My First Miss Demeanors Blog as a Member

This is my inaugural blog as an official Miss Demeanor, so I wanted to devote the blog to thanking the group for inviting me in and being so welcoming. 

First, I have to thank C. Michele Dorsey for extending the invitation to join. About eighteen months ago, Michele and I started having a weekly phone call to discuss our work and the state of the publishing industry. I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer—I’m fine now, so no worries—but between the treatments and COVID, I wasn’t allowed to leave the house. Those weekly conversations were a life saver, and I can never thank Michele enough for her time and friendship.

As you probably know, Michele is the author of the award winning Sabrina Salter mystery series, and she has several amazing “stand alones” as well as another Sabrina mystery book almost ready for publication. Can’t wait.

We also managed to talk our way into starting a self-publishing journey, and that too has been a blessing! Thanks to her encouragement, I published my first mystery thriller novel, In Deep, this year, and the second book in the Fin Fleming Thriller series, Sunken Death, is coming out on December 31. Thanks again, Michele. You may have saved my life, or at the very least my sanity.

I was delighted to meet Emilya Naymark at New England Crime Bake this year, where we were both debut authors. I have her first mystery book, Hide in Place, in my TBR pile, and I can’t wait to get to it—especially after all the buzz her books are getting. Go, Emilya! I’m proud to be in the group with you.

Connie Berry and I had met at Crime Bake several times over the years, and it’s always a pleasure to hear what she’s been up to. Her fourth Kate Hamilton mystery novel, The Shadow of Memory, is coming in 2022. I can’t wait to find out what’s new in the series.

Susan Breen and I had also met several times at New England Crime Bake, the mystery writers’ conference. Her Maggie Dove series of mysteries are perennial hits, and you know Susan is awesome because she runs an annual workshop at the New York Pitch Conference. What an honor to be in a group with her.

Tracee De Hahn and I have never met in person, but I’ve followed her for years on Facebook and Twitter, and I always enjoyed her blogs on MissDemeanors.com. The novels in her Agnes Lüthi Mysteries showcase the European flair gathered during Tracee’s years spent living in Switzerland. The novels are beautifully written and meticulously researched. Who knew there was so much to know about watchmaking? Thanks for helping me get up to speed on the blog, Tracee.

I’ve never met Keenan Powell, but I’m in awe of her. She lives in Alaska, which makes me so jealous. She writes thoroughly researched historical mysteries set in Adams, Massachusetts, a town where I spent a lot of time back when I was a software consultant. And her Maeve Malloy mystery series gets raves from readers—and the books have won a ton of awards. Her short stories have appeared in some of the best loved anthologies in the mystery genre. Thank you for welcoming me to the group. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.

Alexia Gordon is a powerhouse. A full time physician by day, she writes the award winning Gethsemane Brown mystery series set in Ireland and featuring a classical musician and a ghost. I’ve read these books, and they are awesome. Alexia is also a podcaster (The Cozy Corner with Alexia Gordon) and a Pitchwars.org mentor. Someday I’ll ask what she does in her spare time. In the meantime, I’m glad to be part of the same group. Thanks for having me. 

So, you probably already knew all about the awesome members of the Miss Demeanors, one of the top blog spots for writers, but I thought you might enjoy knowing how I’m connected to the group I’ll be calling home for the foreseeable future. And besides, calling them out by name gave me the chance to thank each one individually.

And by the way, I’m running two promotions in preparation for the publication of Sunken Death. The first is a discount on In Deep. Now through December 31, the In Deep eBook is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon.

The second promotion is for people who sign up for my newsletter mailing list. You can sign up here. One lucky reader each week wins a copy of either In Deep or Sunken Death. The weekly winner can choose the book and the format. Winners are chosen at random from the list. The sooner you sign up, the more chances you have to win. Good luck!