This man in her life—and the town of Cold Creek—had seemed so scary just a few weeks ago. But now it seemed perfect.
“I like the way you think, Sheriff McCord. As a matter of fact, I like everything about you. And I know what I’m getting into with the demands of your job. Yet I believe you are worth the price of that or anything.”
They kissed again, harder, longer. And the roar of the big reaper cutting and shredding the past seemed like music to her ears.
* * * * *
Author’s Note
Shattered Secrets is book one of a trilogy set in Cold Creek. When Tess’s very different sisters come home for her wedding, they both become involved in crime and love. Forbidden Ground will feature Kate as the heroine, and Broken Bonds, Char’s story, will follow after that.
I did my undergraduate work in Athens, Ohio (English major, of course!), on the edge of the Appalachian foothills where I chose to set this trilogy, so I do know that fascinating area well. Also, our good friends Dr. Roy and Mary Ann Manning live in Chillicothe, so we have visited there and been given several tours of the area. The mingling of people in this stunningly beautiful region makes a perfect background for conflict in this Cold Creek trilogy.
My ideas for these novels are literally ripped from the headlines. I enjoy writing books where an “average” woman’s life is impacted by crime or tragedy. The police may help her, but she also manages to find the strength and courage to solve the crime herself. And rural areas are no exception, unfortunately, for unusual crimes.
I’m grateful for the tour I was able to take of the BCI (Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation) headquarters in London, Ohio. The tour included the latest information of many aspects of criminal investigation, which I am using in these novels. Victor Reingold and other BCI agents, however, are fictional and are only based in some ways on actual agents.
Crimes against children have certainly been in the news in horrific ways as I write this novel. Nothing is worse than harming innocents.
The two books I found most helpful about childhood trauma and various types of amnesia as background for this story are both by Dr. Lenore Teri, M.D. Unchained Memories: True Stories of Traumatic Memories Lost and Found and Too Scared To Cry: Psychic Trauma In Childhood. On Gabe’s explosive ordnance disposal unit in Iraq, I consulted The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows by Brian Castner.
Considering the villain in this novel, I must make the point that I do love librarians. I would probably not be a fiction writer if it weren’t for libraries and their keepers over the years. Nor would much of my education, teaching career or author research have been possible without the help of librarians. My author collection of books and papers is in the care of the Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Department in Columbus, Ohio, and the librarians there are friends and supporters. Thanks to Dr. Geoffrey Smith and all in charge there.
Happy (and scary!) reading. Please visit my website at www.KarenHarperAuthor.com.
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ISBN-13: 9781460338414
SHATTERED SECRETS
Copyright © 2014 by Karen Harper
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