Get Named in My New Mystery (Yep, I'm Doing THAT Again!)

My faithful readers will know that I'm always looking out for great character names. After penning three crime series littered with amateur sleuths, their family and friends, beaus and foes, it's very tricky concocting new and original monikers. Like most authors, I tend to steer towards the same old same old… without even realising I'm doing it!

That's where you come in…

Last year, I asked you to donate your favourite names for use in my latest Ghostwriter Mystery, and boy was your response overwhelming (you can read the related blog here).

Well, I'm doing it again! This time I need names for a brand-new mystery I have just started writing. While I can't give too much away yet about the plot, I'm hoping this story turns into a whole new series. It will feature not one but FIVE main characters—a mix of genders, ages and ethnicities—and I need to find them all suitable names.

If you'd like to donate your own name, a name you heard of, or the name of someone you love or loathe (because not every character can be loveable!)—then get in touch. I need first and last names, nicknames, strange names, and even rather ordinary names—whatever you've got. If I end up choosing your suggestion, you get a FREE paperback copy of the book when it's published, not to mention seeing your chosen name over and over in print. Gotta love that! (If you sent names last time, don't worry, I've still got the list and will be dipping into that, too.) 

Check the Ts& Cs**, below, and send your suggestion/s to:

christina@calarmer.com

PRIZE: Subscriber of the Week

Drum roll, please, for this week's winning subscriber who gets a chance to win a FREE copy of one of my mystery novels. This time I'm offering the winner the eBook of their choice from my selection of 15 crime stories—see full list at Amazon here.

And the winner is…

'Crossroads'

Apologies, 'Crossroads', I don't have your full name but I do have your email address (which contains that word) and I'm looking forward to sending you your prize. I'll be in touch shortly. Thanks again to everyone else for your loyalty and support and keep reading my fortnightly newsletters in case your name comes up. Not a subscriber? Just sign up to my newsletter at my official author website: calarmer.com.

"5.0 OUT OF 5 STARS — THE BEST!"

by Ric S. @ US Amazon

"Love book number 4! The best of the series so far. Great characters, twists and turns, an excellent cozy mystery. I’m hoping it won’t be long before book number 5 appears!

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2020

Verified Purchase

ONLINE BOOK DESCRIPTION

REMOTE LYLE'S LODGE: Deep in isolated rainforest, the Agatha Christie Book Club gathers to meet four new members, each one hiding a secret from the group…

ONE IS AN IMPOSTER. ONE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE. ONE IS HUNTING FOR BLOOD. AND ONE WANTS REVENGE.

With membership now at nine, the club settles in to discuss Christie’s best-selling mystery—the one about the madman bumping off his isolated guests.

VERY SOON, LIFE BEGINS TO IMITATE THE BOOK.

First one person is murdered, then another, and then a mighty bushfire ignites in the forest below, cutting them off with their own "madman" on the loose. Employing the wisdom of Poirot and a trusty bushfire survival plan, they must unravel each new member's secret to unmask the real killer and survive the book club from hell.

But this time not all of them will get out alive.

ONCE THERE WERE NINE… SOON THERE WILL BE SIX… BUT WHICH BOOK CLUB MEMBERS WILL SURVIVE?

NB: This ebook has not been endorsed, licensed or authorised by the estate of Agatha Christie or by Agatha Christie Limited.

**Naming Competition: Terms & Conditions

This Naming Competition is open to all my subscribers and all types of names are welcome. By emailing me name/s you infer direct permission to use that name/s or an adaptation of that name/s. The winning name/s will be chosen at a future date and winner/s informed via future newsletter and/or email. Due to the overwhelming nature of these pleas, no correspondence will be entered into but I appreciate your suggestions and thank you in advance. 

WIN eBook 'Gift Baskets' + Get YOUR Name in My Latest Mystery!

2 x "Gift Baskets" of ALL ebooks

12 x individual prizes of one ebook or paperback

For those who like a little romance with their mystery suspense, I've signed up this week with a great group of authors to give away books in the Romantic/Suspense genre.

To win, all you have to do is sign up at AuthorsXP between November 19-25 and you will automatically be in the running. Just click here and you could be a winner! The giveaway includes my latest mystery: After The Ferry (see more on that below).

I'm looking for killer names!

I'm always on the look out for new and interesting names for my fictional characters and it's not always easy. Writers tend to choose names they're already familiar with, whether they realise it or not. 

I try to shake this up from time to time by glancing through magazines, newspapers and phone books, noting down names I see on telly, and asking my readers to get involved. 

This is where you come in...

Would you like to see your name in print? Would you be interested in loaning me your name—or the name of someone you love (or loathe!)? I'm looking for two names: one will be used for a "goodie" and one for a "baddie".

For the next two weeks I'm auditioning names! If you think your name (or the name of someone else*) is worth using, get in touch. Just sign up for my fortnightly newsletter here and then email me back with the name—first, last or both—and I'll choose the two best to feature in my next Ghostwriter Mystery, the seventh book in the series. Or just pop your name in the comments box below!

The winning names will be announced in an upcoming newsletter but I won't reveal whether the name is being used for a good character or bad—as I don't want to give away the plot!  

The winner will not only get boasting rights, they'll also receive a FREE copy of the book when it comes out. 

After The Ferry 

It's the 1990s, pre-mobile phones, and a young traveller must make a terrifying choice: Will she jump ship with a seductive stranger? Or stay cocooned on the Greek ferry with friends and miss what could be the love of her life?

From the best-selling author comes a cracking, stand-alone romantic suspense with twists and turns that will make you question every decision you ever made, and everyone you ever trusted. 

This is a story of choices, and how one bad decision could end up being the best decision of your life.

Here's how to get your copy


Does that sound intriguing? There's two ways to grab your copy. Over the next week, sign up to the giveaway, above, and see if you can score yourself a FREE ecopy or, if you can't wait, just download your $3.99 eBook at Amazon now.

Thanks, and happy (romantic) reading, everyone.

xo Christina

All 6 Ghostwriter Mysteries Up For Grabs + News On The 7th!

A young girl wakes up to find her entire family has vanished. Many years later Phoebe decides to tell her life story, and enlists the help of a ghostwriter.

Enter Roxy Parker…

The last time we met Ghostwriter Roxy, in A Note Before Dying, she'd fallen in love and settled into a quiet country life. 

Or had she? 

In Book 7 of the best-selling series, Roxy returns to Sydney, minus the love interest but with an adorable pooch by her side. She's home to write the life story of the aforementioned 'Forgotten Phoebe'—and, knowing our Roxy, uncover what really happened to Phoebe's missing family. 

But it's not the only reason she's back. Roxy has a very important announcement to make, and it's going to put a few noses—and at least one mother—out of joint!

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

As you can see, I've been busy concocting the next fun, fast-paced adventure for my Ghostwriter Roxy Parker, and to celebrate—and you know how much I love to celebrate—I'm giving YOU a chance to win ALL SIX!

For more on how to win, see below. It's very easy to enter, and writing book seven is coming easily, too. 

As many of you know, it's been a few years between Ghostwriter books and I know some of you have missed Roxy and her fab, fast-talking friends. I've missed them all, too, and have been having a blast reuniting with the cast, getting under Roxy's mother's nose (it's like a blood sport!), and throwing them all into the middle of my most perplexing mystery yet.

I'll be giving more info on the mystery in later emails, as well as a title and cover reveal, so be sure to stay in touch. And keep reading to be in the running.

HOW TO WIN THE WHOLE SERIES

To score a full set of Ghostwriter Mystery eBooks, all you have to do is tell me what you miss most about Roxy Parker. Is it her witty one-liners? Her motley mates? Or her uncanny knack for sniffing out crime?

Or maybe it's something else entirely?

I'd love to hear from you! Just jot me a quick email reply—just a few words is fine—and you'll be in the running!* Entries close in just one week and I'll announce the lucky winner in my very next email, so be sure to look out for it. 

Best of luck everybody and happy reading!

xo Christina

x

*Ts&Cs: You have one week to enter the competition. The best entries may be quoted in a future email. The winning entry and their name will be decided by the author and will be quoted in a future email. Ebook prizes only. You have four weeks to claim your prize. No further correspondence will be entered into. Thx :-)

Tell Your Wildest Travel Story & WIN New Travel Mystery/Suspense

It happens every single time… 

No sooner have I started telling the true story behind my latest mystery / suspense After The Ferry (see the full story from a past newsletter, below), when the listener invariably rushes in with an extraordinary travel tale of their own. Some stories are sad, some shocking, some sidesplittingly funny, but the ones that grip me the most are the ones that end with words like, "I was so lucky! It could have turned out so different!"

That's what I love about travel—you throw caution to the wind and yourself open to fate. Travel makes you a hostage to destiny. Anything can happen and it often does! At the very least, you meet all kinds of weird and wonderful people and have all manner of wild and wondrous experiences. 

And THAT'S what I want to hear from you! Have you, or someone you know, got a 'near-miss' travel story? A gripping adventure to reveal? A tale of sailing very close to the wind? If so, jot me a few lines today. The best THREE stories that come in over the next week will score a FREE e-copy of my new book. (And just for the record, those of you who have already shared your stories with me, no need to re-send—you're officially in the running!)

But first, the rules…

1. Please keep your stories short and sweet. No more than a few sentences or I won't have the time to read them or the space to repeat them.
2. Please only send gripping tales—something memorable or life-changing that happened to you or someone you were travelling with.
3. Stories must be received within the next seven days to be eligible for the prize. Just reply directly to this blog, leaving a comment below, or sign up to my newsletter and email me that way: calarmer.com.
4. You MUST be willing to share your story and your name (but not your full email address) in my upcoming calarmer.com newsletter. If you don't want your details revealed, best not to apply.
5. Due to the enormous number of entries that I usually receive, no correspondence will be entered into before, during or after this competition (in other words, I won't be able to reply to each story but I will read them, I promise!) 

That's it, folks. I look forward to hearing your near-misses and/or magical, memorable travel moments.

Now, for those who missed my past newsletter (you can sign up at calarmer.com), here's the true story behind my latest psychological mystery. Just scroll down to the blog, below, or click here!

Happy reading, everybody.

xo Christina

Sign Up To Get Free Quick Reads +WIN a Murder Mystery!

This festive season I'm offering my readers regular 'quick reads' for free AND, as a bonus, a free eBook of their choice. 

All you have to do is sign up to my newsletter and I'll send you my short stories with tantalising twists. From mystery and intrigue to romance and relationships, they're a simple way to thank you for all your support and keep the silly season light and er, silly!

And, because I can't help myself, I'm also offering THREE subscribers a chance to win one of my eBooks for free. That's any of my crime fiction—the choice is yours.

For more info and/or to sign up for my fortnightly newsletter, click here: calarmer.com

And stay tuned for more deals and steals, stories and thrills!
xo Christina

New Cover Reveal + Winner of My 'Name That Character' Competition (is it YOU?)

Best-selling author Liane Moriarty recently admitted at the Byron Bay Writer's Festival that she accidentally keeps using the same character names in her books, which include the #1 New York Times best-seller  Big Little Lies, which was recently turned into a HBO series starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Liane even used her doctor's name in one book, without realising it!

I feel her pain. The more books you write, the harder it is to keep track of character names, let alone concoct fresh ones, especially if your stories are crowded with characters as ours are. Which brings me to my latest competition…

Last newsletter, as a fun gesture (and because I'm a tad desperate for fresh monikers), I gave you all the chance to see your own name used as a character in my next book Do Not Go Alone—see the fabulous new cover, below.

New mystery available for pre-order

As always I was overwhelmed by the response and I am still overwhelmed (you can stop now, peeps, the comp is closed!). I adore your enthusiasm and have snuck a few of the quirkier names away for future use. Hope you don't mind. There were certainly some beauties. For now, though…

The Winner Is…
A big congratulations to LESLIE! You named the character 'Cheyzene' (Bob's hairdresser in Do Not Go Gentle). Well spotted, Leslie, and I'll be in touch with you directly via your email address, just to confirm you're the winner. You opted for your own name to be used in my next book, and so it shall. It's just a small character but it's a pivotal one, so look out for it in Do Not Go Alone, which is now available for pre-order here, and due for release on August 28.

As for everyone else, thank you once again for taking part and don't hesitate to pre-order your copy of the second in my new Posthumous Mystery series, which will be available as a pre-release at Amazon very soon. (And if you haven't tried the first, catch up on it now: Do Not Go Gentle.)

Also, don't hesitate to get in touch and let me know what you think of my new cover. I'd love to hear from you. There might even be a prize in it if you're lucky!

Congratulations, again, to Leslie, and happy reading everyone.
xo Christina

Get a Character Named After You In My New Mystery

Name A Character in My Next Book!

Ever longed for your 15 minutes of fame? How about the chance to see your name in lights? Well, I can't quite promise that, but I am offering all my beloved subscribers a chance to get your name into my latest mystery. Or, if you'd prefer, the name of someone you love (or loathe... vengeance can be sweet, right?)

I'm putting the finishing touches to my 12th mystery, the follow-up to my top-selling Posthumous Mystery, DO NOT GO GENTLE, and I want to write you into it! I'll just use your first name, and I promise the character will NOT reflect you in any way (they could be a baddie after all!) It's just a bit of harmless fun. Interested?

Here's How to Win:

TO BE IN THE RUNNING: Just name one character—any character EXCEPT the main character Lulu—from my first posthumous mystery Do Not Go Gentle (see Amazon link and book sample here).*

EMAIL ME: Just send me an email with the book character's name listed (first name is fine) as well as YOUR name (or the name of the person you want to see written into my next novel), and you will then go into the hat. At the end of the week—just one week, folks!—I will pick a random name out, and then assign that name to one of the characters in my second Posthumous Mystery, which is due out mid-August.*

I will then announce the winner in a later newsletter.* How cool is that? But do be quick! Offer lasts just one week!

Now, for more on the second book…

Book Title Reveal (drum roll please…)

Do Not Go Alone

by C.A. Larmer

'There's a bullet in my head, and it's really messing with my hairstyle…"

Thus begins the second in the Posthumous Mystery series. This time the victim is 27-year-old party girl Maisie who really shouldn't be dead. There's a pool party going on and she's missing all the fun. As she hovers overhead watching her loved ones splash about, Maisie begins to wonder: who hated her just enough to put a bullet in her head then return to the pool as if nothing has happened? Can you help Maisie uncover a killer before the creepy dead people lurking near the tunnel convince her to cross?

Due out: August 2018

Until then, happy reading everyone (and good luck!)

xo Christina

*Terms & Conditions: All entrants agree the author can use the winning entrant's first name only (or the name of their choosing) for one character in her next book. It may be a main character or a bit character, that is entirely up to the author. The book character does not in any way reflect the character of the winning entrant. The closing date for entries is Aug 5, 2018. The winning entrant will be notified in an upcoming newsletter of the author's choice, and will also be notified by reply email. The author's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into after the winner has been announced. The wnning entrant will receive no payment and all copyright remains with the author. 

Win Up to 30+ eBOOKS and Gain Access to Deals & Steals

• 2 x Grand Prize "Gift Baskets" of ALL eBooks! 

• 30 x Winners of Individual eBooks 

I may rave about my love of cozy mysteries, but I also pen another crime series that's a little less cozy and a lot more cutting edge. The Ghostwriter Mystery Series stars feisty amateur sleuth Roxy Parker, a ghostwriter with a penchant for Merlot, a taste for murder, and an uncanny knack for being in the wrong place at the right time!

And this week, you can jump aboard with her in the 5th—and best-rated—Ghostwriter adventure of them all: Words Can Kill, for just 99c. Or, better yet, sign up with my mates at Authors Cross Promotion to be in the running to score a FREE copy of that ebook, plus 29 others. Yep, that's 30 ebooks, if you're lucky! Just click on the link, below:

AuthorsXP.com/giveaway

The offer lasts as long as the sale: from July 17-23, so don't hesitate. For more on Roxy and her fifth adventure, read on…

WORDS CAN KILL: A Ghostwriter Mystery 

Pack your designer luggage, we're heading to Europe for the fifth, fast-paced adventure in the popular Ghostwriter Mystery Series…

This time we're on a missing person's case, and it ain't no holiday. Hunky photographer Max Farrell has vanished into thin air, last seen in the arms of a blonde floozy at a Swiss mountain resort, and his best mate, Roxy Parker, is trying to play it cool. But when Max's flatmate shows up murdered, followed soon after by the floozy, Roxy realises Max’s life is hanging in the balance, and she is his only hope.

In the latest Ghostwriter Mystery (each one a stand-alone story in itself), Roxy heads to Europe with Max's hilariously self-absorbed sister. Together, they follow a series of clues that take them from the heights of Mt Pilatus in Switzerland to the azure Mediterranean Sea, encountering brash German police, secretive Swiss soldiers, and an Italian Lothario with evil in his heart.

Download your 99c copy at:

• Amazon

• Apple iBooks

• B&N nook

• kobo

• Smashwords & elsewhere: 

Win 70+ Beach Reads (No Need For Sunblock, You Won't Be Looking Up!)

This summer relax on the beach with more than just a good book, relax with 70 of them safely stashed in your ereader. Sound like your kind of thing? Read on...

I've teamed up with 69 fellow authors to bring you a whopping ebook giveaway that covers a HUGE range of genres, including my first posthumous mystery DO NOT GO GENTLE (the second comes out in August—stay tuned on that).

By entering, you'll also gain access to the AXP BOOK FAIR where you'll find more books from a range of genres on sale or free. Woof!

(2) Grand Prize "Gift Baskets" of ALL eBooks!

(100+) Winners of Summer Snoops Cozy Mystery Boxed Set!
70+ Winners of Individual eBooks (randomly choosen)

Just log into AuthorsXP or click here (and good luck!)

xo Christina

Did You Win One of My E-books? Plus: 12 Cozies for just 99c

Hello and happy 2018 everyone. 

As a special thank you to my readers and subscribers for all your support over the past 12 months, I'm giving three of you a free ecopy of my latest Agatha Christie Book Club: Evil Under The Stars. 

The following subscribers have been chosen at random from my full subscriber list. In the interest of privacy I have used just a few words of your email address but will be in touch with you shortly to confirm your win.

AND THE WINNERS ARE… (drum roll please) 

*goodrum

*ktuck

*rfaubel

IF THAT'S YOU...

CONGRATULATIONS! I'll email you soon to arrange for delivery of my book. 

IF THAT'S NOT YOU…

Don't despair. Some good friends and fellow authors are doing an extraordinary discount ebook bundle deal that I'd like to share with you (below). 

Happy reading and here's to a bookish 2018 full of mystery, magic and adventure. Enjoy!

xo Christina

WINTER WHODUNNITS for 99c!

Curl up with a mug of cocoa, a warm fire, and a dozen murder mysteries!

12 cozy mystery novels from best-selling authors to get your blood racing on a cold winter's eve. There's nothing chilling about this chance to explore a dozen of cozies. Curl up for a cocoa, a cookie and a killing!

Get your copy here

* Stacey Alabaster * Anna Celeste Burke * Kathi Daley * Nell Goddin * Alison Golden * Dianne Harman * CeeCee James * Summer Prescott * BR Snow * Shannon VanBergen * Amy Vansant * JA Whiting

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Kobo | Nook | Google Play | iBooks

What's YOUR Favourite Agatha Christie Novel?

I recently ran a competition offering participants a chance to win one of my cozy mysteries in exchange for telling me the name of their favourite Agatha Christie novel, and why. Boy, did I strike gold!

I've never had such an extraordinary response to a competition before and, believe me, that's saying something—I've run a lot of competitions in my time.

Within seconds of posting the competition I had answers streaming in, as revealing as they were engaging, and I'd love to share a little of what I have learned.

But first…

I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who took part. I was overwhelmed by your enthusiastic and heartfelt replies. Some of you put a lot of thought into your choices and really brought the books back to life for me. Sadly, I could only reward the first 12 respondents, and all of them have now been notified. I have also endeavoured to get back to each and every person who participated, whether you won or not, but if for some reason you haven't heard from me, huge apologies. I really did appreciate your feedback but the competition is now officially closed.

So which books struck a chord?

Having gone through all the entries, I thought you might want to know which of Dame Christie's books were the most popular and why. So, envelope, please, and drum roll…

• MOST POPULAR BOOK: Murder on the Orient Express This was, hands down, the most highly rated mystery amongst all the participants, receiving almost every second vote. And I'm not surprised. I love this one, too, and for all the reasons you gave. Most of you indicated that you loved the train setting, the wonderful characters, and the surprising twist at the end, and I couldn't agree more. In the words of one participant, it's a classic!  
• SECOND MOST POPULAR: And then There Were None. Now this one took me by surprise! It's been a long time since I read the story of ten 'strangers' brought together at a secluded mansion, and I had forgotten just how gripping the plot is until you reminded me. One participant echoed the thoughts of many when she wrote, "The plot was interesting and (it was) suspenseful trying to keep up with who would die next!" What more can you ask from a mystery novel?

• RUNNERS UP: Death on the Nile was also a regular favourite, and the Egyptian setting much beloved, while others, like Evil Under the Sun, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Hallowe'en Party and The Mystery of the Blue Train were each mentioned time and again, and there I'm not surprised. Each and every one of them is a delight.

So a hearty THANKS everyone for embracing this competition and making it so informative for me, and such good fun. I loved reading all of your replies and promise to do another competition as soon as possible. Until then, I'm off to hunt down an old copy of Then There Were None. I have a mysterious dinner party to attend…

Happy reading, everyone.

xo Christina