The author of ‘With Cruel Intent’ takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride, evoking an array of emotions as the main characters experience happiness, romance, treachery and pain.
A stagnant heat and economy push Blanche Delaney, a beautiful 33-year-old librarian, to pack her bags and head for Valdosta, Georgia in search of happiness, adventure and love. Concerned that life is passing her by she is compelled to travel the thousands of miles away from family and friends to start a new life among a host of Southern characters that will ultimately change her life forever. Her new home, a temporary room at Caroline’s Bed & Breakfast, introduces the woman to true Southern hospitality. The array of guests, coming and going, opens the door for antics that prove to be both humorous and horrifying.
A trio of unlikely suitors enters the librarian’s life, each with unique capabilities and characteristics; Jasper, a black bodybuilder who is liked by all, an unlikely hero in Seymour, an awkward university student that falls for Blanche and lastly, an accomplished burglar, with no rap sheet but an obsession with the shapely newcomer.
The untimely death of a local real estate tycoon pits Beverly Marshall, the middle aged widow, against her stepson, Jeremy, for control of the estate. A conspiracy develops that draws the unknowing lovers into the fray, leading the reader on a wild crime-ladened ride through the homes and streets of Lowndes County. Before long the entire populace is scared and seeking answers from the local Sheriff’s Office, headed by Sheriff Angelo Lupo, ‘The Wolf’. Twists and turns aplenty as the entire cast of unlikely characters will be pulled together in an explosive and very unexpected ending.
“With Cruel Intent is a suspenseful and entertaining read complete with intrigue and romance. Blanche Delaney is a heroine that you can’t help but adore, with her sweet naïveté and bright hopes, not unlike her male counterpart, Seymour Wood, who, with his southern charm and somewhat goofy antics, is equally likeable. Their story is an underlying theme in the book but it is ultimately threatened by “The Stalker”, whose sinister motives and menacing designs left me triple checking the locks and wanting to look under my bed at night.” – The Book’s First Reader
Back of the Book:
Blanche Delaney moves to Valdosta, Georgia in the humidity of a Southern summer with innocent intentions and high hopes. Beautiful and intriguing, Blanche attracts suitors, both sincere and sinister. Her new role as the head librarian at the public library brings both romance and danger but will she be able to recognize the difference between the two?
Money can be a powerful, motivating force in the descent into evil. Valdosta has a new criminal running amuck in the city who is motivated by just that. When a thief, a mobster, and a money-grubbing stepson combine forces, only mayhem and murder can follow.
Without her knowledge, Blanche’s simple, little life in Georgia merges with the malicious workings of the criminal trio. As the two groups collide and time runs out, the stranger in the dark threatens her security, her relationship, and her very life.
Targeted Age Group:
18-70
How is Writing In Your Genre Different from Others?
In my profession I’m talking with people all day long. A different person every 15 minutes from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. I’m able to draw on these unique interactions to relate more fully to people and the way they think and the way they see life. In my writing I try to use a great deal of dialog and he seems to come very naturally to me. People that have read the book have commented on how real they felt the dialog was and how believable I made the experience.
What Advice Would You Give Aspiring Writers?
Write, plain and simple. You have to start somewhere. Sit down, pick a topic that interests you and put yourself into the mind and soul of the character that you are writing about. Look through their eyes and feel what they feel, then put it down on paper.
Author Bio:
Dennis F. Larsen was born in a small, northern Utah city just about the time that US boots were put on the ground in Southeast Asia. He was raised in a modest home; his mother, who initially worked at Hill Air Force Base, left the work force to devote her time to her four sons, and a father, who ran a small local Conoco Station.
In his younger years, he dreamed of playing major league baseball and enjoyed watching Sandy Koufax, Willey Mays and other great stars of the day. Summer months and after-school time was dedicated to hour upon hour of ‘tennis-ball’, the brother’s own brand of baseball. Tennis balls ricocheted off of neighbor’s homes with less grumbling from the inhabitants. The neighborhood was their playground; football field in the front yard, tennis-ball stadiums on both sides and in the back, the backyard doubling as a golfer’s driving range as well. Nothing was off limits as the young boys turned the entire block into a 9-hole golf course, complete with greens mowed into the neighbor’s lawns. Permission? Who needs permission?
Dennis loved the time of his youth and the bonds that were forged on the local ball diamonds and in the small and quiet places of his youth. He survived untold and uncounted episodes of pink-belly, supremous-superbous-droppous, and other unimaginable tortures, from his brothers and older boys of the block, just to be included. His brothers and the kids from the old neighborhood are still important players in his life. (If you aren’t familiar with the above techniques, write me.)
He attended the schools of Box Elder County graduating from high school in 1977. He went on to Brigham Young University, Utah State University and ultimately Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon where he obtained a Doctorate Degree in Optometry.
Along the way he married a beautiful, little blonde, Holly, in 1981 and had four amazing and talented children that inspire him each and every day. His children now grown and mostly on their own have blessed his life with four fun and energetic grandchildren, with another new addition expected in the summer of 2013.
Dr. Larsen took a position with his brother Steve, also an optometrist, when he completed school and the two practiced together in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada until 1997 when Dennis established his own business and Optometric Partnership Practice. He has worked for 26 years in a profession that he loves but has always had a desire to write and thus began the adventure.
His children, all gifted with the ability to write, propelled Dr. Larsen into his computer chair and put his fingers to work creating his first characters and putting them to work. ‘With Cruel Intent’ began as a short story to prove to his wife that he could write a story that a woman would find romantic. Much coaching was needed from her at the beginning. Apparently sexy and romantic are not synonyms. The story took on an energy and personality that had to get out, and the twists and turns just kept popping up in his head until the manuscript was completed. He ultimately wanted to prove to himself and his children that you can accomplish anything that you pour your heart and soul into.
His greatest wish, beyond having a healthy, happy family, is to have a shelf in his home with a novel located upon it from each of his children.
Follow the blog on Goodreads.com to learn more about the writing of his first novel, ‘With Cruel Intent’.
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My children, short and simple. I have always had a desire to write and publish a book. Not on any particular subject but something that would draw from my life’s experiences and interactions with people. My children each have a gift for writing and have started their own novels only to get bogged down with the day to day doldrums of life. I wanted to show them that it was possible to start a project and finish it if you poured enough time and effort into it. In the process, I found that I loved the experience and will do it again.
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Buy Book On Amazon
Social Media:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17253906-with-cruel-intent
http://www.facebook.com/withcruelintent/
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