Waiting on Beer in Christmas River

Dear Friends,

Happy spring! Usually in my neck of the woods, the arrival of spring doesn’t mean a whole lot. Mid to late March in central Oregon isn’t much different than mid to late February. The days are still chilly for at least a couple more months–the gray skies are just lighter a little bit longer. Snow is usually still on the ground, and there’s still a cold bite in the air. But the weather has been particularly mild this year. And as much as I love snow, I haven’t missed seeing it on the road every day on my way to work. In fact I’ve even been able to roll my car windows down on a few occasions—something extremely rare for early spring in central Oregon!

You’re probably wondering by now why a photo of beer is sitting alongside this posting. Well, I’ve picked up the hobby of brewing in recent months (a hobby that I think my main character, Cinnamon, would love to do if she wasn't so busy running her pie shop. And, a hobby that Warren, Cinnamon's grandfather, is taking up in the next book). Beer is big in my part of the country. We've got about 20 breweries and counting in the town I live in, so it was only a matter of time before I got swept up in the brewing fever.

This photo is of an Irish red ale I made – my first real, serious batch of beer. My last un-serious batch of beer ended up as a moldy, undrinkable disaster! So I was very pleased that this one actually turned out pretty decent. It was ready just in time for spring. It took a while to make (about 7 weeks) but I think it turned out all the better for those extra weeks of fermentation and carbonation.

Which leads me to my other bit of news. I apologize to those of you have been eagerly waiting for Mayhem in Christmas River, the second book in the Christmas Cozy Mystery series, to come out. I initially set a goal of completing it by the end of this month, but it looks like I’m going to have to push back the release date into early April. My sincerest apologies!!! The book is taking a little bit more time than I anticipated. But I believe that just like the beer, that extra time will be worth it. Writing a book is a big undertaking, and it’s important to take the time to do it right. So I really want to thank you guys for your patience. I’m putting everything I have into this second one, so rest assured that I’ll get it out to you as soon as I can.  

In the meantime, if you’d like to join my mailing list to receive better updates about my upcoming books and their release dates, please feel free to do so. You can find it on the top right of my home page.

Once again, thank you all for your patience. I promise, the wait will be worth it!

From Christmas River with beer and love!

--Meg