What's in a Name?

According to Shakespeare, it would still smell as sweet.

Names carry weight—more than we sometimes realize. They shape how readers connect, remember, and return to a character. Would Sherlock Holmes have captured readers' imagination if his name was Melvin?

Many years ago, Darynda Jones won the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart contest for Paranormal Romance with her manuscript "First Grave on the Right" — a year after I finaled in the same contest. The main character (and now appearing in a 12-book series) is Charley Davidson. The character's name is actually...Charlene.

While character names themselves can’t be copyrighted and overlap does happen in the vast world of storytelling, I wanted to give my own Charlie her own spotlight.

Because I have more stories planned (the next one will be coming later this year), I didn't want readers wondering which Davidson girl they were reading about. After some thought, I decided on a small but meaningful change: my Charlie's full name is Charlotte.

The story that will be appearing in the Sisters in Crime anthology this year will still be Charlene (too late to change it this time), but a novella I just finished will show the shift. Charlotte still holds everything I love about her—the voice, the spirit, the story—but now with a name that’s distinctly hers.

Same character. Same heart. Just a name that lets her fully be herself.

Book Fairs, Giveaways, and Other Offers

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If you are looking for an action-packed thrill ride or a twisty whodunnit, you’re in the right place. A group of talented mystery, thriller, and suspense authors has come together to bring you some of the most exciting reads in the genre. If you enjoy gripping plots, clever twists, and page-turning suspense, you’ll want to explore these books.

Add a few new titles to your TBR pile today!

👉 Browse the Mayhem & Motives Event before it ends on April 30.

FREE BOOK!

The Night You Should Have Left is a dark, psychological prelude to Blood on the Board — a story of entitlement, correction, and the moment a man realizes he was never the player.

Download it for free here.

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When a community activist is brutally silenced, Detective John sees a murder. But the architect of the crime, a ghost in the machine named Aris Thorne, sees something else. The first diagnostic shock in a recursive audit of a corrupted world.

Get it through Kindle Unlimited here.

Elvis Has Left the Building

Part 4

A recap of the story to date: Struggling lawyer Charlie Davidson takes on a risky case for a stripper, Kandy Kane, who claims her boss, Vincent Devereaux, owes her six months of unpaid wages. While investigating at the Lone Star Lounge, Charlie uncovers tensions between Devereaux and performer Billy Ray, only to discover Billy Ray has been murdered shortly after a heated argument. As police arrive, suspicion falls on multiple parties—including Kandy, who reveals she is pregnant with Billy Ray’s child and present during the earlier altercation—leaving Charlie to untangle a web of motives while protecting her client and seeking the truth.

Remember, the whole story and others from the North Dallas Sisters in Crime, are available in this anthology here.

The low hum of a flickering fluorescent light was the only sound to break the heavy silence in the grim interrogation room where Matthews installed them. The windowless room reeked of decades of sweat, smoke, and tension. A single ashtray in the middle of the scuffed metal table overflowed with old butts and ashes. A mirror in the wall facing Charlie and Kandy was the only break in the cinderblocks forming the room’s walls. Charlie glanced at her reflection, speculating on who was watching on the other side.

Matthews plopped himself into a chair on the other side of the table, his back to the mirror, and frowned at the two women. “What do you know about this?”

He dropped a plastic bag on the table containing the sequined scarf that had been around Billy Ray’s neck. Scrawled across the fabric in block letters was, “You owe me.”

Kandy studied it and shook her head. “That’s one of Billy Ray’s scarves, but I don’t know who wrote on it or what it means.”

Charlie leaned in to examine the note. The message had few possibilities. She knew Billy Ray was a gambler and had a small fan club, but would that be motive enough to strangle him with his own scarf?

His own scarf.

Charlie turned to Kandy. “You said he used this scarf in his act. How?”

She reached out and stroked the item through the plastic bag. “He would throw them into the audience durin’ a song.”

The image of the dancer’s glove landing in the man’s lap flashed through Charlie’s mind, and her thoughts swirled with possibilities.

“Did he do it often? Did the person keep it?” she asked.

“They were a kind of souvenir. He went through a lot of them in his act.”

Charlie’s heart sank. Heaven only knew how many of them he’d thrown out over the year. No way to trace it back to one particular person.

Kandy drew in her breath. “But this one is white.” Charlie and Matthews focused on the dancer. “He usually used red scarves. But the place where he gets them ran out of red ones about a month ago and sent him white ones instead. He got a new shipment of red ones last week.”

“Did he give away many of the white?” Matthews asked.

Kandy shook her head. “They were more expensive, so he only had them send like ten.”

Charlie picked up the plastic bag and studied the scarf. Sequins formed a small crown in one corner. She’d seen that somewhere before…

“What’s this, Kandy?” She pointed to the image.

“That was Billy Ray’s symbol. You know, for ‘The King.?’ I have one on my shoulder.”

She nodded her head. “I remember seeing yours in that advertisement you shared with me, but I saw it somewhere else.…” She closed her eyes, trying to remember where. A crown tattoo but not on the back.… Her eyes opened wide, and she grabbed Matthews’ arm. “I know who strangled Billy Ray. Did they release all the people in the front of the lounge?”

“I don’t know. I can check.”

The words spilled out of Charlie’s mouth, gaining speed as she spoke. “There was a woman at the bar. Darlene. One of Billy Ray’s fans. While I was talking to the bartender, she left to go to the bathroom. It’s right in front of the backstage entrance. She must have heard Hank share about Billy Ray and Kandy. When Vincent and Kandy left Billy Ray, she must have gone in and attacked him.”

Matthews pushed back from the desk so fast, his chair chipped the cinderblock wall behind it. Without another word, he rushed from the room.

Both women stared at the door where the detective had exited. 

Until next month!

Liese

Those links again:

Mayhem and Motives: here

The Night You Should Have Left: here

The Recursive Audit: here

Trouble in Texas: here