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September 2026 Newsletter
I just returned from Killer Nashville, a fun conference held in Franklin, TN. I reconnected with friends and made new ones over three days of intense workshops, panel discussions, and book-signing events. I moderated two panels, one on backstory and one on self-publishing. I participated in another panel discussion on events and promotions, which is something all the authors I know, both indie-published and traditionally published, struggle with. We also sampled two local restaurants and were not disappointed in the quality of the food.
Exciting Promotion
I met Susan Reiss at Killer Nashville. Congratulations to Susan, as her book, Treasures in Time, was a Finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for Historical Mystery and was the Bookfest Gold Medal Winner for the Best Fiction Series.
She has a 99¢ promotion running now for the award-winning Treasures in Time.
Emma and TJ find a long-buried chest on Waterwood Plantation land and uncover family secrets dating back to the Revolutionary War, when pirates prowled the Chesapeake Bay. Their story of rum and murder reaches into the present, threatening to upend Emma and TJ’s wedding. Check it out:
https://www.amazon.com/Treasures-Time-Susan-Reiss-ebook/dp/B0FWBGS9YW/
COUNTDOWN: 28 DAYS
Update on Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime Anthology
There’s only 28 days to the deadline on September 30th. There’s plenty of time to submit your 1,500- to 5,000-word story to the anthology. So far, we’ve received 15 entries. The judges are busy reading the stories we’ve received thus far. It’s a totally anonymous process—except for me. I’m the intake person who assigns submission IDs and distributes stories to the judges. Each story is read by 2 judges, who assign a score from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating excellent quality and requiring few edits. We are looking at potential cover designs now. Stay tuned for a cover reveal. For complete submission guidelines, go to the Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime website: Anthology - Sisters in Crime
I’d better get cracking because I haven’t finished mine yet.
Work in Progress
I am wrapping up the final chapters of book 3 in the Harrington House Bed and Breakfast series. I am so close to THE END. I’m excited about this story, which gives Tony his own narrative. I am struggling with a title, which I need before I can engage a cover designer. Here’s a blurb:
Molly Harrington's Aunt Vanessa comes home from work to find her husband, Robert Bennet, killed, his office ransacked, and his phone and laptop gone. The case should fall to Molly's boyfriend Detective Tony Shannon—until his connection to the Harrington family gets him yanked off the investigation and reassigned to a remote undercover post before he can ask the deeper questions.
With Tony sidelined, Detectives Beck and Lanigan dig through Robert’s infidelity, a secret love child, mysterious strangers--and a financial trail that hints at a game far deadlier than domestic betrayal.
As neighbors whisper and forensics wavers between clues and red herrings, Molly balances grief with determination to clear her aunt of the murder. With help from family friend Connor Wentworth, she uncovers a web of hidden loyalties and buried motives linking a market stranger, a country club lurker, and a mysterious offshore bank account.
Meanwhile, Tony—now undercover—stumbles into a world of odd deliveries, late night bonfires, and the unsettling reappearance of a man he once helped put away. The deeper he digs into the Bennets’ finances, the more he needs to find out who Robert was working for, and what he was willing to die to protect.
In this small town with oversized sins, loyalties twist, danger closes in, and everyone has something to hide.
Do you have any ideas for a title? If so, let me know. If your title is chosen, you’ll receive a special gift.
What I’ve Been Reading and Watching
I’m in the middle of episode 5 of The Lioness – Special Ops with Zoe Saldana on Paramount+– Wow! On Netflix, I watched Harlan Coben’s I Will Find You– that was good. I also shed a tear in Voicemails for Isabelle, which is also on Netflix. Office Romance with Jennifer Lopez and Enola Holmes 3 were both fun. On Masterpiece, I was sorry to see Grantchester end, but I think they ended it well.
I’ve read a lot since my last newsletter. I’m up to 49 books so far this year. I went through Tara Lush’s 5-book Starlight River Cozy Romance series fairly quickly. They are short, fun reads that were a nice break from the murder and mayhem I usually read and write about.
I really loved The Paris Library and highly recommend this WW II story about the American Library in Paris. Jeffrey Archer's Heads You Win was an intriguing Cold War Sliding Doors what-if story. Sliding Doors is a 1998 movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow that explores two parallel realities. Castle in the Glen is Rhys Bowen’s latest standalone release. Her storytelling never disappoints. This is a story within a story over three timelines. William Kent Krueger is one of my favorites and Vermillion Drift was another great Cork O’Connor story. Cold Zero by Brad Thor and Ward Larsen was chilling! On audio, I listened to Lyndee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin’s fifth Turner and Mosely adventure, The Emperor’s Palace. I also listened to Bruce Robert Coffin’s new Detective Justice series, Crimson Thaw and Bitter Fall, great police procedurals.
Instead of leaving you with a pretty photo, here’s a cartoon I saw online and thought was funny
Until next time, keep on reading and writing.
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