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She looked down at her usual clipboard and when Derek stepped forward to shake her hand she ignored it. “Cocaine, huh, booze … what else?” Derek noticed the rebuff but forced a smile, hoping to charm her for future purposes. After seeing she would be unmoved, he responded with hesitation: “Sex addiction.” Ms. Fisher nodded, “And…” “Nothing.” “Says here you’re also a pathological liar.” “Huh?” “Your first evaluation,” she flatly responded. “Oh.” “Go on in. Your bags will be in your room. How are you as far as detox?” “Huh?” “Detox,” she repeated with irritation in her voice. “Oh, um, fine.” “Hmm,” she studied him. “We’ll wait and see about that. After you detox, expect orientation to begin.” “No, I’m clean,” refuted Derek. “Uh-huh,” she wrote something down. “What did you write?” She looked up and went to the door, opened it, and waited for Derek to enter. Derek still wanted to know what she wrote. He dropped it and looked up at th...

The following excerpt is taken from the forthcoming Thriller titled The Abused by Michelle Gamble. Release coming in Spring 2020. For more information, visit 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com).   17 Stanley Lentwood stared down at the rose garden. He noticed the crazy lawyer Finley Sullivan walked all around the hedges in a nervous pace. Stanley wondered if Finley’s drug use had damaged his brain. Just then a knock came to the door. “Come in.” Robert Scoffer opened the door with his usual bravado and strolled into the room with his cool confidence. Stanley turned and took a seat in front of the sofa. Robert just dropped down to the sofa. He appeared bored and put out that he had to do therapy. “So you going to give me some of that God crap?” asked Robert. “Pray for me … all that?” Stanley looked at Robert puzzled by his sudden comment. “Why would I do that?” “Eh, I went to this therapist once with Lynn—” “The woman you conned.” “Yeah, t...

What is the Harris Estate about? Harris Estate is an alluring mystery that takes our protagonist, Leah Murphy, from San Francisco, California to Oakdale, Texas when she inherits a long abandoned ranch estate. A grisly discovery on the property sparks an investigation with local authorities, which opens up Pandora's box and everything Leah knew about her life is changed forever. During the trials and tribulations, her marriage is tested, her desires are amplified, and she has decisions to make that will affect everyone she loves. Why did you write the book? In January, my grandmother passed away at the age of 96. We celebrated her life and the love that she gave to all of us.   Like many people after losing someone special, I found myself analyzing my life, past, present and future. A week after the service, I was on a several-days-long road trip for work when I drove past an abandoned farmhouse.   My mind and imagination went into overdrive as I w...

Book Launch: Sept. 17, 2016 Time: 1pm to 2pm Location: Avid Reader Address: 617 2nd St., Davis, CA    A new author has emerged in the literary world by the name of Stacey Cotter who has penned a captivating mystery titled Harris Estate: Some secrets can’t be buried.. . This well-written and fast-paced novel reveals the story of a young woman named Leah Murphy who sets out to sell the family’s estate in Texas only to uncover many dark secrets that completely unravel her identity. Harris Estate is loaded with tense intrigue as Leah Murphy learns more than she bargained for when she visits the decaying farmhouse estate. The novel is the frosh effort of Stacey Cotter who worked for many months to bring this story to print. Her writing style takes situations that on many levels might seem ordinary (exploring the estate or even sitting down for a meal) and flushes them out by creating layers of subtext and deeper meaning. The very nature of Leah ...

1. What is Harris Estate about?  Harris Estate is an alluring mystery that takes Leah Murphy from San Francisco, California to Oakdale, Texas when she inherits a long abandoned ranch estate. A grisly discovery on the property sparks an investigation with local authorities, which opens up Pandora's box and everything Leah knew about her life is changed forever. During the trials and tribulations, her marriage is tested, her desires are amplified and she has decisions to make that will affect everyone she loves. 2. What is the main take-away you want readers to have when they finish the book? I'm in hopes that the reader enjoys taking a wild ride that makes them question what they might do in the various scenarios that our characters are thrown into. I want them to experience the same range of emotions: shock, fear, humor, passion and vengeance. 3. Your story centers on a strong female protagonist. Why did you choose to tell the story from a woman's...

Pre-Sale link to be posted. A family mystery unfolds deep in the heart of Texas as a grisly discovery is made in the farmhouse she has inherited. As the truth unravels so does the woman’s sense of identity and self. Leah Murphy arrives in the small town of Oakdale, Texas with the intention of selling the Harris Estate, a property left to her by her Uncle Kent Harris. She soon learns about hidden family secrets buried in the dark reaches of the decaying old farmhouse. The discovery on the property sparks an investigation with local authorities, which opens up Pandora’s box. Leah’s entire identity falls apart as her family becomes a jigsaw puzzle of new pieces rearranged and fit back together. During these trials and tribulations, her marriage is tested, her desires are amplified, and she has decisions to make that will affect everyone she loves. Harris Estate is a cryptic and intriguing story of betrayal, buried secrets, and a woman’s life come undone.

The Abused is a psychological thriller about nine addicts who go to rehab only to have one of them start murdering the others. The novel is set to release in Fall 2016.  Reader discretion is advised. Some of this content may be profane and not appropriate for readers under the age if 18. 18 Deacon shuffled behind the group as they headed for their session together. He was getting used to the daily routine. Get up, eat breakfast, go to your one-on-one, eat lunch, do group and then eat dinner and start over. It was perfunctory in his estimation. He didn’t care about any of it, and all he wanted to do was get out and call Violet. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He hoped to find her and apologize then maybe she would come back to him. As they all took their respective seats in the room, Stanley Lentwood walked in the room. Group was typically Craig’s gig so everyone was surprised to see Mr. Lentwood. Deacon didn’t like him and wished that Craig was ...

The Abused is a psychological thriller about nine addicts who go to rehab only to have one of them start murdering the others. The novel is set to release in Fall 2016.  Reader discretion is advised. Some of this content maybe profane and not appropriate for readers under the age if 18. 15             After coming out of detox, Kevin was shaken. He had detoxed on his own many weeks before arriving at rehab. He wasn’t really gay. He just liked sex and gender didn’t matter to him. He thought of himself as more sophisticated than the average guy.   He had never had enough money to go to school, but he had been good with engines and machines and managed all right. When he met his former wife he should have felt lucky to have this educated, beautiful woman wanted him, but he was arrogant. He thought she was lucky. He bragged to his buddies how this poor desperate chick wanted him. He had alway...