Today I am so pleased to welcome Hank Edwards to Joyfully Jay. Hank is here as part of the Coastal Magic Convention Blog Tour to talk to us about his latest release, The Devil of Pinesville: Critter Catchers Book Four. He has also brought along an excerpt and a copy to give away. Please join me in giving Hank a big welcome!

 

There are some dangerous things loose in the world. And a few of them have taken up residence in Parson’s Hollow.

In this fictional town located in western Pennsylvania, two men a few years past their mid-twenties, who have been best friends since kindergarten, have opened an animal control business named Critter Catchers. Demetrius Singleton is the only child of Marshall and Olivia, who were in their late forties when his mother discovered she was pregnant. He is gay and tends to be organized, a trait which helps him manage much of the business side of things. Cody Bower is the middle child of five boys, played football in high school, and has dated nearly every girl in and around their small town of Parson’s Hollow. He’s tall, good looking, and outgoing, willing to take chances and go out on a limb to achieve a goal.

They are complete opposites and best friends.

But does something more simmer between them, just beneath the surface?

coastal magic badgeIn their latest Critter Catchers adventure, The Devil of Pinesville, Cody and Demetrius — or, as Cody calls him, Demmy —  are invited to Pinesville, New Jersey to investigate a rash of sightings of the Devil, a local urban legend. Oliver Berridge, a man Demmy dated for a time, is living with his grandmother in Pinesville, and thinks this case may be right up their alley. Cody is reluctant — they’ve been involved in three previous cases with things that have tried to kill them — and he’s not sure it’s smart to go for a fourth. But he doesn’t want Demmy to stay with Ollie alone, so he agrees to go along.

While their investigation uncovers a number of twists, Cody and Demmy try to come to terms with newly discovered levels in their relationship. It’s all new to them both, and neither one knows quite how to explain how he feels to the other. With help from a local business called, interestingly enough, Critter Ridders, Demmy and Cody uncover the truth about the Devil of Pinesville, and themselves.

This is the fourth book in the Critter Catchers series, and it’s best to read them in order. Check out the story summaries for the first three books below, and then read an exclusive excerpt from The Devil of Pinesville: Critter Catchers Book Four, now available! Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win a digital copy of The Devil of Pinesville.

Terror by Moonlight: Critter Catchers Book One
Cody Bower and Demetrius Singleton have been friends for over twenty years even though they are polar opposites. Cody is tall, handsome, athletic, and straight, and Demetrius is average height, more of a thinker, and gay. They have started an animal control business together and have to figure out how to be business partners without letting it affect their friendship, but that’s the least of their problems. When one of their first clients ends up brutally murdered in what appears to be an animal attack, the two realize something big and dangerous is stalking their tiny town of Parson’s Hollow, and it’s up to them to catch it before it kills again.

Chasing the Chupacabra: Critter Catchers Book Two
Business is tough for Critter Catchers, the animal control company owned by best friends Demetrius and Cody. Their first big job was a few months ago, but no one likes to talk about it because that critter turned out to be a murderous wolf man. When a new job finally appears, they jump at it, and end up chasing an unidentified creature through the woods around Parson’s Hollow. Soon they’re smack dab in the middle of another potential paranormal case, complete with a mysterious blood-thirsty creature, a secretive laboratory, and a farmer they’re not sure they can trust!

Swamped by Fear: Critter Catchers Book Three
While in Florida visiting Demetrius’s parents, best friends and business partners Cody and Demetrius realize their feelings for each other run deeper than just friendship. As they each struggle with emotions that promise to either detonate or deepen their relationship, Demetrius must also deal with his mother’s health issues. When a missing person’s case hits a little too close to home, the two tangle with a creature so frightening it’s scaring alligators out of the Everglades and into the swimming pools!

The Devil of Pinesville: Critter Catchers Book Four
It’s business as usual for Critter Catchers Demmy and Cody, with one pretty major change. Now, they’re not only juggling their animal control business and decades of friendship, but the beginnings of a romance as well. Cody’s always put a time limit on his past relationships, and he’s certain he’s going to mess things up with Demmy. For his part, Demmy is pretty sure Cody will, too. But trouble arrives in the form of one of Demmy’s ex-boyfriends who contacts them about a case they might be able to handle in Pinesville, New Jersey. Sensing not just physical but romantic danger, Cody makes certain to accompany Demmy on the trip.

In Pinesville, they meet up with a handful of residents just as colorful, if not more so, than those in Parson’s Hollow. And both are surprised to find they have some competition on this case, namely the Critter Ridders, a pair of very competitive women operating their own animal control business.

As the case intensifies, tempers flare and loyalties are tested, bringing Demmy and Cody to the point where they must decide if they’re willing to save the business, their friendship, or their romance.

You can find all four Critter Catchers books at AMAZON and BARNES AND NOBLE and SMASHWORDS and KOBO. They are also available in paperback.


Excerpt

Cody set the flashlight on the ground, beam pointed at two of the cages occupied by pacing skunks. He hefted the wet towels, one in each hand, as he looked for the one remaining skunk, of which there was no sign. “And the towels are going to keep their spray from getting out of the cage?”

“That’s what the site claimed,” Demmy said.

“Well, if it’s on the internet, it must be true.”

“Are you ready?”

“No.”

They stood in place, towels in hand, flashlights on the ground and aimed at the cages.

“How about now?” Demmy asked.

“I’d like to know where that other skunk got off to.”

Barking erupted from behind them. It was frenzied and high-pitched, intermixed with shouts of surprise from Jugs. A string of harsh curses quickly followed, and the stink of skunk floated to them on the evening breeze. Moments later, Jugs rushed past them, eyes wide in the glow of their flashlights. His arms were stretched as far out as he could reach, and he held a frantically wriggling Enid Helen.

“She’s hit!” Jugs shouted as he ran past. “It got her.”

“Guess that answers my question,” Cody said.

Demmy nodded. “Let’s go.”

Cody managed to drape a towel over the first cage with no problem. As he moved to the second cage, he stooped to pick up his flashlight and directed it toward the area of the yard where they’d been sitting. Jugs’s lawn chair lay on its side, but there was no sign of the skunk.

With his attention diverted, Cody didn’t realize how close he was to the next cage until his foot bumped against it. He cursed as he stumbled over it, the flashlight tumbling from his grip as he stretched out his hands to break his fall. A pungent stink exploded around him. He gagged and turned away to draw in a breath of fresh air as he scrambled to try and stand. His feet went out from under him and he fell flat on his stomach, face turned so he stared at the business end of the elusive skunk. He had just enough time to squeeze his eyes shut and turn his face away before he got blasted a second time.

“Shit!” Demmy shouted from somewhere nearby. “I got sprayed.”

Cody kept his eyes closed and held his breath as he got to his hands and knees. He crawled blindly away from the skunks, lungs aching for fresh air. He ran into something and fell on top of it, rolling onto his side as he gasped for breath.

“What the fuck?” Demmy said from beneath him. “Oh, god. You… Skunks!”

Another blast of awful stink erupted around them. Cody’s eyes burned and tears streamed down his face as he coughed and gagged, trying to catch his breath. Demmy squirmed beneath him, gagging as well, and suddenly Cody was rolled to the side. He got to his hands and knees and crawled a few feet away. The smell was everywhere, he couldn’t get away from it. His nose and throat burned. It felt like steel wool had been packed into his lungs.

He gasped and drew in a deep breath. The searing odor filled his chest and his stomach twisted in revolt. Moments later, everything he’d eaten came up in a burning rush. He blurted out curses between each ugly clench of his gut until there was nothing left. Fuck, he hated throwing up.

A hand touched his back and ran slowly up and down his spine.

Demmy.

And from the lightness of his touch, Cody thought — hoped — that Demmy had forgiven him.

“I covered the three cages,” Demmy said. “Can you stand?”

“I can’t see anything,” Cody said. “It got in my eyes.”

“It’s all over you. And pretty much all over me as well.”

Demmy helped Cody to his feet and they moved away from the cages. The air cleared with each stumbling step, until they reached the chairs. A lingering cloud of skunk stink washed over them and Cody gagged again and went down on one knee.

“Shit.” Demmy grunted as he tried to keep Cody on his feet. “This is where Enid Helen got sprayed. Over here. Come on.”

Demmy directed Cody across the yard. After they’d staggered a distance from the chairs, Cody went down on his hands and knees. He could barely see his fingers splayed in the thick grass from the tears blurring his vision.

“Fuckin’ skunks,” Cody managed between coughing fits.

“Stay here,” Demmy instructed. “I’ll get the hose over here so you can wash your face and flush your eyes.”

Cody put his forehead against the cool grass. He took deep, gulping breaths and kept his eyes squeezed shut as he muttered, “Fuckin’ skunks.”


Blurb

The Devil of Pinesville: Critter Catchers Book FourIt’s business as usual for Critter Catchers Demmy and Cody, with one pretty major change. Now, they’re not only juggling their animal control business and decades of friendship, but the beginnings of a romance as well. Cody’s always put a time limit on his past relationships, and he’s certain he’s going to mess things up with Demmy. For his part, Demmy is pretty sure Cody will, too. But trouble arrives in the form of one of Demmy’s ex-boyfriends who contacts them about a case they might be able to handle in Pinesville, New Jersey. Sensing not just physical but romantic danger, Cody makes certain to accompany Demmy on the trip.

In Pinesville, they meet up with a handful of residents just as colorful, if not more so, than those in Parson’s Hollow. And both are surprised to find they have some competition on this case, namely the Critter Ridders, a pair of very competitive women operating their own animal control business.

As the case intensifies, tempers flare and loyalties are tested, bringing Demmy and Cody to the point where they must decide if they’re willing to save the business, their friendship, or their romance.


Bio

Hank Edwards is a curious mix of practical realist and feral dreamer. He is a fan of absurd comedy, as evidenced in the sizzling and hilarious Charlie Heggensford Fluffers, Inc. series, as well as Plus Ones, his wacky rom-com. He also loves a good mystery and suspense story, which inspired his Up to Trouble series, featuring FBI Agent Aaron Pearce and his lover Mark Beecher who met during one case and have gone on to solve others. His love of chills and thrills prompted him to create the Venom Valley series, which combines vampires and zombies with Old West cowboys, and the humorous paranormal Critter Catcher series, with best friends Cody and Demetrius tracking down monsters. He has also written a number of standalone stories, such as the humorous murder mystery Repossession is 9/10ths of the Law, or the sexy crime thriller Buried Secrets, as well as the chillingly spooky Wicked Reflection. Like him on Facebook (www.facebook.com/hankedwardsbooks or www.facebook.com/venomvalleyseries) and follow him on Twitter (@hanksbooks) to become a true “Hankie.” You may also visit his website at www.hankedwardsbooks.com or send along an email to hankedwardsbooks@gmail.com.


Giveaway

Hank has brought a copy of The Devil of Pinesville to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Friday, November 3rd at 11:59 pm ET.

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