Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Garden Girls by Jessica R. Patch, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Garden Girls
Series: Strange Crimes Unit: South Division
Author: Jessica R. Patch
Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired Trade
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Genre: Christian Psychological Thriller
On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.
FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.
Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.
As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…
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Excerpt
“Knowing you were alive wasn’t closure, Bex. Now I know why you did what you did, but I feel like we have three dots after our names.”
“An ellipsis?”
Tiberius grinned. “You were always the smarter one.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“How many perfect shells do you find out here?” He rolled the tiny pieces through his fingers.
“Not many.”
“We’re all broken, aren’t we? We’ve all been chipped away at in one form or other. Beaten up. Beaten down. Lied to. Exposed, exploited. Betrayed,” he whispered. “We never arrive on sandy shores unscathed.”
“No. We don’t. We carry scars, little chips and cracks. They reveal our story, but there’s hope, Tiberius. There’s always hope that what was marred can be mended.”
His eyes filled with moisture. “I could use some hope. Some mending.”
Couldn’t they all? Without hope, there was no meaning in life. The ocean was vast and shadowy, always reminding her that darkness lurked and was immense, terrifying and unpredictable, but when dawn peeped over the horizon it brought light to the darkness and color. Vibrant and beautiful. That was hope—light piercing the darkness, overwhelming it with its glory and majesty, bringing a new day and fresh mercy. Light chased away shadows and sparkled on the shores, beckoning one to come and stand in its presence with outstretched arms and to be wrapped in its warmth. Yielding to hope was possible. For Tiberius. For anyone who wanted to come and partake.
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About the Author
Jessica R. Patch is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author known for her dry wit, signatures twists, and complex characters. She loves reading true crime books, discussing cold cases over chips and salsa with her girlfriends, and hunting down serial killers in her romantic suspense novels and psychological thrillers.
Jessica loves to encourage and inspire people to forward living devotionals through her monthly email newsletter. You can join the Patched In community at her website.
She resides in the Memphis area with her husband and her spoiled tri-color Shetland Sheepdog since becoming empty nesters. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.
Connect with Jessica by visiting jessicarpatch.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
Author Interview with Jessica
Q: What was the inspiration behind
The Garden Girls?
Jessica: I was thinking about temptation and how sin leads to bondage and how it’s rarely something we recognize as evil. We’d all run from horns and a pitchfork so to speak. But the enemy masquerades as an angel of light. Those thoughts birthed a wicked villain who doesn’t appear wicked at all, but strikingly good-looking and tempting. He’s a different kind of villain because he doesn’t actually force his victims to his “lair”. They willingly come due to his deception and charm. Then he gives them the choice and once they’ve accepted, he cages them. Then they see the horror they missed before. And from there, the story bloomed (see what I did there).
Q: How long did it take you to write this story?
Jessica: I had 3 months to write
The Garden Girls including initial revisions before I sent it to my editor.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from this book?
Jessica: I do but I can’t share it because it’s a spoiler! ☺ But I’ll share a funny quote I love from Ty when he’s flustered seeing Bexley again and he’s angry because he thought she was dead for so long (not spoiler; he finds this out in
A Cry in the Dark).
His jaw pulsed again. “Well, we can start with the fact you’re a liar.”
She wasn’t expecting the barbs so quickly. But that was Tiberius. Flying off the handle before collecting facts. No wonder he had a viral video out there about a serial killer. “I see you’re still quick to jump to conclusions and impulsivity.”
He slung his hand in the air toward her. “I see you still can’t do anything with your hair.”
Q: What is your favorite aspect of writing romantic suspense?
Jessica: Whether I’m writing romantic suspense with my Love Inspired Suspense books or like, The Garden Girls, a psychological thriller, it’s the twists! Not just revealing who the villain is, but all the unpredictable twists throughout the story. I love a good jaw-drop so I know other readers in these genres will too and so you have to deliver.
Q: How long ago did you start writing?
Jessica: I wrote my first book in 2009 for publication, but I’ve always been a storyteller and have written stories all my life—like most writers.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
Jessica: Good question! So many things. I love working at home and setting my own schedule. I love meeting people when I’m researching and learning about their lives and jobs. But mostly my favorite thing is being able to share real hope through fictional characters and know that someone will be ministered to because of it.
Q:Do you prefer to read ebooks or physical copies?
Jessica: I’ll be honest, these days it’s neither. It’s audiobooks. I’m so busy writing in my quiet hours that the only time I have to read is on my hour morning walk with the dog, my hour at the gym and when I’m cleaning or cooking or folding clothes. Audiobooks have been a fabulous way to pass that time and I’ve actually read more books this way, but I love books in any form. ☺
Q: How many bookcases are in your home?
Jessica: What a fun question! I have 8 bookshelves and that’s only because thousands upon thousands of books are on my Kindle.
Q:Would you share something about yourself that most readers would not know?
Jessica: I’m pretty open and share a lot of myself on my Facebook page and through my newsletter, but I’m not sure how many readers know that I attended Bible college and majored in Missions. It’s where I met my husband who is an ordained minister, though he’s a corporate guy now. I feel like he pastors his company. ☺
Q: What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Jessica: I love spending time at the library, eating tacos and talking true crime with girlfriends—literally this is what we do. I love the beach and visit a few times a year with my husband and I’m a big binger of TV, especially murder documentaries but I suppose that’s no surprise. And obviously reading whether eBook, paperback or audio.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will win a signed paperback copy of Her Darkest Secret and A Cry in the Dark and a $25 Amazon card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 15, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 22, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print. Ebooks available if winner is Canadian. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Enter Giveaway
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