I’m back from a wonderful vacation in North Carolina to visit with a daughter and her kids and grandkids – my great-grands. What fun it is to spend time with little kids who delight in so much – from coloring to swinging at the park to reading books. We had a terrific Thanksgiving gathering at the home of my oldest grandson and his family. Wonderful company, great food, and memories that will last a long time.
BTW, in case you were wondering from my pre-Thanksgiving post about making pumpkin pie, I did get to make one with my granddaughter and my oldest great-granddaughter. She was a pro at breaking eggs and stirring batter. 🙂
Knowing the release of my latest book from Next Chapter Publishing was coming – even though I didn’t have a date – I’d hoped it wouldn’t happen while I was gone so I could do some kind of mini-launch party, but, well, the best laid plans and all that. The book came out November 27 at a few online retail stores and is now in extended release.
But we can pretend the book just came out today and celebrate with a glass of bubbly, right?
Do join me and invite your friends.
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One More Time is the third book in the One Small Victory series that features Jenny Jasik, a mom who has the courage to go up against drug dealers in her small Texas town.
BLURB
The ghosts of Jenny’s past slam into her present, bringing with them all the danger she thought they’d successfully dodged five years ago.
Back then, she’d worked as a CI on a drug task force that ultimately brought down a major drug distributor in her small town. As that man had been hauled away by police, he’d screamed that she’d pay for what she had done.
Now it appears that someone is lurking out there, ready and able to pick up the banner and carry out that threat.
Will Jenny survive One More Time?
SYNOPSIS
Five years ago, Jenny Jasik, had been a civilian working on a drug task force that brought down a major drug distributor in the small Texas town of Little Oak. As The Cuban had been pushed into a squad car to be taken to jail, he’d shouted out a threat that she hadn’t worried about then or since. He went to prison so there was no way he could make her pay for her role in the sting.
How wrong she had been.
Now, a break-in at Jenny’s flower shop is labeled a random act, but then a threatening note is found in her office:
Hello Jenny. I haven’t forgotten.
When confusion morphs into realization, Jenny is too shocked to be afraid, but when the shock wears off, the panic rises.
Now, Jenny and Steve, a captain on the local police force, face some of the same dangers from their past when they’d worked together on that task force. They’re married now, so there’s a lot more at stake as they navigate the perils of the investigation, while struggling with the challenges that brings to their relationship.
Leon, a dealer Jenny remembers from that sordid past, is a reluctant participant in the plan to get revenge. He’s under pressure from his boss, Frank, as well as Dominic who took over the position formally held by The Cuban. But Leon isn’t vested in this effort, and that lack of commitment shows in his inability to get the job done.
Jenny faces into this threat with all the grit and determination she used before, and complications with her children arise as the danger mounts. Scott, now a college student, wants to be treated like the adult he is, and Alicia, straddling the line between childhood and adulthood, needs extra assurance that they are all going to be okay.
In a stunning climax – much like the one from One Small Victory – bullets fly and Jenny whispers a prayer that the good guys will win again.
Will they?
EXCERPT
“What do you mean they’re back?” Not able to keep a tinge of alarm out of her voice, Jenny sat on the bed and watched Steve slip his shoulder holster off and secure it along with the gun in the lock box in the walk-in closet in their bedroom.
A few moments later, he came out, wearing dockers and a light gray T-shirt. “Don’t worry. It’s not the same people.”
“Then who is it?”
“We haven’t determined that yet. But we don’t think it’s connected to that guy we nailed a few years ago.”
“How do you know?”
Noting the alarm in her voice again, Steve turned from the bureau where he was putting keys in a caddy and looked at her. “Okay. I’ll be honest. We don’t know that for sure. But indications are it’s someone else.”
“What indications?”
“The drug is different. Something called fake weed. Not marijuana, but a synthetic product. Made in a lab. We think maybe in China.”
“Really? Another reason to buy American.”
Steve chuckled and sat down on the bed next to her. “It’s good that you can joke.”
“Well, it’s either that or scream.”
He put an arm across her shoulder and pulled her into a side-hug. “I’ve got your back.”
“I know.” She sighed, welcoming the embrace, then straightened. “So? Do I get to go undercover again?”
The question was thrown out half in jest, but part of her meant it. When she’d asked to work as a CI the last time, she was absolutely dead serious. It was after that horrible car accident that had taken Michael’s life, when she’d been introduced to the proliferation of drugs in the small town of Little Oak.
That’s how she met Steve, who was a lieutenant in the police force at the time and was now a captain. When she’d bullied her way onto the drug task force that had formed to take down a major supplier just outside of town, she’d worked closely with Steve. He was her contact.
The person she reported to.
The person who’d helped her the most during the horrifying moments of the sting when she was staring at a man turning a gun on her. She had no other choice but to fire first.
The person she had started to love even before she was consciously aware of it.
Two years later, after they’d recovered from the trauma of what happened during the takedown, as well as losses they both had experienced before fate had brought them together, they decided to see if the spark of attraction they’d felt back then was still there.
Could it blossom into something more?
Jenny traced a finger across his thigh. That hint at romance had definitely turned into something more, and she’d been so content, so happy, these past couple of years. Life was almost perfect. “What’s the department going to do?”
“Nothing like we did before. At least not here in town.” Steve leaned over and slipped his feet into the sandals he’d carried from the closet. “So, the answer to your first question is a definite ‘no.’ There’ll be no task force for you to be involved in.”
“That’s a shame. We had so much fun then.”
Steve shook his head but didn’t hide the smile as he stood. “Are the kids home yet?”
“Nope. Scott wanted to meet some buddies from high school for pizza and agreed that Alicia could tag along.”
“Better watch those buddies around her.”
“I’m sure Scott is all over that.”
Jenny reached out to take Steve’s hand. “So, we have the whole house to ourselves.”
He grinned. “Is that just an idle observation, or is there a hidden message?”
She gave him a broad smile. “The latter if you’re up to it.”
“But I just got dressed.”
“I’ll help you get undressed.”
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That’s all for today folks. Hope your week starts off well today and it is productive and joyful.