Author’s Note: I hiked to Fort Bowie National Historic Site with my husband and children a few years ago in the early spring and fell in love with it. If you ever have the chance to visit the old fort, it’s worth the time and hike. However, my daughter will tell you to wear good hiking shoes (and socks!), carry a lot of water, and watch out for rattlesnakes.
About the Author
Ann Charles is a USA Today bestselling author who writes award-winning mysteries that are splashed with humor, paranormal, romance, and whatever else she feels like throwing into the mix. When she is not dabbling in fiction, arm-wrestling with her children, attempting to seduce her husband, or arguing with her sassy cats, she is daydreaming of lounging poolside at a fancy resort with a bottle of tequila in one hand and a great book in the other.
Connect with Me Online
Facebook (Personal Page):
http://www.facebook.com/ann.charles.author
Facebook (Author Page):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Charles/37302789804?ref=share
Twitter (as Ann W. Charles):
http://twitter.com/AnnWCharles
Ann Charles Website:
http://www.anncharles.com
Acknowledgments
My books are born with the help of many wonderful people. Thank you to:
My husband. You are loving, helpful, and comforting. You help me flesh out stories, smooth out the burrs in my writing, and make my books the best they can be.
My kids, Beaker and Chicken Noodle, for giving me hugs and kisses when I’m chained mentally to the computer for days on end.
My First Draft team: Margo Taylor, Mary Ida Kunkle, Kristy McCaffrey, Jacquie Rogers, Marcia Britton, Paul Franklin, Diane Garland, Vicki Huskey, Lucinda Nelson, Marguerite Phipps, Stephanie Kunkle, and Wendy Gildersleeve. Your patience when I leave you hanging chapter after chapter is the stuff of legends, ha ha ha.
My critique partners, Jacquie Rogers and Kristy McCaffrey, for cheering me on week after week and telling me what works and what doesn’t.
My editor, Eilis Flynn, for making the words sparkle.
My WorldKeeper, Diane Garland, for hours of nitpicking and answering my series-related questions.
Francesca Garcia for helping me to make sure the law dogs followed the rules.
My Beta Team for making the Morgan sisters sparkle and shine like diamonds in the desert.
My brother, C.S. Kunkle, for creating illustrations and the cover art pieces that make my stories even more fun.
My graphic artist/cover designer, Mr. Biddles, for your ability to create eye-catching covers that make me say, “Wow!”
My wonderful and amazing readers for your constant support both online and in person. We’ve had joy and fun! Here’s to many more seasons in the sun!
Author Julie Mulhern for your excellent cover quote!
And as usual, Clint (my brother), for giving me the opportunity to be a bossy older sister.
More Books by Ann
www.anncharles.com
The Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series
Bestseller in Women Sleuth Mystery and Romantic Suspense
Welcome to the Dancing Winnebagos RV Park. Down here in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona, Claire Morgan and her rabble-rousing sisters are really good at getting into trouble—BIG trouble (the land your butt in jail kind of trouble). This rowdy, laugh-aloud mystery series is packed with action, suspense, adventure, and relationship snafus. Full of colorful characters and twisted up plots, the stories of the Morgan sisters will keep you wondering what kind of a screwball mess they are going to land in next.
The Deadwood Mystery Series
WINNER of the 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense
WINNER of the 2011 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements
Welcome to Deadwood—the Ann Charles version. The world I have created is a blend of present day and past, of fiction and non-fiction. What’s real and what isn’t is for you to determine as the series develops, the characters evolve, and I write the stories line by line. I will tell you one thing about the series—it’s going to run on for quite a while, and Violet Parker will have to hang on and persevere through the crazy adventures I have planned for her. Poor, poor Violet. It’s a good thing she has a lot of gumption to keep her going!
The Deadwood Shorts Series
The Deadwood Shorts collection includes short stories featuring the characters of the Deadwood Mystery series. Each tale not only explains more of Violet’s history, but also gives a little history of the other characters you know and love from the series. Rather than filling the main novels in the series with these short side stories, I’ve put them into a growing Deadwood Shorts collection for more reading fun.
The Dig Site Mystery Series
Welcome to the jungle—the steamy Maya jungle that is, filled with ancient ruins, deadly secrets, and quirky characters. Quint Parker, renowned photojournalist (and lousy amateur detective), is in for a whirlwind of adventure and suspense as he and archaeologist Dr. Angélica García get tangled up in mysteries from the past and present in exotic dig sites. Loaded with action and laughs, along with all sorts of steamy heat, these books will keep you sweating along with the characters as they do their best to make it out of the jungle alive.
The Goldwash Mystery Series
The Old Man’s Back in Town
This short story is a bit of a puzzle. Each scene is a different variation of the same story for a reason, which you’ll learn at the end. See if you can pick up on the clues along the way and figure out the puzzle before you finish the story. Thank you for giving it a try!
~ Ann
Overview…
In the lonely mining ghost town of Goldwash, Nevada, Christmas has come early. Unfortunately, the local bar owner must be on this year’s naughty list, because Santa brought her something even worse than a piece of coal on this dark, cold winter night—her old man.
The Deadwood Undertaker Series
Life at the Coffin Joint
Deadwood (late 1876) ... A rowdy and reckless undertaker’s delight. What better place for a killer to blend in?
Enter undertaker Clementine Johanssen, tall and deadly with a hot temper and short fuse, hired to clean up Deadwood’s dead … and the “other” problem. She’s hell-bent on poking, sticking, or stabbing anyone that steps out of line.
But
