A Week of BADASS Women – Day #4

Welcome back to day #4 of the Week of BADASS Women! Today I’d like to introduce you to badass thriller author, Kristi Belcamino. She writes fierce women characters–her latest series features Eva Santella, badass protector of the innocent, and a woman you don’t want to cross. Ever.

To celebrate BADASS Women, Kristi’s giving away a signed paperback (US) or eBook (international) of her new thriller, ONE-EYED JACK, to one lucky winner. Just fill out the form at the bottom of this post to be entered to win. (Your email address will only be used to notify you if you’ve won. I promise not to put you on a mailing list unless you ask me to 🙂 )

ONE-EYED JACK launched this week and is the second in the series. Here’s the description:

The men, mostly virgins, gather in the darkest corners online, drawn together by a common bond: hate.

They hate the way they look.

They hate their disastrous sex lives.

They hate alpha males.

They hate themselves.

There is only one thing they hate more: women.

Even before they first hear about her, Eva Santella, independent, beautiful, confident, represents everything they despise.

So they get together online and feed on each other’s rage and disappointment and frustration. And there, in their shadowy forums, they plot revenge.

On a massive scale.

It’s been done before and they can do it again.

When Eva tries to stop them, they turn their deadly sights on her.

Links to buy:

Kindle: https://geni.us/One-EyedJackAms

Nook: https://geni.us/One-EyedJackNook

Kobo: https://geni.us/One-EyedJackKobo

iBooks: https://geni.us/One-EyedJackiBooks

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CONGRATULATIONS, TAMARA! You’ve won a copy of ONE EYED JACK. Kristi will be getting in touch with you via email!

Kristi Belcamino is a USA Today bestselling author, an Agatha, Anthony, Barry, & Macavity Award-nominated author, a newspaper cops reporter, and an Italian mama who makes a tasty biscotti.

She writes books featuring strong, fierce, and independent women facing unspeakable evil in order to seek justice for those unable to do so themselves.

Sign up for her newsletter HERE.
Follow her on Bookbub for information on new releases, free books and deep discounts.
Find out more at http://www.kristibelcamino.com.
Find her on Facebook or on Twitter @KristiBelcamino.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for Day #5 of BADASS Women! Until then, have a badass kind of day!

Pre-order Dakota Burn:

Anne Bonny-Woman Pirate

In continuing my celebration of Women’s History Month (the first post featuring sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko can be found here) I thought I’d do a little more research on a woman I’d always been intrigued with: the Caribbean pirate, Anne Bonny. My husband and I are fans of Black Sails on HBO, and the writers incorporated a character based on Anne, which made me curious–how much is known about this woman who broke with convention and risked her life to live as a pirate?

Anne Bonny was born in Cork, Ireland in the late seventeenth century to a servant woman by the name of Mary Brennan and her employer, a lawyer named William McCormac. Her father moved her to London where he dressed her like a boy and called her Andy (another article I read mentioned that her mother was the one who dressed her like a boy, but we at least can be fairly certain it happened. Interesting twist, though.) When neighbors found out what he’d done, he moved her and her mother to the Carolinas and eventually became a wealthy merchant.

Anne was known to be “high spirited” and rumor has it she put a boy in the hospital for attempting to sexually assault her. Eventually, she married a small-time pirate named James Bonny and her father disowned her. She ended up in the Bahamas, where she met John “Calico Jack” Rackham and fell in love. She divorced Bonny and, joining forces with Rackham and a woman named Mary Read, absconded with a ship called the William out of Nassau harbor. Apropos, I thought.

The three pirates gathered together a crew and sailed the Caribbean taking smaller ships, racking up a fortune. Both women fought alongside the male crew members, and Anne especially was highly thought of for her ability to wield a cutlass. http://bonney-readkrewe.com/legend.html In October of 1720, an ex-pirate who was now a commander with the British navy attacked Rackham’s ship the “Revenge” and captured all aboard. Apparently, the pirates were drunk from celebrating the capture of a Spanish commercial ship. Go figure. Drunk pirates… Anyway, all were tried as pirates in Port Royal and found guilty, and were sentenced to death by hanging. Anne and Mary “plead their bellies” and were spared. Mary died in prison from fever, but Anne was said to have been sprung from jail by her father. Rumor has it she remarried and lived well into her dotage.

Next week: more female pirates!

Voice

Here’s an excellent article by Kristine Kathryn Rusch regarding the blandness of writerly voices from those who ONLY write by the rules. The takeaway: follow all the rules all the time and you may write passable-to-good books–but never great ones.

No Bland writing

Celebrate with a Book

So today I’m being featured along with CARGO on this cool site called Celebrate With A Book. The blog owner asks the same question of all her author guests: “What makes you write what you write?” Click here for my answer and to find out which genre I chose for my first-ever book (hint: it’s sort of like fantasy…)

A One Way Ticket to Dead Nominated for Readers’ Choice Award

Quick update: I’m SUPER honored and excited to announce that Kate Jones #7, A ONE WAY TICKET TO DEAD, has been nominated by BigAl’s Books ‘n’ Pals in the thriller category for a Readers’ Choice Award!

BigAl has been a major champion for indies, beginning with indie music back a few *cough* years ago. For Al, it was a natural progression to jump feet first into the independent publishing fray and get the word out about indie authors and small presses (see Al’s awesome interview here). As most of you know, there are very few “Indie Only” venues out there that truly support independent publishers and authors. BigAl’s review site, along with The Indie View, are two of the best. BigAl and his pals don’t charge for reviews, and they certainly don’t hold back on what they really think (although they’re nothing if not fair). Plus, they only review about 10% of submissions–you won’t be inundated by a gazillion non-vetted books.

So, instead of asking for your vote, I’m going to ask instead that you head on over to the site and check out the other fabulous books that have been nominated. Read the reviews, maybe even purchase a couple of the books for your reading pleasure. And yes, vote for the books you love and earn a couple of entries to win some swag. But most of all, I hope that you hang at BigAl’s for a while, check out the blog, join his mailing list to hear about authors you might never have found. It’s a great way to show your support for indie authors. (Voting ends March 28th)

Happy Vernal Equinox!

Botticelli-primavera — Botticelli – Primavera

Tough Female Characters

So I just had an interesting conversation with a Facebook friend who is a voracious thriller reader about using a woman as the main protagonist in the genre. He’s been around the block a time or two and has read tons of both traditionally and indie published thrillers, so I generally listen to what he has to say. He’d just been introduced to Leine Basso, the protagonist in my second series, and mentioned in passing that Leine was what he deemed a “tough broad,” and, although the protagonist’s domain in traditional thrillers has typically been a men’s-only club, he thoroughly enjoyed reading about a woman who was as tough and accomplished as any male character.

And that got me thinking.

I write strong female characters because I can’t/couldn’t find that kind of protagonist in the books I like to read. Yes, I’ve read action-adventure novels with strong female protagonists written by both male and female writers, but of those I’ve read I come away with two main complaints: either the character is some guy’s wet dream (sorry, couldn’t think of a more appropriate description) where, for all intents and purposes, she’s a man in a woman’s body and has the emotional depth of a robot (no offense to any AI fans out there), or she’s tough as nails and self-sufficient until a good-looking man comes along. Then she turns into starry-eyed goo, or worse, lets the guy take over the fighting/sleuthing/whatever. To date, I haven’t read many novels that have a strong female action-adventure protag who kicks people’s asses without apology but also acts like a real human being, with all the inherent flaws. And don’t get me started on the air-brushed babes who can run in heels without falling and who are never without their lipstick. Ugh. Who can identify with that?

Obviously, not me 😀 . (Seriously. You do not want to see me try to run in heels. Or maybe you do–it’s pretty hilarious…the things I do for research.)

Maybe I just haven’t read the right authors. And I’m not talking about brainy female characters who use their smarts to solve a mystery but don’t know how to fight or shoot or kill someone with a piano wire, although those definitely have merit.

My question to you is this: have you read an action thriller with a main female protagonist who doesn’t come off as a man in women’s clothing (which could be a fun genre–Transvestite action-thriller?), or who melts at the sight of a good-looking guy? I’d love to read it.

Goodreads Giveaway

Hey everybody! It’s that time again–I’m giving away 2 signed print copies of the latest Kate Jones Thriller, A ONE WAY TICKET TO DEAD (Kate Jones #7) on Goodreads.

Although it’s “#7” it can easily be read all by its lonesome. Of course, I’m hoping that you’ll think it’s so danged good you’ll want to read the others in the series if you haven’t already 🙂 Click on the link below to enter (Giveaway ends 5/28/14)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

A One Way Ticket to Dead

by D.V. Berkom

Giveaway ends May 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Guest Blog: Donna Fletcher Crow

[I’ve got a special treat for all you Jane Austen fans out there. My guest blogger today writes mysteries featuring an English lit professor and highlights a different figure from literature in each installment–her latest novel is titled A Jane Austen Encounter. Please welcome literary suspense author Donna Fletcher Crow. Take it away, Donna!]

All of the stories in my Elizabeth and Richard literary suspense series have grown out my own experiences. And I guess that makes sense, since, like Elizabeth, I was an English literature teacher— although certainly never department head as she was. And since the concept of the series is to feature a different figure from literature in each book they are, naturally, my favorite authors. Of course, as many favorites as I have this could turn out to be quite a lengthy series.

The first book The Shadow of Reality, which features the work of my favorite mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers, was based on a mystery weekend my husband and I attended at Mohonk Mountain House, high in the Adirondacks.

I moved the mystery week Elizabeth drags Richard to closer to home in the Rocky Mountains and Elizabeth was thrilled. The setting was all her fantasies come true: an elegant English manor house in the 1930’s. And he was even more thrilled by the lead actor in the dramatized murder: Sir Gavin Kendall— sophisticated, brilliant, rich and captivated by her. Until murder intervened.

A Midsummer Eve’s Nightmare is set in Ashland, Oregon, at their annual Shakespeare Festival which our family attended regularly for many years— until Boise developed a really fine festival of our own.

It was the perfect place to send two literature professors off on their honeymoon. And Elizabeth and Richard thought so, too. Bliss. Until they find that Desdemona’s brilliantly acted death scene wasn’t acted and Elizabeth’s costume designer sister and her actress roommate are terrified that they are slated to be the next victims.

Then my life and career got full of other projects— as did Elizabeth and Richard’s. Apparently they were too busy to solve crimes alongside their teaching. Or perhaps they simply didn’t find themselves tripping over any dead bodies— because suddenly here they are, celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary with a trip to England in A Jane Austen Encounter.

Devout Janeites, like their creator, it’s Elizabeth and Richard’s dream vacation—visiting all Jane Austen’s homes. But not even the overpowering personality of their Oxford guide nor the careful attentions of their new friends can keep the tour free from lurking alarms. When a box of old documents is donated to the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, Richard volunteers to help sort through it. Later that night, however, he finds the Centre’s director bleeding on her office floor. Could the valuable letter that has gone missing really lead them to new revelations about Jane Austen’s unfinished manuscript The Watsons?

My goal as a writer is always to give my readers a “you are there” experience. So readers are invited to come along as my literary sleuths visit all the sites so redolent of Jane Austen and her characters: the beautiful city of Bath, the charming Chawton cottage where Jane’s writing flowered, and the nearby Steventon church where her father was rector and her own faith developed. Stand by her grave in Winchester Cathedral and enjoy your time at the lovely country estate of Godmersham. But don’t let your guard down. Evil lurks even in the genteel world of Jane Austen.

“Playful mystery featuring an engaging pair of amateur sleuths.”
~ Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 43 books, mostly novels of British history. The award-winning Glastonbury, A Novel of the Holy Grail, an epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work. She is also the author of The Monastery Murders: A Very Private Grave, A Darkly Hidden Truth and An Unholy Communion as well as the Lord Danvers series of Victorian true-crime novels and the literary suspense series The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries. Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 adult children and 13 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research trips go to her website.

You can also follow her on Facebook.