29 March 2019

Tasting the Apple by Sherilyn Decter Book Tour and Giveaway!


When you hear the word Prohibition, images of Flappers, gangsters and jazz. But there was also a lot of mystery in the Roaring 20s. Today we get a chance to see how the ghost of a policeman helps a widow deal with criminal elements.

Author Sherilyn Decter is visiting today to share her latest release, TASTING THE APPLE, the second installment in her Bootleggers’ Chronicles. She also has an exciting giveaway she’s hosting for the tour. Be sure to check it out at the end of the post.

A young widow on the edge. A policeman back from the dead. Together, can they take down the city’s most notorious bootlegger?

          Philadelphia, 1925. With a son to raise and boarders to feed, Maggie Barnes is at her wit’s end. But when a criminal element infiltrates the police force, the single mother puts her cares aside to help. As she tries to dig up dirt on bootlegger mastermind Mickey Duffey, Maggie realizes she can’t take on the case alone…
          Inspector Frank Geyer used to patrol the streets of Philadelphia before Maggie was born. As he attempts to clean up crime from beyond the grave, the spirit uses his Victorian sensibilities to fight back against lawbreakers. But with corruption throughout the police force, can the phantom informant save his city and Maggie’s livelihood?
          With the roof leaking and the lawlessness spiraling, Maggie and Frank have one chance to take down a criminal and prevent the unthinkable…

Check out TASTING THE APPLE on Amazon.

Read an Excerpt
“Rudy Valentino really is one of the greats. I hear that he and his co-star, Vilma Banky, are having an affair.”
“No. How wonderful.” Edith leans in closer, not wanting to miss a detail of the Hollywood gossip. “Those arms, those eyes. I loved his beard in The Hooded Falcon. I tried to get Mickey to grow one, but he was having none of it. He hates Valentino, calls him a fop.” Edith gazes off into the distance. “Mmm, imagine what it feels like to be wrapped in those strong Valentino arms.”  
“And how is Mickey?” Maggie asks, one eyebrow raised in a wry arch.
Edith pouts as Maggie pours cold water on her fantasy embrace. Edith’s marriage to Mickey Duffy, Philadelphia’s notorious King of the Bootleggers, is rocky. “Let’s not talk about Mickey. Let’s talk about you. Tell me, how’s that kid of yours?”
Maggie gives her friend’s arm a squeeze. You’d never guess from Edith’s beautiful face that there was a world of hurt going on. Maggie has no idea how Edith manages to pull it off. Confident society dame on the outside. Insecure, lonely coat-check girl underneath. She’s one heck of an actress. Not even Mickey knows how much pain Edith is in.
“Oh, Tommy’s swell. Doing good in school, when he applies himself. Unfortunately, that’s not as often as his teachers or I would like. But he’s a good kid.”
They settle into the booth at Edith’s favorite coffee shop, the strong smell of whiskey wafting from her mug. Maggie stirs her regular coffee—black with a teaspoon of sugar. “Oh, Edith, I love the movies. The fantasy and make-believe. What would a romance with a Cossack like Valentino be like?”  
“I know a bit about the movies. What you see on the screen isn’t what it’s like on the set at all. Fake walls. Hot lights. Crabby directors. Greedy agents. Co-stars with wandering hands. Nasty, ambitious people scurrying everywhere. The star, hung over, with her face wrapped in ice cubes and towels, trying to close her pores.”

Maggie laughs out loud. “Oh, Edith. You slay me. That’s just too rich.”
Edith chuckles. “Well, it’s true, doll. But not so different than our own lives, is it? Before I go out, the cold cream’s on and the hair is in pin curls. While it looks all natural, believe me, it ain’t.”

Maggie snorts her coffee back into her cup. “Oh, Edith. Stop.”

The Author
Those readers that aren’t familiar with the author, here’s some background information on her.

The Roaring Twenties and Prohibition were a fantasy land, coming right after the horrors and social upheaval of World War I. Even a century later, it all seems so exotic.

Women got the vote, started working outside the home, and (horrors!) smoked and drank in public places. They even went on unchaperoned dates (gasp)! Corsets were thrown into the back of the closets, and shoes were discovered to be an addictive fashion accessory after hemlines started to rise. And thanks to Prohibition, suddenly it was fashionable to break the law. The music was made in America- ragtime, delta blues, and of course jazz. Cocktails were created to hide the taste of the bathtub gin. Flappers were dancing, beads and fringes flying. Fedoras were tipped. And everyone was riding around in automobiles (aka struggle buggies and I leave it to your imagination why- wink.)

Bootleggers’ Chronicles grew out of that fascination. Writing as Sherilyn Decter, I will eventually have a series of historical crime fiction novels dealing with the bootleggers, gangsters, flappers, and general lawlessness that defined Prohibition. The Bootlegger blog rose out of all the research that I’ve been doing about this incredible era.

Growing up on the prairies and living next to the ocean, I am a creature of endless horizons. Writing allows me to discover what’s just over the next one. My husband and I have three amazing daughters, a spoiled grandson, and two bad dogs.

Sherilyn Decter is enthralled with the flashing flappers and dangerous bootleggers from the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition. Through meticulous research, that lawless era is brought to life. Living in a century-old house, maybe the creaking pipes whisper stories in her ear.

To get the inside skinny on the Bootlegger’s Chronicles, you can reach Sherilyn at the following links:

WEBSITE          FACEBOOK      PINTEREST
AMAZON

GIVEAWAY
Author Sherilyn Decter is giving away an autographed paperback copy of TASTING THE APPLE and INNOCENCE LOST. Click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instruction to enter. If you can’t see the widget, just click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to comment on the post and enter to win your copy of this intriguing tale. What do you think of when you hear the word Prohibition?

4 comments:

  1. This book blends fact and fiction in a way that quickly draws you in. Thanks for sharing and for being a part of the author's book tour.

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  2. I love stories from the Roaring 20s.

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  3. Sounds interesting love the cover.

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  4. I was kind of on the fence, but after reading the first book in the series, I was hooked. Thanks for stopping by Darlene!

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