Hey Everybody! For those of you who are interested, here’s my publishing schedule for most of the rest of 2021. I’ll probably have at least one more book around the holidays:
I’ll be republishing Mourning Commute on April 27th. This fun standalone mystery was part of a multi-author series originally published through Sweet Promise Press a couple of years ago. The publisher changed hands and the rights came back to me.
On May 25th, my paranormal women’s fiction book, What Devilry is This? will release.
The multi-author Cozy Pet Anthology, For Pet’s Sake releases on June 22, 2021. My contribution will be Purrloined Bumpkin from my Country Cousin Mysteries.
On July 13, Piped Croakies, Book 12 in my Enchanting Inquiries series will release.
It’s an age-old battle–country folk vs city folk–verdant hillside vs concrete jungle–Pickup vs Prius. City folk think all country folk are simple-minded bumpkins. Country folk believe all city folk are rats living in a maze. But some things transcend culture. Some things spoil any lifestyle.
Murder is one of those things…
Hal’s younger brother has been banished to Deer Hollow because of his proclivity for getting into trouble. Hal’s parents are hoping he’ll take the kid under his wing and straighten him out. But Asher Amity has a knack for finding trouble, and it doesn’t take him long to find it in Deer Hollow. When Asher steps into a steaming pile of murder and treachery, Hal and Joey are destined to get dragged into the mess with him. Who knew how dangerous babysitting could be?
The sun was high and bright and the day had turned hot. I left Caphy to run free, the leash dragging the ground in case I needed to catch her.
She and her snotty sister explored every tree we passed, teasing the squirrels that chittered angrily from the highest branches.
Unbeknownst to the chirping rodents, LaLee could actually climb the trees if she wanted to. She’d nearly caught one of the squirrels who’d been taunting the pitty from the distant heights of a particularly impressive walnut tree.
Even worse, the cat ignored my shrieking for her to leave the hapless creature alone as only a cat could. After a suitable period of time had passed to prove she was doing it on her own terms, LaLee finally descended the tree, sailing gracefully from branch to branch until she landed lightly in the dirt.
Felines. You couldn’t live with them, and you couldn’t return them for a refund.
I settled into the walk, blissfully inhaling the sweet, hot air and enjoying the pleasant trills and flutterings of a multitude of birds.
The trees provided enough shade to make the heat bearable, but adequate sun to keep the Grimm’s fairytale feeling at bay.
We followed familiar paths that wound up familiar hills and into familiar ravines. After an hour of exploring, the distant sound of the river told me we’d probably better turn back, or I was going to lose one of my frisky companions to the enticement of a cool swim.
The currents in that part of the river were treacherous, and I’d always made it a point to keep Caphy away from it. She got into enough trouble in the pond in front of my house.
As if I’d conjured her from my thoughts, Caphy started barking from somewhere over the next hill. LaLee had been sharpening her claws on the rough bark of a walnut tree, but her head came up and the lazy waving of her long tail took on a more energetic tone.
The first tendrils of unease tightened my chest.
“Caphy girl, come!”
Caphy continued to bark, the sound growing increasingly strident.
I hurried toward the hill. “Caphy! Come!”
The pitty usually listened to my “mean voice”. Unless there was something more interesting to keep her attention.
LaLee sprinted along beside me as I started to run. The hill was one of the larger ones in the woods. When I’d topped the incline, I found myself standing on the edge of a ravine, the sides steep and treacherous. I all but slid down the first side and then had to scramble and grasp at roots and saplings to make it up the opposite slope.
My voice was breathless when I called Caphy again. “Caphy, girl. Come!”
Somewhere around the middle of the upward slope, the pibl had gone quiet. Already at the top of the hill, LaLee yowled unhappily and hissed.
Icy fear made me quicken my steps. What if Caphy had run into a coyote? The thought was terrifying. I’d heard too many stories of pets being lured away by seemingly playful coyotes, only to be attacked in numbers once they’d gotten them alone.
“Caphy!” My voice took on a strident shriek as panic took me completely over.
LaLee suddenly shot away on an angry yowl, and I nearly choked to death trying to find the air to scream as I scrabbled for purchase on the slippery ravine wall. “LaLee, no! Caphy!”
I shoved myself the last couple of feet, my heart pounding like a piledriver and my hands bloodied from the fight to climb.
My frantic gaze slipped over the woods that was laid out in front of me. I spotted a low form shooting through the trees, agile and fast.
I cried out, an unformed sound built of pure fear. Had that been a coyote? No…please no.
I started to run, my eyes on the fast-moving form gliding too quickly away from me.
LaLee disappeared into the obscuring branches of a huge evergreen ahead of me. I stepped up my speed, catching my foot in a root and slamming to the ground with a surprised cry.
Ignoring the pain in my knees and palms, I shoved back to my feet and started forward.
Something moved to my right and, before I could see what it was, pain exploded on the side of my head. And the ground roared up to smack me.
I was chatting with a new reader recently about why we love books and reading. She stated, and I agreed, that it was a way to escape real life. That’s never been more true than it is right now. So, how do we deal with life’s little challenges when times get tough?
We all have coping mechanisms that we fall back on in times of upheaval. For me, it’s being around my family, reading, and writing. Many authors have lamented their inability to write over the last few months. When you’re in a creative field, negativity and stress are not your friends. That’s true, of course for everyone. But, for artists, it actually gets in the way of our productivity.
What I realized recently is that without making a conscious decision to do so, I’ve shifted my reading and writing focus to paranormal mystery adventures. It didn’t even occur to me when I was doing it that it was my way of coping. But what could be less like real life than a good, swashbuckling paranormal adventure? #:0)
Moral of the story? If you’re having trouble concentrating on your usual fictional fare, you might want to try mixing it up a bit. Try a genre you haven’t read for a while. Or one you’ve never tried. You never know…it might just be what you need right now.
I’m co-sponsoring a fun event Spring 2021 with fellow author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson! Spots are limited so grab yours today! Stay Tuned for more information.
The event schedule will be chock full of fun and goodies. Hopefully, we’ll see you there!
DID YOU know I’m writing an entire mystery LIVE on my Super Reader’s Group? I am! Enjoy watching me build a no-turning-back, no way out mystery in Facebook posts nearly every day. Join the fun and watch the mystery unfold before your very eyes Join my Super Reader Group HERE.
IF YOU’D like to get caught up on The Terrible, Bad, Ongoing Story (TBOLS) before starting with the posts, you can read Chapters 1 through 4 on my BLOG.
