, or someone was going to die.


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

That was almost spooky, Linda! But I liked it. I'm writing something that takes place in Cuba and the Santeria religion is almost an offshoot of voodoo... but mixed up with Catholicism, too. 

Where did you go to research it?


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Libby, I corresponded with some Creole websites and they referred me to other blogs and people to talk to.  Still have a lot of research to do in the final rewrite, and hoping for a road trip down to Louisiana and the Bayou.  I had done some voudou researach and hoodoo research for the Third Jacody Ives Book which deals with the darker side of voodoo, and the one we're used to seeing in movies.  I decided for this book to do a truer version of the religion as practiced in the south.

Thanks for stopping by. 


Linda


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

Well, golly, Linda, you just confirmed my long-standing rule to stay away from Voo-Doo!  Good scene--really.

Dana


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks, Dana.  There isn't a lot of the voodoo in this book, but it does play an important role and I've loved the research.


Linda


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## wyndwitch (Feb 23, 2011)

Oh that is indeed spooky! All the best with it


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Authors love reviews of their work, but contrary to what most readers may believe we're also terrified when we submit a book to a professional reviewer.  We actually go through weeks of torture wondering what we were thinking.  The old "what if" syndrome.  I submitted The Gifts to Whispering Winds Book Reviews several months ago.  Ms. Hepinstall also reviews for Midwest Book Reviews, and I knew the review would be posted on their book shelf.  The months passed and I grew even more fearful.  What if she hated it?  Would she even review it if she hated it?  Finally my wait was over, and I received an email from Ms. Hepinstall telling me my review had been posted and that she would be reviewing Sacred Secrets sometime in the next few weeks.  I opened my amazon page, my heart beating a little erratic with fear.  I was thrilled, and just a little surprised to find a five star review.  I had hoped, and kept my fingers crossed for a four star.  If you've read a great book lately, take a moment to write a review for the author.  Positive reviews from readers take a little of the fear away while we're waiting for those professional reviews--and they make us smile.



If you love a good mystery mixed with the supernatural, and suspense, then this is the book for you. It is a thriller that has you thinking one way, and then within the next few pages you are on a journey that will keep you going until the end. It is like being on a roller coaster. You slowly make your way up to the top, all the time watching how high you are going. Then as you reach the top you say to yourself, "What was I thinking?" Yet it is too late to get off. This book is like a roller coaster. 

Once you start reading it, there is no turning back. The book will draw you into the story and the characters. I thought I had it figured out half way through the book, and then sure as shoot I found out I was lost. I immediately put on my dunce hat that my sixteen year old grandson Jeremy made for me with duct tape. He told me if I ever needed help in writing a review to wear it. 
This is a great read. 

Sandra Heptinstall


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## Sebastian Kirby (Jan 3, 2011)

Linda

That's a great review. You've captured the tension in opening up that amazon page for the first time really well!

Best wishes


Seb


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks, Seb.  It is a suspenseful situtation for all of us.


Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery is Pixel of Ink's Bargain Book of The Day today. I hope you'll stop by and check out some of the other great freebies or bargain books. I decided to use my once a week advertising on something both for me, and for readers--great finds of good books. Many of which are free and/or discounted.

Hope you're having a great day!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pixelofink.com%2Fbargain-kindle-book-the-gifts-a-jacody-ives-mystery%2F&h=93fb1


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

This has been my alltime favorite blog post at: http://www.jacodypress.blogspot.com 
If you love good homemade food recipes please visit and check out the pies, salads, dips and sauces

And if you love a great mystery - please take a moment to read a sample of The Jacody Ives Mysteries

THE GIFTS, A JACODY IVES MYSTERY

Setup: Sheriff Sarah Burns was born with what her grandmother calls "The Gift". In the final throes of death, souls reached out to her with dying messages. Only this time the message was for Sarah.

"He's coming, Sarah. He wants to destroy you."

SACRED SECRETS, A JACODY IVES MYSTERY

Setup: Charity Froste is one of three women missing. A prostitute, a nurse and a voodoo woman (Charity). Two of them are already dead.

Charity looked around her, her heart fluttering as reality closed in. She was in an old farm cellar. From the looks of it no one had been here for years. Tears formed, she bit her lip, steadied the candle. Her whispered words stirring fear into full blown terror. "Yous' in trouble now, sugah. Yous' done been buried alive."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SOME DELICIOUS HOMEMADE BREADS

Quick and Easy Spoon Bread

1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup white corn meal
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. soft butter
2 eggs, beaten

Pour boiling water over corn meal, mixing as you go. Batter will be stiff. Blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into a buttered one quart casserole and place into a 400 degree oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set. Serve piping hot with butter. Great with bacon or sausage.

Cream Cheese Muffin Puffs

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup oleo, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 (10 oz.) can refrigerated biscuits, plain, no butter
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, cut into 10 cubes

In small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and almond extract. In another small bowl, combine margarine and vanilla. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Press or roll each into 3 inch circle. Dip each cheese cube in margarine then in sugar mixture. Place in center of each circle. Fold dough over cheese covering completely. Seal well, shaping into balls. Dip each filled biscuit in margarine and then sugar mixture. Place seam side down in ungreased muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes. Remove from pan immediately.

Butterscotch Bubble Bread

1 bag frozen dinner rolls
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1 sm. box butterscotch pudding, not instant
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 stick butter.

Grease bundt pan. Place frozen rolls in pan. Combine cinnamon and granulated sugar and sprinkle over rolls., follow with nuts and raisins. Mix together brown sugar and pudding and sprinkle over top. Arrange thin pats of margarine on top. Cover with cloth and allow to stand overnight. Bake at 350 degress for 30 minutes. Invert on place and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup marashino cherries, cut
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour

Cream margarine and sugar. Add next 5 ingredients. Sift salt, baking powder and flour. Blend with other ingredients. Bake in bread pans at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

Linda,

My hips are spreading just reading ingredients!

Dana


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

I decided today that I was really in the mood for homemade candy, so I thought I'd invite two of my favorite Jacody Ives characters into the kitchen. Welcome, if you would, Millie Crawford and Carl Jackson. Two very old friends with lots of secrets, but you'll have to read the book to find those out. Of course, I had forgotten how cantankerous these two could get when placed in close proximity. I may live to regret my decision.

"Have you two decided on a recipe yet?"

Millie smiled at me sweetly, her grey eyes twinkling. "We're going to make Turtles for little Nikki, and the babies."

"Turtles!" Carl rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "I ain't making no da..."

*Smack*.

"You watch your language Carl Jackson. Little Nikki is in the other room."

Millie gave him a stern look, unconcerned by the darkening of the deep brown eyes. "We're making Turtles."

"Carl, why don't you take a cigarette break while Millie and I gather all the supplies?" I gently moved him toward the back door. "By the time you get back we'll be all set."

"Humph," Millie snorted behind me, "old coot needs to quit smoking 'fore they kill him."

Taking a deep breath I closed the door quickly, shutting off Carl's not so nice retort. "Now, Millie, you know Carl. He'll come around. We just have to make it look like we're having fun."

"Humph, be a lot more fun without him." Millie growled, opening cabinet doors and pulling out bowls. "Old coot needs to learn a little respect for his elders."

I stifled the giggle bubbling up inside my chest. Millie was only a month older than Carl, but she used that trump card every time she could. "Why don't you make him some of your special coffee. Nothing mellows Carl like a good cup of your coffee."

Millie reached for the pot a mischievous smile playing around her lips. "I was just thinking the same thing myself. Why the poor dear must be starving for a good cup of coffee after drinking that rotgut Miss Charity serves."

Uh, oh. Now that was a subject I truly did not want the two of them getting into. "Hand me the recipe and I'll start putting everything together."
Millie handed me a set of handwritten instructions. "Carl wrote them out, so I hope you can read it."

The back door opened and Carl strode back in. "Of course she can read it. Ain't like that chicken scratching of yours. Here give me that list."

"Millie's making you some fresh coffee, Carl. You know, the kind you like."

A slow grin spread over the wrinkled face. "With the good stuff in it?"
Millie nodded, reaching for her purse. "Best money can buy."

"Now you're talking." Carl turned back to me, list in hand. "You ready, girl?"

"Lead on."

Carl scowled at the list. "Need a cup and a half of flour, a half a teaspoon of soda, a fourth a teaspoon of salt, a half a cup of butter, an egg, a half a cup of brown sugar,. .."

"Firmly packed." Millie reminded him gently, as she poured a sizeable helping of bourbon into the coffee cup and topped it off with fresh brewed coffee. "And you need to slow down. She ain't got half the stuff you read off yet."

I could tell Carl really wanted to make some smart retort, but the delicious smell drifting his way kept his mouth closed. He wasn't going to take a chance on Millie not passing over that cup of coffee.

"Now, you drink this and Linda and I will finish getting things ready."

Taking the cup of coffee Carl breathed in the aroma and sighed. "You girls go right ahead."

Millie grabbed the list and quickly pulled all the ingredients together. I was beginning to think my presence wasn't really needed when Millie stopped in mid-stride and reached for another cup. "You look a little pale, honey. Let me fix you a cup of coffee."

"Uh, thanks, Millie, but just coffee, okay?"

"Humph, need more than that to put color in them cheeks."

Millie handed me the coffee. "Drink up. Loosen you up a little. You're way to uptight."

Uptight. That was an understatement. Sniffing the coffee I took a small sip. Just as I suspected Millie had poured in a generous dose of Kentucky Bourbon. It was good, though. I took another sip, savoring the taste. I really could start to like this. Problem was I couldn't hold my liquor. One stout drink and I'd start giggling like a school girl. Only two sips and I could already feel it.

"So, guys, are we gonna make candy?"

Carl sat back in his seat, reaching for a cigarette. "Cheaper to buy it at the store if you ask me."

I giggled. Uh, oh. "Yeah, but not as much fun. Come on, Carl, we can make the turtles."

"Told you, I ain't making no da&#8230;I ain't making no turtles. A man don't make turtles."

"Humph," Millie grumbled pouring herself a cup of fresh coffee and adding her special elixir. "A real man don't have to worry about such things. Why if Clarence was here he'd be right in there fixing them turtle shells."

I saw the smug smile on Millie's face out the corner of my eye, as I watched Carl sputter and stutter. Smart woman.

"Hand me them pecans. Anything that old codger can do I can do better."

I really couldn't resist. The song just sprang into my mind. "I can do anything better than you."

Carl raised an eyebrow and looked at my cup. Which surprisingly was empty. "Millie, how much bourbon did you put in that cup?"

Millie glanced up from her mixing. "Oh, dear. She drank it all already?"

"Yep, every last sip." Carl stated, taking the empty cup from my hand. "Don't think you need any more of this, honey. Why don't you just sit there quietly and we'll let you lick the frosting spoon."

*Hiccup*. "Okie, dokie."

Carl took the baking pan, greased it up good and grabbed the bag of pecans. "Rounded side up, right?"

Millie smiled at him. "One for the head, two for the back legs."

I sat, giggling occasionally as Carl lined up the pecans. "Don't look like a turtle to me. Have you got a picture of that? I bet it don't look like that." 
Millie came to the table carrying a bowl of dough balls and bowl of egg whites. "Now you shush up. Carl, I think you done a great job, honey. Now all we have to do is form the bodies."

"Oh, goodie," I squeaked, popping a dough ball into my mouth. Which wasn't nearly as good as I'd thought it would be. Millie immediately moved the bowl out of my reach.

I figured I'd better be good or they wouldn't let me have any turtles. Sitting quietly except for an occasional giggle I watched as they dipped the balls into egg whites and pressed them into the nuts forming perfect little turtle bodies. "They're so cute."

Millie and Carl exchanged glances as Millie picked up the pan and headed for the oven. "Carl, why don't you pour Linda a cup of plain coffee."

"Only if I can make myself one that ain't plain." Carl joined her at the counter. "You think we can sober her up before the story closes out?"

Millie glanced my way and I gave her a big smile with a thumbs up. Shaking her head she turned back to the counter. "Don't look that way."

Carl placed the cup of coffee in front of me. "Drink up, honey. Otherwise I get to write the ending here, and you know how you hate it when I write the story."

Three cups of coffee later the turtles were cooling on a rack and Carl handed me the frosting spoon. "Here you go, honey. Just like I promised."

Unfortunately the smell didn't have quite the effect either of us had expected. Or maybe not the effect I had expected. "I don't feel so good. Would you two excuse me." I headed quickly for the bathroom.

"Works every time." Carl smiled at Millie, licking the spoon. "That sure is good, Mille. Don't nobody make chocolate frosting like you."

Millie smiled back. "Another cup of coffee?"

"Might as well. I don't think she's coming back."

Carl sipped his coffee watching as Millie coated each little turtle with chocolate. "They are kind of cute."

"Humph," Millie grunted. "Thought real men didn't make turtles?"

"Hush woman," Carl growled. "I'm thinking. I gotta close this thing out."

"Ain't no brainer there. Just tell them what you learned."

Carl looked around the room. "You ever wonder where they are, Millie?"

Millie licked chocolate from her finger and shook her head. "Everybody loves a good book. They're everywhere."

Taking a deep breath Carl stood up. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. Today we learned two things." Laughing he took a sip of coffee. "First, Linda can't hold her liquor."

Taking another sip of coffee he tightened his jaw muscles, brown eyes turning charcoal. "And real men make turtles."

Draining the cup he headed for the counter. "And I think it's time a real man got to sample the fruits of his labor."

"Carl Jackson don't you touch my turtles."

"Your turtles! Dammit, woman, I made them turtles."

*Smack*.

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Turtles

1 1/2 cup sifted flour 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. soda 1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. maple flavoring
1/2 cup butter or margarine pecan halves
1 egg 1 egg white
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Mix flour, soda and salt. Cream butter; gradually add sugar and cream well. Add egg and egg yolk; beat well. Blend in flavoring. Add dry ingredients gradually and mix thoroughly. Arrange pecan halves rounded side up in groups of three on greased baking sheet to resemble head and hind legs of turtles . Mold dough into balls by using rounded teaspoon of dough to each. Dip bottom into egg white and press into nuts. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting for Turtles:

2 (2 oz.) squares chocolate 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup milk 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Combine chocolate, milk and butter in top of double broiler. Heat over boiling water until chocolate melts; blend until smooth. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and glossy. Frost turtles when cool.

SOME MORE GREAT HOMEMADE CANDIES

Chocolate Caramels

2 cups sugar 1 cup nuts (optional)
2 cups whipping cream 1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 squares semi-sweet chocolate

Keep back 1 cup of cream. Boil all other ingredients till firm ball stage. Slowly add 1 cup cream and boil again till very firm ball is formed in cold water. Boil at least 25 minutes. Grease large cookie sheet and pour. Cut when cool.

Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2 cup margarine 3/4 cup peanut butter
1 lb. light brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk 1 lb. confectioners' sugar

In medium saucepan melt margarine, stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Mix in confectioners' sugar; beat with mixer until smooth. Spread into buttered 9 x 13 pan. Chill.

Peanut Brittle

2 cups sugar 1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup white corn syrup 1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup water 2 tsp. soda
1 lb. unsalted peanuts

Boil sugar, syrup and water until mixture spins a thread in cold water. About 11 minutes. Add peanuts and cook until mixture is caramelized - about 10 minutes. Stir in butter and vanilla. Add soda and stir quickly. Spread candy on large buttered cookie sheet. When cook break into pieces.

Butterscotch Balls

1 box powered sugar 1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans 2 sticks margarine, melted
1/2 cup peanut butter 1-6oz pkg. butterscotch chips
1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 bar paraffin wax

Combine first 6 ingredients. Add margarine. Shape into balls. Melt butterscotch chips and paraffin. Dip balls into butterscotch mixture. Drop onto waxed paper.

Love Bargain Books - Check out my Bargain Book Bin of 99 Cent specials: http://jacodypress.blogspot.com/2011/04/bargain-bin-indie-ebooks-99.html


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

*Gavin*

The nightmares were getting stronger, the screams louder, closer. And this time there had been blood and pain. The knot in his stomach still hurt, and there was a strange ache in his chest. An eerie sadness.

"What the hell have I done?" he whispered.

*Sarah*

She hated the dreams. Hated the feeling of helplessness they created inside her as the dying reached out, sending messages to loved ones, or crying out for vengeance against their attacker. Only this time the dream had been different. This time the message was for Sarah.

*Carl*

"Didn't expect an old biddy like you to hit a man so hard." He groaned, opening his eyes and glaring at Millie.

Clarence stepped next to Millie, placing an arm protectively around her shoulders. "I'm afraid I hit you, Mr. Jackson. Saw you skulking around and followed you."

Carl turned his fierce gaze on Clarence, but held his tongue. The old fart looked pretty tough, even barefoot. Besides, he wasn't in any shape to take on the two of them.

*Rob*

The words cleared the remaining fog from Rob's brain. Taking the mug of steaming coffee from Carl's hand, he sat down at the table. His head still pounded, but his eyes were sharp and clear, his voice strong, "I've got your back, Carl."

*Nikki*

A heartbreaking smile lit up the small face. Gavin found himself entranced, images flowing through his mind. He could see himself teaching her to play ball, pacing the floor while she was out on her first date, walking her down the aisle. He mentally shook himself, dispelling the images as he concentrated on what she was saying.

"I'm going to write books some day about a beautiful ballerina who travels all over the world and solves crimes and helps people."

*Millie*

Millie couldn't stop herself from lifting the blinds and taking a quick peek to see if he was still there. A slight pang of disappointment filled her when she saw he had already entered the flower shop.

"Flirtatious old coot," she muttered to herself as she opened the bookstore for business. Always calling me Millicent. She stopped her muttering as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror behind the counter. The slight flush on her cheeks and sparkle in her eyes belied her age, as did the spring in her walk. The old fool had her feeling like a teenager. Maybe she'd just take a walk over there and see those new roses. He could probably use a good cup of coffee. Might even ask him over for dinner one night. Possibilities. The old coot had definite possibilities.

*Joshua *

Taking the mike, Joshua lowered his voice. "Listen, Sarah, get everybody you can out to the old mill on Elliott Pike. I'm sending Gavin back with Nikki. I'll stay here and watch Cooper until backup arrives." Joshua clicked off, his eyes meeting Gavin's over Nikki's head. "That's the way it's gonna be, partner."

Gavin nodded. He knew somebody had to stay. "No heroes?"

Joshua grinned, popping a fresh toothpick between his teeth. "I ain't the hero type."

*Clarence*

Millie smiled, still running her hand over the smooth surface. "She's a real classic."

"Yep." Clarence moved in, putting his arm around her. "Classics are hard to find today. When I find one, I tend to hold onto it."


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

May is my birthday month, and Valerie Maarteen and I have teamed up on my blog to offer a special Buy One - Get One Free deal. While you're there check out the Kindle $2.99 bargain bin and the Kindle $.99 bargain bin. Some great finds there too.

http://jacodypress.blogspot.com/2011/05/buy-one-and-get-one-free-kindle-mystery.html 

Have a great day!

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Stop by and check out the contest and enter to win a Kindle and other prizes.

http://jacodypress.blogspot.com/2011/05/enter-to-win-kindle-and-other-prizes.html

New prizes daily through 5/30. Winner of the Kindle will be announced on 6/01.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthefrugalereader.com%2F2011%2F06%2F06%2Fthe-frugal-find-of-the-day-the-gifts-a-jacody-ives-mystery-jacody-ives-mysteries-linda-s-prather-2-99%2F&h=68460


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery - Free as of June 18, 2011

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UHVS9C/

Not sure how long Amazon will keep up for free--grab your copy now.

Happy Reading!

Linda


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## SarahBarnard (Jul 28, 2010)

Freebie? Did someone say Freebie? I LOVE free......


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

Wow, I'm on my way to grab it too, I've read the Gifts already and was looking to buying this! 

Thanks Linda, Good luck with it.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, guys.  I hope you enjoy it.


Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_23?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=psychological+thrillers&sprefix=psychological+thrillers#/ref=sr_st?keywords=psychological+thrillers&qid=1310095497&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Apsychological+thrillers&sort=paidsalesrank

8. Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery (Jacody Ives Mysteries) by Linda S. Prather and Charles, Jr. Prather (Kindle Edition - Jun 30, 2010) - Kindle eBook 
Buy: $2.99

Auto-delivered wirelessly
(11)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UHVS9C/


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Been a while since I've been here, but thought I'd stop by and share a little "flash" fiction. If you like flash fiction and short stories, stop by my blog - http://www.jacodypress.blogspot.com as I usually post something for #sundaysample. Check out One Man's Justice, Soul Retrieval and many more. Have a fun.

COOKIES FOR DAVEY

Davey Crimmens wheeled his bike around the corner of Third Street, slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop less than two feet from the old woman. Jesus, where did she come from so fast?

"Davey, could you help me, please?"

Davey hesitated, weighing his options. He could keep on riding and ignore her, but he was already in trouble for sneaking off to the swimming hole yesterday. One more incident and mom would ground him for sure. And the old woman knew his name, which meant she most likely knew his mother. Parking his bike against the old wooden fence, her followed her through the gate.

"What do you need?"

She smiled at him, and motioned for him to follow her inside the house. "Could you move my rocking chair in front of the window for me please? Been trying to move it all day, but these old hands, you know." She held her hands out in front of her.

Davey shivered as he looked at the bent and gnarled fingers. Must be some kind of disease. The quicker he got out of here the better he'd feel.

Grabbing the rocker he hefted it toward the front window. "Here?"

She smiled at him again, running a hand over his dark curls. "That's perfect, sweetie. There's a plate of chocolate chip cookies for you in the kitchen. Why don't you take some to your friends?"

Davey made his way to the kitchen, stopping short when he saw the card placed next to the plate of fresh baked cookies. "Cookie's for Davey."

That was strange. How could the old woman know he'd be the one coming by today? His mother must of have told her. Good thing he stopped. Grabbing a handful of cookies he turned back to thank her, but she was gone.

Shrugging he shoved a cookie in his mouth, closed the front door behind him and grabbed his bike. He'd thank her tomorrow, or better yet tell his mother to thank her. That should score him some points.

Mike Thomas was waiting for him at the end of the street and Davey pulled up next to him, handing him a chocolate chip cookie. "Sorry, I'm late."

Biting into the cookie Mike grinned at him. "Was beginning to think your mom locked you up."

Davey shook his head. "Naw, she was mad, but not that mad."

"So what took you so long?" Mike licked the chocolate from his finger. "You got anymore cookies?"

Davey handed him another one. "I had to stop and help the old lady on the corner move a chair. Worth it though. These are the best cookies I've ever tasted."

Mike dropped the cookie he was holding. "You mean old lady Harrod?"

Davey hopped off his bike and picked up the cookie. "Five second rule."

"Don't eat that cookie!" Mike's voice trembled slightly, but still came out just short of a scream.

Davey stared at his best friend, his hand automatically stopping short of his already open mouth. Mike was pale, eyes huge, body shaking. "What's wrong with the cookies?"

Turning his bike around, Mike headed in the direction of his house. "I'm going home, Davey. Old lady Harrod's dead. She hung herself yesterday."

Davey stared at Mike's retreating back as he grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Dead? Sniffing the cookie he broke it open. It looked real. Could she have baked them before she died? But he'd seen her. Talked to her. Tossing the cookie in the ditch he wiped his hands on his jeans, a strange feeling washing over him. He suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time, and his hands were shaking.

Grabbing his bike he set off toward home, wobbling slightly. I'm not scared. Mike's acting like a baby. Probably lying anyway. Trying to scare me. Well, I'll show him. I'm ten years old, and I'm not scared of no ghost.

Davey managed to get past the corner without looking directly at the house, peddling fast he sped down Main and turned on Parrish, eager to get home. "Mom, you'll never guess what Mike told me."

"I'm in here, Davey." Claire Crimmens called out from the living room. Smiling at her son, she put aside the paper and gave him her full attention. "What did Mike tell you? I hope he's not trying to get you sneak off again."

Davey shook his head. "Naw, he said the old lady on the corner hung herself yesterday. But I know she didn't, 'cause I seen her when I rode by. Helped her move her rocking chair in front of the window."

Davey saw the color drain out of his mother's face, but she was still smiling. "Mom?"

Claire patted the seat next to her on the couch. "Come here, Davey."Waiting until he was seated next to her, Claire placed her arm around him. "Mrs. Harrod was old, sweetheart, and she had crippling arthritis." She gently stroked his hair, running her fingers through the curls. "She had a son, and he always visited in May. He was supposed to be here today, but there was a car crash and he was killed. I guess she just couldn't face the thought of going on without him."

Davey swallowed, blinking hard at the wetness behind his lashes. "But I saw her mom. Talked to her. She gave me cookies."

Claire pulled him close, continuing to stroke his hair. "I was supposed to go over today and move her rocking chair for her. She liked to sit in front of the window and watch for his car. Always had a huge plate of chocolate chips cookies on the table with a little card that said "Cookies for Davey." Claire raised his head, looking into his eyes, noting the unshed tears. "Her son's name was Davey too. Don't be scared, sweetheart. You did a good thing and I'm very proud of you."

Davey leaned in closer. "I ate the cookies, mom," he whispered.

Claire hugged him and stood up, pulling him up with her. "And I'll bet wherever she is right now she's smiling knowing that her "Cookies for Davey" didn't go to waste. Come on, you can help me cook supper."

Davey followed his mother to the kitchen, his step a little lighter, back a little straighter. He was ten years old and he'd seen a ghost. Heck, he'd not only seen a ghost he'd talked to one, and he'd eaten cookies. Just wait until he told the guys about that. Maybe Susie Whitlow would sit with him at lunch.


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## MSTHRILLER (Jan 20, 2011)

I always love reading your shorties. They make me


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## Valerie Maarten (Jan 14, 2011)

Linda, 
I think a road trip is awesome! I'm so tempted to meet you there


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## traceya (Apr 26, 2010)

Loved the flash fiction


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Traci, Val and Tracey--thank you.  You all made my day.  I hope you'll check out the blog for other shorts and interesting tidbits.

Linda


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## TaniaLT (Oct 16, 2010)

I'm really enjoying your Sacred Secrets, Linda. Taking a while as reading time is limited at the mo, but it's really intriguing.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Tania.  I'll look forward to your thoughts on Sacred Secrets. 

Linda


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## Buffalo Cowboy (Aug 29, 2011)

Linda S. Prather Author said:


> It's Tuesday again and truthfully, I get tired of the same old "buy my book" promo. Mary glanced around her husband's study with a sigh of satisfaction. Everything was almost perfect. Robert had even called, just as she knew he would. He had to gloat. Twist the knife just a little.
> 
> Reaching into her purse she pulled out the wad of hundreds and handed them to her brother-in-law. "Make it real."
> Stuffing the money into his pocket, Blake Torro pulled on the second set of gloves. "You sure about this, Mary?"
> ...


That was really excellent! And you did that all without any editing? Well done!


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Buffalo!  Sometimes things are perfect, and sometimes I can't type my name without a mistake in it.  I'm really glad you like the piece though.  Abuse of any type is one of my pet peeves, and perhaps that's why it came out without too many errors in it.

Linda


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

Hey, Linda. A long time ago (back on the 3rd page of your thread) I commented on the similarity between voodoo and Santeria. I've since been convinced they're even more alike. Santeria priestesses foretell the future.. I assume voodoo priestesses do as well. Fascinating. I'm going to Cuba in February, and I'm sure I'll run into some. They look for gullible tourists just like me.  

So, you got me. I downloaded THE GIFTS. Looking forward to reading it, even if there's no voodoo. THen I'll come back to your short(s). I saw some recipe stuff earlier in the thread, too. I guess I need to go back. 

Thanks for the info.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Libby, and I hope you enjoy The Gifts.  I finally found the thread I was looking for on Find Me, and hope to finish it next month and off to editors.  Yes, there are some fantastic recipes on my blog and I hope you'll drop by and check them out.  

Linda


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## Faith (Jan 5, 2011)

I love mysteries as much as anyone - good going Linda! Perhaps make this a regular thing?

Faith


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks, Sibel and Faith. I really only post here occassionally anymore, but if you check my blog I'm planning on continuing with a series of flash fiction, short stories, and October is ghost month for me. http://www.jacodypress.blogspot.com

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

For the month of October I have lowered the price of Sacred Secrets to $1.99. The Gifts is still $2.99. So for less than $5.00 Kindle lovers and mystery lovers can get both books in the series.

Happy reading.

Love short stories, flash fiction and just all around fun? Vist my blog at:
http://www.jacodypress.blogspot.com


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## TheLadyWrites (Feb 22, 2011)

I've been looking forward to getting one of your books  Thanks for putting one on sale right at the time I'm going to start my week of reading 'vacation' from work. 

I really enjoyed the short pieces you posted here so I'm excited to dive into your novels too.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you, Lady, and I hope you'll let me know what you think.  Good or bad, all honest reviews are welcome, as I learn something from each one.

Happy reading, and I'm so jealous.  I wish I had a week to read.

Linda


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## Gail M Baugniet (Apr 12, 2011)

Hi Linda, Just popped over from Twitter to say "Hi"
I have Sacred Secrets on my Kindle TBR list and will be reading it soon. 
Enjoy your day!
Gail


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

In keeping with all the great specials for Cyber Monday I have lowered the price of The Jacody Ives Mysteries to $.99, a savings of $4.00.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U4WVQ4/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UHVS9C/

Have a great shopping day!

Linda


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Got Books is hosting a 12 Days of Christmas Give-away on our Facebook page. Free books and a chance to win an Amazon Gift Card, as well as perhaps some daily surprises thrown in. Stop by and check it out.

http://www.facebook.com/linda.prather2?ref=tn_tnmn#!/GotBooks85


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

In honor of World Book Day the price on all three of my books has been lowered to $1.00 each. The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery - Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery and my new release - Bet you can't...FIND ME

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U4WVQ4/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UHVS9C/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007133JY8/

Happy Reading!

Linda

For 7 great books, including books by Mel Comley, Libby Hellmann, Lia Fairchild and Valerie Maarten - visit my blog at: http://jacodypress.blogspot.com


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery is my Deal of the Day for $.99

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U4WVQ4/


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

Hi Linda!

We haven't crossed paths for a while. I posted this at the Book Luvin' Babes Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Book-Luvin-Babes/306605826049172

Hope you are doing well--

Dana


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

17 - 5* Reviews and 3 4* Reviews -

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1FMWROC65WKLT/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B007133JY8&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Bet you can't Find Me is currently #97 in Kindle Top 100 Paid - Whoot!

Read the prologue and first chapter here

http://jacodypress.blogspot.com/2012/07/2.html


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