Do you want to go to Hawaii?

First, I'd like to welcome some special guests here today who are following Scott Bury's blog tour.  For those new visitors, I'm Scarlett and I'm an expat living in Ecuador. That's pretty vital information for this post to make any sense. I'm a suspense writer and I promise that doesn't come into play in today's blog. As hard as it may be to believe it, it's all true, no fiction today. I live south of the equator, which means our seasons are reversed to those in North America or Europe.


I know this post isn't going to get much sympathy from anyone in the U.S. right now, but while you are melting in hotter than usual temps, winter in Cuenca is being brutally harsh. For Ecuador anyway. We've suffered through two weeks of rain and unusually cold temps. True the temperatures are in the 50's but that feels COLD at this altitude when it's raining, especially after dark. Here's a picture of me dressed to go out for last night's parade. Yep, you can't see the long johns or sweater under there. And remember we don't have heat in the house because we don't need it. Normally.

Yep, that's me in baggy jeans with leggings underneath, a heavy jacket over a sweater over a thermal shirt, gloves, and an alpaca scarf doubled. On June 25th. I can honestly say that has NEVER happened before.

 

After the parade, I attended a surprise birthday party for a friend. I'm not sharing pictures because that's his party to share, but an indigenous lady was at the restaurant and apparently thought we were having a good time. She joined our party, and I will share the picture she allowed me to take.  It was a bit of an unusual party and we were a little loud, lots of laughter, and though she didn't understand a lot of what we were saying, she seemed to have as much fun as the rest of us. She is known to us simply as Abuela, or Grandmother.

She was very excited to get the Blue Glitter Cowboy hat as a favor from the party.

So, back to our topic. Hawaii. That's what the blog is supposed to be about right? Yep. So you guys in the States are sweltering and the only good place to be is in or on the water. At least if you have to be in the sun, a beautiful sandy beach with tropical flowers and plants doesn't sound too bad. And for me, a sunny beach sounds warm and inviting this week. I've often said I read to escape where I am and go somewhere else. Or to learn something new. But since we can't ALL go to Hawaii, let's go in a book.  I told Scott Bury he could hop on my blog. Why don't you check out Dead Man Lying. You'll find a description, an excerpt, a bio and a link below. Books- the best summer escape.

Dead Man Lying

A Lei Crime Kindle World Mystery

She knows when you’re lying …FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm is back on Maui to catch a killer.

With lush rain forests, black sand beaches, and a laid-back lifestyle, Maui offers the perfect retirement location for once-famous country singer Steven Sangster … until he ends up dead.

As the killer, or killers, strike again and again, Detective Lei Texeira and FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm must untangle the lies spun by the singer’s associates, friends, family — and the singer himself before the music dies.

Dead Man Lying: Blog Tour Excerpt 3

“‘This morning, the body of Mr. Steven Sangster, American folk music legend, was found on the grounds of his estate on Maui, Hawaii,’” Vanessa read aloud for the family. “‘Medical professionals were called immediately, but unfortunately, the coroner pronounced Mr. Sangster deceased at the scene.”

She looked at the crowd before her. Sangster’s children’s, Simon’s and Lana’s cheeks shone, wet.

Vanessa took another breath. “That being said, there have been some developments since Mr. Sangster was found in the forest. Specifically, someone fired a gun, probably a shotgun, at Detective Texeira, me and Mr. Sangster,” she nodded toward Simon, “who against police direction came to the spot where we found the body.” She realized her tone was sharp, even harsh and her pulse sped up when she thought about the gunshot.

“A gunshot? Is that why all these cops are swarming over the whole estate?” said Kaholo Iolani, the groundskeeper. He still wore coveralls, with thick gardening gloves tucked into one pocket.

“That’s why. And I am going to speak to each of you about your whereabouts for the past twenty-four hours,” Vanessa answered, still conscious of her harsh tone. She took a deep breath, hoping no one would notice.

“At least tell them to keep out of the gardens and not to stomp on the flowers,” Iolani grumbled.

“Are you going to speak with the children, too?” asked Paula Sangster, Simon’s wife. Vanessa heard the hint of an accent. Was she Spanish? French?

“No. We’ll speak with any minors in the presence of at least one parent,” Vanessa said. “Let me state now that no one here is a suspect in any way. We’re just trying to gather as much information as we can.”

“Does this mean there’s still a shooter on the premises?” Simon asked. Vanessa could see sweat on his forehead.

“We don’t know. That’s what Detective Texeira and the special weapons crew are trying to find out.” She scanned the room one more time and looked at her tablet. Someone was missing.

“Are you cops searching the whole estate?” someone else asked. When Vanessa looked up, she saw the skinny, curly-headed man beside Lana Sangster looking at her.

“Who are you?” she said.

“This is my boyfriend,” Lana said.

Vanessa consulted her tablet again. “Kefir Steinberg?”

“I pronounce it ‘Kiefer,’” he said.

“Then you’re pronouncing it wrong,” Vanessa said. Motion out the front window caught her eye. A cloth-top Mustang dodged around the three media vehicles perched at the entrance to the access road before pulling into the already crowded driveway. A tall, slim woman with long dark hair got out of the driver’s door, and two women jumped out of the media trucks to chase her. The tall woman easily outstripped them, reaching the verandah before the reporters could get to the driveway to shout questions.

Vanessa’s breath caught in her chest. That’s Erica Harrison—Sangster’s second wife. Even after all the years since her marriage to Steven Sangster ended, Erica Harrison still had a fan base and could sell CDs. Vanessa had bought one of her albums as a girl.

“Let her in,” she said to Righetti, who opened the front door.

About Scott Bury

Scott Bury can’t stay in one genre, although the Lei Crime Kindle World holds a special allure. He’s written 

·       epic fantasy in Initiation Rites and The Bones of the Earth

·       erotic-romantic parody in One Shade of Red

·       historical memoir in Army of Worn Soles and its sequel, Under the Nazi Heel

·       mysteries with

o   Torn Roots (A Lei Crime Kindle World Mystery)

o   JET: Stealth (A JET Kindle World novella)

o   Palm Trees & Snowflakes (A Lei Crime Kindle World Mystery)

o   The Wife Line (A Sydney Rye Kindle World adventure)

·       And now his latest Lei Crime mystery, Dead Man Lying.

Scott lives in Ottawa, Canada, with two pesky cats, two mighty sons and a loving wife who has a very high tolerance level. 

Go ahead, click HERE to jump to Amazon and get your copy today.

I'm hoping everyone finds a comfortable place to spend the day wherever you are and as always, thanks for reading my blog.

 

~*~
Scarlett, Loving life in Cuenca! (Even when it's chilly)