Author Spotlight - Excerpt from He Wants Me Dead

Enjoy this excerpt from Marion's latest book:

He remembered the blood as he stepped out of the shower and hurried to shave off his day-old beard while he dripped dry. More and more, in recent days, he envisioned the blood. His mind exploded with it. As he slept, it haunted him. In his waking hours, it titillated him to new heights of excitement.

The fogged mirror refused to reflect his image, offering instead the familiar scene from the past. Grandpa stood in front of another mirror, plowing neat furrows through snowy lather. His hand clasped a straight-edged razor, capable of severing the jugular vein.

Once he saw Grandpa cut himself, and he shook with terror, but he couldn't look away from the magnificence of the gushing blood.

"Are you gonna die?" he asked. Wild exhilaration mingled with horror in his mind, making a mockery of the childish innocence of his words.

"No, son." His grandpa chuckled and wiped away the blood, leaving only the tiniest of nicks to mar the surface of his smooth-shaven skin.

He shook off the memory as he replaced his electric shaver on its shelf. He felt a longing for Grandpa's old straight-edged razor and the sight of blood, gushing from the vulnerable spot in the center of the neck. But now wasn't the time to think old thoughts. He had things to do and wanted to get out of there before his argument with Susan resurfaced. Besides, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, with his beautiful red-blooded plans. He laughed, enjoying the conundrum and the way he could see the words flashing in his mind like a neon sign as he thought them.

In the connecting dressing room, he dressed then admired himself in the full-length mirror. The gray silk suit fit him to perfection. He reached down with a perfectly manicured finger, flicked a speck of dust off the Gucci slip-ons, and looked once more at his reflection. Important to keep up appearances.

He closed his eyes for a second and saw her as she had looked earlier when he slipped out of bed. She slept facedown in her pillow, her arms bent like folded angel wings. He had turned off the alarm before it could awaken her, and the lush carpet muffled the sound of his furtive footsteps as he left the room.

Now, studying himself critically in the mirror, he liked what he saw. Premature flecks of gray accented his sandy hair, giving it a silvery sheen. And his eyes, steel blue, added a finishing touch to his efficient image. In the same way, his burgundy paisley tie imparted the perfect look of quiet elegance to the suit.

He smiled as he picked up his briefcase and slipped back into the bedroom. But the smile froze on his face as he met Susan's icy stare. She stood at the foot of their king-size bed, looking like some beautiful, remote ice sculpture.

"This has to stop." She sounded like fury contained. Her delicate skin appeared translucent in the early morning light filtering in through the half-open blinds of the skylight.

"Now, honey." He modulated his speech to conciliatory tones. Once, that strategy had worked, but not anymore. In the not-too-distant past, he could have taken her in his arms, and she wouldn't have even remembered what she wanted to say. He had lost that advantage for the moment.

"Don't 'now honey' me." Her voice rose, bordering on hysteria, as he'd known it would. "We can't keep spending money we don't have, just to impress the Joneses."

"We're not doing it to impress the Joneses." He spoke softly, looking straight into her aquamarine eyes. He wished he could drown in them and run his hands through her long honey-blond hair, mussed now from sleep. When he worked everything out, they'd escape for a second honeymoon, and their relationship would bloom afresh with the youthful pleasure it had once held. "We agreed that we had to look successful in order to build my practice."

"You agreed. And besides, dressing right is one thing, within reason." She glanced at his suit then looked away. "But the trips abroad and the yacht and the cars. And why did you have to spend a fortune on one for James?"

"Susan." He kept his voice deathly still. "You're going to have to go back on your medication again if you don't calm down."

She cringed as if he'd slapped her, and he realized he had struck the right chord. He opened his briefcase, took out a sample packet, and pressed it into her hand. She shivered, and the little cellophane package fell soundlessly to the carpet between them. "In case you need them." He shrugged his shoulders, implying he didn't care one way or the other. He knew she hated taking the Valium but, fortunately for him, she was becoming increasingly dependent on it.

He'd been terribly afraid she'd wake the boy, and he didn't want him drawn into the quarrel. The less he heard the better. Let Susan resent the kid. Then, perhaps she'd be less likely to confide in him or attempt to persuade him to confide in her. They'd once been close, but he had worked hard to drive a wedge between them, and he intended to keep it there.

"Now, go back to bed, dear." He employed his best bedside manner. "I must get to the office. I have early appointments. I'll call later to see how you're doing."

"Don't bother." Her voice was muffled by her hands, which she held prayer-like over her mouth. She stared accusingly at him through eyes brimming with unspilled tears. Her pink silk nightgown clung to her form, leaving nothing to his imagination.
In the Lincoln, he sped unnoticed through the early morning streets, letting the air conditioning blow full force to dispel the sultry heat trapped overnight in the car. Unable to sleep well anymore, he preferred to face the day before it could get a jump on him. No sullen boy, no hassling creditors and, some mornings, no nagging wife. By nine o'clock, when the greedy bill collectors began their hounding, his secretary would keep him conveniently incommunicado behind the facade of a heavy lineup of appointments.

He switched the channels, trying to find something to fit his erratic mood, settling finally on classical music of a type that should soothe the savage creature inside him. But the ogre grasping him by the throat wasn't likely to be quieted by anything less potent than a fortune, and that was what he intended to have, by whatever means necessary. The problem was he couldn't share his secrets with Susan, or with anyone else for that matter. And until he accomplished what he'd set out to do, life -- home life in particular -- wasn't going to be worth living.

*****

CONTEST: Leave a post for Marion or a question and a winner will be picked on Monday, 20 JUNE to receive a copy of her latest release, He Wants Me Dead

Author Spotlight - Marion Kelley Bullock talks about the state she lives in

Texas is chock full of beautiful mountains and deserts, forests and streams, beaches and lakes -- all kinds of scenery. We've enjoyed vacationing in the Texas hill country, trips to the San Antonio River Walk and various zoos. Texas boasts stunning sunrises and sunsets, fine museums, canyons and friendly people. I've lived here most of my life and I have yet to see it all. I guess we stay way too busy to travel as much as we'd like.

What makes your state special? I'd love to hear.

BUY LINK, HE WANTS ME DEAD: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-175/Marion-Kelley-Bullock-He/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight - Marion Kelley Bullock talks about how she finds inspiration

I find inspiration everywhere. I'm inspired by neighbors of all ages, school children, children in our church, and family. When I sit in a restaurant, I absorb the conversations around me. I also have vivid memories from times in the past, when I substitute taught. And I don't count completely on my memory. When I taught, I took extensive notes. Sometimes I wrote pages of conversation, the way children expressed themselves, the unique words they used. A lot of these found their way into my manuscript.

BUY LINK, HE WANTS ME DEAD:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-175/Marion-Kelley-Bullock-He/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight - Marion Kelley Bullock talks about how she first got published

Several years ago, I taught preschoolers in my church. At a conference in Fort Worth one year, a leader challenged attendees to write articles relating to the age groups we worked with. I wrote two articles about 4-and 5-year-olds. The manuscripts sat on my desk for weeks. Finally, thanks to my husband's prodding, I mailed them to the editor of an age-related periodical. Then one day I received a phone call from the editor to whom I'd mailed the manuscripts. "It's' obvious you know preschool work," she said. "We want to bring you to a week-long writers' conference in Nashville. We want you to write curriculum material." I'd never flown. After I got past the fact that I'd have to fly to get there, we firmed the date. I completed that assignment and went on to write curriculum material for several more years.

I also sold short stories, essays and devotionals. At some point, I felt God nudging me to write Christian novels. I began to work on Claymore Legacy, He Wants Me Dead and Secrets of Old Santa Fe. I joined American Christian Fiction Writers and attended their conferences. My critique partners helped me immeasurably. But I felt like I worked harder on marketing than on writing. An editor at Guideposts wanted to publish one of my novels and an editor in another publishing company wanted to publish a cozy I wrote. In both cases, the novels didn't pass committee. I kept writing. Every time a novel was rejected, I rewrote it, lengthened it, tightened it or worked on another one. About that time, Deb Kinnard encouraged me to submit to Desert Breeze. I had totally re-written Secrets of Old Santa Fe. Long story short, I sent it to Gail and she accepted it. So began a happy relationship.

I'd love to hear how you first got published. Anyone want to share?

BUY LINK TO MARION'S LATEST BOOK, HE WANTS ME DEAD:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-175/Marion-Kelley-Bullock-He/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Marion Kelley Bullock

STEPH: I don't know much about He Wants Me Dead. Tell me about it.

MARION: He Wants Me Dead tells the story of Joanna Sharpe, an idealistic young teacher, her determined suitor, a class of disturbed students, and a possible killer. Joanna begins her career believing she can move mountains all by herself. But some of her emotionally and mentally challenged students stymie her. So does Rob Thomas, father of one of her students. How should she handle his interest? And what about James, a student who insists his brother is trying to kill him? Is he really in danger? Also, who is trying to kill her or at least frighten her to death? As she tries to equip her students to succeed in the world, she realizes she must let God help, instead of tackling problems alone. And in the climax, when all their lives are at stake, a lot of heroes emerge.

STEPH: How long did it take to write?

MARION: Oh, my. It seemed to take forever. I started it several years ago. Then it bogged down and I began another writing project. When I emailed Gail about it, she was interested. My interest perked up. It's amazing how another writer's excitement intensifies mine. I suppose all writers are like that. Especially if the person who shows an interest is an editor. LOL. Well, I got busy and completed the novel in a matter of months. And Gail accepted it. It will come out in June.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research for it?

MARION: I didn't have to do a lot of research. I have substitute-taught in several towns across Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. So my research was mostly taken from notes I'd made and memories I'd accumulated. Not all research comes from books, you know.

STEPH: Where did you get the inspiration for the story?

MARION: I taught in one school that had the resource class on the top floor. The kids complained about being stuck on the third floor. "What'll we do if we ever have to get outta here fast?" some of them said. One said, "I hope we don't never have a fire." Their pessimism caught hold of me, I guess I just had to latch onto their fears and write. There was definitely passion in their concerns. I didn't write the novel while I was working there. I don't think I could have done that.

STEPH: Where is the story set? How important is the setting?

MARION: My story is set in a fictitious town in Texas. The actual town is not important.


STEPH: How long have you been writing?

MARION: I've been writing for years and years. If that makes me sound ancient, well… I'm not young. If I were, I couldn't claim the years of experience I've accumulated.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

MARION: We bought my husband a Kindle for his birthday this year. He loves it. I'm sure I'd love it, too. But I'm crazy about my Acer Aspire One laptop he bought me for my birthday last year. We often read at the kitchen table -- when we eat breakfast or at the end of the day. You can read ebooks any time, anywhere. It's my favorite way to read. I'm totally spoiled to them.

STEPH: What was the last movie you saw?

MARION: Hmm. We see a lot of movies. Sometimes we space them. You know -- see half of one one evening and save the other half for the next night. Of course, that's because we watch Netflix. We live in a small town and seldom get to a place that has a theater. So Netflix is great! We often watch a movie again. Here are a few we've watched and enjoyed again: The Blind Side, Kramer and Kramer, The Emperor's Club, Second Hand Lions, Mr. Holland's Opus, Facing the Giants…

STEPH: Are you a plotter or a pantster?

MARION: Sometimes I outline and work out the shape of the novel first. Other times, I just start writing. Those are the two extremes. I'm much more likely to hit the middle of the road. Maybe I'll start writing out of my excitement -- my passion -- then I get stuck and I start outlining. In He W ants Me Dead, I tried to get into Joanna's head. I wrote page after page about Joanna. What is her desire? This is the path upon which she has set herself and wants to stay on as conflicts come along that try to push her off that path. The more I know about this thing she wants and why she wants it, the more possibilities for conflict (obstacle, etc). I grab another character and tap into his/her desires. If I know what each one wants, I have a better chance for interaction among them.

STEPH: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

MARION: Write about what you know about. Of course, you can research a subject you don't know much about. But you need to at least feel a sincere interest in the subject. If you hate animals, I think it's safe to say you shouldn't make them an integral part of your novel. But above all, write, write, write.


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