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.
I first met Annie McEwen at Malice 2023. She was always smiling, and she’s as nice a person as you’ll ever want to meet.
Annie’s book, Resort to Murder, will release March 26, and she took time to answer some questions. Welcome, Annie.
You and I are both authors featuring small towns. Do you live, or have you ever lived in a small town? Like do you have an IGA? Do you know how many stop lights you have?
Thank you so much for having me, Jackie! Yes! Most of my childhood was spent on a small farm in rural central Indiana. Our closest town had one stoplight, an IGA, the best library, a liquor store with a giant pink elephant in front of it, and about twenty churches. LOL. My husband and I lived in Colorado Springs for the first two years of our marriage while he served in the USAF. He’s been on the Indianapolis Metro Police Department for twenty-five years, so we lived in the ‘burbs until our kids graduated. Now, we live outside of a tiny town with no stoplights…but we have a post office, volunteer fire department, a new pizza and ice cream place, and a Dollar General. We’re living large now! Honestly, if we could, we’d live even farther out in the boonies!
Share with us about your earliest days writing. Have you always wanted to write, or did you get derailed in your desire to become a published author?
I was obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books from around age four, so I used to write stories about pioneers all the time. My parents have bunches of stories I wrote as a kid and half-written historical romances/inspirational romances I typed out as a teenager. (And I do mean typed!) Of course, I’ve always loved mysteries, especially cozies, but I was too afraid to write them. I didn’t have the confidence. Fast-forward several years through life with family, having an interior decorating business for a little bit, going back to college to be a radiological technologist, working in that field for ten years now…I pushed my writing dreams to the side.
How did you get back to writing?
I’ve been a huge Ellie Alexander fan for years. She so engaging with her fans and we’d actually DM’d several times. I told my husband if I ever got the nerve to actually attempt my dream of writing, I’d love to be a cozy mystery writer like Ellie. Lo and behold, Ellie started a Masterclass for mystery writing. Well, my hubby, Brian, and our kids put together a big Christmas gift for me. My son, Caleb, does amazing woodworking and built me a desk that I designed. My daughter, Maddy, had been in contact with Ellie for months putting together this big box of Ellie’s items and arranged a Zoom with her to discuss my writing goals! And Brian got the Masterclass for me! Do I have the best family, or what? So, I took the amazing course, and every doubt I had just disappeared. Ellie is a fabulous mentor, and I met my writing bestie, Paula Charles/Janna Rollins, as well as so many other wonderful people. The rest is history!
Does your main character, Emmy Cooper, share any of your characteristics? Would you be friends in real life?
Oh my goodness, yes! We both love interior design and trash-to-treasure projects. Thrift stores and Emmy and I are old souls; put on an old Doris Day or Hayley Mills movie, and we’re happy. We’re also clumsy, a bit sarcastic with our friends, and sometimes we forget to act our ages (Emmy’s 26, and I’m so not 26.). Even though we have a hard time standing up for ourselves, we’ll do whatever we have to do for our loved ones! A lot of Emmy’s quirks and insecurities are drawn from my own. Writing is great therapy! We’d definitely be friends.
What inspired Resort to Murder? Tell us a little about your story.
My family’s vacations were spent on Lake Namekagon in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. We camped in a three-room tent at the Chequamegon National Forest Campgrounds. There were four of us kids, Mom, Dad, and our collie. Mogasheen Resort, a cute cabin resort, was next to the campgrounds. We became great friends with the family, and year after year, the friendship grew. Our families are still very close. I based my Cooper’s Cove Resort on Mogasheen’s, and they’ve shared their knowledge as part of my research.
Even though my Lake Covington and the town of Covington are fictional, they’re inspired by Lake Namekagon and some of my favorite quaint small towns. My characters do visit several real-life places in the area my book is set in, Bayfield County. In fact, my sister and her family live about five minutes from Lake Superior! She and her husband met as little kids when we visited a little church while we were on vacation all those years ago. That’s a story I need to write!
I don’t want to give too much away, but Emmy’s story is inspired by something I went through several years ago. It was soul-crushing and unjustified. I went into a depression and lost trust in people. But, it turned out to be a gigantic blessing in disguise that eventually led to opening the door for me to pursue my writing dream.
So in Resort to Murder, Emmy Cooper’s life in Chicago is turned upside down, so the young interior designer retreats to her family’s lake cottage resort in the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods for a much-needed break. Hoping to clear her mind and gain a fresh perspective, she looks forward to enjoying a slower pace and the crisp, clean pine air at her beloved Cooper’s Cove Resort with her family, dogs, and her best friend, Whitney.
Unfortunately, Emmy finds out a ruthless development company is relentlessly pressuring Lake Covington property owners, including her family, to sell their land so they can build an extravagant, modern resort that would ruin the quaint esthetic of the area. Things only get worse when Emmy finds the dead body of one of the developers floating in the lake—murdered!
Since Emmy’s father was leading the fight to stop the shady development from getting approval, he’s quickly painted as the prime suspect. Now it’s up to Emmy to prove her father’s innocence, save the reputation of Cooper’s Cove, and find out who would resort to murder.
I’m so excited to announce it’s the official release day for A Suspicious Breed.
Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott is about to get married, but she’ll have to get a killer to say “I did it” before she can say “I do” . . .
With her wedding fast approaching and her plans to open a dog shelter underway, Andi Grace can barely find a free moment. Then she learns that her favorite local vet may have been roped into a crooked fundraising scheme meant to help animals, and worse still, her wedding photographer—a good friend who may have had firsthand knowledge of the scheme—is murdered. Determined to find justice for the victim and root out whoever is behind the scam, Andi Grace puts her nose to the ground to sniff out the clues.
No sooner does she begin compiling a list of suspects than she uncovers an unscrupulous music producer pressuring a friend’s talented daughter, and a haphazard dog breeding operation that may be endangering animals. With so many unsavory characters cropping up at every turn, Andi Grace enlists the help of some equally clever friends to ensnare them. But just as she finds the evidence that ties everything together, the culprit finds it’s time to kill her before she can tie the knot . . .
A Suspicious Breed is available today wherever you like to shop for books.
Over the weekend, My Sister’s Books held a pre-launch party. It was so fun. We had a fabulous cake designed to look like my book. We also had food and prizes. I saw friends and made new friends. There was a lot of laughter, and it was a fun party.
Here are some of the pictures.
Thanks for allowing me to share the fun. I hope you have a fabulous week.
Yesterday, I heard people talking about Christmas. They are not ready and don’t know what to do. This got me to thinking. Does Kate Sloan, amateur sleuth in Clutter Free, have any tips?
Yes, she does. I hope you find these tips helpful.
Don’t stress over décor. One year my young son asked if we could do a Beanie Baby Christmas tree instead of the normal ornaments. For some reason, I agreed. We put lights on the tree, then we arranged the Beanie Babies, and it turned out to be a fun tree. If you’re feeling stressed this year, maybe you could decorate your tree with favorite books.
Holiday cards can be sent anytime of the year, and if it simplifies your month, why not? Also, ecards are an option.
For those of you who prefer giving experiences, you might buy gift cards to a movie theater, the zoo, a museum, or somewhere else fun. Gift cards can save time wrapping, and it extends the celebration after the actual holiday.
Sticky notes come in handy to keep yourself organized on what gifts are going to whom.
If it’s a hassle to store wrapping paper, tissue paper, and bows, use gift bags. They are easy to store, and they aren’t as bulky as the rolls of gift paper. (Of course, it is fun to create beautifully wrapped presents.)
When it’s time to decorate, you may need to move furniture to make room for your holiday décor. Before unpacking your decorations, declutter and clean.
If you haven’t already done so, label each tote and container. That will make it easier when you put everything away.
Declutter your kitchen. Toss anything that’s expired or that you don’t use. Then go through your Christmas recipes and make your grocery shopping list, so you’ll have all the ingredients you’ll need, and they’ll be fresh.
If you don’t have storage bins for your decorations, buy some that are the same size. Stack them with the heaviest on the bottom, and be sure to label them to make next year easier.
Are you hosting a big meal? Plan your menu and shop for the items. Decorate your table, and plan what bowls and platters will be used. You can use sticky notes on these dishes so you’ll remember your plan on the day of your big event.
Asking others to pitch in by bringing a dish, should give you some extra time to enjoy the holidays or read a book. Instead of baking a wide variety of cookies, have a cookie exchange. It simplifies life, if you only bake one kind of cookie.
If you want this to be the most enjoyable time of the year, do things that make you happy. If you don’t enjoy some of your family traditions, make new traditions and memories. Make notes of the foods your family and friends raved about. Make notes on the games and activities your family enjoyed the most. Make notes of your successes and failures, and that will start paving the way for your next organized holidays. Just don’t forget where you put your notes.
I hope these tips help you enjoy your holiday celebrations. They are supposed to make your life simpler, not more challenging.
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.
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.
Teresa Trent joins us today to share about her new book, If I Had a Hammer. I love the catchy title. Here’s a little more about the book:
A new job, a brutal murder, and Camelot has ended.
In 1963, Dot Morgan’s life was changed forever. She witnessed the assassination of John F Kennedy through the lens of her boxy Kodak Instamatic camera, bringing traumatic aftereffects of the brutality that happened as they stood on the parade route in Dallas.
She starts her first real secretarial job with a boss who has no sympathy for her trauma. When Dot’s only work friend has a mysterious accident at a demolition site, she digs around on her own only to find very little love between two brothers and no one hammering out justice to find a murderer.
The suspects are all around Dot and as she tries to sift through their motives, her cousin Ellie is going through PTSD on her own, losing interest in work, and her fiancé all the while quoting some of JFK’s finest speeches.
With so much change in her world, can Dot still tell the difference between good and evil?
Intrigued? Here’s an excerpt:
Ellie screamed, making the driver jump. “Right here! Stop here,” Ellie said as she passed bills from the back seat to the front.
I looked up over a light brown building with straight white letters reading Texas School Book Depository. Above it was an ad for Hertz Rent-a-Car with a clock attached to it. It was straight up noon. The crowd was thickening as people found places to stand in a grassy area next to the street. It was almost as if the original landscaper had known this historic day would take place and designed the gradual slope along the road. According to the newspaper, Kennedy’s motorcade would arrive soon, and I felt the excitement building as we prepared to join the crowd. I pulled my arms through my sweater.
Ellie extended a hand to help me out of the yellow Checker cab. “Are you ready?”
“Oh yes. Let’s go over there.” I pointed to one of the few open spots next to the curb. “Hurry, before someone else gets it. I just hope we can hold the spot. There are some pretty big guys who might want to stand in front of us.”
Ellie smirked. “You know what I always say. ‘Knee them in the crotch and they sing a new song.’”
“Seriously, Ellie. I’m not attacking some poor man just so I can stand in front.”
“You’re right. I was trying to sound sophisticated Maybe not here but remember that. It may come in handy someday.”
I had decided to wear a new pair of black heels and felt them wobbling. We crossed the street and grabbed our spot just in time, causing another viewer to crowd in next to us. The smell of cigarette smoke circled us as people fiddled with cameras and readjusted black-rimmed glasses.
“Jack Kennedy is so handsome.” Ellie placed her hand over her heart, popping it on her chest like a heartbeat. “Too bad he’s already taken.”
“Stop.” I laughed. “I believe you’re already taken as well. Didn’t I hear something about you and Al getting married next June?”
Ellie gave a sweet smile as her eyes drifted upward. “I can’t believe that either. June. That’s just a little more than six months away.”
“Well, you deserve the happiness coming your way.” I patted my cousin’s shoulder. Ellie was in her thirties, practically spinsterhood in 1963. Finding Al, the electrician, had been the best thing for her. Love and marriage. It filled me with warmth. We were all living the American dream just like the characters in our favorite movies at the Rialto theater. The lyrics of “Young at Heart” drifted through my mind.
I sang a few lines from the song.
Ellie linked her arm with mine as she watched the street. A few cars drove by, but none that looked like a presidential motorcade. The breeze drifted across my exposed knees. A longer skirt would have shielded my knees, but I would endure the shivers for the sake of fashion.
“Ellie, did you see that picture of Jackie in the paper? She’s gorgeous. I saw her tour of the White House on TV. She’s so classy and looks beautiful in everything she wears.”
“Except she talks funny,” Ellie said, her Texas drawl turning “talks” into “tawks.”
“That’s because she’s from the East. She can’t help it. I’ll bet she thinks Texans talk funny. I’m sure they hear a lot of Texas twang coming from LBJ and Ladybird.”
“But that’s just music to anyone’s ears,” Ellie said. “Be serious.”
I glanced up and down the parade route. “Ben said he was going to be here. Maybe he’s farther down the street.” I pulled out my new Kodak Instamatic and hooked the leather strap around my neck. I raised the camera up to my eyes. “I hope I can get a clear picture of Jackie and John.”
“Listen to you. You talk like you know them,” Ellie laughed. “Jackie and John.”
“Well, in a way, I feel like I do. They’re America’s perfect family. I love them all. Jackie, John, Caroline, John-John.”
Ellie sighed and then drew in an excited breath with her hands clenched in front of her. “This is so exciting.” People continued to crowd up to the curb. A tall man in a brown plaid sport coat, holding binoculars up to his black boxy glasses, elbowed me to move over. I could feel tension in the air that comes when people anticipate witnessing something spectacular.
Just then, a line of shiny black cars came into view, ambling down the street in our direction. The breeze turned into a slight wind. I leaned forward and squinted, trying to identify who was in each vehicle. I felt my heart race as I recognized John and Jackie Kennedy sitting in the back seat as the car was surrounded by men on motorcycles. She was stunning in a pink wool suit and matching hat. I felt special knowing Jackie and I had worn the same color on this memorable day. She, of course, looked so much better. John had a healthy tan and a wide smile on his face.
I raised my camera and willed the man in the brown plaid coat not to step in front of me. This was a moment I was sure we would always remember. I hoped I could wind the film cartridge fast enough to take several pictures. Maybe they would want to use them in the Camden Courier? I wanted a good one of John, and another of Jackie. Just like real people, I thought but really, they looked like royalty, sitting in the open top limousine with policemen on motorcycles riding silently alongside—sort of a mobile palace guard. When the hood of the limousine was directly in front of me, I brought the Instamatic up and clicked to take a picture. I rolled the film to the next frame, took another, and repeated the process. Suddenly, I heard a popping sound somewhere behind me. I rolled the film lever with my thumb, now an automatic action, then turned toward the sound, only to see people scrambling and running to higher ground. The sound I heard wasn’t a pop. It was a gunshot. I looked back toward the motorcade and stood in horror as a man crawled over the back of the open convertible and the thing that caught my attention was the splotches of red invading Jackie’s beautiful pink suit. John Kennedy no longer sat smiling in front of me but was down in the seat on Jackie’s lap.
Teresa Trent is the author of over 15 books. She started writing cozy mysteries with the Pecan Bayou and Piney Woods Mystery Series. She sets her stories in different geographical areas of Texas and The Swinging Sixties historical series is set just north of Dallas, starting in 1962. You might think with so many books set in the Lone Star state, she was born there, but no. She has lived all over the world, thanks to her father’s career in the army. After living in Texas for twenty-five years, she’s finally put down roots.
Teresa is a hybrid author, self-publishing early in her career, which led her to traditional publishing with Level Best Books and Camel Press. She is the author of several short stories that have appeared in a host of anthologies. Teresa publishes the blog and podcast, Books to the Ceiling at https://teresatrent.blog where she loves to read the book excerpts of other writers and share in the writing community.
Teresa is a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son.
We’re days away from the release of A Killer Unleashed the fifth book of A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series.
Curious about what’s going to happnen? Here’s the blurb:
When a client’s dog turns up missing and her husband turns up dead, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott will have to rely on dogged determination to track down a killer . . .
When a frantic client calls, worried about her dog, Andi Grace is happy to drop by the woman’s home and check in on her beloved pet. She’s initially concerned when she discovers the dog’s not in the house, but she’s out-and-out shocked to discover that the woman’s husband is—strangled to death in his office chair. On top of that, she soon finds a ransom note demanding a hefty sum for the dog’s safe return. Andi Grace knows better than to meddle in a murder investigation, but there’s no way she’s going to let a dognapper get away with it.
Unsure of whether the killer took the dog or if they were unrelated crimes, Andi Grace finds herself confounded from the start. More puzzling still is that the dog’s owner seems more upset about her missing pooch than her dead husband. Could the whole thing have been a setup? Did the woman murder her own husband and send Andi Grace to the house under false pretenses to discover the body? As sinister as that possibility may be, the trail of clues leads Andi Grace to uncover an even more nefarious scheme, and she knows she’ll have to tie up all the loose ends fast before the whole case goes to the dogs . . .
The ebook is $3.99 before the release on February 14, 2023.
I’m excited to have Heather back, and she’s going to share about her new book, STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES. Isn’t that a catchy title?
Heather took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions.
Why did you decide to write a new series?
I have always loved cozy mysteries, and I have so many ideas for sleuths and adventures (and murder and mayhem). I have two series with Level Best Books, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. My sleuths have fun jobs that I think about sometimes. Jules owns a camping resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She has restored vintage trailers for the ultimate glamping experience for her guests. She and her boyfriend, the hunky Jake Evans, added a village of tiny houses, themed for famous writers, to the resort for additional glamorous camping experiences.
Jade Hicks owns a Christmas store in the quaint beach community of Mermaid Bay. I grew up in Virginia Beach, and I always loved the Christmas stores that catered to the tourists. Christmas is my favorite holiday, and shopping for ornaments is always a must when we’re on vacation.
Tell us about your new sleuth. What is her career? Why did she decide to solve a murder? My latest mystery is STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES. Jade works really hard to keep her Christmas shop that she inherited from her grandmother solvent in the tiny beach town of Mermaid Bay. She had no intention of sleuthing. She’s too busy with the shop and its online business. But one morning, she and her rollie pollie French bulldog Chloe bump into what washed up on shore, a suitcase full of bones. And it happened on the day that the town’s Christmas in July festival is set to kickoff. The town’s grapevine goes into overdrive, and everyone is concerned about the ominous message. Then local business owners start to get targeted messages and creepy warning posters pop up in front of all the businesses. Panic sets in when the town’s prickly bookstore owner ends up dead behind the hot dog stand. She’s been strangled with a string of Christmas lights. All eyes turn toward Jade and her store, and she becomes determined to solve the mystery before it kills her business.
Jade will appear next in TWINKLE, TWINKLE AU REVOIR and A TISKET A TASKET, NOT ANOTHER CASKET.
How long have you been writing? How many books do you release every year? How long does it take you to write a book?
I’ve been writing since the seventh grade. (I wrote the Adventures of Share-a-lot Bones for my 7th grade English class.) I have loved mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. (Plus, my dad was a police officer, and I thought everyone talked about murder and mayhem at the dinner table.)
I usually have 2-3 publications a year. One novel from each series comes out, and then I’ve been fortunate enough to have some articles and short stories published in anthologies.
Right now, I can write 2 to 3 cozy novels a year. When I started, it took me 5 years to write the first book, and another 2 to get it published. I worked on my writing and found that if I write every day with word count goals, I can finish a first draft in 5-6 weeks. (Now there’s lots of editing and revising after that.)
When the pandemic took over all of our lives, my company let us work from home full-time. I promised that I would use my commute time (about 2 hours a day with traffic) and my lunch hour to write and edit. I was amazed that I was able to write 3 novels during each of those years just by committing to a 3-hour a day schedule.
Thank you so much for letting me share my cozy mysteries with your readers. Both series have pet sidekicks like your fabulous series. The glamping series, features Bijou, the Jack Russell Terrier, and Chloe the French bulldog teases her arch-nemesis, Neville the Devil Cat, at ‘Tis the Season, the Christmas Shoppe.
Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
Jackie Layton 