Teresa Michael

Happy Holidays

Like many of you, we’re enjoying multiple celebrations this year. Starting in mid-December, my daughter Tina and her family visited. We started with an early Christmas celebration. My husband Larry is a great cook, and he made a standing rib roast and Yorkshire pudding for Christmas dinner. It’s the first Christmas in a long time that all three of my children and their families were together at Christmas. Then my daughters Becky and Tina, Tina’s partner Marcus, and my 7-year-old granddaughter Luna went to Epcot, where Luna enjoyed riding Frozen, Soarin’, and Spaceship Earth. She especially liked the Lazy River at the resort – she out lazy rivered all of us. We were sad to see them return to Cincinnati’s cold weather.

We had another dinner at Jeremy and Mary’s house on Christmas Day and another celebration when Larry’s daughter, Heidi, and her husband, Jim, and their dogs, Brinny and Cliffie, come to visit for New Year’s.

As you can see, the month of December has been busy. I hope you have a joyous holiday season with your family and friends.

WIP (Work in Progress)

Murder in the Terrace Room --- I’ve hit the 50,000-word mark.

I’m almost finished. Hitting 50,000 words is a big milestone. Writing THE END is in sight. However, the end is not really the end. That’s just the beginning of edits and revisions. Here’s a short synopsis:

When Molly Harrington and her brother, Kevin, inherit a 100-year-old Classic Revival Manor home, they reject an offer from a developer to purchase the house and the land and decide to open a bed and breakfast. With her previous experience in hotel event management, opening the B&B is a fresh start for Molly. Her fiancé was killed in an IED attack in Afghanistan five years ago, and she’s had difficulty moving on. With the sudden death of their mother, Kevin’s suggestion to remodel their ancestral home into a B&B has Molly excited about this new chapter in her life.

The newly renovated house is in top shape. Their first big event is a book launch party for Aubrey Rhodes, a local celebrity author. It’s a great success, mostly women in attendance vying to attract Aubrey’s attention, sign their books, and take selfies with him. Chef Elise Parker has outdone herself in catering the event.

The next morning, Molly discovers Aubrey dead on his room’s terrace. Who could have killed Aubrey Rhodes? The clues are a champagne bottle, two crystal flutes, his latest novel open at his side, and the unlatched front door.

The suspects are lining up – namely, the guests and members of the B&B household. Could it have been George Roark, his agent, Tracy Barnes, his publicist, Lindsay Luttrell, his Facebook page administrator? Aubrey was a known womanizer. Could it have been a scorned lover? Detective Tony Shannon has his work cut out for him.

What Else Have I Been Up To?

Family Events: In October, we traveled to Eureka Springs, AR, for Larry’s grandson Alex’s wedding. The venue was beautiful for such a joyous event.

Conferences: In September, I went to Bouchercon – the World Mystery Convention in Minneapolis, MN. I moderated a panel titled “Coastal Cozies – Life’s a Beach, and then you die.” It was great fun, and I met a lot of authors. Serendipity moment - I was also able to catch up with Judi Adams, an old friend from our 1996 Olympic archery days. After the conference, I went on a little retreat with Martha Reed, author of Love Power, to Lisa Malice’s family lake house on Woman Lake, about three hours north of Minneapolis. We had a great time and got some writing done, along with boating and fishing. We also celebrated Lisa’s recent book contract with Camcat Books. Next year, Bouchercon is in San Diego. Something to look forward to.

Anthology Update – Paradise is Deadly – Gripping Tales from Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime. I am so excited about this project. We received 19 stories that are now with the judges. The cover art was chosen by a vote of the membership. The final story line-up will be announced in January, and then we’ll go into the editing process. Murder and Horror, LLC, a local small press, will publish the anthology. Stay tuned for more info on the release date.

Author Events: On November 12th, I participated in the Local Author Fair at the William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library. Afterward, I gave an Author Talk on my publishing journey at the Island Bookshop on Miami Ave. in Venice, Fl. If you’re in Venice, stop in at the Island Bookshop. Aimee and Michael are very supportive of local authors, and all of my Mariposa Café books are available there.

What have you been reading and watching?

In 2022, I read 57 books. Here are some of my favorite books from this year.

What are you binge-watching? We just finished the latest season of Jack Ryan. John Krasinski is giving Harrison Ford a run for my favorite Jack Ryan. We also watched 1883 from the Yellowstone Universe and looking forward to 1923, the latest Yellowstone origin story. Of course, we’re watching Yellowstone, too.

I’m a huge Louise Penny fan, and I’ve almost finished “Three Pines” on Amazon Prime. I like Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Gamache. Check it out even if you’re not familiar with the characters.

That’s it for 2022 —- I’ve had a blessed year and I’m grateful for all of my readers, beta readers, and supporters. I get a thrill every time someone asks me to sign their book and receive your notes, read your reviews, Facebook posts, and e-mails. I’m looking forward to great 2023.

Happy New Year

If you have a moment and liked my books, please leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Authors depend on reviews to get the word out about their books. It doesn’t have to be long—just a sentence or two, which is greatly appreciated.
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