Happy Halloween from Transylvania! (for real!) šŸŽƒ

Hello, friends!

Most of you celebrate Halloween tomorrow, and I can’t tell you how lucky you are. I live in Romania, and sadly, Halloween isn’t a local tradition (imagine that, in the land of Dracula!).Ā  Although, if one wants to dress up there’s always a club or party where, for one night a year, we can be whoever we want to be.

One of my favorite characters is the classy, timeless Morticia Addams, because, like her, I have a strong dose of cynicism and a macabre sense of humor at times. And I even found a man who appreciates this stuff. What more can one wish for?

I’ve always been fascinated by Halloween as a holiday, which is why I am already writing my second book that takes place around this time of year. The first one isĀ Killer Score, a novel from theĀ Irish Garda Files, which won theĀ RONE awardĀ for Best Suspense/Mystery of 2021.

InĀ Killer Score, psychologist Chelsea Campbell explains the meaning of Halloween to Evan Gallagher, an ex-FBI agent recently transferred to work as a detective for the Irish police.

ā€œHalloween really is a big deal around here, too,ā€ Evan observed while driving.

ā€œSure it is. Don’t you celebrate it in America?ā€

ā€œWe do, big time. Somehow, I’ve never gotten the spirit of it. Maybe it’s because in modern times it’s more of a commercial holiday than a true celebration of… the spirits’ world—or whatever its meaning. To be shamefully honest, I never knew exactly what this holiday was about.ā€

Chelsea shifted her body to make herself more comfortable. ā€œHalloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, is a Celtic holiday that marked Samhain, the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. The Celts thought this was the darkest time of the year, when the boundaries between this world and the otherworld thinned, and the spirits or fairies could come into this world more easily.Ā The souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Places were set at the dinner table and by the fire to welcome them. The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night of the year and must be appeased has ancient origins and is present in many cultures throughout the world. This is what Halloween is really about.ā€

This explanation takes place while they drive to a Halloween party. As I wrote this scene I could almost hear Chelsea’s voice and Irish accent, that seems to enhance a good storytelling on a cold October night.

And because my books mirror life as much as possible, we also have a romantic scene at the club. Let’s see who else listens to my kind of music!Ā šŸ˜‰

The music changed and the DJ dedicated the slow version of Santana’s Black Magic Woman to all the ladies in the place. As the exotic guitar filled the air with magic, Chelsea smiled, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back. Evan couldn’t resist. Unthinkingly, he drew her into his arms, moving his body in tune with hers. Their shoulders glided together, their hips undulated close together. The music was like a drug. His hands tightened on her hips, traveled up her back, enjoying the exquisite caress of her hair. Her fingers sunk in the muscles of his chest, clutching handfuls of his shirt. As the music grew more intense, so did their dance, the friction, the heat, the closeness. Evan buried his face in her hair, hoping for solace, finding none. The fresh, spicy scent of her was maddening, promising things beyond his imagination. He didn’t want to want her, but his body burned to touch her, to have her, to possess her. She had a magnetic quality he’d never encountered in any other woman. Maybe because she wasn’t just a babe with a stunning body. She also had a powerful and intriguing mind. She constantly challenged him, and he never backed down from a challenge.

If that got your blood warm, this next—and final teaser—should make it run cold again, because alas, the killer strikes again. And what better night than Halloween?

ā€œBad doings tonight, Yank. All Hollow’s Eve should be a night for bringing back lost life, not taking it. I don’t know what’s going on in this city, but you have to stop it. We can’t have any more lassies killed and discarded like rag dolls.ā€

Ā Well, you tell me guys: was this a trick or a treat?

Happy Halloween from Transylvania! (for real!)Ā šŸ¦‡

Fondly,

Melinda

KILLER SCORE WON A RONE AWARD! šŸ‘‘

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š˜‰š˜ŗ š˜µhš˜¦ š˜µš˜Ŗš˜®š˜¦ TJ MacKay š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š™„š™£š˜æā€™š™š™–š™”š™š š˜µš˜¦š˜¢š˜® š˜Øš˜°š˜µ š˜µš˜©š˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Øš˜“ š˜®š˜°š˜·š˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Ø, š˜ š˜øš˜¢š˜“ š˜©š˜°š˜­š˜„š˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Ø š˜®š˜ŗ š˜£š˜³š˜¦š˜¢š˜µš˜© š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜¤š˜­š˜¢š˜±š˜±š˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Ø š˜§š˜°š˜³ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜§š˜Ŗš˜Æš˜¢š˜­š˜Ŗš˜“š˜µš˜“ š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜øš˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Æš˜¦š˜³š˜“ š˜Ŗš˜Æ š˜¦š˜¢š˜¤š˜© š˜¤š˜¢š˜µš˜¦š˜Øš˜°š˜³š˜ŗ. š˜ š˜¤š˜¢š˜Æā€™š˜µ š˜¦š˜¹š˜±š˜­š˜¢š˜Ŗš˜Æ š˜µš˜©š˜Ŗš˜“, š˜£š˜¶š˜µ š˜øš˜©š˜¦š˜Æ š˜µš˜©š˜¦š˜ŗ š˜¢š˜Æš˜Æš˜°š˜¶š˜Æš˜¤š˜¦š˜„ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š™Žš™Ŗš™Øš™„š™šš™£š™Øš™š/š™š™š™§š™žš™”š™”š™šš™§ š˜§š˜Ŗš˜Æš˜¢š˜­š˜Ŗš˜“š˜µš˜“, š˜®š˜ŗ š˜©š˜¦š˜¢š˜³š˜µ š˜øš˜¢š˜“ š˜£š˜¦š˜¢š˜µš˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Ø š˜­š˜Ŗš˜¬š˜¦ š˜¤š˜³š˜¢š˜»š˜ŗ, š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜Æš˜°š˜µ š˜«š˜¶š˜“š˜µ š˜§š˜³š˜°š˜® š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜¤š˜°š˜§š˜§š˜¦š˜¦. š˜›š˜©š˜¦ š˜¤š˜°š˜¶š˜Æš˜µš˜„š˜°š˜øš˜Æ š˜©š˜¢š˜„ š˜£š˜¦š˜Øš˜¶š˜Æ.Ā ā³Ā š˜›š˜©š˜¦ š˜“š˜¦š˜¤š˜°š˜Æš˜„ š˜³š˜¶š˜Æš˜Æš˜¦š˜³ š˜¶š˜± š˜øš˜¢š˜“ š˜¢š˜Æš˜Æš˜°š˜¶š˜Æš˜¤š˜¦š˜„, š˜µš˜©š˜¦š˜Æ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜§š˜Ŗš˜³š˜“š˜µ š˜³š˜¶š˜Æš˜Æš˜¦š˜³ š˜¶š˜±, š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜µš˜©š˜¦š˜Æā€¦ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜øš˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Æš˜¦š˜³. š— š—¬ š—•š—¢š—¢š—ž, š™†š™žš™”š™”š™šš™§ š™Žš™˜š™¤š™§š™š! š˜ š˜“š˜øš˜¦š˜¢š˜³, š˜®š˜ŗ š˜·š˜Ŗš˜“š˜Ŗš˜°š˜Æ š˜£š˜­š˜¶š˜³š˜³š˜¦š˜„! š˜š˜¶š˜£š˜£š˜ŗ š˜øš˜¢š˜“ š˜©š˜¢š˜­š˜§ š˜¢š˜“š˜­š˜¦š˜¦š˜± š˜Ŗš˜Æ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜„š˜°š˜°š˜³š˜øš˜¢š˜ŗ, š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜ š˜³š˜¦š˜®š˜¦š˜®š˜£š˜¦š˜³ š˜“š˜¢š˜ŗš˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Ø, ā€œš˜š˜°š˜­š˜ŗ š˜“š˜©š˜Ŗš˜µ, š˜ š˜øš˜°š˜Æ!ā€Ā šŸ˜²

š˜›š˜©š˜¢š˜Æš˜¬š˜§š˜¶š˜­š˜­š˜ŗ, š˜®š˜ŗ š˜®š˜Ŗš˜¤š˜³š˜°š˜±š˜©š˜°š˜Æš˜¦ š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜¤š˜¢š˜®š˜¦š˜³š˜¢ š˜øš˜¦š˜³š˜¦ š˜°š˜§š˜§ā€”š˜ š˜¢š˜® š˜“š˜° š˜Øš˜³š˜¢š˜µš˜¦š˜§š˜¶š˜­ š˜§š˜°š˜³ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜¦š˜¹š˜±š˜¦š˜³š˜Ŗš˜¦š˜Æš˜¤š˜¦š˜„ š˜±š˜¦š˜°š˜±š˜­š˜¦ š˜¢š˜µ š™„š™£š˜æā€™š™š™–š™”š™š, š˜øš˜©š˜° š˜ā€™š˜® š˜“š˜¶š˜³š˜¦ š˜©š˜¢š˜·š˜¦ š˜¦š˜Æš˜¤š˜°š˜¶š˜Æš˜µš˜¦š˜³š˜¦š˜„ š˜µš˜©š˜¦š˜“š˜¦ š˜“š˜Ŗš˜µš˜¶š˜¢š˜µš˜Ŗš˜°š˜Æš˜“ š˜®š˜¢š˜Æš˜ŗ š˜µš˜Ŗš˜®š˜¦š˜“. š˜›š˜©š˜¦ š˜³š˜¦š˜“š˜µā€¦ š˜žš˜¦š˜­š˜­, š˜ŗš˜°š˜¶ā€™š˜­š˜­ š˜“š˜¦š˜¦ š˜®š˜¦ š˜£š˜¢š˜£š˜£š˜­š˜¦ š˜Ŗš˜Æ š˜•š˜°š˜·š˜¦š˜®š˜£š˜¦š˜³, š˜øš˜©š˜¦š˜Æ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜·š˜Ŗš˜„š˜¦š˜° š˜°š˜§ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜¢š˜øš˜¢š˜³š˜„ š˜¤š˜¦š˜³š˜¦š˜®š˜°š˜Æš˜ŗ š˜øš˜Ŗš˜­š˜­ š˜£š˜¦ š˜±š˜°š˜“š˜µš˜¦š˜„, š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜­š˜Ŗš˜“š˜µ š˜°š˜§ š˜øš˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Æš˜¦š˜³š˜“ š˜øš˜Ŗš˜­š˜­ š˜£š˜¦ š˜±š˜¶š˜£š˜­š˜Ŗš˜“š˜©š˜¦š˜„ š˜Ŗš˜Æ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜•š˜°š˜·š˜¦š˜®š˜£š˜¦š˜³ š˜Ŗš˜“š˜“š˜¶š˜¦ š˜°š˜§ š™„š™£š˜æā€™š™š™–š™”š™š š™ˆš™–š™œš™–š™Æš™žš™£š™š. š˜™š˜Ŗš˜Øš˜©š˜µ š˜Æš˜°š˜ø š˜ š˜©š˜¢š˜·š˜¦ š˜µš˜©š˜Ŗš˜“ š˜±š˜³š˜¦š˜µš˜µš˜ŗ š˜¤š˜¦š˜³š˜µš˜Ŗš˜§š˜Ŗš˜¤š˜¢š˜µš˜¦ š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜£š˜¢š˜„š˜Øš˜¦ š˜µš˜° š˜“š˜©š˜°š˜ø š˜°š˜§š˜§!

š˜šš˜°, š˜­š˜°š˜Æš˜Ø š˜“š˜µš˜°š˜³š˜ŗ š˜“š˜©š˜°š˜³š˜µā€”š˜¢ š˜£š˜Ŗš˜µ š˜µš˜°š˜° š˜­š˜¢š˜µš˜¦ š˜§š˜°š˜³ š˜µš˜©š˜¢š˜µ, š˜Ŗš˜“š˜Æā€™š˜µ š˜Ŗš˜µ?Ā šŸ™ˆā€”š˜ š˜¢š˜® š˜°š˜§š˜§š˜Ŗš˜¤š˜Ŗš˜¢š˜­š˜­š˜ŗ š˜¢š˜Æ š˜¢š˜øš˜¢š˜³š˜„-š˜øš˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Æš˜Ŗš˜Æš˜Ø š˜¢š˜¶š˜µš˜©š˜°š˜³, š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š™†š™žš™”š™”š™šš™§ š™Žš™˜š™¤š™§š™š š˜©š˜¢š˜“ š˜®š˜¢š˜„š˜¦ š˜®š˜¦ š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜§š˜Ŗš˜³š˜“š˜µ š˜™š˜°š˜®š˜¢š˜Æš˜Ŗš˜¢š˜Æ š˜øš˜³š˜Ŗš˜µš˜¦š˜³ š˜µš˜° š˜øš˜Ŗš˜Æ š˜¢ š™š™Šš™‰š™€ š™–š™¬š™–š™§š™™ (š˜øš˜©š˜Ŗš˜¤š˜© š˜“š˜µš˜¢š˜Æš˜„š˜“ š˜§š˜°š˜³ š™š™šš™¬š™–š™§š™™ š™¤š™› š™‰š™¤š™«š™šš™” š™€š™­š™˜š™šš™”š™”š™šš™£š™˜š™š).

š˜”š˜¢š˜Æš˜ŗ š˜µš˜©š˜¢š˜Æš˜¬š˜“ š˜µš˜° š˜µš˜©š˜¦ š˜øš˜°š˜Æš˜„š˜¦š˜³š˜§š˜¶š˜­ š˜µš˜¦š˜¢š˜® š˜¢š˜µ InD’Tale Magazine š˜§š˜°š˜³ š˜¢š˜­š˜­ š˜µš˜©š˜¦š˜Ŗš˜³ š˜„š˜¦š˜„š˜Ŗš˜¤š˜¢š˜µš˜Ŗš˜°š˜Æ š˜µš˜°š˜øš˜¢š˜³š˜„ š˜¢š˜¶š˜µš˜©š˜°š˜³š˜“! š˜›š˜©š˜Ŗš˜“ š˜¢š˜øš˜¢š˜³š˜„ š˜Ŗš˜“ š˜¢š˜“ š˜±š˜³š˜¦š˜¤š˜Ŗš˜°š˜¶š˜“ š˜¢š˜“ š˜Ŗš˜µ š˜øš˜¢š˜“ š˜¶š˜Æš˜¦š˜¹š˜±š˜¦š˜¤š˜µš˜¦š˜„.Ā ā¤ļø

š˜ā€™š˜­š˜­ š˜£š˜¦ š˜£š˜¢š˜¤š˜¬ š˜øš˜Ŗš˜µš˜© š˜Æš˜¦š˜øš˜“ š˜Ŗš˜Æ š˜•š˜°š˜·š˜¦š˜®š˜£š˜¦š˜³ š˜¢š˜Æš˜„ š˜øš˜Ŗš˜µš˜© š˜±š˜©š˜°š˜µš˜°š˜“ š˜°š˜§ š˜®š˜ŗ šš‘š„š‚šˆšŽš”š’ š˜¤š˜³š˜ŗš˜“š˜µš˜¢š˜­ š˜¢š˜øš˜¢š˜³š˜„! 🤩

In order to receive the firsthand news and a FREE book as a welcome gift, subscribe to my newsletter at https://melindacolt.com/

In the meantime, I have another wonderful piece of news, and a favor to ask of you: the cover for Silent Strike has been selected to compete in the Creme dĆ© la Cover contest at InD’tale Magazine! In order to make it to the next round, it needs YOUR votes. It’s quite easy to vote, but you must be a subscriber and logged into your account. If you don’t have one, it takes only a few seconds to create it, and then you’ll be subscribed to the most awesome indie literary publication, and you’ll be able to vote for this baby here: https://indtale.com/polls/creme-de-la-cover-contest

I really could use your help, so thank you in advance for your time and effort!

ā¤ļø

 

 

Yours,

Melinda

The Beauty of … Hope @josieriviera, #mgtab

Spring is a time for renewal, a time for hope. I am sure I am not alone in having never expected this pandemic to go on for such a long time, or to face so many of the other ā€˜unprecedented’ events that we faced in 2020.

In all of this though, I see hope.

Hope that this vaccine will provide us a level of safety from COVID-19.

Hope that we will seek to understand our fellow man on a deeper level.

Hope that the world will explore solutions to these unbelievable natural disasters.

Hope that we can listen and try to understand our fellow humans.

Hope that we can be compassionate to those who may not be as fortunate as we are.

Hope that we can bring the best of ourselves to face the worst of what has happened. Together we can bring hope to brighten our world.

What are your hopes? Please leave your comments below.

Here’s to us and our brighter future!

If you love sweet Irish romance, be sure to grab your copy of my sweet Irish romance,

Oh Danny Boy. A perfect way to celebrate everything Irish! Available in ebook Paperback, Large Print Paperback, Hardcover, and Audiobook.

 

ā˜˜ļø Something special for Saint Patrick’s Day! ā˜˜ļø

Saint Patrick’s Day is by far the most famous Irish holiday, and it has come to be celebrated all over the world. Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary whose name marks the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Today, he is the foremost patron saint of Ireland. On March 17 many people across the globe celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. At the end of the celebrations, a shamrock is put into the bottom of a cup, which is then filled with whiskey, beer, or cider. It is then drunk as a toast to Saint Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock would either be swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for good luck.

As fun as this sounds, no wonder so much of the world celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day!

I’ve become fascinated by Irish culture through several Nora Roberts books, so much so that I’ve decided to create my own series that takes place in Dublin. The Irish Garda Squad is a series of detective mysteries/police procedural books with a touch of romance. Each book features exciting new characters and follows the journeys of the Irish Police detectives, the complicated cases they solve, and the challenges these cops face in their personal lives.

All the stories can be read as stand-alone novels, in any order.

The first two books, Dare Game and Killer Score, have both received Crowned Heart Reviews of Excellence from Ind’Tale Magazine, a distinction that is not given lightly. I’m particularly proud to have gotten two such reviews for two books in a row, and I hope the third Garda book will live up to the standards.

To be honest, I planned to release Silent Strike, the next Garda book, today on March 17, but I weaved such a twisted plot I got tangled in it myself. šŸ˜‚ After many ups and down, I’m finally working on the last chapters, and with a bit of luck from Saint Patrick himself, I will be releasing the book in April. If you’d like to be notified when it’s published, make sure you follow me on Amazon and BookBub, or subscribe to my Newsletter.

If you haven’t checked out the published books yet, you can find them on Amazon and read them for free in Kindle Unlimited.

I hope you have a wonderful day, whether you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day or not. We could all use a bit of luck right now. šŸ˜‰

Stay safe and read books!

 

Hugs,