Thank You, For Hosting Murder, Just Because!

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To all those who hosted Murder, Just Because.

I say ‘THANK YOU’ from the bottom of my heart!

Denise @ Denise Covey

CCAM @ Mythical Books

LuAnn Worley @ Rockin’ Book Reviews

Cathrina @ Constantine

Elizabeth Spann Craig @ Mystery Writing is Murder

L Diane Wolfe @ Spunk on A Stick

Lisa Haselton @ Reviews and Interviews

Shannon Lawrence @ The Warrior Muse

Bish Denham @ Random Thoughts

Ellen @ Ellen Jacobson Author

Susan Flett Swiderski @ I Think: Therefore, I Yam

Christine @ Christine Rains – Writer

Alex @ Alex J. Cavanaugh

Elizabeth @ Elizabeth Seckman, Author

Juneta Key @ Writer’s Gambit

Tara @ Tara Tyler Talks

H. R. @ H.R. Sinclair

Beverly Stowe McClure @ The Story of A Writer

Chrys Fey @ Write with Fey

Jemi Fraser @ Just Jemi

Mason Canyon @ Thoughts in Progress

Madhuri Palaji @ The Clipped Nightingale

Kathleen Kelly @ Celticlady’s Reviews

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Even Stowy Has A Humane Way to Kill

SO HE SAYS

Excerpt from 

Murder, Just Because

***

“Sorry, folks. I enjoyed the ride, but now I want to be alone,” Stowy said, looking down at the two-unconscious people at his feet. George and Irma West had befriended a killer. While Irma reminded him of his dead mother, and George, the father he barely remembered, murder was Stowy’s favorite way to say goodbye.

Hiding in the storage compartment under their bed worked like a charm. The border guards never even looked. Who could doubt these two, these typical-looking Grandma and Grandpa, especially with their homemade cookies to share? They were a kind couple, and they said he reminded them of their son Cooper, who’d died in Desert Storm. It probably didn’t hurt that Stowy claimed to be a veteran from the same war. He loved the attention and care they’d shown him, but he was good at biding his time, and once they crossed the border into the United States, they were no longer useful.

Stowy killed them, and because they’d been so kind to him, it was a gentle murder. He drugged them, and as they slept, he put them in plastic bags and buried them side by side in the same grave. Buried alive, they eventually died by suffocation. According to Stowy, it was his most humane murder, and no one could say he broke his promise. Nobody in Alaska died.

Pleased with his escape from the frigid weather of the north, Stowy headed farther south to the hot desert of Arizona.

*****

The Tour continues:

April 13          Christine Rains – Writer – Review & Excerpt
                   Alex J. Cavanaugh – Guest Post -Top Ten Murder Movie List

April 15          Elizabeth Seckman, Author Guest Post - Heaven on Earth

April 17          Writer’s Gambit – Q & A & Excerpt

April 20          Tara Tyler Talks – Interview

                        H.R. Sinclair – Guest Post - How to Write a Thriller 

April 24          Write with Fey – Guest Post - Evil Exists

April 27          Just Jemi – Q & A 

April 29          Thoughts in Progress – Review

May 1             Celticlady’s Reviews – Feature

The Tour Continues

Murder, Just Because

Tour Schedule

April 1            Denise Covey – Guest Post - Writing Your Real-Life Experience                     
                        Mythical Books – Q & A with the Author & Excerpt
                        Rockin’ Book Reviews – Feature

April 2            Constantine – Feature

                     

April 6            Mystery Writing is Murder – Guest Post How I Wrote My Mystery

                        Spunk on A Stick – Feature

April 7            Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews – Q & A

April 8            The Warrior Muse – Top Ten List of Literary Detectives

                        Random Thoughts – Excerpt & Feature

April 10          I Think Therefore I Yam - Interview With A Monster
                        Ellen Jacobson Author – Q & A

April 13          Christine Rains – Writer – Review & Excerpt

                        Alex J. Cavanaugh – Guest Post -Top Ten Murder Movie List

April 15          Elizabeth Seckman, Author Guest Post - Heaven on Earth

April 17          Writer’s Gambit – Q & A & Excerpt

April 20          Tara Tyler Talks – Interview

                        H.R. Sinclair – Guest Post - How to Write a Thriller 

                   

April 24          Write with Fey – Guest Post - Evil Exists

April 27          Just Jemi – Q & A

April 29          Thoughts in Progress – Review

May 1             Celticlady’s Reviews – Feature

Amazon

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Murder, Just Because Book Tour

MURDER, JUST BECAUSE by author Yolanda Renée is on tour from April 1^st to May 1^st, 2020. There will be reviews, guest posts by the author or a character, Q&As with the author or a character, excerpts, a Top 10 list, and spotlights. Book formats offered for review include paperback, Mobi, ePub, and PDF. There will also be an awesome tour-wide giveaway.

To sign up for the tour, click HERE.

About Murder, Just Because:

It was a matter of beginner’s luck, but rookie detective Steven Quaid’s career and reputation as an elite investigator skyrocketed when he captured one of the most sadistic serial killers in Alaskan history: Stowy Jenkins, AKA the Snowman. But that was ten years ago.

And now…Jenkins is back. Escaped from prison and on the move, his bloodlust is stronger than ever, and his methods of torture are even more horrifying than before. As his bloody rampage continues and the number of mutilated bodies mounts, terrified Alaskans increasingly doubt Quaid’s ability to catch the killer again. The detective’s reputation is on the line, and he’s going to need a lot more than luck, because this time, Jenkins is driven by more than the thrill of a random kill.

This time, it’s more personal. He’s out for revenge…and his ultimate target is Quaid. In a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Jenkins starts picking off the people in Quaid’s life…slowly, gradually tightening his circle of corpses and drawing ever closer to the most important person in Quaid’s life…his wife. Can Quaid do the impossible again? Can he outmaneuver the killer, or has the detective’s luck finally run out?

Have you picked out your date?

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The Snowman’s cruelty knows no bounds, 

but the object of his hate knows no fear.

Excerpt:

Stowy lolled in his basement bedroom in his underwear, lazily browsing the Internet in a half-hearted attempt to catch up on the local news. Most of it was boring, boring, boring, but one tidbit caught his attention. The corners of his mouth curved upward, and then he laughed out loud.

“So, Quaid’s on his honeymoon and won’t be back to work until after the new year, huh? Oh, we’ll just see about that. I’ve got some mighty fine surprises in store for you, Mr. Big Shot. For you and your bride.”

“Stowy, breakfast is ready!” his mother yelled down the steps.

With a growl, he jumped up and raced upstairs. “Dammit! How many times do I have to tell you not to yell my name? What if a neighbor hears you?” He knocked her sideways with a sharp slap. “Don’t do it again!”

“I’m sorry,” she said, gently rubbing her cheek. “I forgot. Having you here is like old times. I’m just so happy.”

******

You may not like my new thriller, 

but I bet you know someone who will!

Tell me your favorite genre and why it's your favorite

and win a copy of one of the books in 

my Alaskan Murder Series.

Murder, Madness & Love

Memories of Murder

Murder & Obsession

The Snowman

Murder, Just Because

and

coming soon

A Passion for Murder

NATURE OR NURTURE

THE ENVIRONMENT OR THE GENES

MURDER, JUST BECAUSE

Nature refers to traits and characteristics that are inherited or genetic in origin, while nurture refers to traits and qualities that are learned.

         
            In the writing of The Snowman and now Murder, Just Because the antagonist of both books, Stowy Jenkins, is evil personified. A hideous individual who kills simply because he can. In The Snowman, Stowy Jenkins sees his killing as an art and is almost naïve to what he’s really created. But in Murder, Just Because vengeance is his motivation. He’s out to destroy everyone. But what drove him to such extremes?

          In The Snowman, it seemed to be the relationship with his mother, he experienced physical and sexual abuse as a child. He killed for the first time at the age of 16, and enticed by the blood, he begins his work in blood art. In The Snowman, he appears almost naïve as he wonders why his art isn’t appreciated by the masses.

And why are the red-haired victims' deaths more brutal than the others? Is it because red is the color of his own mother’s hair? Does he kill because he was sexually abused,

           And what of his mother, what drove her?

           I’d say in this instance, for poor Stowy Jenkins, it’s both nature and nurture.

           In Murder, Just Because he’s been in prison for ten years, a time for reflection, answers, and an education in a more brutal sexual violence. But he escapes, and after ten years’ incarceration, his methods have become more horrific. His drive for revenge comes from his own understanding of who he is and why he is. He has nothing to lose which makes him a bigger threat.

           But had he escaped his mother’s grasp would things have been different? Or was the fact that she was a killer, an abuser enough to scar his genes?

            It’s an interesting question and there is no easy answer.

But Stowy Jenkins has no conscience, no feelings of guilt, as you can see in this short excerpt. 

Murder, Just Because

       There were no jack-o-lanterns, spiderwebs, or glow-in-the-dark skeletons decorating the so-called safe house, nor were there any bowls filled with chocolate bars and candy corn, but befitting the holiday, Fern Jenkins was suffocating in a horror movie-like atmosphere of stress and fear. She’d reluctantly agreed to let the police move her here after the death threats began, but that didn’t mean she had to like it, any more than calling this dump a safe house meant she felt safe.

Her cell phone rang, and she answered with irritation. “Hello.”

“Why, lover, what’s wrong?” Zeke asked with a smile in his voice.

“Zeke. Where are you? Why haven’t you called?”

“But I am calling my love. Don’t worry. It’s all proceeding as planned. Stowy doesn’t have a clue. Soon the cops will have him, and we’ll be free. I promise. Just stay cool. It’ll all be over soon.”

Before Fern could say another word, the line went dead. “Son-of-a-bitch. It’d better be. I haven’t suffered all these months because I love you. Stupid asshole, I swear I’ve never been a bigger idiot. The only reason you aren’t already dead is that I need your contacts.” She emptied her glass and laughed. “Believe me, killing you will be the highlight of my life.”

Stowy appeared from the shadows, “Killing, Mother, who’s on your shit list now?”

*****

Learn more about Stowy Jenkins ---

The Snowman

&

Murder, Just Because

Learn more about the publication of these books on my other blog.

Defending the Pen - To Publish or Not to Publish