A Better Life by Liza O'Connor

A Better Life

By Liza O’Connor

Blurb

Angel’s husband had barely left the country when the first attempt on her life occurred. Fortunately, Anna was at home and shot the man as he entered through a window that for some reason had been left open. Now a dead body chilled in the basement freezer.

Angel had always known this day would come. She had lived in fear of this day for the last five years. The terrorists had somehow discovered her identity. By the sounds of gunshots outside the house, she knew her nightmare was far from over. Any thought of her living a normal life from here-on wasn’t possible. God only knows what would happen to her and her children now.

Discover the new life of the extraordinary forensic auditor named Angel. She can locate improperly acquired money better than anyone. Unfortunately, that puts her and her children at serious risk.

Nor does her love life work nearly as well as her forensic abilities. Men are constantly using, then betraying her. Still, she remains positive and optimistic. Now that she is officially dead, living deep within a mountain, she hopes she and her children will be safe.

To her surprise, the biggest threat is not from criminals, but her husband, who has ordered her to be killed.

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EXCERPT

Early the next morning, Davenport led her to Director Hamilton’s office. Braddock was there as well, looking calm, which she hoped meant that he’d successfully convinced Hamilton to go along with her plan.

“Davenport, stay,” the director ordered. He came around his desk and studied the skin around Angel’s mouth. He sighed softly. “Dr. Hanson says the skin will heal better if you don’t talk, so only move your head to answer yes and no. According to Braddock, you wish your boys to go live with Tom until he can return.”

She nodded.

“Sir, this has been tried before, and it doesn’t work,” Davenport stated.

“What do you mean it’s been tried before?” Hamilton challenged.

“When she was in the other facility. She broke down within a month without her son.”

Angel shook her head and mimed for pen and paper.

Hamilton located the required items and watched her write a rather long-winded response. Upon reading it, he handed the tablet to Davenport. “Do you agree with the facts she states.”

“Yes, I just don’t think this situation is that different.”

She grabbed the pad and wrote: Huge Difference!!!

“Well, something’s got to change.” He focused on Angel. “Your team gave up last night soon after you left. Without you, they weren’t making any progress. So, I allowed them to return to their rooms for a good night’s sleep.”

She wrote: Help me save my boys so I can focus on our problem.

“We’ll move them over now.”

“What about the contamination risk?” Davenport challenged.

Braddock spoke. “Angel gave a sound argument against that possibility. She doesn’t believe Tom was ever contaminated with anything.”

Davenport stared at Angel. “Are you willing to bet your sons’ lives on it?”

She nodded. She hadn’t expected Davenport to argue like this before his boss and the director. This wasn’t like him.

Hamilton frowned at Davenport but then focused on Angel. “There’s only one bit of concern. You told your boys you were doing a project to bring Tom home faster. So, he’s probably going to want to know what you meant. I do not want Tom to know his son’s life is in danger.”

She wrote on her tablet: I agree.

“Then if I allow you to visit Tom and the kids via a video link from my office each evening, with me observing, I have your word you won’t mention Toby and his current situation?”

His question caused her to smile, which hurt like hell. She sobered and nodded as she retrieved her salve and placed it on the places that hurt.

“Sorry, I hadn’t considered the consequences of giving you good news. Well, since you cannot talk right now, the visits won’t begin until you can. Does that sober you up?”

With a heavy sigh she nodded. That definitely took the wind out of her happiness.

She then wrote: Can Tom determine if their teacher is a problem?

“Yes. He will have to remain out of the camera view, but his assessment will be considered, along with yours, when assessing our options. Trust me, Angel. I want your boys to grow up happy and sound. We are completely on the same side here.”

AMAZON

About the Author

Liza O’Connor

Liza O’Connor lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT

LIZA O'CONNOR

Investigate these sites:

Liza’s Multiverse Blog

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All the Many Books Liza has written

Over 50 books for your reading pleasure

Contemporary

Historical

Paranormal

Sci-Fi

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Romance

Sleuths

Suspense

Humor

Feel Good Novels

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Books range from young adult to mature audiences.

I write them as my characters want them to be written.

Keto pep talk

It's been over a year now since I have ditched carbs and began a keto lifestyle. I have spoken about this in previous blogs but just in case you are unfamiliar, keto is a low carb, high fat diet that puts your body in a state of ketosis. Instead of storing carbs to use as energy, your body burns fat. I have lost a total of 82 pounds in the last year. And no, I don't miss the carbs.

Because of my success, a lot of my friends have turned to me for advice. I am not a medical professional. I can only speak of what has occurred for me and what I have researched online. I try to give out what info I can and refer to other sources. I'm still learning new recipes and what works best for my body. Everyone is different. I know quite a few people have goals or resolutions to lose weight and since we are a few weeks into the new year, I figured it might be time for a little pep talk.

The first few weeks of keto are the hardest. The cravings are difficult. Your body goes through withdrawals from all the processed foods and sugars you are now denying. Some people experience a big drop in weight the first week then nothing the second. No, you aren't doing it wrong. The first week weight loss is typically water weight. It does take time for your body to enter ketosis and burn the fats for energy. Because of this, some of my friends say they experienced low energy levels and feelings of depression. THIS IS NORMAL. It does go away as your body normalizes.

Keto flu is real. I read a lot about this prior to starting so I took steps to prevent this as much as possible so mine wasn't bad. For tips, head over to the Diet Doctor.

You don't have to deprive yourself. Seriously! Anyone who thinks you can't enjoy food while on this 'diet' really should check out my Instagram. I have made pizza, tacos, ice cream, meatloaf, cookies, biscuits, pancakes, and so much more. Tonight's dinner is meatballs with zucchini noodles with brownies for dessert.  There are thousands of wonderful recipes to try! I love Pinterest. There are also a ton of Facebook groups for recipe sharing and support.

Don't be afraid to change things up. We all get into a food rut, eating the same things all the time. For me personally, not only is that boring but my body gets used to things so it stops working effectively. I have to throw a curve ball in occasionally. That could mean anywhere from eating more fats than usual or upping my carbs for the day. That helps me get out of any stall that happens. And stalling does happen. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong. It just happens.

I can't stress this point enough: SCRUTINIZE THE INGREDIENT LABEL. Even on products you think is 'safe'. For example: stevia is one of the sugar alternatives keto dieters use. It tastes great and won't impact your blood sugar level. However, if you look at the big bags stores sell of stevia, you'll find most of them will contain malodexterin which can cause weight gain, increased risk of high blood pressure, and has been linked to type 2 diabetes. So be careful!

This is going to sound like a weird thing to say, but be careful of products that say keto on the label. This goes along with my previous point of scrutinize the label. Keto is becoming increasingly popular and companies are recognizing it and trying to cash in. There are products I have come across at Wal-mart for meal replacement shakes and snacks that say keto but a closer examination on the label shows there are some non-keto friendly ingredients. Keto Connect (https://www.ketoconnect.net/) did a video about the Slim Fast keto line and I think the results might surprise some people.

Keto Connect is a great resource as well! They are one of the three YouTube channels I subscribe to. The other two are Disney related.

I know starting any kind of diet is difficult. When the weight doesn't drop off as quickly as we want, or the cravings hit hard, it makes it challenging. I can only speak from my experience. I was pre-diabetic. I had a long history of back problems. Allergies and asthma stole days away from me. I got sick a lot. In the past year, I wasn't home one single day from pain or illness. Occasionally would get a headache but nothing like the migraines I used to. 82 pounds gone. From a 3xl to a large. Even my wedding ring doesn't fit anymore. I am healthier than I have been in years. My relationship with food has improved.

Don't give up. Even if a ketogenic diet isn't for you, find something that you enjoy. I have said it before: set goals, not resolutions. Keep going. YOU ARE WORTH IT. You can do it. I believe in you.