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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
That’s right. My friend Connie Queen is the author of heart throbbing suspense, and her new book will release tomorrow, June 25.
Pursued in the wilderness…
Can they survive criminals and nature?
A camping trip turns into a search and rescue mission when investigator Josie Hunt’s adopted daughter goes missing. And as the only witness to her father’s murder, eight-year-old Everly is the killer’s next target. Now Josie has no choice but to accept help from her ex-boyfriend, wrongly accused fugitive Dane Haggerty, to stay alive. With threats closing in, can they outrun a killer who’ll stop at nothing to keep his crimes hidden?
Friends, I’m excited about Connie’s new book. I think you’ll enjoy it. Here’s the buying link:Â
In the early 1900s, many German immigrants settled in the Hill Country of Texas. Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Schulenburg, Boerne and more towns have a strong German heritage.
In A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery Series, one of the characters is from Germany and runs the town bakery, Sophie’s Bakery. You might also have noticed the fictional setting is Lutz, Texas. This small town has some connections to Germany.
At Sophie’s Bakery a customer can find healthy foods, but they can also buy German treats.
I’ve never baked a kuchen, but I have helped make Springerle cookies. We have antique molds there were brought to America from Germany many generations ago.
The molds are works of art themselves.
May 28 was the release of Clover Covered Corpse, and I’ll share more about it next week.
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.Â
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!
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?
Jackie Layton 