Iza Moreau's Blog: Blogging in Small Towns
June 7, 2024
Another Winner
Last week I was honored to receive my third Lesfic Bard Award for lesbian fiction. What's more, I did it in three different categories. Tank Baby, the first book in my Elodie Fontaine mystery series, won in the Young Adult category. In 2022, Persephone's Mare, a novel set in a world that reveres horses, won in the Fantasy category. And this year, the last book in the Elodie series, Stormy Weather, won for best Mystery. If you haven't checked out these books, please do. The only thing better than winning awards is having happy readers!
August 19, 2023
The Elodie Fontaine Mystery Series is Complete
In January, 2024, the 6-novel Elodie Fontaine Mystery Series will be complete. In them, the high-school sleuth must unravel mysteries featuring high-tech experiments, a lost cache of valuable sheet music, threats to a horse trainer, smuggling of undocumented asylum seekers, her grandfather's mysterious will, and the blackmail of a teen girl whose nude selfies may wind up online.
But none of these mysteries are nearly as confounding as her relationship with her girlfriend Kelli, whose parents ground her for being gay.
The first three books in the series are mentioned in a previous blog post. Here is a very brief synopsis of the last three.
Desert Girl
Elodie travels to Southern California to search for her birth father and unravel two 10-year-old mysteries. Her search takes her to off-the-grid sanctuaries like Slab City, East Jesus, and Bombay Beach, and the Sonoran Desert, whose flash floods are as dangerous as their high, rocky cliffs.
Billy's Legacy
Elodie's half-sister Carol arrives unexpectedly from Southern California and brings trouble with her. Carol has just purchased a valuable piece of pottery by a famous Mexican folk artist, but she is afraid it might be stolen. When Carol is attacked by thugs, Elodie has to step in.
Stormy Weather
When a fierce hurricane hits North Florida, Elodie and her friends help residents dig out from the debris. But when she discovers a partially buried skeleton, she becomes embroiled in a 20-year-old murder. In addition, she must help her new friend Bell discover who is threatening to post nude pictures of her online.
All of the Elodie books are available in ebook and paperback at an inexpensive price. However, readers can get an even better deal it they buy the books in boxed ebook sets. Check them out below.
3 Elodie Fontaine Mysteries
This first set includes award-winning novels Tank Baby, Ghost in the Piano, and Horses Wild .
3 More Elodie Fontaine Mysteries
The last set of exciting adventures includes Desert Girl, Billy's Legacy, and the climactic Stormy Weather.
But none of these mysteries are nearly as confounding as her relationship with her girlfriend Kelli, whose parents ground her for being gay.
The first three books in the series are mentioned in a previous blog post. Here is a very brief synopsis of the last three.
Desert Girl
Elodie travels to Southern California to search for her birth father and unravel two 10-year-old mysteries. Her search takes her to off-the-grid sanctuaries like Slab City, East Jesus, and Bombay Beach, and the Sonoran Desert, whose flash floods are as dangerous as their high, rocky cliffs.Billy's Legacy
Elodie's half-sister Carol arrives unexpectedly from Southern California and brings trouble with her. Carol has just purchased a valuable piece of pottery by a famous Mexican folk artist, but she is afraid it might be stolen. When Carol is attacked by thugs, Elodie has to step in.Stormy Weather
When a fierce hurricane hits North Florida, Elodie and her friends help residents dig out from the debris. But when she discovers a partially buried skeleton, she becomes embroiled in a 20-year-old murder. In addition, she must help her new friend Bell discover who is threatening to post nude pictures of her online.All of the Elodie books are available in ebook and paperback at an inexpensive price. However, readers can get an even better deal it they buy the books in boxed ebook sets. Check them out below.
3 Elodie Fontaine Mysteries
This first set includes award-winning novels Tank Baby, Ghost in the Piano, and Horses Wild .
3 More Elodie Fontaine Mysteries
The last set of exciting adventures includes Desert Girl, Billy's Legacy, and the climactic Stormy Weather.
January 5, 2020
London, Falling
For the new year, three new Izzy titles have been released. One, Desert Girl, is the fourth installment in my Elodie Fontaine series. Another, 3 Elodie Fontaine Mysteries, (https://www.amazon.com/Elodie-Fontain...) is a compilation of the first three books in the series--at a whopping savings--so here's a chance to get them all now.
The the third book, London, Falling, is the one I want to discuss here because it is one that I have been thinnking about for a very long time and am very proud of. And it is very different from my other books.
First of all, it is historical in that it takes place 50 years ago, in the hipie era. Second, it takes place in London, with brief stops in Paris and Venice. And third, it is not a mystery. No characters from any of my other books appear in London, Falling.
It is the story of Dawn Blackwell, daughter of the British Home Secretary, who wanders into the dark dens of the hippie scene, trying to find--well, she doesn't know quite what. In a London coffeehouse called The Rat's Nest she meets characters like Syd the Bass Player, Reefer John, The Skunk, Mr. Dark, Tristan the Jamaican, and various other waifs and tatterdemalions who live primarily on the street. But Dawn soon becomes obsessed with a mysterious young woman called Callie, who seems as much out of place at The Rat's Nest as is Dawn herself.
And like Dawn, Callie is a member of the so-called ruling class. Callie's desire to integrate herself into the hippie culture while trying to educate its members into finding purposes for their dire lives both puzzles and infuriates Dawn. Yet her attraction for the woman grows.
Remember that during this time the Vietnam War was raging and protests were flaring up in France, followed closely by the Kent State killings and otehr university protests in the U.S. Young people like Dawn were rebelling, not necessarily because they wanted to or because they had anything real to believe in, but because society was pushing them that way.
The 1960s shaped much of the way we live today. In fact, without that era, we wouldstill be trapped in a world that despised homosexuals, paid womeen half of what men made, and discriminated fiercely against people of color.
Since that time, and especially in the last 3 years, society has split; half of us wants to go forward into universal acceptance, the other half wants to ban the existence of most people that do not think--or look--like them. It was interesting for mt to delve into this world and find out--partially at least--where we came from.
Remember that all of my books except the "boxed sets" are available in both ebook and paperback. The ebooks can be read for free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited.
The the third book, London, Falling, is the one I want to discuss here because it is one that I have been thinnking about for a very long time and am very proud of. And it is very different from my other books.
First of all, it is historical in that it takes place 50 years ago, in the hipie era. Second, it takes place in London, with brief stops in Paris and Venice. And third, it is not a mystery. No characters from any of my other books appear in London, Falling.
It is the story of Dawn Blackwell, daughter of the British Home Secretary, who wanders into the dark dens of the hippie scene, trying to find--well, she doesn't know quite what. In a London coffeehouse called The Rat's Nest she meets characters like Syd the Bass Player, Reefer John, The Skunk, Mr. Dark, Tristan the Jamaican, and various other waifs and tatterdemalions who live primarily on the street. But Dawn soon becomes obsessed with a mysterious young woman called Callie, who seems as much out of place at The Rat's Nest as is Dawn herself.
And like Dawn, Callie is a member of the so-called ruling class. Callie's desire to integrate herself into the hippie culture while trying to educate its members into finding purposes for their dire lives both puzzles and infuriates Dawn. Yet her attraction for the woman grows.
Remember that during this time the Vietnam War was raging and protests were flaring up in France, followed closely by the Kent State killings and otehr university protests in the U.S. Young people like Dawn were rebelling, not necessarily because they wanted to or because they had anything real to believe in, but because society was pushing them that way.
The 1960s shaped much of the way we live today. In fact, without that era, we wouldstill be trapped in a world that despised homosexuals, paid womeen half of what men made, and discriminated fiercely against people of color.
Since that time, and especially in the last 3 years, society has split; half of us wants to go forward into universal acceptance, the other half wants to ban the existence of most people that do not think--or look--like them. It was interesting for mt to delve into this world and find out--partially at least--where we came from.
Remember that all of my books except the "boxed sets" are available in both ebook and paperback. The ebooks can be read for free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited.
January 3, 2020
Izzy's World
Almost a decade ago, I began my fictional writing career on a whim and with a scene I had been carrying around in my head for years. The novel that resulted, The News in Small Towns, spawned three sequels. I found that, in fact, I had been carrying multiple scenes in my head and, with one exception, they all took place in the same world--Izzy's World.
There is an intererconnectedness in my books. Characters from one book sometimes pop up in another. They all take place in the same geographical area and within a single lifespan; in other words, the same reality. Except for the fantasy element--dragons and witches and such--my own literary world is little different from Terry Pratchett's Discworld, for instance, or from C.S. Lewis' Narnia. Another major difference is that the protagonists of all of my novels are lesbians.
My first four books--The Small Town Series--take place in Pine Oak, a fictional town in North Florida. In them, Suee-Ann McKeown, after quitting her high-profile job as a war correspondentr in Iraq, returns to Pine Oak in Jasper County to work in a small bi-weekly newspaper. Her experience as an nvestigative reporter stands her in good stead to solve various and sundry small-town crimes. The first three books, The News in Small Towns, Madness in Small Towns, and Secrets in Small Towns, are complete novels in which there is usually a main mystery and a fedw smaller ones as well. The fourth and last book, Mysteries in Small Towns, is a number of shotr stories that tie up the series.
My next book, The XYZ Mysteries, also consists of a series of interconnected mystery stories. These features three sisters--Xande, Yolande, and Zoe (who seems to have disappeared)--who run a private detective agency in Miami. It not onlyshowcases the problem-solving abilities of the siters, but chronicles their lives and loves over several decades. As it takes place 500 miles from Jasper County, it seems at first blush to be a one-off, but it isn't. One of the sisters plays a large part iin my next novel, while another retires to, you guessed it, Jasper County.
The closest large city to Pine Oak is Tallahassee, which is the setting of my next book, the literary mystery The 5. In it, five young women are invited to be part of a special university clas--about themselves. But when the professor doesn't show up for their first meeting, these five very different women are forced to work together to not only investigate her disappearance, but their own very existence. As I mentioned above, one of the XYZ sisters, Zoe Calhoun, shows up to help.
The two main charactersof The 5, Sandra Croft and Carmah Williams, return in supporting roles in my next series, The Elodie Fontaine Mysteries. Unlike The 5, though, The Elodie mysteries are for young adults, new adults, and girls who are questining their sexual identity. This is an ongoing series, with 4 novels already published and as many to come as I have imagination for. Although I love each of my books dearly, I think that my Elodie mysteries are the most important because they speak to the LGBTQ community in a way that Nancy Drew spoke to straight girls.
I like the fact that, in scratching my writing itch, I have come away with something that seems more than just a series of books, but my own little micrososmos.
As I mentioned, I plan to write several more Elodie Fontaine mysteries. In addition, I am working on a real fantasy novel, Persephone's Mare, that begins in my original setting, Pine Oak, Florida, and that features at least one character from my Small Town Series. And last, a protege of mine is considering expanding Izzy's World with a series of romantic thrillers about the two main characters of The 5, so look for The Carmah and Sandy Adventures sometime in the future.
There is an intererconnectedness in my books. Characters from one book sometimes pop up in another. They all take place in the same geographical area and within a single lifespan; in other words, the same reality. Except for the fantasy element--dragons and witches and such--my own literary world is little different from Terry Pratchett's Discworld, for instance, or from C.S. Lewis' Narnia. Another major difference is that the protagonists of all of my novels are lesbians.
My first four books--The Small Town Series--take place in Pine Oak, a fictional town in North Florida. In them, Suee-Ann McKeown, after quitting her high-profile job as a war correspondentr in Iraq, returns to Pine Oak in Jasper County to work in a small bi-weekly newspaper. Her experience as an nvestigative reporter stands her in good stead to solve various and sundry small-town crimes. The first three books, The News in Small Towns, Madness in Small Towns, and Secrets in Small Towns, are complete novels in which there is usually a main mystery and a fedw smaller ones as well. The fourth and last book, Mysteries in Small Towns, is a number of shotr stories that tie up the series.
My next book, The XYZ Mysteries, also consists of a series of interconnected mystery stories. These features three sisters--Xande, Yolande, and Zoe (who seems to have disappeared)--who run a private detective agency in Miami. It not onlyshowcases the problem-solving abilities of the siters, but chronicles their lives and loves over several decades. As it takes place 500 miles from Jasper County, it seems at first blush to be a one-off, but it isn't. One of the sisters plays a large part iin my next novel, while another retires to, you guessed it, Jasper County.
The closest large city to Pine Oak is Tallahassee, which is the setting of my next book, the literary mystery The 5. In it, five young women are invited to be part of a special university clas--about themselves. But when the professor doesn't show up for their first meeting, these five very different women are forced to work together to not only investigate her disappearance, but their own very existence. As I mentioned above, one of the XYZ sisters, Zoe Calhoun, shows up to help.
The two main charactersof The 5, Sandra Croft and Carmah Williams, return in supporting roles in my next series, The Elodie Fontaine Mysteries. Unlike The 5, though, The Elodie mysteries are for young adults, new adults, and girls who are questining their sexual identity. This is an ongoing series, with 4 novels already published and as many to come as I have imagination for. Although I love each of my books dearly, I think that my Elodie mysteries are the most important because they speak to the LGBTQ community in a way that Nancy Drew spoke to straight girls.
I like the fact that, in scratching my writing itch, I have come away with something that seems more than just a series of books, but my own little micrososmos.
As I mentioned, I plan to write several more Elodie Fontaine mysteries. In addition, I am working on a real fantasy novel, Persephone's Mare, that begins in my original setting, Pine Oak, Florida, and that features at least one character from my Small Town Series. And last, a protege of mine is considering expanding Izzy's World with a series of romantic thrillers about the two main characters of The 5, so look for The Carmah and Sandy Adventures sometime in the future.
February 2, 2019
They're Here!
The Elodie Fontaine Mysteries debuted on January 1. The first book in the series, Tank Baby, is available now from Amazon.
Here's the link. Tank Baby
In addition, the next two books in the series are now available for pre-order.
Ghost in the Piano
Horses Wild
November 19, 2018
The Elodie Fontaine Mysteries are almost here!
The Elodie Fontaine Mysteries debuts on January 1. The first book in the series, Tank Baby, is available now on pre-order from Amazon.
Here's the link. Tank Baby
And here is the schedule.
Tank Baby. Preorder begins October3, 2018, publication date January 1, 2019.
Ghost in the Piano. Preorder begins December 1, 2018, publication date March 1, 2019.
Horses Wild. Preorder begins February 1, 2019, publication date May 1, 2019.
Desert Girl. Preorder begins October 3, 2019. publication date January 1, 2020.
The Elodie Fontaine Mystery Series is the first YA mystery series featuring a lesbian sleuth. Just as the Nancy Drew series drew from a wide audience, the Elodie series can be enjoyed by everyone, male or female, gay or straight. The most obvious audience, however, are girls age 14 and up who are either lesbians or are questioning their sexual identity.
January 9, 2018
An Izzy fo New Year's
Swamp Girl
In the 1960s, Agatha Christie decided to only publish one book a year--probably for tax purposes. Because each book was released toward the end of the year, her publicist began to call it "A Christie for Christmas." And, of course, Christmas sales boofed up her earnings a lot.
I don't worry about taxes or earnings, although I would love for them to be higher. I'm more interested in having a book available from the beginning of the new year rather than from the end of the old one. It comes in handy in submitting to contests, too. So since 2012, I have been releasing a book in the first week of the year.
The News in Small Towns (2012)
Madness in Small Towns (2013)
Secrets in Small Towns (2014)
Mysteries in Small Towns (2015)
The XYZ Mysteries (2016)
The 5 (2017)
This year I have released my first Young Adult novel, Swamp Girl. As in all my novels and stories, the protagonist of Swamp Girl. is a lesbian or, in this case, a baby dyke called Sixteen. She is a street girl from New York who, in an attempt to get out of her stifling family and social situation, finds herself in the wild Florida Everglades--on the run from sleazebags and dickheads.
Luckily, Sixteen is rescued--not only from these low-lifes, but from alligators and snakes--by a group of odd friends--a philosophy professor, a carny geek, a voodoo practitioner, a fishing guide, and a couple of ex-marines. And, of course, the alluring Raven, who Sixteen gets an immediate crush on.
It is a novel of love and adventure, and of empowerment not only for girls and women, but for queer youth as a whole.
In the 1960s, Agatha Christie decided to only publish one book a year--probably for tax purposes. Because each book was released toward the end of the year, her publicist began to call it "A Christie for Christmas." And, of course, Christmas sales boofed up her earnings a lot.
I don't worry about taxes or earnings, although I would love for them to be higher. I'm more interested in having a book available from the beginning of the new year rather than from the end of the old one. It comes in handy in submitting to contests, too. So since 2012, I have been releasing a book in the first week of the year.
The News in Small Towns (2012)
Madness in Small Towns (2013)
Secrets in Small Towns (2014)
Mysteries in Small Towns (2015)
The XYZ Mysteries (2016)
The 5 (2017)
This year I have released my first Young Adult novel, Swamp Girl. As in all my novels and stories, the protagonist of Swamp Girl. is a lesbian or, in this case, a baby dyke called Sixteen. She is a street girl from New York who, in an attempt to get out of her stifling family and social situation, finds herself in the wild Florida Everglades--on the run from sleazebags and dickheads.
Luckily, Sixteen is rescued--not only from these low-lifes, but from alligators and snakes--by a group of odd friends--a philosophy professor, a carny geek, a voodoo practitioner, a fishing guide, and a couple of ex-marines. And, of course, the alluring Raven, who Sixteen gets an immediate crush on.
It is a novel of love and adventure, and of empowerment not only for girls and women, but for queer youth as a whole.
January 2, 2017
New Novel
Although this is my 6th full-length book, it is called The 5 because it refers to 5 very special young women who are called together to solve the mystery of their own existence--not only as a group, but as individuals. Call it a literary mystery.
December 8, 2016
No Hibernation Allowed
There has been lots of turmoil in 2016 and it will get worse. Many of the rights we have only just now begun to enjoy are threatened. This is true not only for the LGBT community, but for other minorities as well. Let's face it; for the next four years at least, we are in for it.
So let's do what we can to help each other through what are sure to be trying times. One way to do this is to contribute to progressive causes such as Planned Parenthood, wildlife conservation groups, and LGBT organizations nationally and in your local areas.
It would help also to buy books from independent or small-press LGBT-oriented authors. Give good reviews to those that deserve it--and many do. I try to make the books I write a credit not only to literature, but to the LGBT community--whether the story takes place in a tiny town, such as I write about in my Small Town series of novels, or a larger area like Miami or Tallahassee, which are the settings for my later books The XYZ Mysteries, The Five, and Swamp Girl *(forthcoming in 2018). This is my way of getting the word out about fairness and equality.
In other words, now is not the time to go back into hibernation, but the time to make our voices even louder and more insistent.
So let's do what we can to help each other through what are sure to be trying times. One way to do this is to contribute to progressive causes such as Planned Parenthood, wildlife conservation groups, and LGBT organizations nationally and in your local areas.
It would help also to buy books from independent or small-press LGBT-oriented authors. Give good reviews to those that deserve it--and many do. I try to make the books I write a credit not only to literature, but to the LGBT community--whether the story takes place in a tiny town, such as I write about in my Small Town series of novels, or a larger area like Miami or Tallahassee, which are the settings for my later books The XYZ Mysteries, The Five, and Swamp Girl *(forthcoming in 2018). This is my way of getting the word out about fairness and equality.
In other words, now is not the time to go back into hibernation, but the time to make our voices even louder and more insistent.
April 20, 2015
I'm a Goldie finalist
I'm glad to be able to announce that the third novel in my Small Town series of mysteries has been named a Finalist in this year's Golden Crown Literary Awards in the Mystery category. Wish me luck in the final judging, although just making the finals of this contest is a big deal in LGBT circles. The series has done pretty well. The first two novels, The News in Small Towns and Madness in Small Towns, were top-5 finalists in The Next Generation Indie book Awards for 2013 and 2014 respectively. Mysteries in Small Towns, my book of short stories which follows Sue-Ann McKeown and the rest of the Small Town characters in shorter adventures, is next up for the awards circuit.
But hey, that's not nearly all. I've already published three hot new stories for my next series--The XYZ Mysteries, featuring 1970s sister sleuths Xande, Yolande, and Zoe Calhoun. The first is called Brothers and Sisters and Brothers. This novella is followed by There Was an Old Woman and The Case of the Headless Heir. The whole volume will be published early next year. Until then, look for a new story every two months at all the major e-book retailers.
And if that's not enough, I'm working on a stand-alone novel about five special women who come together for a mysterious purpose after one of them is found walking naked in the middle of a dark street without any memory of how she got there--or even who she is. Sound exciting? Stay tuned.
Blogging in Small Towns
The whys, wherefores,and whens of writing in and about a small town.
- Iza Moreau's profile
- 21 followers
