“Bucket List” Book

Nike N. Chillemi

Of all the novels I’ve written, Blood Speaks is one of my favorites. It begins with private detective Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels driving to the Heritage Cove Inn in quaint Heritage Cove, nestled in the snowy mountains of Maryland. In previous novels, Ronnie did some work for the director of a clandestine government organization. Now its patrician director has given her a one-week bridal shopping vacation. This is right up my alley, as my career before my retirement was in the bridal industry. I traveled to bridal fairs in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Las Vegas, and of course represented my bridal firm in my home town, New York City. I know tulle from organza and particularly enjoyed writing the fitting scenes for the bridal gown and maids’ dresses.

Ronnie brings her two BFFs along with her on this trip. Of course, they are also her bridal attendants. Bertha Dagney is a beloved secondary character from the first novel in this series, Harmful Intent. Second only to Ronnie, readers have loved Bertha. She’s a fifty-something, plus-size committed Christian woman who became something of a mentor to Ronnie. Bertha is a sweetheart and readers were delighted when she fell in love and got married in the first novel. It’s the mystery writer in me, I guess. I can’t help myself. Since Bertha is so well loved, I had to put her through some very difficult challenges in Blood Speaks. When I was writing the scenes that were so harrowing for Bertha, I wondered if faithful readers would be angry with me, but so far, I haven’t heard anything like that. One male reviewer who’s read most of my novels calls them cozy thrillers. So, I guess my readers took it all in stride. No matter what happened to her, Bertha certainly never lost her Christian love walk.

This is the Christmas season, my favorite season of the year. I start decorating the day after Thanksgiving. I bake my mom’s Alaska Logs Christmas cookies every year. It’s tradition, and they’re so good. I have this thing. I don’t call it a “bucket list,” but one item that appeared on B “life journey list” was writing a Christmas murder mystery. Blood Speaks is that novel.

Blood Speaks is on sale until Christmas for 99 cents.

Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels, Brooklyn gal PI, waited a long time for the solitaire on her finger. When her sometimes boss, a shadowy figure and director of a secret government organization, offers a one-week bridal shopping vacay in Maryland she jumps at it.

Joined by bridesmaids, Sandra Daube and Bertha Dagney, Ronnie sets off for the village of Heritage Cove on Arrowhead Lake, Maryland. Their joyous stay at the rustic yet luxury Heritage Cove Inn is shattered by a murder with tendrils and a clandestine motive stretching back to the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

It doesn’t take long for Ronnie and her gal-pals to become targets of the killer. It goes without saying, Taylor County Deputy Sheriff, Lieutenant Dawson Hughes leaves Texas to protect his bride-to-be. He’s joined by Sandra’s employer, conservative political activist Ben Cohen. No obstacle can keep Gabby Hayes look-alike Hoot Dagney from the side of Bertha, his new bride. Find it on Amazon now!

Nike is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chair, a reader’s choice

awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She has been a judge in the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories; and an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category. Her four novel Sanctuary Point series (out of print), set in the mid-1940s has finaled, won an award, and garnered critical acclaim. The first novel in the Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels/Dawson Hughes series HARMFUL INTENT won in the Grace Awards 2014 Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller/Historical Suspense category. She has written book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and John 3:16 Marketing Network. Her newest endeavor is COURTING DANGER. https://nikechillemi.blog/

Nike, your Blood Speaks sounds like such a fun novel! Thank you for sharing and for offering a giveaway. Nike is giving away 1 ebook copy to a lucky commenter, so leave a question, thought, etc. for us and I will enter you. The winner will be drawn on December 26, 2018 at 1 PM EST. Good luck!

THE FINE PRINT: CONTEST VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. ONLY US RESIDENTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A PAPERBACK COPY. EACH COMMENTER IS ASSIGNED A NUMBER AND THE WINNER IS DRAWN USING RANDOM.ORG. WINNERS WILL HAVE TWO WEEKS FROM THE DATE OF THE DRAWING TO CLAIM THEIR PRIZE.

Opinions expressed in guest blogs are not necessarily the opinion of Sara L. Foust, nor an endorsement for guest’s books. I am happy to help fellow authors get the word out about their books, but have not necessarily read all of the ones that appear on my blog. However, guest’s books that appear on my blog have been represented to me as being in the clean-reads/Christian genre.