A DAY OF MAY RELEASES

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Happy Monday, everyone!  Along with Stiletto Gang, which I’m pleased to belong to, I’m on a Facebook group with several romantic suspense, paranormal romantic suspense, and mainstream suspense authors. After pouring our hearts and souls into a novel, promotion is one of those pesky details we authors do, lest no one learns anything about our latest creations. Addressing this problem, Author Sharon Wray (one of my Golden Heart sisters) and I brainstormed a possible solution. What if we came up with a promotions galore strategy and focused on a DAY OF May Releases.

And that’s what we did! If you’re on Facebook YOU’RE INVITED to subscribe to the MIDNIGHT GARDEN READERS GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/midnightgarden/ to help us celebrate. (Who knows there might be giveaways) !!!  

Along with Sharon and Donnell, debut author Kathleen Donnelly who has a K-9 romantic suspense (CHASING JUSTICE release date May 24th) will be dropping by. Midnight Garden Authors, USA Today Bestselling Authors Christine Glover, Misty Evans, Award-winning, multi-published Zoe Dawson, are also touting their May releases. Need more incentive? Well, wait, there’s more! The Midnight Garden Readers Group is home to many more authors; they just don’t have books out this month. 

Since this is Sharon’s brainstorm, I thought I’d tell you about this talented author’s exciting May 17th release (available for preorder):

Is love worth risking everything for?

Rose Guthrie, a reluctant erotic dancer, hasn’t trusted
anyone since her parents’ death. Yet, to make money for her brother’s heart
transplant, she agrees to deliver a sealed box to a mysterious buyer. Until the
box—and the seller—disappear. Not surprised by the betrayal, her situation
becomes more dangerous when she learns that two brutal arms dealers also want
the box and are willing to kill everyone she loves for it. With one clue left,
she breaks into Doom—Savannah’s violent, illegal fight club. Unfortunately,
Doom’s referee—the sexy, ex-Army Ranger, Kade Dolan—stands in her way. Although
she harbors a secret attraction to Kade, she can’t let him stop her. If she doesn’t
deliver the box on time, she’ll lose everything. Including her own life.

Rose doesn’t trust ex-Army Ranger, ex-con Kade Dolan, but
that’s okay—he doesn’t trust

himself either. Why? Because he lies to everyone
about everything, including his time in Leavenworth and his job as an illegal
fight club referee. Then there are his two side gigs. The first as an informant
for the Prince, the leader of a secret, two-thousand-year-old private army. The
second, loving from afar the beautiful, secretive Rose Guthrie. After the
Prince discovers Rose is the courier of a lost 18th century artifact, he orders
Kade to help her find the box before their greatest enemy does. If they
succeed, Kade must return it to the Prince. If they fail, Kade must kill
her. 

Betrayal or death. When faced with an impossible choice,
Kade can’t lie anymore, at least not when it comes to what he’s about to do the
woman he loves. But when Rose uncovers Kade’s lies, they learn a terrible
truth—the 18th century box holds a secret far deadlier than they imagined. A
secret that could destroy them all.

 

BIO:

Sharon, a Jersey girl who landed in Virginia, is a
chemical & patent librarian who once studied dress design in the couture
houses of Paris… and worked as a Red Cross caseworker in South Korea. Because
it took her forever to decide what she wanted to do when she grew up, she now
writes romance and women’s fiction novels filled with suspense, adventure, and
love. 

Her bestselling Deadly
Force romantic suspense series is set in a world with scary assassins
who bow before killing, sexy Green Berets seeking redemption, and smart, sassy
heroines who save them all. It’s also a world where, since Sharon is slow and
clumsy, her chances of making it out alive would be slim. 

She also writes small-town contemporary romances, gothic
romantic mysteries set in the sultry south, and Christmas stories. Because
nothing brings out the romantic feels more than stories set during the
holidays.

Army wife, mother of twins, and caretaker of rescue
dogs, she’s repped by Deidre Knight and Kristy Hunter of The Knight Agency.

 

 Follow her on Social Media to keep up with new releases,
sales, and giveaways.

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

BOOKBUB

PINTEREST

GOODREADS

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

Midnight in the
Garden FB Group

Isn’t it Romantic
Book Club FB Group

 

So there you go. And while Sharon has romantic suspense covered, I’m targeting readers who  prefer mystery, suspense, and thrillers.  Releases 5/31, review now on NetGalley, and available for preorder:  


 This killer won’t stop . . . until she’s dead

When Lt. Everett T. Pope is notified of an explosion in downtown
Denver close to the judicial buildings, his first instinct is gas leak. No such
luck. As Incident Command and Pope’s own Major Crimes unit move in, he discovers
he knows the intended victims—an Assistant U. S. Attorney—and Pope’s former
partner, now a private investigator, has died shielding the injured AUSA with
his body.

As ATF and the FBI take over investigating the bombing and unraveling
motives behind the murder attempt, Pope is relegated to a peripheral role. But
the injured AUSA’s aunt is a United States senator used to getting results. She
turns to the team that solved the Black Pearl Killer murders with a very big
ask—find her answers and locate the bomber.

FBI Special Agent Brian DiPietro must recall his entire cold case
team from their far-flung assignments knowing he’s being asked to do the
impossible. The senator, however, doesn’t know the meaning of the word. All too
soon, DiPietro finds his team working alongside ATF on a red-hot mission.  One that uncovers a decades’ old cold case.

To learn more about Donnell, check out her website at Author Donnell Ann Bell | Romantic Suspense & Crime Fiction | 

Hope you’ll join us on May 31st, for a day of May releases!

So You Want to Write a Book

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By Sparkle Abbey

Part 1: Where to Start

All of the wonderful authors in this group have written books. Some have written many books, but we all started somewhere. 

Is there a book in you? If you believe there is, you’re not alone. 

There’s a statistic floating around the internet from a USA Today survey that took place almost twenty years ago that says 81% of Americans feel they have a book in them. We can only assume that percentage is closer to 90% now with many people taking stock of their life goals. Maybe more than 90%.

The first question is: Just because you want to write a book, should you? And the answer is: Maybe.

Writing definitely stretches your creativity and enhances your life. It also can impact the lives of other people. Which is a great reason to write that book!

However, here’s the reality — while anyone can write a book, not everyone will. Why is that? Mostly it’s because writing is hard. And writing, well, is even harder. In the words of Dorothy Parker, “I hate writing, but I love having written.” 

But though it is hard to write well, the truth is that writing is like a muscle. The more you exercise, the stronger you become. The more you write, the more you learn and the stronger your writing becomes. For many, setting aside the time to do that work is the hardest part.

For all of you who have said you’d like to write a book, but don’t really know where to start, we want to help you get moving. No more just thinking about it, we want to help you take action. In the next few months, we’re going to talk about the steps you need to take to write a book. So, let’s get started! 

You’re ready to put in the work.  Where do you begin?

Well, first you need to have something to say. Are you passionate about a story idea that you’d love to read, but no one has written? Do you have a message or belief you’d like to share with others? What idea is constantly on your mind? What is your story worth telling?


Here’s your homework. Pull out a notebook and jot down ideas. Right now, all ideas are good ideas. Don’t overthink it. While you’re recording your thoughts also think about what type of

book you’re going to write. Fiction, non-fiction, self-help, memoir, cookbook. 

If you’d like, please feel free to share in the comments what you might want to write a book about. And if you have questions, feel free to ask. 

Next month we’ll talk about what happens once you’ve settled on your idea!

Sparkle Abbey’s latest story (written in first person) is a short but fun one. If you’ve not yet
checked out PROJECT DOGWAY, this is a great time to do that. 

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 Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, their favorite social media sites. Also, if you want to make sure you get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the SparkleAbbey.com website

Clicking Our Heels – Favorite Form of Exercise

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Clicking Our Heels – Favorite
Form of Exercise

In the past, we’ve discussed what the Stiletto Gang
members would be doing if we weren’t reading or writing, but the question came
up as to what our favorite form of exercise is.

 

Debra H. Goldstein: 
I’m a couch potato. During the pandemic, I thought I should do something
so I ordered a Cubii exerciser. After a week, I shrouded it. Periodically, I
look at it from the couch.

 

Lynn C. Willis: Hiking with Finn.

 

Barbara J. Eikmeier: Favorite doesn’t necessarily imply I
do it with any regularity, right. I love swimming laps, but mostly I ride my
stationary bike.

 

Donnell Bell: 
Walking.

 

Gay Yellen: Dancing with my husband. He took me dancing on
our first (blind) date, and that almost sealed the deal right there!

 

Lynn McPherson: I love walking.

 

Bethany Maines: Karate! I’ve been taking and teaching
karate for over a decade. It’s a great place to keep fit and connect with my
community.

 

Mary Lee Ashford: My favorite exercise is walking, outside
if the weather permits. I also enjoy yoga though my knees are not enjoying it
lately, and I love dance though I don’t often get the opportunity except around
the house. In which case, I hope no one is watching!

 

Shari Randall: I love Zumba and country line dancing.
They’re so much fun they don’t feel like exercise to me at all.

 

Linda Rodriguez: Dance (or gardening) used to be mine. But
lately, it’s physical therapy.

 

Anita Carter: I love kickboxing!

 

T.K. Thorne: Before Covid, I did Akayama Ryu martial arts
twice a week. This year I learned a Tai Chi series and that has really kept me
sane. I like to walk outside where there are trees and space to breathe.

 

Debra Sennefelder: I love exercise. It keeps me in shape
and it keeps me sane. I love weight workouts, walking/treadmill workouts,
Pilates and Yoga. I aim for five to six workouts a week, so I like a lot of
variety.

 

Kathryn Lane: Walking in a beautiful setting, especially in
the mountains, brings me great joy and peace of mind.

 

Dru Ann Love: Definitely a couch potato. Give me a sci-fi
movie and I’m in heaven.

 

Kathleen Kaska: I love running. I just completed my
twenty-fourth marathon.

 

Saralyn Richard: Long walks (working out plot points while
walking).

 

Robin Hillyer-Miles: Yoga.

 

Lois Winston: Walking.

Editing, Updating, and Completing a Manuscript

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By Kathryn Lane

Technology innovations are accelerating at warp speed. At
least that’s what it seems like in my writing world.

A year-and-a-half ago, I started research about a child math
prodigy interested in rockets and space travel. The story takes place in the present
day. The plot revolves around a family-secret type mystery and a subplot
involving the girl’s dream of space exploration.

Then my commitment to write another novel in my Nikki Garcia
mystery series shelved the girl-genius project.

Recently I took up the prodigy manuscript again and realized that maybe I should re-do my research since space travel has changed – several
ordinary citizens have flown to or near the Kármán line – an imaginary but practical boundary separating mere air travel from space
travel. Blue Origin flew 62 miles above the earth’s surface and kissed the Kármán line while Virgin Galactic flew a bit
over 50 miles, the altitude where the Federal Aviation Administration awards
astronaut wings to crew members.

The real clencher is SpaceX’s flight to the International Space
Station. The crew were civilians. These three events impact important details
in my young girl’s story.

All of those events were anticipated in the manuscript. Yet now they’ve actually occurred and it’s possibly a game changer for me. I’m wondering if I should make several substantial edits. Not that those space companies will be mentioned specifically, but the accomplishments do impact the story.

I can leave the novel as it was originally conceived and not
re-do my research or I can spend time rethinking and rewriting it. You, as
writers, might tell me it’s irrelevant to update it since I’d never complete it
if I keep revising for the latest space and scientific discoveries. That’s true,
but these events have been groundbreaking. To ignore them would be the easy way
out. Plus the developments of the past year should make a positive difference
in the young girl’s story.

Regardless of whether I update or not, the novel is about
three-fourths done. If I’m going to make changes, now is the time.

Has anyone else faced this issue? If you have any advice, please
share it!

Kathryn’s latest Nikki Garcia Mystery Thriller: Missing in
Miami (available on Amazon)



About Kathryn

Kathryn
Lane started out painting in oils and quickly became a starving artist. To earn
a living, she became a certified public accountant and embarked on a career in
international finance with a major multinational corporation. After two
decades, she left the corporate world to plunge into writing mystery and
suspense thrillers. In her stories, Kathryn draws deeply from her Mexican background as well as her travels in over ninety
countries.

Visit my website at https://www.Kathryn-Lane.com

Photo credits:

All photographs are used
in an editorial and/or educational manner

Earth Math by NASA 

Rocket Launch – Twitter

SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule Docking with the International Space Station by NASA 

Untitled Post

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 Five Tips for Meal Planning

It’s no secret, I’m a hardcore plotter when it comes to my writing. I’m also a serious planner girl who reaches for her Erin Condren planner constantly throughout the day. So it’s no surprise that I’ve embraced meal planning. And today I’m going to share with you why I have and give you a few of my tips.

 

This month I’m sharing a tool that I’ve been using since the
beginning of 2021 to help keep me on schedule with my writing and feed my
family. It’s meal planning. I’ve dabbled in it over the years, but it never
really stuck, even though I love to plan. Guess it was all about the timing.
Ready to learn why I’ve embraced meal planning and learn a few tips I have to enjoy
it as much as I do?

What is meal planning:

Meal planning is the simple act of planning what you’ll be
eating over the following X number of days. It can feel unattainable or
overwhelming because it involves planning which recipes to make, what groceries
to buy, and a week’s worth of dinners to make. It’s a lot, but I’m finding
success in meal planning, and now I’m dipping my toes into meal prepping (that’s for another day).

I started off simple. I grabbed a journal from my stash, and
I’ve been using it since then. It is a place where I can plan next week’s meals.
I can also look back and see what I’ve made in the past when I need a
little inspiration or when I need to get out of a rut.

Meal planning doesn’t have to be a big, fat binder filled
with a month’s worth of detailed menus or a freezer full of prepped food
waiting to be tossed into a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Meal planning can be
as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. What it is, for me, is a tool
that has helped me be more productive, save money and enjoy cooking again.

Why have I embraced this?

Until 2021, I hadn’t created official meal plans. I always had
an idea of what meals I’d cook during the week, but I never had a “plan”.
Then again, before 2020, I really didn’t cook many dinners. My husband works
nights, and he was often out of the house at lunchtime, so I only cooked
dinners for us twice a week. Then 2020 rolled around, and we know what happened
that year, and my routine went out the window. Suddenly I was preparing three
meals a day. Hence, meal planning has become a real thing in my life. Which
now, I’m grateful for. Because for me, 2021 was the sequel to 2020, and 2022 is
looking like it’s going to be another heck of a year.

Last year, I had to continue making dinners because my
husband returned to work, and because restaurants weren’t staying open late, he
needed to take meals with him. Then as the restaurants started to extend their
hours, their prices began to increase. These two things made it imperative that he
take meals to work.

The other reason why I’ve come to love meal planning is that
it makes grocery shopping so much easier and quicker. We divide our shopping
between Costco and our local grocery store. Meal planning also takes the
constant stress question of “what’s for dinner” off me. I know what’s for
dinner; it’s in my planner. This, hands down has been the most significant
benefit of meal planning. It’s one less thing to have to worry about. Besides
the major shift in my routine, I’ve also been dealing with elderly parents and
crushing deadlines for books. So not having to think about what I’ll cook when
I close up my office at the end of the day is a relief.

Ready for five tips that have helped me succeed in meal
planning? Great! I’ve also included a bonus tip.

Five steps to meal planning:

Make a list – Once you have your meals planned, it’s the
perfect time to write up your shopping list. Review your meals and write up a
list of ingredients. Shop your pantry first, and then add what you don’t have
to your shopping list.

Stock your kitchen – Having a well-stocked pantry is one of
the keys to success in meal planning and meal prepping. We buy in bulk as much
as possible to fill our freezers and pantry shelves.

Keep it simple – The meals in your plan don’t need to be
complicated or fancy. And you don’t need to do hours of prep work, either. The
whole point of meal planning is to take some of your stress away.

Have a theme night – It’ll be fun and saves you time after a
hectic day. How about Slow Cooker Sundays? Or pizza Fridays? Get your family
involved in the meal planning process.

Create a planning routine – I like to settle in my kitchen
with my journal to plan out the following week’s meals. Then, I make a cup of
tea, grab my steno pad (I use it for my grocery list), and start planning.

Bonus tip – Even though you have a plan, you can still be
flexible because life loves to throw curveballs. Of course, not every day is
going to go as planned. But it’s so much easier to get back on track when you
have a plan.

 

This is how I’m keeping my sanity these days. Meal planning
has become a regular part of my week. So, I’m curious, do you meal plan? If so,
what does it look like for you?

 

 

Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series and the upcoming Cookie Shop Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Joys — T.K. Thorne

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 Writer, humanist,
          dog-mom, horse servant and cat-slave,
       Lover of solitude
          and the company of good friends,
        new places, new ideas
           and old wisdom.

 

 

 

The whirling weeks have left me vaguely unsettled, looking for what I have “accomplished.” I am used to measuring that in terms of word count, and I don’t have many of those. Rather than wallow in guilt, perhaps word count is the wrong measurement. I decided to look back and ask, “What happened?” And specifically, “Where did I find joy?”

While I listened to the talented Lia Frederick bring my characters to life in an audio book version of House of Rose* (the first in a trilogy about a police officer who discovers she’s a witch), I pulled the grass/clover/weeds out of the moss on the brick walkway. You might call this gardening. I call it a Zen exercise.  

[* Contact me at TK@tkthorne.com to get a promo code for a free audiobook!]

During the early stress-filled days of the Pandemic, weeding the moss calmed me. It requires concentration (if you pull wantonly, the moss will pull up too; if you are lazy, other plants will take over.) One of the encroachers was a tiny flower with a deep violet base and translucent blue-white petals, perhaps large enough for an ant’s umbrella—a Japanese Mazus. I left it in the moss.

 

Two + decades ago, I worked in the Birmingham Police Department with two dear friends, Becky and Juanita. Becky recently had a hip replacement, and Juanita stepped up to be a full-time care-taker. (A lesson about the meaning of Love!) We visit regularly, and our tales ensure a lot of laughter, the good kind that runs deep as a river between us. Becky’s husband died not that long ago, and she asked me for a painting based on a photo he had taken on a special day. The photo is beautiful, a solitary duck and crimson reflections in the water of (unseen) day lillies on the bank above. Here my first stab at it:

The Left Coast Crime conference in Albuquerque, NM, was a mixture of delight in being with people and anxiety at the crowd after the last two years of isolating and masking.  The highlight was being with my friends, Vikki and Kevin who were experiencing a writing conference for the first time. Also loved meeting fellow Stiletto Gang members, Donnell Ann Bell and Dru Ann Love.  Didn’t get to talk much with Dru Ann (who was always surrounded by admirers!☺), but I sat at Donnell’s table at the banquet, and she kindly offered a ride to the airport, so we got to chat a bit, enough to know what a kind, generous person she is and hope our friendship grows.  
 
Also enjoyed extended conversations about writing and law enforcement stuff  with fellow panelists and police crime writers—James L’Etoile, Frank Zafiro, Dana King (and his wife, Corky), and Colin Conway. The best part of conferences is the people!
 
 
 
 
Brushed tangles from Foxy’s tail. Tomorrow it will be tangled again, but
today it’s a silk flag in the wind, and she is prissy, knowing how
beautiful she is (because I tell her constantly). She was a racehorse,
but during the pandemic (or perhaps because her hooves don’t grow well)
she was sold at auction with a future as dog food in Mexico if no one
rescued her. She is such a baby, wanting constant petting and treats.

 
Janice is almost my age (i.e., an “elder”). We met this winter at a martial arts clinic (yes, really). She rode with her sensei (teacher) from Wyoming to Alabama! Fourteen hundred miles separate us, yet we chatted via email about tying up her gutter that fell in the Laramie wind to the porch with a bungee cord, and I told her about a piece of my day. The thread of a new friendship weaving across those miles lightened my heart.  
 
Our old dog, Glenny, walked all the way to the barn with me today. Usually, he goes to the end of the yard and then abandons me, heading back to the house. This time I had to wait while he stopped often to read the “newspaper” of smells along the drive, a lesson in patience, but I was happy with his quiet company.
 

This is not Glenny in quiet-company mode. This is it’s-time-to-cook-dinner mode.

 
Colors in the water of Becky’s painting are giving me fits. Do I still like it?  Yes . . . no.  Frustrating. Trying to push through the fear of an ugly mess, giving the paper the paint and waiting to see what it does with it.
 
Took some mint to my sister (so grateful she lives nearby) and helped her move hosta plants she had grown for years to her new house and decide where to put them, as well as an ornate wrought iron gate she bought at a yard sale. (She is a yard-sale queen!) She helped me load two trellis plant stands (that she would have sold, but gave to me), into the truck. I put them in the back yard in front of the ugly metal poles of the clothesline. Any thoughts what I should grow on them?  Clematis, maybe? Only partial sun back there.
 
More paint on the duck. Hoping Becky will like it. Hoping I will like it. Layers defining, softening, brightening. It will never look like the photo but that’s okay has long as it evokes the wonder of the light, the quiet dignity of the duck rippling through still water, but I don’t know if it’s working or not.  Really struggling with making this right.

 
I was up at midnight the night before taking this to Becky because it was still not right, but in the end, I went to bed feeling it was good, or as good as I could do. 

 
She cried when she saw it.  
 
Her happiness made me very happy.

 
Writing this woke me to the small joys that happen every day. Looking for “accomplishments,” I miss their significant. What a gift life is.  
 
 

T.K.Thorne is a retired police captain who writes books, which, like this blog, go wherever her curiosity and imagination take her.  More at TKThorne.com

Malice Magic!

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 By Lynn McPherson

Malice Domestic 2022.

What a fabulous event! It was the first time I’ve been away since 2019. I was nervous and excited all at once. It blew away all my expectations. Walking through the hallway and all around the hotel, I saw author after author I admired. Maureen Jennings, Louise Penny, Sherry Harris, Rhys Bowen, and Lori Rader-Day, just to name a few. The panels were well-organized and entertaining, nevermind informative and fun. Dru Ann Love moderated one of my favorite panels on how to keep a series fresh, with great advice from panelists Edith Maxwell, Amanda Flower, Cheryl Hollon, SC Perkins, and Barbara Ross. It was fabulous. Attending an interview with Rhys Bowen by Louise Penny felt like a dream come true. I also got to meet the head of the Blue Ridge Literary Agency, Dawn Dowdle. Dawn was warm and welcoming. Each night I had the privilege of dining with fellow authors at the BRLA table.

Will I be back next year? Definitely? Would I recommend it to anyone interested in mystery? You bet!

Here are a few photos of my time away…

Getting ready to leave Toronto!

Dawn Dowdle and authors from Blue Ridge Literary Agency

Lynn McPherson has worked for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, ran a small business, and taught English across the globe. She has travelled the world solo where her daring spirit has led her to jump out of airplanes, dive with sharks, and learn she would never master a surfboard. She now channels her lifelong love of adventure and history into her writing,
where she is free to go anywhere, anytime. Her cozy series has three books out: The Girls’ Weekend Murder and The Girls Whispered Murder, and The Girls Dressed For Murder.  


I tried to write the other day and other funny stuff by Lynn Chandler Willis

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 I have a book due to my editor next week. I haven’t left my zip code in two years and now I have two trips planned within a matter of days. I’m leaving Thursday for Malice Domestic and then next Thursday to New York City for the Edgar Awards. I’m not complaining. I’m just wondering how everything seems to happen at the same time. Boggles my mind. 

Speaking of my mind, or specifically the way it works, hold onto your seat. You’re in for a wild ride.

7:00 AM: Ahhh…that first sip of coffee. So far so good. Sit at the kitchen table and open laptop. Open up my Scrivener file and…ask Finn (my dog, roommate, furbaby, boss) why she’s whining. She doesn’t answer. Back to my file and my WIP that’s due next week.

7:03 AM: Finn’s still whining. I remind her she hasn’t eaten her breakfast yet. It’s still in her bowl. Get up and go to the cabinet where the dog treats are kept. Grab one. Sit back down. Give Finn the treat. Back to the WIP. 

7:05 AM: Certainly she hasn’t already eaten that treat? Take a sip of coffee and ignore the whining. Back to my file. Research the Norwegian word for “mother.” Back to my file. Oops. I’ve already forgotten how to spell it. Back to Google. 

7:10 AM: Have stare down with Finn. Give in and give her another treat. Back to my file. Dang it. Coffee’s cold. I warm up the coffee and take a moment to enjoy the view out my kitchen window. Except my view includes my adult daughter (who lives with her hubs and 5 kids in the big house beside my little cottage) in her back yard waving her arms and kinda gyrating in this spastic manner. I’m concerned there might be something seriously wrong so rush outside and discover 3 of the chickens have flown the coop and she’s trying to herd them back into the fenced yard. The rooster is throwing one more hissy fit because three of his girls are free and sticking their tongues out at him. Do chickens have tongues? 

8:00 AM: Back inside, reheat the coffee, again. The laptop’s powered off so I wake it up to continue my WIP. Finn whines again. I ignore her. 

8:20: Whoa! Look at that! Finished that chapter. BAM! Moving right along…until the other set of grandkids who are vacationing at Universal in Florida FaceTime me. They’re having the time of their lives and I can’t stop smiling while they’re telling me in great detail about their trip so far.  

8:45 AM: Still FaceTiming. Grandkids ask me how the book is coming along. They ask me all about my upcoming trips and what I’m going to wear (two are teenage girls so they’re very concerned about stuff like that) and then I panic for a split second wondering if anyone still wears pantyhose. Do they? Do I add that to my shopping list for Malice and the Edgars? Suntan or nude? 

9:00 AM: The grandkids are off to Harry Potter World and I wake up the laptop again. Add my chapter heading. Yeah! Got that first paragraph down. Daughter comes over and says one of the baby turkeys is gone. I help her search the property for the missing baby turkey.  

10:00 AM: We didn’t find the baby turkey. We feared the worst. My laptop has gone back to sleep. I let it sleep and log in to the day/night job. I may have cried. 

10:10 AM: One of the customer service reps transfers an escalated call to me since I’m a Senior Customer Service rep and get the really irate customers. The customer wants to know why she can’t exchange a shirt she purchased last June for a newer color. I explain our 30 day return policy and invite her to place a new order for the new color, and hey, I’ll even override shipping cost for you! She then asks if I’ll price match what she paid back in June. Which, by all calculations, was discounted by 70%. SEVENTY. PERCENT. I politely tell her no, we can’t do that again and it goes downhill from there. She wants my employee number. My manager’s name. My blood type…

10:15 AM: Blood type…what if a killer picked his victims according to their blood type? But how would he know? Oh! He has access to medical records…

10:25 AM: Hang up with irate customer after being cussed out because I stood my ground and not only refused to give her another 70% discount, I took back my offer of free shipping. 

10:30 AM: I take my 15 minute break. I wake up the laptop and craft a new villain.   

PS…the baby turkey was found safe 😊

Read more

Who Wants a Free Book!?

/in /by

 by Bethany Maines

Whew! I can’t believe we’re half-way through April already!  Where did the last three months go?

How did I get here?

As I’ve blogged about previously, I decided to do an experiment in book launching for my most recent series by putting out all three books of the 3 Colors Trilogy in quick succession. February saw the release of A Little Red. With March came A Deeper Blue and in just a few short days, on April 27, I’ll complete the trilogy with A Brighter Yellow.  

Reader’s Choice

From a reader perspective, I think this release strategy has been successful.  Readers are happy not to have to wait for their next hit of romance and adventure.  From my perspective… yeesh.  I’m tired.  This has been a hamster wheel of marketing. I’m not complaining.  I’ve enjoyed the lovely reviews and excitement from readers, but I think if I do this again, I’ll probably put them at least a full 2 months a part.  I sincerely underestimated how much work it would be to keep the motor of marketing turning.

What’s next?  And what’s this about a free book?

However, the I’m not quite done yet. As I mentioned the final book in the trilogy won’t be out until April 27, but before then there is a special set of free days for A Little Red, allowing people to scoop up book 1  for FREE and get caught up before the release of book 3.  So if you’re interested in snagging a free book just click the link below.

 

A fast-paced and spicy romance with lovable characters and an engaging story too, A Little Red is a fantastic initial installment in what promises to be a thrilling Trilogy.
— A Little Red Review, ManyBooks.net

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub. 

Untitled Post

/in /by

 

Settings

by Saralyn Richard

 

The five books I’ve written have three distinct
settings, all different, all places that I know and love. The two books in the
Detective Parrott mystery series take place in Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania.
I have family members who live there, and I’ve been privileged to visit many
times. A paradise for equestrians, artists, and nature-lovers, this is a landscape
filled with wide, beautiful, and peaceful vistas. Country mansions,
old-fashioned bank barns, horse stables, and wildlife abound, and many of the
people who live and work there are healthy, wealthy, resilient, and
independent. Brandywine is the last place you’d expect a crime to take place,
so when outsider, Detective Oliver Parrott, shows up to investigate deaths or
thefts or other crimes, he has an uphill battle.

            Along
the way, the books take readers to many of the unique attractions of Brandywine
Valley, including Longwood Gardens, The Brandywine River Museum of Fine Arts,
Kennett Square, incomparable horse trails, and outstanding restaurants. Many
readers have enjoyed these glimpses so much that they have traveled to the area
to experience it for themselves.



            By
contrast, the stand-alone mystery, A MURDER OF PRINCIPAL, is set in a far
different universe—the urban high school. Aside from the differences of
outdoor-indoor, wealthy-disadvantaged milieus, the worlds depicted in these
novels contain similar types of tension and drama. The urban high school is a
familiar and much beloved setting for me, since I spent many years as a
teacher, administrator, and school improvement consultant there. In this book,
readers are treated to an administrator’s view of the principal’s office, the
teacher’s lounge, the cafeteria, the football field, and the auditorium—a million
stories beyond the flagpole.


            A
third beloved setting is a coastal island, where the closeness of the community
and the intensity of the summer temperature can be sometimes comforting and
sometimes oppressive. My children’s book, NAUGHTY NANA, and my newest adult
mystery novel, BAD BLOOD SISTERS, are situated there. Having been born and
raised on such an island, I’ve enjoyed sharing the various sights, sounds, and
smells of this setting, and placing my protagonists there.

            Much
has been written about the importance of setting in a work of fiction.
Sometimes the setting is mere wallpaper, and other times setting is as
important as a character in telling the story. When I read novels, I learn from
and enjoy the settings. It’s hard to imagine GONE WITH THE WIND apart from the
South during the Civil War, THE POISONWOOD BIBLE without the African Congo, or
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in any other location besides the fictional Maycomb,
Alabama.

            As I
write, I cannot separate the setting from the plot or characters, and I hope my
readers sense how integral the setting is to the story.

            How
about you? When you read a wonderful book, how important is the setting?

 

Saralyn
Richard’s award-winning humor- and romance-tinged mysteries and children’s book
pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor
houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Saralyn’s most recent release is Bad Blood Sisters. A
member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America,
Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature at the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute, and continues to write mysteries. Her favorite thing about being an
author is interacting with readers like you. Visit
Saralyn here, on her Amazon page here, or on Facebook here.