B.L. Blair's Blog, page 9

December 2018 Giveaway #2

To celebrate the holiday season, each week in December I will be hosting a giveaway. This week is a 2019 Calendar and three Bookmarks. You must be willing to give me your mailing address if you are chosen as the winner of this giveaway.

You MUST be on my email list or join my email list to be eligible to win.
To enter:If you are already on my email list, simply enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
If you are not already on my email list, complete the form on the right side of this page to join. You will receive an email to confirm. After confirming, enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
Please note: Some of you may think you are on my email list, but in May 2018, I sent an email asking you to re-signup. If you did not do so at that time, you are not on the list.
Terms and conditions are available on the rafflecopter. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

December 2018 Giveaway #1

To celebrate the holiday season, each week in December I will be hosting a giveaway. This week is two coasters featuring The Lost Savanah and a $10 Amazon gift card. You must be willing to give me your mailing address if you are chosen as the winner of this giveaway.

You MUST be on my email list or join my email list to be eligible to win.

To enter:If you are already on my email list, simply enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
If you are not already on my email list, complete the form on the right side of this page to join. You will receive an email to confirm. After confirming, enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
Please note: Some of you may think you are on my email list, but in May 2018, I sent an email asking you to re-signup. If you did not do so at that time, you are not on the list.

Terms and conditions are available on the rafflecopter. Good Luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

November 2018 Giveaway - One week left to enter

I offer a giveaway each month. It could be a book, a gift card, or some other type of swag. You must be on my email list or join my email list to be eligible to win. Hey – I need to get something out of this. :)
To enter:If you are already on my email list, simply enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
If you are not already on my email list, complete the form on the right side of this page to join. You will receive an email to confirm. After confirming, enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
Please note: Some of you may think you are on my email list, but in May 2018, I sent an email asking you to re-signup. If you did not do so at that time, you are not on the list.

Congratulations to Becky, the October winner of a eCopy of Dead in a Dumpster.​Terms and conditions are available on the rafflecopter. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Talimena National Scenic Byway

Living in Texas, we don’t get a lot of fall foliage. Our trees do change, but we never see the wonderful colors that appear farther north; however, there is a road just a few hours away from my home called The Talimena National Scenic Byway. We’ve known about this drive for years – just never managed to go. This year we decided it was time.
My sister and I often travel together. This short road trip was only a two night stay, but we enjoyed the drive. From my house to the one end of the byway is about 3 hours. The road itself is a little over 50 miles, and the drive back to my house from the other end is 4 hours. It was a lot of time in the car, but we broke up the trip by spending one night at a hotel each way.
We picked a good time to go although a think a week or so later it would have been even better. The colors were lovely. My pictures don’t do it justice, but if you haven’t been and are in the area, I recommend it.
Here’s a link to the website: http://www.talimenascenicdrive.com/.

Thank you, Veterans!

Some people will be off work or out of school tomorrow in observance of Veterans Day, but today is the actual holiday. It is one of the few holidays in the U.S. that is the same date every year. I will be enjoying a day off tomorrow, but I wanted to take a moment to thank all who serve or have served.
Veterans Day is a U.S. legal holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars, and Veterans Day 2018 occurs on Sunday, November 11. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I, then known as “the Great War.” Commemorated in many countries as Armistice Day the following year, November 11th became a federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day.
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-veterans-day

Release Day - Dead in a Pickup

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Brandy Perez in a pickup parked outside a house for sale, she is once again drawn into the hunt for a killer. Brandy was a party girl with a questionable reputation. She dated a lot of different men including local bad-boy Marcus Cantono. At the time of her death, Brandy claimed to be in a relationship with a wealthy businessman, and there are only a few men in Reed Hill who fit that description.

Marcus is already dealing with vandals trying to close down his restaurant, his mother’s sixty-fifth birthday party, and family members restarting their drug dealing operation. He doesn’t need lead murder suspect added to the list. The evidence against him is strong, and Leah’s snooping soon makes her a target. She’s determined to help Marcus while trying to keep her relationship with the sexy chief of police intact.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her?
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DFtUGRiBooks: https://apple.co/2y1kUWCB&N: http://bit.ly/2OZiyibKobo: http://bit.ly/2xM1iGLSmashwords: http://bit.ly/2Ir5Nui

Leah Norwood Mysteries

I know I just recently posted about Dead in a Pickup. This is a gentle reminder that it will be released this Thursday. It is currently available for pre-order, and I’m discounting the first book in the series, Dead in a Dumpster, to $0.99 for this week only.

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Brandy Perez in a pickup parked outside a house for sale, she is once again drawn into the hunt for a killer. Brandy was a party girl with a questionable reputation. She dated a lot of different men including local bad-boy Marcus Cantono. At the time of her death, Brandy claimed to be in a relationship with a wealthy businessman, and there are only a few men in Reed Hill who fit that description.
Marcus is already dealing with vandals trying to close down his restaurant, his mother’s sixty-fifth birthday party, and family members restarting their drug dealing operation. He doesn’t need lead murder suspect added to the list. The evidence against him is strong, and Leah’s snooping soon makes her a target. She’s determined to help Marcus while trying to keep her relationship with the sexy chief of police intact.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her?
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DFtUGRiBooks: https://apple.co/2y1kUWCB&N: http://bit.ly/2OZiyibKobo: http://bit.ly/2xM1iGLSmashwords: http://bit.ly/2Ir5NuiAmazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Pickup-Leah-Norwood-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07H6K4TF7Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Dead-Pickup-Leah-Norwood-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07H6K4TF7

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Isabel Meeks in the dumpster behind her store, she can’t believe the police consider her a suspect. Sure, she didn’t liked Isabel, but then again, neither did anyone else. Isabel had a condescending attitude and a bad reputation. As manager of the antique store, Patina, she had made a lot of enemies.
There is Patina’s assistant manager, the handsome and charming Trent. Isabel was blackmailing him. There is Patina’s owner, the aloof and influential Anthony Thorpe. Isabel was smuggling drugs through his store. And there is the entire drug dealing Cantono family. Isabel had lost a box containing heroin from one of their shipments. That is just to name a few and didn’t even include the stranger who was seen arguing with Isabel just hours before her death.
The police have too many suspects and too many soft alibis. Leah needs to prove to the sexy new chief of police that she had nothing to do with Isabel’s death.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the police arrest her for murder?
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1vAYDqbApple: http://bit.ly/1qrZA3lB&N: http://bit.ly/1tTV1QMKobo: http://bit.ly/1ooP09xSmashwords: http://bit.ly/1skI6UOAmazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MZC65YGAmazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Dead-Dumpster-Leah-Norwood-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00MZC65YG

November 2018 Giveaway

I offer a giveaway each month. It could be a book, a gift card, or some other type of swag. You must be on my email list or join my email list to be eligible to win. Hey – I need to get something out of this. :)
To enter:If you are already on my email list, simply enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
If you are not already on my email list, complete the form on the right side of this page to join. You will receive an email to confirm. After confirming, enter your email address for the first entry in the rafflecopter form below. You will then be offered additional entries.
Please note: Some of you may think you are on my email list, but in May 2018, I sent an email asking you to re-signup. If you did not do so at that time, you are not on the list.

Congratulations to Becky, the October winner of a eCopy of Dead in a Dumpster.​Terms and conditions are available on the rafflecopter. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Fairs and Personal Appearances

This year I decided to do a few in-person events. I had three book fairs and one radio appearance scheduled and none of them worked out. It has been very disappointing.
The first book fair was in April. There were over 50 authors in attendance, but I think there were less than 20 attendees. I sold 3 books. The second book fair was supposed to be in September. It was canceled/rescheduled due to weather. It was to be held in the town where I live so I was really looking forward to it. It has been rescheduled for next June so hopefully it will happen. The third one was last weekend. It was held at on a college campus in Ft. Worth, TX. Again, a lot of authors present but few customers. There were a lot of people milling around, going to or from class. I only had a few people stop by my table. I wasn’t the only one. None of the vendors sold much.
I wasn’t expecting to make a profit from any of these, but I was hoping for some decent exposure to new readers. It was a lesson learned. There is one more event I may try. Each year, there is a huge book fair held in Austin, TX. It has some bestselling authors and a large attendance. My niece is a school librarian and goes each year. It might be worth looking into.

Dead in a Pickup: Leah Norwood Mystery #3

Dead in a Pickup is now available for preorder on most retail sites. The release date is November 8, 2018.
When Leah Norwood finds the body of Brandy Perez in a pickup parked outside a house for sale, she is once again drawn into the hunt for a killer. Brandy was a party girl with a questionable reputation. She dated a lot of different men including local bad-boy Marcus Cantono. At the time of her death, Brandy claimed to be in a relationship with a wealthy businessman, and there are only a few men in Reed Hill who fit that description.
Marcus is already dealing with vandals trying to close down his restaurant, his mother’s sixty-fifth birthday party, and family members restarting their drug dealing operation. He doesn’t need lead murder suspect added to the list. The evidence against him is strong, and Leah’s snooping soon makes her a target. She’s determined to help Marcus while trying to keep her relationship with the sexy chief of police intact.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her?
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DFtUGRiBooks: https://apple.co/2y1kUWCB&N: http://bit.ly/2OZiyibKobo: http://bit.ly/2xM1iGLSmashwords: http://bit.ly/2Ir5NuiAmazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Pickup-Leah-Norwood-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07H6K4TF7Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Dead-Pickup-Leah-Norwood-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07H6K4TF7
Excerpt: My phone rang as I walked into the backroom of the store. My heart sank when I saw it was Griggs. He wouldn’t be calling unless he had to cancel. With a quiet sigh, I answered.“I’m sorry,” he said immediately. His deep, smoky voice sent a shiver down my spine—the good kind of shiver. I loved his voice.“It’s okay,” I replied as I sat dejectedly in the chair behind my desk.“No. It’s not,” he said sharply, “but I can’t do anything about it. I found David in the bathroom throwing up.”David Reddish was the other captain on the Reed Hill force. He was in his late fifties, attractive, and had a crush on Myra. He was one of the most competent officers I had ever met as well as being a great guy.“Flu?”“Yep. He wasn’t even going to tell me.”“He knows you need the time off.”“Yeah, but…”“It’s okay. I understand.”“I’m really sorry, Leah.”“I know.”“Listen, Megan is supposed to be back tomorrow. I’ll brief her in the morning, and then we can grab lunch. Do you think you could get the afternoon off? We can make a day of it.”I leaned back in the chair with a silly look on my face. “I think I can arrange that.”“Great.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll call you in the morning.”We chatted a few more minutes before he was called away. I had just gotten off the phone when Emma came in.“What are you still doing here?” she exclaimed. “Go. I’ll lock up.”“No need,” I replied. “He had to cancel.”“Oh, no. Not again.”“David has the flu.”Emma’s eyes flew open wide. A small smile started forming on her face and quickly became a huge grin.“Do you think he got it from Myra?” she asked.The two of us had been trying to get Myra and David together for a couple of months. Myra had a bad relationship in her past. Her ex-husband, Leon, had been abusive, and she was skittish. David was making headway, but her ex had recently resurfaced which brought back a lot of unpleasant memories. He had been working with the man who had killed my distant cousin. Leon had held Myra and the oldest Weston boy hostage to make me cooperate. Myra had hit him over the head with a pitchfork. I think that did more for her relationship with David than anything. By defending herself and Aaron, she had freed herself from Leon’s influence. She had even accepted a couple of David’s invitations to dinner.“I don’t think Myra had the flu,” I said with a laugh.“No,” Emma agreed, “but she might be a carrier. She was around all those kids. I’m going to assume he contracted it because he was close to her. It’s much more romantic that way.”“The flu’s not romantic.”“No, but how he caught it could be.”“True,” I said with a sigh. “It would be nice to be close enough to catch the flu.”