January 11, 2021

Why did I write a story for Thorn in the Disaster Crimes series? / NEW RELEASE / GIVEAWAY / FREE EBOOK / NEW WEBSITE



Today is release day for A FIGHTING CHANCE!!! WOO-HOO!

I am also launching a new website AND have a new short eBook for free!


Why did I write a story for Thorn in the Disaster Crimes series?


When I was writing Flaming Crimes (Book 4), which featured Beth and Donovan, I was thinking ahead to Frozen Crimes (Book 5) and considering what would come after that. I had a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, wildfire, and would soon have a blizzard.

However, there was always one disaster I thought about and wondered how I’d handle it…a tornado.

*SPOILER*

If you haven’t read Frozen Crimes yet and plan to, skip down to END SPOILER in red font.

*SPOILER*

Whenever I thought of Beth and Donovan going through a tornado, for the first time, the odds would not have been in their favor. Now, I hope if you’re reading this that means you have read Frozen Crimes or don’t plan to because what I’m going to say next will spoil a huge surprise…every time I pictured Beth and Donovan hunkering down in a closet or bathroom, Beth would be sheltering one of their twins, and Donovan would be holding the other. The tornado would rip apart their house and pick up Donovan and one of the twins. Afterward, Beth would search for them among the wreckage. She’d find them. The baby would be okay, but Donovan would’ve died protecting his child. Even when I removed the baby from that scenario and had Beth holding both of them, Donovan would be covering them with his body. He would still get sucked away. He would still die protecting his family.

Every time.

I hated it.

I couldn’t do that to Donovan.

I couldn’t do that to Beth.

*END SPOILER*

A tornado would’ve been the disaster that would’ve beat Beth and Donovan, and I refused to let that happen.

So, I knew what I had to do…I had to give this disaster to another character.

Sorry, Thorn.

At this point, you might be wondering why I just didn’t end the series with the blizzard in Frozen Crimes and just not write about a tornado. Problem solved. Right? Well, not exactly.

The other reason why I wanted to write a story for Thorn is because I’d been interested in writing a spin-off for him since Tsunami Crimes (Book 3), which, at that time, his story would’ve been slightly different. The woman in that original spin-off idea would’ve had Amanda’s backstory of abuse, but how Thorn and the heroine met and events after that would’ve been different. And she wouldn’t have been Amanda.

When I was writing Flaming Crimes and needed to create a new character who would be Beth’s self-defense assistant at The Fighting Chance, I came up with Amanda. She was the perfect assistant, being a survivor of abuse herself, and she worked for the original idea, too, with some tweaks.

Thorn is instantly head-over-heels for her. In Flaming Crimes and Frozen Crimes, I was setting up a potential romance and leading into his own story.

I figured my readers would want to read that story.

And I wanted to write that story.

Also, when I thought of Thorn and Amanda and the two of them facing a tornado, I envisioned them winning.

Now that I could do!

 

Pages: 154

Genre: Romantic-Suspense

Heat Rating: Hot

 

BLURB:

*A FIGHTING CHANCE is Book 6 in the Disaster Crimes series, but it’s a spin-off featuring a new couple, so it can be read as a standalone.*

Thorn has loved Amanda from afar, giving her whatever she needs as a survivor of abuse—space, protection, and stability. He yearns to give her more, though, to share his feelings, kiss her, love her, but he's worried the truth will frighten her away.

And Amanda is afraid. She’s scared of her attraction for Thorn. Most of all, she’s terrified of her ex-boyfriend, who is lurking nearby where no one can find him. When she grows closer to Thorn, Damon retaliates, jeopardizing their happy ending.

Up against an abusive ex and Mother Nature, do Thorn and Amanda have a fighting chance?

 

Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

 

EXCERPT:

Amanda looked up from the current list of up-to-date payments for classes. A movement outside the glass storefront caught her eye. She tilted her head to see a man coming up the sidewalk from the side where the picnic bench sat. Through the vertical blinds, she glimpsed a square face—a short, rugged beard and long, dark hair pulled into a man bun. Her breath fled from her lungs. Her body went from icy cold to flaming hot in the span of a millisecond. She dropped to the floor and slid under the counter, beneath the ledge where they put their purses and cell phones.

“What—” Beth peeked at the windows. Then she snapped her fingers at April and pointed at the stools.

April jumped into action. She pushed the stools in so they blocked Amanda. The bell attached to the door jingled as April removed the jacket she wore and draped it across the stools, creating a curtain to shield Amanda.

From a crack, Amanda watched Beth move to stand in front of the twins, who were in their walkers playing peacefully. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to be closing.”

“I don’t give a shit. I’m here for Amanda.”

The sound of Damon’s voice had her heart beating even harder. That voice had haunted her nightmares, had come back to life in her memories.

Beth cocked her head to the side. “Who? There’s no one by that name here.”

“Don’t bullshit me. I know she works here.”

His voice was closer now.

 

***FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME***

THE DISASTER CURSE

Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

Author’s Note: I wrote The Disaster Curse to answer a few lingering questions readers may have after reading A Fighting Chance, and to tie the whole series together with a neat, shiny, perfect little bow. Plus, there was one disaster that I hadn’t written about yet. *wink*


The Disaster Crimes Series:

*The Crime Before the Storm (prequel)

Hurricane Crimes (novella, #1)

Seismic Crimes (#2)

Lightning Crimes (free short, #2.5)

Tsunami Crimes (#3)

Flaming Crimes (#4)

Frozen Crimes (#5)

A Fighting Chance (spin-off, #6)

The Disaster Curse (short story, #7)

*Free exclusive story to newsletter subscribers.

 

***LAUNCHING A WEBSITE***




TheFightingChance.org is a website dedicated to domestic violence and sexual assault awareness. Inspired by the Disaster Crimes series.


***GIVEAWAY***

Prizes: Hurricane Crimes (Disaster Crimes 1) and Seismic Crimes (Disaster Crimes 2) eBooks (mobi or epub), Hurricane Crimes Playing Cards, Girl Boss Sign, and a Volcanic Blast Scented Candle

Link: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/23d974a92670/

 

Thank you for visiting my blog and taking part in my blog tour!


Blog Tour Stops:

1/11 - Tyrean's Writing Spot

Jemi Fraser

Literary Rambles

Spunk on a Stick

Alex J. Cavanaugh

1/12 - M.J. Fifield

Alicia Dean

1/13 - Peggy Jaeger

C. Lee McKenzie Books

Fundinmental

Victoria Marie Lees

1/14 - Diane Burton

1/15 - Joanne Guidoccio

Standing Into Danger

1/16 - Joylene Butler

1/18 - Lynda R. Young

Paving My Authors Road

Pat Garcia Book Reviews

1/19 - Writing in Wonderland

1/20 - WordDreams

The ToiBox of Words

Nick Wilford

1/21 - The Faux Fountain Pen

1/22 - Sandra Cox

Thoughts in Progress

1/25 - Emaginette

Sage Covered Hills

1/26 - Ninja Librarian

1/27 - Patricia Josephine

Ornery Book Emporium

1/29 - Elizabeth Seckman

NOTE: Bloggers who signed up and posted will be entered into a giveaway for a $5.00 Amazon eGift card. I will pick and notify the winner on January 30th.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


35 comments:

  1. Glad you didn't kill off a main character. Fans would've been unhappy.
    Congratulations on wrapping up the series!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't have been able to do it. I would've been very unhappy. lol

      Thank you!

      Delete
  2. I would have been devastated with that original story!!!! This one popped up on my Kindle last night!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too! That's why I couldn't write it.

      Thank you for buying the eBook!

      Delete
  3. I love the covers! Happy New Year and best to you for a safe and healthy 2021!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wouldn't have wanted to kill him off either.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad you didn't kill him off. Congrats on your new book and finishing the series!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never would've gone through with it.

      Thank you! :)

      Delete
  6. Isn't it interesting how certain scenarios play out, no matter how much you try to get them not to?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is very interesting. I never would've killed off Donovan, and yet, that's what I kept seeing.

      Delete
  7. I definitely understand not wanting to kill one of your main characters! Plus I love the idea of a side story.
    Congrats on the release!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It worked out well with creating a spin-off. I love this story so much.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  8. Congrats on completing an excellent series Chrys.
    Hope all is well.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The covers are great! Very eye catching.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Chrys - congratulations on this series ... and always important to keep a positive character around - cheers us up. All the best - Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nice to have insight into your writing process. Yeah, if you kill off the main character, the series would be over, unless you're going to write about ghost or there's a resurrection ;)

    https://fromarockyhillside.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Well, the series is over, but there's no ghosts in this series. ;)

      Delete
  12. Congratulations, Chrys! On the new website and the book!! I love this idea of domestic violence awareness coming from the book, plus Thorn and Amanda are strong characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lisa! I felt a calling to do more for domestic violence awareness. <3

      Delete
  13. The cover for Fighting Chance is gorgeous, Chrys. I've entered the giveaway. All best to you in your book tour and launch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Victoria! Good luck with the giveaway!

      Delete
  14. Thanks for the list of other people featuring your book on their blogs, Chrys. Now I can see their posts too. May you sell lots of books and lead many to help via your new website.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Louise! And thank you so much for your help and your kindness!

      Delete
  15. congratulations on the new book. i loved it and am so glad you didn't kill him off, though that would have been one hell of an ending. i do like to be shook up and have had more than one author kill off one of the main characters and it sure puts a spin on the story. i do like happy ever afters though.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi, Chrys! Just wanted you to know that my copy of "A Fighting Chance" arrived yesterday afternoon. I read it in bed last night in one go ~ Stayed up reading very late because I didn't want to stop. It felt authentic, terrifying, and steamy. It was great, and I really enjoyed it. It's horrific to think that there are women who live with the fear and defenses that Amanda did in the story. You captured it so well! Thank goodness for the Thorns in this world!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for this comment, Louise! Thank you for reading A Fighting Chance. To know you read it in one go makes me so happy. I appreciate your comment so much.

      Delete