The Importance of Romance and Suspense

Originally, this post was scheduled for another author's blog but, due to her husband's illness, she had to drop out of the Mystery We Write Blog Tour. This post replaces the post she was scheduled to write for today. My prayers and best wishes go to Charmaine Gordon and her husband for his speedy recovery.

In the following excerpt from Unfinished Business, the second novel in my Malone mystery series, Olivia and Bernie have been estranged for over sixty years and, until recently, Bernie didn’t even know that they had a son. Happily, they’ve finally found each other again and romance is in the air.

He grasped her left hand and placed the diamond solitaire on her ring finger. The ring fit perfectly. With his fingertips, he gently brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, leaned in toward her and kissed her. “Now I am officially the happiest man in the whole world,” he told her. He leaned back against the sofa and sighed contentedly. “What would you say to a honeymoon in Dresden, Germany?”

Olivia’s hand flew to her heart. “You’re kidding? I’ve always dreamed of going there, ever since I was a little girl and Papa told me all those stories about where my ancestors came from. When he talked about his visits when he was a boy, his descriptions of Dresden were so vivid that he made them come alive for me. I could almost see the picturesque town in a valley on the left bank of the Elbe River, the Ore Mountains, looming in the distance to the north of the city, and the majestic Dresden Castle. How did you know? How could you possibly know?”     

“A little bird told me,” he replied, grinning.

“Was that little bird named Lawrence?”

He nodded. “So when do you want to get married?” he asked.

“As soon as possible,” she replied. “I think we’ve waited long enough, don’t you?”

“All good things are worth waiting for,” he told her. “And you and Lawrence are the best that’s ever happened to me.”

And now for an excerpt from Unfinished Business demonstrating the importance of suspense. The Westwood Strangler is presumed dead but the police have just revealed the fact that, once again, a killer is attacking women in their homes in Ann’s neighborhood. Imagine her apprehension and fear as this scene unfolds.

It was so dark in the living room that she had to inch her way to the door in order to look through the peephole and peek out into the hallway. She couldn’t see anything; it was pitch black. She turned and walked back over to the front window and looked outside. All the streetlights were out and all of the neighboring houses were dark.

This is all we need, she thought, recalling the advice that Richard Reneker, the psychologist, had given his viewers back in October. “Ladies, lock your doors, keep lights on inside and outside your home at night, and do not go anywhere alone.” Great! Light is one of the best deterrents to crime, she thought. We have a maniac on the loose and whether it’s the Westwood Strangler or a copycat, we have no lights on to help keep him away.

She turned from the window and, as she made her way slowly and cautiously through the living room, she bumped into the coffee table. “Damn!” she exclaimed. She reached down to rub her throbbing leg.

“Are you okay?” a man’s voice asked.

She jumped slightly and stood straight up. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a scream.

 

Links:

Blog: http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/

Patricia Gligor’s Amazon page:

http://tinyurl.com/8sd2cz4

Bio:

Patricia Gligor is a Cincinnati native. She enjoys reading mystery/suspense novels, touring and photographing old houses and traveling, especially to the ocean. Mixed Messages, the first novel in her Malone Mystery Series, was published in April 2012 by Post Mortem Press. Unfinished Business is the second novel in the series.

Blurb for Unfinished Business:

The Westwood Strangler is dead. Or so everyone believes.

Ann Kern is busy preparing for her favorite holiday. She’s especially looking forward to her sister’s annual Christmas visit. But, several things threaten to ruin her festive mood.

The National Weather Service issues a severe winter storm warning for the Cincinnati area, predicting blizzard conditions, and Ann worries that her sister and her new boyfriend won’t be able to make the drive from South Carolina.

Then, a woman is found strangled in Ann’s neighborhood and everyone, including the police, assumes it’s the work of a copycat killer. However, when two more women are murdered in their homes, the police announce their conviction that the Westwood Strangler is responsible.

When Ann hears the news, the sense of safety and security she’s worked so hard to recapture since her attack on Halloween night, shatters. If the intruder who died in her apartment wasn’t the Westwood Strangler, who is? And, who will be the next victim?

Giveaway:

At the end of the blog tour, I will be giving away one copy of Unfinished Business, the second novel in my Malone mystery series. Leave a comment and you’re automatically entered to win. Please include your email address with your comment so that, if your name is selected, I may contact you to get your mailing address. The winner will be announced on my blog: http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/ on December 11. Best of luck!