It's August already? While the heat certainly has let me know it's the summer here in the south, my mind is having a really hard time accepting that school will be starting in a little over a week! Not just for my daughter and grandsons, but my daughter who is entering COLLEGE! I THINK I'm ready. I'm excited for her to begin her life journey, but it sure is hard on this momma's heart.
I hope you like the new format of the monthly newsletter, with the continuing features and focus. I've enjoyed creating what I hope is something you'll look forward to receiving every month.
LATEST RELEASE
Check out the book trailer!
PERSONAL NEWSBITS
So proud of this amazing girl right here! Remington finished 3rd in her class and has received a FULL SCHOLARSHIP RIDE for her freshman year at college. She'll be double majoring in Journalism and English.
This awesome girl here is about to start her JUNIOR year! She scored high enough on her AP test in History that she already has college credit for it! So proud of this girl!
NEWSLETTER EXCLUSIVE
Some of you might know that I've been working on a companion cookbook for the Darkwater Inn series. I'm proud to say it's complete! We'll make it available to the general public soon, but you faithful readers of my newsletter can receive it free NOW! Just go to my website, click on the EXTRAS tab, then you can select which ereader format you prefer. (I sent the mobi file to my kindle and read it without issue). Be sure and go get your free digital book Recipes from the Darkwater Inn.
Quarterly Contest
This quarter's prize package is above. It contains a Louisiana-themed stretchy bookmark (made my talented friend, Ronie Kendig), a small drawstring canvas bag, doubloons, Mardi Gras necklace, and Louisiana-themed decor.
You have to do NOTHING to win! Every person signed up to receive my newsletter will be entered to win. Drawing will be held September 30th.
Recommended Reading
This month's recommendation is a romantic suspense by Colleen Coble.
The House at Saltwater Point
The dangerous beauty of Lavender Tides is harboring secrets that reach around the world.
Ellie Blackmore is making a name for herself as a house flipper. But when her sister Mackenzie disappears, Ellie can’t focus on anything but uncovering what happened. Her only clue is the bloodstain on the deck of Mackenzie’s boat. Ellie knows her sister isn’t on the best of terms with her ex-husband, Jason, but he wouldn’t kill her—would he?
Coast Guard intelligence officer Grayson Bradshaw believes Mackenzie faked her own death after stealing a seized cocaine shipment. The problem is convincing Ellie, who seems to view him as the true enemy.
Both Ellie and Grayson want truth, but truth—and family—is often more complex than it first appears. From international terrorism to the peaceful lavender fields of Puget Sound, The House at Saltwater Point is a thrilling race to uncover the truth before it’s too late.
Until next time...
Featured Review
This month's featured review was found on Amazon, and was written by Phyllis:
"Awesome start to a new series! This series is set in New Orleans, at the Darkwater Inn, located in the French Quarter. A murder is committed in a locked room at the Inn, The knife used as a murder weapon comes from the Inn’s kitchen. On the knife are 3 different sets of fingerprints, all belonging to staff at the Inn. Motive? The victim wasn’t a nice person, so several people had a reason to see him dead. The story has several story lines, told from the perceptive of the main characters. This book has a little bit of everything, secrets, voodoo, even food that Louisiana is most famous for! I look forward to the next book in the series."
Thanks, Phyllis!
Writer's Closet
Looking for an idea for your next book?
I get some fabulous character ideas by people watching. I watch people. I study them. Yes, even been known to snap a picture of one with my cell phone because of a certain hairstyle, or quirk, or expression. I travel a bit and usually have at least one layover. Perfect time to people-watch and record them when they’re tired, or stressed, or hungry, or disappointed, or everything. All of this information filters down and finds its way into a character.
Newspapers, television, and yes, even those true-crime shows all provide fodder for my plots. No, I don’t see something or read about it and then just change minor events for my story. I play a game called what-if. For example, I’ll hear a story about a woman who shot her husband for having an affair. My mind starts the game: What if the woman had hired a private detective to get the “goods” on her husband? What if the private detective had a grudge against the husband for some wrong years ago? What if the man wasn’t having an affair, but the private detective made it look like he was, just so his wife would kill him? Oh, what if the woman didn’t even suspect her husband was having an affair, but this guy who had a grudge against the husband pretended to be a private detective and sent incriminating evidence to the wife? . . . and so my mind goes. (Scary, I know)
Ideas are everywhere, you just have to look for them. Now, back to my what-if game. What if a writer was on deadline? What if she kept playing on email and the internet instead of making her word count? What if . . .
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