Guest Post and Book Giveaway from Catherine Rymsha

Our next guest on the Crime Cafe will be Catherine Rymsha.

Catherine is offering a most awesome giveaway–five signed copies of her debut novel, Stunning, personally autographed by the author!

Read on to learn more!

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Excerpt from Stunning

There wasn’t anything special about Caroline and Greg’s life together. A word she used with friends to sum it up was “ordinary.” But one day, it changed. And not in the way that some people’s lives change with a new job or by having a baby. It changed in the way that it could never, and would never, go back to normal.

It started by Caroline simply taking the dog for a walk. Specifically, she took her dog, Rose, to the river across the street from her home in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to let the dog swim.

Caroline brought Rose’s ball and threw it in the water countless times. Between tosses, she noticed the current was flowing upriver and the wind was strong, whipping her short blond hair around her face. She watched the buoys get knocked over then swoop back up violently against the surf. For a moment, she wondered if the current was too strong. But after each throw, she watched Rose’s head bob in the water, marked by a neon-green flash of her collar, as she fought her way back to shore.

Their outing must have lasted no more than fifteen minutes. Or so her memory, which has been tested more than a hundred times, reminds her.

Caroline had glanced at her watch before leaving. It had been 3:43 p.m. as they stepped into the gray May afternoon, leaving Greg and her best friend, Noel, behind in the house.

Noel was sitting in the screened, three-season room that abutted the kitchen. She was wrapped in an old blanket that Caroline had had since college in Amherst. It was pea-green, fuzzy, and silly, but warm.

A half hour earlier, Greg had hovered between the kitchen and the sliding glass door.

“Do you both want wine?” he asked.

“Man, of course we do!” yelled Noel, slapping her thigh.

He walked back to the kitchen for a few moments and then came back empty-handed.

“Greg, where’s the wine?” Caroline asked.

“Oh, I forgot all about it,” he said and rubbed his face. He was still handsome like he had been in college.

His green eyes darted from Caroline to Noel and then back to Caroline.

“He’s so distracted these days, especially today,” Caroline had said, turning to Noel. “I can’t understand why."

When Caroline got back, she glanced at her watch again. It was now 3:56 p.m. Greg and Noel were not where she had left them, and the sliding glass door was open. This was surprising since it was usually stuck shut, especially in the early spring nights in New England with the moisture in the air. As she came closer to the door, she noticed a scratch next to the wooden frame as if a knife had grazed the white paint ever so slightly, leaving a slight orange tinge behind.

Caroline called out to her husband. No answer. She called out to her friend. No answer.

Suddenly, the house felt heavy like the current. Gray.

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Don't miss this special giveaway for Stunning, a gripping novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

To enter the giveaway, simply send an email to Catherine Rymsha at catherine_rymsha@uml.edu. Make sure to include the following details:

1. Your full mailing address (so we know where to send the book if you win!)

2. The title of your favorite scary movie (we'd love to know what sends shivers down your spine!)

 That's it! Five lucky winners will be selected to receive a free, signed copy of Stunning.

 Be sure to send your email by Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. Winners will be notified via email shortly after the deadline.

 Don’t miss this chance to add a spine-chilling read to your collection. Enter today, and good luck!

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Catherine Rymsha is an expert in leadership and talent management. She is often quoted on these topics and lectures at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Catherine’s experience in developing workplace soft skills and leading project teams in various industries adds depth and insight to her writing on leadership with The Leadership Decision and Leadership for the Now. Her book Stunning is a venture into her fascination with behavior, crime and murder-mystery fiction. 

Good luck, and happy haunting!