Ready, Not Ready (A tribute to Cathy Perkins)

by: Donnell Ann Bell

On December 21, 2021, The Stiletto Gang lost a blog partner and friend. Cathy Perkins passed away. She was able to celebrate her 41^st wedding anniversary with her husband, and I know firsthand how proud and delighted she was with her daughters, spouses, and grandchildren. These people were her world.

For the most part, Cathy Perkins was a private person. In this blogpost, I’d like to celebrate the dynamic person I knew, and why I enjoyed her company so much. Cathy Perkins had a soft Southern drawl, a great laugh, a terrific sense of humor, and a gleam in her eye. She enjoyed exercising and was serious about her health. Her myriad interests spanned from finance and science (chemical engineering was her first degree), to walking her dogs, to working with stained glass, and, of course, writing. 

I met Cathy at the start of her writing career, after judging her unpublished entry, The Professor, in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Later, we would serve on committees and a board together, and we periodically texted or phoned to catch up on the goings-on in our careers.

Whether close by or across the country, she loved to attend writing retreats, places where she was in her element and her most productive. Before COVID-19, the women in her retreat group met yearly and were very special to her.

I attended two Left Coast Crime conferences, one in Monterey, California, the other in Portland Oregon. Cathy and I roomed together in Portland where the staff stashed us next to an obnoxious chiming elevator filled with coming-and-going attendees. Didn’t matter, we spent the whole night gabbing anyway. 

Cathy Perkins on a panel at Left Coast Crime

Authors D.V. Berkom, Donnell Bell and Cathy Perkins

Authors Donnell Bell, Susan Boyer, Cathy Perkins & Allison Brennan

Cathy was not one to brag about her education or her successes. The only time I heard her beyond excited was the night she called me from Nashville to tell me The Body in the Beaver Pond had just won the prestigious Killer Nashville contest. That was so cool because I had beta read two versions of the book–the first draft was good—the final version, was outstanding. “This manuscript is ready,” I told her. “You need to get it out there.”

“Soon,” she promised, “When I’m ready.”

I also beta read Calling for the Money, book three of her Holly Price Financial series. In this book, I discerned a better understanding of this financial whiz behind the words and why she was the perfect author to write this series. She traveled constantly during her financial career, and did much of her writing on airplanes. More than once I asked her when she planned to retire.

“Working on it,” she’d say. “When I’m ready.”  

Always a planner, she and her husband had purchased a secluded property in Washington state, they were clearing a tree-filled lot, and were building their dream home. I never got to see the property in person, but trust me, I saw it in my mind’s eye when I read The Body in the Beaver Pond. Cathy occasionally described the labor-intensive maintenance and the construction woes, mostly laughing when she relayed the drama. 

The dilapidated cabin that her protagonist Keri Isles inherits is an exaggerated structure for the real deal. In its place, stands the Perkins’s long-awaited home with its stunning vistas, which eventually came to fruition.

In March of 2020, the Perkins came to visit my husband and me in Las Cruces. COVID was just starting to rear its awful head, and I’m grateful we had these few days to spend together.

Author Cathy Perkins in Monterey

In closing, Cathy Perkins did more living in her six decades of life than many people do who are granted an additional thirty. She loved, lived, traveled, and gave of herself to numerous volunteer organizations and charitable causes. I still have her text messages and I confess I’ve saved her last voicemail. At some point I’ll probably delete it. Maybe . . . when I’m ready. For now, I’m not ready. Rest in Peace, Cathy.

Donnell Ann Bell is an award-winning author, including finalist in the 2020 Colorado Book Award, and the 2021 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards for her first straight suspense Black Pearl. Book two is on her editor’s desk and she’s working on Book Three. You can learn more about her other books or find her on Facebook, Twitter, or BookBub. Sign up for her newsletter at www.donnellannbell.com

 

 

 

Interview with Stiletto Gang member, Cathy Perkins!

 By Lynn McPherson

I've had the privilege of getting to know one of my fellow Stiletto Gang members a little better over the last few weeks.

Cathy Perkins is not only an award-winning author, but also a contributing editor for The Big Thrill, International Thriller Writer's monthly publication. On top of that, Cathy has worked on the blog and social media for the ITW Debut Authors, and coordinated for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

While I’ve had a life-long love affair with reading, I didn’t start writing until fairly recently. This probably isn’t how most people start, but I had a lengthy consulting job in a city about 90 miles away. I’d listen to music and daydream during the commute. Pretty soon the daydream had dialogue and I thought, hmm, this is turning into a good story. That particular book lives in a box in the closet, but I was hooked on writing, creating worlds and characters. 

Why mystery?

I’ve always loved mysteries and suspense—figuring out the who-dun-it puzzle, delighting when the author keeps me guessing or on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. When I started writing, my stories and characters had secrets, obstacles, and a race to uncover the villain. I’m going to slide a second favorite part of writing in here. I love bringing the characters to life, figuring out what makes them tick, and throwing the challenges of the plot and relationship at them.  So much fun. It’s probably the best part of writing.

What is your writing process and how much time do you spend planning your books?

Like most authors, my stories start with a “what if.” Once an idea takes hold, the plot and character evolve together. I’m a plotter, so the first thing I do when I think the idea has possibilities is sketch an outline of the plot. That outline grows and evolves as my characters’ personalities and motivations flesh out. Things that of course they’d do, add layers or subplots as the story unfolds. 

How important is setting in your novels?

I’ve been told the setting in my stories is another character. My goal is always to place the reader in the scene, to create a place readers can see and feel, even if they’ve never been to South Carolina, eastern Washington, or the Cascade Mountains. The challenge is to create that bubble without slowing the pace of the plot. 

Toni McGee Causey has been a fabulous mentor and offers a terrific perspective on setting and point of view. What the character sees in the place says more about the character than the physical location. I try to keep that in mind—how my characters react to their location/setting and why it matters—as I write.

You are a contributing editor for The Big Thrill, International Thriller Writer's monthly publication. Do you find yourself editing as you write? Or do you write first and edit after?

I have a rather strange way of putting my stories together. If something isn’t working when I’m sitting with my computer, I switch to pen and paper. Writing by hand uses a different part of my brain and I can roll with the scene. When I type those handwritten pages, I make a first edit pass for flow and word choice. But I generally finish the first draft before doing my heavy-duty editing passes. Of course, my wonderful editor will always have suggestions on how to make the story better…

Do you have a favorite author you read for inspiration?

So many favorites! 

This may sound strange since I’m currently writing at the lighter end of the mystery spectrum, but right now, I’m reading at the introspective end of the mystery/suspense/thriller genre – Jonathon King, John Hart, and pushing even further into women’s fiction, Mary Alice Monroe and Kristan Higgins. Of course, I always have dozens of books on my e-reader to choose among. 

What's next?

Good question… 

I’ve been battling an aggressive cancer with an equally aggressive treatment regime. Chemo brain is a thing. As a result, not much writing has occurred this summer. When all this hit, I was halfway through Peril in the Pony Ring, the next book in the Keri Isles series. (Keri organizes her first event for the town of Liberty Falls and of course there are complications.) I also had the next Holly Price novel outlined (Holly is back in the Tri-Cities. Her best friend Laurie pulls her into another mystery that naturally has financial overtones.) My editor nudges me periodically about turning that one in….  Once I can string a few coherent sentences together, it’ll be a challenge deciding which one to work on first.

Learn more about Cathy here:

Facebook http://facebook.com/CathyPerkinsAuthor

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cathy-perkins 

Website www.cperkinswrites.com 

Interview with Stiletto Gang blogmate, Lynn McPherson

Interview with Stiletto Gang blogmate, Lynn McPherson

By Cathy Perkins

Let me introduce you to one of our newer blogmates, Lynn McPherson. For years, Lynn led an adventurous globe-trotting life (her adventures sound like so much fun!). Now she  channels her love of adventure and history into her writing, where she's free to go anywhere, anytime. Currently juggling family and an energetic puppy, she writes the Izzy Walsh Mystery Series.

I love the tag line for Lynn’s newest novel, The Girls Dressed For Murder:

When Izzy gets a killer dress for her birthday, she isn’t expecting to accessorize it with murder…

CATHY: What made you pick your particular mystery genre?

LYNN: I've loved cozy mysteries since I read my first one, Rita Mae Brown's classic Mrs. Murphy series. She had me at the title, Whisker of Evil. When I started writing, it was the natural choice.

CATHY: Which came first: plot, character, or setting?

LYNN: Usually plot comes first for me. It won't be completely fleshed out until I have my characters and setting, but the inkling of an idea is what gets the ball rolling.  

CATHY: I’m seeing more novels set in the 1950s. What led you to choose this time period for your books?

LYNN: I'm a big fan of I Love Lucy. My books aim to provide the same sort of humor with the added element of a murder mystery. It's all about fun. 

CATHY: Do you ever hit the wall or find you’ve written yourself into a corner? How do you turn that around?

LYNN: I have most definitely written myself into a corner. Stumped, I usually skip ahead and write a scene I'm more confident about. I can always go back to where I left off once I've figured out what to do and how to fix it.

CATHY: The opportunity to go on a surprise vacation arises. You have 90 minutes to pack and get to the airport. Where will you go and what will you pack?

LYNN: I love Thailand and have been daydreaming of the many months I spent there, years ago. I always do carry-on so I won't bring much. Some basic toiletries, sun dresses, and flip flops are all I require!

CATHY: What do you read when you aren’t writing? Any favorite authors (or snacks/beverages) to go with it?

LYNN: My go-to favorites are Vicky Delany, Elizabeth J Duncan, and Vivien Chien. At the moment I'm reading Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto. It's a hoot! When I'm reading I like to sip on tea--lemon ginger or green tea are normally brewing in the pot.

  Connect with Lynn here:

  Website: https://lynnmcpherson.net/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/CozyMysteryLynn

   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozymysterylynn/?hl=en

 

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on Peril in the Pony Ring, the sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, releasing May 2021!) which was recently presented with the Killer Nashville's Claymore Award

Clicking Our Heels - Summer Vacation Preferences

CLICKING OUR HEELS – SUMMER VACATION PREFERENCES

Can you believe summer is almost over? Three more days and no more white shoes or white pants! Before summer ends, the Stiletto Gang members thought we’d share our favorite summer vacations – indoors/outdoors, beach/mountains, or staycation.

Debra H. Goldstein:  The Beach! Something about the white capped swirling water and glistening sand is my nirvana.

Anita Carter: Definitely outdoors. One of my favorite vacations was when my husband and I traveled to Hawaii for 10 days. We island hopped. We had the best time at the beach and hiking through the mountains and around the volcanos. I’d love to go again.

T.K. Thorne: I have to see the ocean regularly or something inside doesn’t get fed. Also, I live on a mountain, so I get my tree and fresh air fix every day.

Debra Sennefelder: Staycation. I really don’t like summer weather. I much prefer air conditioning.

Kathryn Lane: My husband and I spend the summers in the mountains of northern New Mexico near Taos, where we enjoy outdoor adventures as well as watching wildlife drift by from our cabin deck.

Dru Ann Love: I like sightseeing various locations, so outdoors. Staycations are good as well.

Kathleen Kaska:  It’s the beach for me – anytime.

Robin Hillyer-Miles: Beach or staycation!

Lois Winston: I much prefer a warm getaway in the winter, but I’m not a beach person. I love exploring museums, ancient sites, and foreign cities.

Linda Rodriguez: Anymore, I’m a stay-at-home person most of the time, thanks to health issues. In summer, you’ll find me inside in the air conditioning or sitting on my spacious porch, spinning or knitting and chatting with my neighbors.

Shari Randall: I’m a culture vulture, so I’d love to somewhere with great museums and theater. I live near a beach, so I’ll admit it, I’m spoiled.

Mary Lee Ashford: My summer vacation preference would be outdoors with a beach and a book! Staycations are fun but since I’ve been working from home since March 2020, I am more than ready to see some walls that aren’t my own.

Gay Yellen: Mountains. Hiking in a cool mountain forest is the best break from summer in the city.

Lynn McPherson: I love the beach and the mountains. I'm home most of the time so when vacation time rolls around I'm ready to go explore new places.

Cathy Perkins: What is a vacation these days? When I can travel again, definitely the beach!

We Have an Author Down!

 by The Stiletto Gang

Our beloved gang member C.P. Perkins is under the weather and unable to come to the computer today.  We wish her the speediest of recoveries.  For the curing of sickly authors, the Stiletto Gang recommends picking up one of their books and/or leaving a review on your favorite site.  And of course, today we're recommending Cathy's latest release.

The Body in Beaver Pond

Even an event planner doesn’t plan on murder!

Keri Isles desperately needs to sell the Christmas Tree farm her cheating, jerk of an ex-husband convinced his buddy, the judge, to saddle her with in the divorce settlement. Stuck in the Cascade Mountains, she’s lost her Seattle-based event planner job and local job prospects are as scarce as internet service. When she finds the arrogant professor in charge of the nearby archeology dig floating face-down in her beaver pond, unloading the property becomes secondary to staying out of prison.

A savvy—and scheming—attorney may be able to keep her head above water, but the personal price of his retainer may be too high. It’s up to Keri to use her mad networking skills and deploy a team of archaeology students, a bad boy photographer, and assorted eccentric neighbors to find the killer and clear her name.

Buy Now: Amazon

Do Contests Matter?

Should the winner medal from the Killer Nashville Claymore Award contest go on the cover of The Body in the Beaver Pond? That was one of the many questions my cover artist and I discussed as I prepared for the release of the novel. 

As Dar and I chatted, I wondered, do writing contest even matter?

Authors know how competitive the contests are, but do readers care? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Of course, there are the other reasons authors (or their publicists) enter. Little secret – we’re incredibly insecure! Think about it. We’re putting ourselves “out there” for the world to critique. We’re sharing pieces of the deepest parts of us. And we worry all the time that maybe our books are actually terrible and any previous “success” was a fluke. Maybe a contest offers a tiny bit of affirmation, that says, Yeah. This is good.

Then again, that may be more than most readers need or want to know.

While I’ve had a great time writing this novel and look forward to the release, I decided to add a layer to my usual low key launch plans. I decided to make the release about all of you.

Nearly everyone knows friends or family who’ve lost loved ones, jobs, nearly lost their home, and faced a host of other challenges this year.

The Body in the Beaver Pond touches on many of these challenges, offering a tangible (if somewhat snarky) perspective from Keri, as she struggles to adjust after loosing her marriage, home and job. (And for an extra writing challenge – the book is funny!)

Now that I have a funny main character I hope people relate to, I need a place to make all this happen. (Imaginary) Liberty Falls is drawn from a number of small towns in Washington state’s Cascade Mountains. Lingering economic inequities, the pandemic, life throwing curve balls – all this hurt many people, especially in these smaller, rural areas where social services are few and far between. As a result, I’m donating the royalties from presales (and the first few months of sales) from The Body in the Beaver Pond to HopeSource, a multi-purpose agency, which serves Kittitas County (the first county you discover when you venture over Snoqualmie Pass from Seattle.)

I’d appreciate your help in getting the word out about both the book and the donation. 

Get your presale copy and help me help our friends and neighbors - https://books2read.com/BodyintheBeaverPond

 

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on Peril in the Pony Ring, the sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, releasing May 2021!) which was recently presented with the Killer Nashville's Claymore Award. 

Writing Through The Dark… Or Not

 Writing Through The Dark… Or Not

By Cathy Perkins

One of the mantras you hear a lot if you’re an author is you can’t wait around waiting for that drunken hussy of a writing muse to show up for work. Instead, it’s BICHOK. You have to put Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard.

There are, of course, dozens of reasons this is true. Writing is, after all, a craft. Part of improving is doing. Practicing. Challenging yourself in new ways. Putting the words on that page.

So why are so many of us staring at a blinking cursor, if we even heave our protesting butts into the chair? Why are we cursing at that cursor?

I considered this last night during my 3 AM round of insomnia.

Sleep deprivation is an easy target. Lack of sleep has been linked to poor cognitive performance. This includes a laundry list of negative attributes including poor focus and concentration, low creativity, erratic behavior, inability to multitask, and increased mistakes. While there is a clamor about “creative insomnia” these days, the sad truth is we need sleep—and that’s before we explore the myriad ways sleep deprivation messes with the rest of our bodies.

What if you’re getting enough sleep? Or you’re trying to get enough sleep? Maybe you have to look a little deeper. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge the stressors underlying that lack of sleep.

Stress.

Interestingly enough, a number of the articles I read about creativity and stress actually focused on the role of a creative outlet in reducing stress. But as I explored this topic, the preferred “creative outlets” stressed repetitive motions: walking, gardening, talking with friends, activities that are too often curtailed these days by COVID-19-induced isolation and bitter winter cold.

Isolation. Cold. COVID-19. Darkness. Now those are some major stressors.

As I read more, I found useful discussions about psychological safety that doesn’t create crippling performance pressure. Basically, you need to let go of forcing yourself to “be creative.” If you’re already stressed, those threats simply trigger more fight or flights reactions—the most primitive, least creative part of your brain. Instead of demanding creativity, relax. Tell yourself, what if…

Let’s play around with this idea…

Of course, these articles also advocated, you guessed it, stress reducing activities like walking, gardening, and talking with friends. Or “going to your happy place” such as a favorite coffee shop or roaming a museum or art gallery.

Yeah, I’m looking forward to those creative inciting activities too.

In the meanwhile, the helpful ideas include:

1) Meditate. Calm your mind.

2) Walk. Get outside if possible. Let your mind relax.

3) Read. Turns out it’s a stress buster.

4) De-clutter. Research says decluttering your workspace can also clear your head.

5) Live life. Winter and COVID will end. Go enjoy every minute.  

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on Peril in the Pony Ring, the sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Killer Nashville's Claymore Award. 

Neighbors and Critique Partners

By: Donnell Ann Bell

Hello! I am the newest member of the Stiletto Gang, and as a mystery writer and a woman who loves shoes, I will do my best to fit in. I wrote an article for Stiletto Gang way back in the day https://donnellannbell.com/characters/  Call me biased, but I still think it’s relevant.

Much has changed since that article, however. I’ve written more books, I’ve relocated from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and with the exception of COVID-19, so far so good. This city, thirty minutes from El Paso, Texas, has an amazing culture and some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Imagine (pre-COVID by the way), walking into the grocery store when somebody sneezes, and from every surrounding aisle, people shout, “God bless you.” Also, while I may miss Colorado’s green, you can’t beat New Mexico’s sunsets.

Land of Enchantment's Sunset 

One of the hardest things about leaving Colorado after thirty-plus years was saying goodbye to lifetime friendships. Las Cruces has a way to go to compete, but my next-door neighbor is working hard at making the list. She arrived on my doorstep with cookies (my downfall), and our friendship quickly became reciprocal. Like me, she has a creative side. Where I write, she paints.  

Tuscany Village by Carol Oxford 

One of the things I love about my new home is my front courtyard. But it was kind of sparse, so I went to work decorating. I found this adorable chihuahua and put him just out my front door. Wouldn't you know it, though, my artistic neighbor pointed out something was missing.

Every chihuahua needs ...

... a friend

One person I didn’t have to say goodbye to although we live 1,882 miles apart is my critique partner, Lois Winston, who I'd met online, then in person on a transport van that delivered us to a conference. We’ve exchanged chapters and brainstormed for years. We walk while we talk (because we’re notorious multitaskers), and I can’t tell you how many “aha” moments we’ve had via our treks.

I’m also close to Stiletto Gang member Cathy Perkins. She’s a great conference roommate, by the way (Portland as I recall), and she and her husband have visited Las Cruces. She’s a major talent, and one day I hope to see her gorgeous home in the Pacific Northwest. 

Donnell, Cathy & spouses

That’s basically my introductory blog in a multi-cracked nutshell. Looking forward to sharing thoughts, ideas and hopefully a little laughter.

 Do you have a neighbor you love and/or a valued critique partner? In my opinion, they make the world a whole lot brighter.

About  Donnell's latest book: A cold case heats up when a 9-1-1 call puts police at a Denver murder scene pointing investigators to the abduction of a Colorado teenager fourteen years before. The connection? A calling card—a single black pearl—is found on the newest victim. Is the murder a copycat? Or has a twisted serial killer, thought dead or in prison, returned to kill again?

The hunt for a multi-state killer is on and brings together an unexpected team: a Denver Major Crimes police lieutenant; an FBI special agent who investigated the previous murders, a rookie FBI agent with a specialty in psychology; and the only living victim of the Black Pearl Killer is now a cop.

For Special Agent Brian DiPietro, the case is an opportunity to find answers. For Officer Allison Shannon, the case will force her to face down the town that blamed her for surviving when another did not. And for both DiPietro and Shannon, it’s a chance to find closure to questions that have tormented them both for years.

Bio: Donnell Ann Bell gave up her nonfiction career in newspapers and magazines because she was obsessed with the idea she could write a mystery or thriller. An award-winning author, including the 2020 Colorado Book Award finalist for her latest release Black Pearl, A Cold Case Suspense, Donnell’s other books have included Buried Agendas, Betrayed, Deadly Recall and The Past Came Hunting, all of which have been Amazon bestsellers. Currently she’s writing Book Two of her Cold Case series. For further information or buy information, please go to www.donnellannbell.com  

 

 

 

First Sunday! New Releases by the Stiletto Gang Members

New Releases by the Stiletto Gang Members!

Join us in celebrating the latest books written by our blog mates! 

A MURDER OF PRINCIPAL - A million stories beyond the flagpole...

A MURDER OF PRINCIPAL starts when a maverick principal comes in with a student-centered agenda, and there’s no more business as usual at Lincoln High School. Killing the principal is just the beginning…

Someone sets fire to Lincoln High and kills its new principal. Chaos threatens to overtake the urban school. Assistant Principal Sally Pearce, hired by the deceased principal to help him revamp and change the culture, vows to carry on the mission. In doing so, she gets caught up in gang threats, racial tensions, grievances, sexual harassment complaints, and the murder investigation, as well.

Sally never dreamed, when she stepped up to lead this culturally diverse school, that she would be faced with solving a mystery and returning the school to order. When a second murder happens on school grounds, Sally realizes she is trapped in a cycle of violence that must be stopped.

Universal book link:  https://books2read.com/u/3yz0nl

Learn more at Saralyn Richard's website:  http://saralynrichard.com 

MALBEC MAYHEM - Mix a Spanish chef with an Italian winemaker and create some mayhem…Malbec Mayhem!

Successful restaurateur Alex Montoya’s charmed life has hit a snag. His trusted business partner turned out to be not exactly trustworthy, and Alex could be facing jail time over some of his partner’s shady financial deals. As if that weren’t bad enough, creditors are calling in loans he didn’t know he had and he’s desperate to prove his innocence before all his businesses are repossessed. 

After a career-building stint in Napa Valley, Sofia Pincelli has returned home to eastern Washington to take over the family’s winery. Running the family business, however, means dealing with her ailing father’s constant micro-management—and his disapproval of Alex. Her father’s condemnation of Alex’s rumored involvement in his business partner’s schemes runs so deep, it threatens Alex and Sofia’s blossoming romance…along with the Pincelli family’s signature red wine. Sofia needs Alex’s crop of Malbec grapes to show her father she has what it takes to make award-winning wine—and save the reputation and finances of the Pincelli winery.

When the Malbec grapes go missing, Alex and Sofia must join forces to find the fruit before it spoils—or risk destroying both of their businesses and their hearts.

Universal book link: https://books2read.com/u/3n8xjP

Learn more at Cathy Perkins website: https://cperkinswrites.com  

MOMS IN BLACK - A Mom Squad Caper

When Cassandra Davenport applies for a job at www.savingtheworld.us, she expects to find a ‘green’ charity. Instead, she becomes the newest member of a covert organization run by ex-government officials. Dubbed the Mom Squad, the organization is the brainchild of three former college roommates—attorney general Anthony Granville, ex-FBI agent Gavin Demarco, and tech billionaire Liam Hatch—all of whom have lost loved ones at the hands of terrorists. Financed by Hatch, they work in the shadows and without the constraints of congressional oversight, reporting directly to Granville.

Demarco heads up one of the six groups that comprise the new operation. He hires Cassandra as the newest member of his New Jersey based team. In the course of monitoring possible terrorist threats, the Mom Squad discovers a link to Cassandra’s ex-husband. Before she’s fully trained, Cassandra is thrust into a world where her ex may be involved with radicalized terrorists bent on killing as many Americans as possible.

Universal book link:  https://books2read.com/u/3n8RQR  

Learn more at Lois Winston's website: www.loiswinston.com

Create Some Mayhem!

Create Some Mayhem!

By Cathy Perkins

Malbec Mayhem has joined the world!

Usually when an author releases a new book, it’s nerves and excitement and a ton of planning and nerves…

Did I mention it can be nerve-wracking? Will people like the book I spent however many months writing? Will they “get” the characters, the theme…

Will they hate it?

Will my publisher look at the numbers and tell me to go away?

Malbec Mayhem is nerve-wracking for me because it’s a little different. It’s a novella, revolving around one of the secondary characters in the Holly Price series. Alex had been bugging me for ages to give him a second chance—and this story is his opportunity to grow up and get things right. The mystery takes a back seat to the grown up version of coming of age. 

Whew! Most readers enjoy it:

5 Stars: “Alex get a second chance at love, but in fighting for what matters most he discovers his truest self.”

5 Stars: “Perkins … successfully develops her characters and put more than enough twists and turns into its pages.”

Double whew! 

Now to tamp down the rest of those nerves!

Malbec Mayhem

Successful restaurateur Alex Montoya’s charmed life has hit a snag. His trusted business partner turned out to be not exactly trustworthy, and Alex could be facing jail time over some of his partner’s shady financial deals. As if that weren’t bad enough, creditors are calling in loans he didn’t know he had and he’s desperate to prove his innocence before all his businesses are repossessed.

After a career-building stint in Napa Valley, Sofia Pincelli has returned home to eastern Washington to take over the family’s winery. Running the family business, however, means dealing with her ailing father’s constant micro-management—and his disapproval of Alex. Her father’s condemnation of Alex’s rumored involvement in his business partner’s schemes runs so deep, it threatens Alex and Sofia’s blossoming romance…along with the Pincelli family’s signature red wine. Sofia needs Alex’s crop of Malbec grapes to show her father she has what it takes to make award-winning wine—and save the reputation and finances of the Pincelli winery.

When the Malbec grapes go missing, Alex and Sofia must join forces to find the fruit before it spoils—or risk destroying both of their businesses and their hearts.

 

Want a copy? Get it from your favorite retailer:

Amazon                      https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GNHM2AE 

B&N                           https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/malbec-mayhem-cathy-perkins/1128809421

Kobo                           https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/malbec-mayhem-1

D2D                            https://books2read.com/u/38g2jB

Apple                          https://books.apple.com/us/book/malbec-mayhem/id1543804593

 

Prefer a paper copy? 

Amazon                      https://www.amazon.com/dp/1942003064

B&N                           https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/malbec-mayhem-cathy-perkins/1128809421

 

Want to learn more about the series?

Jump over here:          https://cperkinswrites.com/books/the-holly-price-mystery-series/

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on Peril in the Pony Ring, the sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Killer Nashville's Claymore Award. 

Celebrating the Longest Night

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah (or Chanukah if you prefer), Happy Kwanzaa (Habari Gani?), and Yay for the Solstice! What are you celebrating this month?  

If you live in the Pacific Northwest like I do, the passing of the Solstice is a reason to be especially thankful. I know I'm looking forward to more than a few hours of daylight. While the recognition of the shortest day probably goes back a lot further, many of the Christmas traditions come from the pagan rituals - yule logs, evergreen wreaths, candles, and evergreen yule trees.    

Western cultures draw many of these winter holiday traditions from Saturnalia, an ancient Roman solstice celebration dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture and time. Initially a one-day celebration earlier in December, like many Roman holidays, it later expanded into a weeklong party stretching from December 17 to 24. Scandinavia honors St. Lucia, one of the earliest Christian martyrs. This holiday was folded into earlier Norse solstice traditions after many Norsemen converted to Christianity around 1000 A.D. As a symbol of light, Lucia and her feast day blended naturally with solstice fire traditions. Of course, we owe the red and green Christmas colors to ancient Celtic traditions.

Moving into other international traditions, the Chinese celebrate Dong Zhi (which means “Winter Arrives”) to welcome the return of longer days and the corresponding increase in positive energy in the year to come. The holiday also has roots in the Chinese concept of yin and yang: after the solstice, the abundance of darkness in winter begins to be balanced with the sun's light. While it is no longer an official holiday, it remains a family occasion to join together and celebrate the year that has passed and share good wishes for the year to come.

An ancient Persian festival, Shab-e Yalda (which translates to “Night of Birth”) celebrates the triumph of Mithra, the Sun God, over darkness. According to its tradition, people gather on the longest night of year to protect each other from evil, burning fires to light their way through the darkness, and performing charitable acts. 

In Peru, like the rest of the Southern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is celebrated in June. The Inti Raymi (Quechua for “sun festival”) is dedicated to honoring Inti, the sun god. Before the Spanish conquest, the Incas fasted for three days prior to the solstice. Before dawn on the fourth day, they waited for the sunrise on a ceremonial plaza and offered sacrifices, using a mirror to focus the sun’s rays and kindle a fire. After the conquest, the Spaniards banned the Inti Raymi holiday. (Shocker, right?) 

For the Zuni, one of the Native American Pueblo peoples in western New Mexico, the winter solstice signifies the beginning of the year, and is marked with a ceremonial dance called Shalako. Once the Pekwin, or “Sun Priest,” announces the rebirth of the sun, four days of dance begin, starting with 12 kachina clowns in elaborate masks dance along with the Shalako themselves—12-foot-high effigies with bird heads, seen as messengers from the gods. 

The Anasazi left no written records, so we can only speculate about their winter solstice rites. Placement of stones and structures in their ruins, such as New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon, indicate they certainly took a keen interest in the sun’s movement. The Hopi, descendants of the Anasazi, have an all night ceremony that begins with the setting of the sun (beginning the longest night).

In Japan, the winter solstice is less a festival than a traditional practice centered around starting the new year with health and good luck. Like many of the traditions mentioned above, the practice has its roots in agriculture. While bonfires are also a tradition here, I'm interested in a different practice - taking warm baths scented with yuzu, a citrus fruit, which is said to ward off colds and foster good health. 

I'm wishing all of you good health in the upcoming winter (of our discontent. Sorry, couldn't resist). Covid anxiety, and then flat-out covid fatigue, have taken a toll on many of us. I know my productivity plummeted, but I do have a book releasing in January (Malbec Mayhem). 

As this crazy year winds down, take time (maybe on the longest night) to reflect on what the new season and new year will bring you. 2020 is almost behind us, but don’t give 2021 a chance to say, “hold my beer.”

Cathy 

PS Y’all were so helpful this summer with reviews from the Advance Reader Copies of Calling for the Money. I hope some of you will be interested in ARCs of Malbec Mayhem. Here's the link: https://bit.ly/MalbecReviewCopy 

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook  

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on the sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Claymore Award.