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Welcome
to the World

by
Saralyn Richard

There’s
a reason launching a book is often compared to delivering a baby. Books are conceived
in passion—whether love, hate, anger, or shame—they begin from a deep-seated surge
of emotion. The iimpetus for the book grows and develops into something
tangible, something very personal and worthy. After a long period, possibly
nine months or way longer, the manuscript is written, critiqued, edited,
revised, dressed up, laid-out, and published, ready to introduce to the world—the
author’s baby.

As
a reader, I also think of new books as babies. I can’t help appreciating the
inspiration, dedication, and hard work the author and publisher have expended
to create the product I’m holding in my hand. As I get to know the story, I
find myself bonding with the person who produced it.

BAD
BLOOD SISTERS is my fifth baby. I’ve experienced the process five times, but
the excitement of producing a new novel is no less than it was for NAUGHTY NANA
in 2013. Like every child, every book is different, and so is my love for it.

This
excerpt offers a glimpse into Quinn McFarland’s situation just before her
estranged BFF is brought into the family mortuary, a victim of violence.

Not for the first time, Quinn considered
how time seemed to speed by these days. If Jack’s life, or even hers, were to
end now, what imprint would each of them have left on the world? Neither of
them married, no children, and except for working in death services, what had
either of them accomplished?

Quinn had told her second grade teacher
she was going to be a doctor. Even at age seven, she’d wanted to work on the
living side of things. What had changed her mind, she wondered now? How had all
her aspirations evaporated into the salty Gulf Coast air?

Quinn’s thoughts drifted into the past,
colorful threads of memories. Her last thought before she fell into a troubled
sleep was of the summer of ’05. Now she remembered how she’d gone off-course.
That was the summer she’d been totally absorbed by Ana French.

Quinn is haunted by the
past, her friendship gone awry, and the blood oath she’s sworn to keep secret.
Quinn is the only one who knows enough to bring the killer to justice, but what
she’s buried puts her in extreme danger.

Advance praise for BAD
BLOOD SISTERS has been gratifying, and I’m so excited to introduce Quinn’s
journey to the world. For more information and to purchase an autographed copy,
go to http://saralynrichard.com.

Saralyn Richard was born and raised in a small town, an
island on the Gulf Coast of Texas, just like the one where Quinn’s peril takes
place. Her other books are set in places as diverse as the elite Brandywine
Valley in Pennsylvania and the underprivileged urban high school. Check out
Saralyn’s books here.