With AVALANCHE about to be released, I wanted to share a bit of Kalin Thompson’s life with you. Before the Stone Mountain Series began, Kalin was married to Jack, had a successful career in Human Resources with the Canadian Government, and loved her life.

Then one day, everything changed…But I’ll let Kalin tell you about it.

A DAY IN MY LIFE by Kalin Thompson

I opened the door to find two Ottawa police officers standing on my stoop.

“May we come in?” the one on the right asked.

No. You may not. Jack wasn’t home yet, and he should have been home hours ago. I wanted to slam the door and run. Instead, I stood there, smiling at them, being polite. What an idiotic time to smile. I took one careful step after another into the living room, trying to slow time. I must have looked as if I was walking the line of sobriety.

“Are you Kalin Thompson?”

Get out of my house. “Yes.”

“Your husband is Jack Thompson?”

I hated these two strangers standing in my living room. The guy had sweat on his brow. From the oppressive heat that day or from what he was about to tell me, I couldn’t know. The woman’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes avoided contact with mine. She examined the photos of Jack and me on the mantle, shuffled her feet and waited for her partner to speak.

Jack and I were supposed to be sitting in an air-conditioned theatre, fingers intertwined, watching the latest James Bond movie. I didn’t have time to talk. Maybe he was waiting for me, ticket in hand, shaking his head at how unusual it was for me to be late.

“You’re husband was riding his bike on Bronson Avenue when he was hit by a car,” the man said.

Okay, that’s not so terrible. He’s at the hospital. I’ll go to him, and he’ll be fine. Except what if he was paralyzed. He must be seriously hurt if the cops were here, otherwise he would have phoned me himself.

I picked up my car key. “What hospital is he at? I’ll go now.”

“He’s not at a hospital.”

“I don’t understand. Then why are you here?”

“I’m very sorry to tell you, but Jack died in the accident.”

I kept breathing, but I’m not sure how. My body still functioned when my mind wanted to shut down. I backed into the living room wall but had nowhere to go. If only I hadn’t answered the door.

“Who hit him?” I asked, like that mattered.

“We don’t know yet.”

“You mean the driver didn’t stop?” Bronson Avenue was a block away from our home. Jack had been minutes away from our driveway.

Minutes from opening the front door, burying me in a hug, and taking me out for the night.

“Have you been driving your car this afternoon?”

“What?”

“We’d like to have a look at your car,” the man said.

I handed my key to the officer, then sagged onto the couch. “It’s in the garage.”

Two years later when I looked back at this scene, I still didn’t understand how something so dreadful could have happened. I couldn’t believe I might never know who killed Jack.

I quit my job and accepted a new one. I’ll be the human resources manager at Stone Mountain Resort in the Purcell Mountains. It’s almost as far west as I could travel and still be in the same country. A big change was the only way for me to survive.

I knew leaving wouldn’t kill the pain of losing Jack. I knew I’d never get over him. But I also knew I had to live. I wasn’t thirty yet.

I got on a plane and flew to Calgary. From there I took the bus to Holden, BC. I took a taxi to Stone Mountain Resort and life began again.

***

If you want to find out what happened next in Kalin Thompson’s life, DESCENT is the first in the “Stone Mountain” Mystery Series followed by BLAZE, and then AVALANCHE. In AVALANCHE you might just find out what really happened to Jack…

A Little About AVALANCHE (To Be Released June 25^th, 2016):

On a cold winter morning, the safe at Stone Mountain Resort is robbed, and Kalin Thompson’s brother, Roy, suspiciously disappears. As Director of Security, Kalin would normally lead the investigation, but when her brother becomes the prime suspect, she is ordered to stay clear.

The police and the president of the resort turn their sights on Kalin, who risks everything to covertly attempt to clear Roy’s name. As threats against her escalate, she moves closer to uncovering the guilty party. Is Kalin’s faith in her brother justified? Or will the truth destroy her?

A Gift to My Readers from Imajin Books:

Imajin Books has put AVALANCHE on sale for $0.99 USD for a limited time. Grab your copy before the price goes up. It’s available for pre-order now.
Thanks for reading…