Showing posts with label Mutts & Murder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mutts & Murder. Show all posts

Friday, May 27, 2016

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

Monday, May 16, 2016

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.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

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