Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Dead Serious Case #2
Mrs. Delores Abernathy
By Vawn Cassidy
Crawshank’s Guide to the Recently Departed, Book 2
In the business of unfinished business…
It’s been over six months since a freak accident left pathologist Tristan Everett able to see ghosts, something he has yet to confess to his boyfriend. Instead, he now has a new calling, one he’s not entirely happy about… help the dead resolve their unfinished business so they can pass into the light, sounds simple right?
Wrong…
When the spirit of a sweet old lady follows him home he has no idea how to help her. When he finds out she’s been murdered by arsenic poisoning, a curiously outdated murder weapon, he once again finds himself tangled up in a murder investigation.
For Inspector Danny Hayes of New Scotland Yard, life couldn’t be better. After moving to London and meeting Tristan he’s ready to move their relationship to the next level, but something weird is going on with Tristan, he’s acting very strangely and with a killer on the loose he’s not taking any chances. He’s determined to discover whatever it is Tristan’s hiding from him.
Surrounded by a bunch of potentially murderous old ladies and aided by his sidekick, deceased drag queen and spirit guide in training, Dusty, Tristan must unravel the mystery of Mrs Delores Abernathy’s unfinished business and find the courage to share his deepest secret with the man he loves.
From author Wendy Saunders writing as Vawn Cassidy, comes the second book in this funny and touching paranormal MM romance/dark comedy suspense series.
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Exclusive Excerpt:
“There you are.” A familiar voice breaks the silence in the room, and I see Dusty literally skid into the room and come to an abrupt halt. She’s wearing a fedora set at an angle, her signature blonde curls spilling over one shoulder. She also has on a belted beige raincoat and black leather gloves, and her eyes are covered by dark, oversized sunglasses.
“Where else would I be? I live here,” I reply, watching her in confusion as she keeps looking behind her. “What’s with the outfit, Inspector Clouseau?”
“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “I’m in disguise.”
“You don’t say,” I murmur.
“I’m just checking I wasn’t followed.” She checks behind herself again.
I frown.“Dusty, where have you been and who would be following you?”
“I went back… you know…” she points toward the ceiling. “I asked upstairs management about that shadowy thing from yesterday.”
“And what did they say?”
“Well that’s where it gets even weirder,” she replies.
“Weirder than you dressed as Peter Sellers?” I blink, momentarily forgetting the book in my hand and the cold milk seeping through my t-shirt.
“Funny.” She rolls her eyes. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
“Sorry,” I reply contritely as I pull the clammy material of my damp t-shirt away from my skin.
“When I first started asking questions they seemed really surprised, but then they got cagey, really fast. They flat out shut me down and told me to stop asking questions.” She slips off the ridiculously huge sunglasses and her concerned gaze lands on me. “Tris, I get the distinct impression that whatever the hell that thing was, you weren’t supposed to see it and up there?” She points to the brown leaky patch on the ceiling. “They are not at all happy you did.”
I break her gaze and glance down to the open book in my hand.
“As much as it pains me to say it,” I murmur, “I think you might be onto something.” I lift the book so she can see it. “Something just flung this book at me.”
“Something?” she repeats slowly.
I shake my head. “Or someone.”
“Is that what I think it is?”
I nod my head in confirmation. “Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed.”
Special Event for Charity
Vawn is running a special event to help raise money for the True Colors United Charity.
Details below:
The Prize
One winner will win the opportunity to be written into book 3 – Dead Series (Cold) Case #3 Mr Bruce Reyes. They can choose the profession of their character and whether they are living or deceased. They will also get a mention on the dedication page and receive a signed paperback copy plus a Dead Serious themed swag bag including Dead Serious Character trading cards, a DS tote, bookmarks, stickers, a keyring and a mug.
How to enter
Go to the fundraising page on True Colours and make a donation, it can be as much or as little as you’d like. The donation will act as your entry, so you need to make sure your name is on the donation or added to the comments section of the donation. (Anonymous donations will be ineligible simply because I have no way of contacting them if they are drawn as the winner.)
Anyone who would like to make a donation but doesn’t want to enter the competition can also do so, all they need to do is put N/E in the comments section of their donation.
The fundraiser is open until 31st Mar 2023 at which time a winner will be selected at random from the eligible entries.
The Charity
In the United States, 4.2 million youth experience homelessness each year, with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ peers.
True Colors United is a non-profit which began in New York in 2008 co-founded by Cyndi Lauper. Through a wide array of advocacy, training & education, youth collaboration, and technical assistance programs, True Colors United implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people. https://truecolorsunited.org
Vawn’s fundraising page on True Colours – https://my.truecolorsunited.org/DeadSeriousCharacterMe
All the details are also on the events page on my website and links are on all my social media
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Dead Serious 2, Vawn is giving away a signed paperback of Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Deceased Book 2!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57571/?
Go back to where it all began with Crawshank’s Guide to the Recently Departed, Book 1
Tristan Everett had always preferred the company of the dead because they were quiet and didn’t talk back. As a slightly awkward introvert working as a pathologist at the Hackney Public Mortuary suited him just fine. That is, until a freak accident with a rogue ice cube and suddenly he can see ghosts. No longer content to just lie on the table and let him figure out how they died, they’re now peering over his shoulder critiquing his work and confessing their most lascivious sins before skipping off merrily into the afterlife.
Just when he thought his life couldn’t get any weirder, London’s most infamous drag queen, Miz Dusty Le Frey, is wheeled in with a toe tag and she’s not prepared to go quietly into the light. Not only is she furious at the prospect of spending eternity in last season’s gold lamé, she’s determined that he help her solve her murder.
Suddenly Tristan finds himself thrown into a world of sequins and fake eyelashes, and worse still, he may have developed a crush on Scotland Yard’s brand new drool-worthy detective, Inspector Danny Hayes, who’s been assigned to Dusty’s murder. Oh, and the killer now wants him dead too…
All he ever wanted was a simple life but suddenly he’s juggling work, a deliciously sexy detective, a stubborn ghost and a relentless murderer… and things have just gotten dead serious….
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About the Author:
Vawn Cassidy is the MM pen name of British author Wendy Saunders, she lives in the UK with her husband and children. She loves all things MM and is an avid reader herself.
As Vawn Cassidy she writes Paranormal/Dark Comedy/Mystery and Contemporary Romance and more recently is branching out into Historical & Supernatural MM/LGBTQ+ Fiction with her upcoming London Gothic series.
She also has an insane love of Lego and pop culture.
Connect with Vawn:
Website: http://www.vawncassidy.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/VawnCassidyAuthor
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group/cassidysbayboys
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/vawncassidyauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VawnCassidy
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/vawncassidy
Bookbub: http://www.bookbub.com/profile/vawn-cassidy
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/~/e/B098XMW7M1
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