Excerpt #1:
Her best friend, Sadie English, who had been waiting for her return, giggled. “I’ve heard about catching diseases from public toilets, but I’ve never heard about catching a man.” A sly expression crossed her sweet face, and she extended her hand to Connor. “Hello, I’m Sadie. What apple cart did you fall off of?” She tossed her head of burgundy pink-tipped curls and her stylishly trimmed eyebrows pitched up over curious brown eyes.
Connor rolled his eyes as he took the stool next to Jessica. “Name’s Con.” He shook her hand. “Both lawyers?”
Sadie burst out laughing. “Hell, no. I enjoy my life. You won’t find me trapped in some windowless office working sixty hours a week. I’m into bagels.” Sadie pointed at the tee shirt she was wearing, bearing the words, bagels are my everything.
Con made a face. “Bagels?”
Sadie grinned. “My family owns Bagels & More. We make twenty kinds of bagels daily.”
Jessica nodded. “Not just bagels, but bagelwiches and bagel cakes and stuffed bagels. My favorite is the egg-in-the-hole bagel.”
Connor studied Sadie. “I think I know your father. Tall, thin, gray hair? Name of Jeb?”
Sadie stared at him. “How the heck do you know my father? I’ve never seen you in the store and believe me, I’d remember.”
“St. Ben’s Social Justice Committee. I’m the chair.”
Sadie’s jaw dropped. “You’re the guy with the traveling justice center? The guy who got kicked out of the seminary and became a lawyer?”
“Or, as your father claims, got dumped into the devil’s lair.”
Sadie bounced up and down on her stool, her eyes wide with excitement. “My God, I can’t believe it.” She grabbed onto Jessica to steady herself. “Jess, this is the guy I told you about. He travels around Milwaukee County offering legal services to the unhoused. In an old food truck.” She bounced again. “And you have a motorcycle. You’re a biker. Not that kind of biker, but a member of God’s Warriors. You guys are amazing. You do so much good, but in secret.” Sadie pounded on Jessica’s back. “I can’t believe he’s that guy.”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed, and she stared at Con. “She’s kidding, right? You’re not Saint Con.” She shook her head in disbelief. Even she had heard of the guy. She nudged Sadie. “Trust me, he’s no saint. He hit on me.”
Excerpt #2:
The reverend stopped and pointed at Long. “Now, you see there? That shitty attitude will get you nowhere. Innocent until proven guilty, though I can hardly wait to hear what crime you’re wanting to charge an eighty-year-old woman with.” He shook his head. “Shameful.”
Long pulled out his phone and gestured to the man. “Allow me to show you, sir.” Long pointed to the map on his screen. “A man has gone missing, and the family tracked his phone to this address. So, either the guy is in her home or somehow, she took possession of his phone. The blinking icon tells me the phone is currently in use.”
The reverend frowned. “May I ask who’s missing?”
Long hesitated, so Washington spoke. “That street lawyer guy. The one they call Saint Con.”
“Connor O’Brien? When did this happen? I haven’t heard anything.”
Long shrugged. “Above my pay grade, I believe. I just found out when his phone was tracked.”
The preacher grasped Long’s shoulder. “Connor is well-known in these parts. Let’s find out what Miss Flora knows.” He stepped onto the well-worn porch and knocked on the door. “Miss Flora, it’s Reverend Bingham. Can we speak?”
The door opened slowly and an elderly woman, her white hair shooting from her scalp in wire-like spirals, peered at the people at the door. She pushed up her glasses and sniffed. “Good gracious, Pastor, I’m not fit for company. I haven’t even put my wig on yet.”
The minister smiled, his deep brown eyes regarding her with amusement. “This isn’t a social call, Miss Flora, so there’s no need to spiff up that beautiful face. These men have a few questions for you and they’re important.”
Miss Flora screwed up her face. “About what? I ain’t done nothing.”
Rev. Bingham snorted. “When a retired schoolteacher slips into black speak, you can’t help but believe she’s guilty of something.”
Washington gazed at the woman. “Please, ma’am, a man’s life may be at stake.”
“What man.? Is it someone I know?” She avoided looking the officer in the eye.
“Connor O’Brien, ma’am. They call him Saint Con. The lawyer with the food truck.” Long fumbled with his phone and brought up a photo of Connor. “This man? Do you know him?”
Miss Flora’s expression softened. “Con is missing?” She slapped a hand over her mouth and her eyes widened in horror, but said nothing.
The minister stiffened, but inquired gently, “Miss Flora, his phone was tracked to your home. Now, why would you have his phone?”
The old woman emitted a sad sigh, and her eyes filled with tears. “Googly gave it to me. Said Mr. Speaks found it somewhere and told him to pass it on to me.” Her face crumbled. “Tell me Googly did nothing wrong. I’ve worked so hard to keep him out of trouble.”
“Miss Flora, you go get that phone. Let me talk to these officers.”
It began as a way to relieve the stress of a career as a lawyer/journalist and dealing with MS “on the side.” Writing has always been my outlet and the best way to break away from reality for a bit was to write romance. Plus, I love happy endings. I get rather emotional (yes, I’m a crier) but it’s a wonderful release.
I adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a lawyer, a bad boy, a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me! However, they have to be paired with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love. And brains over brawn, every time!
It all began when I woke up to an AMBER and SENIOR alert on my phone. For some reason, I began to wonder why I never saw an alert for an able-bodied adult gone missing. I did a little research and found that in WI, only proof of harm or the passage of 72 hours will trigger a missing person’s investigation. The burden of finding an able-bodied adult falls on friends and family. That just seems wrong, because most people don’t have the skill or resources to conduct an investigation. However, as you learn from crime shows, the first 72 hours are critical to gathering evidence and finding a missing person. Suddenly, I had the plot, and I knew I wanted to incorporate a character I had been playing with, a street lawyer for the homeless. “Saint Con” was born.
Q. You pretty much use lawyers as your main characters. Why?
It’s what I know. After 30 years, the law and the legal world are so firmly embedded in my brain that I can’t flush them out. That has become the lens through which I view the world and that naturally guides my characters and plots. Injustice infuriates me, but it also leads me to great stories. Even in this book, I find a way to explore social and criminal justice issues.
Thanks so much for hosting St. Con today!
ReplyDeleteThe cover is gorgeous and the synopsis and excerpts intriguing, Saint Con sounds like a thrilling read and I am looking forward to it. Thank you for sharing your guest post, bio and book details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work
ReplyDeleteI like the cover. Looks great. This story sounds really interesting.
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