Baby Girl Doe by Lawrence Kelter Excerpt, Interview, & Giveaway

Baby Girl Doe: Chalice #5

by Lawrence Kelter

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BLURB:

Everyone deserves a well-earned vacation, don’t they? Guess again!

Plans have been made and the bags are packed but Detective Stephanie Chalice is having about as much fun as Michael Vick at an ASPCA fundraiser.

The new story finds Chalice and Lido on the East End of Long Island, vacationing with Max, their new arrival. Things go wrong from the very start. Their vacation rental burns to the ground, bodies pile up, and just to make things interesting Lido . . . Well, I’ll just leave it to you to find out.

Chalice may be out of her jurisdiction but she's never out of questions or determination and soon connects two unsolved homicides. As always, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and her initial findings plunge her deeper and deeper into the most extraordinary investigation of her career.

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Excerpt 

Dramatic

I zigzagged between the two opposing lanes of traffic as I gave pursuit.

He was in a flat-out run, but I was not going to be beaten. Not now, not with Gus’ captor in sight. I reached down deep and found an extra gear, one that I didn’t know existed. I was running so fast, I felt as if I could take off. I was closing in on him: two yards behind . . . one . . .

I lunged and took him down by the ankles. As he attempted to kick free, I pounced upon him, fists flying. I hauled back and was ready to pummel him when I froze. “You? It’s you?” The face I was about to strike was one I had seen before, but looked nothing like the person I had seen on the ladder outside my bedroom window. This man was the one who told me there was absolutely nothing suspicious about the fire the day I first inspected the remains of Bill Alden’s cottage. Two bodies, burnt beyond recognition—now I understood who would use that specific MO. Dummy, you couldn’t make the connection?

“You son of a b**ch.” I heard the sound of others running toward me, but my fist was clenched.

“Chalice, we’ve got him,” Ambler said. “Don’t!”

There was no force on heaven or earth strong enough to keep me from striking him, this man who had turned my family’s world upside down and put my husband’s life at risk. I drove my fist into his jaw and heard it crack. I was ready to hit him again when someone grabbed my arm. I looked up and saw Gus. His cheek was swollen, and there was dried blood on his face.

“Thanks, babe,” he said, “I’ll take it from here.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A resident New Yorker, Kelter often uses Manhattan and Long Island as backdrops for his stories. He is the author of the Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series and other works of fiction.

Early in his writing career, he received support from best-selling novelist, Nelson DeMille, who reviewed his work and actually put pencil to paper to assist in the editing of the first novel. When completed, DeMille said, “Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum.”

His novels are quickly paced and feature a twist ending.

Interview 

Where are you from?

I grew up on Avenue F in Brooklyn, NY, in a not-so-well-known neighborhood named Kensington. It certainly didn’t have the cache of Flatbush or Bensonhurst, but it was home for me. It was only six blocks long. Can you imagine, a child’s entire world being that small? I guess I didn’t know any better because I loved it; playing handball and basketball at the park on the corner right down the block from the Gold’s Horseradish factory. Trust me the smell of the cooking horseradish beets cleared out the park pretty quickly on those days when we were down wind.

I grew up with an older brother who I was and still am very close with. I have two half-brothers but they were considerably older by the time I came on the scene and saw them mostly for family get-togethers and holidays.

I was a replacement baby. My parents lost a daughter and I was born a year after she passed away. My father was about fifty at that time so I doubt he was planning to become a father again at that time. I guess I was born to fill a void in their lives. I hope I did a good job.

As I said, I was born in Brooklyn and never got too far away. I’ve been a Long Island resident for the past thirty years. I’ve got an absolutely terrific wife and two great kids who are now off and on their own.

Tell us your latest news.

I just released the fifth book in the international best-selling Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series. In this latest thriller, BABY GIRL DOE, Chalice tackles murder, arson, abduction, and government secrets held as closely to the vest as those related to the existence of UFOs at Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico.

The new story finds Chalice and her eye candy husband, Lido on the East End of Long Island, vacationing with Max, their new arrival. Things go wrong from the very start. Their vacation rental burns to the ground, bodies pile up, and just to make things interesting, Lido . . . All I’ll say is that you’ll never believe it.

Chalice may be out of her jurisdiction but she's never out of questions or determination and soon connects two unsolved homicides. As always, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and her initial findings plunge her deeper and deeper into the most extraordinary investigation of her career.

Baby Girl Doe will be released on April 10, 2014 in e-book and paperback. Pre-release ratings are averaging 4.8 out of a maximum 5 stars.

When and why did you begin writing?

I always wanted to write but could never find the time or inspiration. I finally completed a manuscript but then lacked the confidence to do anything with it. It was at that point that a miracle took place. I sent a letter to Nelson DeMille who was far and away my favorite novelist. He read the manuscript and actually picked up a pencil and edited portions of it. Way before he said, “Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum,” he said, “Kid your work needs editing, but that’s a hell of a lot better than not having writing talent. Keep it up.” I’ll always be indebted to that man.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think that moment arrived when I signed my first publishing contract with Leisure Books in 2005. Although I always believed in my work and found an agent fairly quickly (not that I didn’t compile a huge stack of rejection slips along the way), I didn’t feel validated until a legacy publisher wanted to publish me. Up until then there was this cloud of doubt that hung over me. I asked myself over and over, “Am I good enough? Am I not good enough?” That was a few years before Kindle came on the scene. Traditional publishing was still the only way to go. Was I going to make it to the bookshelves or was my work destined to sit in my desk drawer forever?

What inspired you to write your first book?

Who hasn’t dreamed of writing the great American novel? The idea held the allure of wealth, celebrity, and acclaim. I quickly discovered the sobering truth, that only about one percent of all published writers earn enough money from their royalties to write full time. And yet I persevered. Why did I keep going? I have several answers but the top two are: That I enjoy it, and that in some odd way I feel as if I’m creating a legacy and memorializing myself with my books. I hope that my books will live on long after I’m gone.

What would you like your readers to know?

Almost all writers live for the validation of their readers. It doesn’t matter if you’re James Patterson or an unknown, whether you’re earning millions or just doing it for enjoyment. Until someone says, “Gee, that was really pretty good,” all the time and effort means nothing. I’m no exception—Like Lady Gaga, I live for the applause.

www.lawrencekelter.com,

www.facebook.com/larrykelter,

 https://twitter.com/LarryKelter

Link to Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Girl-Stephanie-Chalice-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B00ITFOBIA/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0B8F5BABHZDRQBHNSBN1

Link to Barnes & Noble page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baby-girl-doe-lawrence-kelter/1118867532?ean=2940149536108&itm=1&usri=baby+girl+doe

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