This week I’d like to introduce you to Tina deBellegarde.
I’ve attended meetings led by Tina, but in April I got to meet her in person. She was more delightful in person, and she is so smart!
Tina agreed to share a quote with us this week. Here’s Tina:
I love this quote from G.K. Chesterton:
When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” — G.K. Chesterton.
I very intentionally try to recognize how lucky I am, how life has been good to me. This can be difficult sometimes, especially when we receive bad news. But if we search hard enough under the surface we can usually find something to be grateful for. I got a very hefty speeding ticket many years ago when my young son was in the car with me. I thanked the officer and drove along calmly. My son wondered how I was able to handle the situation so well. Why wasn’t I upset? It was precisely because he was in the car that I had stopped to re-evaluate the situation. No good would have come from banging the steering wheel and carrying on. All it would have done was teach my son angry behavior. Instead, I realized that the ticket may have stopped me from getting into an accident and possibly hurting my son. I was grateful for the ticket and I told him so. The more I tried to see the world this way for my son’s sake, the easier this kind of thinking became for me. Being grateful has become an easy daily exercise.
I love this quote from G. K. Chesterton, and Tina has given me something to consider. Be grateful daily. Today, I’m grateful for knowing Tina, and I’m grateful for you all!
Emma Justice never imagines working at the farmers market on a normal Saturday morning will lead to her second murder investigation. When two friends becomes suspects in the latest small-town murder, she’ll help prove they are innocent by tracking down the real killer. Houston Turner, the successful owner of Texas BBQ Hut, is a hard man and has made many enemies in his life. Revenge, greed, and hatred are some of the motives Emma must sift through to catch the killer. Seeds of suspicion from family, friends, and employees leaves Emma digging for real clues instead of stumbling through the rocky soil of deceit and lies.
I think many people think of Monday as the least popular day of the week. So, let’s have some fun.
Have you heard the legend that Ethiopian shepherds were the first to discover coffee? The story goes the spotted goats dancing in the distance. The shepherds went to explore and discovered the goats had been eating coffee berries.
Today is National Apple Pie Day and National Hummus Day.
I enjoy hummus, but coffee and apple pie make a nice combination.
Texas is the setting for upcoming book, Clover Covered Corpse. Here are a couple of fun Texas facts.
In 1853, Captain Richard King bought some land near a creek and it became The King Ranch. It’s 825,000 acres and bigger than Rhode Island. It even has its own airport.
One thing Texas is known for is its size. Everything is bigger in Texas is probably true. It’s also known for horses, rodeos, barbecue, oil, the Alamo, sports, and so much more.
Tyler, Texas has a rose festival. This year the dates are October 17-20. There’s a coronation for the Rose Queen, a ribbon cutting and rose presentation, the Queen’s Tea, and if that’s not enough, there’s the Rose Parade. It’s no wonder Tyler is the rose capital of the world.
I’d love for you to share a fun fact with us today. I hope you all have a blessed Monday!
My friend Ruth J. Hartman has a new cozy mystery coming out this month. May 14, to be exact. You might have guessed, cats are involved in the story. I can’t imagine Ruth writing a story without a cat.
Here’s the blurb:
When mobile cat groomer, Molly Stewart, asks her friend Evan to photograph her new feline clients, they both get more than they bargained for when the body of Evan’s old art teacher is found bludgeoned to death in his photography studio darkroom. After one of Evan’s photos catches suspicious activity in the background, Molly is ready to call the authorities with the newest piece of information. However, an anonymous phone call which threatens not only her, but Evan and their pets, convinces Molly to clam up and find the murderer herself. Will the tenuous situation end up being picture perfect or a photo bomb?
I’m so excited about this podcast with Becki Lee and Literary Escapes. After you listen to the episode with me, featuring South Carolina, check out the other authors writing in different states. It’s the best bang for your buck if you want to visit all the states.
I’m participating in a fun book club in 2024 and wanted to make sure to invite you to join me. Join me and author Becki Lee and we Read Across the U.S. in 2024.
One of my favorite parts of reading is the escape it gives. I have been all around the world, several times, in my books. The Read Across the U.S. Book Club will take us to all 50 states in 2024. If you just did some math in your head you’ll understand that this is going to be fast & fun!
Every week Becki will introduce us to a new state and a new book. Over the year you’ll have the opportunity to meet 50 authors and “visit” all 50 states.
Come join me for this adventure and travel all across the U.S.
Next weekend is Malice Domestic. If you’ve followed me for long, you know how much I enjoy attending this event. If you’re going this year, please look for me. I’d love to connect with you.
As I prepare for this conference, I’ll be busy. It’s during times like this that I look for easy recipes, and Frito Pie is one of my favorites.
Hygge was the word of the day last Monday. It is a Danish word that came about in the 1960s, and it makes me smile. Have you ever used this word, or have you heard somebody else use it?
Merriem-Webster’s definition of hygge is, “a cozy quality that makes a person feel content and comfortable
During the long, dark winters when Danes retreat inside their homes, hygge is what brings them a great sense of comfort and joy.—Mary Holland”
According to Worddaily.com, “Elements of hygge include sweaters, couches piled with blankets, candlelight, a warm pastry — basically anything involved with a cozy winter day. This holiday season, light a fire, grab a cup of cocoa, and settle in for a night of hygge. Hygge started out as a Scandinavian way of life, embracing comfort and small pleasures. The word “hygge” then entered English through Danish.”
It’s springtime, and I bet most of us are not thinking about snuggling in blankets on a comfy couch in front of a roaring fire. But there are ways to create hygge in our lives this season.
For starters, I’d like to suggest flowers. Cut flowers from your garden and make big or small arrangements. If you don’t have a garden, buy a small bouquet.
Go for a walk and observe your surroundings. I don’t live in a big city, and it’s easy to connect with nature. That gives me a feeling of coziness.
What about puppies? Do they fit the definition of hygge?
As a cozy mystery author, I’ve got to mention books. What about the term hygge mystery?
Hygge mystery probably won’t catch on, but it’s fun to think about. I hope you all have a warm and hygge spring day, and I hope you find time to read a fun hygge mystery.
My husband grew up in New England, and I am a west coast girl. He always jokingly said, “I can’t take you to New England, because you’re going to love it and want to stay.” He wasn’t’ wrong. Five years ago, we finally made that trip and I fell madly in love with the adorable small towns, the covered bridges and old stone walls, the amazing number of hardwoods in the forests, and the incredible history.
Even though we still live in the western United States, it had taken us so long to get to New England that I decided if I set a book in New Hampshire, I would have a very valid reason to return. Thus, the Zen Goat Mystery series was born. And my logic has worked in my favor. We’ve already returned once to explore the area where I’ve set my fictional town of Bobwhite Hollow. (Okay, so my brother who lives just north in Ottawa might say it was to visit him, but nobody said you can’t mix research trips with family get-togethers!)
When I started penciling out my ideas for An Escape Goat, I wanted readers to feel as if they were transported to an iconic New England farm resplendent with a big red barn attached to a gorgeous farmhouse via a breezeway, stone walls lining the long driveway, and pine and maple trees dotting the property. The town of Bobwhite Hollow sits in northern New Hampshire in the White Mountains with Mt. Washington looming in the distance and the Connecticut River rushing past. Bobwhite Hollow needed a gazebo in the village green, a historic inn where locals gather to eat and catch up on gossip, and clapboard buildings lining Main Street. I wanted to create a place that would make readers want to visit and stay awhile.
While my husband and I were on the research expedition, we arrived in the town I thought initially was going to be my setting, but when we got there, it didn’t feel exactly right. Don’t get me wrong, I could have worked with it easily, but we drove around for a few days and lo and behold, stumbled upon the town that felt like it came directly out of my book. There was the covered bridge Callie loves so much. There was the gazebo in the village green with the town library perched on the edge of the green. The diner down the street, the county fairgrounds exactly where I’d imagined them, the police and fire station. And the crowning jewel? The Haybeck’s farm just a few miles out of town.
It was such a surreal experience. I even turned to my husband at one point and questioned him. “How can this be so perfect? Which came first, do you think? This town, or Bobwhite Hollow? When I created Bobwhite Hollow, did it make this town appear?” I was only half joking. And guess what? I wanted to stay.
An Escape Goat is the first in the new Zen Goat Mystery series. Callie Haybeck has come to New Hampshire after finding long-lost family through a DNA test kit. She’s fallen in love with her new family and decided to stay. Callie has opened a goat yoga studio on her great-uncle’s farm and is hosting her first retreat. When retreat guest Angilene Claudson turns up dead with a wine glass shattered at her side and Callie’s favorite goat lapping up the spill, the death is written off as an accidental overdose. But when the goat gets sick, Callie’s gut tells her it wasn’t an accident at all. With her new business on the line and a possible murderer staying in the guesthouse, Callie sets to work to uncover the truth and keep her family safe.
Janna also writes cozy mysteries as Paula Charles. You can find her and links to her books on her website: www.paulacharles.com
It’s easy to see why Jenna fell in love with this area. I want to go visit it too.
Jackie Layton 