Pinch Me

Five Hundred?!

About a week ago I realized that Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort was nearing five hundred reviews on Amazon, and I took a moment to let that soak in. When I wrote the book I never dreamed anyone other than my small group of friends and maybe a few family members might read it. Okay, maybe I dreamed others might take a chance on it, but I certainly wasn’t making any bets.

I’d really thought of Mayhem as a stand-alone novel—that explains its length. For better or worse, I wanted to get as many loose ends tied up as possible. Chalk that up to being a rookie author.

Then, lo and behold, readers I’d never even met began reading the book and asking for a sequel. Of course no miracles were involved other than a generous fellow author, Lori Roberts Herbst, taking the time to show me how to advertise on Facebook. That she retains her sanity after working with me is the true miracle. Check out her award winning cozy mysteries on Amazon.

Mayhem remains my best selling book, but its sequel, Wedding at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort is gaining traction. And I’m hoping we’ll have Reunion at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort ready to publish in time for it to qualify as a summer read. Oh, and there’s a spicy little romance, The Cowboy and the Executive, with my name on the cover, as well.

Pinch me, but gently, please. I bruise easily.

Peace, people!

http://Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort (The Happy Valley Series Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PDRH2Q9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_47JVD6SR1X1PRRYXQDJP

May I Recommend Frozen in Motion?

My friend, Lori Roberts Herbst, has a new book out! Frozen in Motion is the third book in the Callie Cassidy Mysteries series, and like the first two books, this one kept me guessing until the very end.

That’s Carl, the cat, and Woody, the dog. They had nothing to do with the bloody hockey stick.

http://Frozen in Motion (Callie Cassidy Mysteries) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736259350/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_6KVJTB0A6AR3V6Y5B4J4

I’ve come to love the characters in this series. Watching them evolve is a pleasure. Fiercely independent Callie and sweet, romantic Sam have to face some relationship issues in this offering, making it the perfect read for Valentine’s Day.

If you’re looking for a fun, edge of the seat adventure, with a dollop of romance added in, you’ll enjoy Frozen in Motion.

Peace, people!

And Now, A Word from Our Sponsor

Later today, I’m getting a lesson on creating a Facebook ad for my books from my friend, author, Lori Roberts Herbst. Lori has, so far, published the first two books in her Callie Cassidy Mystery Series: Suitable for Framing and Double Exposure. (Links below). Both books are a lot of fun with believable, likable characters and plots with enough twists and turns to keep a reader guessing until the very end.

I hope Lori knows what she’s getting into, I’m fairly obtuse when it comes to all things related to technology and marketing. My efforts at marketing my own books have teetered between annoying and really annoying. Hopefully, Lori can guide me into the realm of ‘much less annoying.’

Wish us luck. And consider investing in anti-anxiety meds. Demand may rise exponentially during today’s tutoring session.

Peace, people!

Check out Lori’s books. Both are available from Amazon and on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

http://Suitable for Framing (Callie Cassidy Mysteries) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736259318/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_K87038Y3QF8CQM40ZJ1X

http://Double Exposure (Callie Cassidy Mysteries) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736259334/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_WNB0MWV8NFXJ37CDV0JS

Books on the Horizon

Just a reminder that my friend, the other Leslie Noyes (Leslie Morris Noyes), has a book coming out on March 23rd. Check out the piece I published about Leslie and her book, Willing, back in December: https://nananoyz5forme.com/2020/12/30/the-other-leslie-noyes/.

If you enjoy steamy, smart romance I promise you will be smitten with Willing. I know I was.

Super hot cover, too!

I spent the weekend reading the soon-to-be-published sequel to Lori Roberts Herbst’s debut novel, Suitable for Framing. Her new book, Double Exposure, continues the adventures of photographer Callie Cassidy who seems to be a magnet for mystery. I adore her characters, and I always think I know whodunnit, but she fools me every time.

I don’t think there’s a fixed date yet for publication, but I’ll keep you all posted. In the meantime, read her first novel, pictured below, if you haven’t already.

Carl, the cat, and Woody, the dog, feature prominently in Lori’s novels.

And then there’s me. I didn’t get a lot of writing done this weekend, so engrossed was I in reading Lori’s book, but that’s not to say my books didn’t get some attention.

My novel, Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, will be featured at two different Tallahassee book club meetings in the next couple of months! I’m so honored to have had my little book selected by these clubs and excited to have the opportunity to visit with readers in real time about Mayhem.

My romance, The Cowboy and the Executive, available on Amazon in Kindle and in paperback.

http://The Cowboy and the Executive: A West Texas Romance https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095F6VW2C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XPJ5R6T9FHF8DVXYD1AV

Lots of fun stuff going on in my world!

Peace, people!

Suitable for Framing

I have to brag on a friend of mine. Lori Roberts Herbst and I became friends on a Facebook group a while back, and when I announced that I was about to self-publish Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, Lori shared that she was on the verge of self-publishing her own book, a cozy mystery titled, Suitable for Framing.

As soon as the book was available on Amazon I downloaded it onto my kindle and then hurriedly finished the book I was reading at the time so I could give all my attention to Lori’s book.

Folks, this is a terrific book. Lori has brought to life a cast of characters one won’t soon forget. Her protagonist, Callie Cassidy, is smart and believable. She’s the kind of person I’d like as a best friend. I laughed out loud at her sardonic wit throughout the whole tale, often quoting lines to Studly Doright who laughed, as well.

The supporting cast is outstanding, as well, from Callie’s parents and best friend to her possible love interest(s), a quirky stranger, and her pets. Even the mean girl is terrific. And the plot will keep you guessing whodunnit until the very end. Honestly I thought I had the mystery solved. I was wrong. The twists are fun and inventive.

Suitable for Framing is getting great reviews on Amazon, and if you’re in the mood for a fun book that’ll keep you turning pages, this is one you’ll enjoy. Read on:

Description

Now that prize-winning photojournalist Callie Cassidy has returned to the mountainside village of her youth, she believes she’s put crime scenes and corpses in her rear view mirror. So why does she end up—once again—focusing her lens on murder?

Callie Cassidy is no stranger to dead bodies. Two decades as a photojournalist on a big-city newspaper landed her face to face with so many of them that her colleagues dubbed her Queen of the Dead. Now, Callie believes her days of hanging out with cadavers are behind her. With her lovable golden retriever Woody in tow, she has returned in disgrace to Rock Creek Village, Colorado, where she licks her wounds in a cabin on her parents’ Rocky Mountain ski resort property. But when her mother persuades her to abandon her fetal position beneath the quilts and take a photography gig at the Snowflake Swirl winter ball, Callie’s foray back into the real world lands her smack in the middle of town drama. 

Before the first partygoer arrives, Callie stumbles across a deadly scene. A former classmate, one of the “mean girls” from high school, lies lifeless on her office floor. Another woman from Callie’s past crouches above the body, holding a bloody letter opener. The conclusion is obvious—at least to rookie detective Raul Sanchez. But Callie believes there’s more to the picture. With the help of an adopted stray cat named Carl, whose investigative skills may rival her own, Callie sets out to find the real murderer. Because unless she, her pets, and a quirky group of villagers can solve the mystery, Callie’s photos won’t be the only thing being framed.

Peace, people!

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