I'm Back. Again.

Somehow, I've once again managed to let several months fly by without checking in here. I could offer up a multitude of excuses, all valid, but instead, let me just do a quick catch-up. 

The garden did extremely well but is done now. 

I've been kept busy doing both in-person and virtual book events. It's been wonderful seeing people in 3-dimension instead of just in a little box on a computer screen.

I got to interview my good friend Liz Milliron during her launch party for Harm Not the Earth at Mystery Lovers Bookshop


Hanging out with Jennifer Diamond after I presented the keynote at the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies

Doing a reading at the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies

One day in September, we had waterfront property, courtesy of Hurricane Ida. Thankfully, the floodwaters didn't quite make it to the house.

Earlier this month, I released my second indie-published book. Not a full-length novel, but instead, a collection of short stories featuring the characters from the Zoe Chambers mysteries.


If you subscribe to my newsletter, you may have already read them. But if you missed one or if you want them all in one place OR if you know of someone who might like a quick read as a Christmas gift, Crime in the Country is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or just about anywhere. You can go to my website and choose your preferred vendor. (Note: you can also support indie booksellers and receive a SIGNED copy if you order from Mystery Lovers Bookshop! Just sayin'.)

Looking ahead, Death By Equine has been picked up by Tantor Media and will come out in AUDIO in March! 




It's also going to be available on the Scream app from Crazy Maple Studio. I'm still learning about this new platform for readers, so stay tuned for updates. 

In the slightly nearer future, there's NaNoWriMo. Last year, I participated and completed a first draft of what will be the next Zoe Chambers mystery, coming Spring of 2022. THIS year, I'm again participating with the hopes of completing the first draft of the manuscript that was placed on the back burner this summer. It still isn't under contract, but I want to see how the story plays out!

Once again, I'm determined to post here more often. Keeping you updated on my NaNoWriMo goals and accomplishments should motivate me!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mom Update

Image
It’s been a while since I wrote anything about my mom. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve probably noticed a number of posts recently about long nights in the ER with her. I appreciate the kind concerns and prayers from friends and family. But while I know they’re well intended, the “hope she gets well soon” sentiments cut like a finely honed blade. Mom isn’t going to get well. She has good days and bad. More and more of the latter. Today’s “good days” are about the same as the bad ones a couple months ago. She has vascular dementia. In addition to her mental slippage, her legs have grown weak and uncooperative, adding to her pre-existing balance issues. We plead with her to call for assistance to get out of bed. Unfortunately, she can’t remember that she’s had numerable falls lately, so she continues to try to get up and around on her own, resulting in more falls. And in more trips to the ER. She has dislocated her right hip twice now. She’s hit her head more times ...
Read more

A New Face

Image
I've been hearing over and over lately that I need to get new headshots done. People who only know me from my online presence complain when they meet me that I don't look anything like my picture. Hmmm. Is that good or bad? I'm still not sure. However, the fact that I now wear my hair a lot longer than I used to is a fact I can't deny. The problem with new photos is...well, I'm older than I was when I had those last ones done. If I could get away with posting a picture of me when I was 25, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Seriously, inside my head, that's still what I look like. Outside? Not so much. But I caved in this weekend. After shooting over 60 frames, I came up with four that I like. So I'm posting them here and asking for a vote. Which ONE photo should be my new "face" for my online persona? Choice #1 Choice #2 Choice #3 Choice #4 Leave a comment with your favorite. Okay, I get to make the final decision, so this...
Read more

The 2010 Confluence Writers' Retreat and Flood

Image
For days, the weathermen had been forecasting “THE FLOOD.” With melting snow pack combined with heavy rains, they were suggesting everyone pack up the women and children and move to high ground. Of course, our writers’ retreat was scheduled to be held at Paddler’s Lane , on the scenic banks of the Youghiogheny River in Confluence. “Confluence.” As in the point where the Yough (pronounced “Yawk”) is joined by the Casselman River and the Laurel Hills Creek. As in the place I spend a large portion of my summer at our camp. I scoffed at the panic mongers. Flood? Heck, it floods every spring. I ain’t afraid of no stinking flood. So off I went. Loaded up the car Friday morning under sunny skies and headed east, with joy in my heart. A whole weekend with my Sisters in Crime in a gorgeous house with lots of food. And writing. Oh, yeah. Lots of writing and—better yet—workshops with Ramona Long . First stop: Panera Bread in Uniontown where I met Sandy Stephen, Susan “ West of Mars ” Gottfried, a...
Read more