BookQW = KICK

SIMPLY TO DIE FOR

Where danger and secrets lurk around every corner.

“You keep thinking, Detective, because as of now I’m taking this out of your jurisdiction.” She turned to Jackie, “You got all that?”
   “Damn straight,” Jackie said, thumping the door against his side once more. “I’ll call in Lee from forensics and put my best people on the case. Plus I got that information you wanted.”
  Clar nodded, heading toward the door. Jackie bumped it against Cameron again and Clar slipped past him.
    “Now wait just a minute,” Cameron bellowed.
   “Like I said, arrest me or I’m gone. When you feel like actually cooperating and solving this case, I’m sure you can figure out where to find me.” She walked away on that exit line proud that she didn’t give in to her urge to kick him. Now she just had to rescue Levi, solve a murder, figure out who was out to get her, and work with Jimmy O’Brien. He looked just as wonderful as the day she told him to get the hell away from her and stay away. Damn, one of these days …

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/4Nl9GJ

New Release June 13, 2025

 

Ravenclaw Manor

Friday, June 13

Late 1800s

 

E

ighty-year-old Felicity Firestone dipped the tip of the brush into the watercolor for the last time, smiling at the reflection in the mirror. The tear slipping down her cheek reflected the lie of her smile. Nothing would ever be the same now that love had broken her heart for the last time.

Like the others before Samuel, Felicity only had to look in the mirror to see the reflections of those who broke promises of loving her forever.

“You’re all mine forever and no woman will ever come between us again,” she chanted repeatedly with each brush stroke.

As the last bit of color on Samuel’s image glided across the tarnished surface, the antique gold mirror crackled into thirteen pieces, each broken section a reflection of one of the twelve man who had broken her heart.

The well-used horse-hair brush slipped from her fingers and Felicity’s soul faded into the thirteenth broken piece, her reflection alongside those she loved and were betrayed by.

 

Ravenclaw Manor
Friday, June 13, 2025

 

C

arousel Ryder pulled onto the road leading to Ravenclaw Manor, flashing red lights reflecting inside her car. Parking next to the wrought iron fence meant to keep people out as much as to keep them in, Cari knew the coroner’s vehicle meant one thing.

Death.

When she’d started on this journey some months ago to learn more about the legend of a the Ravenclaw haunted mirror, she didn’t think that it would lead to finding death on the manor’s door. But there it was, mocking her efforts yet again.

Another dead end—no pun intended—for her to work through.

All her research surrounding the disappearance of Felicity Firestone, the one-time heiress to the Firestone fortune, always led Cari back to Ravenclaw. And then there were the rumors of Felicity being a practitioner of the black arts, the disappearance of twelve men who at one time or another had romanced her. Could one of those twelve have fathered the only child of Felicity Firestone?

Knock. Knock.

Cari jumped. She was so deep in thought that she never noticed someone stood next to her car door.

“Can I help you?” she asked after rolling the window down several inches.

“You need to move your car. This is a crime scene,” the handsome dark-haired man with a far too serious look said with an air of privileged authority.

“By whose authority? I’m parked on the street, not on the property,” she huffed, daring him to challenge her.

“This is my property, and you need to get off of it,” the man quietly ordered, his gaze piercing hers.

“I’m supposed to meet someone here,” Cari said, pulling out a slip of paper from her notebook. “A man by the name of Jackson F. Clairmont.”

“And you are?”

“Carousel Ryder, I’ve been doing research on the disappearance of Felicity Firestone in the 1800s.” Cari answered, closing her notebook. “Do you know Mr. Clairmont?” 

 

KU / 99¢ : https://bit.ly/3EO7W4Z / Print

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BookQW = CRAVE

 SIMPLY TO DIE FOR

Where danger and secrets lurk around every corner.

Clar’s stomach churned, the sour bile fighting to find a way up and through her mouth. If the rumblings didn’t settle down soon, she’d likely drown in her own vomit. She took deep breaths, one at a time, through her nose until the rolling ceased. At least for the time being.
     “I think we’ve had enough conversation for now. I can only imagine how tired you must be and crave the need to rest.”
      The vehicle slid to a stop, slamming Clar between the seat and floorboards. The door Clar’s head was lodged against swung open. The heat of the day washed over her. A sweet smell enveloped her nose and mouth. Clar fell back into the peaceful sleep she’d woke from several minutes before. The sound of evil laughter chasing her down the rabbit’s hole.

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/4Nl9GJ

BookQW = Tight

THIRTEEN REFLECTIONS

A Friday the 13^th Story #7

Some mirrors don’t just reflect the world.

They trap souls.

And once you look in... something else might be looking back. 

“Me?” Jax asked surprised.

“No. The spirit was talking through you. She meant me,” Cari said, biting her lower lip.

“You? Why would she want you?” Jax asked, his mouth as dry as the Sahara Desert.

“I’m not sure, but there really is only one way to find out,” Cari said, pointing to the mirror.

“That mirror gazing you were telling me about? Is that dangerous?” Jax asked, his muscles tight and ready to fight if need be. He hadn’t felt this protective of someone in years.

“It might be, but only if I fall too deep and you don’t pull me out,” Cari said, tilting her head and pausing for a second. “I have every confidence that you won’t let anything happen to me.”

 

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Print Coming June 13, 2025
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BookQW = Deep

THIRTEEN REFLECTIONS

A Friday the 13^th Story #7

Some mirrors don’t just reflect the world.

They trap souls.

And once you look in... something else might be looking back.

Cari peeked around a window frame, her gaze scanning the large empty room with a huge vacant China cupboard until she glimpsed the chalk outline on the foyer floor. She held back a small sob. A shadow caught the corner of her eye and she sprung away from the window, a breath lodged in her throat.

Counting slowly to ten to calm her racing heart, she chanced looking again in time to see Jax go to his knees and begin cleaning up the outline of the victim. As he continued scrubbing, Cari’s gaze traveled over to the mirror behind him. A shadow reflected eerily in the antique glass when a cloud moved across the sun behind her.

She gasped. For a fleeting moment, she could have sworn there was a face staring back at her from deep inside one of the fractured pieces of the mirror. When she blinked, the image was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

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BookQW = Need

 

THIRTEEN REFLECTIONS

A Friday the 13^th Story #7

 Some mirrors don’t just reflect the world.

They trap souls.

And once you look in... something else might be looking back.

“You need to move your car. This is a crime scene,” the handsome dark-haired man with a far too serious look said with an air of privileged authority.
     “By whose authority? I’m parked on the street, not on the property,” she huffed, daring him to challenge her.
     “This is my property, and you need to get off of it,” the man quietly ordered, his gaze piercing hers.
     “I’m supposed to meet someone here,” Cari said, pulling out a slip of paper from her notebook. “A man by the name of Jackson F. Clairmont.”
     “And you are?”
     “Carousel Ryder, I’ve been doing research on the disappearance of Felicity Firestone in the 1800s.” Cari answered, closing her notebook. “Do you know Mr. Clairmont?”

KU / 99¢ : https://bit.ly/3EO7W4Z

Print Available June 13, 2025

13Stories13Authors

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BookQW = Made

THIRTEEN REFLECTIONS

(A Friday the 13^th Story #7)

Some mirrors don’t just reflect the world.

They trap souls.

And once you look in... something else might be looking back. 

Jax knew her words meant exactly what they were intended to. She was in fact accusing him of possibly hampering the investigation of whatever happened at Ravenclaw tonight. 

He was used to it. Everyone always seemed to accuse him of being able to keep his family name out of the papers. Sometimes with success thanks to the cameras and security alarms he’d had installed. But tonight wasn’t going to be one of those times.

This time, someone died, and he’d have to explain how the young lady had made her way into his ancestral home. A home that hadn’t had a living soul in it for more years than he could count.

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BookQW = Jaw

THE QUEEN

One of the Ever-After Stories

She blew me off, but I’m not about to let her. I’ve got to know who she was. This driving force pierced my heart, urging me into a boldness I gave up years ago. Now that I’m this close, I have to get a better look at her face, but the damn fog decided to lift, and I squinted just to catch what I could.

I offered my hand, hoping she’d wrap dainty fingers around it. “Hey, I’m pretty rude. My name is Cole, Cole Masterson.” The sun dipped behind a cloud and out of my eyes for a moment.

The surprised look on her face took nothing away from the softness at the corners of her mouth. There was a sweetness fluttering gently along her jawline and around the curve of her chin, framing her simple yet amazingly attractive face.

“Cole Masterson of G.H.O.S.T.?” Her laugh was like a songbird, light and feathery. “Well, seems the joke’s on me this morning. Please forgive my rudeness.”

She knows me? I must’ve looked as perplexed as I felt because she giggled again. Her smile lit up her face and eyes, and I melted before her.

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/b5zeLA

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BookQW = Long

THE QUEEN 

One of the Ever-After Stories

Climbing out of the taxi, I was dwarfed by her shadow, and more intrigued than I wanted to admit, being a skeptic.

I handed over my bags to the bell captain and stepped into the elevator outside the ship. Once on A-Deck, I slowly walked through the door and into another era. An era of 1930s glitz and glamour with a week’s worth of ocean as a backdrop. The floors gleamed and the shops glimmered with a long-forgotten style. Okay, so we’re basically in dry dock, but we are surrounded by water, and most of it the Pacific Ocean, so it was like I was about to sail away on a transatlantic adventure.

And, strangely, it felt like coming home as I boarded the ship I’d never stepped foot upon until this moment. A chill crept through me as a picture of those glamour years danced before my eyes and the iconic Titanic flitted through my mind—minus sinking into freezing cold water, of course. I was entering another world, and I felt it down to my bones.

I walked over to check in, sure the chill was anything but déjà vu. The smarmy desk clerk beamed at me, no doubt glad of the publicity I might bring to this floating hotel.

“Welcome aboard the Queen Mary, Mr. Masterson. We’ve worked hard to meet all your requirements, including making sure the other guests will not interfere with your investigation. You’ll be staying starboard side in room A105.” He handed me the keycard, then pointed toward a hallway just past a small lounge. “Enjoy your stay with us.”

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/b5zeLA

13 Reflections: A Friday the 13th Story

In Thirteen Reflections, Cari convinces Jax to let her use the Psychomanteum technique, or Mirror-Gazing. I first saw this technique in an episode of Kindred Spirits, where the paranormal investigators used it during an investigation.

Mirror Gazing was originally used in ancient Greece to contact the dead and to be able to communicate with deceased loved ones.

Here are a few links to read more about mirror gazing:

1.    Using Psychomanteum Gazing as a Method to Establish Communication with Spirits

2.    How can I have Afterlife Communication; Explore Psychomanteum

3.    Psychomanteum (Mirror-Gazing) | Psi Encyclopedia

Several 2025 Friday the Thirteenth stories are currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $0.99 or “free” with KU, with a June 13, 2025, release date. You can reserve your copy of “Thirteen Reflections” here:  Amazon/KU

BookQW = Win

THE QUEEN

One of the Ever-After Stories

What the hell? Now I was hearing ghosts? I rushed along in a hurry to get below deck.

Peering into the dim, yellowish light cast over the iron steps, I looked back, straining to see the presence that may have touched my soul for a brief moment. The light scent of lavender perfume and the faint sounds of swing music drifted over to me.

Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes, feeling transported back to the war years, hearing the moans of the sick, the tender voices of the nurses, the motion of the ocean.

Shivering, I opened my eyes, deliberately pulling away from someone else’s memories. I couldn’t let myself fall into the past or I might not come back. 

Where the hell had that thought come from? You’re the ghost disprover, remember? Get it together man, I told myself, then turned and descended into what may have been a living hell for some soldiers.

“QM, 2:30 a.m., Isolation Ward,” I said directly into the recorder.  

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/b5zeLA

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BookQW = Down

THE QUEEN

One of the "Ever After" Stories

Male voices, seeped in pain, filtered through my mind. Pictures of men lying with bandages around various limbs flooded my memory banks, and I couldn’t blink them away. All of them were looking to me for help, answers, and God knew what else they thought I could provide. I needed to close my mind, lock the visions out. Only then would I dare look around once more.

I’m not sure what was going on, except I needed to get a grip.

“I hope you don’t mind if I take some pictures.” Taking a deep breath, I put the camera on burst mode, then held down the button, taking several photos continuously. Whatever was out there should show up on one of these pictures. At least, I hoped so.

“Dr. Masterson?”

The soft female voice sent a warm current through me. I turned toward it, clicking more photos as I did so. Her voice was so sweet, soothing, and gentle—and at the same time, arousing. My body hardened, and something told me it wasn’t the first time with her around. A current of heat soared through me as I gazed at the watery image of a captivating dark-haired woman in a crisp white nurse’s uniform. Her gaze one of familiarity pricked at my senses.

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/b5zeLA

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BookQW = Game

THE QUEEN 

One of the “Ever After” stories. 

There was only one way to test her theory, but was she brave enough? Goodness, yes! He was worth risking her heart and her virtue. Somehow, she’d have to get him into bed. Once they made love, he’d remember her. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. Making him remember the summer they’d spent healing the sick and wounded was the only way to pass them both on to eternity together.

He frowned and spoke into the device again.

“Look, I’m not going to hang out here, waiting for you to make yourself known any longer. If you want to play games, it’ll have to wait until another night.”

He turned away, and she couldn’t resist touching his arm lightly, getting only a tingle as she came up against the barrier of his skin. It only made her ache all the more to touch his warm, mahogany skin, like a drunk looking for her whiskey bottle.

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/b5zeLA

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April 2025 Book Birthday!

THE QUEEN

One of the “Ever After” stories.

This assignment has become two-fold and personal. Not only would I be able to do what I loved—dissecting hauntings—but now I’ll also be able to find out if, in fact, the stories about my great-grandfather were true and not the ramblings of a lonely physician treating the wounded during World War II. 

According to the tattered journal packed safely between my socks and underwear, my great-grandfather, Dr. William Masterson, fell in love with an English nurse while caring for the wounded aboard this ship called The Grey Ghost during the Second World War. He went on leave, promising to return for the young lady the next time The Ghost came into port.  

RETAILERS: https://books2read.com/u/b5zeLA

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BookQW "Fire"

#BookQW is from SIMPLY TO DIE FOR where danger and secrets lurk around every corner.

“You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Andres.”

Clar and the rest of them left the room to allow the doctor to do his job. Levi was alive! In her mind, the biggest hurdle had just been crossed. Fate was not going to take another person she loved and cared for, not this time, not while there was breath in her body.

“As soon as the doctor comes back out, I’m going in there to question him.” Cameron pulled out a small notebook and pen, his warning glance sweeping over them as they huddled in the hallway. “I want no interference at all. I want you all to stay out here. I don’t want anyone influencing his words.”

“If you think for one minute I’m letting you alone with him you are absolutely out of your mind!” Clar hissed, her back facing Levi’s room, guarding it from the dragon waiting to light it on fire.

 

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Friday the 13th March Promo

Do you remember standing in front of a mirror, in the dark, and chanting “Mary Worth. Mary Worth. Mary Worth” repeatedly hoping that Bloody Mary would show her face to you and your friends?

Well, I do and my first Friday the Thirteenth story, Thirteen Reflections, is inspired by it. But before we go any further, let’s get a bit of history about the legend, and folklore, behind the mirror.

Seems there are several possible historical figures behind the myth of Bloody Mary, or Mary Worth to some. One of them is Queen Mary 1 of England. You see the Queen was ruthless and burned to death 280 Protestants alive during her reign. She also ordered several heads to be rolled off the executioner’s block. Had the Queen inherited her father’s thirst for blood?

Here are a few links to read more about the legend behind the folklore of Bloody Mary aka Mary Worth:

1)      Who Is Bloody Mary? The Truth Behind The Creepy Urban Legend

2)      Where did the Legend of Bloody Mary come from? | How Stuff Works

3)      Bloody Mary and Mary Worth – Mysterious Chicago

4)      Bloody Mary (folklore) - Wikipedia

Several 2025 Friday the Thirteenth stories are currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $0.99 or “free” with KU with a June 13, 2025, release date. You can reserve your copy of “Thirteen Reflections” here: Amazon/KU