"It's a page-turner!" Ghostwriter 7 On Sale Now—Most Gripping Mystery Yet

"I really loved this book. The storyline was interesting and grabbed your attention. It’s very well written and developed. I found this a hard book to put down. I recommend reading."

– Heather 177, Booksprout

“A well written suspense with engaging characters and well plotted mystery.”

– Anne Glass Kasaba, Booksprout

WITHOUT A WORD

A Ghostwriter Mystery 7

IT'S BEEN a long time between drinks for our merlot-swilling ghostwriter, but Roxy Parker's back 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 everything? 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 complex, humorous whodunit with contemporary characters you can fall in love with. This time, Roxy’s got a dog by her side and a secret so scary she's terrified to tell her mum (let alone her ex-boyfriend Max!). GENRE: Cozy, crime, humour, romance, amateur sleuth, international adventure NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This book contains Australian slang and a little adult language—all part of the Aussie vernacular. No offence is intended. AVAILABLE: @ Amazon @ Apple iBooks @ B+N nook @ kobo

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

The Joy! The Relief! On Birthing Ghostwriter 7 and Discounting the First 6 ($5 for all!)

ON THE EVE of her 10th birthday, Phoebe Fisher wakes to find her entire family has vanished. Twenty years later and ghostwriter Roxy Parker is hired to write 'Forgotten Phoebe's memoir, but is she getting the whole story, the true story of what really happened that fateful day…?

It's such a hackneyed phrase, forgive me, but writing a book really is like having a baby—the pain, the promise, the missing months—that I can't help but trot out that old chestnut again. 

Not only do you get 'mummy brain' (just ask my family—they're so thrilled to have me back), even the stages of pregnancy are the same, starting with the queasy first trimester when you're building the story's skeleton, blood and bone. Then there's the blissful middle bit where you get to pad it all out, followed by the difficult final trimester when you have to squish it all together, hope everything's in the right place, and bring this baby home!

We're not quite at the birthing stage yet folks, but boy we're close. My seventh Ghostwriter Mystery is officially with my editor (hey Annie!) and I'm in the throes of creating the cover with my lovely designer Stu. So put the champagne on ice and get the cigars out, because we're almost there! Ahhh...

Meanwhile…

It's been a while between Ghostwriter mysteries, so get familiar with Roxy and her crew. While each book is a stand-alone adventure, knowing the back story always makes for a much richer and more immersive read. 

Which is why I'm discounting all six of the previous books (well, the first one's free so that's even better!) For ONE WEEK ONLY every Ghostwriter Mystery is on SALE for just 99c each. And you can still get Book 1 for zip.

That's six ebooks for less than $5! But get in quick. SALE ENDS FEBRUARY 21.

Next newsletter you'll get a sneak peek of the new cover, and a title reveal. And there'll be free copies, too. Until then, happy (ghostwriter) reading!

xo Christina

99c Sale: Murder on the Orient (SS) + The Real Steamship Behind the Mystery

Image: bogstown.com

From Murder on the Orient (SS): Author's Note

"When I started conjuring up the second adventure for the Agatha Christie Book Club, I wanted to take them on an exotic journey à la the infamous Orient Express—one of my favourite Hercule Poirot settings—and began looking around for ideas.

Boy, did I get lucky.

In the late 1800s/early 1900s, there really was a classic steamship called the SS Orient that sailed between London and Sydney, via the Cape and the Suez. According to my research, it was a sparkling ship, brimming with luxurious fittings and eclectic characters, and host to several rather suspicious deaths.

What a brilliant backdrop for my book club friends!

While I have tweaked some minor details for the sake of this contemporary plot (including the original itinerary), much of the information about the ship is authentic and my sources are listed in the bibliography at the back— with thanks.

This is fiction, however, folks. So I’m sad to say the   SS Orient has not been recommissioned nor is there a real-life replica floating about as I have imagined here, but an author can dream can’t she?

And a book club can jump aboard for the ride… 

Bon voyage!"

FOR MORE ON THE ORIGINAL SS ORIENT:

• The SS Orient Story by Roy Clifford and Dave Knight

• bogstown.com

• Museum Victoria

GRAB YOUR COPY FOR JUST 99c - Sale ends Jan 10

@ Amazon

@ Apple

@ B&N nook

@ kobo

Happy (cruisy) reading everyone.

xo Christina

Aussie Bushfires, A Real-Life Mystery + 3 Festive Gifts!

It's been a big year for me on a personal level and while I only published one book in 2019—After the Ferry: A Gripping Psychological Novel (see more on that and whether you've won a copy, below)—I want to say a very big THANK YOU for all your support in 2019, and APOLOGIES for not getting my seventh Ghostwriter out in time for Christmas as planned. 

I do have a pretty good (well, bad!) excuse

My eldest son finished school this year, which was whopping for him and us, but it wasn't the biggest event of 2019. As you may have seen on the news, large swathes of Australia have been burning now for months, and we have had our own battles in my immediate area, in the hinterland beyond Byron Bay. We had to evacuate our property at one point and while everything is okay for now, it has been extremely unsettling and, as you can imagine, a major distraction. But that's not the worst of it.

To date, across Australia, almost a million hectares of bushland and forest and about 1,000 homes have been destroyed, several lives have been lost as well as countless wildlife, including our precious and already endangered koalas. It really has been a horrendous start to our summer season here and, with no leadership at a political level, sadly, things remain very grim.

That's why, in 2020, I'm hoping for rain and lots of it! I'm also hoping for relief for our beautiful 'firies' - the unpaid, volunteers who leave their own homes, families and jobs to fight the fires for the rest of us. Many of them have been working for two months solid and THEY are the real heroes in all of this.

To them, I say THANK YOU,  and to you, my beloved readers, I say, here's to a calmer, cooler, happier year ahead—not so I can write more books, but so the firies can finally find time to put their singed boots up and read some!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS everybody.

For more on my books and other news, visit: calarmer.com

Why I Love My Latest Book

As some of you may know, I conjured the idea for this psychological thriller many decades ago, and have been itching to write it ever since. 

Back in the 1990s—pre-mobile phones—I really was a young Aussie backpacker travelling with a group of guys and girls making our way on a ferry to Santorini in Greece.

During the long, sunburnt voyage, one of the guys in my group—a handsome American lacrosse player—fell head over heels for a woman from a different group. I think she was a Kiwi but I'm not 100% sure. In any case, he fell hard and literally jumped ship with her long before we got to our destination! He threw caution to the wind and deserted all of us for someone he had only just met.

There were no mobile phones back then. No way to track each other down, and I often wondered how things turned out. WAS it true love and are they now living happily in New Zealand? Did he realise his mistake and get the next ship out? Or did something untoward happen? I certainly never saw him again and have wondered about him ever since. Hence the book. 

In my story, I upped the ante by turning the traveller into a naive young woman and her love interest into a dark, Greek stranger. Then I wrote two versions of what happened—a parallel story, with a startling murder thrown in.

The result is my fictional suspense/thriller AFTER THE FERRY and, while it's a lot more complex than my other books, it's also richly rewarding and those who have made it to the end agree that it's the best thing I've ever written. 

Which is why I'm handing out free copies as a festive gift!

CONGRATULATIONS…

* Lesa Neace

* Thomas Palmer

* Joann Lord

I'll be in touch shortly to offer your free ebook. For everyone else, thanks again for all your support in 2019 and happy (calm!) reading, everybody.

xo Christina

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

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