Tag: SweetDealSealed

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Donut Lassies

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The original US National Donut Day was created by the Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the brave women, “Donut Lassies,” who made history when they risked their lives during World War One to raise the spirits and to bring hope to thousands of soldiers, in part by serving donuts.

In 1917, Salvation Army volunteers traveled to France and set up makeshift “huts” in abandoned buildings near the front lines then provided writing supplies, stamps, a clothes-mending service, and most importantly, donuts and sweet treats to boost morale. The donut became a symbol of hope and home to the young American men, with over half of them between the ages of 18-23, who fought in France.

Next time you have a donut, other sweet treat, or a cup of coffee or tea in your hand, raise a toast in remembrance of the courageous Donut Lassies who took a taste of home and comfort to the fighting soldiers on the front lines of WWI.

And to slip in a book about donuts, you might be interested in SWEET DEAL SEALED, Book 1 of the DONUT LADY COZY MYSTERY SERIES.

       

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Inspiration, Weeds, and Books

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How could weeds that overtook a garden be an inspiration for books? There’s a story for that!

This is one of my four raised garden beds. When I first heard about raised gardens, I thought the gardens were on tables that were waist-high. I loved the idea of not having to bend over or kneel in the dirt. I signed up for the local county Department of Agriculture Extension Service classes on raising vegetables, and I was excited that one seminar was devoted to raised beds. I was sorely disappointed when a tall (everybody’s tall to me), young (ditto, young) woman led us outside to view the raised bed garden she had constructed for the class.

Her raised bed garden was six feet by six feet, and she had some green plants in it. She knelt next to her raised bed to show how easily she could weed and maintain her garden. She implied that a raised garden bed had to be six feet by six feet for the garden magic to work, but I pointed out that she had a little trouble reaching the middle of the raised bed. She said her raised bed was new, and everyone limbers up as they garden.

I’m not sure how much gardening it takes to become so limber that you’re taller. She didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

A few years later when we moved to the farm, FarmerMan built a raised bed for my short self, and I can pull weeds from the middle of it without climbing in. Last year, this raised bed had serrano peppers. After a visit to the hardware store yesterday, I came home with vegetable plants and vegetable seeds, and it was time to weed.

The best weeding news of the week is that it rained a total of three inches this week, so pulling weeds could have been much worse.

Here we are! I weeded the raised bed garden and planted nine plants: all collard greens. The irrigation system is in place, and rain has been in the forecast for today and one day next week. The perfect supplement to our irrigation system.

So, how does that relate to books?

My oldest series got a little weeding and a snazzy new look too. The series is great and fun to read, but the covers weren’t quite limber enough because they didn’t line up well with the cozy mystery theme.  You wouldn’t see them in a group of covers and say, “Ah ha! That’s obviously a cozy mystery novel!” They aren’t bad, and they kind of imply they are mysteries, but that doesn’t make them limber or cozy mysteries.

Old Cover. You can tell it’s a mystery because it says so on the bottom line, but you probably didn’t immediately read the fine print at the bottom before you saw the picture.

  

New Cover. If you’re a cozy mystery reader, you’ll probably recognize this as a book that’s suited for you because of the cover. If you aren’t a cozy mystery reader, you might like the donut cover better; not because it’s a book you’d want to read, but instead…Donuts.

  

If you’ve read any of the Donut Lady Mysteries, just a note for you that the stories have NOT changed. We just gave our DONUT LADY more of the center stage on the cover. Unless you want to have the paperback with the most current cover, please wait just a little bit longer for Donut Lady, Book 6, for a new Donut Lady story.

 

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Another Sweet Donut Lady Novel with a Side of Murder

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Donut Lady Mystery Series continues with Book 5, SWEET SECRET DEAL.

Donut Lady is in a race to uncover the secrets and solve the murders before the desperate killer murders her.

Donut Lady’s reputation for solving murders continues to grow in Book 5 of the Donut Lady Mystery saga.

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KAREN O’BRIEN is puzzled by the secrets of a respected, longtime resident of Asbury. How many secret partners can any one person have? And when one of the partners and then another is murdered, Karen is convinced the killer must have been one of the other partners, but which one? And why? The Donut Lady asks too many questions and uncovers too many secrets. She’s in the killer’s crosshairs.

DONUT LADY mysteries are best enjoyed by starting with Book 1: SWEET SEAL SEALED.

SweetDealSealedBuy  SweetDealConcealedBuy   SweetDealRevealedBuySweetDealAppealedBuy  SweetSecretDealBuy

DonutLadyMysterySeries 3D 5 Books July 25 2021

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Reader Magnet Short Story, Chapter 1

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What Is a Reader Magnet?

A year ago, I had no idea what a reader magnet was. In my literalness, I envisioned a nice refrigerator magnet with a picture of a book and a puppy. And maybe a kitten and a chicken for good measure. I don’t know about anybody else’s readers except mine – but we all like books, puppies, kittens, and chickens.

Then I stumbled across the idea of a “short story” that would give a reader a taste of the author’s brilliant writing. My first thought: That’s dreadful.

The Short Story that Wasn’t a Reader Magnet

Case in point: I wrote a short story called Barter and Bargains three years ago and submitted it to millions of contests. (I typed jillions, but autocorrect frowns on exaggeration.) The maximum word count allowed was 5,000, so I had to trim my 7,500-word story back with a hatchet.

I received two recurring criticisms:

  1. The story was too nice.
  2. The critic/judge wanted to know more about the characters.

I learned four things from the experience:

  1. I write nice characters that people want to know more about.
  2. I am a great storyteller.
  3. My writing craft skills needed work.
  4. I can’t write short.
  5. Wait, make it five: I’m not deflated by criticism.

Continue reading “Reader Magnet Short Story, Chapter 1” →

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SECOND EDITION? Why?

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SWEET DEAL SEALED, SECOND EDITION

DONUT LADY MYSTERY SERIES, BOOK 1

SDS 3D Paperback May 3 2020

Why a Second Edition?

Short answer:

More Story! The first edition of SWEET DEAL SEALED: A NOVELLA is 115 pages; the new SWEET DEAL SEALED, EXPANDED SECOND EDITION, is 235 pages!

Long Answer:

The first edition of SWEET DEAL SEALED is a novella – a short novel or a long short story. In the publishing world, there is a rule that says a series cannot have a novella as Book 1 unless all the rest of the books are also novellas. Who knew? Not me.

For example, Book listing services list SWEET DEAL SEALED: A NOVELLA, BOOK 1  in the DONUT LADY MYSTERY SERIES as Book 0.5; SWEET DEAL CONCEALED, BOOK 2, is labeled as BOOK 1; SWEET DEAL REVEALED, BOOK 3, labeled as BOOK 2. Ugh. Were readers confused? I know I was!

With DONUT LADY MYSTERY SERIES, BOOK 4 in the plans for 2020, it was time to channel my inner Don Quixote and pick my windmill/battles. Taking on the entire literary and publishing world to force them out of their antiquated rules didn’t seem fun. And I’m in it for the fun. I realized there was so much more to the Donut Lady’s earlier story. Who knew? And the EXPANDED SECOND EDITION was born. Now that was fun!

QUESTION: I’ve already read/never read Sweet Deal Sealed: Novella. Do I read Sweet Deal Sealed, Expanded Second Edition?

ANSWER: YES!

If you’ve read the original novella, you’ll enjoy the expanded story.

If you haven’t read the original novella, all of its story is included in the expanded second edition.

 

Are you interested in Book 4? Watch for it in the fall!
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Bizarre? Just a Little

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As soon as I had my table set up at the Bizarre Bazaar in Bainbridge, GA, my newest friend grabbed her DONUT LADY BOOK 1, Sweet Deal Sealed, before they were all gone. Note that I am a good inch taller than she is. She was at the booth around the corner from me with her amazing, talented husband and his beautiful woodwork. I love the new-to-me local festivals in south Georgia. I meet nice people and sell books.

There were some slightly bizarre happenings. I’m not going to tell you though because they all have a place in one of my books for 2020. I will tell you that I discovered the next murderer for DONUT LADY BOOK 4. One hint: the murderer is not pictured above. Unless she wants to be, then all bets are off.

Interested in knowing more about my current books? Here you go! Judith A. Barrett Author Page

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A Birthday Conspiracy

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Agatha Christie’s birthday is September 15 ~ #cozymysteryday

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When four mystery authors join together to celebrate #cozymysterday, is anyone surprised by a two-week birthday conspiracy? #anyexcuseforaparty

Judith A. Barrett

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Judith A. Barrett lives and writes in the USA on a farm in Georgia with her FarmerMan husband, 2 dogs: TJ-Boy and Sadie, a rooster named Malfoy, 45 hens (let us know when you want the names of all the chickens), abundant wildlife, wild birds, and beautiful butterflies. To her husband’s amazement, she has not named all the wildlife, birds, and butterflies. Yet.

Judith is the author of the Donut Lady Mystery Series. KAREN O’BRIEN is a former teacher and convicted felon. After prison, she looks forward to a new, quiet life in a small town in southern Georgia where she buys a donut shop complete with a sweet German Shepherd, Colonel, and a sassy gray cat, Mia. Donut Lady’s plan for tranquility is disrupted by a missing boy in Sweet Deal Sealed, murders in Sweet Deal Concealed, and more murder in Sweet Deal Revealed.

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Celebration

Join the Birthday Celebration with Donut Lady Mystery Series Book 1, Sweet Deal Sealed

 

 

Isabella Muir

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Isabella Muir lives and writes in England in the historic county of Sussex and has a love of all things caravan-like. She has spent many winters caravanning in Europe and now, together with her husband, she runs a small caravan site in Sussex. They are ably assisted by their much-loved Scottie, Hamish.

Isabella is the author of a popular crime series – the Sussex Crime Mysteries. The stories are set in the sixties and seventies and feature a young librarian and amateur sleuth, Janie Juke, who has a passion for Agatha Christie.  In The Tapestry Bag, when Janie’s good friend, Zara, goes missing, Janie applies what she has learned from the great Poirot to untangle the web of lies and deceit as she explores the circumstances of Zara’s strange disappearance. In the second and third books in the series – Lost Property and The Invisible Case – Janie continues to develop her sleuthing skills, solving crimes and mysteries.

Isabella Muir 3D COVERS x 3

Celebration

Join the Birthday Celebration with Sussex Crime Mysteries first book in the series – The Tapestry Bag

And there’s more! Receive the FREE Sussex Crime novella, Divided we Fall when you sign up to receive Isabella’s newsletter with cozy mystery news and views, special offers and so much more. Just click here.

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Visit Isabella at https://isabellamuir.com/

 

C.H. Sessums

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C.H. Sessums lives and writes in gorgeous East Texas with her hubby and their two rescue dogs. Every weekend all four of them pile up into their bunkhouse to watch classic movies and listen to old-time radio.

C.H. SESSUMS is a pen name for USA Today Bestselling Author Olivia Hardin. While Olivia writes all manner of romance, C.H. scribbles out cozy mysteries set in her beloved state of Texas. Whether exploring urban legends from all over the lone star state or solving capers set in far off times, mystery meets history in all of her stories.

C.H. is the author of The Errant Heirs Caper – Book 1 of JD Pierson Mystery Series. The setting for the story is Texas in 1936. JD Pierson’s daughter Jenny wants her dad out of his bottle of gin and back in the investigator game, but having an old friend turn up dead was not part of the plan. When a swarm of heirs swoops in we’re left wondering if his death really was an accident, or if murder is how one of them means to cash in.

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Celebration

Join the Birthday Celebration with  The Errant Heirs Caper.

Visit C.H. at http://www.chsessums.com/

 

David Wake

David Wake (hi-rs)        David Wake (steampunk)

Ever the gentleman, David Wake brings up the rear for our list of celebratory authors. (We’ll avert our eyes politely and ignore the fact that our authors are in alphabetical order.)

David Wake is an award-winning playwright, director, and technical stage manager. He’s taken plays to Edinburgh and London, and provided lighting for Hollywood stars.
He graduated from Birmingham City University’s MA in Writing with distinction and was awarded the year’s screenwriting prize. The SF convention, ArmadaCon, kindly invited him to be their guest of honour for their 25th anniversary event, and he’s also been the guest at Redemption too. He turned his hand to novels and has two series: The Derring-Do Club adventures and the Thinkersphere series; as well as stand-alone books.

David is the author of the Derring-Do Club Series. Steampunk at its best.

Three sisters, Earnestine, Georgina and Charlotte, are forbidden to go on any adventures… but when did that ever stop them?  From Austro-Hungarians plots to zombies with alien creatures and flying machines and time travel in between.  Putting their best foot forward, without showing an ankle, since 1896.

Death on the Suez (Front Cover)

Celebration

Join the Birthday Celebration with  Death on the Suez. Book 4 of the Derring-Do Club Series.

Visit David at http://davidwake.com/

 

 

Celebrate, Read, and Review!

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Donut Lady Mystery Series — Sweet Deal Sealed, Sweet Deal Concealed and Sweet Deal Revealed by Judith A. Barrett — Jennie Reads

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This review if for the first 3 books in this series – because just like donuts I could not read/eat just one! I heard this author speak on a panel at the Indie Book Fest in Orlando and got an immediate fan girl crush! She was a hoot – and when I enjoy someone that […]

via Dount Lady Mystery Series — Sweet Deal Sealed, Sweet Deal Concealed and Sweet Deal Revealed by Judith A. Barrett — Jennie Reads

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Book Table ~ I HEART Books

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The 2019 I HEART Books Sale was at the Gainesville Downtown Public Library.  I met new authors and awesome readers, including the members of a local book club that is considering recommending the books of the DONUT LADY MYSTERY SERIES for their club to read this summer.

Book Club: We had an author who came to speak to us once. Would you be willing to do that?

Me: That would be awesome! I would love to! <Wow! WooHoo!>