The next few days are no doubt crazy busy for many of us. I hope you’re able to take time and find joy during Christmas.
Have a Merry and cozy Christmas. I’ll see you back here in 2025.
Christmas Is Right Around The Corner
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Christmas Flowers
When you think of Christmas flowers, what comes to mind?
Or course, poinsettias are popular. If you’re thinking romance, mistletoe probably comes to mind.
My husband proposed to me before Christmas, and he hid the ring in the tree. So, I’m all in favor for romance at Christmas time.
But, this post is about Christmas flowers.
Emma Justice is the amateur sleuth in Weeding Out Lies and Clover Covered Corpse, and she’s a flower farmer. So, she has a couple of suggestions.
Besides Christmas trees, do you decorate with plants during the holidays?
If you’d like to get to know Emma Justice better, she’s the amateur sleuth in A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery Series.
Weeding Out Lies https://amzn.to/3OkkUbg
The Con https://amzn.to/3AzR6nO
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so appreciative of you and the time you spend with me. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, good food, and fun with family and friends.
I also hope you can find time to read a good book this weekend.
I’ve been busy the past few months, and I’ve got a lot to be thankful for. Here are a few highlights.
As you can see, I have a lot to be thankful for.
I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for this year. Email me or tag me on social media.
Here are a few places you can find me.
Twitter: @Joyfuljel
https://www.facebook.com/JackieLaytonAuthor
https://www.facebook.com/Joyfuljel
https://www.instagram.com/jackielaytonauthor.com
Take care and happy Thanksgiving!
Why Read Cozy Mysteries?
I recently talked to a group and not everyone was familiar with cozy mysteries.
I explained some of the fun aspects of cozies.
Small communities make good settings for cozy mysteries. They can be real or fictional. I created Heyward Beach for A Low Country Dog Walker series, Lutz, Texas for a Texas Flower Farmer series, and Fox Island for An Organized Crime series. In these tight-knit communities, my amateur sleuths feel comfortable asking people questions about the crime.
Most cozy mysteries include pets. I have dogs in all my books because I love dogs. (I’m allergic to cats, but they make appearances.)
Earlier this year, I was on a panel and our theme was Romcozies. Romantic cozy mysteries. The books have a romantic thread, but it’s only a thread. The main goal of the cozy mystery is to solve the murder.
There’s one more thing I want to include. Cozy mysteries are clean. There’s no blood and gore, no sex, and no foul language. One reader told me these some of the reasons she reads cozy mysteries.
I’d love the know why you enjoy cozy mysteries.
Heather Weidner’s Done it Again
Deadlines and Valentines: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery is the fourth book in Heather’s series, and it’s out now.
Heather is one of the nicest people I have ever met. She’s also a fabulous author, and you don’t want to miss reading this book.
Fern Valley, nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is ground zero for all things romance. The town has pulled out all the stops for the first Valentine’s Day “Love is in the Air” Book Festival with events like Death by Chocolate, author speed-dating, a character masquerade, and a male cover model fashion show.
Everything is candy and roses until the sparks start to fly. Jules Keene and her team at the glamping resort spend their time trying to tamp down fiery tempers because opposites may not always attract.
When a popular author with a heart of gold is found murdered in the barn at the resort, Jules has to find the culprit before more than just hearts are broken.
Here’s a link: https://amzn.to/4d8KnPf
Happy reading!
Murder at the Painted Wings Cafe
I’m excited to share with you Ruth Hartman’s upcoming book. Ruth and I became friends when we were both authors for Dawn Dawdle.
Murder at the Painted Wings Cafe is scheduled to release on November 19. This is the second book in the Senneca James Mystery series.
Seneca James’ cousin, Evie, ends up in hot water, when she’s accused of stealing a wallet from an angry customer in Seneca’s Painted Wings Café. The customer also happens to be the local bank manager, who Evie pleads with for a much-needed loan, resulting in a public spectacle as the bank manager refuses, and ridicules Evie. When the manager later turns up dead inside the cafe, and Evie is the most likely suspect, it will take all of Seneca’s sleuthing and help from her best friend, Sheriff Cody Bales, to get Evie out of trouble.
Here’s a preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Painted-Wings-Cafe-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DLCSLW3R
Isn’t the cover beautiful? I’m excited to read Ruth’s newest book! Congratulations, Ruth!
Moveable Feast
The Moveable Feast is a lunch event hosted by C.L.A.S.S. every two weeks. Community Learning About Special Subjects is led by Linda Ketron, and Bess from My Sister’s Books brings books from her store to the luncheons. Moveable Feast has been around for twenty-seven years, and it’s an honor to be part of the tradition.
I had three books published in 2024, and Linda asked me to speak about all of them. A Suspicious Breed, Clover Covered Corpse, and The Con were all released this year.
The event took place at Wahoo’s Fish House in Murrells Inlet. The view was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the company was amazing!
Bess introduced me, and then I spoke for an hour about myself and my books. Tim, my husband, came and took pictures before, during, and after. There was time for questions, and the audience was engaged. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed meeting so many great readers!
It was a lovely event, and I appreciate everyone who took part. And thanks to you for letting me share the fun.
It’s a Blog Tour with prizes
I’m excited to announce The Con is going on a blog tour with Lori Caswell and Great Escapes.
Professional organizer Kate Sloan is hired by Ben Houser to organize his office at Seaside Hideaway Resort on Fox Island. Ben tells everybody he’s planning to revamp the resort. Ben throws money around and convinces people to invest with him. The first problem is, Ben’s a con man. The second problem is, Kate finds his dead body.
The killer believes Kate has incriminating evidence, and she must solve the mystery before she’s next on the hitman’s list.
Here are the tour participants:
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 10 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – AUTHOR GUEST POST
October 10 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 13 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 14 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 16 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 17 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 18 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – AUTHOR GUEST POST
October 18 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
October 19 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
The Prize Package includes Peach Tea, Praline Pecans, $5.00 Starbucks card, Tervis 16 oz tumbler, with travel lid with lighthouse emblem, bookmarks and stickers.
I hope you join the tour, and good luck.
You’re Invited
Today is the release of The Con. It’s the second book in An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery Series.
Professional organizer Kate Sloan is hired by Ben Houser to organize his office at Seaside Hideaway Resort on Fox Island. Ben tells everybody he’s planning to revamp the resort. Ben throws money around and convinces people to invest with him. The first problem is, Ben’s a con man. The second problem is, Kate finds his dead body. The killer believes Kate has incriminating evidence, and she must solve the mystery before she’s next on the hitman’s list.
So, what are you invited to attend? At 7:00 tonight, August 27, at 7:00pm EST, I’m participating in a virtual book launch on Facebook. Sydney Leigh and Kate B. Jackso will be there too because we all have books releasing this week.
https://www.facebook.com/share/cqjnoSUgfrUPkero/?mibextid=9l3rBW
If you’re interested in ordering The Con, here are some links.
Amazon ebook: https://amzn.to/3AzR6nO
Amazon paperback: https://amzn.to/4fYAhmR
Kobo: https://binged.it/3Z1bB73
Kobo Canada: https://binged.it/3XhE8Ee
B&N ebook: https://bit.ly/3MiI41g
B&N paperback: https://bit.ly/3Mjsfr2
Priscilla’s Thankful
I’m excited to introduce you to my friend Priscilla Bettis, and she’s here to share what she’s thankful for.
I’m thankful for Jesus, my faith, and my family. I’m also thankful for our small town in Eastland County, Texas. I like that I know my neighbors. We share storm shelters, shovels, and fence repairs. I get fresh chicken eggs; they get a little free labor and a lot of free books.
At night, there are no bright city lights fading the starry sky. Here’s a picture of the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas taken from our backyard just last week. The picture is actually twelve images, one stacked on top of another to bring out the colors and details. We couldn’t see the nebulas at all if we lived in a big city.
I like how the slower life of our little town gives me time to stop and observe. I get character and setting and story ideas that way. (“Prayers Heavy with Smoke” in Radix Magazine is set at a generic grocery store that’s actually the store we shop at.)
What’s more, I’m thankful for Jackie letting me share my small town musings.
Priscilla chats about life and writing on X, Here’s the link: https://x.com/PriscillaBettis
Jackie Layton 