Cass Elliot #Crime Novels are #FREE and 50% off during the #SmashwordsSummerSale through July 31

Ahh, a holiday. What could be better than diving into a new book? Settle in for some great summer reading during the Smashwords Summer Sale! You'll find loads of books on sale - many for free, including the first book in the Cass Elliot Crime Series.

Grab a few books (on sale!) for your vacation and find new authors to love!

The first book in the Cass Elliot Crime Series, THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, is FREE! Books two and three, AVENGERS OF BLOOD and A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES, are 50% off!

#Reader #Conversations Are Awesome #Inspiration - #amwriting

Writers find inspiration everywhere, and often, readers inspire us the most. I’ve had the pleasure of attending several book signings and writer talks, and have even hosted a book launch party at a local winery. Every event and every reader I've met has been a blast.



Most readers ask similar questions – where story ideas come from, whether my character Cass Elliot is named after the famous singer, or how long it takes to write a book. Some share story ideas – like the time a urologist was literally pulled out of bed to perform kidney surgery on a mafia boss while gowned armed guards stood watch in the operating room. How's that for inducing performance anxiety?



Occasionally someone comes to an event with a gleam in their eye and a detailed list of questions:

How could you end THE DEVIL OF LIGHT without bringing the old man to justice? I want him dead. Or at least in prison. (All I can say is, I’m writing a series. I know, I know. THE DEVIL OF LIGHT leaves the reader hanging, and maybe I could’ve ended that book better. All I know for sure is that the old man isn’t done with Forney County, and Cass isn’t done with him.)

Please don’t let anything bad happen to Hitch. I know he’s a horrible multiple murderer, but I kind of like him. (I kind of like him, too. Which worries me a bit. I’d like for him to hang around Forney County for a while, but we’ll see where the stories go.)

I really loved your writing style in A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES, but I don’t like Maxine. She’s too into her handbags and shoes. Couldn’t you write like that but use Cass as your main character? (I hear you, but it wouldn’t work. Maxine and her foibles are as key to the plot as is the search for the missing husband – Cass is too intense to bring that level of impulsiveness and misadventure to a story.)

But my favorite reader interaction to date occurred at church, which is a little weird given that I write crime novels with a certain level of violence. A lady with the sweetest disposition pulled me aside one Sunday and said, “I thought about you yesterday.”

“Really?” I asked.



“Yes. My son killed two deer and was processing them, getting ready to put them in the freezer. While I watched, I realized how hard it must be to actually dismember a human body.” Slight frown. “Or at least to do a neat job. It’s not easy to take a leg off at the hip without making a mess. It’s got to be even harder to saw through bone like Hitch did. What do you think?”



We spent the next several minutes, this gentle lady and I, discussing how one would go about cutting up a human body. Where would you do it? What about evidence? What do you do with all the parts? Dig a hole? Use a wood chipper? Where does one find a wood chipper in a rush? How much bleach would it take to clean up?

The fact that we were in the church foyer with congregants streaming around us didn’t bother either of us in the least.

“Well,” she said, patting my arm. “Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.” And off she went to refill the coffee urn, leaving me to wonder if she would ever have thought about dismembering a human body before reading my books.

I certainly hope so.

I can’t afford that kind of therapy for my readers.

Where is the most unusual place you've had a discussion with a reader or writer?



photo credit: Alistair-Hamilton Bookshop 4 via photopin (license)
photo credit: PHOTOPHANATIC1 deer via photopin (license)

Sometimes a Girl Just Needs a Change - New Cover for A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES #mystery #amreading

You know how it is. One day, you're perfectly fine with the cover for a novel, then the next day? It's not that there's anything wrong with the original cover, but you're just ready for a change. Something a tad different. And that's what we've ended up with for A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES.

The story's main character, Maxine Leverman, isn't sure what to think. She loves the fact that her legs and a pair of her favorite shoes were featured on the original cover, but kind of digs the sophisticated vibe of the new cover, because she's that kind of gal. (On Maxine's ideal cover, we'd no doubt feature her legs, a gorgeous handbag, and the tipsy glass of wine...)


What do you think of the new cover (reds) versus the original (blues)?

Cass Elliot #Crime Novels are only 99cents thru July 4th!

You know it's true. Some folks just need killin'. They really do.

Play it safe - read the Cass Elliot Crime Novels and stay out of jail this summer.

On sale for 99cents through July 4, 2016.

Happy 4th of July!

Cass Elliot #Crime Novels - #99cent Christmas #Book #Sale

As a thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in the Cass Elliot Crime series, the ebooks are only 99cents from Christmas Day through New Year's Day.

Click on a cover below to meet the characters you'll love, and those you'll love to hate!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

#Book Launch Party at Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards is a Success! #wine #murder

Thanks to everyone who joined us at Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards in Pittsburg, TX to celebrate the release of A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES. We had a fabulous time with wine, food, books, solo jazz guitar from Martyn Popey, a reading, and cupcakes!

The mystery in A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES revolves around a winery in East Texas, and Los Pinos gave the crowd a chance to experience the novel's setting first hand (and sample the wine, of course). I couldn't have asked for a better evening for a party, or a better group of wine and book lovers to celebrate with!

The wine was a big hit.

Introducing the crowd to Maxine Leverrman.

Talking technology with Kathy Shelton and Rylee Woods

Beautiful flowers from beautiful friends.

Mini cupcakes for Maxine. Shoes and handbags? But of course.

There are some perks to being a musician's wife.

With friends Johnna and Kevin Fullen.

What Do You Do When Your #Characters Won't Shut Up? #amwriting

Has a character ever invaded your head and refused to move? It happened to me when I finished AVENGERS OF BLOOD, the second Cass Elliot Crime Novel, and it was quite annoying. You know what it's like when you finish a novel. You edit like crazy, obsess over the cover, finally get to the point when you're satisfied, push the 'publish' button, and collapse.




Then you write the next book.




That's what I dug in to do. But one of the characters who appeared about halfway through AVENGERS OF BLOOD wouldn't leave my head. Her name is Maxine Leverman and we learned that she's Cass Elliot's best friend from childhood, that they lost touch during Maxine's marriage years, and that she's come home to Arcadia because she wants Cass to find the man who raped her, and then kill him. That's where we left things at the end of AVENGERS OF BLOOD.

Sounds simple enough, right? I expected that she'd show up in the next Cass Elliot Novel as the hunt for the rapist continued, probably as a subplot since I already had an idea for the next Cass novel.

But Maxine wouldn't shut up. She kept popping up at random times, enticing me into thinking about what could happen next for her. I was working on that third Cass Elliot novel but making little headway and finally decided that to get rid of Maxine, I'd have to write her out of my head.

So I decided to do it.

Trouble was, I didn't have a place in my imaginary Forney County for Maxine. I didn't know how she fit in the world. I was whining about this one day to the gals I work with in real life, and they came up with the idea of a private investigative firm. One even offered a name: Lost and Found (thanks Babby!). It was perfect. There's no way Maxine could be a real police detective like her friend Cass, but she might be able to work as a PI. That was settled; Maxine had a place in the world.

But then I realized I had a bigger problem: Maxine needed a mystery to solve, and I didn't have one for her.




Over time, I've realized that my story lines reflect my outrage over an injustice that I believe hasn't been satisfied. My outrage at the time of the Maxine drama was directed toward the men who cheated on several of my friends. Mid-life crisis, alcohol / drug fueled idiotic decision making, or a savior complex, it didn't matter. They all had inane and mundane reasons for cheating, and they lost women who had financial and community resources. They lost family, friends, their reputations.

One even had to leave town.

Stupid. All of them.

When one of your friends is in this situation, there's little you can do to ease her pain except be there, and help her excavate his electronic devices.




Unless you're me: then you write him into a novel and kill him.




Suddenly, I had a mystery for Maxine: a cheating spouse who's disappeared, a wife who's desperate to find him and stop him hemorrhaging their money, and a newbie PI at Lost and Found Investigations who secretly takes the case.

That's where A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES came from, and as irritated as I was with Maxine for banging around in my head for so long, I'm grateful she did. I absolutely love the book, the characters, and the story. I hope you do, too.

I was serious when I wrote the title of this post: what do you do when your characters won't shut up?


photo credit: keys via photopin (license)
photo credit: Issues via photopin (license)
photo credit: The Quest via photopin (license)
photo credit: joy of marriage via photopin (license)
photo credit: via photopin (license)

Many Thanks to MoeJo's and @VivraPatricia for a Fabulous Book Signing!

Our Friday night book signing at MoeJo's Coffee Cafe in downtown Henderson, TX was an absolute hoot! The coffee, the music, and the people were great. Thanks to everyone who came out to share the evening with us, to Martyn Popey for his solo jazz guitar performance, and to all those who purchased books.

Vivra Beene and I are discussing our potential future as the "Deadly Duo" and plans for upcoming book signings. Stay posted!

Paranormal punishments and outright murder, at your service.

One of my brothers. He's bigger. I'm meaner.

Another book lover. Another friend.

My talented husband. I am a lucky girl.

The British. Plotting to take back America, one spouse, one acre at a time.

Miss Laverne. Any woman who loves books is my friend.

Swag! Come to the next event to get yours!

A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES Named a Finalist in First Chapter Contest! #books #mystery #award

The first Maxine Leverman novel, A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES, was named one of five finalists in the 2015 East Texas Writers Guild First Chapter Contest! Competition was stiff, with entries submitted from Australia, Europe, Africa, and across North America. I'm honored to have won an award among such talent.

Check out the other winners on the Venture Galleries blog. You might find new material for your reading list!

Book Signing and Jazz with @VivraPatricia in Henderson TX Friday, June 26

Join fellow East Texas author Vivra Beene and myself on Friday night, June 26 at MoJoe's Coffee Cafe in downtown Henderson, Texas. We'll be signing books, reading a few passages, and enjoying live jazz by guitarist Martyn Popey. (You want to hear Vivra read. She's Welsh. Her paranormal stories are spooky. Enough said. And you want to hear Martyn play. He's phenomenal. And my husband. Enough said.)

Our event starts at six o'clock and ends at eight, when a live band takes the stage from Martyn. You can find MoJoe's on Facebook for details and directions.

We hope to see you there!

Genesis of a Novel: That Dirty Rotten Lousy Stinking No-Good Dog of a Man

People sometimes ask where I find inspiration for my books, and so far, my ideas have come from real life. The title of this blog post kind of gives away the events behind A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES, but I'll fill you in on some of the particulars.

It's been a busy time for cheating spouses in East Texas. Women cheat, no doubt. But lately, it's the guys who have been up to no good. The basics of the story are always the same, but here are some details:

One gal found out her husband was cheating when he called her to come bail him out of jail. The charge? Soliciting a prostitute. (What balls to call his wife to come rescue him. We're talking big ones.)

Another husband came home and told his wife he was involved with another woman and wanted a divorce. Come to find out he'd been cheating for months, lying about where he was and what he was spending money (several thousands) on, and opening secret bank accounts. The photos on his phone and his computer records were revealing. (It's important to have a friend who knows how to search his electronic devices should you find yourself in this situation.)

A third husband brought his girlfriend to the business he owns with his wife, and proceeded to flirt outrageously with the other woman. Right there in front of the customers and his wife. Midlife crisis, anyone? (It was the boobs that got him. Definitely the boobs. That is all.)

In each case, we're talking massive male egos and probably delusions of grandeur. In each case, we're talking women with financial and community resources. And in every case, divorce followed, along with divided loyalties among families and friends. The saddest part? My girlfriends were all devastated by his infidelity. They had no idea that their marriages were in danger. More importantly, they had no idea he was sleeping with the other woman while he was still sleeping with them. *shudder*

It's a helpless feeling watching your friends go through something like this and knowing you can do nothing to ease their pain.

Except plot a means of getting even, which is where I come in.

None of the women I know would actually do bodily harm to their spouses. (With one exception. You know who you are. Own it, girl.) So I decided to think about the whole revenge thing on their behalf. What would happen to a guy who cheated, once his wife found out about it?



It's an interesting question, isn't it? Hell hath no fury, etc. And then I wondered, given the massive egos above and the well-off women they cheated on, what would happen if that husband decided he could work two marriages at the same time. Double the sugar mommas. Or even three. (Talk about living dangerously.) That's what sparked the idea for A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES.


A husband who disappears but keeps spending his wife's money, a wife who's desperate to get him out of her life but can't find him, and an ambitious private investigator who hasn't a clue what to do about it all.

Wine, women, and song. What could possibly go wrong?

Only time can ease a broken heart, but maybe some imaginary revenge will help. Click on the cover to buy a copy of A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES and then tell me, did he get what he deserves?


photo credit: MLO201503-4767 via photopin (license)
photo credit: joy of marriage via photopin (license)
photo credit: domesticated via photopin (license)
photo credit: Grasshopper's - 3some - ♂♂♀ via photopin (license)

#NewRelease A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES is only #99cents thru May 31! #mystery

Wine, women, and song. What could possibly go wrong?

Meet Maxine Leverman, lover of expensive shoes, beautiful handbags, and her lingerie wearing ex-husband's hush money. When she pleads her way into a job at family run Lost and Found Investigations, Maxine's only goal is to gain the concealed carry license and PI skills she needs to find the man who attacked her, and then kill him. (Or maybe just put him in jail. That decision can wait.)

But when she secretly takes a missing husband case on her first day at the agency, she stumbles into a high-stakes game of blackmail and murder. Maxine must unravel the links between a forgotten folk punk band, an international drug cartel, and the tangled history of the missing husband to keep the women in his life alive.

__________________

Celebrate the release of the new Cass Elliot Companion novel! Click on the cover above to get your copy for only 99 cents through Sunday, May 31.

Escape into Forney County with characters you love, and those you love to hate!

Going to a Book Signing with no #Books to Sign! What's an #author to do?

I received an invitation Wednesday night to attend another author's book signing Thursday evening, along with an offer to sign my books, too. (Yes, the other author is a generous gal.) There's only one problem: I have no books to sign.

Head. Desk.

Bad Gae-Lynn. Very bad.

But I'm not one to surrender easily, and in this instance, PowerPoint and sugar are my friends. Here's what I pulled together Thursday morning:

• Bowls of hard candy and chocolate. Everybody loves sugar. Right?

• A PowerPoint slideshow promoting my new book, A CASE OF SOUR GRAPES, due out this month. I set the slideshow to cycle for 15 seconds on the first slide and 45 seconds on the second slide. I folded my keyboard back and set my computer up vertically, creating an automated poster from the slides. Small, but effective.

• I used PowerPoint again to whip up some bookmarks...

• ...and an email sign up sheet.

• I packed up the two hard copy books I have (one of THE DEVIL OF LIGHT and one of AVENGERS OF BLOOD), a bottle of water, pens, and a pad of paper in my nifty Union Jack bag, and headed off.

The result? Thunderstorms and flood warnings aside, all in all, it was a great evening. I spent a few hours with my wonderful niece and toured the historic Rusk County Library in downtown Henderson, Texas; met local author Vivra Beene (an absolute hoot and a joy to talk to) and purchased a copy of her book (click on Vivra's name above to go to Amazon and check out her short story collection); met several new readers; gave away a few bookmarks and picked up new names for my email list; saw THE DEVIL OF LIGHT on its first library shelf; and took an order for ten more books for the Rusk County libraries.

Not a bad evening at all. The good news? (Once I order books,) I'm ready for the next book signing!

Now please, tell me I'm not the only one. Do you have any advice for the unprepared author?