At the beginning of the year, I posted what I was looking forward to in 2021 . I included a mix of concrete goals (the stuff I had control over) and hopeful goals. In looking back at that post, I did pretty well on the concrete stuff. Less so with the rest.  I managed to self-publish a novel and a short story collection. In the process, I've learned a lot. I also have a lot to learn on that front. Going forward, I don't have immediate plans to do any more self-publishing, but it's good to have that option available.  I turned in the next Zoe Chambers mystery to my new publisher. And I completed a first draft of a manuscript I've been starting and stopping for a while. We don't have a contract for it yet, but at least that crappy first draft is DONE. My fabulous agent managed to land an audio contract for Death By Equine as well as placing it on a couple of new reading platforms, KISS and Scream.  As for the rest of my goals? The conferences I'd hoped to attend ...

After a whirlwind November, I'm finally at a place where I can catch my breath just in time for the holidays.  After doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) last year for the first time, I'd sworn I would never do it again. True, it had allowed me to complete my first draft of the next Zoe Chambers mystery, but I hadn't needed the "goal" number of 50,000 words to do that. 50K in 30 days is sheer madness. At least it is for my personal process.  However, as I wrote back in June, I had abandoned a manuscript that wasn't selling to start something else. The Something Else hasn't sold either, and the characters from the first of those manuscripts were clambering to have their stories told. So I signed up for NaNoWriMo 2021 with abandoned manuscript #1 as my project. I'm thrilled to report that a.) I topped my 50K goal within the month of November and b.) I completed the rest of the first draft within the first week of December. Typing THE END is suc...

Last weekend...and the start of this week...have been sheer madness. Some good, some bad, heavier on the good. The week ended with the sudden and unexplained death of our ancient TV. On the other hand, I guess the mere fact that it was ancient makes its demise explainable. The bad part was the timing. It seems smaller televisions are a rare commodity these days thanks to distribution chain issues. Normally, I'd research online, make a decision, and click BUY.  I will say, having no TV resulted in a couple of productive days. It also made for a grumpy and bored husband. By Saturday night, I'd tracked down what had to be the only set matching my criteria within several hundred miles. I clicked BUY along with the option to pick it up the next day. (Seeing the words "last one in stock" tends to nudge me to stop researching and show them the money.) Sunday morning, my no longer grumpy and bored husband and I drove to Oakmont PA and Mystery Lovers Bookshop to attend a perso...

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 chara...

The arrival of THE box of books--the first bulk order or the first shipment from a publisher--is always a reason for celebration.  Death by Equine is my eleventh novel, but this part of the process never gets old.  The official release date is less than a week away. If you haven't registered for my launch party, hosted by Mystery Lovers Bookshop on Zoom, you should do so now . You can order a signed or inscribed copy there while you're at it.

It's almost time to celebrate the launch of Death by Equine ! The release date is sneaking up on me. May 11th! The party is being held on Zoom this time, so everyone can attend. Hosted by Mystery Lovers Bookshop , the event involves a discussion between me and my dear friend and longtime critique buddy, Donnell Ann Bell .  Donnell helped me create the earliest version of this book over a decade ago. When my first agent couldn't sell it, Donnell hounded me to do something with it. For a long time, I resisted, having moved on to my Zoe Chambers series. When the lull in the publishing action happened, and I decided to dust off, revise, and indie-publish Death by Equine , Donnell became the obvious choice to include in the launch party.  I haven't seen her interview questions yet but last I heard, she had something like FIFTEEN of them. Yes, I'm a little scared. Mostly though, I'm excited. I get to hang out with one of my dearest friends. Laughter is inevitable.  The p...

It's been a crazy busy couple of months leading up to TODAY. Uneasy Prey is now available! It felt like a long time coming for this one, and I'm pretty proud of it. " From USA TODAY bestselling author Annette Dashofy, comes the latest in her multi-award-nominated Zoe Chambers mystery series. And this one’s a page-turner. On the way to the emergency room, an elderly woman regains consciousness long enough to inform paramedic Zoe Chambers that her fall down the basement steps was no accident. Before she can say more, she succumbs to her injuries, launching Zoe and Police Chief Pete Adams into the investigation of a burglary ring targeting the area’s vulnerable senior citizens. Zoe—in spite of Pete’s objections—takes it upon herself to act as protection detail after the con men, disguised as water company employees, set their sights on Zoe’s beloved former landlady. It’s a decision that eventually puts Zoe in harm’s way. With Zoe already recovering from on...

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Craig Johnson and his Walt Longmire series. The one the TV show is based on. Yes, there are books . That's Craig's new motto for those who are surprised Walt existed before Robert Taylor and Lou Diamond Phillips brought his characters to life. Hubby and I took a trip to Erie, PA earlier this year to hear Craig give a talk. Hubby is now a fan too. I had another encounter with Craig at Writers Police Academy where he was the keynote. All of this happened BEFORE I learned he was coming to Pittsburgh. In spite of having attended these two previous events, I couldn't wait for him to return to my city, if for no other reason than I'm a fangirl who couldn't wait to snag his newest book! As I said, it's no secret what a fan I am, so you can imagine my delight when Natalie of Mystery Lovers Books asked me to introduce Craig! Squeee! I could have babbled and gushed for hours, but I knew the capacity c...

The 30th Pennwriters Conference was as close to perfect as one could get. Having coordinated one back in 2009, I know of what I speak. I'm sure there were behind-the-scenes glitches, but the conference committee, especially coordinators Heather Desuta and Carol Silvis handled them so that to the rest of us, everything flowed seamlessly. I was the Saturday luncheon keynote, and as such, was given an awesome room.  My house isn't much bigger than this! And my house doesn't come with maid service! I taught my first workshop, Setting as a Character, Friday morning. I was a slacker where photography was concerned, however I did manage to capture a few pictures. This was the Friday luncheon which combined the Published Penns business lunch with the Networking Lunch we usually have. Nancy Martin moderated the Littsburgh Panel. Before the banquet, Martha Reed brought wine and cheese to my room for an impromptu happy hour with a few friends...