Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 120

Too Soon? **Giveaway**

by Julie, enjoying summer in Somerville

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Last weekend I was taking a socially distant walk with my nieces. We were meandering, looking at houses, watching the full moon rise, discussing whether we’d rather be a werewolf or a vampire, and discussing recipes. At one point one of them slowed down, and looked around.

“This is a perfect night to walk,” she said.

“It’s the kind of night we’ll dream of in February,” I offered.

“Nights like this are why I don’t want to rush summer,” my other niece offered. We kept walking and talking, taking the long way round to get home.

Next month, on August 25, Digging Up the Remains will be released. I’m also polishing Book #4, which takes place right after Thanksgiving. So my imagination is in the fall. My teaching jobs next year have also been in touch, keeping me up to date about the plans for fall teaching. (A fluid conversation these days.)

As I put dates in my planner, plot out the bootcamp I’m doing later this month for folks who want to write a book, and get ready for the launch of Digging Up I feel like summer is already over. And it’s too soon.

This summer is like no other for so many reasons. There can be a desire to wish it away, and I understand that. But my walk with the nieces reminded me that future living ignores the now. And the now has lovely moments that just happen, or that we can work on creating.

This week I’ve been mindful about appreciating the now. I’m eating blueberries, my favorite summer fruit. I’m taking walks, slowly in the heat, but the vitamin D feels great. The nieces are helping me work on some videos and figure out how to self-publish my Theater Cop books. Since it’s summer, they have the time.

I’m grateful for summer in New England, for my family and friends, for my writing, for my teaching and coaching, for technology that keeps me connected and for my prolific friends who are keeping my reading list full. I’m also grateful to all of you for being part of my journey.

I hope that you are all finding ways to enjoy the now.

I have ARCs of Digging Up the Remains, and would love to give three away to folks who comment on this post. Tell me, readers, what are you particularly enjoying this summer? I’ll three names on Monday.

Here’s more about the book:

A festive fall is in full swing in Goosebush, Massachusetts, but when a snoopy reporter is felled by foul play, it’s up to Lilly and her Garden Squad to spook out a killer . . .

Between hosting a haunted house on her lawn, serving on the town’s 400th Anniversary Planning Committee, and prepping for the Fall Festival’s 10k fundraiser, Lilly’s hands are full. She doesn’t have time for prickly newspaper reporter Tyler Crane, who’s been creeping around town, looking for dirt on Goosebush’s most notable families . . . until he’s found dead on the race route moments before the start.

An unfortunate accident? Or did Tyler unearth a secret that someone in Goosebush is willing to kill to keep? By planting nasty rumors and cultivating fear, Tyler sowed a fair share of ill will during his brief time in town. Weeding through the suspects will be thorny, but Lilly and her Garden Squad are determined to root out the autumnal assassin before the Fall Festival flops . . .

Digging up the remains by julia henry will be released on August 25

Wicked Wednesday: Grit

Our theme for the month is grit: “Keep on keeping on.” I admit I had to look up where that phrase came from. A song by that name was written by Len Chandler and was referred to in a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1964. The version I love the most is sung by Curtis Mayfield. The lyrics are inspiring.

[image error]Photo by AVRO used with permission. Licentie afbeeldingen Beeld en Geluidwiki

These recent months have been tough for all of us in many ways. The virus isn’t over yet, and neither are society’s injustices. And then we have our writing to keep keeping on with! So Wickeds, share your favorite coping trick to keep going when life is hard. Music, food, a mantra – whatever it is – please share.

Julie: What a great question, Edith! I have my morning routine of meditation, journaling and moving–my current workout is boxing, and I love it. I also think a lot about what I can do to make the world a better place, from wearing my masks to small action steps. I also bake.

Jessie: I find life feels best when I am consistently acting on my goals. I use a Kanban board to manage my projects adn tasks and I find that when things are challenging one of the best things for me to do is to break jobs and goals down into infintesimal parts so that I am able to see progress even if it is at a snail’s pace. Moving sticky notes to the done column on my Kanban board provides a dopamine hit which keeps me feeling chipper!

Sherry: I’ve had my nose buried in one book or the other since mid-March when we started our stay at home. It’s been my absolute escape and distraction. And I confess we ordered a lot of potato chips from Route 11 early on. Their pickle chips are the best. But we realized that particular form of comfort couldn’t continue.

Edith/Maddie: I’ve been finding respite in my own writing. I agree with Jessie, meeting my own goals keeps life manageable. And, like Sherry, I’ve found respite in reading. Losing myself in an imaginary story, whether my own or someone else’s, keeps the scary messy world at bay. A fast solo walk (instead of boxing) every day is also key. And I always bring a mask in case I meet someone in close quarters (which, where I walk, is rare).

Barb: Not feeling all that gritty. Mostly feeling that word that rhymes with gritty but is much less polite. So I’ll refrain from sharing my coping strategies.

Liz: I’m with you, Julie – meditation and journaling keep me sane, and exercise is right up there as well. And Barb – there are days when I am definitely singing out of your songbook!

Readers: What keeps you keeping on?

Wicked Summer Reads

It’s finally summer – yay!

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Wickeds, what/who are you reading now that the weather is warm and the beaches are (sort of) open?

Julie: I have so many books going right now. I just got Eddie Glaude Jr.’s book Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own. I’m also rereading Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, and looking for a new series to dive into. And, of course, I have the Wickeds’ latest on my Kindle.

Jessie: I hear you, Julie! I never seem to be content with just one book at a time! I am currently reading When by Daniel H. Pink, Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton and The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I just finished Evil Things by Katja Ivar, a historical set in Finland, and An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman, both of which were really enjoyable reads.

Sherry: I rarely read more than one book at once. I’m looking forward to reading What You Don’t See by Tracy Clark, The Ninja’s Blade by Tori Eldridge, and I just finished Fields’ Guide to Pharaohs (The Poppy Fields Adventures Book 5) by Julie Mulhern. I try to balance my reading between thrillers and then something lighter.

Edith/Maddie: I don’t read more than one book at a time, either, Sherry. I’m currently reading Mary Feliz’s Snowed Under, and just finished Clara McKenna’s fabulous Murder at Blackwater Bend. I have the Low Down Dirty Vote (volume two) anthology of short crime fiction waiting on my kindle, and Shannon Baker’s The Desert’s Share. I admit I’m most excited about Ramona DeFelice Long’s debut novel, The Murderess of Bayou Rosa. I have it on my kindle, but I’m waiting for the paper copy, which is in the mail. She’s a master storyteller, and I know this is going to be a great read.

Barb: I’m a one book at a time gal, myself. Just returned from vacation, where I finished The Witch Elm by Tana French, which means I am totally caught up and have to wait for the next book like everyone else. Next, two books for Maine Clambake research. The Detective in the Dooryard: Reflections of a Maine Cop, by Timothy A. Cotton (best known for the Bangor Police Department Facebook page and the Duck of Justice) and The Thistle Inn: A Wee Bit of Scotland in Maine, by Hilary E. Bartlett.

Readers: What are you reading this July?

Guest Kim Davis

Edith here, so happy to welcome today’s guest. Kim Davis is a brilliant baker (and food stager) and has featured recipes by several of the Wickeds on her Cinnamon, Sugar, & a Little Bit of Murder blog over the years. Now she has her own cozy foodie mystery out, Sprinkles of Suspicion.

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Here’s the blurb:

One glass of cheap California chardonnay cost Emory Gosser Martinez her husband, her job, and her best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of her troubles.

Distraught after discovering the betrayal by her husband and best friend, Tori, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez allows her temper to flare. Several people witness her very public altercation with her ex-friend. To make matters worse, Tori exacts her revenge by posting a fake photo of Emory in a compromising situation, which goes viral on social media. When Tori is found murdered, all signs point to Emory being the prime suspect.

With the police investigation focused on gathering evidence to convict her, Emory must prove her innocence while whipping up batches of cupcakes and buttercream. Delving into the past of her murdered ex-friend, she finds other people had reasons to want Tori dead, including Emory’s own husband. Can she find the killer, or will the clues sprinkled around the investigation point the police back to her? Includes recipes!

Take it away, Kim!

It truly is an honor being a guest at The Wickeds, so thank you for hosting me! I might have gone a little “fan girl” when Edith invited me to participate with a guest post!

5-1/2 years ago I started my blog, Cinnamon, Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder, as a way to procrastinate finishing a suspense novel I had been working on for years. My blog started out with a twice a week post featuring a recipe I’d created, along with a short review of whatever mystery book I was reading at the time. And then I started noticing cozy mysteries and how many of the books included recipes! It didn’t take long for me to connect with the authors of the culinary cozy mysteries I devoured and start sharing those recipes along with my reviews.

[image error]Chocolate Almond Biscotti from Maddie Day’s Biscuits and Slashed Browns

I’m a huge fan of food bloggers and love to drool over their photos. As my blog started gaining more followers I became more disgruntled with my own photos using a cheapie point-and-shoot camera. Thanks to a generous birthday gift from my husband and some lessons (and many books on the subject) my photos started appearing more appealing.

[image error]Livvie’s Pumpkin Bread from Barb Ross’s Haunted House Murder

I still have a long way to go to reach a professional level but I like to think that the dishes I prepare and photograph will tempt people to try them.

[image error]Pumpkin Twist Dog Treats from Liz Mugavero’s Murder Most Finicky

I also make YouTube videos with each recipe but I’ll be the first to admit I need to do some serious research and invest in a good lighting system to make those better. [Edith: I think the videos look great – check out this one of the Pumpkin Twists dog treats!]

As my blog expanded and as I developed my creativity in food styling, photography, and videography, I found my writing became easier and a lot less stressful. I finally finished that suspense novel and since then, started writing two cozy mystery series. One is being shopped for a publisher and the other is my Cupcake Catering Mysteries with the first book, Sprinkles of Suspicion just released in June. Maybe it’s the calming way baking settles my mind so while my hands are busy creating delicious dishes to share with family and friends, my brain has a chance to think of murder and mayhem for my protagonists to get involved in.

Readers: do you try the recipes included in cozy mysteries and have you found favorites that you make over and over again? (To celebrate the release of Sprinkles of Suspicion I’m offering a signed print copy, limited to U.S. residents. If outside the U.S. I can provide an e-book via BookFunnel. I’ll pick a winner on 7/9.)
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Sprinkles-Suspicion-Cupcake-Catering-Mystery-ebook/dp/B086XKRCJH/

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Kim Davis lives in Southern California with her husband. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters she can be found either writing cozy mystery stories or working on her blog, Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats.  She has published the suspense novel, A Game of Deceit, and has had several children’s articles published in Cricket, Nature Friend, Skipping Stones, and the Seed of Truth magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

Cheryl Hollon New Series

Edith/Maddie here, really happy to welcome our friend Cheryl Hollon back to the Wickeds. She has new book, a first in a new series, out, and I just picked mine up from my local indy bookstore! About Still Knife Painting:

Miranda Trent has set up a sweet life in a scenic corner of Appalachia—until she stumbles across the trail of a killer . . .

After inheriting her uncle’s Red River Gorge homestead in Eastern Kentucky—smack dab in the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest—Miranda comes up with a perfect business plan for summer tourists: pairing outdoor painting classes with sips of local moonshine, followed by a mouthwatering sampler of the best in southern cooking.

To Miranda’s delight, Paint & Shine is a total success—until someone kills the cook. As the town’s outsider, suspicion naturally falls on Miranda. Murdering the best biscuit baker of Red River Gorge is a high crime in these parts. Miranda will have to prove her innocence before she’s moved from farmhouse to jail cell faster than she can say “white lightning” . . .

Take it away, Cheryl.

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I’m so pleased to be welcomed by the Wickeds to launch STILL KNIFE PAINTING, the first book in the Paint & Shine Mysteries. This new series shares a book birthday with three of these fabulous ladies: Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day, Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte, and Barbara Ross.

My brand-new series is set in eastern Kentucky where my parents and most of my relations settled after immigrating from Ireland and Scotland in the early 1700s. Our earliest records indicate that our ancestor took a ship from Donegal as an indentured servant.

I was born in a tiny two-room hospital and then my parents moved to Dayton, Ohio, to find employment. To my great good fortune, I spent most summers at my Grandma and Grandpa’s neat and homey farmhouse. I ran as wild as a fawn among the grassy fields, towering cornstalks, and loamy gardens.

They owned a small grocery and post office where they kept not only baby chicks, but an entire glass case of penny candy. They sold more candy than anything else. It was wonderful to hide underneath the feed bins where it was shady and cool. I would listen to everyone gossip as they picked up their mail and staple supplies.

My grandma included me in all her housekeeping tasks. I learned how to peel potatoes, string beans, shuck corn, crochet, make lye soap, and use a treadle sewing machine. My grandpa let me tag along when he fed the pigs, milked the cow, picked blackberries, and weed the gardens. I loved every minute.

Readers: Do you have special memories of your grandparents’ house?

I’m offering a #GIVEAWAY plus #SWAG. You’ll be entering for a chance at the following package.

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It contains two paper coasters, a pad of sticky notes, a bookmark, and a signed advanced reader’s edition of STILL KNIFE PAINTING (Paint & Shine Mystery Book #1). Leave a comment by midnight July 4 for the chance to win everything pictured. This giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. (Sorry, but complicated trips to the Post Office aren’t happening.) Good luck!

STILL KNIFE PAINIING released on June 30, 2020, and is available for you to order online at Amazon, Nook, Kobo, and in your favorite local bookstores using IndieBound. It is published by Kensington Books.  If budget is tight, please ask your library to order it.

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Cheryl Hollon is also the author of the Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries. She writes full-time after an engineering career designing and installing military flight simulators in England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. Living her dream, she combines a love of writing with a passion for creating art. Cheryl is Past President of the Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime, a member of Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. Cheryl and her husband live in downtown St. Petersburg, FL.

Visit Cheryl and her books at her Website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

The Angel On My Shoulder

This is probably the hardest post I’ve ever written. My dear friend Clare Boggs died unexpectedly in March 2019. I haven’t spoken about it publicly. It broke my heart and I miss her just as much now as I did the day I found out. It’s almost impossible to even write this post.

I met Clare when we moved to the panhandle of Florida in 2000. Our husbands had worked on a project together for the past several years. We lived in Ohio at the time and they lived in California. It was an odd quirk of fate that they moved to Florida not long before we did. Clare and I soon discovered a shared love of writing and movies. (Coincidentally, we both drove our parents’ Ramblers in high school.) We both signed up for the same writing class without knowing the other had. We had so much fun together.

[image error]Clare’s car that she drove on our adventures.

After we moved in 2003, Clare and I stayed in touch. Each trip back to the panhandle included visits with Clare–a lunch out or movie or both or dinners with our husbands. If you look in the back of my Sarah Winston Garage Sale mysteries, Clare is mentioned in each one. The books are better because of her.

Clare was so excited when I told her about the new series and enthusiastically agreed to help me with my research—going to beach bars is such hard work, but Clare was up for the challenge. Over a few trips we stopped at different places – some we’d been to before, some Clare knew about, and some we found online.

We talked about Chloe, what her background was, where she should live, and what kind of car she should drive. And of course, what the bar should be like.

Here are some of the places we went:

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This is the Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Florida. Sadly it burned down, but it’s just about ready to reopen!

When we parked to walk to the Red Bar we spotted this car, looked at each other, and said, “That’s what Chloe drives.” Chloe’s is red.

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We decided that Chloe should live in one of the cement block houses that are disappearing from the area. Here are a couple of examples.

Then Clare took me to The Whale’s Tail. I’d been to the restaurant lots of times, never realizing there was a bar underneath. It closes at 9:00 pm. It became the inspiration for the Sea Glass Saloon.

Now, Clare is the angel on my shoulder. When I struggle with writing I think of her. Writing From Beer to Eternity without Clare was so hard, but she’s still helping me. When my editor asked for the synopsis for the second Chloe book, A Time to Swill, I was at a bit of a loss. Then I remembered that Clare had given me a file of articles from the local paper. I found one about a ghost ship (that’s what they call abandoned ships) that washed ashore in Destin. Then it was swept back out and ended up further down the beach. That article was the inspiration for the opening of A Time to Swill and for the plot.

Clare loved to golf and was a talented musician. She had the best smile and laugh. And a kind, generous heart.

Readers: Do you have an angel on your shoulder? I’ve giving away an ARC of From Beer to Eternity to one person who leaves a comment – in honor of Clare.

Wicked Wednesday: Sharing

Three Wickeds shared a book birthday yesterday. Liz (as Cate) and Edith (as Maddie) had new mysteries release, and Barb’s (as Barb…) is now available everywhere. We were all happy to share the special day – right, ladies?

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To celebrate, let’s talk about sharing. When you were growing up, what were you convinced you had to share? A bike, a birthday, a bedroom? The last piece of cake? Which did you share enthusiastically and which reluctantly?

Barb: I’m so happy to share the release day for Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody, with my fellow Wickeds. Even though it’s more like a first birthday than a birth-day for this book, which was a Barnes & Noble exclusive last year. Now it’s out from all retailers, in all countries (in English) in mass market paperback, ebook and audiobook and I’m thrilled.

I have one brother and the last time we lived together was fifty years ago, so I am hazy about whether we had trouble sharing. I do remember epic fights about who got the window seat in the back on the long drives from New Jersey to my grandparents’ house on the eastern end of Long Island. There were two window seats, of course, but the dog insisted on one and would climb over whoever was in it and nudge them out, leaving my brother and me to fight over the remaining one. Classic memories of my father, “Don’t make me stop this car!” Good times!

Edith/Maddie: I’m thrilled to share this release day, too! For most of my childhood we had three bedrooms for four kids. As I recall, it was my older sister Jannie who usually had to share, because she was the easiest to get along with, the least likely to provoke a fight. The rest of us rotated in and out of the biggest room. In high school, Jannie and I (only one year apart in school) were the same size and, since our mother gave us a (very modest) clothing allowance, we shared several sweaters and skirts. Jannie was adamant that if she wore the yellow sweater on Monday, I wasn’t allowed to wear it until at least Wednesday (as if anybody would care…).

Liz: I’m super excited to be sharing with you both as well! And very happy about this book hitting shelves. I was the oldest, and my brother is seven years younger than me so I didn’t have to share too much with him because we didn’t have a ton in common. However, after he came along I felt like I definitely had to share the attention – and I wasn’t used to that! So I made him pay in various ways…like the time I terrorized him with my talking Freddy Krueger doll so badly that my mother took it away from me. So, I guess bottom line is, I wasn’t a good sharer.

Julie: Happy book birthdays!! I’m so happy for all of you. I have two younger sisters, one only 14 months younger, so we shared a lot. Clothes, for sure. We also shared Barbie clothes (though we each had our own), games, things like that. Sometimes we’d have to share a dessert, but my mother usually did the portioning since that could be dicey.

Sherry: Happy book birthday, ladies — what a lovely thing to share! My sister and I shared many things including a room for many years. We shared a love of reading, but she loved math and I did not — our dad was a math teacher.

Jessie: I shared a room with each of my sisters from time to time too. We shared toys and books too. But one of the most wonderful things I’ve shared is raising my kids alongside those of my younger sister. I didn’t have close cousins as a child and it has been such a delight to watch our children develop strong bonds with each other over their lives!

Readers: What did you have – or wanted – to share? How did it go? Will you be sharing your copy of our new books with anyone? (Lest anyone forget: it’s perfectly fine to say you’ll be sharing your library’s copy with all its other mystery fans!)

The Magic of New Releases

Hey readers! Cate here, on a super special, triple-release day. Along with my new series debut, Witch Hunt, we’re celebrating the release day for Maddie Day’s Nacho Average Murder and the wide release of Barb Ross’s Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody. It’s an awesome day for the Wickeds – congrats ladies!

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To celebrate, I wanted to talk about magic – my protagonist, Violet Mooney, is a witch, after all. And I got to thinking – no matter how many books we put out into the world (and we have a lot of them!) there’s always a magic about it.

For me, this book is a dream come true – I love magic, crystals, and cats, which covers about all the subject matter in the book. And I’ve always wanted to write a witchy, paranormal series. So this release is extra magical for me. To add to it, Cate finally got her new website! Which is also super magical and the fact that it got done in time is also magic…

What about you ladies? What’s magical about each of your new releases?

Edith/Maddie: As you both know, I am a native Californian. While I don’t miss the Los Angeles traffic or the smog of my childhood, I am still a westerner at heart. When I fly over the Rocky Mountains, I feel like I can finally breathe again. So setting a book in Santa Barbara was kind of magical. Hugh and I took a delightful research trip there in February of 2019. We sampled the food (and craft beer), checked out what was blooming, smelled the air. We visited all the places I mention in the book and gazed at both the wide Pacific and the Santa Inez mountains. It was magical to bring all that to life in Nacho Average Murder! I included a fortune teller on the pier (modeled on the real one), so the story also has a little of your kind of magic, Liz.

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Barb: The magic of Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody is that it exists. I left my day job in late 2010. (Or rather my day job left me and the universe was sending multiple messages it was time to pack it in.) Through 2011 and into 2012 I wrote the first several drafts of Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody. I got far enough that I even asked Sherry to review it. But I never got to querying agents and the opportunity to write the Maine Clambake Mysteries came along. So Jane went into the proverbial drawer. (Which is actually a file that was brought forward every time I got a new laptop.) Then, in the summer of 2017, my agent called to say I had an opportunity to write a book that would be a Barnes & Noble exclusive. I was in the middle of moving and pressed for time so I said, “If you’ll take a book I’ve already written, let’s do it.” I had been plundering the Jane manuscript to produce short stories, so I sent them a copy of story that appeared in Noir at the Salad Bar and updated the old synopsis I had never sent out. Kensington accepted the proposal. When things settled down from the move and I finally opened the old manuscript, I was appalled. I had become a much better mystery writer in the ensuing six years. (Writing does make you a better writer.) Plus, in some misbegotten revision, I had changed half the manuscript to first person. I swear it took as long to fix the book as it would have to write a new one, but in the end, Jane prevailed. The magic is that in the crazy world of writing and publishing she is here at all.

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Liz: I love that story, Barb! And love that there’s some magic in yours, Edith. Congrats ladies!

Readers, what do you think of the new releases? Any of them on your TBR list? Tell us in the comments below!

Guest- Daryl Wood Gerber

Jessie: Enjoying the long lazy days of summer!

I am pleased as punch to welcome Daryl to the Wickeds blog today. We met for the first time several years ago at the Malice Domestic conference I attended as a new author. She was friendly and helpful and made me feel like a part of things and I appreciated it very much!

Welcome, Daryl!

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5 Questions During this Unexpected Time

Talk about unexpected!!

Who knew the little things we would appreciate during the unexpected corona virus shutdown? Until now, if you were anything like me, you didn’t live life day to day. You lived it a week at a time or even months ahead. You planned around work or kids or family. You made reservations for meals out, for trips to see family, or for vacations. You went to the grocery store any old time you felt like it. You went to the movies or religious services without fear.

Now? Wow! What a difference. So tell me…

During this unexpected time, are you feeling gobsmacked, as my friend from England would say? I am. Even though I’m a writer and I spend a lot of time alone—A LOT—I didn’t realize how much interaction I had with other people. For example, like with my friends with whom I play bridge or golf. Or my pals whom I meet for a glass of wine. And my hairdresser!  I’ll let you in on a secret. I’ve been spending a lot of time with the characters in my books.  Luckily, I like most of them. Plus, they can be unpredictable and do the unexpected.

During this unexpected time, are you doing more baking or crafts? Are you making sourdough bread starter? I hear that’s the new trend. How about banana bread—which I think is getting a bad rap because I LOVE banana bread.  Are you getting into jigsaw puzzles? I am. Busy hands keep me from thinking too many sobering thoughts. 

During this unexpected time, are you reading more? I am. I’ve got one book on my kindle, a paper book to follow that, and an audio book for my walks with Sparky. Prior to this time, I was trying hard to find time to read. Writing all day made the idea of “reading” sound like a chore. But because of sheltering in place, I once again realize how much I love reading and need to read to fill my soul. So, I’ve carved out an hour after dinner each night to read. Loving it. 

During this unexpected time, are you making “plans”? They are off the table for me for now. I was going to do a mini bookstore tour for A SPRINKLING OF MURDER, but I’m not quite ready to get on a plane. I’ll go where I can drive, so if you’re in the neighborhood, come and shake my hand from six feet away. I’ll be the one in the mask.

During this unexpected time, have you found the bright side of things? Here’s one to take to the bank. We can still adapt. I thought I was too old to learn new things, but I’m not.  Also, I have realized the value of all our frontline workers who have helped our country get through this pandemic and will continue to help us. I say thank you a lot more than I used to. Thank you, thank you.

To conclude, we may not welcome the unexpected when it is truly not what we expected, but it is the challenge of facing the unexpected that makes us stronger and hopefully the best we can be. Wishing you all good reading. Good crafting. Loving relationships. Thank you all for just being you.

Readers, ave you found a bright side to things recently?

BLURB FOR 

A SPRINKLING OF MURDER

Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into one’s life. But when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she’ll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder . . . 

Since childhood, Courtney has loved fairies. After her mother died when she was ten, she lost touch with that feeling of magic. A year ago, at age twenty-nine, she rediscovered it when she left her father’s landscaping business to spread her wings and start a fairy garden business and teashop in beautiful Carmel, California. At Open Your Imagination, she teaches garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind chimes and trickling fountains. Now she’s starting a book club tea.

But the light of the magical world she’s created inside her shop is darkened one night when she discovers neighboring dog-grooming business owner Mick Watkins dead beside a fountain. To make matters worse, the police suspect Courtney of the crime. To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney will have to wing it. But she’s about to get a little help from an unexpected new friend . . .

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

WEBSITE: http://www.darylwoodgerber.com

FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: http://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-wood-gerber

YOUTUBE: http://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: http://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

AMAZON: amazon: http://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

BUY LINKS:

Amazon:

http://bit.ly/SprinklingofMurder

Barnes andNoble: http://bit.ly/SprinklingofMurder_BN

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AUTHOR BIO:

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries as well as the French Bistro Mysteries. She hopes her new series, the Fairy Garden Mysteries, will be a magical new entry in the cozy mystery genre. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. Daryl also writes the Aspen Adams novels of suspense as well as stand-alone suspense. Daryl loves to cook, read, fairy garden . . . and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line. Check out her website for images of many of her fairy gardens. http://www.darylwoodgerber.com

Guest- Clara McKenna

Jessie: In New Hampshire where the peonies are blooming filling the breeze with their heady fragrance!

I am just delighted to welcome Clara McKenna to the blog. I have had the pleasure of spending time with Clara at various conferences over the past several years. She writes engaging and fun historical mysteries set in England and I simply adore her book covers!

Welcome Clara!

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It was just about a year ago I was putting the final touches on my Murder at Blackwater Bend manuscript when I got distracted by a coincidence. In a bit of last-minute research, I came across Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an 18th-century aristocrat, known for introducing smallpox inoculation and the language of flowers to Britain.  I was familiar with the name Montagu. The year before, on a research visit to the New Forest National Park, where my historical, cozy series is set, I’d visited Palace House, the home of the 4th Baron of Montagu in Beaulieu. Intrigued, I spend more time than I should’ve online trying to determine if the two families were related. (As far as I can navigate Debrett’s Peerage, they aren’t.)  I returned to what I should’ve been doing, and that was the end of it. Or so I thought. 

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That night, the ding of my cellphone woke me up. I’d gotten an email. It had to be spam. I’d researched Mary Wortley Montagu, and within hours, here I was getting an email from someone with almost the same name. But unlike my research the day before, this couldn’t be a coincidence. Like when we buy something online and are suddenly bombarded with targeted ads of that same thing. But in my half-asleep fog, I didn’t want to be bothered deleting it.  I turned off my phone and went back to sleep. 

In the morning, I was curious. Why had my google search of the Montagu families triggered an email? So, I skimmed it. It wasn’t spam. It was a fabulous invitation. The chairman of the New Forest Heritage Center was organizing a fundraiser in England, and she wanted me to attend. And the chairman’s name? Mary Montagu-Scott, sister of the current Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. Talk about a coincidence! 

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Of course, I said yes. When I went, I met the gracious Mary Montagu-Scott (who’s grandfather I mention in one of my books). I made friends with Sally Marsh, fellow writer, and real-life commoner (which means she owns some of the free-ranging ponies that make the New Forest famous). I chatted with fellow attendee, the renowned historical fiction author, Edward Rutherfurd. Above all, I had the privilege to read a snippet from my book to an audience that calls the New Forest home. The event, a night talking New Forest and Fiction, has so far been the highlight of my writing career.  And it all came about by coincidence!

Readers, what are some of the unbelievable coincidences you’ve experienced? 

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Bio: Clara writes the Stella & Lyndy Mystery series about an unlikely couple who mix love, murder, and horseracing in Edwardian England.  With an incurable case of wanderlust, she travels every chance she gets, England being a favorite destination. When she can’t get to England, she happily writes about it from her home in Iowa.

http://www.claramckenna.com

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