– I will leave the scene to my blog friend Cathryn immediately –
Hi Dorte. Thanks for the invitation to blog about my new psychological suspense series on your Notice Board.
The main character, Madison Keith, has been prowling around the back of my mind for several years. I kept hearing the voice of a very chatty, slightly ditzy-sounding, but underneath it all, thoughtful and intelligent young woman. Madison is in her late twenties, burned out on working as an administrative assistant in the high tech industry, so she’s taken a job working in a church office. She’s hoping to find a soul mate, but isn’t in a hurry to do so, since that kind of thing can’t be rushed. She goes with the flow. She’s a little nosey, and very opinionated.
The series is not a typical “who done it” featuring an amateur sleuth. It conforms more to my favorite genre – psychological suspense – where the focus is on the passions and circumstances that lead to crime rather than detection. Madison observes the behavior of those around her, and most importantly, she’s a good listener, so she hears their secrets. This gives her insight into the “why done it” aspect of murder. It’s her sensitivity and her willingness to listen that also encourages those who have crossed to the other side to reveal themselves to her.
As I saw how eBooks are starting to break down the traditional constraints around story length, I realized Madison’s stories are perfectly suited to the novella form.
Here’s the book description:
In Fatal Cut, the first novella in this ghostly psychological suspense series, a man is brutally murdered in the church parking lot. Madison Keith is the only one not surprised by the identity of the killer. She has witnessed first hand the buried resentments and bitter hearts of the people at her new job, not to mention the appearance of those who have passed on.
Both the living and the dead like to reveal their secrets to Madison. As the administrative assistant in the basement office of a suburban church, she gets plenty of opportunity to hear from both.
Fatal Cut is available as an eBook only. Your readers can get a complimentary copy by emailing me at cathryn[dot]m[dot]grant[at]gmail[dot]com. I can provide a gift through Amazon US, or a Smashwords coupon.
The second Madison Keith novella, Shallow Water, will be released in September 2011.
My website: cathryngrant.com
More about psychological suspense.
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See my review of Cathryn´s very fine debut, The Demise of the Soccer Moms.
djskrimiblog 
Dorte – Thanks for hosting Cathryn.
Cathryn – Congratulations on your new release! It sounds exciting and I wish you much success with it.
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Thank you for hosting Cathryn today, Dorte, so that she could tell us about Madison.
Cathryn, this sounds like a very interesting premise and I would love to get to know Madison through this series! I thoroughly enjoyed your flash fiction collection and have “The Demise of the Soccer Moms” waiting in my Kindle.
Margot: it is always a pleasure to host a good friend.
Kelly: ah, more temptations for you. I hope I´ll get round to Madison soon, I am sure she is a terrific character, but I´ll wait until I have time to enjoy the story properly.
Margot – Thanks for your good wishes.
Kelly – I’m glad to know you’re intrigued and that you enjoyed my Flash Fiction. 🙂
Dorte – Thanks again for inviting me. Your blog is a great place to visit!
Cathryn: any time!
I can’t believe I did not realise I had to change your address – no wonder I thought it had been weeks since your last post.
A fascinating post, it was good to read a bit more about Cathryn’s latest book – her The Demise of the Soccer Moms is next on my reading list – you may remember I won a COPY.
Anyway, its good to catch up with you. PW
Sounds like a great psychological mystery. They are my favorite. Thanks for the review.
Tracy: I am glad you found me again! And I am sure you´ll enjoy Cathryn´s story.
Clarissa: she is really good at creating characters and suspense.
Thanks for the summary – this story sounds fascinating! Congratulations with your new book!
Petty: Enjoy “Demise”. My current read is a book I won — “The Raising”
Clarissa: Psychological suspense is my favorite too (no surprise!)
Jennifer: Thanks, and I’m glad you think it sounds interesting
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