A writer's journey...

Here they are, the winners of Assassination of a Dignitary: Grand Prize: Gifted Kindle Copy and 1 Autographed Paperback Katie Jennings A Gifted Kindle Copy also goes to each of the following: Jason Joy Crawford Sue Heil Thank you to all who entered.  If you didn't win, don't let it get you down, though, because you can still get a copy. Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon Canada

Assassination of a Dignitary by Carolyn Arnold Excerpt of Chapter 1 “Why her?”  Behler was the first female to serve as Governor in the state of Michigan. Christian laughed.  He lifted the glass to his lips but lowered his arm again.  He rested it on the sofa arm.  “You know we don’t answer those questions.  Yet she must know where her death is coming from.  And, to the media it must appear as an assassination.” “So you want it to take place from a distance, or close range?”  I asked for clarity.  His words seemed to contradict each other, know where her death is coming from, yet it must appear as an assassination . “A statement must be made.” “In-her-face-personal then?  And you want the last words she hears to be—” “From Pietro Russo.” “From Pietro Russo?”  The woman must have wronged the man on a personal level.  For all of my past close range kills, they would know where their fate came from, but the Don...

Pleased to announce  Assassination of a Dignitary is here early!  Here's an inside look. Book Overview: Raymond Hunter's dark past has returned and demands one final favor. Now fifteen years later, settled as an accountant and family man, he assumed life would be calm. He thought wrong. The Italian Mafia wants him back.  The directions were simple: Kill Governor Behler and be out for good. Despite the odd request since the Mafia typically respects dignitaries, in order to protect his family, Raymond has no choice but to accept the job. He picks the date and location—Niagara Falls, New York—two hundred and forty miles away. But by the time he returns home, he finds out the assassination attempt failed, his family has been kidnapped, and he has twenty-four hours to set things right if he wants to see them again.  With time running out, Raymond discovers the real reason they wanted Behler dead and finds out he’s placed himself and his family ri...

We have Christian Russo, the son of Pietro Russo, with us today.  Pietro is the Boss of the Russo Italian Mafia Family. How does it make you feel to be his son, not even necessarily second in power? Who says I’m not second in power?  As far as I’m concerned, I’m blood. Is it rumor that the mob will torture and kill those who betray them? You will never find evidence to incriminate me or my father.  Because you don’t take care of the jobs yourself, or you’re that good? You don’t need to be good when things are in place.  But I am good. You say you’d never get caught for a crime, so let’s talk hypothetically; say this guy did the family wrong, he owed debts and couldn’t repay? If what I says goes outside of this room, I will find you and I will kill you.  First off, I don’t have a preference when it comes to a means of killing.  It’s whatever fits my current mood.  I love to torture and what...

Tell us about you. My name is Raymond Hunter.  I used to be a hit man for the Italian mafia.  Now it’s fifteen years later, I’m a husband and father of two, and the mob wants me back. Tell us more about your family. I’ve been married for fourteen years to Brenda, the love of my life.  We have two children, Yvonne who is fourteen and Max who is ten. Yvonne’s happy as long as she has her cell for texting.  Max is the largest NASCAR fan I’ve ever known.  Everything in his room is covered with the logo, including his car-shaped bed, his school backpack, and several pairs of his pajamas.  Brenda works full-time in a small office where she’s responsible for a little bit of everything. What about you?  When you’re not a mafia hit man, what do you do? I worked hard to obtain my accounting certificates and became a certified accountant.  In fact, I run my own business.  Part of the reason for the choice was just ...

“THEY SAY THE PAST HAS A way of catching up with you.” - Raymond Hunter We all like to think that we’re untouchable when it comes to life choices we’ve made along the way.  If we’ve made good decisions we’re more than willing to collect on the consequences of those choices.  It’s a lot harder when these result in heartbreak or another negative outcome.  Then we want to run from them. Raymond Hunter was one of those who figured, and hoped, that the past would never catch up.  But the day of reckoning has come.  He used to be a hit man for an Italian Mafia family, and the thing is he didn’t fall into this lifestyle out of desire or even seeking it out.  Time and circumstance pulled him into the vortex of the lifestyle--one moment in time that he would never be able to go back on and change, or can he? In my upcoming release Assassination of a Dignitary , it’s fifteen years later, and Raymond is forced to face his past.  The Mafia ...

In three words:  Quiet.  Solemn.  Unforgettable. You see I started with the Russo family of the Italian Mafia when I was twenty-one.  It wasn’t like I set out wanting to be one of them or even belong on the fringes.  There are so many young men who emulate and idolize the Mafia as if they think it’s glamorous as portrayed in the movies. True life is quite different. The Mafia only seeks its own interests and follows the lead of the Boss or Don.  He’s the one with absolute power.  He’s the one who ultimately decides your fate.  But this post isn’t about what it’s like to be a part of the Mafia, it’s about taking a life.  I’ve killed more people in my lifetime than I would like to admit with another about to be added to the tally.  Typically the marks I took out were people I didn’t know personally or have any attachment to.  Sometimes I came in to finish what Christian, the Don’s son, had started.  Don’...

Pen guns, a type of zip gun, have been utilized in many movies.  It brings with it the intrigue of spies and espionage.   You might remember the one used in US Marshals on the plane? So what is a pen gun?  First of all, it is equally as deadly as a handgun loaded with the same caliber of bullet.  It holds one bullet.  The pen gun made by Stringer is stainless steel.  It weighs five ounces and it’s five point six inches in length.  You can shave about one point four inches in the length when it’s folded and ready to use. To load the weapon, you unscrew the barrel when it’s at full length.  To ready the weapon for use, you pull out on it slightly and bend it.  It makes a handle and exposes a small trigger.    On the barrel, there is an arrow that points to one of two letters--S for safe, or F for fire.  You turn the dial until the arrow is lined up with F for fire and you’re ready to push up on th...

This post highlights the third stop on the Assassination Blog Tour.  If you haven't entered for your chance to win a #Kindle copy on release day, what are you waiting for?  It only takes seconds to enter. Click  here  and enter via Rafflecopter below. Stop 3 The Italian Mafia & Dignitaries #AODTour Have a brief look at the history of the Italian Mafia and its relationship with dignitaries.   Hosting blogger:  Lorne Oliver About:    Lorne Oliver was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  In 2007 he moved his family to Prince Edward Island, Canada to further his cooking career.  It was there he had the opportunity to interview Royal Canadian Mounted Police and got inspired to write the suspense thriller Red Island.  It was 20 years in the making and finally has become a reality.

This post highlights the second stop on the Assassination Blog Tour.  If you haven't entered for your chance to win a #Kindle copy on release day, what are you waiting for?  It only takes seconds to enter. Click  here  and enter via Rafflecopter below. Stop 2 Interview with Former Hit Man, Raymond Hunter by @Carolyn_Arnold #AODTour Get an insider look into Raymond's mind.  Find out how he became involved with the Italian Mafia and w hat his biggest challenge is in Assassination of a Dignitary. Learn about his last kill and a little bit about his family.   Hosting blogger:  Katie Jennings About:  Katie Jennings is the bestselling author of the contemporary fantasy series The Dryad Quartet and the family saga When Empires Fall . She lives in beautiful, sunny Southern California with her husband and cat. Her great loves in life are writing, reading, and happy endings.

This post highlights the first stop on the Assassination Blog Tour.  If you haven't entered for your chance to win a #Kindle copy on release day, what are you waiting for?  It only takes seconds to enter. Click here . Stop 1 Post:  Interview with Carolyn Arnold--What is the #AODTour? Find out random things about me the person, not just the author, and learn about my upcoming release March 14th, Assassination of a Dignitary . Hosting Blogger:    Joseph Rinaldo About Joseph Rinaldo:    Born in Illinois, Joseph Rinaldo has lived in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and now resides in Tennessee. Though he has been a "numbers" guy all his adult life, he tried opening up to the world of fiction writing during a period of unemployment and discovered he enjoyed it very much! He has now written nine novels, including: A SPY AT HOME, HAZARDOUS CHOICES, and his controversial new expose of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, A MORMON MASSACRE. ...

In celebration of my upcoming release March 14th, I am giving away 4 Kindle copies of my thriller  ASSASSINATION OF A DIGNITARY  and 1 autographed paperback copy.   The contest is now open and ends on March 12th.  Submit your name and email for your chance to win below! In further preparation of its release, it's going on tour starting February 6th.  You can follow it on Twitter with hashtag #AODTour.  For a complete itinerary of the tour, please visit  here . I've designed the tour in such a way that it's to bring focus mainly on the characters of ASSASSINATION OF A DIGNITARY , not on myself as the author.   Meet the main character Raymond Hunter and gain intimacy into his mindset.  Having been a prior hit man for the Italian mafia, he shares his thoughts on 'What it's Like to Take a Life', how he got started with the mob, what his background is, what his favorite guns are, you learn about his family.   Step into t...