A New Mystery, A Cozy Sale…

Super eBook Sale: ACBC 3

Thanks to my buddies at BookBub and EReader News Today, I'm running another global promotion, this time for the third adventure in the AGATHA CHRISTIE BOOK CLUB series, the award-winning Evil Under the Stars. 

For the next week or so, the eBook can be purchased for just 99c — in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and India.

To clinch your discount copy, just click here. And happy, reading, folks!

Sneak Peek: Ghostwriter 7

Meanwhile, I'm beyond excited to report that my brand-new mystery—the seventh in my popular GHOSTWRITER MYSTERY series—will be out on March 2. 

To PRE-ORDER your copy, head straight to Amazon now. To learn a little more about this series, click here, or read on to see what Roxy's been up to. [Oh and if you'd like to share your thoughts on the cover, don't hesitate to leave me a comment, below. :-)] 

Without a Word

(Ghostwriter Mystery 7)

OUT: March 2, 2020

"It’s been a long time between drinks for our merlot-swilling ghostwriter Roxy Parker, but she's back, this time in the belly of her mates and on a 20-year-old missing person's case.

Roxy’s client—PR princess Phoebe Fisher—was just a child when her entire family vanished. She wants Roxy to tell her story now; Roxy’s more interested in the past.

Why did young Phoebe’s family vanish?
How could they do it in just one night?
And what's the 'dark and sinister event' that triggered the whole thing?

As Roxy sorts fact from fiction, detective friend Gilda has a shocking case of her own—a woman has baked to death in a sizzling hot car. They’re calling it ‘suicide by sunbaking’ but is that even possible or could it be something more macabre?

From the best-selling author of the AGATHA CHRISTIE BOOK CLUB comes the much-anticipated seventh instalment of the Ghostwriter Mysteries, a fun, fast-paced series for those who love a humorous whodunit with contemporary characters you can fall in love with. This time, Roxy’s got a Border Collie by her side and a secret so scary she's terrified to tell her mum (let alone Max!)."

Happy (mysterious) 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 :-)

Yep, You CAN Judge a Book By Its Cover—Your Verdict Is In! + Prize Winner Announced

Photos? Illos? Naked Torsos?

Wow, what a response. Earlier this month, I discussed the various styles of cover design and asked you which you preferred: covers with illustrations, photographs and/or naked torsos?

AND THE COVER-STYLE WINNER IS…

The Ghostwriter Mystery series

Illustrated covers won hands down! Of the 100+ responses I received, 65% agreed that illustrated covers were ideal. 10% preferred photographs, 23% were happy with either/both and just a tiny handful of respondents thought a bare bod' was the best way to go. (Va-va-voom.)

It didn't really matter where you came from—most respondents were from the US, but I had replies from the UK, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and even one from Slovenia—the general consensus was this:

• ILLUSTRATIONS are perfect for cozy mysteries: "They're softer, gentler and feed my imagination more," said one reader. "I like to let my brain run wild!" wrote another. And this little nugget: "It illustrates the lighthearted, more laidback, quick-read nature (of cozies)."
• PHOTOS are more suited to gritty crime and realism: "I like my covers to look more realistic," said one. "Not too cartooney," wrote another, while most agreed: "(Photos) feel more serious but not as much fun to read."
• NAKED TORSOS are taboo. It's "pornographic" or "just plain yuck!" said some, while one reader implored: no "disconcerting" Fabio-style images, please! That one made me laugh. :-)

Many of your views mirrored my own but one comment got my 'leetle grey cells' churning:

"My ultimate favorite cover style is what you have done with the Agatha Christie Book Club covers: photographs, not with people, but with objects that relate to the story and actually enhance the prospective reader's mental images. The perfect blend!"

I hadn't thought of that extra option but, thanks, I heartily agree! I love that style, too (see the aforementioned covers below), and often pour over similar covers, wondering if the objects pictured will unlock the mystery for me.

But enough of all that. Let's get to the exciting bit! Envelope please…

AND THE E-BOOK PRIZE WINNER IS...

Congratulations Andree P. from Canada! You've just scored yourself an e-copy of all six of my Ghostwriter Mystery series. (Woo-hoo!) I'll be in touch with you via email directly. Until then, thanks to EVERYONE who shared their views. It was so lovely to meet you, discover where you're from and hear what makes you reach for a book.

Now I'd like to leave you with perhaps the savviest quote of all:

"I DO judge a book by its cover but it's the content that really matters."

I think we can all agree on that.

Happy reading everyone (regardless of the cover!)

xo Christina

The Agatha Christie Book Club series

PST! While I've got your undivided attention...

A BRIEF WORD ON BOOK REVIEWS: It's not just about the cover and the content—YOU also make a big difference to an author's ability to reach more readers and, therefore, write more books. Readers' reviews really matter, so if you find the time and can manage it, don't ever hesitate to rate and/or review. We appreciate the effort and love to hear your views! :-)

A Macabre Murder, Cocktail-Sipping Suspects, 99c Mystery

The time is nigh! For those of you who scooped up a free copy of the first Ghostwriter Mystery KILLER TWIST, now you can grab the second in the series for just 99c.

A PLOT TO DIE FOR follows gutsy Ghostwriter Roxy Parker as she heads to an exotic resort to write the life story of an eccentric hotelier. Instead, she finds her client dead, buried in the sand, her head protruding ghoulishly for the crabs to devour, and an ensemble cast of cocktail-sipping characters who are all hiding something behind their Gucci sunglasses.

Thanks to BookBub in the UK, Canada, India and Australia, I'm discounting the book for one week only: 99c.

My US readers can also clinch copy for 99c at Amazon USA now.*

Happy reading and don't hesitate to let me know what you think of my fast-talking, fabulously fashionable, butt-kicking  'Ghostie'.

 xo Christina

*APOLOGIES: Amazon US is no longer offering the ebook for free. But, hey, 99c… you can barely get a decent bag of lollies for that :-) Enjoy!

Why I Started My Ghostwriter Series (& How You Can Win One + 44 More!)

I love Sue Grafton and her Alphabet crime series, really I do, but by D is for Deadbeat, I began to realise they were becoming dead boring!


If I read about private detective Kinsey Millhone pulling on her 'turtleneck sweater' or 'wrinkle-resistant black dress' one more time, or stopping to grab a McDonald's cheeseburger, or hanging out with her elderly landlord, I was going to hit somebody with the book.

I know that they're murder mysteries and I know that this may all sound a little vacuous to you, but I kept wondering why Kinsey was so, well, stuck.

Are there no shopping malls in Kinsey's suburb? Does she not tire of the same old meal?* And does she not want to move out of Henry's converted garage and buy a new place of her own?

Just because you create a wonderful character—and Kinsey really is the cream of the crop—does not mean your character shouldn't change and develop and grow. 

She's human. That's what we do!

Let me repeat: I love Sue Grafton. I can only dream of her worldwide success. I acknowledge that she's a master storyteller and I am just a piddling wannabe, but as a lifetime reader I just longed to see Kinsey blossom or deteriorate or get a limp or something! It may seem trivial to you but it just didn't ring true. By the time I got to S is For Silence I could hold my tongue no longer.

Nobody wears the same outfit. Every. Single. Day. Zzzzzz. Nobody eats the same takeaway, or lives in the same tiny rental. At least, nobody I want to spend that much quality time with.

I desperately wanted to see my favourite PI become a little more interesting and a lot more independent.

Are smart detectives really that dull, I wondered?

I don't think so. That's why I created a crime-solving sleuth of my own. 

Roxy Parker is a smart-talking, Sydney-based ghostwriter with a love of fashion and an interest in decent food, who just happens to stumble upon mysteries of her own. 

Now, I was always going to write crime fiction, I can't credit Grafton with that. But I did use my disappointment with Kinsey to develop my own protagonist. I wanted my sleuth to be a little cool, a little classy but, most of all, to be constantly surprising. And to be interesting in EVERY facet of her life, not just inside her brain. It's not just that she changes her outfit occasionally (who knew?), she's constantly growing, developing her sense of self, making new friends, even changing homes in one book—and keeping my readers on the edge of their toes. Or at least, that's the idea.

Six books later, and I hope my Roxy has evolved as I intended her to, but you can be the judge of that. I'm giving away the first in the Ghostwriter Mystery Series, and, for the next week or so, offering readers the chance to discover a whole new series of their own.

Thanks to Amy at Authors Cross Promotion, I've teamed up with 44 other series writers to make our books available to you. Here's your chance to celebrate series creators and maybe find the perfect match for you.

Win up to 45+ Series eBooks!

(2) Grand Prize "Gift Baskets" of ALL eBooks!
(45+) Winners of Individual eBooks (randomly selected titles)

Just get in quick! The competition ends in under a week.

Happy (series) reading everyone!

xo Christina

*I know Kinsey does experiment with Rosie's mad Hungarian cooking and I thank goodness for that. It's one of the reasons I keep coming back.

Love Women Sleuths? You'll Love This Whopping Giveaway!

There's something especially cool and dynamic about female sleuths. Not only are they generally fast-talking, ass-kicking, take-no-prisoner types (and you NEED to be when you're butting heads with beefy criminals and cocky male cops) but they're almost always unashamedly womanly, often using their feminine wiles or witty one-liners to trick, coerce and outsmart the blokes. 

And sometimes they just use good old-fashioned hard work, like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone and my very own Roxy Parker, a ghostwriter with a flair for finding the dark and devious truth.

That's why I'm excited to be part of a fantastic giveaway this week, featuring 26+ mysteries starring women sleuths, and ONLY women sleuths!

Wanna win? 

Of course you do! And it's uber easy. Just sign up at Authors Cross Promotion, and you'll be in the running! Here's what's up for grabs:

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

(26+) Winners of Individual eBooks (randomly selected titles)

This package includes my third Ghostwriter Mystery—Last Writes—in which someone is killing best-selling authors, and a ghostwriter is next on the hit-list! Valued at $3.15 for the e-book, you'll get it for FREE!

But get in NOW. Just click here! Offer ends August 26.

Good luck and happy (womanly) reading everyone.

xo Christina

Writing Exercise (it's spooky!)

So we got a dog, an Australian cattle dog, a young Blue Heeler we named and renamed for ten frustrating days before settling on Casper (because he has a blizzard-like coat, not because he's an invisible presence, let me assure you of that!)

Casper is adorable for all the usual reasons, of course. He's cute (see the evidence, above), cheeky (ditto) and brings the family together, which is no mean feat now we have teenage sons who'd rather be anywhere but, like, together thanks very much.

But there's one other perk of having a pup that I hadn't factored in, but which has already paid dividends, big time.

Casper is my creative muse.
He jolts my imagination into gear.
He makes me want to write another book.
And he does this by taking me for "walkies".
What a good boy!

Plotting My Path

In case you hadn't noticed, I've been a bit uninspired of late. I've been feeling a little slouchy in the story department. I have a bunch of 'novels' in progress on my hard drive, but nothing that really, well, drives me. Which means the progress has been more Mini Minor than Ferrari 458.

After producing ten novels in relatively quick succession, I'd come to a creative halt. A road bump if you will.

Then, last week, Casper changed all that. Here's how it happened.

For those who don't know, my days are usually spent sitting at my desk in the Byron Bay hinterland, tap, tap, tapping away at freelance work, editing and/or fiction—if I'm lucky. I get up from my seat from time to time, to stretch the limbs, make a cup of tea, ransack the pantry, but, for the most part, I'm stuck on my butt, tap, tap… well, you get the gist.

Not anymore, folks!

Now thanks to my feisty canine companion, I'm urged to get vertical more regularly than ever before, and for longer periods of time. And it's not just great for my health and thighs, although it is, in equal measure. It's been like steroids for my leetle grey cells. So much so, the last time Casper and I went for "walkies", I conjured up an entire murder mystery before I even got past the front gate. (Which is actually not as extraordinary as it sounds, I live on seven acres.)

As he pulled me down the road, bursting at the leash, I let my mind gallop along behind him, and gallop it did—straight to a convoluted plot that involves a missing daughter, a shifty family, and an innocent, caught up in the chaos.

And it's not the only one. I've imagined two more storylines on stray adventures with my dog, one for my Ghostwriter Roxy Parker, and one for the Agatha Christie Book Club.

I won't say any more than that, wouldn't want to give too much away, but I'm so excited to have renewed creative vigour and I have a vigorous pup to thank for that.

Now, if he'd just let me sit at my desk in peace, I'd actually get around to writing them...

Happy reading (and walking), everyone!

xo Christina

Under my Ghostie's skin (is she deeper than you realise?)

Q: Do you think Roxy Parker chose to be a Ghostwriter so she could hide in the shadows of other people's lives?

It was a throwaway question, posed to me by a longtime reader and fan, but it threw me for six. I was writing my third ghostwriter mystery when she emailed me from her home in Canada, and I laughed at first before blinking rapidly and having a mini 'Ah-ha' moment that quickly turned into an ''Oh my God!'

Yes. Absolutely. Of course! My reader had nailed it, and I hadn't even realised. Yet I have to confess, that hadn't been my original intention, at least not consciously, not at the start.

Conjuring up a ghost
Roxy Parker was just supposed to be a bit of fun, a bit of a lark. When I first conjured up the protagonist of my new Ghostwriter Mystery Series for the first book Killer Twist, I enjoyed turning her into a merlot-swilling, fast-talking, puzzle-loving amateur sleuth, who just happens to stumble upon corpses as she ghostwrites other people's 'autobiographies'.

Yet as I fleshed Roxy out, as I coloured her in and then drew in her supporting cast, I created something a lot deeper than that, and a hell of a lot more interesting. I'm not talking thesis-inspiring deep, or even something many readers would consciously notice, but it's there and I hadn't even realised it had happened, until one reader pointed it out.

While creating a ghostwriter, I had in effect created a ghost.


Behind the shadows
Roxy lives in the shadows of other people's lives. She's a journalist first and foremost, and most journalists, it has to be said, do exactly that—especially of the print variety. In fact, it's the reason I became a print journo. My communications lecturer had suggested I go into broadcast; I guess he figured I could pull off the voice and/or face for it, but I was aghast at the thought. I loved being behind the scenes, I loved pulling the real story out of other people and pushing them up and into the spotlight.

I wasn't the story, they were! Duh!

It's doubly so for ghostwriters. They don't even get a byline asI generally do, their voice is never heard. Ghostwritten books are usually always in first-person, in the subject's voice, not theirs.  It is ALL about the other, and that's just the way young Roxy likes it.

It's also the reason she has set her life up the way she has. It explains everything about her, from her cosy little apartment, only big enough for one, to her motley crew of mates, all fiercely single, all living through others whether they realise it or not. Like her sweet slob of an agent, Oliver, whose whole career is set up to push other people's careers; and her Scottish pal Lockie, a budding artist who provides a cosy cafe where real arty types can congregate. And Gilda Maltin, of course, the tough-talking cop who is single, lives alone and investigates other people's lives.

Only one person breaks the mould. 

Max Farrell is Roxy's best friend, a photographer, but he doesn't just snap other people, he creates his own artworks, is a minor celebrity in his own right. He lives in an over-sized warehouse and has plenty of room both there—and in his heart—for Ms Parker.

He's the one who tries to break into Roxy's heart, to bring her out of the shadows and put her in the spotlight. And she keeps pushing him back.

She likes her quiet little life, thank you very much! She likes her Thai takeaway, her local cafe and the newsagents who hold the paper for her so she can cut out the complex mystery and misery she finds inside. Maybe Roxy thinks by doing all of this she will avoid more mystery/misery in her own life?

She had a taste of it once, remember, when her beloved father died? She doesn't want to feel that pain again. She'd rather document other people's pain.

And so Roxy has made her life very small, very single, very closed down—just ask her disapproving mother! Perhaps Lorraine isn't as clueless or as cruel as Roxy likes to make out.

Perhaps the reason both Lorraine and Max want Roxy to stop interfering in other people's mysteries has less to do with her personal safety and more to do with Roxy living a life of her own.

None of this matters, of course, if you're just enjoying the ride. But if you like your characters deeper, if you're into psychoanalysis, well... may I introduce the real Roxy Parker. She's deeper than you may realise.

What do you think? Did you, like my Canadian reader, catch any of that? Are we both over-thinking it? Does it even matter? I'd love to hear your views, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below, or get in touch via email.

Happy (deeper) reading everyone!

xo Christina

Write a quick review, get a free C.A. Larmer ebook!

Rock star Jed Moody has an ego the size of Mt Everest and enough enemies to fill Sydney Harbour.

So when he gets murdered on stage in front of his adoring fans, it surprises no one, except Ghostwriter Roxy Parker, that is. She's there to write his life story and now wants to know who zapped it out so viciously, and why!

So begins the sixth adventure for gutsy 'ghostie' Roxy Parker. She's a writer with a predilection for death, but this time she may be in way over her head...

Got you hooked? I hope so! If you haven't yet read A NOTE BEFORE DYING, my sixth, stand-alone Ghostwriter Mystery (and eighth book to date), then now's your chance. You not only get to enjoy Roxy's latest adventure (and I'm sure you won't be disappointed) but you'll also get the chance to score a FREE Ghostwriter Mystery of your choice. Or, if you've read them all, you can have a copy of another best-selling C.A. Larmer ebook: The Agatha Christie Book Club or An Island Lost.

And you don't even have to love it! (That's right, I want your reviews to be legit', so don't hesitate to say what you really think. I'm a big girl, I can handle it!)

The first FIVE reviewers—yep, I'm feeling generous this week, peeps —will score their free ebook. All you have to do is post your review to Amazon, then wait to hear from me. If you're one of the first five (from the date of this post), I'll get in touch via Amazon's 'comments' and offer you your prize. Alternatively, you can get in touch with me directly and demand your prize pronto!

And don't stress about reading it fast! 

This competition remains open until all five reviews are posted, and that can sometimes take months, so relax and enjoy the ride...

Any questions or concerns, jot me a quick comment below, or email me at: christina.larmer@gmail.com.

Otherwise, happy reading and reviewing, everyone! And thank you for your valuable input.

xo Christina

Score 3 Roxy Parker adventures in paperback!

Take the time to review my latest book, Words Can Kill, and you'll be in the running to win THREE paperback copies of Roxy Parker's past adventures!

That's right, in exchange for a few quick words from you, you'll score a paperback copy of each of the following books (total value: $33): Killer Twist, A Plot To De For, and Dying Words.*

How to Enter (it's uber easy!)

STEP ONE: Jump onto Amazon, download the ebook WORDS CAN KILL and jot a quick review—just a few words will do. Let me know what you thought, how much you loved (or loathed) it and anything else you care to share. You needn't be gushing, you just need to be honest.

STEP TWO: After you've posted your review, jot me a quick email or a note on Roxy's facebook page, to let me know you've written your review and are interested in claiming your prize.

STEP THREE: Sit back and wait for your books to arrive in the post!

NB: You have to be quick! I am only offering this giveaway to the first THREE rewiewers who review my book before June 20, and only to those who get in touch and are able to provide a US, Canadian or Australian postal address. 

Any questions or concerns, email me pronto, or leave a comment on Roxy's facebook page. 

Otherwise, happy reading and good luck!

xo Christina

*Already got those books? Don't panic. Choose from any paperbacks by C.A. Larmer that are currently available as Print on Demand at Amazon, including The Agatha Christie Book Club and An Island Lost. It's up to you! (Last Writes is currently not available as a paperback but I am happy to send you the digital version if you prefer.)