Samantha Gentry's Blog: mystery/romantic suspense

Sunday, December 3, 2023

SECRETS FROM THE PAST—character interview

This week, I'm welcoming to my blog Shelby Haywood and Cameron Pierce, the main characters in SECRETS FROM THE PAST, a sensual mystery/romantic suspense—my new release from The Wild Rose Press.

Welcome Shelby and Cameron. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to be here with us today.

Shelby: It's our pleasure.

Cam: Thanks for inviting us. So…what's on your mind?

Well, I'm curious about several things. Why would Shelby suddenly pack up and leave her lifetime home city of San Francisco and move to Seattle, a city where she didn't know anyone, for a job contract that was just a one year special project? And Cameron, why all the rumors about the mysterious past of someone wealthy and powerful who's known worldwide as a patron of the arts and for his support of many charitable causes?

Let's start with you, Shelby. You were born in San Francisco and had lived there your whole life when you suddenly picked up and moved to Seattle to take a job as a consultant with Pierce Industries on a one year project. That seems like an abrupt change to your life and for something that was temporary.

Shelby: It wasn't as abrupt as it sounds. [Cam takes her hand in a show of support] My husband of ten years had died in a fall down the stairs in our house. Even though I had proof that I wasn't home at the time, the police had investigated, and the medical examiner ruled it an accidental death, my former in-laws harassed me non-top for the next four years, blaming me for his death. And the Haywoods usually got what they wanted. They believe the rules and the law doesn't apply to them.

Cam: The Haywoods have been prominent in San Francisco for several generations, powerful and wealthy. I had never met Shelby before she started the consultant's job with my company. My executive vice-president negotiated her contract. I wasn't aware that she was associated with those Haywoods. I was naturally curious about why she would move from San Francisco to Seattle to accept a temporary job that only lasted one year. And then two weeks after she began work, I started receiving threatening anonymous letters. Coincidence? I wasn't sure.

Shelby: It seemed that Cam had become the focus of some sort of a dangerous situation that included attempts on his life.

Cam: And when one of those attempts injured Shelby, I knew I had to do everything I could to protect her from being caught up in the danger that seemed to suddenly be surrounding me for reasons unknown.

What steps did you take to protect her? And what about you? As you were the target of the threats, you were still in danger. Did you consider leaving town, maybe leaving the state?

Cam: You mean go into hiding? No. I have a large international corporation to run and thousands of people depending on me for their income. I can't simply pick up and go into hiding. I did insist that Shelby move into my house. I have an excellent security system. She would be able to work from my home office.

And did that resolve the problem of her safety?

Cam: No. She thanked me but turned down my offer.

Shelby: Like Cam, I can't allow my life to be controlled by fear. I did offer him another avenue, one that hadn't occurred to me earlier. My best friend in San Francisco has a older brother. The three of us grew up together. He lives in Seattle now and is a professor of criminology at the university. One of the classes he teaches is about profiling. Cam agreed to meet with him to see if he could provide some information about who would be doing this and why. It proved to be a very informative meeting that gave us a whole new avenue to pursue.

That sounds interesting. What did he come up with?

Shelby: [laughs] It's all in the book.

[joins Shelby's laugh] Are you pulling that 'you have to read the book' answer on me?

Shelby: [smiles] So it would seem.

Cam: It turns out that there was a whole lot more going on than anyone ever suspected.

Could you elaborate on that?

Cam: As Shelby said, it's all in the book.

[laughs] I have the feeling that's all I'm going to get out of you.

Shelby: [extends a teasing grin] Maybe you'd like to hear about my first day at kindergarten?

Cam: [laughs] I'm sure you'll enjoy that story.

Well, I see you aren't going to tell me anything more about the secrets from your past, the life-threatening danger that surrounded you, and how it was resolved. How about some information on how you handled a budding romance in the middle of all the turmoil and chaos?

Shelby: It's all—

Cam: —in the book.

[laughs] Thank you Shelby and Cam for being here today.

SECRETS FROM THE PAST, a sensual mystery/romantic suspense published by The Wild Rose Press, www.thewildrosepress.com Veiled threats endanger secrets from Cameron's past and soon escalate to attempts on his life. Shelby has her own secrets that could destroy her future with Cameron…or get them both killed.

BLURB:

After the death of her husband, Shelby Haywood needs to escape the constant harassment from her former in-laws who blame her for his death. When offered a job with Pierce Industries in Seattle, she eagerly accepts but is unprepared for her instant attraction to the company's very desirable owner.

The moment billionaire Cameron Pierce meets Shelby, he knows she's what's been missing from his life. Veiled threats endanger secrets from his past and soon escalate to attempts on his life. When one attempt injures Shelby, he vows to protect her.

Shelby has her own secrets that could destroy her future with Cameron…or get them both killed.

EXCERPT:

Cam placed his hand at the small of her back as he guided her out of the building and toward the parking lot. Tremors of excitement assaulted her senses the moment he made physical contact, then the excitement stalled as it mingled with her feelings of guilt.

“I’ll follow you to your house so you can drop off your car,” his voice broke into her thoughts, “then we’ll go to dinner from there.”

Cam’s gaze quickly but expertly swept the surrounding area. He wrinkled his brow into a slight frown as he pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial for the maintenance department.

“This is Cameron. We have a couple of security lights burned out in the executive parking lot. Could someone please get them replaced as soon as possible?” He listened for a moment before speaking again. “Thanks, that will be fine.” He returned his cell phone to his pocket. “Strange that the two burned out lights would be next to each other. That makes a very large, dark area.”

They stepped off the curb into the darkness, crossing the driveway toward the parking lot and Shelby’s car. The roar of an engine and screeching tires came at them from out of the dark. A hard adrenaline surge shot through Cam. Grabbing Shelby’s arm, he yanked her aside so hard they both fell to the pavement. He held her tightly as he rolled out of the way, taking her with him. The car sped off, barely missing them. It scraped against a signpost on the way out of the parking lot before it disappeared down the street into the night.

Cam cradled Shelby’s trembling body in his arms. His heart pounded as he tried to force his breathing under control. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I…I’m fine.” The quaver in her voice matched the fear on her face. “What about you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, nothing’s broken.” The image from twenty-five years ago suddenly flooded his mind as vividly as when it had happened, the sight of his innocent little six-year-old cousin being cut down by bullets meant for someone else.

SECRETS FROM THE PAST buy links:

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Past-Samantha-Gentry-ebook/dp/B0CJG4CMYX

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1144089246?ean=2940186044321

and other online vendors

Excerpts and other information available on my website www.samanthagentry.com

Visit my blog, a new post on Sundays: https://samanthagentry.blogspot.com

Sunday, November 26, 2023

SECRETS FROM THE PAST—Release Day Monday, November 27, 2023

SECRETS FROM THE PAST, a sensual mystery/romantic suspense, is scheduled for release by The Wild Rose Press on Monday, November 27, 2023.

Veiled threats endanger secrets from Cameron Pierce's past and soon escalate to attempts on his life. Shelby Haywood has her own secrets that could destroy her future with Cameron…or get them both killed. Is their shared heated desire increasing the danger surrounding them?

Cameron Pierce is a self-made billionaire, a man known world-wide for his business acumen, power, and extreme wealth. A man also known for his patronage of the arts and many charitable deeds. And a man with a past clouded in mystery and dark rumors.

Four years ago, Shelby Haywood's husband of ten years died in a fall down a flight of stairs. Even though his death was officially ruled an accident, she's been subjected to the harassment and accusations of her former in-laws who continually accuse her of being somehow responsible for their son's death. The Haywoods are a powerful and very wealthy family whose roots go back several generations in San Francisco. They've never made a secret of the fact that they believe their son married far below his status.

Shelby finally makes the decision to leave her lifetime home town of San Francisco. She signs a contract for a one year project with Pierce Industries in Seattle where she'll be working directly with the dynamic Cameron Pierce.

G-Excerpt #2)

Cameron Pierce read the anonymous letter again, being very careful to handle only the corners of the paper so he wouldn’t disturb any existing fingerprint evidence. I know everything, and I’m going to make you pay.

The fourth threat he had received in as many weeks, this one just as ambiguous as the previous three letters had been. The anonymous threat didn’t contain anything specific. Did it refer to something he, personally, had been accused of doing? Or a problem in one of his companies? And the reference to making him pay…an attempt to extort money or a threat on his life?

He dropped the letter and its envelope into a plastic sleeve, sealed it, and handed it to Tom Jenkins, head of security for Pierce Industries. “Put this one with the others.”

“The last three letters arrived on consecutive Mondays. This is the Friday after the fourth consecutive Monday. When did you receive it?”

Cam glanced around his office, not happy with the sensation of being grilled by his own employee but knowing he had purposely withheld the information. “It came last Monday.”

He directed a stern look at his security chief, putting a stop to what he knew Tom wanted to say. Tom’s expression said he got Cam’s unspoken message.

“Okay, Cam. Where was this one mailed?”

“It has an Edmonds postmark. That makes four letters postmarked from four different locations in the greater Seattle metropolitan area in the last four weeks.”

“I still think they should be turned over to the police. I can call Lt. Crandall and put it on an unofficial personal basis.”

“No…there’s no reason to bother George with this. Men in my position are always receiving meaningless threats. The police have enough real crime to worry about without concerning themselves with crank notes. Besides, the letters are so vague that it’s impossible to determine what they mean, and the writer has never made any specific demands.”

“The threats are coming through the mail. That makes it a federal offense, which would put it in the lap of the FBI. They’re also being mailed from four different law enforcement jurisdictions, possibly an attempt to confuse an investigation.”

“Local or federal, there still isn’t anything specific in the letters that says what the person wants or what I’m supposed to have done. Or, for that matter, if they’re unhappy with me personally or if the vague threat is aimed at one of my companies.”

Cam maintained a casual attitude until Tom left the office. One thing about this mess bothered him more than anything else—the possibility that someone had been able to unravel his past and discover his true identity. For over twenty years there had been unsubstantiated rumors about where he came from before he started his meteoric rise to the top, but no one had ever been able to track down anything before he legally changed his name to Cameron Pierce—not even the fact that it had been the second time he legally changed his name. It was the main reason he refused to involve the police.

Then there was the other thing he didn’t want to acknowledge—the threatening letters started two weeks after Shelby Haywood came to work for him. Could there be a connection? She had worked for Jerry Decker, a point not in her favor. Thirty-four made her too young to have any connection to his deep past. But what about her family? Had either his father or uncle crossed paths with some member of her family, resulting in disaster for her hapless relative? Could that have caused her to seek revenge?