I am so excited to have Kate Dyer-Seeley here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.
Thanks Kate and CBB Book Promotions for allowing me to join your Silenced in the Surf Tour!
Please take it away, Kate!
About the Book
Covering a windsurfing competition should have been a breeze for reporter Meg Reed, but with a killer in the curl, she's headed for rough waters.
Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge is the windsurfing capital of the world, and Meg is stoked to cover the King of the Hook event for Portland's Northwest Extreme magazine. Before the competition gets under way, Meg has a chance to try some windsurfing on her own. But when the current sweeps her downriver, she spots a body snagged on the rocks. The dead man is Justin Cruise, aka Cruise Control, a celebrity windsurfer and not exactly a nice guy. It's soon clear his death was no accident, and Cruise had no shortage of enemies. As Meg dives right in to discover who wiped out the windsurfer, she'll need to keep her balance -- or she too may get blown away.
Praise For Scene Of The Climb "A splendid overview of the greater Portland and Columbia River Gorge region, perfect for travel buffs. Her protagonist shows promise with her determined attitude and moxie." --Library Journal "A fun, terrific adventure." --Suspense Magazine
Includes Adventure Guides!
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Don't miss out on the first two books, Scene of the Climb and Slayed on the Slopes!
Excerpt
Hood River, Oregon
Somewhere in the middle of the Columbia River
The swells were relentless. Crashing one after the other and overwhelming the board. I almost laughed. How ironic, Meg. The one sport I actually thought I could hold my own in, and now I was holding on for dear life.
I scanned the river for any sign of my instructor or the rest of my windsurfing group. The water and sky blended together in the dull predawn light.
“Help!” I shouted into the wind. A whitecap broke in front of me, sending spray down my lungs. I coughed and grabbed the board tighter. No one was going to hear me over the sound of the wind and raging river.
The current had carried me away from the group so fast, I couldn’t get my bearings. Somewhere in the middle of the Columbia River, Meg. And not where you want to be.
I forced my mind back to the instructor’s directions. I knew I had to maneuver the board so that the sail was downwind. The question was how?
I paddled as hard as I could against the current, trying to reposition the mast. It sunk beneath the waves. My instructor’s words rang in my head, “Remember, if you have to drop the boom—and try not to because you’ll get exhausted if you have to keep picking it up—always drop it in front of you.”
I hadn’t planned on dropping it at all. In fact, I had been quite pleased with my ability to hold the “safety position,” as he called it. Basically that meant balancing on the board while holding on to the mast with both hands and letting it swing. The problem was it swung in the high wind and quickly swept me far from the safety of the shore.
After paddling with all the force I could muster, I decided I had to give it one more shot. I climbed onto my knees. The board rocked on the waves.
You can do this, Meg. I let out a sigh and carefully made my way to my feet.
The freestyle windsurfers I’d been watching earlier made balancing on a board look easy. Trust me, it wasn’t.
My feet clenched the grainy board. I extended my hands, trying to keep my center of gravity as low as possible. The muscles in my thighs quaked in response.
Hang on, Meg.
I bent toward the sail, focusing on my instructor’s advice to keep my body and back as upright as possible. I grabbed the sail. Then, like pulling a rope, I reached hand over hand, trying to free the heavy sail from the water. It wouldn’t budge. I took in a powerful breath and tried to picture what Gam would say. “Find your inner strength, Margaret, and call on your guides for help.”
It was worth a shot, right? I took a deep breath, and yelled, “A little help, please!”
It worked. The sail slowly emerged from the water. I got it about a foot high, when another gust of wind hit, sending me and the sail back into the ice-cold water.
My heart rate lurched in response to the shock of the water. Swim, Meg. I commanded my arms forward and kicked with all my might. The water was frigid. Every muscle in my body twitched with cold and stress as I climbed onto the board. I had to find a way to paddle back to the other side or I would drift downriver.
The sun began to rise overhead, casting a sepia glow on the dusty hills. I suddenly realized that drifting down the river was the least of my worries. Land was looming on my left. The waves were carrying me straight into the shoreline of the opposite side of the river. In a matter of minutes I would be smashed into the rocks.
That’s when I spotted a body dragging along the shore.
About the Author
Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series for Kensington Publishing. The first book in the series, Scene of the Climb, features the rugged landscapes of the Columbia River Gorge and a young journalist who bills herself as an intrepid adventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme. Her work has appeared in a variety of regional and international publications including: The Columbian, The Vancouver Voice, Seattle Backpacker, Portland Family Magazine, and Climbing Magazine. Kate lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet — at all three.
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GIVEAWAY
Signed copies of Scene of the Climb, Slayed on the Slopes and Silenced in the Surf, pink water bottle, Organic Clif bars, Sunscreen, Chapstick, Pink sunglasses and Gourmet lemonade.
Open to US addresses only.
Ends April 20, 2016
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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop!
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