Writing Emotionally

by Bethany Maines

Just so you know, I’m writing this blog under duress. I have this great idea for a story where I give one of my characters a heart attack (literally) and instead I’m having to do other, actual work. The horror! How dare real life interfere with the creation of fiction? This is exactly the kind of feeling that leads to me receiving emails from my boss saying things like “For an illustrator, you sure type a lot.” Of course I type a lot! I’m writing a whole novel over here.  Sheesh.  Oh wait, you’re not paying me to write a novel? Rigghhhhht. Got it. I will attempt to remember that and to actually care. Fortunately, these days I’m more or less self-employed (I have a business partner who eyes me suspiciously if I start to wander off too much), but it’s still surprising how much the pursuit of a second career interferes with the first one.

Meanwhile, as excited as I am about my new idea, it occurs to me that many of my ideas lately have involved a strong element of hospitals, death and dying. I attribute this to the fact that my friends and I, in the last year or so, have been experiencing the loss of parents and grandparents at a rate that I think is rather alarming. However, my hair cutter described the issue with humorous sangfroid as just a light bulb problem. “Well, it’s like light bulbs, if you put them in all at once they all tend to, you know, go out all at once.” True enough, and I even laughed, but it’s always different when they’re your light bulbs.

They say that art imitates life, or vice versa, but I think fiction imitates therapy. I can’t afford to go see a therapist about my unresolved feelings about people dying and all life eventually ending, but I can make my characters suffer and come to some sort of emotional resolution for me. It works great, and it’s so much cheaper. Not to mention, that it let’s me indulge my God complex without a therapist calling me on it. It does make me wonder about other authors though. Shakespeare for instance – that’s a lot of killing and cross-dressing for one dude.  And what’s up with Beattrix Potter?  Can we say bunny fixation? But we love both those authors, so maybe mental issues are cathartic to read as well as write?  I guess I can only hope.

What I Learned at my Aunt's Memorial Service

No, this is not going to be morbid. My Aunt Flossie lived to be 100 years, 6 months, and one day old. She had a most productive and mostly wonderful life. Auntie was the sickly one, often had migraines, had some life-threatening illnesses, and there were several times we thought she might die.

She was quite the belle of the ball when she was young and had many suitors. (That's what they called them in that day.) She and my mom drove to UCLA in a jointly-owned Whippet which had lots of flat tires. Both Flossie and my mom learned to drive out of self-preservation. Their mom (my grandma) got her license by writing in for it. She tried to learn to drive unsuccessfully, with her terrified daughters cowering on the floor of the back seat of whatever car she was driving. Flossie didn't give up driving until she was in her mid '90s.

My grandparents sent my Mom and Flossie to Hawaii as a reward for graduation from college. (In those day you went my ship and they roomed with a mother and daughter they didn't know.) My mom was married at the time and had me. My dad and I were left behind to fend for ourselves, I was probably around 4. Years later I learned my mom went along to chaperone and keep my auntie out of trouble. And from stories both told, Auntie did have a great time flirting and dancing with many young men.

She married a handsome policeman, had one daughter, divorced, and later in life, remarried her husband and remained with him until he died.

Flossie became a school teacher, later a music teacher and finally the head of music for the whole school district, K through high school. She made all of her own clothes, most of them in some shade of purple her favorite color.

She was one of the founders of the church she belonged to for over 60 years where she also taught Sunday School, headed Vacation Bible School, played the piano for the Sunday services--and continued to play for Wednesday night service into her late 90s.

We, the family along with her church family, students she taught, people she worked with, friends and even those who cared from her in her later years, gathered together this past weekend to celebrate her life. And celebrate we did--few tears and lots of laughing and sharing of stories.

Note the color scheme and the color of the preacher's tie. He said it was Flossie's favorite

The gathering was also kind of a family reunion. Many of us haven't seen each other for a long, long time.

This is only some of whom came: my son Matt isn't in the photo nor is Flossie's stepson and his daughter who were also there.

Top Row: My Granddaughter Melissa, My Great Granddaughter, Carolyn, Sister's Grandaughter Samantha, Sister's daughter Linda, my daughter Lisa, Me, Flossie's daughter, Dixie, Sister Margie, my daughter, Lori, Dixie's son and Flossie's grandson, Gary.

First Row, the four little kids are Samantha's--my sis's greats and the two bigger kids, Izzy and Sarah, Linda's kids (my sister's grand kids.)

It was a 3 1/2 hour drive to Southern California and the traffic was horrible--Memorial weekend--but it was well-worth the trip.

I had several aunties, but Flossie was always a favorite. I loved to hear her stories--though she and my mom often had different version of the same tale.

Okay, I know I was going to quit telling family stories, but I just had to do this one. (Yes, I'm still writing and promoting my latest book, No Bells, which is now available on Kindle and the Nook.

Marilyn

Those Brits are Keepers

By Evelyn David

First, let me offer my congratulations to Lillibet, otherwise known as Queen Elizabeth II, who is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee. In today's economy, anyone who can hold a job for 60 years is impressive.

I adore Great Britain and have been fortunate enough to spend a fair amount of time there. I studied at Oxford one summer; spent several months in London while my husband did research; visited my kids when they've spent academic semesters in The Big Smoke (aka London), Edinburgh, and Glasgow. And does it count that I love tea and collect teacups?

And then there's my life-long fan crushes on British actors: Richard Burton (I waited four hours in the rain to see him walk by when he appeared on Broadway); Sean Connery who I would listen to read The Yellow Pages; Maggie Smith who can be a wizardess or a dowager with equal ease; and Helen Mirren who is convincing as both The Queen and a no-nonsense Chief Detective.

 I've gotten totally hooked on a British TV series…and it's not Downton Abbey. It's a quirky comedy/drama called Doc Martin and is best described as a fish out of water tale about a surgeon, with a slight case of Asperger's and a fear of blood, who moves to a small village in Cornwall, falls in love with the local schoolteacher, while hilarity and medical crises ensue.

Let me say upfront that the Brits know how to do television series. The settings are always lush and for the most part, the cast is made up of character actors who have steady gigs in a variety of shows. Part of the fun is recognizing that the judge in MI-5 and the doctor in Midsomer Murders, is now playing the village plumber/caterer in Doc Martin (Ian McNeice).

One of the reasons I think these shows are so successful is because they have such short seasons – 6-8 episodes a year. In the case of Doc Martin, there was even a year-long hiatus between season 4 and 5 so the star Martin Clunes and his wife, producer Philippa Braithwaite could take their daughter on a proper holiday. And after a year's absence, the opening episode of Season Five continued the action on the same day as the previous season had ended. Just a couple of hours had elapsed in Doc Martin country.

The British approach seems to be a more manageable pace. It means that the writers, the actors, and the audience don't get worn out by a glut of episodes, usually 22 for an American series, which are often mediocre because they've been churned out like soft-serve ice cream.

So may I offer a toast to Queen Elizabeth II, on this momentous occasion. We'll raise a cuppa and offer, Love Live the Queen!

Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David

Zoned for Murder - Kindle (Exclusive at Amazon this month)

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries - e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah- Kindle (Exclusive at Amazon this month)
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah - trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 - I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)

Sullivan Investigations Mystery
Murder Off the Books Kindle  - Nook - Smashwords - Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle - Nook - Smashwords - Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

Romances
Love Lessons - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

The Poodle from H-E-Double Hockey Stick

By Laura Bradford

In preparation for writing this post, I jumped online in search of a photograph that would capture the true evilness of my fourth grade nemesis. Yet, despite page after page of poodle pictures, all I could find were (*deep swallow*) cute versions of the four-legged creature that had tortured me on a near daily basis while waiting at the bus stop in my blue and white plaid uniform.

Cute poodles...

Who knew?

So, since I am completely unable to consider the possibility that such a version of my torturer exists, this post will not have a picture. Instead, I'll give you a literary account and leave the visualizing up to you, The Stiletto Faithful...

Fourth Grade Me: Light brown hair, chubby cheeks, a happy-go-lucky enough personality, loved school, and was on the cusp of stumbling across my writing dream. I still wasn't a huge fan of chocolate (trust me...I gasp at the thought now, too) at this point. I loved to color. I loved to play Barbies. My favorite dinner in the whole wide world was my mom's Pot Roast and Noodles, and my favorite lunch in the whole wide world was left over meat loaf (cold, on sandwich bread, and topped with ketchup--YUM!).

Feel free to read that last sentence again. It goes along with my still-runs-deep despisement of poodles...

Chablis: Dishwater brown fur. Fat. Way bigger than a poodle should be. And MEAN. He loved nothing more than racing down his driveway (which was across from the driveway where I waited for the bus each morning), barking his head off, hell bent on terrorizing the neighborhood children.

Nope, no bias there. Just giving an honest account...

The Day That Made Me Hate Poodles Forever:  I'm standing at the bus stop in my aforementioned Catholic school uniform with my school bag beside my feet and my brown paper lunch sack clutched tightly in my hand. Despite being the kind of kid who actually enjoyed going off to school each day, this particular day was extra special. For in my brown paper lunch sack was a meat loaf sandwich...with ketchup. All I wanted to do was get on the bus, learn what I needed to learn the first half of the day, and finally get to the point where I could spread my lunch across my desk and dig in (because, after all, what kid wouldn't envy a leftover meatload sandwich?!?!?).

So there I am, waiting for the bus, when Chablis comes out of nowhere and starts racing down the hill, barking his head off as he always did.

Which, prompted the response I always gave...

I ran.

Only, on this particular day, I dropped my lunch sack when I took off.

And you know what? That damn dog grabbed a hold of that bag and raced right up the hill...with my meatloaf sandwich encased in his evil little mouth.

I, of course, ran home in absolute hysterics (wouldn't you?!?!?) only to discover that the meatloaf on my sandwich was the last of the leftovers from the previous night's dinner and peanut butter was now in order.

Peanut butter...for me.

Meatloaf...for Chablis.

See? I don't get the cute factor...

~Laura

P.S (a.k.a. a shout-out, if I may):  HEARSE AND BUGGY, the first book in my new Amish Mysteries with Berkley/Penguin releases on Tuesday!!!  I'd love it if you'd give it a try. And if you enjoy it, I'd love it even more if you'd help spread the word. In the meantime, you can find chapter one of HEARSE AND BUGGY on my website: http://www.laurabradford.com/. There, you'll find lots of pictures...but absolutely no poodles. :)

Book Club Triumphs and Failures

by Maria Geraci

First off, I need to apologize for missing my post last Thursday. I started to write it then got pulled away from the computer and then hurt my back. Had to spend 2 days in bed taking muscle relaxants. Not. Fun. At. All.

So, back to book clubs. I've been amazed at how the book club phenomena has really taken off in the past decade. Book clubs are a terrific way for women (and men) to get together, socialize, and talk about a common interest.And yes, I belong to a book club. Let me tell you a little bit about us.

My book club started a few years ago when a couple of the nurses I work with (nursing is my "day" job) decided it would be fun to form our own group. I don't know about other professions, but being a nurse for many years I would say that in my observation, nurses as a general rule are prolific readers. Finding members to join our little club was no problem.

The problem came with recommending which book to read.

I don't remember exactly how it came to happen, but the first book our club read was The Shack. Oy vey. We nearly imploded at our first meeting. A few members loved it (cried when discussing it) some members were "it's okay, I guess" (I was in this group) and some members threatened to leave forever if this was the kind of book we were going to select. Lesson learned: Stay away from books that resemble The Shack.

After our debut debacle, no one wanted the pressure of recommending another book.Since I'm a writer and the author of three (soon to be four) published books, people turned to me for suggestions. Talk about pressure...

So after a little "book club" research I recommended we read The Time Traveler's Wife.
Conclusion: Much better than The Shack! But... what really happened in that strange scene when our time traveling hero "meets" himself as a teenager and is caught by his father in the "act." Even after several drinks, no one could figure that scene out. But I wasn't pelted with hot rocks during the meeting, so I guess I did okay.

From The Time Traveler's Wife, we went on to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Yeah. What was I thinking? Personally, I loved it. Everyone else? Not so much. It didn't cause the near riot that The Shack did, but most of the other members couldn't get through the book and it was an expensive book (because it had just come out).  So this taught me a lesson. Before I select another book club pick, do some research. Our best book selections are books that have been out for a while (thus are already in paperback form or readily available from the library) and have nothing do with religion or zombies.

Some of  our "best" selections have been Water For Elephants, The Weird Sisters (although this was a sort of expensive book because we read it when it first came out), The Help, and The Hunger Games (probably our biggest book club hit thus far). Currently, we're reading Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and I definitely think I'm safe. At least, I hope so.

What about you? Do you belong to a book club? Who picks the books you read? And what have been your biggest flops and triumphs?

Maria Geraci writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. The Portland Book Review called her novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, “immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.” Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, will be released August, 2012 by Berkley, Penguin USA. For more information, please visit her website at www.mariageraci.com

I need a recommendation, please

A friend of mine is moving into a co-op in New York City and has been asked by the co-op board to provide four letters of recommendation to prove that she is, in fact, a good neighbor.  She has asked me to write one of the letters because beyond the fact that we were “neighbors” all during high school—our maiden names both starting with “Sc-“ made it so N, my friend, stared at the back of my head for four years—she moved into our neighborhood ten years ago and stayed here until recently deciding that she and her husband wanted to be back in New York City.  I’m biased—she was one of my best friends until our respective paths separated us for many years—so what can I say beyond the fact that she doesn’t drink, smoke, do drugs, or have crazy parties?  That she’s the smartest person I know?  That she and her husband speak so softly that I can often not hear what they’re saying?  That her leisure pursuits consist of running, reading books that require a forklift to get off the bookshelf, and playing with her cats?  Or that if you ever find yourself in a real pickle—say with a diagnosis of Stage IV melanoma—she’s the only person you want at your side besides your spouse?  All of those things seem irrelevant to what the co-op board may want to know about my friend, but I’ll include most of it anyway.  I don’t know how often she takes out her recycling or if she’ll be needing a parking space or even if she cooks curry at weird hours, but I know she’s a good person and someone you’d want living beside you to celebrate the good and weathering the bad.

The requested letter of recommendation got me thinking about recommendations in general.  What do we really want to know when we ask for recommendations?  Generally, is the person a hard worker?  A suitable neighbor?  An upstanding citizen?  But more to the point, what should we want to know? For instance, when I was looking for a new babysitter, what I should have asked, besides the obvious (have any children died on this person’s watch?), was “will this person clean up after themselves after making a thick ragu of beef, veal, and pork with onions to spare?”  Or, will this person say to me, a new mother, that she knows more about childrearing than I do and to learn from her?  (Trust me, that’s something you don’t want to hear after commuting two hours and working a ten-hour day.)  What about the new marketing manager that you’re hiring?  Ask that person, “will you make promises to people that you cannot keep without me pulling every string and three straight all-nighters?” rather than “How many copies of book x did you sell during your tenure at your former company?”

These are the intangibles, the things that I wished I had the foresight to ask.  As a closet perfectionist (ok, maybe not so closet), I try to anticipate every last thing in order to be prepared, but what I have found is that I can never anticipate everything, and even if I come close, I’m usually off by a detail or two.  So, I’m now just trying to go with the flow, something that doesn’t come naturally to me and that feels like I’m wearing an ill-fitting dress when I try it on for size.  I wish my friend’s co-op board was doing the same, but for obvious reasons, I guess we’re glad that we’re not.

What are some of the things you wished you had foreseen, Stiletto Faithful?  What is one question you wished you would have asked?

Maggie Barbieri

Lori's Book Sense

Welcome back to Lori's Book Sense.  
Since it's Memorial Day Weekend, and the official start of summer, I thought that instead of providing you with some reviews of the books I've read this past month, I'd share with you some of the amazing books that will be coming out this summer. 
I apologize in advance if this list makes any of your TBR piles topple over. (All my reviews will be posted on or about the publication date at the request of the publishers)

15 Seconds: A Novel by Andrew Gross (release date July 10th) ~ 15 seconds can tear your life apart . . .

Henry Steadman didn't know what was about to hit him when he pulled up to a red light. A successful Florida plastic surgeon, he is in town to deliver a keynote address at a conference when suddenly his life becomes an unrelenting chase to stay alive.

Stopped by the police for a minor traffic violation, the situation escalates and he is pulled from his vehicle, handcuffed and told he is under arrest. Several other police cars arrive and the questioning turns scary, but just as Henry is released and about to move on, a blue sedan pulls up and the officer is suddenly killed. As the car speeds away, there is only one suspect left behind–Henry. In that moment, his idyllic life becomes a free fall into hell as he becomes the target of a police manhunt, as well as being pursued by a cunning, unnamed perpetrator bent on some kind of vengeance.

When Henry turns to a close friend for help, and he, too, ends up dead, Henry realizes he's being elaborately framed. But in a chilling twist, the stakes grow even darker, and he is unable to go to the police to clear his name, without bringing on dire and deadly consequences.

With breakneck pacing and nonstop action, 15 Seconds shows what can happen when even the best life is turned upside down in an instant. It is also the story of an innocent man, framed for murder, who has to save the person he loves the most, all while being drawn closer and closer to an inevitable face-to-face standoff with a man determined to destroy his life.

This book was AMAZING!!!! 

A Different Kind of Normal by Cathy Lamb (release date July 31st) ~ This novel is about a kid with a big head, a hospice nurse and a surgeon, a family of witches, spells, spices, herbs, a greenhouse, and basketball.

It’s about a woman named Jaden, with one blue eye and one green eye, who does what’s right, and wears some kick – butt boots while doing it.

It’s about her son, Tate, who shows courage and strength in the face of enormous adversity. It’s about an outspoken soap opera actress and a muscled single father of four who creates original floral bouquets.

It’s about family.

I went way back in the Bruxelle family’s history to build the story: From England and a torch wielding mob, to South Carolina pre-Civil War and the Underground Railroad, to the difficulties of the Oregon trail…and on to the modern story out in the country in Oregon.

The old, white house, built by Jaden’s ancestors, and surrounded by the flowers and herbs that this family has planted for centuries, has its own story to tell, as do Tate and Jaden, who, in the end, truly need a little magic and a miracle.

This is my next up. I have adored every other book Cathy has written, so I know I won't be disappointed with this one.

Don't Say A Word by Beverly Barton (release date July 31st) ~  Cross Your Heart. . .

One by one, they will die. He has waited patiently, planning their final moments. Their tortured screams, their pleas for mercy--all will be in vain...

And Hope. . .

Homicide detective Julia Cass has witnessed plenty of crime scenes. But the murder of a Chattanooga judge is shocking in its brutality. Teamed with FBI agent Will Brannock, Julia delves into an investigation that soon unearths more bodies--all mutilated in the same way, all left with a gruesome souvenir of a killer's ruthless rage. . .

To Die. . .

The only way to stop the slaughter is to predict the next victim. But when you're dealing with vengeance at its most ruthless, one wrong move can make you a target. . .and the next word you utter could be your last. . .

I'm reading this book now and am savoring every word. Ms. Barton passed away suddenly in April of last year, and this is her last book. I have always been a huge fan and will miss her books tremendously.

Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain (release date Aug 7th) ~ Nothing makes Portland detective Archie Sheridan happier than knowing that Gretchen Lowell—the serial killer whose stunning beauty is belied by the gruesome murders she’s committed—is locked away in a psych ward. Archie can finally heal from the near-fatal physical and emotional wounds she’s inflicted on him and start moving on with his life.

To this end, Archie throws himself into the latest case to come across his desk: A cyclist has discovered a corpse in Mount Tabor Park on the eastern side of Portland. The man was gagged, skinned, and found hanging by his wrists from a tree. It’s the work of a killer bold and clever enough to torture his victim for hours on a sunny summer morning in a big public park and yet leave no trace.

And then Archie gets a message he can’t ignore—Gretchen claims to have inside knowledge about this grisly murder. Archie finally agrees to visit Gretchen, because he can’t risk losing his only lead in the case. At least, that’s what he tells himself . . . but the ties between Archie and Gretchen have always been stronger, deeper, and more complex than he’s willing to admit, even to himself. What game is she playing this time? And even more frightening, what long-hidden secrets from Gretchen’s past have been dredged up that someone would kill to protect?

At once terrifying and magnetic, “Beauty Killer” Gretchen Lowell returns with a vengeance in Kill You Twice, Chelsea Cain’s latest razor-sharp psychological thriller.

It is impossible for Chelsea Cain to write fast enough for me. I adore Gretchen and Archie. And since Gretchen is a female Hannibal Lecter and I'm a huge SOTL fan, it's no wonder I love these books. Kill You Twice is the best one  yet! (Oh, and rumor has it, they're turning the books into a TV show. Sweet!)

Pulse by John Lutz (release date July 3rd) ~ The killer's depravity is insatiable. What he does to his victims is unthinkable. Homicide detective turned P.I. Frank Quinn has seen this M.O. before. A demented ritual, it's the work of Daniel Danielle - a notorious serial killer who blurs the line between male and female, human and monster. Danielle disappeared ten years ago. Is a copy cat repeating the crimes? Or has Danielle made a deadly return? Either way, this time the killing won't stop.

This is the 7th book in the Frank Quinn series, and each one gets better and better.  Full disclosure ~ this book should not be read on a full stomach. 

Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery) by Ellery Adams (release date July 3rd) ~ When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LaFaye bakes pies. So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flakey crust. But her pies aren't just delicious. They're having magical effects on the people who eat them--and the public is hungry for more.

Discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening the Charmed Pie Shoppe. But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate. and when Loralyn's fiancé is found dead--killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin--it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name.

I can not WAIT for this to come out. This is the first book in Ellery's new Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery series.  I know it will be a hit! 

Never Tell: A Novel of Suspense by Alafair Burke (release date June 19th) ~ Sixteen-year-old Julia Whitmire appeared to have everything: a famous father, a luxurious Manhattan town house, a coveted spot at the elite Casden prep school. When she is found dead in her bathtub, a handwritten suicide note left on her bed, her parents insist that their daughter would never take her own life.

But Julia's enviable world was more complicated than it seemed. The pressure to excel at Casden was enormous. Abuse of prescription antidepressants and ADHD medication ran rampant among students; an unlabeled bottle of pills in Julia's purse suggests she had succumbed to the trend. And a search of Julia's computer reveals that in the days leading up to her death she was engaged in a dangerous game of cyberbullying against an unlikely victim.

NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher is convinced the case is a suicide, but she knows from personal experience that a loving family can be the last to accept the truth. When the Whitmires use their power to force a criminal investigation, Ellie's resistance causes trouble for her both at work and in her personal life. As she is pressured to pursue a case she doesn't believe in, she is pulled into Julia's inner circle—an eclectic mix of overly precocious teenagers from Manhattan's most privileged families as well as street kids from Greenwich Village. But when the target of Julia's harassment continues to receive death threats, Ellie is forced to acknowledge that Julia may have learned the hard way that some secrets should never be told.

Never Tell is book four in the Ellie Hatcher series and will knock your socks off.  Teens, secrets, drugs, and money. Could you ask for anything more?

Murder on the Half Shelf (A Booktown Mystery) by Lorna Barrett (release date July 3rd) ~ Stoneham, New Hampshire, is a haven to bookstores, including Tricia’s own mystery shop, Haven’t Got a Clue, but is sadly lacking in bed and breakfasts. Pippa and Jon Comfort’s Sheer Comfort Inn opens its doors to the public in a week and the couple has offered some locals a free night as a trial run.

But what should have been a pleasant overnight stay for Tricia becomes a nightmare when she makes two startling discoveries: Pippa’s murdered body in the backyard, and the fact that her husband Jon is actually Harry Tyler, a man Tricia loved—and believed dead—for nearly twenty years.

Now Harry is the prime suspect, but Tricia doesn’t believe him capable of murder, regardless of her own feelings toward him. And even though Harry’s led a life of lies, Tricia’s learning that Pippa had her share of secrets that some people may have not wanted revealed…

A mysteries series (this is book #6) set in a town filled with bookstores...how could you not want to read them?  I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this and I have two more books to go before I start it. YAY!

Hearse and Buggy (An Amish Mystery) by Laura Bradford (release date June 5th) ~ Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace—in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in.Claire loves her new home, and she’s slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store’s former owner,the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can’t help but get involved.

Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly—and his Amish upbringing—as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him. Claire’s connections make her the perfect go-between.

As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk . . . 

This is the first book in the Amish Mystery series and I am really looking forward to starting it.  It's in my mini-mini TBR.

You Don't Want To Know by Lisa Jackson (release date Aug 1st) ~ Two years ago, Ava's two-year-old son Noah went missing, and his body has never been found. Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah's disappearance. Now she's back at the family estate she once intended to restore to its former grandeur. But as Ava's mind comes back into focus, her suspicions grow. Ava can't shake the feeling that her family and her psychologist know more than they're saying. Unwilling to trust those around her, Ava secretly visits a hypnotist to try and restore her memories. But the strange visions and night terrors keep getting worse. Ava is sure she's heard Noah crying in the nursery, and glimpsed him walking near the dock. Is she losing her mind, or is Noah still alive? Ava won't stop until she gets answers, but the price may be more than she ever thought to pay...

Is Noah alive? Or is Ava losing her mind?  Creep factor times ten.  Sounds like a sure-fire hit to me!

The Playdate by Louisa Millar (release date July 3rd) ~ You leave your kids with a friend down the street. Everyone does it. Until the day it goes wrong.

For the past few lonely years, Suzy has been the only one to reach out to her neighbor, single mother Callie, and her frail daughter Rae. Suzy welcomed them into her large, apparently happy, family, and has been a rock and best friend to Callie. But it’s time for Callie to find her own way, and going back to work is the first step towards rediscovering her old confidence. But why does she find it so hard to tell Suzy about her new job? And who will look after Rae while she’s gone? Callie’s return to work precipitates a chain of events that reveal the isolation, turmoil, and dark secrets behind the doors of a seemingly peaceful neighborhood.

     The Playdate is a gripping psychological thriller—a chilling evocation of modern life, where seemingly longstanding friendships are superficial, and overwork and exhaustion lead parents to make impulsive decisions about the care of their children. This is a debut thriller from a striking new talent readers won’t soon forget. 

Bet you'll think twice before leaving your kids with a friend again. 

I Owe It All To One Man

By Laura Bradford

I have a bit of a confession to make.

I've always had a few fears, you know, things that make me cringe--bees, bugs of just about any kind, rodents, and anything I see as potentially harmful to my kids. But those kinds of fears I can deal with. I don't like them, but if I have to take care of them myself, I can and I do.

Recently, though, I've developed what can best be described as a phobia...of steep steps and/or elevators. I've upgraded it from a fear to a phobia because of how intense it's gotten and the fact that I can't "take care of it myself" the way I do with a bee or a bug.

I know exactly when this phobia was born. And I know (at least the rational part of my brain knows) it was an isolated incident. But for some reason, that part of a person's brain that regulates reaction can't seem to wrap itself around the whole "isolated incident" notion just yet.

The event that started it all off involved a very steep escalator at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, and an older gentleman with a cane.

For whatever reason, he felt the need to hightail it onto the escalator in front of a bunch of people (myself, included). Once he boarded, I stepped on behind him. The problem came when he fell backward as the escalator began to rise. I saw him falling, did my best to move out of the way and grab him at the same time, but I got pinned. Folks came running to help and managed to get him upward, but my leg (and the position I was in) made it next to impossible to right myself (and, mind you, the escalator is continuing to do its thing at the same time).

By the time we reached the top, I was back on my legs, but they--along with me--were shaky.

Since that day, I've found myself leaving a step or two between myself and the person in front of me on any and all escalators. Even in places like Grand Central Station where spacing isn't always an option, I create some. And I do so with a pounding in my chest and a little clamminess in my hands--both of which has surprised and quietly embarrassed me.

A few days ago, though, the quiet embarrassment wasn't an option when hubby and I went hiking up Mt. Olga in Vermont. The hike, itself, was fine. I loved it just as I always do. But when we reached the summit, we came across a fire tower capable of providing a spectacular view...if you could climb to the top.

I couldn't.

I tried to climb up, I really did. But after I reached the top of the first set of stairs you see, I freaked out and had to come down. After about ten minutes I was so ashamed of myself I was determined to try it again. Unfortunately, that determination did me little to no good as I made it up to the top of the second set, only to turn around (in a total panic) and clench-arm it all the way back down.

The hardest part is the fact that I want to climb it, yet, when I try to, the panic becomes so severe that it completely overrides my determination.

So there you go. I've become an escalator-riding-steep-step-climbing nutcase.

Do you have any true phobias?