New releases by two Gulf Coast authors

cj Sez: TODAY'S POST PUTS a spotlight on a couple of my favorite Gulf Coast authors who have recent book releases waiting for you on Amazon.

   Miranda James, the alter-ego of author Dean James and the New York Times bestselling author of “A Cat in Stacks” mystery series, released THE PAWFUL TRUTH (book 11 of 12), on July 19, 2019.

 

"Humor and plenty of Southern charm...Cozy fans will hope James will keep Charlie and Diesel in action for years to come."--Publishers Weekly

   Check out more reviews at https://amzn.to/32kBwpU

   (P.S.: James also wrote the Deep South mysteries.)

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   Prolific author Carolyn Haines is reissuing earlier books in her Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series and many of the novels are available free with Audible trial as of this posting.

  GAME OF BONES, launched on May 14 this year, is number 20 in the series, and THE DEVIL’S BONES, is due to be launched in May 2020.

"Distinctive characters and an atmospheric setting elevate this paranormal cozy. Series fans and newcomers alike will be satisfied."―Publishers Weekly

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   Besides the lighter Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries, she also launched her paw-sitively entertaining Familiar series featuring Trouble, the Sherlock Holmes of cat detectives. There are ten books in the series, written by different authors.  

   But wait, there’s more…there is a darker side to Ms. Haines’ story telling—horror stories, including THE DARKLING and THE SEEKER (which was released on June 19 this year).

   An excerpt from one of the 5-star reviews for THE SEEKER: “I love old fashioned suspenseful storytelling without the gore and graphic death scenes that is prevalent in today’s horror stories. Ms. Haines is a masterful storyteller and writer that is hard to dispute in this reader’s opinion.”

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   The novels above are enjoyable reads, and that kind of excellence doesn’t happen overnight.

   These two Gulf Coast authors have honed their craft over the years and continue to work hard at putting out their very best effort for their readers.

   One of the blogs I follow is that of author/editor/chief-cook-and-bottle-washer, C. Hope Clark.  http://www.fundsforwriters.com  Her “Funds for Writers” blog has been on the Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers list every year since 2001. Anyway, to quote Hope: 

“Writing well takes time. It isn't an instinct. You are not born with it. You do not accidentally write a stupendous tale. You develop this talent with hard work and a crazy number of hours invested in making your craft better.”

   That means all writers, but especially aspiring writers, need to participate workshops, critique groups, conferences, and READ in the genre you write. Before a writer can develop his/her own writing voice, (s)he must read the good work of other published authors.

   Now, to inspire you to continue working on your own WIP, here’s marvelous first line hook:  

"It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not." —Paul Auster, City of Glass (1985) 

   By the by, as the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote, let me know. We can arrange a blog date…the only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you next week?

cj

CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are quick reads chock full of adventure with a touch of sassy banter and sweet romance. Get your Kindle copy on Amazon…visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for more information about my stories.

   TO ORDER an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN HEROES, and/or THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

  VISIT ME on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook  

A lot going on in the publishing world

cj Sez:  PIECES ANTHOLOGY… a collection of short stories and poems by more than 20 authors from the Gulf Coast of Alabama, including USA TODAY best-selling authors Carolyn Haines and Craig A. Price Jr., is scheduled to launch Feb 6.

Other authors featured in the anthology include: Candice Conner, Joyce Scarbrough, Lady Lester, Frances Roberts, Ron Polizzi, Mavis M. Jarrell, Dee Jordan, Oksana Leslie, Rachell Jackson, Carrie Dalby, Caren Rich, Isabella N. Jetten, D. Dean Carroll, Steven Moore, Ross Conner Smith, Christa Stanley, Jodie Cain Smith, Jim Hancock, and Me, cj petterson. Compiled by the Mobile Writers Guild, the collection is available for pre-order.  Buy it now at http://amzn.to/2BTiqt5

Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards . . . Celebrating the 209th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, the Mystery Writers of America announced their nominees for the 2018 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2017. The Edgar® Awards will be presented to the winners at the MWA 72nd Gala Banquet, April 26, 2018, in New York City.

I was excited to see that I actually knew some of the awesome nominees. To find out how many you know and/or have read, click here:  http://www.theedgars.com/nominees.html

And all you indie-published or plan-to-be indie-published authors, pay attention to the cover designs as well. Lots of cues there.

The Trouble Cat Collective of Mystery and Romance Writers is delighted to offer The Trouble with Cupid, an anthology of 10 short stories—all featuring fun-sized bites of Trouble, the black cat detective—as a Valentine's Day offering. All proceeds from the sales of the anthology go to BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SANCTUARY . . . a lot of homeless pets are depending on us to help them out. This is a chance to read 10 great mysteries spiced with romance and do some from-the-armchair charitable work as well. The animals (especially) and the Trouble Cat Collective thank you for your support. Buy it here:  http://amzn.to/2GLL0R5

Claws for Concern by Miranda James, Author

From the author:  

“Three weeks from (Jan 30), the ninth ‘Cat in the Stacks’ mystery, CLAWS FOR CONCERN, will be released in both hardcover and e-book formats. If you intend to purchase either format and haven't already pre-ordered, please consider doing so. Publishers pay a lot of attention to pre-order numbers. Thanks, as always, for the support of cozy readers!”

Pre-order it now here:  http://amzn.to/2s2zjSL

cj Sez: Piggy-backing onto what Miranda said, pre-order numbers are also important for the Mobile Writers Guild anthology, PIECES, so please order as soon as you can.

That’s all for this post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

Sponsor blurb:

The Posse…8 Short Stories, free on Kindle Unlimited, 99 cents on Kindle

One of the Amazon five-star reviews says: 5 out of 5 stars  Wonderful Trip Back Into the Old West   “The Posse has a little bit for everyone who loves the Old West. If you're like me, and a romance reader, you will thoroughly enjoy Lyn Horner and cj Peterson's romantic tales of the Old West. Excellent stories, woven in with period details. If you're a lover of Old West ‘grit’ the other stories will grab hold of you and not let you go!”

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The Great Outdoors  8 book publisher’s bundle @99 cents (includes Choosing Carter)

Bodies in Motion — 10 book publisher’s bundle @99 cents (includes Choosing Carter)

Goals, not resolutions, for 2018

cj Sez: Hope your celebrations ushering in the 2018 New Year were safe, warm, and happy! 

The unusual cold weather in Mobile kept many of the local exuberant, gun-shooting celebrants indoors so I actually got to sleep before 2 a.m. The extra sleep was appreciated because I was entertaining guests for lunch on New Year’s Day, complete with the Southern tradition of making a blackeyed peas dish and cornbread. Both turned out quite tasty, if I do say so myself. Hopefully, this will start me off on the right foot for 2018.

Be it hereby resolved: This year I resolve to not make any resolutions that I historically never keep, except this one:

Instead, I am setting measurable goals.

1:  Make four visits to the Wellness Center each week instead of three.

2:  Write three short stories instead of two.

3:  Revise the most aggravating work-in-progress I have ever created and get it submitted.

4:  Restart writing WIP number two.

5:  Start two more novels … or maybe novellas.

That makes five goals, but wait, there’s more! (My new favorite, inane expression.) There’s always more; I just don’t know what it is yet. I do know that I’m not planning on attending any out-of-town conferences this year. Those I’ll save until I have something new to promote.

On the home front: Over the fall season, a tribe of feral cats arrived on my patio.

So far I’ve had three males neutered and three females spayed.

The latest female is a beautiful all-black kitty about eight months old named Shadow—she wasn’t part of the original group. She crept in later and fell in love with Buster, the gentle giant. He is eleven pounds of feline muscle and is one of the cats featured in the Familiar Legacy post.

The other newer arrivals are all Shadow suitors: Stubby, an all-black Manx, Brindle, and the puma-like BMC (Butterscotch, Marmalade, Creamsicle). He should probably be called BMOC, because he is the Big Man on Campus, bigger and fuzzier than Buster. He will let me pet him, so perhaps I can trap him out also. I’m not sure how I got to be the crazy-cat-lady, but here I am.

I wrote a post about the tribe for the Familiar Legacy Mystery series blog. It's scheduled to run on January 16. Please stop by, and be sure to visit frequently. They share wonderful posts by other authors.

  https://familiarlegacyblog.wordpress.com/

And . . . . next Saturday, the first Mardi Gras parade of 2018 winds its way down the main drag of Dauphin Island. In other places, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is a day—February 13 this year to be exact. In Mobile, it’s a season.

New releases to share with you: Small Town Trouble … by Laura Benedict, the 5th book in the Trouble Legacy Series.

Amazon blurb: SUMMER SECRETS ...KIDNAPPING AND MURDER. Erin Walsh arrives home to tiny New Belford, Kentucky, from college only to clash with her young stepmother, Shelby Rae. When Shelby Rae is kidnapped and a dear friend of the family is murdered, Erin discovers that both victims had secrets connected to the violent death of her mother seven years earlier. In a small town the pool of suspects is limited, but it also means the danger to Erin’s own life is deathly close

Enter Trouble, the wise and wily black cat detective. His paws have barely landed in the bluegrass when he realizes Erin is about to put herself in danger. Can he lead Erin to the truth before she becomes a victim herself?

Twelve Angry Librarians … The paperback version of book 8 (of 9) in Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series, by Miranda James, is now available.

Amazon blurb:  The author of the New York Times bestselling Cat in the Stacks series is back with more Southern charm and beguiling mystery as Charlie Harris and his cat Diesel must find a killer in a room full of librarians.

Charlie is stressed out. The Southern Academic Libraries Association is holding this year’s annual meeting at Athena College. Since Charlie is the interim library director, he must deliver the welcome speech to all the visiting librarians. And as if that weren’t bad enough, the keynote address will be delivered by Gavin, Charlie’s old nemesis from library school.

  When Gavin drops dead, no one seems too upset. But Charlie, who was seen having a heated argument with Gavin the day before, has jumped to the top of the suspect list. Now Charlie and Diesel must check out every clue to refine their search for the real killer among them before the next book Charlie reads comes from a prison library.

Okay, that’s all for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Be sure and let me know if you want to do a guest post for a new release. I’d be happy to host you, but just remember that I’m a PG-13 site.

cj

cjpetterson@gmail.com

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More than Friends Choosing Carter Crimson Romance 6-book bundle

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

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Publisher’s romance bundles still available on Amazon for 99 cents:

California Kisses (Deadly Star) 10-book bundle

The Great Outdoors (Choosing Carter) 8-book bundle

More than Friends (Choosing Carter) 6-book bundle

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