Taking the Heat, A Novel of Romantic Suspense by Brenda Novak, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Harlequin Special Releases …

Taking the Heat by Brenda Novak

A Novel of Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases

Price: $1.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 8:00 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Taking the Heat.

The small town of Florence, Arizona, is known for one thing — its prison. Gabrielle Hadley is in Florence for personal reasons, though; she's seeking the mother who abandoned her more than two decades ago. In order to support herself and her two-year-old daughter, Gabrielle is working as a prison guard — just about the only job available in this bleak desert town.

Randall Tucker is a prisoner at Florence, convicted of murdering his wife. He has one goal: to survive until he can prove his innocence — and reclaim his seven-year-old son, Landon, now living in foster care.

In the prison's atmosphere of tension and corruption, Gabrielle discovers that Randall Tucker is far from the murderer he's said to be.When he escapes during a prison transfer, she follows him into the unforgiving desert. To protect her job, her own integrity — or him? But the guard becomes the prisoner's captive … and more. It's a relationship that's not supposed to exist, and yet it might save them both.

— Taking the Heat by Brenda Novak

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

The Hidden Oasis, An Archeological Thriller by Paul Sussman, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Grove Press …

The Hidden Oasis by Paul Sussman

An Archeological Thriller

Publisher: Grove Press

Price: $1.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 7:00 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside The Hidden Oasis.

2152 BC, Egypt — As the 94-year reign of pharaoh Pepy ll draws to a close, with the Old Kingdom disintegrating and anarchy slowly engulfing the Nile Valley, fifty priests set out under cover of darkness into the Western Desert, dragging with them a sled on which rests a mysterious object swathed in cloth. Four weeks later, having reached their destination, the priests calmly slit each other's throats, the last one left alive falling on his own sword.

1988, Georgia, USSR — A plane takes off from a small airfield near the recently decommissioned Mtskheta nuclear research facility, bound for the Sudan. On board, a cargo that will fundamentally tilt the balance of power in the Gulf. Somewhere over Egypt's Western Desert the plane disappears.

The present, Egypt — A group of Bedouin traveling near the southern edge of the Great Sand Sea discover a desiccated corpse half buried in the dunes. With it they find a Soviet-issue compass, a camera and a notebook on whose pages are scrawled a confused jumble of figures in a script they don't recognize.

Shortly afterwards doctor Freya Hannan, 32, arrives in Egypt for the funeral of her elder sister Alex, a desert explorer who has lived in the Middle East for the past fifteen years. Recently diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition, Alex has taken her own life. Freya is met at Luxor Airport by a colleague of her sister's, who drives her the 515 kms to Dakhla Oasis where Alex lived. Only one other non-Egyptian is present at the funeral: Professor Flinders 'Flin' Brodie, 45 — tall, rugged, handsome — a world authority on pre-dynastic Egypt. The funeral over, Freya spends the next few days sorting through her sister's possessions and finding out more about her suicide. As she does so, she becomes increasingly uneasy. How was Alex able to inject herself so neatly with an overdose of morphine when her physical condition made it difficult for her even hold a pencil? Why was the morphine syringe held in her right hand when she was left-handed? And why had she chosen this mode of suicide at all given her lifelong detestation of injections?

When the aforementioned Bedouin turn up at Alex's home with the objects they have found in the desert, explaining that she had promised to pay them for news of any unusual remains — especially Soviet remains — discovered out in the western wilderness, Freya realizes that it is not only her sister's death that raises questions, but her life as well. And when the Bedouin mysteriously disappear, Alex's home is broken into and the objects stolen, Freya realizes that her own life could depend on finding the answers to those questions.

— The Hidden Oasis by Paul Sussman

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

New This Week: Murder by Kindness: The Gift Quilt, A Quilted Mystery by Barbara Graham

Omnimystery News is pleased to present a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers during February 2016 and priced $4.99 or less …

Murder by Kindness: The Gift Quilt by Barbara Graham

A Quilted Mystery

Publisher: Five Star

Price: $3.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 6:30 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Murder by Kindness: The Gift Quilt.

The residents of tiny Park County, Tennessee, are looking forward to the end of winter and plan to celebrate Valentine's Day in style with a community fundraiser. Sheriff Tony Abernathy's dream of a crime-free county explodes, along with an illegal still. An underage driver, bar fights and the arrival of a popular young movie star with his entourage promise to keep his small staff busy.

Theo, Tony's wife, is pulled away from her quilt shop by a phone call. Her best friend Nina is out of town and water has been spotted pouring out from under Nina's front door. Theo arranges to turn off the water and puts a restoration company to work removing the water and drying the contents of the house but the discovery of Nina's ex-husband's corpse in the storm cellar stops everything. The county chaos increases with the arrival of some extra wives, more exploding stills and Cupid leaving a trail of paper hearts …

— Murder by Kindness: The Gift Quilt by Barbara Graham

Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Into the Fire, A Novel of Suspense by Anne Stuart, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Harlequin MIRA …

Into the Fire by Anne Stuart

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Price: $1.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 6:00 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Into the Fire.

A year ago Jamie learned that her beloved cousin, Nate, had been killed. Beaten to death in what police suspect was a drug deal gone wrong, he was found by his childhood friend Dillon Gaynor. Dillon had always been the baddest of the bad boys, leading Nate astray, and Jamie knows he has the answers to her questions about Nate's death. He's not about to volunteer any information, and Jamie's only choice is to head to the Wisconsin town where he lives to find the answers for herself.

Jamie shows up unannounced on Dillon's doorstep, only to find that Dillon is as dangerous and seductive as she remembers. But despite his silky hostility, she discovers she can't leave. Things start disappearing, strange accidents begin to happen and Jamie doesn't know whether Dillon is trying to seduce her or scare her away. And if she gives in to his predatory games, will she lose her soul? Or her life?

But something else — something evil and threatening — is going on. And Dillon knows more than he's saying. Is he the one behind the strange threats … or is he Jamie's only chance for survival?

— Into the Fire by Anne Stuart

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

New This Week: Kill Me Again, A Novel of Suspense by Rachel Abbott

Omnimystery News is pleased to present a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers during February 2016 and priced $4.99 or less …

Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbott

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Black Dot Publishing

Price: $4.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 5:30 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Kill Me Again.

When your life is a lie, who can you trust?

When Maggie Taylor accepts a new job in Manchester, she is sure it is the right move for her family. The children have settled well although her husband, Duncan, doesn't appear to be so convinced.

But nothing prepares her for the shock of coming home from work one night to find that Duncan has disappeared, leaving their young children alone. His phone is dead, and she has no idea where he has gone, or why. And then she discovers she's not the only one looking for him.

When a woman who looks just like Maggie is brutally murdered and DCI Tom Douglas is brought in to investigate, Maggie realises how little she knows about Duncan's past. Is he the man she loves? Who is he running from?

She doesn't have long to decide whether to trust him or betray him. Because one thing has been made clear to Maggie — another woman will die soon, and it might be her.

— Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbott

Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Dating Can Be Deadly, A Romantic Mystery by Wendy Roberts, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Red Dress Ink …

Dating Can Be Deadly by Wendy Roberts

A Romantic Mystery

Publisher: Red Dress Ink

Price: $2.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 5:00 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Dating Can Be Deadly.

Some gifts are easy to return — like parrot earrings from Aunt Ruth — but when your gift is clairvoyance, Tabitha Emery finds there is a definite No Refund Policy. She has visions of black magic rituals and dismembered bodies, and she's not sure what to do. She didn't ask for this talent, but it clings to her like a thong and is just as uncomfortable.

Her goals are simple: A) to rise above law office receptionist B) to spend Friday nights uncovering the mysteries of butterscotch schnapps with her comrades, and C) to get more than a passing glance from Clay Sanderson (Greek-god-type lawyer).

But her sight has turned life upside down — and she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation where the only clues are in her premonitions — making her not only key to solving the mystery but a suspect. (On the plus side: she could use legal advice, so she and Clay have something to talk about.)

And somewhere is the real culprit, who wants this clairvoyant dead …

— Dating Can Be Deadly by Wendy Roberts

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

New This Week: The Last Best Lie, A Madison McKenna Mystery by Kennedy Quinn

Omnimystery News is pleased to present a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers during February 2016 and priced $4.99 or less …

The Last Best Lie by Kennedy Quinn

A Madison McKenna Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Five Star

Price: $3.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 4:30 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside The Last Best Lie.

Not many people could save a man's life with lip gloss, car keys and three cinnamon-flavored condoms while under gunfire. But Madison McKenna can. And it's not the least of the talents of this sexy physicist-turned-detective …

Blending wit, sensuality and science, Madison uses counter-top technology and fierce determination to solve the attempted murder of her boss, Jake Thibodaux. It won't be easy; science-savvy she is, streetsmart she isn't. Worse, Jake's powerful ex-partner, Hunter, is determined to freeze her out of the investigation, and the local police would happily toss her in jail to keep her out of their hair.

As Jake clings to life, Madison and her helpers — a charming bull-rider and his prize calf, Spinal Snap, a pair of bickering cops, and Jake's hard-bitten mistress — delve into Jake's past, revealing a man very different from the one Madison thought she knew. Even her subconscious comes to her aid, infusing her dreams with tantalizing, surreal, clues. Driven by need, Madison and Hunter form a steamy, antagonistic partnership; until she learns that he has his own motives for murder …

— The Last Best Lie by Kennedy Quinn

Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Black List, A Ryan Drake Thriller by Will Jordan, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Canelo …

Black List by Will Jordan

A Ryan Drake Thriller (4th in series)

Publisher: Canelo

Price: $3.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 4:00 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Black List.

With no money, no prospects and a long list of computer crimes against his name, Alex Yates's life is going nowhere until he is given a lucrative but dangerous offer — £100,000 to hack into the Central Intelligence Agency's network and recover a file known only as the Black List. At first reluctant to get involved, the disappearance of an old friend leaves Alex with no choice but to return to a world he'd sworn to leave behind. But before he can unlock the secrets contained within the file, he suddenly finds himself the target of a nationwide manhunt. Someone wants him out of the picture fast.

Now plunged into a deadly race against time to recover the Black List, and hunted by police, intelligence operatives and a ruthless covert unit dispatched to take him down, Alex is left with no choice but to accept help from the violent and unpredictable woman who hired him. For in the Black List may lie his salvation, or his death …

— Black List by Will Jordan

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

The King of Fear by Drew Chapman, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during February 2016

New on the Mystery Bookshelf during February 2016 …

The King of Fear by Drew Chapman, A Garrett Reilly Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

  

Garrett Reilly sees what others do not: numbers, patterns, a nation on the brink of collapse. His unique talents saved countries from falling into a world war in The Ascendant. But it also made him a marked man―marked by terrorist groups; marked by the US Government.

Garrett recognizes a string of events that could lead to economic Armageddon in the US: banks closing, grocery shelves lying empty, the nation's currency rendered worthless. Total chaos could engulf society within a matter of days. Garrett and the Ascendant team reunite to face enemies on all sides: a wounded Russia bent on keeping its crumbling empire in place, a cyber genius fixated on Garrett, a femme fatale willing to do anything to establish a new world order. In the midst of this, Garrett must also confront his own demons: his class rage, growing paranoia, and a dependency that he cannot seem to shake. After all, it only takes one card to make the whole house fall …

— The King of Fear by Drew Chapman

To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for February 2016. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of February 2016 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.

Cold Feet, A Novel of Romantic Suspense by Brenda Novak, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Harlequin Special Releases …

Cold Feet by Brenda Novak

A Novel of Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases

Price: $1.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 3:00 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Cold Feet.

Just when you think you know someone …

The Seattle police suspect Madison Lieberman's father was the serial killer they call the "Sandpoint Strangler." Madison refuses to believe it. Her father is now dead, and all she wants is the chance to create a new life for herself and her six-year-old child.

Then she discovers something in the crawl space beneath her parents' house. Something that makes her question her father's innocence. Or the innocence of someone else who's equally close to her …

When another woman turns up dead, crime writer Caleb Trovato wonders whether they're dealing with a copycat killer. Or is the real Sandpoint Strangler still alive? Caleb's sure Madison knows more than she's telling, and he's determined to find out what. But he doesn't expect to fall in love — or to lead Madison and her child into danger … .

— Cold Feet by Brenda Novak

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Back Blast by Mark Greaney, New in Bookstores during February 2016

Today's featured new hardcover mystery, suspense, or thriller title scheduled to be published during February 2016 is …

Back Blast by Mark Greaney, a Court Gentry, The Gray Man Mystery (5th in series)

Publisher: Berkley

Click here to take a Look Inside Back Blast.

 

Court Gentry was the CIA's best agent. Until the day the Agency turned against him and put out a kill on sight order. That's when the enigmatic international assassin called the Gray Man was born — and Court has been working for himself ever since …

Now, Court is back in Washington looking for answers. He's determined to find out what happened all those years ago that made the Agency turn against him. On his list to interrogate are his former partners and the men who sent him on his last mission. What he doesn't realize is that the questions that arose from that mission are still reverberating in the U.S. intelligence community, and he's stumbled onto a secret that powerful people want kept under wraps. And now, they have Court in their crosshairs.

Court Gentry is used to having people on his trail, but this time, it's on U.S. soil — the last place he wants to be. Now, he'll have to find the answers to his fate while evading capture … and avoiding death …

— Back Blast by Mark Greaney

For a list of more new hardcover titles to be published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for February 2016. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of February 2016 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood by Terrence McCauley, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during February 2016

New on the Mystery Bookshelf during February 2016 …

The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood by Terrence McCauley, Prequel to Slow Burn

Publisher: Down & Out Books

  

All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Semper Fi Fund.

Charlie Doherty, the hero of PROHIBITION and SLOW BURN returns in a novella of World War I.

1918 — As a corrupt patrolman in New York City, Charlie Doherty had the ward bosses of Tammany Hall and other political cronies to watch his back. But in the hell-storm that became known as the Battle of Belleau Wood, only his rifle and his training keep him alive.

After taking cover behind a fallen tree during the worst of the German shelling, Doherty links up with a brave Marine captain and a ragtag crew of survivors who realize the only way out of danger lies not in retreat, but in marching toward the sound of the gunfire. They fight the enemy wherever they find them, hoping to hold back the advancing German tide long enough for the shaken American forces to regroup and re-enforce them. They lean forward. They dig in. They fight back.

Doherty and the others began the day as Marines. But by the time it is over, they will be part of a battle that helped secure the reputation of the United States Marine Corps as one of the most feared fighting forces in the world.

They will become known as the Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood.

— The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood by Terrence McCauley

To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for February 2016. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of February 2016 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.

Fear of the Dark, An Aaron Gunner Mystery by Gar Anthony Haywood, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Open Road …

Fear of the Dark by Gar Anthony Haywood

An Aaron Gunner Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Open Road

Price: $1.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 1:00 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside Fear of the Dark.

Open Road titles are often discounted for one day only, so if you are interested in buying this book, please confirm the price before you purchase it.

Winner of the 1987 St. Martin's Press Best Private Eye Novel Contest.

A failed private eye searches Los Angeles for a murderous white supremacist …

Aaron Gunner made a lousy private detective. After a year's carnage in Vietnam and a quick exit from the police academy, private work was the only avenue he saw to be a hero. But the seediness, tedium, and lack of real power crushed his hopes, and he quit the job after inadvertently setting a pregnant woman up for a violent death. But after a savage racial murder, it may be time to come out of retirement.

The white man comes to the Acey Deuce, a bar in South Central Los Angeles, to blow the head off a young black militant. The dead radical's sister pays Gunner a visit with a .22 revolver, and convinces him to find her brother's killer. As Gunner draws closer to answers, prejudice and rage threaten to tear Los Angeles apart. To save the city — and himself — Aaron Gunner must finally find his calling.

— Fear of the Dark by Gar Anthony Haywood

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

When the Cat's Away, A Proverbial Crime Novel by Dane McCaslin, New This Week from Gemma Halliday

Gemma Halliday Publishing is a boutique publisher of light-hearted mystery, romantic suspense and romantic comedy novels, perfect for popping into your beach bag for a weekend away or cozying up beside a warm fire for a quiet night in.

We've selected one of their recently published titles to feature here today …

When the Cat's Away by Dane McCaslin

A Proverbial Crime Novel (2nd in series)

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

Price: $3.99 (as of 02/19/2016 at 12:30 PM ET).

  

Click here to take a Look Inside When the Cat's Away.

Mystery writer Caro Layton-Browning has a bad case of writer's block and boredom — a very dangerous combination. Looking for something to distract her, she pays a visit to her newest neighbor, Meredith Holmes, the proprietor of a kitschy bookstore called Murder by the Book. When Meredith confides in Caro concerning an on-going battle with the president of the Seneca Meadows Chamber of Commerce, Caro jumps at the chance to liven things up a bit. Vowing to give "the dragon lady," Lucia Scarantelli, a piece of her mind, Caro takes Meredith downtown to confront the issue head-on.

Apparently someone else had the same idea. When Caro literally stumbles over the body of a very dead Lucia, she becomes determined to find out who did it — before hubby, Gregory, returns from a business trip to England. Teaming up with Meredith, Caro starts an investigation that uncovers a stolen goods ring which stretches from New York City to Seneca Meadows.

With just enough information to make her a threat to the bad guys, Caro begins to worry that this could be her last case … and possibly the end of her life.

— When the Cat's Away by Dane McCaslin

See also the first mystery in this series, A Bird in the Hand, for $3.99 on Kindle.

Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Please Welcome Mystery Author Frankie Bow

We are delighted to welcome author Frankie Bow to Omnimystery News, courtesy of Great Escapes Book Tours, which is coordinating her current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find her schedule here.

Frankie has a new Kindle Worlds novella out featuring Miss Fortune, a character created by Jana DeLeon, in Sinful Science (Kindle Worlds; December 2015 ebook format) and in her guest post for us today, she writes about her experience with fan fiction.

— ♦ —

Photo provided courtesy of
Frankie Bow

Fan fiction, or fanfic, the unauthorized adventures of a book or TV show's popular characters, has traditionally been undertaken as a labor of love. Anonymous authors upload their work to be read and appreciated by fellow fans, hoping not to get cease-and-desist notices from rights holders.

But in 2011 the fanfic landscape shifted when a writer named "Snowqueen's Icedragon" self-published her collected fanfic works as a book, now known as Fifty Shades of Grey. Fifty Shades quickly dominated bestseller lists, spurred an epidemic of sex toy-related ER visits, and may have even saved Barnes and Noble.

Fifty Shades author E.L. James (who no longer goes by Snowqueen's Icedragon) changed some of the Twilight characters' key attributes. Edward Cullen's transformation to Christian Grey stripped him of his immortality and his sparkle; lip biting teenage naïf Bella Swan became lip biting twenty two year old naïf Anastasia Steele.

But why couldn't characters have fanfic adventures without getting their serial numbers filed off first? And what about original authors? Shouldn't they be able to profit from successful fan fiction based on their work?

In 2013, Amazon came up with an answer: Kindle Worlds. Here fans can write stories in an approved World, offer it for sale, and share the profits with the rights-holder. Kindle Worlds now offers "Gossip Girl," "Pretty Little Liars" and 46 other worlds including Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune Series. The Miss Fortune mysteries chronicle the misadventures of Fortune Redding, a CIA operative who's gone undercover in the tiny bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana, where she's posing as a retired beauty queen.

I was already a fan of the Miss Fortune series before I came across Kindle Worlds. I liked the candid first-person narrative, the distinctive characters, and the fish out of water predicaments in which Fortune finds herself. I jumped in and wrote my first work of fanfic, a novella in the Miss Fortune world titled Sinful Science.

Writing in another author's world presented some advantages and challenges. On the plus side, the world building was done. The setting, the characters, and the history were already mapped out.

The hard part was that I couldn't invent my way out of anything. I had to study the original books carefully, to make sure I wasn't contradicting canon. What denomination is the Protestant church? (Baptist.) What's Gertie's last name? (Hebert.) Can Fortune call her mother? (No.) I've spent time in Louisiana, but memory wasn't enough. I still had to research the weather patterns, the wildlife, the local government (parishes, not counties), and the language (Cajun is not Creole, and neither one is "Yat," the distinctive working-class dialect of the city of New Orleans.)

After several rounds of editing (many, many thanks to my amazing beta readers!), I uploaded Sinful Science in December.

My first fan fiction experience was educational and fun. Would I do it again? Of course.

In the second Hair Extensions and Homicide installment, Fortune's friend Gertie drags Fortune and Ida Belle to a romance convention in New Orleans. Gertie wants to advance her budding new career as a romance author; Fortune needs a break from her complicated personal life; and Ida Belle doesn't think the other two should go out unsupervised. Unfortunately, not everyone at the American Romance and Erotica Authors' Conference will end up "happily ever after."

— ♦ —

Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike the characters in her Mahina State Mysteries, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn't fair, at least it can be entertaining. In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.

For more information about the author, please visit her website at FrankieBow.com and her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

— ♦ —

Sinful Science by Frankie Bow

A Miss Fortune, Kindle Worlds Novella

Publisher: Kindle Worlds

A graduate student from Hawaii visits the tiny bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana to investigate the effects of the oil spill on the local wildlife. Sinful resident Fortune Redding, who happens to be a CIA operative hiding out from a ruthless arms dealer, worries that the nosy newcomer might blow her cover. In fact, he does make a disturbing discovery — and unleashes forces that will go to any lengths to protect Sinful's darkest secret.

— Sinful Science by Frankie Bow. Click here to take a LookInside the book.