Friday, October 25, 2019

Excerpt reveal: 'The Fog Ladies,' by Susan McCormick




The Fog Ladies is a cozy murder mystery set in an elegant apartment building in San Francisco where old ladies start to die. Mrs. Bridge falls off a stool cleaning bugs out of her kitchen light. Mrs. Talwin slips on bubbles in the bath and drowns. The Pacific Heights building is turning over tenants faster than the fog rolls in a cool San Francisco evening.

Young, overworked, overtired, overstressed medical intern Sarah James has no time for sleuthing. Her elderly neighbors, the Fog Ladies, have nothing but time. Sarah assumes the deaths are the natural consequence of growing old. The Fog Ladies assume murder.

Sarah resists the Fog Ladies’ perseverations. But when one of them falls down the stairs and tells Sarah she was pushed, even Sarah believes evil lurks in their building. Can they find the killer before they fall victim themselves?




About the Author


Susan McCormick writes cozy murder mysteries. She is also the author of Granny Can’t Remember Me, a lighthearted picture book about Alzheimer’s disease. She is a doctor who lives in Seattle. She graduated from Smith College and George Washington University School of Medicine, with additional medical training in Washington, DC and San Francisco, where she lived in an elegant apartment building much like the one in the book. She served nine years in the military before settling in the Pacific Northwest. She is married and has two boys, plus a giant Newfoundland dog.


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The Fog Ladies

Prologue

Mrs. Bridge did not like bugs. Perched high up on the stool, she peered distastefully into the kitchen light. Living in an apartment building in San Francisco, she usually had no problem with bugs. But the light collected the creatures, motionless black blobs above her head.

If Tommy were anything like old Mr. Lemon, the handyman he replaced, there would be no bugs. Mr. Lemon had come by every few weeks to see if she needed something fixed. He did it with all the tenants, right from the time she moved in forty years ago when she was twenty-five. Old Mr. Lemon wasn’t above cleaning out bugs. Old Mr. Lemon wasn’t above anything. Not like Tommy.

When she’d first suggested to Tommy that he should clean out the bugs, he actually laughed. What impudence! The few times he had come, he’d shown up a week later, long after she’d done the task herself. What did she pay her rent for?

The whole building had gone downhill since Mr. Lemon died. It was a beautiful building in Pacific Heights, built in 1925, elegant and solid, with a slate floor in the lobby and etched glass windows. Mr. Lemon had washed those windows every week, just like he polished the brass and oiled the mahogany hall table. Tommy thought his job entailed keeping the elevator running and changing the light bulbs in the back staircase. He didn’t understand about a fine building. And he certainly showed no interest in helping with her bugs.

So Mrs. Bridge climbed up there herself. It wasn’t easy. The ceilings were high. She used a stool she found in the garage by the dumpster. It was meant to be a barstool, but its height was perfect for reaching the light fixture. She wore yellow rubber gloves and used wads of paper towels. Even though they were expensive. The whole process left her winded and she only did it every few months.

Stepping from her kitchen chair onto the barstool was the trickiest part. She had done it many times before and could balance pretty well once she touched the ceiling.
She always felt nervous at this point, hand over head, feet tight together on the small stool. Today, though, she felt an inexplicable dread.

If anything happened, she would blame Tommy. She found it ridiculous and humiliating that a sixty-five-year-old woman should have to clean bugs out of a light. 

She had seen Tommy that very day up on a sturdy new ladder probably purchased with her rent proceeds. Why couldn’t he do this for her? Or at least offer her the ladder. No respect for his elders, that’s why.

“Insolent youth.” Mrs. Bridge said. “Damn that Tommy.”

The stool jerked from under her. Mrs. Bridge felt herself fall. It seemed like slow motion, like she was falling from the roof deck and not from a stool in the kitchen. Falling, falling, long enough for her to see the figure standing nearby. Long enough for her to see his detached expression.

She landed hard. She heard the crack. She knew she was going to die. She studied the bugs in the light far over her head. The figure started to turn away.

She managed to speak and was surprised at how strong her voice sounded. “Sarah,” she blurted. He whirled around.

Mrs. Bridge was satisfied to see the shock on his face as she stared up and said, “Sarah saw you.”



Thursday, October 17, 2019

Out of the Mouths of Characters: Alastair Verne from Michael Okon's new urban fantasy, WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM

Today is Character Interview Day!  We have Alastair Verne of Michael Okon's new urban fantasy, WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM, with us today.  Enjoy! 


Late Night Interview with Alastair Verne, Lead Agent at the Witches Protection Program

Michael Okon: Hello! And welcome to the Late Show with Michael Okon!  Just kidding, I would never want to put Stephen Colbert out of work.  This is a show called LiveMike!  Today’s guest is a classic character from one of my most popular novels, Witches Protection Program. Would you please, put a warm welcome together for the one, the only, Alastair Verne!!

Alastair, 55, salt and pepper hair, inches over five feet, joins us. He’s an everyman but sticks out like a sore thumb with his trench coat and fedora.

MO: Mr. Verne…

AV: Please, Mr. Okon. I would hate to correct you but Mr. Verne is my father. I give you full permission to call me Alastair.

MO: Why thank you Alastair!  So, Witches Protection Program…

AV: …The one and only…

MO: The one and only Witches Protection Program. I hear you have a new partner.

AV: Indeed. I have been so fortunate to be named as a partner to Mr. Wesley Paul Rockville.

MO: How did that come about?

AV: Well, being that I work for a secret government agency, I’m not at liberty to say. But I can certainly tell you there was an incident regarding some transport that went…a little haywire.

MO: How “haywire” did it get?

AV: You are quite clever Mr. Okon. I like you. All I can say is, my partner was told not to look at the inmate in the eyes.

MO: And what happened?

AV: Read the reports in Witches Protection Program and you will know exactly what I’m talking about.

MO: I certainly will.  Now your first assignment with the rookie…

AV: Ah yes,  Pendragon Cosmetics.

MO: What was going on behind the scenes at Pendragon?

AV: From what my sources have told me, an evil and powerful witch named Bernadette Pendragon has put her DNA in a face-cream to sell all over the world.

MO: What’s the problem with that?

AV: She wanted to enslave and punish all men on earth.

(Silence)

MO: All men?

AV: Every single one of them.  Including you.

MO: (Gulp)

AV: You don’t mess with a Category 10 Willa.

MO: Define Willa for our readers in reader land.

AV: There are two factions of witches…some say there is actually a third but we have yet to find them. Back to the two known types, the Davina and the Willa.  The Davina are women in the arts and sciences who contribute productively to society.  And the Willa…

MO: Not so good…

AV: I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Willa are seeking world domination. They are destructive and seductive and will stop at nothing to get what they want.  When a Davina is threatened by a Willa, it is our duty in the WPP to protect them.

MO: Now Morgan…

AV: Hmmm, Morgan Pendragon. Lovely girl.

MO: Are you familiar with her?

AV: You can say that.

MO: How so?

AV: Let’s just say I’ve read a lot about her in the tabloids.  Life must be hard being a twenty-something heiress to a billion-dollar empire.

MO: Is she a Willa or Davina?

AV: Next question.

MO: (Clears throat). What’s next for you and Agent Rockville?

AV: I’ve already been told there are some new adventures and mysteries up ahead.

MO: Care to elaborate?

AV: My dear Mr. Okon. As a defender of the craft, it is my duty to ensure all Davina are kept in a safe and secure environment without the threat of Willa interference.  I cannot divulge information, except for the fact that there is a hitman witch lurking in upstate New York, near an old cabin outside Binghampton, I’m told.  Our responsibility is to investigate.

MO: And after that?

AV: You are quite the curious cat, Mr. Okon.

MO: I’m very creative.

AV: (Eye roll) Right. Anyway, Wes and I have a large function to attend at the Museum of Natural History. Wes’s super brilliant sister has just been named the Attorney General. She apparently has some big things in store for our department.

MO: Care to elaborate?

AV: Not at this time.  That should be all.

Alastair yanks off the mic and walks away.

MO: Well you heard it here folks!  That was Alastair Verne, lead agent in the Witches Protection Program.  Seems like, with the first case just about closed, there are going to be MANY more adventures for him and Wes Rockville with the Witches Protection Program.  I can’t wait to find out more!!


Meet the Author

Michael Okon
Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.
Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.

★WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS★



 

Inside the Book

Witches Protection Program anim
Title: WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM
Author: Michael Okon
Publisher: WordFire Press
Pages: 200
Genre: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
BOOK BLURB:
Wes Rockville, a disgraced law-enforcement agent, gets one last chance to prove himself and save his career when he’s reassigned to a 232-year-old secret government organization.
The Witches Protection Program.
His first assignment: uncover a billion-dollar cosmetics company’s diabolical plan to use witchcraft for global domination, while protecting its heiress Morgan Pendragon from her aunt’s evil deeds. Reluctantly paired with veteran witch protector, Alastair Verne, Wes must learn to believe in witches…and believe in himself.
Filled with adventure and suspense, Michael Okon creates a rousing, tongue-in-cheek alternate reality where witches cast spells and wreak havoc in modern-day New York City.

Praise:

Witches Protection Program is a great summer choice, ideal for beach or poolside reading, and with elements of romance, action, crime, and fantasy, there’s a little something for everyone to enjoy.”—Foreword Reviews
“…mixes predictable elements–corporate intrigue, sexy witches, cat familiars, car chases, family secrets, and steampunk weaponry–into an enjoyable story.’—Publisher’s Weekly
“Cleverly offbeat, often cheeky, and loads of fun.”Kirkus
WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM is a fun and quick read, and the out-of-the-norm narrative choices make the novel feel like something wonderfully subversive.” – IndieReader
Witches Protection Program is a unique gem, one that’s fast-paced with twists, action, and fun characters.” – Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers’ Favorite, Five Star Review
Witches Protection Program will hook you if not for the action, then the romance and if not for the romance, then the sheer humor, what with its funny dialogue.” – Liezl Ruiz, NetGalley Reviewer

★★★★★ORDER YOUR COPY★★★★★

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