KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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SECRET BETRAYAL
Romantic Suspense
BY C.B. CLARK
Blurb
Librarian Marissa Reynolds has spent years distancing herself from her crime king pin uncle. When she awakens in an unfamiliar hotel room with blood on her hands and no memory of how she got there, the past returns with a vengeance, and her life spirals into a nightmare.
Straight-laced Assistant district Attorney Scott Bannister has spent his life seeking justice for the senseless shooting deaths of his parents. When he realizes Marissa is the niece of his prime suspect, he crosses a line, guaranteed to jeopardize both his life and his beloved career.
He’ll do anything to destroy her uncle. She fears he’s using her to achieve his goal. As the body count mounts, and their lives are threatened, they must put aside their distrust and work together to find the devious killer. Will they be able to forgive and find true love?
SECRET BETRAYAL
Romantic Suspense
BY C.B. CLARK
Excerpt
She pushed to her hands and knees. The pounding in her brain mushroomed into a full-blown, jackhammer assault. With a moan, she sank onto her bottom and grabbed her head in a fruitless effort to keep her brain from exploding. Despite the pain, she needed to get up. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
Faint wisps of light seeped through the edges of the window curtains. The distant sound of traffic echoed through the glass. A lamp imbued the room with a soft, rosy glow, revealing a king-size bed. The cover on the bed was a glossy, garish pink, the pillows covered in the same lurid color, the edges trimmed with frilly, black lace.
She rubbed the back of her neck and closed her eyes, but when she opened them again she was still in the unfamiliar room. A battered desk faced the bed, a large, flat screen television on top. The flickering images of a naked, full-breasted woman being entertained by two equally naked men played across the screen.
A wingback chair, covered in black leatherette sat in the far corner where a door was ajar revealing the cracked linoleum floor of a bathroom and the edge of a chipped porcelain sink. A framed diagram of a fire escape route was posted on the back of the other door. A hotel room? She dug her fingers into her temples. Why couldn’t she remember?
SECRET BETRAYAL
Romantic Suspense
BY C.B. CLARK
Interview
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I grew up in small towns in the arctic in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Yukon. After I graduated from University with an archaeology degree, I worked as an archaeologist and an educator. I’ve always loved reading romance fiction, and when I lost my voice for a year due to a botched thyroid operation, I decided to try my hand at writing. From the very first line, I was hooked. Now I have seven romantic suspense novels published by The Wild Rose Press and another under contract.
What genre do you write and why?
I write romantic suspense. When I was a young girl, I devoured books by Daphne du Maurier, Victoria Holt, and Mary Stewart. I fell in love with stories filled with romance mixed with intrigue. Later, Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, and Sandra Brown became my favorite authors.
My own books feature kick-ass heroines and handsome (of course), brave, heroes who work together to overcome challenging obstacles and devious bad guys to save themselves and find true love. Romantic suspense readers want an edge-of-the-seat thrill, but they also want that happy ending.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I love travelling, and in the past few years (pre pandemic), I’ve hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, kyacked on Lake Titicaca, cycled through Central America, visited Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, toured ancient ruins in Jordan and Morocco, and hiked beside glaciers in Patagonia. I also enjoy hiking and camping at home. I walk my dog on the forest trails behind my house every day. And…you can’t beat a glass of red wine and a good Hallmark movie after a hard day of sitting at a desk.
Is there anything you would tell aspiring writers?
Don’t give up. Ignore the negatives, have faith in yourself, and keep working and improving your craft. This business is a crazy roller coaster ride, but it’s incredibly rewarding.
Do you ever get stuck while you’re writing a book? What do you do to get ‘unstuck’?
Every author I know has faced writer’s block. I’m a pantser, and I start writing my stories with the germ of an idea and go from there, letting the characters drive the plot. It’s exciting to see where they lead me. Of course, sometimes they don’t cooperate, and I struggle with writing a particularly challenging scene. I’ve tried everything—long walks, working on another project, journaling—but sometimes the only thing that works is to totally rewrite the scene. Once I complete the revisions, the ideas usually flow, and the book is completed before I know it.
About Author C.B. Clark…
Award-winning author, C.B. Clark, has seven romantic suspense novels published by The Wild Rose Press. When she’s not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting the next story.
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Links to C.B.’s website, blog, books, #ad etc.:
Nook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-betrayal-c-b-clark/1131596609?ean=2940161427644
iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/secret-betrayal/id1463635302
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/secret-betrayal
Google Books: https://bit.ly/2XlPANO
Social Media Links:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cbclarkauthor/
Blog: https://cbclarkauthor.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbclarkauthor
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/cbclarkauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15029617.C_B_Clark
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/C.-B.-Clark/e/B01BK61TQG/
Book Bub:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/c-b-clark
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Special Giveaway: C.B. will give away an eBook copy of SECRET BETRAYAL to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
Happy Reading!
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Thanks, C.B., for sharing your story with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Thanks for inviting me to join you today, Karen. I love Karen’s Killer Book Bench.
Nice to have you here, C. B.
Revenge mystery tropes are always fascinating.
Thanks, Karen and C. B.
Thank you, K.A. Appreciate you stopping by
Good morning, C.B., and welcome back to Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Waking up under these circumstances would be so terrifying. I’m hooked. I want to know what happened to Marissa. Can’t wait to read the book. Your interview was fun, too. I would love to travel to all of those exotic locales. Good for you! Thanks for sharing with us today!
Always a pleasure, Karen.
Thanks for joining us and sharing your book. Sounds intriguing.
Thank you, Eileen. Appreciate your support.
Sounds truly interesting… thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping in, Colleen.
fun travels
Thanks, bn.
Let’s hear it for hiking–especially for working out plot points! I’ll definitely look for your books, CB. Your training as an archaeologist sounds riveting, and I’ll bet it adds a lot to your stories.
Sounds like you like hiking too, Debra. Who can blame us…right? Trees, nature, peace and quiet, and a great place to think. Thanks you for visiting Karen’s Blog.