Cozy Moment Friday: The Tea Box

"The Tea Box"

I always find the days right after hitting the "publish" button and sending a book out into the world to be strange and sort of difficult. I'm not sure why, but I guess it's a lot like going from 100 to 0 in the matter of a few minutes. Getting a book ready for publication takes so much work, and then, when you finally get it done and publish it, and you've done everything you can possibly do, a strangeness settles in when you realize that now is the time to relax and let go of it. It's kind of like a post-book malaise of some sort, and it usually lasts a couple of days where you walk around too exhausted to really do anything, but antsy as can be to do something. 

Anyway, right after publishing Bulldogs & Bullets this week, I found myself in that strange feeling. One day, I got all ready to go down to the plaza to walk around, but found that the process of getting ready exhausted me so much, that I just lay on the sofa instead! 

But later that afternoon, I went to go check the mailbox and I was surprised to find a package waiting for me there. I brought it back, opened it up, and was pleased as pie to find not only a beautiful, delicious loaf of banana bread, but also this other amazing item: 

This beautiful tea box was specially made for me by my sister, the wonderfully talented woodworker who goes by The Lumberjill. She made it out of reclaimed fence wood that I helped her transport to her shop one day a few months ago. The box not only has little compartments for tea, but it also has my initials wood-burned onto it!

Needless to say, I was totally blown away by the thoughtful gift, and I felt myself yanked out of that post-book malaise and into a much better feeling (the banana bread helped with that also ;) It always amazes me when my sister turns something like a pile of old fencing - something that nobody would want - into a beautiful piece of art. It reminds me that everything is beautiful. Sometimes you just have to get beneath the rough exterior to see that :).  

That was hands-down my cozy moment of the week. Now I have a wonderful place to store my tea collection, and a special piece that I'll always treasure. And what about that loaf of banana bread, you say? Well, I would love to show you a picture of that too, but I'm afraid it couldn't make it to the photo shoot ;)

What about you? What was your cozy moment this week? Leave a comment below for a chance to win a digital copy of my newest book, Bulldogs & Bullets! 

Bulldogs & Bullets Now Available on Amazon!

Dear Readers, 

Bulldogs & Bullets, the second book in the Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series, is now available on Amazon! It will be $2.99 until Friday, so be sure to get in on the deal!

Buy on Amazon

And if you do end up enjoying the book, reviews left on Amazon are always appreciated by the author!

Thank you so much for your support. :) And Happy Reading!

Sincerely, 

MM

Cozy Moment Friday: The Red Laptop

The day I bought the red Dell laptop, it was a cold, blustery day in November. By that time, I'd been working at the local newspaper as a news assistant for several months, and had finally saved up enough money to buy something that I'd always dreamed about getting - my very own laptop.

I'm not sure why I'd never had a computer of my own before. In college, I'd gotten away with just working on homework at computer labs. The prospect of buying such an expensive item (at least it was to me back then) didn't make sense to me at the time. But after college, when I was bitten by the writing bug, I started dreaming of buying a laptop of my own so that I could start writing seriously. I know it probably sounds silly now in this age of smartphones and cheap, affordable computers that we've suddenly found ourselves in. But back then, a laptop always just seemed slightly out of reach. 

Until that November day, nearly six years ago, when I finally bit the bullet and bought one. A shiny red one that to me, looked kind of Christmasy and festive and fun. 

I didn't know it at the time, but it was the best purchase I've ever made. 

The laptop has seen me through 13 books now, and several unpublished, half-finished drafts. It's been with me through thick and thin. It's seen numerous first chapters, rough drafts, bad writing, and the occasional good sentence :). And like a good friend, it's never judged me for any of it. It's just chugged along, like a trooper. 

Anyway, my cozy moment this week wasn't exactly something typically cozy, like reading a good book with a cup of tea. But it was a meaningful moment to me when, while finishing up the last few edits of Bulldogs & Bullets, I realized just what a journey this laptop has allowed me to take these past six years. And as I'm about to hit the "publish" button for the thirteenth time this upcoming week, I feel so grateful to it for giving me the tools to do what I love doing the most.   

What about you? What was your cozy moment this week? Comment below for a chance to win a digital copy of Bulldogs & Bullets: A Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery (Book 2). The winner will be chosen at random, and will receive the book Tuesday when it hits digital shelves. Good Luck! 

Bulldogs & Bullets Description

Dear Readers, 

Today, I just wanted to share the description for Bulldogs & Bullets, the second book in The Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series. The book is coming out May 24, and I can't wait! In the meantime, here's the description. I hope you find it intriguing!!!

 Ace reporter Freddie Wolf is in the dog house. 

After turning down the crime beat at her small town Oregon newspaper because of a conflict of interest, Freddie’s editor at The Dog Mountain Chronicle demotes her back down to the dog beat. Which means covering more boring pooch parades, pet profiles, and canine puff pieces than any serious reporter could handle without losing her doggone mind. 

But when Freddie’s friend Mindy Monahan goes missing just hours before the local school teacher was due to expose a ring of law-breaking dog owners, the journalist decides she won’t heel and stay within the lines of her beat. 

With the help of her police lieutenant boyfriend and her puppy, Mugs, Freddie launches her own investigation into Mindy’s mysterious disappearance. But little does Freddie know that by trying to sniff out the mystery, she’s walking right into a deadly trap.

Because it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. And Freddie Wolf is about to learn that lesson the hard way…

Bulldogs & Bullets is the second book in the Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series, and is preceded by Mutts & Murder.

Cover Reveal: Bulldogs & Bullets

Dear Readers,

Bulldogs & Bullets, the second book in the Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series, will be out May 24. In the meantime, here's the cover - hot off the press!!! Thanks so much to The Lumberjill for designing this incredibly awesome cover!

Bulldogs & Bullets Available May 24 on Amazon

Dear Readers, 

Just a quick update: Bulldogs & Bullets, the second book in the Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series, will be out May 24 on Amazon. Yippee! It's been quite the journey writing the second installment of this series, and I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you! In the upcoming days, I'll be posting the cover, and will also be sharing the book description, and maybe even a sneak peak at the first chapter. Thanks for your patience, and please stay tuned!!! 

MM

#CozyMoment Friday: A Cozy Welcome

"A Cozy Welcome"

Lately, I've been splitting my time between my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and my sister and brother-in-law's lovely house in Colorado. I'm lucky to be able to have a job that allows me to travel so frequently like that. But often times when I travel, I find it hard to buckle down and get to work. There's just something about being away from the Santa Fe home office that makes me want to do just about anything but work. I swear - my mind actually seeks out distractions to keep me from writing! 

However, I've been getting some great work in during this visit to Colorado. And much of that is because of this wonderful desk area my very thoughtful sister has set up for me here in the office of her house. It has a window with a view of several flowering trees outside in the backyard -- and a view of all the wind, rain, sun, and snow that has descended upon Denver this past week, too. The work space also has a vase of fresh orange tulips and a beautiful handmade wooden planter filled with bright green succulents. It's such a serene and peaceful area, and I've been able to enjoy all the beauty of spring while I write. And consequently, I've been zipping along on my next book, Bulldogs & Bullets!

It's really special when somebody's so thoughtful and makes you feel so welcome in their home. It's been a highlight of the past few days for me, and that's why I've entitled this week's cozy moment "A Cozy Welcome." 

What about you? What was your cozy moment this week? Comment below or on my Facebook page, and enter for a chance to win a free copy of Menace in Christmas River, the most recent book in the Christmas Cozy Mystery series! Winners will be drawn at random, and will be announced on Monday. Good Luck!

The New #CozyMoment Feature

Often times when somebody asks me what I do for a living and I tell them I write cozy mysteries, a look of confusion comes across their face. They usually pause for a moment, and follow the expression up with the same old question: 

"What's a cozy mystery?" 

The mystery part is clear, but the cozy part is what many folks who are unfamiliar with the genre don't get right away. And sometimes, I'm not even sure how to describe to them what "cozy" is. Because yes - in most ways, the cozy mystery genre is straightforward and easy to explain. Usually the mysteries take place in a small, charming town. The main character is fun and quirky and likable. There's a love interest. Everything is great and running smoothly until... suddenly, a shocking crime occurs and the main character is forced to put on her amateur detective hat and solve the mystery. 

That's cozy in a nutshell. But to me, that description in no way shape or form describes what cozy mysteries are really all about. 

"Cozy" is a lot more than a generic formula. The thing that it really boils down to, for me anyway, is feeling good. Cozy means feeling warm and happy and safe inside. Of course, there's lots of murder and mayhem in cozy mysteries, but a big reason why the genre is so popular is because at the end of all that ugliness, there's a feel-good, heartwarming, spirit-lifting, and life-affirming moment that leaves you with a feeling of peace and reminds you that all works out right in the end. 

That's what cozy means to me - feel-good moments. I think all of us could use more of those in our lives. And that's why I'm starting this new segment on my blog here. I'm calling this weekly posting #CozyMoment Friday. Every Friday, I'm going to share a little feel-good something from my week that's lifted my spirits somehow - whether it be a picture, an item, a recipe, or a story of some sort. It seems to me that much of the time, we get so busy in our lives - with work and family and responsibility. It's terrifyingly easy to let your life pass by without taking a moment to appreciate or reflect on the little things that make it worth living. So in a way, I look at this new feature on my blog as a way to stop, drop everything, and appreciate those feel-good moments that often don't get the recognition they deserve. Because a funny thing happens when you start looking for the good things in your life - you start finding more and more of them that you didn't know existed!

 I hope that you'll all join me in this Friday feature and share some of your own cozy moments from the week either on the comments section of the blog here, or on my Facebook page. Cozy moments can be absolutely anything that made you feel good during the week, and can be shared in the form of pictures, videos, or stories. They can be humorous, serious, or profound. There is no such thing as a wrong cozy moment! 

And for the first few weeks of this feature, I'll be giving away some free digital copies of my books at random to those who leave a comment, so be sure to check back in on Friday.  

With that, I'm going to spend this week continuing work on Bulldogs & Bullets (it will be out in a few weeks!) while hunting for my #CozyMoment of the week.

Let's compare notes Friday! :)

MM