GOODBYE NOEL and BURNING HEARTS Final in the Grace Awars 2011

I’m honored to have two novels final in the Grace Awards 2011 and I’m deeply appreciative of my loyal readers who took the time to vote for my stories. I have the best readers ever, I’m sure.

GOODBYE NOEL finaled in the Suspense/Mystery/Thriller/Romantic Suspense category.

Historical Romantic Thriiler ~ bodies piling up, kidnap, a warm love story.

 

 

 

BURNING HEARTS finaled in the Romance/Historical Romance category.

Historical Romantic Thriller ~ A sweet love story, arson/murder, action.

Read An E-Book Week: March 4 – 10

Wow, How Exciting Is This???

Here are a few crime fiction novels available in ebook form:

GOODBYE NOEL, by Nike Chillemi  ~ Historical Romantic Thriller ~ Bodies piling up, kidnap, warm love story.

BURNING HEARTS, by Nike Chillemi ~ Historical Romantic Thriller  ~ Arson/murder, action, sweet love story.

KILL SHOT, by Anne Patrick ~ Contemporary Romantic Thriller ~  Former combat medic is home and somebody is trying to kill her, almost as disturbing is the sheriff who’s trying to save her.

FIRE AND ASH, by Anne Patrick ~ Suspicious fire claims the life of college student, what investigators discover rocks the whole town.

THE WITCH TREE by Kain Kaufman ~ Contemporary Cozy ~ Genealogist finds woman’s body, husband blames her,  modern Wiccans confound the issue, killer targets her.

OFF THE GRID, by Mark Young ~ Contemporary International Thriller ~  Force Recon trained Seattle police officer finds a body that plunges him into terrorism and intrigue.

REVENGE, by Mark Young ~ Contemporary Thriller ~ A highly trained killer bent on revenge threatens ex-cop now teaching criminology at the college level.

A HEART OF JUSTICE, by Janice Cantore ~ Contemporary Police Procedural ~ Two Eastern European girls with tattoos, one dead. K-9 officer and her partner plunge into human trafficking.

THE KEVLAR HEART, by Janice Cantore ~ Contemporary Police Procedural ~ K-9 officer’s passion is finding abducted children and bringing them home alive, because she was once abducted by a vicious pervert…and now he’s back, maybe.

Danger at the Door by Michelle Sutton ~ A Perspective of Thanksgiving

I’m so happy to have Michelle Sutton’s heroine of DANGER AT THE DOOR, Laney Cooper, here with Thanksgiving approaching. I understand this holiday has quite a few memories for you, Laney – some of them bittersweet. After your fiancé’s death in a car accident, you became quite reclusive and fearful, but then you met a very charming man who you befriended and tried to help speak correct English. As it turned out Bojan (who you begin to call Bob) wound up helping you. Since I want to get to know all about you, let’s get on to the interview.

Nike: How was it for you that first Thanksgiving after Sam’s death? You must have missed him terribly and yet you had a new friendship with a terrific guy on the horizon.

Laney:  It was very hard. I tried to have a commemorative meal to say goodbye and try to move on and then this guy brought my order and it was loaded with onions. I despise them. But the food blunder did snap me out of my pity party a bit, especially when the handsome delivery man tried to fix things and redid my order to try and make things up to me. That was sweet of him.

Nike:  Bojan/Bob brought a Thanksgiving feast to you at your house, but no turkey. What type of food did he bring and did he cook it himself? He works in a restaurant. So, is he a good cook? How did you feel celebrating Thanksgiving without the bird and the usual trimmings?

Laney: Wow, that’s a lot of questions. We both agreed that it would be silly to cook a turkey when there were only two of us eating dinner. So he agreed to make a special Macedonian dish that his family often ate during holidays and at special occasions. Since he agreed to make the food and bring it over, I wasn’t about to say no. I don’t like cooking much, and yes, the chicken dish was unlike anything I’d ever eaten before, but it was really tasty. I think we’ve started a new tradition as long as there are only two of us. If we end up with a big family or his relatives over in the future, well, then I’ll worry about cooking a big turkey at that time. I don’t care if it’s turkey or chicken as long as I am celebrating with someone I love.

Nike: Apparently, you got Bojan/Bob into some sort of trouble. You made a complaint? What was that all about?

Laney: Well, I called the restaurant a few times on him. The first time was when I thought he was being rude and brought my dinner loaded with onions. I felt bad after he brought me a replacement dinner. But then he was rude to me again and said he thought I was “whacked out” or nuts, if you will. I found out later that his jerk of an employee put him up to it. Then I felt bad for him. How was I to know that Bob owned the place and that his employee thought it would be funny to set up his boss. I thought he was just a pizza delivery guy when we first met. Actually, I didn’t know about his money and that he owned several restaurants until I’d already fallen for him.

Nike: I’ll bet your relationship with Bojan/Bob taught your something about the attitude of thanksgiving, blessing, and grace. Could you comment on that?

Laney: The only thing I really love about Bojan is that he feels so deeply about so many things. He loves his family, his country and he loves me. I’ve never met a man who was more passionate about God and about his commitment to his family before I met Bojan. That melted my heart. I kept thinking, “I wish someone would love me like that.” I’m so glad that God brought him into my life. And everything I wished for came true. He does love me like that. I couldn’t ask for a better man to love.

  

Nike: We’ve talked a lot about spirituality and thanksgiving, but your story is one of suspense. Can you tell us a bit about the feeling you had of being watched?

Laney: It was nerve-wracking to say the least. At one point I thought maybe I was losing my mind. And to find out that not only was this creep watching me, but he was waiting to get me alone so he could…well, I’d rather not go into that part. It makes me sick to think about him. I’m just glad he can’t hurt me anymore. Bob still laughs at me when he described how I fought that nutcase in my house. I suppose I did look like a psycho woman with that fireplace poker. But he’d gone after my man and though Bojan put up a good fight, I could sit by and take my chances. I didn’t want to lose the man I loved.

  

Nike:  Laney, I want to ask you a delicate question about Michelle Sutton. She wrote something in this novel that touched me:  “She could easily get lost in the heat of him if she had no moral convictions. But she did have convictions. She had to remember that or she’d get into a compromising situation she didn’t want or need.” That line, “She could easily get lost in the heat of him,” is tasteful, yet says it all without spelling it out. Christians do, after all, have fully functioning bodies. What do you think about the way Michelle writes the more sensual scenes?

Laney: Well, when I was in Michelle’s head and she was creating the passion between us, I know she toned down those flames to keep the reader from visualizing too much. I’d saved myself for the man I would marry someday. I thought that man would be Sam, and though I still miss him, I am so glad that God gave me a tender man in Bojan. He was never pushy toward me and always respected my wishes. But man, does he have a hot accent, and those eyes could melt the hardest of hearts. So I had to be smart and not get carried away with him when we were in my house alone. I’m glad I waited. I think Michelle wanted to convey that no matter how much passion a man brings out in a woman, it’s always worth waiting for marriage before letting things get so heated that there is no turning back. But boy could that man stoke my fire with a smoldering gaze or the gentle brush of his lips. And that soft exploring he does with his tongue when we kiss… Ah, there is just nothing like it. I’m glad he’s all mine. Though I loved Sam dearly, I never shared the kind of passion with him that I feel when I am with Bojan. I had no idea that love could give me such an intense response to a man. I’m glad Sam is with Jesus, because he was a believer, and knowing that Sam loved me a lot, well, I can’t help thinking that he’d be glad that I still found happiness with Bojan after he passed away. Sam would want what was best for me. He had always been kind that way.

If people enjoy reading Danger at the Door then they might want to check out In Plain Sight. It’s the sequel but they are not tied together officially as I wrote each as a stand alone so people need to be told that IPS has the characters from DATD in it and continues their story.

Michelle Sutton is the author of over a dozen inspirational novels. She lives in sunny Arizona with her husband and two college age sons.

Healing Hearts – fiction making an impact on real lives…author of over a dozen novels – available in 2011… First Response (June 2011) Their Separate Ways (July 2011) Letting Go (August 2011) In Sheep’s Clothing (Sept 2011) and When Love Collides (Dec 2011)

Purchas Links:

DANGER AT THE DOOR  ~

Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/3dn99br

Barnes & Noble. http://tinyurl.com/433p8pr

LETTING GO (HEARLIN HEARTS) ~

Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/3cdowsf

Barnes & Noble. http://tinyurl.com/3u3e7rb

Michelle’s Website. http://michellesutton.net/

Excerpt From BURNING HEARTS ~ Check it out!!!

Below is the entire first chapter of BURNING HEARTS.

I hope you enjoy it and would like to finish reading the novel.

Burning Hearts Chapter One

Long Island, New York

September 1946

Erica Brogna hurried down Hill Street, eager to sketch her new design, a forest green taffeta dress with a swirling skirt for a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary — her first significant assignment. She paused to inhale the salt scent on the ocean breeze, and her gaze lingered on a copse of red, rust, and gold maples near Ada’s house and dress shop.

She smiled, pulling her cardigan tight around her, and dropped the newspaper Poppa asked her to bring to her mentor and employer. She retrieved the paper and saw Bess Truman smiling as she entered Walter Reed Army Hospital. With the war over, the First Lady visited broken soldiers in long-term care. Erica slapped the paper closed before rage and depression overtook her. So many boys had not come home.

Chin jutted out, she smoothed the pleats of her skirt and marched toward Ada’s house. She’d think on pleasant things and hand the paper over without a fuss as she did every morning. Nothing would ruin this day.

She climbed Ada’s wooden front steps and opened the door.

Smoke filled the living room Ada had turned into a fabric shop. Erica waved a hand in front of tearing eyes. Gray vapors, like swirling fog, partially obscured bolts of fabric stacked against the opposite wall.

“Ada! Ada, answer me please.” Dropping the newspaper, Erica rushed toward the stairs, trampling Bess Truman’s image. “Ada can you hear me?”

Coughing, she grabbed on to the cutting table in the middle of the room, steadied herself, and reached for the phone — no dial tone. Perhaps the fire melted the line.

She yanked the collar of her blouse over her nose and mouth against the smoke. The stairs loomed before her, seeming as impossible to scale as Mount Everest. She lunged forward, gripping the baluster, and thrust herself up two steps. Since Ada wasn’t outside, she had to be upstairs.

As Erica climbed, the smoke thickened and swirled around her. It was darker with each step.

One hand clasped the rail and pulled, and she advanced a few more steps. Heat blasted against her skin from above, and soft crackling sounds drew her gaze to the upstairs landing. Squinting into the smoke, she lost her grip on the banister, missed the next step, and fell backward tumbling to the bottom.

The back of her head smacked against the baluster, and wooziness followed sharp pain. She tried to stand but couldn’t get her bearings.

Will triumphed over ability. She hoisted herself, ignoring the dull throb at the back of her skull. Her palms stung, the skin scraped off during her fall. She took a deep breath, and a coughing fit seized her. Shallow breaths were the better alternative.

Planting her penny loafer on the bottom step, Erica began her climb again, shaken but with new resolve. If she could reach the top of the stairs, she could also make it to Ada’s bedroom.

Halfway up, the scratches on her palms pulsated as the temperature rose. So did her knees — must’ve scraped those, too. The pungent smoke shrouding her darkened, and grit clung to her skin. She couldn’t see the banister or the top of the stairs and each breath took effort.

Poppa’s lectures on fire drills flashed into mind — stay low in a fire to get fresh air. She dropped to her knees and crawled, ignoring her pain. A sickening smell made her stomach lurch.

Inch by inch she crept, now three quarters of the way up. Hot, putrid air assaulted her windpipe, and she doubled over, her insides trembling.

Heaving herself forward, she maneuvered up one more step, but the smoke pushed back, choking her. She sobbed, knowing she couldn’t make it to Ada, and scrambled down, hoping she could find help.

BURNING HEARTS ~ Now Available on Amazon and B&N

What a delight to see my very first novel up on Amazon. Then I got another thrill when Desert Breeze Editor in Chief told me it was up on Barnes & Noble as well.

I immediately clicked on the link she provided and there it was. The thrills and chill kept coming.. I was speechless. Highly unusual for me.

Amazon.  http://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Point-Book-One-ebook/dp/B0050PJSTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1305462328&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Sanctuary-Point-Book-One/Nike-Chillemi/e/2940012411747/?itm=1&USRI=nike+chillemi