The first in my How To series is doing so well. The second in the series will be out some time in 2013. In the meantime, I am also working on another cozy series, entitled, the Who’s Who Series and I am SO excited about this. Leave me a message. Happy New Year and keep checking in. I’ll keep everyone up to date here, on GR and FB. No time to waste, off to write I go.
Blessings,
Terri Ann
Hello everyone,
My How To series starring Lily Aster and Detective Anthony Falcetti has begun with “How to Plant a Body”. The second installment will be out in early 2013, “How to Bury a Body”.. Lily is mouthy and sarcastic, but she has a very big heart. Falcetti is a man on a mission, find the bad guys. He and Lily don”t mix well when a dead body is found in her family’s greenhouse and she’s bound and determined to find the truth with or without the help of the local police in Grangeville, Idaho.
Join Lily and Falcetti as they try to do what the feel they need to without getting in each others way. This series is fun and flirty and a great cozy to, well, cozy up to while drinking your favorite beverage on a quiet evening or a lazy afternoon. Enjoy.
Blessings,
Terri Ann
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 brings the release of the third and final book of my Menace Trilogy and my interview in Donald Allen Kirch’s newsletter along with my 47th. birthday. The trifecta! Check out my FB page, Twitter, Red Room and Goodreads. Then, go to Amazon and anywhere ebooks are sold and get your copy! It is my dream that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!! Thank you.
The time is drawing near. The third and final chapter in the Menace trilogy, “Maternal Menace” will be out soon. It is the end of a story that has cone full circle.
If you haven’t read the first two books, “Morning Menace” and ”Medieval Menace”, take the time to purchase and download your e-book version today. You’ll want to be up to date when the final book comes out. Each book intensifies in terror and suspense and the third promises to be the best with a final line that will blow…your…mind!
Don’t miss what everyone’s talking about. Check out my website at www.freewebs.com/tarmstrong and see some of the reviews for the first two books. I will soon be putting up my advance praises for book three for you to see how great it promises to be. It will not disappoint!
Blessings,
Terri Ann
As far as the gentlemen go, do you find it hard to write a female character? I would imagine the other side of the coin is just as difficult. Some men think if you make her cry a lot and yell when she’s not crying, poof, instant woman! While everything has a place, that’s not all that makes a woman, a woman. Just like drinking beer, belching and scratching places better scratched in private, isn’t all that makes a man, a man.
I was curious if other authors had the same problems I do. As I’ve written more and more and read other author’s comments about the process, I realize all that I go through isn’t so rare or unique. Every author has the same issues, some more than others, but we all have moments as authors that no other profession does. Good or bad it’s what we deal with, and how lucky are we to be recognized for what we love to do?
Blessings and happy writing,
Terri Ann Armstrong
“Medieval Menace” by Terri Ann Armstrong:
“Don’t go to sleep!”
What a wonderful sequel to an already great story! Terri Ann Armstrong is a master at both thrillers and the macabre. In a way, this novel reminds me of the classic motion picture Gaslight. Cursed with mental blackouts, while sleepwalking, the protagonist has to deal with a hell of a lot of frightening possibilities, least of which, her sanity! A Hitchcock-like thriller best read with the doors and windows locked.
Reviewed by Donald Allen Kirch, author of “Manchester House” and “The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight” http://www.donaldallenkirch.com
“Morning Menace” is selling very well, and “Medieval Menace”, the second book in my Menacing Trilogy will be out in February so you can continue to read the story. Every book brings you closer to the Trilogy’s climactic end that will leave you gasping and hoping for more. Will there be more? I honestly don’t know. The series was so fun to write and in all honesty, it began as a single book and then just took on a life of it’s own. I love it when that happens!
I hope you’ve all enjoyed it and continue to enjoy the trilogy as it becomes available. It’s been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my writing career. I think it’s because it was my first in many ways. My first mystery, my first trilogy and my first shot at a true novel. I’m very proud of that and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you all for your continued support. I look forward to entertaining you for many years to come with my imagination.
Before long, February will be upon us and the second book, “Medieval Menace”, from my Menacing Trilogy will be coming out! I’m so excited. If you haven’t check out the first, “Morning Menace” has been out for a while and doing well. If you haven’t taken some time to read it, now’s the best time since the second will be out soon. You can download it to your PC or Kindle from Amazon for only $1.59. Add it to your library today and keep up with the story as it moves along with big surprises and mystery along the way.
Happy new year!
Wow…2011! What a difference a year makes! I am alive and blessed to be surrounded by wonderful, warm, loving people in my life. This year proves to be even better. In February, the second book in my Menacing Trilogy, “Medieval Menace” will be coming out in e-book format. For my readers, I am giving you a sneak peek at what’s to come by posting the Preface and Chapter One right here for you to read in advance. Enjoy!
PREFACE
Starleen needed a distraction. The last book she read helped take her away from her troubles, but once she finished it, the troubles came back with a vengeance. Today was her fourth session with therapist, Doctor Geoffrey Harmon, PhD. She liked him, but found him rather annoying at times. He was insistent that she write in her journal and take those horrible meds he prescribed.
Killer, her toy Chihuahua was jumping all over her, as she was getting ready to leave.
“Get down, boy; I have to go. Don’t worry, I’ll be back and we can go on a walk together,” she said, convinced he understood every word.
She opened the door just a crack—so Killer wouldn’t get out—squeezed through and quickly made her way to the bus stop.
It was early autumn and the leaves were just beginning to turn their fall hue. Red, gold, orange, yellow and brown sparsely adorned the trees threatening more change only days away.
Twenty-five minutes later, she walked into Doctor Harmon’s office.
“Good morning, Starleen. How are you today?”
“Same.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not really.”
“How can I help if you don’t tell me what’s on your mind?”
“You’re the doctor, you figure it out. Isn’t that why you went to some fancy school? You know, to earn that thing you have hanging on the wall?”
“It’s called a diploma,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I know that!”
“I worked hard for that thing. It’s your proof that I’m qualified to help you. Now why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind today?”
“Why? Do you really care?”
“I wouldn’t have agreed to take you on as a patient if I didn’t care.”
“How do I know you’re not just looking for a guaranteed paycheck from my insurance company?”
“You got me there,” he said chuckling. “I’ll tell you what; why don’t you give me a chance and see what we can accomplish together?”
“Fine,” she bellowed. “I was dating a man, Spencer; he had sex with me. I fell in love with him. Then I had to dump him when I caught him with another woman. When I go on my walks, I can’t remember where I’ve been and it’s starting to piss me off just a little,” she said holding her forefinger and thumb about one half inch apart to demonstrate. “Happy now?”
“That you told me something yes, but that you were obviously hurt…no.”
“What do you know,” she said turning her face to the window, “the doctor has a heart. I didn’t think any man had a heart, except my father.”
Trying to get her attention back toward him, he said, “Not every man is heartless you know.”
“Can’t prove it by me.”
“Starleen, you’re wasting my time and yours if you don’t open up a little. Tell me something about yourself, maybe then you’ll be comfortable enough to start getting to the root of your real problems.”
“The root of my real problems? I’ll tell you the root of my real problems. Spencer Knowles…and you! He deserves to be taught a lesson, a very painful lesson. His cronies deserve one too, always making nasty remarks and yelling at me when we’d go into the shop together.”
Starleen was a beauty. She stood five foot, ten inches tall, had long, brown hair, big, round, deep green eyes and a very trim little body. She wasn’t at all overweight. In fact, she was rather muscular for a woman. She liked lifting weights and training at the local gym. Her body had become quite sculpted over the past couple of years. The weight training had become a very positive outlet for her frustrations. It helped her concentrate on something that was just for her and kept her mind off of Spencer—if only for a short time.
“Is that it? I thought I was one of your problems,” he asked.
“I just need you to get off my back,” she barked.
“Okay, I can see we’re not going to get anywhere today. Why don’t you go home and come back to see me in a week.”
“Fine!”
“Starleen, come back with a better attitude or you will need to find another therapist. I don’t have the time to waste on someone who isn’t willing to work.”
“You’re good at your job right?” she asked sarcastically.
“Actually, I’m quite good, but if you don’t want to talk to me, why continue to come and just sit here? I learned a lot in college, but mind reading wasn’t one of them. I can give your scheduled appointment to another patient who really needs and wants my help. This is our fourth session and I know virtually nothing about you or why you started coming here. I can’t help if you don’t talk to me.”
Knowing he was right, she said, “I’ll be back next week.”
“Ready to work?”
“Yes, Doctor Harmon, ready to work.”
“Oh, Starleen…”
“Yes?”
“Don’t forget to take your medication.”
“To hell with the medication,” she said opening the door the leave.
“And write in that journal too,” he said, more as an order than a suggestion as she shut the door behind her.
CHATPER ONE
Walking down a narrow alley was never a smart thing to do, especially in this neighborhood, but Justin didn’t care. He was six foot one and tough enough to take care of himself no matter the circumstance.
With his car in sight, he stopped to light a cigarette. That single move turned out to be a serious mistake. Without warning, someone jumped him from behind, throwing a strong arm around his throat to strangle him. Justin dropped the cigarette, managed to break free and turned to face his attacker. Standing before him was a masked assailant, slightly smaller than he in stature, but incredibly determined. His attacker again lunged for Justin and grabbing his throat, knocked him to the ground.
Justin fought as hard as he could, but his attacker was relentless and eventually Justin passed out from the lack of oxygen. The assailant pulled him by the ankles to his car. Searching every pocket, the figure found Justin’s keys and put him in the trunk. Sliding in behind the wheel, the attacker took a few deep breaths to regain composure before calmly driving away.
Twenty minutes later, Justin’s car pulled up to an old abandoned warehouse that was once the local automotive dealership, O’Malley’s, now at a new location. Opening the trunk, the assailant dragged Justin’s still unconscious body to the giant door. The menace struggled for just a moment to get it open, but once inside, pulled Justin all the way to the back of the warehouse. It was dark with the exception of one, dim light hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room.
An hour later, Justin began to stir. Sitting up, he wanted to rub his throat to ease the aching he felt. It took him only a few seconds to realize he was not only handcuffed, but shackled to a chain-link belt that was secured around his waist. It was much like how he saw prisoners bound on the news. He belt had a short chain extension that was fastened to the wall as well, giving him limited ability to move away from it. He could see a darkened figure across the room. A searing rage engulfed him at seeing the person he believed did this to him.
“What the hell is going on?” he bellowed trying to break free of the chains.
“All will become clear when I’m ready to explain. Unfortunately for you, that time is not here yet.”
“You’re ready now, you freak!”
“I don’t think you have any choice, do you?”
Struggling to clear his mind and vision, Justin wasn’t able to identify any distinction in the voice. He correctly surmised that the assailant was using a voice-altering device in an attempt to mask his voice pattern.
“You’re a coward,” spat Justin.
“Coward?”
“You needed to knock me out and chain me up to be in control. That’s being a coward.”
“Perhaps by your definition; I prefer to think of it as…keeping things in order.”
“Why don’t you just tell me what this is all about so I can do what you want and be done with it,” Justin said feigning calmness.
“As I said, all will be revealed when I’m ready and not one moment sooner.”
Justin felt his anger and fear begin to stir once more.
Trying in futility to break free, he screamed, “Let me go!”
Ignoring Justin’s words, his captor asked, “You work with Spencer Knowles, don’t you?”
“I don’t speak freak, you’ll have to explain. What does this have to do with Spencer?”
Approaching with a syringe, the figure said, “Just making small talk, Justin. Now be a good boy and go to sleep.”
Shoving a hypodermic needle into Justin’s, the assailant injected the large dose of Valium he purchased on the street.
Waiting for the drug to work, the figure continued, “There’s no use trying to escape, you are now mine to do with as I please; sweet dreams.”
“Don’t leave me here, please!” he begged, trying to remain awake.
His captor only laughed quickly leaving Justin behind with the slamming of the heavy, warehouse door.
Hey all you avid readers and families of avid readers, have you figured out what to buy the reader in your family? Although books will be around, the wave of the future and the rave of the present are e-books and e-readers, i.e. Kindle, Sony e-reader, etc.
First, if they don’t have an e-reader, it makes a great gift. Sure, they are a little pricey, but considering what your average paperback and hardcover costs, buying an e-reader and then purchasing and downloading e-books will save literally thousands of dollars for someone who loves to get lost in a good book. And who doesn’t love to do that?
Once you buy the e-reader, you can download my “Morning Menace” for only $1.59 on Amazon. It’s the first installment of my Menacing Trilogy and will make a wonderful holiday gift. By downloading my book on the e-reader, you are giving two gifts in one, and, it’s a gift that will give day after day, year after year for the avid reader you love.
Happy holidays!
