There are many ups and downs in the life of an author. Some of the highs include: finishing a manuscript, placing in a contest, landing an agent, and getting your book published.
Weeding Out Lies is the first book in A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery series, and I’m just as excited as when the first book was published.
Flower farmer Emma Justice’s life is firmly rooted in Lutz, Texas where she has recently begun her new business. One morning while delivering flowers, she stumbles upon a prominent citizen. Dead. When a friend is accused of murder, Emma launches her own investigation. She’s used to separating weeds from flowers. Emma will dig for clues, weed out red herrings and cultivate a plan to find the killer.
In researching for this book, I learned a flower farm can be a backyard, smaller than an acre, or it can be a larger farm of many acres.
A flower farmer’s primary focus is growing flowers, unless she discovers a dead body.
I think we all understand the definition of freedom, so I won’t state it here. You’ve heard a picture is worth a thousand words, and today I’m going to share some pictures of how we celebrate freedom in my neck of the woods.
As you can tell, Tim and I enjoy celebrating our country. We appreciate all the sacrifices people have made for our freedom. Thank you!
I’d love for you to tag me on social media with ways you celebrate freedom.
I couldn’t help myself. Haha. I love the excitement in the air around July 4th. This year there are more people than ever at the beach, and I’m sure the fireworks will be amazing.
Today, I’d like to welcome my new friend Heather Kinder. She’s a professional organizer. Whether you need help organizing or it’s your passion, I think you’ll enjoy meeting her.
My name is Heather Kinder and I am a professional home organizer. I started a company called Creating Harmony to help do just that. We help people make room for the things they love by organizing, decluttering, and simplifying storage spaces.
The things that we own can be important and valuable. They can make life more comfortable, easier, and even more meaningful. Clothing, furniture, collectibles, family heirlooms, can all add value to your life. They can also overwhelm and distract you from focusing on your priorities.
Since I started organizing professionally, I’ve learned a few things. First, we tend to value all our belongings equally based on from who we acquired them, or how we acquired them. Grandmothers’ pearls might not hold the same value as her favorite spatula. It’s okay, let the spatula go. Or keep the spatula and give those family heirloom pearls to a daughter or niece. This is also true for items that we spent a lot of money on but now don’t use. The same goes for items we got for free. Regardless of the cost, let them go. They will find a good home and be put to good use by someone who needs them.
Secondly, I find people struggle with making decisions on what to keep and what to give away. I don’t ever presume to make decisions for my clients, I just try and make the decision as simple as possible. Step 1: I remove all items from the closet/drawer/room and place all like items together. Step 2: Move quickly through the items and divide them into 3 piles Keep/Give/I Don’t Know. Step 3: Put the Keep items back neatly (Use containers! I’ll save that discussion for another time.) Step 4: Donate or give away the Give items ASAP. Don’t put them back or give them a new home in your house. Step 5 Tackle the I Don’t Know pile.
The key is the I Don’t Know items. Often, we get stuck on an item because we don’t know what to do with it and we stop the whole organization process. It’s okay not to know, place it to the side and come back to it later. Most people know very quickly what to do with most of their items. Move quickly through the easy items and come back to the ones that take more thought. I think you’ll find that the I Don’t Know pile is much smaller and easier to tackle than it seemed at the beginning.
There is something so satisfying about being organized. You feel balanced, fresh, and ready for whatever comes next. You are free to focus on what really matters to you: family, career, hobbies, or just relaxing. Regardless of the state of organization in your house, let yourself off the hook. There should be no guilt or shame involved in how much stuff you have; you are not alone. Most of us have too much stuff and not enough room to store it. Take heart and start small. You can do it!
Heather, thanks so much with sharing these great tips.
Isn’t this a pretty transformation?
Don ‘t we all have a junk drawer? This looks so nice!
Here’s a link if you’d like to connect with Heather.
Malice Domestic is a fan conference for mystery readers. This was the third year I’ve attended, and it just gets better and better.
I enjoy meeting readers, and I like to make swag bags to leave in the hospitality room.
Then I was selected to participate in Malice Go Round, and I wanted to make additional swag bags for the participants of that event. Malice Go Round is like speed dating between readers and authors.
So I took on a project that was about more than I could handle. I decided to make beachy ornaments because of my beach setting. I’ll be honest. Some turned out better than others, but like every shell is unique so is every ornament.
And I have to thank Tim for helping me find and clean the shells and for dying the string.
Tim also went to Maryland with me and helped me transport all my stuff.
It was good to see my agent, Dawn Dowdle, and many friends. I also got to meet many mystery readers. Kate Jackson, Heather Weidner, Korina Moss, Ruth Hartman, Chris Romeril, TJ Krieg (beachbumbookworm) and Desiree DiFabio were just a few friends I connected with.
If you have an opportunity to attend Malice, I urge you to go. You won’t be disappointed.
This is the first book I’ve read by Kathleen Bridge, and it won’t be the last.
Meg Barrett is a set designer on a television show, Mr. and Mrs. Winslow. Meg begins an investigation into the murder of the show’s director, Brett. Meg whittles down her long list of suspects and quickly narrows it down until she knows who the killer is.
The characters are fun and interesting in this story. There are twists and turns that kept me reading. This is the seventh book in the Hampton Homes & Garden Mystery series, but I was able to read it as a stand alone without any problems.
I received a copy of The Perfect Staging for Murder from Netgalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
Spring is here, so the snow will be starting to melt soon, and it is the perfect time to sit outside and soak up those rays while reading a good book! I have partnered with Celebrate Lit for a giveaway just for you to build up that spring TBR pile!
Here is your chance to win 35 books or a $500 Amazon card to buy a ton of books for yourself in Celebrate Lit’s April Showers Bring May Flowers.
I hope you are having a beautiful and safe spring. Living in the South spoils me. No more Easters with snow. Yay! South Carolina has also spoiled me with lovely warm weather. I don’t deal well with the cold anymore. So, I say welcome spring!
The only negative to living on the coast is we’re far from our family. So, I’m going to take a couple of weeks off to focus on family.
Then I’ll be back in the thick of things. Zoom meetings, Malice Domestic, and I’m honored to be the featured author on May 16 at the Moveable Feast. The luncheon will be held in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you there. If you have a specific question, just let me know.
Heather Weidner and Misty Simon will be at Malice Domestic along with me and two-hundred mystery authors. It’s a fan-focused event. And it’s FUN!
Until then, I hope you have a happy Easter and spring days!
I recently read Methods of Malice because my friend Tina Radcliffe is one of the authors. I love Tina, cozy mysteries, and Bible studies. It’s no surprise I gave this book a 5 star review on Goodreads.
Methods of Malice is the first book I’ve read in A Hope Street Church Mystery series.
I enjoyed the characters and despite the fact I began this series on the seventh book, the story was written so well I connected with the characters, making it was easy to jump into this story.
The local community theater is performing It’s A Wonderful Life. A famous Broadway director and his people come to town to take charge of the play. The tension between the director and his people builds until the assistant director turns up dead. Besides digging into Scripture, Cooper Lee and the members of the Bible study dig into the murder, and look for clues.
In addition to pressure from the performance, there’s pressure to catch the killer before he, or she, strikes again.
Methods of Malice is a page turner and a delight.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I asked Tina how it was to work with Ellery Adams to write this story. Here’s what Tina said, “It’s been so much fun joining the fictional world of Cooper Lee and the Sunrise Bible Study. Ellery Adams and the publishing team at Beyond the Page have been welcoming and helpful with their guidance. “
Congratulations Tina Radcliffe and Ellery Adams on Methods of Malice!
Jackie Layton 