Hijinks, Hilarity and Heart
But I still have fun doing!
I was thinking about this exchange in the upcoming The Hitwoman Investigates
when I was doing one of those Paint and Sip things with a friend.
I have zero artistic ability (see below for proof!) but it IS possible to have fun doing things you’re not good at.
My friend and I had a blast imagining how Maggie would react if this was another Girl’s Night Out. I started critiquing my work as God…just imagine what that was like! 😉
Available for preorder
Maggie Lee knows she should “just say no” to retired US Marshal Lawrence Griswal when he asks for her help. But when has Maggie ever NOT helped a family member?
At Griswald’s request she partners with Nat Hunting to figure out what the hold up is with Griswald getting his private investigator license. It doesn’t sound that complicated or dangerous, but somehow Maggie ends up dancing with an octopus, breaking into a morgue, and facing off against a killer (armed only with a magnifying glass).
She’ll need the help of her loyal pets, some psychic guidance and more than a smidge of luck to survive this investigation.
Time flies when you’re keeping busy!
I had a very busy first half of the year. I searched for a house, put an offer in on three different ones and bought the last. (Third time was the charm!)
I moved a couple of weeks ago and have been unpacking and settling in.
In the last six months I published three books: The Hitwoman’s Girls’ Night Out, The Hitwoman’s Getaway, and The Hitwoman vs The Security Guard.
(In case you’re wondering, it is NOT the best idea to have a book published the day after you move. Talk about stress overload! lol)
You might notice that I’ve changed the cover style, but rest assured, Maggie and the gang are still getting up to the same whacky antics!
Even though they drive her crazy, Maggie Lee is all about family.
Now it seems her half-brother has gotten himself into trouble with someone known as The Security Guard.
Luckily (or not!) The Security Guard is now proving to be a problem for the mob boss she works for and he wants him taken out.
Maggie jumps at the chance to get rid of the danger to her brother and the thorn in her boss’s side.
But her assassination attempt doesn’t go as planned. (Do they ever?)
Now she’s the target of The Security Guard’s wrath.
Can old friends, new allies and her loyal pets save her?
It’s a new month and that means it’s time to tell you about a new book.
The Hitwoman’s Getaway will be out next month!
A romantic room, gourmet meals, free booze, massages…that’s what Maggie is promised when she’s sent away on a pet-friendly romantic getaway.
Crazy fellow guests, a missing couple, a human skull, and someone trying to kill her is what she ends up getting.
With the help of the core members of her menagerie and a new furry friend, Maggie tries to figure out what’s going on while staying alive and how to salvage her romantic weekend.
But a killer has other plans…
Spring is around the corner and it’s finally hiking season here in North Carolina. Smudge and I have been having a great time getting outdoors.
Being outside helps me to stay calmer despite the current state of the world. And being less stressed allows me to write more and hopefully offer YOU some much needed escapism. I’m currently working on the next Hitwoman book after that! Maggie and the gang are having a busy year!
I can’t believe it.
I’m soooo excited to report that The Hitwoman’s Girls’ Night Out hit number one in Psychic Mysteries on Amazon.
This is the 30th book in the series, but the first time one of the books has gotten that little banner!
I’m so grateful to EVERY reader who helped to make this happen.
It was a truly lovely surprise. THANK YOU!
The Hitwoman’s Girls’ Night Out is almost here!
Here’s a sneak peek!
just know it’s going to be a bad day when Armani’s planned a girls’ night out.
A sharp rap on my bedroom door woke me from a blissful dream where I was lying in a meadow, all by myself, soaking up the silence and staring up at the stars. My dreams are pretty much the only place where I get to be alone.
Startled awake, I struggled to sit up and focus on the door, but I was held down by the cat pressed to the top of my head, the Doberman draped across my chest, and the pig weighing down my legs. Instead of sitting up, I felt suffocated.
The bedroom door swung open, and Armani Vasquez burst in. “Morning, chica!”
“Go away,” I groaned. I would have covered my eyes to emphasize my point, except my arm was trapped under DeeDee, the dog.
“Big night, tonight,” my friend declared, ignoring my instruction to leave.
“I was sleeping,” I told her grouchily.
Slowly, the animals stirred, releasing me so that I could sit up and glare at my friend.
“We were all sleeping, Sugar,” Piss, the one-eyed cat, grumbled.
“I was not asleep,” God, the anole lizard, declared from where he balanced on a piece of driftwood. “I awoke with the dawn.”
“Me too! Me too! Me too!” Benny, the little white mouse chimed in, racing around in circles in his little cage.
“I hate morning creatures,” I muttered.
“I’m hungry,” Matilda, the pig, grunted, sliding off the foot of the bed and landing with a heavy thunk on the carpet.
“She’s always hungry,” God pointed out.
“Hungry!” DeeDee barked excitedly.
“Her too,” the lizard griped.
The Doberman leapt over her porcine pal, almost knocking Armani over in the process, and raced out of the room, toward the kitchen. Matilda waddled behind.
“Close the door,” I implored Armani. It was bad enough that she was in here, I didn’t need any other early morning visitors coming to pay their respects.
“You’re a grouchy one,” my friend said, lowering herself onto the spot on the bed that Matilda had just vacated.
“I was asleep,” I reminded her.
“Late night with Gino?” she asked with a curious sparkle in her eye.
Instead of answering her, I pulled the bed sheet over my face. “What do you want?”
“Aren’t you excited?” It sounded like she was excited enough for the both of us.
I flipped the sheet back off my face and asked, “About what?”
“Our girls’ night out.”
I was about to tell her that a girls’ night out sounded like the seventh ring of hell, but Piss stuck her claws into my shoulder. “She’s worked hard on this,” she purred quietly.
Knowing the cat was right, I managed a half smile for Armani. “I can’t wait,” I said with false cheer, trying to be a good friend.
She cocked her head to the side and gave me a suspicious look. I guess I hadn’t been too convincing. I was not a good friend.
“I’ll be more enthusiastic after coffee,” I promised her.
“Just tell me you’re not going to back out,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. She knew me too well. “Promise me, Maggie.”
“I won’t back out,” I pledged. That was mostly because I had not come up with a good excuse to miss the outing. I’d been trying to think of one for days.
“I’ve taken care of everything,” my friend said excitedly. “I made the plans. I bought the outfits. I arranged the transportation.”
“Hold up,” I said, raising a hand, trying to stop her as panic tightened my chest. “What outfits?”
“I got them for everybody,” she said, standing up. “Don’t worry, you’re going to love yours.” I squinted at her suspiciously. I love Armani, but I don’t always love her taste…or lack thereof.
Next week, I’ve got not one, but two releases!
On the 22nd the audiobook version of “Gently Used, Still Works” book 2 in the Psychic Consignment Mystery series will be released by Tantor Media.
Then on the 24th the 30th book in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series, “The Hitwoman’s Girls’ Night Out” will be released.
Meanwhile book 31 in the series is with my editor and I’ve started work on book 32. Whew!
Did anybody else feel like January was just super long and exhausting?
I certainly did. As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, one of my goals is to buy a home this year. I tried twice in January and neither time worked out. It was frustrating to go through so much stress and paperwork only to end up with nothing, but I firmly believe that when it’s meant to happen, it will.
On the plus side, it snowed in my corner of North Carolina! The first I’ve seen since the beginning of 2013, so I really enjoyed it (but the dog, not so much, lol.).
Also for the first time in a while, I had a cold. (Blessedly short and easy, but it still was just “one more thing” this month.)
Needless to say, some of the distractions ended up chipping away at my productivity and I didn’t q-u-i-t-e get everything done that I wanted, but I did make progress.
I’ve been busy working on the CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN series. Book 30, The Hitwoman’s Girls’ Night Out (available next month!) is with the copy editor and I’m more than halfway through the first draft of Book 31!
What could possibly go wrong when a girls’ night out is arranged by Armani Vasquez?
Maggie Lee is about to find out.
When Maggie humors her quirky, psychic friend and agrees to a long-delayed night of “fun” she has to deal with the uniquely challenging dynamics of her female friends and family, a roomful of people who could potentially reveal her secret life, and a distraught, emotional support guinea pig.
Not to mention that her mom, who’s out on a temporary pass from the nut house, claims to have witnessed a murder.
It’s going to be a memorable night for Maggie and the girls, but will it prove deadly?
I also read lots of poems…(pretty much solidifying my opinion that I’m really not a poetry person) and four short stories. The best book I read was….don’t laugh…Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I really enjoyed it, lol. I did pretty well with photo-a-day challenge (missed two days) and I tried two new-to-soup recipes (another of my goals).
How are YOU doing with your resolutions/goals?
The first of the Psychic Consignment Mysteries, ONE WOMAN’S JUNK has been released in audiobook format!
When their beloved godmother, Letty, dies suddenly, the Concordia sisters converge on the beach town of Sarasota, Florida, to mourn the passing of the woman who raised them. While there, they must scatter her ashes as instructed and decide what to do with her consignment shop, One Woman’s Junk.
Navigating her relationships with her older sisters is hard enough for Beatrice, but after they’re all struck by lightning, things get more complicated in the land of sun and sand. With the power of a newly inherited crystal ring, Bea is suddenly assailed by psychic visions when she touches certain objects.
When her godmother is posthumously accused of having stolen a designer purse (which Bea knows darn well is a knock-off—thank you very much), Bea becomes obsessed with proving her innocence.
Contending with a physical injury, challenging family dynamics, and business headaches, Bea struggles to harness and understand her visions.
With the help of an unusual new “friend” and the sexy carpenter next door, she’s determined to clear Letty’s good name. But doing so may be a bad decision. One that could cost her not only her relationship with her sisters . . . but her life.