We are so excited to bring you not only a guest post from Lauren Carr, author of the Mac Faraday and Thorny Rose mysteries, but also an excerpt of Lauren's latest novel, Kill and Run. The first book in the Thorny Rose Detective series, Kill and Run is due out September 4th!
The Thorny Rose Detectives— Imperfect Perfect Couple
Guest Post
By Lauren Carr
Have you ever met the perfect couple? You know the type. The
man is eye candy to the ladies. The woman has a perfect figure and a fabulous
wardrobe.
Not only that, but they actually sync with each other. They are
able to communicate without words. They each know what the other is thinking
and are in complete agreement.
In other words, they never argue.
They complement each other. Where he is weak, she is strong.
I’m talking about the type of couples that make you look at
your own spouse and think, “Cupid had to have been SUI (Shooting Under the
Influence) when he shot those arrows to bring us together.”
The reality is this—there’s no such thing as a perfect
couple. That’s okay.
Imperfect couples have
more fun—especially when they are in the early phases of learning about each
other. Some of my husband’s and my funnest times have been when we were
learning amazing and scary things about each other. After twenty-six years of marriage,
our fondest memories are of those less-than-perfect moments where we would
discover something new, exciting, and Oh-My-Gosh-Are-You-Kidding-Me? about each
other.
One fight that I still love to tell people about today
occurred on our first anniversary.
My mother had rented a beach house on the Outer Banks for us
to vacation at for a week. In October, the weather was still warm enough to lay
out on the beach. Yet, it was off season, so we pretty much had the place to
ourselves.
This was when I discovered that my husband does not like
laying out on the beach doing nothing! Before we left to go on our vacation to
relax, my husband had made a list of everything we were going to do during our
week long getaway. By day four, we had completed everything on his list. Yet,
we still had three days left to our seven day rental—which was all paid for by
my mother!
“Okay, so we completed everything on our list. Now we can
lay on the beach and relax,” I replied when my hubby said he was ready to go
home.
Showing me his list, he said, “We did that on Saturday. Time
to go home.”
“Then let’s do it again,” I said.
“You mean lay on the beach all day, every day, for the rest
of our vacation … doing nothing?”
You would have thought I had suggested robbing a bank—naked!
That was when I discovered, one year after we were married,
that my husband will never make a good beach bum. If I want to do nothing on my
vacation, I need to do it alone or take one of my less energetic friends along.
This is the case for Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica
Faraday, my newlywed detectives of the Thorny Rose Mysteries. They are not in
perfect sync with each other. A graduate of the Naval Academy, Murphy is an
officer who prides himself of being in perfect control—especially when it comes
to his diet. He is a pescatarian. He eats fish, but no other meat. He believes
in clean eating, staying away from dairy, refined sugar, and other goodies.
Meanwhile, Jessica enjoys chocolate Pop-Tarts for breakfast.
Married only four months, they are still in the discovery
phase of their relationship, which leads to some lively, even sexy banters in Kill and Run, which you can enjoy in
this excerpt below:
On Pennsylvania Avenue, Jessica Faraday
restrained herself from checking the time on her cell resting next to her
clutch bag on the table top. It was way after seven o’clock and she was alone
at the table for two at the Four Seasons. She had reserved a table next to the
windows that provided an excellent night view of Washington, D.C., in all its
dazzling glory.
She was alone—just her and her purple martini.
Murphy was late.
Suck it up, Buttercup. You married a hunk who is
passionate about doing whatever it takes to make things right. The gold of
her wedding band caught in the glow of the lit candle on the table. She wrapped
her fingers—tipped with elegantly painted fingernails sporting hand-painted
violets—around the stem of her martini glass and took a sip. If it means
being late for your celebratory dinner, so be it. This is only the first of
probably a long line of missed dates.
Her violet eyes lit up at the sight of the handsome man
in his white uniform rounding the corner with the host. When he flashed his
charming grin, complete with dimples in both cheeks, her heart skipped a beat.
Catching her breath, she wet her lips and smoothed her raven hair. Geez,
Jessie, this isn’t your first date.
As they neared the table, Jessica noticed that Murphy was
not alone. While he had his hat tucked under one arm, his right hand clasped
that of a slender girl with a head full of ash blonde curls and the saddest red
eyes one could imagine. Her tiny frame and face made her light brown eyes
appear that much bigger.
As they grew closer, the maître d’, a short, jolly man by
the name of Francesco, was telling Murphy in a thick Italian accent that they
would move them to a bigger table.
“Thank you very much.” Murphy slipped some money to the
host. He flashed an apologetic grin in Jessica’s direction. “I’m sorry we’re so
much trouble.”
“No trouble at all, sir.” Francesco flashed a smile at
the sad young girl. He then directed them to a table for four in the middle of
the restaurant, away from the windows that Jessica had requested. “Suitable for
you, Mr. Murphy?”
Placing his hand on Jessica’s shoulder, Murphy kissed her
quickly on the ear before whispering, “I’ll explain.”
Seeing the girl’s tear stained face, Jessica cut him off.
“No need.” Grabbing her purse, cell phone and martini, she told the host, “That
table is excellent. Thank you so much, Francesco.” She saw Murphy sigh with
relief.
“Anything for you, Miss Jessica.” With a grin, Francesco
dropped the linen napkin into Jessica’s lap.
“This is Izzy Crenshaw,” Murphy introduced the girl while
holding her chair for her. “Izzy, this is my wife, Jessica.”
Wordlessly, Izzy looked Jessica up and down. In her
colorful soft dress, long bare legs, and high-heeled shoes, Jessica was a
complete contrast from the girl clad in jeans and a faded Hard Rock Café t-shirt.
“Izzy is in my protective custody.” Murphy took a seat
between them.
“You’re protecting her from what?” Jessica asked while
Francesco offered her the wine menu. The maître d’ had learned from their many
dinners at the restaurant that Jessica would order the wine for herself, while
Murphy drank only water with lemon.
“Right now, the system,” Murphy said. “You should have
seen the place they put her. She has no family—”
“You have no family?” Jessica asked the girl.
“That is so very sad,” Making a “task-tsk” noise with his
tongue, Francesco shook his head.
Signaled by the snap of Francesco’s fingers, the server
hurried over with three menus for them.
“Mom used to have a sister,” Izzy said to Murphy. “She
died before I was born. Mom told me that I was just as head-strong as she was.”
Her voice trailed off.
Jessica and Murphy exchanged heartfelt glances.
“I’ll have water and a plate of lemon wedges,” Murphy
requested from the server before asking Izzy in an upbeat tone, “What would you
like, Izzy? You can get anything you want.”
Seeing the girl’s sad expression, the server said, “Even
if it’s not on the menu. Our chef is world famous. He can cook you anything.
You name it.”
Izzy stared at the menu without opening it. “I’m not
hungry.”
“Have you had dinner yet?” Spotting a dessert cart being
wheeled passed the table, Jessica asked the server, “Do you have your delicious
chocolate lava cake and a scoop of ice cream?” The server rushed to the kitchen
to check on the item.
“It’s okay, honey,” Murphy told Izzy, “I wasn’t hungry
for the longest time when my mother passed away. When you’re ready to eat, then
you’ll eat.”
“She has to keep her strength up,” Jessica said. “We
can’t take her home and put her to bed without dinner.”
“She’s in mourning,” Murphy reminded her.
“Which is why we need to feed her,” Jessica said.
“Chocolate makes everything better. It won’t solve the problem or take away the
hurt, but it does soften the sting of the pain.”
“Bull,” he replied. “That’s nothing more than an old
wive’s rationalization for endorsing gluttony. Grief is no excuse to pack
yourself full of processed dairy products and refined sugar.”
“One little lava cake for one dinner isn’t going to kill
her,” Jessica said.
They both observed Izzy staring at her plate seemingly
without seeing it. She didn’t appear to have any interest in the outcome of
their discussion.
“What happens when she crashes?” Murphy asked Jessica.
“She downs a tube of chocolate chip cookie dough and begins the cycle over
again. Before she’ll know it, she’ll be a depressed obese diabetic with heart
disease.”
“It’s cake,” Jessica said, “not heroin.”
The server arrived to announce that the chef would be
glad to prepare the lava cake with a scoop of ice cream. “Would you like me to
put in the order for the young lady?”
In unison, Jessica said “yes” while Murphy said a
resolute “no.” A glare from Jessica prompted Murphy to back down. With a roll
of his eyes and a shrug of his shoulders, he gave in and the server hurried off
to put in the order for the lava cake.
For the first time since Murphy had met her, a hint of a
smile crossed Izzy’s face. With the tilt of his head, he caught Jessica’s
attention to point out the small breakthrough in the young girl.
At the sight of the young girl’s sadness easing slightly,
Murphy was reminded of the surprise that Jessica had promised. Reaching across
the table to caress her fingers with his, his eyes met hers. A soft, reassuring
smile came to her lips.
Unable to wait any longer to learn her surprise, Murphy
excused them both for a moment, took Jessica by the hand, and led her to the
lounge. Making sure he kept Izzy, his responsibility, in his line of sight, he
pulled Jessica close and kissed her long and hard on the mouth.
When she came up for air, Jessica breathed, “What was
that for?”
“For being understanding about Izzy.” He gazed into her
face. “You reminded me of what made me fall in love with you so fast.”
“I thought it was my body that made you fall hard for
me.” She winked up at him.
Mystery—The Next Generation
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally
murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions
surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together
only to be killed.
Taking on his first official
murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover
the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
The case takes an
unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection
to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a
dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been
run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In Kill and Run, best-selling mystery author Lauren Carr delights her
fans by merging the son and daughter of the detectives from her two popular
series for a new series—the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Fans were introduced to Murphy
Thornton, the son of Joshua Thornton from Lovers in Crime Mysteries, and
Jessica Faraday, the daughter of Mac Faraday from the Mac Faraday Mysteries, in
the widely-acclaimed and best-selling Three
Days to Forever, which was released in January 2015.
The match-up surprised even
the author. “I thought long and hard about bringing Murphy and Jessica
together,” Lauren confesses. “I had developed each of the characters
separately. Murphy appeared in my very first book, A Small Case of Murder. At that time, he was only sixteen and his
mother had recently passed away. Jessica appeared briefly in Old Loves Die Hard and I had no thought
while writing that book of pairing her up with Murphy. I was as surprised as
anyone when their characters ended up being a perfect match in Three Days to Forever.”
A perfect match they are!
Lauren Carr’s newest series is hot and sexy, like her newest detectives. Lauren
warns, “Some readers may be surprised to see that I push the envelope just a
little bit more in The Thorny Rose Mysteries than I do in my other series. Due
to the combination of my detectives’ youth and the environment (the Nation’s
Capital), it was virtually impossible to keep things completely pure.” Some
readers may notice a few more curse words (no F-bombs allowed!) and sexual
references, which Lauren will confine only to the Thorny Rose Mysteries. “What
can I say?” Lauren says with a sigh. “Washington, DC, is not Spencer or
Chester.”
In this first installment
of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Murphy Thornton
and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can
the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a
cunning killer?
About the Author
An Amazon All-Star author, Lauren
Carr is the creator of three popular mystery series: the Mac Faraday Mysteries,
The Lovers in Crime Mysteries, and now the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Kill and Run is the first installment of
The Thorny Rose Mysteries. Each of Lauren Carr’s mysteries have made Amazon’s
best-seller ranking internationally.
In addition to her series
set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime
Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective
Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades
of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an
appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder.
The owner of Acorn Book
Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and
layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year,
several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be
released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently
accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information.
Lauren is a popular speaker
who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at
conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing
and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education
classes.
She lives with her husband,
son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Visit
Lauren Carr’s website at www.mysterylady.net to learn more about Lauren and her
upcoming mysteries.
