It’s finally here! Living Victim, the first Cage Foster/Delta Detectives Novella, is available NOW! Click on the picture to go to the book’s buy page. Now, onto the post!

So if you haven’t guessed by my various social media feeds, I have an interest in all things law enforcement. It takes a special kind of person to be a police officer, and while there are always going to be people who take advantage of the situation, there are FAR MORE good guys who put their lives on the line day in and day out. I can’t imagine being brave enough to walk away from my family knowing I might not come back (and this goes for firefighters, the military, etc).

Until last fall, most of my knowledge of law enforcement came from true crime and a lot of online research. One of the main reasons I’d chosen NOT to take the character of Cage Foster any further was because I believed I just didn’t know enough or have enough connections to make his police work authentic. That all changed in September when I attended the Writer’s Police Academy. I met real cops, firemen, deputies, secret service agents, undercover cops – the list goes on. I learned more than I ever dreamed about procedure, but also about their mindset and character, which is much more interesting to me. I also learned a lot about being a medical examiner, which is going to come in handy very soon, but more on that later.

I was lucky enough to go on a ride-along with a Sheriff’s Deputy, and that night was a game changer for me. I learned that southern hospitality is very real, and I got to witness firsthand how police deal with death. Our main call was a suicide, and the boy was found by his parents. When we arrived (lights blaring), my deputy and his sergeant rushed into the house, only to return a few minutes later. Their hunched shoulders and holstered guns made it clear the self-inflicted gunshot wound did its job.

I spent several hours watching officers work the scene, but the part that sticks out in my mind is the deputy who brought out the deceased boy’s pet cats. They were in separate carriers, and he put them all in a circle facing each other so they wouldn’t be as upset. And then he offered me half his snack and a water. Watching the process was sobering, and I stayed in the cruiser out of respect for the family, but I learned so much by just observing. Speaking with the deputy afterwards gave me precious insight on how these officers deal with things the rest of us can only imagine. And every bit of that was fodder for my character.

Suddenly I realized I could do this if I wanted to. I’m not interested in writing a nitty gritty police procedural, but I wanted to bring Cage back to life. I wanted to show his struggles as a Criminal Investigator while juggling family and personal life. I wanted to explore him constantly walking the thin blue line, because those are the things about law enforcement that really interest me.

So Cage is back, and I have to say, I am so damned happy about it. I worried that after writing so much darkness with Lucy Kendall I’d struggle to find Cage’s voice, but he was there instantly, with so many stories to tell I realized I had a series on my hands. The Delta Detective Novellas show Cage as cop and a human being, struggling to do the right thing when his professional and personal lives entwine. They also introduce some new characters, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of those characters in the fall!

First up is Living Victim, followed by Dead Wrong. Three more novellas will be released in February and March, and if you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get an exclusive serial novella featuring Summer Jordan. Inspired by the medical examiner I met at WPA and my experiences with the Deputy State ME of Mississippi, Summer is an exciting new character who will be getting her own series in the fall. Signing up for the newsletter means you get to read her novella for FREE.

In the meantime, check out this EXCLUSIVE TEASER of Cage in Living Victim:

Cage threaded his way through thick underbrush, careful to avoid the thorn bushes. A throng of willow trees bordered the property. He smiled, thinking of the giant willow in his parents’ yard. He and his sister Lana used to play house beneath it, using the thin, whip-like branches as doors and walls. But these willows were so overgrown they looked like a mutated wall of green, branches of one tree entwined with the overgrown branches of the next. They provided a macabre sort of border, as if protecting Mark’s hoarding from the county outliers.

Red flashed between the tangled masses of green. A tent, Cage realized. Set up in the middle of the wild forest. His hand drifted to his gun. The daughter said a barbed wire fence bordered the property. Unless the foliage had taken it over as well, Cage saw no sign of it. The tent was on the property.

He edged closer. The adrenaline started in his fingertips, a tingling that shot up his arms and into his chest. The air thickened, the breeze slowed, as if the trees themselves knew Cage was trying to keep quiet. He touched his shoulder mic.

“McKay, request backup. Found a tent in the woods just northeast of the house.”

He approached slowly, the dry grass crunching beneath his feet. A bramble tugged at his uniform. He jerked his arm away just in time to keep from snagging his skin and leaving unnecessary blood evidence. The tent was fairly small, maybe eight by eight. More five-gallon buckets like the one in the house were placed haphazardly around the campsite. The shifting wind brought the smell of feces and urine mixed with a much headier scent Cage couldn’t place.

A small fire pit was dug into the ground, with a rudimentary grill and a few iron skillets off to the side. Next to the tent sat a black, plastic toolbox with wheels. While the outside of the tent was marred with dirt and streaked with a dark, dried liquid, the toolbox was pristine, as if it had been recently wiped down.

Ice dripped down Cage’s spine as fresh sweat broke out across his forehead, dampening the roots of his recently trimmed hair. He wiped his sweaty palms against his pant leg.

Withdrawing his gun, he edged closer to the site. “This is Investigator Cage Foster with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Like to have a word with you.”

Living Victim (Delta Detectives #1)

Some of you know my almost 9-year-old daughter is a swimmer. She’s in her third year of competitive swimming, so we’ve got our system for meets down pretty well. Downtime between races is usually social hour for the parents, but this weekend was different because it was our home swim meet. That means parents needed to volunteer, and yesterday morning I worked the lobby door for a few hours. I got to yell at people for trying to sneak downstairs when they weren’t allowed–you know I enjoyed that!

Anyway, after the initial rush, things got slow, and I decided to take advantage. I’m working on a NEW SERIES featuring a new character in the Delta Detectives Series (details coming soon!) and of course, there are murders to deal with. So I started taking some notes. I’ll spare you pics of my cruddy handwriting. Here’s a quick list (and these are just ideas, doesn’t mean they’ll be in future books).

• Hostage situation
• Shooting at the college where Nick works – who gets killed?
• Domestic gone bad
• Suicide by cop
• Cage has to deal with shooting/killing someone
• Sexual Assault/Murder
• Autopsy – will evidence of sexual assault show up later?  ***At this point, the 8-year-old son of the aquatic directer was chatting to me about someone throwing up downstairs. Don’t worry, I covered my notes.
• City officials acting like assholes (hey, these are my notes).
• How decayed is body at scene? What is maggot situation? ***Pretty sure someone brought me a cookie at this point. It was yummy. I hope they didn’t see the part about the maggots. 
• Kid in morgue. Signs of sex abuse. ***At this point I’m being reminded that the superintendent might be showing up, and since she’s the big boss, we want to show her around. I need to keep a lookout. I make a mental note to close the notebook if I see her. 
• Various notes about death investigation, including trace evidence exam. The words pubic hair make an appearance as several preteen boys go by. I’m pretty sure the bagels they were stuffing their faces with kept their attention.
• Dead guy in the concessions or in the freezer (my personal favorite).

During all of this, young, impressionable swimmers are going in and out of the door, my notebook likely in full view. I hoped my sloppy handwriting and their nerves kept most of them from peaking too much. But as any writer will tell you, we’re always working. Our minds very rarely slow down, and there’s always a plot bunny hopping around. If we don’t take the time to make notes, we’ll go insane.

Don’t even get me started on the things I look up at practice. Let’s just say I did a lot of research about the dark web and sex trafficking for SEE THEM RUN (Lucy Kendall #2) at my favorite table at the Aquatic Center.

So that’s my excuse for plotting murder at the swim meet. The good news is, I have a handle on the new series! You’ll meet the character in the upcoming Delta Detectives novellas, and I will be announcing the new series in February. I’m also planning some FREE novellas for my newsletter subscribers (more details to come) so if you’re not already a member of my mailing list, make sure to sign up.

What do you do to pass time at your kids practices or events when you’ve got downtime? Writers, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever Googled when surrounded by kids?

My 10 Best (or Worst?) Search Terms

• How to kill with cyanid
• How does a body decompose in humidity
• How is a badly burned body identified
• Female Killers
• What poisons are traceable at autopsy
• Easiest way to dispose of a body
• Signs of a sociopath
• Modern day grave robbers
• Women who got away with murder
• Daryl Dixon coffee mug

Okay, so number 10 isn’t work related. But the one I got is pretty sweet. I’d prefer Norman Reedus’s face, but there’s the hubby to respect and all.

What about you? Would your computer history land you in the slammer? What’s the worst thing you’ve ever Googled?

Don’t forget, INTO THE DARK is being republished in May as INTO THE DEVIL’S UNDERGROUND. The book has undergone heavy editing, but if you can provide either proof of purchase or link to your review on Goodreads, I’m happy to give you a copy to read and review. Please contact me at stacygreenauthor@gmail.com. Deadline is May 5.

Tin God is still on sale for just .99! Start the Delta Crossroads Trilogy with a sale!

Now, on to business. In the next week, I’ll be releasing a box set of the Delta Crossroads Trilogy. It’s an awesome collector’s item, and today I’m offering you the chance to win one before you can buy!

And YES, if you’ve already reviewed, you can enter. Just comment below with the Amazon permalink of your review so I’ll be sure to include you. Thanks to all of my awesome readers for reviewing and spreading the word about my books. XO!

If you’ve read Tin God or currently reading, I need your reviews! I’m just SIX reviews away from 100, which is a big milestone. So here’s the contest.

Read/Review Tin God on Amazon and comment back here with the permalink to your review! When the reviews reach 100, I’ll select a name from the comments and gift the box set.

Good luck, and happy reviewing!

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