Addendum: Well, color me embarrassed! I have to re-send this to y'all because I left a section out. With interviews, book releases and book signings, and trying to work full-time while painting the entire interior of my home, I don't know if I'm coming or going! So, please forgive me for the extra email and check out the Author Spotlight below! Autumn has arrived my friends! But here in Kentucky, the days are still warm while cool air rolls in overnight, making for delightfully crisp mornings and evenings. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Sweatshirts, campfires, colorful leaves emerge and pumpkin spice and apple spice foods come out to play. This quarter's newsletter will offer a quick and easy campfire food, a look at what I'm reading, what I'm working on, and more! |
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Hobo Dinner Foil Packets One of my good friends introduced me to these Hobo Dinner Foil Packets years ago during one of our annual camping trips to Mammoth Cave. They are so easy to make and can be adapted to suit your taste buds. The best part is that you don't really need a recipe to follow. When I make these, I get a sheet of aluminum foil, put in some butter or oil, grab a wad of ground beef, break it up so it cooks evenly, then throw a bunch of chopped veggies (potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms), and spices on top. It really is that slapdash and simple. Then I close up the foil and throw it directly on the campfire. About 35-40 minutes later, I'm eating a delicious, hot meal under the stars. These can also be cooked in an oven (350F, same amount of time). But if you cook these in the oven they will come out a little "soupier"--even if you leave a steam hole in the foil (which I recommend). If you happen to be someone who prefers to follow a recipe, here's a good one from Savory Nothings. | | |
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I recently read a nonfiction book by James Paterson, Mr. Carttar’s Inquest: A Study of the Inquest Into the Death of Robert Stewart, Lord Castlereagh, 1822. I stumbled upon this book while conducting research for my historical mystery series. I had known about the strange details concerning Lord Castlereagh's death for some time. But Paterson opened up a whole different view than I had ever entertained before. I'm now convinced that Lord Castlereagh's death was no suicide, but a murder. I don't want to go into details because I don't want to spoil anything for future readers, but I was left with a LOT of questions.
Nevertheless, if you're a history buff and you don't mind e-books, I highly recommend this book. It might change your mind about what happened to Lord Castlereagh. If you're interested, I wrote a slightly longer review on my GoodReads page.
~ ABOUT THE BOOK~ Among the most well-known ‘facts’ in British history is that Lord Castlereagh, the foreign secretary, committed suicide on August 12, 1822, by severing his carotid artery with a pen knife at his country residence, North Cray Cottage, near London.
The following day, an inquest was held into Castlereagh’s death. Presided over by Mr. Joseph Carttar, Coroner for the Western Division of the County of Kent, the inquest deposed only two witnesses and sent the rest away unexamined. The court’s chief finding was that Castlereagh must have killed himself because no one else could have.
This book, the first that has ever been written about Mr. Carttar’s inquest, challenges the idea that Castlereagh committed suicide, showing that from start to finish the inquest was an exercise in manipulation and deceit. Its purpose was to obfuscate the true circumstances of Castlereagh’s death. |
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Author Spotlight Meet Jann Franklin and Victoria LK Williams |
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| | As Jen Guidry begins the process of choosing a school for her kindergartener, she celebrates all the opportunities that big-city life offers. Unfortunately for Jen, her husband has other ideas. He’s ready to ditch the big-city headaches and move back to his hometown with a population of only 298 people. Jen finds herself along with her family (husband Mike, five-year-old Henry, and three-year-old James) trading in the bright lights of Dallas, Texas, for the lightning bugs of Graisseville, Louisiana. All Jen can think about is how far she’ll have to drive to find a good cup of coffee. Instead, Jen finds she is living a life she never realized she was missing. Will she be able to completely give up the bright lights forever and appreciate her yard full of lightning bugs? | | |
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| | Jann lives in the small town of Grand Cane, Louisiana, where she loves the small town life full of Sundays at Grand Cane Baptist Church, dinner with family and friends, and hanging out at the local coffee shop. | | |
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| | Storm Tinsdale is happy with her organized quiet life, but that is all about to change!
When a lost puppy named Archie finds her, things get very complicated, starting with the puppy leading Storm to the body of his murdered owner.
Storm agrees to look after the dog, but insisted it is only until the owner's family is ready to take Archie back. In the meantime, Storm decides to quicken the process by trying to find the murderer herself.
As Storm investigates the clues that surface, Archie wiggles his way into her life and heart. It becomes apparent that the murdered man's wife doesn't want the dog, but Storm finds she does. Using Archie to help her, Storm learns more and more about the victim, putting them both in danger.
Will Archie find a safe and happy home, or is Storm's investigation leading them both into danger?
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| | Victoria grew up on Nancy Drew Mysteries in upstate New York, where there were plenty of cold days to curl up with a book! But now, she calls a small town in sunny south Florida home. She shares my quiet life with her husband and two controlling cats. She has many anthologies, book sets, as well as the following series: Mrs. Avery's Adventures Tattletale Cafe Novella Series Storm Voices Citrus Beach Mystery Series Beach House Mystery Series Professor Higgins Investigates Series The newest Hibiscus Cove Cozies | | |
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I've been crazy-busy with promoting my book Devil's Kiss. I finished a blog tour with Great Escapes with Dollycas, completed a signing at a public library, have been on local TV twice. There are more dates coming up, so check out my website for more information. Further, I will release a self-published project soon (more on that at the end of this newsletter). By the end of this year I will turn over my second book from the Small-Batch series, Mermaid Cove, to my publisher and begin working on my second book for the Widows & Shadows series. I will also begin working on the second book for the Hazardous Hoarding series (self-published) and start revising a historical fiction manuscript. Whew! |
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Releasing October 1, 2022 is the first book in the Hazardous Hoarding Mystery Series Dumpster Dying! I'm so proud of this book because it's my first ever self-published book. It's so amazing to control the publication of a book from start to finish. Set in the same universe as Devil's Kiss, Dumpster Dying relates the story of Birdie Harper, a hoarder in small-town Kentucky, who lives with her husband's ghost and gets entangled in solving crimes. You can order ebooks and paper backs from Amazon. I appreciate your reviews and feel free to follow me on any of the social media platforms (links below). I'd love to hear from you! | | |
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I'm pleased to announce that my Small Batch Mystery series was just contracted for a three-book deal by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary with Brian Sweany at Recorded Books. The first in the series, Devil's Kiss, will release in the winter of 2022. |
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Y'all come on over to GoodReads, too! |
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