Meet Alicia Dean and Read About Dirty Girl, Part of the Friday the 13th Series

 

Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Diana. Today, I’m sharing about a horror short story that is part of a Friday the 13^th series. Each Friday the 13^th, twelve other authors and I publish short horror stories set around Friday the 13^th. It’s been so much fun. We have certain recurring elements in all the stories: a broken mirror, 13 chapters, a person must die on or a body must be found on Friday the 13^th, and the killer and/or victims must have 13 letters in their name.

The most recent series released on June 13^th and my story is titled

Dirty Girl…

Available on KU OR only 99 cents to purchase!!

 About Alicia

At age ten, Alicia wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley and who shared the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma, and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. 

Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she almost always works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching (and rewatching) her favorite television shows like Dexter, Justified, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Breaking Bad. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few. 

About Dirty Girl

A tragic accident…

A fateful decision…

A horrific weekend they won’t soon forget…

Everet Holcomb is cheating with his sister-in-law, Blair, and the two sneak off for an illicit out of town getaway. While driving down a dark country road, they hit something and are horrified to discover they've killed a young woman. Panicked, they bury the body instead of calling the police, knowing if their spouses learn of their affair, they’ll lose everything.

When Everet’s son brings his new girlfriend home for his college graduation celebration, they notice that something about her seems…off. The odor of dirt emanates from her, but Everet and Blair are the only ones who can smell it. And when Everet almost chokes to death for no apparent reason, they start to wonder…have their misdeeds come back to haunt them?

Excerpt

The rain pelted down harder, slapping against the windshield like a tsunami. He turned the wipers higher, but they were fighting a losing battle. He could barely see through the downpour. Fortunately, they were close to the Airbnb. Everet gripped the wheel tighter, his knuckles bleached bone white in the dashboard glow. The green numbers of the clock read 1:30 a.m. The narrow road curved like a snake’s spine, lit only by the twin spears of his high beams.

Peering through the windshield, he could just make out the lights of the Airbnb. Relief coursed through him. Almost there…

Then, a flash of something white coming out of the woods caught his attention. A hard thumping sound was followed by the vehicle jolting violently. He slammed his foot on the brakes.

Blair screamed. “Did you hit something?”

Everet’s voice came out in a raspy quiver. “Yeah. I think so. Some…animal.” But he knew it wasn’t an animal. It was walking upright. And he’d seen the flash of a pale face right before the impact.

He slid the gearshift into park, then reluctantly climbed from the Lexus. On trembling legs he sloshed through the rain to the front of the car. There, in the road five feet ahead, lay a still figure.

He let out a strangled cry and rushed over, dropping to his knees. Long rain-soaked hair flowed behind her. Her white blouse was splattered with blood, and her body lay at an unnatural angle.

 Please don’t let her be dead. Please don’t let her be dead.

 He was barely aware of movement behind him.

“What the fu--?” Blair said. “Is she…is she okay?”

With dread, Everet took the girl’s shoulders and gently turned her over. Bile rose to his throat when he saw the mangled face.

Purchase Dirty Girl on Amazon

Connect With Alicia

https://linktr.ee/AliciaDean1835 

Find all the Friday the 13^th Series #7 Stories Here: 

https://linktr.ee/Fridaythe13thHorrorStories_7

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And find us on Instagram as well:

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Meet My Guest J.A. Schneider and Read About Her Suspense Thriller THE GIRL THIEF

I met Joyce after I read her author bio on Amazon--it captured my interest--I thought, wow, I'd like to meet her--so I contacted her. She graciously accepted my invite to be my blog guest and feature THE GIRL THIEF, which I purchased after meeting her, but have to finish one more book before I get to it--looking forward to delving in!

So enjoy meeting Joyce!

About Joyce

Joyce is a former writer at Newsweek and the author of multiple murder mysteries and psychological thrillers. She has studied at the Sorbonne and been an exchange student in the Soviet Union. Now her idea of more than enough excitement is writing thrillers and gardening (chasing off deer and using a crowbar to get out stubborn rocks). She lives with her family and two funny dachshunds in Connecticut. To write Joyce or find more of her thrillers, check out jaschneiderauthor.net. Thanks for reading!

About THE GIRL THIEF

Ensnared into the lives of a troubled, wealthy couple - or is she? A caterer's assistant finds herself entangled in the dark secrets of a troubled glamorous couple, navigating danger while harboring her own hidden agenda.

Excerpt

Prologue

I shouldn’t be doing this.

It’s late. I’m limp from fatigue but find myself standing out in the hall, feeling torn. Because tonight is my only chance to essentially be alone in this house. Kate is in bed drunk and will be out of it for at least overnight, and the housekeeper won’t be back until morning. The police could be back too.

What do I do with this chance?

 

The hall is nearly dark, with just one sconce lit. I look around, feeling my pulse quicken. The whole house is deathly quiet.

Something thuds, and I jump. “Oh!”

My eyes dart around. Someone coming? The noise sounded near, and a sick feeling shoots through me.

Thump! There it is again. A low sound coming from…down the hall? Panic stirs, but I have to know. I pass closed bedroom doors on the right and left, knowing that this is crazy. Frightening, but my feet keep moving as I strain to listen.

I hear the thud again and jerk my gaze up. That sound came from over my head.

The attic.

I remember Kate opening the attic door, wrinkling her nose and closing it again. No one goes up there. It’s too creepy.

Common sense tells me to - forget this! Quit while I’m ahead and get some sleep! But I know I won’t sleep. Not with this one night to look around…

On wobbly legs I reach the hall’s backstairs landing, and turn to the attic door. It is cracked open. My heart pounds but compulsion rules, so I get out my phone, flick on its light, and open the door into darkness.

My beam lights the musty steps. I start up – and hear that thud again. Only now it’s louder. My lips go dry. Cold dread shoots through me.

At the top of the stairs, I shine my light shakily through a dark vastness of stacked trunks and ghostly, sheet-covered shapes. Roof beams slant low at the edges, and at the far end is a tall, arched window emitting thin moonlight.

Surprise, the thudding is coming from it! I move closer, shifting my light to the moonlit glass, and my shoulders relax. A breeze gusts through a low, broken pane covered flimsily by a tied board. Thud…thud…

My, this house is full of things that go bump in the night. I breathe again, but the sound is still frightening.

Shapes to my right loom. I shine my light on an old dressmaker’s mannequin, and a long rack holding clothes covered with dry cleaner plastic. Outdated-looking dresses, men’s suits, an old-fashioned tuxedo and …

I let out a strangled gasp.

My light jumps as I see what is hanging there. I lurch backward, shoulders heaving with my free hand clapped to my mouth - just as a hideous shriek tears through the air. I freeze in shock for seconds, can’t move. The shriek sounds again.

Someone is dying, brutally. Where? Frantically, I whirl my light around, seeing no one.

Horror bolts through me as I wheel away and fly down the stairs. From the landing I race down the hall stumbling, trembling uncontrollably.

Purchase THE GIRL THIEF

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An Anthology of Sweet Romances--Nine Ladies Dancing--Read About it and Meet the Authors

As I planned a blog exchange with author Patricia Kiyono, she told me about the Dingbat Publishing anthology...so in this exchange I got more than I bargained for!

For the past several years, Dingbat Publishing has compiled a collection of sweet holiday romances set during England’s Regency period. For 2024, seven authors contributed to the anthology, called Nine Ladies Dancing. Here are the authors (their names are linked to their websites) and their stories:

 

Elizabeth Hanbury presents "A Knight to the Rescue" — Jessica and Richard start off their acquaintance on entirely the wrong note. How can they learn to sing in tune?

Vivian Roycroft and "His Christmas Proposal" — Helena Whittle used to adore riding. Then she was thrown from a strange horse, and her life, her confidence, and even her engagement fell apart. Can she find room in her broken heart for a second chance at love?

Kay Springsteen and "The Maid's Christmas Miracle" — Servants were seldom able to marry. Can a miracle in a stable change their lives forever?

Jenna Jaxon and "A Match Made at Christmas" — Sophia promised to let her grandmother select her husband. Then she met the man of her dreams.

Patricia Kiyono and "Bugs, Bluestockings, and Beginnings" — If only there was a way for Elizabeth to support herself with her scientific knowledge — and of course love was the furthest thought from her mind.

Ruth J. Hartman and "Romancing the Dustman's Daughter" — Augustus Sinclair makes Anne believe in love and romance, even if he is wealthy and she is just the dustman’s daughter. A delightful retelling of the Cinderella story.

Felicia Rogers and "Rented One Christmas" — The ruse Mira's employer is asking of her is so crazy, it could ruin her life forever. Does she dare? And if she does, can she stop herself from falling in love?

Where did the ideas for their stories come from? Here are some of their responses:

ELIZABETH HANBURY: The inspiration for “A Knight to the Rescue” came from the popularity of the waltz in Regency times, despite it being seen as scandalous among some high society people. I thought it would be fun to have a heroine living in Bath who composed waltzes, and a wealthy hero who disguised himself as an artist to avoid fortune hunters - as well as help the woman of his dreams!  

FELICIA ROGERS: One day my daughter mentioned how many children my sister has and that she could rent them out.  It got to me to thinking... what if someone needed a family but didn't have one.  They could rent one!  And the story (“Rented One Christmas” was born.

PATRICIA KIYONO: A few years ago, Dingbat Publishing planned a multi-author series about a winter garden in the Highgate area of London. Ruth J. Hartman wrote a story in which the main characters create a home for bluestocking ladies, and I decided to continue the story, because of course the home would need someone to coordinate educational activities at this home! I had fun with Elizabeth, an out-of-work governess, and Benjamin, an entomologist. 

Nine Ladies Dancing is available only at Amazon

 

 

 

 

Meet Sadira Stone and Read About RUNAWAY LOVE STORY, Released Today!

 My guest Sadira Stone's new title just came out today! Meet Sadira and read 

all about it!

About Sadira

Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique. Set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found shaking her hips in dance class, playing her guitar (badly, but getting better), exploring the Western U.S. with her charming husband, cooking up a storm, and gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira on her website.

About the Book Nirvana Series

Welcome to Book Nirvana, an indie bookstore in Eugene, Oregon, where you’ll find every flavor of bookish delight, a quirky staff who are as close as family, Lulu the all-wise shop cat, Coffee Dreams next door, and a dazzling collection of naughty books kept behind the red door in back. If you ask shop owner Clara nicely, she just might let you peek inside!  

About RUNAWAY LOVE STORY

Wrong time, wrong place, perfect guy.

A heartbreaking distress cry interrupts my search for a new art gallery job. Darling Maxie needs my help, so now I’m stuck in Eugene, Oregon, rescuing the auntie who rescued me.

Running into adorable Coach Dalton ignites a sweet flirtation that quickly turns spicy. He’s wise, funny, and he’s going through the same heartbreak: losing a loved one to dementia.   

But he wants lasting love, and I’m only passing through. No matter how much I crave him, I can’t let him derail my dreams. 

Come to Book Nirvana for a spicy, funny, heart-wrenching tale of true love and second chances.

Runaway Love Story was previously published and has been revised and updated with new chapters.

PG Rated Excerpt

“Come back, Blondie. I just want a little taste.”

Footsteps sound behind me—only one set but closing fast.

I gulp air and lengthen my stride. My quads burn and my sides ache, my reserves nearly spent.

I’ll never run without pepper spray again.

The guy is right on my tail, puffing like a bellows.

“Babe, there you are. Hold up.” This voice is deeper and lacks the mocking tone of the others.

Without slowing, I risk a backward glance. Tall bald guy. Serious runner, judging by his gear. His face drips from exertion, but his broad smile holds no threat. He tilts his shaved head toward the bushes and rolls his eyes.

I slow, and he pulls up alongside me, exclaiming with unnecessary volume, “I stopped to tie my shoelaces, and you disappeared.”

Hard of hearing? Near-sighted?

He throws a glance over his shoulder and lowers his voice. “You okay?”

Understanding dawns. He’s rescuing me!

“I’m good, thanks.” I jog to a stop and bend over, hands on my knees, gulping air. He waits beside me and scans the bushes, his breathing hard but steady. Expensive running shoes. Above his enormous feet rise long, well-muscled legs encased in snug shorts and the finest ass I’ve seen in a long, long time—high and firm and muscular. My fingertips itch to trace its contours.

Holy heck, what’s wrong with me?

His back to me, he surveys the trail. And what a back it is, outlined by his sweat-soaked T-shirt, narrow at the waist and broad at the shoulders. He runs his long fingers over his shiny shaved head and turns to face me.

Late thirties, I’m guessing. Aquiline nose, straight, pale brows, and deep-set eyes, blue as the summer twilight. A short golden beard covers his jaw. His lips spread in a slow smile, transforming his bony face into something dazzling.

Our eyes meet, and a spark jolts through me, strong and sharp and aimed straight at my core.

Uh-oh.

           

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Meet My Dear Friend, Romance Author Angela Rosati, and Read About Her Extraordinary Stories, Straight From the Heart--With Her Own Brand of Humor

Angela has been a very dear friend of mine for 30 years, and she is a gifted writer. She is 96 years YOUNG and still writing heartfelt historical romances.

I highly recommend every one of her historical novels. She writes straight from the heart, and her stories are 100% genuine and authentic–because she was THERE!

About Angela

I was born on August 22, 1929 in Long Island City, NY. I grew up in Astoria, NY. I wanted to be a teacher, but got drafted into the family business. Then at age 29 (which was very old as per Italians) got married. Then in my late 70s, I bought a computer and started writing hysterical/historical family tales my family was tired of hearing. I love music and I sing opera arias by Giacomo Puccini. My grandson, at a very young age, asked me why I sing in the shower. I responded, "The door is locked and nobody can tell me to shut up!"

Visit Angela on Amazon

An article in The Italic Institute of America, "The Italian Heritage on a Classical Foundation" :

In Those Days by Bill Dal Cerro | Mar 1, 2025

A 96 year old “new author” focuses on early Italian immigrants 

In Those Days is a short essay written by Angela M. Rosati, the daughter of Italian immigrants from Basilicata (father) and Puglia (mother). Raised in Astoria, Queens, the same neighborhood as the great Tony Bennett (born Anthony Benedetto), Rosati has made it her mission to document the Great Migration (1880-1924), specifically via the experiences of her family. What’s interesting about Rosati is that she first began writing in the 70s—no, not the decade, but her age. A self-described “Nanny Granny,” she was in her late 70s, bought a computer and began writing personal stories and mini-novels “when my grandchildren were busy outside playing after school. I didn’t know I could do it.” 

She did, and she hasn’t stopped. Over the past 18 years—she turns 96 this August—Rosati has turned out 11 books centered on the idea of teaching the latest generation that life for early Italians “back in the day” wasn’t all pasta and roses. As she puts it, “They need to know how offended and ill-treated we were. Yet we didn’t sit on the curb and cry. We prevailed because we knew who we were, we knew our strength.” 

That strength was something called Italian culture: “Cuisine! Music! Art! Movies! Food! Operas! Who writes them better? When a soprano enters a singing contest, she sings, ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ by Giacomo Puccini. A guaranteed win!”

Ms. Rosati came to my attention a month ago after she emailed to compliment me on a recent blog. It was very fortuitous, as I had been having discussions with colleagues over the appalling (and depressing) lack of representation of Italians in American history. Peruse any current social studies book in our nation’s schools and you will see none of our heroes and heroines—our role models—ever mentioned.

Instead, you will see what I call the “Three C’s”: Columbus, Capone and Cascades of Unwashed Immigrants. Even the story of Sacco & Vanzetti, whose 1927 execution in Boston remains a template of anti-immigrant prejudice, is hardly ever mentioned anymore. 

The first two C’s are now radioactive. Capone always has been, but Columbus has become (unfairly and unjustly) a lightning rod of scorn by angry activists. And the Cascade of Unwashed Immigrants is more like one big, gigantic, amorphous blob—an uninspiring pile of nothing. 

Rosati’s writings are invaluable in that they turn that blob into individual cells. She puts human faces on those follicles. If our nation still refuses to publicly proclaim any pride in, say, inspiring role models like A.P. Giannini or Ella Grasso, they can’t keep suggesting that Italian immigrants themselves were of no value. By documenting their suffering, by personalizing it, Rosati’s books say to academia, “Oh, yeah?”

She does it with humor: “I was the third, and only girl, of four kids. When some people heard this, they would say, ‘Oh, you must be the queen.’ Yes, I’m queen of the mop and the ironing board. My parents were careful not to spoil me and my three brothers.”

She does it with drama: “My father, Angelo Russo, rarely spoke of his wartime experiences. He fought for Italy during WWI in the Austrian campaign. But, he had nightmares. We would hear him vocalize sounds at night. And Papa did tell us once, when he was in the trenches, one of his buddies from Bari said, ‘Russo, I’m afraid to die.’ Immediately, he received a bullet in his skull. Papa said there was blood, brains and flesh everywhere. He never recounted any other similar stories after that.”

And she does it with a childlike candor, whether relating unkind comments from Irish or German neighbors or relating how teachers in the schools routinely slapped Italian boys “because they (the teachers) knew the Italian boys would never squeal on them. Parents always thought the teacher was right. The Italian boys endured the embarrassment of those slaps rather than get a beating from offended parents.” 

As a witness to both the good and the bad, Rosati is in an excellent position to see how Italian Americans triumphed over their often-difficult circumstances. So it has some gravitas when she compares the reality of real Italians to images perpetuated in the media: “The way Hollywood depicts Italians is all wrong. The men are depicted as thieves, gangsters, and murderers. The women are all depicted as whores and liars. Unfortunately, most Italian Americans today, and others, believed the baloney. But the damage is done and we must correct it.”

Rosati is heroically doing so by documenting our true stories. 

Visit the Italic Institute of America

Meet Author Pamela Thibodeaux and Read About Her Short Story Romance Collection A HINT OF ROMANCE

Pam & I have hosted each other many times; today I'm featuring her new book of short romances A HINT OF ROMANCE.

Why did Pam write A HINT OF ROMANCE? 

"As a novel writer, short stories are a welcome diversion, but also a challenge. To tell a complete story in so few words can sometimes frustrate one who thrives on the detail and description found in a novel. Some of these were written with a particular women’s magazine in mind. Others were for the publisher I was with earlier in my career who listed them for free through the website or for 99 cents at Amazon. ALL were written for fun and the experience. A friend of mine said I write excellent short stories. I hope I’ve done well enough in these to entice you to want to read my longer works."

About the Stories in A HINT OF ROMANCE

Twin Flames: Twins, Raymond and Raelee MacFarland have spent a couple of years and a ton of money turning the property they inherited from their uncle into a small guest ranch, rebuilding their lives after her husband runs off with his wife. Will they succeed and perhaps, get a second chance at love?

Like a Rock: Macey finds herself at a crossroads when her and Jerry’s youngest child leaves for college. Will their love survive midlife crisis and empty nest syndrome?

The Big Catch Karla and, the love of her life, Jeff, have uncovered some uncommon ground: The Great Outdoors. For the life of her, she does not understand his love of fishing and how he can spend so much time doing so. Will she come to love the sport as much as he or will his passion for a rod and reel tangle up their relationship?

A Hero for Jessica: Anthony Paul Seville is known as the ‘most eligible bachelor’ in New Orleans, possibly even the entire state of Louisiana, but finds himself alone—completely and explicitly alone. Jessica Aucoin is a writer on her way to fame and fortune but is haunted by a man from her past. Will the “champion” lawyer and the author of romantic suspense find love written in their future? 

In His Sight: Grade school teacher Carson Alexander has a gift—a gift that has driven a wedge between him and his family. Worse, it’s put him at odds with God. Feeling alone and misunderstood, Carson views God’s gift of prophecy as the worst kind of curse…that is until he meets Lorelei Conner, landscape artist extraordinaire, and perhaps the one person who may need Carson and his gift more than anyone ever has.  

Lorelei Connor is a mother on the run. Her abusive ex-husband has followed her all over the country trying to steal their daughter. Distrusting of men and needing to keep on the move, she’s surprised by her desire to remain close to Carson Alexander. Through her fear and hesitation, she must learn to rely on God to guide her—not an easy task when He’s prompting her to trust a man.

Can their relationship withstand the tragedy lurking on the horizon?

Review of Love: Jason Stockwell has been commissioned to interview Kylie Erickson and to review her books. The only problem is, she won’t give the time of day much less an interview to someone whose type of writing she deems not worthy of respect. Can they suspend their judgmental attitudes and find true love?

Paper Roses: Widowed eleven years, Patti Howard has found herself enamored with her son’s football coach. Will a homecoming tradition give them a chance at romance?

Journey’s End: Ellie Thibaudeau’s travelling days ended when she bore a daughter who, in turn, left a granddaughter to be reared in the small town of Wellington, Florida. With retirement on the horizon will her dream of seeing the world come true with a new man or will she be resigned to staying put and live vicariously through her Angel Girl, Callyn?

Soul Mates Jolie LeBlanc has used her Masters in Archeology and Minor in Anthropology to study the paranormal all over the world and ends up on five acres of land supposedly haunted by the famed pirate, Jean Lafitte. Will she and her soul mate will reconnect once again or will she live another lifetime without him?

Purchase A HINT OF ROMANCE on Amazon

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