The Reading Frenzy: #GIVEAWAY Author Guest Post Duplicity by Shawn Wilson

Today is my stop on the Duplicity blog tour, read the author guest post, be sure and visit all the stops and don't forget to enter the #Giveaway at the end.
Enjoy!

Duplicity

by Shawn Wilson

October 31 - November 25, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

This was not the homecoming Brick envisioned.

After the trauma of his last case, and after three months spent recovering in Ireland, life is looking up for newly retired homicide detective Brian (Brick) Kavanagh. Back home in Washington, D.C., a new job shows promise when he’s asked to train criminology students in cold case techniques.

Then he’s off to a whirlwind weekend in Chicago with Nora, an Aer Lingus flight attendant he’d met in Ireland. There he receives shocking news that his former partner’s wife and twin infants have been kidnapped. Brick rushes to D.C. to support Ron, the man who’s always had his back—but as days pass, Brick questions how well he really knows this man.

Brick’s cold case—the unsolved hit-and-run death of a college student—is heating up. Brick finds gaping holes in the original investigation. Is it possible diplomatic immunity granted someone a “get-out-of-jail-free card”?

Meanwhile, Ron’s family tragedy unfolds in a most bizarre manner, and the escalating cold case points to D.C. corruption at the highest level. Things are getting complicated . . . very complicated . . . and dangerous.

Praise for Duplicity:

"...it’s a cracking good time. One doesn’t have to be a mystery fan to relish this."

Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Duplicity is a compelling read with depth and a protagonist you’ll want to spend more time with. I’ll be first in line to see what’s next for Brick Kavanagh!”

David Putnam, bestselling author of the Bruno Johnson crime series

"...you’re in for an engrossing and entertaining read.”

Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author

"Duplicity is a delightful, twisty thriller featuring a hero it’s impossible not to love… I raced through the pages ‘til three a.m. rooting for him to succeed.”

Matt Witten, author The Necklace

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: October 2022
Number of Pages: 256
ISBN: 9781608095100 (ISBN10: 160809510X)
Series: The Brick Kavanagh Series, 2 | Each is a Stand Alone Mystery
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

“The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.”
Proverbs 12:5

September 2013 Inishmore, Ireland

Chapter 1

Brick Kavanagh stepped to the edge of the cliff and watched the waves crash against the rocks. He closed his eyes, hoping this sight would be seared in his brain the same way his mind tended to store images from twenty years of being a cop.

During all those years with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., he didn’t recognize the emotional toll the job was taking. But there was no denying the price he paid after the devastating conclusion of his last homicide case. How to deal with the aftermath of a case that became so personal? The sage advice of bar owner Eamonn Boland provided the answer—a one-way ticket to Ireland. He figured he’d probably be there for a week, maybe two. Now, with his stay closing in on ninety days, he needed to leave or be in violation of the country’s visa-free travel regulations.

Brick fumbled in his pocket for the slip of paper Eamonn had given to him before he left D.C. It was wrinkled and the ink was smudged but it didn’t matter; he almost knew the quote by heart.

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether to sail or to watch it—we are going back from whence we came.”

When Brick first arrived, the words John F. Kennedy delivered to the America’s Cup crew didn’t have much significance for him. But the longer he stayed, the more they resonated. Spending time in a place surrounded by the ocean had a cleansing and calming effect he hadn’t expected. He was grateful he would be leaving in a much healthier state of mind than when he had arrived.

Brick checked his watch. He still had time to take in one last view from Dun Aengus. He made his way to the prehistoric fort, being careful not to photobomb any of the selfie-taking tourists along the way. He didn’t feel like a tourist himself anymore as he stood on the highest point of the cliffs. He looked in every direction absorbing the breathtaking panorama before he fell in step with the others making their way in the direction back to the boat dock.

Dark clouds were now blocking the sun and the wind had picked up. In the three months Brick had been here, he had gotten used to the weather changing quickly. Part of the charm, although it would probably mean a choppy ferry ride back to Rossaveal. For the sense of tranquility he had experienced, forty minutes of rocking and rolling was a small price to pay. Standing on the upper deck of the boat, Brick watched as Inishmore became shrouded in fog.

* * *

It was after six o’clock when Brick arrived back in Galway. He was starving and knew where he wanted to have his farewell dinner. He headed to Gaffney’s, a small pub that served the best lamb stew he had ever eaten. Tonight, he would be dining alone, but when he was here previously, he had had dinner with a woman he met earlier in the week at Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop on Middle Street. Nora Breslin introduced herself after a brief conversation in which they discussed a book of poetry by Seamus Heaney. Upon hearing her name, Brick jokingly asked if she was related to Jimmy Breslin. Surprisingly, he was a distant cousin and the well-timed question led to more conversation about the legendary American journalist and his connection to Son of Sam. With the bookstore about to close, the nearby pub provided the perfect place to continue talking over a pint of Guinness and a view of the swans on the River Corrib.

Two nights later, they met again for dinner at Gaffney’s. Unfortunately, plans for a trip together to Dublin got derailed when Nora, a flight attendant with Aer Lingus, had to unexpectedly fill in for a colleague. Before leaving, she suggested getting together on the other side of the Atlantic since her regular assignment was the Shannon-to-O’Hare route. Would it happen? Brick wasn’t sure, but he had enjoyed the brief time they had spent together. One thing he had learned recently was that it’s far better to appreciate what was, than anticipate what might be.

Brick seated himself at a small table with his back to the wall so that he could have an unobstructed view of the restaurant. Some habits die hard; some never do. When the waitress approached with silverware and a menu, he placed his order. She returned shortly with a pint of Guinness. Brick would never mention this to Eamonn or his nephew Rory when he got back home, but the Guinness seemed to taste better here than what they served at Boland’s Mill. Then again, maybe it was his imagination. He’d chalk it up to that. Boland’s Mill. As long as tomorrow’s flight wasn’t delayed, Brick figured he’d probably be having dinner there and thanking Eamonn for suggesting—well, insisting—that time away from D.C. wasn’t an option, it was a necessity. The old man knew what he was talking about, but now it was up to Brick to figure out what to do next. He was young, forty-two, owned his condo, and his pension from the police department would be enough to pay the bills and keep food on his table, but Brick was a live-to-work, not a work-to-live kind of guy. Aside from an email he had received from the Assistant Director of the School of Public Affairs at Abraham Lincoln University, regarding a project involving graduate students attempting to solve a cold case, he didn’t have any other employment prospects. He would check it out, but it didn’t sound like his forte. Working a cold case was right in his wheelhouse but teaching a group of college kids would be a whole lot different than mentoring a detective newly assigned to the Homicide Squad.

One thing was for sure—he wasn’t going to figure it out tonight so he might as well just savor the stew the waitress placed in front of him. Maybe he would suggest to Eamonn that the chef at Boland’s should consider adding barley to their lamb stew recipe. Maybe he should consider an entirely new career and enroll in culinary school. On second thought, for the sake of the dining public, probably not a good idea. Best to leave cooking to the pros. That’s why he frequented Boland’s Mill far more often than the Giant or Safeway.

Brick wasn’t about to waste a slice of brown bread. He used it to soak up the last of the herb gravy on his plate.

“Another Guinness?” the waitress asked as she cleared the table. “No thanks, just the check when you get a chance.”

Brick took the long way back to his airbnb. Most of the shops were closed, but the bookstore was open for another half hour and he needed something to read for tomorrow’s flight back to Washington. After browsing for a few minutes at a shelf displaying a number of books by contemporary Irish authors, he chose an autographed copy of The Guards by Galway-born Ken Bruen. Even though he had to leave the west coast of Ireland, at least he could be there vicariously by reading about it.

***

JUST WHEN YOU THINK IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN . . .

by Shawn Wilson

For a very long time, my goal was to write a novel that would be traditionally published. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t going to happen. I was okay with that . . . well, sort of. After all, I was a produced playwright and I had other creative outlets, such as knitting and quilting. Better to hang a quilt on the wall than a rejection letter.

Long before email and Facebook connected us to the world, I corresponded with domestic and foreign pen pals. Since the local library was the main source of entertainment in the small upstate New York town where I grew up, I had to use creative writing skills to make life seem more interesting than it really was. I loved writing letters and even liked researching and writing term papers for school assignments.

After graduating from Averett College in Danville, Virginia, I accepted a job with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. One job led to another and during those early years, I earned a B.S. Degree in Administration of Justice from American University. Always a student, I took numerous continuing education courses in various writing disciplines. My bookshelves were filled with reference books relating to how to write a novel. As a mystery fan, I knew that was what I wanted to write and years of working with cops and the courts gave me plenty of material. But I didn’t tap into those memories. Instead, I created an amateur female sleuth who owned a stationery store and wrote letters for individuals who sought her assistance. In doing so, she would get involved and ultimately solve a mystery.

I knew from attending lots of writers’ conferences that it was difficult to get published without an agent, and difficult to find an agent without being published. With a finished manuscript, I queried several agents who represented “cozies.” Some queries were never acknowledged and some included encouraging comments. None offered representation.

Following the advice I had heard many times, I started working on another manuscript. This time an historically-based police procedural featuring a female detective. Researching life in pre-World War II Washington, D.C. was fascinating and incorporating those details added authenticity to the story. I sent out query letters and spoke with agents and publishers at conferences. Some requested sample chapters and the full manuscript but none offered representation or publication.

It was decision time. Do I stay with this character and write another story? I did find writing a police procedural much more to my liking than an amateur sleuth, but something about the female protagonist didn’t feel right. I decided to scrap the character and the historical setting. The result was very different. In my third attempt I captured the gritty reality of years spent in testosterone-driven environments. Surprisingly, with a male veteran homicide detective as the protagonist, I found my voice. The process began anew—writing, re-writing, submitting to an independent editor, re-writing, re-submitting and more re-writing.

After previous attempts seeking representation or publication, I knew the drill. I sent out query letters and waited. I registered for mystery conferences and checked the attendee lists to see which agents and publishers I would try to meet. Despite the networking, my goal of getting published remained elusive.

In 2018, I attended Bouchercon in St. Petersburg, Florida. Rather than set myself up for disappointment, I decided to just explore a place where I’d never been, visit with friends, and most of all, relax. Little did I know that a conversation over a cup of tea in the hospitality suite would change my life. It was interesting to hear about Helaine Mario’s series character, Maggie O’Shea. As we chatted, she told me about her publisher, Oceanview Publishing. She suggested I attend their presentation and introduce myself. I did and after briefly describing my manuscript, I was invited to submit sample chapters.

That November, I met friends at the huge international quilt show in Houston. Thinking about hibernating during the approaching Chicago winter, I added to my fabric stash. With a much heavier suitcase, I headed to the airport for my flight home. While waiting to board, I checked my email. Based on my initial submission, Oceanview was requesting the full manuscript. A few weeks later, Pat and Bob Gussin called to discuss what would become Relentless. On December 21, 2018, I signed a contract with Oceanview Publishing.

It was an extremely cold winter in Chicago, and I spent lots of time in front of the computer, not the sewing machine. But eventually I put some of that fabric to good use—a baby quilt for my Pilates trainer. At forty-four, she was thrilled to be pregnant for the first time.

Just when you think it’s not going to happen . . .

Shawn Wilson (shawnwilsonauthor.com) is the author of Relentless featuring homicide detective Brian (Brick) Kavanagh. Duplicity is the second in the series and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Author Bio:

Shawn Wilson is a produced playwright and author of Relentless, the first novel in the Brick Kavanagh mystery series. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice from American University in Washington, D.C. and spent over thirty years working for the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Having traveled on five continents, she is very happy to call Chicago home.