New Release: Crutches and Crystals—and a giveaway! 

******Giveaway now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Teri R.!*****

I am excited to announce that I have a new paranormal cozy mystery out! It's the tenth installment in my Midlife Medicine series: Crutches and Crystals. In this post I’ll tell you a little bit more about the series, what’s coming next for Covenstead, and the three reasons I’ve loved writing these books. I’ll also give you a chance to win an Amazon gift card. Read on…

First, I want to share that this is the final book in the series. Even if you haven’t yet read any of the other books you can pick this one up as a stand-alone and enjoy a complete, puzzling whodunit set in the Vermont countryside. If you’ve been reading right along and are sad to see the series ending, fear not…. I have a few ideas for specials, short stories, and a spin-off up my sleeve. 

It’s true! While this is definitely the final book in the series, I do have more plans for the fictional town of Covenstead, Vermont, where the series is set. While I was out walking the other day an idea for a Christmas special popped into my mind, so now I have to write it, haha. It’s one of those ideas that just won’t leave me alone! And I may also write a few books from the point of view of Maude Crickback, a woman who served as the village sleuth in Covenstead before Grace moved to town. 

As you can probably tell, I’m not ready to leave this town behind. Not yet.

It’s played an important part in my life for a year and a half now, and I’ve come to trust that I can always pop in for a visit. 

I started the series in 2020, which is when I published book one, Post-op and Potions. Then in 2021, my word for the year (I pick one at the beginning of each year)  was “Covenstead.”  I set my intention to really focus on this town and tell the best stories that I could about the characters who lived there. What a year 2021 was! I published books two through seven in the series. 

And now, with book ten, I’m wrapping things up.

I’m super happy to share this final book in the series with you. There are so many reasons that I’ve enjoyed writing these books. I’ll just share the top three. 

#1 Grace's Cabin

In all ten books, Grace lives in a two story cabin on the edge of a lake. I based this cabin on a lakeside cabin from my childhood, so every time I wrote about it I got to enjoy fond memories.

The fictional cabin is just like the one from my youth in many ways: it has creaky wood floors, a tin roof that makes lots of noise when it rains, and a woodstove. The wall to the right of the staircase is lined in old paperback books. There are jigsaw puzzles on the shelves, and a pair of binoculars on hand for birdwatching. There is a picnic table on the front porch, and a canoe and rowboat out on the grass, ready to be used. All in all, this is a special place and I’ve truly enjoyed imagining what it would be like to live in this rustic cabin year round. 

#2 Dwelling on Dogs

While writing each and every book in this series, I got to dwell on dogs and how awesome they are. I’m a dog lover, so this was a true joy! The first line in book #9, Hospitals and Hexes, is: “Grace Littleton had realized, recently, that all she needed in order to be happy was a long dirt road and her dog to walk on it with.” Honestly, that’s how I feel sometimes when I’m out walking with my dogs, Marley and Teddy.

While writing these books, I got to appreciate what great companions dogs can be, how funny they are, how lovable… how they can nod off for naps at the oddest moments, and get excited about just about anything, no matter how mundane. 

#3 Forgiveness

All of the stories in this series go into forgiveness in some manner. That’s a topic that I think about often, so I loved being able to explore it with fiction. In my personal life I read a lot of spiritual and metaphysical books, and I really like pondering philosophy and deep questions. I’ve always been that way… it’s just the way I’m wired, I think! So it was really awesome to be able to bring that interest into the Midlife Medicine books and show how Grace understands concepts like right and wrong, innocence and guilt, love and calls for love. 

I hope that you check out Crutches and Crystals and get all those lovely warm, fuzzy, uplifted emotions that can come from a feel-good story. That’s been my intention all along, and especially with this final installment. 

Now, for the giveaway opportunity! What’s your favorite way to feel while reading a cozy mystery? Intrigued, curious, puzzled, happy, hopeful? Comment below! I'll pick one winner at random for the prize of a $20 Amazon giftcard!

This giveaway will close at 12:00 EST on 4/28/2022 and I’ll announce the winner by the end of the day on 4/28, so be sure to check back in to see if you won.