Should the winner medal from the Killer Nashville Claymore
Award contest go on the cover of The Body in the Beaver Pond? That was one of the many
questions my cover artist and I discussed as I prepared for the release of the
novel. 

As Dar and I chatted, I wondered, do writing contest even
matter?

Authors know how competitive the contests are, but do
readers care? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Of course, there are the other reasons authors (or their
publicists) enter. Little secret – we’re incredibly insecure! Think about it.
We’re putting ourselves “out there” for the world to critique. We’re sharing pieces
of the deepest parts of us. And we worry all the time that maybe our books are
actually terrible and any previous “success” was a fluke. Maybe a contest offers
a tiny bit of affirmation, that says, Yeah. This is good.

Then again, that may be more than most readers need or want
to know.

While I’ve had a great time writing this novel and look
forward to the release, I decided to add a layer to my usual low key launch
plans. I decided to make the release about all of you.

Nearly everyone knows
friends or family who’ve lost loved ones, jobs, nearly lost their home, and faced
a host of other challenges this year.

The Body in the Beaver Pond touches on many of these
challenges, offering a tangible (if somewhat snarky) perspective from Keri, as
she struggles to adjust after loosing her marriage, home and job. (And for an extra writing challenge – the book is funny!)

Now that I have a funny main character I hope people
relate to, I need a place to make all this happen. (Imaginary) Liberty Falls
is drawn from a number of small towns in Washington state’s Cascade Mountains.
Lingering economic inequities, the pandemic, life throwing curve balls – all this hurt many
people, especially in these smaller, rural areas where social services are few
and far between. As a result, I’m donating the royalties from presales (and the
first few months of sales) from The Body in the Beaver Pond to HopeSource, a
multi-purpose agency, which serves Kittitas County (the first county you
discover when you venture over Snoqualmie Pass from Seattle.)

I’d appreciate your help in getting the word out about both
the book and the donation. 

Get your presale copy and help me help our friends and neighbors – https://books2read.com/BodyintheBeaverPond