Stalking the Hill
an Annelise Elliot mystery thriller
by
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How many of these had he seen over the years? Their bodies always took on a bluish iridescent tone. Pondering what he saw, it dawned on him, the skin seemed to shimmer. Hmm, maybe that was frost developing on skin, he thought. Yes, that made sense. After a few days ice crystals would be forming and clinging, especially to hair. Too bad this one employed inferior methods, not to mention he also lacked the image and fortitude of a dominant male. Three years was an undeniable show of recidivism toward cowardice, vanquishing what could have been a truly rewarding victory. Sadly, the acquisition of this defeated competitor’s trophies would require nothing more than mindless effort. Peering through rising chilly fog at the conquered foe’s frosty appearance, too bad I didn’t know to tell him how much better his skin would look when frozen, he thought. Nope, not really that hungry after all he decided and carelessly pitched the frozen pizza down over a pale frigid face. Polar darkness shrouded the body again as the freezer’s entombing lid was lowered. How annoying, the lid of the freezer had a smudge where a drop or two of body fluid had thawed and run. Maneuvering and positioning bodies had always been messy business. Securing limbs together after the body was frozen this time created less mess, another improvised improvement he mused. He pinched his chin while inventorying scattered tools. The power cord of the electric nail gun dangled from the side of the workbench reminding him that strategies and tools needed to be organized for multiple tasks this weekend. He pulled a box of car cleaning supplies from under the workbench and retrieved a shammy. Taking the spattered nail gun in one hand and filling the other with soft pliable leather, he opened his mouth wide and exhaled a long hot breath while firmly buffing fog from the casing. Satisfied with its renewed clean appearance, he set it aside and went about gathering a crow bar, hammer and other necessities. The neighbor boy would need a safety demonstration of these and other tools in order to help finish shingling the shed out back tomorrow. Planning is the key to balancing one’s life as a champion with necessary but mundane home bound projects, he rehearsed. Yes, phrasing like that sounded good. That’s what he would tell the boy and his friends tomorrow before asking them to tidy up the garage. || Dinner was on the table and I was ready to meet hunger head on with my family. Food was definitely the symbol under which we all gathered for consolation and unloading the junk of our days. Devyn was home in plenty of time to antagonize Lindsey as they set the dining room table together. The aroma wafting from the oven was enticing and the sound of water cracking ice in glasses refreshing. Perhaps the sight and smell of a good home cooked meal would mollify the angst of our teens tonight. A timeless tradition of our home, Michael and I decided early on that our family would dine together in a room other than the kitchen. Dinner was not a casual theme, rather it was accepting those who joined hands, prayed and ate together. The kids didn’t know of any other way to do a meal and so, as they grew up, the high chairs were replaced by simple chairs, later replaced by elegant chairs; the dishes always real, not paper and gold rimmed china on holidays for all, regardless of age. Their friends were treated with the same acceptance and amenities, enjoyed meals in our home, complimented by the cloth napkins, real dishes and the occasional scented candle. The buffet was frequently decorated with birthday and holiday cards, vacation pictures and sometimes colorful holiday decor, to enhance table talk.
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About the Book
Where do government agents go when they retire? What new lives do they make for themselves? Do the perps they put away ever show up to trouble them again? The residents of Wyndom Acres hide the answers to these questions on the hill. The first book of the hill series is titled, ‘Stalking the Hill’’. Its prologue tosses a bone to readers as to why our heroine, Annelise Elliot, is no longer a government agent actively in the field. Instead, Annelise is protecting a picture perfect community of retired government agents when a philosophical serial killer moves in. Our bad boy is eliminating his stalker competitors by freezing them and their intended victims as trophies. His next target is a stalker who’s actively pursuing one of Annelise Elliot’s neighbors. This is the killer’s biggest mistake. Annelise willingly becomes the bait necessary to coax her neighbor’s stalker to the surface. When the accused stalker is discovered dead and his victim disappears; neighbors, friends, police and even her husband become suspects. Annelise and her retired DEA, ATF and FBI buddies uncloak a bane psychopath whose acrimonious methodology is more menacing than the killer who caused her early retirement. The book series is about Annelise Elliot; who wants to be a champion for stalker victims. She’s begun solving crimes again and is constantly challenged by the curiosity of fellow agents and neighbors, while secretly publishing books about her adventures. Using the pen name Sarah Karyn and the aid of publisher and friend Paula Vander Lynn, Annelise recoups investigation costs and maintains a healthy community member image. Aside from the villains she captures, there’s always one particular FBI agent with an agenda to stop her story telling.
About the Author
Why the pen name?
Sarah Karyn is not only the pen name used by Annelise Elliot, the heroin of The Hill book series; it’s my pen name too. I am The Hill series creator, Beth Johnson. Over the course of twelve years, I’ve been involved in the production of computer products, including professional manuals of all kinds. Now that I’m retired, I’m ready to convince you and avid mystery readers that the best adventure choice is to track down killers with Annelise Elliot.
Editors Marybeth Lightfoot and Melodee Schmidtlien are opinionated, caring and want to see this book series succeed. Marybeth used to work for Hallmark and says she’s now retired; except for helping me. She knows the mystery and romance book markets, keeps tabs on how I’m developing characters and plot lines, and is married to a police detective. Melodee is a technical editor whose expertise is split between music and professional medical journals etc. She says being involved with fiction is fun because she and her husband are selective mystery readers.
Editors go beyond auditing the use of commas and quotation marks. A design document is generated to direct the plot line, introduction of characters and deployment of clues. Descriptive details and dialogs of reoccurring characters are compared to their predetermined personality profiles. Editors also check for behavioral consistencies of characters, directional relativity of movement within the map of Wyndom Acres, and scrutinize the placement of clues. We test the quality of dialog and actions of characters by issuing sample chapters to real police officers and medical professionals before final assembly. Once a manuscript is fully assembled, book clubs are solicited to evaluate it. We track the age, profession and interests of each reader, record their opinions and adjust text when we’re convinced their input justifies book purchases.