Love, Lies, and Azure Eyes
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Soul Mate Publishing, LLC (June 12, 2019)
Print Length: 267 pages

Synopsis

Elated by Annie’s response, Johnny caved to his impulse and pressed his mouth to her sweet lips, sparking a surge of electricity that ricocheted through his entire body, and for one glorious moment swept him up in a wave of emotion that meteorically whisked him to the edge of the universe, past swirling spirals of brightly burning stars — white dwarfs, red giants, entire galaxies. Caught in the rapture, he shed his cocoon of darkness and experienced the light — the wonderful, warm, life-affirming light. He reveled in it, felt alive. He almost believed he was. Almost.

* * *

West Coast journalist Annie Sinclair’s career, not to mention her love life, has been on the skids far too long, when she returns to Logan Point, her small, Indiana hometown. She’s back to make amends with her elderly father, and to delve into the 25-year-old, unsolved murder of her high school classmate for a writing gig with a national tabloid.

Annie’s plans soon go awry, and her mettle is tested — first when her father warns her against digging into the past; and again, when she meets the Logan Point Ledger’s handsome, but exasperating, new editor; and again still, when she reconnects with her first love, who clearly wants to rekindle what once was.

But Annie’s most arduous test appears in the form of the earthbound spirit of a boy she once knew — the boy with the azure eyes accused of the murder she is looking into. He needs her to prove his innocence, so he can break the ties that bind him to the darkness. In exchange, he will set Annie free to realize that the love she yearns for is just within her reach … if only she will open her heart.

Guest Post

Hello? … Anyone there? … Can you hear me? … I’ve been stumbling about in this darkness for what seems like forever, lost, alone, looking for that certain someone to help me break these ties and open the door to the light, the blessed life-affirming, all-forgiving, soul-saving light.

My name is Johnny Lange, and life stopped for me 25 years ago, when I was 18 years old. The last thing I remember is rocketing down the highway toward Logan Point with daddy’s boy Carter McKuen, who was at the wheel and sloshed to the gill. Let me be clear: Carter McKuen was not then, never had been, and never would be my friend. That’d be true even if he hadn’t plowed his Coupe de Ville into that tree and killed me.

Just like life, death is complicated. I always figured that when you die, one of two possibilities await: either it’s lights out, or a representative of your designated Afterlife destination escorts you there. If you figured that, too, you’d be wrong. The Afterlife can get messy, and there are as many possibilities as there are dead people.

In my case, no one was waiting for me, but I was not alone. Once I made the transition, the lost souls were everywhere, as they always had been. I just hadn’t been able to see them. Suddenly, I was one of them and feared I was doomed to this purgatory for all eternity. However, I eventually learned that heaven was waiting for me! To get there, all I had to do was clear myself as the murderer of my high school classmate, Shelayne Goodnight.

First let me be clear — I’m not the one who killed Shelayne! I don’t know who did it, but it wasn’t me. Proving that wasn’t easy, even while I was alive. I had dated her exactly twice. Unfortunately, her father, who I never liked, never liked me either and told the sheriff he suspected me. Rumors started and never stopped — even now, after I’ve been dead 25 years.

Fortunately, I used my free time to hone my communication skills. Regardless of what you’ve seen in the movies, it’s not easy for a ghost — even a friendly ghost — to make himself visible and audible to a living person without scaring the spit out of them.

Thank God, I was able to get through to Annie Sinclair and persuade her to help me. If anyone could prove my innocence and figure out the true identity of Shelayne’s killer, it’s Annie. And once she does, only one hurdle between heaven and me will remain — Annie’s heart.

Thank you for this opportunity to tell you a bit about “Love, Lies, and Azure Eyes” and how I fit into it. (Hint: My eyes are azure.) If you want to join me to learn how the story plays out and who killed Shelayne, the book is available as an ebook for just $3.99. But if you sign up for the give-away, maybe you’ll win it! And if it’s an enticement, I can assure you, my story has a happy ending. •

About the Author

Janis Thornton is the author of a true crime/oral history/memoir, Too Good a Girl, as well as two cozy mysteries, Dust Bunnies & Dead Bodies and Dead Air & Double Dares. She also is the author of two local history books and contributor to Undeniably Indiana. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Authors Guild, and the Indianapolis Writers Center. She lives in her Indiana hometown in the same house where she grew up.

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