First Word

This the third book in the California Girl Chronicles series. Brea's Big Scandal is coming soon. Chapter 1 Book 3 Leaves off From Book 2             My name is Brea Harper, and if you read my last two books then you know I am chronically challenged when it comes to men and relationships. Yes, I came to Hollywood to break in as a screenwriter only to be distracted by hot men. Sigh, it’s hard being single in La La Land – home of the beautiful yet often crazy people. Am I crazy? Some might think misguided and creatively wacky, but not certifiable. Although on any given day my sanity might actually be debatable among my many past lovers and even a few friends. I’m okay with it, though. You have to really know me to love me. Just as a reminder if you’re coming into this book first, I am tall, blonde, blue-eyed and a very tasteful dresser. I arrived in Hollywood when I was fresh out of college, having f...

I had a dream last night. I was walking through a local library and spotted California Girl Chronicles , book 1 and 2 on the shelves. They had been well worn and read. I also noticed that they had a hard copy of book 2, Brea’s Big Break . I wondered, “Who got this printed?” What a strange dream. I felt proud the books had been obviously read a lot since they were tattered up. I’ve always called California Girl Chronicles like chewing bubble gum – it’s sweet, fun and a way to pass time, especially on the beach. Both books are sexy, funny and frivolous in many ways. I was in a different frame of mind when I wrote these books. Today five years later after so much in my life has changed, I’ve considered whether or not I need to get a little more frivolous again. I was driving UBER and put the books behind the seats in the little pocket. A passenger picked up the second book, which says “It’s Sex in the City meets Entourage.” The girl says, “Oh cool!” Now that is an i...

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.

Since Romance Novels are selling, check out my romance books, California Girl Chronicles by Michelle Gamble-Risley available on Amazon as eBook and print. I just read that came out of HARO/Vocus, which is a public relations database tool. Want to know the "anatomy of a best seller"? Guess what they said recent publishing studies revealed?   Romance is the no. #1 genre . I guess romance is back and hot again. For a while romance was dwindling. Usually when times are tough, romance novels become escapist entertainment. Maybe something is in the air right now that have readers turning more toward romantic adventures. Perhaps recent terror attacks and the like have made general readers not want to explore too much reality.   The most successful novels are 375 pages . Funny they revealed this number because just yesterday my mom, who is a voracious reader, told me she prefers books at least 350 pages. She said it made her feel like she got her money...

13             Sandra had been called downstairs. It was early morning, and she had just used the Keirug to make a cup of coco since the center discouraged coffee drinking. Sandra found that particular rule hard to follow since all her life she had begun her mornings with a cup of a coffee and a stack of patient files. Now she found it especially difficult to concentrate without her coffee. The coco had become a hot substitute and she found the act of just holding the cup in her hand helped her adjust.             Just as he got to the top of the stairwell she heard a loud crash and a lot of loud voices. She peered downstairs to see what looked like a homeless man thrashing about as the orderlies Stu and Paul tried to get him restrained. Sandra rushed downstairs just as Paul got the man under control. The resident nurse Karen, who staffed the reception ...

Similar to such recent hits as Gone Girl, Body in the Trunk takes readers backward and forward in time as true crime writer Tess teams up with Detective Phil Harris to solve the murder of a young woman whose body winds up in the trunk of a Toyota Camry. As the team unravels the story behind the murder, the reader discovers through a parallel back story the real crime that involves a passionate affair and love-gone-wrong between neglected wife Mia and a stranger who shows up in her life named Evan. On Sale for $10.99 at http://3lpublishing.flyingcart.com/?p=detail&pid=65&cat_id= . 

Chapter 3 I attended an annual multimedia trade show in New York City at the Convention Center every year. My company M Marketing and Graphics bought a 10 x 10 booth, and we always seemed to sit across from this Japanese electronics company where the diminutive Asian sales girls wore five-inch heels presumably to make up for their lack of height. I marveled at any woman, short or not, who would dare to wear platform shoes for more than an hour much less 10 hours on a cement trade-show floor. I, on the other hand, wore my comfortable, flat Mary Janes to match my slim black skirt and lavender silk blouse with silver buttons on the two breast pockets that gave it sparkle. I tucked it in with a wide belt with silver infinity clasps in the center to give it a modern, chic flair. I loved trade shows – the energy and meeting potential clients face-to-face. Most of my life was spent in my home office at my computer working on graphics and illustrations for marketi...

Chapter 6             I sat at the small, black desk with the white bucket chair in my hotel room. I kept looking at Evan’s card as I sat in front of my laptop computer now online. I kept wondering about him. How did he know I was in this hotel? Did he see me earlier? My phone rang: Paul’s name appeared again. It was a three-hour time difference. He never called me on the road. One time I went on a three-week vacation to see my cousins in Wisconsin, and he hadn’t called me the entire time. My cousins had never asked about it, but I could tell they had thought it was strange. Paul just didn’t seem to care anymore – out of sight as they say.             “Hi, what’s up?”             “Lulu is crying all day. She has a cold and doesn’t feel good. You need to come home!” he flatly demanded.  ...

Buy it for $5.99 on Kindle ( click here ) Buy the print version ( click here ) Chapter 5 The first time Phil sat and sized up Tess was at the Starbuck’s across the street from the station house. He found her cute, energetic and maybe a little ditzy; he wasn’t sure yet. Her strawberry blonde hair and bright green eyes sucked him in. Some guys loved women’s eyes, and Phil was no exception. You had ass men, tit men, and eyes guys – he loved eyes. His ex-girlfriend Diane had the most brilliant hazel eyes imaginable with curled, thick eyelashes. It also didn’t hurt that she had one of those amazing, hot bodies with big tits and a perfect, tight ass, but undoubtedly her eyes won. She could seduce him with one look. “Those were the days,” he chuckled to himself as he sat and waited for Tess to bring the tea and coffee to the table. Tess ambled over to him. She was holding each cup in her hands. She carefully placed Phil’s “Tall” tea in front of him, pulled ou...

 Buy it on Kindle for $5.99 ( click here ) Chapter 2             Tess McGree stood in the lobby of the City of Sacramento Police Station, touching various icons on her iPad. She hardly noticed the door opening and closing as police officers passed her. She was a pretty strawberry blonde with light freckles on her face and chest, and she had emerald green eyes that were lowered keenly toward the screen. She was a tenacious 32-year old who came to the station every single day to wait for Detective Phil Harris, the subject of her new book. She was determined to write a nonfiction tale based on a case being investigated by Detective Harris of whom she also had a huge crush. Phil was a sweet charmer with dark brown hair, and two eye colors (brown and blue) that Tess didn’t notice the first few times they talked. One day she was picking his brilliant mind, and she had noticed his eyes, which had muddied ...