3 novels you won't want to miss

I’ve read 3 good books just recently, all different and so good I have to share. 

Who could resist this cover, and I can tell you for sure that the story inside more than delivers on its sweet promise. Hello Love by Karen McQuestion is a heartwarming and poignant story with engaging characters that had me smiling around the lump of worry in my throat. I always admire when a story does that, makes you laugh and fight tears.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a new author for me, but her novel, Take Me With You won’t be the last that I read. The story about a man sentenced to jail for the summer as the result of driving under the influence and the unusual bargain he makes with another man regarding the care of his two young sons is different and makes for a very compelling read.

The Missing Place, Sophie Littlefield’s latest is just flat-out good suspense. Two young guys go missing from their oil rig jobs in the booming fields of North Dakota and two moms, polar opposites of one another, combine unlikely forces, putting themselves in jeopardy, to find them. I read this in nearly one sitting, heart aching and hopeful for these families, and the suspense never stopped until the final page.

Announcing EVIDENCE OF LIFE, a brand-new edition

Initially published by Harlequin/MIRA in the spring of 2013, a brand-new, mass-market edition of EVIDENCE OF LIFE goes on sale today. The story centers on a woman who is caught in a web of lies after her husband and daughter go missing during a camping trip to the Texas Hill Country. As she undertakes a search for them, certain facts come to light, challenging everything she believes about her family and her life. In addition to the beautiful new cover, this reissue includes the first chapter of SAFE KEEPING, my latest novel, coming from Harlequin/MIRA in March of this year. SAFE KEEPING is the story of an ordinary family, in particular a mother and daughter, who are forced to confront the unfathomable when their son and brother is arrested for murder. How far will they go to save him? How far would you go to protect a family member accused of a horrible crime?

 

I’m thrilled on so many levels to see these books come out, but I’m especially happy for the opportunity it gives me to say thank you again. One year ago I was on the verge of one of the most exciting adventures of my life when EVIDENCE OF LIFE first became available to readers in the form of actual hard copies they could hold in their hands. Since then, it’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and I wouldn’t trade one minute of the ride. So often when the going gets hard, it’s tempting to give up on a dream. I’m so glad I didn’t have to give up on this one, thanks to Barbara Poelle, my fabulous agent, and to Erika Imranyi, my wonderful editor. A year ago they were fairy godmothers in star-spangled dresses, wielding magic wands. They still are, but now I also number them as friends. Thank you more than I can say, you guys! A boatload of thanks and joy to Readers everywhere, too. It’s all of you who make this dream possible for all of us who work in the publishing industry.

A Little Night Magic!

Jink, our lovely hostess, and I

There is nothing quite like it in my experience, the occasions when women meet to discuss a book they have read. I’ve had the luck and the good fortune to have my novels selected for this honor on a few occasions now. Last night I met with the Happy Bookers of The Woodlands to discuss EVIDENCE OF LIFE, and it was such a special event. You could say it was the beauty of the surroundings, Jink Willis’s beautiful home and garden, or perhaps it was the lovely weather. We’ve had the longest, coolest spring; there was a delightful breeze, and the mosquitos have yet to come out. Definitely the company would be part of it … a lovelier assembly of woman couldn’t be found, and there was a delicious assortment of salads and desserts, not to, mention wine, but still, that doesn’t quite explain the magical quality there was to the evening, at least for me.

Even when we don’t know each other well, when we have all read the same book, that experience bonds us; it softens formality, bringing with it a certain familiarity. After all what we’re discussing are people we know in common, right? Characters whose experiences we have shared through reading about them, and in talking about them, and the feelings they inspire in us, we know each other. Speaking as an author, I can’t begin to quantify the gift

A few of the 28 Happy Bookers & Guests who attended

of such discussion. Last night we shared our personal stories in relation to Abby’s story in EVIDENCE OF LIFE. I heard from readers all the different places where aspects of her story resonated with them as the result of having a similar experience. We talked about the pain of betrayal and the effect of divorce on older children, how difficult it can be, especially for boys. We talked about a son’s need to protect his mother. We talked about the difficult subject of forgiveness, and the quirks of human nature, how they can lead to odd, even manic, behavior. We talked about what we would do if we were confronted by the choices Abby faces. What would we be willing to do, to sacrifice, to find our missing family? Would we ever stop looking?

Mojo, the flirt!

We touched on so many elements that are intrinsic to the plot that unfolds through Abby’s point of view in EVIDENCE OF LIFE, and it was so gratifying as the author of the book to listen, to join in, to offer my own experience in the flow of conversation. To me, this type of discussion by its very nature brings about a sense of camaraderie, the feeling that we aren’t alone in how we feel as wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, friends. It makes the entire experience, from the conception of the novel, to its writing and seemingly endless editing, to its inevitable and so hopeful public debut, come full circle. There aren’t words to say how meaningful that is for me as the creator. I love hearing, too, how readers view a character’s motive, what they see as that character's agenda. I'm surprised at what I hear, especially when it means I've added a clue or a red herring I didn't intend in that way, at least not consciously. I was surprised and intrigued last night at the variety of insights into the story and characters that were offered. I learned so much! And that is the real gift, what I took away, experience I can bring now to my next book.

Thank you so much for reading and for sharing your experience of EVIDENCE OF LIFE with me, Happy Bookers! And thank you, too, to the Women Readers at Barnes and Noble with whom I met in April, and to readers everywhere, who have taken time to read and to share their thoughts with me or through their reviews of EVIDENCE OF LIFE and my other novels. I am so hopeful that we will continue to grow this connection we’ve established through the next book and the next and the one after that!

I would love to hear from you, and you can reach me here, through the contact page, or through my fan page on Facebook, which I would be thrilled for you to visit. Let’s keep talking! 

Inaugural Signing

On Tuesday, I signed my first book for Lillian Reitz, Community Relations Manager for Barnes & Noble's Champion's Village location in Houston. Joni Rodgers, a friend and critique partner, and a fabulous NYT bestselling author (and an "auntie" to this venture, for which I thank heaven!) took time from her busy schedule to drive down with me to see Lillian and talk to her about the possibility of doing a book launch event for EVIDENCE OF LIFE there. Champions Village is in a busy shopping center, on a busy north Houston street, and yet when you walk inside, you are instantly impressed with a sense of coziness, of welcome. Of course, there's the wonderful smell of books in the air, dozens and hundreds of books. And coffee. All kinds of coffee and assorted treats. But the best, or one of the best, parts of the store, and one of the reasons why it retains such a cozy, neighborhood feel, is Lillian herself.

Me signing a copy of Evidence of Life for Lillian - so fun!

Remember those little bookstores, the ones in the neighborhood where you could walk in and while away an hour or two or more, browsing and reading and talking books with the owner? Remember that lovely experience? That's what meeting with Lillian was like. I am more pleased than she can know that she agreed to having a book launch event there. It will be in April, and as soon as I have a firm date, I'll post it here on my website, but if you live anywhere near the Barnes and Noble in Champions Village, I highly recommend you stop in there before April.

It proves that even a big chain store can retain an element of something smaller and more intimate, something more personal and warm ... a bit of what used to be the charm of the Mom & Pop book store you loved going into not so long ago.