Alison Bruce's Blog: Alison Bruce... author on the loose

Nothing like a great opening line to set the hook: “It started with a dead body on my living room floor.” And from there A Body Guard to Remember is a catch worth reading with a lively mix of colourful characters, murder, indeed on a living room floor, cops, protectors in various good looking postures, a plot with a neat climax twist and budding romance…right here in Canada’s capital.

Bruce’s grasp of partnering two genres into one well-paced novel is well known and is as sharp as ever in A Body Guard to Remember. Action, quick and forceful, action, gentle and affirming, add a plot worthy of a seasoned crime writer and a supporting cast with struggles and dreams galore makes for a, “I’ll just read a bit more,” and you’ll find as I did, you can’t put it down.

If A Body Guard to Remember is book one, Men in Uniform, I can’t wait to read book 2.
don graves. Canadian Mystery Reviews.

I came to Goodreads today to add my new book A Bodyguard to Remember (Book 1 Men in Uniform Series. Imagine my surprise to find out it has already been added... but to the wrong Alison Bruce.

Now I know it's confusing. There's a mystery author named Alison Bruce who lives in Cambridge UK. I write mysteries too, as well as romantic suspense and historical fiction. And I live near Cambridge, Ontario.

I AM Canadian, so I'll apologize to the mistaken reader who attributed my book to the wrong Alison for confusing them.


A Canadian romantic suspense set in Canada, by the Canadian Alison Bruce.

I love research mode. Right now I'm reacquainting myself with the history of the American Civil War.

I've found a wonderful book for insight into the causes and social atmosphere. America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation has broadened my understanding of factors like immigration, evangelism as well as the broad spectrum of opinion regarding the slavery issue.

The Civil War: A Narrative, by Shelby Foote, is fascinating but I need more time. I'm trying to save money by using my public library, but I'm running out of renewals. :/

All this for a novella. I'm definitely going to have to do a prequel to
Under a Texas Star maybe a story about Marly's Aunt Adele.

Deadly Legacy FREE TODAY!

It's the last day to get Deadly Legacy free.

Excerpt:

Kate was seven years old the first time her father took her to work. Back then, the detectives' room was a large open area filled with grey steel desks. Vacuum tube computer monitors and hard-wired keyboards took up most of the available surface area. The rest was covered in stacks of paper, personal items and coffee cups.

As Joe Garrett showed his daughter around, he painted another picture of a squad room, the one he'd visited as a child. Policing ran in the family.

Desks were made of wood. No computers, at least none generally available to the detectives. Officers entered information in their Occurrence Books. Reports were produced on temperamental electric typewriters.

Now, the Occurrence Book had been replaced by eComs that could do everything but make coffee. Workstations with composite oak-like desks were equipped with flip-up flat-screen monitors, keyboards and docking ports so detectives could plug in, upload or download files and generate reports which could be read on other screens. The stations were like hotel rooms. Officers moved in for the duration of an investigation, spreading their personal property out—or not—according their personality. Detectives carried their 'offices' with them in a briefcase, backpack, or in some cases their pockets. One thing that hadn't changed was the coffee cups. There were always coffee cups...

Deadly Legacy by Alison Bruce is available in Kindle eBook and paperback.

Under A Texas Star

"Marly Landers, in Under a Texas Star is a tough as nails, smart as a tack young woman who shines brightly with her grit and compassion. She is the type of character you want to continue reading about even after the story ends."

Free from August 13-15, 2012.

I almost hate to admit it, but as much as I love my Kindle, I'm really excited when I see my books in print. There is just something a little bit more "real" about holding a book in your hands.

Maybe it's because I work on a computer and therefore am used to seeing my work on a screen. Or maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

Regardless, Deadly Legacy hit the virtual stands on Amazon.com yesterday and, in less than a week, I'll be be holding the book in my hot little hands.

It's enough to make an author go crazy. Bad enough that I haven't got time to read except in bits and pieces, but neither does anyone else. If you can't finish a book (through no fault of its own), you can't review it.

So, I'm putting a call out to readers who love a good mystery and have the time to actually read one. Read Deadly Legacy! I'll send a copy (ARC or Kindle) to three readers who will swear on a copy of John Carter of Mars, Vol. 1 that they will read and review Deadly Legacy for Goodreads and Amazon.com.

Mystery lovers wanted. Haters need not apply. A sense of humour is helpful.

Deadly Legacy is free until midnight May 3.

Exciting times having a book in the Kindle Select program. There's the rush of seeing your ranking change every couple of hours and the agony of wondering if anyone actually likes your book.

I'm thinking, since Under a Texas Star got to #2 in Westerns and in #36 of all free Kindle books, there were people out there who will enjoy my story.

What's even more exciting is, now that the promo is over, the ranking is still going well. As of today, Under a Texas Star is at #14 in Westerns and #50 in Historical Romance.

Deadly Legacy is rising up in the ranks now too. Though just about the opposite to a western romance, it features a pair of detectives who need to sort themselves out while they learn to work with each other - not unlike Marly Landers and Jase Strachan.

If you like one, you just might like the other. Try it out and let me know.

FREE SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND MONDAY

From April 21-April 23, Under A Texas Star is free on Kindle.

This is a great opportunity to try a western-romance flavored mystery or a new (soon to be favorite) author.

Disguised as a boy, Marly joins a handsome Texas Ranger in the hunt for a con man and they must bring the fugitive to justice before giving up the masquerade and giving in to their passion. Inspired in equal parts by Louis L'Amour and Georgette Heyer, Under A Texas Star is a western mystery/romance, with a touch of humor and loads of adventure.