Grave Girl

 

Grave Girl

by Dan Padavona

 

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GENRE: Mystery/Thriller

 

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BLURB:

 

Every mind holds a secret. Some are more deadly than others.

 

Nightshade County Sheriff Thomas Shepherd is a successful model for every law enforcement officer with autism. He leads an idyllic life in his uncle’s old home along Wolf Lake and is planning to marry private investigator Chelsey Byrd.

 

But when a star athlete’s girlfriend disappears while camping, everyone blames the boyfriend. He’s volatile and dangerous. Did he murder the girl and bury her in the woods?

 

The sheriff’s gut tells him there’s more to the story than the boyfriend is willing to admit. The more he digs into the case, the more he worries someone is hiding a dark secret.

 

Is the boy a killer? Or is he the next victim?

 

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EXCERPT

 

McKenzie Ossman twirled a length of blond hair around her finger and took in the stars. Here, five miles beyond Kane Grove’s city lights, the sky was a frozen portrait of fireworks. She shivered against the chill and puffed out a condensation cloud, the cold already deep enough to penetrate her bones. By morning, frost would cover the landscape. 

 

She accepted the bottle of Jack Daniels from Marshall and sipped. This was a terrible idea. As much as she wanted to get him away from the pressures of Kane Grove University and the constant attention he received from being a future NFL draft selection, she didn’t like it when he drank. Hazel-skinned, strong, body painted with tattoos, he was a Greek god when he was sober. But lately he’d taken to drinking too often. He changed after the alcohol hit his bloodstream, turning angry and short-fused, a bomb ready to blow. 

 

Then there was the problem of getting back to campus on his motorcycle. She couldn’t trust him to drive buzzed. Sometimes he pushed the motorcycle past eighty in the dark, her arms wrapped around his waist, Marshall one wrong move from disaster. 

 

Marshall Prisco was the proverbial diamond in the rough. Few small college football players attracted professional scouts, yet dozens attended Kane Grove football games for the chance to see him play. A senior wide receiver, he was unstoppable on the field, too fast and strong for the poor fools tasked with covering him. 

 

McKenzie sipped from the bottle and winced when the alcohol burned her throat. Marshall held out his hand, and she wasn’t sure she should give the bottle back to him.

A Word With the Author

 1.Did you always want to be an author?

 

Definitely not. I wrote short stories during high school, and the school newspaper reprinted one or two, but I didn’t write seriously until I turned 46. I hold degrees in communications and meteorology, and I worked for NOAA for 27 years before my writing income greatly surpassed that of my previous career.

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

 

My first book is called “Storberry”, which is an unfortunate title that doesn’t tell readers much about the subject matter. I named the book after the town in the story. It’s an old-school, hair-raising vampire horror tale. I consider it a love letter to Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot”. The book released in 2014 and garnered a small cult following. Readers still discover this hidden gem today.

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

 

That’s easy. Dean Koontz. I love the way he combines chills and thrills, yet still ends most books on a hopeful, optimistic note. 

 

4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

 

The best part is earning a very generous living by entertaining readers. I’ve met so many wonderful people because of my success as an author.

 

I don’t like to be negative, so I’m not sure there is a “worst” part about my career, but I’ll say it’s difficult to manage so many moving parts: writing, working with cover designers and editors, keeping track of release dates, etc.

5.What are you working on now?

 

I’m finishing edits on “The Killer Inside”, the fourth book in the Logan and Scarlett serial killer series. That book releases on December 1, 26 days before “Grave Girl.” It’s going to be a busy two months!

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Dan Padavona is the author of The Wolf Lake series, The Logan and Scarlett series, Darkwater Cove, The Scarlett Bell thriller series, and The Thomas Shepherd Mysteries. Many of his novels rank in the top-10 in Amazon’s thriller and mystery categories. He is a husband, a parent, and proud member of the International Thriller Writers Organization.

 

When he’s not writing, Dan enjoys photography, biking, weightlifting, and storm chasing. Dan has videotaped tornadoes from New York to Oklahoma and Texas and was nearly swept up by a strong twister outside Sweetwater, Texas. A self-proclaimed ice cream and gelato lover, Dan admits to spending too much time in the gym, compensating for his questionable nutritional decisions.

 

Website: https://www.danpadavona.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djpadavona

Instagram: @dan_padavona

Twitter: @DanPadavona

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3ZHMKFD

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Dan Padavona will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway