When trusting the wrong person can be deadly.

Cassie McKay was tired of being passed over as a FBI field agent. She quits her job as a FBI analyst, moved back home with her mother, and takes a job as a PI. Only she hadn’t expected her partner to be the one man who’d left her years before.

Jack “JD” Walker had done a lot wrong in his life, but he hadn’t killed the mother of his child as the police believed, nor had he expected the only women he’d ever loved to come to his rescue. The two work diligently to prove JD’s innocence while someone is determined to make JD pay.

Wild Women Authors features Sheila Kell and Deadly Betrayal, a novel of romantic suspense released by the Wild Rose Press. First up is private investigator, Cassie McKay.

Welcome, Cassie. Thanks for spending time with us. Let’s begin with where you are from. A little town in South Mississippi – Gulf Island

Tell us a bit about Deadly Betrayal. It’s about secrets, deceit, and romance. JD and I reconnect and try to find a killer while reckoning at the renewed attraction between us.

What did you think the first time you saw JD? I was in the second grade when I saw him first. He was so nice.

What was your second thought? That he was cute.

Was it love at first sight? It was for me. I don’t know about with JD. He protected me, then we became friends, then lovers. Then, he left.

What do you like most about him? I’d say his devotion to his son. Being a new single father, he’s put everything into building that relationship with is ten-year-old son.

How would you describe JD? Handsome, of course. He has a bit of the bad boy look to him – it’s so attractive. He’s rough around the edges, but he’s a bit softy at heart.

How would he describe you? He’d best say I’m the most beautiful woman he knows, whether I am or not. I think he’d say I was caring and driven.

What made you choose private investigations for a career? The FBI turned me down three times to become a field agent. I knew I wanted to investigate crimes and help people. After a while, I left the FBI and this job popped up in my hometown. They gave me a shot, even though I didn’t have the experience.

What is your biggest fear? Failure to protect those I love. I worry that JD and I might be out on a case and I won’t be there to protect him from danger.

How do you relax? I’m a massage girl, so I take one about every other week. Reading takes a good second. I also go sailing with JD on his boat.

Who is your favorite fictional character? Alex Buchanan from Julie Garwood’s Murder List

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Live life to its fullest as you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Thanks for this, Cassie. Now we’d like to chat with Sheila.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Julie Garwood’s Murder List got me interested in romantic suspense and writing my own book.

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I adopted two cats and used that story in the novel. It’s impact was slight but JD wanted his son to adopt a dog. Instead, he chose two cats – exactly the same way I did and with the same names.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them. I had heard of The Wild Rose Press through books I’d read. When it came time to submit, I tried them first. They accepted the manuscript.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Too many to name, but some are Kat Martin’s Shadows at Dawn, Melinda Leigh’s Lie To Her, and because I love time travel I’m going to try A.G. Riddle’s Lost in Time.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? The Wild Rose Press just accepted the second book in the Coastal Investigation series – Read Between the Lines. I don’t have a timeline yet, but I’m hoping for later this year.

Sheila brought an excerpt along for us:

Before she could turn, a deep, gravelly voice said, “Cassie?”

She spun around, knowing who the voice belonged to, even though she’d last heard it on the man at seventeen years of age. Cassie’s breathless response of only “JD” undoubtedly expressed her surprise along with that flitter in her heart.

His vivid blue eyes turned icy cold. “Who is breaking the restraining order now?”

Confused, her brow scrunched up. “What?”

Without looking away, he shouted, “Gus, what is she here for? I’m not working on a case for her.”

The stern voice hit like a slap to the face. What had happened to the JD she grew up with? The man she had one day swore she’d marry. Then Cassie remembered how he had abandoned her when he went off to college, and a fit of familiar anger and hurt surged within her.

“I gotta told you something, yeah. Well, I knowed ya been friends when you were young’uns, so I hired her to work with ya. I hoped it git rid of da prickliness.”

JD snapped his head to Gus. “She works here?”

As she turned back to Gus, she caught the man’s slow grin. “Sure thing, cher.”

To learn more about Sheila Kell and the stories she creates, go to:

Website: https://www.sheilakell.com

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok handle: @SheilaKellBooks

To purchase Deadly Betrayal, go to:

https://books2read.com/u/bW0ZY1