tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83166439944374660432024-02-01T23:24:32.813-08:00Books by Marta PerryMarta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-64065166032513525712018-04-10T11:59:00.001-07:002018-04-10T11:59:36.721-07:00COMING SOON!My latest book, THE WEDDING QUILT BRIDE, will be out soon, with the paperback copies available by April 17th and the e-book available on May 1. I hope you'll be looking for it!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLI9RLvYCmbO_5RN5PXKmeLfeETY2ec8emmYAD43DuNxwFzlsMyMJg7FCdUt6r63dwy9jNQuPt3XQdtRAxw8Z4UI04jmB8wJsQl28uUZ_EE76EDNpDRcwIgGmao790nPHQDtwW2gsyOvH/s1600/The+Wedding+Quilt+Bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLI9RLvYCmbO_5RN5PXKmeLfeETY2ec8emmYAD43DuNxwFzlsMyMJg7FCdUt6r63dwy9jNQuPt3XQdtRAxw8Z4UI04jmB8wJsQl28uUZ_EE76EDNpDRcwIgGmao790nPHQDtwW2gsyOvH/s320/The+Wedding+Quilt+Bride.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.75pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Wedding Quilt Bride<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.3pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<b><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Love Inspired Books<br />
April 2018<br />
Miniseries: The Brides of Lost Creek, Book Two</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.3pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.3pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<b><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The single mom’s second
chance… To become one of the Brides of Lost Creek!</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><b>Widow Rebecca Mast returns
to her Amish community with her son and a dream—to own a quilt shop. Carpenter
Daniel King is determined to help Rebecca and revive their childhood
friendship. But as he bonds with her son, Rebecca’s afraid the secret she’s
been keeping will be revealed. Can Daniel convince Rebecca he’s a man she can
trust—and love?</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-58070501792010345042018-02-02T10:11:00.000-08:002018-02-02T10:11:54.039-08:00BOOK WINNERS!And the winners of the Amish anthology are: Cindy Hunt, Donna Harmon, Jodi Kosary, Sherri Lynn, and Nelene. I'll e-mail you with instructions on receiving your free book.<br />
<br />
Thanks for participating!<br />
<br />
Marta PerryMarta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-32992543186160955772018-01-29T06:24:00.001-08:002018-01-29T06:24:19.293-08:00GIVEAWAY TIME!It's time to give away some books! This week I'm giving away five copies of an Amish anthology titled ANNA'S GIFT, which includes stories by four different Amish authors. My novella, FALL FROM GRACE, is one of them. FALL FROM GRACE is the story that has been optioned by Lifetime TV for a movie, so if you haven't read it yet, this is your opportunity!<br />
<br />
To enter, leave a comment with your e-mail address or e-mail me at mpjohn@ptd.net. Winners will be announced on Friday, Feb. 2nd. Good luck!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp7lgxfZpHwqriucJaDhrg-mQ80-gjz8P3-EK3H13EuTvIUTjpqOD4-2QBXryENCyLcG_c7b2UAJ8wl43GMpfNZVYq-JlXIvQ9_4cSMLOIh34tRnRK_32nmhOB3MDRR7oe4o8QxGYkDK7/s1600/Anna%2527s+Gift+anthology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp7lgxfZpHwqriucJaDhrg-mQ80-gjz8P3-EK3H13EuTvIUTjpqOD4-2QBXryENCyLcG_c7b2UAJ8wl43GMpfNZVYq-JlXIvQ9_4cSMLOIh34tRnRK_32nmhOB3MDRR7oe4o8QxGYkDK7/s320/Anna%2527s+Gift+anthology.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-73548293118658465222018-01-02T12:05:00.000-08:002018-01-02T12:05:26.310-08:00Happy 2018!<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Happy New Year!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br />Here's the schedule for 2018:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br />February: re-release of <b>Leah's Choice</b> in mass market</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br />April: re-release of <b>Rachel's Garden</b> in mass market</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br />May: <b>The Wedding Quilt Bride</b>, new from Love Inspired</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br />June: re-release of <b>Anna's Return</b> in mass market</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br />August: <b>Shattered Silence</b>, new from HQN; re-release of Katie's Way in mass market</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br />September: Double volume of <b>Second Chance Amish Bride</b> and <b>Undercover Amish</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>October: Re-release of <b>Hannah's Joy</b> in mass market</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br />November: Double volume of <b>Amish Christmas Blessings</b> and <b>Her Amish Christmas Sweetheart</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>December: Re-release of <b>Naomi's Christmas</b> in mass market</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
It will be a busy year!</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22kvuAH9BJl0wNH9GBtuk86MM6tT1wwPV5wwNxO914RRX49MTAEm4f8P8SObH_JCJu6Jcw_c5xcWYiUDWOdMhiieLguKQln0pJ94kCxRYWHEzqKH7ad_nirmhv5sDNaOmdsanszqA48vG/s1600/9781335948236_smp+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22kvuAH9BJl0wNH9GBtuk86MM6tT1wwPV5wwNxO914RRX49MTAEm4f8P8SObH_JCJu6Jcw_c5xcWYiUDWOdMhiieLguKQln0pJ94kCxRYWHEzqKH7ad_nirmhv5sDNaOmdsanszqA48vG/s320/9781335948236_smp+%25281%2529.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPmf1ukCPFiDnjtPPKb_P11U-ZDcjCW-ztJkh7azqa4JXaaIxy8Vj2SFHGn7mbAC7TsjFgoGzlmg3jLgjrbeChmtSMa8fCUtmVjsswX8BgmJ6D-b2AWKT4m9B92ySPtQ-p21GkOCpstbe/s1600/The+Wedding+Quilt+Bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPmf1ukCPFiDnjtPPKb_P11U-ZDcjCW-ztJkh7azqa4JXaaIxy8Vj2SFHGn7mbAC7TsjFgoGzlmg3jLgjrbeChmtSMa8fCUtmVjsswX8BgmJ6D-b2AWKT4m9B92ySPtQ-p21GkOCpstbe/s320/The+Wedding+Quilt+Bride.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-83064073057299619452017-10-27T08:44:00.001-07:002017-10-27T08:44:30.140-07:00WINNERS OF SOUND OF FEAR!<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the winners are: Sallie Sticklin, Joan Crothers, Donna Lung, Norma Jones, Bridgett Hiles, Christine McMahon-Chase, Carol Davis, Julie Ernst, Laura Wisniewski, and Brenda Landis! Please e-mail me ASAP at mpjohn@ptd.net with your mailing address, so I can send your book! Thanks, everyone, for playing.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAh3Dw6zaml5HsK1eRLJv97YGa6umY1n-qTnDPfescSYTQ6cx14pYMp3c9NBCeunFB_JK_hvmR2DcAyXv7Z7hMVUy5vi5aFVYNZreUTGrYizqnDbsxjrrVURzQbdnOpFg8ra0CRDg2mO3/s1600/Sound+of+Fear+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAh3Dw6zaml5HsK1eRLJv97YGa6umY1n-qTnDPfescSYTQ6cx14pYMp3c9NBCeunFB_JK_hvmR2DcAyXv7Z7hMVUy5vi5aFVYNZreUTGrYizqnDbsxjrrVURzQbdnOpFg8ra0CRDg2mO3/s320/Sound+of+Fear+cover.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-65861200622121220272017-10-25T05:43:00.001-07:002017-10-25T05:43:09.834-07:00BOOK GIVEAWAY!Here's your chance to win a free copy of my new book, SOUND OF FEAR! I'll be giving away ten signed copies. Sign up by commenting here or e-mailing me at mpjohn@ptd.net with your e-mail address. Winners will be announced on Friday, Oct. 27 at noon. Good luck!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyovUpzerhL6KiaisCH-7OWluvdXFTYezugJNkjMx-3RxCK0hit3L9_HcriL33UqsNLZqyI3z3Mz60codT8rJlGEQaBECTTFVNDx9k0EP1NlCzN8ywM9FfJHlYiKcmQ-z-jKHMKX1wXup/s1600/Sound+of+Fear+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyovUpzerhL6KiaisCH-7OWluvdXFTYezugJNkjMx-3RxCK0hit3L9_HcriL33UqsNLZqyI3z3Mz60codT8rJlGEQaBECTTFVNDx9k0EP1NlCzN8ywM9FfJHlYiKcmQ-z-jKHMKX1wXup/s320/Sound+of+Fear+cover.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-48807665963060277352017-10-18T08:33:00.000-07:002017-10-18T08:33:21.978-07:00SOUND OF FEAR ExcerptHere's an excerpt from my new book, coming November 1st:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 162.75pt center 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>SOUND OF FEAR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">By Marta Perry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter One<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amanda Curtiss had hoped that going back to
work would distract her from the grief that threatened to drown her. It didn’t
work. Every person at the veterinary practice felt they had to commiserate on
her loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“So very, very sorry about your mother’s
death. So shocking, to have one of Boston’s most noted artists taken away by a
random street crime.” Alicia Farber’s prominent blue eyes, so like those of her
pampered Pekinese, welled with tears. “Pookie is sorry, too. Aren’t you,
Pookie?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Pookie’s expression exhibited its usual
distain for lesser beings. The sight of Amanda’s white lab coat always brought
out the worst in him, and he bared his teeth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Let’s just see what’s going on with
Pookie, shall we?” Amanda lifted the small dog to the exam table with gentle
hands, careful to stay out of the way of his needle-sharp teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“He’s been barely eating a bite of his
food.” Alicia hovered anxiously. “I just knew you’d want to see him. Tell me
the worst. I can take it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To do her justice, Alicia was genuinely
apprehensive. They all were—all the owners of pampered pets who came through
the doors of one of Boston’s most successful veterinary services. Amanda’s job,
as one of those at the lowest rung of the ladder, was to reassure the owners
while treating their pets. And to refrain from pointing out that both pets and
owners would benefit from more exercise and less rich food. No one took that
kind of advice well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By the time Amanda was ushering Alicia and
her pet out of the exam room her head was throbbing and her throat was tight,
as it had been since the police officers had come to the door with their grim
news. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gracie, the receptionist, caught her as she
passed. “Dr. Curtiss, there’s someone here to see you.” Lowering her voice, she
added, “He said it was personal business, so I put him in an empty exam room.
Number Four.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Thanks, Gracie.” Brushing any stray Peke
hairs from her lab coat, Amanda headed for the exam room, her stomach
clenching. Personal business had taken on an ominous sound lately, since it
invariably had to do with her mother’s death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But when she opened the door, her face
relaxed into a smile. Robert McKinley was not only her mother’s attorney but a
long-time family friend as well…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uncle</i>
Robert until she’d felt she was too old for the term. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Robert. I didn’t expect you…” She stopped,
her brain catching up with her tongue. Robert wouldn’t come to her workplace on
anything routine. “What’s wrong?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Why should anything be wrong?” He kissed
her cheek, and she smelled the faint aroma of musk that always advertised his
presence. “Are you sure you should have come back to work so soon? It wasn’t
necessary.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Maybe not financially, but it was for her
mental health. “I’d rather be busy. I need something to occupy my mind.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“If
you’re sure.” He didn’t sound convinced, and Amanda read the uneasiness behind
his warmth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You wouldn’t come here unless something had
happened. Out with it.” Amanda fought to keep her voice steady. “Whatever it
is, it can’t be worse than what’s already happened.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nothing could be worse than losing her
mother is such a brutal way…never again to see her forehead wrinkle in
absorption over a new painting, never to feel the warm of her hug, never to
hear the laughter in her voice…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Robert frowned, taking a step away. “I
know.” His voice wasn’t entirely steady either. He’d adored Juliet in his own
staid way. “It may be nothing, but one of the detectives dropped by with the
coroner’s report. It had raised some questions in his mind.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Questions?” Her mind shied away from
imagining a coroner’s report.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Perhaps I’m making too much of this. You
might already know.” He shook his head slightly, as if to clear it. “The
autopsy confirmed something that seemed…odd.” He held up a hand to silence her
when she would have burst out with a demand to hear it, whatever it was. “It
seems that Juliet Curtiss, your mother, never had a child.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amanda froze, staring at him. The words
were in English, all right, but they didn’t make any sense. “What do you mean?
Of course she had a child. I’m standing right here.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Juliet never bore a child,” he repeated.
“There isn’t any doubt, Amanda. I read the report for myself, and then I called
the coroner for confirmation. Juliet had never had a child.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her sluggish wits started to work. “You
mean I’m adopted? But why on earth wouldn’t she have told me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Robert shrugged, seeming relieved that the
worst of his news-breaking was over. “I believe specialists do recommend that
the child be told, but it could be that Juliet couldn’t bear the idea that your
feelings about her would change if you knew she wasn’t your biological mother.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At some level she wanted to laugh at that,
because it was so ridiculous to think of Juliet in those terms. But if she
started to laugh, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to control her emotions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“Be
serious, Robert. Juliet wasn’t a clinging mama. That wasn’t the sort of
relationship we had.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amanda paused to consider what she’d just
said. She and her mother had certainly been close, but Juliet didn’t dote. It
hadn’t been in her nature. True, Amanda had lived at home since her practice
and her life had fallen apart in Pennnsylvania, but they’d lived very
independent lives. Juliet had her work, and Amanda had hers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You never thought…” Robert began, stepping
delicately in what no doubt seemed like a minefield to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Never,” she said flatly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You see the problem,” he said, frowning
again. She thought he held back impatience when she looked at him blankly.
“Legally,” he amplified. “Your mother…Juliet…must have adopted you prior to the
time I met her. You’d have been about eight, I think, when she bought the
brownstone. That was the first bit of business I did for her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Obviously Robert expected her to
concentrate on the problem. She tried to rein in her wandering thoughts. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Focus</i>, she ordered herself. “Yes, I’d
have been eight when we moved uptown. She’d had her first really successful
show, and our lives changed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not that she’d minded the life they’d had
before that. The tiny apartment in one of Boston’s many ethnic neighborhoods
had been home. But Juliet had wanted more…for herself, but certainly for her
daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“If you don’t remember any other life,
Juliet must have adopted you when you were quite small.” Robert wore his worried
look. “There surely are papers to that effect somewhere.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Aren’t all her legal documents at your
office? She always said she didn’t have the talent or the energy to deal with
things like that. Her work…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“She <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i>
an artist, of course. But that’s no excuse for not having your affairs in
order.” That was as close as Amanda had ever heard him come to sounding
critical of Juliet. “You can see the quandary that leaves us in now. We must
establish your legal position in regard to your mother’s estate.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But she had a will. You showed it to me,
remember?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“At my insistence, she did.” He sounded
grim. “It leaves everything of which she died possessed to her daughter, Amanda
Elizabeth Curtiss.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, then…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Come, Amanda. Concentrate. You’ve always
been the practical one. If you’re not her biological daughter, the language
becomes ambiguous.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You mean our home might not be mine?” That
possibility did penetrate the fog in which she groped. The brownstone was home.
It might be lonely without Juliet, but every inch of it was filled with
memories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“If someone contested the will on the
grounds that you are not Juliet’s daughter, that might well happen.” Robert
clasped her hands in a firm grip. “There must be someone who knew Juliet longer
than I did. They might know the circumstances of your…your adoption. Who were
her oldest friends?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amanda released her hands to rub her
temples. “But I don’t know of anyone. All of the people in our lives dated from
the time we moved uptown.” Then it struck her. “But what about her brother,
George? They’d been estranged for a long time, but he did come to the funeral.
Surely he’d know…” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Know where I came from</i>.
She finished the sentence in her mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This was crazy. It was like spinning around
on the ice in an out-of-control car. Every anchor she reached for slid from her
grasp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“George Curtiss is the last person I’d
confide in at this point. Don’t you see, Amanda? He can’t know there’s any
question, or you can be sure he’d have brought it up.” Robert’s frown deepened.
“There were good reasons for the breach between him and your mother. If half
what she said about him is true, he’d be contesting the will in an instant if
he even suspected.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Then what should I do? How can we find
out?” If her uncle didn’t know…but he wasn’t her uncle, it seemed, any more
than Juliet had been her mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“First of all, it’s essential that we find
any documents relating to you. You’d better have a good search throughout the
house for papers. You must have a birth certificate, at least. We may want to
hire a firm of private investigators to look into it. And whatever you do,
don’t talk about this to anyone but me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She blinked at that. “But my closest
friends…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Not your friends, not anyone. Not until we
have a better handle on your identity than we do now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her identity. Amanda had always known who
she was and where she belonged. Now it seemed she didn’t know at all. Who was
she?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-21657259913489332482017-10-16T09:54:00.003-07:002017-10-16T09:54:34.785-07:00WINNERS ANNOUNCED!Here are the winners of a copy of the first book in the Echo Falls series, Echo of Danger: Tracie Nolan, Virginia Sticklin, Nelida Esparza Lopez, Nancy Wallace, and Linda Critcher! Winners, e-mail me at <a href="mailto:mpjohn@ptd.net">mpjohn</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">@ptd.net</a> with your name and mailing address so I can send you your book!<br />
<br />
And watch next week for a giveaway of the latest Echo Falls book, SOUND OF FEAR.<br />
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-35611278809863288862017-10-10T08:49:00.000-07:002017-10-10T08:49:10.750-07:00LOOK WHAT'S COMING SOON!Look what's coming out the end of October--SOUND OF FEAR, Book Two in the Echo Falls romantic suspense series! Pre-order your copy today!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaZqaio0vGO79m8D1P7mnGoSneepVlpk6TdhqkaUqfnVdkMWBjOL1gFV_W4ugdg5q-iOvw6tDwI1ESM3uHrvp2cSfmkIAj0aMid5XtjN88N_ULFRAyAYMj0iHj3d9AQqx-ulNBPYjr70/s1600/Sound+of+Fear+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaZqaio0vGO79m8D1P7mnGoSneepVlpk6TdhqkaUqfnVdkMWBjOL1gFV_W4ugdg5q-iOvw6tDwI1ESM3uHrvp2cSfmkIAj0aMid5XtjN88N_ULFRAyAYMj0iHj3d9AQqx-ulNBPYjr70/s320/Sound+of+Fear+cover.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>In the sweet subtle wind of a Pennsylvania Dutch town, a lost woman and a man of duty will risk their lives to uncover her true identity </b><br /><br /> The foundation of Amanda Curtis's very existence cracks the moment she discovers the woman she thought was her mother has never given birth. Where she belongs is a question she can't put to rest. But when the clues lead her to a charming yet chilling small town, the threat against her begins to unfold.<br /><br /> Trey Addison is a fixture in Echo Falls. The town and the people are his to protect. He was born to take his place in the family legal firm, but now that a stranger desperate to unlock her past is depending on him, he's forced to make an impossible choice. If Trey doesn't protect Amanda, she'll walk straight into a deadly trap. If he helps her expose the secrets that haunt her, the truth could shatter them both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-39893680887301853522017-08-21T10:28:00.002-07:002017-08-21T10:28:54.324-07:00WINNERS!<div data-block="true" data-editor="aki7m" data-offset-key="3kv53-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3kv53-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3kv53-0-0"><span data-text="true">And the winners are: Donna McCoy, Jane Reeves, Sherry Lynn,</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="aki7m" data-offset-key="du632-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="du632-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="du632-0-0"><span data-text="true">Sharon Pray, Alice Wagner, Marsha Cole, Ann Carlton, Jane Dumey, Vanda Human, and Denise Greenacre! Please e-mail me your address to mpjohn@ptd.net. Congratulations!</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="du632-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="du632-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span> </div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="du632-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="du632-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5La0j8lpqd7igrH6MIseuxkyeZgfxNpitACal6cbJhz3ebbKSqRytwwZ4k7eoI_iy3iyyF1XZMCnRzt6TxGLaJWAvTaw7I8Bxdexe3qrv-Uc8YpVwflfZyoGmgouwyQHcZ4jzBAZn7C8u/s1600/Second+Chance+Amish+Bride+hi+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5La0j8lpqd7igrH6MIseuxkyeZgfxNpitACal6cbJhz3ebbKSqRytwwZ4k7eoI_iy3iyyF1XZMCnRzt6TxGLaJWAvTaw7I8Bxdexe3qrv-Uc8YpVwflfZyoGmgouwyQHcZ4jzBAZn7C8u/s320/Second+Chance+Amish+Bride+hi+res.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="du632-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="du632-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span> </div>
</div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-4361371238101859282017-08-16T07:31:00.000-07:002017-08-16T07:31:32.182-07:00CHANCE TO WIN!Enter for a chance to win one of ten copies of Second Chance Amish Bride! Comment below with your email address or, if you prefer, leave a private message at <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" href="https://facebook.com/MartaPerryBooks">facebook.com/MartaPerryBooks</a>. Winners will be announced on Monday, Aug. 21st at noon.<br />
<br />
Second Chance Amish Bride will be available in stores August 26th...first in a new Amish series!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR7_HVbWp6lIGIaxJb4g2aE3Okba35q1jvtdNxpREkKjrjLY_E2dT2lQEvYF5hNXZzEYvZq9g4a9InPZWWT-mkApb6qIhfoN5SJffpTlhz_okza9AtaEWTma_6Cqiwg7IgSMLVb5-zGYt/s1600/Second+Chance+Amish+Bride+hi+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR7_HVbWp6lIGIaxJb4g2aE3Okba35q1jvtdNxpREkKjrjLY_E2dT2lQEvYF5hNXZzEYvZq9g4a9InPZWWT-mkApb6qIhfoN5SJffpTlhz_okza9AtaEWTma_6Cqiwg7IgSMLVb5-zGYt/s400/Second+Chance+Amish+Bride+hi+res.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-66702659182554128972017-06-02T11:58:00.000-07:002017-06-02T11:58:10.085-07:00SPECIAL EVENT!<span style="font-size: large;">I have some happy news! My Amish Romantic Suspense book, MURDER IN PLAIN SIGHT, has been chosen for the Kindle Monthly Deals by Amazon. This means you can download an e-book copy for $1.99 during the month of June. So if you haven't read it, or you'd like to read it again, don't miss this opportunity!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTLxts-_f7AN0y1dYAf01rdN5rKz4821HsVSLYl95y38OToAxUu2WtQWaeQChG-TAib2hVdswZHYF4lsSNLtdkvyzynTDK1pl5YEuKn0MoYZpA9Mmmm6p8IjcL7s_bk_2xNQacnu_xtSh/s1600/Murder+in+Plain+Sight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTLxts-_f7AN0y1dYAf01rdN5rKz4821HsVSLYl95y38OToAxUu2WtQWaeQChG-TAib2hVdswZHYF4lsSNLtdkvyzynTDK1pl5YEuKn0MoYZpA9Mmmm6p8IjcL7s_bk_2xNQacnu_xtSh/s400/Murder+in+Plain+Sight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-14362319468427697052017-04-24T08:03:00.003-07:002017-04-24T08:03:54.435-07:00ECHO OF DANGER Sale Coupon<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My latest book, ECHO OF DANGER, releases tomorrow! And here's a coupon for you!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you enjoy romantic suspense, you won't want to miss the start of a new series of Amish-set romantic suspense novels. Get your copy now and save $1 on either the print or e-book version.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's how:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Use coupon code ECHODANGER1 to receive $1 OFF the print or ebook version of ECHO OF DANGER on </span><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FHarlequin.com%2F&h=ATM-Ilz1QmPqmHVNj1ftHglB_IrfdnfKxlmX4creHQsUlpwTqHVgATkB50jeH3qOBAFp3GRIgNly_H46LhqTo68HI0ieeeK5UAoZ93aegcqpx6lDWkxQ31vnwnN0qOD7YiMJwzkLGcWPEFhbyA&enc=AZMqredDSDwtwk4nkB0dCdhFUcDr25kT2I_itu1t9_9-atOnrc8jvHfoyzEa68M-6dv8FE71hrjnLp3-LE8RVIgx2q_I3Qi-nsemZvSA6hMupnag0heRqn9KeiGM-torUQcH20sFnI-4eTkd7pbCpdBzFKdqE-utfsutW4dDbhB2hOSWgFoe6ThKRKp8XYkeV8eJtaEFoCJn4jasnlQYnQNw&s=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Harlequin.com.</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> In order to redeem this offer, please add the print or ebook version of ECHO OF DANGER to your shopping cart and then enter the coupon code at checkout.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQK043RbN0BQyJWBJ29mNhMl2nJtYxxj9BG4nWy8fdwSzcKka4IGjYnrxqLc-FyxS2hHzkLtd1CROH7RWgpqZuViUELykkV6CJm-q5FvdOyW1rOkOwr3szOWWNaQsqcngOHzfzgt-dgCKG/s1600/Echo+hi+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQK043RbN0BQyJWBJ29mNhMl2nJtYxxj9BG4nWy8fdwSzcKka4IGjYnrxqLc-FyxS2hHzkLtd1CROH7RWgpqZuViUELykkV6CJm-q5FvdOyW1rOkOwr3szOWWNaQsqcngOHzfzgt-dgCKG/s320/Echo+hi+res.jpg" width="202" /></a></span></div>
<br />
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-90688526285315518112017-04-12T09:31:00.001-07:002017-04-12T09:31:30.221-07:00Echo Of Danger
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> Enjoy the opening scene from Echo of Danger, coming soon!</o:p></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9bfmhR3cD0WfECeRet4e8pmbegsTAhoCkrPN1pgB5SjRjdr20FTTwwKDAFVUw6AqVu9yWElOuyJ1KmUtgLEFt1wj9VS_Fp39BehclKUCVnyCWxRibGmKSpXrQGZq1e9yXNwqKUpHHzOu/s1600/Echo+hi+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9bfmhR3cD0WfECeRet4e8pmbegsTAhoCkrPN1pgB5SjRjdr20FTTwwKDAFVUw6AqVu9yWElOuyJ1KmUtgLEFt1wj9VS_Fp39BehclKUCVnyCWxRibGmKSpXrQGZq1e9yXNwqKUpHHzOu/s320/Echo+hi+res.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">ECHO OF DANGER<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">By<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Marta Perry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter One<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her father-in-law set down the coffee she’d
poured for him and glanced dismissively around Deidre Morris’s sunny,
country-style kitchen. “I’ve found a buyer for your house.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The seemingly casual words, dropped into
what had supposedly been an impromptu visit to see his grandson, sent ripples
of alarm through Deidre. Her own cup clattered, nearly missing the saucer.
“I…what did you say?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Judge Franklin Morris gave her the look
he’d give a recalcitrant defendant in his courtroom. “I said, I’ve found a
buyer for you. He’s offering the best price you can expect for a place like
this. And you’ll be able to move into Ferncliff by the end of the month.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Deidre pressed suddenly cold hands against
the top of the pine table that had belonged to her grandparents. She should
have guessed that there was something behind this visit. Judge Morris was far
too busy to drop in on anyone. And nothing he said was ever casual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She was going to have to take a firm line,
clearly, and that wasn’t easy with a man who was accustomed to speak with the
force of law. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stupid</i>, she lectured
herself. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He can’t force you to do
anything you don’t want to do, even if he is Kevin’s grandfather.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m afraid there’s some
misunderstanding. I have no intention of selling this house.” And certainly not
of moving into the chilly mansion where every moment of the day was governed by
her formidable father-in-law’s wishes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I realize you have a sentimental
attachment to your family home.” He spoke with a tone of barely controlled
impatience. “But since you won’t have any need of the house once you and Kevin
move in with us, selling seems the sensible solution. You can invest the money
for the future. However, if you prefer to rent, I suppose that can be
arranged.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">The
judge’s face had stiffened, making it look very like the portrait of him that
hung in the county courthouse, marking his twenty years on the bench. The firm
planes of his face, the small gray moustache, the piercing gray eyes—all seemed
granted by providence to make Franklin Morris look like what he was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">But
she wasn’t either a plaintiff or a defendant. “I don’t want to rent or sell.
This is my home, mine and Kevin’s. This is where I plan to live.” Surely that
was clear enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">The
chink of a glass reminded her that they were not alone. Kevin sat across from
her, his blue eyes huge and round above the chocolate milk that rimmed his
mouth. Deidre’s heart clenched. A five-year-old shouldn’t be hearing this
conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“Kevin,
why don’t you run upstairs and finish the get-well card you’re making for your
grandmother. That way Grandfather can take it with him when he goes.” She gave
him a reassuring smile, wishing someone would send reassurance her way about
now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Kevin
nodded, his chair scraping back. Without a word, he scuttled from the kitchen
like a mouse escaping the cat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Her
son’s expression reminded Deidre of the most important reason why they’d never
be moving into Ferncliff. She wouldn’t allow Kevin to grow up the way his
father had, doubting himself at every turn, convinced he could never measure up
to what was expected of him. She turned back to the table to be met by a stare
that chilled her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“Deidre,
what is this nonsense? I could understand your reluctance to make a move in the
immediate aftermath of Frank’s death. But you’ve had nearly a year. It was
always understood that you and Kevin would move in with us. We have plenty of
room, and it’s the sensible thing to do. With Frank gone, I’m the only father
figure the boy will have.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">And
that was exactly what Deidre feared most. This was her own fault, she supposed.
She should have stood firm when the subject had first come up, but she’d still
been dazed at the suddenness of Frank’s death, unable to come to terms with the
thought of the screaming, shrieking crash of his treasured sports car against
the bridge abutment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">She
hadn’t been in any condition then to mount a major battle with the judge, so
she’d taken the easy way out, claiming she couldn’t possibly make any more
abrupt changes in their lives until they’d become accustomed to the tragedy.
When both the family doctor and her minister had chimed in with their support,
the judge had graciously backed down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">But
now it was the day of reckoning. Taking the easy way out had only postponed the
inevitable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“I
realize that you hoped to have us close, especially after Frank’s death.”
Deidre chose her words carefully. No matter what damage she considered he’d
done to Frank by the way he’d raised him, the judge had lost his only child.
“But Frank and I chose to live here, and all of our plans for the future
included this house as our home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“All
that has changed now.” The judge brushed away the years of her marriage with a
sweeping gesture of his hand. “Without my son…” He paused, and she feared his
iron control was going to snap. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">He’d
never forgive himself or her if he showed what he’d consider weakness in front
of her, and a spasm of pity caught at her throat. His only child gone, his wife
an alcoholic…small wonder he had all his hopes centered on his grandson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">The
judge cleared his throat, vanquishing whatever emotion had threatened to erupt.
“I’m only thinking of what’s best for Kevin. We can offer him so much more than
you can alone. Surely you realize that. An appropriate school, the right
background…these things count for something in the world beyond Echo Falls.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Ambition,
in other words. That was what he’d wanted for Frank, and he’d never let Frank
forget what he’d supposedly given up by coming back to Echo Falls and marrying
her instead of going out into the glittering future his father had wanted for
him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">But
she could hardly use that as an argument with her father-in-law. “Kevin’s only
five. There’s plenty of time to be thinking about the right school for him. At
the moment, he needs security, warmth, and familiarity in his life, and that’s
what he has.” She saw the argument shaping in his eyes and hurried on. “Please
don’t think I don’t appreciate all that you and Sylvia do for Kevin. You’re a
very important part of his life and nothing can change that.” She managed a
smile. “After all, we’re less than a mile away as it is.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Less
than a mile, yes, but to her mind there was a huge difference between the
comfortable family house on the edge of town, surrounded by fields, woods, and
Amish farms, and the cool, elegant mansion on the hill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Her
father-in-law’s chair scraped back as he rose, standing rigid to look down at
her for a long moment. “I’m sorry you can’t see the sense of my offer, Deidre.
It would be easier all around if you did.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">He
turned, stalking without haste from the room, down the hall, and toward the
front door. Deidre, hurrying after him, reached the door in time to have it
close sharply in her face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Well</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">. Her hands were cold and
trembling, and she clasped them together, needing something to hold onto.
Surely she must be imagining what seemed a threat in the judge’s final words.
Hadn’t she?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“Mommy?”
Kevin scurried down the stairs, waving a sheet of construction paper.
“Grandfather left without the card I made.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m
sorry, sweetheart. I guess he forgot.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Deidre
put her arm around her son to draw him close, taking comfort from his sturdy
little body. She held the picture he was waving so she could see it. Kevin had
drawn himself, holding a handful of flowers in all sorts of unlikely shades of
crayon. He’d printed his name at the top in uncertain letters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“But
my picture…” He clouded up. “I made it especially for Grandma.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“We’ll
put it in an envelope and mail it to her right now, okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">That
restored his sunny smile, and Kevin ran to the drop-front desk in the corner of
the living room. “I’ll get an envelope.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">“Good
job, Kev. I know this will make Grandma feel better.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">She
hoped. A report that Sylvia was ill usually meant that she’d gotten hold of
something to drink. Once started, she couldn’t seem to stop. Much as Deidre
grieved for Sylvia, she didn’t mean to expose Kevin to the difficulties
inherent in living with her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">That
was one more reason why the judge’s plan was impossible. She just wished she
could get rid of the sinking feeling that Judge Franklin Morris didn’t give up
on anything until he had what he wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-34034269017610152602017-04-04T07:44:00.000-07:002017-04-04T07:44:16.141-07:00BOOK GIVEAWAY!Time for a Book Giveaway! In anticipation of my new romantic suspense, ECHO OF DANGER, coming the end of the month, I'm giving away 5 copies of the last book, HOW SECRETS DIE this week. Just send me your e-mail address by Friday, April 7 at noon to be entered. Either reply, message me on Facebook, or email me at marta@martaperry.com. And watch for a giveaway of the new book coming soon!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzJDNsvE3SoXBqanGBfoMysxGAx_Ctf0NgowPuLBSXqt2Im_81IrUAcTkneZkE2CZWPxsCTTDB-HrURUVtuizJ2uY_quvGRdphil70VEsTv3bHR844W3OKjE7gMTnUMVlrQKHspI4OXFd/s1600/How+Secrets+Die+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzJDNsvE3SoXBqanGBfoMysxGAx_Ctf0NgowPuLBSXqt2Im_81IrUAcTkneZkE2CZWPxsCTTDB-HrURUVtuizJ2uY_quvGRdphil70VEsTv3bHR844W3OKjE7gMTnUMVlrQKHspI4OXFd/s320/How+Secrets+Die+cover.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-16442517540241553552017-03-26T13:36:00.002-07:002017-03-26T13:36:55.829-07:00New Book Coming!<div class="_5va4">
<div>
<div class="_6a _5u5j">
<div class="_6a _6b" style="height: 40px;">
NEW BOOK COMING!</div>
<div class="_6a _5u5j _6b">
<h6 class="_5pbw _5vra _11dd" data-ft="{"tn":"C"}" id="js_i">
<span aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"> </span><a aria-label="Public" class="uiStreamPrivacy inlineBlock fbStreamPrivacy fbPrivacyAudienceIndicator _5pcq" data-hover="tooltip" data-tooltip-content="Public" href="https://www.facebook.com/MartaPerryBooks/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel#" role="button"><i class="lock img sp_WWNV5EwiHsl sx_ccbadf"></i></a></h6>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_k">
In one month, ECHO OF DANGER, first book in my new suspense series, will be in stores. Pre-order it now at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Danger-Romance-No…/…/ref=sr_1_1…" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Danger-Romance-No…/…/ref=sr_1_1…</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfseoP4mhcneQmwlInMqRQMWknVWgaI-rjkcIbVb_CSTxpk6rNaf0oMu6R8IBOb73is7utDsmWMJP5aoWCjoQ26wiPvmT5L8dR6MCinBLpUJHjRCInYE7-0tTxTmV-3CPxIhT4tUivQlO/s1600/Echo+of+Danger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfseoP4mhcneQmwlInMqRQMWknVWgaI-rjkcIbVb_CSTxpk6rNaf0oMu6R8IBOb73is7utDsmWMJP5aoWCjoQ26wiPvmT5L8dR6MCinBLpUJHjRCInYE7-0tTxTmV-3CPxIhT4tUivQlO/s400/Echo+of+Danger.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
</div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-16979210216268770422017-02-07T06:37:00.003-08:002017-02-07T06:37:49.500-08:00BOOK GIVEAWAY<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Time for a book giveaway! Would you like to win a signed copy of WHEN SECRETS STRIKE? If so, leave your name and e-mail contact in a comment or e-mail me with the information at marta@martaperry.com. Winners will be announced on Friday, Feb. 10th.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizuQACQQISdaDAW2nD94jv6X0Zoi9Ye-30TzAI3ky7J0PpyIowEgpMgQbO7QzopoxNeTIKabgwG130XuKfbAkyv_K1v6Fu2mrLF15CIX-nEB73DYw7y3rewBRLMjKneE-za1a4f8iCRDm/s1600/When+Secrets+Strike+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizuQACQQISdaDAW2nD94jv6X0Zoi9Ye-30TzAI3ky7J0PpyIowEgpMgQbO7QzopoxNeTIKabgwG130XuKfbAkyv_K1v6Fu2mrLF15CIX-nEB73DYw7y3rewBRLMjKneE-za1a4f8iCRDm/s320/When+Secrets+Strike+cover.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Good luck!</span>Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-38744469770072388812017-01-24T07:39:00.001-08:002017-01-24T07:39:14.158-08:00Newsletter Coming!Enjoy Pennsylvania Dutch cooking? Then sign up for the next issue of the Marta Perry newsletter at http://www.martaperry.com/lists/?p=subscribe. When you sign up, you'll receive an e-copy of my brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes with some of my favorite family recipes.<br />
<br />
This issue of the newsletter, in addition to information about upcoming books for 2017, also includes my favorite soup recipe along with an opportunity to share your best soup recipes with other readers. So don't be left out in the cold without some hot soup to cheer you in the winter chill!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWXveb6qIRIdltMGzS6D_majsX5atPjvdLFh1f_DXFWve27vgxTm0CzgXOrQ7dd2tqpzsGljk1WXEcGq1sNnRxrKboTzztWRKb5y2lKhRJ_8gMKnzsF1RFwWfE8AbN3VLSk6fY5-QDnw6/s1600/vegetable+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWXveb6qIRIdltMGzS6D_majsX5atPjvdLFh1f_DXFWve27vgxTm0CzgXOrQ7dd2tqpzsGljk1WXEcGq1sNnRxrKboTzztWRKb5y2lKhRJ_8gMKnzsF1RFwWfE8AbN3VLSk6fY5-QDnw6/s320/vegetable+soup.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-83519910634444693352017-01-16T10:42:00.003-08:002017-01-16T10:42:32.994-08:00The Winners!<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="b97er" data-offset-key="4kkvu-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4kkvu-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="4kkvu-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And the winners are: Marie Stoutenborough, Joan Hoffman, Rebecca Skelton, Tonya Stewart, Pauline Osborne, Terri Duran, Jenny Propst, Cheryl Baranski, Karen Dowdy, and Sherry Kemp. Congratulations! Please send your mailing address to me at mpjohn@ptd.net as soon as possible so I can mail your book. Thanks for playing!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="b97er" data-offset-key="dk8d9-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dk8d9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="dk8d9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="b97er" data-offset-key="5j3mv-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5j3mv-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="5j3mv-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Marta</span></div>
</div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-77678304338156676982017-01-13T08:12:00.001-08:002017-01-13T08:12:35.912-08:00BOOK GIVEAWAY<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Time for a giveaway! If you like to receive a free, signed copy of one of my older books, DANGER IN PLAIN SIGHT, sign up with your email address. Either leave a comment, message me, or email me at marta@martaperry.com. Be sure to include your email address so I can reach you! I'll announce ten winners on Monday, Jan. 16th.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_vV5BPY2CeDoFRCriDTUZQcKAJzHhHoNOKQJfe-OOrukEbpU1Sn5DfOPIO0KOwlwMQuHBu6crRbV1o7lkSVNWtMI-_Pin8-gMz8zNYi2KoKvWGMqeWiRn06a73FfYi_T8fZIyWNu9QGv/s1600/Danger+in+Plain+Sight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_vV5BPY2CeDoFRCriDTUZQcKAJzHhHoNOKQJfe-OOrukEbpU1Sn5DfOPIO0KOwlwMQuHBu6crRbV1o7lkSVNWtMI-_Pin8-gMz8zNYi2KoKvWGMqeWiRn06a73FfYi_T8fZIyWNu9QGv/s320/Danger+in+Plain+Sight.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-38475565040715749072016-10-15T09:17:00.003-07:002016-10-15T09:17:53.861-07:00AMISH CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS WINNERS!<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Congratulations to the winners of AMISH CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS! They are: Patricia Bond, Jasmine Augustine, Elaine Rieder, Metta Diaz, Marsha Karr Cole, Karen Riley, Paula Pallante, Courtney Bogunia, Sue MacIvor, and Nancy Farley. Please e-mail me at mpjohn@ptd.net or marta@martaperry.com with your mailing address as soon as possible. Thanks for playing!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Best,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marta Perry</span>Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-79414702225019470092016-10-11T06:49:00.001-07:002016-10-11T06:49:11.455-07:00BOOK GIVEAWAY!<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Time to give away copies of AMISH CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS! Just leave a comment or e-mail me at marta@martaperry.com with your name and e-mail address. I'll post the winners on Saturday, October 15th. Good luck!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u1Ut4GONJxKtn8EkR2xDVdwI0c2n7WqNhqVj6FloZys2uaTN3Uh7TIhZQhiNfWJgbLxdXCi5_L2H7j8af_maG8uGFJGZ2JxkJHV-LTihiN_a_uKtzLUQjHy-XJypcTorBkNyIwHMaUmO/s1600/Amish+Christmas+Blessings+reg+cover.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u1Ut4GONJxKtn8EkR2xDVdwI0c2n7WqNhqVj6FloZys2uaTN3Uh7TIhZQhiNfWJgbLxdXCi5_L2H7j8af_maG8uGFJGZ2JxkJHV-LTihiN_a_uKtzLUQjHy-XJypcTorBkNyIwHMaUmO/s320/Amish+Christmas+Blessings+reg+cover.jpe" width="202" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-55179025137447021812016-10-03T06:34:00.000-07:002016-10-03T06:34:53.372-07:00AMISH CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk9LOLsL56h1UwQFHh3cnnaKZx1C1Bj93gHPmuPrGR5RAFMZR7K6fTx_LhoJHg2RrzSgrH83GEiklSxJbv8t_yMaOgfFqXiJTeZm0wST88WIO3S1s0pMslAiUUr2qhD54SirsklF9dFhy/s1600/Amish+Christmas+Blessings+reg+cover.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk9LOLsL56h1UwQFHh3cnnaKZx1C1Bj93gHPmuPrGR5RAFMZR7K6fTx_LhoJHg2RrzSgrH83GEiklSxJbv8t_yMaOgfFqXiJTeZm0wST88WIO3S1s0pMslAiUUr2qhD54SirsklF9dFhy/s320/Amish+Christmas+Blessings+reg+cover.jpe" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
AMISH CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS will be in stores on October 18th, and we're hoping it's a blessing to you during the Christmas season. A double volume, Amish Christmas Blessings contains two holiday stories: my "The Midwife's Christmas Surprise," and Jo Ann Brown's "A Christmas to Remember." Here's a little about our stories:<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Holiday Greetings From Amish Country </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<em><b>The Midwife's Christmas Surprise</b></em><b> by Marta Perry </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
Three years ago, the man Anna Zook hoped to marry left her and their Amish community for the English world. Now devoted to proving her abilities as a midwife, Anna has given up on marriage and children for herself. But when Benjamin Miller returns, now a changed man, can delivering a Christmas baby reunite these two hurting hearts? </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<em><b>A Christmas to Remember</b></em><b> by Jo Ann Brown</b><b> </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
When a little girl leads shop owner Amos Stoltzfus to an Amish woman in distress, he rushes them to his family's farm. "Linda" has no memory and doesn't know if the sweet child is her daughter or even her kin. As Christmas arrives and Linda's identity is revealed, will Amos be able to claim his holiday guests as his own?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
And read on for an excerpt from "The Midwife's Christmas Surprise":</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">THE MIDWIFE’S CHRISTMAS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A Novella by<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Marta Perry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Chapter One<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> If the door to the exam room at the
birthing center hadn’t been ajar, Anna Zook would never have heard the hurtful
comment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “…so long as you’re the one to catch the
baby, and not the Zook girl. She’d too young and inexperienced to be birthing
my first grandchild.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The door closed abruptly, cutting off
anything else that might be said, but Anna recognized the speaker—Etta
Stoltzfus, mother-in-law of one of her partner Elizabeth’s clients. Despite the
fact that Anna had been a full partner in the midwife practice for over a year,
many in Lost Creek’s Amish community still saw her as the quiet, shy girl she’d
been when she began her apprenticeship with Elizabeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The December chill outside seemed to seep
into her heart. Would the people of Lost Creek ever accept her as midwife, or
would she always be walking in Elizabeth’s shadow?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Anna tried to concentrate on the patient
record she was reviewing, but the doubts kept slipping between her and the
page. It was natural enough that folks turned to Elizabeth, she told herself
firmly. Elizabeth Miller had been the only midwife in the isolated northern
Pennsylvania Amish settlement for over twenty years. It would just take time
and patience for them to accept her, wouldn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The door opened, and a little parade came
out—Etta Stoltzfus, looking as if she’d just bit into a sour pickle, her
daughter-in-law, Dora, who looked barely old enough for marriage, let alone
motherhood, and Elizabeth, whose round, cheerful face was as serene as always. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Small wonder folks trusted Elizabeth—she
radiated a sense of calm and assurance that was instantly soothing. Much as
Anna tried to model herself on Elizabeth, she never quite succeeded in doing
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> A blast of cold air came into the outer
office as the front door opened, and Anna spotted young James leap down from
the buggy seat, clutching a blanket to wrap around his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Elizabeth closed the door behind them and
turned to Anna, rubbing her arms briskly. “Brr. It’s cold enough to snow, but
Asa says not yet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Anna nodded, knowing Elizabeth, so
confident in her own field, trusted her husband implicitly when it came to
anything involving the farm. Maybe that was the secret of their strong
marriage—the confidence each had in the other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “You heard what Etta said, ain’t so?”
Elizabeth’s keen gaze probed for any sign that Anna was upset.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Ach, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”
Anna managed to smile. “Naturally Etta feels that way. She’s known you all her
life.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Then she ought to trust my judgement in
training you.” Elizabeth sounded as tart as she ever did. “I think Dora might
be happier with you, being closer to her age and all, but she’s too shy to
venture an opinion different from Etta’s.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “It will all be forgotten when they see the
baby. When are you thinking it will be?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Most likely not until well after
Christmas.” As if the words had unleased something, Elizabeth’s blue eyes
seemed to darken with pain. She glanced out the side window toward the
farmhouse, making Anna wonder what she saw there other than the comfortable old
farmhouse that had sheltered generations of the Miller family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Elizabeth?” Anna stood, moving quickly to
put her arm around her friend’s waist. “What is it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Ach, nothing. Just foolishness.” Elizabeth
shook her head, but she couldn’t disguise the tears in her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Tell me,” Anna said gently, longing to
help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The older woman brushed a tear away
impatiently. “Nothing.” She bit her lip. “It’s just…this will be the third
Christmas without Benjamin.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The name struck Anna like a blow to the
heart. She forced herself to concentrate on Elizabeth’s pain, not allowing
herself to recognize her own. “I know,” she murmured. “Perhaps…” Anna tried to
think of something reassuring to say, but what was there?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Benjamin, Elizabeth and Asa’s third son,
had walked away from the Amish faith and his family three years ago. And her.
He’d walked away from her, as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “I’m sorry,” she said finally, knowing how inadequate
it was. Elizabeth didn’t know there’d ever been anything between her son and
her young apprentice, and that was probably for the best, given how things had
turned out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Elizabeth sucked in a breath and
straightened. “Asa doesn’t want to talk about Ben’s leaving. I try not to
burden him with my sorrow. But oh, if only our boy would come home to us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Maybe he will.” Did she wish that? For
Elizabeth’s happiness, for sure. But for herself—how would she manage if
Benjamin did come back?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “I keep praying. That’s all I can do.”
Elizabeth pressed her cheek against Anna’s for a moment. “Ach, I must get back
to the house and start some supper. Are you coming now?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Anna shook her head. “I’ll finish cleaning
up here first.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She’d
lived with the Miller family since she’d come from Lancaster County as
apprentice to Elizabeth. Each time she’d suggested she might find a place of
her own, it had led to such an outcry that she’d given up, knowing Asa and
Elizabeth meant it. They treated her as the daughter they’d given up on having
after their four boys. How could she walk away from that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Once
Elizabeth had gone, Anna moved slowly around the four-room center, built by Asa
and his sons so that Elizabeth would have a place close to home for meeting
patients. Still, many of their mothers preferred having babies at home, so the
two of them spent hours each week traveling from one Amish home to another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
she found herself rearranging the stack of towels in the cabinet for the third
time, Anna forced herself to recognize the truth. She was avoiding the thing
she didn’t want to think about—the beautiful, painful truth of her relationship
with Benjamin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anna
stood at the window, but she wasn’t seeing the frigid winter landscape. Instead
she looked up into the branches of the apple tree in the side yard, feeling the
soft breeze of a summer evening brush her skin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
and Benjamin had come home from a family picnic at the home of Ben’s
grandparents, and they’d loitered outside for a few minutes, watching the
fireflies rise from the hay field and dance along the stream. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ben
had been telling her a story of climbing to the very top of the apple tree in
response to a dare from one of his brothers. He’d fallen when a branch broke
and broken his arm, but he didn’t seem to regret it, laughing at the memory.
That was Ben, always up for a dare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She’d
shifted her gaze from the branches to his laughing face, meaning to chide him
for such foolishness, but her gaze became entangled with his, and her breath
caught, the words dying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ben’s
eyes, blue as a summer sky, seemed to darken as he studied her face. His gaze
had lingered on her lips. And then his lips had found hers, and a totally
unexpected joy exploded inside her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She’d
never known how long they’d stood there, exchanging kisses, laughing that it
had taken them so long to recognize the feelings between them. When she’d
finally slipped into the house and up to her room, she’d held the warm
assurance of his love close against her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
the next day he’d been gone, leaving only a note for his parents saying he was
going to see something of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anna
tried to shake off the memories. She seldom let herself relive them, because
the aftermath had seen so painful. No one knew about her and Ben, so she’d had
to pretend that her pain was only for Ben’s family, not for herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
three years, it should have become easier. One night—that was all she had to
block from her memories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
final check around the center, and she was ready to go. She was just slipping
on her coat when she heard a car pull up by the front door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anna
frowned. One of their Englisch clients? No one was scheduled to come in today.
She could only hope it wasn’t an emergency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Footsteps
sounded on the porch, and she hurried to the door. She flung it open almost as
soon as the knock sounded and stumbled back a step, the familiar room spinning
around her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
man standing on the porch wore boots, jeans, and a black leather jacket zipped
up against the cold, but he wasn’t an Englischer. He was Benjamin Miller.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-53907930974694396752016-06-23T06:51:00.002-07:002016-06-23T06:51:26.730-07:00HOW SECRETS DIE BY MARTA PERRYHOW SECRETS DIE, book three in the House of Secrets series of Amish romantic suspense, will go on sale next week! To whet your appetite, here's an except:<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">HOW SECRETS DIE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">By Marta Perry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Chapter One<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
cemetery should be a place where people were buried—not where they died. Kate
Beaumont, confronted so unexpectedly with the place Jason had chosen to end his
life, stopped the car in mid-traffic, earning an irritated honk from the driver
behind her as he was forced to come to a halt as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
driver circled her, looking annoyed but refraining from the rude gesture she
anticipated. Apparently drivers were a bit more polite in a small town like
Laurel Ridge, Pennsylvania, than they were in the city. Her hands were shaking,
and not from the sudden stop. She pulled off the road near the stone wall that
encircled the cemetery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ridiculous,
to let just the sight of the place send her into a tailspin. She was tougher
than that, wasn’t she? But while she could face down a recalcitrant politician
or an irate citizen while in search of a story, she couldn’t maintain that
level of detachment where her younger brother’s death was concerned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kate
took a long breath, fighting to still the tremors that shook her. She focused
on the scene facing her, assessing it as she would when thinking of the word
picture she’d create for a newspaper article. Laurel Ridge’s cemetery covered
the top of a rounded hill at the eastern end of town. Spreading maples, their
leaves already turning color, shielded gray tombstones. Some of the stones were
worn and tilted, their lettering eroded, but the whole place had a well-tended
air, the grass mown, beds of gold and burgundy chrysanthemums blossoming here
and there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Which
was the stone Jason had leaned against when he’d taken that fatal dose? She
could find it, she supposed, since the name had shown clearly in the newspaper
photo she’d scanned online. But looking at the spot wouldn’t lead her to any
answers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Movement
reflected in the rearview mirror startled her, and her stomach tightened as she
realized a police car had pulled up behind her. Great. All she needed was to
draw official attention to herself before she’d even begun her task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">An
officer slid from the vehicle and started toward her. Taking a firm grip on her
nerves, Kate planted a smile on her face and hit the button to roll down her
window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
was about to speak when a closer look at the man’s uniform gave her another
shock. <i>M. Whiting</i>, the lettering on
his pocket read. McKinley Whiting, then. Chief of Police in this backwater town,
and the man who’d dismissed her little brother’s death as just another druggie
overdosing himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kate
gritted her teeth, fighting to keep her feelings from showing in her face as
she looked up at the man. Tall and lean, he had dark hair in a military-style
cut and a jaw that spoke determination. He didn’t affect the dark sunglasses so
many cops did, and his brown eyes studied her, missing nothing, she felt sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Are
you having car trouble, ma’am?” His voice was a bass rumble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No,
not at all. Is there a problem?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You
can’t park here.” He nodded to the No Parking sign directly in front of her
fender. “If you’re interested in the cemetery, you can turn in at the gate just
ahead. You’ll find a gravel pull-off where you can park if you want.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I
don’t.” Kate’s tone was sharper than she intended, but she couldn’t seem to
control the spurt of temper. “Can’t a visitor to your town stop to get her
bearings without being harassed?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Reading
the surprise in his face, she clamped her lips shut before she could make
matters worse. She’d overdone it—lost her cool and let her feelings show. The
last thing she wanted was to raise the suspicions of the local cop before she’d
been in town for five minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Sorry,”
she muttered before he could speak. “I didn’t mean…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No
problem.” He said the words easily, but his brown eyes were watchful. “I wasn’t
trying to harass you. If you’re lost, I’ll be glad to help you find your way,
Ms.…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
left it hanging there, obviously intent on learning her name. Well, at least it
wouldn’t connect her with Jason Reilley. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Kate
Beaumont.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Nice
to meet you, Ms. Beaumont. I’m Mac Whiting.” She could see him stowing her name
away in the filing cabinet of his mind. “Coming to visit someone here in Laurel
Ridge?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No.”
Guilt and grief was a powerful combination. She should have. If she’d come to
visit Jason the summer he’d spent here, maybe he’d still be alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That
was the danger of loving someone. It hurt too much when you let them down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Whiting’s
eyes were probing again. If she’d worn a sign, she probably couldn’t have been
more obviously hiding something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
swallowed hard and tried for a normal tone. “I’ve been driving for several
hours. I just thought I’d find a place for lunch.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
nodded, again with that watchful look. Protective, that was what it was. As if
his town might need protecting against her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Turn
left just ahead, and you’ll be on Main Street. There’s a café a few blocks down
on your left, across from the Bed and Breakfast.” He pointed, leaning against
the car as he did so, and she had a sudden sense of masculine power in his
nearness. “I can vouch for the food, and the prices are reasonable.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
hadn’t expected that casual reference to the Bed and Breakfast, and it shook
her. Would it be the same one where Jason had stayed when he came to Laurel
Ridge? If so, it was going to be one of her first stops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Okay,
thanks.” She managed a cool, dismissive smile. “I appreciate the
recommendation.” She turned the key, her fingers brushing the silver dragon
charm Jason had given her, and put her finger on the window button.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Whiting
looked at her for a moment longer, and then slowly stepped back so she could
close the window. She put the car in gear, glanced behind her, and pulled out.
Whiting was easy to see in her rearview mirror. He’d pulled out a notebook and
was jotting down her license number.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
doused a flicker of anger. A search of her license wouldn’t tell him anything
except her address in Baltimore. She’d never been arrested, so a query to the
police there wouldn’t help him, even if he went that far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
this encounter had clearly shown her that she’d have to do better. True, she
hadn’t expected the first person she’d meet in Laurel Ridge to be the policeman
who’d been quoted in that article about Jason’s death. She might be excused for
losing her grip just a bit, but it was unfortunate. She’d raised his suspicions
before she’d had a chance to do a thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
what difference did it make in the long run? Sooner or later she’d have to
divulge the relationship between her and Jason. If she didn’t, she’d have no
reason for asking questions about him. She’d toyed with the thought of claiming
to be writing a newspaper story about Jason’s death, but that didn’t sound
credible even to herself, not after over a year had passed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kate
made the turn onto Main Street and drove down it at a sedate speed, reading
signs as she went. There, ahead of her on the left, was the café Whiting had mentioned,
and on her right the Bed and Breakfast. She slowed, peering toward the rear of
the white clapboard building, and caught a glimpse of a small building nearly
hidden by the trees. That had to be it—the cottage where Jason had lived during
his three months in Laurel Ridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
next to the Bed and Breakfast rose the imposing Italianate building that was
Blackwood House, where Jason had worked. The place where he’d lived; the place
where he’d worked. That was where she had to begin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
hadn’t been here when Jason had needed her, but she was now. She’d find the
answer to the question that haunted her, because if she didn’t, she’d never be
satisfied. What had happened in this seemingly quiet, peaceful town that had
led to her brother’s death?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8316643994437466043.post-71277828057004535272016-06-17T10:32:00.001-07:002016-06-17T10:32:11.641-07:00BOOK WINNERS!<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE WINNERS OF HOW SECRETS DIE are: Lorri Jones Graves, Ann Elmore, Alice English Boor, Linda Critcher, and Alberta Kliem. Congratulations! I'll email you today to ask for your address. Be sure to respond, so I'll know where to send your book.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E8szYZpw0RH0yIN2QMtDCodw_a3ANMOGYN_AkrK-GBuNoe1yifF2Ikjqt5gQ1FIzULORvQQKDHUnv3NxM5QcrsHTg8A3Ib-r4NjexA8GbAKHhRqF4hLJBdJtkgZZ7wn2XZTT5uDrF6ED/s1600/How+Secrets+Die+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E8szYZpw0RH0yIN2QMtDCodw_a3ANMOGYN_AkrK-GBuNoe1yifF2Ikjqt5gQ1FIzULORvQQKDHUnv3NxM5QcrsHTg8A3Ib-r4NjexA8GbAKHhRqF4hLJBdJtkgZZ7wn2XZTT5uDrF6ED/s320/How+Secrets+Die+cover.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Marta Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17425961141421225777noreply@blogger.com2