Jackie Layton

Book Giveaway

October 9, 2023October 4, 2023 Jackie Layton

Hello Friends!

Fall is here and it is the perfect time to curl up with a good book! I have partnered with Celebrate Lit for a giveaway just for you to build up that fall 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 Bring on the Fall Giveaway.

Today is the first day of the Bring On the Fall Multi-Author Giveaway.

Want to know more? These are the books included in the giveaway.

Weeding Out Lies by Jackie Layton

Forever Music by Hope Toler Dougherty

The London Rose: A Regency Romance by Rosanne E. Lortz

Living Secrets by Sylvia Baumgartner

One Wonders by Luana Ehrlich

Lost and Found by Suzanne Woods Fisher

PrayerWalk: Becoming a Woman of Prayer, Strength and Discipline by Janet McHenry

Honor by Angela D. Shelton

Generations Deep by Gina Birkemeier, LPC

Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing by Lisa Howeler

Across the Shores by Kelly Goshorn

Chiseled on the Heart: A Christmas Legacy Novella Collection by Cynthia Roemer

Winter’s Ravage by Elaine Marie Cooper

The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater by Jaime Jo Wright

Bentonsport: A New Chapter by Lisa Schnedler

The Cry: Poems of Mourning Sickness by Tiffany Vakilian

A Love for All Seasons by April Kidwell

The Doors of Rome by Ruth Douthitt

The Peaceful Valley Wounded Soldiers Anthology by J. Carol Nemeth

The Decision by Christina Rost

Guess How Much God Loves You by Karen Ferguson

Kamilah by Kelley Rene

Beryl’s Blessing by Edwina Kiernan

Snowbound Escape by Dana Mentink

The Title Wave by Chautona Havig

Room for Love by Marguerite Martin Gray

Honor’s Mountain Promise by Misty M. Beller

Season of Hope by Sara Jane Jacobs

Ne’er the Twain Shall Meet by Carole Brown

The Dressmaker’s Secret by Kellyn Roth

Love Again by AnnMarie Bryan

Harvest Hollow by Courtney Lyman

Love Matters by Neil Tolsma

The Essence of Courage by Lynn Watson

A Bride for Harley by Heidi McGill

Dial G for Gravity by Joanne Markey

Muldoon’s Minnesota Darling by EV Sparrow

The Bells of Christmas by Amanda Tru

Tropical Target by Jennifer Pierce

Victoria Grace the Jerk Face by S.E. Clancy

Shadowed Doubt by Kathleen Robison

Voices in the Sanitorium by Amy Walsh

How do you enter?

Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/2736d/2023-bring-on-the-fall

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Meet Jamie Adams

October 2, 2023October 2, 2023 Jackie Layton

Welcome, Jamie!

I’m so happy to be on Jackie’s blog today. We ‘met’ in a writing critique group many years ago. Her writing is so vivid that I can still pictures scenes she wrote over ten years ago.

I’m the last person who should be giving decluttering advice but as an expert clutterer I do have some insight to share because dealing with clutter is a real issue for many of us. At our house it started with the catch-all- counter closest to the front door. Everything we didn’t know what to do with ended up there. Organize it and days later it’s back to a hodge podge of this and that. After time we began to tolerate it and that’s when the clutter bug got out of hand.

But take it from me, management is key. After almost thirty years of marriage, we had to resort to a large storage shed to store and organize the overflow clutter. There is one thing that helps me when the clutter around me is overwhelming and that is writing cozy mysteries. Book two of the Ghost Town Mysteries series, Homicide at High Noon came out last month and the third book, Showdown at the Saloon, will be here in early 2024. I’ve had so much fun writing this modern-day story set in an old west ghost town.

Book two of The Ghost Town Mysteries, Homicide at High Noon, is now available in digital and print: https://www.gemmahallidaypublishing.com/jamie-adams

Elevator pitch: Money is missing from the gold mine and Lily is a suspect! The company auditor is determined to prove her guilty but turns up dead making Lily a murder suspect too. Will Lily find the missing money and the killer before they set their sights on her…

You can learn more about Jamie and her books at:

https://www.facebook.com/JamieLAdamsauthorpage

https://jamieladams.wordpress.com/ https://twitter.com/Roosgal

Thanks for visiting, Jamie! It’s been fun!

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How Embarrassing

September 21, 2023 Jackie Layton

I walked into my office this morning and cringed. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks promoting Clutter Free and brainstorming a new book. It didn’t occur to me that my desk had gotten out of control.

This would require fortification, so I made my second cup of coffee then got to work. I filed marketing notes, moved paperwork not related to the new book, and threw away unnecessary items.

I kept a few notes on the new book, and I decided shifting my laptop to the left might make it easier to take handwritten notes on my right. I also have two new history books to keep nearby. So for now, I have my computer, sticky notes, pens, and reference books close by. This may only last a day, but for this rainy morning, I feel organized and ready to write.

How about you? Can you write at a messy desk?

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A few more organizing tips

September 11, 2023August 27, 2023 Jackie Layton

Dana Mentink suggests we “use those little tags on the bread bags to label your electric cords that way you never I accidentally unplug the wrong one! “

Thanks, Dana.

Rose Kerr, author of Death on the Set, also shared a tip.

I use timers to help me get organizing tasks done. You can get a lot done when you focus your attention for fifteen minutes!

Start small, think of a drawer, not a closet and work your way through the kitchen or pantry. This works for almost any project.

Thanks, Rose!

I’m going to try these tips, and I’d love to hear about your organizing tips. They may even end up in a future book in An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery series.

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Clutter Free Blog Tour

September 10, 2023September 10, 2023 Jackie Layton

It’s time for another blog tour.

I hope you’re able to join the fun, and there will be a giveaway. I’ll share social media links or look for Just Read Tours, starting September 11. https://justreadtours.com/

This is your opportunity to learn about Kate Sloan, Clutter Free, and maybe collect an organizing tip.

Curious about the giveaway? I’m giving away TWO books, a polka dot shopping bag, and $10.00 in Starbucks gift cards.

And this seems like a good opportunity for an announcement. Clutter Free is now available in paperback and ebook at your favorite sites.

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/clutter-free-2

Kobo Canada: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/clutter-free-2

B&N paperback: https://bit.ly/44TLxdC

Nook: https://bit.ly/3Za85p0

Kindle: https://amzn.to/47Uxxme

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PuLRuL

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/clutter-free-an-organized-crime-cozy-mystery-by-jackie-layton

I hope to see you on the tour.

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Organizing Tips for Authors

September 5, 2023August 25, 2023 Jackie Layton

Heather Weidner has been kind enough to share writing tips with us this week. Thanks, Heather!

As a writer, I have way more ideas for stories and characters than I can use
at any one time. I used to jot them down on paper or sticky notes. I’d clip
articles out of newspapers and magazines, so I had folders of ideas. But it
became unruly quickly. Here’s how I keep it all organized and usable.

Electronic Links and
Pictures: If it’s a picture, web page, or blog post, I have
Pinterest boards to organize ideas. For example, I was researching vintage
trailers and tiny houses for a WIP, so I built a Pinterest board to keep my information
in one place.

Single Spreadsheet: I finally created a single spreadsheet for all of the hundreds of sticky notes that were cluttering up my life. I created a column to tag each idea (e.g.
character name, dialogue sample, story idea, etc.). That allows me to sort by
the category when I’m looking for something specific. I also add notes if I’ve
used the idea. I may still jot things on sticky notes or paper, but they now
get transferred to the spreadsheet.

Web Favorites: If you mark favorites in your browser for websites, you may want to export it from time to time to ensure that you have a backup in case of a crash or device
failure. (In Internet Explorer, locate your “Add to Favorites” button. Click
the down arrow and select Import and Export. Follow the
screens to export your favorites to a file.)

Character and Place Name
Table: I also build a Word table for each series I write. Each
book gets a column. I put basic information about each character and location.
I track which books these appear in. When I’m done, I sort my list
alphabetically, so I can make sure that I’m not reusing names or naming
characters with similar names. This helps me keep the character details
consistent in each book.

Heather is a fabulous author and an even better friend! Here are some links to get to know her better. She’s the author of Heather is a fabulous author and an even better friend! Here are some links to get to know her better. She’s the author of the Jules Keene Glamping
series, Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries and the Delanie Fitzgerald
Mysteries.

https://www.heatherweidner.com/https://bookshop.org/shop/heatherweidner

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Clutter Free ebook available on Kindle

August 29, 2023 Jackie Layton

Today, Clutter Free is available on Kindle. Here’s the link https://amzn.to/47Uxxme .

If you’d like to see the book trailer, here’s that link https://youtu.be/MhECGnUx4Rg

What’s Clutter Free about?

Returning to Fox Island where she grew up, Kate Sloan begins her career as a professional organizer. When a woman accuses Kate’s police chief brother of having an affair, Kate’s priority shifts from organizing to proving her brother’s innocence. Kate visits the woman, hoping for a confession. The woman won’t admit she lied, and to make the situation worse, the accuser is found dead the next day by Kate and her business partner.

Kate has an eye for seeing what’s out of place, and she knows how to fix problems. Can she utilize her organizational skills to toss red herrings and focus on legitimate clues? Emma’s business is at risk as well as her brother’s career. The clock is ticking, and this could be the deadliest deadline of Kate’s life. She must discover the truth behind the victim’s vicious lies, but most of all, she needs to solve the murder before she becomes the next victim.

I got to live in Athens, Georgia for ten years, and I’m excited to have a series set in Georgia. Fox Island is a fictional town near Savannah. When my husband and I dated, we sometimes would get up before the sun rose and drive to Tybee Island for the day. So, this is a very special area to us.

Last year, Tim and I went to Tybee Island for a few days to research the area. It’s a coastal beach town, but it’s very different than where I live. Fox Island is not Tybee, but there are some similarities.

If you look closely, you’ll see Paula Deen. She couldn’t have been nicer to us.

Thanks for your time. I’ll let you know when Clutter Free is available on other formats.

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Clutter Free

August 25, 2023 Jackie Layton

In preparation for the release of Clutter Free, a few friends and I will share some organizing tips.

Sue Minix shared that her coffee table needs to be organized. She said, “Pretty sure it (to organize coffee table) is on the to-do list, which is, you guessed it, on the coffee table!”

Sue has a new book coming out in September, A Chapter On Murder. Find out more on her website. https://www.sueminixauthor.com/

Grace Topping shared, “Save boxes from greeting cards, candy, etc. and use them to create drawer dividers. They keep similar things separated and organized. They are particularly useful in bathroom, powder room, and kitchen drawers.

I also do this when I take cruises. Pack small items in the boxes, and then use the open boxes to create dividers in the drawers in the ship’s cabin. It keeps things from sliding around when the ship starts bouncing around.”

Grace is the author of many cozy mysteries, including Upstaged by Murder. Learn more about Grace. https://www.gracetopping.com/

Keys used to always get misplaced at my house. I bought a wooden boat at a local boat show, and it turned out solving the problem. We now keep all keys, small flashlights, and bug spray in our wooden boat.

Stay tuned for writing tips for authors.

If you’re curious about Clutter Free, here’s the back cover blurb.

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Cover Reveal

August 17, 2023August 16, 2023 Jackie Layton

I’m so excited to share the cover of Clutter Free. August 29 is the official release date, and it’s up for preorder on Amazon. https://amzn.to/45vXrLj

Returning to Fox Island where she grew up, Emma Sloan begins her career as a professional organizer. When a woman accuses Emma’s police chief brother of having an affair, Emma’s priority shifts from organizing to proving her brother’s innocence. Emma visits the woman, hoping for a confession. The woman won’t admit she lied, and to make the situation worse, the accuser is found dead the next day by Emma and her business partner.

Emma has an eye for seeing what’s out of place, and she knows how to fix problems. Can she utilize her organizational skills to toss red herrings and focus on legitimate clues? Emma’s business is at risk as well as her brother’s career. The clock is ticking, and this could be the deadliest deadline of Emma’s life. She must discover the truth behind the victim’s vicious lies, but most of all, she needs to solve the murder before she becomes the next victim.