And now on to the WINNER! Earlier this month I launched a contest to name the serial killer who will make his presence known to Lucy Kendall. I received many awesome suggestions, and the choice was very difficult, but I’ve chosen a winner.

It’s The Silver Stalker, suggested by Michelle Willms. She also presented some great background ideas for the killer, and I’m excited to talk with her about them.

The Silver Stalker will make his presence known later in the series, but it will be in a BIG WAY, so stay tuned. Congrats to Michelle, and thanks to everyone who submitted ideas!

PRAISE FOR ALL GOOD DEEDS

Unique Protagonist and a story that’s incredibly tense…

A must read book for intrigue, danger, suspense and mystery lovers…

WOW – this has quite a punch!

A very dark and twisted serial killer is going to make an appearance in The Lucy Kendall Series, and I need your help naming them!

I’m looking for something chilling, something that would elicit fear as a front page headline. I’m talking The Nightstalker, Son of Sam, BTK, etc.

My killer is a true psychopath, with very few preferences for killing, meaning any murder weapon will do. The killer isn’t opposed to sexual sadism, but likes to play the game and to control others. This killer operates on the eastern side of the United States.

The contest is easy: the person who comes up with the best name by September 30 will receive a signed copy of ALL GOOD DEEDS (Lucy Kendall #1). The winning name will be used in the Lucy Kendall Series, and the winner will be given credit in the acknowledgments for coming up with the serial killer’s moniker.

Email me at stacygreenauthor@gmail.com with your entries. Contest ends September 30th. Winners will be announced within a week.

Good luck!

NO BAD DEED SHOULD GO UNPUNISHED.

Lucy Kendall lived her life in a strange mixture of carefully calculated moves and impulse decisions. Cracking the skull of the man who molested her sister and attacking her was impulse. Spending half her teenage years drinking and acting out were calculated cries for attention from her narcissistic mother followed by impulsive rages at her lack of concern.

The decade spent working in Child Protective Services before becoming a private investigator taught her two truths. One, CPS failed miserably in protecting children. Two, Lucy was more than willing to do it for them, meting out her brand of dark justice in spite of her own fear of death. But Lucy’s crusade is compromised when a self-proclaimed sociopath offers to help—and leaves her no choice but to accept it.

When eight-year old Kailey Richardson is abducted, it sets off a chain of events linked to Justin Beckett, a suspect in a life-changing case in Lucy’s past. The path she’s chosen since dealing with Beckett has been dark and terrifying—but she has no idea just how deep she will go or where the twisted road will take her.

She’s about to find out.

If you liked Dexter, you’ll love Lucy! The first book in my new thriller series will be available at all vendors on September 15th, but Kindle readers can PRE-ORDER NOW! This means the book will automatically load onto your device at 12:01 a.m. September 15th. How’s that for the early bird getting the worm?

CLICK HERE to PRE-ORDER

An excerpt from ALL GOOD DEEDS

“The Iceman.” Chris ignored the bait. “That’s your inspiration, right? The mob hit man who lost count at 200 murders. His method was easy and anonymous. He spilled the bad stuff, his mark got angry about it but didn’t do anything about the wet shirt or pants. The goods seeped through his the mark’s skin and twenty to thirty minutes later, into the bloodstream, and the Iceman was long gone. It’s brilliant, really. Great choice, for cold weather anyway, considering the health hazards. I just hope you’re more than a hit man. Woman, excuse me.”

My chest tightened into an iron cast, and my jaw ached from the hard set. If this guy knew the routine, he no doubt had proof. “Seriously, have you ever thought about seeking professional help?”

He ignored me and kept rambling. “Like I said, I’m a paramedic. And I’m observant. I saw you at a scene a few months back. You were standing to the side, in the middle of the onlookers. But something on your face gave you away–to me, at least. Guess I’m good at spotting my own kind.” He rested his chin on his hand and gazed at me with obvious admiration. To anyone else, we probably looked like we were on a first date and still stuck in the awkward getting-to-know-you stage.

“I’m not your kind.” He was nothing like me. I was just sick and tired of seeing a broken justice system routinely fail children who’ve already been treated like disposable playthings. So I did everything I could to balance the creaking scales of justice–the same scales many people want to believe are designed to protect the vulnerable in society. But those scales don’t shield anyone, even our most innocent victims. Their function is to balance the lines of bureaucracy.

Sometimes I have to fill the void.

He probably picked his victims at random and took them somewhere to torture them before finally killing them. If he was actually a serial killer.

Pre-Order ALL GOOD DEEDS

Everybody has secrets. Some will kill to protect them.

Just when Jaymee Ballard’s life seems to be on track, a massive derecho attacks the Delta Crossroads sowing destruction in its path. Her boyfriend, investigative journalist Nick Samuels, comes up missing, and she fears the worst.

Nick’s abandoned car contains evidence of his involvement uncovering a controversial case mired in political power and greed. While her friend and local detective, Cage Foster, heads up the inquiry into Nick’s kidnapping, Jaymee finds it impossible to sit back and do nothing.

Enlisting the help of her best friend, Dani Evans, Jaymee discovers a trail leading to the dangerous and secretive Dixie Mafia. Facing a fraudulent Confederate artifact scheme, dark local history, and a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows, the two friends find themselves holding the key to not only Nick’s disappearance, but a shameful town secret someone will kill to protect.

“Ashes and Bone is a book that grabs you on the first page, and doesn’t let go of you until the last. Once again, Stacy Green has produced a winner.”
–Bestselling thriller author Rachel Abbott

What the readers are saying:

“Stacy Green finishes out the Delta Crossroads Trilogy with a cast of characters, a host of crimes and enough suspense to keep you guessing till you turn the last pages.”

“Another perfect book in the Delta Crossroads Trilogy!”

“Stacy Green has a talent for transporting the reader into the setting of the story, where you feel like you’re in the deep south in the midst of a mystery where lives hang in the balance.”

Ashes and Bone is available in paperback and all digital formats!

Ashes and Bone for Kindle US          Ashes and Bone for Kindle UK          Ashes and Bone for Nook

Ashes and Bone on iTunes     Ashes and Bone for Kobo     Ashes and Bone in paperback

Everybody has secrets. Some will kill to protect them.

Just when Jaymee Ballard’s life seems to be on track, a massive derecho attacks the Delta Crossroads sowing destruction in its path. Her boyfriend, investigative journalist Nick Samuels, comes up missing, and she fears the worst.

Nick’s abandoned car contains evidence of his involvement uncovering a controversial case mired in political power and greed. While her friend and local detective, Cage Foster, heads up the inquiry into Nick’s kidnapping, Jaymee finds it impossible to sit back and do nothing.

Enlisting the help of her best friend, Dani Evans, Jaymee discovers a trail leading to the dangerous and secretive Dixie Mafia. Facing a fraudulent Confederate artifact scheme, dark local history, and a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows, the two friends find themselves holding the key to not only Nick’s disappearance, but a shameful town secret someone will kill to protect.

Are you excited yet? This is my favorite book in the series, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Just for fun, here are five teaser tidbits from ASHES and BONE!

1) A fire endangers the citizens of Roselea and their historical landmarks.

2) Someone from the trilogy dies.

3) All four main characters (Jaymee, Cage, Dani, and Nick) have points of view in the story.

4) A (fictional) relative of John Wilkes Booth comes to Roselea.

5) A building collapses on more than one of the main characters.

What do you think? Are you excited to read? Feel free to grab the cover graphic to share on social media, and make sure to add ASHES and BONE to your Goodreads Shelf. Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ my Facebook page to receive updates on the launch party and enter the contest for an early copy of the book!

Now, onto the writing part. This movie is an excellent example of conflict and piling more and more on the character. One problem resolved, quick breather for the character, then another disaster. It’s a roller coaster that is perfectly executed.

Whether you’re interested in screenwriting or not, I recommend this movie for every writer, especially suspense and thriller writers. It is the best example I’ve seen of ratcheting up the stakes while making the viewer care deeply for the main character in a long time. The movie’s setup is quick, giving us just enough interaction with Bullock and Clooney to care, and then all hell breaks loose and last until the last seconds of the movie.

Beyond that, the character growth is very strong. Through fear, desperation, panic, and finally, faith, Bullock keeps fighting. We see her terror while witnessing her strength, and that is a damned hard thing to pull off.

Genre tastes aside, this movie is a must see to better your writing craft.

Have you seen Gravity? Do you plan to? What movies have helped shape your writing?

Skeleton’s Key (Delta Crossroads #2) broke into the top 100 in Mystery Series in less than a week of release! Thank you so much to those of you who attended the launch party on Facebook and who are reading/reviewing the book. I’m thrilled with the positive response!

A very quick teaser for Skeleton’s Key: