Hello to everyone! My last blog post was so long ago, you probably thought I'd fallen off the face of the Earth (thankfully, no). The past four months have been an incredible whirlwind, but I need to take a breath and say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Murdered by the Books was released the end of April and, thanks to so many of you, has experienced much success so far. It's available on Amazon in paperback or E-book, and our local bookstore, The Literary in downtown Champaign. I'm still working to get it on the shelf at Barnes & Noble, but that's a daunting process. And of course, the book can be purchased from the author herself. LOL I've been lucky enough to be able to promote the book at many summer festivals and our local Farmer's Market. I had my very own Meet The Author event at the bookstore mentioned earlier, and I had the honor of being asked to attend a book club to discuss my book (someone chose MY book - unbelievable) with the most amazing group of women. As fall approaches, there are many more opportunities on the horizon. Excited - yes. Blessed and grateful - absolutely!
The book has received a lot of positive praise (4.9 out 5 rating on Amazon with 30+ five-star reviews) and I get goosebumps each time someone tells me they recommended it to a friend, family member or co-worker. Please continue to do so - I won't be in the least offended (LOL).
She has traveled far and wide this summer - Philadelphia, Chicago, Texas, Florida, the Carolinas, Mexico, Canada, England, a mission trip to South America and a safari in Africa. Whew, for a brand-new book, she is well-travelled. I wish I had been able to go too.
(And yes, I refer to my book as 'she' much like people do a ship or a car. This is probably due to most of the characters in it being strong, unique women I hope we can all relate to.)
There have been several surprises along the way. My publisher asked me when our journey together began, "Who is your target audience - be specific." Most cozy mysteries are targeted to women age 40 and older, so what a pleasant surprise it has been to have quite a few men and women under forty tell me how much they enjoyed the story.
People here in my community have been incredibly supportive. One gentleman after meeting me at an event took it upon himself to make sure both public libraries had copies of my book on their shelves. He stopped in often, asking for my book to be amongst their collection. He must have a very persuasive personality because both libraries bought it and put it into circulation, I appreciate his efforts more than he knows.
But probably most amazing has been reconnecting with people I haven't seen in ten, twenty, thirty, some even forty years. Former high school classmates, former co-workers, friends of my parents, even a former math teacher turned author herself. On the day I delivered my books to The Literary, a man called out my name and asked if I'd written a book. This gentleman was the dad of a former student. He bought a copy right there while I watched and asked me to sign it for his daughter. That was an incredible experience.
Books have so many purposes besides entertaining or informing. They create bonds between people, open doors for opportunities, and bring old friends and new ones together. I'm thrilled to be a part of the literary world who can do all that!
So what's next? Many people have asked (some begged) to know when the next book is coming out. The contract is signed, the edits are in process, so I'm hopeful in saying sometime in the first part of 2025. As things progress, I promise to keep you posted.
To tide you over until then, here's a brief excerpt from Murdered by the Blooms (Book Two in the Willow Springs Mystery Series).
~~~“Save your money, Jilly Don’t waste it on renovations. You never know what the future holds. A good-sized nest egg could come in handy. Especially if you and a certain good-looking man want to buy a house or plan a wedding …” Cate let her voice trail off.
Jillian’s mouth dropped open. She stared at her sister as her brain refused to form one coherent thought.
“Wow, look at you,” Cate chuckled. “I’ve rendered you speechless. That’s never happened before.”
After a few more uncomfortable moments of silence, Cate threw her arms in the air. “Oh, c’mon. You can’t tell me you haven’t dreamed of a certain tall, dark, and handsome firefighter down on one knee with a sparkly ring in a box. You two have dated for over a year. He loves you. You love him. What’s the problem?”
Jillian shook her head. “I’ll admit the thought of marriage has crossed my mind a time or two.” She put up her hand to stop Cate’s interruption. “But Travis and I haven’t talked about it. We’ve decided to take things slow and enjoy our time together. We’re happy with the way things are right now.”
“Really? The subject has never come up?” Cate scrunched her face. “Hmm, I guess we were all mistaken.”
“Excuse me, who is we? And what are you wrong about?”
“Everybody—the whole family—we’ve been guessing when you and Travis would get engaged. I picked the anniversary of your first date, which, by the way, is three days from now.” Cate huffed out a long breath. “But if you two lovebirds haven’t even discussed marriage—”
“You’ve all talked about my love life and tried to pick the date I’d get engaged? That’s unbelievable, even for this family.” Jillian scowled at her sister. “Next, you’re going to tell me Mom has looked at reception venues and Aunt Grace had a vision of me in my wedding dress.” Her voice rose a few octaves to land on a high note. “Isn’t Aunt Grace’s upcoming wedding enough for this family? Her nuptials next month should satisfy all of your needs for frilly dresses, extravagant flowers, and romance.”
Last year at this same time, their aunt had predicted someone in the family would be getting married soon. No one was more shocked than Grace herself when it was her finger Dr. Robert Madison put a gorgeous diamond ring on.
“Calm down, Jilly. We’re thrilled you and Travis have fallen in love. We want you both to be happy. Besides, everyone agrees you’ll make a beautiful bride, regardless of whether or not you wear Mom’s wedding dress.”
“Mom’s dress? You’ve talked about me wearing her gown?” Jillian’s stomach fluttered at the thought.~~~
Yes, Aunt Grace will wed in Book Two, but will she find happiness? Are wedding bells ringing for someone else in the family? Stay tuned. And yes, it's still a mystery, so some poor soul will lose their life. I hope you'll keep coming back for these advance looks into Jillian's (and Amanda's) next adventures.
A quick PSA on behalf of authors everywhere, including myself. The best way to show how much you enjoyed a book is to leave a great review on Amazon. Give the book a 5 star rating and leave a one or two line review, doesn't have to be long. It's easy and these reviews help authors build their books presence. Thank you.
Stay well. Enjoy the changing of the seasons. And be sure to spend a little time for yourself ... reading a good book.
Until next time,
Jodi
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