Excerpt & Giveaway with Stacy Green

Today Stacy Green is here with us sharing an exclusive excerpt from her latest release (out TODAY), Tin God. Stacy was here on The Book Vixen a couple months ago talking about writing about, and setting a novel, in a place she has never been to before (which was a really interesting post!). Welcome back to The Book Vixen Stacy!

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The voice of fear continued to nag Jaymee.

Another thump on the stairs, and she cut through the hall, skirting the antique desk. Royce Newton’s office door was closed; he was probably out of town, again. The stairs were just on the other side. Jaymee stopped short. Nerves threatened to choke her.

A red, gooey blob marred the bottom step. Blood. No, couldn’t be. Jelly. Had to be jelly. But Rebecca would never have left the mess on the expensive wood.

Jaymee’s heart beat double time. The blobs continued up the stairs in a strange pattern. Had Rebecca hurt herself? Jaymee took another unsteady step, but a hiss of anger stopped her. She caught herself on the banister to keep from face planting on the wood steps.

A mournful yowl sent a shiver of terror from her spine to her toes. Silas, Rebecca’s finicky Persian cat, sat halfway up the stairs, eyes narrowed. Brownish-red spots marred his white fur, and his front paws were covered with the crimson goop.

“Poor kitty. What happened? Did you hurt yourself?” She reached for the cat, but he hissed again and turned tail up the steps. Jaymee followed.

Halfway up, a foul smell saturated the air. The scent was so dense it seemed to have its own mass, much like the inescapable Mississippi humidity. Jaymee’s throat convulsed; she covered her nose and breathed through her mouth. The smell intensified with every step, taking on the odor of rotting sewage. Silas’s bloody paw prints continued up the stairs and across the hall to the Newton’s bedroom.

A memory stirred, twisting its way through the recesses of Jaymee’s mind. She knew this smell, knew the way the scent permeated the soul and made its way down into the gut.

Something terrible is in that room.

The door stood open just enough for the cat to squeeze through. Morning sun streamed through the massive picture window, bathing the room in a prism of light. More bloodstains glistened on the oak floor.

An icy sensation rippled down Jaymee’s spine. She tried to swallow, but her parched throat refused to work. If Silas had lost that much blood, he wouldn’t be running around the house. She fumbled toward the door, heart trying to pound its way out of her chest. The putrid odor had grown so strong it coated her mouth. Bile built in her throat.

The smell of death.

Her father and brother hunted, and as a small child, she’d made the foolish mistake of running to meet them when they’d returned from a weekend trip. In the back of her father’s black pickup truck lay a massive buck, gutted, tongue protruding out of its mouth. Her brother tried to stop her from seeing, but it was too late. The stench hit Jaymee full force, and she threw up on the side of the truck. Her father had spanked her.

Death lay inside that room. Every muscle, every nerve, begged Jaymee to turn and run, but anxiety propelled her forward. With a pale, shaking hand, she slowly pushed the heavy bedroom door open. The silence was so loud Jaymee feared her head might burst.

 

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Thanks to my understanding hubby, I get to stay at home and play writer.  Between my kindergartner’s busy life and taking care of the little ones at my in-home childcare, I stay pretty busy and love every minute of it.

I grew up watching crime shows with my dad and soap operas with my mom (R.I.P As The World Turns and Guiding Light), so it’s no surprise I’m a sucker for a good suspense novel with some romance thrown in.  I’m fascinated by the workings of the criminal mind, and I have dedicated Thursday to exploring the dark crimes (sometimes creepy paranormal fun) that plague our society. My husband says I watch way too many true crime shows and shakes his head when I spout off my latest research on serial killers.

Don’t worry, my life isn’t all about the macabre. I love to garden – roses and lilies are my favorites – and I’m also learning to cook healthy after having reached my weight loss goal of 64 pounds. Of course, my family is the most important thing. My daughter is my pride and joy, and it’s amazing to watch her learn to read and cultivate her love of stories and characters.

Find the author online: website | blog | twitter | facebook

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Title: Tin God
Author: Stacy Green
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Published/Release Date: April 8, 2013

Getting pregnant as a teenager and being coerced into giving her baby up for adoption left a festering scar on Jaymee Ballard’s life. Trapped by poverty and without many allies, Jaymee nearly gives up hope of getting her daughter back after her best friend is murdered. Now, four years later, a wealthy woman with legal connections hires her as a housekeeper, and Jaymee gathers the courage to seek her help. But Jaymee’s last chance ends up in a puddle of blood in one of the historic antebellum mansions in Roselea, Mississippi.

I just murdered your wife…again.

An unsigned letter consisting of six horrifying words turns Nick Samuels stagnant life upside down. Stuck in emotional purgatory since his wife’s unsolved murder four years ago, Nick is about to self-destruct. The arrival of the letter claiming credit for his wife’s murder and boasting of a new kill sends Nick to Roselea, where he and Jaymee’s worlds collide.

Jaymee and Nick realize exposing the truth about her daughter’s adoption is the only way to solve the murders. Up against years of deception, they rush to identify the killer before the evidence–and Jaymee’s daughter–are lost.

But the truth doesn’t always set the guilt-ridden free. Sometimes, it destroys them.

 

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Thanks to Stacy Green, one lucky winner will receive a copy of Tin God in print (US only) or ebook (international) format. Good luck to all who enter!

• No purchase necessary.
• Must be 18 years old or older to enter.
• Giveaway open to US residents for the print copy; open internationally for the ebook copy. Void where prohibited.
• Comments are appreciated, however, you must fill out the Rafflecopter form in order to enter this giveaway.
• Please read TBV's Giveaway Policy before entering.
• Giveaway ends 9:01 pm (Pacific Time) on 4/22/2013.

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