You Darling Beast

Winter's Child is DONE!

I am so very, VERY relieved to announce that my 12th book, Winter's Child, is complete, edited, and in the process of being uploaded for sale to all the major outlets. It should be available everywhere by April 25th.

Okay, I'll admit it. I hung on pins and needles for my editor to tell me what she thought. And I do have a review ARC scheduled for the 25th, so I'm still a bit nervous about it. This is my first psychological thriller, and I really hope I've gotten the necessary twists right. Crossing my fingers here, because I've been reading them rather obsessively for the last few years, but I definitely want to do right by the genre.

And in case you haven't already read about it, here is the blurb for the book (and a link to purchase it on Amazon)...

Nichole's whole life has been marked by loss - the loss of her parents, her stillborn daughter, and the chance of Nichole ever having a biological child of her own.

But when a tragedy brings the most bittersweet miracle into their lives, Nichole and Jhon feel as if they have another chance. The miracle is Elizabeth - an innocent girl abandoned by her mother, then robbed of her adoptive parents in a mysterious fire.

Elizabeth is crying out for the love and affection Nichole and Jhon have been so desperate to share. And after taking the little girl in, Nichole knows the three of them will be the perfect family.

However, as the seasons change, so too does Elizabeth's nature. Shy and sweet in the spring, warm and gregarious in summer, she suddenly becomes subdued and anxious in the fall. Then, as the nights grow colder and darker, a fourth side to Elizabeth's nature steps to the forefront.

Manipulative. Cunning. Dangerous.

Soon, Nichole realizes that the dream life she's built stands on nightmarish foundations. To protect those she loves the most, she'll have to go against every instinct and principle she has as a mother.

Winter's Child is a taut and chilling thriller from Christine D. Shuck - a gripping page-turner in the tradition of Gillian Flynn, Willow Rose, Jayne Renshaw, and Sarah Denzil.

BUY NOW

So...What's Next?!

Gardening! I have at least 6 gallons of phlox, 6 ferns, another 50 strawberry plants I somehow missed planting, 20 other various herbs and perennials, a metric ton of seeds, and a ton of daylily and iris to transplant.

That wasn't the answer you were hoping for, was it? But that's the answer I'm giving for now.

I've got several projects doing a slow circle around in my brain. I'm not sure which I will land on, but I do know that there are some home projects that need to take precedence, so those must happen first. I'll settle on my next book project soon. It might be The Glass Forest, since that is nearly complete. Or it might be Broken Code, the 3rd book in the Benton Security Services series. (No Dani, this isn't the Luke book, sorry, he's in like #7)

We will see. And you all will know first.

Meanwhile, I'm pondering on deep and meaningful questions, such as...

• Why can't we find beef ramen in stores anymore? Chicken, yes, but no beef ramen, so annoying (I don't even eat it, I just happen to enable my family in eating it)

• Why are there no zombie stories with psychic survivors in them? The psychics could sense the zombies and their desperate need to feed and keep other survivors safe

• Should I write a horror story about a new meta-human who can kill with a single thought? (and they are babies, therefore unaware of their power) I thought of it in the shower the other day while YumYum, our youngest, yowled at being left alone for ten minutes.

Go read a book, folks. Even if it isn't one of my books. Explore a new world, learn a new skill, fill your sleep with wild new dreams.

Find Me on Facebook

Join my group General Malcontent's Grumbles and Scribbles on Facebook and get plenty of weird memes, the opportunity to read my newest releases for free, pics of the family, and other author news. I look forward to seeing you there!