Round 2 with Lachesis Publishing author, Jacqui Morrison Jacqui has written a suspense thriller for Lachesis Publishing – The Vigilante. Her book delves into the gritty underpinnings of society.

What was your favourite book as a child and why?

The Nancy Drew Series. Nancy had it all, a great boyfriend, good friends, and she solved mysteries.

Who was your favourite teacher growing up and why?

Mrs. Hawley, she was an English teacher at my high school. She ran the creative writing club and strongly encouraged me to continue writing after I finished school. I reconnected with Mrs. Hawley when she was in her late 70s and we visited once or twice a year.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Why?

I morphed into becoming a writer. As a youth I wanted to be: a lawyer, a travel agent, a hotel manager, a journalist and an entrepreneur. I wrote a weekly newspaper column for two years in the mid-nineties. Then I did some paid business articles and I had a short story published. It was not until Lachesis Publishing published my first novel that I called myself a writer. Now, in an obscure way, I can do all of the professions that I dreamed about as a teenager, through my prose.

Who in the writing/publishing world do you admire and why?

Writer extraordinaire Jodi Picoult is admirable because she writes books on brave topics. After I’d read any of her books I think about the moral implications for weeks afterwards.

Tell us about your daily writing routine – what do you typically do every day?

I’m a nighthawk. I write after dinner for about an hour. I’ll then spend weekends writing until one or two in the morning. I know writing late into the night isn’t healthy but that’s when the magic happens for me.

What is your favourite snack or guilty pleasure food that you (may or may not indulge in when writing?

Cappuccino and chocolate

What does “writing voice” mean to you? Describe your own writing voice.

I write in third person omniscient and I try to incorporate my own personality into my writing voice through humour, quirkiness and by playing with turns of phrases.

What do you want to accomplish in the next five years in your writing career?

I want to do more speaking engagements (book talks) and write more books

Tis the season to be jolly. What is your favourite thing to do over the holidays?

I have a wonderful two-year-old granddaughter and I will be spending time with her over the holidays, reading books together, watching movies and enjoying ourselves.

Shortbread cookies or gingerbread cookies?

Neither – sorry – Chocolate Yule Log that my mom used to make

Connect with Jacqui Morrison on her web site, and on facebook and twitter.

You can purchase Jacqui’s books on the Lachesis Publishing site. You can purchase The Vigilante on amazon.

Follow Lachesis Publishing on twitter and like our facebook page.

Today’s sneak peek is from the suspense thriller The Vigilante, by Jacqui Morrison.

What it’s about:

It isn’t safe for men who work in the porn business in the city of Toronto.

When porn producer Sal Turbit is found dead in his apartment, no one seems to care. No one, that is, except Detective Lynette Wilton. Lynette has been a homicide detective for only three months, and has yet to earn her stripes. Murder is murder no matter who the victim is—and Lynette is out to catch a killer.  Could the killer be Wanda Chambers, a mentally ill woman who hates the “scumbags” who prey on the vulnerable? Wanda’s beloved sister, Cathy, was one such woman. Cathy became a porn actress and then took her own life when her sleazy manager/boyfriend, Gil Lee, wouldn’t let her go.

Lynette’s sergeant doesn’t think it’s possible. Wanda has a debilitating illness. But Lynette believes that Wanda’s hatred and harsh childhood make her a prime suspect, and she proves it by catching Wanda in the act of attempting to shoot Lee.

Renowned defense lawyer Maxine Swayman takes on Wanda’s case; Maxine has a different view of the accused. She wants to help Wanda get the help that she needs, and it’s not going to happen in a prison cell.

As the trial proceeds, will Maxine prevail and save Wanda, or will Lynette be able to tie Wanda to Turbit’s murder as well?

Morrison knows how to create suspense! She brings readers on a roller-coaster ride that leaves you breathless from start to finish! —Trey Anthony, star and producer “Da Kink in Da Hair”

EXCERPT:

“Hey,” Sal said, “come on in. You’re right on time. Good to meet ya.” He left the visitor in the living room of his shabby apartment in a grungy, low-rent building, and slipped into the kitchen. The metallic pop of a beer bottle opening echoed in the other room. Then another.

Six empty beer bottles, a heaping ashtray, and assorted marijuana paraphernalia were already strewn across his table. The grandfather clock struck four times. Sal stumbled back into the room. “I got you a beer.”

Glassy-eyed, Sal said, “I’ve got lots of great products for you to move today.” He showed the visitor the cover of a DVD. “This one is new. It’ll sell out. She’s a real sweet thing. Told me she was eighteen ’n had the ID to prove it. Likely just some little tramp from nowhere-ville. Came to the big, bad city for excitement––”

The metal felt cool as the visitor pulled out a gun.

“What the hell?” Sal screamed, just before the bullet penetrated his skull.

He fell onto the sofa, blood oozing out the back of his head. His face was contorted, almost angry looking. Certainly surprised.

The spent cartridge from the handgun ricocheted against a metal garbage can––reminiscent of the pop of a beer cap––and then landed on the carpet.

The murderer studied the victim’s splayed body, feeling a sense of elation and satisfaction. Out came a Swiss Army knife, and the killer wordlessly hacked off a section of Sal’s hair, stuffed it into a small plastic bag, and then threw it into a knapsack. The killer then picked up the half-spilled beer that Sal had been handing over when the shot was fired. Perfect. Grinning, the murderer chugged the beer, retrieved the spent cartridge, and smugly looked at Sal Turbit’s still body, now surrounded by pooling blood.

Still wearing leather gloves, the murderer put the beer bottle and hot metal bullet charge into a knapsack and fled, smiling, into the dense night.

Like what you’ve read? Click here to purchase The Vigilante.

You can also get The Vigilante. on amazon, barnes and noble, kobo, and itunes.

Connect with author Jacqui Morrison online on her web site and on facebook and twitter.

Follow Lachesis Publishing on twitter and like our Lachesis Publishing facebook page.