CAUSE FOR ELIMINATION by Marla A. White with an excerpt plus a giveaway



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marla A. White will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Reclaiming her life after a devastating riding accident, equestrian Emily Conners’ world shatters again when she discovers her friend and boss laying in a stall with a smashed skull. Now jobless and with a handsome cop underfoot investigating the case, she’s torn between wanting the killer found and keeping her own secrets safe.

Detective Justin Butler always gets his killer, but this victim has a stampede of enemies and few leads to go on. Stonewalled by the tight-knit equestrian world, he looks to Emily for help, but she’s strangely reluctant. Is she hiding something, or is she afraid of their growing attraction?

As the search for the murderer heats up, their hearts become entangled and their lives at risk, forcing Emily and Justin to work together to find the killer before they strike again.


Read an Excerpt

Sitting around the rickety picnic table and talking over old times, she almost forgot for a moment why the detective—Justin, she reminded herself—was there. He sat there, loose limbed and relaxed, interested in their conversation while most non-riders soon got glassy-eyed with boredom. But he wasn’t just chatting, was he? She had to remind herself he was listening for information to help him catch a killer.

“What about you ladies?” he ventured. “Did any of you ever have any problems with Ms. Yates?”

After another fit of laughter, Erin howled, “Like we’d ever ride with Pam. Despite what everyone around here may think, we’re not crazy. Well, not that crazy at least.”

“Hunters are more our speed,” Samantha chimed in. Emily took in her very un-hunter-like, fringed pink half-chaps and raised her eyebrow. “Okay, we don’t fit in with that crowd either,” Samantha admitted. “Which is why we’re here with Ben.”

“Since Pamela had Ben blacklisted, he’s stuck with us ladies who hack.” The three shared another round of titters.

They may not have realized they’d supplied Ben with a motive to kill Pamela, but Emily did. “Hang on, rumors have blown that way out of proportion. Pamela wasn’t thrilled after Ben dissolved their partnership and took his clients to Middle Ranch, but—”

“Hah! ‘Wasn’t thrilled’ is putting it mildly,” Sandy interrupted. “First chance she got, she had him brought up on abuse charges.”

Samantha added her two cents. “They banned Ben from showing for three years, so naturally, his clients who were serious left him and found another trainer.”

“Funny, no one told me this before now.” Justin’s voice lost its light tone, and the heat of his glare rolled over Emily’s skin.

About the Author:
Marla White is a story analysis instructor at UCLA and writing coach who lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Kentucky (go Wildcats!), where she took her first horseback riding lesson. After dabbling in hunters, barrel racing, and weekly trail rides, she fell hopelessly in love with the sport of eventing. She conquered Novice level before taking a break to pursue novel writing but hopes to return to the saddle someday soon. Her first novel, “The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder,” was published in 2021 followed by the first two books in her Keeper Chronicles series. When she’s not writing, she’s out in the garden, hiking, or putting together impossibly difficult puzzles.

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This Post Has 27 Comments

    1. Thank you! So far readers are enjoying it as much as I loved writing it (fingers crossed!). A lot of the people and events – except for the murder of course – are inspired by real and often incredibly funny things that either happened to me or someone I know. Enjoy!

      Reply

  4. Thanks for hosting, Aubrey! It’s always great to meet a fellow wine and horse lover 😀 There’s definitely more than a dash of both in “Cause for Elimination”. Since I usually write in the morning it only involves coffee and tea, but if I have a chance to write a night there might be a glass of red wine involved. What about any of you? What’s your drink to relax to?

    Reply

      1. Hey Aubrey, you definitely don’t live in California! LOL. Although warmed spiced wine is nice about 3 days out of the year around Christmas but it is relaxing. I can see how it would get your creative juices flowing. 😀

        Reply

    1. There are too many things I love about writing to narrow it down to just one thing! But the one thing that crosses all of my genres is creating characters and finding their flaws and strengths along the way. I’m a plotter, but the characters for me tend to take on a life of their own. For instance, in “Cause” the character of Dearg was only supposed to be in one scene but he burrowed his way into my heart (and Emily’s) that his role grew. Now he wants his own book! LOL

      Reply

    1. Then this should be right up your alley, Marion! The horse with me in the picture is the inspiration for the “hero” horse in the book. There’s also a cat who plays a large part, in case you’re just a fan of animals in general 😀

      Reply

  9. Hi all, I’d responded to Maria’s comment about the cover, but technology and I have had a lifelong love/hate thing for years so I’m not sure why it’s not showing up? Anyway, the short version is the cover art is by the awesome Diana Carlile, who gave me exactly the cover I’d dreamed of.

    Reply

  11. Cause For Elimination sounds like a great story and I am looking forward to reading it. Thank you for sharing your bio and book details

    Reply

    1. I use real life experience to add colorful details more than the storyline. For instance, right before the beginning of the excerpt, one of the ladies, wearing pink fringe half-chaps, tells a funny story of a dressage test gone wrong. A dear friend used to own pink fringe half chaps and the story is based on her hilarious misadventure. The “hero horse” in the book is named for and modeled after Reese, the one in the picture with me. Sadly, all the scenes with the hot detective are imaginary 😀

      Reply

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