Spotlight & Giveaway: A Cop’s Promise by Sharon Hartley

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Sharon Hartley to HJ!

Hi Sharon and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, A Cop’s Promise!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

A Cop’s Promise is the story of Lana Lettino, a woman stuck in the past because of the unsolved murder of her older brother. Lana becomes a cop to solve that cold case. Her primary suspect soon becomes Chip Peterson, her good friend and neighbor as a young girl. Because of her investigation, secrets are revealed that change everyone’s life.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

This is from their first date.

He ought to damn well tell this badass cop that the man-child she was trying to get justice for had been a selfish prick who’d thought the world revolved around his own sorry butt.
But he couldn’t do it. Someone needed to tell her to quit wasting her time, but he couldn’t be the one to shatter Lana’s illusions about her brother. Chip had spent a lot of his childhood trying to protect her, and he couldn’t stop now.
If she continued to investigate, she’d find out on her own.
Especially if Cindy Arroyo appeared on her suspect list.
Chip locked gazes with Lana. “The end of my friendship with Dan had nothing to do with his murder.”
“Then why keep it a secret?”
“Was that the reason for this date?” Chip demanded. “You wanted to interrogate me when I was relaxed and unaware?”
Her cheeks colored. “I offered to pay for half.”
“Congratulations,” he said. “You’ve proved your point.”
She frowned. “What point?”
“You’re not so nice after all.”
Her mouth tightened, and she finally looked away. Score one for The Chipper.
God, he was the biggest fool on the face of the earth. Lana had accepted his invitation solely because she thought he was a fricking murderer. She suspected him of killing her brother. He ought to be grateful she wasn’t surveilling him.
Maybe she had been.

What inspired this book?

I went to a high school reunion and that party got me to thinking about friends I had known since grade school. The book is partly about bullying and the devastating effects that hateful behavior can have on young people. I wanted to explore why people act mean, how people aren’t always what they seem, how too often we see only what we want to see… and how everyone has secrets!

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

I often say my characters actually write my stories as they reveal themselves to me during the writing process. My stories always (almost) begin with an idea and a character horribly impacted by twists surrounding that idea. I think I know where I am going – or where my characters are going – but sometimes they want to go in a different direction. If I’ve done my job right and created realistic people, I need to listen to them. I have to torture my characters so that they can learn about themselves, but they always have a happily ever after. In this story Lana and Chip definitely surprised me by doing things I didn’t expect.

What was your favorite scene to write?

Lana and Chip’s first date. Chip is Lana’s prime suspect in her brother’s murder and she asks him out so she can interrogate him when he’s relaxed and unaware. Chip is thrilled about the opportunity to reconnect with a high school crush, but doesn’t know she’s a cop, and seriously outraged when he learns she suspects him of murder.

CHIP SHIFTED IN his seat, unsettled by the keen way Lana observed him, with her eyes narrowed as if she were a cat and he a nervous fish, swimming for his life in a glass aquarium.
“You’re investigating Dan’s murder?”
“Unofficially,” she said. “It’s still considered an open case, but no detective is actively working it.”
“I thought I heard about a new cold-case squad.”
“Yeah, but they’re working their way through cases from the eighties. It’ll be years before they get to Dan’s murder.”
“Any luck?” he asked. This was worse than he thought. My God, Lana had devoted her life to solving her brother’s murder.
“I’ve made some progress.”
He nodded, confused by the way she continued to observe him, obviously checking out his response to her revelation. Why?
“Any suspects?” he asked.
A slow knowing smile curved her mouth, a mouth he’d once considered imminently kissable. Now he didn’t know what to think.
“Yes,” she said.
He waited for her to say more, to reveal the name of her suspect, but she just continued to watch him. What the hell was she up to?
“Anyone I know?” he asked, doing his best to keep his tone light.
She leaned forward. “Actually, my old friend, you are my prime suspect.”
He stared at her, her words finally igniting a flash of anger in his gut. He suspected that was what she’d been after. His reaction.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I suspect every guest at Coach’s retirement party,” she said, “but I started with you.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

When Lana’s investigation hits a dead end, she decides to break into a suspect’s home to gather evidence. At first I thought I’d have her actually do it, but realized she wouldn’t cross that line.

Her heart hammered inside her chest as she approached the window she’d selected. Moisture from damp grass seeped into her shoes. Could she—should she—do this? If she entered Gary’s home without his permission or knowledge, she’d be crossing a line no one should ever breach. Much less a cop. If she got caught, she would end her career.
Worse, she’d become one of the bad guys. She’d be as corrupt as the criminals she’d sworn to hunt down. Breaking and entering was a felony.
But so was murder.
She reached for the hammer in her pocket, gripped the smooth wooden shaft and hesitated. Was she out for justice or revenge? Had she become some rogue vigilante who was willing to do anything to achieve her own ends?
No, that’s not me.
She lowered the hammer and backed away from the window. What the hell am I doing?
Making another bad decision, that’s what, one that could destroy her life forever. B and E was worse than anything her mother had ever done or didn’t do.
Lana couldn’t do this. She wouldn’t become a criminal in order to punish one.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

Well, I like to think I get better with every book…. (one can hope!) but A Cop’s Promise is the type of story I love to tell, about how the private lives of cops intersect with their careers. Law enforcement gets a lot of bad press these days, and of course every profession has its rotten apples, but most cops are heroes doing a difficult job in a crazy world. It’s a bit of a departure because it contains a mystery… Lana’s goal is to solve her brother’s murder, which she of course does. And finds love!

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

That life isn’t always what we think. Something happens and we think it’s because of this or that…. But it’s really because of something else entirely. Does that make sense? We have to look deeper sometimes to find the answers we seek.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m finishing the last of my Rookie Files miniseries. The working title is Jackpot, a term police officers use when they find themselves in a giant mess. Jackpot is Officer Trice Skinner’s story, and she works with Monroe DiSilva from Internal Affairs to solve corruption in her department. It’s a switch because IA is usually considered the bad guys in cop stories, but my hero is an Internal Affairs detective.

My next release is A Cop’s Second Chance, which will publish in August 2019. This is the third story of The Rookie Files and includes a very bad ass villain that was a so much fun to write.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Five print copies of A Cop’s Promise. United States address only

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What if you receive irrefutable proof that someone you admire and/or love turns out not to be such a nice person? In fact, it turns out he or she is a complete jerk. Would that change your opinion of them? Would you try to change them? And what if that person is dead?

 
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Excerpt from A Cop’s Promise:

Chip braked in front of Bubba’s address but kept staring straight ahead. “Okay. So, what do you expect me to do?”
“For one thing, you’re going to have to act like you at least like me,” she said.
“Trust me,” he said, “I’ll be friendly.”
“Friendly?” Lana brushed lint off her pants, unable to meet his gaze. “I was hoping you might, you know, kiss me.”
When he didn’t reply, she shot him a look. He leered at her with one of his daredevil grins.
“And just how often do you want me to kiss you, Officer Lettino?”
She felt embarrassed having to ask Chip to kiss her, but knew if they didn’t plan their actions ahead of time, they wouldn’t fool anybody.
“Well, at least once,” she said.
“I don’t know. Are you sure that’s enough?”
“If you make it look real, like you enjoy kissing me.”
“Oh, I’m going to enjoy kissing you.”
She felt a smile form. Me, too.
“But maybe we should practice,” Chip suggested. He leaned toward her. “So we don’t mess up.”
She met his bright blue gaze and couldn’t look away. “Okay,” she whispered, and suddenly very much wanted to kiss Chip.
He cupped her face, lightly stroking her cheek with his thumb, and then his lips were on hers, his tongue exploring her mouth, and everything was all too real. Too intense. Too wonderful. She felt the heat, the strength of Chip’s body as he urged her closer to him. A tug of arousal pulled at her lower belly and expanded into her entire body. She raised her arms to his neck and scooted toward him, wanting this connection to go on forever.
But he pulled back. When she opened her eyes, he smiled at her.
“Not bad for a first attempt,” he said, brushing hair away from her cheek with a featherlight touch.
She swallowed. What had just happened?
“I think we’re ready,” he said.
Chip opened his door, planted his feet on the ground and extended a hand toward her.
Lana remained frozen, stunned by her reaction to his kiss.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go in.”
She grabbed his hand and jumped out of the truck.
He took her arm and moved them toward the house. Her thoughts tumbling, Lana searched for something to say.
But what was there to say after a kiss like that? Wow.
Bubba threw open his front door and spread his arms wide. “Dudes!”
Lana forced herself to breathe deeply and smiled at their host. She needed to focus.
Bubba had always reminded her of a big, cuddly panda bear. But bears had claws, right? Bubba had no clue she was investigating a cold case or that he was a suspect.
Tina came forward and gave her a hug. Over her shoulder, Lana spotted a giant flat-screen television. The sound was muted, but sportscasters chatted at a desk, and a football field filled the background.
“I’m so glad we decided to do this,” Tina said.
“Me, too,” Lana said. “Thanks for having us over.”
“It’ll be fun. Kickoff is in ten minutes. Can you guys wait until halftime to eat?”
“Sure,” Lana said.
“We’re having Tina’s famous chili,” Bubba said.
“Of course, we’ll have snacks,” Tina said. “Little quiches. But what can I get you to drink?”
“Do you have any white wine?” Lana asked.
“You bet. How about you, Chip?” she called out.
“A beer would be awesome,” he said.
“Coming up,” Bubba said and moved into the kitchen.
Chip appeared beside her and wrapped a possessive arm around her shoulders. When she raised her gaze to his, he lowered his head and gave her another long, scorching kiss.
Heat flooded her treacherous body. His kisses changed everything she ever thought she knew about Chip Peterson. For one thing, The Chipper really knew how to kiss. Or she’d never been kissed by anyone who knew what he was doing.
“Good job,” Chip murmured, his breath soft on her mouth as he pulled away.
When Lana opened her eyes, Tina beamed at them. “So, you finally scored with Lana, huh, Chip?”
“Took him long enough,” Bubba said, reentering the room. He handed her a glass of wine and a beer to Chip, who’d lost his cocky grin.
Lana watched Chip take a pull on his beer. What were Tina and Bubba going on about?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Can digging up the past lead to her future? Rookie cop Lana Lettino joined the force for one reason: to solve her brother’s eight-year-old murder. She never imagined the evidence would lead to Chip Peterson, former boy next and Lana’s current sexy distraction. But as Lana digs deeper into the cold case, she suspects Chip less and less… and falls for him more and more. Will her search lead to the truth.. and a happily-ever-after?

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Meet the Author:

Sharon Hartley is so fascinated by cops and the dangerous people who complicate their world that she attends every citizens’ police academy that she can find. Having worked as a court reporter for many years, Sharon plays “what if” on her old cases and comes up with fictional ways to inject them into her stories. After time on the computer creating plots where the bad guys try to hurt the good ones, she calms herself by teaching yoga, plus hiking and birding in the natural world. Sharon lives in Florida with her soul mate Max, hundreds of orchids and a Jack Russell Terrorist.
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