Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Excerpt - DEADLY COMPETITION by Roxanne Rustand

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.11.2009

Deadly Competition
by
Roxanne Rustand


The single mother hasn't been found. And all her daughter, Sarah, has is her uncle. Clueless at parenting, Clint Herald seeks a loving, responsible nanny. What he finds instead is a stranger as mysterious as his sister's disappearance. Mandy Erick is secretive and seems scared, yet she's so good with Sarah that Clint can't help but trust her. In fact, he even enters Mandy in the town's Mother of the Year contest. But attention is the last thing Mandy wants. Her time in the public eye may prove just as dangerous as she fears.

Excerpt of chapter one:

Mandy Erick flinched as the door of the Greyhound slid shut behind her.

The bus lumbered away, taking with it her chance to reach Texas or California or Oregon anytime soon. Leaving her standing on the edge of Loomis, Louisiana, a backwater town in the middle of nowhere.

Though maybe the middle of nowhere was the safest place for someone who'd had to leave her old identity behind.

A cool, late April rain dripped off her hair and into the collar of her thin jacket, and she wished she'd had time to pack an umbrella. A raincoat. For that matter, an extra pair of shoes.

But lingering could've meant being discovered. Being stopped before she could leave town. A few minor possessions were a small price to pay for her life.

Blinking at the raindrops on her eyelashes, she squinted toward what had to be the downtown area. Mostly dreary, rain-streaked brick buildings as far as she could see in the early morning light. No cheerful neon signs, no traffic. Not a soul in sight.

She could only hope that in a few hours the town would bustle to life, because blending anonymously into the fabric of this place would be impossible if there wasn't a lot of activity here.

Small-town locals noticed strangers. Gossiped about them.

Remembered when they showed up and when they left, and might take pleasure in sharing all those juicy tidbits with other strangers who could come along and start asking too many questions—a thought that made Mandy shudder.

But she'd had no choice. She'd had just enough cash to make it this far and couldn't risk using her credit or debit cards.

She turned to study the shabby little diner tucked into the trees at the far end of the gravel parking lot.

Not much bigger than a two-car garage, the building had peeling paint and the outside sign was partly burned out, leaving just BIT—CAF and its name to the imagination. Still, there was an Open sign propped in the front window, the lights were on inside and anything had to be better than standing out in the rain.

Hiking her backpack up higher on her shoulder, Mandy grabbed the handle of her suitcase and trudged toward the café.

From somewhere in the dim recesses of her memory came the words of a childhood prayer. She snorted in disgust. Prayer might have worked back then, but it had been a long, long time since God had shown any interest in helping her, and she had the scars to prove it.

Mandy was definitely on her own.

The lone waitress came back to the booth in the corner every ten minutes or so, offering more coffee. Probably wishing Mandy would finally leave, since she'd finished her egg-and-a-piece-of-toast breakfast far more than an hour ago. But where did you go in a town like this at seven in the morning—and in the rain?

"More coffee?" The waitress, skinny and weathered, looked as if she'd been left out in the elements for a few years to cure, but there was a warm hint of concern in her voice this time around.

She stood at Mandy's elbow with a coffeepot in one hand, her other hand on her hip, then snagged an upended cup from a neighboring table, filled it, and slid into the opposite side of Mandy's booth. The faded badge on her yellow scrub top read Nonnie.

"Where're y'all headed?"

Mandy shifted in her seat and avoided the woman's knowing eyes. "West. I…have relatives out there."

"Gotta long ways to go." Nonnie took a long sip from her cup and then cradled it in her gnarled hands. "Lookin' to stay around for a while?"

"I—" Mandy glanced around the small diner, wondering if she dared asked about a job. She realized at once that with the low base pay most waitresses received, plus the minimal tips possible in a place like this, she wouldn't be able to afford rent, much less save money for her escape. "I don't know."

Nonnie seemed to read her mind. "Small place, I know. Me and my hubby own it, though. He cooks, I tend tables. We'll have a good little crowd of regulars starting around seven-thirty." She pulled a thin newspaper from her apron pocket and pushed it across the table. "I grabbed this from the back, just in case you're looking for a job or a place to stay."

Mandy ventured a quick glance at her but found only genuine concern on the woman's face. "Thanks."

"You best be careful, though. There's been trouble 'round here this spring. Pretty little gal like you oughta watch her step."

"T-trouble?"

"Three murders since January, and a sweet young woman went missing, so maybe there was a fourth. All of that, yet there's some who still put way too much stock in frippery." She gave a snort of disgust and tapped the headline of the paper that read Mother of the Year Pageant in Full Swing! "Whoooeee—you'd think them gals were runnin' for president. And most of 'em wouldn't be my idea of a good momma. Fancy ways, careers—their golf club more important than the PTA. But you can bet money talks, and one of those rich gals will win. Happens every year."

"Murders?" Mandy's stomach tied itself into a queasy knot.

Nonnie shook her head as if she still couldn't believe it. "This town was quiet for decades. And then last winter…"

The woman's eyes suddenly shimmered with tears, and Mandy wondered if she'd been close to some of the victims. "Have they caught whoever did it?"

"Nope. Some folks figure it's…" She clamped her mouth shut. "But that's just idle gossip. I don't believe a word of it."

Mandy's unease grew, tightening its grip on her middle. Danger was following her. Now she'd landed in a place where she'd need to be on her guard even more. "Were the murders related?"

"Probably, to my mind. Everyone in Loomis is connected some way or another. Roots run deep in a place like this— some tangled in secrets and dark ways you just don' wanna to know, chérie."

The waitress made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go on, check the classifieds. It's just our local paper, but you might find something. You can use our phone, if need be." She stood. "I'd best go pass a mop over this floor so it can dry before things get busy."

Mandy watched the woman scurry back to the kitchen, then took a deep breath as she pulled a pen from her backpack and started scanning the ads.

She had no money to continue on, and she needed to find a safe place where she'd be beyond Dean's reach. With a low-profile job and a cheap place to live for a month or so, she could build up her reserve of cash.

Whatever the local troubles were, she'd keep her distance from people here, avoid saying too much, and she'd be on her way as fast as possible.

And she'd never, ever be back.

Rain. Endless, miserable rain. The last few weeks had been one endless drizzle, unseasonably cool, and the weather was a constant reminder of the gray day in January when Leah had dropped off Sarah and disappeared without a trace.

Clint sighed wearily, the ever-present weight of sorrow pressing down on his chest even as he summoned up a cheerful smile. "Time to go, punkin'," he said. "We need to take a little drive."

"Don't wanna go!" Sarah wailed as she kicked over the pile of blocks she and Clint had just stacked ten high.

She clearly knew what was up and wasn't having any part of yet another long, boring stint in the office of his construction business while Clint talked business with a client—even with all the toys and DVDs he'd set up for her there. But she had no choice.

His parents had died when he and Leah were in high school. There were no other relatives in the area. And the babysitter Sarah liked wouldn't be done with school and softball practice until after four o'clock.

Clint just couldn't send Sarah to daycare or preschool, not since someone had tried to kidnap her shortly after her mother disappeared. No, he needed someone he could trust to keep Sarah in his home—and keep her safe and secure. Sarah had been through too much. Clint wasn't sure what she'd witnessed around her father's death, but now she was a troubled little girl who desperately missed her momma, and who'd begun acting out at the least provocation if separated from her uncle Clint.

His ads for a nanny-housekeeper hadn't yielded a single good prospect. Some applicants who called sounded uneducated. Lazy. Some asked "when the kid took naps and for how long." One volunteered that a little strong cough medicine could keep a kid quiet for hours.

The few applicants he'd interviewed hadn't been any better— from the one who'd actually been casing his house to the one who visibly withdrew in distaste at Sarah's tentative approach.

So now he was struggling to be a substitute dad while trying to keep his construction company together and search for his sister, and he felt as if he was failing at every turn.

Looking for his shoes in the wall-to-wall rubble of toys filling his living room, he stepped over the scattered blocks, landed barefoot on a LEGO, bit back a yelp of pain and sank onto the sofa.

Sarah scrambled up into his lap and wrapped her little arms around his neck. "I want Mommy," she said somberly, her eyes sad and defeated. "She does Band-Aids and kisses on owies."

He closed his eyes against the familiar wave of pain that swamped him whenever he thought about what Leah must be going through, if she was even still alive. The terror and pain she might've faced on the day she disappeared. Had she been injured? Was she wandering aimlessly now, suffering from amnesia? Or was she being held against her will?

The darker possibilities haunted him, day and night, especially since right after Leah went missing.

The police had found signs of some kind of struggle in Leah's little apartment above the pawnshop. The police thought she might have staged it to cover her tracks—and her involvement in her husband's death, but Clint knew better. Leah had become a Christian six months before Earl died, and she loved her new faith—and Sarah—far too much to harm anyone, even the deadbeat Earl.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Clint focused his attention on his young niece.

"Your momma wants to be back here, too, sweetheart," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm praying every day for that to happen."

His cell phone vibrated against his belt, and he reached down to grab it. With luck, it would be his client needing to delay the appointment this afternoon….

He frowned at the unfamiliar number. Nearly let it ring through to his voice mail, then relented and caught it at the last second.

"Um… Hi, I'm calling because I understand you might be looking for a housekeeper and nanny?"

At the quaver in the woman's voice, Clint's instant, silent response was Not you, sweetheart. She sounded wary and unsure, and the faint note of desperation in her voice sealed his impression. The last thing I need is someone with troubles. I've got enough troubles. "I'm not looking any longer. Sorry."

Silence. Then the woman cleared her voice. "Does that mean you found the right person, or you've given up? I promise you, you won't be disappointed if you just give me a chance."

He dropped a kiss on Sarah's forehead, then set the child aside with one arm and stood. "That advertisement has run for a couple of weeks. I've changed my mind about wanting a nanny."

"But you do need childcare. Right?"

"Look, miss—"

"And it would be convenient to have someone on-site— someone who would be available 24/7, if need be. I understand that there's an apartment available as part of the deal?"

"Thanks for calling." He started to pull the phone from his ear, but her soft, and now-determined voice drew him back.

"Look, I can be there in—" he heard animated voices in the background "—fifteen minutes, and I'll only take five minutes of your time. Just talk to me. Please."

She did sound more educated than the last few applicants who'd called… and young enough to keep up with a tornado of a three-year-old who never seemed to slow down. And if she was young, that might account for the wariness he'd heard in her voice at first. Maybe he'd just become too suspicious after his sister's disappearance.

He sighed. "You have references?"

"You bet."

"You've got transportation?" Again, he heard an exchange of voices in the background.

"Yes, I do."

After reluctantly taking her name down and giving her directions to his place, he clipped the phone back to his belt and surveyed the wreckage that was his living room. Somewhere beneath two days' accumulation of toys there was a carpet, something he rarely saw these days.

He needed help. No doubt about it.

Yet he still sensed that something wasn't quite right about the caller. Trouble. She's going to be absolute trouble.

But when he tried to use the callback function on his cell to cancel, there was no answer, and he could hardly leave home with a stranger on her way to his place.

"Come on, Sarah, let's find our shoes. We have company coming over, and then we can go to town after our visitor leaves, okay?" He grinned at her. "Want to race?"

Sarah didn't enter into the game of trying to find shoes. Her haunting, almond-shaped green eyes brimming with tears, she stood at the fireplace and stared up at the photo on the mantel taken of her and Leah last Christmas, just a week or so before her life irrevocably changed. "I want my mommy."

He heard those four sad words every day, and they still had the power to wrench his heart.

Some days were better than others, but today had been a tough one. This morning they'd gone to the grocery store, and Sarah had glimpsed someone from a distance who'd vaguely looked like Leah. She'd become hysterical, and had been tearful and withdrawn ever since.

"We'll find her, sweetheart. I promise I'm doing everything I can to find her."

The toe of a pink shoe caught his eye. He went down on one knee to retrieve it from beneath a blue teddy bear, then stayed down and bowed his head in silent prayer. Please God, keep Leah safe, wherever she is, and help me find her. She's all that Sarah and I have left. We need her back.

When Clint opened the door, he took one look at the vehicle parked outside and the woman on his porch and almost ended the interview right there.

"Bitsy's Diner?" he said, eyeing the words emblazoned on the old pickup. If he wasn't mistaken, he could see the shadow of luggage on the front seat. "I thought you said you had transportation."

"I did. I borrowed it." The woman tipped her head and flashed a tight smile. "I'm Mandy Erick, by the way. And you are…"



Buy from Christianbook.com
Buy from Amazon.com

Popular Posts

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

I GOT A CONTRACT!

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.29.2006 I had a wonderfully funny blog post planned for today, but I got sidetracked by some news yesterday! Zondervan has offered me a three-book contract on my Asian chick-lit series ! I’m still stunned by everything that’s happened. The series is actually a 4-book projected Asian chick-lit series about four cousins who fall under the infamous family title "Oldest Single Female Cousin," and their ruthless, wealthy grandma applies pressure on each of them to improve their lack of love interests. I think the first book is tentatively scheduled to be released in August 2007. The blurb on the series is on my website here . Brandilyn Collins posted to the ACFW loop about my writing journey, and Tamara Cooper asked that I share it. And since you all know how much I like to talk , here it is. My writing journey: Like most writers, I have wanted to write since I was very young. (In high school, I wrote a fantasy novel that will never see the light of day ...

Camy's (last minute) Christmas sale

Free Christian Romance novels, free Christian Romantic Suspense novels, and free Christian Regency romance novels Camy’s sale is here! Sign up for my Camy Tang newsletter to get  Weddings and Wasabi, White Soup, Unshakeable Pursuit,  and  Necessary Proof free! Sign up for my Camille Elliot newsletter to get  The Spinster's Christmas and The Gentleman Thief free! Shop Camy’s Sale

December 20, 2024 Weekly Patreon Roundup and Holiday Shutdown

I know I just did a roundup on Monday, but I need to tell you that I’ll be on holiday break on my Patreon. So today’s chapter post is the last one for 2024. I’ll be back on January 3, 2025. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! REMINDER (Tier 3 book boxes): Be sure to answer the question at the end of the update post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/117341237/ BONUS: Free short story: How Laura Met Aya https://www.patreon.com/posts/118057800/ New early access AND bonus annotated chapters this week: (Tier 3: Miss Nell’s Assistant and higher) Protection for Hire : Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 Lady Wynwood and the Senhora’s Bargain (bonus story for Tier 2 and higher): Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 7: Spinster: Completed posting! Access to older chapters has been opened up to other tiers. https://www.patreon.com/posts/early-access-98508510 Thanks again for being my subscribers! Camy

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...

Update

Captain's Log, Stardate 02.10.2010 Hey guys, So yeah, I've been offline lately. Been busy. Teaching an online class on synopsis writing and working on a new proposal. And no, I can't tell you yet. But every so often I'm on Twitter and Facebook , so be sure to check out my Twitter feed (it's also on the right sidebar) or find me on Facebook. Lately, all I've been tweeting is my shock at finding so many gray hairs all of a sudden...and I don't even have children as my excuse for having so many. Then again, Captain Caffeine says I'm the reason he has so many gray hairs, but I know he's just kidding because he had tons of gray hair when I first met him. Or at least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.