By Leslie Wheeler
Three years after our parents died, my sister and I finally sold our childhood home. Giving up a place with so many happy memories was hard, but I believed we had to do it. Houses are meant to be lived in, and neither my sister, nor I, nor our children wanted to move in.
When I drove away, I didn’t know if I’d ever return. But I did in my dreams, shortly after I left. In those dreams, my parents were still alive and living in the house, though even in the dream world, I knew they were dead and shouldn’t be there. I realized that even more than my parents’ deaths, the sale of the house marked the end of my childhood and that made me sad.
Fast forward to the present day, and I revisited the house under happier circumstances when I used it in my mystery novel, Wildcat Academy. In the book, the main character, Kathryn Stinson, was born and raised in Southern California, as I was, but now lives in New England, as I do and have for many years. She returns to California to attend the funeral of a family member and stays at the house where her mother, who has remarried, now lives.
I went on the plane with Kathryn and shared her alarm when turbulence shook the plane, making it seem like “a paper airplane caught in a twister.” Fortunately, we landed safely at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as I had so many times in the past on trips to visit my parents after I’d moved away. Like Kathryn, I was overwhelmed by the maze of interconnecting freeways that had to be navigated to arrive at our destination. But finally, we reached the house in Pasadena, “a rambling, mid-century ranch with shingles and lots of glass windows and doors” on a hill overlooking the Arroyo Seco and the Rose Bowl with the purple-tinged San Gabriel Mountains in the background.
Kathryn and I sat in lounge chairs by the kidney-shaped swimming pool, catching the last rays of the sun. Later, we had dinner with her family on the patio, and went to bed soon afterward, because we were both tired from the trip. But we both woke up at the witching hour of three in the morning. And since neither of us could get back to sleep, we tiptoed down the long, dark hall from the bedroom area to the kitchen with a flashlight to guide us, like thieves in the night.
In the kitchen, we made ourselves mugs of hot milk laced with molasses. This was an old family remedy for sleeplessness, which I still resort to, though without the molasses. And there in the kitchen, to our surprise, Kathryn’s mother joined us and she and her mother had a long overdue heart-to-heart talk. It was the kind of talk I wished I’d had with my own mother but never did. Still, I was glad Kathryn and her mother were able to share their innermost thoughts and feelings.
Kathryn and I stayed at the house for two more days. Most of our time was spent preparing for the funeral, but we still managed to take a walk in the neighborhood up Linda Vista Avenue past the fire station, then the large white building with a red brick roof where I’d gone to elementary school, and finally the small flat-roofed structure that housed the Linda Vista Public Library, which I’d frequented when in school.
When it was time to leave, I felt a twinge of regret, but mostly I was glad for the opportunity to revisit my childhood home and the surrounding area. I lived every moment of the visit intensely as I was writing it, and even now as I’m reading this, I’m smiling.
Readers, have you gone ever back to your childhood home or some another place that was important to you in dreams or fiction? If so, what was it like?
Wildcat Academy
A Berkshire Hilltown Mystery, Book 4
When Boston library curator Kathryn Stinson visits the Berkshires with her mother and other family, she doesn’t expect trouble. But that’s what happens when her stepsister’s teenage son, a student at a private academy, is found dead beneath a zipline—a device he feared. As suspicions swirl around his death, Kathryn is drawn into a tense search for the truth. Was it a tragic accident, or something more sinister? With resistance from the academy and locals alike, she must navigate family dynamics and hidden tensions to uncover secrets that some will do anything to protect.
Buy Links
Kindle
Paperback
Books2Read
An award-winning author of books about American history and biographies, Leslie Wheeler has written two mystery series, the Berkshire Hilltown Mysteries and the Miranda Lewis series. Her mystery short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including The Best New England Crime Stories series, published by Crime Spell Books, where she is a co-editor/publisher. Leslie is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, serving as Speakers Bureau Coordinator for the New England Chapter of SinC. She divides her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Berkshires, where she writes in a house overlooking a pond.
Every Little Thing
/in New Release, Romance, Romantic Suspense, writing life/by Bethany MainesQuarter 1 had a lot of things…
And Thing 1 and Thing 2 were not blue-haired pranksters. The things were both writing. Last year, I blithely signed a contract with Varus Publishing to provide 4 books in 2026. I had exactly 1.5 books of those four written when I signed. Well, if you want to meet editorial and layout schedules, then you must turn in your manuscripts at a date that is not the last minute. Then I took on teaching a new writing workshop (which means developing the workshop), being the Treasurer for the Mystery Writers of America Northwest Chapter, volunteering my design skills to a worthy-cause website, supporting my brother’s new business, and oh, yeah, my daughter’s birthday is in a week. Keep reading for the news breakdown.
The workshop “Murder Boards & Master Plans: Brainstorming Your Mystery” went from being hybrid to being all virtual due to the possibility of snow in the forecast. While a bit of a curveball, the workshop still went well as we discussed how to pick which information we need to start outlining (or if you’re a “pantser – how to just start writing) and then broke it down to have some fabulous shared moments and help each other move our stories forward. It was so fantastic to see attendees have a lightbulb or a breakthrough moment on their plot.
Being a Treasurer is not particularly difficult. What’s challenging is the bank who, despite non-profit boards routinely rotating all across the US, seem shocked that there is a new treasurer literally every time. But it’s not my first time being a treasurer so I just gathered up all my bits and went down to the bank and talked to real person until it was mostly straightened out. Sadly, I’ll be doing it again this week in order to set up online banking. It never seems to happen all in one visit. However, the rest of the job is going fine, and we’ve already started our programming for the year – Check out Mystery Manon as she discusses social media for mystery writers!
As part of our MWA Chapter’s mission to support writing, this year we took on the support of Noir at the Bar Seattle. While a fixture on the Seattle literary scene since 2014, NATB has never had it’s own website. Until now. With some graphic design wizardry and a little tech know-how, I was able to put together a NATB website. It’s main goal is to share news of upcoming events, and keep track of past performers. You can also sign up for the mailing list and listen to recordings of previous readings. To learn more visit: https://www.noiratthebarseattle.com/
My daughter’s birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day and as per usual, we have picked out and tested a green dessert. This year it’s… Greenies. Because they can’t be brownies if they’re green. If you’re interested in getting the recipe (and news about new books, giveaways, and author spotlights) then sign up for my once a month newsletter! Visit: https://bethanymaines.com/connect/
Book 1 of the 2026 novels is now out in the wild and being read and reviewed by real human beings – ack! Look for Book 2 – Forged in Flame – June. This one is a perfectly delicious second chance romance with dragons because… of course there are dragons in Hawaii — it’s got a volcano.
Heart’s Curse
Writing under the pen name Sirena Corebeau for Varus Publishing, Heart’s Curse is about Lucas Kane, a hotel boss who’s on his way up the ladder and his first shot at the big time in Vegas is The Lucky Heart Hotel & Casino. There’s just one tiny problem… it’s cursed. Charlotte “Charlie” Auvray has always been told she’s nothing special—just the magicless daughter of a powerful witch family. But when a disastrous spring break lands her in Las Vegas, she stumbles into the path of Lucas Kane, a dangerously magnetic casino boss with secrets of his own. Lucas is juggling mob ties, a cursed hotel, and powers he can never reveal. What he doesn’t need is a heartbroken college girl counting cards at his tables… or kissing him in front of her cheating ex. But when blood rains from the showers and guests descend into madness, Charlie proves she sees what no one else can—the curse that haunts the Lucky Heart’s Casino. To break it, she’ll have to embrace her hidden magic and trust Lucas with her heart. Because in Vegas, the stakes aren’t just money—they’re life, love, and destiny.
ORDER NOW: https://amzn.to/49fdeli
**
See more books from the Stiletto Gang: BOOKS
Life in the Cracks
/in Author Life, Book Clubs, Gay Yellen, Romantic Suspense, Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery series, Spring/by Gay YellenI had an entirely different topic planned for today’s post until I learned that this date marks a celebration of “life in the cracks” for at least one community in California. I think it’s actually something we all should celebrate, especially these days.
It’s the Festival of Life-in-the-Cracks Day!
Time to celebrate the first signs of Spring that bring us fresh crops, fuzzy little ducklings, and even sprouts of greenery that rise up through our cracked sidewalks.
It is a day to celebrate rebirth and renewal, a day to appreciate the beauty of life anywhere you find it.
There’s something about new greenery popping up and out all around us that offers us a mental boost. Given the current state of the world, we could use a reminder to celebrate life. No matter how bleak the outlook, here comes Spring to remind us that things can change for the better.
In our park’s family garden, spring has definitely sprung. Cabbage, okra, tomatoes, figs, and apple blossoms abound.
Bees are buzzing, flowers blooming, and crops are bursting with life. Just to be surrounded by it all can lift our spirits.
With the world in turmoil, I can’t think of a more timely celebration than Life-in-the-Cracks Day. It
calls to mind the encouraging message in Leonard Cohen’s beautiful Anthem which shares the wisdom that—even when life feels like there’s a crack in everything—remember this: it’s how the light gets in.
I’m no Pollyanna, but I am so very, very eager to mute the bad news and turn myself toward hopeful things right now. Here’s to a bright, refreshing Spring for us all!
How about you, friends and readers… Are you ready for a brighter day?
The Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and full of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or order through your favorite bookseller.
Down the Rabbit Hole
/in Donnell Ann Bell, History, Ideas, Police, Research, writing life/by Donnell Ann BellBy Donnell Ann Bell
I’m glad I only blog once a month on The Stiletto Gang. Mainly because when I stumble on a topic I’d like to discuss, that’s how long it takes to condense the mushroom cloud in my brain into a few cohesive paragraphs.
Case in point, I recently read an ad in American Police Beat Magazine for a device called the MX908 mass spectrometer. This handheld gadget is portable, and because of its cost, (close to $60K per unit) is currently being used by elite first responders.
I can’t tell you how happy I was to learn about this advancing technology. During ridealongs and citizens academies, I’ve learned that while cops live daily with the knowledge they may take a bullet, they and their fellow first responders, face a greater risk known as exposure.
Exposure to explosives, chemicals and toxic drugs. I’m excited about the advancement of this mass spectrometer. I believe it will save innumerable lives.
I didn’t mean my blog to be an ad for the MX908, however. My original intent was to pinpoint how and when the technology may have evolved and how fiction authors (in particularly science fiction authors) may have contributed.
That idea proved fruitless and of little merit.
DeForest Kelly as Dr. McCoy Source: Public Domain
Lois Winston and I are critique partners, and I told her about the device and quipped something like Gene Roddenberry, screenwriter and creator of Star Trek, would be proud. If you recall Roddenberry created Star Trek in 1964. One of his characters, Dr. Leonard McCoy, aka Bones, used a medical scanning device on patients to determine illness or injury.
Still, Gene Roddenberry can’t take credit for the spectrometer. As I dove further down the rabbit hole, I learned the first mass spectrometer was invented in the 19th century and before that Issac Newton and others were delving into the color spectrum, telescope, microscope and myriad other devices. Did you know Newton is responsible for calculus?
And please don’t get me started on Benjamin Franklin!!!
I did learn quite a bit about science fiction authors while I was researching but I’ll save that for another blog. There are some amazing authors I’d like to include.
Also, during my explorations, I discovered I was attempting to engage in what is known as Synoptic philosophy, which comes from the Greek word συνοπτικός synoptikos (“seeing everything together”). Add synoptic to the word philosophy, it means the love of wisdom emerging from a coherent understanding of everything together.
Obviously, although my curiosity knows no bounds, I have much to learn.
Does your research lead you down the proverbial rabbit hole? Have you heard the term Synoptic philosophy?
About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell is an award-winning author who began her nonfiction career in newspapers. After she turned to fiction, her romantic suspense novels became Amazon bestsellers, including The Past Came Hunting, Deadly Recall, Betrayed, and Buried Agendas. In 2019, Donnell released her first mainstream suspense, Black Pearl, A Cold Case Suspense, which was a 2020 Colorado Book Award finalist. In 2022, book two of the series was released. Until Dead, A Cold Case Suspense won Best Thriller in 2023 at the Imaginarium Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Currently, she’s working on book three of the series. Readers can follow Donnell on her blog or sign up for her newsletter at www.donnellannbell.net.
Judging a Book by Its Title
/in Author Life, Mysteries, Sparkle Abbey, writing life/by Mary Lee AshfordWe often get asked about our book titles and we do have some fun with them. The Sparkle Abbey books sport titles such as “The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo” and “Fifty Shades of Greyhound” and the Mary Lee Ashford books, “Game of Scones” and “Risky Biscuits.” As with most traditionally published authors, we had no guarantee that the publisher would keep the titles we’d created but in almost all cases they did.
Still, in this new world of hybrid publishing and ever more complicated methods of discoverability, we got to wondering about how much impact a title has for readers in finding the books they like to read.
Over time there have been different trends such as the X Y format – two word titles – “Demon Copperhead,” “The Maid” or “Gone Girl.” And then there’s the really long book titles. For example: “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” or a children’s favorite of ours, “Alexander’s Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day.” Or the lovely, “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.” There also seem to be some new trends with cross-genre type titles and a surge of retro-sounding titles. Though some of these are specific to particular type of books or sub-genres, most seem to cross the lines.
And as with all things in the publishing world, title trends are ever changing. So we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Do particular types of titles appeal to you? And how much impact does the title of a book have on whether you would buy it or maybe at least stop to take another look?
Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series.
They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder. (But don’t tell the other neighbors.)
They love to hear from readers and can be found on social media or contacted via their websites:
Sparkle Abbey: Facebook Website
Mary Lee Ashford: Facebook Instagram Website
Steps In A Journey
/in Brooke Terpening, Colorado Gold Rush Literary Contest, Donnell Ann Bell, Pacific Northwest Writers Association Contest, Publishing, Royal Palm Literary Awards, Severn River Publishing, Writers League of Texas Literary Contest/by Brooke TerpeningThe creative side of writing is a joy, but, as we all know, the business of getting your novel into the world can be daunting. As I’ve learned, it takes a village and a support network along with a healthy dose of determination to birth a book.
I started my publication journey by joining Sisters in Crime. It was during one of their book clubs that I had the good fortune to meet Stiletto Gang member Donnell Ann Bell. She took an interest in my legal thriller featuring a former Miami prosecutor, which I hadn’t shared with anyone other than my husband, critique partners, and a few close friends. I nervously let Donnell, an award winning published author, read my first chapters. As a result, she demanded (and if you know Donnell, that is not an exaggeration) I enter writing competitions.
That was three years ago. Despite winning or finaling every writing competition I entered, my novel couldn’t find a publishing home. I kept writing my legal thriller series and faithfully scoured Manuscript Wish List and Query Tracker for agents representing my genre. No one was looking for a legal thriller. I began to doubt myself. Was there no market for anyone outside of the big three — Grisham, Connelly, and Turow?
Time for my own market research. An Amazon search on “legal thriller” turned up many authors with hundreds and even thousands of four-star and higher reviews. This confirmed that there was a huge number of readers and buyers out there, hungry for legal thrillers. An even bigger surprise was that outside of the big three, almost all were self-published, with only a couple of exceptions.
One of the exceptions caught my attention: Severn River Publishing. Curious, I researched the company. What I saw resonated with me. Relatively new, the company “was founded by military veterans and family members who shared a love of story.” When I saw they focused on thriller and mystery genres including — I held my breath—legal thrillers, I submitted my first novel to them.
Fast forward three months. I signed with Severn River for a four book series and couldn’t be happier working with a publisher that exceeds expectations. I’m excited to share their announcement in Publisher’s Marketplace with you.
“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
– Harriet Beecher Stowe, author
Brown Hound Press & The Last Detail
/in Judy Penz Sheluk, Short Stories/by Judy Penz ShelukThe Last Detail is the title of a short story, written by me and recently published by Brown Hound Press. A new online publisher, Brown Hound is a small press based in Lexington, Kentucky that publishes offbeat mystery, dark humor, southern gothic, and literary fiction.
Brown Hound Press plans to publish one short story a week, with no repeat authors for the first 52 weeks. (Which means, any authors reading this, that Brown Hound might be a market for you to research. And yes, there is prompt payment to the author.)
Go to the home page of the Brown Hound website to subscribe and receive a new short story every Thursday.
The Inspiration
You’ll have to read The Last Detail, but suffice it to say that I have actually experienced a grass clipping incident similar to the one described in the story. Of course, the revenge exacted by both parties is a complete figment of my all-too-vivid imagination (as is the cheating scumbag of an ex-husband and the bulimic bride with the bleached blonde bob). But gosh it was fun to write! And oh-so-cathartic.
The Brown Hound Submission Process
I submitted the story using Brown Hound’s online portal and heard back within a few days. The editor, Josh, loved the story, thought it was funny, but didn’t buy the ending. Would I revise it?
The chance to revise and resubmit is a generous gesture and not one that happens often, so of course I said yes.
Besides, as it happened, I’d already written an alternate ending and hadn’t been able to decide which one worked better. I resubmitted it with the new/old ending and voila! Acceptance.
And that, my Stiletto Gang friends, is one story with a happy ending.
To read previously published stories by Brown Hound Press, click here.
The past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the editor/publisher of five Superior Shores Anthologies, including the 2025 Derringer- and Silver Falchion- nominated Larceny & Last Chances, and the 2026 Derringer-nominated Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com
Going Home
/in Author Life, characters, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery/by Lois WinstonThree years after our parents died, my sister and I finally sold our childhood home. Giving up a place with so many happy memories was hard, but I believed we had to do it. Houses are meant to be lived in, and neither my sister, nor I, nor our children wanted to move in.
When I drove away, I didn’t know if I’d ever return. But I did in my dreams, shortly after I left. In those dreams, my parents were still alive and living in the house, though even in the dream world, I knew they were dead and shouldn’t be there. I realized that even more than my parents’ deaths, the sale of the house marked the end of my childhood and that made me sad.
Fast forward to the present day, and I revisited the house under happier circumstances when I used it in my mystery novel, Wildcat Academy. In the book, the main character, Kathryn Stinson, was born and raised in Southern California, as I was, but now lives in New England, as I do and have for many years. She returns to California to attend the funeral of a family member and stays at the house where her mother, who has remarried, now lives.
I went on the plane with Kathryn and shared her alarm when turbulence shook the plane, making it seem like “a paper airplane caught in a twister.” Fortunately, we landed safely at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as I had so many times in the past on trips to visit my parents after I’d moved away. Like Kathryn, I was overwhelmed by the maze of interconnecting freeways that had to be navigated to arrive at our destination. But finally, we reached the house in Pasadena, “a rambling, mid-century ranch with shingles and lots of glass windows and doors” on a hill overlooking the Arroyo Seco and the Rose Bowl with the purple-tinged San Gabriel Mountains in the background.
Kathryn and I sat in lounge chairs by the kidney-shaped swimming pool, catching the last rays of the sun. Later, we had dinner with her family on the patio, and went to bed soon afterward, because we were both tired from the trip. But we both woke up at the witching hour of three in the morning. And since neither of us could get back to sleep, we tiptoed down the long, dark hall from the bedroom area to the kitchen with a flashlight to guide us, like thieves in the night.
In the kitchen, we made ourselves mugs of hot milk laced with molasses. This was an old family remedy for sleeplessness, which I still resort to, though without the molasses. And there in the kitchen, to our surprise, Kathryn’s mother joined us and she and her mother had a long overdue heart-to-heart talk. It was the kind of talk I wished I’d had with my own mother but never did. Still, I was glad Kathryn and her mother were able to share their innermost thoughts and feelings.
Kathryn and I stayed at the house for two more days. Most of our time was spent preparing for the funeral, but we still managed to take a walk in the neighborhood up Linda Vista Avenue past the fire station, then the large white building with a red brick roof where I’d gone to elementary school, and finally the small flat-roofed structure that housed the Linda Vista Public Library, which I’d frequented when in school.
When it was time to leave, I felt a twinge of regret, but mostly I was glad for the opportunity to revisit my childhood home and the surrounding area. I lived every moment of the visit intensely as I was writing it, and even now as I’m reading this, I’m smiling.
Readers, have you gone ever back to your childhood home or some another place that was important to you in dreams or fiction? If so, what was it like?
Wildcat Academy
A Berkshire Hilltown Mystery, Book 4
When Boston library curator Kathryn Stinson visits the Berkshires with her mother and other family, she doesn’t expect trouble. But that’s what happens when her stepsister’s teenage son, a student at a private academy, is found dead beneath a zipline—a device he feared. As suspicions swirl around his death, Kathryn is drawn into a tense search for the truth. Was it a tragic accident, or something more sinister? With resistance from the academy and locals alike, she must navigate family dynamics and hidden tensions to uncover secrets that some will do anything to protect.
Buy Links
Kindle
Paperback
Books2Read
How I Was Almost a Prophet — by T.K. Thorne
/in Uncategorized/by TK ThorneIt was a dark and stormy night. Really.
SEE MORE
Inspired by Real Life
/in Lois Winston, amateur sleuth mysteries, Cozy Mysteries, cozy mystery books, crafting cozies, crafting mystery, Culinary Cozy, humor, women sleuths/by Lois WinstonBy Lois Winston
Embroidered Lies and Alibis, the fifteenth and newest book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, released fifteen days ago. Like all my other novels, both the mysteries and the non-mysteries, it was inspired by real life events.
As I may have mentioned in the past, I’m a news junkie. I read several newspapers a day, along with watching the news and a few favorite “talking heads” every morning and evening. On any given day, this can be a good thing or a bad thing—especially with everything going on in the world.
Along with coffee, the news is one of my two major addictions. Some people get anxiety from the news. I develop anxiety when I don’t know what’s going on. It’s a weird form of FOMO. Besides, I view the news as research. Right now, I have enough ideas floating around in my head to serve as mystery plots for years to come.
Embroidered Lies and Alibis was inspired by real life…
For example, the spark for Embroidered Lies and Alibis came from an article I read about a carjacking that included a cryptocurrency element. Because I write by the seat of my pants (known in writing parlance as being a Pantser,) I ran with that idea and began typing. Then one evening, I saw an interview with an elderly woman who had been scammed out of thousands of dollars by someone posing as an employee of her bank. Presto change-o, abracadabra, and bibbido-bobbidi-boo! Just like that, the pieces began to fall into place, and I had my plot.
…and the next book will be inspired by real life.
I’m currently working on the next book in the series. This past November, my older son and his family arrived from various parts of the country to spend Thanksgiving with us. They rented an Airbnb nearby to stay and to hold all thirteen of us for a week of family gatherings. The house was an antebellum mansion. The moment I set foot into it, I knew I was going to use it as the setting for my next mystery.
With the last several books having taken place in Anastasia’s hometown, I had already decided it was once again time to send her off somewhere to prevent Cabot Cove Syndrome. With that in mind, I’ve moved the Tennessee mansion to upstate New York. To find out why, you’ll have to wait until the book is finished and published, but it’s going to involve research I’ve done about both the Underground Railroad and Prohibition. And of course, there will be murder and mayhem. Stay tuned…
Meanwhile, I hope you’ll find Embroidered Lies and Alibis worthy of a read.
Have you read other mysteries that were inspired by real life? Have you ever come across a person, a setting, or even an object that you thought would be perfect inspiration for a novel? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook download of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 15
A Stitch in Time Could Save a Life…
When Anastasia’s mother Flora is offered a free spa vacation from Jeremy Dugan, a man connected to her distant past, Anastasia and husband Zack suspect ulterior motives. After all, too-good-to-be-true often spells trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when the FBI swoops in to apprehend Dugan. However, Dugan isn’t who he claimed to be, and his arrest raises more questions than answers.
The Feds link Dugan to a string of cons targeting elderly single women across the country, but his seemingly airtight alibi leaves investigators stumped. Then, shortly after his release on bail, he’s kidnapped. A certain segment of New Jersey’s population is known for delivering deadly messages, and the FBI believes Dugan received one of them.
Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in the newly created public garden across the street from Anastasia and Zack’s home. With two baffling crimes, no clear suspects, scant evidence, and every possible motive unraveling, both the FBI and local law enforcement are once again picking Anastasia’s brain. This time, though, her involvement is far from reluctant. Will she stitch together enough clues before she or someone she loves becomes the killer’s next victim?
Craft project included.
Buy Links
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
Apple Books
~*~
Sisterhood of the Traveling Book
/in Sisterhood of the Traveling Book/by Lois WinstonPhoto credits: Depositphotos and Pixabay
By Lois Winston
Welcome back to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Book. Books take readers on journeys. With the Sisterhood of the Traveling Book, we authors take our books on journeys, either actual or virtual.
When I came up with the idea for Sisterhood of the Traveling Book, my inaugural post featured a photo from the Underground New York Public Library series where the photographer captured readers and the books they were reading on the subway. Imagine my shock and delight when I received an email with a copy of the photo! And no, I didn’t know the photographer nor the reader she photographed on the subway platform, and I’d never heard of the series.
We’ve since decided to revive Sisterhood of the Traveling Book, but my recent book, Embroidered Lies and Alibis, takes place entirely in New Jersey, and I’m now living in Tennessee. I have no plans to return to the NY Metro area until I visit friends this coming spring. Thus, I needed a virtual solution for Sisterhood of the Traveling Book.
Embroidered Lies and Alibis opens with the aftermath of events that took place in Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the previous book in the series. If you haven’t read Seams Like the Perfect Crime, don’t worry. Although personally, I believe readers always have a richer experience reading a series in order, all the book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries can be read out of order without the reader feeling lost.
Early into Embroidered Lies and Alibis, Anastasia arrives home from work and is confronted by the following sight:
“After arriving home, I first stood on the sidewalk for a moment and stared across the street. A professionally crafted sign stood against a backdrop of a battered yellow bulldozer situated at the center of a weed-strewn pile of earth.”
As you can see, I’ve illustrated what Anastasia saw, virtually adding Embroidered Lies and Alibis to the scene for Sisterhood of the Traveling Book.
Embroidered Lies and Alibis was released on February 10th and is available as an ebook, paperback, and hardcover. The audiobook will be available shortly.
Have you ever been to a place featured in a book you’ve read? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.
Embroidered Lies and Alibis
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 15
When Anastasia’s mother Flora is offered a free spa vacation from Jeremy Dugan, a man connected to her distant past, Anastasia and husband Zack suspect ulterior motives. After all, too-good-to-be-true often spells trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when the FBI swoops in to apprehend Dugan. However, Dugan isn’t who he claimed to be, and his arrest raises more questions than answers.
The Feds link Dugan to a string of cons targeting elderly single women across the country, but his seemingly airtight alibi leaves investigators stumped. Then, shortly after his release on bail, he’s kidnapped. A certain segment of New Jersey’s population is known for delivering deadly messages, and the FBI believes Dugan received one of them.
Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in the newly created public garden across the street from Anastasia and Zack’s home. With two baffling crimes, no clear suspects, scant evidence, and every possible motive unraveling, both the FBI and local law enforcement are once again picking Anastasia’s brain. This time, though, her involvement is far from reluctant. Will she stitch together enough clues before she or someone she loves becomes the killer’s next victim?
Craft project included.
Buy Links
Amazon Nook Kobo Apple Books
~*~