Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees

I love to read a mystery series from the beginning because it isn’t just about an intriguing plot for me; it’s about the lives of the characters. In a series, we get to know the characters and care about what happens to them. I always want to know what happens to them next. 

But, sometimes, it doesn’t work out that way. Sometimes, a book by an author I've never read will attract my attention (it's often a new release) and I'll order it and read it. If I really, really like the book and want to spend more time with the characters, I then go back and read the whole series, starting with the first book. Here are two examples (there are so many more) that come to mind:

I read Old Murders Never Die by Marja McGraw and I loved it. So, I went back to the beginning and read the four novels that preceded it. I'm so glad I did. What a great series! A Well-Kept Family Secret is the first book in Ms. McGraw’s Sandi Webster Mystery Series for those of you who would like to start with Book One. (And, a little birdie told me the author is currently working on the next book for her series.)

Another example: The Rocky Bluff PD series by F.M. Meredith. After reading No Bells, the eighth book in the series, I knew I wanted to read all of her books. I read Final Respects, book one, and went on to read the other novels. I look forward to a new book in the series every year!

But, unfortunately, money doesn’t grow on trees. I'm an avid reader and, because I live on a budget, I often buy books in eBook format when I’d much prefer to read a paper copy.

I’m offering a chance to win a paper copy of the Malone mystery of your choice to someone who leaves a comment on this post. (By the way, the fifth book in the series will, God and my publisher willing, be out before the end of 2016.)

Book 1 – Mixed Messages

Book 2 – Unfinished Business

Book 3 – Desperate Deeds

Book 4 – Mistaken Identity

Please be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner.

Happy Reading!

A Writer's Retreat

We writers live inside our own heads a good portion of the time. That’s how we create the stories we write and the characters who live those stories. To a non-writer, we may appear to be “present” but often we’re off in another world.

I’m a morning writer. That’s when my mind is fresh, free from all the thoughts and tasks the day will undoubtedly bring. When I’m in the midst of working on a book, especially when I’m close to finishing one as I am now, all I want to do every morning is focus on that.

Throughout the morning, I take an occasional break. In good weather, I enjoy sitting on my front porch with a cup of coffee, leaning back and letting the creative side of my brain do its thing. I’m basically living inside my head and I’m pretty much oblivious to what’s going on around me. I know cars are driving by and life is going on but I don’t really “see” any of it. I always take a legal pad and pen outside with me because I find that I come up with some of my best ideas at those times.

Unless someone interrupts me and brings me crashing back into the real world.

I’m fortunate to have some really nice neighbors and they all know I’m a writer. I enjoy talking with them from time to time but, sometimes (not every day), one of them stops by when I’m taking one of my morning “breaks.”

When that happens, I smile but what I’m thinking is please go away! I don’t want to be rude or to hurt their feelings so I listen to what they have to say, nod my head and make a brief comment or two. But I end the conversation as quickly as possible, explaining that I have to get back to my writing. It’s frustrating because it takes me awhile to get back into the world of my characters.

Those are the times I daydream of having a writer’s retreat, a place I could go to get away from everyone and everything until I finish my book.

The other day, I was thinking along those lines and two of my favorite movies came to mind. Most of you have probably seen Seems Like Old Times and Misery. Although one is a comedy and the other is far from it, the main character in both movies is a writer. A writer who takes refuge in a secluded mountain cabin/lodge to finish his novel.

Ah! That sounds like Heaven to me. I imagine myself at my computer all day long with only the sounds of the birds chirping outside my window. No responsibilities! No interruptions! No people!

And then I remember what happened to the writers in those movies.

Well, maybe I’ll think twice the next time I feel the urge to escape to a writer’s retreat. Or I’ll start drinking my morning coffee at the kitchen table. 

Until next week, happy reading and writing!