Secrets in Oak Creek by B.K. Stubblefield Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Secrets in Oak Creek
by
B.K. Stubblefield
Genre:
Mystery, Romance
A small town with a dark secret. A new arrival in grave danger. Can she solve the mystery before she ends up the next victim?
The
best part of Emily's childhood may have been the time she spent with
her quirky aunt. So when her favorite relative passes away, she drops
everything to attend the funeral in the small town of Oak Creek. But
she never expected to inherit her aunt's entire estate, including her
massive black dog Bentley. Just as she starts to get the hang of
small-town life, an unknown driver runs her off the road and sends
her to the hospital.
As
doctors tend to her and she makes a connection with a charming Oak
Creek resident named Ryan, Emily racks her brain to figure out who
would want her dead. When sparks start to fly between her and the
Good Samaritan that sat by her bedside, they team up to solve the
mystery. Digging into the crime starts to reveal a dark side to Oak
Creek and long-held secrets nobody wants revealed. Emily and Ryan
must uncover the truth before her assailant comes back to finish the
job.
**Only
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On impulse, she turns the car around
and follows the now familiar lane, curious to take another look. As she slows down, Emily surveys the
farmlands on either side of the small country road. She deeply
inhales the smell of corn bouncing weightlessly on the warm breeze. A
childhood memory floats into awareness, taking her back to when she
loved running through endless rows of corn. She remembers when she
would stop running and then stand quietly between the rows—not
moving, just listening. On some days, the warm wind would whisper her
name, beckoning her mind to float to enchanted places in far-away,
mystical lands. She recalls the tingling of her spine
when the wind rustles the stalks around her, telling a different
story. With her heart hammering fast, she can barely catch her
breath. Her feet are rooted to the ground, imagining the rows parting
for a faceless shadow that is coming for her. When the spell finally
breaks, and fear releases its icy grip, she runs, pumping her legs
until she emerges unscathed from the field of corn, feeling safe once
again. Emily smiles at the memory of her
childish games as her gaze sweeps the seemingly endless stretching
cornfield that is adjoining the property she sees. She slowly pulls her car to the
shoulder and stops where she can view the home between the massive
trees in front. Turning off the engine, she sits and watches the home
for a few minutes. You would have been a beauty once, she
thinks along with a twinge of nostalgia.
Today, she can clearly see how it may
have looked before, her gloomy feelings from just a few days ago
replaced with visions of happier times. Windows now boarded up would
have gleamed in the early afternoon sun, white wicker furniture on
the front porch inviting visitors to sit a while. Lush green Boston
ferns in ornate urns would flank the solid oak front door while
children played a game of chase with a cute black and white dog. Yes,
definitely a dog, she decides. As if pulled by unseen strings, Emily
opens her door and steps out onto the road. Just a quick look, a
little bit closer. She hesitantly walks toward the overgrown gravel
drive. She tentatively steps on the drive, and
the house comes into view from its side angle. A couple of steps lead
up to what appears to be a service entrance. She heads to the front
yard where the front porch is badly sagging, barely held up by the
once stately Doric columns. A whiff of musty, stale air assaults her
nostrils.
Disgusted, she turns away from the
crumbling facade. Abandoned, apparently a long time ago—what a
pity! As she turns away, Emily is keenly
aware of the eerie stillness around her. Just as the wind in the
cornfield softly sighed such a long time ago, the old house seems to
reach out, whispering an invitation to explore its long-forgotten
interior.
Emily hesitantly steps up two concrete
steps, halting on the small landing of the side entrance. “Hello!” she calls out as she
knocks on the door, cocking her head, listening closely. She doesn’t
expect anyone to answer, but still. “Hello? Is anyone here?” she
repeats. Ignoring her gut’s warnings that she has no business being
here, she knocks a second time—and almost jumps as the door opens a
small way, rusty hinges shrieking loudly, interrupting the quiet. Her pulse races as she pushes her hand
lightly against the door. She leans forward, glancing around the
interior and is immediately assaulted by the same musty smell she had
noticed earlier, only stronger.
B.K. Stubblefield is
a new writer with a passion for animal rescue. After adopting her new
dog Harper, she was quickly overwhelmed with the challenges of
raising a "puppy on steroids". Together with her close
friend, Debra Wagner, she published 'Rescued: A Tale of Two Dogs',
two nonfiction tales of love, patience and commitment.
In an
effort to help bring awareness to animal neglect and abuse in our own
neighborhoods, B.K. Stubblefield shares several short stories of
animals brought out of the shadows and into the light of love in her
second book "Rescued: Out of The Shadows."
Fictional
short stories and memory books/journals continue to carry the theme
of dog rescue.
B.K. Stubblefield is also a contributing author
to "Be Their Voice: An Anthology for Rescue, Volume I & II
Her debut novel,
'Secrets in Oak Creek', a mystery/romance, was published n November
2017.
Born and raised
in Germany, the author has spent many years supporting her husband's
military career. Moving between Europe and the United States, she now
makes her home in the small rural town of Elizabethtown, Kentucky
where she enjoys the slower pace of small town living. Early morning
weekend walks with her dog Harper are among her favorite activities.
What is something unique/quirky
about you?
Well, I’m not sure this qualifies as
unique. Born and raised in Germany, I immigrated to the U.S.A. in
1983. Responsible for the decision to leave my home is the man I’ve
been married to for over 35 years now. It had been an exciting time,
moving to a new country, exploring new cultures - right up my alley.
My English language skills were limited to what had been taught in
school and to different self-study methods, but so what? I felt
prepared to function in the real world. Oh, boy, was I in for a
surprise! Plucking into southern accents sure threw me for a loop.
Today, as I look back, I’m astonished that this fearless young
woman had been me. Although I speak, dream, and write in my new
language, the prospect of talking publicly about my writing passion
propels me to run for the woods.
Describe yourself in 5 words or
less!
Mom, wife, dog enthusiast, friend
When did you first consider yourself
a writer?
Consider yourself are a writer! These
were the words of my best friend. We had co-written and published
“Rescued: A Tale of Two Dogs” through a small indie publisher.
However, I felt that one published work just didn’t qualify me as a
‘writer.’ Roughly one year later I self-published my second
non-fiction book “Rescued: Out of the Shadows.” The first time I
thought of myself as a writer was when I received an invitation to
submit a short story for an Anthology for Rescue. It was a pretty
awesome revelation.
Pen or typewriter or computer?
Oh, definitely the computer. Often, I
find myself jotting down a sentence, a scene, a name, place, etc. –
anything I think I may use in a future story – into a notebook I
carry in my purse. Restaurants, waiting rooms, and airports are great
pickup places for snatches of conversation. But when it comes to
sitting down and writing the story, my computer is my best friend.
How quickly something can be erased, re-written, and corrected
without scratch marks all over the page. Honestly, I couldn’t do it
without a computer.
Thank you B.K. for stopping by today and answering some questions for us! Good luck with all of your books :)
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the tour HERE
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