When my fellow BWL author J. Q. Rose invited me to guest blog in her Summer Readers Circle, I leapt at the opportunity. She scheduled me for today, June 16th. I suggested we swap blog posts on the same day and write on the same topic. J. Q. proposed we both blog about what inspired us to write our books. 

My blog today features J. Q.’s post titled My Inspiration for the Romantic Suspense Novel, Dangerous Sanctuary. In the post, she also talks about her non-fiction book written to empower and inspire girls called Girls Succeed: The Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.

If you read and comment on J. Q.’s post through one of the simple methods outlined, you’ll automatically be entered in a draw to win a free ebook of Dangerous Sanctuary. Deadline is Tuesday, June 20, 10:00 pm EDST.

And then you can go to J. Q. Rose’s website, read my post and make a comment for a chance to win a free ebook of Ten Days in Summer.

Happy Reading!

Today is my date in June for the Books We Love Insider Blog. Check out my photo blog post about my recent trip to Boston.

A friend of my sister’s from high school kindly took this photo for me.

Joanne and her son work at Indigo Signal Hill, Calgary. Thanks, Joanne, for noticing this.

An excerpt from my short story “Adjusting the Ashes” appears in this week’s Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers. “Adjusting the Ashes” won the 20o3 Alberta Views Short Story Contest and you can read the full story in the Alberta Views archives. Of all my short stories, this one most inspired my mystery novel sleuth Paula Savard.

I updated “Adjusting the Ashes” in response to a call for submission for a Writing Menopause anthology edited by  Jane Cawthorne and E.D. Morin and was thrilled when they accepted it.

This month Inanna Publications released Writing Menopause: An Anthology of Fiction, Poetry and Creative Non-Fiction. The Calgary Book Launch takes place on May 25th. Unfortunately, I’ll have to miss it, but I cheer on my fellow contributors, who will be reading that night: Rea Tarvydas, Lori D. Roadhouse, Roberta Rees, Steve Passey, JoAnn McCaig, Shaun Hunter, Rona Altrows, Jane Cawthorne & E.D. Morin.

Here are the launch details:

DATE & TIME: Thursday, May 25, 2017 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

VENUE: Shelf Life Books, 1302 – 4 Street S.W.

For more information and to read excerpts of the book, take a tour at Writing Menopause Facebook page.

Tuesday night was my first taste of Calgary’s A Taste of Local Authors reading series, organized three times a year by author and When Words Collide organizer Randy McCharles. My publisher Jude Pittman attended and took these pictures of me reading from the Stampede parade scene in my novel Ten Days in Summer.  The audience chimed in on cue with Yahoo’s and Yeehaw’s.

The next Taste of Local Authors will take place at Owl’s Nest Bookstore in December.  

Tomorrow, May 16, I’ll be reading with 8 other writers with new books at  A Taste of Local Authors. In addition to the readings, there will music, food, drink and mingling. Everyone is welcome at this free event.

Today – the 12th of the month – is my day to post on the Books We Love Insider Blog. Read about ‘How Hoarding Inspired My Murder Mystery Novel.’

A friend doing research in the downtown Calgary Public Library Local History Room spotted Ten Days in Summer on the New Books shelf. Cool.

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend. I got the exciting news that my short story, Zona Romantica, was selected for the  Bouchercon 2017 anthology, Passport to Murder.

The anthology will be published in October, and will be available for pre-order this summer.

As Calgary returns to winter weather, my monthly blog post on my publisher’s website is about my process of starting to write Winter: book three of the Paula Savard mystery series.