By Nancy Jill Thames
Since we've been doing book giveaways this week and last, I've been thinking about offering up one myself. There's St. Patrick's day on Sunday, yes, that would be a good reason...but my conscious was pricked in the meantime while trying to decide.
Years ago, in my wedding and baby shower days, we played a game called "Scoop the Cotton Balls." Blindfolded, the contestant had to scoop as many cotton balls off the floor with a spatula as she could into a bowl. The person who scooped the most was declared the winner. And I wanted to win. So badly did I want to win that when the blindfold was tied around my eyes and I could see underneath, I made the decision not to say anything and began scooping as many fluffy balls into the bowl as I could!
As if the game wasn't funny enough, watching us grovel on the floor with a spatula trying to scoop up cotton balls and put them into a bowl, the hostess removed the cotton balls for the last contestant, and we watched her scooping up air!
Well, I won. I think it was for the first time in my life, and at the time it felt wonderful! I was a winner!! Years passed until this week, and I thought about when I had cheated. I was writing a scene in "The Ruby of Siam" and had to decide if my protagonist should lie or not. Being a Christian, I made her say something that would throw off the scent, but it was the truth. My heart was pricked over the Cotton Ball and Spatula win. I will ask forgiveness and make amends.
Now for the amends! As a token of my sincerity, if you would like a free e-copy of one of my books, please join the site as a follower and leave your e-mail so I can gift you. I will choose two winners at random and announce you next Friday. Here are your choices - please mention the one you want:
MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY Book 1
Did the woman jump or was she
pushed over the balcony? When the shocking murder disrupts the West Coast
Garden Club Society's second annual conference, Jillian Bradley and her garden
club friends join with Chief Frank Viscuglia to find the killer. Jillian and
her friends move through the Ritz-Carlton hotel to private mansions searching
for the truth, pausing for afternoon tea along the way, of course. The unlikely
team helps the chief uncover a series of mysterious events that lead to solving
several murders, both past and present. Could it be the mean spirited
conference director? Perhaps it's the wealthy widow on the make for her next
husband; or maybe the killer is the haughty business woman who shows no regard
for her brow beaten husband.
Murder in Half Moon Bay, first
book in the Jillian Bradley Mystery series, introduces Jillian's little companion 'Teddy,' a Yorkie who falls prey to
danger but rises to become sleuth dog in the next book.
THE GHOST ORCHID MURDER Book 2
It's been eight years since
gardening columnist Jillian Bradley helped solve a string of murders in Half
Moon Bay. But when a friend and colleague in Scottsdale, Arizona finds a young
technical assistant dead on the floor of his private office, Jillian doesn't
hesitate to answer his plea for help in the investigation. After all, a $2
million research grant depends on it.
Together with Detective Jack Noble and
Jillian's clue sniffing dog, Teddy, the three set out to track the killer who
leaves a porcelain orchid over the wound as the only clue. Even though it means
personal sacrifice for Jillian, she is determined to uncover the truth. A
faith-based novel.
FROM THE CLUTCHES OF EVIL Book 3
Christmas – the busiest time of the year! And on top
of everything, Jillian is throwing an engagement party for two dear friends.
But on a final errand before the party begins Jillian witnesses a horrific car
crash and notices two witnesses leaving the scene of the accident. She and
Teddy pull a survivor from the wreckage, and together they attempt to solve the
mystery of the amnesia victim, a 17-year-old boy she and Teddy take under their
wing. After one of the witnesses is found brutally murdered, Jillian discovers
an ominous connection between the boy and a string of heinous murders in a nearby
remote farming community. And when Jillian stumbles across a mysterious compound,
she is determined to unlock old family secrets to solve the mystery of his
identity even though taking the risk creates the ultimate test for her and
Teddy's survival.
After a frantic call from a couple
on their honeymoon, Jillian returns to Half Moon Bay to help. Two elderly men have
been found dead in their recliners, and now another man is missing—the
distraught father of the bride - Jillian's personal assistant. Their
investigation must be incognito since the groom is a detective and can’t work
on the case due to conflict of interest. The clues the threesome find lead Jillian
and Teddy to take a cruise to Catalina Island, but it’s only an entrée into a strange
clinical world, where she almost becomes a victim herself before she identifies
who is responsible for a bizarre series of deaths. Will Teddy be in time to
save the day?
The quaint surfing town of Pacific Beach becomes
a destination for murder when a young starlet and her mother are found brutally
murdered at the Pacific Terrace hotel where Jillian’s family reunion is taking
place. Their reunion takes a terrifying turn when Jillian's nephew is arrested
as a prime suspect and Jillian must move quickly to find the real killer and
prove her nephew's innocence. There is no shortage of suspects, including an
unsavory doctor who attended the popular teen star and a mysterious guest at
the party where the starlet dies. But why is her mother murdered with her?
Working at Jillian's side to find the perpetrator of these bizarre killings are
her faithful assistant Cecilia Montoya, and Teddy, Jillian's Yorkie companion
who sniffs out his own clue.
The
family has gathered to celebrate Christmas at Jillian’s house in Clover
Hills, but Jillian’s plans for a lovely Christmas Eve are rudely
interrupted by a power failure. And a homicide. Not only does Aunt
Jillian find
herself with a house full of company to entertain in the dark, but she
also receives
a call from Detective Walter Montoya who finds himself
in the dark trying to solve the bizarre murder of a worker found dead in a
maintenance shed at the power station. With Teddy at her side, Jillian is
determined to solve the mystery.
Have a wonderful weekend, dear readers!
See you in my books!
~Nancy Jill
Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction
in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award
winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s
List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.
When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six
grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and
plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member
of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion
of her book sales.
Nancy Jill is busy working on book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London, England. To learn more about the author and check out her books, please visit her blog at
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you'd like to give a friend or a loved one a gift that keeps on giving, the Jillian Bradley mysteries might be a good choice. Rated G with no profanity or offensive scenes, they are the perfect gift choice for readers on your list. Books range in price from $7.99 to $11.99 for paperbacks and FREE to $3.99 for eBooks. Not bad when you consider one can purchase the entire series for under $99.00 + tx and s/h. (Amazon Prime members enjoy free s/h!) 
Besides the 10 book series, there are short stories about Jillian and Teddy included in the holiday anthologies "A Cup of Cozy" series, and the latest one out "Happy Homicides." The "Cup of Cozy" anthologies include recipes and menus, and recipes and crafts abound in the bonus issue of "Happy Homicides."
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