Welcome to the Down a Bad Road blog tour! This psychological thriller by Regina Buttner is perfect for fans of domestic thrillers by best-selling authors Kimberly Belle, Kaira Rouda, and Heather Gudenkauf. The blog tour starts today and lasts through June 25th! See the tour schedule below to follow along.
Enjoy the following excerpt of Down a Bad Road
Lavender snorted. “How can a dead person be dangerous?”
Penelope sighed. “It’s hard to explain, the message I’m getting isn’t quite clear. This storm that’s about to dump on us has thrown my chakras out of balance. It happens sometimes, when the atmospheric pressure is in flux.”
What in the hell were chakras? Lavender chewed the remnants of her peach-flavored gloss from her lower lip. This was a whole lot of crazy talk.
“The best I can make of it,” Penelope went on, “is that Ron’s safety is at risk somehow, and this woman may have something to do with it.”
Fear jolted Lavender. At this very moment, Burley was driving down to Pennsylvania, to pay his final respects to Marta.
“When was the last time you spoke to him?” Penelope said.
“This morning. After he asked me to marry him, he said he needed to get on the road—” Lavender’s voice rose, on the verge of hysteria. “Are you serious, Penelope? You really think he’s in danger?”
“Yes, I believe so, and you may be, too. You need to be careful.”
Holy crap! Lavender’s insides twisted with fear. Had Burley lied about Marta’s death? But why would he do that when he was smitten with her? She’d divorced her husband to be with him! She wanted to believe that Penelope’s strange ramblings were completely mistaken, but what if they weren’t, and something bad was about to happen? Either way, she had to get hold of Burley. Now.
“I have to go, Penelope,” Lavender said. She hung up without saying goodbye and dialed Burley’s number, but the call wouldn’t go through. Clutching the phone in her trembling hands, she stared out the living room window as the wind picked up and the swirling snow began to come down harder.
About the Book
Jealousy can be deadly.
Longtime bachelor Ron Burley has a rule against messing around with married women in his rural upstate New York town, but sassy, lovely Lavender has convinced him to break it. Their steamy affair sets someone off, but it isn't Lavender's clueless husband-it's Marta, Burley's clingy childhood friend and ex-lover.
Marta knows Burley is on the verge of going broke, so she secretly tries to lure him with a lucrative job offer and some enticing fringe benefits. Although he's sorely tempted, Burley's afraid to trust Marta due to the sketchy circumstances surrounding their bitter breakup years ago; but this might be his only chance to get back at her for what she did.
Suspicious of her boyfriend's romantic history, Lavender visits a psychic for a tarot card reading in a creepy cabin in the Adirondack woods. Watch your back, the psychic warns her. Burley and Marta aren't the innocent people they're pretending to be. Someone's out for revenge, and this love triangle could turn deadly.
Thriller fans will enjoy the tense, cat-and-mouse-style suspense in this spellbinding page-turner. Filled with deceit, festering grudges, and high-octane drama, Down A Bad Road is deftly crafted to keep the reader wanting more. —Laurie Buchanan, author of the Sean McPherson novels
Down A Bad Road is gripping, unforgettable suspense laced with dark humor. Regina Buttner’s unreliable but compelling characters struggle in a blue-collar community where everyone is willing to do whatever it takes for a leg up or a way out. Expect to laugh. Prepare to cry. But don’t plan on setting this fast-paced thriller down until you read the last page! —Cam Torrens, author of Stable
A cautionary tale with a gut-punch plot. In this steamy, small-town thriller, Regina Buttner takes the reader down a bad road indeed. —Brian Kaufman, author of A Shadow Melody
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ISBN-10: 1685131883
ISBN-10: 1685131883
ISBN-13: 978-1685131883
ASIN: B0BSN7F7KT
Print length: 298 pages
You can read more about the book (and read a preview!) by going to: https://www.amazon.com/Down-Bad-Road-Regina-Buttner-ebook/dp/B0BSN7F7KT.
Add Down a Bad Road to your Goodreads TBR list or purchase a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.
About Author Regina Buttner
Regina is a registered nurse-turned-writer who was raised in beautiful upstate New York, where she spent many happy years exploring the winding back roads and scenic hiking trails of the Adirondack mountain region. She recently traded the snowy northern winters for the tropical breezes of the Sunshine State, where her favorite pastimes are kayaking among the mangroves, strolling the gorgeous beaches, and attempting to teach tricks to her boisterous corgi. 
Learn more on Regina's website or follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads or BookBub.
---- Interview by Michelle Cornish
WOW: Welcome to The Muffin, Regina, and congratulations on the release of Down a Bad Road! I love the twists and turns in this story. Did you plan these ahead of time or did they come to you as you were writing?
Regina: I’m very much a plotter rather than a pantser. I like to know where my story is going, as if I’m setting out on a long drive and following a road map. When my novels are in the planning stage, I create that road map by first constructing a narrative outline of the story, using the same voice that I would use if I were explaining the plot to a friend. I do, however, allow myself to write “by the seat of my pants” when I’m creating my individual scenes. That’s where potential plot twists will often surface, as though the story has a mind of its own. I then weave those twists into the narrative outline, adjusting the story arc as I go along.
WOW: What advice do you have for authors wanting to incorporate a major twist or surprise ending into their story?
Regina: You can’t just plunk a bad guy or a dark secret into your story without setting the reader up for it first. If you don’t, you risk losing your credibility as a storyteller. The reader won’t find the sudden turn of events to be believable, and they’ll lose their trust in you. To prevent that from happening, you’ve got to drop a few breadcrumbs here and there throughout the story. Breadcrumbs are tiny bits of information that hint at things yet to come in your characters’ lives. This subtle foreshadowing will percolate in the reader’s subconscious, building up to that delicious Aha! moment later on in the book, when the puzzle pieces of the plot begin to snap into place.
WOW: Do you find it difficult to write villains? Why or why not?
Regina: I have a blast writing villainous characters! In Down a Bad Road, I had a wonderful time creating self-centered Lavender, bumbling Burley and manipulative Marta. Lavender was especially fun to play around with as she morphed into the satirical vixen that my beta readers said they “loved to hate.” Writing these unlikeable yet compelling characters freed up a part of my normally straight-laced psyche, which allowed me to explore the darker side of human nature.
WOW: I love that! How much of your own personality shows up in your characters?
Regina: My sense of humor tends toward the sarcastic, and my friends would probably describe me as a bit of a smartass. I think those traits of mine shine through in the character of Lavender, but magnified about a thousand times! I actually consider myself to be a genuinely nice person who would never stoop to Lavender’s level of insensitivity and scheming. In that sense, I’m more like the character Burley, who strives to live a life of integrity, even though his efforts often fall far short of his intentions.
WOW: Did any particular book or author inspire you to write a thriller?
Regina: One of my all-time favorite novels is Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel, the classic gothic tale of mystery and obsession. I’m a longtime fan of du Maurier’s vivid settings and intricate plotting. I love the ambiguity of cousin Rachel’s seemingly innocuous actions as she toys with young Philip’s affections. Every time I reread the novel, I find myself pondering Rachel’s intentions right along with the bewildered Philip. In homage to du Maurier’s stellar example, I try to weave that same sense of uncertainty and foreboding into my own stories.
WOW: Do you have a favorite writing craft book or favorite piece of writing advice you’ve received?
Regina: Being the plotter that I am, I’ve found the craft book Write Away by Elizabeth George to be an indispensable guide for planning a novel. Her method takes you step-by-step through the process, from initial idea to final draft. My favorite piece of advice from George is the importance of “showing up.” Your novel won’t get written without you sitting down in that desk chair every darn day, and doing the work. Only you can make it happen!
WOW: Wonderful advice, Regina! Thanks for joining us and we wish you all the best with Down a Bad Road.
---- Blog Tour Calendar
May 29th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the blog tour launch of Down a Bad Road by Regina Buttner. You'll have the chance to read an interview with the author and win a copy of the book.
May 30th @ Author Anthony Avina’s blog
Stop by author Anthony Avina’s blog to read his review of Down a Bad Road by Regina Buttner.
May 31st @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews blog
Join Lisa for an interview with Regina Buttner.
June 1st @ World of My Imagination
Stop by World of My Imagination to read Nicole's review of Down a Bad Road.
June 4th @ Author Anthony Avina’s blog
Revisit author Anthony Avina’s blog to read “How a Corgi Supercharged My Writing Life” by Regina Buttner.
June 5th @ A Lit Life
Stop by A Lit Life read Stephanie's review of Down a Bad Road.
June 7th @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue Bradford Edwards’ blog to read an interview with author Regina Buttner.
June 8th @ Michelle Cornish's blog
Read a guest post from Regina Buttner about cultivating writerly discipline.
June 9th @ Reading is My Remedy
Check out Chelsie's Instagram where she'll review Down a Bad Road.
June 10th @ World of My Imagination
Stop by Nicole's blog where Regina Buttner is a guest for "Three Things on a Saturday Night."
June 12th @ Reading is My Remedy
Stop by Chelsie's blog to read a guest post by Regina Buttner about disguising your friends and family in your stories.
June 13th @ Michelle Cornish's author blog
Join Michelle as she reviews Down a Bad Road.
June 14th @ Create Write Now
Visit Mari's blog to read a guest post by Regina Buttner about growing up old-school Catholic and daring to write about it!
June 15th @ The Knotty Needle
Join Judy for her review of Down a Bad Road.
June 16th @ Mindy McGinnis’s blog
Stop by Mindy’s blog to read “A Humorous Look at NOT Dating After 50” by Regina Buttner.
June 16th @ From the TBR Pile
Join Kari as she reviews Down a Bad Road.
June 18th @ Lady Unemployed
Stop by Nicole's blog to read "How Joining a Professional Writers Organization Transformed My Writing Career" by Regina Buttner.
June 21st @ Life According to Jamie
Join us as Jamie reviews Down a Bad Road.
June 22nd @ Sue Edwards’s blog
Return to Sue’s blog to read "From Nurse to Writer" by Regina Buttner.
June 23rd @ Nikki's Book Reviews
Read Nicole's review of Down a Bad Road.
June 24th @ The Faerie Review
Stop by The Faerie Review to read a spotlight of Down a Bad Road.
June 25th @ A Lit Life
Return to A Lit Life to read a guest post from Regina Buttner about how a visit to the Stillwater Hotel in Upstate New York inspired the setting for Down a Bad Road.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a copy of Down a Bad Road by Regina Buttner! Fill out the Rafflecopter form by June 11th at 11:59 pm CT for a chance to win. We will choose a winner randomly the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!
