Retribution
by Diane Demetre
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romantic suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A gripping romantic suspense of betrayal, hope and love.
Jessie Hilton is tough. Since the age of fifteen, she has dreamed of being a principal dancer with the Australia Ballet Company. Now at twenty-four, she stands on the brink of fulfilling her dream unaware of a secret buried deep within her.
Ex-military officer, Brad Jordan is rebuilding his life with the help of his boisterous Border collie, Whiskey. After helping Jessie out of a tight spot, he discovers a kindred spirit in the ambitious ballerina.
But with the sudden attention of an unwanted admirer, Jessie’s life begins to spin out of control. Called back to her family home in country New South Wales due to her father’s unforeseen illness, she is torn between career and family. As her dream of being principal dancer fades, her stalker edges ever closer. But there is more to overcome than a lurking psychopath. Can Jessie and Brad confront their own past demons and finally be free?
Award winning author, Diane Demetre writes genre-busting stories which delve deep into the human psyche, and Retribution is no exception. Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript, Retribution is her first romantic suspense. If you love a cast of complex characters, a slow simmering romance and an intriguing plot, don’t miss this page-turning romantic suspense with a twist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt Two: “But I did find this.” He held up a sealed pink envelope that he’d skewered on the tip of one of Jessie’s kitchen forks. The wary expression on his face kindled a spark of fear in her.
She eyed it with suspicion. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure, but it was propped up on the pillows on your bed and it’s addressed to you. I haven’t touched it.” His flinty gaze riveted her to the spot. An icy shiver skidded down her spine, leaving a path of cold, clammy apprehension.
“You open it.” She rubbed her arms a little too fiercely.
“Do you have any gloves? If this has got fingerprints on it, I don’t want to contaminate evidence.”
“Yes. Under the sink in my bathroom. There’re disposable gloves in a box.” She cocked her head in the direction, indicating he should go and find them. Her legs felt like jelly, and she feared that if she tried to go and get the gloves herself, she’d fall flat on her face.
Within a minute or two, he returned with a pair of gloves that he offered to her. “You’ll have to put them on. They’re too small for me.”
Jessie rubbed her hands, stalling for time. She reached for the gloves and braced herself as if expecting them to send an electric shock up her arms. Doing her best to remain calm, she pushed her hands into the gloves, finishing each with a snap.
He stared at her with an expression of grim determination. “You have to open it, Jessie. If you don’t want to read it, leave it on the table and walk away. I’ll read it if you like.”
Her hands trembled as she plucked the envelope from the fork. The back of it peeled up effortlessly, and she imagined the person who had left it licking it with their vile tongue and sealing it with just enough of their wetness, but not so much as to stick it tight. She swallowed down her revulsion before she gagged on it. Reluctantly, she opened the envelope and eased out an innocent piece of squarely folded pink paper. Flattening it out, she wrenched her gaze away, before she accidentally read its contents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Being a passionate woman who’s always done things a little differently, Diane’s diverse career began as a school teacher before she moved into a full-time career as a professional choreographer, director and dancer, strutting her stuff on many stages throughout Australia. She was responsible for the original multi-million dollar extravaganzas at Conrad Jupiter’s Casino, Gold Coast—Starz & Galaxies.
Following her onstage career, Diane’s thirst for knowledge led her into the field of self-development. Using her highly developed communication skills and love of people, she spent many years as a stress & life skills therapist and life coach, teaching individuals, couples and groups the methodologies of personal success and fulfilment.
With her business acumen, Diane launched into the corporate arena, working in a variety of positions as a consultant in marketing, special events, tourism, business strategies, quality management and human resource management. Combining her entertainment and business backgrounds, she returned to the stage as a keynote speaker and corporate facilitator, educating business leaders in the ‘new mindset’ for business and relationship building in the 21st century.
Assuming the pseudonym of the Goddess of Love, she appeared as a guest presenter on Gold FM radio, Gold Coast, a national radio program broadcast to 1.4million listeners. Her weekly program proved popular with Diane providing empowering advice on life, love, sex and relationships, sprinkled with a good dose of humour. Her passion for life and compulsive sharing nature made her a great inspiration to her listeners. As the Goddess of Love she also appeared as a regular guest on the national television program Beauty & the Beast, where her practical insights were televised to viewers across Australia.
When she launched into a writing career, Diane’s debut erotic romance series, the Dance of Love was voted Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Best Books and Best Covers for 2015 and 2016.
Her romantic suspense, Retribution won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017 for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Diane loves to write genre-busting stories with a twist. Her works are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
WEBSITE www.dianedemetre.com
TWITTER https://twitter.com/DianeDemetre
Interview with Diane Demetre
1. Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story? I usually have the reins of the story, however I’m intuitive enough to know when to let the story lead the way. I allow the characters enough rope to veer off, and when they do, the story is better for this slight change of course.
2. Convince us why you feel your book is a must read. Retribution does not follow the usual romantic suspense formula. There are a few twists which take the reader to places not normally explored, and the story touches current topics which affect more people than most of us are aware of. It also gives readers, particularly international readers, a chance to be immersed in Australia, its cityscape and contrasting countryside.
3. Have you written any other books that are not published? My next book, Island of Secrets will be published on 14 October. It’s an epic love story that will make you laugh, cry and believe in the power of love. It spans forty years and is set on a privately-owned island off the coast of Maui. I’ve also written my memoir, which is agented, and hopefully will find a publication home next year. And I’ve just finished the first in my cozy murder mystery series which I expect to be published in 2019.
4. Pen or type writer or computer? I write all my stories on my pc in my home office.
5. Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans? Thank you to everyone who buys my books. Your time and investment in reading my work is really appreciated. And for those of you who enjoy my stories, you’d make this author very happy if you’d consider leaving a review. Reviews are gold to authors. 😊
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Diane Demetre will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2018/06/nbtm-retribution-by-diane-demetre.html
Congrats on this tour and thank for the opportunity to read about another great book out there to read. It helps out so I can find books I know my family will enjoy reading. Thanks as well for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting my book. I hope your readers enjoy it.
ReplyDelete