Tag: thriller

A Collection of Barbies

Barbies hanging out together on the French Riviera

Imagine how I felt when I came across these Barbie dolls (and a few Kens) sitting or lounging on a vendor’s table, just steps from the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France while I was there during a holiday weekend in May.

Quelle trésor! (What a treasure!)

No, I’m not a Barbie collector, but a character in my new thriller THE BARBIE KILLER is–sort of. The Barbies in the photo were taken out of their original boxes long ago, I suspect. However, they look newer than the Barbie (and the Skipper and Midge) my sister and I played with when we were young. Like the ones my daughter had when she was little, they are wearing a variety of outfits, lots of different hairstyles, and lots of pink. But none have on the slim houndstooth skirt or red shoes worn by the Barbie on the cover of my novel.

THE BARBIE KILLER was published on March 31, 2026 in print and on Kindle by Red Adept Publishing, and is also available in Kindle Unlimited. Its launch at my local bookstore, Story & Song, was a smashing success: We had a packed house, and the store sold out of books that day. You can order copies there or at any bookstore, and once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down–I promise.

A recent reviewer described it as “a fast-paced psychological thriller that blends small-town paranoia, buried secrets, and serial-killer suspense into an entertaining, highly readable mystery.”

Another said: “The suspense grabs you from page one, and the tension steadily builds as the narrative shifts between the tortured thinking of the killer and the creepy coldness of the men and women who inhabit the superficially ‘normal’ Midwestern town where the book is set.”

Although pink isn’t my favorite, I love color, as you can tell by the dress I’m wearing here. And color is everywhere in the south of France, especially during the month of May. I don’t think the collection of Barbie dolls in THE BARBIE KILLER includes a French one, but I could be wrong. But I do know that there’s an assortment of them, new and old.

To find out why, well, you’ll just have to read the book!

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The Barbie Killer is OUT!

Don’t worry – not in your neighborhood. But my new thriller is available on Amazon or at your local bookstore!

The Barbie Killer was inspired by true events – and the chilling intersection between true crime and personal experience. In the 1970s, 80s, 90s and beyond, serial killer Dennis Rader, known as “BTK” for Bind, Torture, Kill, terrorized the community of Wichita, Kansas. My family and I lived there from 1995 – 2000, a time when the killer was “inactive,” but no one ever breathed a word to us about him.

Not a neighbor, not a friend, and not a business colleague of my husband – who worked for a large company headquartered in Wichita then. Many people we met had grown up there, so they knew about BTK, but they kept mum about him. Back then, the Internet was in its infancy and Google didn’t exist yet, so before and during our time in Wichita we had no idea he was on the loose and perhaps living in that small town where everyone seemed to know everyone else – or so they thought.

Years later, after we moved back to Atlanta, we learned the town’s dark secret when Rader was captured and sent to prison. Then one day, I was asked to write a short story for crime stories anthology DOWN TO THE RIVER, and I chose to set it in Wichita and make it about a family new to town who are shocked to learn about a serial murderer in their midst.

Then, I decided to turn it into a novel.

And voilà! Yesterday, March 31, 2026, my thriller THE BARBIE KILLER was published by Red Adept Publishing. My book launch at local independent bookstore Story & Song Bookstore and Bistro was a wild success. Stacks of copies sold out to a full house! My friend, author Linda R. Sexton, interviewed me about the book, and I answered great questions that members of the audience posed. I’m told the bookstore is ordering more copies tout de suite – immediately – and I’m going to love seeing them on the shelf there, as long as they last!

Order yours or pick it up there soon – or order it at your own local bookstore. If you love a taut, tense thriller, here’s a quote from an advance reviewer that made my day: “Holy smokes, I love a quick read. I love a good thriller and this one was a perfect example of how a story doesn’t need to be 500 pages to be good. Multiple points of view and was fun to read.”

If you also enjoy it, post your own review so others will know about it. Merci!

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A small town’s dark secret, and the truth about publishing

They may sound unrelated, yet on Saturday February 28, I’ll be speaking about both at this year’s Amelia Island Book Festival, held at Fernandina Beach Middle School in Fernandia Beach, Florida — and I’ll connect the dots.

That morning at 10:00, I will participate in a panel titled “Demystifying Today’s Publishing Options” moderated by Linda R. Sexton, author of The Branches We Cherish: An Open Adoption Memoir. Then, that afternoon from 1:00 to 2:30, I’ll appear along with other members of writers’ organization Amelia Island Writers, a chapter of Florida Writers Association, to talk about my upcoming thriller The Barbie Killer and sign copies of my other novels.

Here’s a short description of my new novel, which will be released on March 31 and is currently available (and “sale-priced”) on Preorder in Kindle format on Amazon:

“A job transfer uproots Dolly Garner’s family from Atlanta to the sleepy, small town of Huntington, Kansas, where safety seems like a given. But weeks after their arrival, a violent crime shocks the community, and the town’s dark secret is out: A serial killer lives in their midst and has been preying on the women of Huntington for decades. As paranoia surges and the line between neighbor and predator blurs, Dolly realizes she can’t trust anyone in this town. Inspired by true events, this twist-filled thriller will leave you breathless until the final page.”

If Kindle isn’t your thing (or even if it is), please attend my Book Launch at Story & Song Bookstore and Center for Arts and Culture on Tuesday March 31 at 4:00, where I will discuss the novel and answer questions about it. The event is complimentary, and wine and snacks will be served.

Back to the festival, where I will appear on the panel along with authors Linda R. Sexton, Jane Buyers, Ralph DeFalco, and Tom Hitchcock to give you the skinny on the publishing industry and describe our own paths to publication. We will talk frankly about the pros and cons of today’s publishing options, offer clarity and insights, and share the lessons we have learned along the way. Don’t miss it!

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Book Launch of The Barbie Killer

The official book launch of my new thriller The Barbie Killer will be on its release date, Tuesday March 31, 2026, at Story & Song Bookstore and Center for Arts and Culture in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Please join me there that day at 4 pm for a discussion about the novel and to pick up a signed copy. The event is complimentary, and wine and snacks will be served.

When Dolly Garner’s husband is transferred to the small town of Huntington, Kansas, she hates the thought of uprooting their young family and starting over a thousand miles away. But after a year of living on savings and credit cards after Tim’s previous lay-off, refusing to move is out of the question. So they sell their home, pack their bags, and focus on the positives: wholesome Midwestern values, a lower cost of living, and less crime.

But Dolly’s first impressions are not good. The people seem standoffish, unfriendly, and tight-lipped. The women she meets are materialistic and obsessed with status. More unsettling, Dolly learns that years ago, a brutal murder took place on the property where her family’s home now stands, and the case was never solved.

When a violent crime shocks the community, the town secret is out: A serial killer is on the loose and preying on the women of Huntington. As paranoia surges and the line between neighbor and predator blurs, Dolly realizes she can’t trust anyone in this town.

Inspired by true events, this twist-filled thriller will leave you breathless until the final page.


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Join Me at the 2025 Amelia Island Book Festival

On Saturday March 1, 2025 from 11:30 to 1:00, I’ll be signing books at the 2025 Amelia Island Book Festival. Look for me in the auditorium of Fernandina Beach Middle School on Amelia Island, Florida, where I will be at the Amelia Island Writers table next to AIBF Featured authors signing their books as well.

Copies of my thriller Daddy’s Girl and my award-winning memoir All the Above will be available for purchase. The latter is the inspiring true story of my son’s journey with brain cancer and his emotional struggle as he faced the battle of his life. The former is about an entitled woman who’s out for blood when she finds herself cash-poor and property-rich after her wealthy father’s sudden death.

My upcoming thriller (as yet untitled) is with my publisher and will likely be published later this year. In the meantime, I’ll be working with the editorial staff and book cover artist to get it ready for release. Inspired by true events, it’s an expansion of my short story “The Riverfest,” published in crime stories anthology Down to the River by Down & Out Books. The novel is about a family transferred to a Midwestern town where residents will do anything to hide its dark secret…and where what you don’t know won’t just hurt you, it might even kill you.

I’m grateful to be a member of Amelia Island Writers which offers many educational and engaging programs in the community throughout the year and is a strong supporter of the AIBF.

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Book Talk for Noel

Fun “Book Talk” moments at a recent holiday gathering:

  • Telling a writer friend and his wife about my experience at my first Bouchercon in Long Beach, CA last month (the glow is still with me).
  • Selling an audio version (CD set) of UNDERWATER to a member of my Writers Group I hadn’t seen in months, who said he spends a lot of time driving. He was a regular attendee when I brought scenes of the manuscript to the group for feedback.
  • Finding out that a friend loves LONESOME DOVE as much as I do, talking about the book, and lending it to someone else who wants to read it (despite its length).
  • Asking another friend if I can interview him to help me do research for my work-in-progress. He agreed, and suggested I speak to someone else we know who might help, too.
  • Talking about the German translation of UNDERWATER (“UNTER WASSER”) to be released on February 24, 2015.
  • Describing how I use social media to engage with readers and market my books.
  • Mentioning that my next book (Book 3) is a work of creative nonfiction called ALL THE ABOVE, which will be out in the spring.
  • Hearing a (lawyer) friend recite poetry by Ezra Pound.
  • Listening to a writer friend talk about his mystery series.
  • Explaining that after Book 3, I’m sticking with the psychological thriller genre and writing fiction.

Happy Holidays, and Bonne Année 2015!

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