Jersey BarnesJuly 2009On Sale: July 7, 2009272 pages ISBN: 0312383479EAN: 9780312383473Hardcover$24.99 Mystery Woman Sleuth Buy at Amazon.com Southern Peril by T. Lynn Ocean Savvy security specialist Jersey Barnes assures everyone that she has retired for good this time—she had a party with a three-layer cake and champagne toasts to prove it. But when a judge calls in a favor, the former field- trained government agent agrees to figure out what secrets might be putting the judge’s brother, Morgan, in danger. His car searched, his apartment burglarized, and it appears as though somebody is watching his every move. Not one to overreact, Morgan dismisses the judge’s attempt to help him as an over-protective big sister’s paranoia. He just wants to succeed in his new business venture, Argos. Wilmington’s most hip restaurant, Argos guest list is legendary. When Morgan’s father died, the eatery was left solely to Morgan. Despite his lack of experience in the food industry, the introverted bachelor is determined to keep his father’s legacy alive. It’s only when Morgan has a close call with death that he confides in Jersey: his father may have been murdered, and Morgan thinks he knows why. But he can’t divulge further details without…

People often ask authors where they get their ideas. The answer for me is, I’m not sure. But I do know that I’d never have a writing career if it weren’t for my subconscious mind (SM). Everyone has this amazing tool at their disposal. Scientists still don’t understand quite how it works, but they do know that we all have a duality of minds: your consciously thinking mind, and your subconscious mind. Whether you are creating a character that people will want to read, composing a song, or trying to solve a dilemma at the office, your SM can do the work for you. It’s true! Ever been with friends discussing a movie or a song, and you can’t remember the name of the lead actor? “It’s on the tip of my tongue!” you might say. Finally, you give up. The next morning it hits you. You remember the name. Well, folks, that is your SM at work. It’s a very simple example, but proof that your mind can problem-solve while you are not consciously thinking about the problem. There are two basic things to remember about your SM. First, it never sleeps. It’s always working, regardless of what you…

It all began when I was five or six years old and saw a boy peeing on a tree. I remember being outrageously jealous. Not because he had something down there that I didn’t, but rather because he could pee standing up and I couldn’t. I know this for a fact because I tried, and trust me, it wasn’t easy having to explain to my mother why my shorts and socks were wet when I went in from the neighborhood playground. I never tried to pee on a tree again, but I did grow up playing with matchbox cars instead of Barbie dolls. By the time adolescence rolled around, I could outrun and out-climb all the boys my age. So when the idea for SOUTHERN FATALITY came to me, I decided to relive my tomboy days by writing from the first person male point of view. A mystery, tough guy action adventure, it was so much fun to write as I tried to think and talk and fight like a guy. But then something strange happened. The character woke me up in the middle of the night and told me she was a woman. So I gave her a sex…