scarletdarkwoodDeath By Design is Published!
My first crime/suspense novel has been published, and I must admit that it’s my favorite so far. Someone described it as twisted, dark, and beautiful. There’s a lot of diversity in this book, but I didn’t write diversity or attempt it because I wanted to tick off “diversity” on a bucket list of things to include in a book–just to say I did it.
I wrote some of the ethnicities from personal experience, like purchasing beads from Asian vendors, who are may favorites. I had a Russian neighbor before he moved, and he was a nice man. My store is real. While I have no employees, we do have African-American customers. I used to work with a man who was an ex-FBI agent.
There is one particular element in this book that is also true. I had a customer come in my store several years ago and tell me the same thing one of the characters did in the book. Yes, read it to find out. Her story set up the foundation for this book, once I decided that I was going this route. (My original plan was to have the main character draw “tattoo” designs on people with poisoned ink, but decided on the final way I chose instead).
There are disturbing scenes in this book. Though there is sex–it’s fast and quick. Like several other books I’ve written, this is not an erotica book, more an erotic romance. The MC eventually has a boyfriend, but the sex isn’t really described all that much when I present it as the entry for a chapter.
When you’re half way through the story, you ask yourself how much more can there possibly be to hold the interest level. Trust me, it’s there. And the ending is an unusual surprise for such a dark read. There’s enough to keep you turning pages. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
