Author Archives: admin

Identity Withheld

Posted on by

I’m happy to announce that my latest novel, Identity Withheld, is now available as a pre-order, with a launch date of October 15. It is $1.99 during the pre-order period, after which it moves to $4.99. For the time being, only Kobo offers the preview feature.

AFTER A LIFETIME OF RUNNING FROM A MYSTERIOUS PAST, CLEO MUST NOW CONFRONT SECRETS THAT MIGHT KILL HER.

Kobo | Barnes and Noble | Apple | Amazon

Fredericton, New Brunswick: The sleepy town in Atlantic Canada is only the latest stop for Cleo Brennan’s nomad parents.

But Cleo’s tired of drifting from town to town. At 23, she wants a permanent home. She plans to settle in Vancouver once she finishes university. Let her parents keep wandering if they want. She’s done.

While she’s long suspected that her parents are running from something—or someone—suspicion only becomes fact when someone rams her parents’ car into the Saint John River.

Now Cleo must discover the identity of the shadowy individual threatening her parents’ lives… all while keeping an inquisitive detective at bay.

Then someone attacks Cleo and she must figure out, finally, what sent her parents running so long ago—before those behind the secret kill her.

Readers who enjoy strong characters who overcome overwhelming odds will love Cleo’s story.  Don’t miss out on Identity Withheld, a standalone novel by the author of the Mendenhall Mystery series.

BUY LINKS: Kobo | Barnes and Noble | Apple | Amazon

Getting Justice Storybundle

Posted on by

I’m thrilled to report that my “women’s thriller” novel, Shelter, is featured in the Getting Justice Storybundle for the next three weeks. I’m in excellent company, with seven other novels plus two short story collections, all featuring mysteries that deal with justice. Here’s what Curator Dean Smith has to say, in part, about the bundle:

JUSTICE: A GREAT WORD: by Dean Wesley Smith

I learned that if you ask a writer for a story about justice, you get all kinds of books and genres. But mostly when you say the word “Justice” you get mystery and crime fiction.

And that was fine by me. To be honest, that’s what I thought of when I started putting together a bundle of books with the theme “Getting Justice.”

Turns out the concept of justice isn’t so easy to define. I know, I ended up looking it up. The most common term in the many definitions is “fair.” For example, the best definition in my mind for the idea of justice is “the quality of being just, impartial, or fair…”

But when you add the word “Getting” in front of the word “Justice” it brings up an entirely different form of story.

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.

  • Unexpected Good Guys by Annie Reed
  • Independent by Means of Magic by Kari Kilgore
  • Shelter by Marcelle Dubé
  • Justice by Fiction River

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all four of the regular books, plus six more books, for a total of 10!

  • The Meter’s Always Running by C.A. Rowland
  • Help Me Nora by Diana Deverell
  • Beyond the Grave by R.W. Wallace
  • Death by Polka by Robert Jeschonek
  • Ace High by Dean Wesley Smith
  • Street Justice by Kris Nelscott

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (epub, mobi) for all books!

For Dean’s complete essay, visit storybundle.com.

Holy cow. I won.

Posted on by

I guess it’s official. They announced it on YouTube and everything. I won the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for my short story, “Cold Wave.”

Forgive me for bragging a little. The judges called “Cold Wave” a “mini masterpiece,” and said the story had “pitch-perfect pacing” and that “the humour is delightful.”

To say I’m pleased is an understatement.

The best part is that the story was published in Sisters in Crime – Canada West’s inaugural anthology, Crime Wave. And not only that, one of my chapter sisters, Winona Kent, was also nominated for her novella, “Salty Dog Blues.” Now that’s a feather in our cap.

Thank you all for your kind congratulations. It’s much appreciated. I would like to congratulate the winners in the other categories. You will find them all listed in the Crime Writers of Canada news release.

BUY LINKS: Amazon | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | Apple

Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence

Posted on by

Holy cow. I’m a finalist for the 2021 Canadian Crime Writers Awards of Excellence in the short story category:

Best Crime Short Story sponsored by Mystery Weekly with a $300 prize

• Marcelle Dubé, Cold Wave, Sisters in Crime – Canada West

• Twist Phelan, Used to Be, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

• Zandra Renwick, Killer Biznez, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

• Sylvia Maultash Warsh, Days Without Name, Carrick Publishing

• Sarah Weinman, Limited Liability, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine

I am in excellent company. The best part? The nomination is for Cold Wave, a story that appeared in the Sisters in Crime Canada West inaugural anthology, Crime Wave. My sister in crime, Winona Kent, is nominated in the novella category, for her Salty Dog Blues, which also appeared in Crime Wave.

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes and Noble

You can find the complete list here: https://www.crimewriterscanada.com/awards/annual-awards/current-contest/shortlists

The winners in each category will be announced on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Wish me luck!

My first podcast!

Posted on by

The wonderful Joanna Vander Vlugt, host of the From the Dressing Room podcast, is featuring the authors of the Sisters in Crime Canada West Crime Wave anthology, which includes my own “Cold Wave.” It was my very first podcast and it was a lot of fun to meet the other authors in the anthology: K.L. Abrahamson, J.E. Barnard, Alice Bienia, Debra Henry, Winona Kent, Charlotte Morganti and Merrilee Robson.

Pop in and listen, if you have a moment.

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes and Noble