international mystery | Judith Hudson

It’s launch day for Temple of the Jaguar, the first Rocky and Bernadette international mystery, so I’ll be celebrating with a shot of tequila!

If you’ve read the book you’ll know why. Bernadette is not much of a drinker, but being implicated in a murder makes her ready to try something stronger than her normal white wine! (Read on for an excerpt.)

I haven’t jumped through as many publishing hoops as usual with this book since I’ve been moving house and workshops, so if you have a minute, you could really help me out.

Here are 4 quick things you could do to help me celebrate the launch of this book.

1/ If you’ve read an ARC (advanced reader copy), or when you do read the book, please leave a review, no matter how short, on the online platform where you usually shop for books. It would be a tremendous boost for me, and I love hearing your feedback!

(It’s up on Amazon, or Kobo right now – nook and apple/itunes coming soon.)

2/ I’ve posted a notice on my facebook author page about the book. If you could share it to your profile and to any other groups you belong to, that would be a big help!

3/ Add a few words about the book to my new facebook reading group for mystery and romance where, in the coming weeks, I’ll be inviting other authors and readers to post about their favourites too.

4/ Tell your friends. Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising.

Excerpt from Temple of the Jaguar

The lobby was empty. Rocky was nowhere to be seen. Neither were any of the other tour members, so Bernadette walked through the empty dining room and out to the terrace bar.

The light had faded to an eerie twilight. A menacing purple cloud blanketed the sky. The sharp scent of ozone hung in the air.

Salvador was behind the bar. The day had been interminable. It had to be cocktail hour by now, and whether it was or not, she was ready for a drink.

She climbed up onto a stool. “Hit me Sal. Make it tequila.”

He frowned in concern. “That bad?”

She sighed. “That bad.”

He poured the pale liquor into a tall narrow shot glass and set the glass on the counter in front of her. She eyed the golden liquid warily, then picked up the shot glass and took a sip. A shudder ripped through her. Her eyes watered and she squeezed them shut as the liquor burned its way down her throat.

“You don’t like it?”

She shook her head and pushed the glass to the side. “Too harsh.”

Rocky slid into the seat beside her. “For me? Thanks, I could use it.”

“Go for it.”

Salvador smiled at her as he got Rocky a beer. “We have ways with tequila, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“We infuse it with many interesting flavors, to smooth the taste. Fresa, coco, chilé.”

Rocky’s eyebrows perked up. “Chilé?”

Salvador grinned. “Maybe chilé for you, Señor, but I have other flavors for the lady.”

He put three tequila glasses on the counter and into each one poured a spoonful of liquid, each a different color, from a row of bottles that sat on a shelf against the back wall of the bar.

The first was translucent rose. Salvador pushed it toward Bernadette.

“Fresa,” he said, looking to Rocky for help.

“Strawberry.”

She picked up the glass, tired of being a wimp in front of these two, and brought the slim jigger to her mouth. She wet her lips with the rosy liquid. It wasn’t sweet, but a strong undercurrent of strawberries cut the harshness of the liquor.

“I like it,” she said and drank it all, licking her lips as she put down the empty glass.

“Then try this one,” he said, pushing the second glass toward her.

Reaching more eagerly for it this time, she asked. “What is it?”

“Canela.”

“Cinnamon,” Rocky supplied, smiling as he sipped from his own glass.

She took a bigger first sip this time, but found the dusky, slightly acidic flavor not as pleasant as the strawberry. She winced and shook her head.

Salvador smiled. “You’ll like this one I am sure.” Brown beans swirled on the bottom of the third bottle as he poured. “Café.”

She reached eagerly for the glass and tossed back the tiny shot. She smiled as the perfect, smooth coffee notes caressed her taste buds. “That’s the one. Hit me Sal.”

He filled her glass and she settled back, feeling mellower already as the heat of the tequila spread through her veins.

“So how did it go?” she asked Rocky. Okay, so she wanted to have the same story after all.

* * * * * * *