Simon Wood

Posts Tagged: deceptive practices

Damn my dyslexia!!! Usually it’s a problem (a.k.a. a pain in the arse) but for once, it did me a good turn. The idea for my new book DECEPTIVE PRACTICES came from a misread. A couple of years ago I was flipping through the TV Guide on my television and I came across a TV movie called The Green-Eyed Monster. The description said it was about a wife who hires an organization to beat up her cheating husband. That was right up my alley so I watched it. The movie had nothing to do with what I’d read. It was about a woman who fixates on her next-door neighbor’s husband. I went back through the TV Guide and found the description was accurate to the movie I just watched. How the hell I’d read what I thought I read I have no idea. The descriptions weren’t even close. It’s one of those frustrating things that comes with dyslexia. You start reading something, your imagination takes over and rewrites it all for you, and you end up with something completely different. I remember being in engineering school during a class where we had to read some chapter from a book and when we came to dissect it I seem to have been the only one in the class who’d read something completely different. Like I say, dyslexia is a pain in the arse.

When something like this happens, it usually comes with a large chunk of frustration. How can my brain be that far off on its interpretation of just a few sentences? What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just read the words in front of me? You really shouldn’t be let out in public without a seeing eye person to help you! But this time around I wasn’t so pissed off. Had my brain just handed me a book idea? What if a woman did hire an organization to beat up her cheating husband? I did a quick search on IMDb to make sure I hadn’t read the right thing but on the wrong channel and found there was no movie like that made. I let this idea grow for a bit and came up with the concept that there was an underground business that operated on a similar basis to the scared straight documentaries in that if you hired them, they would beat some sense into a wayward spouse with the aim of turning them around or getting some marital revenge. The ideas started coming and I developed a company name and their sales pitch: Do you have a cheating spouse? Has counseling failed? Want to get even with them? Then hire Infidelity Limited to teach them a lesson…

And DECEPTIVE PRACTICES was born. I know, I know it sounds like a crazy business idea but if I were to attach an app to the concept, I probably have a billion-dollar company. If it’s got an app then it’s legitimate. I think that’s how it works.

Naturally I can’t have a plot line that is that straightforward. I have to toss a few hand grenades into the mix. So the plot line for the book goes like this: Olivia Shaw is living a nice suburban life until she discovers her husband is cheating on her. When her sister suggests Infidelity Limited can offer some closure, Olivia buys their sales pitch. Olivia learns how Infidelity Limited really works when her husband turns up dead and she’s drawn into a dark web of blackmail and murder — just like all their other clients. Now, Olivia finds herself the prime suspect in her husband’s death and as the police close in on her, she has only one option—take down Infidelity Limited.

Usually dyslexia is nothing but a problem for me, but for once it gave birth to a book so I can’t knock it too much. So here’s to the next misread and all the ideas it conjures up!

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With the release of my latest SAVING GRACE, Amazon is doing a number of promotions to support the book.  You can pick up a bunch of my titles on the cheap so why not take advantage.  This is what is on the docket:

PAYING THE PIPER: In the forerunner to SAVING GRACE, The Piper is the infamous child kidnapper. When the Piper selected crime reporter, Scott Fleetwood, to chronicle his latest kidnapping, Scott thought he had the world in his grasp, but he held nothing. Now, eight years later, the Piper’s back, with very specific targets in mind—Scott’s children. He can have them back as long as he can pay the ransom, but it’s a ransom not measured in dollars, but in blood.

Just £1.00 at Amazon UK

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Zoë and Holli’s Vegas road trip goes wrong when they’re abducted. Zoë escapes leaving Holli behind. A year later and still tortured with guilt, Zoë latches on to a murder that eerily resembles her abduction. Her attempts to find justice for Holli brings her to the attention of the “Tally Man.” For him, she is not a survivor but simply the one that got away.

Just $1.99 at Amazon

DECEPTIVE PRACTICES: Do you have a cheating spouse? Has counseling failed? Want to get even? Then hire Infidelity Limited to teach them a lesson. That’s the pitch Olivia Shaw bought into. When her husband is killed, she discovers that Infidelity Limited is far more dangerous than she ever believed. Now the prime suspect in her husband’s slaying, she has only one option—take down Infidelity Limited.

Just $1.99 at Amazon

NO SHOW: Englishman Terry Sheffield has just arrived in San Francisco to start his new life with Sarah, the investigative journalist he married after a transatlantic love affair. But Sarah never shows up at the airport… When Terry reports his wife as missing, the police chalk it up to a new bride with cold feet. Then one murdered woman after another turns up, all with something in common: they had exposed scandals just before their deaths…and their names appear on a list that Sarah composed. As a journalist, Sarah’s exposed her share of scandals, and Terry realizes that she’s not missing—she’s on the run. To find her before the killer does, Terry must explore the dark recesses of his new homeland and rely on the help of some new friends. But as his search brings him closer to finding Sarah, Terry realizes she’s very different from the woman he thought he married.

Just $0.99 at Amazon

If you’ve not tried any of my books before this might be the place to start.  For my long time readers, I hope you’ll continue to support my books and me.  Please as always share this post and share often.  Thanks for reading.

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Rache Ist Bitter, the German edition of Deceptive Practices, launches today!  The plot goes a little like this…

Über Nacht steht Olivias Leben plötzlich Kopf: Ihr Mann kam gewaltsam zu Tode und sie steht unter dringendem Tatverdacht. Sie wollte ihrem untreuen Ehemann nur einen Denkzettel verpassen lassen und hatte in ihrer Wut eine dubiose Firma beauftragt. Jetzt ist sie in einem Netz aus Erpressung und Mord gefangen.

Mit einem hartnäckigen Cop dicht auf den Fersen, bleibt Olivia nur eine Möglichkeit: Sie muss das Komplott aufdecken, wenn sie ihren Kopf rechtzeitig aus der Schlinge ziehen will. Oder ist es dafür schon zu spät?

This represents my fifth German book, so I’m very grateful to my editors and readers who’ve embraced the books.

I hope you’ll share the news with your German speaking friends…

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I can reveal the cover and the jacket copy for Rache Ist Bitter, the German edition of Deceptive Practices. The plot goes a little like this…

Über Nacht steht Olivias Leben plötzlich Kopf: Ihr Mann kam gewaltsam zu Tode und sie steht unter dringendem Tatverdacht. Sie wollte ihrem untreuen Ehemann nur einen Denkzettel verpassen lassen und hatte in ihrer Wut eine dubiose Firma beauftragt. Jetzt ist sie in einem Netz aus Erpressung und Mord gefangen.

Mit einem hartnäckigen Cop dicht auf den Fersen, bleibt Olivia nur eine Möglichkeit: Sie muss das Komplott aufdecken, wenn sie ihren Kopf rechtzeitig aus der Schlinge ziehen will. Oder ist es dafür schon zu spät?

The book launches august 15th. I hope you’ll share the news with your German speaking friends…

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February is a bumper month for bargain books.  Amazon has gone to town with a whole host promotional offers on my books!!  Brace yourself.  Here they all are!!

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Zoë and Holli’s Vegas road trip goes wrong when they’re abducted. Zoë escapes leaving Holli behind. A year later and still tortured with guilt, Zoë latches on to a murder that eerily resembles her abduction. Her attempts to find justice for Holli brings her to the attention of the “Tally Man.” For him, she is not a survivor but simply the one that got away.

The ebook is 99c and the trade paperback is $5.99.

DECEPTIVE PRACTICES: Do you have a cheating spouse?  Has counseling failed?  Want to get even?  Then hire Infidelity Limited to teach them a lesson.  That’s the pitch Olivia Shaw bought into.  When her husband is killed, she discovers that Infidelity Limited is far more dangerous than she ever believed.  Now the prime suspect in her husband’s slaying, she has only one option—take down Infidelity Limited.

The ebook is $1.99 in the US and £1.00 in the UK.

TERMINATED: Gwen Farris crossed the wrong coworker when she gave Stephen Tarbell a poor evaluation.  That was all it took to push Tarbell over the edge.  He already believes Gwen stole the promotion that was rightfully his.  He won’t let her take anything else from him.  Now it’s his turn to take…and take.  By the time he’s finished with her, Tarbell plans to take her job, her family—even her life.

The ebook is 99c in the US.

I hope you’ll take advantage of these offers.  And if you’ve never read any of my books, this might be the perfect time to start.  Enjoy!!

 

Categories: book of the month shelf life

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Wood-DeceptivePractices-21703-CV-FT-C3r5My DECEPTIVE PRACTICES blog tour has taken me far and wide…cyber speaking.  Here’s some of the places it’s taken me to.  Please enjoy!

Jungle Red Writers – I discuss looking for strange in the world.

Femme Fatales – I discuss having a curiosity for the weird.

Mystery Readers International – I discuss the new book and divine intervention.

The Big Thrill – an interview.

Authornomics – an interview.

Donna Warner – I discuss being a bit of a Walter Mitty.

Just Talking Books – Review!

Book Likes – Review!

Categories: book of the month new book shelf life

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Dru’s Book MusingsWood-DeceptivePractices-21703-CV-FT-C3r5 has a neat feature on her site.  Instead of having interviewing authors about their books, she invites them to write a day in the life of their characters of a book character. So Roy from DECEPTIVE PRACTICES wants to make you an offer you should really refuse.  Please enjoy this especially written story–A sit-down with Roy from Infidelity Limited!

 

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playlist-barrygruff-1My frustrated DJ is emerging and as I’ve done with my last few books, I’ve created a playlist for my heroine Olivia Shaw from DECEPTIVE PRACTICES.  Olivia’s playlist is pretty dark as she’s a woman under the gun, not surprising considering her clear and present danger. This mix tape is the kind of thing Roy at Infidelity Limited would send her just to unsettle her that little bit more.

If you’ve read the book, these songs will make a lot of sense and if you haven’t, it should give you an inkling as to what to expect.

So here’s what’s on her playlist:

1.       Dangerous woman” –  Ariana Grande

2.       Grounds for divorce” – Elbow

3.       How we operate” – Gomez

4.       Cheating” –   John Newman

5.       Pound Of Flesh Regina Spektor.

6.       Band of goldFreda Payne

7.       GamblerKenny Rogers

8.       Baby did a bad bad thingChris Issak

9.       ShakedownELO

10.   Fire– The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

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Wood-DeceptivePractices-21703-CV-FT-C3r5I am happy to announce that my new thriller DECEPTIVE PRACTICES is here to deceive you because it is launch day!!!!  The back jacket blurb goes a little like this:

“Do you have a cheating spouse?  Has counseling failed?  Want to get even with them?  Then hire Infidelity Limited to teach them a lesson…

“Olivia Shaw grew up poor on the wrong side of the tracks, but with her thriving real estate practice and a solid marriage, her life finally feels stable . . . until she discovers her husband is cheating. Enraged, her sister offers a solution: Infidelity Limited, a firm that promises to rough up her husband and scare him straight.

“Overnight, Olivia’s life is upended as she, like all of Infidelity Limited’s clients, is drawn into a dark web of blackmail and murder. Now, Olivia is emerging as a prime suspect in her husband’s death. As a dogged detective closes in,  she has only one option—take down Infidelity Limited before it’s too late.”

DECEPTIVE PRACTICES is the fourth and final book in the BAY AREA QUARTET. It’s a series based on location and DECEPTIVE PRACTICES is the East Bay installment.

4-title-bay-area

It’s available in paperback, as an eBook, on CD and as an audio download.  I hope you like it and please, please, please, spread the word by sharing this post and annoying family, friends and strangers.  Word of mouth is everything. World domination can’t happen without you!!  So please join in and do you bit.  🙂

Thanks for listening.

 

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4-title-bay-area

DECEPTIVE PRACTICES comes out November 15. Not only is it a new book but it’s also the fourth and final installment of the Bay Area Quartet. The series wasn’t linked by character but by location. I wanted to explore my environment so I broke the Bay Area into four sections and put a book there. DECEPTIVE PRACTICES explores the East Bay (my neck of the woods). The other books in the series being PAYING THE PIPER (San Francisco), WE ALL FALL DOWN (Marin County) and TERMINATED (Alameda).

I hope you’ll check out DECEPTIVE PRACTICES and the other books in the series.

Categories: book of the month new book

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