Mystery, Romantic Suspense
After more
than a year of job hunting and eating cheap noodles, the letter arrives. Brice
Anders has landed the pastry chef position at a five-star restaurant. As he
heads for the new village with his signature recipes secure in his pocket,
Brice is confident no one will rob him of success again.
Meeting
Izzie, the barista at a local coffee shop, is more than he ever expects.
Restaurant guests give his Christmas desserts rave reviews. The previous pastry
chef, who left without notice, never received as much praise.
Then, late
one night, Brice finds his home kitchen ransacked, his designs in the open, and
the special confectionary Christmas gift he is preparing for Izzie ruined. An
anry man appears in the window. Brice hunts for him through the ice and snow,
but the Intruder is gone. With Christmas only days away and the tormenting
intensifying, Brice must stop the intruder’s plot to steal his job—or worse,
harm someone from the restaurant.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
TIP: How
did you go about researching for this novel? Did you go anywhere outside your
usual locale, or experience anything of note in the researching of this novel?
Mary: My research for this novella kept me busy through the last word’s edit on the last page. Fiction readers expect accurate information in stories and deserve accuracy.
Mary: My research for this novella kept me busy through the last word’s edit on the last page. Fiction readers expect accurate information in stories and deserve accuracy.
TIP: How
do you get inspiration for your stories (plots, characters, etc.)?
Mary: This
story takes place in a European village I read about in a tiny article on
Facebook years ago. I think you’ll enjoy going with MC to this unique place. The
most difficult decision I had for Anders’ Redemption involved choosing who
would tell this story. Contenders for the role of MC (main character) lined up
for miles. This truly is a story that could be told from many views. Since my
preference is for mystery/suspense, I booted several cast applicants who didn’t
fit my genre. The winner, I am happy to announce is Brice Anders. After reading
his story, you’ll see why.
TIP: Tell
us something topical, interesting, funny, or something we would not expect
about the writing of this novel.
Mary:
To insure he had the qualification as a five-star chef, I leaned heavily
on my daughter who is a chef and a graduate of a nationally recognized culinary
arts program to verify information. She corrected me more than once!
NTIP: How
and why did you choose to write a novella?
Mary:
One of my endorsers asked why I didn’t write more of this story and turn
it into a novel. She loved the characters and wanted to read more. The answer
simply is, because Brice couldn’t remember any more. You’ll understand once you
get to know Brice in Anders’ Redemption.
When I
told my husband, a non-fiction only reader, Anders’ Redemption released on
Amazon, he smiled and said, “That one was a really good story.” I didn’t know
he’d read it!
EXCERPT:
From Chapter 10:
Brice
grabbed his coat off the hook and slid his right arm through the sleeve.
At
the second he shifted the coat for his left arm, an angry man appeared in the
kitchen window. He’d never seen the man before.
It
had to be the Intruder. A hood draped over most of the face. Could be in his
thirties. He couldn’t tell. Who else would look in that window?
Brice
cowered back, edging closer toward the door where he couldn’t be seen. He
didn’t know who this guy was or what he wanted, but the stalking and break-ins
had to stop. Now.
He
flung the bolt to the side, yanked the door handle, and dashed outside. The
snow soaked his socks. Icy wet chilled his feet. He rounded his building and
sprinted after the man with a dark hoodie, jeans, and dark boots. The Intruder
sprinted gaining a lead of a half block ahead.
"Stop.
Stop,” Brice yelled. He grappled in drenched socks against the icy surface,
desperate to close the gap between them.
The
stalker disappeared around the back of the next building.
Brice’s
feet stiffened, the cold and wet chilled him to the bone. He sped, pushing
through tendrils of deep freeze weaving through his toes. "Stop. Who are
you?" he shouted above his quick breaths. But when he rounded the corner,
the Intruder had vanished. He followed footprints in the snow until they led to
tire marks that merged with others. He stopped short and flung his arms at the
air. “Really?” He huffed. “Why are you breaking into my home?"
Air
soared out his nostrils and shoved back in just as fast. He shook his head.
"Why my house?” Shivers crawled from his toes to his fingertips. He
trudged through the snow back to his apartment, his arms tightly woven across
his chest. The front door stood partially open. He stomped inside and slammed
it shut.
Water
pooled from his socks onto the carpeting. He peeled them off and carried them
to the bathroom sink where he rung the water down the drain.
That
man cost him time with Izzie this morning, and could cost him his job.
He
throttled the sock fabric and left the drenched footwear draped on the sink.
After drying his feet, he pulled out the next clean pair from his dresser and
slipped them on. "You will not win.” It didn’t matter that the Intruder
couldn’t hear him. The threat made him feel better.
AUTHOR BIO:
Mary Vee - Rock climbing, white-water
rafting, zip lining, and hiking top Mary's list of ways to enjoy a day. For
some crazy reason, her mystery/suspense fiction characters don’t always
appreciate the dangerous and often scary side of her favorite activities.
Unbelievable. Mary writes travel
books. Come take an amazing trip. She also pens retellings of Bible stories on
the blog, God Loves Kids. She has been a finalist in several writing
contests.
Mary’s newsletter takes readers on virtual trips and tells
her recent works. Sail on a pirate ship, zip-line through redwoods. Join the
fun. Sign up at her website listed below.
Twitter @MaryVeeWriter
Facebook @MaryVeeNeverGiveUpStories
Website http://www.maryveewriter.com
Email maryveewriter@gmail.com
