Are YOU Named in My Next Mystery? + 99c Suspense Novel!

In my last blog I asked you to send in the names you'd like to see used (and abused) in my next Ghostwriter mystery. And wow, what a wild and wonderfully named bunch you are! There were some beauties amongst the mix. Most of you offered up your own names or names of people you know for my seventh in the series, and very few of you specified exactly what type of character you'd like to be—a 'good' one or a so-called 'baddie'. Which is just as well because I won't be revealing which name is which. Wouldn't want to give away the plot, right? The two names I have chosen were names I would never have thought of, but really resonated with me and fit two of my characters perfectly (you'll understand when you finally get to read the book ;-) in early 2020). So, without further ado, a big CONGRATULATIONS to (drum roll please)… • Presley (adapted from the name Preslea, a reader's granddaughter) • Paisley (a pretty suggestion from reader Nancy) The generous providers of the names will be credited in the book and sent a free paperback copy when it's published. Big THANKS to them and to everyone who contributed. I feel like I will never be short of sweet and surprising monikers again! Meanwhile, my gripping new romance/suspense is on sale—99c! ABOUT AFTER THE FERRY It's the 1990s, pre-mobile phones, and a young traveller must make a terrifying—exhilarating—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? ONE CHOICE LEADS TO TRUE LOVE. ONE CHOICE LEADS TO MURDER. BUT WHICH IS WHICH? In this fast-paced, psychological thriller, we follow Millie Malone across two very different lifetimes. In one life she remains onboard with her 'mates'—two Sydney lads with shaky motives, and an old school pal with a crush of her own—and in the other she jumps. One decision sees Millie shacked up in the country, the other sees her married to her career, but both 'Millies' are harbouring a shocking secret that could blow their worlds apart. THIRTEEN YEARS LATER… and 'Millie' has vanished overnight from her respective lives. Has she returned to Greece to face her past? Or has the past caught up with her, violently? ONLY ONE OF THEM WILL LIVE TO TELL THE TALE. From the best-selling author comes a cracking, stand-alone story 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. Genre: Mystery // Travel // Thriller // Romance // Suspense  NB: This book follows British English spelling and usage, and contains some adult language. No graphic violence or sex.  AVAILABLE NOW AT:  AMAZON  APPLE  B&N NOOK   KOBO

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

The Real Story Behind My New Mystery THE FERRY MAN (out soon!)

A young backpacker meets an alluring stranger on a ferry to the Greek island of Santorini. When he gets off miles from her destination, she has to make a terrifying choice. Will she jump ship with him and desert her travelling companions? Or stay safely onboard and miss what might be the love of a lifetime? 

This is the story of one woman, two lives, and the consequences that lead to murder.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

The year was 1991. I was in my early 20s. A wide-eyed backpacker fresh from Sydney, Australia, with an old school friend beside me and a team of American Lacrosse players we'd met up with somewhere in Europe. We were en route to Santorini, on the deck of a ferry, laughing, flirting, having fun.

Then, in the middle of the eight-hour journey, one of those US players struck up a conversation with a total stranger, another Aussie woman with an alluring smile. He was instantly smitten and before we knew what was happening, he was deserting us all and jumping ship with her on a completely different island.

Now remember: This was BEFORE mobile phones, before instant messaging and GPS. It was back in the days when you still had to book a call from a Greek post office if you wanted to phone home. It was another time and era and so his decision to abandon us for a relative stranger was a brave and potentially risky one. And yet we all laughed and waved him off as if it was just a lark. 

To this day I don't know how it went with that Aussie girl and if he ever caught up with his mates again. But I do know that choice he made has haunted me ever since.

Over the years, I started to wonder, what if?

• What if the man who abandoned his mates had been a woman, a young and vulnerable one? 
• What if the stranger she jumped ship with was a man who turned out to be a monster? 
• And what culpability did WE all have, not pulling our friend back to safety?

Have you ever made a risky travelling decision? If so, you'll relate to this book. It's the one I've been madly typing for the past nine months (but conjuring in my head for almost 30 years). It's a ripper of a tale and I look forward to sharing it with you very soon. 

Unlike anything I have written before, it's a little less 'cozy' and a lot more 'thriller/suspense', with a dash of Gone Girl and a Sliding Doors-style twist. It's now with my editor (love ya work, Annie!) and is due out next month. 

For more on this mystery, a cover-reveal, and your chance to win FREE COPIES, just keep an eye on future newsletters.

Until then, happy (safe!) reading everyone.

xo Christina

I'm dead. I think my son stabbed me. I can not rest until I know why...

With her dead grandmother beckoning furiously from the tunnel, Lulu Gold refuses to go to the light even though she knows she's dead and there's no chance of return.

The problem is, she thinks her son—her achingly beautiful son—killed her and she's determined to find out why.

Why would her 13-year-old sneak up and stab her in the back one Sunday morning?

Was she really that horrendous a mother?

Or is there something else going on down there, something darker and more sinister at play?

Do Not Go Gentle is my latest murder mystery, and a whole new venture for me. Dubbed a 'Posthumous Mystery' it all takes place in the first 12 hours after a murder, and this time I invite the reader to come along and help me solve the crime.

As Lulu hovers above the crime scene, readers get a chance to view all the clues and hear the suspects' secrets to determine whodunit and why.

More than just a mystery, this one is also a study of family and friendships, a look at parenting gone awry and a re-evaluation of everything you ever thought about the true meaning of love.

It's not what you think.

My 10th novel and my favourite, this one is sure to make you laugh and cry, and often at the same time!

Happy reading everyone.
xo Christina