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The Nowhere Girls, a crime thriller by Dana Perry

Guest Post + Excerpt + Book & Author Info + Giveaway!

Don’t miss any blog tour post! Click the link here.

 

 

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The Nowhere Girls

Book 1 in the Detective Nikki Cassidy series

My kid sister was murdered fifteen years ago. Now the killer has struck again. And this time, I’m going to take my revenge…

On the anniversary of her sister’s death, FBI agent Nikki Cassidy takes a call that has her heart pounding in her chest, the image of her beautiful sister Caitlin etched in her mind.

Another girl has been taken.

Days later, the lifeless body of twelve-year-old Natalie Jarvis is found in a remote patch of woodland, a crown of roses delicately placed on her head. Just like Caitlin.

The killer is back.

Nikki rushes to her small hometown of Groveton, Ohio. She will do anything to stop another young girl dying, but she soon realises that nothing is what it seems—everyone in her hometown is keeping a secret. And when a note is discovered near Natalie’s body addressed to Nikki, it’s clear what the murderer really wants: her…

She’s caught killers before, but this time it’s personal. And Nikki will risk everything—even her own life—to get justice for every victim. It’s time to stop this twisted killer, once and for all…

If you love reading Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot, you won’t be able to put down this gripping new series. Full of heart-racing twists and turns, you’ll be hooked!

To purchase The Nowhere Girls, click on any of the following links:  Amazon | Goodreads | Bookouture

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Last One To Die

Book 2 in the Detective Nikki Cassidy series

Ten days ago, straight-A student Jessica Staley ran away from home. Now her lifeless body lies pale and still in an empty parking lot, her unblinking brown eyes staring up to the night sky…

FBI agent Nikki Cassidy’s heart pounds as she takes in the short, dark hair and delicate features of fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Jessica Stanley. It’s another unsolved murder in Groveton, Ohio, just like her sister, Caitlin, fifteen years before. Her family beg her to keep her distance, but Nikki knows she can’t walk away.

What if her sister’s killer is back?

Talking to Jessica’s heartbroken family, Nikki learns that she wasn’t happy at home. Just days ago, she packed a few belongings into her school backpack and left, never to be seen alive again.

Determined to give Jessica’s family the answers she never found for herself, Nikki works around the clock, trawling hours of CCTV footage from the scene. And just when she thinks she’s close to uncovering the truth, a chilling email arrives that confirms her deepest fear. There are more victims, Nikki. Can you ever stop me?

This killer is playing a dangerous game, and he has Nikki in his sights now—one wrong move and she could be his next victim. She’s determined to unmask the monster who has tortured her hometown for decades. But what if the killer is someone close to her? What if it’s someone she loves?

Fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot will absolutely love this gripping new series from Dana Perry. Prepare to stay up all night!

You can purchase Last One To Die at Amazon | Goodreads | Bookouture

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The Lost Ones

Book 3 in the Detective Nikki Cassidy series

As dawn breaks over a small gas station on the outskirts of Groveton, Ohio, the body of a teenage girl lies totally still. Long blonde hair covers her face, and a length of frayed rope hangs loosely around her neck. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds her, just like her killer intended…

When FBI agent Nikki Cassidy receives a call from Groveton’s Chief of Police, her heart pounds. A young girl just knocked on the door of Nikki’s old family home, claiming to be Nikki’s kid sister, Caitlin. But Caitlin was murdered fifteen years ago. Who is the girl and what does she want?

Nikki thinks the impersonator could finally lead her to her sister’s twisted killer. But her hope is shattered when the girl’s lifeless body is found strangled at a local service stop. If the girl knew about Caitlin, could she have known the identity of the killer? Was she murdered before she could unmask them?

Going against her boss’s orders to stay away, Nikki traces the girl’s last known steps to her best friend, Shirley. Nikki learns that the girl was last seen meeting with a stranger at the mall. Could it have been her killer?

Closer than ever to uncovering the truth, Nikki can’t give up now. But when Shirley’s body is found at another service station, a length of rope wound around her neck, her heart shatters. Another young life has been lost. Nikki vows that this will be the last.

When an intruder breaks into her old home, Nikki knows it’s the killer sending her a sign. As she walks into the familiar old house in the dead of night, will she finally get justice and catch her sister’s killer, or did she just walk into a deadly trap?

You can purchase The Lost Ones at Amazon | Goodreads | Bookouture

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Praise for Dana Perry and The Nowhere Girls:

THE NOWHERE GIRLS: “A twisty-breath-taking page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat until it’s stunning conclusion. Fast-paced and riveting, it keeps you guessing till the very end.”
Lisa Regan, author

“A thrilling new series.”
Killer Nashville

“A fantastic book… Dana Perry has created one heck of female lead!”
NetGalley reviewer

“Wow!!!!! What did I just read!!! Mind blown!!!! Absolutely shattered after being up all night reading but boy was it worth it! Absolutely unputdownable!!”
Bookworm86

“This was an edge-of-your-seat page-turner!”
@annette_reads_daily

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Read the first three chapters here, just click on the image!!

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Guest Post From the Author of The Nowhere Girls

MY 10 TIPS FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

By Dana Perry

 

“How do I become a mystery writer like you?”

I’ve published 24 mystery/thriller books, so a lot of people – friends, family, co-workers and others – have asked me that question over the years. 

I suppose they think I have some magical formula or secret trick that I can share with them so they will be able to easily and effortlessly produce their own novel. 

I can’t do that.

But I have come up with a list of tips – maybe you even want to call them guidelines or rules – that I follow myself which might help people with an answer to the “How do I become a mystery writer like you?” question. 

They are: 

1. WRITE EVERY DAY – Not when you have time. Not when you have an idea. Not only when you feel inspired – but each and every day. It can be 1000 words or 10,000 words or 100 words. The amount doesn’t really matter. You just have to produce something daily. Writers write, they don’t talk about writing, they don’t procrastinate about writing, they don’t forget about writing – they do it!   
2. READ EVERY DAY – You can’t be a good writer unless you’ve read a lot of other good writing. I know that I got my inspiration for my own books from reading books by authors like Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie and Robert B. Parker and Sue Grafton and Michael Connelly. If you don’t believe me about the importance of reading, listen to this advice from Stephen King who reads three hours a night, 75 to 100 books a year and has said: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
3. SPEND TIME WITH OTHER AUTHORS – Go to book conferences, book signings, writers’ groups – wherever you can find other writers to exchange ideas with. When I was starting out, I would always come back from events like this full of energy and enthusiasm and ideas for my writing. Being an author is a lonely business most of the time, so it really helps to be able share moments like this with others in the writing community. 
4. FIND A GOOD PLACE TO WRITE – It doesn’t have to be a fancy office where you write. I myself write in a lot of different places, usually not in an actual office. I work in coffee shops, on park benches, at the beaches and a lot of other public spots because I like people – not silence – around me when I work. But you can work in a library or your kitchen or in bed or anywhere else you want. Just find the place where you’re most comfortable writing, and make that your regular writing spot. 
5. DON’T OUTLINE – Oh, I know there’s a lot of divided opinion on this. Some authors outline the plot and overall storyline of a book, often in great detail, before they even sit down to write it. I do not. For me, it takes the spontaneity and surprise and fun out of the process. I like to put my characters down on paper (or on the computer) and just see where they go. Sometimes they surprise me. Hey, I don’t want to write an outline, I want to write a book. 
6. IGNORE BETA-READERS – I never understand when authors tell  me they made changes to their manuscript based on responses from “beta-readers” they showed it to for reaction. Who are these beta-readers? Have they written their own books? And why should I let them tell me how to write mine? You can get a lot of opinions about your work with the “beta reader” approach, and many of them will be wrong. Don’t let them stop you from writing the novel that you want to write!
7. DON’T EDIT EARLY– I never edit a book while I’m writing it. If I did – going back on the first few chapters and fiddling with them over and over again until I thought they were perfect – I’d never finish the book. I simply keep writing full speed ahead until I have a complete manuscript. Then I go back and do whatever editing needs to be done. Believe me, it works better this way. 
8. DON’T OVER-RESEARCH – This is a rabbit hole many authors go down. They become obsessed with researching the facts in their novel so much that they bog down the story with a lot of unnecessary details. A novel is fiction, not real life. Sure, you need to have some actual facts in the book. But you also get to make up a lot of stuff. Now that’s more fun than research!
9. FIND AN AGENT – Yes, I know this can be difficult, but it’s well worth the effort. First off, you have someone professional to read your work and tell you if it’s salable or not. Second, an agent can get your book to more publishers (most of the big ones will not even read an un-agented manuscript.) Third, if you do sell your book, an agent is invaluable in making you’re treated fairly in your publishing contract. 
10. AND MY FINAL BIT OF ADVICE IS THIS: 

Ignore every bit of advice people give you about writing (including me). 

Just go ahead and write what you want to write and how you want to write it.

That’s the fun part about writing! 

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Dana Perry Author of The Nowhere Girls

R.G. Belsky is a New York City author who also writes mystery thrillers under the pen name of Dana Perry.

Learn more about Dana Perry by clicking any of the following links:
www.RGBelsky.com/dana-perry-books
Goodreads
BookBub
Twitter/X – @DanaPerryAuthor
Facebook – @DanaPerryAuthor
Instagram – @dickbelsky

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Visit all the Stops on the Tour!

04/01 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
04/02 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ tea. and. titles
04/03 Showcase @ BOOK REVIEWS by LINDA MOORE
04/03 Showcase @ Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense
04/04 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Books of my heart
04/05 Podcast reading @ Books to the Ceiling
04/05 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ elaine_sapp65
04/06 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ leannebookstagram
04/07 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Because I said so
04/08 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Novel Nerd Blog
04/09 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Catreader18
04/10 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Novels Alive
04/10 Showcase @ Books, Ramblings, and Tea
04/11 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ tea. and. titles
04/12 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ Novels Alive
04/12 Showcase @ Silvers Reviews
04/13 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ leannebookstagram
04/14 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ Because I said so
04/15 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ Novels Alive
04/15 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ Catreader18
04/16 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Cassidys Bookshelves
04/18 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ darciahelle
04/20 Guest post @ The Mystery of Writing
04/20 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ tea. and. titles
04/21 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ Because I said so
04/22 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ The Page Ladies
04/22 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ Catreader18
04/23 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ From the TBR Pile
04/23 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ leannebookstagram
04/24 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ darciahelle
04/26 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ From the TBR Pile
04/27 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
04/29 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ The Page Ladies
05/01 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Paws. Read. Repeat
05/01 Showcase @ fuonlyknew
05/02 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Wall-to-wall Books
05/03 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ From the TBR Pile
05/04 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
05/06 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ The Page Ladies
05/08 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
05/08 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ Pick a good book
05/09 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ darciahelle
05/10 Review THE NOWHERE GIRLS, 1 @ lilyraiti
05/10 Review LAST ONE TO DIE, 2 @ Pick a good book
05/12 Review THE LOST ONES, 3 @ Pick a good book

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