Welcoming Back Melanie Atkins

I'm so please to be bringing back an author who has visited us before. She's got a brand new book out and took the time come and tell us a little about it as well as answer a few new fun questions for us.  I hope you'll welcome Melanie Atkins and enjoy reading about "Written in Blood."

  Title:   Written in Blood

Publisher:  Desert  Breeze Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-61252-249-4

"WRITTEN IN BLOOD" - STORY BLURB

Detective Tripp Broussard longs to show his bad cop, ex-con father that he's a good cop, but time is running out. His father is dying. So Tripp risks his own life to go after a gruesome serial murderer -- anything to prove he's a better man than his dad.

Angel Saint-Martin, a blood spatter expert on loan to the department, needs her father to accept her choice of a non-traditional career, and cracking this case will show him she can handle herself in a man's world. Driven by a common bond, Tripp and Angel band together to solve the case and put the notorious Vincent Delgado back behind bars… and along the way, they fall in love.

EXCERPT

He bled, so they will bleed. Profusely.

"Someone took their time with this," Angel Saint-Martin murmured, tracing the neat rusty brown brush strokes without actually touching them. The words emblazoned on the light green wall in blood, not ink. Blood from a homicide victim. "He knows what he's doing. No drips, no extraneous marks, no spatter. Just long, deliberate strokes, like at the other scene."

"So... you're saying he's an artist?" Detective Tripp Broussard shot her a dubious look and shoved his pad and pen into the inside pocket of his coat. "Come on, Angel. He murdered that poor woman in cold blood."

"Doesn't mean he can't draw. Maybe he's a sign painter. I mean, look at that perfect loop in the L -- it's too precise for him not to have done this more than just a couple of times."

"That makes this murder even more eerie." Tripp put his hands on the leather holster slung across his narrow hip, and the edges of his dark blue coat flared out. "Especially finding the victim wrapped in a painter's tarp. I helped Mitch and Jonah on a serial case with that signature a year or two ago -- the papers called the guy the Handyman -- but he didn't do all this slicing and dicing or leave any messages. That dirt bag, Vincent Delgado, is in prison now anyway, doing life for strangling those women. So maybe this is a copycat... of sorts."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions this early in the game, Detective." She glanced at his handsome profile, and a tingle slid through her. Of all the detectives who could have caught this case, it had to be him. The one night stand she'd rather forget. Just ignore him and keep it professional. Don't let him know he's getting to you.

He turned to face her. "Is that what I'm doing?"

"I-I don't know." What the hell did I even say? Heat filled her cheeks, and she forced herself to recall the last crime scene she'd visited in Hunter's Bayou, before her infamous night of shame. That scene had been pretty much identical to this one, but with more blood spatter because that victim had fought back. Angel turned away from the wall and dug into her case.

"Just keep in mind this might be an inventive son of a gun who's good with his hands."

"Uh-huh." The detective's warm mocha eyes gleamed with mysterious lights. "You once told me I'm good with my hands."

"My God, Tripp," she gasped, startled he'd brought up their unfortunate liaison. She spun to face him with a piece of contact paper in her hand. "That's not why we're here."

"Well, duh." He sent her a caustic look. "You did say that, though. Remember? 

 A LITTLE ABOUT MELANIE:

Melanie Atkins a multi-published author of romantic suspense, a fan of crime dramas, and an avid reader. Writing is more than an escape for her -- it's a way of life. She grew up in the Deep South listening to tall tales and penning stories about her cats. Now she writes gripping stories of love, suspense, and mystery with the help of her furry little feline muses.

MELANIE ANSWERS MY QUESTIONS

LIZ: How do you celebrate the upcoming holidays—what’s your favorite tradition?

MELANIE:  I love baking Christmas cookies. I used to do it with my two boys when they were young, and this year I'll renew the tradition with my two year-old granddaughter. I'm sure we'll make a big mess, but we'll have fun!

 

LIZ: What’s the most exciting trip you’ve ever taken?

MELANIE: I've been to London three times, but the first time was the best because I was there for six weeks and had time to really explore. I love the city and would love to go back again one day.

LIZ: What’s your very favorite way to relax?

MELANIE:  With coffee, either at home with my laptop or iPad or in a coffee shop. Just so I have caffeine.

LIZ: Tell us your favorite pet story.

MELANIE:  I had a cat once that talked -- or rather, meowed -- our new kitten out of a tree. I kid you not. That cat sat by the tree meowing to the kitten until the kitten finally turned around and backed down the tree far enough for it to jump down. Now that's being helpful!

LIZ: What one thing about your hero drives his heroine crazy? And what one thing about your heroine drives her hero nuts?

MELANIE:  Tripp drives Angel crazy because he knows that deep down, she likes him, and he uses that knowledge to his advantage every chance he gets. Angel gets back at him by playing hard to get.

Blood testing supplies

LIZ: Name three things that are, at this moment, in your heroine’s purse, satchel, reticule, weapons belt or amulet bag (or whatever she carries).

MELANIE: My heroine in Written in Blood, Angel Saint-Martin, carries contact paper, evidence bags, and chemicals for the presumptive testing of blood, just to name a few things. She's a blood spatter expert.

LIZ HAS GOTTA ASK: What’s the most personal thing you’ve ever put in one of your books?

MELANIE’S GOTTA ANSWER: That's really hard to determine. Several of my heroines have owned cats, and I'm a cat lover. One owned a coffee shop, and I'm addicted to coffee. Other than stuff like that, I really don't get too personal. Does that make sense?

LIZ: What will always make you smile, even on a bad day?

MELANIE:  Coffee. 

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Yes. Do you prefer e-books or print books?

(I will be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter today.)

 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

Blood Bound, a single title suspense set in New Orleans, comes out February 1 at Desert Breeze Publishing. I don't have the cover art for this one yet.

                                 PREVIOUS RELEASES: “Skeleton Bayou.” and "Haunted Memories."

 
CONTACT MELANIE:

Website: http://www.melanieatkins.com

Facebook: http:// ww.facebook.com/melanie.atkins

Twitter: http://twitter.com/melanie_atkins

Blogs: http://melanieatkins.wordpress.com