Hello, m'darlin'!

Perhaps I should start with July's writing and publishing news…, but I’m not gonna!

On the personal front… Rice and I celebrated forty-five years of marriage this month. (I was twelve when we tied the knot.) To mark the date, we drove up to Roo Mountain Vineyards in Ellijay, Georgia. We sampled some decent wines and shared a charcuterie tray while looking out over the green rolling hills. Low key. Lovely. Perfect for where we are here and now.

In years past, Rice sometimes surprised me by picking a spot to whisk me away, maybe for dinner, or even an extended getaway. For our first anniversary (back in the Crustacean age), we dined at a classy French restaurant in Boulder. (RIP John’s.) I ordered a light beer, then went into the restroom to cry. I didn’t know what entrée to order! The menu was so fancy. On the upside—don’t laugh—I’m more mature now. Then again, I’m not quite as sweet or cheap. (Poor Rice.)

On the writing and publishing front… My Amazon author site has gone live. That means that folks who’ve read advance copies of my debut novel, SECRETS OF THE BLUE MOON, can go to this site to leave a review. Yikes. Exciting, but nerve-wracking, too. It also means folks who’d like to pre-order an eBook version now for delivery to their device on September 6th can do so here: 

If you’re not into Amazon—or if you’d like a physical book you can hold in your hands—watch for information, coming soon, on alternative ways to order.

Thank you for all your kind support as I hawk my debut novel…and continue to create new humorous content about fifty states, forty-five years, and one marriage. (ONE WRONG TURN AT A TIME will come out in 2025). 

Cheers ~ J

But she’s running from guilt, too, over an event that happened fifteen years earlier, back in her hometown of Canaan Cove, Georgia, and involving her one-time crush, Ellis “Dutch” Holland.

Current events throw Sadie and Dutch together again, back to their hometown on separate missions. The two share a mutual attraction, but they’re torn by their past, as well as those separate missions of theirs, that, unfortunately, collide. Sadie begins to wonder: Is Dutch on her side? Worse still, is she in danger?

SEE SADIE JANE RUN is written in dual timelines (alternating from the present to fifteen years earlier) and from two different points of view (Sadie’s and Dutch’s). The author deftly uses first person narrative across the board, making the story easy to follow and fun to read. In the end, the reader learns what Sadie’s running from. But will she get a happy ending…or not?

To pre-order this book (or others by the author), go to:

This month’s surprise is a couple recipes from Lake Gardner, the fictional Georgia town where SECRETS OF THE BLUE MOON is set. Marnie's story takes place, in part, during a calendrical blue moon that occurred on Halloween in 2020.

The next seasonal Blue Moon takes place on August 19, 2024. I’m up for celebrating both! Won’t you join me?

I’m STILL collecting TRUE ghost stories to share as September’s book launch approaches. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve had such an experience. Funny or frightening (or even meh), please email me with details from your haunting encounter(s). I’ll be happy to credit you by name—or not!—if I share.

Cheers ~ J